#disabled Dustin Henderson

[eddieheart]

HOBBLE

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairings: NONE

Words: 347

Description: disabled Dustin going about his afternoon

"Hey hobbley joe, how you gonna get to class eh hobbles, they weble and they wobble let's see if he falls down."

"Wow Chris, you're starting to get real creative huh? Why don't you go back to your friends and tell them how you beat on the disabled kid, whoopy!" Dustin replied sarcastically.

The other boy was about to say something when someone else called out to him from behind and he walked off. Dustin rolled his eyes. So what if he had a limp now, it's not like he's a different person.

At least it was the end of the day now, he could go home Steve, Robin, Eddie, El and Max. They'd gotten enough money from the gouvernement cover up for the three elders to buy a house which they now shared with Max.

Her mother had left after the 'earthquake' and left Max alone, apparently she couldn't 'bare to look at her anymore'. Immediately Steve had applied for a foster license and was officially Max's guardian.

The three had done so much for her, for all of them. Even converting Eddie's beloved van to be able to allow wheelchairs to buckle in. There was even enough room for Dustin's cane.

Speak of the devil, a large rust bucket of a van pulled into the school parking lot like a bat out of hell. Dustin gathered his things and slowly hobbled his way over to Eddie's van. He opened the door and shuffled inside, giving a soft greeting to the older boy.

"Hey Dusty- bunny how was school?" The older boy asked kindly.

Dustin smiled at Eddie and stuttered out his response as fast as he could. 

"So I had art today and Mr. Kyle said we could do whatever we wanted so I painted our dnd characters. Was so awesome!" Eddie smiled at the younger boy in return.

"That's great Dustin." Eddie had been feeling guilty since vecna, Dustin could tell, he wasn't as playful as usual. But he could take it, it was okay, whatever they needed to do to get over it.

@buggylad

[pinkeoni]

It’s funny how audience members view Mike as their underdog-average-straight guy who is a total nerd but got an awesome girlfriend anyway when the character they are actually looking for is Dustin Henderson

[strangerthingsontwt]

[italiansteebie]

also on ao3 (Im not... super happy with this but here you go anways.

There were many things people didn't know about Steve Harrington. Like how he was fluent in italian, or how he actually didn't care that much about his hair or his looks, or how his parents are never home.

But people seemed to take one look at Steve and seemed to think they had it all figured out, and Eddie was no exception. 

Until the guy started picking up the newest sheep from hellfire, until he saw Robin Buckley from band hanging out with him, hanging onto his every word.

So maybe he didn't have the guy figured out.

And he figured out he really didn't have shit figured out when a cheerleader started floating in his living room. Or when the ground split open and Steve Harrington wanted to go down there.

But then he figured out that for Steve, Nancy, and newly Robin, this was... Quite normal for them actually. And so they walked through the gross ass woods with Nancy Wheeler to find the guns that she had hidden in her closet. Guns. In Nancy Wheeler's closest. In a dimension hidden in the crust of this one.

What the fuck is going on?

So anyways, they make it out.

After Steve gets chewed on by bats, of course, and he gets up and runs like nothing ever happened and Nancy and Robin pretend that that's normal.

And he doesn't know how the guy did it because when it comes time for Eddie's turn, he almost dies. They kill the big bad guy, though Eddie doesn't get to hear about that part for a few weeks. He doesn't remember much about how they got out of the Upside Down the second time, but he does remember one really weird thing that Steve had said.

"Fuck, fuck! My leg fell off!"

And then he was being dropped, and it all went black.

--

They had done it, they had finally done it, he was dead and it was over. The race was over.

Well, Steve had thought it was over.

But then Dustin was sobbing over Eddie's body, and the kid couldn't stand up right, and suddenly there was another race to escape the throws of the upside down.

They were so close.

The steps of Eddie's trailer were right there. But of course life had other plans, and he felt the suction come loose. 

And he toppled over.

"Fuck, fuck! My leg fell off!"

And maybe he should've thought about that sentence. but Eddie was slipping away and he panicked. 

Nancy was the only one who really knew what he was talking about (to her credit, she was the only one of them who's seen him naked), but Dustin and Robin both looked very concerned, and he'd even heard Robin whisper "rabies." with a crazed laugh bubbled up as punctuation.

"Here, get dustin to the gate, I'll help Steve,"

"Wh- how are you gonna put his leg back on? How does a leg fall off?!" Robin asked, laughing again, this time more maniacal. 

"Go!"

"Nancy!?"

"It's a prosthetic! the suction came loose, just get Dustin out of here!" Steve yelled, cutting through the shouting of the others, there was a studying pause from Robin and Dustin. "Questions later, please just go!"

So they did, Robin only looking back as Nancy cut away at the extra fabric of Steve's jeans, trying her best to help Steve with the suction sleeve of his prosthetic.

And soon enough, they were at the hospital.

Steve, Eddie, and Dustin had been admitted and Nancy and Robin were being checked over. They had arrived soon after Max, Erica and Lucas did, Max being admitted for multiple broken bones. (She'd be fine, the doctors had told them. Just a few broken bones and some new glasses). 

–

When Eddie woke up, it took a minute for him to realize where he was. Uncle Wayne was to the right of him, holding his hand, looking a little worse for wear. 

"Wayne?" The old man turned to him, eyes lighting up. "Oh, Eddie. you're awake," he could see the relief on Wayne's face, and almost felt bad for almost getting himself killed. But over the course of a few days, he woke up a little more, and Wayne told him all about how Chief Hopper came back from the dead, how the charges were dropped and a new trailer was waiting for them, curtesy of the government (which Wayne knew was shady but, hey. A new trailer is a new trailer). And how Steve Harrington had been visiting, every single day since he'd gotten better himself.

And that's when Eddie remembered.

"Hey, Wayne?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Did he have two legs?"

“Who?”

“Steve!” He said, exasperated, like it was exhausting just asking about the guy.

Wayne looked at him, "They up your morphine drip? Yeh, he had two legs." Eddie shook his head at him, "When we were in the... uh." Eddie hesitated, "Earthquake?" Wayne finished for him, "Yeah, earthquake, he said something about his leg falling off... but then I passed out... I. Is he okay?" he asked finally. Wayne pondered this for a moment, studying Eddie's face. "Well, he looked a little tired but, okay other than that."

"Is he going to come back today?" Eddie tried to sound like he wasn't desperate. It didn't work, if the look on Wayne's face said anything. 

"Probably. When you were just waking up I pressed the nurse call, and she said she was fixing to tell everyone the good news."

And just like that, Steve walked in, eyes wide, "Eddie! You're okay. they wouldn't let me see you when I woke up and I was so scared that I didn't make it in… Time." He cut off his nervous rambling.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks to you, big boy."     

Wayne arched an eyebrow at this and stood, "I'm- I'll leave you boys to it." and with that the two were alone. Eddie studied Steve for a while. This was not the guy everyone told him about, the guy his friends had warned him about, and he wondered how everyone got it so wrong. "You're not who I thought you were."

"I'm... Uh. I'm sorry?" He posed it as a question.

"No! Not like that... Just. Everyone thinks they know you so well. And I- They don't. It's like, no one knows anything about you."

Steve smirks, "I'm a man of mystery,"

"Yeah, but maybe you should tell people when you're missing a leg, dingus. Nice to see you back in the land of the living Munson." and there was Robin standing in the doorway. "Rob!"

She and Nancy filtered into the room, Dustin hopping on his crutches behind them, "Yeah, what's up with that Steve? I thought you were captain of the swim team?" Dustin inquired. Steve rolled his eyes, "Yeah, the disabled swim team." he laughed.

"So... When we were 'down there' your leg really fell off?" Eddie questioned, watching as Steve lifted up his pant leg, tapping on the metal that was there in place of an ankle, "Yeah, I was sweating so much that the suction came loose, and well... It just slid off."

"So... How did you lose your leg?" He asked, getting smacked in the arm by Robin, "Hey! No hitting the guy in the hospital bed," he said, pointing to himself. "Dude, you can't just ask people that!" She said incredulously, Nancy and Dustin nodding in agreement, while Steve just laughed. "It's okay, it's okay! I'm used to it. I lost it when I was young... You guys probably heard about it… Uh. Me and my nona were in a car accident, we were both fine but my leg got trapped in the metal of the car, and well... They couldn't save it. It was pretty scary for a while, not having a leg... But then my parents got me a prosthetic that had dinosaurs on it. Perks of having rich parents who don't know how to show you love. " He shrugged, and Eddie didn't have time to be sad before Robin piped up.

"You... Oh my god! That was you! I remember hearing about that, you were what, 7 right? Because I was six... I was so sad for you. Oh! But then you showed your prosthetic at show and tell!" Robin rambled, and Steve watched the realization cover everyone's face, including Eddie's morphine clouded brain.

"Dude, when I heard that, 9 year old me freaked out! I had just moved in with Wayne and all of a sudden there's a kid without a leg? I thought you were the most metal person ever! Before I even knew what that meant. Wow." The look on Eddie's face could only be described as starstruck, like he was meeting his idol. 

"Man. People really don't know shit about you."

And Steve laughed. 

“No really!” Eddie insisted, sitting up slowly to prove his point, Steve reaching over to help him the rest of the way, urging him to be careful. “See! That's exactly what I mean! You're so… Helpful! It's weird. In highschool, I took one look at you and thought I knew everything about you, but… I don't!”

“I mean, after a while, you stop trying to share stuff when people just assume they already know you.”

And maybe that made Eddie feel a little guilty, but he knows it wasn't meant too. “So. Let's get to know each other then.” He said, reaching for Steve's hand, Steve closing the gap and holding his gently.

Steve smiled softly. 

“Ew, are you guys flirting?”

And both Steve and Eddie jumped out of their skin, forgetting they weren't the only ones in the room. “And what if we were, mind your business Buck.” Steve snarked, smirking back at Eddie. Robin rolled her eyes, “Let's play a game! It's called "get to know Steve!” Eddie cheered before the two could start arguing again. 

Steve shook his head, “I won't have any mystery then!”

“Maybe I don't want you to have mysteries with me.”

Robin scoffed, “You're flirting again.”

And the look Steve gave her was so quick, Eddie almost missed it. But it seemed to do the trick because soon enough she was dragging Nancy and Dustin out of the room with her, claiming it was time to visit Max. 

“You really want to get to know me?”

“I want to know everything about you, Steve.”

“Wow, I mean. No one's ever been like… Interested in me. They like my looks but… That's it.”

Eddie frowned, “Not even Nancy?” he questioned, regretting it as soon as he saw Steve’s face fall. “We weren't good for each other.” and that was all he said.

“What's your favorite color?”

“What?” 

“What's your favorite color?”

“Oh. It's uh. It's green. Forest Green.” 

Eddie smiled, “Getting to know you, getting to know all about you,” he sang, eyes squinting as he smiled, only for it to grow as Steve let out a giggle, an honest to god, giggled. Eddie thinks he's going to die, and what a place to do it. In a hospital bed, smiling at his crush. 

Steve pulled his hand away, and Eddie frowned, “Where are you going?” Steve smiled, “No where, just uh. your heart rates been kinda high since I started holding your hand.” he giggled, pointing at the monitors who's beeps were faster than they were 15 minutes ago. 

By the time Nancy, Robin and Dustin came back from visiting Max, the two boys had a date set for as soon as Eddie was cleared to go home.

“Hey, Steve?” Eddie asked as the girls settled back into their chairs in Eddie's room, an idea sparking in his brain. Steve turned to him, eyebrows raised. “What’s on your prosthetic now?” He led. 

“Oh, uh. It's just plain metal. My parents got tired of paying for the prints as soon as the whole thing wore off it's… Attention value I guess.” Steve shrugged, looking at the floor.

Robin jumped up from her seat, “Let's paint it!” she said, proposing the idea before Eddie could.

Eddie brightened, “Yeah! We can all add something!” He cheered.

Steve smiled, “You guys would do that?” 

“Of course we would, Steve.” Nancy said, leaning over to rest a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him knowingly. And so the next day, the whole group was piled into Eddie's room, Will’s paint supplies spread across Eddie's bed.

“What did you guys need it for?” Joyce asked, a protective hold on Will’s shoulder as she scanned the room. Steve came out of the bathroom, metal leg in hand, crutch in the other, “This! They're going to paint my leg,” he smiled. And just as expected, the new information made the room explode. 

After they shared the story, and Steve answered all the questions, it was decided that there was going to be even more art on his leg, even Hopper wanted to add his own piece.

Steve smiled as he watched his family paint something that brought his real family so much shame. 

–

It was months later, Eddie was out of the hospital, and Steve was confident in showing off his prosthetic, now that had been decorated by the ones he loves. They were on a date in the park, Steve was wearing the shorts that Eddie loved so much. The wind was blowing a soft breeze, and the sun was just beginning to set.

“I'm so glad I got to know you.” 

There were many things Eddie Munson knew about Steve Harrington. Like how he was fluent in italian, or how he actually didn't care that much about his hair or his looks, or how his parents are never home. 

And how he loved with his whole body, and the way he likes his eggs in the morning, and the way he showed off his prosthetic when it was covered in reminders that he is loved.

If one thing is for sure, there was no way you could take one look at Steve Harrington and know everything about him.

[luwe21]

Season 5/Stranger Things Ideas

Max Mayfield: Survives but not fully recover. She will have visual impairment and difficulty walking.

Lucas Sinclair: Survives and be a main support for the other characters. He and Max will still be a dream couple and he will still be by her side. Also that he will be more in focus next season. Will protect his friends no matter what.

Dustin Henderson: Survives and is going to be a little mini me Eddie. Still be a proud supporter of the Hellfire Club and continues to serve sass.

Will Byers: Either survives or dies. Either makes a sacrifice or be cut off from the real world. He comes out, but it isn't mentioned again. His connection to the Vecna and the Upside Down is going to cause problems for Hawkins.

El Hopper/Byers: Similarly, Will is on the fence about whether or not she survives. Will will either make a sacrifice or be cut off from the real world to close the Upside Down. Her powers will still be very important.

Jonathan Byers: Survives and becomes a main supporter and ally for his little brother, Will. His focus will be on keeping his family together and protecting the younger teens. His relationship with Nancy will suffer because of his lie about college, but Steve will become a friend because they bond over protecting the younger teens.

Mike Wheeler: Survives. But he is confronted with loss and a decision in his relationship with El. The relationship either becomes stronger and more stable or it falls apart. He will have problems with Will's outing in the beginning, but accept it in the end. Not because of homophobia but because he feels betrayed that Will didn't trust him enough.

Nancy Wheeler: Survives. Continues to be a BAMF and knows exactly what she wants and that is neither Steve nor Jonathan. Will shoot monsters. Will fight with everything she has.

Robin Buckley: Survives. She will have one look at Will and know immediately that he is gay. She'll also be an ally and Will's main supporter. Steve and her continue on being a perfect platonic duo. May have a girlfriend but that ain't the main focus.

Steve Harrington: Controversial, but I am sure he will survive. Continue his Steve/Mom thing and keep the kids safe. Offer support to Will similar to Robin.

[a-strangers-thoughtss]

Ok, so like hear me out

The party post-upsidedown

-They move into a house together after to go to to school and just try to lead normal lives

- Max vies to become a paraylympic skate-boarder

- El decides she wants to be an art teacher for elementary school and picks up her education in stride

- Will majors in art and Mike in language arts. They start writing a comic book together based loosely on the events of the upsideown

- Lucas gets a basketball scholarship and plays professionally

- Dustin majors in science (bio) and becomes a biologist

- Erica follows them later and double majors in politics and Math (becoming a politician)

- Suzi ends up in some prestigious collage and gets a computer science degree (Prolly makes some funky computer system)

- They all end up famous in some way, accept El (who prefers it that way)

Like you can not tell me they wouldn’t go on to do great things.

They may have scars but they’re all so smart or athletic they would still do so many cool things.

Like imagine an interview in 2024 (when they would all be around 53?) with them all talking about how they’ve been friends from elementary/middle school and went through some shit together so they’re all rlly close still.

Everyone pokes about what they went through and they all make up the randomist scenarios (that are actually kinda close to the truth, but no one knows that)

“Oh we’ve been close ever since we survived vecnas curse together” (everyone thinks they’re talking about dnd)

“It’s actually how I got this cool scar, we got attacked by like fifty killer dogs”

“I stoped listening to music one day and, Bam, I’m dead for like 5 minutes.”

“Funny story, I got kidnapped my an inter dimensional demon and they saved me like 4 times.”

“Have you ever been possessed?”

But the government can’t do anything about it bc no one actually ever believes them (accept the chronicley online conspiracy theorists)

[jaylikesrainbowtigers]

Day 4 - Personal Heroes

@disabledbillyandsteveweek Day 4 - Personal Heroes

——————————————————————————————————

It was when Eddie entered the scene that Steve realised it. 

He and Dustin had really bonded. Steve felt like a older brother to the younger boy. Sure, they weren’t always interested in the same things. Dustin would ramble on about science whilst Steve would be watching football. But he listened to Dustin. He learnt about things that didn’t really excite him because they excited Dustin.

Steve supposed that Dustin would have found someone more like him when he reached high school. 

And that person was Eddie Munson.

They played dnd. They watched movies. They read Lord of the Rings. That’s what Dustin told him as he gave him lifts to and from Hellfire club.

Which was pretty much the only time Steve actually saw Dustin anymore.

It was fine. Steve was happy that Dustin was happy. That was what mattered. Dustin’s happiness.

Then Eddie joined the little upside down trauma club. Steve understood. He really did. He even actually quite liked Eddie. But in the back of his mind was that little voice telling Steve that Eddie took Dustin away. That Dustin replaced Steve with Eddie. 

If only Steve could silence that awful jealous voice.

——————————————————————————————————

It was after Eddie died that Dustin said it.

Eddie had died a heroic death. That’s for sure. Steve held nothing but respect for the guy. But he would always compare himself to Eddie in Dustin’s eyes. 

Because Eddie was better for Dustin than Steve. They liked the same things. Eddie was able to be a mentor in ways Steve couldn’t. Eddie was the one who bloody died for Dustin. Steve was second place to someone he considered as his number one again.

Dustin said it one day when Steve was driving him around as per usual. So it was completely out of the blue.

Dustin got out of the car to attend the meeting he was frantically running late to. He had called Steve to ask if he could pick him up and of course Steve complied.

Dustin was grabbing his bag out of the foothold when he spoke. “Thanks, Steve. I don’t know what I would do without you. You’re my hero.”

Steve made a noise at that. A sort of shocked choke.

Dustin had wide eyes as he looked at Steve and he asked, “You did know that, right? Steve?”

Steve felt his throat constrict. “But…But what about Eddie?”

Dustin shrugged though Steve could see that he was slightly upset by the mention of the dead man. “People can have more than one hero.”

“Oh.”

Dustin sighed and sat back down. “Yeah, oh. Steve. I thought you knew.”

“Knew that I’m your hero? Why? Why me? We are nothing alike!”

“Yes we are, Steve! You were the first older kid to be nice to me. You believed me when no one else did. You have saved my life multiple times. You’re… the first adult I’ve met who is like me. Autistic. Dyslexic. Whatever. We are the same Steve. Even if we don’t like the same things. We are the same. Brothers.”

Steve could feel the tears building in his eyes when Dustin leaned over to hug him and when he ran off to his meeting. He was Dustin’s personal hero. Steve had never been that before.

[rhinexstone]

I want Max to be blind

I want Max to be an ambulatory wheelchair user who’s only goal in therapy is to skate again

I want Will to make a magnetic board with DnD figurines that El moves around so Max can feel along for what’s happening on the court of Lucas’s games even if he never plays

I want Max to listen to Eddie’s metal tapes while she’s still bedridden with Dustin and have her share all her Kate Bush tapes too

I want her to get in tune with the upside down due to the loss of her vision and become closer with Will because of it

I want El and Max to fuck around and see how well she can break after being psychically launched

I want her to beat the shit out of people with her crutches, even if that means she falls to the ground

I want to see Max deal and live with her sudden disabilities, but to do more than suffer. To want to live, and heal, and be happy because she’s just a kid and to show an audience that disability is a depressive death sentence is an irresponsible move— especially when the character and target audience is kids

[schrijverr]

Page 26-27

[Both these pages only have photographs. On page 26 are two horizontal images. The upper one is of Max, Lucas and El, the three of them have fallen asleep on the couch and Joyce is spreading a blanket over them with a fond smile. Empty cups that used to be filled with hot chocolate litter the table.]

Hot Coco Naps

Jonathan Byers, 1987

.

[The lower image is of Dustin and Lucas posing with a truly impressive snow man. They’re both bundled up and you can’t see anything past their eyes, nose and upper lip. Yet there is obvious pride in their creation. The snowball headed towards Dustin’s face is yet unseen by both.]

Mr. Snow Man

Jonathan Byers, 1987

.

[Page 27 has four photographs on it. The upper right one is of El and Max, facing each other and both holding sparklers, which illuminate their smiling faces.]

Sparking Smiles

Jonathan Byers, 1988

.

[The upper left photograph is made by a campfire. Steve is leaning against Robin, the two of them sitting sideways on a log, Robin with her arms around Steve’s neck. Eddie is feeding Steve a marshmallow.]

Campfire Treats

Jonathan Byers, 1988

.

[The lower left image is of a pile of people on a floor filled with mattresses. It is mostly a lump of blankets, but a head of curls peaks out of blankets at the side, Dustin. Erica is also clear, having just sat up and rubbing her eyes, a bonnet on her head and dressed in pajamas with hearts on them. Behind the pile of kids on the floor is Max on the couch, to be better supported, her crutches leaned against the wall next to her.]

January 1st 1988

Jonathan Byers, 1988

.

[On the lower right is an image of Mike and Will, they’re bend over a DnD guide together, seated on the love seat in the Hopper-Byers house. Mike is sitting normally, but Will has his legs over Mike’s, sitting sideways. Their foreheads are touchings and they seem to be deep into conversation.]

Talking Strategy

Jonathan Byers, 1988

~~

<<Prev Next>> AO3

[sky-neverending]

I’m writing a fic where Eddie, Steve, Dustin, and Max are all playing scrabble, and Eddie is technically the “judge” to make sure all the words are fair but really he’s on Maxs team to help her bc she’s blind and still partially in casts. and he made all the scrabble pieces braille so she could play on her own (to the best of her ability) and Steve and Dustin just spend the entire time arguing over wether the words they put down count. and it’s chaos in the best way possible.

i love my little found family

[pareiwheeler]

everyday i am infuriated that stranger things, a show about BEING DIFFERENT. DIFFERENT. reached a ga of racists, homophobes, ableists, and overall assholes. i am INFURIATED.

[thestobingirlie]

i think people forget that dustin is canonically disabled because in the show it is mostly played for laughs. in s1 not so much, because its only mentioned when he's bullied for it. its only mentioned in s2 when el notices his teeth have started to grow in. in s3 its mentioned twice, the kissing without teeth comment, and when he's climbing into the vent "he has no collarbones, he can bend like gumbo" and its used as a joke because steve cant remember the name of it, and gets the reference wrong. and in s4 its used when dustin is pushing steve about nancy so steve gets bitchy and threatens to knock his teeth back out.

i think dustin’s disability is written well into his character, but the narrative then often uses it for laughs, if that makes sense?

like yeah, we’re often supposed to be laughing with dustin about it, but that’s really all it is. something to joke about, and not something to recognise as an actual disability. most people probably know relatively nothing about it! and just think dustin’s missing collarbones and teeth, and that’s it.

so yeah, like you said, i think because the show treats it lightly, people forget that it’s an actual disability.

[pinkeoni]

So I’m gonna say something crazy… but have you ever considered that maybe, just maybe… and hear me out… the core four group in the show about “outcasts and wierdos” ISN’T supposed to have a straight-white-able-bodied-all-american male that people from that group can easily project on to? That maybe the straight-white-male audience might have to contend with the fact that they find relatability in characters who are black, disabled, or gay? That MAYBE there isn’t supposed to be this pov character that easily fits into these conventions that they’ve been so used to seeing in popular media but that’s also kind of the point?

[cringespace]

[steddieas-shegoes]

hiii not sure if you’re still taking requests but

no upside down au where teen single dad steve approaches eddie after hellfire bc every parenting stuff keeps mentioning how reading to babies is super important for their development but his dyslexia makes reading so hard let alone be expressive w it too and the kids keep mentioning how eddie is amazing on dnd. eddie is skeptical cause how come no ones has heard of king steve’s one year old ? but he accepts when steve offers paying but after seeing steve w his baby and understanding how he changed he refuses the money and cue them slowly falling in love and becoming a family <333

Sorry this took *checks watch* like 9 months to finish! I kinda took some creative turns, but it's done!

read on ao3

rated t | 5,182 words | no cw | tags: mostly fluff, single parent steve, not canon compliant, mutual pining, getting together, love confessions

📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚

Early August 1985

“Steve, it’s not like he’s gonna fuckin’ bite, dude,” Dustin said from the passenger seat.

“Language.”

“She’s not even awake,” Dustin whisper yelled. “I promise he’s cool. The worst he’ll say is no. It’s not like he’s gonna bully you.”

“No one else knows I’m asking him this, right?” Steve was suddenly worried that all the kids knew about Steve’s learning disability and they’d think he was actually stupid and-

“No, it’s just me. But if you don’t hurry up and go in before everyone else gets here, they’ll find out.”

Steve glanced in the backseat, smiling to himself at his sleeping daughter. She’d been out for nearly the entire drive from his house to Dustin’s to the high school, so she’d probably be waking up within the next 20 minutes and she’d be ready to stretch her legs.

She was a squirmy thing from the moment she figured out how to scoot around the floor, and it only got worse when she learned to walk at 11 months. The only time she was still and staying out of trouble was when she was asleep.

“If she starts crying, just sit back there with her. She just likes having company,” Steve reminded him as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

“Yep. I’ve literally babysat for you before. I can handle her for 5 minutes.”

“Attitude.” Steve shook his head and opened the door, getting out and only closing the door most of the way so it wouldn’t wake her up.

Eddie always showed up 30 minutes early for Hellfire Club to set up according to Dustin. He took this club very seriously, even as a third year senior. He kept it running all summer so that incoming freshmen would have time to get acquainted with his style of DMing or whatever.

Steve respected the dedication, though he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe that dedication were put into his homework, he would’ve graduated in May with Steve.

But Steve couldn’t actually judge. Not with the fact that he was pretty close to not graduating himself. He had a pretty good reason, but still.

The auditorium door closed loudly behind him, making him jump and clench his jaw painfully.

“Door’s broken. You gotta hold it while it closes so it doesn’t slam,” a voice said from the door to the backstage area.

Steve squinted through the semi-darkness and felt his stomach turn. Eddie.

“I guess it’s been a while since I’ve had to open it. Figured they would have fixed it by now,” Steve replied, walking closer to the guy he needed to talk to.

“No shit! Is that King Steve? In the flesh?” Eddie’s dramatics were endearing, even if it was slightly annoying that he pulled out the stupid high school nickname he’d lost well before he graduated.

“Yeah,” Steve sighed. This wasn’t gonna go well.

“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but none of your precious kiddos have made it yet. It’s still early.”

Steve nodded. “One of them’s sitting in my car in the parking lot. Um, Henderson? He’s an incoming freshman.”

“Ah. Dustin’s got a place in Hellfire if you’re worried. I don’t turn anyone away who wants to be here.”

“No, no, that’s not it.” Steve needed to just spit it out. “He said you’re like, great at storytelling or whatever. Like you’re the best DM he’s ever seen and he knows I could use those skills for something.”

“Oh? What could Steve Harrington need DM skills for?”

“My daughter.”

The silence following his confession was louder than the door slamming only a minute ago.

He probably could’ve revealed his motives a little better, work up to the fact that he even had a daughter maybe. Very few people actually knew, and he had to keep it that way until he could leave his parent’s house.

“Your…daughter.”

“Yes. She’s just turned one and the doctors said reading to her is like, super important for learning words and helping her learn how to have an imagination and stuff. And I do read to her!” Steve suddenly felt worried that Eddie would think he was a bad parent. “I try to. But I’m, well, Nancy says it’s dyslexia? So words are kinda hard and it gives me a headache if I try to read for more than a few minutes and I’m so busy focusing on the words I don’t think I’m making it very fun for her-“

“Woah. Steve. Slow down.” Eddie braced his hand on Steve’s shoulder and squeezed. “I didn’t even know you had a daughter. Does anyone know you have a daughter?”

“The kids do, yeah. My parents do because they kinda helped cover it all up and made sure I still graduated so I didn’t embarrass them or whatever.” Steve looked down at the floor, shoving his hands in his pockets. He didn’t really want to go through the whole thing with this guy. “Robin Buckley knows? She’s my best friend. The Byers and Wheelers, Hopper. Some teachers know but were sworn to secrecy.”

“Huh.”

Steve looked up to see Eddie stepping closer to him, soft smile on his face.

“So what do you need me for exactly?”

“Dustin said you’re really good at telling stories and I figured maybe you would be willing to read to her? Not every day, like I can work with your schedule or whatever. Evening would be best for me, but it’s not really a big deal if it has to be other times. She comes to work with me so if it had to be during the day, you could sit in the office or something, I dunno.” Steve shrugged. He hated asking for help. But Dustin insisted Eddie was actually a good guy and would keep his secret. No one who saw her at work assumed Steve Harrington was a single parent at 18. That would just be absurd. “I just don’t want her to miss out.”

Eddie’s hand drifted down his arm, holding his hand for a moment before he stepped back.

“My schedule is kinda random. But I’m sure we can work something out.”

Steve’s shoulders fell as his body relaxed. “Yeah? I can pay you. Not much. My parents mostly cut me off.” Steve was scrambling. “I can give you gas money and stuff for having to come to us. And like, food? I can cook.”

Eddie’s eyes were intense, watching his every move, making him nervous.

“How ‘bout a free trial? I’ll do it for a couple weeks and then we can see about payment.”

Steve nodded eagerly. “Yeah, yeah. Cool.” Jesus, he was embarrassing. What happened to his charm? “Would you be able to start soon?”

“Normally, I’d say I can come by after Hellfire, but I have an…appointment right after tonight. I can come by tomorrow?”

Steve smiled. “Tomorrow’s good. I work until five.”

“I can be at your house by seven.”

“Great! I have plenty of books. Right now, she’s really into Old Macdonald, but I think it’s just because it sorta sounds like her name and we get to make silly noises,” Steve smiled to himself, not seeing the way Eddie was smiling too. “I think she’ll probably like whatever you read to her, though.”

“What’s her name?”

“Mackenzie. Robin read it in a book and said it meant fire-born or something? It sounded cool. We call her Mac or Kenzie for short so she hears Macdonald and thinks we’re giving her another nickname,” Steve laughed. “Anyway, I better get back to the car. If she’s awake and Dustin has to deal with her crying for too long, he gets an attitude.”

“Mackenzie. I like it.” Eddie nodded once. “See you tomorrow, Stevie.”

Steve agreed and waved, turning around to leave. By the time he realized Eddie’s nickname for him, Eddie was already backstage.

****

Steve was nervous.

He nearly burnt the chicken he was cooking for dinner just from getting distracted by thoughts of Eddie being in his home.

He didn’t even know why. Maybe it was the fact that he’d always thought Eddie was kinda rough around the edges and was surprised he’d agreed so easily. Maybe it was bringing someone new into the small group he’d had around for a couple years. Maybe it was the way Eddie’s hand on his shoulder seemed to leave a permanent mark despite being one of the softest touches he’d felt from another adult in a while.

Mackenzie was in her high chair already, eating some of the noodles he’d made as a side. She’d been practicing using a fork, so quite a few had fallen on the floor, but Steve still smiled and told her she did a great job any time she managed to get one to her mouth.

The doorbell rang and Steve felt his heart stop.

“Daddy!” Mackenzie squealed when the bell rang. She knew that usually meant Hopper was here. Everyone else just came inside on their own. “Hop!”

“No, baby, not Hop. Not tonight. It’s my friend, Eddie. He’s gonna tell you a fun story, okay?” Steve ran his hands through her hair as he walked by to get the door.

When he opened the door, Eddie was standing there with a handful of books, a box of crayons, and what looked like a hairbow.

“I’m here to entertain the princess!” Eddie exclaimed. “Lead me to her highness!”

Steve couldn’t hide the grin on his face if he wanted to. “She’s currently trying to stab noodles to death. I’m sure you’ll be entertained.”

“Ah, they must have wronged her. I’ll assist,” Eddie made his way past Steve, walking towards the kitchen.

Steve knew he’d been to a couple of the parties he threw to sell, but had no idea he remembered the layout of his house. Maybe he had one of those picture minds.

As Steve entered the kitchen, he noticed that Eddie had set down the pile of books on the counter before he sat down in front of Mackenzie.

There were a few books he recognized: an ABC book that he was pretty sure he’d had when he was a kid but had since lost, a book of fairy tales with Rapunzel on the cover, something by Beatrix Potter, and a couple of coloring books that featured princesses and dragons and horses.

“She isn’t really old enough to color, is she?” Steve asked, interrupting what must have been a very amusing conversation of mostly babbling. “I don’t have any coloring stuff.”

“Coloring with skill? No. She definitely doesn’t have the motor skills to color in the lines or even use the right colors for the right things. But it does help her learn how to hold a crayon. My uncle couldn’t really afford much when I was a baby, so for every Christmas until I was in school he would get me new crayons and coloring books. I don’t really remember how I did, but I do remember having fun.” Eddie turned back to Mackenzie. “And sometimes it’s fun to just make a mess, right?”

Mackenzie clapped her hands together, sending the toddler fork she’d been using to the floor with a noodle attached to it. Steve wordlessly grabbed one of her spoons from the drawer and gave it to her, kissing the top of her head before he knelt down to pick up the fork.

Eddie watched silently, something soft about the way he didn’t interrupt anything even though he could’ve kept talking.

“I made chicken and pasta. It’s probably not my best work, but I made enough for you if you haven’t eaten yet,” Steve offered as he walked to the stove to start plating the food for himself.

“I wouldn’t turn it down. Wayne’s not exactly known for serving five star meals,” Eddie joked. “He believes in the power of fried bologna and cheese sandwiches with a bag of chips.”

Steve grimaced. “Okay, well I made enough for you to bring home some leftovers too.”

“You don’t have to-”

“You’re taking home leftovers.”

Steve turned to see Eddie’s widened eyes and open mouth that slowly formed into a smile.

“I guess I’m taking home some leftovers.” He turned to Mackenzie and tickled her neck. “Your daddy is pushy isn’t he?”

Steve blushed, but continued making up a plate for Eddie.

As they sat and ate, Eddie talked about all of his favorite books for little kids, and how he remembered sneaking into the library after school for years because he knew he didn’t wanna go home. He talked about the first time a teacher wrote a positive letter home, an English teacher who said his fictional essay was the best in the class and he should consider writing as a career. He even talked about his plans for the school year campaigns, but made Steve swear not to mention anything to the kids.

“I’ll know if you tell them,” Eddie winked.

Steve believed him.

When they were done, Steve grabbed Mackenzie from her chair.

“I’m gonna give her a quick bath if you wanna bring all that stuff to her room. Second floor, third door on the right. It’s a little messy right now. Someone decided to pull all her toys from her box yesterday and I haven’t had time to clean it up,” Steve tickled Mackenzie’s side, making her giggle and turn her head into his shoulder.

“You need me to clean this up?” Eddie asked, gesturing to the table.

“Nah, I’ll do it while you read to her.”

Despite his efforts, bath time was never truly quick. Mackenzie loved to splash around and play with her toys, and if he tried to wash her hair too quickly, she would be grumpy for the rest of the night. He definitely didn’t want that for Eddie.

He set a timer for 10 minutes and tried to explain to a very excited Mackenzie that when the timer went off, it would be time to wash her hair and get out.

“You wanna have time to play with Eddie, so we can’t play for too long in the water.”

She didn’t seem to pay any attention to him, already too busy making her rubber duck fight with her mermaid Barbie.

He observed while she played, bringing in the rubber car she liked to pretend to drive on the side of the tub.

When the timer went off, she let him wash her hair without a fuss, and he quickly wrapped her up in a towel to get her into pajamas.

Eddie was waiting in her room when he got there, coloring books spread out on the floor. He smiled up at them from where he sat, legs crossed, hands in his lap.

“Squeaky clean?” He asked, waving at Mackenzie.

“Definitely lacking noodles in places noodles shouldn’t be at least,” Steve said, making his way to her changing table to get her dressed. “She must be pretty excited about you being here. Usually bath time takes at least 30 minutes and I have to bribe her with chocolate milk to get out.”

“She knows we’re gonna have a lot of fun. I think I’m gonna read Goodnight Moon first. That’s one of my favorites.”

“She’ll love that,” he said as he buttoned the snaps of her onesie.

As soon as he set her on the floor next to Eddie, she reached for a coloring book with a mermaid on it.

“Daddy! Muh!”

“Yeah, baby, it’s a mermaid! Just like your doll in the bath.” Steve pointed to the fish next to the mermaid. “And that’s a fish. Fish swim in the ocean.”

He felt Eddie’s eyes on him while he pointed to some other sea creatures and told Mackenzie what they were.

Eventually, he looked over at Eddie, blushing at the soft smile on his face. “What?”

“You’re a really good dad, Steve.”

“Oh. Uh. Thanks,” Steve felt heat flood his body.

It’s not that no one had ever said that to him. Robin had told him plenty of times, Joyce had whispered it to him when no one else was paying attention, even Hopper had given him a handshake and said he was doing a good job once. But hearing it from Eddie, in this situation, when he’d been feeling like such a failure lately, was enough to make him want to cry.

He had to get out of this room.

“I should go clean up and leave you to it.”

“Sure, yeah. We’ll be right here.”

Steve booked it out of the room, rushing down the stairs to try to get busy with cleaning before his brain settled on crying over a compliment.

But the table was cleared. The high chair was wiped down. When he turned to the sink, the dishes were stacked up to dry in the rack. The counters were wiped, the dish towel had been put back on the handle of the oven to dry, and leftovers had been put in a container to finish cooling down.

Steve let the tears fall.

Fuck it, if Eddie was going to be this nice, he could have a little cry.

He walked quietly to the bathroom to put all the bath toys in the basket, but stopped outside Mackenzie’s bedroom when he heard giggling.

He’d closed the door halfway, just so she wouldn’t get too distracted if he walked by the room, but he couldn’t help looking in.

He felt like crying again when he saw Mackenzie sitting on Eddie’s lap, pointing at something in the book.

“Where’s the moon?” Eddie asked.

“Moo!” Mackenzie said, smacking at a place in the book.

“There’s the moon! Good job, little one.” Mackenzie leaned back against Eddie’s chest. “And where’s the…toys?”

She pointed again, but slightly less enthusiastically. Steve could see her energy dropping quickly.

He watched as Eddie told her she did a good job again and then continued reading.

Her eyes drooped more with every page. Eddie’s voice got closer to a whisper with every sentence.

Steve fell just a little bit more with every second that passed.

*****

October 1985

Eddie came every day. Despite the fact that Steve insisted he didn’t need to, that he didn’t want to ruin his schedule, Eddie showed up like clockwork at seven every single evening.

Steve learned to expect him, always made enough dinner for all of them to enjoy before Mackenzie had her bath and then got to read with Steve.

Every night, Eddie would clean up while she took a bath, and every night, he’d let her pick a page to color while he read something to her, switching to a bedtime story when she started crawling into his lap.

Steve would watch them often, laying down on the carpet and smiling as he listened to Eddie use different voices for characters, asking her questions so she was involved, and whispering when she started to drift off.

Other times, he’d try to get something done he’d been putting off, like cleaning the bathroom or folding laundry.

Eddie never accepted payment.

Steve tried bringing it up once school started, certain that this time spent here could’ve been better spent on homework or a part-time job that paid better than what Steve could offer. Eddie just shook his head and insisted that other than Hellfire every Thursday, he would be there for free.

They got to know each other over dinner, and Steve found that he was right to have butterflies every time Eddie smiled at him, every time he would touch his hand as he walked by to say hi to Mackenzie.

“Halloween costume ideas?” Eddie asked with his mouth full. Steve had given up long ago on trying to get him to wait until he was done chewing. It wasn’t that big of a deal. “What did this little miss go as last year?”

“Oh. She was a bumblebee.” Steve smiled at the memory. “Cutest costume I saw all night.”

“I bet.” Eddie took a sip of his water. “And you?”

“Oh, I didn’t dress up.”

“What? Why not?” Eddie sounded genuinely upset.

“Just got away from me, I guess? By the time I thought about it, nothing good was left at the store,” Steve shrugged, unbothered. He’d never been that into Halloween. His focus was making sure Mackenzie had fun.

“And no one offered to help you make something?” Eddie was no longer eating and Mackenzie had turned her attention to him when his tone became serious.

“I didn’t ask.”

“But no one offered.” Eddie stood up and walked over to his backpack. “Okay, we’ve gotta plan. Did you already pick something for her?”

He came back holding a notebook and a pencil, brows set in a straight line. Steve had never seen him look so serious.

“I had a few ideas, but I wanted to let her pick something at the store,” Steve said.

“Lay them on me.”

They discussed costumes for the next 30 minutes, but after only 10, Mackenzie whined to get out of her chair. Eddie wordlessly stood up and picked her up, setting her in his lap and letting her poke and prod at him and his notebook.

Steve watched them both, accepting for the first time that this wasn’t just a crush that was gonna go away.

He’d fallen completely head over heels for Eddie, and he had no clue what to do about it.

*****

November 1985

Steve was the only one who had space to host Thanksgiving.

He became manic a week before, realizing that his work schedule would not allow him to have much time to clean unless he did it at night. The problem was that he would get a migraine if he didn’t sleep.

“So let’s work on it together. I can come right after school. Cancel Hellfire this week,” Eddie offered.

“But you already won’t have it next week because of Thanksgiving. I can’t ask you to-”

“You’re not asking. I’m offering. If I’m gonna be eating here, I should probably help clean up at least.”

So they worked on a little at a time.

Eddie wasn’t always helpful, getting distracted by some of the smallest things. But his company was appreciated all the same.

“You could invite Wayne, ya know,” Steve offered while he dusted the shelves in the living room. “Plenty of room and food.”

“Thanks, but he always works Thanksgiving day for the double pay. We usually do something the day after,” Eddie answered while he cleaned up all of Mackenzie’s toys.

“If he decides not to work, just let him know.”

“Will do, Stevie.”

He didn’t just help clean, he helped him do the shopping, too.

“I know it’s way harder with a baby, so if you give me a list, I can handle the shopping,” Eddie said while Steve plated their dinners.

“You don’t-”

“Have to, I know. But I can and will.” Eddie’s hand brushed against Steve’s lower back. “Let me help.”

Steve could barely resist the shiver that took over his entire body.

“Okay. Sure.”

Some of the brands were wrong, and he forgot the apples for the apple pie, but Steve still felt immense relief knowing that he had someone to help.

And without it, Thanksgiving would’ve been a disaster.

It was still a bit of a mess, but that was mostly because the kid’s table turned into a food fight that Max started and Mackenzie, of course, continued, until everyone was involved.

But the picture Jonathan took would get framed and hang up near the fireplace in the living room anyway.

******

December 1985

“I cannot believe you waited until Christmas Eve to wrap gifts. That’s not what parents actually do, is it?” Eddie asked as he fought with the tape dispenser for the fifth time in less than an hour.

“I don’t know if I’m the best judge of what parents do. Mine weren’t around much and probably didn’t even wrap my gifts themselves.” Steve took the tape from him, pulled some loose from the roll, and handed it back. “But I kinda always pictured it like this.”

Robin made him swear he’d talk to Eddie about his feelings before the end of the year. The end of the year was soon, real soon.

What better shot did he have than while Mackenzie was asleep and they were wrapping presents together?

“You pictured last minute wrapping with bribed help in your living room?” Eddie asked, amusement in his tone.

“Not exactly,” Steve huffed out a laugh. “More like spoiling my kid with someone I care about.”

Steve watched Eddie’s hands freeze against the clothes box full of new finger puppets they’d both gotten her. He looked over and felt his stomach swoop as Eddie’s eyes found his.

“Stevie-” Eddie set the box down and turned to face Steve.

“Wait, I just. Before you break my heart, hear me out.” Steve already felt his world shrinking, his heart rabbiting in his chest at the thought of losing Eddie entirely. “I’ve spent a lot of time with you for months. Like, more than almost anyone else. I’ve watched you with Kenzie, and how much she loves you and always asks for ‘Ed’ even when it’s way before when you’re gonna be here. You make me smile and laugh and that’s not always easy to do these days. You helped me when you didn’t have to, when you had absolutely no reason to trust that King Steve was a better person. You’re there for all the other kids even though you’re trying to get through school for real this time. I didn’t really plan a big speech, sorry. This is just rambling, I’m doing what Robin does.”

“It’s okay,” Eddie placed his hand on the side of Steve’s neck. “I get what you’re saying.”

“You do?”

“I think so.” Eddie stepped in closer. “But I think you might just be lonely.”

It stung. It wasn’t inaccurate, but it still hurt to think Eddie thought so little of him.

“I think I know how I feel.”

Eddie’s hand dropped from his neck and he took a step back. “I don’t wanna argue, Stevie. I just think you might need to separate yourself from the situation. I’m just always around, ya know?”

“You’re always around because I want you around!” Steve was just a bit too loud, but he knew Mackenzie was a heavy sleeper. “When you aren’t here, I check the clock to know when you will be. I get excited to leave work now because I’m not coming home to do the same thing I always did before. I get to see you and hear about your day and talk to you about mine and see you with my daughter, who probably loves you as much as I do.”

“You…love me?”

“Yes. I do. And I promise it’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I still want you here, reading to Kenzie. But I know how I feel. I know why I feel the way I do. You can’t tell me how to feel.”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to.” Eddie sighed. “I’m just kinda surprised. Didn’t expect you to be into guys, let alone me. I’m not exactly good boyfriend material. Or stepparent material, either.”

“Oh, fuck that. You’re more her other parent than her mom ever was. She gave her to me the moment she had her and wished me luck before her entire family moved across the country.” Steve felt tears in his eyes. “I trust you. I want you around. I love you.”

Eddie swallowed, eyes pointed towards the carpet.

A minute passed, two. It was rapidly approaching awkward when finally Eddie spoke.

“But I’m so bad at wrapping presents.”

Steve snorted, but felt relief wash over him. “I can do the wrapping. This Christmas, next Christmas, as many Christmases as you’ll stay.”

“All of them?”

“Sounds good to me.” Steve leaned in slowly, let his hands grasp at the front of Eddie’s shirt to pull him closer. “How many Christmases do kids usually believe in Santa?”

“I dunno. I stopped believing when I caught my dad stealing the two presents under our tree when I was four.” Eddie let his hands fall to Steve’s hips. “But something tells me the little princess will be a believer for a while. Better get used to me ripping holes in the paper and using too much tape.”

“Think I can handle it.”

Every time Steve had pictured kissing Eddie before this, he’d thought it would be like any other first kiss, maybe a little awkward since it was his first with a guy.

Instead, it was soft, sweet, slow, perfect. He’d kissed a lot of girls in high school, had kissed them well. Not all of them were great, but even a less than good kiss was still decent.

This was more than any other kiss he’d ever had.

Eddie held him like he would never let go, like this kiss would last forever.

It couldn’t, but that’s how it felt.

When they finally pulled apart, Steve rested his head on Eddie’s shoulder.

“You wanna stay tonight? We can both do the Santa gifts with Kenzie before all the kids bother us,” Steve asked.

“I should call Wayne. I told him I’d be home by midnight.”

“He can come over in the morning, too,” Steve said. “If you want.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for Wayne? He can be a little…gruff.”

“I’m not worried,” Steve kissed Eddie’s cheek. “Hopper’s basically my dad. Plus, Mac’s got a way of breaking the tough old men down.”

“Bets?”

Steve pulled away and started wrapping another present before he got too distracted. “I give it ten minutes.”

“Oh, how generous. I’m giving it five.”

They both laughed as Eddie decided he’d be more help putting already wrapped presents in her stocking and under the tree and making sure everything was put away when Steve was done.

And for the first time, Eddie stayed the night, holding Steve against his chest while they slept.

They both cried when Mackenzie opened her presents excitedly. She was too little to do it herself last year, so seeing her tear through the paper and find joy in throwing it around the room was like a dream come true for Steve.

Eddie admitted he felt like he was intruding for some of it, but Steve quickly reminded him that he was the first person she toddled over to with her new set of princess books and said “Ed, read.”

She sat in his lap right then, even though she still had quite a few presents to open, and he read every single book to her, making her giggle with his high-pitched voices for the princesses and silly accent for the prince.

By the time the kids were coming through the front door, Steve was rushing to shush them, pointing at the couch where Eddie was passed out with Mackenzie curled up against his side.

Steve was never happier than in this moment.

Until the next one, and the one after that.

[pixidivine]

Okay let’s remind the people in the back what stranger things is about shall we ?

It’s a show about a group of friends who don’t fit in, that are nerds, Will Byers gay boy in the 80s with an absent father and a poor family, Mike Wheeler another gay boy in the 80s with a "perfect family", Lucas Sinclair a black boy in the 80s, Dustin Henderson a boy with a disability in the 80s, El Hopper a girl that was a lab rat all her life, I could describe every character but that would be too long.

This show is about being different, understanding said difference, accepting that difference.

Why ?

Because, and say it with me, I quote,

"It’s forced conforming, that’s what’s killing the kids"