#Murder of Mike Brown
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Ten years ago this August, a white police officer killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. What happened on Canfield Drive that day sparked a nationwide movement to save Black lives, end police brutality, and make safety a reality for all people. As a registered nurse, pastor, and local activist, I spent over 400 days protesting alongside thousands of my fellow community members. I will never forget the brutality we faced in response to our calls for humanity. Police used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, noise munitions, batons, shields, fists, and boots against us. The Missouri National Guard called us âenemy forces.â Our government labeled us âBlack identity extremists.â Many politicians condemned us. Those of us on the front lines were traumatized, but we knew that time would prove we were on the right side of history â and it did. Time will prove the same for the students currently protesting across the country. From Columbia University in New York City to Washington University in St. Louis to The George Washington University in Washington, DC, thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and their allies of different faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds have engaged in overwhelmingly nonviolent civil disobedience in support of Palestinian human rights and an end to their universitiesâ complicity in violation of those rights. For years, politicians, university administrators, and media figures across the political spectrum have professed their commitment to free speech, diversity, and inclusion. They have feigned concern about the state of free speech and dissent on college campuses. Yet when presented with organized, disciplined, nonviolent protest in support of a moral cause that is routinely stigmatized, many of those same people have championed violent, repressive crackdowns intended to crush dissent. We have all seen the footage of armed officers using pepper spray, rubber bullets, fists, and boots against students, faculty, and their allies without provocation. We have all witnessed the cowardly response from too many university administrators, some of whom would rather risk or inflict violence on their own community members than grapple with calls for divestment. We have all heard the stories of students arrested, assaulted, suspended, evicted, banned, smeared, humiliated. Despite knowing what happened nearby in 2014 and expressing support for the Ferguson protesters, Washington University administrators in St. Louis summoned dozens of law enforcement officers to a protest where students, faculty, and other community members were peacefully gathered. Some were brutalized. Officers were filmed beating and body slamming a 65-year-old professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Steve Tamari, who was later hospitalized with multiple broken ribs and a broken hand. Steve is my friend and I am thankful heâs alive. I met him and his wife, Sandra, both Palestinian-Americans, when they joined us in the streets during the Ferguson Uprising. Protesters are now being smeared as violent and antisemitic. Let me be clear: Trespassing, setting up tents, and carrying signs are not violent. Condemning a government that has killed more than 14,5000 children in seven months and created a humanitarian catastrophe is not antisemitic. Beating, tackling, pepper spraying, and shooting rubber bullets at people is violent. The January 6 insurrection was violent. Denying the humanity of the many Jewish people who are participating in the encampments is antisemitic.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) for Teen Vogue on police and government repression of social movements such as the Ferguson protests and the campus protests over the Gaza Genocide (05.14.2024).
Rep. Cori Bush wrote an insightful op-ed in Teen Vogue calling out police and government's role in creating violent crackdowns on social movements such as the campus protests against Israel's genocide campaign in Gaza and the Black Lives Matter movement. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/cori-bush-student-protests
#Cori Bush#Teen Vogue#OpEds#Campus Protests#Ferguson Protests#Ferguson#Ceasefire NOW Protests#Israel/Hamas War#Gaza Genocide#Police Brutality#Black Lives Matter#Black Lives Matter Protests#Murder of Mike Brown#Police Violence#Israel Apartheid
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I heart Until Dawn and it's collection of comically stupid characters. and I do mean all of them. and I do mean it affectionately. I just. god. the reason that anything can happen to these people At All is because, somehow, Every Single One Of Them decided that it was a good idea to accept an invite to the World's Most Suspicious Event at the World's Most Suspicious Place. "hmm!! I'm sure nothing strange or horrific is going to happen to us up on our rich friend's isolated mountain lodge; why would it?? I mean, sure, we Are going to be up there on the exact same date that we inadvertently triggered the events of his sisters' disappearance, but surely he's not upset with us about that or anything. let's go!!" seven separate people. nobody thought anything of it. it's incredible. impressive, even. I mean, I don't know. me personallyyyyy?? I probably would've received that invitation and thought, "oh, he's For Sure gonna do something to us up there, and he For Sure has the means to get away with it; I'm Not Gonna Go." but. hey. that's just me.
#like ofc there's the possibility that Josh is the best liar in the world#that he was able to keep his anger completely and totally choked down for a year#I imagine they didn't Talk Much during that year; I imagine that distance is conducive to conducting a good revenge plot#but jesus. the exactly anniversary?? and the exact location?? I need you guys to get it together for a sec.#how was NOBODIES first thought 'oh so he's gonna do first degree murder. that's what this is. obviously.'#like thank GOD he just decided to do a prank lmfao!!#until dawn#josh washington#emily davis#jessica riley#sam giddings#chris hartley#matt taylor#ashley brown#mike munroe#horror#video game#cloey talks games#mine
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"Understand The Palm Of My Hand, Bitch."
#Crimson's Gifs: Until Dawn#Until Dawn (2015)#Until Dawn#Samantha Giddings#Sam Giddings#Sam (Until Dawn)#Ashley Brown#Ashley (Until Dawn)#Ash Brown#Emily Davis#Em Davis#Emily (Until Dawn)#Christopher Hartley#Chris Hartley#Chris (Until Dawn)#This one makes me laugh so fucking hard it goes hard as a line tho#Like sorry to Ashley enjoyers but she literally had it coming#She refused to interprete the advice correctly and egged Mike on to literally Commit Murder and also had the opportunity to Lie#about the correct info#Like if that was me and I was Emily she'd have a matching black eye#She got off easy with a slap to be honest#Just my favourite scene between my two least favourite people in the game
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is it the lighting??
Mike Patton with Faith No More at Forestglade Festival, Austria July 2010 photos by Thomas Zeidler (probably)
part 1
#mike patton#faith no more#he doesn't always look like this?#but this....this is good#know what i mean?#those deep brown eyes are murdering me at midnight
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animation goofs
I has assumed from memory that the movie used the Hanna Barbera cartoon, as it is what Mike Myers references with "Saturday morn-y" (to make it rhyme). But, no it is a Dan Decarlo image from a 1985 issue of Archie's TV Laugh-Out. (Same story as this one.)
From tvtropes, under the topic "Marilyn Manuever": Melody in "Never Mind A Master Mind". Her skirt flies up as she and the others drop to the ground after being suspended in the air by a ray gun used to cause levitation, and the effect wears off. As a possible animation goof, she doesn't seem to wear undies in this. Okay. I already played this game with a 1989 Betty and Veronica. But let's see.
Hm. She has something on in the first frame. To be honest, the frames that follow the second will make her commando-wear even clearer, but I do not wish to retrack.
Oh. Wait. There's another one. Alexandra in "The Jumping' Jupiter Affair". Her skirt gets lifted from behind, as she hangs on tightly to a kite and the gust carries them idly. In a possible animation goof, she seems to be commando.
Surely hilarious. And I'm sure the cells are highly valuable collector's items -- someone has it slid next to the cocaine snorting Mighty Mouse one. I will now flip a coin as to whether I will seek it out, and -- nope.
#Archie Comics#Mike Myers#So I Married an Axe Murderer#Pseudo-beat performance poetry#Dan Decarlo#1985#Josie and the Pussycats#Hanna Barbera#1970#Josie McCoy#Valerie Brown#Melody Valentine#Alexandra Cabot#Alexander Cabot III#also known as Shaggy#Alan M#Suspended animation#Marilyn Manuever#Seems a manufactured term but whatever#Intimates#Going commando#1993#Valerie Smith#Myers's piece would not go over well in any poetry slam I was ever a part of#Maybe it will sneak past a bad white rapper#But only because the regulars would assume I would pull something familiar out#Anatomy
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Why did my cooking dream get hijacked by my brain making a William Afton oc and au what was that about.
#luly talks#my dreams#I'll peace like i can recollect it was weird#bc it literally was ME BUYING GROCERIES W MY DAD but then the line between when we ended and Michael and William started blurred#i remember the grocery store very well also bc it was very similar to the one i go always to but smaller and more sepia#it was dark for a grocery store like it was just letting sunlight in#pears were half off like some black friday offer so all the products were suuuper cheap#i saw one bottle of milky pear juice for like 1k. and the same w these 4 stacks of frozen waffles who were like 1070.#or this bottle of pear pancake mixture that had 2 or 4 lts#it was kind of when i went away that thr lines started blurring so let me tell you what i remember about this Afton:#he didnt seem. murderous. he was grocery shopping w his kid for fuck's sake đ i think he was even sitting somewhere while i ran back and#forth taken aback by these offers? like kinda dismissive at best#uh. Henry was brought up believe it or not. it was like... they broke up or something? like he was kinda upset about the mention but like#in a i dont want to explain why im not with him rn sort of way#very insecure he seemed. like he run into this woman who might've been someone but idk who was whom asked sbout henry and bro was SWEATING#you'd say dream william was a fucking loser he just got locked in thinking like what do i say and HOW do i say it#to make it sound casual but also not weird.#bc on top of all he also seemed to have some weird gender things going on bc he first instinct when trying to explain himself to the woman#(who i cannot stress enough was super friendly like a fucking neighbor or something just going hey hi! hows da family? ^_^)#was to refer to them both as girls as this jokey comradery Let's Ignore The Topic thing before going No That's Bad I Can't Say That#this whole internal monologue in my dream happened in a sort of comic panel thing btw where shit went from these warm browns and greens and#shit from the grocery store to jarring black and whites and reds as William tried to have a straight thought#looks wise unfortunately not a lot going on.though considering this was literally my dream getting turned over can we say my Afton is argie#something something my turn stealing from them etc etc or whatever#uh. brown hair. but not too dark. it was greying and that was making it lighter. also very angular face as you'd expect#high cheekbones pretty eyebrows no facial hair. hair was a bit longuish tho? like a messy ear length maybe?#he had a button up w buttons lose bc it's so hot and humid rn also sunglasses which i know 100% was influenced bc the last design i rbed#a little.before napping#also he had age makes too though his age was most visible in his scrawny long exposed neck#me/mike change was minimal bc we're both pale and brunette hit tag limit so hope y'all like my brain's oc i guess đ
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Bad Boys Ride or Die (Armando x Reader): Part One
Another day... another morning. Time seems to be passing you by without allowing you to catch up and you feel as if your life is slowly running its course. Itâs been about an hour since you have woken up but since the sun is always aligned with your window before work, thatâs how you knew it was time to get up and get ready. The birds chirping, neighbors mowing their yard and arguing. A continuous cycle that you sometimes wish would end. You laid there in your soft, silky sheet until you heard a knock at your door. Getting up, putting on your cheetah print robe, you slipped on your house shoes and walked over to your door.
âWho is it?â You asked, holding on to the door knob.
âItâs us, who else would it be?â, a familiar voice answered with a slight chuckle.
You sighed while unlocking the door, opening it to see two black males standing there making eye-contact. They were the ones âtrainingâ you for the detective spot.
âWhat do you guys want? You know this canât be an everyday routine, right?âYou laughed walking away towards your open kitchen.Â
âMake sure you shut my door and lock it, I donât need anyone else barging in.â You continued leaning against your counter-table.
âGet used to it y/n. Since we are training you, and you are going to be with us all of the timeâŚwe might as well hang over each other's houses and be friends.â,Mike answered taking a seat
âMike, we havenât done any trainingâ. Sheâs basically a tag-along.â Marcus replied looking through his phone.
âTag-along? Please donât get me started..â, you scoffed looking at Marcus and then at Mike.
You stared into Mikeâs dark brown eyes, while examining his body features. Mike Lowery is his name, a tall light-skinned black male with a goatee mustache, smooth skin-texture, soft plump lips, ears that kind of sticks out with a tiny earring that brings out his face.Â
âImma guess that you like what you see.âMike smiled, walking up towards you. He towered over you. It made you feel some kind of way but then again nothing at all. You turned to look at Marcus, to see him shaking his head into his hands.Â
âHmmâŚno.â, you laughed, patting him on his chest and then walking towards your bedroom. âGive me an hour and then we can head out.â
âForty-five minutes since you just pulled that bullshit.â, Mike replied sitting down next to Marcus while he laughed .
âTwo words for youâŚMarried. Man.â, Marcus recalled pointing to the ring that was on his finger.
âYouâre right.â
You could hear their conversation the whole time however, you didnât pay attention because there were other things on your mind regarding your job. You know it isnât time to choose just yet and to make a decision that could change your life and your relationship with your âpartnersâ, however you also know that the sand is slowly slipping.Â
Time had passed and you were heading out when you noticed your living room window was slightly opened, you stared at it for a moment then walked over to shut it and left. Before you knew it, you were in the backseat of Marcusâs and Mikeâs car on the way to work. This was their way of getting to know you better, training you and âbeing generousâ. However, the ride to the precinct slowly had put you in a trance, reminding you of your last conversation between you and Captain Howard before he was murderedâŚ
âCaptain!!!â You yelled walking up towards him. âAnything for me to do, check up on, investigate ... .aloneâ, you whispered, moving your focus from him to Marcus and Mike. Conrad Howard was his name and he was the one who had partnered you with Marcus and Mike since he considered them to beâ experiencedâ in what they do.
âWhat are you talking about y/n?âhe asked, raising one of his eyebrows while folding his arms.
âHeyyyyy! Captain⌠what do you think about-â before Mike could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Howard putting his finger up to Mike.
âDid he just-â
âHe did.â, Marcus sighed looking at Mike, you and then at Captain
âI was just wonderingâŚif you had any files that needed to be looked at. Or maybe if I need to go somewhere and investigateâŚsomething.â, you pleaded.
âI have one file that needs to be-â
âNo Cap that wouldnât be necessary. We can go to the range and practice our shots and ride around to ensure that everyone is safe.âMike interrupted, looking at you and Marcus.
âI actually have some files to look at myself, Mike.â, Marcus shrugged, walking off towards his desk.
You looked at Mike and watched as he looked at you, then at Captain and left.
âHeâs a guy who loves action. Heâll be okay however, I want to talk to you though, Walk with me?âHoward suggested pointing towards the hallway.
âSure whatâs up?â, you asked, keeping up the pace that he was leading.
âI was wondering if you have decided what you wanted to do. With your position here. I know that you donât need the training but you know it's âprotocolsâ. Itâs not me.â, he explained looking through the papers that he was carrying.
You were taking in what he was saying. You entered the portal about a month ago since you came from a different district, however the point still stands. Different opportunities have been thrown at you when it comes to your career and where you are right now, since youâve been in the game for years. You would think it would be easier however now it has left you stuck. Leaving the precinct and becoming an international agent, stay and be a detective or retire and finally have a family with someone you love, decisionsâŚdecisions.
âI havenât decided yet, so many options and personal things to think about.â, you replied, walking at the same rhythm as your boss.
âListenâŚbetween you and I. Go with what you think is the worst.â, he replied, stopping in his tracks.
âExcuse me?â you replied confusingly tilting your head.
 âYou wouldnât be confused with what you wanted to do, if it was the best option. So go with what you are avoiding.â, he answered, looking up at you through his glasses.
âNot to take advice from you, noted.â, you thought, turning your focus towards the meeting that was happening down the hallway.
âLook, it may not make sense right now but later it will. Trust me.â, he reassured walking towards the room that a meeting was happening in.
âWeâre a huge family here. Even if we hate each otherâs guts. And with Mike and Marcus⌠They like you, and I can tell that theyâve somewhat gotten attached to youâŚwhich never happens. So ignore the things that are said especially with whatever comes out of Mikeâs mouth.â, He continued pointing at you then walking into the meeting.
You watched as Captain walked into the meeting while waving the files that he was looking at earlier.
 âThey like me.â, you mocked, while turning around. âThey donât even know me.â you laughed walking back towards your desk.
You mustâve gotten lost in your thoughts because when you looked forward. Marcus was turned around in his passenger seat looking right at you.
âIâm sorry?â, you asked, looking at Marcus to Mike and back at Marcus.
âWhat do you have planned today?âMarcus asked, looking at you with confusion across his face.
âUm, I have office work that I need to catch up on. I guess I can do that today.â, you replied, grabbing your phone from your purse.
âOffice work?âMike and Marcus replied in unison. Pure disgust crawled across their faces. You thought to yourself if you said something wrong, or maybe if it was your body expression.Â
âYouâre telling me that you donât want to get in any action. Hurt people ... .fight!âMike yelled, paying attention to the road while also taking quick glances at me through the rearview mirror.
âMike, not everyone loves violence but y/n you should want to get some type of action..yâknow. Office work. Really?âMarcus added, looking at the pedestrians going on about their day.
âI mean, if I can avoid it then yeah, I wouldnât want to deal with it but of course sometimes it just comes my way.â, you replied scanning through downloads on your phone.
âSeeâŚIâm not the only person that attracts danger.âMike laughed while looking at Marcus.
The rest of the ride was pretty chill besides Mike and Marcus arguing over past events with Mike dating Marcus' sister and operations that nearly blew up in their faces and their sex life. After what felt like forever, you made it to the precinct and were instantly met by the loud voices of cops everywhere and a huge meeting happening down the hallway.
You, Marcus and Mike stared at each other confusingly, trying to figure out what was going on until a police officer came up to stop in front of you.
âTheyâve been in there for hours, no one knows whatâs going on.â, the cop said, staring at Marcus and Mike and then back down the hallway.
You stared at the people that were in there, making eye-contact with someone who was sitting at the head of the table.
âIâm sure it's nothing. Iâm going to my desk.â, you replied, turning to Marcus and Mike and then leaving. You knew it wasnât just â nothingâ because since Captain Howard was killed barely anyone has used that meeting room unless there was a hostage situation, or something between those lines. However, there were people from different districts in there and paper was scattered everywhere. Everyone seemed obnoxious and worried.
After a couple twists and turns down the hallway, you made it to your desk and flopped down onto your seat to be greeted by paperwork that needed to be looked through.
âWhat is all this?â, you whispered, opening one of the files and looking through them.
Before you knew it, all you saw was a stack of papers flying across your face onto the table. You looked up in shock to see Mike standing there with a smile across his face.
âYou said you wanted files so there you go.âMike laughed standing behind you.
âWhat do you want Mike? Because I am not about to look through all of those files, I'd rather be around Marcus all day and listen to him complain about his sex-life.â, you replied sitting down at your desk.
âThatâs not what you said earlier.â Mike replied.
âHow do you even know that? Mike, you've been telling y/n about my sex life?â, Marcus snapped getting up from his desk.
âHell no. I-â
âI was in the back of the car. Earlier⌠when you guys picked me up after coming to my house which has been everyday for the last month.â you interrupted straightening up the files.
âOh.â Marcus replied, covering his mouth. âI mean that shouldnât even be a problem, Mike and I go over each otherâs places all of the time.â he continued looking at Mike and then back at you.
âHold up, how did you guys even know where I lived?â you asked leaning back into your chair while making direct eye-contact with them.
You watched as Mike leaned against your desk, gave Marcus a âreallyâ look and then back at you.
âYouâre smarter than that so weâre going to pretend you didnât just ask that questionâŚokay sweetie.â, he replied in disappointment while looking at you.
âThat was a blonde moment.â, you thought to yourself. âWell guys thank you for bringing me here but I have work to do.â, you continued pushing Mikeâs files to the side.
âI guess I'll grab these and put them back on my desk then.â, he stated grabbing them and putting them on top of his table.
Marcus and Mike caught the social cues that you were giving them and started analyzing the paperwork that was on their desk. They were cool people to be around. Fun and wild but also annoying and extremely obnoxious. They made you nervous due to not being able to know their next move. You scanned across the room and watched how every single person lived their lives. Some looked completely stressed, others looked as if they hadn't slept in months and the rest seemed to be taking each day slowly.
You brought your eyes towards Mike to see him typing things into his computer. You watched how his veins showed through his hands and the way his shirt compressed onto his body. You turned to look at Marcus with his eyes already piercing into yours. He was staring the whole time.
âWhat?â, you asked looking back at him. You watched as he shrugged you off and went back to work.
The rest of the morning was filled with everyone trying to figure out what the meeting is about, and flashbacks of your last conversation with Captain Howard. Youâve only been in Miami for a couple months now after leaving from a different precinct, and very little has occurred. This will be a long year.
#armando x reader#armando armas#bad boys ride or die#bad boys armando#jacob scipio#bad boys ride or die Armando#x reader
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Eddie and Nancy
Just giving my brain a break from the Secret Tunnel (aka the game show) story. I still have two chapters to get through and my brain needs a cool down.
I've seen a lot of headcanons that Eddie is the Wheeler children's older half brother because of how much they look like each other.
But may I propose instead: cousins.
Hear me out.
You have first born, Elizabeth. Absolute hippie child. All about that free love, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. She learns how to play guitar, falls in with the charming and cool, Al Munson. They plan to tour the country his beat up old truck. But before that can happen, Elizabeth gets pregnant with Eddie. So she marries Al.
Then you have Karen, the younger sister. Bright, demure, absolute golden child. She dyes her hair and blows out the curls to more like waves so she doesn't look like Elizabeth anymore.
She does what she was raised her whole life to do. Get married to a good boy so they can have good children and pay taxes and never do anything fun.
When Elizabeth dies, Karen refuses to go to the funeral, hates that her name is even in the obituary at all. Then three years later when Al is sent to prison, CPS calls her first.
She's the boy's aunt. She has a comfortable home, and bringing him in would barely dent their finances. But Karen refuses. She won't have that delinquent anywhere near her children.
So they go to Wayne. Wayne who really doesn't have the space or the money to take care a little boy almost teenager. But he looks into those big brown eyes and can't say no.
They keep apart until the murders in town start in Wayne's own god damn trailer. He keeps his mouth shut when Nancy comes up to him asking about Eddie. He would like to throw it in her face that he knows who she is and that he knows full well that Karen would throw a fucking fit if she found out where her daughter was. But he won't. It's not the girl's fault her mother is a bitch.
After Vecna (and Eddie NOT dying) Nancy is sent to the attic to see if she can find some of Mike's old things to donate as a lot of Nancy's went to Holly. She finds an old trunk and though locked it comes apart in her hands. In it she finds dozens of pictures of her mom with beautiful girl with flying dark brown curls and sparkling eyes.
She smiles as she reminds her of Eddie.
Her mother calls out for her to hurry and slips one of the pictures in her back jeans pocket. Nancy closes the trunk and hurries back to her mother.
Then because Nancy can't leave a mystery well enough alone, she goes digging. All while Eddie and Max are in a coma, Nancy works on her mystery.
She finds her answer in the most unlikely of places. Joyce Byers's year book. She had it out showing her boys the outrageous hair styles they had in her day.
There two rows down from Lawrence Byers is an Elizabeth Childress. She's got ribbons in her hair and smiling brightly at camera. So full of life.
Childress.
She closes her eyes. There is no doubt this is her mother's sister. A sister Nancy never knew anything about.
She points her out to Joyce. "Oh, I remember her. Such a sweet girl. It's really too bad she fell in with that Munson boy. Or rather the wrong Munson boy."
She flips the pages and on the same row as her, is Wayne Munson staring up at her. So happy and free. The Vietnam would too soon take that from him. "That's Wayne. Such a good boy. Elizabeth would have thrived with him. But Wayne was shy and more interested in getting good grades than girls."
Joyce flips back to the seniors with Jim and Lonnie and began searching for the M's. "There." She pointed at another boy. Alan Munson. "He was trouble from the moment he was born. But he had a motorcycle and a leather jacket. Lizzy fell hard. They got married right out of high school, I heard."
Jonathan and Nancy share a look of shock.
"What happened to her?" Jonathan asks.
"Cancer," Joyce says sadly, "poor thing."
Armed with her knowledge and a borrowed yearbook, Nancy marches right up to her mother and slams the yearbook in front of her. The picture Nancy took from the attic serves as bookmark and she shoves both at her mother.
There is no denying it now. All the proof is right there in black and white.
"This is why you didn't want to join the D&D club my freshman year, isn't it? Because it was Eddie's club?"
Karen buries her head in her hands. And the truth just starts spilling out.
"And that boy is just like his father!" Karen cries. "He might have not have killed those kids but he was a drug dealer."
"To keep the lights on his trailer!" Nancy yells back. "If you and Dad had taken him in maybe he wouldn't have turned out the way he did. Maybe he be a better person."
"Or maybe he would have dragged you other children with him!"
"If you really thought that Mike wouldn't have been allow in Hellfire either!"
It's at this point Mike walks in and suddenly Karen is caught.
She breaks down and explains that Eddie had helped her with her car right before Mike started high school. So as a way to return the favor she let Mike join.
Nancy heads to the hospital and manages to get into see Eddie.
Wayne tells her only family is allowed to see him and Nancy smiles.
She knows.
Then Eddie wakes up, falls for Steve, the whole party teases Steve about keeping it in the family and Karen gets her head out of her ass and everyone lives happily ever after.
The end.
#my writing#stranger things#steddie#ladykailtiha writes#eddie munson#nancy wheeler#new headcanon#mike wheeler#karen wheeler#elizabeth munson#wayne munson#al munson
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Let it Be Close-watch
Paul, sweety, it's beautiful, but it's killing the vibe.
Ringo looks like a very old, very tired lab rat whose been put through the maze a few too many times
Somehow the air-brown mostly eaten apple is very appropriate.
She looks far too sweet here to ever let John down. Yoko has very kind eyes.
I love how it makes it seem like Paul and John are calling Maxwell âthe corny oneâ but really we know from Get Back that they're talking about a particular arrangement they were trying out for Don't Let me Down.
I swear he's saying âJohnâ there, not âJoanâ and also he said âcame down upon His headâ so⌠Oh! And Max died in the end in this version? âSure that Max was deadâ Okay. So Paul kills John and then himself. Murder suicide story. Yeah, Paul, you're doing great mentally, we can all tell.
I love how George getting electrocuted was important enough to make the cut for both films. Poor baby. âIf this boy dies you're gonna cop itâ from the guy who was just singing about a serial killer.
They're so silly
Yoko does not agree with me
Paul: stealing your man, sweetheart. John: oh no I'm being stolen teehee!
They're so silly
Oh wait, were those bitchy looks at George??? Because there he is. Idk could easily be him or Yoko.
this poor autistic baby trying to use words (not his language) to explain music (his language)
âGood MoOornin! Wooah!â I think I just ⌠You know how Mike said people were booing Paul in the theater watching this? Yeah it's because they were pissed he didn't step out of the screen and onto their necks.
Oh Michael put himself in his own movie too? Huh, cool.
They are always in my heart
The way Paul says âget on the micâ to John??? I would've thrown something, that was so fucking bossy! Just his tone and his face and his angry pointing fingers. So mean. And John just goes âokaaayâ. Oof.
Ringo covering his eyes like a little kid watching a scary movie during the orange sweater fight. Same, babe.
Sounds like the original lyric John's going for is something long âAll I want is you. Nothing else is gonna do.â But that obviously didn't fit with the tune. I wonder if there was a particular conversation with Paul being controlling that made the âeverything has got to be the way you want it toâ line click in.
Oh my gosh! So George is showing I Me Mine to Ringo and Paul and he says the âI don't give a fuck it can go in musicalâ line before he even plays it. Not after John's making fun of him like he does in Get Back. Nagra reels experts: which one is correct??
George: it's a heavy waltz. Ringo:*claps hands angrily and punches the air to a ž beat. I love him, he's like the core of âBeatle humorâ to me.
Woah there! Okay this is the John/Yoko pda Peter Jackson cut, I see. I wonder if there's a lot more footage of them swapping spit that might make the âoh John was just so in loveâ theory more reasonable.
It's extremely impressive that George just wrote this whole thing last night. You know? John and Paul have brought in all fragments from what I can tell. He's the only one to come in with a basically finished product.
LMAO and we're just going to Apple now. No reason. Nothing happened. Nothing to see. Moving on.
Ringo is so so cute pretending to hide from the cameras. Really he should've been the cute one.
Is it just me or does Paul drop the sillies and get sad when he sings âalways be mineâ at John? It's his regular voice, too, for a minute, if I'm not mistaken.
Silly cuties. But John's grin and little sexy tongue action happens the second time Paul sings always be mine, soâŚ
What friendly artistic collaboration looks like when it's not psychosexual
Paul: have you played the dubs? George: yeah. Terrible. Paul: Great! Ringo: terrible. John: laughs Paul: (sarcastic) oh, so dreadful. âŚ. John: where's my guitar? Paul: (still sarcastic) well we're just the greatest band ever. Idk I just like this dialogue. It's very them, you know?
This is adorable.
But I also love how they're already communicating with eyebrows, you know? They just bonded so fast and I find that beautiful.
And then Heather ups their game from taking turns going âchchchchchâ into the mic to meowing into the mic. She looks at Paul like âokay your turnâ and he sets her down lol he's thinking âif I meow into the mic right now after John already had a sex dream last night about me, he might actually cream his pants and we can't have that on cameraâ
Lol Billy just magically appeared!
Paul you're literally so annoying. You started the goofing off and now you're like âalright lads, that's enough.â Mkay.
He is unbelievably sexy and talented though so you know he does have those little things going for him. Someone write me a Paul/Billy fic please!!
Kinda crazy how they all four just slide straight from âKansas Cityâ to âMiss Annâ to âLawdy Miss Claudyâ. Makes me think of something they might've done in Hamburg.
I'm sorry but Paul finishes âplease don't excite me baby. I'm down in misery.â And John's immediate answer is, âwell you can get it if you want it, and if you want it you can get it!â And Paul ends up singing âI want it I want it I want it I want itâ. Nice. Very subtle, boys. And that's before John gets kinky.
I love how Heather just forces a hug from George and then immediately runs away. What a cutie.
But really. How did anyone watching this get the idea that John hated Paul? Just confirmation bias I guess?
All the cut off conversations kill me but especially the one where John's working though Paul's anxieties. They're just in the middle of it and then cut. âtwo of us Sunday drivingâŚâ
Someone should do a study of whistling in their songs. I feel like it's another one of their tip offs that âhey this one is about usâ Anyway I love John's whistling here. He's so good at it. I can just imagine him as some farm boy picking apples, you know?
Imagine booing this poor stay puppy though, like. What? I mean, what if Johann Weiner was wrong and John wasn't crying at the sight of him and Paul playing triumphant together on the rooftop, but at Paul playing his little heart out about their doomed love. Idk it's probably both. Let's be real, John was bawling through the whole thing.
What is George laughing at? Picture quality is garbage because evil corporations don't let you take screenshots of their content, but he looks like that one kid in your elementary school class that just dumped Cheetos all over his crushes desk and thinks he's a criminal mastermind.
Also I do appreciate all the attention given in the chosen shots to the musicianship. I bet they liked that at least if they had the heart to like anything about the movie at the time.
I'm sorry but I love how in sync Mo and Paul are. With this ducking and later the shimmying. I know it's wrong to ship Ringoâs wife with one of the Beatles she didn't sleep with, but⌠idk I really want her to have bedded all four at one point, you know? She deserves it, being an og.
Okay but yeah I'd be having a public meltdown if I fumbled that too holy fucking shit
Ringo feeling himself as he should
George just looks like he smells nice. Unlike the others. You know?
John has such a beautiful smile. If somebody looked at me like that I'd put him up on a giant screen behind me on my world tour after he'd been dead for forty years too.
That pleeeaaaheeeaaase though. Looking at Paul. How did he survive I'll never know.
The cut from screaming Paul to grouchy nap lady is extremely painful.
John was so cool in this concert. Like the epitome of cool.
Kevin, my love, thank you for your service
I love Yoko leaning so far and craning her neck. She's like a mom at a school talent show. Like âI only came to see my baby.â Type vibe. Which is exactly what she's doing, unlike Mo, and honestly I find both of them extremely valid
You know in movies where the romantic leads are never looking at each other at the same time?
I think I watched George and John switching back on their amps like fifty times because I just love it so much. And from this angle, you can see John's saying something to Paul about it. He looks serious and he's shaking his head. I wonder what he's saying.
Mal Evans I love you forever for this. Look at his hand on the rail, just blocking them off completely, so protective.
Them turning to each other at the end always gets me. It's automatic, like second nature, and it's the last time ever. They deserved better.
Oh Darling duet in the credits are you fucking kidding me??? Was that in the original? âBelieve me, when I tell you.â âOh I do.â That's the second time that they gave away in this footage that they know they're talking to each other in their music.
Alright, that's it, I guess. And then MLH is haunted by this experience for forty years until he makes Two of Us to purge the demons.
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Nazis, openly waving Swastikas and doing the Sieg Heil salute in Orlando, Florida
Not a single uniformed police officer in sight. I say âuniformedâ because the odds are that some of the people doing the Nazi salute are probably in law enforcement.
Now, contrast that to how overly militarized police have routinely shown up at peaceful Black Lives Matter protests
Or how the police treat peaceful college students protesting for free higher education
Or how the authorities treated Black people simply walking in our own communities, after the murder of Mike Brown
Oh, and how about six months before the January 6, 2021 white supremacist riots, when National Guard troops were deployed to the Lincoln Memorial on June 2, 2020, during George Floyd protests held in Washington, DC? Where was this overwhelming presence on January 6, 2021??
And finally, Ron DeSantis, a leading Republican candidate for President of The United States(!), has a large following of Neo-Nazis, but he has yet to explicitly denounce them. I guess maybe heâs too busy banning books, or making sure drag queens arenât reading books to children, or making sure that accurate Black historyâaka American historyâisnât being taught in schools.
I could go on and on and on, but the police never seem to have that same energy for actual fucking Nazis, or the Proud Boys, or Oath Keepers, etc etc etc
Domestic terrorism by white nationalists is the biggest threat to social stability, justice, democracy and to America itself.
đđż https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/09/04/orlando-florida-nazis-march-blood-tribe/
đđż https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna103186
#t/w swastikas#politics#republicans#florida#ron desantis#nazis#blacklivesmatter#defund the police#racism#goyim defense league and blood tribe#two americas#white supremacy#hate speech#hate groups#neo nazis
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Umar Lee:
Before Mike Brown
Growing up in North St. Louis County, I remember a vibrant community full of churches, bars, VFW halls, Knights of Columbus, shopping malls, movie theatres, and all of the amenities working, and middle-class post-war Americans desired. To be a kid who loved sports, like me, North County offered Khoury League baseball, JFL football, little league wrestling, boxing gyms, soccer clubs, hockey clubs, basketball leagues, and much more. I played plenty of sports growing up in organized leagues (wrestling, baseball, and football); but I played more with kids in the street. When I wasnât playing sports, I was listening to Jack Buck and Mike Shannon call Cardinals games on KMOX radio, sneaking up late at night to watch pro wrestling, reading wrestling and boxing magazines in the store because I couldnât afford to buy them, also reading the St. Louis-based The Sporting News to keep track of stats, admiring the photos and articles in Sports Illustrated, of course reading the sports section in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch daily, and watching whatever sports were aired TV on the weekend for households without cable, topped off by sports news coverage from the likes of Jay Randolph, Ron Jacober, and Art Holliday on Channel 5.
Yet, while all of this was going on, which has left me with a life of fond memories, the North County, and my personal story, isnât complete without looking at other events. The sports sections of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discussed Whiteyball, our loss of Big Red football, almost losing the Blues to Canada, and the Steamers; but the news and businesses pages were far bleaker. St. Louis had then, and has now, one of the highest rates of violent crime in America, political dysfunction and corruption, and countless municipal fiefdoms. These pages also contained news of factory closings and job losses. Like Michigan, Pennsylvania, northeast Ohio, and other parts of the Rust Belt; working-class St. Louisans were reeling from job losses. North County was built up and populated by factory workers and those in the building trades, the small houses were built for guys like my dad who left high school and walked right onto an assembly line, and when those factories close, and the builders stop building, the economic conditions that underpin the health of families and communities erode. When Combustion Engineering in North St. Louis laid off my dad, uncle, and other relatives in the 80s, it hit like a micro version of the Great Depression. The saving grace would come years later when my dad joined my grandpa at GM, which had moved from North City to St. Charles County, skipping North County in the process, and my uncle getting rewarded for his service loading dead and wounded American bodies into helicopters in Vietnam by getting hired at the federal records center in Overland.
Beneath the changing economic conditions was the issue that defines St. Louis, and in particular, North County. Race. North County was largely farmland before World War II with a sprinkling of small towns mixed in. Old Town Florissant and Sacred Heart Parish in an example of historic North County which was a community of French and German Catholics who later welcomed and embraced Irish and Italian Catholics. Like south St. Louis City, places like Ferguson and Florissant, bonded together at church, in labor unions, and in neighborhoods. The problem is that these tended to be nearly exclusively white, and as the Black population of North City spilled into North County in large numbers beginning in the 1970s, this began to create tension. As a reference point, my dad graduated from Riverview Gardens in 1970 when the first Black student enrolled, today the school is virtually 100% Black. After splitting with my dad, my mother, who lived in North City and North County with us as small kids, took my biracial younger half-siblings to be raised in the Shaw and Dutchtown neighborhoods of South City, because she deemed the Riverview Gardens schools to be too white and racist. I stayed in Black Jack and then Florissant along with my older sisters, dad, stepmom, and grandparents.
As economic conditions became unstable in North County, white families began moving out to St. Charles County, and Black families began settling in areas that had previously been all-white, the existing white establishment relied on police departments, most of them either all-white or close to it, to act as a buffer zone. This frequently was manifested in traffic stops with places like Jennings being the worst. White residents of North County feared crime rates would soon mirror those in north city, and these fears were only heightened after high-profile crimes such as the 1982 kidnapping and murders of Gary and Donna Decker in Bellefontaine Neighbors, the stabbing death of McCluer North student and football player Dan Mckeon (brother of two professional soccer players) at a 1987 party in Florissant, the rape and murders of the Kerry sisters in 1991 at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, and the rape and murder of freshman student Christine Smetzer by a fellow student in a McCluer North bathroom in 1995.
Meanwhile, Black families arriving in north county for better schools, safer communities, and more amenities, after generations of legalized housing segregation in St. Louis City and County, often faced the brunt force of aggressive north county policing. Instead of harassing criminals and reducing crime, police departments in north county were often harassing students and law-abiding citizens coming home from work, church, or a night out. Before body cameras and smart phones these police interactions often included profane and racially abusive language and frequently beatings. This created a climate of distrust and anger in the Black community in North County. Crime was going up, but police were harassing law-abiding citizens instead of stopping criminals, and Black residents were also disproportionately victims of crimes that received far less media attention. As the racial composition of North County municipalities changed to majority-Black, voter turnout remained higher among longtime and typically older white residents. This meant that the numerous city halls and police departments in places like Ferguson remained nearly all-white even as whites became a minority in those communities.
In 2014, North County was a powder keg waiting to erupt. All it needed was a spark. Thatâs why I began writing about north county in my Evening-Whirl column and for the Huffington Post. No one was talking about North County and it was ready to explode. Local media focused on stories about bike lanes, hipster neighborhoods, and business as usual. Months before August 9th, I told Paul Fehler, of the Pruitt-Igoe Myth and political fame, that if there was a riot and civil unrest in St. Louis it would be in North County. A week before August 9th, with future mayoral candidate Cara Spencer watching, I had a heated argument with legislative aide Michael Powers at The Royale because he said I talked about problems in North County too much. Everything in the County is fine, I was told, all focus must be on the city.
Then it happened. Mike Brown Jr., a recent graduate of Normandy High School, walked to an immigrant-owned and ran store with a friend (most such stores in the Black communities of St. Louis are owned by Palestinian Muslims), there was an altercation, but nothing out of the ordinary for a St. Louis hood store, and as he walked through the apartments and onto Canfield at the edge of Ferguson, he met up with Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The encounter was fatal and almost certainly avoidable. Ferguson immediately handled the situation in a reckless and insensitive manner. Allowing the dead body of Mike Brown to lay in the streets for hours, and bringing out police dogs to intimidate family members, neighbors, friends, and those brought out by social media posts and discussions on Black radio. What happened that day, weâll probably never know the entire truth. What we do know is what happened on August 9th of 2014 permanently changed St. Louis and America.
My Time in Ferguson
People have to remember that what became known as the Ferguson Uprising was not something that was instigated by academics, leftist political organizations and organizers, out of town celebrity activists, intersectional dogmatists, or people with college degrees. The anger at the death of Mike Brown came from the neighborhood. A neighborhood ranging from lower middle-class to generational poverty. People struggling and hustling just to stay above water. The community came out August 9th, but the uprising began August 10th and that was a day when an older generation of pastors, community leaders, and politicians were largely pushed aside, by a younger generation seeking an immediate redress to their grievances. It was leaderless and often without direction. Purely organic and there was a beautiful sense of community in the early days. Elders such as Anthony Bell attempted to provide direction (Bell setting up voter registration tables); but the situation was too fluid and beyond the capabilities of individual organizers.
[...]
From the beginning, I sought to use whatever platform I had to highlight the history of North County and attempt to tell a story of how we arrived at this moment. Having said that, like everyone else, I was caught up in the drama and passion of the Ferguson moment. I made videos, wrote some articles, cowrote a few pieces with Sarah Kendzior, and appeared on many local, national, and international news outlets (Al Jazeera links arenât working). I was also arrested twice in Ferguson, threatened with arrest many more times, received numerous and graphic death threats, sparred with police supporters, lost my cool, provoked, was provoked, and finally lost my job and shortly thereafter my apartment (and in the middle of all of this, my grandma died and I was in a messy relationship). If you look at photos I didn't have grey hair before Ferguson. A few months later I was buying Just For Men.
I found a way to piss off police supporters and get under their skin, as did guys like Bassem Masri. In my estimation, the reasons for that are twofold. Firstly, we both grew-up in north county, so many of the people responsible for targeting and doxxing us were those we either grew-up with or went to school with. I saw lifelong friendships created in the Ferguson-Florissant School District end over Facebook posts during the Ferguson Unrest. This was mostly along racial lines. Secondly, unlike most activists, or those you see on Ivy League campuses today, we didn't talk and sound like spoiled brats, smart alecky rich kids who'd have to go to therapy for decades after one physical altercation. We'd been in plenty of fistfights, street brawls, and I'd been shot at and stabbed. Twitter trolls, insults, and radio talkshow hosts like Mark Reardon and Bob Romanik weren't gonna hurt my feelings.
[...]
Trump and The 2020 Sham
For the sake of time, and if anyone is still here, I'll fast forward to 2020. I've already previously stated, and Sarah Kendzior noted this in her book discussing St. Louis, that I believe Ferguson is partially responsible for electing Donald Trump as president. As in 1968, when Richard Nixon promised law and order, I knew conditions were ripe for a populist right-wing politician promising to restore law and order. No one saw COVID-19 coming, the shutdowns, the summer of massive protests after the murder of George Floyd, and the crazy presidential election. Four years later, I think we're still all trying to make sense of it.
While I fully embraced vaccines, and I'm happy I'm vaxxed, and I supported shutdowns at the time, I think it's pretty clear they did more harm than good. Most harmed were our children- particularly poor and working-class kids, who fell behind due to the virtual learning sham, and never caught up. I was at the Dallas campaign event where Biden was endorsed by multiple presidential candidates, thus virtually sealing the nomination. The South Side Ballroom was so packed, that I could barely move or breath, and couldn't get in a position to take a good photo, despite being relatively close to Biden. The next week it was too dangerous to publicly campaign, Biden stayed at home, and we elected an elderly man who was not up to the job but has generally been good in office both for American workers and our international allies. Mainstream media, so eager to defeat Trump, played along. Oh, the viable Democratic alternative was another elderly gentleman who honeymooned in the Soviet Union. It was not a year of good choices, but Biden was the best in my estimation.
[...]
The Aftermath: Where We Stand
Where are we today? A decade later, are we in a better place? North County is still in a state of serious decline and seems to be getting worse each year, North City is doing even worse, the population of both St. Louis City and County is declining, and many are opting for more prosperous communities, most notably Texas and Georgia suburbs (both reddish states). Violent crime spiked for a period, the decline in traffic enforcement has made driving and walking our streets far less safe and often deadly, and area police have essentially stopped policing. They don't want to be stars in a viral video or become a hashtag. For many cops, if they couldn't do things the old school way, they arenât gonna do it at all. This has made our communities more dangerous, less livable for the most vulnerable, and places few people want to live in. This is a negative consequence from the lack of a strategic plan after Ferguson and failures on both the parts of law-enforcement and the community to hear one another.
The good news is that St. Louis now has better prosecutors (Wesley Bell and Gabe Gore) who are committed to public safety, holding those accountable who harm our community, and enacting diversion programs and other positive post-Ferguson reforms. St. Louis has a mayor in Tishaura Jones who wasn't created in a lab by white progressives; but is a genuine leader, reared and educated locally. Without Ferguson, I'm doubtful Mayor Jones would've been elected, nor a new generation of leaders such as Adam Layne and Marty Murray.
So, it must be recognized, that while there have been some unintended negative consequences from Ferguson, there are also positive developments. These aren't just political. What inspires me isn't politics. I'm inspired by faith leaders in our community who took the Ferguson moment and began having serious conversations with their congregations. Fathers and mothers who began having difficult conversations at home with their sons and daughters. Teachers who began listening to their students. Old classmates who reached out to one another to have a beer and talk across the racial divide. Our increased racially diverse families and suburbs who are defying our political discourse on both sides as progressives have adopted a rigid and dogmatic Race Science and MAGA is doubling down on Nativism and Majoritarian racial grievances. By our faithful and intact immigrant families providing needed life to a region desperately in need.
@Umar Lee wrote a solid perspective on the 10-year anniversary of the killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson and North County from a North County POV. #Ferguson
Read the full story at Umar Lee's Substack.
#Ferguson#Ferguson Uprising#Ferguson Protests#Ferguson Missouri#Mike Brown#Darren Wilson#Murder of Mike Brown#St. Louis County Missouri#Missouri#Black Lives Matter#Umar Lee
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(warnings: blood/mild gore, implied child death (and murder in Cassidy's case), eye contact. maybe also bright colors/eyestrain)
Some Updated Refs For The Afton Family In The Rewrite
(you know the drill, click the images to see details better and whatnot)
hooo boy. give me a minute to ramble about the designs and stuff below -
William:
so. tried to give him both "Eccentric, Goofy Restaurant Owner" and "REALLY Off-Putting" Vibes. hope i succeeded
yes he's hiding a knife behind his back.
bunny features. i Love William with bunny features. if you draw William with Bunny Features ily (platonically)
this man has not gotten a good night's sleep in Years.
now...you may be wondering: Why Do His Kids Get Refs For When They're Older, But Not Him? well...that's because, physically, he doesn't change much besides getting some more gray hairs and worse eye bags in the over a decade between his original murders and his death. and i've already done a ref for what O'Hare/Springtrap looks like in my design
yes, the Unhinged look in his eyes is intentional.
Alex:
gave his younger self a pose that was meant to give off "rebellious teenager" vibes, and his older self a pose that gives off "bitter and anxious" vibes.
gave him long hair. because Yes.
tallest of his siblings.
Michael:
looks like his father, but with a few minor changes: skin is mildly more tanned than his father, hair is a lighter shade of brown, etc.
William based the 1987 uniforms for the guards/employees off of his own usual outfit (Purple. which Backfired).
Mike tried to change his hair a bit to distinguish himself from his father, mostly by dying it a bright red and trying to cut the Bunny Ear-Shaped parts on the top of his hair to be more jagged and less Bunny-Like.
scars on his arm are from where Springtrap grabbed onto him.
Evan:
not much to say. bookworm, sad guy, probably needs to go to therapy for what happened in his childhood.
Elizabeth:
Bunny Features :]
she's basically somewhere between blonde and ginger hair color wise. i'd describe her as a strawberry blonde.
constantly has a wide-eyed look. like a hare.
mismatched socks, just because she could.
ghosts are typically either desaturated or transparent, with the only bright colors on them are usually their eyes or the bloody wounds from their death.
so while it's not shown here, "fun" fact! Liz died from where Harriet (Circus Baby) hugged her hard enough to break not just her spine, but her neck as well. (the hug was so strong due to Harriet malfunctioning that day)
all ghosts who have their souls tied to an animatronic have a mask of that animatronic that they can wear if they wish. Liz's mask is of Harriet.
Cassidy:
my baby boy. my beloved <3
those pants are pajama pants. he wore them everywhere.
while not visible, Cassidy also wears mismatched socks like Liz.
the Fredbear plush was a gift from Henry, given to Cassidy by Charlie.
was blind in one eye after The Bite.
The Bite wasn't as horrible as people think it was. what basically happened was that the teeth bit slightly into his head, which caused the bleeding, as well as some cracking in the skull and brain damage in his frontal lobe. due to the mechanisms in Fredbear being Very hot as well, it caused some burns. nothing that couldn't heal, but...it Was still pretty serious.
while The Bite itself didn't kill Cassidy, he still, as a ghost, appears to have a bleeding section of his head.
the strangulation marks on his neck are more visible as a ghost.
Cassidy, as a spirit, can occasionally leak a mysterious black fluid from his eyes and mouth, which is reflected on his Mask.
Cassidy is transparent as a ghost.
anyway!! here's the guys!!
@that-darn-clown @hello-there-world
#fnaf#fnaf rewrite#william afton#michael afton#elizabeth afton#fnaf crying child#Dandy's Interesting Fnaf Rewrite#my art
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I donât think ANYONE who was popular and regularly covering mike browns murder and the ferguson protests and the trials didnât get their blog temporarily blipped off the website for anywhere from a day to months to just permanently
You couldnât search the tag âantiblackâ at one point you couldnât search the ferguson tag at one point, etc.
You literally cannot forget about this context when discussing the fucking mystery ârussian agentsâ email that mysteriously had all of the MOST popular blogs to talk about the ferguson protests that we are all conveniently forgetting about for some kind of blank history that apparently weâve forgotten WHY they were so popular
Spoiler: It was because they were covering issues PEOPLE CARED ABOUT
It was pointing out antiblackness IN ALL OF THE POLITICIANS because they were ALL COMPLICIT IN IT.
and fuuuuck to just DO THIS SAME SONG AND dance again
STOP FORGETTING WHAT HAPPENED
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I THINK THERE'S BEEN A GLITCH
CHAPTER ONE - WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE JUST FRIENDS
series masterlist | chapter two âŁ
đ§ soundtrack
steve harrington x fem!baker + artist
word count: [20.2K]
warnings: no use of y/n, lots of mentions of self deprecation, reader talking about an emotionally exhausting past bf, steve talking shit abt his parents, cursing, steve & reader crushing on each other so mutual pining, lots of sweetness and fluff <3
summary: you make friends with a girl named Robin who politely and hilariously mistakes some red paint on your jeans as blood. Who knew it would lead to you and her becoming friends and her inviting you to meet her other ones? The even bigger mystery is how her best friend, Steve, is starting to become someone youâre falling for.
Steve Harringtonâs living room was packed. Not that it was particularly out of the ordinary since his place was the go-to spot for hangouts, but today it had been packed for a different reason and a new arrival. Though it seemed Robin was the only uneasy person even when she was the one who had begged for this to happen.
Trying to cope, she began fluffing up the couch pillows and straightening the books on the coffee table while she rambled.Â
âSheâs cool. I mean, she paints, for one, like totally realistic paintings, but she also really loves baking!â
Mike rolled his eyes, puffing dramatically and deciding to take a flop down on the couch where she just tidied up, âShe sounds like my grandma.âÂ
âPiss off!â Robin hissed, smacking his knee as the rest of their friends watched on at the repartee.Â
Steve was the skeptical one about the whole situation, considering what could happen if Robinâs new friend wasnât entirely who she was supposed to be. Itâs not that he didnât trust Robinâs whole intuition about people, but you seemed too good to be true. Almost like a fantasy because the person Robin described to all of them for the past few weeks was pure perfection.
Even everyone else was beginning to question if meeting at Steveâs house for the first time was a good idea, realizing that you could be a creep or a murderer, but they were just being a tad bit dramatic. Before he could think too much into it than he already was, the doorbell rang, catching everyoneâs attention and eyes that darted towards the front door.
âIâll get it!â
Robin clapped her hands excitedly, darting to the door and unlocking it with vigor before opening it wide enough so she and everyone else could get a good look at you.Â
You stood in the doorway with a big smile and your hands full. One balancing a bright yellow ceramic dish on your palm, and your other arm busy holding a covered frame between your body.Â
You wore a white skirt, decorated with itty bitty eyelets that resembled a daisy cutout and a white top with the same pattern to match. A brown shoulder bag draped across your chest and a pair of strappy sandals on your feet.Â
Only when you inched forward, meeting cheek to cheek with Robin, in an endearing hello, did they finally get a good glance at what you looked like.
Bright eyes, wispy lashes, and lids covered in the tiniest amount of sheer glitter. A glow from within on your cheeks and high points, like the sun and pretty pink petals were rushing to the surface of your skin. Dewy lips coated in gloss and flickers of sparkles that shined through your smile that you wore throughout the interaction.
âIâm so sorry Iâm late!â was the first thing that came out of your mouth and the first time they had heard your voice.Â
Robin shook her head, opening the door wider and prompting you in, âdonât be!â
You looked around in curiosity, taking in the architecture and feel of the home before being greeted with a few smiles and waves from the strangers around the living room.
You returned it, though it never really dared to leave your face to begin with. Softly speaking out a few, âhiâsâ and âhelloâsâ to them before turning towards Robin and holding out a big frame towards her. Â
âHappy Birthday!â You declared gleefully as she stared at you confused.
The rest of her friends murmuring something about possibly forgetting her birthday, just as puzzled as her.Â
She stuttered, trying to recall if she might have told you the wrong date or something, âI-Itâs not my birthday?âÂ
Your cheek met your shoulder shrewdly, once again pushing the gift towards her, âI know! But I wanted an excuse to give you this.âÂ
You juggled the canvas into your hands, trying your best not to drop the pie pan. Robin reached her hands out, taking the pie from you as you flashed her a thankful smile, pulling the cover off the canvas to present her with a small gift of gratitude.Â
âTah-Dah!â You singsonged, turning the canvas towards her and watching the shock and amazement that covered her face before a wide smile appeared followed by the âohâsâ and âahâsâ of her friends that you completely forgot about.
Robin spun her arms to the left of her, hastily handing the pie to Steve who took it and placed it on the coffee table. The front entrance of his home, now the new crowded spot as everyone marveled at the artwork. He quickly joined in, not wanting to miss an ounce of it, finding an open spot between you and Robin.Â
He took it all in, eyes fixed on the print that was gushing with blossoms of her favorite colors: sage green, mauve, and pale yellow. But it wasnât an ordinary paintingâthe petals were formed with dollops of the paint, and it probably took days to dry. It was rare, something that he and the others had never seen before.Â
His fingers brushed the paint petals, careful not to mess up your handwork,âThis is incredibleâŚ.âÂ
Flickering his gaze to you, he flashed you a toothy smile, letting his hand pull back from the canvas and stick out towards you.
âIâm Steve, by the way.â He extended his arm, making a sweeping gesture to catch your attention.
Tearing your eyes away from Robinâs heartwarming reaction, your sights drifted to the hand, then to the owner of it, instantly captivated by his friendliness and allure. Your stare lingered a bit too long, lost in trying to memorize him, so you shook your head, internally cursing yourself for the trance you fell into.Â
âOh, sorry! Itâs nice to meet you!â Quickly you handed the entire piece to Robin, adverting your full attention to the new acquaintance whose house you just barged into.Â
You knew just from the looks of it that he was Steve Harrington, the guy that Robin had described to you as being her insanely attractive yet idiotic best friend.
His hair, like Robin had described, was unquestionably perfect, falling into place as if he didnât even try. Robin let you in on a secret that he was infamously called âKing Steveâ throughout high school for being so good with the ladiesânow you were sure you knew why.
He chuckled when you grabbed his hand firmly, shaking it with vigor like how a father would but without the cynical look on your face. Instead, you looked genuinely thrilled, twinkling eyes and a broad smile gracing your lips.Â
âGreat to finally meet you. Robinâs been yapping all week about her new friend.âÂ
You laughed quietly, finally letting go of his hand and reaching over to sling your arm across Robinâs shoulder. She leaned into you, nuzzling her head against yours with a content look on her radiant face.
âWell, sheâs been raving about all of her friends, so I just knew I had to meet you all.âÂ
Robin smirked, finally giving you a hug and murmuring a curt thank you for the generous gift and turning to all of her friends while keeping you close to her side.Â
âEveryone, this is my new friend. I met her last week and now weâre attached to the hip!â Robin announced, her voice carrying a mix of affection and playful teasing.
Steve feigned a gasp, holding a hand over his heart, âReplacing me already?â
âOh shut up, dingus!â Robin reached forward, whacking him with her palm as he yelped and pretended to be offended.Â
A curly-headed boy sporting a baseball cap stepped forward, âIgnore those two, theyâre literal childrenâŚIâm Dustin!â
You reached your hand out, shaking his before casually everyone began introducing themselves to you.Â
Part of you was trying to remember each name connected to a face, but it was also a tad bit overwhelming with so many of them. Making friends was never an easy task for you, but you liked your own solitude, so you didnât mind. But that also didnât mean you didnât long to have friends who you could talk to or hang out with from time to time and share your life with.Â
So when Robin tapped you on the shoulder at the grocery store to inform you your period had arrived you were visibly horrified but relieved that she offered you her jacket as you two found the restroom. And in the bathroom you let out a ridiculous laugh, covering your mouth as she stared at you in the mirrorâs reflection confused.Â
âRed paint! This is paint! I must have sat on it or something!âÂ
You and Robin hit it off, talking for what seemed like hours inside that grocery store bathroom. The two of you had a habit of over sharing, but it helped you bond and grow closer. After exchanging numbers and spending afternoons on the phone talking and getting to know each other better , she invited you over to a hangout with her friends.
âYou guys must have scared her or something.â Robin shook you a bit in her hold to grab you away from a little daydream.
You blinked, looking over at her, then back to her friends watching until you came through, âsorry! sorry! I zone out sometimesâŚIâm sorry.âÂ
âDonât be. She does it all the time.â Steve pointed at Robin who stuck her tongue out at him.Â
Nancy, the brunette who you remembered as one of the kidsâ older sister, stepped forward hooking her arm inside yours, âOkaaaay, here, why donât you come sit?â
She wore a warm smile and guided you further into the living room. Her touch was gentle, and the gesture alone made you feel like she was happy to have you here, easing a bit of your anxiety. When she unhooked her arm from yours, you mouthed a âthank you,â and she shook it off, just smiling and patting the empty seat beside her.Â
You placed your purse down on your lap, while Robin sat on the other side of you. The rest of the friends finding their own area on the opposite couch or on the floor, making you feel less suffocated and more like an inviting circle.Â
âRobin tells us that youâre mega cool!â Dustin exclaims followed by a thwack on the head by the red head Max and her boyfriend Lucas who sports the bucket hat.Â
Timidly, you swung your head low, feeling a mix of bashfulness and gratitude for her words when you werenât around. You glanced towards Robin, who beamed with pride because she genuinely thought you were the coolest person she had ever metâprobably even on the planet.Â
âI donât think Iâm coolâŚlike at all.â You admitted, rubbing a hand up and down your arm.
Robin rolled her eyes, shaking her head at her friends then looking back at you, âSheâs too humble, I mean really, she is so super duper cool and Iâm shocked sheâd even consider being my friend.âÂ
Jokingly, you nudged her, making her laugh, âDonât sell yourself short, RobinââÂ
Before you could continue uplifting the spirts of self esteem, the boy with the unruly hairâŚMick? Mike!Â
Mike cuts in, eyes zeroing in on your torso where you begin to follow.Â
âWhatâs that on your shirt?â He squinted, pointing at the recent stains on your top.Â
Peeping your eyes down and looking meticulously, the stain was barely noticeable unless someone was really lookingâanyway, the white color was a bit off from the shade of your actual top, and there had been some sort of residue left.Â
Nancy realized it at first, seeing that the stain couldnât be seen to the naked eye, unless her brother was being a disgusting little shithead. She swiftly grabbed the decorative pillow behind her, chucking it towards him.
âYouâre such a pig, Mike!âÂ
Everyone switched their attention from you, and instead pestered and teased Mike for being so âobservantâ with you here in a spaghetti strap top.
But you attempted to stifle your laughter, not wanting him to feel so embarrassed despite his sudden interjection. You were hoping he wasnât being a stereotypical depraved teen who couldnât focus when your shoulders were out.
Instead, you attempted to swipe at it with your fingertips, but alas it didnât budge and stubbornly clung to the fabric, â Itâs just paint and apparentlyâŚâ You tugged the portion closer to your nose, scrunching it up, âSugar. Powdered sugar.âÂ
The young boy almost looked impressed at your ability to articulate the specific ingredient despite the verbal onslaught he had just faced. âSick.âÂ
Robin clicked her tongue, jutting her chin out toward Steve who sat across from you in a recliner.Â
âSteve, give her something to change into,â she told him, prompting him to sit up, looking at you and instantly nodding.Â
âYeah, of course, follow me,â He motioned you to follow his lead as he stood up, yet you remained sitting, tipping your head slightly up at him.
You raised one of your brows, âAre you sure? Iâm totally ok with it. Itâs my fault, anyway.âÂ
âIâm sureâŚcâmon, itâs the least I could do.â Steve nodded again, waving his arm towards himself, and you got up.
Trailing behind Steve up the stairs, you marveled at the simplicity of the home despite its expanse. The wallpaper was a muted gray with cream accents and walls encasing the space leading up were decorated with a few framed photographs that you assumed were Steve and his family.
From what Robin had told you, his parents werenât home too often, if at all, which explained why the photos were outdated and mostly from his childhood, having no evidence of recent portraits.
The hallway towards the bedrooms had a running rug across the wooden floors. The fuzzy textile felt worn yet homey against your feet. Steveâs bedroom was located at the end of the hall, and when he opened up the door, you seemed to feel more of his personality shining in that space.Â
âIgnore the mess.â He apologized, twisting open the door to let you in first.
In contrast to the living room and main quarters of the house, his room felt more like himself.Â
The wallpaper in his room, plaid with white, green, and black accents and, of course, matching curtains. His bed was somewhat neatly made with the pillows fluffed and gray sheets on the mattress. A few drawers to hold what you assumed were part of his closet and other belongings.
But his desk, which looked to be the most messy yet contained spot of his room, littered with tapes, books, and other papers. The only thing hanging on his wall was a photo of a vintage car that you couldnât name for the life of you.Â
You turned your head to look at him, where he stood, watching you taking in the space with a grin,âYouâre actually really neatâŚneater than I am.âÂ
Steve let out a grunt, chuckling to himself as he turned to his accordion wardrobe doors and opened them in search of finding you something without a stain. It didnât help that he had forgotten to do a fresh load of laundry, but that the rest of his clean shirts were polos and hoodies.Â
âSo are you from Hawkins?â He wondered, sifting through the hangers.Â
âNo, Iâm from Roane, actually! I only really come to Hawkins for the art store but last weekend I decided to run my errands here since I was already in town and thatâs how I met Robin.â
You explained, your fingers absentmindedly rubbing the fabric of your shirt between the stain still trying to get it out.
Steve plucked a hoodie from the rack, holding it up in front of you, trying to decipher its comfort. The fabric was way too thick, and he was certain that in this Hawkins weather youâd be drowning in not only a puddle of fleece but sweat too.
Shaking his head, he gave you an apologetic glance that you didnât seem to catch.
âYou live alone?â He planted the item back on the hanger and continued to look.Â
âYeah, but I actually used to live with my boyfriendâŚor ex-boyfriend now,â You clarified, giving up on the stubborn stain and sighing, âwe were together for a little while but he just decided things werenât working out and so he left.âÂ
He looked back briefly, eyebrows raised in curiosity, âHow many years were you guys togetherâŚif you donât mind me asking.âÂ
You shook your head, reassuring him that it was alright, âSix years.âÂ
The widening of his eyes made you giggle, but it wasnât unexpected considering someone your age having a relationship that long wasnât typically normal.
âExcuse me? Six years! I donât even think Iâve had a single friend stay in my life for six years.âÂ
âSeems like a lifetime, right?â You joked with a comical lift to your voice and he nodded like it was the obvious answer, which it was.Â
He knew that you both werenât too far apart in age, both in your early twenties, but it was just shocking to hear that you were in a six year relationship at your age. The longest relationship he had was a year with Nancy Wheeler and even then that seemed like forever, but you must have really fallen deeply in love with your ex if you lasted that long.Â
âWe kinda just grew out of each other. Itâs kinda inevitable after dating all four years of high school then two years after that. We just realized that we wanted different things in life and by different, he wanted me to âfinally start taking life seriously,â or whatever the fuck that meant.â
You rolled your eyes dramatically, making air quotes with your fingers.
So that explains it, he thought to himself.
âHe wanted to move out of Indiana?â Steve questioned, turning his attention back to his closet.Â
You made a noise, unsure if that fully answered his question. But you moved up beside him, silently asking if it was okay to help him sift through the hangers. Nodding, he shifted over, giving you space to look through the untouched hangers.
You went back to his question, giving him an actual answer, that you hoped would sum up the story that was way too long to tell in whole.Â
âNot necessarilyâŚbut he just didnât like the fact that art was not only my hobby, but my passion. He always wanted me to get a real job, you know, those boring ones where you sit at a desk all day and think about what you did so wrong in your past life to be doing paperwork for the rest of it.âÂ
His eyes followed as your face contorted with revulsion as if that was one of the most heinous jobs in the world, but for someone like you who thrived off creative free rein, it truly was. Steve threw his head, laughing at your expression, finding it truly amusing because for someone like him, he also realized that even if he was a lost young adult, heâd much rather keep working at a VHS store than walk into work everyday wearing an uncomfortable suit and dozing off in meetings.Â
His amusement turned your scorned face upside down, abruptly reeling in the fact that he actually found what you said to be funny. And you hoped that he wasnât being overdramatic just to make you feel better, but you were positive that it wasnât because it was the type of laughter that had the skin by his eyes creased because of how hard he was laughingâeven his arm slinging over his torso, like the laughter was so infectious that it hurt.Â
The sound of his hilarity, leaping off the walls of his room like music to your ears, wishing you possessed the ability to always make people laugh this freely, just to witness moments like this. Eventually, though, he settled down, snapping his fingers at you and pointing with a still carefree smile on his lips.Â
âThat was a good one! Now Iâve gotta use that when my dad keeps bugging me about getting a real job.â He praised, finally turning back the original spot in his closet and plucking it off the rod.
It was a bright yellow long sleeve, the fabric not too thick or thin, but just about right. You reached for the sleeve of it, feeling the material between your fingers, and Steveâs eyes waited for your approval.Â
âFeels nice.â You said with a nod, dropping it from your fingertips and letting him slide the garment off the plastic hanger before placing it in your hands.Â
He glanced back at the bedroom door, then back to you, âIâll wait outside the door so you can change.â He offered, letting himself out and closing it behind him.
Inside the room, Steve could hear the soft rustling as you moved, wondering if what he gave you was good enough or if you were being too nice and not wanting to offend him by saying the yellow color was awful. Meanwhile, you placed your top on the lid of his hamper, making a mental note to come back here and retrieve it before you headed back home.Â
His voice came through on the other side of the door, breaking the brief silence.
âSoooâŚyour ex-boyfriend. Iâm sure he was a computer science major, right? Totally douchey with a superiority complex?âÂ
You snorted, pulling the garment over your body and slipping your arms through the sleeves. âYou think computer science is douchey?âÂ
He leaned up against the door frame, humming a reply and then finding the words.
âYeah, totally, I mean nothing screams douchey than a guy who thinks heâs better than someone because he works with computers and not a paintbrush.âÂ
Your movements slowed as you pulled your hair free from the collar and fitted the excess material underneath itself so it wasnât drowning over you.Â
There was suddenly that fond pleasant feeling brewing in the pit of your stomach and in the cage of your chest. When Robin had mentioned that Steve was charming, she wasnât kidding. There was no reason he should have this much of an effect on you so soon. Yet, here he was, effortlessly tearing down your ex-boyfriend and making you feel better about your own endeavors.Â
After a few seconds of taking a deep breath to collect yourself, you reached for the doorknob, turning it open to see his body supported by the one arm propped against the wooden frame. You bit your lip, watching his gaze fall down your face to his shirt on your body.Â
âThen Iâd say youâre rightâŚyou guessed it,â Your arms flared out before coming down to your sides, standing there not knowing what else to say considering he had hit the nail head-on.Â
For the first time in the last fifteen minutes since he met you, this was the only time you seemed so sheepish. Out in the living room you looked so confident, even when it was obvious that the attention towards you was a little overwhelming, you still could change the subject or revert it somewhere else. Here with your eyes glued to your feet, not meeting him, he felt like you were trapped â that he might have said something that hit a little too close to home and made you uncomfortable.Â
His eyes softened, clearly full of regret for being so upfront about a situation he only knew surface level stuff about. Just because you had talked to him a little about the horrible stuff your ex said, didnât mean he understood the whole story. That there clearly was something deeper, possibly trauma that he didnât know about and here you were forced to endure the awkward silence and flooding memories of what had happened all because he couldnât shut up.Â
Your view of your feet against the wooden floor was suddenly interrupted by Steveâs hands reaching forward, accompanied by his voice.
âIâIâm sorry, for bringing it upâŚI didnât mean to make you feel bad or anything! I-Itâs just, he sounds like a total dick and you should know that what he told you isnât trueââÂ
He spoke rapidly, stumbling over his words and making short pauses, making sense because the last thing he wanted to do was make you feel uneasy.Â
You furrowed your brows, snapping your eyes up to his.
âNo, no! Youâre fine, itâs just that, no one has really said that stuff about himâŚabout him being an asshole. AndâŚI donât know, it kinda feels nice to hear.â
Underneath your reassuring expression, your lips twitched up and Steve swore you were about to burst into a full on prideful smirk because of the jabs he took at your ex. So his words indeed took you aback, but in a good way.
He validated your feelings about your past relationship and suddenly there was a shift in the mood, and Steve closed his eyes, taking a relieved breath, grateful that he hadnât scared you away with that conversation.
Meanwhile, you laughed softly to yourself, feeling a rush of giggles bubble up in your chest, seeing him relax under your certainty.
He opened his eyes, looking at you, trying to look stone-faced, âBut, seriously, heâs sounds like a huge asshole,â He couldnât help the cackle that escaped through his lips, breaking his solemn face, followed by you pushing a hand out and pressing his shoulder gingerly.Â
âThe hugest! Iâm being so serious!â You added, only making the two of you laugh harder, not caring to contain it in the small space between the bedroom and the hallway.Â
A simple moment in time was all you needed to know that Steve was genuinely a good guy, not just a pretty face with an idiotic mind attached to him. As the laughter died down, Steve stepped back, holding his hand out and gesturing you into the hallway with him and back down the stairs where you two were met with the noise of your friends chatting in the living room.Â
Robin slapped a hand over her forehead once the two of you came into view, earning a raised eyebrow from you and Steve, both of whom stopped a few feet into the area. She exaggeratedly dropped her hand to her side, feigning exasperation.
âWhatâs the matter?â You crossed your arms across your chest, looking genuinely troubled and waiting for an explanation.Â
All eyes turned to you and Steve now, grunts and smothered laughs coming from everyone, while you guys both stood there, oblivious to their reactions. Dustin, unable to contain himself, started convulsing with laughter and clutching his stomach, even going as far as to throw himself into Mikeâs lap before getting shoved off.
Then he stood up in front of both of you, pointing an accusing finger at Steveâs shirt he lent you.Â
âWhat did you do to make him hate you so much that he gave you that horrid shirt?â
His face twisted in disgust, and he mockingly gagged, sticking out his tongue and dramatically turning away. Steve shouldâve seen this one coming. He swatted Dustinâs hand away from you, shaking his head with a playful scowl. Then placed his hands on his hips, adopting a father-like pose, something else they also teased him for.
He had worn the long sleeve a couple of times before, and each time he did, everyone poked fun at him. Commenting on the revolting color, comparing it to poop or vomit instead of the ground seed condiment he claimed it paralleled, according to the saleswomen at Macyâs who convinced him enough to buy it. And now thatâs why he stopped wearing it, growing tired of the kids, but especially Robin and Eddie, calling him âBaby Poop Harringtonâ in the middle of Star Court and Family Video.
âYou guys just donât get fashion,â Steve argued, raising his eyebrows and forehead toward the others in an unconvincing manner. He fanned his arm, gesturing at you.
âItâs mustard, and it clearly looks good on her.â
The compliment was sudden, causing your eyes to enlarge somewhat and cheeks to blush. You hoped that no one caught it, being too busy to notice you looking downward at the shirt pretending to examine it in order to play it off when in fact you were rubbing your lips together to stop the smile from rising with your cheeks.
The banter continued to go on, which made you relieved, as you were able to get some composure and flicker your sights back up to everyone else arguing with Steve. Eddie huffed out a laugh, stretching his arms behind his head where he lounged on the opposite couch. He pointedly stared at you and the outfit, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
âNobody said it doesnât look good on her. We just said the color isnât very pretty.â
Nancy tilted her head, observing you and the shirt closely. Her eyes widened in realization, and she nodded in agreement.
âActually, it does look really good on you. Maybe the styling was the issue.â She glanced at Steve with a grimace before waving it off and marveling at the color.
Steve raised his voice, as if trying to convince them through sheer volume. âI wore it with blue sweatpants!â
âExactly!â the group chorused, their voices overlapping in mock protest.
You couldnât help but snort out a short laugh, finding the entire situation amusing. You exchanged glances with Steve, realizing that this was obviously a very passionate but lighthearted topic within the friend group, kinda like their own inside joke.
Steve ignored the rest of the laughter and teasing, falling back into his comfortable recliner as you sat yourself back in between Nancy and Robin.
Lucas, the one seated next to the redhead who was his girlfriend, tapped his fist on the coffee table. âCan we cut into the pie? It smells delicious, and itâs been calling my name for the past thirty minutes.â
You nodded excitedly, rubbing your hands together, âSure, itâs cherry by the way, so hopefully you all like that!â Your hands fell into your lap, looking over at Steve.
âI just need a knife to cut into it and some plates and forks.âÂ
Steve rose up, giving you a nod, âIâll go get it,â he said before walking through the archway into what you assumed was the kitchen.Â
The kids had gathered around the coffee table, smelling the air to get a whiff of the baked good you had spent the whole morning baking, and even Eddie got up from his relaxed state to push the kids aside and get a smell.Â
You felt a little bad seeing as though Steve had already gone out of his way to open up his home to you and then lend you clothing after a mishap that was entirely your fault, yet you were still sitting here, not helping.Â
You looked over at Robin, patting her knee smoothly, âIâll go help Steve.âÂ
Before you could stand up, she grasped onto your wrist, waving the other in the air, signing off that he could handle it alone, âHeâs fine, donât worry about it,â
But of course you insisted with a reassuring laugh, feeling her touch drop your hand, as you got up. âNo, itâs fine, I really should!âÂ
Before she could protest or take your spot, you were already striding away, following into the archway that Steve had just gone through. His back was facing you, arms reaching into the cupboard to grab a stack of plates that clinked together.Â
âLet me help,â you announced your presence with eagerness, walking up beside him.Â
He looked over at you, relaxing his arms back down,âHey, no, you're not supposed to be helping!âÂ
Your fingers tugged the bottom of his borrowed long sleeve, the fabric dancing between your fingers as you shot him a mischievous smirk, âOh, câmon, itâs the least I could do.â
He smiled at your mocking tone having no choice but to give in, âFine, but just this once,â pretending to let out an exasperated sigh like you were a nuance, when in fact you werenât.Â
He nodded his chin to the set of drawers where the utensils were prompting you to grab the needed amount of forks while he gathered the remainder of the plates.
âDoes it ever get lonely living alone?â He asked, voice carrying a hint of interest, while shutting the cupboard and walking to the other side of the kitchen to retrieve a knife.
âHmmm,â You thought for a second, shrugging as you bumped your hip into the drawer, shutting it gently.
âSometimes, but Iâve grown pretty used to it. Thereâs some positives like not feeling so bad when you forget to start the dishwasher.âÂ
He chuckled, grunting an agreement for the simple joys that living along could bring, but he also wondered about the negatives, âAnd the cons?âÂ
Your heart skipped a beat already knowing the answer right off the top of your head because it was something that ate away at your heart every day. Leaving and coming home to the same space, roaming the halls and roomsâall of yours but only yours, the kind that was lonely.
âNot having someone you can go home to, or at least looking forward to coming to.â You confessed with a frown.Â
Steve sympathized, knowing that feeling all too well considering the home life he had been living since he was a teenager. Left alone with no parents around to really parent him in the first place, there was a fine line between being a teen and also being the adult to make the house a home.Â
Heâd try to, even when his parents were away on trips, doing a load of dishes and laundry. Cleaning out the overgrown weeds in the yard. Vacuuming and mopping the floors. All of this in hopes that when his parents did come home and see how it had been maintained, that maybe theyâd want to stay home and spend time with their son.Â
But alas, that meant nothing to them. If anything, it proved his parentsâ thoughts that Steve was more than capable of being home all by himself. Making the home even emptier that it already was knowing that his parents would purposefully be gone longer now.Â
âYâknow, itâs nice having this house all to myself, but it gets lonely too. My uhâmy parents arenât really home much, my mom follows my dad on all his work tripsâŚkinda making sure he doesnât cheat on her or something.âÂ
He let out a dry laugh while you cringed, expecting that it is in fact a joke, but he continues letting you know it isnât.
âAnyway, ummm, itâs nice and all being able to throw parties and invite people whenever, but sometimes I just wished there was more here.âÂ
Looking around the room, he gestured all around and exhaled, âLike family dinners where we actually talk or even just coming home from work and seeing my parents watching tv on the couch. I swear, I havenât seen them sit in the living room or turn on the tv since I was like twelve.âÂ
Placing the forks on the stack of plates, you turned apologetically to him, resting a comforting hand on his arm, seeing the way his face fell and his voice wavered on the edge between resentment and misery.Â
âIâm so sorry, Steve.â You withdrew, apologizing, though none of this was your fault.Â
Steve cleared his throat with a hoarse cough, swinging his head. Placing the knife down on the plates, as he ran his hand down his face, âNo, donât apologize, itâs stupid. I should be grateful they left me with a house to myself, right?âÂ
He let out a laugh, as if that was going to make you feel any better for the way that he was feeling. Robin only mentioned little about the absence of Steveâs parents, and you knew it wasnât any of your business, but it made you feel for him. For how lonesome it must be for him to be estranged from the people who gave him life, yet left him under their roof and pretended like he didnât exist.Â
You, however, made the choice to live alone. After you graduated high school, you hightailed it out of your parentsâ house and got a lease to your now apartment all by yourself. It wasnât until a few months later that your then boyfriend moved in, but still after the breakup you got to keep the place all to yourself, which was valuable in a lot of ways.Â
But it was also sad.
You didnât have many friends that you kept in touch with from high school. If anything, they werenât really the nicest nor supportive types of friends that you wanted to keep anyways. They agreed with your ex that you had to start taking life seriously and cease pursuing art, but you never listened to them. So maybe it was better off to live alone in your own seclusion rather than just keeping them around for company.Â
In spite of those not so kind friends of that past, things felt a lot different with the group that you met today. Like you could let your walls down and finally open up the door.
Your finger twiddled against one another, letting out a proposition, âM-Maybe you can come to my place and hangout? All of youâŚI mean!âÂ
You were crossing your fingers that he didnât catch the slip up that made it sound like you only wanted him to come over.Â
His hands stop at his jaw, fanning over the skin there, before turning slightly towards you with a surprised look on his face.Â
âReally?âÂ
You nodded eagerly, âI havenât had guests around for a while and I would really love for youâyou guys to come and visit.âÂ
There was that slip again, but Steve was too engrossed to catch it.Â
âI would loveââÂ
âJesus Christ, whatâs taking so long!?â
The holler coming from the living room burst that bubble between you and Steve, ultimately making you giggle when he groaned heavily, muttering an, âIâm so sorry about them,â to you while you shook your head and followed behind him while he grabbed the kitchenware.Â
âYou guys were taking forever!â Mike wailed, making Steve roll his eyes as you gave a gentle laugh at his impatience.Â
âWe were barely gone two minutes.â Steve replied, placing the plates down on the table while you carefully grabbed the knife.Â
âItâs my fault. I was talking to Steve about having you guys over sometime.â You said, looking up at the boy before making the first cut into the pie.Â
Robin gasped behind you, clapping her hands ecstatically, âOh my gosh, please! Steve and I are off on Thursday!â
She turned towards Steve, looking at him dubiously. âWeâre off on Thursday, right?âÂ
âYeah,â He snickered, nodding his head as he slid you a plate to lay the first slice on.Â
Steve picked up the plate, giving it to El just to spite the impatient Mike who sat beside her and groaned until you finished cutting the next slice which was given to Lucas. So you continued to cut as Steve served everyone.Â
âJonathan and I have a half day on Thursday, so we should be able to swing by during the afternoon.â Nancy spoke before digging into her slice.Â
The last two slices remained as everyone dug into their portion while you plated it up. Passing Steve a plate, âYou first.â You said quietly with a smile.
He grinned, thanking you with a nod before taking a seat on the recliner. You got yourself the last plate, scooting back towards your original seat.Â
âWhere do you guys work?â You looked towards Nance and Jonathan.
He swallowed his piece before speaking. âHawkins Post. I work on photography and she writes.â his fork pointed to her before she nodded and continued.Â
âTechnically, weâre still interning, but weâre hoping to secure a permanent job once our internship is up.â She told you as you nodded your head.Â
âThatâs cool! Roane has a weekly paper, but itâs usually just filled with the same political crap about our Mayor trying to drive out local businesses and replace them with big chain stores.â You said wistfully, shaking your head.Â
She chewed faster, murmuring out a reply before she was able to respond with actual words.
âOur Mayor, Mayor Kline, is actually doing the same thing! Jonathan and I have been begging to do a story about it to help save the mom-and-pop businesses, but our boss Tom,â she exhaled heavily, shaking her head with annoyance, âhe agrees with the Mayor and totally shuts us down every time.âÂ
You pouted, placing down your untouched plate, and placing a warm hand on her shoulders, âGod, I bet you theyâre such assholesâŚI wish I could help, but seriously, if at any point you guys do figure out a way to make it happen, Iâll be happy to help any way I can.âÂ
Your voice was somehow sweeter than the pie that Steve was scarfing down as he watched and listened on. Everyone was too busy in their own conversations to care about the one you and Nancy were having, but not him, though he was more so focused on you. He just hoped he didnât look like a sloppy toddler that was too distracted to realize food was all over his mouth.
Steve was just so enamored by your grace and everything that was new to him.Â
He noticed the way your eyes would trickle over with all of these different sentiments while Nance confided in you about the struggles at Hawkins Post. But he assumed this was just how you usually were, a part of you, so invest in people and wanting them to know that they could talk to you and you would do your bestest to give your deepest empathy.
Only one thing he couldnât understand was how anyone, let alone your ex-boyfriend, let go of someone who was as pure and generous as you. Steve Harrington was sure, even after only meeting you today, that you were the sweetest person he had ever had the honor of encountering. That if he really knew you were too good to be true like this, he wouldâve begged Robin to invite you sooner.
âCan I have your slice if youâre not going to eat it?â Dustinâs voice broke in, his plate already finished with only crumbs left behind.
Tearing your gaze away from Nancy and switching to the boy who looked on at your untouched plate on the table. You grinned, leaning forward to push the plate closer to him, âGo crazy, Iâm not hungry, anyway.âÂ
So not only were you kind, you were also patientâSteve was making a mental list without even realizing it and knowing what for.
Here you were giving up your slice for the little teenage twerp that just insulted the top you were borrowing only a few minutes ago. If Steve were in your shoes, heâd tell the little shit to think about making fun of mustard again before thinking heâd give up a slice of his pie for him, but then again, you werenât Steve and you definitely werenât an asshole.Â
âDude, let her have her slice!â Eddie chastised with a mouth full of cherries and pie pastry.Â
Max flicked him on the head with a grunt. âYeah Dusty, no wonder Suzie broke up with you.âÂ
Dustin glared, pulling your plate to him, âOh shut up, I told you me and Suzie are perfectly fine and still together!â he hissed, not hesitating to take a bite of his pie.Â
You shifted yourself to face forward, eyes on the kids who were thoroughly not convinced about Dustinâs so-called girlfriend.Â
âSuzie?â You spoke curiously, âDoes she live in Hawkins?âÂ
They all shook their heads, and Dustin spoke with a full mouth, but still you could hear him clearly. âShe lives in Utah! Her family is crazy Mormon though, so I can only call during certain hours to speak to her through my Cerebro.âÂ
Your eyes widened, âCerebro? Like from X-Men?âÂ
âYou know X-Men?â the kids all shouted.Â
You laughed, nodding your head undoubtedly. âI only have a few, but X-Men #7 is one of my favorites.âÂ
âHoly shit, you werenât kidding when you said she was mega cool.â Dustinâs eyes darted to Robinâs, which made you laugh.
âSo tell me more about Cerebro.âÂ
Honestly, it was hard for any of the kids to find other people who understood or got them the way that their older siblings and friends did. Itâs mainly the reason why their friend group was so small and tight-knit in the first place and theyâd be lying to say they werenât the first to oppose the idea of bringing in a new person to the group.
But you seemed genuinely engrossed in the kidsâ lives, not just instinctively nodding your head and humming so that they could feel like you cared, but you really did. Asking questions about Dustinâs summer camp where he and Suzie met and finding it quite adorable that he would go out of his way to build something to speak to a girl on the other side of the country.
Halfway through your conversation with the kids, Steve got up, heading towards the kitchen in hopes of finding you something to eat, seeing as though Dustin took hostage of your food. It didnât help that he absolutely sucked at cooking and had nothing in his fridge to offer you other than a coke which definitely wouldnât make up for your pie loss.Â
With his back turned to the fridge, he could feel a presence behind him, trying to be quiet, yet failing, and he knew it was you, or at least thought it was because of the earlier instance.
âI thought I told you that you were a guest and you should be enjoying yourself in theâwhat the fuck Robs!â
She cackled, hunched over laughing to herself once Steve finally turned around and noticed it was, in fact, not you but her.Â
âJesus, whatâs the matter with you? Sneaking up on me like that!â He crossed his arms over his chest at Robin who was trying to settle down.Â
âYouâre so gullible! Like I wasnât even trying! I was just trying to see what you were up to and you thought that I was her!â She laughed maniacally, failing to contain herself.Â
âYeah, I came in here to try to find something she can eat, seeing as though Dustin lacks consideration and didnât think to ask if she ate anything before coming here.â He sighed, turning around and opening back up the fridge, like something would magically appear before his eyes.Â
Robin calmed down, nudging him away from the refrigerator so that she could get a look. Her fingers instantly pulled open one of the drawers where the fresh fruit that were barely touched were.
âThis will do.â She grabbed an apple and orange, passing it off to Steve.Â
He raised his brows, âDonât you think she wants something else?âÂ
She shook her head. âNope, she loves fresh fruit! Told me how much she loves them in her salads and how she picks up fresh ones from the market to make sweets and drinks with them.âÂ
âFine. Just go back in there and Iâll cut these up.âÂ
She held her hands up in defense, slightly mocking in a higher pitched voice as she walked backwards, âOh okay, Chef Harrington, thank you so much for your service to our pretty guest.âÂ
He closed his eyes shut, shaking his head as he heard a snicker come from Robin before she fully exited and gave him the kitchen all to himself where he cut and peeled the fruit, neatly placing them on a plate for you. Steve wished you would have snuck in just to get another chance to talk to you alone because he wasnât quite sure if he could hold a conversation with you when everyone was around.
You didnât intimidate him per se, but he liked speaking to you one-on-one when there were no idiotic teens around to make him feel weird for asking such silly questions. But you didnât sneak in, still holding the conversation with the teens as he walked out and placed the plate on the coffee table in front of you.
âHere you go,â Steve announced softly, not wanting to break the conversation.
You looked up at him, seeing the plated fruit slices he had arranged in a circle, âOh, you didnât have to! But thank you!â
âNo problem.â He grinned, heading back to his seat.
âSo what about you?â You turned your gaze towards El, the quiet one of the bunch who sat and listened for the most part. âWhat do you like to do?âÂ
âPoetry.â She said faintly, making you smile as you popped an apple slice in your mouth.Â
âI used to do a lot of poetry too when I was your age.â You told her, and she looked at you curiously.Â
âI have a ton of journals from when I was in high school, but ultimately I think my calling has always been art.â You smiled at her, seeing the way she lit up at that.Â
âWhat did you write about?â
âTypical teenage stuff. Growing up. Strict parents. Bullies. Boys.âÂ
âDo you have a boyfriend?â Max cut in.Â
You took a deep breath, unsure of how to bring this up, âUmm, well, I uh, y-yeahâwell, no yeah! I meant no! I donât have one! But I used to, but we broke up.âÂ
âHow long were you together?â Mike asked.Â
âStop being invasive, Michael!â Nancy quietly scolded, earning a glare from Mike who paid her no mind and went back to you waiting for an answer.Â
âUmm, you know, a really long time, but it was so long ago thatââÂ
âEstimate?â Lucas countered.Â
You swallowed anxiously, not really wanting to talk about this, but feeling you had to answer before it got awkward, âLike sixââÂ
âJesus, you twerps are nosey. Just let her and El talk about poetry.â Steve surged into the conversation, getting up to retrieve an orange slice from the plate as he ruffled the hair on the teenâs head walking back to his seat in order to play it off.
You took a deep breath through your light-hearted smile, eyes dancing towards him to shoot him a grateful glance for his quick thinking.
The last thing you wanted to talk to the teens about was your tumultuous relationship that came to a world crumbling end. Plus, the teens were in their own relationships. You didnât want to jeopardize their ideas of their own relationships because of your past one. They were smart and kind, and didnât need to hear about your ex to know that about themselves.Â
Steve didnât quite know what else your ex did to make you freeze up like this in front of everyone, but he wasnât going to let it happen. It was his fault anyway for bringing it up in the first place and he had to make up for that, to let you know that he had your back, even when it came to his own friends who were just as innocently curious as him.
He got the chance to peel back a layer of your history in private, something that he knew was a privilege to learn about, but he wouldnât let you be put on the spot like this when you werenât ready.Â
There was an ease to the room once Steve made it clear that your love life wasnât up for discussion right now. Everyone just seemed to forget it was even brought up in the first place. El smoothly shifted topics back to poetry and took the moment to ask you if you still wrote from time to time, which you happily gave her the answer to.Â
Thankfully, poetry wasnât the only topic of discussion.Â
Eddie had told you about his band Corroded Coffin that played every Tuesday and Sunday at the Hideout Bar where he also worked. The kids had been begging to go to a show in order to see him and his friends live, but since the bar had a very obvious and strict age limit, theyâd just have to wait until they were 21.Â
Robin finally told you about her and Steveâs creepy manager Keith who had been smuggling R rated tapes from Family Video, which they then used against him in order to get days off whenever they wanted. Things only got funnier when Steve revealed that Keith had accidentally forgotten to switch the tapes back to the original casing, which led to a very angry mother coming in and demanding to speak to the manager when her son had brought home âStar Whores: Attack of the Silicone.âÂ
At some point, you found yourself excessively laughing with Nancy and Robin while Jonathan reenacted his father, Hopperâs reaction to a stash of weed that he had bought off of Eddie. Hopper actually sounded pretty cool considering he was police chief and didnât make the boy flush it down the toilet. Instead, just asking for a bit because he wanted to try to make weed brownies.Â
You definitely needed to meet him one day and hopefully ask him how the baking process was.Â
Lucas, on the other hand, had vented about the captain of the basketball team, Jason, who was a total asshole and didnât know how to shoot a three pointer to save his life. Max suggested that one of them attack him from behind and break his leg so that Lucas could be the star player for the season.
But somehow Mike had an even more vicious plan, to poison him and take him out for goodâbut of course he looked at you, with cautious hands held out, âWeâre just kidding by the way!âÂ
To say that you enjoyed yourself this afternoon would be an understatement because, for the first time in forever, it felt as though your social battery wasnât draining. You would want to spend the rest of the day here in Steveâs living room listening to them talk about their lives and ask you about your mundane one.
But time always went by fast when you were spending it with people who were so fun and carefree, so when you caught the hour on Steveâs clock, you knew you had to get going.Â
Everyone gave you a hug, thanking you for stopping by and of course bringing the pie, the same one that they were begging you to bring the next time you would come into Hawkins. And you sure did promise you would. Robin, being the sweet friend she was, attempted to convince you to stay a little while longer, but you knew you had to go, and youâd make it up to her another timeâhopefully a girlsâ night in the coming weeks.Â
Steve was the only one missing from the living room having excused himself to the kitchen a little while earlier to get the dirty dishes done. He even warned everyone to make sure you stayed in your seat and didnât come in to help him clean up, knowing you would sneak up and try to offer it. After releasing a very tight and giggly hug from Robin, you stood up, making your way to the kitchen.
âSteve?â You knocked your fist against the archway, catching his attention as he turned to look over his shoulder.Â
âHey, need something?â He asked, quickly shutting off the faucet and drying his hands on the kitchen towel hanging near the sink.Â
You shook your head, gesturing down to your purse slung over your shoulder, âIâm actually heading out now. Gotta get home before rush hour.âÂ
He stooped dramatically, making you laugh as you offered your most sarcastic yet sincerest apologies for the departure of your presence.Â
âCâmon, Iâll walk you out.â He gestured, leading the way while you waved goodbye to everyone in the living room before following Steve out the front door.Â
âThanks again for letting me come over.â You chirped, with your shoulders coming in shyly.
He waved it off, smiling down at you, âItâs no problem, it was really nice meeting youâŚI canât wait to come over to your place.âÂ
âIâm looking forward to it tooâŚI just donât know if Iâll be half the host that you were.âÂ
âDonât, youâre gonna be fine. Drive safe alright?âÂ
You brushed your hair back behind your ear, nodding as you smiled once more, âI will, see you around Steve.âÂ
Your arms didnât hesitate to wrap around his neck, hugging him ardently. Even if you were wearing his clothes, smothered in the scent of his detergent and him, his senses were filled with you.
A bright vanilla aroma coming from you, and with your hair blowing in his face, he could help but drown in it, hoping this wouldnât be the last time heâd get to hug you like this.Â
But alas, he had to let go, his large hands giving your shoulders a warm one over before finally pulling away and seeing your smiley face.Â
He stood by the porch, watching as you got into your car, taking note of every little detail of your movements.
Placing your purse in the passengers and checking the contents making sure you didnât leave anything behind buckling in. You checked your mirrors while twirling the ends of your hair between your fingers, securing the locks against your back and the chair. After a few seconds, he could hear the gear change and watched as you twiddle your fingers upon the steering wheel, waving one last goodbye as you reversed out of his driveway.Â
âSee yaâŚâ He mouthed, with a tight smile, waving before you drove off.Â
The distance between Hawkins and Roane Country was almost an hour, which gave you a lot of time to think about today and especially wonder about Steve Harrington.
Honest to God, every time youâd catch him in your peripheral, beaming and nodding along at your conversations, you found yourself almost tumbling over your words. He was that distracting, in the best way possible.
There was something endearing about him, perhaps his ability to read your social cues or maybe the fact that he actually showed interest in you and whatever you were talking about. Even if he didnât get it, you could tell he was listening intently, eyes following you wherever your hands and sights drifted, like a willow bending right to the wind.
You wished you had the guts to strike up a conversation with him in front of everyone else, but you were sure that if you did everyone would take note of how your shyness reached a whole other level with a pretty guy sitting in front of you. Steve was easy to talk to, but you didnât know if you were easy to react when it came to anything he said.
His words. His smile. His laughter.
All of it trickled with a honey so sweet that it made your stomach ache and blood rush hot. A feeling that was so foreign after all of this time, yet you couldnât help but want more. To get to talk to him, even if it was just him insulting your ex with low blows because he deserved it.
But his raw emotions. Him letting his guard down. His thoughtfulness.
It exuded the warmth of freshly ground cinnamon, something that had layers to it. Like a punch in the gut that surprised you in a way that was too profound to explain further. He didnât even hesitate telling you about his parents and how troubling it felt to be given so much from them yet so little at the same time.
It felt like you were throwing a bunch of colors onto a canvas, not knowing where this was headed, maybe off a cliff or down a dead-end street. Or maybe back home with you where everything would be bliss. You could never really tell.
With Steve, it felt different, very complicated.
Perhaps you were getting too far ahead of yourself, after all, his actions werenât too far fetched from the others who made you feel just as comfortable and made you laugh just as hard. Yet you didnât feel this way towards Eddie or Robin and definitely not towards Nancy and Jonathan.Â
But feelings like these oftentimes just over complicated things, like this very moment right now where you shouldnât be contemplating this in the first place.
It was too soon to ever know and you could bank on it being counterfeit. Something youâd look back on and laugh at because maybe it was better off with you and Steve being friends, just like everyone else. Nothing more, nothing less, just friends.
The afternoon glow cascaded your kitchen, a soft ochre hue bouncing off your window pane and showering your body in the warmth. Stevie Nicksâ voice sang through the space on your radio while you stirred the florals in the boiling water.
A few knocks echoed through your door, accompanied by various voices that grew louder. Looking over at the time on the microwave, it read â3:12p.m.â in bright neon green lights.Â
They were on time.Â
âComing!â you shrieked out, cutting the music and lowering the heat on the stove before you walked over the door, undoing the latch and twisting the lock open.
With a wide grin, you stretched the door open, and their chatter subsided, turning their attention towards you, their eyes glittering with anticipation.Â
Your apartment wasnât the biggest or the most lavish, but it was undeniably you. Just from the front door alone, your personality was oozing among the spaceâplants were displayed on a shelf near the door alongside a handmade pottery bowl for keys and small belongings that rested on a small table.Â
Straight ahead was your kitchen just as personalized as the entrance. The counters complimented with a delicate flower-patterned backsplash along with wooden cabinets you had stained to wash out the unpleasant color that came with the place originally.
It was so very much you.
âCome in! Come in!â You ushered them with animated welcoming arms.Â
The teens stepped through first, peering around as they traveled further into your home. Your living room another lively space with an olive green couch and swinging chair you splurged on and surprisingly hung all by yourself. And of course, unfinished and half-painted canvases decked the walls.
You met cheek to cheek with Robin and Nancy, the same fond welcome you had gotten accustomed to giving to your lady friends. Eddie and Jonathan took you in for a side hug, giving you a smile.
Steve was the last one to enter with a vase carrying a blend of lively flowers in one of his hands. He wore a striped polo, one of the many that you saw hanging in his closet, a pair of blue jeans, Nikeâs Cortezâ that was totally his style, and of course his world famous smile.
âIâm so glad you made it.â You murmured, opening your arms as he walked into you and wrapped his arms snuggly across your back.
You squeeze your arms around him affectionately, inhaling the subtle aroma of mint and sandalwood that he wore. Something that you became familiar with since your last interaction where he walked you out to your car and said goodbye to you in the same way he was saying hello.Â
Of course, Steve had made it. There was no way he was going to miss it. Not after you graced his home with your presence. If anything, Steve was the one who rushed everyone into Eddieâs van to get here on time to see you.
He looked down at you, seeing your eyes flutter open as you both released the hug, yet never stepped back to open the proximity.
âBeen looking forward to it all week,â he brought the hand holding the vase up, prompting them towards you with a grin, ââŚand these are for you.â
You let go, wrapping your fingertips around the glass, admiring the blues, pinks, whites, and greens of the arrangements. Summer flowers, the kind that bloom the entire season before spring comes along and cuts their time too short before winter arrives.
You had been busy for the past couple of weeks that you didnât even realize that you had forgotten to take a trip to your local florist to pick up some of your favorites, nevertheless Steveâs would suffice.
Closing your eyes, you breathed in the citrusy sweet fragrance from the baby pink peonies in the bunch, then you opened them back up, orbs filled with gratitude as you stared at him.
âSteve, these are beautiful. Thank you!â
He shrugged his shoulders lightly, âUnfortunately, none of us are good bakers, so Iâm glad you like it.âÂ
Laughing, you gestured him towards the living room where everyone had already gotten themselves comfortable, while you made a quick pit stop towards the kitchen to place the flowers on the windowsill to get some sunshine.Â
Making your way back to everyone you saw Nancy and Jonathan sat on the couch looking worriedly at the teens, âGuys, donât break anything!â
They both warned in unison, watching as the youngsters made a beeline to the comics and magazines you had lying around on the coffee table.Â
âNo worries, I break something like every other day in here. Totally klutz!â You assured her with a wave, seeing her take a sigh of relief and Jonathan sending you a gracious nod.
âThis place is cooler than you described!â Robin blurted, fidgeting her fingertips against each other as she continued to look around trying to spot some things that she remembered you telling her about over the phone.Â
Striding towards the cluttered coffee table, you noticed the kids not having much space to flip the books and magazines. You had spent the entire morning doing laundry and touching up a painting for your upcoming gallery that you had skipped cleaning the mess up before they had arrived.Â
You apologized, moving to pick up some paint bottles you had lying around âSorry itâs a little messyâŚI was busy all morning,â placing them back in their designated bin underneath the table, while they waved you off, not bothered by the mess at all.Â
âDid you paint this today?â Will sought, setting down the comic and shuffling towards the easel where a semi-wet canvas laid.Â
You nodded, walking over and standing next to the piece, and holding your hands behind your back shyly.
âItâs supposed to look like the sunset from a few days ago.âÂ
The sky filled with purple, orange, and yellow tinges to encapsulate the sundown you caught on the drive back to Roane from Hawkins.
âDid you use a photo as a reference?â Mike inquired, squinting his eyes to really take in the detail of the sky and hues used.Â
You shook your head, knocking your temple with your finger, âI have a really good photographic memoryâŚonce I see something I can usually replicate it when my brush hits the canvas.âÂ
âHow fascinating.â Will murmured, allowing himself to walk along the walls, looking at all your other paintings you had hanging up.Â
You clasped your hands together, a genuine sense of respite washing over you as you noticed everyone appearing at ease.
Robin was completely in her own world, fascinated with your overflowing vinyl collection that littered your tv stand.
Nancy and Jonathan were talking softly amongst themselves, smiling as they pointed and admired parts of your apartment, hoping they could have their own one day.
Eddie had taken a seat on the floor, back resting on the couch cushions as he flipped through a comic he picked up.
Steve looked to be just as comfortable, swinging slightly in the hanging chair admiring everyone else, happy that his friends were comfortable in the new space.
You clapped your hands together faintly, just enough for yourself to hear the celebration, âJust feel free to look around! I have a patio over there, but thereâs nothing much out there except plants and a little table.â
They looked up to where your finger pointed at the sliding door on the other side of the living room, a cream meshed curtain pulled back to let in the natural sunlight.Â
Then, you turned your attention to Eddie, bending down a bit to tap his shoulder and point again at the terrace outside, âEddie, I put out a small glass dish out there if you wanted to take a smoke, just in case.â
You noticed that he had excused himself to Steveâs backyard in order to take a smoke break, so you figured you get that set up for him just in case.
He flashed you a sincere smile, nodding âThank you,â
You nodded, patting his shoulder before standing straight and excusing yourself to the kitchen to get things prepared.
Steve didnât quite know if he was more so appreciating his friends finally opening up to a new place that wasnât his own or seeing you being so welcoming to people you only met a few days ago. Nevertheless, it felt nice, a little warm feeling inside to know that you were so kind and open to them.
He also didnât know if it made him a weirdo for wanting to stray wherever you went, getting up to follow you into the kitchen just to get a chance to talk to you without the lingering ears of his friends.
You stood there with one hand on your hip and the other stirring some mixture in the pot before turning off the heat completely.
âWhatâs this?â his soft voice whispered over your shoulder, producing you to bounce slightly before glancing back.Â
He had a small apologetic smile on his face, almost like a wince.
âSorry, didnât mean to scare you.â Steve said as you shook your head, lips curled into a grin when you turned back to stir the liquid.Â
âLavender and mint.â You bubbled, drawing the saucepan off the stove and holding it out, just enough to get a sniff of the aroma.Â
His hand cupped together in the air, wafting the sweet steam towards him, âAnd itâs tea?âÂ
âYeah!âŚOr you could refrigerate it and make it into lemonade, though I shouldâve done this hours ago so that I couldâŚyou donât think itâs too hot for tea do you?âÂ
Your forehead scrunched up in woe, setting the pot back down and reaching to slide the window in front of you open. Sticking your hand out, you flipped it back and forth, trying to feel the air and its warmth.Â
It was totally warm out, but Steve wouldnât let you know that. He just shook his head, following your actions and sticking his hand out to feel the air, âNo, itâs like the perfect weatherâŚI could go for some tea.âÂ
You looked toward him, giving him a sickly sweet smile as you turned to the opposite side of the kitchen, heading into one of the cupboards to grab mugs.Â
âLet me help you.â Steve offered, taking the ones from your hand with ease and placing them onto the counter.Â
He didnât allow you to grab the other seven remaining mugs, as he did it himself, lining them up perfectly so it would be easier to pour and serve.Â
âDo you like milk in your tea?â You questioned, padding over to the fridge and seizing every bottle of milk you had.Â
He thought for a second, eyebrows scrunched together, trying to recall a memory, but he was sure that the last time he had milk and tea was when he attended one of his father's boring business conferences when he was a child.
âIâve never tried it, is it any good?â Steve asked, leaning against the counterâs edge to watch you clutch the mason jars against your chest.Â
You smiled with a nod, fingers holding up one of the glass jars you had labeled, âalmondâ before placing them all right next to the mugs.Â
âYou make your own milk?â He looked surprised, picking up the jar and inspecting the liquids that looked store-bought.Â
âItâs super easy and because it doesnât take my time I just make a new glass every week.â You told him as you waltzed over to the boiler, picking up the pot before cautiously pouring a serving into each mug.Â
He watched you closely, noting how you bit your lip in concentration, making sure each mug got the same amount of tea, not wanting anyone to have less or too much than they wanted. You smiled to yourself, eventually letting go of your bottom lip when the last mug was filled perfectly, spinning around in your sock covered feet to place the remaining liquid back on the stove.
He did his best to hide his smile, endeared with your behavior for something as simple as pouring some tea. You rubbed your hands together, finally turning back to him and nodding your chin at the mugs.
âYou should get the first taste!â
âYou sure?â He asked, already reaching for the ridiculously adorable strawberry mug that you usually always drank out of.Â
You giggled, bowing your head as he finally took a sip. His lips smacked against each other to search the flavor profile in an attempt to impress you with the enhanced taste buds that he clearly didnât possess, but somehow he was still able to make you laugh, which was enough.
âItâs sweet but still a little mintyâwhat milk do you usually go for?â He sat his cup down, fingers brushing over the jars, looking over the different milks you had.Â
Oat. Almond. Cashew.Â
âOat, itâs the most neutral out of all of them and doesnât disturb the flavor, in my opinion.â You responded, letting your elbow rest onto the counter to place your chin in your palm.
You watched him crack open the jar, pouring a tiny bit into his cup before looking at you, silently asking if it was enough. The jutting of your chin and smile prompted him to pour a little more, just until you squeaked and you both laughed before he sealed the jar shut.
The two of you watched the milk flow over the once sheer lilac brew as if it was going to stir itself. Only remembering now, you gasped dramatically, moving up to pull open the drawers on the opposite side of the kitchen in order to grab a handful of spoons.
âSorry, I totally forgot!â You apologized, handing one to Steve as he snickered, shaking his head while he stirred his drink.Â
âDonât have to apologize. Youâre too nice of a host already.â He encouraged you, taking another sip of the tea and giving you wide eyes when it rushed down his larynx.Â
âHoly shitâŚthis is good!â He said surprisingly, as you smirked, moving towards him to make yourself a cup.Â
Your fingers grabbed onto the vintage basketball mug before pouring in your own splash of oat milk. âOh! I forgot to mention, I like to add honey sometimes. Do you wanna try?âÂ
You tiptoed, attempting to grab the bear shaped bottle of honey, and Steve had easily raised his arm up, clutching it for you.Â
âThank you.â You whispered softly, taking it from him.
Steve was just happy to help, beaming warmly and watching you squeeze a tiny bit of honey into your cup and he happily did the same when you passed him the bottle.Â
You both took a sip at the same time, smiling tightly as you watched each other before swallowing. It was silly. So the two of you chuckled. Shaking your head at how silly it was.Â
âI didnât mean to stare at you while youâŚsorry, that was weird of me.â You palmed your forehead dumbly, closing your eyes with a slight smile as Steve chuckled and hummed something that sounded like a ânoâ as he took another sip of the sweetness.
He shook his head, waving your worries away as he kept his hand on the handle of the mug when the other came down to rest on his hip, âI didnât mean to stare eitherâŚI just didnât want to look away from your tea-drinking skills.â
You cocked your head to the side, letting both sets of hands wrap around your warm mug as you rose a brow at him.
âMy tea drinking skills?â
He smirked, nodding confidently, âYeah, you know itâs a real art to not spill all over yourself. People do it all the time.â
There was a playful look coating your features, your eyes squinting shut as the smile took over before your laugh, shaking your head ridiculously at him.
âYouâre impressed way too easily, Steve.â
Maybe it was the fact that you both were sipping tea in the middle of summer or perhaps the airflow in your kitchen was poor, but either way it didnât take much for you both to notice the fervor that developed. You two were only inches apart. The space could be closed just by one sway towards each otherâs bodies.
The lump in his throat bobbed as he swallowed, watching you take another sip as you tore your eyes away with the heat rushing to the apples of your cheeks. You looked pretty like this; he was sure you always did, but something about you here in your own kitchen surrounded by everything that was you felt just about right.
âI canât help itâŚâ You snapped your eyes back up at him, seeing him lift his shoulder with a placid grin on his face as he spoke.
âIâm always going to be impressed when it comes to you. Even when itâs just tea and a prettyââ
âWhatâs this!?â
The two of you jerked your eyes to Robin, leading the rest of the pact behind her into your kitchen. You swore he was just about to call you a pretty girl, certain even, but there were a million things he couldâve said.
Pretty mug.
Pretty kitchen.
Pretty apartment.
Pretty girl.
Pretty you.
No! He wasnât. There was no way.
You quickly leaned off the counter, gesturing to them as Steve scooted over to make way for everyone else. They all picked up a mug, conversing amongst each other as they began drinking and popping open the milk and honey, serving themselves.
âItâs Lavender mint tea! I also have homemade oak, almond, and cashew milk so hopefully none of you are allergicâŚbut if you want, I could run to the store and pick up some whole milk, itâs only down the road anyway so it wonât be longââÂ
Steve could sense the anxiety in your ramble, unsure if it was because of him and the line he had casted out towards you, or maybe because of the sudden intrusion of his friends that made it feel like you two had been caught when in actuality you both werenât doing anything wrong.
Steve halted the jabber, resting a reassuring hand on your shoulder as everyone helped themselves to the tea, not aware of what you had been saying.
âNone of them are allergic, so youâre fineâŚdonât need to go all out for some kids from Hawkins,â he looked around at his friends who were too busy to care, âeverything youâre doing is perfect.âÂ
You clutched the mug in your hands, taking a sip again feeling your heart thump at his words. You didnât understand what sorcery was going on, but you did know that Steve Harrington had a way with words and every sweet thing that left his lips made you feel like you were floating.Â
Steve swore that he could see a pink blush creeping onto your face, but the mug you had tilted closer to your face hid it. It was cute; he didnât know why you took so weirdly to compliments. It was something that he noticed right off the bat when you two first met. The way that if anyone said something nice about you, you felt the need to downplay it or not respond at all.
But Steve would keep complimenting you because you truly were someone that deserved to know their worth. So he smiled, continuing to watch the way you tried to hide your blush, while he sipped on his tea.Â
Robin wasnât clueless to the two of you, sure she didnât have the best timing, but she could read the both of you. The way you and he would stare at each other for too long and even how youâd both stray to each other if the other ran off somewhere else.
She knew where this was going.
Coughing lightly to clear her throat, she tapped you on the shoulder.
âDo you mind showing me the bathroom?âÂ
You nodded, a tight smile on your face as you brushed past Steve, but not without your arms grazing before you led her out of the kitchen and into the opposite hallway where your bedroom and the bathroom was.Â
âItâs in here,â reaching forward and twisting the door open to reveal the bathroom.Â
Robin smirked wickedly, seizing one of your arms and pulling you into the restroom before shutting the door.Â
You shrieked and snorted all in one, startled at her action and trying to steady the mug in your hand so you didnât spill any.
âRobs!âÂ
She pressed her back against the door, a woozy smile on her face as she widened her eyes at you, âWhat the hell was that in there?!âÂ
Your eyes widened, and you shook your head frantically, âOh my god, shush, he could hear you! It was nothing!â
Robin laughed, as you tugged her a ways bit from the door, hoping that no one, and especially Steve, didn't hear the conversation that was happening inside here. She opted to close the toilet lid, sitting on top of it while you leaned against the counter, still sipping on your tea to avoid talking about this, but Robin seemed to have no plans to stop.Â
âIt didnât look like nothing! You guys were like milliliters apart, and his eyes were all dreamy and full of stars when he was staring at you!â
Her hands twiddled around in the air, trying to show you what she meant, and you knew exactly what she meant because you saw his orbs in the same light. Like an ocean of stars and glitter every time he had his eyes on you long enough for you to catch itâto make a wish on them.
âHis eyes are always dreamy.â You countered out loud, instantly regretting that statement as Robin clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle her squeal.Â
You bit back a smile, turning your head the other way so she couldnât see the way you were absolutely blushing out of your mind. Â
âI knew it! I could feel the tension in that kitchen and I just knew it! And the other day? You two just couldnât stop looking at each other. You guys are totally crushing and are gonna fall in love!â
God, you couldnât even remember whenâs the last time you actually had a crush on someone attainable. All the guys you liked were fictional, from books, tv shows, and movies, because at least those guys were mesmerizing and actually respectable people. But Steve felt like that too, that one out of a million that you could actually see and have the privilege of being around let alone talking to.
He was so out of your league, there was no possible way he couldâve meant what he was going to say as a genuine romantic compliment. He was just being friendly. Just being the same Steve that Robin described to you before you had even met him. The same Steve who graciously covered for you when you didnât want to talk about your asshole ex boyfriend.
The Steve that had you thinking about him on your drive back home wishing you were watching the sunset with himâ
You heard the snap of her fingers, before feeling her stand up and make her way in front of you where she stood and clutched your shoulders, causing you to look at her. Shaking your head, you sighed heavily, finally prompting her a response after those grueling composing seconds.
âHeâs just nice, Robin, and Iâm sure heâs being kind because we just met. I barely know him! You said it yourself, remember? Steveâs a nice guy.â You said seriously, setting down your mug on the open counter space as she pouted and shook her head.Â
âNo, I mean yeah, Steve is nice, but heâs being abnormally kind to you. The kind of kindness where itâs all sappy and lovey. It kinda makes me want to throw up, but also makes me want to kick my legs like an idiot because seeing him this way after all this time is actually nice.â
She explained with a complicated look that quickly turned into smiles and fondness, realizing that Steve was actually putting himself out there and you just were too foreign to it all. She watched as you took another deep breath, letting your shoulders stoop against her hold as you held your head in your hands.
âI stood there like an idiot Robs. He said something really nice to me and IâŚI just stood there! Gosh, he probably thinks I'm totally dumbass or something.âÂ
She scoffed, shaking her head, giving your skin an encouraging squeeze when you finally looked up at her.
âTrust me, Steve doesnât think youâre an idiot or a dumbass, or anything bad. He's genuinely so enthralled by you. And this is the same guy whose attention span is shorter than mine, so thatâs saying quite a lot if, after the first hangout heâs already asking more about you.â
Your eyebrows curled into a frown before raising curiously, silently asking Robin to tell you what she meant before she licked her lips, eyes darting around the bathroom trying to pick one out of the many scenarios where Steve had asked about you.
âUmm, okay, this one!â She decided confidently, nodding her head and furrowing her brows roughly to mimic Steve earlier this morning at the florist.
âWhich flowers do you think she likes best? Sheâs like super into florals, right? Is she allergic to anything? Jesus Christ, I donât want to show up with flowers that sheâs allergic to. Thatâs like fucking embarrassing Robs. Okay, you know what, Iâm just gonna pick the prettiest flowers and hope she doesnât end up sneezing or anything.â
You snickered at her impression of Steveâs voice and mannerisms, feeling your heart swarm as you thought it was pretty sweet that he was taking the time to ask about you, let alone think about putting in so much effort into those flowers he had brought for you.
âThatâs actually really adorable,â you admitted, while Robin smiled and tilted her head, watching you thoughtfully.Â
She removed her grip for your shoulders, hands softly clapped while she shrieked while you rolled your eyes playfully at her delight. âSee! Iâm like cupid or something! Just yennoooâŚtry throwing out a compliment and if it feels weird or wrong, then youâll know. But I think we both know how itâs gonna go!âÂ
âSure cupid,â You rolled your eyes lovingly before going deep again, âI just donât want to mess things up, alright? If somehow weâre both reading this wrong, I donât want to lose him as a friend. Itâs gonna put me in an awkward position if he doesnât feel the same, so just for my sake, letâs just keep this conversation between us?â
You held out your pinky finger towards her, where she immediately crossed her fingers over her heart and proceeded to hook her pinky with yours.Â
âPromise!â she vowed, kissing her thumb as you giggled and did the same to yours.Â
When you two unhooked fingers, she crossed her arms and looked back at the toilet then at you, âI still really gotta pee, soâŚâÂ
You tsked, chuckling lightly as you picked up your mug and gave her a thumbs up before exiting the bathroom to give her some privacy. When you walked down the hallway back into your living room, everyone looked relaxed, sitting on the couch or just hanging around the floor enjoying their cups of homemade tea while they talked amongst themselves.Â
Steve was in his previous seat, rocking back and forth in the hanging chair still nursing his lavender mint tea. When you came into view, he flashed you a smile, almost a questioning one, asking if everything was alright considering you were just in the bathroom with his best friend for quite some time. You assured him a nod and a small curl of your lips, ushering him to nod back.
That god he didnât seem phased by the previous kitchen interaction.
âWhatâs that?â You requested, settling on the carpeted floor where Will and the rest of the teenagers were sitting near the coffee table flipping through a book.Â
Will glanced over with a shrug, sliding the book towards you, giving you a chance to see the art that covered the pages. You were amazed, setting down your mug and pulling the book closer as you looked into each stroke of the pencil and all the shading.Â
âWill, these are beautiful.â You nudged him casually with your elbow, making him smile, while he watched you flip through the next few pages where more illustrations filled the sheet.Â
One of the pages that caught your eye was a figure, one dressed in a cloak with a pointy wizard hat, and it looked a bit like Will. Maybe a self-portrait of some kind for that fantasy game he and the boys played.
âTheyâre not as good as yours, but I wanted to bring it so I could show you what Iâve been working on.â He told you, while you frowned and reached to rest your hand onto his, giving it a squeeze.Â
âNo, these are amazing. I mean, this is just incredibleâŚwhen I was your age all I could draw were stick figures.âÂ
The laugh that Will let out made you smile and so did the reinforcing words coming from his friends, egging him on and telling him how awesome all of his sketches were. You knew that art was subjective, and even when you yourself were hard on the work that you made, you also had to find it within yourself to be kind.
And you wanted Will to feel the same way, because he truly had a talent for art and you wished you had someone when you were younger who encouraged you to pursue it sooner.Â
âI actually have a bunch of spare paints and brushes, and other supplies that you can take home.â You told him.
Shifting to your knees as you began reaching under the coffee table where some storage bins were located, filled with some paints you hadnât yet used. You began pulling them out one by one, setting them on the coffee table and talking to Will about each of the brands and colors.
From Steveâs place, he could see more of you than Will whose back was facing him. He saw the way your nose crinkled distastefully as you expressed your dislike of certain paint brands because of the opacity and smell. Then how quickly the look of disgust was replaced by a bark of hilarity as Will told you something about his mom brewing a fresh pot of coffee to battle the horrible smell of some of the paints he used.
Steve hoped it didnât make him a creep for always watching you, but it was out of admiration than it was out of flirtation. He preferred watching you because there was a way about youâan ease, almost one that even yourself didnât quite notice, but he did.
To him, the best way to describe the feeling he got around you was almost like a secret garden.
One filled with every kind of flower blooming under the radiating sun. Trees growing so tall with birds settling on the stretching branches. The air the perfect kind of cool where bees and butterflies pass through as they soar through the sky. A calm waterfall trickling into a pond that calls out to everyone to jump in freely.
For Steve, itâs like jumping in and getting lost in youâŚexactly as heâs doing right now.
In simpler terms, people gravitated towards you, not solely for your sweetness or kindness, but for how genuine you actually were.
Even in Steveâs own experiences, he knew he was guilty of just nodding along and pretending to understand what any of the teens were talking to him about.
Video games. Computers. Poetry. Skateboarding. Dungeons and Dragons. Painting. Boyfriends. Girlfriends. Crushes. Whatever it was; just going in one ear and out the other while they kept talking and talking and talking.
But not you.
If anything, you immersed yourself into their world even when it wasnât something that you could fully wrap your head around like that fantasy game. Yet you never failed to ask questions in order to learn more about it, but it was mostly because you loved to see their faced light up when talking about something that they enjoyed without needing to worry about sounding nerdy.
He wished he could talk to you about anything, and he knew he could, but just not right now. Not with everyone sitting here when all he wanted to do was tell you how down to earth you were and how it was even impossible for you to be real.
But indeed real you were meeting his eyes for only a split second before you turned it all back to Will as he spoke.
âDo you think I could try to paint something?â Will asked you timidly, almost anxious of being a nuance, but you bubbled out an excited yelp, scrambling to your feet as you rushed to your bedroom in order to grab a blank canvas that you were sure you werenât going to use.Â
âWhere is it?â You puffed, hauling open your closet door in hopes of you finding it in some bin that you stored all your excess supplies in.Â
A knock sounded on the doorway wall, prompting you to call out a reply instead of actually looking at who it was, just assuming that it was Will or one of the other kids.Â
âNeed any help?âÂ
Steveâs voice had you ceasing all movements, encouraging you to take a deep breath and realize that the whole kitchen thing was over. Right now, you needed to get it together and not make things weird. You exhaled softly, peeping back from behind your closet to see him leaning against your door frame with a small smile before you nodded.Â
âItâs so bare in here.â
He joked, looking around the room where the only piece of artwork hanging was one above your bed. A total lunar eclipse with its blood-red moon shining bright against a dark sky with tiny stars scatters around it.Â
You gasped subsequently, finding the smaller canvas and standing up from the ground, âI like that my bedroom is sorta away from all the chaos out there.â
Your hands motioned to the outside of the door, making circles and rolling your eyes, as if the living room was such a chaotic mess, when it really wasnât. He chuckled, shaking his head before raising his brow at you.
âAnything else we need?âÂ
Yeah, some fucking composure, Steve, because now Iâm thinking of a compliment to spit out so we can get a feel of whatever the fuck we have going on.
You nodded, dropping the canvas on your bed and strolling over to the bottom drawers of your dresser where more supplies were stored.
âYeah, some new brushes and a paint pallet for him.â
He watched you, totally oblivious of your nerves and instead in awe of how considerate you were being, by lending Will new items rather than just letting him borrow what you already had.Â
âYouâre going to spoil the kid rotten.â He quipped, seeing as you couldnât pick between two different shades of blue paint tubes and instead, just threw both of them into the pile you were amassing for Will.Â
You looked up, looking as innocent as ever and shaking your head, more than happy to spoil the kid.
âThese have just been sitting here waiting to be used and Will will probably use it more than I ever will.âÂ
He chuckled, coming down beside you, kneeling on the floor to help gather the paint tubes in his hands knowing you wouldnât be able to carry it all by yourself. Your fingers brushed each other as you both grabbed a few, eyes flickering up to each other with a quiet laugh, continuing on before he spoke just as delicately.
âYouâre really too sweet.âÂ
Nowâs the openingâŚjust be smooth and throw it out there.
âIâd like to think I am,â you replied, snickering to yourself, when on the inside you were screaming.
He looked to you, seeing as though you tried to brush it off, âNo, really, I mean it, youâre probably the nicest person Iâve ever metâŚno one has ever put this much thought into a hang out before.âÂ
You looked almost smitten under his gaze, tucking your cheek into your shoulder and trying to play it off as a shrug despite the smile he could see seeping upon your face. He found it cute. Though he didnât know why you tried to hide it, he wanted to make you smile and make you feel good about yourself.Â
âYou really think so?â You asked unabashedly, following his head nod with a grin.Â
âIâd go as far as saying youâre the sweetest girl I think Iâll ever meet.âÂ
Play it cool.
âYou must not have met many girls then?â You stood up, hearing his chuckle as he followed your lead.Â
âDonât really want to meet any other ones anymore.â He countered.Â
Strike and get a feel of it.
You grabbed the canvas off your bed as you swooped by. âRobin wasnât kidding when she said you were charming.âÂ
âShe said that?â He said comically, and you giggled nodding and walking out of your bedroom with him trailing behind you.Â
Throw it out there.
âYeah, which isnât totally surprising, considering the fact that youâre pretty sweet yourself.âÂ
There was a glint of teasing to your voice, not that it was too different from the sweetness that dripped from it regularly, but he could tell there was something more there. He didnât want to think too hard about it, not wanting to ruin the moment with his never-ending questions, so instead he clung to it, hoping heâd get the chance to hear something like that coming from only you ever again.Â
âHere you go, Will,â you crooned cheerfully, entering the living room with Steve trailing behind you with the paints.Â
Willâs eyes lit up with excitement, sitting up on his knees as you two placed the items on the coffee table. You sat beside him while Steve went back to the chair, watching in on you explaining to Will each of the pigments and their properties.
This time he wasnât doing a lot of listening, his mind still caught up in your words and if it meant what he thought it did. He was going to call you a pretty girl back in the kitchen, that is before Robin and the rest of the gang had stumbled in to stop him.
Was that compliment supposed to be a response to his?
Was what you said even a compliment?
Of course it wasâŚhell you couldâve you said he reminded you of a golden retriever and heâd take it with pride and brag to everyone that a pretty girl compared him to a cuddly animal.
But was he just maybe reading into it too much?
You were always dishing out compliments to everyone, saying how great and talented they were, but not with the undertone you had spoken to him with. Perhaps he had misheard you and now he was doing all of this overthinking just to end off at the same place you both started, which was friends.
Just friends.
âSteve, could you come with me and Eddie to the kitchen, please?â
Robin and Eddie both stood, looking at him sharply as they shuffled into the kitchen, signaling for Steve to follow their lead.
He furrowed his brows, standing up quickly and heading for the kitchen, âWhatâs up?âÂ
âYouâre being fucking weird!â Eddie's whisper shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him.Â
Steve looked taken aback, looking at his two friends puzzled. âWhat the hell are you talking about?âÂ
âDonât think I canât tell when youâre thinking too hard. Whatâs the matter?â Robin softly prodded, crossing her arms across her chest.Â
âW-what? No, Iâm fineâŚIâm just thinkingâŚâ He said, avoiding Robinâs knowing eyes as he looked at Eddie instead.
Eddie rolled his eyes, âYou keep following her everywhere, yet youâre not making a move. Everyone in that damn living room can feel the tension between you guys.âÂ
âThere is no tension!â Steve claimed quietly, peering back and making sure you still were laser focused on the painting.
He looked back at his two friends, resting his hands on his hips, âIâm being friendly alright. I want to make her feel comfortable and help out the same way she did. Thatâs all.âÂ
Robin threw an unconvinced look his way, before gesturing towards Eddie, âWhen you met Eddie, you made fun of him for nicknaming his guitar sweetheart, itâs not the same.âÂ
âBecause Eddie isnât a girl!â Steve argued, only causing Eddie to raise a brow, holding a hand over his heart pretending he had just been wounded.Â
âAre you saying Iâm ugly, Harrington?âÂ
âOh my god,â Steve grumbled, rubbing his fingers over his temples.Â
Robin reached forward, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to look at her, âDudeâŚstop thinking so hard about it. If you like her, just be cool about it. Ask her out if you want. I donât knowâŚj-just do anything besides what you were doing out there because you looked like you were in pain and it was just weird.â
Did he really looked pained?
Steve blinked, trying to process debating if he wanted to ask Robin if he really looked that bad or for some fucking advice to man up and ask you out already. He didnât know what he was avoiding, knowing that usually if he liked a girl, heâd just go in and take the shot to ask, but with you, he just couldnât.
There was too much to lose if something went south.
His thinking was cut short by Eddie who began snapping his fingers, pointing victoriously like he and Robin cracked some sort of secret Russian code or something.
âWe were right!â He started poking at Robinâs cheek as she grumbled yet bit back a smile.
Eddie pointed towards Steve again, not bothering to hide the smirk on his face, âWhatâd I tell you? Harrington is usually so quick to slide on in and ask a girl out and now suddenly he meets a gorgeous down-to-earth-painter-baker-girl and now heâs whipped!â
He drummed his fingers on Robinâs shoulder, making her laugh before turning to her best friend, suddenly bright pink in the cheeks.Â
âYou must really really like her if youâre not using those god awful pickup lines to make her fall for you.â She said half jokingly.Â
Steve shrugged, moving away from the two and instead reached for his tea mug and taking a sip of the now semi-warm liquid. âMaybeâŚIâI dunnoâŚI just donât want to rush things because she knows about King Steve and I donât want her to get the wrong idea.âÂ
Robin tilted her head, looking apologetic, âShe told you I told her about that?âÂ
He shook his head, looking at her dully, âNo, but she did say you said I was charming, which pretty much gives it awayâŚalso youâre such a terrible liar.âÂ
âAm not!â She gasped, lightly punching him in the arm.
Steve didnât look so convinced, arguing back without hitting her, âYeah you are!âÂ
âFuckinâ kill me,â Eddie sighed, rocking his head at the two.Â
âIs everything ok?â Your cool speech came ringing in the small kitchen, making the three of them stutter, trying to not look so suspicious.Â
âY-yeah, fine! Umm, they were just wondering if you had more tea!â Steve lied, turning his eyes back to Robin and widening them, signaling for her to let go of his shoulders, which she did.Â
He made his way over to the stove, peeking into the pot that had only a bit of tea left.
âOh, I can make some more if youâd like?â You responded, moving further into the kitchen to meet Steve at the stove.Â
With your back turned to Robin and Eddie, they both motioned their way out of the space to give him more time with you, but not before shooting him a suggestive wink.Â
âUh, no, no need for that. Iâll just take whatâs leftâŚEddie and Robin have ummm, small bladders! I donât want them complaining the whole way home later.âÂ
He closed his eyes shut, shaking his head to himself while you attempted to stifle a laugh reaching for his mug and pouring the rest of the tea into his cup.Â
âHere you go,â you said, turning to him with his mug filled.
He flashed you an apologetic smile, saying a quiet âthank youâ while you shake it off.Â
âNeed anything else? A snack?âÂ
His ears heard you loud and clear, but his eyes were stuck on the living room where Eddie and Robin were wildly gesturing their hands in the air, mouthing, âJust do it!â
For my friends to stop being dumbasses is what he wanted to say, but he shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the two friends and giving his sights back to you.Â
âNo, this is all. Thanks again.â He reassured you, earning a smile as you both walked out of the kitchen and back to the living room.Â
Taking your place between Max and Will who were painting, you were able to get a glimpse of the work they had completed for the short time you were gone. Max had wanted to join in after getting tired of the comic she was reading.
âOh, this is amazingâshoot, Iâm so sorry!âÂ
You werenât quite sure why you were here apologizing at the fact that Max had accidentally turned towards you with a paintbrush in her hand, smearing gold all over the front of your shirt, but here you were.
âShit, itâs my fault. Iâm so sorry.â The red head said, clutching a hand over her mouth as you shook your head.Â
âNo, itâs my fault! I shouldnât have snuck up like that. Itâs okay, the paint comes off easily in the wash, Iâll go get changed!â You yelped, getting up and jogging down the hallway into your room.
Max turned to Steve, glaring at him.
âReally? Eddie and Robin have small bladders? Thatâs the best excuse you came up with?âÂ
He scratched the back of his neck, leaning forward, âW-what?âÂ
âMax just bought us some time to tell you how weird youâre being.â Lucas smirked, glancing at Max who looked proud of her quick idea.
Dustin snorted in agreement, finally tearing his eyes away from his comic, âIf youâre gonna keep staring at her and following her around like a minion you might as well as her out!â
âIâm not asking her out on a date with all of you here!â Steve countered, staring at all of his friends like they were insane.
Robin rolled her eyes, looking at Nancy, then him, âYou asked Nancy to have six kids that time we went road tripping a few years ago. What difference does that make now?âÂ
Mike groaned, covering his face in discomfort remembering overhearing that conversation. âI didnât have to be reminded of my sister hypothetically having six babies with Steve.â
Jonathan snapped his eyes to Nancy who widened her eyes at Robin, âWhen was this?â He asked.Â
Nancy shook her head, brushing him off, âA long time ago, so it doesnât matter. And theyâre right, you and her obviously have chemistry, so why not just stop wasting time and get it over with?â
âNo, we donât,â Steve shook his head, not sounding as convincing as heâd like.Â
Nance tilted her head, giving him those doubtful eyes, âReally? Do you actually believe that for one second?â
âYou keep following her around like a lovesick puppy.â Jonathan admitted, forgetting about the stupid six children thing and saving it for another day, seeing as though Steve really expected that they all couldnât see right through you and him.Â
âEvery time I look over at her to see if Iâm doing something right, youâre in my peripheral ogling at her like a piece of art.â Will responded, tearing his eyes away from his canvas.Â
âItâs kinda cute.â El said with a giddy smile.Â
âSheâs always smiling at you for some reason.â Max continued.Â
âWhich is funny considering that youâre not that pretty to look at,â Eddie quipped, earning a scowl from Harrington.Â
Robin rolled her eyes at the menâs consistent banter, knowing she had to work fast before you came back out.
âWhat weâre trying to say is that she clearly likes you and you like her. You can try denying how you feel, but we know how you get when you start crushing on a girl, so donât think your lying is going to fool any of us.â
She told him, which would've been reassuring, but asking a girl out in front of a crowd of people wasnât something that sounded like a good time for him or you. It was just going to put you in that sticky spot with all the attention and most likely to say yes to save him the embarrassment.
He couldnât do that to you.
âWell, Iâm still not asking her out with you guys down my throat. Her and I are just friends. I need to get to know her first. Hell, I donât even know what her favorite color is or if she likes sports? These are things I should know before I ask a girl out!â
Who was Steve kidding and when did he start caring about frivolous shit like that? You and him could have nothing in common and still he would fawn over you and snowball this crush into something more. Even going as far to turn himself into Picasso's reincarnation if that would make you like him better.Â
âIâm back!â You grinned, sauntering down the corridor sporting none other than a cropped Red Sox t-shirt.Â
Steveâs favorite team, of course.Â
Eddie grunted, already on the tip of making a subtle note, just to see if he was right.
âNice shirt, but didnât they loseââ
âOh, donât even get me started! The game was totally rigged and if Buckner didnât mess up that inning, Boston wouldâve taken that championship home.â You said intensely, taking your seat between Max and Will once again.Â
Everyoneâs eyes turned to Steveâs, watching them muddle with even more affection than before. You were his total dream girl. He knew it, and so did everyone else.
âEverything alright?â You chuckled after the short seconds of silence.Â
Grunts and hums came from everybody attempting to not fixate their gaze solely between you and Steve, but it was a bit tough considering the stare that Steve had locked on you.Â
âPeachy, just trying to remember that date because it was so memorable, and I wished that someone here would make a move and remember it.â
Robin emphasized her words sharply, snapping her fingers to get Steveâs attention in order for him to stop staring at you before you caught him.
Eddie joined in, coughing loudly to âclearâ his throat only stopping when Steve finally snapped his eyes away from you.
âYeah, you know whatâs so funny about dates is that they mark something special and really help solidly theââÂ
You lifted your eyes from Willâs painting just in time as Steve shook it off the stare.
âOctober 27th 1986 but the series went from October 18th through the 27th if we want to get specific.âÂ
Holy fuck. Holy shit. Holy Mother Of God.
âIâI gotta go to the bathroom!â Steve spat out speedily, resting his mug on the cramped coffee table and shooting up.Â
You creased your brows together, watching him trudge down the hallway, clumsily, âThe first door on your rightââÂ
âRight! Yep! Got it!â He called out, reaching for the handle and nearly propelling himself through the door and slamming it shut.Â
You tilted your head, letting out a grunt before turning your eyes to Robin, âIâIs he okay?â
She nodded with a broad smile, sitting up from the couch and knocking Eddieâs arm with her elbow, âHeâs actually the one with a small bladder soâŚyenno, when nature calls am I right?âÂ
âHe and the toilet are gonna be awhile, a date if you will,â Eddie snorted, making you choke on a laugh before giving them a slow head nod and turning your attention back to Will and Max.Â
This was by the far the longest time Steve had ever spent staring at himself in the mirror for something not related to his looks. This time around, he was staring for another reason, trying to find the Steve within him that would actually pull the trigger and ask you out already. It was clear as day that he liked you. He didnât need anymore confirmation of it, he knew his feelings.
But he also knew you were worth more than this and more than the old Steve.Â
The old Steve could easily swoon you with a pickup line and flirty eyes: the King Steve that you had heard about from Robin. But that wasnât who Steve was anymore and it sure as hell wasnât the version of himself he wanted to be when he was with you.
He wanted to be better, to show you that you actually did deserve someone with character within them. Even after all this improvement and trying to actually search for a relationship that consisted of love rather than just sex, he didnât know if he was good enough for you. If youâd even want to go on a date with him.Â
He wouldnât know if he didnât take a chance.Â
But what if all you wanted was to be friends?Â
Would that ruin your friendship with Robin?Â
Could you possibly imagine yourself ever being friends with her again after her best friend made a pass at you?
He liked you, but he loved Robin and knew this friendship meant a lot to her. The last thing he wanted to do was jeopardize it because of a crush even if Robin was fully in support of it.
Maybe you and him were supposed to be just friends.Â
âSteve! Dude, câmon we gotta go.â Dustinâs voice came from the outside of the door, knocking firmly against the wood.Â
He furrowed his brows, unlocking the door and pulling it open, âGo? Go where? We just got here.âÂ
Dustin sighed, gesturing back to the living room where you were helping the others clean up, âNance called home and Mrs. Wheeler said that Holly had an allergic reaction. We gotta get home ASAP!âÂ
âSo why canât Nancy and Mike go home and we stay?â Steve hissed more harshly than intended.Â
The boy shook his head in incredulity, crossing his arms over his chest, âNeed I remind you we drove here in Eddieâs van? We all need to leave together or else youâre stranded in Roane, but by the sound of it, you wouldnât mind at all.âÂ
Dustin wore a knowing sneer while Steve bit down on his tongue, not really wanting to lash out on the kid who was pointing out the very obvious feelings that he did a horrible job at hiding.Â
âCâmon lover boy, we got a hive covered six-year-old who needs the hospital and we gotta house sit for a few hours.â Dustin said, finally patting Steve on the arm before turning on his heel and heading back to the living room.Â
He followed closely behind, seeing everyone begin the file out the door where you hugged each of them.Â
âI hope everything is ok with your sister! Please, just donât hesitate to call if thereâs anything I can do to help!â
You tightly wrapped your arms around Nance, closing your eyes as you rubbed her back affectionately and heard her murmur a âthank you so much,â before pulling away.Â
âBye! Thanks for having us, again!â Dustin saluted with a toothy grin before you giggled and hugged him.Â
Steve was the last one left in the doorway with you, keeping his hands to his side not knowing if he should open up to hug you first or not.Â
âOh! Hold on, donât go anywhere. I gotta give you something!â You pointed your finger at him and jogged through your apartment into your room, coming out a few seconds later with his yellow pullover folded neatly in your hands.Â
You held it out to him, wearing a smile on your face. âI washed it and ironed out the wrinkles. Sorry if it smells like honeysuckle, itâs just the detergent I use!âÂ
His heart ached even more knowing this thing would smell like you until the next time itâd be washed. Only fueling the crush he had and taking every ounce in his body not to jump at the opportunity to tell you how down to earth you were and how much heâd like to take you out on a date if youâd let him. But instead, he could only muster out a few sentences.Â
âT-thanks! I wonât mind at allâŚand thanks for having us over, even if it was only for a little.â He laughed, watching you shake your head.Â
âNo, it was really fun having your guys over, and umm, I invited everyone to come to my art gallery this weekend, and it would really mean a lot if you could make it, if youâre free.â You said tenderly, rubbing your hand over your opposite arm watching a smile break on his face.Â
He nodded, âIâm free this weekend so Iâll definitely be there.âÂ
âThanks! Robin has the directions and whatnot.â You spoke, nodding your head as you both stood there for a second totally forgetting that he had to go until Eddie beeped his horn.Â
You snapped out of your stance, instantly apologizing, âShit, sorry! Okay, Iâll see you!âÂ
Steve wasnât at all prepared for your arms to wrap around his neck, hugging him closely, feeling your breath fan again his skin as he hurriedly draped his arms across your back, squeezing you tight, âY-yeah! See you thenâŚâÂ
Pulling away from Steve felt difficult just as hard as it would be knowing that you wouldnât be able to see him for a while. It didnât help that you and him didnât get to speak as much as youâd like because you really wanted to get to know him more. To ask him about life in Hawkins and how he liked Roane so far.
It just didnât help that you felt like you crossed a line after telling Steve that he was âpretty sweet himself.âÂ
Was that too forward of you?Â
Maybe it was too corny?Â
Did it throw him off?Â
It probably did throw him off. It had to have been that. After you replied with that sad excuse of what was supposed to be a compliment, Steve started acting weird. Strolling off to the kitchen with Robin and Eddie, probably telling them all about how you sucked at flirting. Even excusing himself to the bathroom in a haste when he clearly didnât have to use it.
For a minute, you thought that you really did blow your chances with him, but it all drifted away when you caught the smile and wave that he threw at you from the passenger seat of Eddieâs van.Â
He looked happy, yet sad to be taking off, kinda like how you looked after needing to leave the Harrington house. You just didnât want to get your hopes up living for something that had a small probable chance of ever coming to life. There was no telling what mood you and Steve would be feeling the next time you saw each other, and you didnât want to jinx it before it was too late.
You just closed the door, pressing your back against the wood knowing that everything in your system was dying for the moment you and Steve would see each other next.
For now, youâd have to pad across your apartment thinking about him wherever you strayed, wishing he was following close behind like he always was. But he wasnât.
The only trace he left behind was his scent lingering in the air and the strawberry cup that was yours, but you didnât mind if it belonged to him now.
Truly, you were screwed, living for the hope of it all.
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a/n: chapter one is here!!! ive been working on this for a while and was actually supposed to make this series only 3 parts but i love it so much (and tumblr is laggy lately) that i wanted to split them up into more parts and ill also be opening my inbox to blurbs for what im coining "glitch universe" very soon!!! i hope you all love this chapter and stick around for the rest!! a big thanks to effie again for helping me proof-read and hyping me up through all this!!!! happy reading to all!!!!! đ°đđ§¸
taglist: @translatemunson @kennedy-brooke @manda-panda-monium @tvserie-s-world @givemeth @steveharringtonswife @astolenkiss @loving-and-dreaming @awkotaco24 @engenelxver @elfiaaaa @pbs-theundeadmaggot @johnricharddeacy @gaysludge @scoopshxrrington @micheledawn1975 @ihatepeanutss
#munsonsreputation#steve harrington fluff#steve harrington imagine#steve harrington fic#steve harrington blurb#steve harrington x you#steve stranger things#taylor swift x stranger things#steve harrington#stranger things#stranger things imagine#steve x y/n#steve x reader#steve harrington one shot#steve harrington x fem!reader#steve harrington x taylor swift#steve harrington stranger things#steve harrington thoughts#steve harrington x reader#steve harrington x fem#stranger things x reader#stranger things imagines#stranger things fic#steve harrington x baker!reader#steve harrington x artist!reader#steve harrington x painter!reader
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Okay, now let's look at these five now that we know that at least three of them have some kind of deep connection with the Federation.
Briefly, let's recap our Federation Three:
ElQuackity- Federation employee, high-up, seemingly very important. Possible q!Quackity clone. Bad Dude.
q!Foolish- Member of the q!Brown Family/q!Fooligetta Family, aka the Federation's Favorites. Is currently technically a Federation employee as a detective. Has been pursuing Cucurucho for months trying to get a cloud. Wants to be Employee Of The Month. He's got a crazy strong connection with the Capybaras, which are basically confirmed to be Federation employees/creations in some way.
q!Baghera- Former Federation child experiment, escaped. Presumably the reason the French Plane was brought down onto the island. No memories of anything before the plane, including her own torture.
But then let's look at the other two:
q!Etoiles- Federation Anti and Codebreaker. The literal only person out here able to defeat the Codes. Survived multiple assassination attempts. French.
q!Felps- The OG Kidnapped Brazilian. Frozen in ice like the 'new' islanders, was broken out by the Federation's Employee Of The Month, came back with a weird black mark on his arm. Disappeared, reappeared 'frozen' along with the 'new' islanders looking completely different.
So three of these guys have confirmed connections with the Federation, leaving Felps and Etoiles to the side... right?
Well, let's look at Etoiles first. He's one half of the Codebreakers, and he has the Shield that the Codes/maybe the Federation desperately wants. He came onto the island saying he wouldn't get attached to Pomme, but now he's the eggs' number one protector. Only two people have ever managed to murder him, q!Baghera with a Gun and then q!Willy with his mines. He's basically the island's 'Chief of Security'. He's chilling.
So, nothing there that we know of. Like Baghera, he doesn't seem to have a lot of his memories, but none of the French really do. They're like the English and Spanish speakers: none of them really have any memories of anything before the island except for q!Bad and q!Slime, who are hinted towards having unknown connections with the Federation. (See: the og character teasers where Jaiden, Bad, Slime, and Wilbur were all teased. Jaiden is confirmed to have an unknown past as a possible Federation employee, Wilbur is liked enough by the Federation to be able to leave the island basically as he pleases for his tours. Bad and Slime have memories of their lives before the island- Bad knowing about his time loop thing and Slime remembering having a bunch of siblings [including little orphan q!Mike] and terrible parents.)
Now let's look at q!Felps. He drove, and crashed, the Brazilians' cargo ship onto the island. He was the first character to get kidnapped (he's a real trendsetter), and he was frozen in a block of ice for a month as the Federation did... something to him. He was murdered by f!Cell in prison prior to the QSMP. q!Cellbit is his best friend, and he broke Felps out of the Federation through the literal Power of Friendship. Felps came out with a weird mark on his arm and a fear of Cucurucho. He spends his time digging a square, which is just What Felps Does. His skin for a bit was the exact same construction uniform as the Federation's Faceless Workers with the minor addition of pants, but tbh he probably wouldn't wear those either if he had a choice. He's also got a major connection with the capybaras. He disappears for a bit, but nobody questions it because he's. Felps. But, when he comes back, he's in a little icebox of a house near spawn and he's gotten a pretty cool makeover.
Felps is Felps. It's hard to look into his character too seriously because he's Felps. But it stands to reason that, out of all the Brazilians, he's the one most likely to have a previous connection with the Federation. (Let's put aside the Manager's Son!Forever headcanon and the Agent 03!Cellbit headcanon.) On his own, it's easy to think that he's just being Felps. But stick him on a screen with three confirmed Federation People and then Etoiles, and it's pretty clear that he has something to do with the Feds.
My personal theory is that Felps was a laboratory experiment that became sentient and fucking Left. He's an enigma. Only one person understands him, and it's his son. Even his best friend Cellbit can't really get him, mostly because He Is Felps. He's the server's resident cryptid. After he escaped from the Federation, it took them a While to realize, oh, shit, they lost the guy that gets lost all the time. And then he managed to crash his boat onto the island however many years later just as a coincidence and in such a sudden way that even the Federation was like "Bro what the fuck". This could explain why the Federation, who doesn't exactly like random people snooping around their island, never actually got rid of the Brazilians: Felps was back, and they couldn't lose him again, and keeping his friends around is the best way to keep him around.
That leaves Etoiles, who might actually have some kind of connection with the Codes. They might hate him and he might hate them, but they have some sort of weird Homestuck-y connection going on. It's a mutual hatred, and a mutual respect. If the theory that the Codes are renegade Federation employees who were turned into monsters as a punishment for trying to leave, then there's a real possibility that Etoiles is another one of those runaway employees. But, unlike them, he managed to escape. He got away, and they hate him for it even if they can't recognize why through their scrambled little data brains. But they can't help but respect him because he got away. This makes him another potential reason for the French Plane being shot down: the Federation realized that someone got away, and that he was on the same plane as their runaway experiment. He doesn't remember the Codes, but the Codes could remember him.
So let's finish this theorizing off with a brief recap:
TLDR;
ElQuackity and q!Baghera are confirmed Federation employees/experiments. q!Foolish is a new Federation employee, but his weird grey way of dealing with the Feds make him Sus
q!Felps has had a lot of weird Federation shit happen to him since he crashed the Brazilian Boat onto the island, so he could be another escaped experiment. Unlike Baghera, however, he randomly came back, and the Federation couldn't let him or the other Brazilians go because he came back.
q!Etoiles doesn't have an obvious connection with the Federation, but he does seem to have some kind of connection with the Codes. Because of this, it's possible that he has some kind of past with the Federation that has made him and the Codes have some kind of Homestuck-y kismesissitude(?) going on
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yeah, if 6 teenage girls and 1 teenage boy had emerged from the Canadian wilderness after 19 months with a 1 year old baby in tow, there would've been no escaping the media hellstorm. They would've been on 20/20 within 3 months. One group interview and a few candids of Shauna holding the baby would've been the price they'd all have had to pay in order to be left tf alone because while in 2023 society pretends to care about trauma, PTSD, and teens' mental health, this was the 90s--when Nicole Brown Simpson was blamed for her own murder, Lorena Bobbit was a late-night punchline, R. Kelly marrying 15 y/o Aalyiah was an open secret, grown men were calling into radio stations to speculate on 16 y/o Britney Spears' virginity, and Monica Lewinsky was doxxed and getting death threats for sucking off Bill Clinton.
What I'm saying is:
Seven teens (the girls + Travis) surviving against the odds for 19 months is the epilogue to a tragedy with enough unanswered questions to keep true crime nerds speculating & reporters digging.
But them being found with an infant? Had it come out that one of the girls was pregnant and gave birth during the ordeal? That's mainstream tabloid fodder. The kind that not even "papers of repute" would turn their noses up at. Barbara Walters, Lesley Stahl, and Mike Wallace would be beating each other and TMZ down to get the first interview, the first photo of the baby. NBC would've backed a U-Haul full of money onto the Shipman's, the Martinez', and the Sadecki's front yard (because speculation as to who the actual father really was would be kept going until it came directly from the source). Did she know she was pregnant when she got on the plane? Who else knew? What was it like giving birth? Did any of the other girls get pregnant? How many of the girls did Travis do it with? Weren't any of them afraid of the same thing happening to them? Did doing it help them cope?
And it wouldn't just be the media. Doctors, child development specialists, psychologists, sociologists, and academics would be calling non-stop to get Shauna and the baby to participate in clinical trials and studies.
The only way they'd have been left alone is if they'd done a televised interview and ended it by pleading to be allowed to go on with their lives in peace
#shauna shipman#wilderness baby#yellowjackets meta#yj meta#yj s2#yellowjackets#idk what the point here is. the thought just came to me
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