#When Hopper finds out that Steve and Eddie helped get Will and Mike together he gives them the silent treatment for weeks

[artiststarme]

In a surprising turn of events, it was Will that got Steve and Eddie together. He’d noticed their blushing gazes, stilted flirting, and lingering touches. He knew they must’ve been dating in secret from their friends, perhaps because they weren’t comfortable enough to tell anyone. So, he pulled them aside at one of Steve’s pool days and gave them some advice.

“Hey guys, I um. Look, I know you’re dating each other.” They looked at each other in panic but Will continued. “It’s fine, I didn’t tell anyone. But you can tell us when you’re comfortable. The whole Party will be supportive and it’s really inspiring to see the love you two have for each other. So uh, thanks. I’m happy for you guys.”

Will ignored their shocked pallor and pulled them each into a quick hug. He gave them one last smile and darted back outside to the pool party feeling good that he was able to congratulate his friends for something so important. 

Unknowingly to him, he left Steve and Eddie inside to deal with impromptu coming-outs, small crises, and plans for first dates. Because before that conversation, neither Steve nor Eddie realized the other was interested. 

So Will got them together and he was proud when he found out about it… until they did the same thing to him and Mike. Then his joy about the situation became horror (although the method did work once again).

[ladykailitha]

Steve is powered AU.

It's after Vecna and the Upside Down collapsing on itself before anyone finds out.

When Steve was seven, his mother had a psychotic break, saying that Steve was a changeling and tried to drown him the large bath tub in his parents' bathroom.

It was during this time she was admitted to Pennhurst.

They're cleaning up the Harrington Estate when his mother comes home and just starts screaming about the mess. Steve finally gets her calm down and tells Eddie that she didn't always used to be that way, she used to be a sweet and loving mother.

That's when Stella Harrington comes screaming back in that she didn't change. He did. He was the imposter. She knows her son and this creature before her isn't him.

But she won't explain how she knows.

Then a couple days later Nancy was talking to Robin about how someone should go back to Pennhurst to tell Victor Creel, that his son survived and is the cause of the all the destruction.

Robin is against it, because his mind was already shattered and that might destroy it. Nancy thinks he would want to know that he wasn't crazy.

When the name finally pinged in Steve's head. When they were trying to figure out who Vecna was, the name kept ringing a bell in his head. And just then it hit him.

His mother had been admitted there when he was younger.

But he keeps it to himself, because the last person he wants to know his mother was/is crazy is Nancy.

So he calls up the Hospital and requests her file and finds out that someone else recently accessed her file. Her doctor, Martin Brenner, had called just two weeks before the events that would lead to his death.

The receptionist asks if the address in Reno, Nevada is still good.

Steve's blood turns to ice in his veins.

Holy shit.

He corrects the address to Hawkins, Indiana and she brightens. Tells him that it's nice she's home again.

Steve needs to talk to El and he needs to do it away from Hopper. Because Hopper can't know about this. No one can.

Only Eddie starts noticing how withdrawn and twitchy Steve has become lately and manages to show up at the house when Steve gets his mother's medical files.

They learn that only reason Stella survived the Nina Project massacre was because she was on her to another facility for testing.

When Steve was seven his powers manifested so strongly, that his mother who was an empath, tried to suppress it so that Dr. Brenner wouldn't get his hands on Steve and it broke her mind. But Dr. Brenner didn't want Steve. Incorrectly assuming that she had succeeded, he wanted to harness her ability to break other's powers. Because if she could break Steve's, maybe she could break Henry's.

It was that research that led the device that controlled Henry's powers.

But Dr. Brenner realized that Stella didn't suppress Steve's powers. Steve did.

But his exposure to the Upside Down had eroded the block and that's why Steve was able to sense what was wrong with Nancy, knew that Max was in trouble.

He could sense it.

Dr. Owens tries to be respectful when asking Steve if they could run tests on him.

Everyone shouts NO at the same time.

But now everyone knows that Steve is powered, too, and El helps him learn to control it and take the break off completely. The first time they tried Steve got so overwhelmed with Eddie's love and affection for him that he passed out.

They were both pretty embarrassed that that was the way they got together. But Eddie liked to joke that his charm literally knocked Steve over.

Over the years it gets more fine-tuned. He knows Eddie is going propose before he does.

Knows when Max is pregnant with her first. Lucas couldn't keep his emotions down for shit.

Knows when Mike and El finally break up and realize they're better as friends. Their emotions are very angry for awhile before they mellow out.

Knows about Will and Mike's first kiss. Will is practically bursting with it.

[bun-the-wise]

Murray should sit all characters down together in s5 to have a therapy session in which they share what would make them vulnerable towards Vecna as an effort to strengthen themselves and form a support group they can rely on without secrets. We get to see what each character is ashamed of.

Murray, of course, feels guilt for not having been able to save Alexei.

Hopper blames himself about Sarah, we know that.

Joyce blames herself for staying with Lonnie for too long and forcing Jonathan to take a parent/provider role.

Jonathan still blames himself for not being there the night Will went missing, and believes he isn't doing a good enough job at protecting his family. He's also worried about college.

Nancy still blames herself for what happened to Barb, and doesn't think she has been a good older sister for Mike.

Dustin wasn't able to save Eddie, and had to see him sacrifice himself and die in his arms.

Lucas, Steve, and El blame themselves for not being able to save Max. Additionally, Steve feels guilty for not having been able to help Eddie because he knows how much he meant to Dustin.

Will is obviously ashamed of his sexuality, perhaps Robin as well. Maybe it is now that he comes out to the party/the whole cast, or perhaps some of them hr already told. Regardless, he finds support in them.

Mike is last, and he says that he feels guilty about the way he has treated everyone in the past months, especially El (and Will). But what he doesn't say is that what he truly feels guilty for is being in love with Will.

This group heart to heart provided all of them with a sort of shield against Vecna, since it shifts up a bit of the shame and blame. However, since Mike lied about his true feelings, he is left vulnerable and Vecna targets him.

We now get to see Byler through Mike's eyes. We see scenes such as Mike biking home in the rain after they found Will's body in the quarry, Mike and Will holding hands in the hospital in s2, the van scene... all from a perspective we hadn't had access to yet. Most importantly, we get the infamous 'It's not my fault you don't like girls!', but when the camera pans, it's not Mike saying it, it's Will.

[oh-stars]

Topps

Love is secretly studying up on the nerd shit he’s into.

a @steddielovemonth prompt | 2249 words | CW: N/A | Rating: T

--

It’s not often that they all make their way to Indianapolis. It’s no Chicago and getting everyone together to make a big trip of it is getting harder and harder every month. But Will’s birthday falls in line with the grand opening of a new collectibles store that promises shiny new dice and rare items among their comics and board game memorabilia. How could anyone deny his pleading eyes to make it a part of his birthday celebration: to go see the store and find a place to eat, a day trip that’s on the simpler side. 

Eddie’s just as excited as the boys are, but he’s more surprised to find Steve is practically vibrating out of his skin with how eager he is to get to the store. He’s just not showing it in the same way the others are. It’s all vibrant eyes and small smiles, bouncing knees and one too many questions. 

Eddie’s still trying to figure out what he’s excited about. 

Over the last year, Eddie’s learned how to read Steve Harrington. The man may think he keeps an even, cool composure about everything, but Eddie’s an expert in the minor details to figure out how Steve really feels. When he talks to Hopper about some sports thing, his hands will have a small tremor and he stumbles over his words sometimes, always playing it off as some headache or not getting enough sleep if you point it out. Eddie knows better, he knows Steve gets so excited that he can’t contain it and is embarrassed at how eager he is to share it, about his interests all together. 

The kids don’t help, he knows. Outside of Lucas, the others just tease him for being a meathead jock or some other bullshit insult – pulling the same shit they get bullied with, the same shit Eddie encouraged. He’s trying to get them to see how fucked up it is, but it’s a work in progress. 

They’re driving separately so Eddie doesn’t get to watch Steve’s excitement build other than the glimpses he gets in his rearview mirror of Steve, Robin, and the girls singing along to whatever mundane Top 40 shit they’re blasting. He’d listen to the shitty music with Steve over Dustin and Mike arguing over D&D editions any day, though. At least he can control the volume of the music… 

“I’m this close,” Eddie holds up his pinched fingers, “to leaving you on the side of the road,” he tells them. 

Dustin rolls his eyes. “Steve wouldn’t let you.” 

“I think I can convince him,” Eddie says with a smirk. Only Robin knows about their relationship, even now after it’s been a year, but that doesn’t mean the kids don’t know they’re close. They know they’re inseparable and good friends. Just not… naked in bed, touchy-feely ‘friends,’ ya know?  “We’re nearly at the store. Can you at least pause the screaming match until you have the editions in front of you for proper comparison?” 

That buys Eddie a few minutes of just his music as the boys have a more reasonable discussion to figure out how to split their small funds to maximize their haul. They may be turning sixteen this year, but they’re not exactly loaded. It’s the same shit he and the guys used to pull, and sometimes… still do. It’s nice seeing them like actual kids for a little while longer. 

But he’s still happy to climb out of his van and meet back up with Steve and the gang. 

He slings an arm over Steve’s shoulders, feels how keyed up he is and how his muscles are tense despite the relaxed looking posture. “Are you mortals ready to blow your minds?” Eddie asks, voice rumbly as he leans in to stare at the girls. 

Max rolls her eyes as Erica levels him with a stare of her own. 

“Let’s go already!” Dustin calls back as the guys are already booking it toward the store. 

Nancy and Jonathan have only just pulled up as the group passes. Robin, Jane, and Max wait for them, happy to hang back from this particular stop on their day. Or maybe they’re scheming about Will’s surprise that the rest of them have been left in the dark about. 

Either way, Eddie doesn’t drop his arm from Steve’s shoulders until they reach the door. 

The store’s packed with nerds of all ages, shuffling here and there as they browse the small space. It’s like nerd paradise, with walls of collectibles and big crates of comics and books, and big displays of art and promotions everywhere. It even has that musty book smell he loves so much! 

Eddie squeezes Steve’s shoulder before he completely drops his arm. “Permission to go feral?”

Steve rolls his eyes, but shoves Eddie lightly. “Go. Have fun,” he says. 

“You could always follow me, you know. Don’t want you getting lost,” Eddie says, getting back into Steve’s space even as his eyes flickered around the space. 

“I’ll come find you, okay?” Steve says, then he walks away with his hands in his pockets like he’s just strolling through the store. But Eddie can see the sharp way his eyes are searching the space, hunting for something. It’s enough to have Eddie trailing behind him, eager to figure out this mystery. 

Okay so Eddie gets briefly distracted by a wall of dragon figurines, but he manages to pull himself away when he sees the price tags are dangerously close to having commas. He stumbles his way around, only getting swept into conversation with Will once about the variety of figures they have and able to dodge Dustin’s badgering about the new Justice League comic. 

He finds Steve hunched over a glass case that’s near the cash register, at the far end where people aren’t huddled around looking at trading cards or the pricer collectibles. Eddie tucks himself partially behind a bookshelf so he can see Steve from the side. He watches as Steve’s eyes squint and he squats lower to look at the case from a new perspective. It takes a lot of effort to not let his own eyes wander to how his ass puts his Levi’s to the test, but Eddie’s stronger than that (sort of).

And because of that strength, Eddie gets the rare experience of seeing Steve’s eyes light up as his jaw drops. He looks… in awe of whatever he’s found, like someone just showed him the Holy Grail. 

Eddie can’t help himself as he walks over. Steve’s so entranced, he doesn’t even notice. For a split second, Eddie feels that familiar panic creep up his throat before he hears a soft “holy shit,” from Steve. 

On this side of the case are… sports cards. Trading cards of different sports people in various conditions, some are in little wrappers, some in packs, and others loose in the glass display case. Huh. Go figure. 

He’s kind of surprised, if Eddie’s honest with himself, he never would have taken Steve for a collector of any kind, much less trading cards. But here he is, so amazed at whatever he’s found that he still hasn’t noticed Eddie’s presence. 

Eddie squats down beside him, knees popping with the movement, and rests his forehead on the glass. “Which one is it?” 

Steve curses under his breath as he jumps, snapping out of it. “Jesus, Eds,” he says, standing up. 

“Sorry,” Eddie says with a grin. “Seriously, though. Which is it?” 

His face is red and he looks almost ashamed to be caught staring at the cards. “Find anything cool yet?” Steve asks, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

Eddie frowns. “Steve…” 

Steve just shakes his head and turns his back on the glass. “Looks like Lucas found something,” he says with a forced laugh as he points to where Lucas is struggling to carry a few different boxes of figurines as he searches for the others in the busy store. 

“And so did you,” Eddie says softly as he stands beside him, shoulders touching. “Trading cards, huh?” 

He just shrugs. 

“I think it’s pretty cool,” Eddie says. “I don’t know anything about them but,” he glances back at the rows and rows of cards, some with tiny words and charts, “those stats have to mean something. And you know how I am about stats, Stevie.” 

Steve rolls his eyes. “They’re player stats, Eddie. It’s from their games and shit.” He sighs. “You don’t… don’t have to pretend it’s cool, man. Just sports shit, right?” 

“Hey,” Eddie says, a little more forceful, “I don’t mind sports shit, remember? We had fun watching that basketball game the other day.” 

“You were just being nice,” Steve says. 

“No,” Eddie counters, “I was a little confused on the language and how it works, but I love seeing you get passionate about something you love, Steve. Even if it means seeing how angry you get at whatever the refs are saying.” 

Steve’s face darkens as he grumbles out, “It was a shit call.” He hasn’t been able to let it go since they watched it. 

“C’mon,” Eddie says, turning back to the case, “will you just show me which one you like?” 

“It’s not necessarily about liking them,” Steve starts, turning as well, “but the players themselves.” 

Eddie hums. “So which player did you find?” 

“Nolan Ryan,” Steve breathes out, pointing at the card, “he’s a pitcher for the Astros and that,” he lets out a whistle, “is a rare 1985 Tiffany.” 

“What makes it rare?” Eddie asks. 

Steve waves him off. “Don’t worry about that–”

“No,” Eddie insists. “I told you, in detail, about my Lord of the Rings theories and you listened to every word. Let me hear about your Tiffany card.” 

“It’s not mine,” Steve reminds him. 

Eddie nudges his shoulder. “Steve.” 

Steve lets out a breath and runs a hand through his hair. “Okay, so the cards are printed here, right? Like it’s one of their things? But the Tiffany cards aren’t, they’re printed in Ireland. And you see how that one is a little brighter than the one next to it?” He doesn’t wait for Eddie’s response. “They printed the Tiffany sets on white cardboard instead of gray. And they only made a limited run of the sets, right? So to just… find one,” he says, voice soft and light, “and Nolan Ryan’s card at that?” He whistles. “Kind of a big deal.” 

“So you’re getting it, right?” 

Steve shrugs again. “Maybe I’ll drive up later for it. I don’t want to deal with the kids–” 

“We’ll put it in my bag. I haven’t even really started to look, but you know I’m emptying my wallet in here, right?” Eddie says, smiling. 

“Why haven’t you looked?” Steve asks, brow furrowing. “We’ve been here for twenty minutes, Eds, what have you been doing?” 

Eddie feels his face soften as he tilts his head and plays with a strand of his hair. “There’s this guy I’ve got a thing for,” he whispers, “and he was really excited to come to some nerd store, but wouldn’t tell me why. So I had to figure it out myself.” 

Steve’s blushing again as he looks away. “C’mon,” he says, grabbing Eddie by the elbow, “show me what you want to look at.” 

He allows Steve to change the subject and does look for himself, but he doesn’t forget the wistful look in Steve’s eyes when they end up by the case again for check-out. 

“Hey,” Eddie says, mostly to Nancy and Robin who have joined them in line, “should we send some of us down to the restaurant?” 

Nancy looks at her watch, then at the line. “Yes, that’s not a bad idea.” 

Steve nods and hands Eddie some cash. “Just in case the kids need help. Nance, Rob and I’ll go check in at the restaurant. See you there?” 

Eddie lets the three of them walk out the door before he steps out of the line. Sure, he’ll lose his place, but it’s worth it. 

“Excuse me,” Eddie says to an employee behind the counter, “I need to get this card.”

The guy knows his shit, so while the line dwindles, Eddie takes the opportunity to ask some questions. He even gets a few more card packs from the newest run, card holders and sleeves to put them in, and a booklet that explains the set. There’s even a book on the history of the game that the cashier suggests; Eddie doesn’t hesitate to buy it all. Sure, he had to put away a few figures and the new dice set he found, but it’s worth it. 

He hides all of his new goods in with his other nerdy shit and carefully puts his bag in the glove box so it doesn’t get mixed up with the kids’ bags. “You guys ready?” Eddie asks, arms draped over Mike and Will’s shoulders. 

As they walk to the restaurant for the next stop in their plans, Eddie listens to the kids share about their hauls and what they want to come back for. It all goes in one ear and out the other, too busy mulling over the information he learned from the cashier. He’s kind of surprised by how excited he is to read the materials he bought, but he really can’t wait to give Steve the card. 

Now if he can just get Steve to admit he’s a nerd, too, it’d be icing on the cake.  

--

Thanks to @lady-lostmind for betaing!

Ao3 Link

[piratefishmama]

Forgiven Not Forgotten | Part 7

Never let it be said that the Harringtons knew how to go small. They didn’t. The quaint little two bed they’d been living in was always going to be temporary if Steve came home. Even if it was now… technically theirs. It was a nice house, perfect for many a small family, which technically they were.

But they were also… filthy stinking rich.

The Harringtons didn’t really know how to go and stay small. Which is why by the following weekend, Eddie’s release from hospital looming upon them and the two bed house feeling more and more cramped by the day, they already had a cash offer in place on a five bedroom estate in Bloomington.

Five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a finished basement games room, just under eight acres of land, a pool, and an extra little pool house outfitted as a detached bungalow on the property.

The little house they’d lived in… given it was theirs, well. They had no real plans for it yet. Selling it on was a potential, it was too far from the estate to even contemplate handing the keys to one of the families linked to theirs through their children’s shared trauma, although that’d be a nice gesture on their part, the idea of separating their kids after such an ordeal?

Nope. They’d clung to each other. Kept each other alive. They needed each other.

One of the reasons they even chose the bigger property was because “It’s big enough for you all to be there.” That’s what Lynda had told Steve when he’d asked about it. “It’s not going to happen for another couple of weeks, so the house is still going to be a little cramped with everyone in it, but…”

“We have no intentions of separating you from your family, Steven.” John finished for her, nodding over Steve’s shoulder to the multiple sets of eyes watching them. “Like your mother said, what we have now is too cramped, this new place will have plenty of room for everyone.”

“And… what about when their parents turn up?” Because it was a when, not an if. “Just gonna go back to an empty house?” They were operating on when. Nevermind that they’d never seen their parents get out of Hawkins. Nevermind that the only parent they knew for certain was alive and well outside of Joyce and Hopper, was Karen Wheeler, Ted having put himself between his kids and a Demogorgon during the early days and hadn’t come out as the victor. It didn’t matter that they’d seen horrors beyond anything a child should have to witness.

The kids needed to operate on when.

“Then we’ll help them find homes in the area, but until then, the house will be… a home base of sorts. A comfortable starting point for all of you so you’re not too far away from each other, it’ll never be an empty house, Steven. I know it might look like we’re just spending money for the sake of it but… it’s not like that anymore.” They weren’t doing that anymore. They’d found a better way than being away from home all the time. John worked from a home office and delegated important tasks and jobs to others to free up his time, and Lynda decided she wanted to be at home.

They were just glad Steve was allowing them to just decide to be there for him all of a sudden. He didn’t have to.

“…Forgive me if I still doubt that.” No amount of tearful apologies could erase all that history “But thanks, for… for thinking of us. It’s true, we kinda stuck together like glue after Mr Wheeler…” he trailed off. After they’d gotten Karen and Holly out of that house while Ted held back that shaking door, huge, clawed fingers tearing through wood. He still remembered Holly’s screams, still remembered Karen crying, begging them to go back as Nancy and Mike dragged her out, Holly running straight to Steve. “We were never far apart from each other.” It’d be weird without them, unsettling when the dust finally settled. When parents returned to claim their kids.

“And you wont be.” John placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, firm, squeezing it in comforting reassurance. “You won’t be.”

~~

“Aaaand this is your room.” Had it not been for the fact that Eddie had been in a coma for the last god only knows, where he could, with rules, conjure ridiculous shit, he’d have probably assumed he was still out.

He had a room. In what was essentially. A mansion. But he’d never seen it before, so he wasn’t still in his funky little void because he wouldn’t have been able to conjure it.

Only what he’d seen, only places he’d been.

He had his own room. Bigger than his old one at the trailer because of course it was. Currently empty of personal belongings, void of personality, but Steve was holding boxes. Boxes with stuff in them, rolled up tubes of paper, stuff wrapped in newspapers, and he was setting those boxes down one by one inside the room. “…What’s in those?”

“Shit we saved from the trailer, it’s not much but… it’s something.” Eddie silently turned to just. Stare at him. Brows furrowed, confusion so evident Steve had to ask “what?”

“…How long has it been since I died, Steve?” He had to ask again, just to be sure of something, even if it was a weird question to ask.

“Bout two years, why?”

“… And in that time, Hawkins basically ate shit, right?”

“Yup, where’s this going?”

“How’d you save my stuff for that long? Why did you save my stuff for that long? Shit couldn’t have been easy to keep safe, right? So… why?” Steve fell silent, his jaw shifting, lips pursing, visibly going through all the possible reasons he could have saved that stuff, all the reasons why he would have saved that stuff, all the potential excuses, the boy would be terrible at poker.

He settled on shrugging his shoulders.

“Because I did. Because I could. Like I said, it’s not much.” It was so much. Not quantity wise, no… Steve was right there wasn’t much in those boxes, probably why Steve could carry multiple at a time but it meant so much. Steve obviously wasn’t going to go into the why’s or the how’s with him though. He was going to brush them away, without answers. “We saved some mugs, there’s some posters in here, uhh, I got a bunch of your tapes and your deck, I wish I could say I saved your guitars but… I’m sorry man, it was just too risky carting around something that could make noise. I think… they might still be there but—”

“It’s fine, Steve… this—this is way more than I could have asked for.” He could always get a new guitar, eventually. It’d mean saving up somehow, or using some of the hush money that the government had promised him for signing, he was planning on using that to find Wayne though.

It’d been over a week, the hospital had slowly been cleared of survivors, the Sinclair’s were the only parents who’d made it thus far, having been staying with Sue’s sister a few towns over doing the exact same thing as the Harringtons. Waiting. Hoping. Praying for news on their kids, any news. Anything.

They’d taken the Harrington’s offer to stay in the converted pool house with Karen until they could get housing arranged, the kids staying in the main house with everyone else.

“Yeah well… we’ll sort you out a new one eventually. Can’t leave the bard without his instrument, right?” Eddie’s wide eyes were on him again, a beaming smile spreading across his lips, dimpling his cheeks, stretching the scar tissue on his jaw, and Steve had to look away, he had to, because otherwise he just might fall again, and he couldn’t… he couldn’t make that mistake twice.

“Be still my beating heart, was that a D&D reference, Harrington?” He could feel the warmth seeping into his cheeks at the attention, as Eddie leaned in a little closer, got into his space, it’d been so long since someone had paid him any attention. Even if it meant nothing to Eddie, even if he was just being silly, be still his own beating heart.

“Maybe. Now get to unpacking your shit.” He put the last of the boxes down on the bed, purposefully turning away from Eddie to hide his reddening face, to hide what he knew Eddie had never wanted to see. “We’ll be heading out into town in an hour to find us all some new clothes, maybe some new stuff for the rooms too. Hop to it.”

“You’re not gonna help lil ol me unpack? I just got out of hospital!” Eddie called after him as Steve made to leave the room.

“With a clean bill of health! You can manage a few boxes!” And he was gone. Running away. Like a coward.

[fandoms-in-law]

The Kid's Appreciation

Summary: After their 7th day of recieving gifts the Kids start hatching a plot to thank Steve. Their parents had better get on board cause these kids will love Steve into crying on Christmas

A Christmas Day Ending to this post of Steve giving the kids advent treats

~

It took a week of daily treats from the music box for them to start planning.

Of course the kids expected Steve to be there for them if hell opened up again, and to give them lifts and keep in touch if it didn’t, but the music box and the things he was filling it with were something none of them had predicted.

“We should do something for Steve!” Dustin exclaimed it when they met up with Lucas, Mike and Max at the arcade.

Max gave him a deadpan stare, replying, “Der, some of us have been thinking of gifts since he started this.”

“He doesn’t want stuff. He wants company.” He met her judgemental tone with his own, rolling his eyes and thinking before turning to them with an idea in his eyes.

Mike backed off a couple steps. “No, I know that look-”

“Lets have a Surprise Christmas Party for him!” Dustin declared.

“Lucas, you’re helping me convince Mum and Dad. I’ll help with yours.” Mike bargained immediately.

Lucas laughed but that cut off when Max huffed, “Mine will never go for it.”

“I can convince Mrs Mayfield.” Dustin nodded assuredly. “So Christmas Day, we get everyone together then call Steve to come join the fun.”

“It’s doubtful we’ll actually convince our parents to let us do this on Christmas and where are you planning this to be?” Lucas asked sceptically.

“Mom or Hopper might know. I could ask them.” Will offered, “And if they’re suggesting it the other parents might agree more easily.”

“Perfect, that’s enough to get started planning with. Talk to them in the next few days and then we’ll do more.” Dustin grinned.

~

“We want everyone to get together on Christmas Day.” Will said, watching his Mom and Hopper carefully as the words changed how dinner conversation had been going.

Joyce reacted first with a commiserating noise, “Honey, The other kids families want to spend time with them too, we can’t take them away from that.”

“But we’re family too. You’ve said it to most of them, Steve, Dustin.” He began listing, already thinking of which other arguments might convince them to actually arrange the gathering.

El nodded beside him, “You said that we’re all family now because we look after each other and saved each others lives. And you were talking about just adopting Max two nights ago.”

“Her mother is-” Hopper began to grumble but cut himself off, clearing his throat. “Sure kids, all of us are family but their families don’t understand that and they’ll argue that seeing their cousins or grandparents one of the few times they’ll visit in a year is more important than spending time with people who you see regularly.”

“And we’ve not got a big enough space to host everyone. Where would you want this party to be?” Jonathan added, looking around their home and dismissing the idea Hoppers cabin would work since that was smaller.

“We could use the fire pit?” Will suggested, but his expression already showed how he disliked the idea of sitting outside in December, even if there was a fire. “Or take it to Steve’s? But cook the food here, so he doesn’t feel like he has to host.”

Hopper narrowed his eyes, “Why wouldn’t you be asking Harrington to host already if you wanted to do that?”

Will fell silent, pushing food around his plate.

“Because we want to surprise him with it to thank him for everything he’s doing for us.” El replied plainly. “Eddie can fetch him if we find somewhere other than his home we can all go to.”

Hopper huffed, knowing that with El and Will wanting to do this they’d probably manage to, adults accepting or not. “I’ll ask around places that might let us have some space this week, but no promises. Now tell me what Harrington has been doing to inspire this?”

Will and El tripped over themselves to explain, including pulling out the gloves Steve had given them.

~

"Joyce invited us to a Christmas gathering." Nancy mentioned casually as they had a family dinner. "Mostly Mike and I but you can come too."

Ted looked over at her in interest, "You've not asked permission to go anywhere for a while. When is this gathering?"

Nancy halfway turned to Mike, not quite checking the details as she said, "Christmas day about 3pm."

"We've got to go, Dad. They're our family too after everything we've gone through together." Mike insisted before the frowns on their parents faces could become refusal or objections.

"Family isn't made by sneaking away from your actual family and cross country road trips. Christmas day is to be with us and possibly your girlfriend." Ted dictated. "Ask Joyce to do it a day later."

Nancy glared, "We want to gather with the people who kept us alive through the darkest moments of the year on Christmas. We shouldn't argue with the planning Joyce has already done. That's ungrateful."

~

"Sue, hi, how are you?" Mike hurried downstairs when he heard the greeting, spotting Erica and Lucas stood behind Mrs Sinclairs, strained smiles on their faces that tightened when they saw him. Clearly the Wheelers weren't the only ones resisting their plans.

"Hi Karen. I'm well but wanted to know if you were also being asked to give up your Family Christmas for the kids to see each other." Sue replied pleasantly.

"They aren't just friends. We're brothers basically. After everything that's happened in Hawkins, we want Christmas to be for all of us." Mike frustratedly explained.

"And it's for Steve! I tried telling ours, he's going to be alone! On Christmas! And we're his family, us and Joyce and hopper, Robin and Eddie, so we need to be there for him." Erica added, annoyed and making Mike think that should have been their argument from the start.

Karen looked at her shocked. "What do you mean he's alone? Isn't he going to meet his parents somewhere if they can't come here?"

"No!" All the kids protested immediately, Lucas adding, "They never visited him those weeks he was in hospital after the earthquake or even called. Do you really think they'd do something for Christmas if a town destroying earthquake gets no reaction?"

She looked thoughtful now, "And you're sure Joyce is right to arrange a big gathering instead of inviting him to holiday with them? We'd love to have Steve here even."

"That's not all his family though." Erica said, her tone calling their mothers dumb even if she wouldn't say it. "He's the one giving us things every day this month. Why can't we go to the Byers thing and give back to him on Christmas?"

Sue and Karen shared a look. "Okay, we'll think about it but this isn't an agreement yet." Sue said on a sigh.

The three kids shared victorious grins.

~

"Dustin, can you come here Sweetie?" Claudia called upstairs. He'd listened to her chatting at the door for a while and ran downstairs now.

He glanced into the living room expecting Joyce to have been invited in. "Yes?"

"I know you like our small Christmases together but Mrs Byers just invited us to a Christmas with them. Would you like that just as much?" She asked hopefully, clearly joyful at the idea of more people around to share the day with.

Dustin beamed at her, "That'd be fantastic! I hope Steve's there too. And Max. Do you know if she invited the Mayfields?"

"I'm not sure but I'll call and ask. If not then I'm sure she won't mind me doing so." she assured him.

~

"No I see my daughter little enough as it is." Mrs Mayfield shut down Joyce's invitation before she'd finished saying it.

Hopper huffed, "And whose fault is that?"

"Hope, we're making a friendly invitation for them both to come. Don't insult her." Joyce warned, smiling through gritted teeth.

He folded his arms, judging Max's mother still, "Just say there'll be alcohol and she'll come. Skip the frills."

At those words the door was slammed on the pair but an hour later Max called to confirm they'd come.

~

"Christmas for Steve is go!" Lucas declared through the radio. "But we should still try to get him something."

A moment later Max replied, "A best mum mug or something equally sappy would make him cry."

"Heartfelt and condescending, he'd definitely know it's from us." Will quipped, snickers following the words.

"No, we need to give him a lightsaber and dice, get him to play with us." Dustin protested.

"I think Robin would know what we should give him." El said, her voice clearer than the rest suggesting she'd used her powers to help it.

~

Steve answered the door in confusion. Nobody should be visiting on Christmas day, they never had before though he'd occasionally been invited before the day to join other families on Christmas.

Outside stood Robin and Eddie, grinning as he looked them over, "What are you doing here? You're meant to be with your families."

"Wayne will meet us there. Come on Stevie, didn't you get your invite?" Eddie coaxed.

Robin shook her head, "We're his invite. And apparently an invitation from Hopper is too important for me to refuse so I got sent on my way earlier. Get your shoes and coat and we'll head off."

"Invite to what? Why wouldn't they have invited me before now whoever is arranging this?" Steve eyed them, but did turn to get ready to leave after a moment.

"It's a surprise and because they wanted to surprise you." Robin cheerfully replied.

"The kids then. Fine, let's go." he headed to Eddie's van, never questioning if he could drive them there.

Eddie’s car radio was just as loud as he usually had it but the tape playing was Christmas tunes that got Steve to laugh and had them all singing along on their way.

~

When Eddie pulled up outside the school, Steve hesitated. He watched the building cautiously, eyes scanning over the doors to store rooms and the entrance to the main building until he smiled at something.

Just beneath the roof on the corner was a flickering fairy light that he headed towards, even as Robin and Eddie seemed to dig through their pockets for something he assumed would be their invitations. He didn’t mind, since the kids had left him directions already.

Following the string of lights, and ignoring the calls of Robin and Eddie behind him questioning where they were going, Steve saw a gift attached to the lights with a ribbon but not hanging from them. “Do you think I should gather these and wait until I’m with the kids to open them, or just open it now?” He asked, cutting off a complaint as Eddie realised the invitation didn’t say where in the school whatever was happening would be.

“Now,” Robin decided. “I want to see what they got you.”

Eddie made a disagreeing noise, “Ah ah ah, are we sure that this is for Steve? We could be following someone else’s string of fairy lights.”

“It says Steve and also, no we couldn’t be. Why would anyone else chose the school to have their Christmas at?” Judgement infused Steve’s voice as he replied, more focused on unwrapping the gift, smiling softly at the painted flowers and ‘World’s Best Mom’ caption on the mug when he saw it. “Such shitheads. I love them.” He muttered, turning to carry on following the lights.

He carried on following the lights, snickering when the chain ended and a card was balanced between the plug for that string of lights and the next. The card was filled with small messages from all the kids, as well as Joyce, Hopper, Wayne, Nancy, Jonathan and Eddie, saying what they loved about Steve. With tears in his eyes he looked up to see the name missing from inside it.

“Where’s your message?” He teased, trying to pretend he wasn’t as moved as he was by the card.

Robin pulled a small card from her pocket, “Over here for after your kids have made you cry.”

“So thoughtful.” He laughed wetly. “Let’s see what else they’re giving.”

Around the next corner the lights went around Dustin was waiting, “Check point one reached.” He muttered into his radio before waving. “Steve! Open this now, pleeeaaaasssseee.”

“Hug first, shithead. You’re being too sweet when I wasn’t prepared.” Steve insisted, pulling him in before he could protest and causing the present to hit into his back.

“We love you, let us show it.” was mumbled into his chest just before Dustin pulled back, holding the gift out to him again.

Steve was still smiling as he unwrapped the gift, revealing two lightsabers and immediately keeping the green one while holding the blue one out to Dustin. “Dude, these would be so great for our handshake!”

As the pair went through their handshake Eddie draped a hand over Robin’s shoulder’s, “What is this and why haven’t I seen it before?”

“Their secret handshake. Dustin decided he was too old for it when he started high school but Steve says they still do it if it’s just them around. I guess having actual lightsabers overrules the too old thing.” She murmured back, smiling.

“Adorable.” Eddie smiled at the scene even more now. “Come on nerds, we’ve got a gathering quest to finish.” he called after Steve’s overdramatic death scene, laughing with them when Steve happily jumped up, neaten his hair and focused back on following the lights.

As they turned to carry on, Max came down the hall in the opposite direction. “Me and him are escorting you the rest of the way, Steve. The favourites get to babysit their babysitter tonight.”

“And you get a hug as well.” Steve agreed, tugging her in with only a grumbling groan in protest.

The hug was tight and carried on for enough moments that Dustin added himself to it, wrapping around both of them until Max pulled back.

She looked at Steve for a moment before tugging something red from her pocket. “You’ve got a party to attend, and a hat to wear, Santa.”

Steve only laughed and ducked down slightly so she could force it onto his head. “I guess I did do this to you. Is this one I got even?”

“Maybe, didn’t ask, I got an elf hat that day.” Max shrugged, taking one of Steve’s arms while Dustin took the other to keep them moving into the school gym.

Inside the gym was everyone, not yelling out ‘Surprise’ or turning all the attention on them immediately but separately waving or calling out greetings when breaks in their conversation naturally happened. Steve wanted to bask in it, or wander over to the other kids and join their chats, thank them for what they put towards this unexpected celebration, but the two on his arms led him over to the Christmas tree immediately.

“Now Santa Sweetheart, have you been good this year?” Eddie followed them, somehow getting a bright red long coat on in the time they’d walked across the gym and falling into his DM persona.

Steve laughed at the combination but nodded, “As good as I can be, even tried to save a few lives and convince others not to throw theirs away running into danger.” He replied, but wondered if he should have argued.

Eddie nodded slowly, eyes narrowing as if he was making a tough decision, “That does sound very good, but-”

“We’ve got evidence!” Robin interrupted, laughing and holding out her card. “Here, read this!”

Echoes of “And this” sprang up around the room and Steve didn’t notice who handed him a box of tissues as Eddie did indeed start reading out all the good or wonderful things his family thought he’d done that year, a lot of which he hadn’t thought about doing at all.

The kids ended up all gathered around him, all touching him in some way if they weren’t the lucky ones to have claimed his lap, which were Erica and El.

“We love Steve.” El said simply when Eddie fell silent, seemingly torn between going back into character or adding his own words.

He nodded at her words. “That we do, Supergirl, that we do. Steve Harrington is definitely on the good list this year and should get all the gifts he desires. However this is Hawkins and the funding just isn’t there apparently. Can I interest you in some awesome artwork and a dozen or more cards to fight any negative thoughts in your head?”

Through happy tears Steve nodded, reaching out for them. “Love you all too, thank you so much.”

“And the happiest Christmas we could put together for you too, Dingus.” Robin reached over to softly shake his shoulder, stood somewhere behind him and his kids.

[steddieas-shegoes]

Hi! This may be a dumb idea, so feel free to ignore it.

I am a firm believer that Steve would have a flinch response of some kind to the word bullshit because of Nancy and would love to see him work through it? And all I can think of is the card game? So if someone (Eddie) had noticed his reactions to the word and tried to help him through it by having the gang play the game that would be cool? Especially if Eddie noticed pre-relationship, helps Steve through it, Steve figured out what he was doing, and by the end they’re together?

Once again, if this idea is dumb you can ignore it, I won’t be offended!

:)

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! I kind of changed it up a bit because I didn't really think Steve would be super comfortable with everyone being involved because none of those kids know how to just let shit go and he wouldn't want them to look at or treat Nancy any differently. I did have to google the game because it's been a solid 10 years since I've played and I was probably not sober when I did 😂 Hope you like what I did here and will send more requests if you haven't already! - Mickala ❤️

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

He’d gotten over it. He told himself he was over it. He convinced himself he was over it.

But he heard Nancy tell Mike it was bullshit that she always had to cover for him with their parents when he stayed out past curfew, and it was like she was spitting it in his face instead.

He visibly recoiled, the air in his lungs suddenly rushing out of his nose.

Nobody noticed, but it took him a minute to catch his breath, to focus back on the fact that Nancy wasn’t talking to him, wasn’t calling him bullshit.

—--

But then bullshit became Dustin’s favorite word and Steve didn’t know what to do about it.

He jokingly started saying “language” every time he said it, but Dustin was a stubborn kid, and Steve was too in his head to actually commit to getting him to stop.

He threw it around like it was nothing, and to him, it was nothing. He hadn’t had someone he loved call him bullshit.

He started to find reasons to avoid giving him rides. He would pick up extra shifts, pretend he fell asleep early, say he had a migraine. It all worked.

But he didn’t notice how Eddie started to get suspicious that he was now Dustin’s ride to everything, that Dustin was starting to worry that he’d done something to upset Steve, that Steve was ignoring everyone.

Eddie knew he had to talk to Steve alone, maybe get high with him so his defenses were down a bit, and find out what the hell was going on.

But Steve was good at this, avoiding people.

He was never completely alone at work, always a coworker or customer keeping him too busy to talk. He never answered his house phone anymore, and even though they all knew he was listening for the radio, he ignored that too. Eddie tried just showing up at his house at random times when he knew he wasn’t working, but he either wasn’t home or was doing a great job of pretending to be asleep.

Until he got lucky and caught him as he was walking out the door one morning, probably not expecting anyone to be awake this early and standing in his driveway.

Steve startled, but pasted on that fake smile that Eddie hated.

“Hey, Eds. Didn’t know you were stopping by. Everything okay?”

“I dunno, Stevie. Is everything good?”

Steve gulped.

“Everything’s fine.”

“That’s good. I just figured I’d check since you practically went invisible on us for the last three weeks. Dustin’s considered sending Hopper for a wellness check.”

“Oh. I’m fine. Just busy, ya know?”

Eddie searched his face, already knowing he was lying.

“That’s bullshit, Steve.”

He watched as Steve curled into himself, probably not even realizing he was doing it, and confirming at least some of Eddie’s suspicions.

“What’s going on with you?”

Eddie wasn’t leaving until he had answers and he certainly wasn’t about to let Steve hide away.

The kids missed him, Robin missed him, Eddie missed him.

Steve looked like he was fighting back tears when he looked back up at Eddie.

“I’m sorry I’m bullshit, it’s all bullshit, and I can’t make it better, make me better.”

“What? Stevie, you’re not making any sense.”

“I keep messing everything up. Even when I try to be better, to be good, it doesn’t fucking matter because I’m still bullshit..”

And now he was crying.

Shit. What the hell?

Eddie didn’t waste any time, stepping into Steve’s space and wrapping his arms around him, pulling him into his chest and making sure he had a safe place to cry.

He got the idea that Steve had probably never had a safe place to cry before.

He slowly walked them back into the house, frowning further when he realized the front door wasn’t even locked. Was Steve actually leaving his house unlocked? After everything they’d been through, he guessed maybe a regular old robber was the least of his worries, but still.

He managed to get to the couch in the living room, slowly sitting down and pulling Steve down next to him.

Steve wasn’t crying anymore, or at least he was being much quieter, his tears soaking the shoulder of Eddie’s shirt so much it was hard to tell if more was being added.

“Stevie? You’re not bullshit.” He felt Steve flinch against him, but continued. “I’m not sure who told you that you were, but you can’t let that control you so much. You’re the best guy I’ve ever met besides Wayne and I’m still thinking he’s just the Patron Saint of Patience.”

Steve let out a small snort of laughter and Eddie considered that a win.

But his brain was still going 90 miles a minute, thoughts running laps in his head as he thought about something Robin told him a few months ago.

She didn’t tell him any details, would never betray Steve’s trust like that, but she’d mentioned that any chance of Steve getting back with Nancy had been left in the bathroom of Tina’s party.

Eddie, despite what most people thought, was pretty intelligent. He could usually connect dots even when the lines between were spiraling to other dots as a distraction.

So this particular line between what Robin said, and what Steve was saying now about how he was bullshit, suddenly connected in his mind.

“Did Nancy say that to you?”

Steve pulled away, face suddenly blank.

“It wouldn’t matter who said it if they’re right.”

“I can’t believe I thought you were still in love with her this whole time.”

“What? No. I haven’t been in love with her in years.”

“Why are you even still friends? She really said that to you?”

“We’ve moved on. We were both going through a lot and she didn’t mean it.”

“I hate to say it, Stevie, but it doesn’t seem like you’ve moved on at all.”

“What do you mean?”

Eddie watched as Steve tried to work it out on his own. Eddie loved the face he made when he was confused. He loved every face Steve made.

Snap out of it, Munson.

“Well, if hearing it in passing upsets you so much that you avoid your entire family for weeks, you aren’t over it.”

He let that sink in, watching as Steve’s face went through all the stages of grief in less than a minute.

“I’m not avoiding everyone.”

“Steve, you are. And I’m sure everyone will understand if you just explain.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Okay, then you can just say you had a busy few weeks and now you’re not.”

“Dustin says it a lot.”

“Says what?”

Eddie knew, but he needed Steve to say it. He needed him to stop associating that word with himself.

“Why are you gonna make me say it?”

“Because you need to stop thinking it’s an adjective that describes you. You’re the farthest thing from bullshit.”

Steve flinched again, but recovered quickly.

How long had this been happening that no one noticed? How long had Eddie not noticed?

“Alright! I have an idea.” Eddie got up and went to the closet in the hall that held all the stuff for when the kids came over. Movies, tapes and records, extra blankets and pillows, changes of clothes, books, school supplies, cards. Eddie grabbed the closest deck of cards and walked back to the couch. “We’re gonna call Robin and we’re gonna play a game.”

“What game?”

“Bullshit.”

Another flinch.

God, Eddie felt so stupid for not noticing this sooner, not putting the pieces together earlier.

“How will that help?”

“Because you’re going to hear the word so much, and we’re going to have so much fun, that you won’t be able to think negatively about it anymore.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

That was a possibility. It could end up making things worse, causing more stress for Steve. But if there was anything he learned from his months of therapy, it was that exposure to something negative enough would leave you feeling indifferent to it eventually.

“If it doesn’t work, you can push me into the pool with all my clothes on in the middle of winter. Deal?”

“Fine.”

They shook on it, Eddie letting his hand linger for a bit too long in Steve’s, only letting go when Steve raised his brows at him.

Eddie called Robin, who was not thrilled about having to get out of bed on a Saturday before ten, but did it anyway when Eddie explained what it was for.

She’d finally gotten her license two months ago and her mom let her use her car on weekends, so she promised to leave as soon as she was dressed.

Eddie immediately called Dustin, just to let him know Hellfire was off for the day and to tell everyone. Dustin threw a fit, said it was bullshit, said he can’t just cancel with no intention of rescheduling, and Eddie hung up on him.

He’d have a conversation with him later.

Steve had gone upstairs to change, said he wanted to be comfortable for this and his jeans and polo weren’t really lounging around clothes.

So Eddie waited for Robin, and he waited for Steve to come back downstairs, and he thought about how much he hated Nancy Wheeler in that moment.

He’d gotten close to her when he was trying to graduate. She helped him study so he could pass the finals he needed to, even without being able to be in class because of being stuck in the hospital for so long. He helped her pack for college, offering up his van as a thank you for all she’d done to help him. He called to talk with her weekly.

All this time, she was at least some of the reason that Steve had negative feelings about himself.

Sure, Eddie could guess that his parents had a lot to do with it too, but this was somehow worse.

He’d trusted Nancy.

Steve came down just as Robin was walking in the front door, bag of chips in hand.

“It’s nine in the morning. I can cook breakfast,” Steve said to her.

“Nah, chips are a necessary staple for card games no matter the time.”

No one argued with her as they sat around the kitchen table.

Eddie dealt the cards out, explaining the rules as he went, though they all had played before. He added a rule though.

“Every time someone calls bullshit on Steve, we have to say one thing that we like about him. Good with you, Robbie?”

Robin smirked. “Perfect.”

Steve didn’t argue, probably because he knew he wouldn’t win against them, so they got started.

The first round went pretty smoothly. Steve ended up never having to lie, and nobody called bullshit on him. He barely flinched when Robin called it on Eddie the first two times, and didn’t at all the third time.

But the second round started and Steve was not having any luck. He got away with his first lie, but he knew Robin could tell he got away with it and she wouldn’t be going easy on him next time.

Next time happened to be his next turn.

He placed down the card that should’ve been an 8, but was actually a Jack. He confidently said 8. Or thought he did.

“BULLSHIT!”

He felt his hands shaking, but he did his best to ignore it as he turned the card over to show she was right.

It was bullshit.

“I love that you always try to show interest in what we all like even if you don’t really like it. Like when El started crocheting and nobody would help her understand the instructions, but you sat with her for hours while she worked it out and helped read the instructions to her when she had her hands busy.”

Eddie was smiling and nodding along like he agreed.

“That’s just what friends do.”

“Maybe. But none of her other friends were doing it, were they?”

Yeah, okay. Steve nodded and they moved on.

But his luck was long gone now, and his next card had to be a lie too.

“Bullshit.” This time Eddie called it.

Steve was doing his best not to cry, but something about hearing that pointed at him from Eddie made him feel worse.

“I love that you always hug the kids. Saying hello, saying goodbye, when you’re proud of them. You aren’t afraid to show them affection.”

Eddie was giving him a fond smile, but Steve couldn’t do anything except nod.

He couldn’t say that Eddie’s plan was really working, but maybe he needed to give it more time.

He made it through the rest of that round fine, not having to lie again, and only having to call bullshit on Robin once.

But their next round seemed to turn into them calling it on him every turn, regardless of if they thought he was lying or not.

“The way you make us all feel important.”

“Your laugh is contagious and it’s fun to see how easily it spreads through the group when you get started.”

“You always have dinner for us when we come over, and it’s always so good. Like you’ve spent the whole day making sure it’s perfect and you want us to enjoy it.”

“You never let us face anything alone. We can always rely on you to be there in whatever way we need the second we need you. No questions asked.”

Steve still flinched every time they called bullshit, but it was getting easier to move on from it and hear their compliments.

Finally, on Steve’s last turn, Eddie called it on him.

He watched as Eddie glanced over at Robin, then back at Steve, blush coloring his cheeks.

“I love that you hold my hand when we’re smoking outside because you know it helps me stay grounded and not get lost in my thoughts too much. I love that if I fall asleep on the couch, you cover me with a blanket and lay down next to me so I don’t wake up alone. I love that you always pack an extra cookie in your lunchbox just in case I visit you at work. I love that you put your entire reputation on the line to make sure I got the best care a person can have in the hospital, and even after with the physical therapy and regular brain therapy. I love that you keep finding ways to show me that sometimes popular and mainstream things are okay.” Eddie gave him a more confident smile. “I love everything about you.”

“That was more than one,” Steve said breathlessly.

“Yeah, hard to pick just one thing when I love you this much.”

“What?”

Steve was so confused. Eddie had been nice saying the things he did before, but this? There was no way he meant it.

Not the way Steve was hoping he did.

“Can you two just kiss before I puke?” Robin complained.

Eddie looked at him, a surprisingly calm smile on his face.

“Only if Stevie wants me to.”

“Mhm. Yes. Please do that,” Steve rushed out, not sure what the hell was happening, but not wanting to wait for it to change.

Eddie was up from his seat and kneeling in front of Steve in seconds, one hand on his knee and one on his cheek.

Steve wasn’t breathing. He was barely even able to focus on Eddie on his knees in front of him.

Eddie leaned in slowly, giving Steve a chance to back away if he wanted to.

But he didn’t want to.

He wanted to feel Eddie’s lips on his more than anything.

And he did.

They were surprisingly soft, but firm and demanding, making sure Steve followed him instead of the other way around.

He could distantly hear Robin eating chips, but didn’t bother to tune in to whatever she was complaining about, just enjoying the sensation of having Eddie’s lips and hands on him.

It did end though.

“You know what’s bullshit?” Steve asked.

Eddie’s eyes widened in question.

“The fact that we have to stop kissing.”

Eddie let out a loud laugh and leaned in to kiss him again.

“You know what’s bullshit to me?”

“Hm?”

“That you ever thought for one second that you weren’t amazing.”

Steve blushed, but looked at the way Eddie was looking at him.

Like he loved him. For real. No bullshit.

[estrellami-1]

If I Should Stay

Part 1 | . . . | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58

They get out of the Upside Down no problem; it’s a short trek back to the portal, a quick hop through, and soon they’re all stumbling back into the Harrington house.

Steve immediately makes his way to El, who’s in the living room, and scoops her up into a hug. “You did it!” He cheers. “I’m so proud of you, Ellie,” he continues, whispering to her.

“Thank you,” she whispers back, letting her eyes slip shut. “Can I sleep now?”

“Of course you can,” he murmurs, shifting to pick her up. “I’ll bring you up to bed, m’kay?”

She yawns big enough he fears for her jaw. “Your bed?”

“Sure thing, Ellie. Sleep as long as you want, m’kay?”

“M’kay,” she murmurs, letting her head loll back onto his shoulder. He smiles, kisses her forehead, and stands. He smiles wider when he notices her smile.

Eddie appears in front of him, wide-eyed. “She okay?”

“Yeah,” Steve smiles. “Just tired. I’m gonna put her in my room. Wanna help round up the rugrats and figure out food?”

Eddie bites his lip. “About that. Joyce is taking hers home, Nancy’s taking Mike, and Dustin and Lucas have already called their parents for rides. I think Hopper dipped the second he was able.”

Steve snorts. “Sounds about right. You wanna head home too, I guess?”

Eddie shrugs, a smile playing on his lips as he gestures towards Steve’s room, beginning to walk with him. “I could. But I’ll have more time with Wayne. I’m not sure about you.” His smile falls. “Another thing we haven’t talked about, I guess. And I don’t know if we’ll have time. Maybe after, I don’t know. But I’ve got time with you now, I guess is what I’m trying to say?” He hides behind a piece of hair.

Steve glances down at El, confirming she’s still asleep, then pecks Eddie’s cheek. “I’d like you to stay,” he murmurs. “If you want to.”

Eddie’s eyes crinkle. “I’ll go tell Wayne.”

He leaves, and Steve continues the walk upstairs. “Steve?” A small voice asks, and he looks down.

“Yeah, Ellie?”

“You and Eddie are good together, I think.”

He smiles at her. “I’d like to think so, too.”

He tucks her in and finds Robin waiting outside his door. “Hey.” He smiles and tucks her under his arm. “What’s up?”

She looks up at him. “It’s really over?”

He sighs, looks away, runs a hand through his hair. “I mean. I hope so? Vecna’s gone at least. And I’ll tell Alli to make me apply to Scoops if the mall gets built, if that helps. If we’re not friends in this time when we go back to our time. Damn, this is confusing.” He sighs again. “I dunno, Robbie. But I really think it is over.”

Robin hums, leans into him. “I hope so.” She sighs too. “It just feels like we’re waiting for the next shoe to drop.”

“I know.” He turns, pulls her into a real hug. “Wanna stay over?”

“Is Eddie gonna?”

“I can send him home. You take precedence here.”

She gives him a small smile. “Love you, Dingus.”

“Love you too, Robbie.” He squeezes her. “What about it? You, me, rocky road ice cream?”

She chuckles. “How about a big sleepover? The three of us?”

“Or maybe the four of us?” Allison pokes her head around the corner, teasing smile in place. “Or am I not cool enough to hang out with you?”

Steve chuckles. “You’re cooler than I am, Alli. Of course you can join.” He suddenly points at both of them. “But I want no joking or whispering if Eddie and I do anything, alright?”

Robin gasps. “But Steve! What about my delicate lesbian sensibilities?”

Steve rolls. “You’re raunchier than I am, Robs.”

She snorts inelegantly. “Yeah, alright. Just nothing too PG-13-rated, okay?”

Steve turns pleading eyes on his sister. “Alli?”

She narrows her eyes at him. “We won’t say anything about kissing with no tongue. Anything else is fair game.”

“I wouldn’t do anything else with you in the room,” he retorts, then sticks a hand out. “Shake on it.”

She smirks. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Steve makes a face and wipes his hand on his pants. “Don’t make me sound like Dad!”

Allison cackles. “Your face! Oh my god, that was great.” She ruffles his hair. “We won’t say anything as long as it’s just a little kiss, alright?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “And if we end up talking about us? About what we’re doing?”

Allison tilts her head. “Would you want us there? As a sounding board?”

Steve shrugs helplessly. “Kinda? But I feel like this is something we should do on our own, too.”

Allison exchanges a look with Robin. “I think it’s time to teach you the ways of being a woman, Steve. We share everything with each other. Especially this stuff. It can be really helpful to have a sounding board.”

Steve eyes her. “Even if you’re biased?”

“We’ll do our best to stay unbiased,” Robin promises. “Deal?”

He grins and squeezes her again. “Deal.”

Permanent Taglist: @justforthedead89 @ilovecupcakesandtea @madigoround @bookbinderbitch @suddenlyinlove @nburkhardt @artiststarme @paintsplatteredandimperfect @i-less-than-three-you @alyelf @quarble @messrs-weasley @littlewildflowerkitten @vankaar @starman-jpg @bornonthesavage @steddie-there @goodolefashionedloverboi @mischivarien @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @platinum-sunset @just-ladyme @steddiestains @swimmingbirdrunningrock @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @martinskis-lydias @notaqueenakhaleesi @sleepyboosstuff @bestwifehaver @m-owo-n @thatonebadideapanda @finalmoondragon @velocitytimes2 @callmeanythjing @ajeff855 @ilikeititspretty @knitsforthetrail @sillysparrow @that-one-corvid @ace-is-bored @inadequatecowboy @harpymoth @weirdandabsurd42

Fic Taglist: @blondlanfear @do-you-want-something-more @str4wb3rry-guy @paperbackribs @ninjapirateunicorns @bisexualdisastersworld @hiscrimsonangel @lolawonsstuff @xo-r4e @thedragonsaunt @l0st-strawberry

[flowerfan2]

Eddie is different, afterwards.  Dustin doesn’t understand why no one is doing anything about it.  It’s like the spark has gone out of him, except with Eddie it wasn’t just a spark, it was fireworks, and now he’s like the old flashlight Dustin once found at the back of his closet that barely flickered.

When Eddie doesn’t even want to play D&D, Dustin tries talking about it with Will.  He tells him he doesn’t know why Eddie can’t just snap out of it, and Will glares at him like he suggested raising another baby demodog.  In retrospect, maybe he shouldn’t have made light of being trapped in the Upside Down with the only other guy he knows who went through the same thing.

Dustin knows Eddie’s gone through some shit, he does.  But the truth is he misses him, misses his confident swagger, his disdain for people who are afraid to wave their freak flag high.  He misses his big smile, and his crazy faces.  He misses the way Eddie took care of his little lost sheep.

The government gave Eddie and Wayne a new trailer, but Dustin hasn’t seen it yet.  Max spends as much time as she can with El or hanging out at the Wheeler’s, saying the trailer park still feels haunted to her.  Dustin wonders what it’s like for Eddie, still being there every day, in the place he saw Chrissy die.

Dustin goes to summer camp again, and for a while he’s able to put it all out of his mind.  Suzie is there, and being with her is awesome.  For four weeks he tries to pretend that the insanity and terror of living in Hawkins is no big deal.  But then he comes back home.

After a few days of riding around town on his bike and hanging out with the party,  Dustin decides to organize a trip to the arcade.  He tries to call Steve for a ride, but there’s no answer at his house, and when he goes to get the walkie Mike stops him, saying he thinks he’s busy.  Dustin protests for a while, but finally gives up when El tells him that the Byers are having a barbeque that weekend and he’ll see Steve then.

Saturday dawns hot and bright, and Dustin puts on his favorite camp shirt and heads over to the Byers’ new house early.  Joyce gives him a warm hug, like always, and he goofs around with Will until Jonathan forces them to help set up chairs in the backyard.  People start arriving around lunchtime, but it isn’t until he’s eaten two ketchup-drenched hot dogs and an overcooked burger that he sees Steve arrive, Eddie trailing close behind him.

He wants to run over and give Eddie a giant hug, better even than the one Dustin got from Joyce, but Robin suddenly appears next to him and puts a hand on his arm to hold him back.  “Let him ease into it,” she says softly.  Dustin doesn’t know why Eddie would need to ease into hanging out with his friends, but something in Robin’s tone tells him not to argue.

Eventually Dustin decides enough is enough.  He finds Eddie in the house, sitting next to Steve on the couch, talking softly with Hopper who is leaning against an armchair.  They all swivel their heads towards him when he pokes his head in, and Hopper nods and leaves the room, grunting some kind of greeting at Dustin as he goes by.

“Hey, what’s up?”  Steve says, and Dustin stumbles over both his feet and his words as he throws himself at the two of them.  Steve catches him and holds him tight, and he feels Eddie wrap an arm around him too.

“I want everyone to be okay,” Dustin mumbles, feeling like an idiot but not able to really say anything else.

“We’re okay, dude, don’t worry,” Steve says.  “I mean, Hopper’s grill skills could use some work, but generally speaking that’s not a big deal.”

“Really?  That’s what you’re going with?  You know that’s not what I mean.”  Dustin pushes out of their hold and sits on the coffee table.  He looks at Eddie, and then Steve, who exchange a weird glance, and then Eddie leans forward.

“I’m sorry, bud.  It really wasn’t my year, I guess. But-” Eddie’s eyes flash over to Steve, who gives him a wry grin and knocks their knees together.  “Things are looking up.  I’m okay.  Really.”

Dustin realizes that Eddie does seem better.  He’s completely lost that gray haze.  Even his hair looks better, bouncier, like Steve has been sharing his secrets.  “Do you swear?” he asks, his throat tight.

Eddie laughs, and it makes something glad and joyful bubble up in Dustin’s chest.  Steve looks happy about it too, and he grabs Eddie around his shoulders and pulls him close to his side, making Eddie laugh some more and then rest his head on Steve’s shoulder.  “Yeah, I swear.”

Dustin hears Nancy announcing something about ice pops, and he decides he better get out there before all the good flavors are taken.  “All right.  Fine.  See you around?”

“For sure,” Eddie says, and it’s a little softer and quieter than maybe Eddie was before, but Dustin still feels that warmth inside him.  Because the spark is back in Eddie’s eyes.  It’s not quite fireworks yet, but it’s there, and it’s awesome.  

[ramennoodlezzzao3]

Details I Noticed in Stranger Things Season Two While Rewatching it For My Fic

Barbs parents hired Murray to help find Barb

Barbs dad hates Jim Hopper

While eating dinner with his parents in episode two, Mikes dad says “You’re on the bench son, if this was my coach, you wouldn’t even be in the game” and in the last episode, Mike snaps at Steve when he makes basketball references saying “This isn’t some stupid sports game!”

Max’s dad is actually still alive, he just lives in California

Nancy and Steve were in the parking lot when Billy and Max showed up to school for the first time

When they were playing in the Arcade, you can see right under Lucas’ name is a play named JKRach

Billy drives a Camaro

Max has driven before in a parking lot when she’s only 13

Dustin really likes nougat

The mask Max wears on Halloween is the same mask Eddie wears in season 4 to steal the bus

Max is afraid she will end up like Billy

Billy thinks it’s Maxs fault that they live in Hawkins and Max thinks it’s Billy’s fault

Not really a detail about the show itself, but when Billy first appears on screen getting out of his car, one of the girls that’s staring at him plays Sarah in OuterBanks

Max has longer hair in season 2 than she does in seasons 3 and 4

Dustin corrected Steve when he said “Germans” instead of “Nazis”

The game Max beat Dustin at was called DigDug

theres a worker at one of the shops named Rick who I believe to be Reefer Rick (but that’s just my theory)

The arcade workers name is Keith and he hates DigDug

The arcade was turned into a movie rental place in season 3

In the episode where Lucas traps Max in the back room to tell her about the lab, when she gets in the car with Billy, he says “Well you know what happens when you lie” and later on in the same episode you see max taping together her skateboard. In the very last episode of season 2, when Billy walks into the Byers house he says “you know what happens when you disobey me, I break things” meaning he probably was the one who broke Max’s skateboard.

[rebelspykatie]

Clueless Steddie AU where Steve is Cher. His dad is a big hot shot lawyer who isn’t around much and can be pretty mean at times. He cheated on Mrs. Harrington with Eddie’s mom. Mr. Harrington felt guilty about it when both Steve’s mom died and Eddie’s abandoned him so he had to go live with his uncle, so he started financially supporting Eddie.

Even though Wayne didn’t want to take any kind of charity, Eddie of course vows to take this rich douchebag for all he’s worth. He butts heads with Steve at every turn because Steve’s figured out what Eddie is up to. Eddie doesn’t expect to care about Steve or feel bad about his dad basically leaving him alone in that big mansion.

Eddie holds onto the idea that Steve is a stuck up brat who’s self obsessed, even as he sees Steve helping others. He watches Steve (and Robin) get their gym teacher Jim Hopper and their art teacher Joyce Byers together. He knows that Steve is responsible for helping Will find his confidence and the dnd kids having a place to play when everyone thought they were playing a devils game. His blanket of protection has extended to people like Robin Buckley, the local lesbian who never gets bullied, even though she’s a little weird and a lot loud about her relationship with Nancy Wheeler. In fact, they all seem to be at the top of the social pyramid.

Still, Steve and Eddie don’t see eye to eye. When Jonathan Byers shows an interest in Argyle, Steve makes it known he can do better than the local skateboarding pothead, even though Argyle is the nicest guy on the planet. Eddie takes personal offense to the connotations behind the sentiment and sides with Argyle, inviting Jonathan over to console him and tell him the exact opposite.

It backfires in Eddie’s face when Jonathan blows up at Steve and tells him to stay out of his personal life because they’re not even real friends. Steve gets quiet after that, keeping to himself and hanging out less with his friends, outside of Robin. The house seems even emptier, even though Steve’s there more. He tries dating a few people that never come home with him at the end of the night.

Eddie watches him in the halls, eyes following Robin and Nancy, Mike and Will, Lucas and Max, and Jonathan and Argyle (once they do eventually get together). He always has this pained wistful look that never gets easier to look at head on. Eddie knows how much Steve craves intimacy. It’s written all over his face.

And yeah, Steve has some flaws, but he doesn’t understand why these people keep turning Steve down. He takes care of the people he loves, even to his own detriment. He’s kind, but with a fun mean girl streak that’s more entertaining than harmful to anyone. Every time Eddie sees Steve, he’s tempted to run his fingers through his soft hair. Eddie’s pretty sure Steve spends hours grooming himself to look as perfect as he does every day.

Meanwhile, Steve thinks there’s something wrong with him. At the end of Steve’s most recent failed date, Eddie was of course staying in their mansion while Wayne was working night shifts and came down the stairs at the exact moment Steve was coming home, like he was waiting for the opportunity to make fun of Steve.

They’ve gotten closer over the past few months, less biting remarks and more time watching dumb cartoons or mtv on the couch. Steve had to call Eddie for help once, when his phone died and his car was stolen. Eddie had left band practice to come pick Steve up in the middle of nowhere, much to the chagrin of his band mates. He hadn’t heard the end of it from Gareth about being the knight in shining armor rescuing the little rich boy. Eddie sticks up for Steve when Mr. Harrington’s coworkers bash Steve’s intelligence and tell him he’ll never be as smart as his father. 

Still, Steve’s surprised when Eddie meets him halfway on the stairs to talk about the failed date. Some guy called him a pretty face with nothing going on upstairs and tried to get into his pants without a thought to how his words affected Steve. Eddie reassured Steve he wasn’t an idiot and listed off all the nice things Steve had done for others recently. He didn’t realize Eddie was even paying him any attention, let alone committing those moments to memory. Eddie starts ranting about how dumb all these people Steve’s dated are and how Steve deserves better. So Steve leans over and kisses Eddie, pulling away to tell him he’s someone better. 

Also posted on twitter.

[ladykailitha]

Icarus Part 24

So, it pains me to say that there is only one more chapter after this. Yep. Just the one. But I have an epilogue all written up and a sequel partially written up. So you won't have dwell in sadness for long.

In this we have a wild Dustin appearing, Ellie be awesome, another asshole reporter shows up, and Gareth and Eddie finally have it out.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23

~

The Fallen were holed up in their trailer, Ellie showing off her fix for the hoods. She held up a small fan and battery pack.

“Since the hoods cover most of the neck,” she explained, “this will go on a collar that you can turn on and off, and even change the speed. This will help keep you cool so you don’t faint again.”

Spence took the fan from her. “That’s genius. How did you come up with that?”

“I convinced my dad to go as the Red Guardian with me to New York Comic Con a couple of years ago. I was dressed as Yelena from ‘Black Widow’ ,” she said with a grin. “But as you guys know leather is hot so we put a couple of these bad boys in the neck of the costume to keep him cool.”

“That’s amazing,” Shane breathed. “I mean the fans are neat, too, I guess.”

She giggled. “The blonde wig I wore wasn’t very fun, but the rest of it was.”

“Thanks, Ellie,” Steve said. “How long will it take you put them together for us?”

She cocked her head to the side. “About twenty minutes.”

They piled out of the trailer to find Dustin arguing with Eddie.

“I keep telling you,” Eddie huffed. “I don’t know who they are and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you! I don’t even know how you got past security in the first place.”

“I showed them pictures of us from your Instagram.”

Eddie pressed his fingers into his eye in frustration. “Dustin...” he said warningly. “You can’t do that.”

“I just did,” he said smugly, crossing his arms and grinning at him.

“You are such a butthead,” Steve groused. “How are you even here in the first place? Don’t you have school?”

Dustin shrugged. “You’re touring in California right now, it’s not that hard to drive up here for the weekend.”

“Dustin,” Steve said, pinching the side of his nose. “It’s Tuesday!”

He pulled out his phone and looked at the date. “Huh. Oops.” He put it away. “Well, I’m here now. No use crying over spilled milk.”

Eddie surged forward to strangle him, but Steve stopped him.

“Why are you here?” Steve asked sternly.

Dustin’s shoulders slumped. “All right, I was feeling a little lonely. Mike and Will graduated last year and they moved back to Hawkins to figure out where they want to go from there. And Lucas and Max are on the other side of the country. I missed you guys.”

Eddie and Steve shared a glance over his head and sighed.

“I know, bud,” Steve murmured, putting his arm around him, “but you’ve got school if you want to make it into MIT.”

Dustin sighed. He was a late bloomer, college wise, because it took a lot of convincing Mrs. Henderson to let him go. She was really worried about him on his own. It wasn’t until Steve moved out to California that she was willing to let him go.

“It was a dumb idea,” he admitted. “I just wanted to see you guys.”

Just then the trailer door opened and Ellie stepped out. Dustin’s jaw dropped. Eddie lifted his his chin with his finger.

“Oh hey, Steve,” she said, “I have the cooling collars for the band, can you make sure they get them before they go on tonight?” She held out the four devices and Steve took them.

“I sure will,” he replied. “Dustin this Ellie Hopper, she designed The Fallen’s costumes this year and her dad is head of security.”

Dustin reached out to shake her hand which she took with a small smile.

“Ellie,” Steve continued, “this Dustin Henderson. I used to watch him and his friends when they were snot-nosed kids.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Dustin said with his winning smile.

“Same.”

“I was just about to bug these two into lunch,” Dustin said. “Care to join us?”

Steve and Eddie glared at him.

“I’d love to!” Ellie said brightly.

And now Eddie and Steve were caught. They had to go now, because it’d be rude to turn down the person that made the costumes for The Fallen.

So they all went out to lunch, but they had to be back for the sound checks.

“I don’t know hwy you have to be there,” Dustin whined. “You’re only a medic, it’s not as though you’re a rockstar, too.”

“Because I’m the medic for the band,” Steve huffed. “If something goes wrong at the sound check I have to be there.”

“Can we watch the sound check together?” he asked hopefully.

“Why don’t you take Ellie around,” Eddie suggested. “She’s never been this far north in Cali.”

Ellie immediately agreed and Eddie and Steve breathed a sigh of relief.

As they were walking off, Eddie got a text message and he grinned, hurriedly typing back.

“You cheating on your lover over there, Munson,” Steve teased.

Eddie threw back his head and laughed. “It’s just Chrissy. You know, the lesbian?”

Steve grinned wolfishly as they got into the car that would take them back to the venue.

~

A week later Corroded Coffin were doing their own press conference when some reporter from a gossip rag dropped a bombshell.

“A question for Eddie Munson.”

“Shoot.”

“What do you say to the rumors that you have a secret lover on this tour?”

The room went dead silent except the clicking of camera shutters going off.

“Do you want to repeat that?” Jeff growled into his mic.

She repeated the question with a smug expression.

“I wasn’t aware there was one,” Eddie hedged. “And all questions about my sex life are off limits.”

“Are you worried that with your past exploits on previous tours that this man will be labeled as just another notch in your bedpost and you’re trying to protect him from that?” she continued as if she hadn’t heard him.

“You heard the man,” Brian hissed. “He doesn’t want to talk about his sex life.”

“What about the rumors that you are fucking the frontman to The Fallen?” she asked a little louder as the other reporters started shouting their own questions.

“Unless your sucking my dick, you don’t get to know about my sex life!” Eddie snapped. He stood up and walked out.

Chrissy walked up to the front of the room, putting herself between the other band members and the now pressing throng of reporters.

“This press conference is now over.”

The woman who had started it all, crossed her legs and smirked at the chaos all around her.

~

Steve watched the YouTube video of the press conference over and over. Those same forty-seven seconds over and over again.

Who was the leak? Who told? Was it just speculation because that’s how Eddie usually played it on tours? Or was it something more sinister?

He decided if nothing else, he should at least go check on Eddie to see how he was doing.

He walked up to the door of Eddie’s hotel suite, but the door was partially ajar.

“Oh I get it now,” Eddie was saying. “The call is coming from inside the house.”

“You’re blaming me?!” Gareth cried.

“Oh yeah,” Eddie hissed. “This has you written all over it.”

“I’m on your side!”

“You’ve always been jealous of Steve,” Eddie snapped, “and now that we’re a couple, you couldn’t take it and went to the press.”

“I wouldn’t do that!” Gareth pleaded. “I know said some fucked up things last year. But I’ve been in therapy for that shit and I know it’s unhealthy. I don’t know who leaked it to the press, but it wasn’t me.” There was a brief pause. “Here, check my phone. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

There was silence for a long, tense moment so Steve took the liberty of the pause to knock on the door.

Chrissy went to go open it and saw Steve. With a single look she knew he’d overheard at least some their exchange. She winced and mouthed, ‘I’m sorry’.

“Come on in, Steve,” she said, opening the door wide enough to let him in. “Vickie’s on her way and will be here in about twenty minutes.”

Steve nodded and walked up to Eddie. “Hey,” he asked leaning down to look him in the eye, “are you okay?”

Eddie’s lips quivered as he nodded. He was still going through all of Gareth’s messages, DMs, and social media posts.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered to Gareth.

Gareth hugged him fiercely and Eddie hugged back. Soon they were both crying.

“I’m sorry I blamed Steve for everything wrong in the band,” Gareth murmured. “I was just scared he’d take you away from me.”

Steve snorted. “Dude, I would need a fucking crowbar to remove Eddie from you guys’ lives. He loves you like brothers. I’m not here to get in the way of that. Okay?”

“Yeah, man,” Brian said, “families grow and change, that doesn’t mean we don’t still love each other.”

Gareth nodded into Eddie’s neck.

“And I’m sorry I accused you without evidence,” he muttered back, “Uncle Wayne would kick my ass if he found out I did that.”

“I won’t tell,” Gareth said softly, “if you won’t.”

“Deal.”

They stood like that for awhile, just holding each other and muttering apologies.

Vickie came barreling into the room like a bull in a china shop.

“Fucking hell!” she growled and threw herself onto the sofa like a Victorian maiden. “That was such bullshit.”

They all turned to her, Chrissy closing the door tightly behind her to make sure no one in the hall could hear them.

“It was a completely unsubstantiated comment said off the cuff in the same vein as ‘I’ll kill you for that’,” she moaned, rolling over and putting her hand on her forehead.

“I’m not sure I understand,” Eddie said, “what was said?”

Vickie sat up drew her knees to her chest. “Someone overheard Steve teasing Eddie about cheating on his lover.”

Eddie and Steve looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Seriously?” Brian huffed. “That’s it? God. People must be hard up for news if that’s all it takes.”

“The reporter’s name was Heather Halloway,” she continued. “She works for the same gossip rag as the guy who brought up the spelling of Abbadon’s name in their press conference. His name was Billy Hargrove. He also has some conspiracy podcast he does that she’ll sometimes feature on. A regular Bonnie and Clyde.”

“So she was just trying to rile Eddie up to get a reaction?” Jeff asked.

Vickie nodded. “Which unfortunately worked.”

Eddie grimaced and scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“You’re only human,” Vickie said with a half shrug. “I’ll get out ahead of this and like with what happened with Steve, just call all your friends ‘lover’. Make it as uncomfortable for them as possible. Turn it around and throw it their faces.”

“In other words, ‘let Eddie be Eddie’?” Gareth asked.

Vickie grinned. “Perfect. Let Eddie be Eddie.”

Eddie blushed and shoved his hair in front of his face to hide his bashful smile. “Thanks, guys.”

“Now get out of here so I can cuddle with my boyfriend,” Steve huffed, making shooing motions with his hands.

Everyone laughed and they all shuffled out of the room.

Well all but Gareth. He held out his fist.

“We good?” he asked shyly.

Both Steve and Eddie fist bumped him.

“Not yet,” Eddie said softly. “But we’re getting there.”

Gareth smiled and slipped out of the room. A single step forward was better than a step back. They’d get there. They had the time now.

As soon as Gareth left, Eddie turned to Steve. “Cuddling, huh?”

Steve advanced on him like a tiger seeking his prey. “As I understand it, unless they’re sucking your dick they don’t get to know your sex life.”

Eddie’s tongue dragged slowly over his teeth, his drooping seductively. “I did say that, yeah.”

Steve started pushing him back to the bed. When they reached it, he pushed him on the bed and then began crawling up Eddie’s body.

“And since I’m the only one who gets to suck your dick,” he purred, “I wasn’t going to tell them shit.”

Eddie smirked. “You’re a bitch, Stevie. But you’re my bitch and I’m going to fuck you into this mattress.”

“Hmm,” Steve hummed. “Bring it on.”

~

Part 25

Tag List: CLOSED

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

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence

3- @goodolefashionedloverboi @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @irregular-child @blondie1006

4- @yikes-a-bee @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten

5- @genderless-spoon @y4r3luv @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt

6- @disrespectedgoatman @eyehartart @dawners @thespaceantwhowrites @tinyplanet95

7- @iamthehybrid @croatoan-like-its-hot @papergrenade @cryptid-system @counting-dollars-counting-stars

8- @ravenfrog @w1ll0wtr33 @child-of-cthulhu @kultiras @dreamercec

9- @machete-inventory-manager @useless-nb-bisexual @stripey82 @dotdot-wierdlife @kal-ology

10- @sadisticaltarts @urkadop @chameleonhair @clockworkballerina @garden-of-gay

[ronancexists]

Things I would like to see in Stranger Things 5:

- Since Robin has done quite a few doodles on her red converse, I like to think she's quite good at drawing, so that can be a way for her to start up a conversation with Will

- And then Will confides in Robin about being gay and being in love with Mike because he had a feeling that she was like him and Robin confirming she was indeed like him and becoming his gay mentor (like you don't understand I NEED ROBIN AND WILL TO HAVE A CONVO ABOUT BEING GAY)

- Will (finally!) tells the party that he's gay (and Byler becomes a thing) but not before Robin comes out to the party in order to make Will feel more comfortable and to show him that they will accept him because that's totally something she would do as his gay mentor

- More Steve and Robin being "Platonic with a Capital P" cause we didn't get enough in st4

- Hopper and Joyce trying to corral the kids and control the situation as best as they can

- Joyce being a mother figure to Robin like she is with the rest of the kids and Robin becoming better acquainted with El, Jonathan, and ESPECIALLY Will because she didn't really get a chance to get to know the California crew before they packed up and moved so ya

- El traveling into Vecna's/Henry's/One's mind in order to be able to wake Max up and free her from his control because he said his victims stay with him in his mind so like 👀

- Max wakes up after El successfully rescues her from Vecna/Henry/One but she is severely incapacitated, like she's probably blind in one or both eyes and is going to need assistance walking for the rest of her life and is going to be stuck in the hospital for a few more weeks (possibly months)

- How and when the Upside Down was created

- What Will's connection to Vecna/Henry/One and the Upside Down really entails and how that could affect both him and The Party during this final stretch

- Vecna/Henry/One, the Demogorgons, the Demodogs, the Demobats, the Mindflayer, and the Upside Down along with whatever other monsters are down there get destroyed once and for all because I don't think shutting the gates is gonna do it this time

- Kali comes back to help El defeat Vecna/Henry/One

- Murray tries to figure Steve and Robin out but he can't because he's never seen anything like the two of them and it frustrates him to no end

- Then when he tries to psychoanalyze Robin she does it right back to him because she's a freaking genius and everyone is in awe of her because they've never seen Murray speechless before

- KAREN WHEELER DESERVES TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON IN HAWKINS!!!!!!!!

- And I hate to say it but if Steve dies Robin dies too because despite the fact that she is my favorite character (close seconds are Nancy and Will) Steve is her platonic soulmate and they are codependent on one another and one just simply cannot survive without the other

- Like it would absolutely break my heart to have to see Robin try to live without her dingus of a best friend and to have to see Steve try to live without his wing woman of a bestie so if one dies both of them die

- Lucas defending Max's unconscious body with Erica from whatever creatures from the Upside Down want to try and take and/or kill her

- Mike and El break up because El realizes she needs to be her own person and because Mike is in love with Will

- Dustin is even more protective and stubborn about Steve heading into danger because of what happened to Eddie and he absolutely refuses to leave his side through the entire season

- RONANCE RONANCE RONANCE RONANCE (i know it's probably not gonna be canon but a girl can dream)

- Robin finally getting an onscreen kiss with her girlfriend or a girl she really likes (cough cough Nancy cough cough) (sorry Vickie but I feel like ur just too similar to Robin)

- And if Steve doesn't die (hopefully🤞) then please please please DO NOT have Steve and Nancy get back together after she breaks up with Jonathan when she finds out he lied to her about Emerson along with everything else that's been piling up between them

- Instead Nancy decides she's better off not being in a relationship (or better yet she gets together with Robin) and focuses on what she's absolutely sure she wants which is getting her journalism degree at Emerson (and Robin decides to go there too if they become a thing 😊)

- Because Nancy Wheeler is a smart, strong, fierce, badass, independent woman and she does not need to be kept in a cage by becoming a housewife who gives birth to SIX KIDS

- NANCY WHEELER DOES NOT WANT SIX KIDS

- I REPEAT, NANCY WHEELER DOES NOT WANT SIX KIDS

- Steve and Robin move in together and attend a community college together (Steve's either getting a teaching degree or a child psychology degree while Robin is doing something with linguistics) or they follow Nancy to Boston because Robin and Nancy are absolutely smitten with one another :)

- Meeting Steve and Robin's respective parents

Ok I think that's all for now 😅

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

From Hell to Home to Back Again

Summary: At the talent show, Chrissy Cunningham is so hungry that she nearly collapses. When she's found by Hopper, her parents ended up losing custody of her. She ends up being placed in the care of the Hendersons, and she finally finds the family she so desperately needed. She also ends up falling in love. What other changes are made in this alternate universe?

A/N: Don't worry.

@emen-98 @1lostsoul0fishbowl @vulpixsworld

Prologue . . . Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

When Chrissy woke, she was lying on the couch inside the home of the Byers. She blinked rapidly, listening to the sounds of people arguing. She looked up to see them all gathered around the kitchen table, talking loudly. It was Hopper who noticed she was awake. He pulled away from the group without them noticing.

"Hey, kid, how are you doing?" Hopper asked.

"Exhausted," Chrissy replied.

"Why didn't you tell me you have powers?" Hopper asked.

"Why didn't you tell us that El is alive?" Chrissy asked, and he opened his mouth. "I mean, I get it. There's no need to explain."

"How do you know?" He asked.

"I was in the void, and she told me. She's on her way. It might take a while," Chrissy said. "She left town."

"Of course, she did," he muttered.

"Chrissy?!" Eddie shrieked and practically pushed Hopper out of the way as he threw himself into her arms.

"I'm fine, Eddie," Chrissy said.

"Well, I'm not!" Eddie exclaimed and pulled back.

Chrissy sat up and smiled before pulling the man into her lap.

"I'm fine, baby. I'm here," Chrissy said.

"It scared the fuck out of me when you just dropped like that and then you wouldn't wake up," Eddie said as he placed his head on top of hers.

"It scared the hell out of all of us," Steve said from behind them.

Dustin pushed Steve and ran towards Chrissy. He threw himself on top of Eddie and Chrissy, hugging his sister tightly.

"Don't do that again," Dustin said.

"I'll try not to," Chrissy said. "What'd I miss?"

"Well, Will's been taken over by the Mind Flayer," Dustin said.

"That thing from D&D that takes over brains?" Chrissy asked Dustin.

"Yeah, it's connected to the Upside Down. It had Will spy and lure a bunch of scientists that burned the vines to their deaths. Will's still in there, and we're hoping to ask him how to kill the thing," Dustin said.

"Isn't he going to tell the Mind Flayer where we are?" Chrissy asked.

"He can't spy if he doesn't know where he is," Mike said.

Chrissy broke free from Eddie and Dustin, standing up on shaking legs.

"What can I do to help?" She asked.

Nancy walked over to her and pushed her onto the couch.

"Rest, we've got this," Nancy said and hugged her.

"I'll stay with her," Eddie said.

"Oh. . .and also, Bob died," Dustin said softly. "He got Will, Joyce, and Hopper out but not before the demodogs got to him."

It hit Chrissy hard. She didn't know Bob well enough, but she knew that she liked him. She could have done something if that voice hadn't stopped her.

"I liked Bob," she said quietly, and Nancy squeezed her shoulder.

"Me too," Nancy said softly.

Nancy nodded and hugged Eddie before moving off with the others to begin gathering supplies that they led out to the shed. Chrissy pouted as she leaned against Eddie, who wrapped his arms around her. She turned on her side and buried her face into his neck, breathing him in deeply.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Chrissy said.

"It's not your fault. You just got exhausted fighting off those demogorgons," Eddie said.

Chrissy didn't say anything. She pulled back and kissed him deeply. Eddie gripped the back of her head, kissing her back just as desperately. He pulled away.

"I love you," Chrissy gasped softly.

"I love you too," Eddie said. "We're going to get through this together."

When they had gotten done setting up the shed, Hopper came through and got Will from his room. Chrissy got up and followed, grabbing the drawing they had created in the Upside Down. She followed Hopper, carrying an unconscious Will. Eddie followed after her, hissing like a goose. When they walked into the shed, every inch of it was covered. Lights were shining in the middle of the small building. Eddie closed the door behind them as Hopper set Will in the middle of the room, tying him to the pole. Chrissy leaned up with Eddie against the wall, watching fearfully as they woke him up, and she held onto Eddie's hand tightly. She watched as Joyce talked with him, and then Jonathan as well as Mike. His eyes remained pitch black. Chrissy knelt down in front of him, holding out the drawing.

"Do you remember this?" Chrissy asked. "We drew this together in the Upside Down. You drew a picture of me, and I drew a picture of you. We clung to each other pretty tightly in there. It wasn't the only thing that kept us going, though. You thought about your mother, your brother, and I thought about mine. We fought so hard because we missed them and we wanted to see them again. Your mom, your brother, and your friends. . .they're all fighting for you out here. You've got to fight too, though. Do you remember how hard I fought?"

Will looked at her in confusion before a light appeared in his eyes.

"You chopped a demogorgon's fingers off with an axe," Will said, and Joyce gasped.

She felt like someone was trying to get into her head. . .they were pushing her. Chrissy still wasn't accustomed to using her powers, and maybe that's why it was so easy to get into her head. Will's eyes darkened, and she felt her face pinch. Blood trickled down her nose and she fell on her butt.

Not strong enough.

"Sorry, I don't know what happened," Chrissy said.

"Take her back," Hopper said as he stood in front of Will as Joyce knelt to talk to him again.

Eddie helped Chrissy up and dragged her outside before quickly closing the shed. He helped her back into the living room, set her down on the couch, and pulled out his hanky to clean her nose. It wasn't long before Hopper was back in the house and sitting down to write at the kitchen table. Will was using Morse code to communicate. Hopper had the radio next to him while someone relayed to him the dashes that Will was tapping out. Suddenly, the phone rang, and everyone held their breath until Eddie got up to hang it up and then left it off the hook. It was too late, though.

"Close gate," Hopper read off the paper.

All hell broke loose when the Mind Flayer discovered their location, but whether it was because of the ringing phone or something else, they didn't know. Oh God, what if it had been the voice in Chrissy's head? She didn't have time to voice her thoughts because suddenly everyone was in the living room as the house was surrounded by demodogs. Hopper handed Nancy a gun while Steve wielded his bat. When did Eddie find an axe? Chrissy didn't have time to be amused by the fact that Mike was holding a trophy. The sounds of the demodogs grew closer. Suddenly, a demodog was thrown through the window, startling everyone. The front door unlocked itself, opened, and El came walking into the room. Chrissy and El stared at each other for a moment before Mike pushed his way through the front of the group.

"El," Mike breathed.

"Mike," El smiled.

"I never gave up on you. I called you every night. . . Every night for - "

"353 days," El finished.

Chrissy smiled and shared a soft look with Eddie. Gosh, they were so cute. Of course, Hopper had to step on their little reunion. Chrissy rolled her eyes. Way to go, Uncle Hop. He had to pull Mike away when he started yelling at him. Chrissy sighed. Mike had every right to be pissed but Hopper did what he thought he had to do to protect El. Chrissy frowned. She wasn't sure what the right answer here was. She couldn't imagine what it had been like for Mike to deal with the girl he liked suddenly dying and then suddenly returning. As Hopper dealt with Mike, Chrissy watched as El reunited with Lucas and Dustin. Max nervously approached.

"Hey, I'm Max. I've heard a lot about you," Max said.

El brushed her off and approached Chrissy.

"Hi, El," she said softly.

"Chrissy?" She asked.

"Yep. That's me," Chrissy replied with a grin. "Dustin's sister."

"I know," El said.

"Max was trying to say hi to you. Why don't you like her?" Chrissy asked.

"Mike," El mumbled.

No one else heard her except Chrissy and she grinned.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she doesn't like Mike like that," Chrissy whispered and leaned closer to her. "Max is a pretty cool kid, and I think she would make for a pretty great friend. Plus, I'm pretty sure she likes Lucas."

"Oh," El said, blushing before turning around to face Max. "Sorry."

"It's okay. That was pretty cool what you did," Max said.

"Thank you," El blushed again before scurring off to hug Joyce.

"Whatever you said to her, you didn't have to do that," Max said to Chrissy.

"Didn't want to leave you hanging," Chrissy said.

Eddie nudged her shoulder, flashing his dimples.

"Your heart is bigger than your entire body," he said.

"I should probably see a doctor about that," she quipped and he laughed.

"Nah, just a metalhead," Eddie said.

Chrissy's eyes followed El's as she went to see Will with Joyce. They all deserved to be kids. . .kids making friends and falling in love. They should be going through the normal childhood trauma of heartbreak and jealousy. They should be playing and laughing, coming together after a fight. They should be arguing over who stole the last pudding cup. . .not this. They shouldn't be dealing with trauma that no one could possibly understand. Chrissy sighed and followed everyone into the kitchen. El wanted to close the gates.

"Shit, isn't that place crawling with those things?" Argyle asked.

"Yeah, that's what I've been saying," Hopper said.

"I can do it," El said.

"Even if El can, there's still another problem," Dustin said.

"What?"

"If the brain dies, the whole body dies," Dustin said.

"I thought that was the whole point," Hopper said.

"It is, but if we really thought about this. . ." Dustin trailed off.

"I mean, if El closes the gate and cuts off the Mind Flayer's army. . .Will's a part of that army," Mike explained. "Closing the gate will kill him."

It was Joyce who figured it out. The thing liked it cold and so in order to get the Mind Flayer out, they needed to smoke it out with heat. Nancy, Argyle, and Robin were assigned to go with Joyce to Hopper's cabin as well as Jonathan. Chrissy tried to go with El, but El pleaded with her to stay here to protect Mike. Chrissy couldn't say no to those eyes, especially since they reminded her so much of Eddie's. If she didn't know any better, she'd say they were siblings. It meant that Chrissy was staying here with Eddie and Steve to look out for the kids. Of course, they didn't factor in Billy Hargrove showing up. They were expecting more Demogorgons.

"He'll kill me," Max whispered, and Chrissy hated how scared she was.

Eddie and Steve were already out the door, ready to protect Max. Chrissy made sure the kids stayed down. Suddenly, she heard the sound of yelling outside and the sound of two loud thumps. Billy burst through the door, looking as menacing as ever. He smirked at the sight of her. Chrissy glared at him as she stood protectively in front of the kids and used what power she had to throw him against the wall. He laid there unmoving. Chrissy motioned for the kids to stay there and moved as close as she was willing to get. It was still too close. Suddenly, his hand shot out, grabbing her ankle. Billy was on top of her, his hand around her throat. Chrissy grasped for breath and hit him with her fists as the kids screamed.

"You didn't hit me hard enough. Here, let me show you," Billy said.

He picked her up and grabbed a fistful of her hair before slamming Chrissy's head into the wall. Victorious, he let her go and watched as she stumbled. Her vision was blurry, and it felt like everything was swimming. She felt blood pour from her scalp and trickle down her forehead. Well, this wasn't good.

"Fuck," Chrissy whispered and then she collapsed.

The last thing she saw before falling into darkness was Billy slamming Lucas into a wall. Eddie and Steve came bursting in. . .immediately launching themselves at Billy. She could hear Eddie screaming though.

"CHRISSY! CHRISSY, WAKE UP!"

There was another voice in the darkness, full of anger.

"William Hargrove will pay."

Chapter Twenty-Two

[strangerthingslover69]

Why do you hate me?

Dmitri + female reader

18+ minors do no read!

Warnings ~ Swearing, angst and cuteness and hint of smut at very end~

Your dads new friend is staying with you, him and the Byers for the foreseeable future. All was fine at first but one day things changed. You didn’t know why he started acting differently around you. You didn’t know why he hated you. How close is hate to love though?

Six months. Six months since your dad (Hopper) returned from the dead. After everything that happened with Sara, Hopper decided his life was empty. Lost. Until he adopted you when you were a child. You filled the hole. El, Joyce and the Byer boys came along and you were a proper family. Not for long as your dad ‘died’. But low and behold. He wasn’t. Now back where he belongs at home with his family. You were just as surprised to find out your dad had managed to persuade a Russian prison guard to help him escape. That’s why now Dmitri Antonov now is a house guest. He had no where else to go. Six months. Six months of getting to know him. The first five were lovely. He was opening up to you all about his life, you were telling him about yours. You two got close. You developed a crush on him as you got to know him more. Okay so maybe more than a crush. You’d fallen for him. Hard. It wasn’t difficult. He was beautiful. You could tell he had a kind heart. He made you feel good. Happy. Like no one else had in a while. But a month ago things changed. You didn’t know why. Or how. But they definitely did. Only with you.

At first you didn’t realise he was acting differently. You slowly put the pieces together when you noticed he wouldn’t smile at you entering a room. He wouldn’t engage in conversation anymore. Not ask you how you are or how you day was. When you asked him anything it was just one word answers. He didn’t sit next to you on the sofa anymore when you’d all watch a movie. He didn’t pick you up anything when he went food shopping, he always brought you a pack of twirlers and a coke. Nothing now. You tried asking him what was wrong. He’d say nothing or grunt. He wouldn’t even hug you anymore when he came back home from working with Hopper, it was a routine you two had started but now had stopped. You missed hugging him. He gave the best hug’s especially on your bad days

One weekend everyone gathers to go to the beach. This is when you snapped. There were three cars of transport. Hopper, Joyce, Murray, El, Mike, Will in one. Another Johnathan, Nancy, Argyle, Lucas, Max and Erica. The last one you, Dmitri, Dustin, Steve, Eddie and Robin. Everyone needed a day of normality. Everyone needed a day together. Hopper drove his car, Nancy drove hers and Steve drove his. You all hopped into the cars ready to go after packing up. Steve and Robin in the front. Eddie and Dustin sat together in to squeeze in the back with the some of the bags. Dmitri in the middle with the other bags to his left, there was an empty seat next to Dmitri. You were later down than everyone else as you wear just finishing getting ready. It’s a hot day, bikini on, shorts to cover up but you just put your top in your bag. When you get in and he rolls his eyes at you. ‘Something wrong Dmitri?’ You ask putting on your seatbelt. ‘No’ all he responded as turned away from you. ‘Everyone got seatbelts on?’ Steve asks. Everyone said yes and off you went. It was about two hours from Hawkins to the beach. You looked out the window as Robin giving Steve directions. You felt a tap on your shoulder. ‘You looking forward to the beach Y/N?’ Eddie said leaning forward. You turn your body around to talk to him accidentally knocking Dmitri with your knee. Before you even have chance to apologise he snaps. ‘Y/N, will you get you off me!’ ‘It was an accident man, it was my bad’ Eddie says trying to help you. ‘I don’t care if it was an ‘accident’ she should be more carful’ Dmitri snarls again. ‘What’s your fucking problem!’ You find yourself saying out loud. ‘Excuse me?’ Dmitri says turning to you, his face very close to yours. ‘I said, what’s your fucking problem?! It was a god damn accident. It you weren’t man spreading I wouldn’t of knocked your stupid knee!’ You have had enough. You couldn’t stop ranting once you’d started. ‘I don’t get you Dmitri. I don’t know what the hell I’ve done to offend you so much! I’m sorry for whatever the hell I’ve done. All I’ve tried to do it be kind and nice just like everyone else. Whatever’s going on with you just give me a fucking break!’ You say with your eyes filling with tears. Everyone in the car is silent. Dmitri doesn’t not respond to you. Eddie sits back down. You look at Dmitri for something. But he gives you nothing. You turn away before your tears start. The rest of the car ride is tense and uncomfortable and you just want to get out of there. Steve’s voice breaks the silence after about 15 minutes, ‘Guys, maybe stuck here for a while. ‘Why?’ Eddie asks from the back. ‘Looks like there’s been some kind of accident up ahead. Some of the roads blocked.’ Robin says pointing to the cars in lines of traffic. ‘Well just great’ you hear Dmitri mutter under his breath. You hear Eddies walkie go off. ‘Guys, we’re here, where are you over?’ Mikes voice echos through. ‘You there, already? Man lucky you missed it. There’s been an accident. We are stuck in traffic. Maybe a while. Over’ Eddie replies. ‘One sec’ Mike says cutting off. ‘Guys you okay? Try cutting out of Scooter Street Steve. You know it? That should be quicker’ you hear your dads voice come through. ‘Yup I know it, thanks’ he shouts back. ‘See you soon guys’ Hopper ends the call. ‘Well since we’re I going to be a while, if you all don’t mind I’m going for a nap since we’re gonna be here for a while. Can you manage to keep quiet Y/N?’ Dmitri says did eyeing you before closing his eyes. You just glare at the man you love. You decided to try have a nap too, you were tired from the arguing it’s draining. You close your eyes and quickly fall asleep.

Robin turns to see you and Dmitri are asleep. She whispers across to Steve. ‘What the hells up with those two?’ She nods her back to you and Dmitri. ‘I don’t know. Y/N said he’s been different with her lately. I said she was just overthinking it but I think now she’s right.’ Steve replies. ‘I think I can tell you what’s going on’ Dustin pipes up. ‘How do you know what’s going on?’ Eddie says to Dustin. ‘One second. Dmitri? Y/N?’ Dustin says. No reply. ‘Okay they’re asleep. You see I may of overheard a conversation not meant for me. Dmitri here has got himself into a situation he doesn’t quite know how to deal with.’ Dustin starts. ‘What kind of situation?’ Steve asks confused. ‘Well a couple of weeks ago I went round to see if Y/N had The Shining since she mentioned she was going to get it. After getting it and on my way out I saw Murray and Dmitri in the kitchen talking. I couldn’t help but overhear. They weren’t exactly quiet. Anyway long story short. Dmitri loves Y/N. Has from the start. Murray warned him about Hopper cause of how he’d react. Dmitri can’t help the way he feels. He said he’d not try as interact as much. with Y/N. Keep his distance. I guess he found it difficult and lashed out’ ‘Seriously? Dmitri loves Y/N?’ Eddie asks feeling surprised. ‘Yup.’ Dustin says looking at you and Dmitri with a sad expression. ‘Well that’s great!’ Robin says excitedly and a little loud causing you to shift in your sleep. No one talks as you turn from the window to Dmitri. You lean on his shoulder making him snuggle into your head, once you’d both settled the others continue. ‘Great? How is it great?’ Steve asks still confused. ‘Don’t you remember the conversation with Y/N Dingus?’ Robin asks. Steve shakes his head. ‘Please share with the group’ Eddie says leaning forward. ‘Well Y/N me and Steve went to see you play at the Hideout a couple of months ago. She drank quite a lot. She started talking. I don’t think she realised what she’s told us. She told us that she had fallen for Dmitri pretty damn hard too. She loves him. Still does. Last week when me and her were at work Dmitri came in looking for a movie. He looked at her, Y/N smiled and waved. He just turned away, coming straight to me. Y/N was clearly upset. I never got chance to talk to her. She finished before me.’ Robin explains to the group. ‘We’ve got to do something’ Eddie says. ‘Yeah but what?’ Steve asks as he turns off to Scooter Street. ‘I think I may have an idea. They won’t be happy about it. And we’d have to explain it to everyone else. But it may just work?’ Dustin says. He explains the plan as Steve makes the drive to the beach.

You wake to the sound of rain hitting the window. You open your eyes slowly and adjust to your surroundings. You’re still in the car, pulled up into a spot hidden away. You don’t even realise you’re leaning on Dmitri till you hear his snores. You don’t move for a minute, you just enjoy this quiet moment. You enjoy Dmitri not being so horrible and rude to you. You smile. It feels nice. It feels familiar. You can smell him through your nose. This is the closest you’ve been in a long time you miss it so much. Just a moment of bliss. A moment with just you and Dmitri. Wait. It’s literally just you and Dmitri. Robin and Steve seats empty. The car was still. No engine running. You move you head causing Dmitri to wake up. You turn and see no Dustin and Eddie. ‘What the hell Y/N?’ Dmitri snaps, always in a good mood as ever. ‘Dmitri. Where is everyone?’ You ask turning to him confused. Dmitri looks around and sees the others missing too. ‘Maybe they’ve gone to the beach?’ He suggests. ‘I don’t think so. It’s chucking it down out there’ you say pointing to the outside. ‘Well let’s go find them so I do not have to be stuck here with you’ Dmitri says undoing his seatbelt and reaching for the car door. He tried to open it but no luck. ‘It’s locked.’ Dmitri says. ‘What? It can’t be!’ You say reaching for your door. Locked too. You move forward reaching for the doors at the front. Both locked. You slump back into your seat. ‘Why would they lock us in?’ Dmitri asks feeling confused. You shrug your shoulders. ‘Helpful as always Y/N’ Dmitri says rolling his eyes. ‘I don’t get you. I don’t get you at all.’ You say to Dmitri with sadness in your voice. Before he can respond you hear the walkie talkie go off. You and Dmitri look at one another. You turn and see it sticking out from Dustin’s bag. You press the button and talk into the walkie. ‘Hello?’ You hear hushed voices and someone saying to be quiet. ‘Guys this isn’t funny. Why the hell are we locked in here!’ You shout into the walkie. ‘I’m sorry Y/N. This was the only way we could think.’ You hear Robins voice answer. ‘What do you mean Robin, your making no sense?’ You answer back to her. ‘Y/N. Dmitri. We are all fed up if the bickering and awkwardness. We knew you’d never talk it over, especially you Dmitri. So we gave you the opportunity to get things off your chest.‘ she continues to explain. ‘Look. The beach is a no go so everyone went to the arcades instead. If you want to join us call when your done talking.’ Steve says with a sigh. Your about to reply when Dmitri snatches the walkie from you. ‘Very funny children. Now come and unlock the doors.’ He says angrily. ‘No man, this is your fault. Your mess to clean up. So clean it up! Over and out’ Eddie voice says ending the call. Dmitri throws the walkie down.

‘Your friends are annoying’ he says bluntly. ‘They are yeah. But there aren’t wrong’ you say turning a little voice. Dmitri turns more towards you. ‘Excuse me? How exactly are they right. Please enlighten me Y/N!’ Dmitri snarls at you throwing his arms up in the air. ‘This is why they are right!’ You say gesturing to Dmitri. ‘You. I don’t know why you are being so cold to me. After everything I’ve done for you?’ You with a biter tone. Dmitri scoffs, ‘You did nothing for me. You only did it for your father. I’m not stupid. I know having some random Russian living with you was never a part of your plan or anyone’s. So please spare me. You did nothing.’ You can’t help but feel hurt by his words. The hurt quickly turned into anger. ‘You are having a fucking laugh! I’ve done nothing? Okay let’s do this shit. At first I yeah I was wary of you. Course I would be after everything that happened with my dad, wouldn’t you?! But once I got to know you. I mean really get to know you, on a personal level. You shared your thoughts with me. Your feelings. You told me about your old life in Russia. Your regrets. You past self. What you could of done better. I was there when the nightmares occurred. I stayed up with you. I waited for you to fall asleep so you felt safe. Did anyone else do that?’ You look at him. He says nothing. ‘I was there when those pricks at the supermarket were mocking your accent. Who stood up for you? Who was there when you’d had a bad day. Who made you your favourite foods? Who held you when you cried for your son? Who hugged you so tightly to keep you from falling. Who? ME! NO ELSE. You know why it was me? The others care of course they do but, but they don’t care for you as much as I do.’ You’ve finally snapped. You couldn’t take it anymore. ‘I miss you Dmitri. For fuck sake. I love you!’ You shout to him, tears rolling down your face unable to stop them pouring.

‘You what?’ Dmitri asks leaning closer to you. ‘I love-‘ you are cut off by Dmitri lips on yours. You pull back. ‘What are you doing?!’ You say pushing him away. Dmitri leans back a little and sighs. ‘I am sorry Y/N. I, I. I should not of done that. I should not of done anything to upset you. Ever. You were right. Of course you were. You always are. Since coming here everything is not what I expected.’ Dmitri says with a sad tone. ‘What do you mean?’ You ask moving closer next to him. Dmitri sighs. ‘These last months have been the best months for a long time. Your family welcoming me as apart of their home. Your friends sharing their kindness. Your father giving me a job. Everyone has been so amazing and supportive for me.’ Dmitri takes your hands into his to hold them, you let him. ‘But no one has been quite as kind and lovely as you. I am sorry. You did not deserve me to be so unpleasant to you this last month. I thought it would be easier for me. I was wrong’ he says stroking the back of your hands with his thumbs. ‘What do you mean easier for you? How is this easy for anyone?’ You ask. ‘Y/N, do you not see it?’ Dmitri says. ‘See what?’ You reply shaking your head. Dmitri smiles at you. For the first time in a while. You can’t help but return it. ‘I love you’ he says with happiness. ‘You, you love me?’ You ask. He nods. ‘But why treat me so awful if you love me?’ You ask tears filling your eyes again, your not sure if they are happy ones or sad ones. ‘I thought it would be easier for us if I changed. I don’t think your father would be particularly happy with me loving you’ Dmitri says his smile dropping. You bring his hands closer. ‘Dmitri… my father knows how I feel about you. I’m not going to lie. I told him one night I’d been drinking with Robin and Steve. I don’t remember how I said it or what I truly said. But they next morning he sat me down and told me he knew. I was waiting for him to be mortified. I was ready for him to say no you shouldn’t love an older man. No you shouldn’t love my friend. No it wouldn’t work out. All that stuff. But he never did. He just wants me to be happy and he said he could tell I had feeling for you by the way I looked at you and how I was around you. So I guess I wasn’t as secretive as I thought I’d been.’ you say with a breathe of relief. After a minute of silence Dmitri finally speaks. ‘Your, your father was okay with it? Are you sure?’ Instead of answering you let go of Dmitri’s hands and pull him by his top, your bring him in for a kiss. You both melt into one another as it’s been a long time coming. His lips are as soft as you thought they would be, his moustache tickled you a little but you don’t mind. The kiss grows more passionate as Dmitri’s tongue enters your mouth causing you to moan. ‘I’ve been waiting for this Y/N’ Dmitri says in between breathes.

Dustin and Eddie make their way back to the car as Eddie left his wallet in the back. ‘I wonder if they talked’ Eddie says. ‘I hope so’ Dustin replies. As they reach where the car is parked Eddie stop in there tracks, he puts his arm out to stop Dustin walking. ‘Why we stopping?’ Dustin asks confused. ‘Well erm, I think they finally worked things out’ Eddie says pointing to the car. They couldn’t see in properly but the windows were fogged up and the car was moving, a fair amount. ‘Oh shit. I guess they did. Let’s not mention this to Steve?’ Dustin says as they slowly back away. ‘Let’s not mention it to anyone’ Eddie says

[grandwretch]

star trek au.

steve is sent to tarsus iv after barb holland dies in his backyard. his parents send him off to live with aunt, light-years away, hoping the colony life will calm his rebellious streak.

everything changes.

its awful, at first. steve is used to being surrounded by people, to freshers and replicators and holos. eventually, he gets used to the chores and the old fashioned tech, but he's still lonely.

robin helps. she works in his aunt's lab, too clumsy to work in the fields like steve does. after his shift is over, watering and weeding and hauling done, they'll sit under the fan in his aunt's office and recount every movie they can remember to each other.

when the fungus creeps into his aunt's field, they think its her experiments. they burn all the crops, and steve is out of a job until his aunt can run the numbers and find out what went wrong. until they can start over.

so steve starts babysitting. its way more fun than field work, even if he complains the whole time. the kids are funnier and smarter than his friends back home, and their parents are kind, the way he wished the harringtons could be. max teaches him to ride a vehicle with wheels. mike and nancy teach him to cook. dustin explains starfleet comms systems to him so many times that steve thinks he might actually be beginning to understand. he, el, and lucas go fishing every sunday. will and jonathan try to teach him how to paint the view from his house, even though it always ends in a mess and a playful, colorful fight.

but the fungus spreads. and steve has never been hungry before, but he knows its fucked that his rations are bigger than the wheelers' and the hendersons' and the sinclairs', and that theirs are bigger than the hoppers' and the byers' and the mayfields'. he doesn't know a lot about whats happening, but he knows its wrong. so he eats as little as possible, gives what can't be saved to the kid, and stores the rest. he ignores the constant pit in his stomach.

the pit grows when his aunt pulls him into her office one night, her face haggard with hunger and horror. because she just helped write a list of people who get to live through this famine, and his name is on it. so are mike and nancy, and lucas and erica, and that's it. claudia henderson made the cut, but not her son. he looks too different, costs too much. not susan mayfield, the hardest worker he's ever met, or her daughter. not joyce byers and her sons, not el hopper. not robin, who saved him.

everything changes.

his aunt must see the disgust on steve's face, because she tells him that it doesn't matter if he's on the list or not, if he fights this, he'll be dead. they all will.

steve nods, forgives her. smiles. goes to his room, pulls the bag out from under his bed. climbs out the window.

he goes to robin first, holds her while she cries. steve can't cry yet, his mind too busy spinning plans. they'll go to the wheelers' first, because they won't be watched, but steve knows there's no way that mike and nancy will go quietly if jonathan and will aren't there. then lucas and erica, if they want. then the byers, then the mayfields, then... the plan continues to spin.

joyce is already gone by the time they get there, but the boys are huddled together in their fort. he and robin don't let them look. susan isn't gone, just missing, but steve knows they're running out of time. it takes too long to convince max to leave, so by the time they make it to the hoppers', the soldiers have beat them to it.

el is covered in blood. max screams, and its only the phaser shots from the front yard, paired with jim's shotgun, that keeps them from getting caught. steve picke up el, and they run

they hide next to the fishing hole, even though all the fish are dead. its familiar, its isolated, its quiet.

they get through all of steves food in a week.

two days later, steve leaves in search of more. five hours later later, he helps eddie munson kill a man.

everything changes.