#and the rest of the time dustin simply DOES NOT HAVE THE PATIENCE for mike to figure things out

[brionysea]

lol the arcade guy saying max is 'better than dustin' when max is gonna spend season 2 like MY BEST FRIEND MIKE WHEELER BE MY FRIEND CAN WE BE FRIENDS CAN YOU GET SOME MENTAL HEALTH SO WE CAN BE FRIENDS while dustin opens season 2 whining that he has to call New Irritable Mike while lucas showers, and dustin snaps at mike later for wanting to do something about the demodogs. and then in season 3 dustin fully fucks off from the party forever the second mike does something out of character while max spends the season arguing with mike, trying to get her point across without leaving like most people do when they disagree with mike, so that he can get his head on straight and become a better person and friend without the emotional blackmail of being abandoned by everyone he cares for bearing down on him

[once-upon-an-imagine]

There Are Worse Things I Could Do (Preview) - Eddie Munson

Number two; Eddie... this is what I have so far for Chapter 3 (which does not include Eddie 🤣) I am missing half of the chapter and have the main idea of what I want to write but yet again, the words are not coming out, hope you like this so far though! 😊

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There Are Worse Things I Could Do

I could flirt with all the guys Smile at them and bat my eyes 

“Seriously? We have been through this for like four hours now! Even Erica gets it and she’s ten years old!” Mike snapped at you. 

“First of all, she’s eleven, Michael! And secondly, you do not talk to me that way! Time out for you!”

“What? You can’t give me a time-out! I’m fourteen-!” he complained, standing up.

“Time out, Michael Wheeler” you said between clenched teeth as you stood up and looked up at him. You may be shorter than him, but you could still see the same fear in his eyes. “Now!”

Mike turned to look at Dustin, who simply shrugged, knowing they would not argue with you whenever you put one of the guys in time-out. He sighed and looked back at you. 

“Fine” he said, walking over to the kitchen. “But I’m leaving because I want to” he mumbled as he walked over to the kitchen to grab something to drink and then to the living room. You rolled your eyes, frustrated, sitting back down. Dustin and Mike had been trying to teach you how to play Dungeons & Dragons for the entire afternoon—trying being the keyword. 

“Don’t listen to Mike” Dustin said, placing his hand on your shoulder. “You know he has like zero patience and I think he’s fighting with El or something, I don’t know” he tried to cheer you up. “Why is this so important to you anyway? I mean, you told us Eddie said he’d teach you” he said, confused. 

“I know” you sighed. “I just… didn’t want him to think that I knew nothing about Dungeons and Dragons” you explained. 

“But… you know nothing about Dungeons and Dragons” he chuckled. “And that’s the whole point of him teaching you, isn’t it?” 

“I guess” you said. 

“You know how when we were little, you could always tell when one of us was lying?” “I still can” you informed him. “Well, so can we. We can tell when you’re lying” he told you. “And I know there’s something you’re not telling me” he said. 

“Really? You all can tell when I’m lying?” 

“Fine. Will and I can” he confessed, making you smile. “So, what’s going on?”

“I hate that you are growing up” you chuckled. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh at me” you said. 

“Pinky swear” he said, sticking out his pinky and you took it.��

“I don’t want Eddie to know that I don’t get this because… he’s the first person that hasn’t made me feel dumb” you muttered. 

“What?” Dustin asked, offended. “Including us?” 

“Dustin, I love you, but yes, you are ridiculously smart, and sometimes you need to get your ego checked. It’s funny when you do it to Steve but sometimes you have done it to me” you informed him. 

“Sorry” he muttered. 

“It’s fine. I know you don’t do it to be mean” you smiled. “Look, I know you guys have noticed I’m not really the most liked girl in school” you rolled your eyes. “And Eddie has been one of the few people to be nice to me. He always has been nice to me and he actually stood up for me in our math class so I just… I don’t know I don’t want him to think I’m dumb-”

“You’re not dumb!” Dustin argued. 

“I’m not… the brightest, okay? I’m not top of my class or anything and I really struggle with math which is like the main thing of this game!” 

“So… if you don’t like math, why do you want to play it? We have been trying to get you to play for years” he said confused and then he gasped. “Oh, my God! You like Eddie!”

“What? No, I don’t!” you scoffed. “He’s just my friend!”

“Are you sure?” he asked, smirking and resting his head on his hand. 

“Yes, I’m sure” you glared at him. 

“You don’t sound so sure” he laughed. 

“You know what, I’m gonna go grab something to drink” you said, getting up. 

“Sure, change the subject, that doesn’t prove my point at all!” you heard him all the way from the pantry as you walked over to the fridge. 

You grabbed a soda and tried to shake Dustin’s comment off your head. You didn’t like Eddie. Not like that. He was just nice. And sweet. And funny. And…

“Why is Mike sitting down on the couch grumbling about being in time-out?” Steve asked, closing the fridge door and snapping you out of your thoughts. He then grabbed your soda making you roll your eyes and get another one. 

“Because he is in time-out for yelling at me” you explained as Steve laughed. 

“Why did he yell at you?” 

“Because I can’t understand Dungeons and Dragons” you admitted. 

“Dungeons and Dragons? Why are you trying to play their nerdy game?” he laughed. 

“Yes, why are you trying to play our nerdy game?” Dustin said, appearing in the kitchen and looking extremely interested in this conversation. 

“N-no reason” you shrugged, widening your eyes at Dustin. “I’m just… thinkingaboutjoiningHellfire” you mumbled, looking away from Steve. 

“You’re what?” “I just may… be… joiningHellfire” you said. 

“Talk normally” Steve scowled at you. 

“Fine! Eddie asked me to join Hellfire” you said, avoiding Steve’s look. Steve froze for a moment before he turned to look at Dustin.

“Henderson. Time out. Go with Wheeler” he said, calmly. 

“What? You can’t give time-out-”

“Go!” Steve said, pointing at the door. Dustin rolled his eyes and left to the living room. 

“You know that they are just going to listen through the door-”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Steve asked, a little upset. “Why are you even hanging around with Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson?”

“Don’t call him that!”  

“Oh, what? He’s your friend now?” 

“Yes, Steve” you glared at him. “He happens to be my friend-”

“Monkey” Steve said, getting serious. “What is going on with you?”

“Nothing” you insisted. 

“There’s nothing going on with me and there’s nothing wrong with Eddie being my friend-” 

“Yes, there is!” Steve argued. 

“Just because you don’t like him because Dustin suddenly has another role model, doesn’t mean he’s a bad person-!”

“That’s not what this is about! Munson is bad news, okay?”

“Why? Because he used to sell you weed?” you said, suddenly making Steve glare at you. “Oh, you think I didn’t know?”

“That’s not the point!”

“Then what is your point, Steve?”

“Is this about Jason?” “Oh, my God! This has nothing to do with Jason! Why do you have to bring him up every time I’m upset about something?”

“Because you won’t even tell me why the two of you broke up in the first place!”

“It’s none of your business!” “And now, what? You’re hanging out with people like Eddie Munson? What about your friends?”

“I DON’T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!” you yelled, making Dustin and Mike appear at the door, peeking their heads in. “Happy? Is that what you wanted to hear?” you snapped, as Steve looked at you, confused. 

“W-what are you talking about?” he chuckled. “Of course, you have friends-”

“No, Steve, I don’t” you told him. “Jason made everyone stop talking to me” you explained. 

“What? Why?” 

“Because that’s the kind of person he is, okay? So, I have no friends. Except for Mike, Dustin, Max, sometimes Lucas, Robin because she’s your friend, Nancy because she’s too good of a human being to still talk to me after all the shit she has been through, and Eddie Munson” you said. 

“I’m not a ‘Harrington’ anymore, okay? And I like hanging out with Eddie and he’s nice to me so…” you sighed. 

“But-”

“Don’t look at me like that” you chuckled sadly. “Please. Everyone looks at me like that” you said. “Except Eddie” you admitted. “So, I honestly don’t care if you like him or not. He’s my friend” you said before leaving the kitchen. 

Steve turned to look at Mike and Dustin and they entered the kitchen. 

“You two knew about this and you didn’t tell me?” 

“She made us pinky promise!” Dustin complained.

To Be Continued

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[Ch.1] [Ch.2]

I hope you loves like it, so far! I’m just missing the second part here (which includes Eddie having a conversation with Gareth) again, any ideas, suggestions, headcanons, etc. are always more than welcome! 😁  

[hargrove-mayfields]

Day five of Horror on Cherry Lane Challenge! Today’s prompt was monsters!

Little brat’s been in the school ten minutes after the bell.

After they both broke curfew, Max staying out late trick-or-treating and going to one of her little friends’ house to trade candy, and Billy crashing at the lingering party until he was sober enough to come home and not get his ass kicked, they were supposed to be straight home today. Used up all their free time for the week apparently.

Max knew that this morning, he already told her to forget about the damn AV club. If he had to cancel on whatever chick he was going to take out (was it Carol? No, Carol is Tommy’s girl. Fuck he doesn’t know anybody yet) Max had to give her shit up to.

He gets bored of waiting for the little twerp and tosses his cigarette to the ground, marching in there his damn self.

Only time he’s ever been in this building was to pick Max up from AV. His dad made him come all the way inside and give his assessment on the teacher. Asked (slapped him and demanded it) that he do so to check on Max. Just to be sure. Like he cares.

But it works out anyways that he knows the way now that Max has decided to disappear and it’s up to him to track her down. Only problem is he gets there, and the room is empty. Not even just that Max isn’t in there, there’s no damn kids or teacher or nothing. Just a knocked over lamp and some shit on the floor.

He ain’t trying to hunt her down, but he has to get her back home in like, the next half-hour, and she’s somewhere she ain’t supposed to be. The school isn’t very big, half the damn building is closed off for the school board to use, so there isn’t much ground to cover.

He’s not trying to get himself arrested either, so he makes quick work of the school, checking all the places Max might be. Still, he comes up empty, and he’s about to just give up and let whoever she was with keep her when he sees something scurrying across the floor out of the corner of his eye.

It’s not really any of his business whether or not the middle school is infested, but it catches his eye for the wrong reasons.

It’s a gnarly little thing, a cross between a frog and rat or some shit, but Billy’d recognize that thing anywhere. It’s a fucking monster, crawling around the halls of his sisters school.

Purely on instinct, he tracks the thing to where it cornered itself, taking advantage of the fact that it’s still small and growing into its demon teeth to stomp on the gross monster. He stops once he’s positive it’s dead and not just faking him out like they do sometimes, he’s not gross or something, but he nearly jumps out of his skin when behind him, Max shouts, “Billy!”

He turns, ignoring the pile of goop that was one of those things to face his, apparently, from the flush on her cheeks and the bitterness in her tone, “Jesus, shitbird. What is wrong with you?”

He’s hardly even got the question out before Max snaps at him, “Why would you kill it!”

“Do you even know what that thing is?” Billy raises eyebrows, no patience for Max telling him what to do, but she counters with something that surprises him, “It was Dustins, he discovered it, you jerk!”

“Yeah, no. These things’ve been around longer’n any of us have been alive. And I don't care who found it first. They’re fucking monsters.”

“How do you even know what he was? You killed him.”

“It. Not him. Don’t humanize them.” Billy hisses, warning Max, “And anyways, I seen some shit kid. Don’t ask. And don’t play around with anymore of these little fuckers. Give ‘im a day or two ‘n he’ll be the size of a gray wolf. Another month or so and he’s seven feet tall.”

“But what is he?” Max demands stubbornly.

Billy answers simply, “Something you don’t want anything to do with.”

By now, the rest of Max’s friends have followed the sound of her yelling to their little showdown, and it’s Dustin, the owner of this thing, that chimes in, “But wait, does that mean you know?”

“Know what?” Max huffs, but she gets ignored, Billy firing back at Dustin, “Do you?”

All four of the kids nod at once. Billy sighs deeply, “Jesus, how the fuck did a bunch of little kids get caught up in this bullshit?”

“How did you?” These kids aren’t very original coming back at him with his own questions like this.

Again Max interjects, being left out of the questioning just making her more confused. “Excuse me, but what exactly are we talking about?”

But again nobody acknowledges her, Billy busy answering the boys’ questions.

“Had a friend came from that lab. You know about that part too?” He clarifies, getting three attentive nods, and this time one disapproving scowl, as he explains, “Well the monsters followed ‘im. Through their portals and his head and shit, they were out in California too. That’s how I know I was right to kill that thing.”

There’s a moment of stunned silence before Mike insists, “I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t know, man. How else would he know about everything?” Lucas shrugs, exciting Dustin and promoting him to ask, “Do you think he knows about Eleven too?”

“I’m still here too you guys. What is going on?” Max interrupts, serving only as a reminder, Lucas turning the conversation back to Billy as he asks, “Why haven’t you told Max?”

Billy smugly tries their little deflecting shtick on them, “Could ask you the same. Why are you showing her the monsters if you ain’t gonna tell her jack about ‘em either? I was keeping her safe. You assholes were keeping her stupid.”

Max interjects, “Hey!”

“No, that’s not fair. We had to sign an NDA.” Dustin corrects, very matter of fact for a kid who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

“Yeah, me too kid. It wasn’t any secret that number six escaped. I’ve had those assholes watchin’ over my shoulder for years and I didn’t even do anythin’.” Billy feels like he’s having a trauma competition with a bunch of middle schoolers, and he hates it. His tone is harsh as he demands, “Which brings us into, what the hell did you do to get caught up in all this?”

“None of your business.” Mike spits, but for the first time in the conversation, Will chimes in, “I got taken. By the demogorgon.”

“Okay. What’s that got to do with this, kid?”

“The demogorgon is what we called the big one. Before El killed it.” Lucas explains.

“Look, I don’t know who El is, but believe me when I tell you, you brats don’t know nothing. There ain’t just one of those, you know. Every last one of those annoying little fuckers like the one I just squished’ll turned into a ‘big one’.” They all look collectively defeated by that, maybe because he knows more than they do, or maybe just because they didn’t want to admit it was that bad.

But none look more ghastly than Will, who barely manages to inform them, “That’s bad. Last night, I heard them while we were trick-or-treating. They were everywhere.”

“Then we’re gonna have to do something.” Dustin declares determinedly, but Billy shuts it down right away, “No. Seriously, what the hell? All you sorry little punks are going right the fuck back home and pretending none of this never happened. If you don’t provoke ‘em, they’ll stop.”

“But they weren’t provoked when they took Will.” One of then argues, but Billys ignoring them now, turning back to a no less calm Max, “I don’t care. I ain’t doing this shit all over again. Come on, Maxine. Gotta leave your little friends to their baby ‘demogorgon’ and their world saving bullshit.”

Max scrunches her face up and argues, “Um, did you forget that I still have no idea what the hell is going on?!”

“Honestly, yeah.” Billy admits, “But s’better if you don’t ask questions. Now if you please, we gotta go.”

“No. You’re being a jerk.” Max crosses her arms and glares at him, a clear sign shes refusing to leave with him.

Billy just shrugs, “M’always a jerk. Thought you’d know that by now.”

“I do. And that’s exactly why I’m not listening to you. If my friends are going to do something, I want in on it.”

“Look what you little fuckers did.” Billy grumbles at the boys before trying to reason with his sister again, “Max. We only got fifteen minutes out of an almost half hour drive to get home. Come on.”

“This is so much bigger than that! I don’t care what your stupid dad says, I want to do something!” Her attitude gets on Billy’s nerves. That’s definitely deliberate if the spite gleaming in her cold eyes is any indication.

“You don’t even know what it is!”

“Then I deserve to find out!”

Billy sighs deeply, done doing this with a bunch of little kids in over their heads, “You know what, fine, but we’re stoppin’ at a payphone and you’re gonna be the one to tell my old man I’m takin’ you out for.. I don’t know, fucking ice cream or some shit. And if we get in trouble, I’m blaming you. Deal?”

Max smiles to herself at having gotten one over on him, “Deal. Where are we going though?”

“I dunno. Ask your nerds. S’their big fucking idea.” Billy grumbles, matching Max’s bitterness.

“We’ll have to call a meeting.”

“Will my basement work?”

“No offense, but I don’t think he’s getting past your mom.” Dustin nods towards Billy, the older boy rolling his eyes even though he’s not wrong, then offers, “My mom doesn’t like visitors. Maybe Will’s?”

“Yeah, Mrs. Byers will let anybody come over.”

“And she already knows what’s going on.”

They all nod again, and Billy rolls his eyes at them again while Lucas relays their decision to Max, “Alright, meet us at Will’s in an hour.”

“Why that long though? We’re all here right now.”

“Gives us time to cover our tracks, shitbird.” Billy hums in response to Max, stepping forward and asking, “What’s the damn address?”

This ‘meeting’ the twerps called was pretty much everyone in this hick town that knows the same dirty little secret as he does getting together in a tiny house and panicking. Billy and Max get fully interrogated like, a dozen times, once by the damned chief of police himself, all the while everyone is coming up with theories and plots and arguing. So much fucking arguing among this lot.

It gets to be too much pretty quickly, day five in this place and he’s already having to jump back into some of the worst things that ever happened to him. None of these people realize how big this is. Especially not the kids who just think it’s badass to fight monsters.

He leaves without telling anyone, or without anyone noticing among the chaos, to the back porch to light one up. There’re ashtrays all over the house he could use, but looming smoke in that cramped little kitchen wasn’t going to be any better than watching it curl upwards to the stars. So outside it was.

He leans against the wall, gaze fixing straight to what’s above him. He doesn’t notice the presence of another person until he hears them speak, startling slightly at the sound of a voice breaking the calm silence of a humid November night.

It’s Steve, sitting on a rusty and banged up glider at the opposite end on the porch, lit up just like he is. “So, uh. I guess you’re a part of this now?”

“I guess I am.”

Steve just nods and responds simply, effectively ending the conversation, “Right.”

But that’s not satisfying to Billy. He might appreciate peace more than what’s going on in that house, but he doesn’t like empty silence either. “What’re we all awkward like this for, Harrington? Spit out what you’re thinkin’.”

“I dunno, man.”

Billy frowns, prompting, “Come on. I know them gears are turnin’ over there. You've been quiet since we all got here.”

Steve looks away from him, but he does answer, “I dunno it’s just.. We’ve lost so much. People died because of this. People I knew. And I don’t like that anyone else is involved I guess.”

Billy scoffs, “Even me? You don’t even know me other than the asshole you met at the party last night.”

“So? What do you mean even you? I don’t want anyone anywhere near those fucking monsters. Could be my worst enemy and I’d still save them. I’d protect anyone from those things.” The haunted look behind his eyes, which seem so tired the longer Billy looks, tells Billy everything he needs to know.

He doesn’t mean to sound so soft when he asks, “What makes you so confident you can? Save ‘em I mean.”

“I fought a demogorgon myself. Well, not really by myself. Nancy and Jonathan were there. But I took a nail bat to its fucking face. Like hell I’d just let one of those things get anyone. Even you.” Steve

Billy flicks away his burnt out cigarette, sitting next to Steve on the old glider. “That’s real touching H, but I ain’t letting nobody sacrifice themselves for me. Need I remind you I’ve fought these assholes too.”

“But you told the kids you didn’t. Said it was all your friend.” Steve looks at him, sort of doubtful, but Billy blows off the remark, “No shit Sherlock. I ain’t airing all my business to any nosy brats like them.”

“I get that, but.. “ Hesitantly, he clarifies, “Is.. your friend, you know, even real?”

Billy must look at him like he grew a second head, “Shit, man, you think I’m one of those freaky experiments? No way. ‘Course he was real.”

“Oh. You said ‘was.’ Does that mean...” Steve’s voice trails off, sparing him hearing the words out loud.

“Don’t know. He got caught about two years back. Haven’t heard from him since. They might’a brought ‘im back here, they might’a killed him. I dunno.” Billy shrugs, picking at his nails while he talks so he doesn’t have to acknowledge Steve, or the fact that he’s even admitting this shit to him, “That’s why we’re here in Hawkins though. Susan’s got family over in Hope and a little ways up by Indie, so I suggested Hawkins. Just to come see where he came from. Get some closure I guess.”

“Guess he was really important to you then?” Steve smiles softly, but Billy only sighs through his nose, “You got no idea, Harrington.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll meet someone like him again.” He offers.

Somehow that sentiment immediately sets Billy on edge though, something about his tone implying that he knows, knows him and six were more than just friends, and Billy really doesn’t want to face that kind of monster tonight. He snaps, suddenly defensive, “What the hell’s that s’posed to mean?”

Steve’s face falls a little, evidently surprised by how upset Billy is, and he tries to fix it, “Oh I just thought that, the way you talked about him- and you look so sad when you do- that he was, you know, special to you.”

“So what? You gonna leave me to the monsters or some shit for that?” Billy growls, quickly warranting more defense from Steve, “What? No way. No I.. I get it, Billy. I do. More than you probably think I do.”

Billy half nods, his shoulders untensing as he slowly recognizes Steve’s genuinity. He mumbles eventually, working through what he needs to in his head to be comfortable talking openly with him again, “Didn’t expect to be getting relationship counseling too. That your assignment on the team, mister romance expert?”

“Shut up. You’ve never seen me swing a bat before.”

“Oh believe me, I cannot wait to.”

Steve’s smile returns, something Billy is personally glad for, though he might not be ready for that realization yet. He bumps their shoulders together, to hold Billy's attention and let him know he’s genuine, “Still, in all seriousness man, I hope you can find someone else like that for you. I know it’s not really easy pickings around here.”

This time, Billy’s tone is light, his features soft and vulnerable for the boy next to him, for the way he makes him feel less weighed down, less alone in this, “You got no idea, Harrington.”