#and Lucas's shirt in season 4!!

[antisociallilbrat]

Do you know what I love? Is El's progression of outfits throughout the seasons.

In season one we mainly see her in a lab gown, Benny's big yellow shirt, and Nancy's pink dress. The theme here is none of these clothes are her own. They're all borrowed. Kinda like a physical metaphor for El having no sense of self yet. She's wearing costumes of people. 11, El, and Eleanor.

In season two we see her when she's at the cabin in neutral/brown colors. Kinda showing how she's mourning her disconnect from the friends she had just made and Mike. (Group him however you want). Then after she meets Kali she's in her 'bitchin' outfit. Again, this is just another costume that someone had given her, she still has yet to find her sense of self.

Then in season three, we see the neutral colors continue until she goes to Max- who is the first person to ask El who she wants to be. She shows her all these different styles and choices El can make, opening her eyes to who or what she can be. This is where we get that burst of color. With all these options it's so exciting to pick and like the outfits, learning who she can be was just so colorful. At the end of the season, we return to the neutral plaid, and like in season two this shows she's in mourning, for Hopper this time.

Then we have season four. While the colors are still there they have been toned down. Two reasons for this I believe, firstly She's started to figure out who she is and secondly, and more importantly she's still in mourning. For Hopper, because of the distance between her and her friends (again group Mike however you want). While she's mourning though it's not all sad. She's made her a new little family and we saw how strong those bonds are, which also feeds into the little color we see in her outfits as well.

[stevie-petey]

stug stug stug pleaseee i would LOVE to see something where bug is comforting steve maybe he had a fight w his dad or j in general. i’m so excited for season 4! but obvi take your time j know that we’re all very excited bc we just know that you will blow us away with your writing!!

really missin happy steve and bug so im writin this <33

enjoy !

"i dont think it looks that bad."

"youre a terrible liar, y/n."

"im not lying!" but the way your voice pitches gives it all away, and steve knows it.

"im ruined." he drops his head into your lap, burying his face in the flesh of your thigh. partially because hes mourning the loss of his hair, but mostly because he adores your thighs and revels in them whenever he can.

steve is in mourning. he can be as selfish as he wants when it comes to your thighs. its his god given right as your boyfriend.

knowing what hes doing, you shove steves face away from your thighs, though not unkindly. youre still shy around him, his touch against your bare skin foreign after only a month of dating. steve is gentle and patient with you, he understands that youve never really been in a relationship before, so he takes his time with you.

secretly, you adore how gentle he is. how cautiously he skims his fingers over your waist or how softly he breathes against your neck. it makes everything easier, lighter, for you. to be loved so tenderly without any falsehood behind it.

lost in your honey warmth of love for steve, your fingers tangle through his hair. that is, whats left of it. steves chest faces you, the hem of his shirt has lifted slightly during his complaining. soft skin spills out from underneath, revealing a plush tummy. with a mind of their own, your eyes draw down the lines of his abdomen. a low hum stirs in your own stomach.

"are you seriously checking me out right now?" steve taps your nose with his finger, snapping you out of your daze. "i mean, here i am, the love of your life, mourning the loss of beautiful hair that was taken from us too soon, and youre drooling over me."

you flick his forehead, he scrunches his face, and its familiar and lovely. "i wasnt drooling, i just wasnt listening to your dramatic despair."

steve gasps, hand over his chest. "my hair was murdered!"

"honey, only like, two inches were cut off."

well, more like three, but you wont tell him that.

somehow one of the kids, almost certainly mike, left their chewed up gum on the counter top of family video when they visited earlier today. they came in like a storm, turning the place upside down before you, robin, or steve could even stop them. apparently dustin had wanted a new movie, will was bored, lucas wanted max to go outside, and el forced mike to join because shes never seen a movie store before.

the wreckage they left behind for such simple reasons for even entering the store in the first place had astounded you.

then, because steve is always perpetually suffering the consequences of the partys actions the most, had dropped his head down onto the counter top in exhaustion as soon as they left.

right in the same spot the gum had been left.

never before have you ever seen steve crumble to the floor quite so suddenly. it was comical, really. the way he shrieked in horror while you and robin watched, neither having any idea what had just happened.

which leads you to now: consoling steve as you comb through his newly cut hair.

"what, are you implying two inches isnt a huge amount of length?" steve raises an eyebrow at you, teasing, and you blush furiously. sparing you, he doesnt point it out and instead changes the topic. "i hate those little heathens, i really do."

"how do we know one of them is the gum culprit?"

"because theyre cursed little shitheads who always mar my appearance one way or another." then, as an afterthought, steve adds, "plus that wheeler kid has a weird obsession with watermelon gum."

again you try to defend the kids, even though you know it was most definitely mike. sure, he shouldnt have left his gum on the counter, but it was funny. "and how do we know it was watermelon gum?"

"i could smell it when robin was cutting all my hair off, angel."

"and yet youre as handsome as ever!" you press a purposely messy kiss atop of steves head, blowing slightly into his face and making a dramatic kissing sound when you pull away. anything to distract him from realizing it was all mikes fault.

gotta protect the little shithead somehow.

steve shrieks, reminiscent of the shriek from earlier, and shoves you away as he wipes at his face. "ew!"

"how dare you wipe my kiss away, steve harrington."

"you spit on me!"

"lovingly."

steve rolls onto his stomach and throws himself onto you. now its your turn to shriek as he throws his weight on top of you, tackling you onto his bed. luckily his parents arent home, otherwise theyd have some very horrified questions.

"steve!" you land with a soft thud on his pillows, and he smiles up from above you. hes all proud, his cheeks flushed a pretty pink, and his eyes shine with adoration for you.

hes beautiful. you cant believe hes yours.

"youre supposed to be comforting me, angel!" steve presses himself down even more, rendering you unable to move and wiggle away from him. you squeal when his hands find your sides, fingers digging into your skin as he tickles you. "i mean, im wounded here!"

you squeal with laughter as his hands attack you, mercilessly, yet gentle nonetheless. "s-steve! stop!"

"not until you apologize to my hair."

"your hair?" more laughter rips from your chest, ribs aching.

"mhm, tell my hair that its still handsome. his feelings are hurt." steve buries his nose into your neck, causing you to giggle even more, and the sound encases his body and reminds him of everything good and lovely.

you try to pull away, but steve has you pinned. "youre-ah! youre such an-an idiot!"

"that doesnt sound like an apology, y/n."

finally giving up, you force out an apology in between breaths of laughter. "i-im sorry! your-your hair is handsome!"

steves fingers leave your sides, but he pulls you deep into his chest and collapses upon you. he nuzzles into your neck, wraps his hands around you, tries to meld the two of you into one. "much better," he mumbles into your skin.

"your hair really is handsome, you know." you draw circles into steves back, breath slowly returning to normal. fingers finding his hair once more, you play with the strands and massage his head with your nails. "youre handsome. two inches lost or not.”

"really?" steve lifts his face, looks down at you, preening at your words with an unusual shyness.

you bring your hands to his face, holding it with all the love you have for him. "the handsomest."

lips find lips, and soon the two of you get lost in each other as you inevitably always do.

[trevuorzegras]

━╋ BETTING, PART THREE

summary: in which y/n y/l/n falls for the wrong guy, who turns out to have just bet on her. 3/4

mark estapa makes a bet that y/n will fall for him, for a great price of $100 from his friend, adam fantilli.

stranger to lover to enemies to lovers.

pairings: mark estapa x fem!reader

prev part

next part

her.

Y/N found her talking to a few people from the cheer team that she recognized. She was never much of a talker, the pressure of skating taking up most of her time. Tonight she decided to change that by putting herself out there. Well to someone who wasn’t Dylan. Before Y/N, and Dylan had become friends, the girl never really had time for friends. Skating was the only thing the girl thought about, and nowadays her mind seems to be thinking about anything but. Maybe it was because she knew she’d be out the rest of the season, she didn’t know.

Y/N’s thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of Dylan calling her name. She turned her head, and met his gaze. A smile overtook her features as soon as their eyes met. Dylan’s face softened as he gained the girl’s attention, “You ready?” Y/N nodding, a little too quickly, causing the boy in front of her to let out a low chuckle.

Dylan found his friends rather quickly telling them he was ready to go. A few decided to stay for a while, but a few decided to accompany Dylan, and Y/N. Y/N followed Dylan to the front of the house Mark, Rutger, Adam, Luca, and Ethan not too far behind her. She glanced back occasionally to make sure they were still following her, not wanting to lose Dylan’s friends.

Once the group finally reached the front yard, Dylan spoke once more, “We live like half a mile that way, you good with walking, Sunny?” Y/N eyes followed where Dylan had pointed to their left, before she shrugged, “Sure, i don’t have anything to sleep in though.”

It wasn’t uncommon for Y/N to stay at the hockey house with Dylan, however when she did no one was ever home. She never cared for meeting knew people, and Dylan respected that, so he made sure the guys were out the house when Y/N stayed. She was grateful he didn’t force her to meet the team, the two had some sort of silent agreement about it.

Dylan thinks for a moment, before Mark speaks up, “I think i have a pair of sweatpants that’ll fit you.” Y/N turned towards the taller boy, and unreadable expression on her face. “You sure?” Mark shrugged, “Doesn’t matter to me. I can’t lend you a shirt, can’t guarantee it’ll fit ‘ya though.” Y/N chuckled softly, before nodding. Dylan looked towards Mark with a look of confusion. However he is quick to put a smile on his face, as Y/N looks at him.

It didn’t take long before the group made it back to the hockey house. Mark’s first in the house, making his way to his room to retrieve the sweatpants, and t-shirt. Y/N accepts them grateful, muttering a quick thank you to the Estapa boy.

Y/N changes into the oversized clothing, rolling the sweatpants over a few times to keep them around her waist. She makes no complaints as she makes her way back downstairs.

When she finally reaches the first floor, Dylan is waiting on her, a pair of sweatpants hung on his waist as well, “You tired?” The girl nods, to which Dylan says his farewells to his friends, before turning back towards Y/N. “Come on, Sunny. Let go to sleep.” The girl was quick to follow him upstairs, waving slightly to the boys in the living room.

Over the next few months, Y/N had gotten a lot closer to the guys of the hockey team. More specifically Y/N had gotten closer to Mark Estapa. The two had even hung out without everyone else.

Dylan was well aware of what was going on. He knew it was wrong to allow Mark to do that to Y/N, but he knew deep down he had no choice. Y/N was her own person, and had the right to make her own decisions. Dylan had accepted that he wouldn’t be able to tell Y/N about what Mark had planned, because ultimately he didn’t even know if Mark accept the bet from Adam.

Y/N, and Mark continued to get closer as the days went by, and eventually he asked her on a date. She agreed rather quickly, as she had grown very fond of the older boy.

The date went extremely well for the two of them, and they both agreed to go on another. To which they did. And another. As of now, Y/N wasn’t sure how she was feeling. On one hand, she wants something with Mark, on the other hand what happens when she starts skating again? She wouldn’t have time for a boyfriend when she’s skating again.

Her coach had always advised her to not get into a relationship. It was a distraction. That’s what she was always told. It was nailed into her head, but she wanted this so bad. So she went to Dylan.

“Just wait it out, Sunny. If i know anything about Mark, he’ll tell you if he’s interested.”

So that’s what she did. She took Dylan’s word for it. However she didn’t see much progress in whatever was going on with them, until the end of school began rolling around.

Mark had pulled her aside during a group hang out, and had invited her to spend the summer at the famous ‘Hughes Lake House.’ She agreed to join the group, despite her being extremely nervous to meet more of Dylan’s friends.

The school year came, and went. Y/N shipped all the clothing that she wouldn’t need back to Florida with her mom, explaining that she’d return before the summers end to spend time with her, and retrieve her clothes for the next school year.

The group had previously planned to return to their homes, before making their way to the lake house in a week or two, but eventually decided it’d be easier to go straight to the lake house.

So that’s where Y/N found herself. Squished between the two hockey players that were Mark, and Dylan. To say she was nervous was an understatement. It had taken her a while to even make friends with the team, and now she was expected to meet even more people.

Dylan, and Mark reassured her the entire drive to the lake house, but it didn’t help her nerves much. Eventually the group made it to the famous Hughes Lake house. Y/N had heard so many stories about this place, however she never saw herself being there.

Y/N was introduced to the group quickly, and just as quickly they welcomed the girl with open arms. Even with the reassurance of Mark, and Dylan she was still extremely skeptical. She stayed attached to Dylan’s side, not wanting to bother Mark anymore than she already had.

Dylan hadn’t really minded Y/N clinging to his side, he had missed his friend being his friend. As much as Dylan loved his friends, and teammates a lot of their friendgroups seemed to blend into one another. The group hardly had friends of their own, that they didn’t share with the rest of the team.

He hadn’t minded Y/N becoming friends with everyone, because at the end of the day he introduced them. However it was nice when Dylan did get to see Y/N on their own.

As Y/N clung to Dylan’s side, he had a soft smile planted on his face, occasionally checking up on the girl. She had promised she was okay, giving the boy a reassuring smile.

As time at the lake house had passed, Y/N found herself getting more comfortable around the people that littered the house. She even found herself chatting with a few of them more often than not.

The younger girl, only being Twenty years old, found herself drawn to the eldest Hughes brother. Y/N grew up as an only child, and rarely had anyone in her life to fill the roll of an older sibling. Dylan Duke had been one of the only people who’d she consider a brother.

Then when she arrived at the lake house, Quinn could instantly read her nervous expression. He didn’t immediately speak to the girl, however about three days after her initial arrival, he spoke to her.

“You okay?” Y/N had woken up before anyone else, deciding to go out onto the dock, and enjoy the sunrise. At the voice she glanced up to find the Eldest Hughes brother stood in basketball shorts, and a Canucks hoodie.

The girl nods, clearing her throat, not really expecting anyone else to be awake at this hour. “Yeah i’m good, how are you?”

Quinn takes a seat beside her, far enough back to not get his feet in the water, but close enough that he could read the her expression. “I’m good. Whatchu doing up so early?”

Eventually the two of them fell into a natural rhythm of conversation. Y/N speaking her mind about being nervous around so many new people, and Quinn expressing he use to be the same way. The two bonded over their mutual feelings about social interactions.

The two sat on the dock of the lake house for two hours just talking about whatever came to mind, before the two realized just how long they had been outside. Quinn was the first to point it out, resulting in the two of them walking back to the house.

Since then, Y/N has learned that Quinn will be there for her when she needs someone to lean on, despite not knowing him more than a few days. Quinn also realized that he has someone who has very similar traits as him, that he can now lean on.

him.

Time flew by faster than Y/N had ever expected it to. Before the she knew it, it was the day before she was supposed to leave to return to Florida. She was sad having to leave such a beautiful place, but she did miss her mom.

Everyone knew they wanted to make the most out of the last full day that they had at the lake house, so when Jack suggested a boat day, everyone was in.

As Y/N was in the kitchen finishing up getting the cooler ready, Mark walked in with his towel in hand, “You ready, Sunny?”

She turned around at the use of her nickname, smiling as she makes eye contact with Mark, “No, i still need to get a few waters. You can go ahead, and head down to the dock i’ll be there in just a minute.”

Mark nodded as Y/N turned back around to finish packing the cooler. He made his way down to the dock, where everyone had already started loading the boat.

“When are you going to tell her, Stop Sign?”

Mark turns towards the voice, and he’s met with the younger Fantilli brother, causing him to let out a low grown. Quinn looks at the two of them from his spot on the boat confused, “Tell who what?”

Adam clears his throat, looking towards Mark, who just shrugs it off, “Nothing.”

Quinn glares at Mark, his eyes narrowing at the dirty blonde. He goes to turn back to what he was doing, when Adam decided to speak up, “Mark, and i have a bet going.”

The words ‘bet’ peak Quinn’s interest, as well as a few others who were just stood around, “And what’s that?”

“I bet Mark a hundred bucks that he couldn’t make Y/N fall for him, and from what i seen, i’m about to be out of a hundred bu-” Adam’s words are cut off by a shove from Ethan, who’s stood next to him. He gives his teammate a confused look, causing Ethan to point behind Mark.

Mark turns around, his eyes meeting Y/N’s that have now began filling up with tears. Mark’s face drops as he’s met with the gut wrenching sight of her face filled with tears.

Quinn hurries off the boat, and rushes towards Y/N just as she takes off back towards the house. Mark goes to call out for her, but is quickly cut off by Dylan who follows after Quinn, “Don’t.”

her.

As Y/N makes it inside, she immediately goes to her, and Mark’s shared bedroom. She hears Quinn call her name, as she begins packing up her belongings. The door is opened, and in walks Quinn, and Dylan. The two stare at the girl with saddened expressions on their faces, “Oh Sunshine..”

Y/N looks over towards Dylan as he spoke softly to the girl. She shook her head, wiping her nose, “I’m going home.”

Quinn walks closer to her bringing his hand to her cheek to wipe the tear that had escaped, “If that’s what you want.”

next part

check out my college hockey masterlist, here!

im back! actually motivated to write, so i’ll be getting as much done as i can, before the writing slump begins again (not proof read, sorry for any mistakes!)

taglist | @wnderify @bunbunbl0gs

[love-byers]

Season 1, Episode 2. The Weirdo on Maple Street

Dustin: I think we should tell your mom.

Lucas: I second that.

Mike: Who's crazy now?!

Lucas: How is that crazy?

Mike: Cause, we weren't supposed to be out tonight, remember?

Lucas: So?

Mike: So, if I tell my mom and she tells your mom and your mom...

Dustin: Oh man...

Lucas: Our houses become Alcatraz.

Mike: Exactly. And we'll never find Will.

Mike: Alright, here's the plan. She sleeps here tonight.

Dustin: You're letting a girl--?!

Mike: Just listen. In the morning, she sneaks around my house, goes to the front door and rings my doorbell. My mom will answer and know exactly what to do. She'll send her back to Pennhurst or whoever she comes from. We'll be totally in the clear. And tomorrow night, we go back out. And this time, we find Will.

Season 4, Episode 9 The Piggyback

Mike: I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods, and you were wearing that yellow benny burgers t-shirt, and it was so big it almost swallowed you whole. I knew right then and there in that moment that I loved you. And I have loved you every day since.

mike fell in love with el the moment he saw her, but was planning how to get rid of her maybe an hour after finding her??

making the perfect plan of how to get rid of her so that he wouldn't get in trouble and could go out looking for will again??

mike is a LIAR. A BIG FAT LIAR.

HE'S LITERALLY CONTRADING THE SECOND EPISODE OF THE FIRST SEASON BRO

LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE

and for the mlvn stans that defend this by saying he didn't know he was in love with her yet or hadn't fallen for her yet, you're admitting that he lied to her in his monologue. because HE HIMSELF says he knew right then and there in that moment that he loved her, and his feelings haven't wavered since.

he. is. a. LIAR.

[luckybyler]

My observations on the VR game re: Byler, including a couple of things I haven’t seen mentioned yet

I just saw part of a game walk through on YouTube (I can’t afford VR), and hoo boy!

1. The Mike that says El is so amazing and Will wouldn’t get it isn’t the real Mike, it’s the Mike that Vecna shows Will to terrorize him: In Chapter 3, Vecna possesses Will. Will resorts to a happy memory (Mike and him in Castle Byers), where Mike gives him a a ViewMaster. Will starts playing it, but Vecna makes every memory awful, full of spiders and particles. He distorts scenes, showing things like everyone ditching Will after calling him weird and other things that blatantly didn’t happen. Then he tells him he’ll show him suffering and shows that scene where Mike talks about El while particles fall down.

2. Will is confirmed to be a human being with wants and needs of his own: During that scene, Vecna goads him to tell Mike how he feels, and that he doesn’t want to meet El at all. At this point Will and El hadn’t met in the real world, and Will didn’t wish harm on her or anything, he just didn’t want her to be there, which is a normal and natural thing to feel about your crush’s hypothetical crush.

3. Vecna’s full of shit: In chapter four, Vecna tries to possess the four boys from the Party, and fails. He tells Dustin he puts double the effort into the friendship than the other three boys do, but Dustin turns him off with the TV remote (is Dustin’s happy memory watching tv?). Then he basically tells Lucas “you’re black and people judge you for it”, but he’s in a memory of a movie date with Max (at a drive-in theatre somehow) watching happy memories of the Party. Lucas does see the monster (so it somewhat hits?), but Max says it can’t do anything and they easily shut Vecna down. He also taunts Mike by telling him he’ll never see the most awesome person he’s ever met (El) and it’s his fault because he didn’t try hard enough, but he’s in the middle of a DnD battle with the boys and doesn’t even pay attention. A couple of dice bring Vecna down no problem.

4. Mike lovingly tends to Will’s nosebleed: Vecna does almost succeed in possessing Will, but he’s with the boys playing DnD, and Mike soon realizes Will’s nose is bleeding. He takes Nancy’s shirt and uses it to clean the blood/attempt to stop the bleeding, and admonishes Lucas and Dustin for not going to get a towel. Notice that in season 1 the boys saw El have nosebleeds and Mike was never as precious about it, unless she passed out of something and then they all helped. Lucas and Dustin are even heard in the background pointing out that nobody dies from a nosebleed. There’s a funny moment when Vecna tells Will he will always be alone right as Mike sweetly asks him if he’s ok while holding his face.

5. Brenner is training Vecna (???) and points out that he’s full of shit: I don’t know if this means anything for the show’s canon, but it’s interesting. Before Vecna tries to possess the boys, Brenner points out that they’re too young and untroubled, and afterwards he makes fun of Vecna for losing against children, again.

6. Will isn’t the weakest link, he’s the link Vecna knows best: Brenner points out to Vecna that the reason he could possess Will easier is because he already knew him (from the Upside Down) and knows the nature of his fear. When Vecna tries to possess Will, he does tell him to help him find out about Lucas’, Dustin’s and Mike’s fears, and actually asks him “what is Mike afraid of?”, indicating that he knows jack shit about them. Which leads us to:

WHERE THE LEDE IS BURIED:

7. LOSING EL ISN’T MIKE’S BIGGEST FEAR. OR SOURCE OF GUILT.

It might be a fear or regret of Mike, but it’s not THE fear.

Turns out Vecna was attacking Lucas, Dustin and Mike based on superficial knowledge, suppositions and stereotypes (Dustin’s the newest of the group, Lucas is black, Mike met El), not an actual, deep knowledge of their minds. Yes, good memories helped them keep Vecna at bay. Yes, those things Vecna told them might bother them. No, those aren’t the things that are at the core of their fear and guilt, or the right angle to drive them to either the dark side or suicide if pushed about them enough.

P.S.: At some point (that I haven’t seen yet, Max tells El that she doesn’t need to be a superhero all the time, that she’s more than fine as Jane, her friend. I think this might be literal, as in, superpowers are not the key to defeating Vecna. This is a psychological thriller disguised as supernatural horror, therefore the weapons to defeat him might be more psychological.

TL; DR: Vecna will be defeated with the power of Cognitive Behavioral TherapyLove and Friendship.

[steviewashere]

Balls in Laundry Baskets: An Apology

Rating: Teen and Up CW: Bitchy/Mean Steve Harrington, Mean Eddie Munson (Both Briefly and For Good Reason) Tags: Post Season 4, Post Canon, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arguing, Steve Harrington & Lucas Sinclair Friendship, Eddie Munson Gets Put in His Place, Lucas Sinclair is a Sweetheart, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Protective Steve Harrington, Emotionally Hurt Lucas Sinclair, Emotionally Hurt Steve Harrington, Established Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson Means Well He's Just Defensive, Hurt People Hurt Others

This is chapter one, which also includes the first two pages that I already posted. Please keep your expectations low, as I'm still working on the second and final chapter.

Read on AO3

Read Chapter Two Read Chapter Three (Final)

🏀—————🏀 “So, you and Eddie, huh?”

Steve startles at the sound of a voice, deep and hushed, from where he’s been waiting in Hawkins High’s parking lot. Hellfire was supposed to be out by now—6:50pm if his watch is correct—it’s their first time back since March and it would be cordial. But it seems that only Lucas got that memo.

“Jesus Christ, Sinclair!” He yelps. Holds his right palm flat against his chest, trying his best to rescind the spike of panic that is crawling through him. “I thought I told you to quit doing that,” he harshly whispers, rubbing his palm against his shirt. The scratchy material of his polo a balm against his nerves.

“Sorry,” Lucas sheepishly murmurs. Speaking at a normal volume, he asks again, “So, you and Eddie?”

He rolls his eyes. “What about me and Eddie? Can’t I just hang out with the guy without being pestered?”

Lucas shrugs. “You can do whatever you want,” he states, but Steve can already tell there’s somehow more. “But I didn’t think you two would be…buddies. Considering how he feels about, y’know, sports and whatever.”

For a moment, Steve considers Lucas’s approach. His fidgeting hands and his slightly closed off eyes. The hunch to his shoulders and the general unease that accompanies talking about Eddie. Which, that’s particularly odd. Aren’t they buddies, Steve questions himself. Wrapped up in the Hellfire club, their mutual interest in Dungeons & Dragons, the ragtag group of nerds that they are—all of that is perfect for their oddball friendship, at least Steve thought so.

“What’s wrong with you and Eddie?” Steve asks, beating around the bush. He doesn’t do cryptic. And he especially doesn’t do it with somebody like Lucas, a kid already smarter than him by several margins.

There isn’t an answer right away. But Lucas’s shoulders drop. His eyes go from frustrated to…sad. “Remember my championship game?” He asks, though it seems a bit much of a topic change. What does this have to do with Eddie, Steve has to wonder.

“Well, yeah,” he answers instead, “I was there. Had a pathetic date with a girl I hardly enjoyed being around. Mocked Tammy Thompson with Robin. Watched you get that winning shot. It was a, genuinely, awesome championship game.” And that’s the truth. It’s the best one he’s ever witnessed. Which is saying something, considering he’d played several championship games. All of them, though, were major losses. He’ll take those to the grave with him, with how often his previous basketball teams teased him.

Lucas gives a harsh single nod, a small smile that whisks away as soon as it appears. “Right,” he mutters, “I remember.” He leans against the Beemer’s bumper, shoulder brushing with Steve’s. Looks forlorn towards the high school’s doors, where Eddie and the rest of the Hellfire bunch should be spilling out any moment now. Steve looks on with him. Listens as Lucas’s voice drops low, nearly angry, fully spiteful, “I begged Dustin and Mike to talk to Eddie about my game. To see if the Hellfire campaign—which would be happening the same night—could be moved. And I, look, I understand that D&D means a lot to all of them, it means something to me, too. But I was really hoping to see my friends there. If not my friends, then at least Erica.

“They didn’t move the campaign,” he states so bitter, Steve tastes the words on his own tongue, “apparently a game where you’re shooting ‘balls into laundry baskets’ is too…mainstream and norm-ie for Eddie. He refused to move his precious game. Then, get this, instead of getting some random kid to play, they egged Erica in.” Lucas drags his eyes away from the school, head turning slow to look at Steve. He follows suit, eyeing Lucas back. His stomach churns with the vitriol painting itself unsubtly across Lucas’s face. “Color me surprised, I guess, that he’s going out with a jock,” he states, voice carefully blank of anything.

Steve stares on at him. He didn’t know this was the case at all. Remembers getting the phone call about Dustin wanting him to play, but he figured that had something to do with him bugging Steve for the millionth time. Because that was something Dustin wanted. For Steve to play. And, granted, Steve refused because it was too nerdy—unimportant and embarrassing. Yet, now he’s looking into Lucas’s face. Where hurt etches itself like solid lines of chiseled marble. Being told, instead, that Eddie’s holding his own bias.

Maybe he hasn’t removed his biases towards high school nerds, not completely. But he’s coming undone from that mentality. Considering Nancy and Robin and Eddie—Dustin and Mike and Lucas—even Max, they’re all big nerds. They all have some sort of interest with Dungeons & Dragons or theater or video games and math. And he loves them all. Though, Steve’s never stopped to think about the opposite side of the coin. Tail-side, where balls in laundry baskets is considered taboo.

After a deep silence when Steve finally digests this information, his eyebrows furrow on their own accord. Mouth downturning into a harsh frown, one that he feels to the bottoms of his feet. He stops himself in time from balling his hands into fists, but the urge to do so snarls in him like a newly unmuzzled, wild dog. A dog, he thought, that he trained obedient away from his anger. But it seems like once the teeth are bared, they never truly hide away.

“That ass,” Steve snarks. “What—so I have to reconsider all my biases surrounding nerds, reconstruct how I view everybody around me, and realize how awesome it is. And—what—Eddie can just get away with that…bullshit? That’s…What the hell?” There’s a little bit more of a bite to his words than he had anticipated. But it really isn’t fair. The table turns and he’s better for it, sure, but Eddie just…That’s not fair. The dog growls louder, drool burbling in its chops, a bark forming in the back of its throat.

“That’s what I thought,” Lucas says, “and I know, I know, that Dustin and Mike tried everything in their power. And that Eddie was the one to, y’know, be the asshole. But I thought that maybe my friends would be on my side. That they’d skip the game, show Eddie up. Not get my little sister involved or have fun without me or…I don’t know.” And the way he says those last three words stings something acidic inside of Steve. Corrosion and battery acid hot and alive in his stomach. Anger reaching the surface of his skin, words crawling and resonating in his mouth. 

The doors to the school open distantly and Lucas suddenly perks back up, blossoming from where he was wilted against Steve’s car. “Doesn’t matter,” he chirps, though it’s all fake, “at least I can play with them now, which is awesome.”

But before he can stride away, to where his bike is parked and locked up, Steve snakes a hand onto Lucas’s wrist. They lock eyes again. “I’ll talk to him,” Steve swears, “he’ll apologize.”

“Steve, you don’t—“

“You used sports as a means to fit in, right? Granted, popularity’s not all that cool and you know that especially now. But it was a…a—“ He snaps his fingers, searching for the word. “—A cover, something to find security in. And you had that. And that’s what the D&D game is to Eddie. Sports is my D&D, too.” He loosens his grip on Lucas’s arm. Neither make any sort of move. “Just because you were trying to find your people doesn’t mean you can be…” He chooses his next words carefully. “Ostracized or outcast by those who you found safety with before. Especially when those guys orbit around each other for the same reason. I’ll talk to him,” he urges, “and he will apologize, or else.”

Lucas gives him a softened look. “Thanks, Steve,” he mutters, “I wasn’t looking to start anything, but I appreciate you having my back. It really means a lot.” And then he shuffles away, towards his bicycle, small chat starting up with Mike and Dustin.

When Steve turns back towards the school, Eddie is sauntering towards him. Eyes wide. Smile big and easy. Yet, his soft features are all too nauseating to Steve’s chest right now. His heart aches. If Eddie thinks of Lucas’s interests that way, what does he think of mine?

He tamps down his annoyance and anger. Because Eddie takes his hand and is looking at him as if the world belongs to the two of them. But that hurt on Lucas’s face is like a dagger impaled in his brain when Eddie greets nice and low, “Hi, baby. Been thinking about you the entire time I was in there.”

Steve smiles, though it may come off as more of a grimace with how Eddie falters. “Been thinking about you, too,” he echoes. Though, thinking positively isn’t what he’s been doing, as far as anybody’s concerned. Beat around the bush, he tells himself. He takes a steadying breath, posture straightening, demeanor changing. Says with a sour tone, “I, uh, I think we need to have a little talk in the car, if that’s okay? It’s not a breakup thing, but it might make you…somebody might get mad and I don’t want to cage you in at my house.”

“Oh,” Eddie breathes. His eyes go distant very briefly. When he refocuses on Steve, something has hardened in his features. Steve’s throat goes tight. “It can’t wait until after our date night?” There’s a low amount of ire in his words already and Steve is momentarily caught in it. Until he lets his eyebrows scrunch down his face again, giving in to that tightness in his throat.

He sighs, annoyed already. “No, Eddie,” he bites without meaning to. “I need to talk to you now. I’m already upset about it and it’s not going to do me any good to just brush it off.” His hand releases from Eddie’s grip, falling heavy against his side. He turns towards his driver’s side door and stares back at where Eddie is rooted. “Come on,” he states lowly, “you were the one to tell me to talk about the shit that’s bothering me. Can’t ignore it just because it has to do with you.”

Bitchy is probably not the best approach to all of this, but Steve is already cornered out of options. He pulls his door open with more force than necessary. Slides into his seat, key into the ignition, and honks once at Eddie. Jarringly gestures at the passenger seat. Thankfully, there’s nobody else to witness the potential torrential fire that’s brewing in him. It’ll be just the two of them; though that realization stirs something sickly in Steve’s stomach.

Eddie gets in silently. Places his school bag in the footwell. And keeps his face pointed out the windshield. “What’s wrong?” He asks, though his voice is devoid and edging on irritated.

Steve rolls his eyes, though Eddie can’t see him. He sets his hands firmly on his steering wheel. Squeezes the leather for comfort, an instinct. And heaves a sigh, urging himself to be calmer about this. “I had a talk with Lucas,” he starts. “About, uh, about his championship game back in March.”

Next to him, Eddie immediately tenses.

He continues without acknowledgement. Keeps himself as leveled as possible. “He told me that you refused to move your game for his. That he was looking forward to having his friends, which I’m assuming includes you, watch him play. And I—I know how important that championship game was to him. Y’know, it’s one of the bigger—“

“Are you mad because I didn’t want to sit at some jock event?” Eddie interrupts, question clipped. Though there’s also mild amusement in his tone, as if Steve being upset is poposterous. He continues without any regard for Steve. “In a room full of, mind you, people who hate me?”

Steve tenses more than Eddie had. His shoulders hiking and his stomach knotting impossibly more. Finally lets the dog bark, gives in to whatever it wants. “You know what, Eddie?” He bitches back. “I am mad at you. In fact, I…I…I’m so fucking angry that you…you make this whole deal about ‘lost sheep’ and herding them in to play your game. You concern yourself with making a community for people who are lost to the crowd of cliques in that school. And it’s just—Lucas is one of those kids! He is, even if that means he wants to play basketball!”

The passenger seat squeaks. Clothes rustling as Eddie turns toward him. But Steve doesn’t rip his eyes from the windshield. If anything, he leans more towards the left, creating a deeper, larger space between them. His hands instinctively tighten on the steering wheel again.

“Yeah, I do pride myself on that,” Eddie spits. “I do. Which is why, honestly, it irks me that Lucas would pick a crowd full of assholes. A bunch of people who would never give him the time of day.”

Steve goes rigid at that. He was an asshole, too. He knows that. Eddie especially knows that. The Munson Doctrine wouldn’t exist without the inclusion of asshole jocks, Steve being near the top of the list. He tries to tell himself that Eddie doesn’t think of him that way, but it’s hard considering himself. Who he used to be. Instead, he takes another breath, this one longer and hopefully more steadying than the other ones have been.

“He went out for basketball for a sense of security,” Steve states slowly, verging on impatient. “To find somewhere to belong to. That’s all a freshman looks for—a group to be somebody with. And, you know, considering that he’s already sort of singled out for being one of a few black kids at the school…Belonging is kind of important to him.” He settles back into his seat, arms still stretched to their full length in front of him. His stomach is turning and his heart is racing. And why won’t Eddie just get this? “Even if the basketball team has a bunch of assholes, he still wanted to do it. He was celebrated for his skills, who he is—even if it was for a moment. Playing was, and probably still is, important to him. And you—“ Steve finally turns his head towards Eddie. Knows his eyes are shooting daggers, can see where they lodge themselves between Eddie’s ribs. He raises a finger and accuses, “—you made his game feel unimportant. None of his best friends came because they were toopreoccupied with your game.” His face grows unusually hot as his voice drags passionately. The words just tumbling, splattering between them. But he carries on like a fire fed, “They even got his little sister to play yourgame. And, you know what really hurt to hear? Lucas wanted at least Erica to watch. And she wasn’t there. She wasn’t there because of your game, Eddie. How do you think that looks to him?”

Eddie has the audacity to look cowed, appalled. His mouth agape and his eyes as two large craters on his face. And for the first time, probably ever, he is stunned into silence.

Steve looks away. Bitter. All that festers in him now is hurt, ache, sadness. He chews on his lip, inhales softly through his nose, and opens his mouth with a silent word. Finally, he murmurs, “When I came to the high school as a freshman, I did the exact same thing as Lucas did. I joined the basketball team. Not because I was good. Or because my dad forced me to, like everybody seems to think. It’s because I wanted to fit in.”

His eyes are stinging. Cheeks flushing even more with overwhelming, consuming emotion. Continues, “And, though I let the feeling eat away at me, it felt good to be protected by a camaraderie like that. Outside of the nerdy friend group I had in middle school, going into high school. It felt good. And—It’s not the same as why Lucas joined, I know that, but I can understand.

“On top of that, I never had friends or family members show up for me at my games. So, for me to know the hurt Lucas feels, that would be an understatement. What’s important to note, though, is that he had people in his life to be there for him and they didn’t show. They didn’t.”

The fight is draining out of him, but he has to solidify his point. Has to finish this or else. Thinks briefly that maybe he should quit while he’s ahead, but he can’t make himself do that. The ferocity engulfing him from the inside out all too much to ignore. He’s been beaten down before for Lucas, literally—oh so literally—but he’d do it again and again and again for that kid to find his footing. Including this…spat? One sided argument? This argument with his boyfriend. 

“Even I was there,” he says, hollowly, “cheering him on. It just would’ve been nice, for him, to have more than just some washed up, ex-jock, nobody be there. Right? I’m sure you get where I’m coming from. You can understand what I’m saying.” He glances forlorn out his window. Can’t even muster the courage to look over at Eddie. He’s basically drained himself. Being vulnerable isn’t his forte, but he can be for the people around him. Even if it’s at the expense of his own well being. “Well, I thought you’d understand. Wanting to have a community, people to lean on, to make something of yourself. No matter the means. I just didn’t think you’d be part of the reason that Lucas feels so…so singular.”

He takes a deep breath, ignoring how nasally it is to his ears. And mutters, a final thing, “I didn’t think you viewed something that Lucas and I are into as so…nothing. I try my best to be better about what you like, but it seems that you don’t make that same effort. That’s not fair, Eddie. You should know that.”

Without much else to say and with Eddie’s eerie silence, he starts the car. Puts it into drive. And peels away into the silence of the long and stretching road.

Briefly, he thinks about turning on the radio or cranking down the window, but the air is too thick to move through. Even the slight turns of his steering wheel is enough to make him feel sick. He’s sick with how disgustingly to-the-point he had to be. Though, there’s no other way that Eddie would’ve listened. Not with how defensive he immediately got.

The original date night plan had been to go to his house, but he finds himself pulling into Forest Hills’ driveway. Past the dimly lit trailers and the striking quietness of Max’s home. He parks in the vacant spot next to Eddie’s van. Which, the van is broken down right now—the main reason Steve is even driving Eddie around. But, now what? Is Eddie mad at how mad Steve was? Is he going to realize that he doesn’t like Steve because of his interests, who he is? Is this it?

A gentle anxious thrum runs through Steve like the very blood he needs to exist.

He silences the car. And just sits with his hands in his lap. Looking blankly at Eddie’s front door.

“Your stop,” Steve murmurs.

Eddie takes a deep breath and sighs heavily through his nose. But he doesn’t make a move to open his door. To step out. To walk away from…all that Steve is and has been.

Steve turns to him, gestures loosely at the Munson’s. “Your stop,” he reiterates.

“I—“ Eddie musters, voice croaking and rough. “I didn’t realize that…I didn’t know Lucas was mad about that. I didn’t think it…mattered.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Steve bitterly states, “It’s not like you actually cared.”

“But I do,” Eddie insists, “I care so much about Lucas. And I care so much about you. I swear!” He finally moves, tossing himself in the seat to face Steve, flailing. His face a mournful thing, downturned and sad. Skin pale and his hands desperate and his voice urgent. “There’s no excuse, I know. But I just…The reason I look at jocks so awfully is because they’ve always turned on me, you know? They always downplay my interests and mock me and tease me for what I like. Which is why I have to show myself as the bigger guy, that I can take it. I just didn’t realize that I was doing it, too.”

Slowly, Steve crosses his arms over his chest. Fingers tightening over his biceps. “Real life and your friends are more important than biases, Eddie.”

“I see that now.”

“And I think that you…you love me? And that you like Lucas. But it’s just hard to feel that, for either of us, when you adamantly refuse to involve yourself in our interests. Even if it means attending some jock event. Even if it means sitting in a room full of people that hate you. Which, by the way, that isn’t true because Lucas and I both like you—I love you, even.” He faces Eddie again. His face a sure thing of great ache, based on Eddie’s own crestfallen eyes. “Maybe just…give us space for a couple days? Think about this. Apologize once you’ve given it some thought. I understand where the whole hating jocks thing comes from, but just think about how that hurts, too.”

Eddie takes a gasping breath. “But I’m sorry now, Stevie,” he swears, “I am. I’m so sorry.”

There’s part of those words that soothe Steve like aloe to a sunburn, but he can’t accept them. Knows that the sure sting of the burn will still be there if he lets Eddie do this now. So he collects himself, mulls the words, and defends himself—for once. “I’ll accept that when it doesn’t feel like you’re saying it just to make me feel better. I want you to mean it. And I want you to apologize to Lucas first.”

He watches Eddie nod fervently, sharply. His hands twisting together in his lap and his eyes wetting, shoved harshly to the side. “Yeah, okay,” his voice trembles, “okay, I’ll fix this.”

Carefully, Steve takes Eddie’s hands. Tugs them until Eddie looks at him. Involuntarily, he makes a soft, sympathetic noise. It’s clear in the wetness of Eddie’s eyes that he’s determined to change this, to make this better. It’s clear that he didn’t mean to hurt this severely. He presses deep into the back of Eddie’s hands, tethering himself down to the earth, away from the cloud of anger that threatens to swallow him whole. 

“Hey,” he murmurs, “listen to me, baby. I know that you’re sorry. I know, okay? But Lucas won’t know that, he’ll probably think you’re saying it to get on his good side. And…maybe you are, a bit, but it’ll be better if you really mean it. Trust me.” He swipes his thumbs over Eddie’s knuckles, massages them to ease the tension. “I still love you. I’m still learning, too, to love your interests with my full heart. And I know that it’s hard to let go of stupid biases, but you’ll be better for it. You will, Eds, and you’ll find you actually feel good.” Steve runs his hands up Eddie’s arms, to his shoulders, the sides of his neck.

Gently, he cups Eddie’s face between his hands. Presses his thumbs underneath Eddie’s eyes.

Eddie softens, loosening. Breathes slowly onto Steve’s wrists. “I’ll make this right, Steve,” he promises quietly, “I want to love both of you guys right.”

“I believe you,” he whispers in turn, “you’re a good guy, Eddie. You’ve got a good soul and a good heart. But you just need to relearn some things, baby.” He leans in, softly pecks the soft tissue of Eddie’s facial scar, and pulls away. Reaches up and runs a hand through the wiry ends of Eddie’s curls. Finds that he does mean the softness in his words, even with the bitter edge in his chest. He murmurs, “Let’s cool off tonight, because I know we’re both upset. And we’ll reconvene in a couple days, after my shift. I’ll help you come up with a good apology, promise.”

“Okay,” Eddie mutters, sniffling.

“I love you,” he feels the need to remind.

“I love you, too, Stevie. And I mean that. I really do.”

🏀—————🏀

Taglist (Open For Chapter Two): @wonderland-girl143-blog @tinyplanet95 @sharingisntkaren @ghostquer @practicallybegging @croatoan-like-its-hot @reinedslys-central

[badger-tales]

Eddie Watch//E.M x Reader

Chapter 1/18

A/n: okay so way back in the day (2022) when stranger things season 4 was still being released I wrote this fanfic and its been on wattpad for ages but I re-wrote it recently and wanted to post it here!!! Also I'm posting from my phone bc my laptop still wont work!!!

Summary: Despite wanting to stay and fight, Y/n is assigned to Eddie Watch to make sure he 'doesn't Do anything stupid.' Reluctantly she agrees. Everything's fine. Everything's good. It's all just perfect.

Word count: 3.6k

"Let me get this straight," she said, leaning forward over the worn cafeteria table. The ambient noise of chattering students and clattering trays seemed to fade as she fixed her gaze intently on her younger brother. Her eyes narrowed, giving him the impression of an intense interrogation rather than a casual lunchtime conversation. "You want me to be a stand-in for your Hellfire Club because Lucas bailed on you guys, and if you don't find a replacement, Eddie is going to kick your ass?"

Dustin let out an exasperated sigh, his shoulders slumping dramatically as he threw his arms up in frustration. "Yes, Y/N, those are the exact words that just left my mouth," he replied, his tone dripping with teenage annoyance. He ran a hand through his curly hair, making it stand on end even more than usual. "So, are you going to help us or not?"

A sly smile played on her lips as she leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms thoughtfully. She pretended to mull over his request, even though she had already decided. The prospect of diving back into a Dungeons & Dragons campaign for the first time since she was fifteen—since those long nights in Mike Wheeler's basement—was too tempting to pass up. But there was no harm in making Dustin sweat a little.

"What's in it for me?" she asked, arching an eyebrow mischievously. She watched as a look of mild panic crossed his face, clearly unprepared for negotiations.

She had to suppress a chuckle at the glare he shot her way, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Uh... cool shirt?" he offered hesitantly, the confidence in his voice wavering. It was more of a question than a promise.

She held his gaze for a moment longer, letting the silence hang between them. Then, a grin broke across her face. "Yeah, sure. My schedule's free. What time does it start?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Dustin exclaimed, relief washing over his features. He practically bounced in his seat. "It starts at four-thirty. Do you still have all your stuff?" he asked eagerly, already standing up as if ready to sprint off.

"Of course I do," she replied, rolling her eyes affectionately at his enthusiasm. "And I'm expecting that shirt before the campaign, by the way," she called after him as he hurried away, giving her a thumbs-up over his shoulder as he weaved through the crowded cafeteria.

---

Back at home, she sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor, surrounded by the familiar clutter of posters, books, and trinkets collected over the years. God, it had been too long since she'd even thought about this binder—three years, in fact. The last time she played was November 6th, 1983—the night Will went missing. A soft smile touched her lips as she opened the worn cover, flipping through pages filled with character sheets, campaign notes, and doodles along the margins. She paused at a drawing Will had made of their party during one of their most grueling campaigns, his artistic talent capturing the spirit of their adventures perfectly.

Finding her dice set proved more challenging. She rummaged through drawers and boxes, the minutes ticking by faster than she'd realized. Just as she was about to give up, she remembered the small shoebox tucked under her bed. Pulling it out, she lifted the lid to reveal a treasure trove of memories: a few ribbons from old competitions, faded Polaroids capturing moments frozen in time, and there, nestled among them, her favorite set of dice. She used to have several sets, but over the years she'd given them to Dustin or misplaced them. This particular set—a swirl of deep purple and gold—was her lucky charm.

Glancing at her watch, her eyes widened. 3:45 PM.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Hastily, she stuffed her binder and dice into her bag, bolting out of her room. She nearly tripped down the stairs, snatching her car keys from the hook by the door.

She sped down the streets of Hawkins, the familiar scenery flashing by as she perhaps ignored a few traffic laws in her rush. Pulling into the Hawkins High parking lot, she spotted Dustin waiting on the steps, arms crossed and an impatient look on his face.

"Took you long enough," he said, thrusting a folded shirt into her hands. The black fabric bore the emblem of the Hellfire Club—a design that was both ominous and intriguingly detailed. "Hurry up and get changed, or we'll be late."

"It's not going to take me thirty minutes to get changed," she retorted, rolling her eyes as she pushed past him and headed into the school.

---

"Now, Y/N, I need you to understand something," Dustin said, halting her just outside the imposing double doors of the club room. The hallway was dimly lit, fluorescent lights flickering overhead with a faint buzz. Lockers lined the walls, adorned with a collage of stickers and graffiti. Dustin shifted nervously, glancing around before focusing his gaze on her. "These guys are major nerds—not like cool nerds like Mike and me, but textbook nerds," he began to ramble, his words tumbling over each other in his haste to explain.

She raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes. "Dustin, get to the point," she interjected, crossing her arms over her chest. The distant sound of a basketball bouncing echoed through the empty corridors, a stark contrast to their hushed conversation.

He took a deep breath, running a hand through his curly hair. "My point is, I doubt these guys have even spoken to a girl they aren't related to. So just cut them some slack if they're weird around you," he confessed, his cheeks tinged with a slight blush.

She chuckled softly, the sound echoing slightly in the quiet hallway. "Got it. I'll try not to terrify your friends," she teased, giving him a playful nudge on the shoulder.

Relieved, Dustin nodded and turned toward the doors. With a dramatic flourish, he pushed them open. "Our savior is here!" he proclaimed loudly, his voice echoing off the high ceilings as he kicked the door wider. The room fell silent almost instantly, the low murmur of conversation and the clatter of dice coming to an abrupt halt. It was as if someone had pressed pause on a remote, freezing the scene.

Rows of mismatched tables were pushed together to form a large gaming area, strewn with character sheets, scattered dice, and an array of snacks. Posters of fantasy landscapes and mythical creatures adorned the walls, their colors muted in the dim lighting. A haze of dust particles danced in the shafts of evening light filtering through the small windows.

Dozens of eyes turned to stare at them, a mix of curiosity, surprise, and suspicion evident on the faces peering over Dungeon Master's screens and stacks of rulebooks. It felt like walking onto a stage mid-performance.

"Hi, Y/N!" Mike called out enthusiastically from his seat near the center of the room, his face breaking into a wide grin. His lanky frame was hunched over a well-worn Player's Handbook, and he waved energetically, causing a few stray papers to flutter to the floor.

She returned his wave with a warm smile, feeling a bit of the tension ease from her shoulders. "Hey, Mike," she replied, her voice steady despite the dozens of eyes still fixed upon her.

"Who's this?" a boy with thick glasses and a skeptical expression demanded from across the room. His tone carried a hint of indignation, as if her presence was a breach of some unspoken rule.

Dustin stepped forward, undeterred. "The one and only Y/N Henderson—aka my big sister, aka the best D&D player to grace this planet," he declared with unabashed pride, puffing out his chest dramatically.

She laughed lightly, shaking her head at his antics. "You're so dramatic, Dustin," she chided, reaching over to tug the brim of his cap down over his eyes. He sputtered in protest, pushing it back up with an indignant huff.

"So you're the elusive Y/N Henderson," a smooth voice drawled from the head of the table. Eddie Munson leaned back in his chair, boots propped up on the table's edge. His dark curls framed his face, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he assessed her. Rings adorned his fingers, which tapped rhythmically against the arm of his chair. "We've heard tales of your wit and bravery. It's an honor," he continued, standing with a flourish to give an exaggerated bow, his leather jacket rustling with the movement.

Her gaze met his, and for a moment, the room seemed to fade away. There was a challenge in his eyes, but also a hint of genuine curiosity. She felt a smirk tug at the corner of her lips. "Well, I couldn't let my little brother face certain doom without me," she replied, her tone light but edged with playful defiance.

Dustin beamed between them, clearly pleased with the exchange. "She's here to help us crush this campaign," he announced to the room, confidence radiating from him.

"Don't worry, Y/N; we'll make sure you don't die in the first hour," a boy with a mop of sandy hair and a smattering of freckles said from across the table, a teasing smirk on his face. He adjusted his wizard's hat—a battered accessory that had seen better days—and leaned forward on his elbows.

She arched an eyebrow, noting the amused glances Mike and Dustin exchanged. "Your level ten half-elf wizard is going to protect my level eighteen Tiefling fighter? Alright," she retorted smoothly, settling into the empty seat beside Mike. A few chuckles rippled through the group, and the initial stiffness in the air began to dissipate.

---

As the hours passed, Y/N found herself fully immersed in the game. The room was filled with animated voices, the rustling of paper, and the occasional clatter of dice on wood. The scent of old books mixed with the sweetness of soda and the salty tang of potato chips. Eddie's storytelling was captivating, his voice weaving vivid images that pulled them deeper into the fantasy realm.

"The hooded cultists chant, 'Hail Lord Vecna. Hail Lord Vecna,'" Eddie intoned, his voice dropping to a sinister whisper that sent a chill down her spine. The overhead lights seemed to dim, or perhaps it was her imagination as she became engrossed in the narrative. His eyes flickered with dark delight as he scanned each player, savoring their rapt attention. "They turn to you and remove their hoods. You recognize most of them from Makbar—their eyes hollow, lips curled into fanatic grins. But there is one you do not recognize."

Y/N leaned forward, her fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the table. A knot of anticipation twisted in her stomach. She exchanged a quick glance with Mike, whose eyes were wide with apprehension.

"His skin is shriveled, desiccated. And something else..." Eddie leaned in, the room holding its collective breath. "He is not only missing his left arm," he paused, the silence stretching taut like a drawn bowstring. "But his left eye!"

Gasps erupted around the table. "No way!" the boy with the wizard's hat exclaimed, nearly knocking over his character miniatures. "Vecna's supposed to be dead!"

"Kas killed him!" Mike protested, flipping through his notes frantically.

"So it was thought, my friends. So it was thought," Eddie replied smugly, a sly smile playing on his lips. He reached over his Dungeon Master's screen with deliberate slowness, placing a detailed figurine onto the center of the map—a skeletal figure draped in tattered robes, one eye socket glaring empty. "But Vecna lives!"

Chaos ensued. Players scrambled to adjust their strategies, voices overlapping in a cacophony of disbelief and hurried planning. The atmosphere was electric, a mix of dread and exhilaration. Y/N felt her heart pounding, the rush of adrenaline sharpening her focus.

"Do you flee Vecna and his cultists?" Eddie challenged, his tone almost taunting as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Or do you stand your ground and fight?"

Silence fell as everyone weighed their options. The gravity of the situation pressed upon them, the fate of their characters hanging in the balance. Y/N glanced around the table, reading the uncertainty in their faces.

"I say we fight," she declared firmly, her voice cutting through the tension. Her eyes met each of theirs, a spark of determination igniting. "To the death."

"To the death," Dustin and Mike echoed, their expressions steeling with resolve. A murmur of agreement rippled through the group, the earlier hesitation giving way to a united front.

The battle was fierce. Eddie narrated the onslaught with dramatic flair, his words painting a vivid picture of the chaos unfolding. Spells were cast, swords swung, and arrows loosed. At first, victory seemed within reach. They coordinated attacks, covered each other's weaknesses, and for a moment, hope blossomed.

But fate was fickle. One by one, their comrades fell. The clatter of dice rolling low numbers elicited groans and curses. The boy with the wizard's hat threw up his hands in despair as his character succumbed. "No! Not like this!" he lamented.

"Stay strong!" Y/N urged, her knuckles white as she gripped her dice. Sweat beaded on her brow, her mind racing to formulate a plan.

Mike took his turn, the dice slipping from his fingers with a whispered prayer. They tumbled across the table, seeming to move in slow motion before settling ominously. A collective breath was held.

"Critical fail," Eddie announced with feigned sympathy. Mike slumped back, a look of defeat shadowing his features.

"Dammit!" he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Now, only Y/N and Dustin remained standing. The room was thick with tension, the weight of their predicament palpable. The ambient noises of the school had faded away, leaving only the sounds of their ragged breaths and the distant hum of the air conditioning.

"Time out!" someone called desperately. They huddled together, forming a tight circle. Y/N found herself wedged between Mike and Dustin, their shoulders pressing against hers. The sense of camaraderie was strong, but so was the creeping doubt.

"Guys, I hate to say this, but we have to flee," the boy with the glasses whispered urgently, his eyes darting between them. A murmur of reluctant agreement spread among a few others, nodding solemnly.

"Didn't we just agree 'to the death'?" Y/N asked incredulously, her gaze sweeping over their faces. Her heart sank at the sight of their defeated expressions. "We can't back down now."

She felt a surge of frustration mingled with determination. This was more than just a game—it was a stand against the odds, a test of their mettle. She wasn't ready to throw in the towel, and she hoped to rekindle that fighting spirit in them.

"That wasn't literal," he shot back desperately, his eyes wide with a mix of panic and frustration.

"Vecna just decimated us. We can't kill him with two players!"

"You too? He only has fifteen hit points left. Don't be pussies," Dustin spat, spinning around to face his teammates. His cheeks were flushed, and a fiery determination burned in his gaze. The overhead lights cast sharp shadows across the scattered maps and figurines on the table.

"Pussies? Really? 'Cause we're not delusional?" the boy across from him retorted, leaning back in his chair with a skeptical snort. He crossed his arms over his chest, his brows knitting together as he met Dustin's glare.

"Delusional?" Y/N interjected sharply, her eyes narrowing as she stared daggers at the skeptic. "How about not cowards?" Her voice was steady but carried an edge that sliced through the tension-filled air.

"Hey!" Eddie's voice boomed from across the dimly lit room, breaking the group's heated exchange. He rose from his throne-like chair at the head of the table, the multitude of rings on his fingers glinting under the fluorescent lights. "If I may interject, gentlemen—and lady," he added with a nod toward Y/N. "While I respect the passion, you'd be wise to take Gareth the Great's concern to heart. However, there is no shame in running," he said, his gaze locking onto Y/N's with an intensity that made the room feel smaller. "Don't try to be heroes—not today, 'kay?"

Y/N scoffed at his words, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. There was no way she was backing down now. Not when victory was within their grasp. Even if it meant the devil himself had to claw his way out of hell to stop her.

"One sec," Dustin said, holding up a finger before turning back to the huddled group. "What do you think, Y/N?" he asked, his voice softer now, eyes searching hers for confirmation.

She took a brief moment, her mind racing as she weighed their options. The ambient sounds of the room faded—the soft rustling of character sheets, the distant chatter from the hallway—everything narrowed down to this decision.

"We both only have twelve hit points left; it's risky as hell, but we're the only ones left on the battlefield," she said firmly, meeting his gaze head-on. "You already know what I'm gonna say, so it's your call, Dusty." Her words hung in the air, filled with both challenge and trust.

He studied her face, the gears in his mind visibly turning as he compiled a mental list of pros and cons. The flickering light above cast shifting shadows, mirroring the conflict in his eyes. It felt like an eternity before a slow grin spread across his face.

"Alright, Y/N, let's kill this son of a bitch!" he declared, spinning around to face Eddie. A Cheshire grin stretched from ear to ear, his earlier hesitation replaced with fiery resolve.

"The chances of success are twenty-to-one," one of the members interjected nervously, his voice laced with desperation and genuine fear. He fiddled anxiously with a worn pencil, his knuckles white.

"Never tell me the odds," Dustin shot back, his tone dismissive as he silenced the doubter with a steely glance. He extended his hand toward his sister. "Give me the D20."

She nodded, reaching into her velvet dice bag—the one adorned with tiny embroidered dragons—and retrieved the well-worn die. Its edges were smooth from years of use, the numbers etched deep from countless campaigns. She placed it into his open palm, their eyes meeting briefly in unspoken understanding.

The entire room fell into a hushed silence, the kind that makes every small sound—every breath, every heartbeat—seem amplified. All eyes were glued to Dustin as he prepared to roll. The air was thick with anticipation, so much so that it felt almost tangible.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a split second before casting the die. It tumbled across the tabletop in what seemed like slow motion, bouncing off a miniature goblin and skittering past a makeshift terrain of books and notepads. Finally, it came to rest right in front of Eddie.

"Eleven," Eddie announced, his voice devoid of emotion. He tapped the table with each syllable for emphasis. "That's. A. Miss!"

A collective groan erupted from the group. "No!" "Damn it!" "We're doomed!" The exclamations overlapped, filling the room with a cacophony of disappointment. The tension ratcheted up as all eyes shifted to Y/N.

"We're so screwed," Dustin muttered beside her, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He pulled his cap lower over his eyes, as if to shield himself from the reality of the situation.

She glanced at him, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes. With a swift motion, she reached over and flicked the brim of his hat upward. "I'm offended you have such little faith in me—and from my own kin!" she declared dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. "I'm wounded, Dusty; I may never recover." Her teasing tone elicited a few chuckles from the surrounding players.

Turning back to the table, she picked up the die, feeling its familiar weight in her hand. The room seemed to hold its breath. She could sense the gazes of her fellow players, the skepticism, the hope.

She shook the dice once, the clatter echoing softly.

Twice, the anticipation building like a rising tide.

Three times, and then she released it with a confident flick of her wrist. The die rolled across the board, weaving between scattered character sheets and abandoned snacks, before coming to a halt directly in front of the Dungeon Master.

Everyone leaned in, their faces a mix of dread and excitement. Eddie arched an eyebrow, leaning forward to inspect the result. A slow smile curved his lips.

"Twenty," he announced, a hint of admiration in his voice.

"Crit hit!" Y/N shouted, leaping to her feet as a surge of triumph coursed through her. Cheers erupted around her, the room exploding into jubilant chaos. Dustin let out a whoop, throwing his arms around her in a bear hug that nearly knocked them both over.

She laughed, the sound bright and unrestrained, her heart pounding with exhilaration. Around them, the other players clapped and shouted, the earlier tension dissolving into celebration. She caught snippets of their exclamations—"Unbelievable!" "She's a legend!" "We did it!"

Eddie's voice rose above the din, though his exact words were lost in the whirlwind of noise. He looked both impressed and slightly amused, shaking his head as he began to collect his notes.

"I told you she would be our savior!" Dustin crowed to the group, his face flushed with excitement.

"That was some serious D&D playing, Henderson," Eddie called out, giving a nod of respect.

"Of course it was," Dustin interjected before she could respond, puffing out his chest with pride. "Who do you think taught me, Mike, and Lucas to play?"

She grinned widely at her brother's praise, her eyes shining as she looked around at the beaming faces of her friends. The room buzzed with energy, the victory a shared triumph that seemed to make the walls themselves hum.

[myosotisa]

deep end - s.h.

Steve Harrington x Reader

‖ summary: You and the gang have a pool day and some bad memories come up.

‖ tags: angst, hurt with very little comfort, post season 4, everyone lives (but that don't mean they ain't got trauma lmao), no y/n, no pronouns, reader is referred to as "honey". depictions of PTSD, anxiety/panic attacks. tw for fear of drowning. past tense? present tense? the fic is tense, that's for sure.

‖ word count: 2k

Today, May 6th, 1986, was a good day.

Up until very recently, most of the days had not been good at all. Spring break had done a number on all of you – nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks. Some worse than others.

But today was a good day.

At least, until it wasn't.

Summer sun had invaded Hawkins and left everyone sweating and seeking shade after even a few minutes outside. AC blasted indoors and opened windows begged for a breeze to come through and bring some solace from the heat. The community pool was packed shoulder to shoulder and nearly impossible to get into – but that was fine.

Because Steve Harrington had his own pool.

Eddie, Lucas, Dustin, and Max were all already in the suburban backyard by the time you showed up with Robin. Steve had joined the other boys in the shallow end to start up a game of chicken – Dustin on Steve’s shoulders and Lucas on Eddie’s. Max sat on the pool’s edge with the water up to her shins, not able to get in further with the cast still on her right arm, and rolled her eyes as her friends tumbled over and into the water just to get back up again.

Robin went to go and sit by Max while you let yourself into the Harrington home, a container of drinks destined for the fridge just inside. By the time you had them chilling and pushed back out into the oppressive heat, Steve had pulled himself out of my pool to wait for you.

“Hi honey,” he said with a sticky sweet smile, ducking in to press a kiss to your cheek and dripping water on your cover-up.

“Hey handsome,” was your easy reply, Steve's smile lighting up further at the compliment. You called him handsome all the time and he still reacted like he'd never heard it before.

“Harrington, come on!”

His smile fell slightly as he rolled his eyes, shrugging at you before jogging back over to the pool.

You were just about to pull out your book and set up on one of the deck chairs when Nancy and Mike pushed through the fence gate.

More happy greetings, a hug from Nancy, and some chatting about the things she'd brought with her. Mike stripped off his shirt and shoes before walking over to the pool steps beside Max, submerging to his chest as he watched the others continue their game.

Robin came over and helped you and Nancy blow up the 3 inner tubes she had brought – Robin having to rescue you both with her superior musicians lungs. She quickly claimed the green dinosaur float, falling into it in the water as Dustin and Mike started to squabble over what kind of dinosaur it was supposed to be.

While you had originally grabbed the unicorn float, with it's pink hair and blue horn, you were quick to notice the longing glances from Nancy and offered a trade. She never would've ended up asking for it – she thought it was too childish to actually want the unicorn float – but you didn't miss the giddy grin on her face as she traded with you and settled into the pool a lot more gracefully than Robin.

So, with your strawberry frosted donut float and book in hand, you laid out on the sticky plastic and began to roast beneath the summer sun.

You and Nancy both had paperbacks cracked open while Robin seemed content to attempt a nap beneath her shades. Max busied herself by using a foot to gently push your floats around like a slow and lazy game of bumper cars. Mike finally succumbed to peer pressure and joined in with the boys playing with a volleyball toward the deep end and everything was good.

Everyone was smiling and laughing. Warm and lazy with the heat of a good, summer day.

Focused on a particularly intense chapter, you hardly noticed someone approaching your float until a wet chin draped itself over your arm.

Steve was looking at you with that lovesick smile again, his hair wet and pushed back as his tan skin glowed beneath the golden rays. “Enjoying your book?”

“I am, thank you very much.” But still, you placed it down on your stomach and turned your attention to your pretty boyfriend. “Are you having a good day?”

“Might have a couple bruises tomorrow, but not a big deal.” He hooks a wet arm over the side of your float, anchoring himself to you, and the skin along your thigh breaks out in goosebumps from the sudden brush of water.

“Steve, that's cold!”

He barely conceals a laugh, grin growing wider, before he tilts further toward you. “What, this?”

Was the only warning you got before he shook his head out like a dog, water flying from the ends of his hair and sprinkling all over you.

You nearly squealed, shoving him off and shouting about him getting your book wet, even though the smile on your face betrayed you.

After a few minutes of insisting it was funny as you fake pouted, and then Steve giving you some pathetic puppy dog eyes, you accepted his half hearted apology and settled again – one hand intertwined with Steve's as he held onto your float.

“Nance seems fine,” he said quietly, bringing your attention to the brunette. You had told him earlier you were worried about today, about bringing her back to the pool she spent two years barely able to look at, but she seemed perfectly at ease on her unicorn float. Just slowly turning page after page as she continued through the fantasy romance novel you’d lent her last week.

“Yeah,” you agreed, exhaling a relieved sigh, “I'm glad. She deserves it, y'know? We all do.”

Steve's hand squeezed yours, bringing your attention back to him on your other side. “You're the best, you know that, right?”

Not expecting the compliment, you got slightly flustered with the praise. “No, that's you,” you joked with a light flick to the tip of his nose.

He released your hand in mock offense, pushing your float slightly away as he put on a dramatic frown. He inhaled to reply, mouth parting, before he suddenly disappeared beneath the surface of the water.

The next few moments played out in slow motion.

In reality, Lucas and Eddie dove under the water to sneak up behind Steve – each of them grabbing an ankle and tugging him under as a practical joke.

To Steve, his heart stopped.

His chest constricted as his heart rate doubled, eyes squeezing shut as the panic gripped him tight and he waited to be pulled through the gate and thrown out on the other side.

Water filled his mouth from his half completed inhale as he was dragged under – his eyes widening and immediately beginning to burn from the chlorine.

But he wasn't in the pool anymore. It was dark; so, so dark and cold. He couldn't see anything through the murky water as he sunk lower and lower. The vice around his ankle held tight as he gave a kick, continuing to pull him back down to hell again.

To you, the world flipped on its side.

The last thing you saw before Steve went under was a flash of panic in his wide, brown eyes. Just like that night, on the boat. When he got dragged down and didn't come back up again.

“Steve?!” Your call is shrill, very quickly panicked as your adrenaline surged and your body tensed for a fight. It gets the attention of the rest of the group but you don't notice – eyes hyper focused on the spot he was before he disappeared.

In reality, you could glance down and see him in the clear water, just barely a foot below the surface. But you're not there in the Harrington’s pool. You're on a boat at Lover’s Lake and the man of your dreams just disappeared into the murky depths below.

“Steve?!” You scream again, rolling off your float and into the cool water, just like you had that night. I have to go after him, I have to get to him.

You vaguely register someone calling your name but you’re diving under, eyes burning instantly as you continue to look at Steve.

Eddie and Lucas have let him go now after sensing some sort of commotion from above, but Steve isn't moving. He isn't trying to swim up, though he is slowly ascending toward the surface. He's completely frozen there in the water, curled in on himself defensively.

You grab him and he grabs you in response, his nails digging into your bicep painfully as his eyes shoot open again. He doesn't even seem to realize its you before the two of you break the surface again.

Steve gasps for air – choking slightly on the water that was still in his mouth – and then starts to cough as he grabs tightly to you with both hands.

Your heart is pounding against your ribs like a hummingbird as your eyes rapidly scan him for the battered bruising across his throat, the blood coming from his mouth. “Steve? Can you hear me? Are you hurt?”

Robin is by your side an instant later, her head and shoulders still dry as she comes around the side to place a gentle hand on Steve’s shoulder while he coughs out chlorinated water.

Steve gives a stuttered nod as the coughing stops and he's able to take another deep breath in, his grip on you loosening to not be so painful as he closes his eyes. His inhales are coming through quickly, his eyebrows drawn together tight like he's in pain.

Your tunnel vision begins to scope out and you catch sight of Lucas and Eddie looking pained and apologetic in your periphery. They're both treading water in the deep end as you turn on them, anxiety and panic filtering out quickly into rage.

“What the fuck is your problem, huh?!” You snap, causing both of them to jump. Lucas's eyes are wide as saucers and Eddie looks like he's half tempted to book it just from the look on your face. “What the fuck kind of trick was that?! Maybe I should pull a gun on you, Lucas, just for fun. Or maybe, Eddie, I'll loop a rope around your neck for a few minutes and see how the fuck you like being reminded of almost dying!”

Both of them wince, drawing back from your outrage, which only makes you want to advance.

“H-honey,” Steve stutters beside you, half scolding and half terrified as he tries to put on a brave face. “It was just a joke.”

You turn your wild eyes back on him, body still reeling in fight or flight mode, as you realize his hands are trembling and the wetness to his eyes isn't from the pool at all. While you could easily continue to scream at them (which, when you're in a rational headspace again, you will feel guilty for), you focus in on Steve.

“Come on, let's go get you dried off, okay?” You offer much quieter, hovering close to him to try to keep you both grounded. He gives another shaky nod and lets you lead him over to the steps and out of the pool.

No one in the group says a word as you wrap him in a towel and then drape one over your own shoulders before sitting both of you down on one of the deck chairs. He continues to tremble slightly beside you as you tuck yourself tightly to his side, resting your head on his shoulder as you try to comfort him (and yourself).

We’re safe here. We’re okay. We’re going to be fine.

Everyone else watches silently as your paperback continues to collect water until it sinks down to the bottom of the deep end.

It was a good day. Until it wasn't.

-

-

-

[lavendermunson]

can't help it if i wanna kiss you in the rain - steve harrington

summary based on this lovely anon! thank you for your request, I hope you like it.

tags best friends to lovers. mutual pinning. mentions of weed. Eddie been Eddie and Erica being Erica. season 4. mention of starcourt but nothing else related to the upside down happens. slight use of y/n, sorry. a little bit of angst and then pure fluff. if i missed anything please tell me.

w.c 2.4k

You are so upset.

You couldn’t fall asleep on the plane. They only had snacks with nuts on them. The juice boxes were gone.

You just want to avoid everyone, specifically Steve. 

He didn’t answer your letters for over two weeks, he stopped calling you every night to tell you all about his day and you… you were so upset you couldn’t enjoy the warm welcome your friends had prepared for you.

Life after the Starcourt incident wasn’t easy. Moving away from all the things, from all the people you love, it was destroying you. Jonathan found friends, Will and El do stuff without you all the time. You missed home, you missed your friends, your best friend.

The ride to Steve’s house is short, unfortunately. As Nancy gets out of the car to grab his boyfriend’s hand, Will, El, and Mike make sure to greet Dustin and Lucas at the door. Robin runs to you and hugs you, a warm big smile forms on your lips, she knows something is wrong from the moment your body stays still for a couple of seconds before hugging her back.

“You okay?” she asks, you can’t lie to her but you can’t rant about Steve and how upset you are because it would ruin everyone’s day. Half of the group came back all the way from California.

“I’m okay, Robs. Don’t worry” You take a step back, not dropping your hands from the sides of her arms and squeezing them. “You, young lady, you need to tell me all about Vickie”

She laughs, her cheeks light pink as the color of your skirt. You can’t stop a giggle from coming out of your lips, but as soon as you see him… your body goes stiff again and Robin rushes inside the house to get a drink before spilling everything about her crush.

But there he is. His gray almost blue polo shirt hugs his chest flawlessly. The last two buttons remain unbuttoned and the best friend chain you share with him shows up, resting on his hairy chest that moves up and down as he breathes. His hair, amazing as it is, has a life of itself and it’s beaming as well as his face. You are sure he is wearing the tightest jeans ever but you fight everything in yourself not to look down, as you fight with the same strength and keep your arms to yourself.

He whispers, "Hi" and locks his gaze on you, asking for a hug.

“Hey,” you say, not moving an inch and he finds it odd. Before you moved away you loved his hugs, his arms around you embracing you while your face rested on his chest, so close to his neck that your nose used to catch the scent of his cologne and a hint of cigarettes. Your hips will bump with his and- NO, STOP STOP.

“Are you okay? You look-”

He tries to speak with the same calm as always but it’s impossible. He feels something is different and he can’t wrap his head around it. You interrupt him, bumping your shoulder into his arm and running upstairs mumbling the dumbest excuse ever. 

“I- I need to, uhm, go to the bathroom” 

Steve doesn’t say anything. He figures you need some space or you are tired from the flight. He reunites with the others in the kitchen and gets introduced to Argyle who is talking to Eddie about something. 

He watches you come back, you are holding your best friend's necklace with your fingers, you usually do that when you are nervous. Steve's eyes focus on you and you turn around, going straight to the living room where the others are. Panic settles over his chest and no one seems to notice. 

Eddie is quick to hit his shoulder slightly with his palm and nods to the living room, telling Steve to join the others.

–

The living room is filled with voices and chuckles. You talk to everyone about your new school, your new house. Everyone pays attention to all the California Shenanigans.

Steve is focused on you, with a frown on his face and yes, you’ve noticed. It took you possibly five minutes to feel his confused gaze over you, but you decided to ignore it. You ignore him as he ignored you when you were away. You keep talking to Erica about her winning the campaign and Eddie joins the conversation making Steve… jealous.

“Guys! Guys. You all talk like you haven’t seen each other in ten years, I get it, but I still need to meet the rest of you!” A high Argyle speaks up, earning everyone’s attention “Can we just have a quick chat?”

“There is something we have to do outside, but you guys chat!” Dustin says as every single one of the kids follows him except Erica.

“Erica, let the grown-ups talk”

A choir of “boos” and “we are not that old” makes Lucas jump, he rolls his eyes and goes out joining his friends in the backyard.

“What? They are going to do a nerdy thing I'm not interested in” Erica replies, looking at everyone in the room.

“Erica, you play dragons and… what is it? castles?” Argyle says.

“Dungeons and dragons, man!” Eddie corrects him and hits him with his elbow. They quickly became friends and it’s hilarious to see them interact.

“You guys are soooo high,” you say. Eddie, who remains by your side, quickly bumps his knuckle softly against your chin, earning a giggle from you.

“What? Do you want a joint, sweetheart? He teases, and you roll your eyes.

“She’s not into that” Steve scoffs, peeking at the interaction that has his head hurting for quite a while now.

“What? She totally is. Bro, remember that time when you got so high you poured your milkshake on Jonathan and Ms. Byers thought he threw up on himself?” Argyle’s confession takes you by surprise, Jonathan laughs remembering and describing the incident to everyone. 

The room fills with chuckles one more time. Steve feels a knot in his throat and you try to keep your face away from him.

“I had to tell my mom she tripped, it was a fun day actually,” the older Byers says.

“That reminds me, one time Steve had a date and I accidentally spilled my jar of fresh cherry jam on him. He spent the rest of the shift with his legs wrapped in a towel while his jeans were drying up!” Robin tells the funny story and that’s when you look at Steve. 

Your mind starts wandering. He had a date, maybe he had a girlfriend already and that’s why he was so busy.

“Was that the same girl I saw you with at the movie theater?” Nancy asks.

“Nope, that was Heather and the other one was Heidi” Robin answers, Steve looks away from you, embarrassed. 

Jealousy starts to get its way through your head. Your breath quickens and you start to get more furious.

“And what happened with Linda?” Nancy asks again.

“Can you guys just drop it?” Steve starts to get annoyed. “We just kissed, that is all”

“Fuck this” you mumble, the only one hearing you is Eddie.

“Woah, are you okay? Eddie notices your face, red with anger and your eyes glassy.

“Can everyone just stop asking if I’m fucking okay?”

Your voice shakes and you storm out of the room. The rest watches you go and Steve panics, but doesn’t move.

“Are you stupid?” Erica speaks, making Steve wake up as she is talking to him.

“What?”

“Oh please, you love that girl and you idiots had to mention all of his dates. She is clearly jealous, even I can see it”

“Erica!” Steve raises his voice but she doesn’t get upset.

“Just the facts! Don’t be a moron Steve”

And that’s what it took. An 11-year-old shit-talking to Steve for him to realize he had to fix this.

He gets up and before he opens the door, Robin grabs his hand stopping him.

“Don’t- don’t lie to her and do not try to push her away” She squeezes his hand before dropping it. “You’ve been miserable without her, don’t make another mistake"

Steve nods, opening the door, and walks to the street to find you, you are walking as quickly as possible but the cold rain slows you down as you hug yourself and walk.

Alone. Annoyed. Jealous. Furious.

“Y/n! Please come back”

An agitated voice makes your ears ring. It’s him, his voice was so recognizable that it was impossible to ignore it. You turn around, making an effort to not run toward him and cry for him, begging him to love you.

You’ve never cried over a boy because you’ve always been in love with your best friend, Steve.

“Please just listen” he begs, the rain starts to calm down as if the sky knows something is about to happen.

“What do you want?”

“I want to talk to you! You have been avoiding me all day and it’s making me crazy. I’m sorry you had to hear all of that” he slurs his words as he tries to ease his breath.

"Are you only apologizing for having dates?"

“No, no. I know ignoring you was wrong, I know trying to push you away was so shitty of me”

You keep your arms crossed against your chest. You keep shivering from the cold of the rain. Your clothes are all soaked and sticky.

“And?”

“And? I’m sorry, I'm sorry. But you didn’t have to act like such a jerk to me, not when I haven't seen you for so long. You know you can talk to me!”

“It’s all good, I wish you would talk to me too but it's too late. Bye now"

“Wait, wait”

“What do you want, Steve?” you shake your head. “Please, enlighten me. What is it? I want to go home. I want to get out of these clothes and curl up in my bed. Just leave me alone alright”

“You are unbelievable”

“What?”

“You know the phone works both ways right?”

“I didn’t need the phone. I sent you a bunch of letters you didn’t read. Sorry to bother you with all of that you couldn’t even open one”

“I read all of them. I'm sorry i didn't reply to them... but now I know you are hiding a lot of things. Tell me, was one of your letters going to mention you smoke weed and hang around god-knows-where while you are high?”

“Oh my god, Steve. That was one time” you sigh. You couldn’t believe he was telling you all of this as if you did something wrong “You were the one ignoring me, remember? Being too busy with girls you couldn’t pick up the phone, what were you doing, Steve? 

“They were just dates, nothing happened! I would’ve told you if… I don’t know”

“Well, I had a date too,” you say. It’s not a lie, you did have a date with some guy named Dave, it didn’t go well because let’s be honest he wasn’t Steve. “And I would’ve told you too but it looked like you didn't care”

“You had a date? So you have a boyfriend now or what?” he asks, his fists clenching. His knuckles are white, and his face glows red.

“Why are you getting so upset about it?” you notice a shift in his voice, he looks too angry for some weird reason.

“You have a boyfriend”

“I don’t have a boyfriend. And if I had one, why do you care? You are the one going on hundreds of dates” A laugh comes out of your lips, but your heart is aching.

“Because the dates were a distraction! A distraction that didn't work because no one is... no one is as perfect and beautiful as you, and it kills me, you know?” 

You get confused, he starts to get closer. Your tears start to mix with the drops of rain, your sight becomes blurry.

“I like you! Fuck, I love you!” he speaks, defeated and with a hand over his chest, right over his heart. “I have loved you since I met you, I’m sorry I was such a jerk for hiding it but I thought you deserved someone so much better than me and I didn’t-” 

He gets cut off by your lips on his. It was everything he needed, he is everything you wanted. The kiss is short but it’s filled with all the pent-up emotions, all the years of waiting, all the lingering hugs and him “casually” always keeping a hand over you.

His lips are soft, he gets a taste of your strawberry chapstick and smiles over your bottom lip. You wrap your arms around his neck, pushing your bodies together.

“I like… I love you too, Steve” you say, his eyes focused on your lips as his hands rest on your waist. “I was hiding it too, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry we had to fight and, I-”

“It’s fine” he whispers, the drops of rain make his hair fall to his forehead, you are quick to brush it away from his face with your fingers, and he doesn’t mind.

“It’s not, we could’ve sorted this out sooner but I was scared– scared that if I told you, you were going to reject me”

“I thought you were going to reject me. Dreaming about you with me every night was better than thinking about losing you, so I was hiding it” he brushes his nose against yours. “But I don't have to hide it anymore. I love you. You love me. God, please tell me you are not joking”

“I’m not joking, Stevie. I love you”

His favorite nickname makes an appearance, he smiles as it’s been a long time since he hasn't heard it.

 “I love you too, baby”

The new pet name makes your heart flutter and he wants to kiss you again, but the rain doesn’t seem to stop and you are both shivering.

“Let’s get in before you catch a cold,” he says, taking your hand and intertwining his fingers with yours. You walk with him back to his house, your body immediately feels calmer as you get closer to him and hug him. 

“I missed you”

“I missed you too, don’t you dare think i’m letting you leave my house today”

“Wasn’t planning on it”

He grins, you giggle. The girl of his dreams is finally with him, nothing could ruin his mood since that day.

feedback is appreciated don't forget to REBLOG TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR! you can request something like this and I'd be happy to write it. ♡

[afewproblems]

I want Steve to find out about the simultaneous games that happened at the beginning of season 4.

That Eddie insisted that the hellfire session went on as scheduled, despite the fact that Lucas wouldn't be able to make it.

Lucas, one of Steve's kids, who Steve had defended from being beaten up, putting himself in the line of fire from that racist asshole Billy Hargrove.

Lucas, who had been pushed aside and alienated from his longtime friends just because he also liked sports and wanted to try and remain afloat in the ocean of high school.

Lucas, who loved his friends and and enjoyed different things, because spoiler alert you can in fact be a jock and like Dungeons and Beasts or whatever the hell it was called. Steve enjoyed Star Wars and could dunk, proof right there.

But all it took was one word from Eddie, and Dustin and Mike not only didn't go to Lucas's game, but they couldn't even be happy for him about the championship AND their final session of their long-term campaign went on as scheduled despite the absence of the oldest Sinclair.

Sure Jason Carver turned out to be a crazy asshole but Steve knew exactly how it felt to be caught between worlds and the biggest difference was that Lucas had always been a good person.

Unlike him.

One nice thing about his King Steve days was that he knew how to push, and he could turn it on for a day, just to knock some sense into a certain curly haired metal head.

"Hang back a sec man," Steve says almost casually as they exit Eddie's van after pulling into the movie theater. The kids tumble out of the open doors and race towards the building, pushing each other in their hurry to get in line for the second running of Highlander.

"What's up Stevie?" Eddie says, his dimpled grin comes out in full force as he looks Steve up and down, leaning back again the front of the vehicle grill. His arms cross loosely over his Black Sabath shirt and the various rings and chains sparkle in the high afternoon sun. He looks great today.

Focus Steve.

He clears his throat and sighs, trying to get into the heads pace from earlier when he initially found out what happened from Dustin. He had been absolutely furious.

But the flame of righteous fury had dissipated, leaving behind a cold feeling of disappointment in Eddie. It hung heavy and immovable in his chest, he needed to talk to him.

"Hey uh, I heard about the championship game man, Lucas's game".

Eddie tilts his head slightly, his brown doe eyes scanning Steve's face with confusion.

"What the basketball game back in March? That was like six months ago man? What about it?"

"Did you ever apologize to Lucas?" Steve asks, he keeps his face neutral, not wanting to influence the answer as Eddie scoffs. Not a great sign.

"For what Harrington?" And that stings a little, he'd been Stevie for the last two months or so, sometimes a Honey or Sweetheart thrown into the mix and Steve felt that they were barreling their way towards something new.

Steve swallows, he can't let this go, not even for Eddie.

"It was a shit thing to do man, to not let Lucas play and to not let Dustin and Mike go to support him--"

"Those kids know that the campaign comes first, that's the first tenant of Hellfire and they know that going in!" Eddie snarls, he steps forward towards Steve who holds his ground with narrowed eyes.

Fine.

"I thought you were above that sort of thing Munson, judging people for the things they like? Assuming things about a person and writing them off".

Eddie stops, his face paling slightly, his angry expression flickers once but remains in place as he crosses his arms again.

"Those games can't be rescheduled man," Steve continues with a shake of his head, "it's not even the school that decides the schedule for the season, it's the districts and the coaches, and who fucking cares if he was on the bench for most of the season? Because he played! And none of you were there".

Steve sighs and runs a tired hand over his face, "Not even his friends who he has known since pre-school. And with Will gone and Max dealing with all that shift from Starcourt and Vecna it was just the three of them, and you took that from him man".

Eddie stares at him, he says nothing, he doesn't even look like he's breathing right now and Steve feels like shit.

"I'm just saying, if you do that again, to any of them, to my kids," Steve says matter of factly, "then we'll have a problem".

"That supposed to be a threat, King Steve?" Eddie sneers at him, but his shoulders are dropping, and there is no true heat behind the words.

Steve shakes his head as Mike pops out of the double doors of the entrance and yells at the pair of them to, shit or get off the pot because what hell is taking them so long?

"No Eddie, it's not a threat because I'm hoping that you'll do the right thing. Because I know you love those kids and you're not an asshole".

He turns on his heel and heads towards the doors, leaving Eddie with the empty van. His heart thumps wildly in his chest, and the cold feeling in his chest spreads and spreads as he goes over the conversation again and again.

It stings a little to know that he's ruined whatever he had with Eddie but he couldn't let this go, friends don't lie after all.

He grabs their tickets, still buying one for Eddie --just in case, though the other man has not entered the building.

Steve tamps down the tight feeling of disappointment that grows the longer Eddie remains outside. If Eddie takes off, leaving them there, Steve can cover, he'll get Nancy to pick them up or maybe Jonathan --they're on better footing these days. He'll say Eddie had some kind of emergency come up, that Wayne needed him for something.

Yeah, friends didn't lie, but how could he break the kids' hearts like this?

They thankfully don't seem to pick up on this as they chatter about Sean Connery and what flavor of soda to get.

"Oh there you are dude! We thought you got kidnapped!" Dustin suddenly crows beside Steve, he turns to see Eddie behind him, a strange expression on his face.

Oh thank God.

"Nah, just had a quick smoke before the movie man, uh actually I wanted to borrow Lucas for a sec if that's cool?"

The kids look from Eddie to Steve, as though to check if he knows what's going on, Eddie hasn't been this shifty since March when Chrissy's death hit the news.

Steve nudges Lucas by the shoulder, leaning slightly down to say, "I'll grab your snacks, go on".

Lucas gives him a confused look over his shoulder before following Eddie outside the entrance  the doors swing closed just as Dustin whirls on Steve.

"What the hell was that!" He demands with crossed arms and a scowl on his face, his blue eyes scanning Steve's own for something, some information about what is going on outside.

"Yeah, you guys are being weird," Mike snarks from over his shoulder, he's standing with Will and El who watch the interaction with curious eyes, "first you take forever to come in and now this?"

And so much for the kids not picking up on it.

"You guys are pretty nosy," Steve hums, deflecting with a small smile as he ruffles Dustin's curls and steps forward with the rest of the line.

Dustin glares with narrowed eyes and huffs, "Fine, I'll just ask Lucas about it".

Steve snorts, he isn't sure if the kids have even talked about it. They've all been friends long enough now that this one event wouldn't be enough to hurt this kind of friendship. But it's certainly been on Dustin's mind since he was the one to bring it up to Steve that morning.

"Good idea," Steve says with a smile as he steps up the the counter, he looks at the kids before smiling at the clerk, "okay what's everyone having, let her know".

***

The lights have dimmed and the pre-show has started by the time Eddie and Lucas make their way over to the seats Steve and the kids have saved. Steve hands Lucas his popcorn and soda, sprite and orange crush mixed, as he makes his way over to the empty seat beside Dustin. There is a wide smile on his face, and it startles Steve slightly as he realizes he hasn't seen Lucas with one around Eddie in months.

His heart hurts at the thought.

Eddie drops down beside Steve, blowing out a long slow sigh as he does.

He scrubs a pair of ringed hands over his face roughly before finally relaxing into the shitty theater seat and reaching over to snag a handful of popcorn from Steve's bag, spilling kernels all over the place. 

Steve rolls his eyes and tips the bag closer to Eddie who immediately grabs a second handful.

Eddie is facing the screen, but his eyes are trained on the seat in front of him, the projection illuminates his face in whites, yellows, greens, and blues as the movie begins and Steve can't look away.

He eventually tips his face towards Steve, "You were right," Eddie murmurs before finally taking in the screen as he looks away again. Even though he's sitting nearly boneless and slumped in the seat, his shoulders are tense, upset. 

Guilty.

"I'm glad," Steve whispers, and he is.

The icy feeling of disappointment that held his chest in a tight vice grip all morning finally loosens as he leans into the armrest and feels the warmth of Eddie's shoulder soak into his own.

"Thanks Steve," Eddie whispers, his warm breath ghosting over Steve's ear as leans closer, letting their hands brush in the darkness of the theater.

Steve closes his eyes, and lets himself bask in the warmth, even for just a moment.

[alcalystrasz]

BYLER HIGH DIFF IS ON! AND THE OG PARTY IS BACK!!!

I have a few things to say about this teaser which by the way almost killed me (I was out of breath). But before that just a quick comment about my late post, I'm not always on social medias so I didn't see the posts and everything about this teaser, I heard about it 20 minutes ago... So, sorry!

SO, to start off... I noticed Dustin is still wearing the Hellfire club's t-shirt and this gives us few hints. First, neither Lucas or Mike still wears it, so it means Dustin is actually going to stick with this shirt, because it's the last thing that belongs to Eddie he has left. Second, Will is finally going to know that his 2 best friends and his crush joined an other DnD party/club without telling him cause I feel like he had no idea. Third, Dustin is probably bullied because of that shirt, because if we look at this picture, we can see he's hurt, like badly. If you zoom in we can see scars and blood on his face.

One more thing, Dustin is going to the cemetery to see Eddie's grave. So I had a theory. What if, he went to see Eddie's grave, but got Vecna'd there just like Max in S4, he tries to escape him but no one is there to save him. He gets hurt, he bleeds which is why he gets scars and stuff on his face. And Vecna targeted him just to pressure him, like it was just a pressure shot to scare him. So it would explain the reunion thing on the previous picture or just simply why he's hurt. But also his injuries could be the bullying because we've seen Jason's bullies multiple times.

Also, it looks like the leader this season isn't Mike, but more like Dustin. He's gonna lead people and give them orders, it is his time to shine. Mike will be less leading and more into listening cause he did some shit s3 and 4...

Now I switch to Mike and Will, AKA BYLERRRR. So this scene made me like go nuts. It looks like a hospital, judging the blue colors and the lightening. Maybe it's also a basement or like Murray's house. If it's a hospital, I think Mike is talking to Will, about their friendship, about their feelings, that could explain Nancy's face. Looks like she's sad/worried, listening fully to what her brother is saying. Will could be in a bed, injured? Maybe he got hurt because of Vecna or by bullies? Which could be HORRIBLY WILD. And if it's just a basement or Murray's house, maybe he's talking alone to Nancy about what he feels for Will. Like an implicit coming out scene? And when he turns his face away maybe he got interrupted? It would be so possible!

And talking about Will, I'm glad we're going to see more of flash backs of what happened into the Upside Down with him cause we barely have informations. I think it won't be just flashbacks to show us what happened but also, flashbacks for Will, to remember what happened to him back then.

Clearly I can't wait for S5 Byler and Dustin's big role. Also I wonder what these new characters are.

By the way I'm glad that they make Noah's character Will have a bigger role this season, finally Will is getting more screen time!!

[strawberrybyers]

not the “tiger pride” sign continuing the “cats are symbolism of homosexuality” allegations (wrote a possible theory on what the cats could mean in this post here )

and coca-cola once again makes an appearance… interesting how there’s only one coke can and it’s on will’s tray but technically it’s also right in between mike and will. and it looks like dustin has a juice or milk carton and i’m assuming the drink lucas has is a dr. pepper

holly’s walls decorated in flowers, meanwhile mike gave el flowers that she’s actually disappointed about because it says “from:mike” and season 4 ends with el touching the same type of flowers but they’re dead. not to mention, in el’s letter to mike she mentions that she likes the flowers in california, but she returns to hawkins and now the flowers there are dead.

also flowers have been used as easter eggs before. look at how the flowers look like demogorgons from these stills

and as you see there’s a rainbow in erica’s room just like holly has rainbows in her room and in the still of lucas, mike, and el there’s a rainbow heart all the way to the far left on the wall lol… like do we even need to go into details about the symbolism of rainbows?? they’re EVERYWHERE in stranger things. i swear i wrote a post about the usage of rainbows and what they symbolize to el, but i can’t find it. but basically what i said in it was how it’s interesting el would put a rainbow on the letter to mike or have rainbows in her room when technically rainbows have a negative connotation for her because of the rainbow room at the lab. this is the only post of mine i can find where i talk about rainbows. but let’s look at the fact BOTH el and holly have multicolored hearts in their rooms. (also!! el has little pink flowers on her shirt)

anyways i fear the girls and the gays will be going through it in season 5!! but honestly being a stranger things fan is so funny because how do i explain to a normal person that cats, coca-cola, flowers, rainbows, and hearts basically have double entendres for representing homosexuality, the upside down, and/or the lab

[stevie-petey]

episode four: will the wise

“What do you want, Hargrove?” Steve asks, situating himself so that more of his body is in between you and Billy.  He sucks his teeth and then lets out a cold chuckle. “Nothin’, just didn’t know that this little sweetheart had it in her.” “Don’t call her that–” “I mean, her boyfriend runs off with your girlfriend?” Billy chuckles again. “I’m surprised Y/N Henderson ran into your arms, Harrington.”

summary: jonathan is gone for one day and suddenly all hell breaks loose, your hesitant friendship with steve is already rocky (thanks billy) but steve is hot when he's angry tbh, you become a couple's counselor to lucas and max (sorry dustin), and you're now officially the world's worst cat owner ever. and babysitter. but what else is new ?

Rating: general, swearing

Warnings: use of y/n, fem!reader, mentions of blood and scars and knives

Words: 5.7k

Before you swing in: hello ! happy friday, heres chapter 4 :) before i say more, i wanted to inform yall that i started doing blurbs for come home if youre interested in seeing more lil scenes between everyone. they can be found here x. anyways, i absolutely cannot believe we're already halfway through the season (im skipping episode seven obviously, since its just an entire el ep). this chapter we see a liiiil more of readers dynamics with the kids, so im super happy about that. next chapter we finally get steve, dustin, and reader so !!! hella excited about that. for now, pls enjoy &lt;3

-

Mike and Lucas split up and go outside while you, Dustin, and Max start running through the halls, shouting Will’s name. 

“Will!” You’re more pleading rather than shouting. It’s happening again. It’s fucking happening again. Your mind is running a million miles a second, you feel the cold hand of fear twist around your throat. The last time you felt fear like this was when you showed up at Jonathan’s house and collapsed in his arms right after finding out Will had gone missing. 

And now he’s gone again, but Jonathan isn’t here this time to keep you steady. 

Dustin cups both hands over his mouth. “Will!”

You all turn a corner but Will isn’t there. Nothing. 

“Dustin!” Joyce rounds the corner, alarmed. “What’s going on? Where’s Will?”

The woman is moreso asking you than the kids, but you can only shake your head at her helplessly. “I don’t know, Mrs. Byers.”

Joyce holds your gaze and you feel so ashamed of yourself. You’ve let her down again. She’s always been so trusting of you with her children, and here you are, once again a fucking wreck trying to find the son you’ve lost. 

Down the hall, a door flings open. “The field!”

The four of you turn and find Lucas standing there, panting and out of breath. He motions for you all to follow and in a heartbeat you begin to run outside after him. 

There, you find Mike in the field with Will standing next to him, and for a second you feel relief wash over you. He’s okay, he’s safe and isn’t in another dimension. But as you get closer, you notice the stiffness in Will and the way Mike is shaking his shoulder. 

Something isn’t right. 

“I just found him like this!” Mike is shouting. “I think he’s having another episode!”

This would make two in two days. 

When you reach Will, you finally grasp how dire the situation is. He looks horrible, his eyes have rolled into the back of his head and are spasming. His body shakes, his fingers twitch by his side and the veins in his neck strain. 

Joyce quickly grabs him and starts shaking his shoulders, pleading with him. “Will, sweetie, wake up! It’s mom!”

You cover a hand over your mouth as you watch, horrified. Dustin and Lucas stand next to you, each clutching your shirt in fear. Their fear grounds you, making you focus back on them and pull them closer to you. You try to give them as much reassurance as you possibly can, but you know it’s useless. All you guys can do is wait for the episode to end. 

Max stands across from you, watching the situation unfold with her own uncertainty. She doesn't understand what any of this means. Why this is happening to Will, and why you’re close to tears as Joyce pleads with her son to come back to her. 

The fear on her face is why you agree to Mike to not let Max into the party. They’re all so fucking young. Too young for any of this. 

“Will, can you hear me?” Joyce pats Will’s face and you pull the boys even closer to you. Mike refuses to leave Will’s side. 

“He’ll be okay,” you whisper to the kids, but you’re selfishly trying to comfort yourself. 

Tears form in Mike’s eyes and you just want it all to stop. Will isn’t waking up and Dustin is shaking against you and Joyce’s pleas have become more like begs and it’s all too much. 

Then, Will’s eyes snap open and he takes a sharp breath that hurts your own chest to hear. 

You release the breath you’d been holding. The worst of it is over.

Will looks around shyly, as if he already knows it’s happened again. Joyce exhales and kisses his cheek and wraps him in her arms. Mike and the others look around, uncertain but relieved, while Max stands off to the side. 

You wish you could explain it all to her, but it wouldn’t be right.

Slowly, once Will has recovered, you and the kids walk with Joyce back to their car. Dustin’s hand hasn’t left yours and you secretly wouldn’t let him go anyways if he tried. 

“Have the episodes always been like this?” You ask your brother, now remembering that he had to witness that alone on Halloween night. 

“Yeah,” Dustin responds, his voice small. 

You squeeze his hand and follow after Joyce. In your head, you’re creating a list of all the baked goods you can make with the ingredients you know you have in your kitchen. They all deserve some oatmeal raisin cookies after this.

When you get to the car, you break away from the kids and step in front of Will. He’s pale, paler than he’s been in a while, and it’s only now that you see the bags underneath his eyes. He’s gotten worse, how could you have missed that?

You should’ve seen the signs sooner. 

“Did I scare you?” Will asks, and you immediately grab his hand. 

“No, never. You just… gave me a reminder that I love you. Go get some rest, little bee.” You kiss his cheek goodbye and he quietly gets in the car. 

Joyce is behind you, and once Will is safely in the car you turn to face the woman. “Call me if anything else happens, please?”

She nods at you, already understanding why you need the reassurance. There’s a warmth in her eyes, even if every other part of her seems exhausted. “I will.”

“I know I’m not a scientist, or–or a licensed therapist but I just–”

“Sweetie, I understand. Apart from Hopper, you’ve done more research and reading than anyone else. If Will gets worse, I’ll call.”

You smile at the woman appreciatively. “Thank you.”

She squeezes your shoulders and then gets in the car, driving off. You stand there for a moment, needing a second to compose yourself, before turning around to join the kids standing on the school’s steps. 

They seem to have all forgotten about Dart, but you sure as hell haven’t. Dustin fiddles with his walkie and won’t meet your eye, which only reminds you of how weird he had been acting in the bathroom earlier when he conveniently couldn't find Dart.

The two of you are definitely having a code blue tonight. 

“Dustin, you’re my ride to work.”

“What?”

“Jonathan can’t take me, so I have to ride on your pegs.”

“Who’s Jonathan?” Max asks. 

You give the girl a thumbs up. “Love the enthusiasm to understand everything, unfortunately I need to get to work and lecture my little brother.” 

“Good luck, Dustin.” Mike snickers. 

Your brother waves him off. “Yeah, yeah.”

You say goodbye to the kids, giving a stern warning that if they find any signs of Dart to tell you immediately. “I’m looking at you, Wheeler.”

Mike groans and you leave him to wallow as you hop on Dustin’s bike pegs 

“She always this bossy?” Max mumbles to Lucas.

He shrugs. “Yeah, but she’s also always right, so.”

You blow a kiss towards the boy, and he blushes. Once Dustin is ready, the two of you head towards town. 

The bike ride is quick, one of the small perks of living in a small town. The entire ride, you and Dustin are quiet. You both know that you have many choice words to say, but Dustin still looks shaken up from Will’s episode and you’re not doing too well, either. 

When Bookstrordinary’s sign greets you, you tap Dustin’s shoulder to alert him to stop. You can walk the rest of the way, you don’t want him out too late in the dark. 

“You’re lucky I can’t call off tonight, otherwise I’d kill you right now.”

“You’re such a great big sister, Y/N.”

“Thanks, I try.”

You hop off the bike and sigh. “When I get home tonight, you and I are talking.”

Dustin looks down, but takes a deep breath and salutes you halfheartedly. You laugh a bit, salute back, and then tell him to bike home safely. 

– 

After a very long and anxious shift, you ask your coworker for a ride home.

Alex almost drops his keys and looks around, as if you could be talking to anyone else in the empty store. “M–me?” 

“Yes, Alex. I need a ride home.”

“Where’s Jonathan? I won’t like, die if I drive you, right?”

You roll your eyes. “No, he’d only kill you if you didn’t drive me home since it’s late.”

Alex exhales, relieved. “Okay, yeah. I can take you home, then.”

By the time you get home, it’s later than you anticipated. Alex was kind enough to drive you, but had you known he was a new driver who went ten below the speed limit, you would’ve just walked. 

You walk inside and all the lights are off. Your mom is on the couch with Mews, softly snoring while some program plays on the TV. She tends to do that now, fall asleep on the couch rather than her bed. Too many memories, she explained once to you. 

Quietly you take your shoes off and grab some leftovers in the fridge. Dustin’s door is closed and his own light is off, which you sigh at. 

“Shit.”

He could be tricking you into thinking he’s asleep, but you could just be overthinking it. Dustin has been having more nightmares recently, you’d feel horrible if you knocked on his door and woke him up from his much needed sleep. He’s been through enough today. 

You eat your dinner, alone at the table, and you wonder how exactly you’ve wound up here again. Monster on the loose, Will in danger, Jonathan off with Nancy. 

Seems like you can never have a normal November ever again. 

After you’re done eating, you tiredly head to your room and collapse on your bed. Except, instead of landing on your soft pillows, you land on a hard body instead.

“Oomph–” A voice groans underneath you. 

You fling yourself off, finding Jonathan laying there. “Jonathan Byers, what the fuck are you doing in my bed?”

He rubs his eyes. “Said we’d call tonight.”

You stare at him. “That doesn’t at all answer my question.”

“We said we’d call tonight, but then Nancy and I realized our calls could be traced here, too. To your house, but I promised to keep you updated, so… Here I am.”

“And napping in my bed was just something you had to do?”

Jonathan yawns. “Yup.”

You flick his forehead. “Scoot over.” 

He makes room for you on the bed so that you lay side by side. Technically he’s not supposed to sleep in your bed, but your mom never said anything about naps or cuddling. You nuzzle against Jonathan’s chest, allowing the fear and anger from today leak out of your bones as you rest them. He’s always had that effect on you.

Here, in Jonathan’s arms, you feel the safest.

“What did I miss today?” You ask once you’re settled in. 

Jonathan thinks for a moment. “Well, Nance and I got the tape recorder and then drove to her house. She called Barb’s parents, told them she had to confess something about Barb and to meet her tomorrow at Forrest Hills Park in the morning.”

“She’s a genius.”

“She is,” Jonathan lazily responds. He’s drawing small circles against your hand, which is splayed against his chest. His sweater, one you bought him for his birthday, is soft against you. Jonathan seems happy right now, or at least content, and you almost don’t want to ruin the moment. 

It’s so rare to have him like this these days. The old Jonathan, shy and quiet and bashful. 

But he has to know about Will and Dart. It’s only right that he knows. 

“Something happened today, at the middle school.”

There must be something in your voice, because the second the words leave your mouth, Jonathan sits up to look at you. “What happened?”

“My brother found a baby monster from the Upside Down, named him Dart, hid it from me, and now he’s lost.” Jonathan stares at you and you can only sigh. “Will also had another episode. His second one in two days.”

“Fuck…”

“Yeah. Got to the middle school and suddenly I was chasing around some lizard looking thing from the Upside Down. Pretty typical day, honestly.”

“I wish I could’ve been there, I’m sorry. I can help you look for Dart tomorrow–”

“It’s okay,” you reassure Jonathan. “If anything, this all just proves that you and Nancy are onto something. I mean, it’s been a year and we’re still dealing with so many fucking problems due to their carelessness. How the fuck does a creature from the Upside Down just happen to survive and find its way to my brother? I mean, what if someone else had found it?”

You shake your head. “Something’s going on. You and Nancy need to keep going. Expose those evil fuckers.”

Jonathan frowns. “But what about you? What if the baby monster has a bigger, angrier mom and you get hurt?”

You hadn’t thought about that, honestly. “Huh, that’s a great question.”

“Bug–”

“I’ll be fine, bee. Those assholes at Hawkin’s Lab need to pay.”

Jonathan throws his head back, closes his eyes, and sighs. He knows he can’t argue with you about this, you already willingly took over the role of babysitter, but he still doesn’t like it. Sometimes your selflessness makes him want to scream.

“I hate that you’re always right.”

“I personally love it.” You respond, and Jonathan laughs. He uses his whole chest, it’s breathy and deep and full of warmth, and you smile and kiss his cheek as he laughs. 

No other conversation follows, you and Jonathan are content with just laying there in silence. It’s been a while since you guys were this close. Limbs tangled with limbs, the warmth from the body heat almost too much to stand, yet just enough to love. 

He stays for a while, but eventually he kisses your forehead and tells you he has to go. “Early morning, but I promise I’ll be back the next day.”

“I’m holding you to that.”

Jonathan laughs again and untangles himself from you. He presses another kiss to your forehead, playfully tucks your blanket underneath your chin like a child, and then wishes you a goodnight as he leaves through your window.

– 

For some goddamn reason, you miss your four fucking alarms this morning and oversleep. By almost an entire hour. You’ve never, ever slept through your alarms this horribly before, and you’re blaming the Hawkin’s Lab people for it. 

Now, you know the real reason is because you’ve spent every night for the last three weeks obsessively researching post-traumatic stress disorder, but blaming Hawkin’s Lab makes you feel better. 

You get ready as fast as you can, and of course this happens the one morning Jonathan can’t drive you to school and you have to bike. Your mom and Dustin have already left, which. Fuck. You still have to talk to Dustin about Dart. 

Not off to a great start this morning. 

It takes a burnt piece of toast for breakfast, cramped calves, and a lot of prayers, but you manage to make it to school only minutes before the first bell rings. When you arrive, you have just enough time to notice that both Steve’s car and Bllly’s car are parked in the lot. 

Great. You have to deal with them both alone today. 

As you’re walking inside, you hear a few people whispering about Jonathan and Nancy. Seems like word has spread that they skipped fourth period together yesterday and still haven’t returned yet.

Awesome. Steve will definitely be in a great mood today once he hears about that.

He can’t seem to catch a damn break. 

And neither can you, because you quickly realize how weird it is being at school without Jonathan and Nancy. It’s lonely, and Steve still seems to be hiding from you. 

No, not hiding, you remind yourself. He’s still hurt, he asked for space and the least you can do is give it to him. You told him where to find you.

And find you Steve does. 

You’re in the lunchroom, staring sadly at your pathetic lunch consisting of a handful of granola bars, resolving yourself to a lonely lunch without your friends, when Steve’s body slides into the seat next to you. You look up, surprised, and he raises his eyebrows at you. 

“We need to talk.”

“Okay… About what? I forgot what topic we’re on. Are we still on the whole friends conversation?”

Steve isn’t in the mood for this. “Where did Jonathan and Nancy go?”

Fuck. 

You look around the lunchroom, scared that the wrong people could be listening in. “I… Okay, I know we just had a whole conversation about being honest and I begged to be your friend again but… I can’t tell you.”

Steve takes several seconds to respond. You know he’s doing everything he can to not completely snap at you. “You… can’t tell me where my girlfriend ran off to?”

“No…” 

“You recognize how fucking stupid that sounds, right?”

You swallow. “I do.”

Steve pinches the bridge of his nose. He’s so beyond pissed off right now. Yesterday you were in his car, reassuring him that he’s a good guy and charming and pretending to be his friend again. Now, you won’t tell him where the fuck his girlfriend has gone. 

Steve isn’t an idiot. He knows there’s more to why you ditched him this summer, something you refuse to tell him, and he respected that. He did. He hadn’t wanted to push you too far, but it’s pretty damn ironic that you’re trying to get back into his life while still fucking lying to him. 

You see the obvious frustration on Steve’s face, and you wince. You take another look around, deciding to risk it. This isn’t fair to him, he deserves to know because from an outside perspective, you’d also be incredibly pissed off if your girlfriend just up and left with the guy she has weird feelings for. 

“Listen,” you lean in close, whispering, “Jonathan and Nancy went off to get evidence about who really killed Barb.”

Steve whips his head back. “What–”

“Shh!” You reach behind his head and shove him back down so that you can whisper again. “That’s all I can tell you. There’s… There’s people who could be listening, bad people who could hurt us and–”

“Well, what do we have here?” A voice interrupts.

The hair on the back of your neck stands up. 

It’s Billy.

You and Steve break apart, but he places a hand on the back of your seat in a protective manner. You lean in closer to him, trying to make yourself smaller as if Billy doesn’t already have his eyes on you anyways. 

“What do you want, Hargrove?” Steve asks, situating himself so that more of his body is in between you and Billy. 

He sucks his teeth and then lets out a cold chuckle. “Nothin’, just didn’t know that this little sweetheart had it in her.”

“Don’t call her that–”

“I mean, her boyfriend runs off with your girlfriend?” Billy chuckles again. “I’m surprised Y/N Henderson ran into your arms, Harrington.”

Billy learned your name. 

You don’t want to know how. 

“I mean,” Billy shrugs. “It’s a genius plan. Scorned lovers pissing off their exes. But from what I’ve heard, the school’s sweetheart wouldn’t even hurt a fly.”

“Jonathan and I aren’t together.” You finally find your voice. 

This only seems to entice Billy. He takes a step forward and leans against your table. “So, you’re single then?” 

Steve’s hand tightens around your seat and you feel his body tense. Billy seems to notice this, too, and shakes his head. 

“I know I promised I’d leave you some, Harrington. But this one?” He leans in closer to you, his breath minty and cold as it ghosts against your face. “She’s cute. I think I’ll keep this one.”

A chair goes flying across the room as Steve stands up. He has his fist raised and you’ve never seen his eyes so cold before. He hates what Billy is implying about you, as if he has some claim over you, as if you aren’t a human fucking being. 

You’re so much more than that.

“Don’t talk about her that way.” Steve growls out, his face inches away from Billy’s.

Billy seems to come to life, having finally cracked Steve Harrington, and within a second he has his own fists raised. You’re aware of everyone’s eyes on you in the lunchroom and vaguely you remember Steve confessing to you how much of a hardass his father is on him about school. He can’t get into any more trouble, especially not because of you. 

You shove yourself between Steve and Billy, despite how much your body screams at you to run away for being so close to the other boy. You ignore him, and force Steve to look at you. “Not here. Please.”

Steve looks between you and Billy, sees the pleading in your eyes. He sighs and reluctantly backs down. 

“Seems like the sweetheart has you whipped, Harrington.” Billy remarks, a pleased smile on his face. “Makes me want her even more–Shit!”

Milk drips down Billy’s entire shirt. 

“Oops,” you say, without any ounce of sincerity. You set the empty carton down and give the boy a aren’t I such a clutz? look. “God, silly me! I can’t hurt a fly, but it seems I also can’t hold a milk carton properly.”

Steve stifles a laugh next to you, and around the room a few others are brave enough to laugh as well. You smile innocently at Billy, who looks five seconds away from flipping the table. “Sorry about that.”

Billy, knowing he’s being watched, forces a smile himself. “You’ll pay for that.”

“Oh, I’m sure the shirt was only worth $5 anyways.”

This time Steve lets his laughs out and it calms you, steadies the shakiness you feel as you stand off against Billy. You hope you’re hiding how fucking terrified you are right now. 

You wait for a response, but Billy only storms out of the lunchroom. It’s quiet for a few moments, but slowly the usual buzz in the room returns and everyone goes back to their conversations. You stand there, your heart still in your throat, and Steve’s hand brings you back. 

“Hey, sit.” He tugs you back down and you’re too numb to fight back. “That was awesome, but are you okay?”

“Honestly? No.” 

He thinks for a moment. “Alright, well. I’m still mad at you, so… Would it be shitty if I left?”

Despite everything, you find yourself laughing. “No, Steve. I understand.”

He lingers. “Are you sure? I mean, I can stay…”

“No,” you squeeze his hand. “We can talk more about this later. Alone, without possible psychotic spies around. Go.”

Steve bites his lip, but he’s still angry at you and he has so many things he wants to ask but you’re pale and still shaking from Billy. If he demands more from you, Steve knows it wouldn’t end well for either of you. You both need your space right now, that’s one thing he’s come to learn about you and relate to himself. 

Sighing, he stands up and, to try and make up for being the asshole who leaves a vulnerable girl alone, Steve ruffles your hair. “Stay out of trouble, will ya?”

“No promises.” You smile up at him, though you know it looks as tired as it feels.

He hesitates again, pauses for a few seconds, but eventually he leaves. And then you’re left alone again. 

– 

As soon as school lets out, you march straight over to the middle school, knowing the kids are bound to be there. Dustin, specifically. He’s managed to slip through your fingers three times now. 

Holy shit, you’re really losing your touch.

The second you find the little asshole you’re going to demand a code blue, doesn’t matter where you’ll be, and then interrogate him about Dart and figure out whatever the hell else he’s hiding from you. Then, you’ll make him clean Mews’ litter box for a whole month. 

You’re so lost in your revenge planning thoughts, you almost walk right past Lucas and Max arguing in the parking lot. 

“What is wrong with me? What’s wrong with you?” Max flies past you, her shoulder knocking against yours. You steady her and notice she’s talking to a very nervous looking Lucas. 

Oh dear. 

“I don’t understand!” He calls after her.

“Hey, what’s going on?” You try to intervene, but Max rips herself out of your grasp and gets in Lucas’ face. 

“No!” She’s shouting now. “I don’t understand! You guys act like you want me to be your friend but–but then you treat me like garbage?”

Huh. She’d get along great with you and Steve. 

Lucas looks over at you, helpless. “That’s not true!”

“Don’t look at me, buddy.” You tell him. 

“Yes, it is! You go and hide in the AV Club, keeping secrets like we’re in second grade or something…” Max’s words catch in her throat, giving you a glimpse of the hurt girl underneath her indifferent exterior. “You know, I thought you guys wanted me in your party.”

You step close to her. “Max, I know it might not make any sense but–”

“Don’t tell me you’re in the party but I’m not.”

Now it’s your turn to look towards Lucas for help. 

He sighs. “Look, we want you in our party, but it’s…”

“But what?” Max looks between you and Lucas, obviously becoming more and more hurt the longer this conversation goes on. 

“There… there are just things.”

“Things, yeah.” You unhelpfully echo, but Lucas glares at you. “Sorry.”

He tries again. “There are things we can’t tell you, alright? For your own safety.”

“Lucas,” you warn, scared he’ll say too much, but Max just gets angrier. 

“My own safety?”

“Yes!” 

“Because I’m a girl?”

Well, that’s certainly one way to look at it.

Lucas scoffs. “What? No!”

You step in between the kids. “Alright, no. That’s not it at all and this conversation will just keep going in circles.”

Max ignores you. “Did you keep secrets from El?”

You and Lucas share a look, and then, at the same time, ask, “How do you know about El?”

“Did you?” She presses, but she’s looking more at you now than Lucas. She’s expecting you to take her side, to tell the boys to be nice to her and let her into the party, but the scar on your upper arm burns and your ankle faintly throbs. Those wounds will never fully go away; you’ll carry them with you your entire life.

You know how shitty it feels to be left out, but you also know how shitty the nightmares are as well. Max can never be brought into the Upside Down. Not when she has the chance to live a happy and normal life, free from any danger and turmoil. 

“That was different,” you tell Max, trying to be as gentle as possible. “I really, really wish I could explain, but I can’t. It’s for your own good. If I could’ve prevented the party from going through what they have, I would’ve. But I couldn’t, and it haunts me every day.”

Max stares at you, and you admire how much spunk she has in her. You can see her thinking about what you’ve said, analyzing your words for any lies or deception, and you know she’s spent years doing this on her own. Your heart breaks for her.

Billy’s anger flashes in your mind. Max is an intelligent girl, but you know he’s the reason why.

When she can’t find any lies in your words, she just sighs and shakes her head. “You know what? Forget it. Okay? I don’t want to be in your stupid party anyway. I’m out. Have a nice life.”

Lucas stands there for a moment, processing what’s just happened. “Max!”

“You still stink, by the way.” She calls back, and you step back a bit from Lucas. 

“Not to make this worse, but she’s right.”

Lucas glares at you but then sniffs his jacket, cringing with repulsion. “Oh, shit!” 

He throws his hands up in the air and starts walking back towards the school. You don’t follow for a second, instead you watch as Max skates down towards the parking lot, where Billy is waiting. He has his arms spread against his car, and he seems to have noticed you long before you noticed him. 

Billy’s eyes pierce yours and you shudder. There’s a hatred in his eyes that you’ve never seen before, unlike anything else. Again, your heart breaks for Max. You can’t imagine having an older brother like him.

You force yourself to turn around and join Lucas up ahead. Gross, sleazy men are the least of your concerns right now. 

But then Lucas turns and makes eye contact with Billy before you can warn him not to. “Why is that guy glaring at us?”

You shove Lucas to keep walking. You don’t at all like the disdain in Billy’s eyes. “I poured milk all over his shirt today. Keep moving.”

The boy trips over a rock. “You what?”

“Long story, can we please just go inside and find Dustin? I need to talk to him.”

Lucas sighs, knowing that what he’s about to say will only anger you more. “I can’t find Dustin either. We were supposed to meet by our lockers after school to keep looking for Dart.”

You stop walking. “And he didn’t show?”

“Nope.”

“I’m going to kill him.” You know exactly where your brother is: at home hiding Dart and trying to figure out what to do with him. 

Lucas senses you know something. “Y/N, what did he do?”

“Nothing!” You cover for Dustin quickly, because he’s your idiotic brother whose problems are also somehow yours. You’ll always have his back, but you also hate lying to Lucas. “He just probably had to head home immediately. Our mom has guests over.”

“Guests?”

“Yeah! Totally unexpected, I know, but you know how our mom is.” You start speed walking towards the bike rack. You need to head home. Now. 

Lucas doesn’t believe you. “Y/N–” 

“I’m sorry about Max, by the way!” You call as you run towards your bike. “Talk to her! Obviously don’t mention the… Stuff, but just know if it doesn’t work then it’s for the best! We have to keep her safe!” You’re rambling as you unlock your bike and hop on. 

Lucas is not far behind you. “Are you seriously giving me girl advice as you’re running away from me to go cover for Dustin?”

“Yes. Bye, Lucas!” 

He lets out a frustrated groan and calls after you, but you kick up your kickstand and immediately pedal away, leaving him in the dust. You feel bad, you do. Lucas is one of your favorites to interact with, he’s always been the most rational, but right now you have to go make sure your brother doesn’t burn down this entire town.

You’ll bake Lucas brownies later. 

– 

“Dustin Henderson, you’re so dead!” You slam the front door, sweaty and out of breath from your frantic bike ride.

“Y/N! What’s going on?” Your mother clutches her chest, obviously frightened by your sudden entrance. 

You quickly walk towards Dustin’s closed door. “Everything’s fine, just sibling stuff.”

“Oh, well have you seen Mews?”

The door is locked. Of course the fucker locked the door. You start pounding on it. “Dustin, let me in before I radio all your friends.” Then, you call to your mother in the living room. “And no, I haven’t seen Mews, mom.”

You hear her sigh and mutter to herself where Mews could be, and you figure you’ll help her look after your idiot of a brother lets you into the room. 

Again you pound against the door. “Dustin, I swear to god–”

The door swings open and a hand grabs your shirt and flings you inside, before promptly slamming the door behind you. Once you’re inside, Dustin turns to you, worried. “We have a problem.”

“Damn right we have a problem, where the hell have you been–” There, behind Dustin, is his turtle’s tank, completely shattered. Bile rises to your throat. “Please tell me Yurtle suddenly got super strong.”

Dustin walks over to the tank and holds up what looks like slimy plastic. “So, I kept Dart.”

“Dustin–”

“And he grew. A lot. This is his old skin.” He throws it back down. Then, backing away from you a bit, he admits, “I also can’t find him.”

It takes everything within you not to strangle the kid right then and there. You start pacing the room, mumbling to yourself, “I’m a good sister, I’m a good sister, I’m a good sister.”

“Y/N, I’m sorry, alright? I just, I got excited and Dart likes me and–”

A loud growl cuts your brother off. In a heartbeat, he’s back by your side, clutching your shirt in fear. Instinctively, you pull him behind you and reach for your switchblade that you always keep in your pocket now. After everything that’s happened, you find comfort in having the weapon always close to you. 

Slowly, you and Dustin start walking towards where the growl came from. Your hand never leaves his back, ready to push him out the door in case anything happens. There’s horrible grunting noises coming from the corner of his room. As you walk closer, you see a trail of dark red scattered across the carpet and his chair.

It’s blood. 

The realization makes your breath hitch. 

The grunting gets louder as you approach the chair, and then, slowly, you peek behind it. There, you’re met with a gruesome sight.

Dart is eating Mews.

He's bigger than he was yesterday. Way bigger. Dangerously bigger.

You scream, unable to help it, and Dustin quickly covers your mouth so that you don’t alert your mother. The sound seems to alert Dart, however, and he raises his head from Mews’ stomach, covered in blood, and lets out a horrific screech. 

Its mouth opens the same way the monster’s did at Jonathan’s last year, the same monster that had almost killed you and your friends. The sight paralyzes you in fear as the memories come crashing back from that night. The scar on your arm burns again. Your ankle twings in pain, and you feel sick. 

Your cat is dead. 

And Dustin has been hiding a fucking baby demogorgon in your home. 

-

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[glisten-inthedark]

I’m re-watching season one with my mom and the first two episodes with Mike and Eleven really feel like the way that Eleven is being treated is how Nancy would’ve treated her, or even Karen, the obviously Karen is an adult and would have actually tried to go to the authorities, which Mike initially wanted to do until Eleven said that there were bad people after her

Basically, I’m trying to say that it feels like Mike treated her in a very familial way, in a very caregiving, nurturing way, like she was his little sibling or a younger kid that he was looking after, and a big part of that is the speech barrier between them, but he also spends time showing her toys and the La-Z-Boy and it just very much feels like everything he does for her in those first two episodes is what he would do if she were a boy. You could show most of his scenes with Eleven in e1 and e2 to someone who has never seen Stranger Things and doesn’t know Eleven’s gender and if you omitted all the times that he says “she” or refers to her as a girl, I think a fair amount of people would assume she’s a boy.

I might comment more on this when I watch more episodes because I’m rewatching season 1 with a Byler lens after being a M*leven fan on my first watch

On a more Byler front, it’s interesting to see how in the scene where Hopper speaks to the party at the school, only Mike is fully focused on Will. Dustin and Lucas get sidetracked bickering about Mirkwood but Mike just sits between them looking sorta numb or shocked or in his head

I’d also forgotten just how utterly sweet Mike is when taking care of Eleven. Like I mentioned earlier it doesn’t really feel romantic coded at all but he is just really nurturing and sweet and while Dustin and Lucas ask questions about her hair and blood on her shirt, Mike is asking about her wellbeing. It’s a cool contrast and I hope we get even more nurturing Mike in season 5 because season 1 Mike is incredible. It’s sad to see heteronormativity and internalized homophobia sort of causing him to repress that side of himself throughout seasons 3 and 4, though it does still crop up in those seasons at times

Hello!! How are you?

Mike definitely treated her like he would treated a sibling, or how anyone with some decency would treat a frightened child.

As for Byler, yes this very interesting! And it's also worth noting that it's what they do for like 2 seasons. Focusing on Mike's reactions instead on the group's reactions when it comes to Will.

They did when Hop questioned the boys, did it again when the body was found, and again when Mike noticed Will's absence, and again when Mike grew worried about Will and wouldn't leave his side, and again during Halloween, and again in their fight, and again when Will left, and you get my point lmao.

They want us to see there's a difference in how Mike handles his things with Will vs how he handles with all the other party members.

And yes, Mike was incredibly sweet to El he was.

Thanks for ask

[mostlylurkinbarelypostin]

Hopper Threatening Mike

Something that I think about all the time is what the heck Hopper threatened Mike with in the first episode of season 3.

Hopper tells Joyce he had to “improvise a little bit” when he tells her about the heart-to-heart. Well you know where else we see the word improvise pop up? When he mows down 4 Russians in the last episode. He literally kills 4 people, says “I’m improvising”, and then puts on a Russian uniform. Murray tries to handle the situation calmly at first but that lasts like 5 seconds, which is about how long it took Hopper to lose his patience with Mike while attempting the heart-to-heart.

According to Mike, Hopper didn’t threaten him with death so what else could be so bad? I don’t know but I think it has to do with Will. When Mike says the words “he threatened me,” the shot we see is of Will setting up the DnD board. This might not mean much on its own but then we have the Karen/Billy and Mike/El parallel.

The Pool Storage Parallel:

We get two scenes that happen in the pool storage room. The first one is Karen explaining to Billy why she didn’t meet him at the Motel pool. She tells him that she has a family and can’t do anything that would hurt them. What made her change her mind and not cheat? Seeing Ted sleeping on the couch with Holly. And what’s Ted wearing? A shirt that is stupidly similar to the one Will is wearing during his and Mike’s movie date.

The scene of Karen and Billy also comes directly after the scene in which Max tells El to dump Mike if he doesn’t explain himself. In the immediate next scene, we have Karen saying “I want to explain…” to Billy.

So explanations happen in the pool storage room. Just like his mom, Mike goes into the storage room to explain why he didn’t show up as planned. He tells El that Hopper made him lie, however he doesn’t say much more, just that he said they’re spending too much time together. This is a pretty garbage explanation though and we still don’t know exactly why Mike lied. Even Lucas questions why Mike did it.

If these parallels means what I think they do, Will is the “family” that Mike doesn’t want to hurt, and is the reason he had to lie. So what was the threat? I highly doubt it’s something as simple as Hopper threatening Mike with not letting him see El anymore if he doesn’t back off a bit cause 1. that wouldn’t work considering El has legit superpowers 2. that’s too basic of an explanation to warrant keeping the details of Mike and Hopper’s conversation a secret (they even remind you that we don’t know all the details when Hopper makes plans to tell Joyce about it at Enzo’s, which of course doesn’t end up happening) 3. they put way too much effort into the parallels for there not to be more there.

I don’t know exactly what I’m trying to imply. Maybe Hopper has witnessed the way Mike splits his time between El and Will and sees right through him. I mean he did witness the shed monologue and saw how disinterested Mike was in kissing El in season 2. Does he think Mike is using El?? I don’t know. I know Hop is just like Mike and wants El to himself but there’s just gotta be more here.

Would love to hear your thoughts! 😛

[steviewashere]

Balls in Laundry Baskets: An Apology Chp. 3 (Final)

Rating: Teen and Up CW: None for this part Tags: Post Season 4, Post Canon, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arguing, Making Up, Apologizing, Steve Harrington & Lucas Sinclair Friendship, Eddie Munson Gets Put in His Place, Eddie Munson has Asthma, Lucas Sinclair is a Sweetheart, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Protective Steve Harrington, Emotionally Hurt Lucas Sinclair, Emotionally Hurt Steve Harrington, Established Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson Means Well He's Just Defensive, Hurt People Hurt Others

This is chapter three! Want to read chapter one? Click here. For chapter two, Click Here

Can also be read on AO3

🏀—————🏀 Come Thursday, Eddie could admit that he was a bit nervous. Considering the parameters that Lucas set for him: no complaining, no criticizing, and no refusing. Yeah, Eddie can say that he is rightfully nervous. He doesn’t have much of a filter or a ton of control when it comes to his brain to mouth, but he’s got to get the reigns somehow. Even thinks about just not talking and going with whatever physical activity Lucas wants to do. Go with how Steve moves and how he coaches them through a basketball practice.

And it started good. He did what he was told, wore one of his Metallica t-shirts with the sleeves cut off, a pair of ratty joggers transformed into shorts. Sneakers and socks and put his hair up in a bun. Max was there, jeering at them, complaining about ‘sweaty boy smell’. It felt good to move the way he was. Up and down the court. Twisting around Lucas, just barely dodging Steve. Making a few three point shots and some from off of the side.

He’s worked up a sweat. Breathing heavy, ragged and panting. Wheezing, but he ignores that part, even as it makes it harder and harder to breathe. (Maybe he should’ve brought up his lifelong asthma diagnosis and the inhaler he definitely doesn’t have hidden in his shorts pocket.) 

Steve comes up to him, hair drenched in sweat and thighs glistening. Slaps his right shoulder—a term of endearment, so Max has told him. “You’re doing a good job, Eds,” Steve praises. “Let’s get some water in you and we can go for another half an hour. Then, we’ll be back here in like two weeks, yeah?”

Eddie pants, chest heaving, stuttering. His stomach is twisting. And he’s starting to get light headed, but he pushes that away. “Nah, Stevie, let’s keep going,” he strains to say, “I can—I can go some—Can go some more.”

However, Lucas strides past him then, towards Max. He shoots a look of concern. Quirked eyebrow, widened eyes, soft scowl. “Eddie, dude, it’s alright to take a break,” he states. “In fact, I usually take a good fifteen right now. Throw back some cold water, pat away my sweat, put some Tiger Balm on. Y’know, what I’d usually do at practice.” He even grabs for an ice cold bottle of water—its beading and foggy and so incredibly tantalizing. Lucas shakes it, Eddie can hear the ice clinking around. “Just take it, Eddie. It’s good to replenish.”

He waves a hand, though. Shouldering past Steve coming towards him. And grabs the basketball. Dribbles it, passes it back and forth between his hands, rolls it around on his palms. “Come on, guys! Let’s do this some more!” He urges. Because he has to prove this. Prove that he cares. That he wants to do this. That he’s capable of consuming and enjoying both Lucas and Steve’s interests. Because they matter. These people matter to Eddie and if he doesn’t show that they matter, then who knows…Eddie would prefer to not find out.

Steve shares a sidelong glance with Lucas. Looks back to Eddie, concerned and oddly a bit afraid. “If you want to continue play for a few minutes,” he says slowly, “then I guess you can?” Though, he takes a careful step forward. Places a tentative hand on Eddie’s sweaty shoulder and squeezes. Softly, he says, “You don’t have to play right now. You need a break, baby. It’s good to take a break.”

“I’ll survive for a few minutes,” Eddie continues to strain. His breath is still rattling and he can’t quite catch it fully, but it’s fine. Everything is fine. “Nobody’s ever died from basketball, I’m sure.” Then, he turns towards the court and saunters away.

It takes him only a few more laps up and down the court to really feel the effects of not taking a break. His chest burns as if somebody threw a molotov cocktail down his throat. He can’t quite get neither the black specks out of his vision nor the dizzying swoosh in his head. For a moment, he swears his head may fall right off his neck. And as he raises the basketball above his head to sink another basket, the world begins to teeter. He’s gasping for breath and not landing a single one.

Arms wrap around him before he can crash to the ground. Distantly, the sound of the basketball dissipates, bouncing away from him. Gently, his body is leaned up against something. Somebody is digging into his pockets. And then his inhaler is between his lips.

He follows the person’s lead. Taking in puffs as they’re pressed into him. Focusing on the sensations around him. A thumb on the back of his hand. Fingers through his damp, yet crunchy curls. Slowly, his vision comes back to him. His ears are ringing, but he can see.

Lucas is crouched in front of him, holding his inhaler. Steve is on his right, soothing him with his fingers. They’re both sporting looks of adamant fear. And hot shameful guilt curls inside him.

“—die? Eddie?” Steve calls out. He blinks at Lucas, too exhausted to loll his head towards Steve. “Eddie, come on, say something.”

“Did I make the shot?” He croaks.

Just barely, he hears Lucas sigh under his breath, “Jesus Christ.” His hands fall away from where they were up and presenting the inhaler. Wipes one down the entire length of his face and shoots the softest glare Eddie thinks he’s ever seen. “You fucking scared us is what you did!” He exclaims.

“Lucas,” Steve warns.

“What?! I can’t admit that he scared me? I mean—“ Lucas looks directly at Eddie. Something inside of him burns more, that curl of guilt growing bigger and bigger. Overfed like a house cat. “—Dude, why didn’t you say something about having asthma? I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I knew it could…God, you almost died over basketball. Do you know how absurd of a statement that is to make?”

Eddie merely shrugs. “I wanted to play. Had to make sure I was being a good friend,” he meekly states.

Lucas gives him another soft glare. Sighs exasperated. And requests quietly, “Steve, can I have a moment alone with him?”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m pretty positive, Steve. Nothing bad, I just…Just give me a moment and then we can go get burgers or something, yeah?” Lucas doesn’t turn to watch Steve leave, keeping his focus completely on Eddie. For the first time in a while, Eddie feels completely bare and flayed. He’s not ready for whatever lecture this is going to be. Or how Lucas is about to break off their friendship, but he readies himself anyway. Sits patiently as Lucas calculates him with eyes alone.

Then, Lucas speaks. “That was stupid,” he states easily. “The stupidest thing I think I’ve ever seen somebody pull. And I’m kind of ticked that you didn’t just take a break. Your body needs that, y’know? Otherwise, shit like this happens.”

“I get it, man,” Eddie grumbles. But his voice softens, saddened. “Just tell me to go and I’ll leave. I’m sorry that I didn’t care like I should’ve. And I’m sorry that I was shitty to you. And I’m sorry that I didn’t make it up to you sooner. But please save the lecture and rip the bandaid off.”

Lucas’s eyebrows furrow. “What? Eddie, I’m not telling you to fuck off. You’re my friend, dude. A…Eddie, you’re a good friend,” he states, an admittance. “And I—I appreciate you going out of your way to try and include my interests, really include me and what I like to do. I’m so fucking glad that you pulled your head out of your ass and apologized, that it was meaningful, that you promised yourself to be better. But—“

“But?”

Again, Lucas sighs. Looks down at his fallen hands. And back up to Eddie’s face. “—But I don’t need you dying just to prove yourself to me. That’s…That’s insane. And, honestly, your apology was enough. It was.

“Because you meant every single word of it. I could actually tell that you were sorry. You were so eager to do it. And you…God, Eddie, you’re only person that’s ever apologized me like that. Not even Mike and Dustin have apologized yet—and they’ve had so many moments to get over their own biases and talk to me. But they haven’t. You have.” His face does something a little sad, but it’s quickly schooled. “You have and that’s what matters to me. I forgave you the moment you apologized, but I was willing to let you prove yourself or whatever.

“Which, thank you for trying, but I’d prefer you alive and hysterical and insane about D&D then not have you here at all,” Lucas admits quietly. He scoots himself over to Eddie’s right side. To where Eddie can finally bring his head to look. “Thank you for apologizing. For trying. But we’ll find something else for all of us to do together. Just not today, and that’s okay.”

Eddie, sort of embarrassingly, notices that his eyes are glazed with tears. He sniffs, chews the inside of his cheek, and swallows down the small cry that wants to escape. He throws out a soft smile, to which Lucas returns. “Thanks for saving my life, Sinclair. Should’ve just taken your guys’ advice. But…I’d like to find something for all of us to do that doesn’t, y’know, involve me having an asthma attack and almost dying on you.”

“You could watch Chicago Bulls games with us,” Lucas offers. “It’s not the worst thing in the world. Just have to endure Steve and I yelling about missed baskets and calling the players names for not doing great.”

Chuckling softly, Eddie nudges Lucas’s shoulder. “Hey, as long as I can have a Mtn Dew and a bowl of popcorn, I’ll be seated and watching. Might have to explain what’s going on, but I can learn to enjoy the games with you guys.”

“Honestly, there’s not much to explain. As long as the Chicago Bulls are scoring high and actually making their baskets, that’s all that you need to focus on,” Lucas explains. “But enough about basketball. Let’s get you some water, a sweat towel, and a burger. We’ll talk about watching sports later.” He hefts himself up, offers his hands out for Eddie to take, and pulls them up to about eye level. Lucas is still a bit shorter than him, but he’s sure that in no time, they’ll be the same height.

Without warning, Lucas is wrapping himself around Eddie. He responds back enthusiastically. Squeezing them together as tight as they’ll go. “Thank you, again, Lucas. Fucking saved my life. I’ll be in your debt forever.”

Lucas pats his back and muffles into his shoulder, “Chicago Bulls games, that’s how you repay me.” But there’s a smile, Eddie can feel it through the cotton of his shirt. “Let’s go, man. Steve gets impatient if I take too long.”

Eddie sighs, pulls away, and rolls his eyes. “He does that with you, too? He’s such a stickler about being on time places, even when there’s no timer.”

“I know, right? Love the guy, but he’s got a weird internal clock.”

“Agreed, Sinclair. But I guess we’ll just have to live with that. We’re all dorks anyway.” He leans in to Lucas’s space as they walk back towards Steve’s car. Whispers low, “Steve doesn’t believe he is, but just ask him about Star Trek and you’ll get him going. Figured that out a few days ago and it’s kind of fascinating to watch.”

Lucas hums, nods, and runs out to Steve’s car. Shouts for Steve to hear, “Hey, Steve! How do you feel about Star Trek?!”

Eddie hides his laughter as Steve groans. “You told him?! I thought I could hide that!” He whines.

“Indulging interests, babe!” Eddie uses as his explanation.

“Lucas, tell him about The Karate Kid!” Steve shouts back, smug fucking grin on his face. And Lucas groans just as Steve did.

As they clamber into the car, talking amongst themselves, excited and happy and together—Eddie thinks about indulging interests more often. Star Trek, Chicago Bulls, The Karate Kid, and all.

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