#because would Steve sacrifice himself for the party?

[domsaysstuff]

Somewhere in my brain there are two rattling bats screetching at each other how actually similar Mike Wheeler and Steve Harrington are and how the fact that they are similar in many ways is actually a way better reason for Mike to hate him than "because he dated Nancy or bc Mike is just like that™"

[lighteyed]

safe / steve harrington

summary: nowadays parties kind of freak steve out, but you’ll make him feel safe again, don’t worry.

word count: 1.6k

steve doesn’t really party anymore.

occasionally he’ll have a few drinks, but there was a certain time when he was considered the party king of hawkins and nowadays he feels completely and utterly disconnected from that era of his life, having grown older and (sort of, maybe?) wiser, concerned more with his job, you, his girlfriend, robin, his best friend, and the hoard of children he’d unwittingly taken to looking out for somewhere along the way. he didn’t really have a reason to party anymore, and when you went out, still a senior in high school, a year younger than him, he would reject your invitations to come. he’d pick you up after, make sure you were home in bed safe, stay the night if you wanted him to, but you never got too drunk regardless. a few drinks and that was your limit. steve doesn’t mind. he’s just not a partier anymore, he tells you, insists on it, really, that he’d rather stay home, he’s grown out of that lifestyle, he’s moved on.

(but mostly he stopped partying after nancy wheeler told him their whole relationship was bullshit when she was shitfaced at tina’s halloween bash and steve hasn’t really had the courage to drink or be around people who are drinking ever since. especially you.)

you’re about to graduate, though, and steve knows he can’t miss it, miss one of the biggest moments in your life, where all you want is him there having fun alongside you, the person you care about most in the world. he’d be a shitty boyfriend if he did that, and steve harrington was a lot of things, gorgeous and funny and loyal, to name a few off the top of your head, but he was not a shitty boyfriend. not to you, not ever. he would sacrifice himself for your happiness ten times over if it meant you’d smile at him. if he had to brave the party scene again, he would. even though it kind of terrified him.

yeah, seeing you this drunk definitely terrified him.

he’s been nursing the same drink, only his second, and he was barely halfway done with it, for almost forty minutes now, lingering in the background of the room, watching everyone else have a lot more fun than him. he’s still enjoying himself in spite of that. he likes watching you shine, and boy do you. he forgets that being out of high school a year now means he rarely has a chance to see you in your element, popular, everyone adoring you, wanting you in their polaroids, congratulating you on the awards you’d gotten during the graduation ceremony, loving all the same things steve loves about you (not as much, he asserts to himself, never as much).

he sees you down your fourth jell-o shot and shakes his head with immense fondness. you’re going harder than usual, maybe because he’s there with you and you feel safer and more carefree in his company. you look over at him, beam and wave, and he does it right back, taking a small sip of whatever is in his hand (he’s not 100%, but who really is at a high school party?).

“stevie!” you wrap your arms around him, your eyes big, your voice a little silly from all the drinks you’ve had. even in your drunken haze you still think he’s hung the moon. “have another drink, baby, we’re walking home tonight,” you gesture for someone to come bring you another one for him but he gently pushes your hand back down.

“don’t worry about me, it’s your night, i want you to have fun,” he kisses the top of your head. you smell vaguely like your jell-o shots, that artificial strawberry scent like stomach medicine, but not in a bad way. it’s sweet.

“i want you to have fun with me,” you say, a little pushy, a lot drunk. he shakes his head again, still smiling. you mean well.

“i’m having fun, i promise, just not used to this anymore.” he squeezes your side playfully. “maybe chill on the drinks for a minute though, yeah? i don’t want you to get sick.” he plants another kiss on you, this time firmly on your lips, smiling against you when you gasp at the song that’s come on.

“aw come on steve dance with me,” but you accidentally tug on his hand holding the drink and he would’ve danced with you he swears he would’ve if you hadn’t gotten his drink doused all over the front of your shirt. “fuck,” you mumble, suddenly that weird mix of sober and drunk, your head fuzzy staring at the stain and steve’s head fuzzy with bad memories that make his breath bitch and his heart constrict.

“i’m sorry, babe, shit, come on, i’ll get you cleaned up,” he tries to steady his breathing as he walks you, stumbling and blurry-eyes, to the bathroom, don’t panic don’t panic don’t panic, but he hears it in his head. he hears all of it.

it’s bullshit it’s all bullshit you’re bullshit like we’re in love-

he shuts the door behind the both of you and you turn the sink on, and the flashbacks pulse behind his eyelids, and he keeps reminding himself to breathe. “i don’t know if it’ll come out, i’m sorry,” he spins you toward him, slow so you don’t get dizzy, and he dabs at the liquid squelching in your shirt, trying to soak some of it up. “i’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry,” he mutters, almost feverish, staring at you, at the stain, at the mess he’s made, the mess he always makes, the mess he can’t stop making-

“what’re you sorry for?” you say softly, still slurred, and when he meets your gaze he doesn’t see the emptiness he’s imagining, the coldness he remembers from the night so similar, he sees daylight. he sees love. “i pulled you too hard, my fault, ruined your drink,” you pull at your wet shirt and your movements are sloppy.

“not your fault, don’t worry,” he pushes your hair back from your forehead, sweaty from the heat of the party. mascara is smudged under your eyes. dingy yellow bathroom lighting doesn’t do anyone any favors but you’re the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. smudged and sweaty and so pretty. “i don’t wanna ruin your night.” his hand comes to rest on the side of your face, his thumb stroking your cheek.

“you could never,” you balk at the insinuation. you take his face in your hands. he’s worried, searching your face for answers, for reassurance. “so pretty,” you smush his cheeks together. his face warms. “pretty steve.”

“alright, alright,” he laughs, uncharacteristically shy, swatting your hands away.

“i gotta tell you something. it’s really important.” you stare directly into his eyes. they’re so deep and brown you wanna kiss him before you tell him anything. but your brain wants you to say it. your brain insists you say it first. “it’s a secret, okay? so don’t tell anyone.”

the panicky feeling creeps in again, even though you’ve been sweet on him all night. his palms start to sweat. he nods. “a secret, huh? how secret we talking?” he plays with a strand of your hair, an attempt to appear nonchalant.

“biggest secret of my life,” you inform him, a look of seriousness on your face so intense he almost laughs again, and he would if he weren’t so nervous. the concentrated expression didn’t match the inebriated, slightly delirious voice coming out of your mouth, not for a second.

“okay, lay it on me,” he takes a deep breath. he hears the party continuing to rage on outside the little bubble he’s in. at least if it’s bad his escape will be quick and no one will notice.

you tilt his chin up toward you because he’s not making eye contact and you need him to see you when you say this. your mind is buzzing with it. it’s all you can think about. you lean forward and whisper, “i’m in love with steve harrington,” and then you lean back and laugh, giddy with the revelation. “did you know that? super in love. for real.” you lean in again. “don’t tell steve. if he’s not in love with me back i’ll be real embarrassed.”

he’s never felt such pure relief, flooding his entire being, lighter than he’s ever felt, happier than he knew he could be. “i won’t tell him, gorgeous, but you should know,” he leans in and whispers, playing along, smiling so broadly he can’t hide it for a second, “steve is in love with you, too, i heard it from him myself, so don’t worry your pretty little head about a thing, okay?” he pets your hair, his touches light and loving. he hugs you like that, his cheek atop your head. you’ve been dating awhile, almost a year, but you’d both been so hesitant to say it first, past experiences hindering either of you from being able to fully admit it to each other, not wanting to be hurt again, not wanting to be vulnerable. but here you were. it’s not like nancy. you believe in him and your love for each other and things are different now, things are safe.

“you’ll take me home now? so i can tell him?” it’s such a sweet gesture, he gets overwhelmed, his nose twitching with that feeling that he might cry. he feels lucky to be loved, and lucky to love you. lucky to maybe not loathe parties so much anymore.

“‘course, baby, c’mon.” he kisses your forehead, the tip of your nose, your lips. they’re soft and sticky and perfect.

he takes you by the hand and leads you out of the house after saying goodbye to your friends; he keeps your fingers interlocked the whole walk back to your house. when you’re cleaned up and in bed, a glass of water on your nightstand for when you wake up, you turn to him, reaching out.

“you’ll stay right?” he remembers a time where he never got asked to stay, never got to be in love properly. it feels far away now. he’s flushed with love from you now. he can put the past behind him.

he climbs in next to you, fresh from the bathroom. “can’t leave until i get to tell you i love you when you’re sober, now can i?” and your fogged up brain supposes he can’t.

[teambyler]

My response to "Will became less interesting and likeable in S4"

VERY interesting recent posts at the subreddit. One has people rank their favorite characters and Will is near the bottom of most lists. The other is screenshotted above.

A common complaint is that he had less to do. (That's for sure!) But another theme is that he is "boring" or "always crying" or "about to cry."

I left the following comment there:

Well, they've written him to be a closeted gay kid in a small town in the 80s. Struggling with his sexuality and coming out is going to be kind of... his everything. I went through it. (The 80s part at least.) And so no, he's not going to be as outgoing or "interesting and likeable" as a Steve Harrington or Dustin.

(Meanwhile, here is the current top post at the subreddit, with people going gaga in the comments:)

Instead, Will is incredibly awkward, reserved, closed-in, and does not project confidence and charisma that make people easily like him, because he hates and loathes and doubts himself. Every movement, every inflection, every look, every expression of himself, threatens his safety and well-being. He has been awkward and introverted and shy. But he has also been sensitive, caring, and empathetic. He was one of the more selfless characters this season. These qualities, at least the way he expresses them, don't win conventional popularity contests. Some people find that "bland." I find it to be admirable.

The Duffers have made clear that s5 will focus on Will:

“Will really takes center stage again in 5,” Ross Duffer told Variety. “This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality — it’s Will coming into his own as a young man.”

As he grows out of his shell and gets to assert himself more in s5, he probably becomes more "interesting and likeable" in the conventional sense.

==========

Anyway, just wanted to share. Will may not be the most "popular" character in the conventional sense, but he's won many hearts. Nor is he "bland" or just a "damsel in distress" (I saw those comments on the subreddit too ugh!) He's our original badass with a gun. Who cast fireball for his friends. He survived the frikkin Upside Down for one week by himself. He found the strength to communicate while being possessed that they needed to "CLOSE GATE" to defeat the monsters in s2, which would have killed him. He was willing to sacrifice his life. And in s3 and s4, he has been wanting to keep the party together and then put Mike and El's interest above his own.

Will is a hero. And heroes can be quiet gay boys, too.

-teambyler

[thezombieprostitute]

Dragonfly

Summary: Steve has just about everything he could ever want in life. He's got you, a baby on the way, and a successful Family. No one would dare interfere with that. Right?

A/N: Reader is female, pregnant. No other descriptors used.

Warnings: Death threats, Implied violence, Pregnancy. Please let me know if I missed any!

Part 2

Series Masterlist

Steve was feeling on top of the world. He had you, the most beautiful, amazing wife in the world and soon enough you’d both have a son. He was definitely in higher spirits than usual for hosting a political fundraiser. 

He spotted you coming back from the bathroom. One of the sacrifices he had to make was that he couldn’t actually be at your side as often because of the frequent bathroom breaks you needed to make. One of the things neither of you thought about when planning for the pregnancy. But it was a worthy sacrifice. He quickly took his leave of his current discussion and went straight for you. 

Every day of your relationship Steve had made sure to tell you how beautiful you are to him. As you see him walking towards you, his face projecting nothing but love, you’re grateful. Pregnancy was already taking its toll on your body and you were regularly feeling less than attractive. But the fact that Steve’s loving expression never changed towards you really helped.

His protectiveness had also amped up considerably but that was understandable given his actual work. Ever since you started showing he also became a lot more possessive. Someone shakes your hand and Steve has to fight the urge to punch them for touching you. It’s taken some time but he’s learned to save it all for when the two of you get home and he can fuck your brains out. Possessive sex with Steve was so much fun you almost went out of your way to make sure to greet the men who insisted on kissing your hand. Steve had caught on, though, and would run interference as much as he could, giving you a look that promised some kind of funishment.

As soon as you were within reach he wrapped his arm around your waist and brought you in for a kiss.

“Missed you,” he sighed.

“I was gone for two minutes,” you laugh quietly.

“And?”

“And I love you too,” you grin before kissing him. 

Now that your back at his side Steve can focus. There’s more planned idle chatter about upcoming bills and tax reforms. Boring as usual, but necessary for your community. You take pride in knowing how much Steve and his Family put into helping people. 

Steve notices some of his security team moving quickly and he instinctively brings you in closer. He trusts Bucky to handle whatever it is, but he’s ready to move you out of harm’s way at a moment’s notice. 

The talking continues for a few more minutes when Bucky approaches, giving Steve the silent signal that it was urgent. Excusing the two of you from the discussion, Steve walks with you to Bucky. 

“We’re getting you out of here,” Bucky says before turning and walking towards the exit in the back. Steve gently pushes you to follow and you do so. You focus on keeping pace with Bucky and don’t notice how alert Steve is. Even after your usual security guards take their places around you, he keeps looking around for danger.

It isn’t until you’re in the car and see Bucky take the driver’s seat that you realize how serious the situation is. 

As the car gets to moving Bucky starts talking, “we found a hitman in the upper levels of the place. Had a small smoke bomb and a sniper.”

“How’d he get that past security?” Steve’s voice is tight with anger.

“He camped out,” Bucky explained. “Some time between our initial sweep yesterday and the party starting he set himself up. He got found by a couple of our guys doing a patrol. He wasn’t able to clock how much time between patrols,” Bucky’s voice tinged with pride on that last part. He’d been a proponent of patrolling at irregular intervals to throw off would-be threats. 

“So why are we heading out,” you ask. “You secured the threat, right?”

Bucky sighs, looking at Steve in the rear-view mirror. “Yeah, but then we found the contract. It’s an open contract, with an incredibly high price tag.”

Steve sighed, “any idea who wants me dead this time?”

“It wasn’t for you,” Bucky tells him. “It was for her.” Steve’s blood runs cold as you gasp at the news. “That’s why we’re getting her out of sight. Knew you’d want to come along so I brought both of you.” Bucky looks at you in the rear-view mirror. “We’re going to find whoever put out the contract but it’s gonna take time. During that time you’re in significant danger. I’m gonna advise you stay inside, away from windows. Open windows, at least.”

You’re barely registering what he’s saying. The hit was for you. The thought makes you weak and nauseated. Staying inside definitely sounds like a good idea. You feel Steve’s arm pull you even closer to him. He’s silent, a signal as to how furious he is. 

Once you're inside the safety of Steve’s home you relax a little. This is familiar. This is secure. You rub your belly, trying to calm yourself. Normally Steve would go to his office with Bucky to discuss business but since it involves you, they sit you down in Steve’s comfiest office chair before talking.

“What intel do we have,” Steve asks, pacing the room.

“Garbage Men are getting with GBH to see if he can get them more info,” Bucky replies. “Until then, all we know is the hit is out for Mrs. Steve Rogers and the reward is almost 7 figures.”

“We’re most likely dealing with someone who wants to hit me where it hurts,” Steve reasons. “Who’ve I pissed off that’s got this kind of money?”

“Too many to really help us,” Bucky retorts. “I’ve got some of my men asking their contacts with the other families, confirming who would and who wouldn’t kill a pregnant woman just to hurt you.”

His comments have you crying. If the stress of knowing you were in danger wasn’t enough, the pregnancy hormones made everything worse. Steve is immediately at your side, holding you while Bucky brings over a box of tissues. They hold off their conversation until you’ve calmed down and caught your breath. 

“I’m so sorry, Hummingbird,” Steve gently tells you. 

“It’s not your fault,” you assure. “It’s whoever put out that contract.”

Bucky’s phone beeps with a notification and he checks it. “Well, GBH was able to provide the name that issued the contract but I don’t think it’ll help us.”

“Fake name,” Steve growls.

“Yup,” Bucky confirms. “Dragonfly.”

Part 2

Series Masterlist

Tags are based on the Hummingbird Series. Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed!

@alicedopey; @aryhyuuga; @cynic-spirit; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @jamneuromain; @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @ktficworld; @leryg0; @rayofdawnworld; @rebekahdawkins; @texmexdarling

[bun-the-wise]

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

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

Hopper blames himself about Sarah, we know that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[upsidedownmvnson]

one day eddie munson just realizes you’ve been taking care of him for months.

like, he knew you were taking care of him, he’s not silly, but like… he noticed you don’t go to the library on thursdays anymore, because now thats when you and eddie wash his hair and change his bandages. or when robin and steve are going for a late night ice cream run, you turn them down - because wayne isnt always home and youd hate for eddie to wake up alone when you know he’s been having nightmares.

youd just been making a lot of sacrifices for him, and while he thinks hes been pretty gracious about it - he’s always said thank you, and even though he’s been low energy, he doesnt think he’s been mean. maybe occasionally grumpy but he was on a lot of medications and he wasnt quite himself. and you knew that, if you were totally honest; you never even thought about, you never took any of it personally. your boyfriend went thru literal hell, you could cut him a little slack

and ever since he realized, hes suddenly hyperaware of everything happening around him. clean laundry always filled the drawers. the house was clean, and the pantry was full. all the bills were paid without any of eddies dealing money… but he noticed his lunchbox moved a few weeks ago, he was too out of it to bring it up but he would have to soon… and three meals a day were delivered with a smile and a kiss, you never complained when he woke up from a nightmare.

and he know he owes you something spectacular. he doesnt know what or when. but he’ll plan some grand gesture to show you that he sees and appreciates everything you’ve done for him in sickness. first he just has to get back in health.

eddie starts brainstorming ideas as soon as he comes to this realization. he knows steve, robin and nancy, and the whole party really, would jump at the chance to help. you were their friend too and you really had taken the role of caretaker for their dear metalhead <3

you bring in his dinner again today, the same genuine, beautiful smile he loves so much and two simple dinners of chicken and rice on plates.

he shimmies up without your help and you smile, saying, “i think tomorrow we’ll start having dinner at the table.” you join him for one last dinner in bed, kissing him on the cheek before eating. “i think its time to get you out of bed.”

he looks at you with love in his eyes. his centre of gravity makes a permanent shift and suddenly its you, the string that ties him to reality, keeping him calm & grounded. gravity be damned, he had something stronger to ground him.

“i couldnt agree more,” eddie says, smiling at you. it was nice to see him start to get his smile back after the … thing. “thank you for dinner again, my love. ill be your personal chef as soon as i’m on my feet.”

you laugh, “maybe after i teach you how to cook.”

[aloneinthehellfire]

Missing

Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Summary: Straight after the Battle Of Starcourt, panic was in the air. The mall was going up in flames, another Hawkins cover-up, as the kids reunited with their families. Everyone was on-edge, especially since they barely escaped with their lives. Their minds were running a hundred miles per hour as they couldn’t focus on one thought. But not Steve. All he could think was that in all the chaos, you were no where to be found.

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: swearing, aftermath of the starcourt battle, mentions of torture (russians), mentions of wounds and blood, death, guns, some fluff at the end cause I was feeling nice

[A/N: This is only a one-shot, mostly because I have no idea how I would continue this but I had a random thought at 1am and this is what happened. And yes, it’s pretty angsty what else did you expect? It's also all over the place cause I was racing to finish it before I fell asleep]

Missing

Sirens sounded as firetrucks rushed to the Starcourt Mall, the building currently up in flames as the party sat in ambulances, covered in dirt and grime as they clung to the blankets wrapped around them.

Parents rushed over to comfort their children with open arms, worry and relief mixed in the air as they reunited. All anyone could think was how lucky they were to be out alive.

But that wasn’t on Steve’s mind.

“Where’s Y/n?” He looked to Robin sat beside him, a medic attempting to attend to his wounds while he brushed them away, too concerned for your safety to care about the bruises right now.

“She’s…” Robin scanned the crowd only for her eyebrows to furrow deeper and deeper. “I have no idea.”

“I need you to sit still.” The medic said, trying their best to do their job.

“Later.” Steve simply said before slipping off the blanket around him and standing from the back of the ambulance, hands on hips as he searched around the space.

“Sorry.” Robin mumbled to the medic as she joined him, rushing to his side when he set off into the parking lot.

Steve’s heart raced faster every moment you weren’t there with him. After the Mind Flayer was beaten, he hadn’t had time to run to you and grab your hand before men in uniforms dragged him and the others away from the site.

You had been stood over Billy, tears falling from your eyes as you looked down in horror. He was your friend, someone only you knew past all of his horrid defences. When he had moved to Hawkins, you were the quiet kid always getting pushed around and bullied. It only got worse in your senior year but Billy had quickly put an end to it. After time, he had opened up to you about his childhood and you helped him better himself; to make amends to those he did wrong. But it only led him to become one of the Flayed and your presence only made him realise that the only way he could make any of it right was to prove himself in the most ultimate redemption; sacrifice.

Steve wanted to console you when he saw Billy die. He knew how much the guy meant to you, even if he hated him himself. He couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like to watch someone you care about die to protect you. The whole walk to the ambulance had him spiralling, calling your name. He only stopped when a man in uniform assured him that you’d be led out safely.

“She couldn’t have gone far.” Robin muttered, her voice rising in panic as she began to understand Steve’s worry. “Did she even get checked out at the ambulance?”

They continued walking, combing back through their memories as they tried to muster up any kind of hint as to where you would be.

His movement came to a halt when Steve remembered the interrogation. He had been pretty out of it at the time, head constantly throbbing from the torture. The dots didn’t connect until just now.

“Leave him alone!” You screamed as another punch landed on Steve’s already bruised face.

You had been taken away first, much to Steve and Robin’s protests. The Russians had interrogated you for what seemed like hours, never laying a finger on you. Once they realised you weren’t gonna talk, they dragged Steve out to join you and used him to convince your confession.

“He didn’t do anything!” You cried as you watched the blood spill down Steve’s face, chest tightening.

“Just tell us who you work for.” The man spat at you, grabbing Steve’s face and tilting it towards you, “Or your friend dies.”

Steve’s eyes were fluttering open and closed as he tried to focus on you sat there, arms restricted to your seat in a tight bind of ropes. His blurry vision didn’t hide the tears he saw streaming down your face.

It was almost funny to him, the fact that he was the one getting beaten yet he couldn't stop the anger in his chest from what they were doing to you.

That's just what love did to someone, he supposed.

“Please.” You begged.

The man raised his arm, curling his hand into a fist and Steve didn’t flinch. He’d rather take a million punches than have the man lay a finger on you instead. He squeezed his eyes shut, ready for impact.

But the fist never made contact with his face.

Steve opened his eyes to see that you were no longer in the chair. In the blink of an eye, you had broken free from your restraints, holding a pocket knife in your hand as you ran at the Russian with a yell, tackling him to the ground.

But the Russian had an advantage in strength, using it to grab you by your throat and throw you against the wall.

“NO!” Steve yelled out, attempting a swing at him. He was unsuccessful, to say the least, when he was pushed to the floor, body crashing into the chair.

A small gasp left your lips and Steve looked up to see the man had taken hold of your pocket knife, pointing it directly at your throat as he stared down at him.

“Maybe you will be more useful.” He glared and Steve’s heart leapt to his throat.

“I told you. We work at Scoops Ahoy-”

The knife was pressed further into your throat, finally breaking skin as a small red line fell from the pressure.

“No. Where does she work?” He asked again and Steve shook his head in confusion.

The man sighed in frustration, letting go of you and you collapsed to the floor. Steve would have felt relieved if the hard sole of a boot hadn't crashed into his jaw, tearing skin.

“Tell me!” The man yelled now and Steve couldn’t help it; he whimpered. And that’s all it took for your heart to tear into a million pieces.

“He doesn’t know.” You croaked out between sobs and the man stopped, a smirk creeping onto his lips.

“Finally.”

With a whistle, two more men entered the room and walked to Steve, grabbing him by the arms and dragging him away. He had no energy to fight it as his feet trailed behind him, leaving you.

The next time he saw you was after Dustin’s rescue mission, your tear stained cheeks and blood dripping from your torn lip laying beneath guilty eyes.

“The Russian base.” Steve realised, taking off while Robin barely had time to react.

“But it blew up!” She yelled after him, running when he didn’t stop.

Steve’s legs took him faster than he thought possible as he passed through the loading bay gates, skidding to a halt when all he saw was rubble and smoke.

“Dude.” Robin panted, hands on her knees when she finally caught up. “Did you not remember the ‘kaboom’? The gate’s gone.”

“What if some of them made it out?” He wondered and she frowned at him, shaking her head.

“‘Kaboom’.” She reminded him, eyes riddled with concern. “How the hell would anyone make it out in time?”

Steve was about to give up hope when something caught his eye. A flash of dark green near the surrounding forest and he grabbed onto Robin’s arm.

“Ow! What-” Her eyes widened when she saw it too. “Steve. Don’t-”

But it was too late. Steve was already running after them, ignoring the loud groan from his friend behind him as she complained about all the running.

He was jumping over roots, dodging trees as he tried to keep the figure in his line of view, breath quickening with excursion. Thank god for his jock era in high school.

His feet brought him closer and closer, eyes able to finally notice that the figure wasn’t alone.

Suddenly, their movement stopped and Steve grabbed onto a nearby tree abruptly, pulling himself behind it before the figure looked back at the noise. When he was sure he wasn’t seen, he poked his head out around the trunk and finally had a clear view of what was happening.

He immediately recognised the figure as the Russian that tortured him and his blood boiled. He was holding a gun, his uniform scorched and it looked like he had only just escaped from the fiery blast. From this distance, Steve could see the man’s lips moving but heard no words leaving his mouth. He was talking to someone.

That’s when he saw it; the person on the ground below the man slowly aiming his gun. Messy hair, a bruised face. And a sailor’s uniform that matched his own.

“Steve.” Robin whispered harshly, leaning against him for support as she took breaths as quietly as she could. “What’s-”

“Y/n.” She spoke once she noticed you on the ground not far from them, your eyes fixated on the weapon threatening your life. “Oh my god.”

You stared up at the man above you, eyes filling with fearful tears.

For years, you had been hidden away from them, your father afraid of what they’d do to you if they found you. You were never close with your father; he and you rarely were on the same page. His work kept him away from home but you preferred it that way.

He was a traitor, switching sides and double-crossing the Commies working beneath Hawkins. They had finally caught him in the beginning of the summer. You had seen the whole thing, hiding in the bushes when you saw your father was being dragged from your home by men with guns. After digging, you found out he had worked for Hawkins’ lab; the very place that brought monsters you ended up fighting with your friends. But once he found out what they were really planning, he had begun searching for a way to stop them.

The group of people he joined was unknown to everyone else. They had come looking for you when he disappeared, employing you to find out where the Russians’ base was. In hopes of finding your father, you agreed and with the help of your co-workers and Dustin, you found it.

You shouldn’t have tempted fate.

That's how you ended up here; the man had escaped the explosion and found you in the chaos, pulling you away into the woods before you could cry for help.

“It’s a shame.” The man spat, cocking the gun. “That your father isn’t here to see this.”

“Fuck you.” You say and he lets out a cold laugh.

“Farewell, American.”

Before his finger pulled the trigger, a loud and unexpected yell arose from within the forest. You both snapped your heads to the noise and your eyes widened when you saw Steve Harrington running from the woods in a flash of fury.

Steve took the man by surprise, practically flying as he tackled him to the ground and landed a hard punch to the nose. The gun was dropped in the chaos and you reached over to it.

Your hands gripped the gun just as Steve was pushed away. The man’s face was bloodied from Steve’s revenge beating and he scrambled to his feet, searching the ground until he froze.

Robin ran out from the trees with a fallen branch in her arms and stopped in shock as she stared at you.

You had risen from the ground, gun in hand as you aimed it at the man in front of you, blinded by anger.

“Y/n.” Robin squeaked out.

“Do it.” The man ordered, a cruel smirk on his lips. “Kill me. Just like I killed him.”

“Y/n.” It was Steve’s voice this time, pulling your eyes away.

He was looking to you with a soft gaze, slowly approaching you as your hand shook.

You weren’t a killer. He knew that. He knew you.

A tear slipped down your cheek as you took a breath, looking back to the real murderer in front of you.

“You don’t deserve the mercy.” You finally say as you lower the gun, chucking it across the floor and into the grass.

Steve offered a smile as you slumped your shoulders, meeting his eyes. He crossed the space, hand reaching your shoulder just as another taunting laugh filled the air.

“Stupid, stupid girl.” The man started walking to you, eyes narrowed. “Do you really think you can-”

Robin swung the tree branch in her arm so hard, it snapped in half as it made contact with the back of his head, leaving him in an unconscious heap on the forest floor.

Robin stared at the bottom half of the branch in her hands, eyes wide.

“Rob,” You say, grinning, “you just knocked the shit out of him.”

Steve let out a surprised laugh and Robin nodded.

“Damn, right.” She grinned, dropping the weapon and running over to you.

“I think you just saved my life.” You laughed shakily.

Before you could react, she pulled you into a tight hug and you finally relaxed against her. She pulled away after a moment, glancing between you and Steve.

“I may have hit a Commie around the head with a twig but Steve’s the real hero.” Robin smiled and Steve whipped his head up in surprise. “He’s the one that realised you weren’t there. Wouldn’t shut up about it until we found you.”

You looked to him with wide eyes and he cleared his throat, suddenly feeling nervous.

“Uh… yeah, I mean, it’s no big deal or anything. I just, yeah.” He mumbled out, rambling.

“I’m gonna grab some cops to take care of this guy.” Robin pointed down at the man and then to the forest. “So… yeah.”

She quickly walked away, a smirk on her lips as she left you and Steve behind, still looking at one another.

“Thank you.” You smile, tears forming for a whole new reason.

“Anytime.” Steve replied without thinking, shaking his head when the nerves kicked in once again, “Not that this sort of thing will happen again. Or maybe it will. I don’t know, Hawkins is a freaky place so who knows what other thing is gonna-”

“Steve.” You say softly, voice barely a whisper. He lets out a sigh.

“What I’m trying to say is…” He takes a breath, mustering up the courage to step forward, the space between you so miniscule you could feel his breath, “I’m always going to worry about you. And I’m always going to do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe. Because if I’m being honest, I can’t stop thinking about you. And- and I get if you don’t feel the same way but if I didn’t tell you before something else happened, I-”

You break off his rant with a kiss, pulling him close. Your lips were gentle against his, careful of his wounds and your busted lip. His hand found your waist while the other cradled your neck, dipping his head further. Your heart fluttered with every moment, internally screaming with glee at the fact that the boy you’ve been crushing on for three years finally liked you back.

The kiss was broken when the man laying on the ground let out a pained groan, waking from his forced slumber. Steve held up his finger as if asking you to wait a moment and he picked up part of Robin’s branch. When the man raised his head groggily, Steve swiftly hit him back into a sleep, the force flipping the man over.

“That felt good.” Steve grinned before dropping the branch and finding your lips again.

“Finally!” Robin’s voice called out and you both turned to her, laughing. “Oh, I brought friends.”

Soldiers from the mall clean-up swarmed in behind her, grabbing the man from the floor and dragging him away with a few mutters into their radios.

You simply watched, Robin stood at your side as Steve intertwined your hand with his.

“So…” You purse your lips, your recent high slowly crashing down as the night’s events started taking effect, “what now?”

You all exchanged glances before Steve came to a decision. “Why don’t we all stay at mine tonight? My parents aren’t there.”

He made it sound casual but it was a relief to all of you as you nodded in approval, making your way back through the forest. None of you wanted to be alone.

Steve's hand grasped yours tightly as you all walked to the parking lot, his chest a little lighter knowing you were safe.

[inthewychelm]

@steddie-spooktober day 23 - witch

Alternative ending for my Necromancer AU, 730 words, Rated T, ao3 link

CW for attempted sacrifice, and toxic relationship dynamics

Eddie figures out what he needs to regain his stolen magic at the ridiculous party Steve drags him to, mere days before All Hallow's Eve. It comes to him slowly, as he is distracted by all the bare skin Steve so boldly put on display. He was more concerned about capturing the man's lips as the gears began to turn.

Steve's curiosity reminded him of the events that allowed him to channel dark forces centuries before. His uncle had been sick, so close to death, which was the reason he was desperate enough to go through with the ritual. And it had worked.

He killed the only family that ever cared for him, but he also brought him back. Uncle Wayne remained by his side for nearly a century, never once stopped loving him.

But Eddie couldn't deal with the guilt Wayne reminded him of, or the disappointment as his power began to corrupt. He didn't feel anything after he dismissed Wayne's spirit back to the afterlife.

That night in bed, he watches Steve's sleeping expression, the voice in his head ranting and raving about the fear he felt when Wayne got sick. How Steve was fragile, and would be stolen from him too.

But he hesitates. Because when Steve grins at him in the kitchen, over breakfast. How could he choose to destroy something so pure?

Eddie doesn't plan to ask, and he tries so hard to ignore the urge. Until Steve asks for him.

Eddie tries to explain. He tells himself that if Steve declines, he'll drop it. Except Eddie finds himself unable to reveal the truth about the most important detail. He takes advantage of Steve's unrelenting support and kindness.

"Everything is in order, are you sure you want to do this?" Eddie asks as his hand wraps around the handle of the dagger.

Steve offers his repeated affirmation, and Eddie forces all emotion from his mind when he steps forward. He mutters the same ancient incantation as before, refusing to register any possible change on Steve's face.

He stops at the border of the ritual circle, holding Steve in place as his blade kisses the skin of his neck. Eddie steels himself to slice through, to complete the ritual.

But when he hears Steve whimper from the shallow nick made by Eddie's hand, something in him locks up. He can't make his arm move and corrupt his love by spilling his blood.

Eddie howls, knocking over the candles when he steps fully into the circle. He breaks the ritual as soon as he stepped inside, but he can't bring himself to let go of Steve or the dagger.

He presses his forehead to Steve's and begins to sob. Steve seems to realize the spell isn't going as planned and the tension releases from his body. His hands curl around Eddie's wrists and coax his arms away from Steve's neck.

He drops the dagger now that he regained control of his mind. Eddie finds Steve's face between his palms, searching his eyes for something.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' Eddie apologizes. "I can't. I can't lose you, but I couldn't hurt you either."

He chokes another repeated apology, and he finds the forgiveness he was searching for in Steve's soft gaze. He brushes his nose against Eddie's.

"It's okay, I'm okay." Steve kisses away Eddie's tears.

"I'm a coward. I had hoped I had found a loophole in this wretched curse, but I can't kill the only thing I love." Eddie shakes his head, burrowing further into Steve's embrace.

"What if it wasn't a curse?" Steve asks. Eddie lifts his head from the crook of his neck, his eyes prickling with new tears at the feeling of Steve's fingers running through his hair. "You said a witch cursed you by stealing your magic, but what if it wasn't a curse. What if it's a second chance, to find love again. To grow old, and find peace in death."

Eddie feels his throat tightening, choking on the thought that he might have thrown away his chance at a future Steve describes. It's a naive fantasy, and Eddie wants it to be true with all his heart.

"And would you be there? With me?" Eddie asks, pleads that he hasn't fucked up his future before he knew it was possible.

"I will." Steve promises, sealing it with a kiss.

[citrusandrottefruit]

I love Steve because he seemed like a jerk at first. I thought I would dislike him, after all, he was the typical "bad" guy from usamerican high school movies. The fact that he surprised me softened my heart.

Because his party was just a get-together with his friends, his girlfriend, and even included his girlfriend's friend. Because he was being silly trying to impress her. Because he wasn't making fun of her behind her back or acting like it was a sacrifice to be with her.

He wasn't an idiot making a bet, he was a teenager interested in a girl.

He did some reprehensible things, but he acknowledged it. Do you have any idea how hard it is to look at your own actions, realize they were wrong, and try to do something about it? Even having to get over the feeling of distrust, over the fact that Jonathan did something terrible (those pictures haunt me). He got beaten up, it was so easy to hold on to that and never decide to apologize.

And he came back when there was danger. He could have just been human and run away to survive, but he chose to go back and fight for Jonathan and Nancy's survival too, even though they weren't on the best of terms.

So in season two he won me over completely. Because he's loving and compassionate, willing to forgive and ask for forgiveness, even when he's not the one in the wrong. Because when a kid comes to him for help, even if he has something he needs to do (apologize to Nancy), he goes and helps. He puts his own safety on the line to protect people he barely knows.

I don't even really like Stranger Thinks. I like Steve. I like his dynamic with Dustin, the potential that can be explored about how his relationship with Nancy ended, his dynamic with Robin, with Erica, with Lucas, with Max. With Eddie. I like how he becomes protective of all these people. I like how he's a little goofy, how he supports his friend, how he doesn't hold a grudge against Jonathan. I even like how he's not the "brave" guy who throws himself into danger without thinking: he almost left in season one, he didn't want to leave the Byers house in season two, he would never have gotten involved in Dustin's investigation if, well, it wasn't for Dustin who would have moved on anyway, he didn't want to go after Eddie right away. He hesitates when he has the option, because that's what any normal person would do, but he becomes a shield when danger is imminent, he takes responsibility to protect others.

I really like him.

And honestly, I find it comforting to read about the "big empty house" and the absent parents. Because, despite the family dynamic, he's a sweetheart. AAnd I don't think it's because of Nancy, because from the beginning, even when they were barely involved, he already showed the kind of person he is. What I believe is that the trauma and realizing that the kids needed protection brought out this protective side even more and he decided to take responsibility to be the one the kids were looking for.

[broke-art-girl]

Ngl Might write an Older Brother AU with Timothèe Chalamet, Natalia Dyer, and Finn Wolfhard. I never felt that "Holly Wheeler" was very crucial to the Stranger Things storyline so I'ma ditch her and replace her with "Robertt "Rob" Wheeler" (find it on AO3 Here)

"Robertt "Rob" Wheeler" Headcanons:

× How old is he? ×

• He's the eldest in the group. He's older than Steve and Nancy anyway. Eddie's age. Robert was born in January of '65, with Nancy being born in November of '67, and Mike in April of '71,

× What kind of screen time does he have? ×

•Season One: He wouldn't show up much because he would be off studying for finals. But he would warn Nancy about hanging out with Steve after telling her he saw Steve sneaking out while he was out smoking.

•Season Two: he would have minimal screen time because he's in college.

•Season Three: He would have a bit of screen time, this would be the season he learns about the upside down. He would be helping with the Russians and would comfort El about Hopper.

•Season Four: He would have a lot of screen time.

He would totally be there to stand up for Hellfire Club. (Plot twist + flash back) He was once a member. After all, that's how Mike got into D&D.

He and Eddie used to be good friends. Eddie missed Robbie after he got held back the first time, then he got held back again and Robertt moved on to high school, leaving him in junior high.

Once he learns Eddie's in trouble he rushed to help. When Eddie dies, he takes it HARD. Maybe just as hard as Dustin. When he show comes to a close in the field of flowers, you can barely see will hugging him as he cries in the background. From the conversation Will had with Jonathan you can assume Robertt had a thing for Eddie, because why would Will be hugging Robertt and not Nancy or Mike??

•Season Five: He would have the screen time of a main character, he's helping fight, he's in the upside down, he's protecting his siblings, avenging Eddie. He might even sacrifice himself to save them if it comes down to it in the bitter end. It would be worth it. And he finally understands why Eddie did it, and he's happy to finally see in again.

× What are his personality traits? ×

• Shy to a fault but will sit next to someone just to let them know he cares. Loves to give gifts and make things. Mike often gets him to make the party Christmas gifts.

• Likes to cook and read. His favorite food is vegetarian soup (yes he's vegetarian and yes he gets picked on for it) and his favorite book/play is Romeo and Juliet.

• Will help his siblings with homework, or just do it for them if they ask nicely.

• He's kind of like Steve in the way that you can talk to him about anything, and he's sort of a babysitter/ cab driver, he was more trusted with Mike when he was younger but now Mrs. Wheeler just doesn't care.

× How did he become friends with everyone? ×

• Became friends with Mike and Nancy because their siblings.

• Became friends with Dustin, Lucus, and Will after he showed Mike what D&D was. After he went off for college, Mike took over the dungeon master position, using his big brothers old books.

• Became friends with Jonathan through him waiting for Will to quit playing D&D at their house.

• Became friends with Robin and Steve after Steve yelled "Rob?!" And both Robin and Robertt said "Yeah?!"

• Became friends with Max through a love for skateboarding.

• Became friends with Eleven back when she was hiding out in the basement. He knew Eleven was down there the whole time. He would go down there after work and see her sitting there... He would talk to her through the day to pass the time, distract his parents from seeing her, and tell mike he was an idiot. Of course he wouldn't elaborate on why Mike was an idiot, but he figured he knew why.

• Became friends with Eddie when they were kids through D&D. Back when his hair was buzzed and he didn't have those sweet old tatties yet.

Image source: here

[ihni]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Ooooh, how fun! <3 Thank you! I've gone through my fics and I'm gonna do 5+1, because why not, right? Seems fic approporiate, in a way. So, here goes:

Over the edge, 16K. (Because it's a scenario I've wanted to write for YEARS and I finally did, and I had a blast writing it! Muahaha!) “You’re still on probation. But if you behave this weekend, we might –“ “‘Behave’?” Billy snorted. “I’m not a dog, Henderson. What do you want me to do? Sit? Roll around? Be a good boy?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm, making Steve snort beside him. Dustin drew himself up to his very unimpressive height in the back seat, puffing out his chest. “Well you can start by not killing anyone!” “Ki– Jesus Christ, kid, I’m not gonna kill anyone!” “Well you almost killed Steve before –“ Here, Billy glanced over guiltily at Steve, who shook his head slightly as if to say it wasn’t a big deal, “– and you have a history of violence. You can’t fault us for making sure!” “Whatever.” “You promise?” “I can’t believe I’m doing this. Yes, kid, I promise I won’t kill anyone.”

Birthday boy, 8K. (Because I've never had so many people telling me a fic made them cry ... don't worry though, there are happier follow-ups!) Neil gives Max a benevolent nod. “You can go.” Max shoots up from her chair, a big smile on her face. “Really? Thank you, I –“ “You can go to the party, but not the sleepover. I want you home at eleven, at the latest.” Trying not to grimace, Max nods. It’s better than nothing. “And of course, Billy will go with you.” “What?”

At least an assist, 8K. (Because it's an alternate first meeting between our boys, and it was fun to imagine an opposite to a meet-cute - also Billy's tied up for most of it, which is always a plus!) “Dude,” he said, more baffled than angry. “Did you just try to bite me?” “I’ll do worse than that if you untie me,” Hargrove growled, as if making threats from the position he was in was somehow normal. “Yeah, because that makes me want to untie you,” Steve snarked back without thinking. Then he sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. He didn’t sign up for this shit. “Listen, yes this sucks, but it’s only for a couple of hours. Why don’t you just chill?” “I’ve been fucking kidnapped, you fuck! I’m supposed to play the finals right now, not kick back and relax while being fucking tied to a chair!” or Steve's teammates kidnap the opposing team's star player to secure a win in the finals. The star player in question is not impressed.

Fast and Frightening, 20K. (This whole fic was born from a chat about possessed cars, and because both me and DearDMVZ quite agreed that Billy would look very fetching tied to the hood of his Camaro while it's racing through the roads outside of Hawkins at night.) There's some seriously fucked-up shit going on. Billy crashed his car, was attacked by some kind of monster, escaped, ran into someone who looked just like him, punched that guy in the face, escaped again, and ended up on a random road somewhere outside of town. And now his own car has turned against him. In short, Billy's not having a good time.

Sleeping Beauty Retold, 8K. (Because I went to town on a fairytale AU and I really fucking like it, still.) Once upon a time, there was an evil king. The king married a woman who had magic, and used her to stay young and strong. To attain true immortality, though, he would have to sacrifice their child on the child's eighteenth birthday. Only, the queen thwarted the king's plans - she stoles the child away in the middle of the night and sent him away, to be raised far from the castle, so that he would be safe. The king never stopped looking. And one day, the child - who had grown up into a young man - was found.

Again and again and again and again, 4K. (Bonus fic, because if I'd had time I would have written 80K of this, I love the concept a LOT. Basically the boys being stuck in a time loop together.) It is Sunday, November 4th 1984, and it’s been Sunday, November 4th 1984 like, fifty-two times now. Fifty-four? Over fifty, at least. Billy’s lost count, which is depressing in itself.

[hbyrde36]

Shower Thoughts?

I don't know what this is, enjoy.

‘The Party’ gets the chance to go back in time and the solution to saving Eddie’s life and/or keeping him out of prison is to let him get arrested after Chrissy’s death. They are too late to save her and if Eddie is in jail when the next attack happens, it will clear him. Now armed with some advanced knowledge, they manage to defeat Vecna with no additional casualties. Eddie is alive and Max doesn’t wind up in a coma.

Unfortunately, this means Eddie never gets let in on the reality of the upside down. He doesn’t have the chance to bond with Steve, Nancy, and Robin.

The call was made anonymously, so Eddie has no idea who to blame for selling him out to the Hawkins P.D., but he knows someone ratted him out and he’s determined to find out who. 

Somehow, someway, he finds out it was Dustin and Steve who called his hiding spot into the cops and he hates them now. 

Dustin would be devastated to lose his other best friend. Even more so because he remembers what they went through and what Eddie did for him, even if Eddie himself doesn’t.

Steve would be devastated because at some point he would realize why he was so drawn to Eddie while they were fighting Vecna. He would start to look back on memories of watching Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson strut across cafeteria tables and generally not take shit from anyone and he would suddenly see it in a whole new light. Sure, everyone looked at Eddie when he was making a spectacle of himself but Steve had been LOOKING. He just didn’t realize it. 

Dustin and Steve agree that it was a worthwhile sacrifice as long as it meant Eddie was happy and healthy and alive. They talk to each other about it when they get sad and Steve finds himself slowly falling in love with the Eddie he learns about through Dustin's stories. 

He tries to let it go, but finds that he can’t. He talks to Robin about it first, lets her walk him through what it means to be queer in small town America, just to make sure this is what he really wants before it’s too late. He’s sure.

He talks to Dustin about it and together they come up with a plan because Dustin is SO on board with his two best friends becoming a couple on top of the fact that it could bring Eddie back into their lives. 

Steve calls a group meeting. The plan involves telling Eddie the truth and Steve will only do that if everyone agrees. He will also need their help to tell the full story, and ultimately to prove it. All the gates are closed now, and even if they weren’t he wouldn't risk taking Eddie there just to convince him he was telling the truth, but if Eleven agrees to use her powers in front of him, it might just work.

[gayofthefae]

Made this post then realized something about El and Mike's dynamic

Like many of the various platonic party member combos I thought about, they matched up in some very important ways that others didn't but not others, which were filled by other members of the party instead. And I was thinking about El as a friend to Mike, like any other party member is, and how this even aligns. The wording I used in that post for them for their combined archetypes would be:

protective bubbly unsure emancipated abuse survivor girl & fiercely loyal and caretaking closeted queer boy who doesn't know himself

And the key thing I noticed when I went to write that out is though they have many importantly complimentary and aligned features like "protective" and "loyal", "abuse survivor" and "caretaking", there is an important one they shouldn't have in common:

"unsure" and "doesn't know himself"

Regardless of your sexuality opinion, it is canon that Mike is figuring himself out and doing a lot of self reflection as he grows. And El's arc has been about her learning her likes and dislikes elevating into security in her own decision-making. And these two people can have a great relationship at every other point. And these two people can have an even better relationship at the other side of those arcs...

but they started their relationship as "unsure x doesn't know himself". She was not secure in her decision making and he was still/pre-figuring out who he was. Sometimes people like that figure it out together, but they didn't. And as we continue to get more specifics like how he wants to be needed and she needs to not need anyone, we find that the direction of that growth can't grow together in this situation.

And because of that, maybe we could argue their romantic relationship could have gone differently had it started after they knew themselves better but (firstly, isn't that all first loves?*and wasn't that Steve's point) that also would have meant those other factors like "caretaking" and "abuse survivor", or even ones I didn't mention like "protective" and "closeted", "bubbly" and "doesn't know himself" (not knowing yourself can be scary and even if lightness isn't a solution, it can be helpful coping).

Because at the end of the day, this is simplifying a story. They aren't real people, they represent them, and really only represent them in order to represent complex situations. So there is no "what if" in a story where they only exist for their situation to be demonstrated. Aspects of their archetypes match up in very important ways that you would not sacrifice at the time that they met, and aspects combined in counterproductive ways. So they grew separately from each other and once they find that growth alone or with other people, they can truly be the most compatible versions of themselves and remain close in between by also not expecting or forcing themselves to align in ways they can't assist each other in.

[goggles-mcgee]

I have a new Steddie idea that is very much angst filled and it hit me freaking hard out of nowhere in the shower. Okay I say pit of nowhere but I was listening to my music and Master of Puppets came on (right after She's Always in My Head by Prince - I love variety XD) and the idea hit me.

Working title is Twisting Your Mind (part of a lyric from Master of Puppets)

Anyways so Canon happens more or less and Steve is feeling like he's just drifting from day to day barely hanging on to himself. He knows he's going to break, to burst, and it's going to be ugly but he's trying to hold it together for everyone. But he feels one bad day from just breaking and crying and never stopping and maybe all the paranoia, the bone-deep sadness and self-hatred, the anger and the tiredness would go away. But no, he powers through it and he does what he does best and he holds it all in and all together.

Steve has been blaming himself about Eddie, he fully believes his words provoked the guy to sacrifice himself, he blames himself for Max's condition, for Lucas's face and Erica's nightmares and the bruises she obtained. He's exhausted, he hasn't been sleeping much because of the nightmares that had the fiercest grip on him and because at the slightest sound he would wake up and have to check all the doors, the windows, the lights.

He was running on Jolt Cola and a prayer!

Then what he feared happened, he had his bad day.

It had started out fine. He had two nightmares but it was fine. He picked up Robin and Dustin to take to school, but when he got Robin he saw hoe tired she was and how stressed she looked and so he suggested a movie night to take a night off studying and worrying about her Senior year. But it was like Trisha's Party 2.0, she gave him a cruel laugh and said, "I know you graduated skating by but I actually want to be proud of my grades Steve! I don't have time for your distractions!"

And at least she didn't call him Bullshit but it hurt all the same so he just apologized and he picked up Dustin, they hadn't spoken the entire ride there. Dustin got in and immediately Steve knew he was in a bad mood and he didn't know why. So he just let boy tell him about what he and Susie were working on, but Steve made another mistake as soon as they got to the school. He asked a question about the project and Dustin had just sighed this put-upon sigh and said, "C'mon Steve, I know you're an Idiot but I thought you could at least listen."

Then he left Steve just sitting in his car. As did Robin but she slammed his door and he couldn't even muster up the strength to scold her for it. All he could do was pull himself together and head to work. Work was awful, people belittled him, yelled at him and he was just so done with the day but he always visited Max. So no matter how much he wanted to go home and just sleep, he went to the hospital. Lucas was of course there, and it was pretty obvious the boy hadn't even gone to school. They sat there not saying anything for a while but then Lucas just started rambling about everything and Steve listened, Steve was there.

But then Steve made the mistake of giving advice, he just wanted Lucas to go home, eat, shower, get some sleep. He knew how hypocritical that sounded but he was worried and he stated so. It made Lucas angry, to the point of tears. Next thing Steve knew he was being yelled at, the words were buzzing in his ears. One word stuck out and it was the one he hated most: bullshit.

After that he didn't know what happened. He remembered leaving getting to his car but after that he wasn't sure, all he did know was that he had made it back to his house and he flew into a rage. He broke things. He's pretty sure he punched a hole in a wall. His room took the most damage, he vaguely remembered writing on the walls but it was the after he hardly remembered. There was a noise and he had his bat but something tackled him and he was out.

__________________

I always end up making these ideas drabbles in some way XD anywho, Eddie has been resurrected by Vecna and he is the Upside-down version of a Vamp. As much as Vecna wanted to go in guns blazing and just send Eddie to cause as much destruction and distress and he could he knew he had to be smart about everything this time around. He thought he had been smart last time. But the same group of people once again were a thorn in his side even if they hadn't know he was behind every previous incident.

So he had Eddie spy on every single one of them to see who would be the best to strike first and that's when he felt something interesting when Eddie was near the Harrington boy. It was the same feeling he got with Eddie. This boy had been affected by his demobats, he didn't know why it was dormant but it was there and if they awakened it, he would have another creature like Eddie under his control. He had planned to kill the boy, truly he should have targeted him last time, the boy was basically a martyr and most likely wouldn't have told anyone what was going on until it was too late. He would have had his four gates easily.

The boy held so much anguish and anger and guilt inside himself, it was beautiful. But he cared so much, too much and One knew he could use that. He let Eddie keep his negative emotions, he twisted his feelings for that silly group of his but when he saw Harrington he knew he could use Eddie's attraction to the boy so he let him have those feelings once more. So Eddie is instructed to kidnap him and it's easy given the delicious day Harrington had.

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Basically Steve is kidnapped and taken to the Upside-down and to Eddie's lair where he was instructed to keep him and persuade him to join them. Steve is happy Eddie is alive but heartbroken that he left him there to be taken over by Vecna but Eddie keeps telling him he doesn't blame him and Eddie truly doesn't.

He knew Steve didn't want to leave him, he had heard it and he and One had been watching Steve's dreams and memories and it was very apparent that the last thing the boy wanted to do was leave him behind.

So even though Eddie is sweet to him, calling him nicknames, he's also telling Steve how awful the others treat him and how him and One would never treat him like that. Eddie would treasure him, One would appreciate him if he only joined them. Of course Steve denys, but Eddie doesn't get mad, he knows Steve expected him to but he knows he'll wear him down.

_______________

The Party notices Steve's absence after school when he doesn't pick them up and Robin had calmed down enough to the point she realized what she had said that morning and wanted to apologize but when Steve hadn't shown up she felt worse than worse. Nancy and Jonathan have to pick them up and they decide to go to Steve's to apologize, the others tag along because they're worried. Will and El are on edge because something doesn't feel right.

Lucas is already there knocking on the door begging to be let in, Hopper pulls up because a neighbor called about Lucas which pissed Hopper off but he goes to see what's wrong. They all go into the house and their worry does not go away. They see the state of the house and just are in awe. Robin wants to cry, Dustin and Lucas aren't any better but then a little old lady came to the door and though Robin had never met her she knew who she was immediately because of Steve's description of her.

"Officer Hopper! Well if it hasn't been a lifetime since I've seen you here. What is the matter is Stevie okay?" It was Mrs. O'Connor, Steve had told Robin she was the only nice neighbor he had and she often brought him casseroles.

Hopper was always quick on his feet, "Oh everything is fine Mrs. O'Connor. Just seemed like Steve headed out of town with a friend and forgot to tell the kids."

"Oh that boy, he's always been one to do things on his own hasn't he? You said he was going out of town? You don't know if it he's going to go see that therapist I recommended him, do you?"

"Therapist?" Hopper asked what they were all thinking.

"Oh yes. Poor dear's nightmares have just been truly horrendous, Frank and I nearly called you over with how bad some of them sounded. I don't think that Boy's slept a wink. But oh, listen to me gossiping like a girl in school. Just let him know I made him this casserole will you Sweetie?" And with that she was gone to leave all of them with the knowledge that Steve was suffering and told none of them. None of them noticed or asked and they felt worse if it was possible.

Hopper was just happy Steve seemed to have someone on his side, they look around the house (ignore the fridge full of casseroles) and take in the damage that seems pretty self-inflicted not like Steve was fighting anything but the more they take in the more their stomachs drop. Then they see his abandoned nail bat and no one had a good feeling and with the way Will and El looked at each other it wasn't going to be good.

El quickly finds out that Steve is in the Upside-down but she doesn't know where and everyone is preparing to find the gate he was pulled through and enter to find him. But every time they try some monster comes out and they have to deal with it.

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Eddie loves having Steve in his lair. He loves taking care of him (he robbed the grocery store in the Right Side Up for what he knew Steve liked and whatever he thought he would need.) The more he tries to talk Steve into joining him he the more he starts to wonder why he should do it all, it's like the anger is slowly leaving him.

"Sweetheart, why fight for them when they never fight for you? They think you're an idiot but I know you're not. You're smart baby, so smart they just can't see that. They don't appreciate all you do for them. Why give them your energy?" Eddie will coo things like that and Steve didn't want to admit it but it was wearing down on him more than the Russian Torture did. The way Eddie would compliment him, hold him, press kisses to his knuckles and point out every time the Party hurt him in some way and how he held down the hurt. It was all becoming too much.

The more talks they had the more Steve started to believe he wouldn't last before the Party found him and when they did he would be gone. He would be like Eddie, twisted by his hurt, his sadness, his anger. But Eddie liked to point out he still had his feelings for Steve, that he felt more alive than ever. Than Vecna said if he joined them that Steve wouldn't have to deal with the poor hearing in his left ear or the strain his eyes took whenever he didn't wear the glasses he hid from everyone.

Becoming like Eddie would fix him. He wouldn't be weak anymore and it was getting more and more tempting as the hours? Days? Weeks? past.

Basically just an angsty story that will hit the feels and eventually have a happy ending. Maybe idk. Maybe Steve and Eddie destroy the world. Maybe they save it.

[stevie-petey]

If they do kill a main party member and do it right I could see it being a good move to add to the story. Like if it was a cinematic sacrifice, dramatic but not over done. Like how hopper sacrificed himself in season three, that was done right. I can see them having an "all is lost moment" but a characters sacrifice that gives them some kind of opening (which I hate to say sounds like a Steve move, especially after "losing" max). I also thought that Nancy would be a logical choice, she'd do anything to protect her family, even if she doesn't die I think she'll take a big risk. I feel like if they did go that route it would give Steve and Jonathan incentive to work together because even if they hate each other they both love Nancy.

I've honestly fallen out of stranger things a little, I'm still gonna watch season five but some of the choices suffer brothers made kinda sucked out my love for it. Still a good show and I'm excited to see what they do with it, but I'm more interested in what you'll do with season four!! Good luck and I hope it comes to you easily!

i agree that some duffer choices definitely lessened my love for the show (and fueled my need to do the rewrite) lmao but yes if they kill a main i hope its like hoppers fake death. itd be a wonderful full circle moment, just really hoping it isnt steve or nance. leave em ALONE

[findafight]

On your post about Zuko and Steve. It is also interesting how a lot of people say X deserved redemption and 1. Redemption isn't deserved, it's earned. It's about realising you were wrong and making up for it. 2. When they write it so many of them write healing arcs not redemption arcs. Not them making it up to all the people they hurt but more acknowledgement of their own pain. That isn't redemption.

I think so many people get those two things confused. Yes, Azula deserves to heal. For a redemption arc she has to acknowledge she wronged people as opposed to villainising other characters.

Yes! Exactly!!! I read your first point and was gonna say "yeah redemption arc's are earned but healing arcs are deserved" so we are in agreement. I didn't put catra on the post because from what I understand her arc in the show was not redemption but healing. She acknowledges her abuse and works to free herself from it, but does not, within the show, get a chance to actively participate in fixing the things she hurt or ruined. The implication at the end (from my understanding as I haven't actually seen it) is that she would continue on the path to redemption and try to make things right.

Redemption and forgiveness come after healing for many of these kinds of things, or is part of the healing journey already started.

It's soo frustrating because Azula and Zuko's relationship is so messed up, and Azula is a 14/15 year old abused child who deserves to heal from the abuse Ozai subjected her to. But to say she deserves redemption only based on the core atla series... No? Zuko had to heal partially from what his farther did and from the indoctrination of his homeland before he was even ready to face his dad let alone help the Gaang. He then apologized and continues to heal! He had to go see the sun warriors to get his bending back because he had changed so much.

Azula doesn't apologize or attempt to make things right. She is fighting until the bitter end! She doesn't want redemption or healing at that point! A character, to have a successful redemption arc, must want it. That's the whole point! Azula has a mental breakdown at the end of the series and needs to recover from long-term abuse in order to figure out if she wants to redeem herself in the eyes of the world. (Which I don't think she does. I think Azula would be content to just stay in the palace and not think particularly hard about how she was going to enable a genocide. Perhaps some charity initiatives close to home, but never the wide scale acknowledgement like Zuko has done.)

Now. Okay I know I am mean to Billy (because it's so interesting how messed up he is while refusing to understand he is so messed up. Get help Billy) But he also deserves healing. I think it should be done far fucking away from Max and her friends, but he does deserve it, because literally everyone deserves to heal from their trauma or abuse. Billy is interesting because he is so fucked up, and there seems to be layers to that. His relationship with older women??? What the fuck? His resentment of Max? His weird obsession with Steve? Fascinating shit. But we don't get a chance to explore those or what they really mean. I don't really care that we don't tbh because I'd rather more screentime for the party/scoops troop than Billy. He's also just a racist asshole that has all the means to not be one and doesn't use them or ever feel bad about it.

Using his dead(?) Mom as sympathy points before he does literally the only decent thing he can and use his body to protect El and max is not redemption. It's a sacrifice. Like at the end of the last Skywalker? Kylo Ren doesn't redeem himself! He sacrifices himself! That is completely different. One good action to save someone does not make up for all the wrongs committed. Billy sacrificing himself when he knows he's already dead to give two kids more time is not Billy making changes to how he acts and apologizing for hurting people (specifically Max, Lucas, and Steve).

Also! These are two relationships with (step)siblings and I loooove sibling dynamics and complicated relationships but I think the ways in which their sibs would/could/should be involved in their healing is completely different.

Billy is Max's older brother who is shown to resent and abuse her. Max should not be near Billy. She should not be a component of his healing because it would be actively detrimental to her. He should get out of Hawkins and work on himself and then maybe years later call Max up and apologize so much for what he did. She is not responsible for his healing or forgiveness.

But I think Zuko would take an active part in Azula's healing process. For one, he is her big brother. He clearly wants to have a relationship with her, he craves those familial connections! I think he'd want to help her get better, and to see that he is not doing anything to spite her, but to help their nation and herself heal from Ozai's reign. Zuko wants to help her, and while he may sometimes separate himself from her for his own sake, I think he would want to take a more active role in assisting Azula and that would help him feel like he didn't just tear his family apart. He may not know exactly what Ozai did to her, but he knows it was bad and more focused after he was banished, so he would want to be there for his little sister. (People villainizing Zuko to make Azula look good don't make any sense ever tbh)

and listen. I have an angst au floating around my brain where most everything is the same except Azula and Zuko wrote to each other during him banishment and therefore had a strong sibling relationship, thereby making it even more horrible when they fight each other because they legitimately love and care for each other and want to be with their sibling. They simply do not understand why the other is against them because they know!! They love each other!! So why won't Zuko come home or why won't Azula listen when he tells her their father is wrong! Like full on sobbing why are you doing this! You're my brother!! I love you!! Type thing. It's very dramatic and very sad.

But anyways yeah I agree, anon, people get healing and redemption narratives mixed up and it's frustrating. No one deserves redemption but everyone deserves healing. Whether or not they redeem themselves is up to them. It is not up to other characters for that redemption.