#el has also spent a lot of time alone

[chirpsythismorning]

Eh, since Will is pretty much going to be a central character in the next season, I think it is very likely that S5 starts with Vecna contacting Will before Will has a chance of spying on him or using the connection between them. That would put the Will at the center of the story, and that interaction would circle back to S1, this time not hiding behind a Demogorgon or a mind flayer. Vecna interacting with Mike before Will doesn't make any sense as the show's start, sorry.

Will is definitely going to be central to s5! I don't disagree with that!

However I don't think Will being central stops other characters, specifically El or Mike, or even other main characters, from having their moments at the center. That's going to happen regardless of how major of a role Will plays.

And I would probably agree with you if this was just some random character, but this is Mike we're talking about...

I don't personally like how every season starts cryptically in some far away place with unknown subjects. But that's how almost every season starts, and I'm being serious when I say every season is then followed shortly after by Mike being late.

And so I would argue that Mike being late in some capacity at the start of s5, would make sense, as it would just be following the exact formula it always has.

That doesn't mean I don't think Will wont play a big part in how this could play out though, arguably he would play the biggest part, just like he did in s1!

We also have them admitting s5 is similar to s1 with the show coming full circle in a lot of ways, and so what happens could very likely feel like deja vu, assuming it's something we're gonna have already seen play out in the past in some capacity.

Honestly, I think Noah's role will be comparable to s2, either that or a lot more than that, no less though!

And yet, I do disagree with bylers that have sort of convinced themselves that Will is going to be the official main character next season...

But here's the thing, the Duffers also said this about Amybeth's character Vickie when they announced her role on the show, saying she would play a major role in events to come (only for her to get like 3 scenes in s4... praying they do her justice in s5). They even said this in an interview when asked about the significance of clocks, word for word they said that clocks would play a major role in events to come.

This is a phrase they use, which says a lot while saying nothing at all.

And so to be clear, the Duffers saying that Will plays a big role in events to come, wasn't them saying that Noah is now magically the top billed cast member. They were literally saying that he is central because he is, just like he was in s1 and especially s2, meaning he wont be 'sidelined' like he was in s3-4 at the very least I pesornally think.

However, this doesn't mean he is literally the main character, as Noah is not going to get a raise with him literally surpassing Millie and Finn... That's not happening.

What I also want to remind everyone, is that a lot of what they say and do is intentional.

When it comes to Noah being all spoilery and stuff, I do think that is intentional.

Noah, along with David, were the only cast-memers to talk about s5 post-s4 initially. And we all know David is the Duffers known scapegoat, who is known for not being able to keep his secrets to himself...

Noah has also been referred to as the Tom Holland of the show. If you guys don't know, the phenomena of Tom spoiling things eventually got to a point where marketing for Marvel took advantage of all the attention Tom got for leaking things, and created even more hype by making it seem like it was him accidentally spoiling things sometimes, even though it was entirely intentional to create hype... sound familar?

This means that full serious, if Noah wasn't supposed to be doing something, he wouldn't be. It's very likely he has been told to be unhinged because it works out well for them at this time. Seeing as a majority of the audience still aren't clued in on the likelihood of Mike and Will yet, (or even gay Will Byers for that matter), it makes sense to have Noah kind of keep people intrigued, but not enough to sound any alarm bells to the majority. They need a scapegoat rn and it's Noah (David is who they usually use as their sort of voice of speculation for what's to come, and trust me he'll be back eventually).

It just so happens that Noah is great with fanfare, and it's clear at this point he's the only one actually comfortable with doing it, and so they're letting him run wild because he IS a major part of the overall story and his character is finally going to be able to be acknowledged more fully in the story after years of being sort of sidelined. This is what everyone expects, and this is what everyone assumed after those interviews with the Duffers dropped and the reaction from fans also wasn't horrible? Like I remember there was a bunch of hype around that time when they revealed this and that's when the Will focused s5 fan posters started dropping and there was even one with Will and Mike holding hands that got like almost 500k likes on Twitter. And that was probably like a big moment for them, I'm sure in terms of feeling confident about how they should proceed with s5 promotion.

And I think this also contributed to them kind of just going with it, because it also allows them to keep a lot of s5 under-wraps, having Noah who is great with fanfare, keep reminding people of byler as a concept, while the rest of the cast is silent for the most part. It works.

And even despite that, I also think we're going to be getting byler and potentially willel wonder twin in some capacity, which are VERY big revelations to the main audience, which they don't see coming. And them only hyping up Will's role in s5 supports the audience not being prepared to see all of that coming.

Not only does there have to be closure for Will and Mike AND Will and El, we also have Mike and El's relationship to resolve, AND all their personal arcs. Will's importance to the story isn't going to prevent the writers from making sure the other main characters arcs feel fulfilled. I don't think those things are mutually exclusive and I don't know why people think they have to be?

And so even though I do agree that Will's role will be comparable to s2 (most likely more) in s5, I don't think it's going to be enough to bypass Millie or Finn in the credits. Which means that there is still going to be a major component to those characters arcs for El and Mike in the story, alongside Will's. I don't necessarily think this means that their roles will be bigger or smaller in some major way, but more likely equal in terms of how they handle it in accordance with those arcs coming together, and to ensure we actually feel satisfied with where everything ends up.

I'm not saying we won't get any Will focused promotional content like posters and stuff, I do think it will feel like the s2 era again, with him finally being seen as a major focus substantially. And yet I'm willing guess that El will still be the main focus of the main poster, with Will and Mike being more so equal to match the triangle aesthetic (also likely Noah is going to be upped to next to Finn in the credits with Millie getting her own slate, THAT would mean Noah's role is so major they're willing to bump him up over Caleb and Gaten which is saying a lot, though going any further than that wouldn't be standard because it took a lot to have Millie go above Finn, they're not going to do that again.).

What I personally think is more likely is that we'll get something similar to s2, with willel giving reflection (twin) vibes perhaps, and Mike being more secondary to that to also fit the triangle vibes.

With this being like a huge epic series, they're going to want those top first names to match with what the show started as so that it feels right. Why have Millie be above all the other kids if it doesn't feel right by the end of the story? If she's there, it will need to feel right narratively, not just based on their demand as actors by the end of this.

And this is also why I do think they have an obligation to make it more clear to the audience what Mike's arc is as a character, very likely related to him being in the closet for the last however many seasons. This would overlap with Will's arc because it also affected his ability to be his true self and El's arc because it also affected her ability to be her true self. And it also provides layers of importance to Karen's arc and Nancy's arc, and other characters arcs as well. That's what makes for a well rounded story, assuming they want us to be able to rewatch the show from beginning to end, and over and over again, feeling satisfied with how they closed everything off.

And arguably, circling back to the beginning of the show to see Mike at the center, would only really be satisfying if it ended with us feeling truly understanding of where his character ended up, making us root for him all over again.

That doesn't take away from Will being central, as he has always been central, since the beginning. Even when he was sidelined in s3-4, it was technically all preparing us for an end that would truly do him justice.

That doesn't mean they're not going to do all of the other characters justice though by any means. Both can coexist.!

[stevie-petey]

episode seven: the bite

“Yeah, we ended up trapped in their secret base underneath Hawkins.” Dustin further explains, to which everyone’s eyes widen at.  “It was fun. Spent my birthday in mortal danger.” At the same time the kids all wish you a belated birthday, which you salute them for. “Thanks, guys. I’m just happy I wasn’t gravely injured this time.” “And that Steve finally kissed you.” Dustin unhelpfully adds before Steve is covering his mouth to shut him up. His face reddens, embarrassed and nervous. Jonathan is standing too close to him for comfort right now.

Summary: steve and robin are your nightmare blunt rotation, you manage to escape a russian lair: mario cart style, you learn that therapy sessions are fun in public bathrooms, steve places your brother on the russian fbi most wanted list, el probably just killed a bunch of people (deserved), and reunions with jonathan are always special when one of you is gravely injured

Rating: general, cursing

Warnings: fem!reader, use of y/n, mentions of blood, graphic depictions of blood and gore, cursing

Words: 10.1k

Before you swing in: HI IM ALIVE !!! my laptop isnt ,,,, but im trying to ignore that. sincerely apologize for the wait. my laptop shits down randomly every ten minutes and my new one is backordered so ive been fighting demons to write this. i also had a hard time with the bathroom scene with robin. i wanted to get that scene just right. it took a lot of rewriting, but i think im happy with how it ended up <3 pls enjoy this child of mine. she cost me blood, sweat, and tears lmao

-

“Boop!” Steve’s finger pokes your nose and he lets out a delirious giggle. “I booped you!”

At first it was adorable, endearing even, when he booped your nose. However, he’s done this five times now in the last minute alone. That, and you’ve been trying to give Dustin directions back to the elevator while dodging Steve’s surprisingly aggressive nose boops. All while the threat of armed Russians running after the cart looms over you. “Turn left here–would you stop it?”

“Wanna boop that pretty little nose,” Steve’s glossy eyes struggle to find yours, his motor skills delayed and concerning. His left eye has all but swollen shut and you’re still not sure if his unusual behavior is due to head trauma or something else. “C’mere, angel.”

He tries to boop you again, and before you can dodge the attack, Robin’s hand grabs his finger and she lets out a pathetic scoff. “You’re hogging the boops, dingus!”

“Nuh uh!”

“Yeah huh!”

Steve’s arm reaches over you and he bats at Robin. They start to hit one another, though their movements are slow and weak. They giggle as they fight, and you’re stuck in the middle of it. You try to push them off of you, but the two teens are too busy pinching each other and cackling to pay you any attention. It’s miserable. 

Erica, from the passenger seat of the cart, turns and winces at your predicament. “What is wrong with them?”

“I don’t know!” Dustin keeps his eyes in front of him as he drives, though he’s equally as confused and unnerved. Secretly, he’s glad he’s the one driving. Otherwise he’d be in the middle of a Steve and Robin giggle sandwich like you are.

“Whose hand is that?” You twist around. There’s a foreign body part that’s currently resting on your ass. Steve snickers and Robin puffs out her cheeks and giggles, neither one of them confessing. You’re about to start kicking shins when the cart comes to a screeching halt. The force of it throws you and the two teens back with a painful thud. “Christ!”

“You guys alright back there?” 

Somehow you wind up with Steve’s elbow in your ribcage and Robin’s head smacking into yours. Hissing in pain, you throw the two off of you and glare at your brother. You seriously fear the day he gets his license. “I want to die.”

Dustin turns back around in his seat and gulps. Steve’s and Robin’s own groans of pain can be heard from behind him. “They’re fine.”

Sneakers squeak against the tile floor and the doors to the back of the cart fly open. You’re greeted with Erica and Dustin, eyes wide as they take in the scene before them. You’re squished underneath the teens. You try shoving them off of you again, but they’re dead weight on you. 

“Wanna kiss again, Y/N? I really liked it,” Steve smacks his lips as his head rests against your stomach. “Wanted to do that for so long.”

Your cheeks burn at his words and your stomach flutters. You haven’t forgotten about the kiss earlier. God, you haven’t. It leaves you breathless every time you remember how it felt to have him so close, to smell him and taste him. A part of you wants to ask how long he’s thought about kissing you, but you know that the back of a cart while fleeing from Russians isn’t the most appropriate setting. 

Robin squirms next to you, her head also somehow on your stomach, pinning you down. “Can I get a kiss too?”

“If either one of you kisses me right now, my knives will be the last things you see.” The two teens make despaired noises, which you groan at. Meanwhile, Dustin and Erica continue to stand at the end of the cart, unmoving. You clench your teeth. “A little help here?” 

Dustin mumbles a sheepish apology and yanks Steve’s arm while Erica yanks at Robin, freeing you. As soon as you’re able to, you jump out of the cart and start clapping your hands to speed everyone along. “We gotta go!”

“We’re trying, Y/N!” Erica groans, struggling to get Robin up from the ground. 

You start to help, though you nearly fall when Dustin throws Steve against you. A complaint lingers on your lips, but when you see that your brother is now at the elevator doors with a keycard in his hand, you swallow it down.

Steve, however, is full of complaints. “This sucks.”

You blow hair out of your face and don’t bother responding to him. Instead, you watch anxiously as your brother swipes the key card he must’ve stolen earlier. When the scanner’s light flashes green and opens the elevator door, you exhale with relief. At least something has gone right today. 

After practically throwing Steve and Robin into the elevator with Erica’s help, Dustin hits a button and closes the door. As soon as it shuts, the room starts to move. You brace yourself, now familiar with how fast the damn thing can go.

The elevator ascends at a nauseating speed and there’s a crash behind you. Turning around, you find Robin holding a dolly in place as Steve gets on. He holds his hands out and starts to cheer as his friend snickers. They look like goddamn toddlers at daycare.

“Hey, no!” You feel like a parent, yanking at Steve’s arm to get him down from the dangerous position. The elevator is moving too fast to be messing around on. “This isn’t playtime–”

“He looks like he’s surfing, Y/N!” Robin squeals with excitement, rolling the dolly to the left.

Steve’s body twists and he steadies himself with a laugh. “I’m surfing!”

“Stop fucking surfing!”

You fight with the teens. Steve refuses to get down and Robin keeps rolling the dolly away from you. As you yell at them, Dustin and Erica exchange concerned looks. You overhear the girl mention how they seem drunk, and you’re about to tell her that she might be right, when Robin pulls the dolly from underneath Steve and sends him crashing into the ground. 

“Wipeout!”

You’re checking Steve for injuries as soon as he lands. Dustin kneels next to you and feels his forehead and winces. “He’s burning up.” 

Not liking the sound of that, you check Steve’s pupils. The room’s lighting is dim, but it’s obvious that his brown eyes are almost entirely taken over by the blacks of his pupils. “Holy shit, they’re scarily dilated.” 

“Ow. Thought you liked my eyes,” Steve swats at your hands sadly. He whines, trying to get you to let go of him. “Said you liked brown.”

“I do like brown, but I also like when you don’t act like a three year old.” You soothe him before turning to Dustin. “Any idea what it could mean?”

“Maybe he’s drugged?” Erica suggests.

You frown. “Could explain why he keeps trying to–” Steve reaches up and boops Dustin’s nose. He giggles and your brother looks annoyed. Sighing, you finish what you had been trying to say. “Boop people. Why he keeps trying to boop people.”

“Your turn, angel!”

Dustin intercepts Steve’s finger, which you’re grateful for. He gently smacks the teen’s face to get his attention. “Steve, are you drugged?”

“How many times, dad?” His voice drips with sarcasm and he rolls his eyes. “I don’t do drugs. It’s only marijuana.”

“Since when do you smoke?” 

“Y/N, focus.” Dustin dodges another incoming boop and swats Steve’s hand away. “This isn’t funny, okay? We need to know what they did to you.”

“C’mon, honey.” Your fingers run through Steve’s hair. Parts of it have dried blood. Something more than a beating happened to him and Robin, you just don’t know what. If they’re really drugged, you have no way of knowing if they’ll be okay, and a part of you is terrified. “Work with us, please. What did they give you?”

“Are you gonna die on us?” Dustin asks, concerned as well.

“I’ll tell you!” Robin shouts from the corner she’s slouched in, eager to please you. She twirls her hair around her finger and gives you an unsettling smile. “We all die, my strange little child friend. It’s just a matter of how… and when.”

Neither you nor Dustin say anything for a few moments. Both of you blink, trying to process what exactly the teen has just said. Afraid to look away from her in case she tries to possess you or something, you slowly nod. “Okay, thank you for sharing, Robin.”

She flashes you a thumbs up and proudly smiles. “Happy to help!” 

“They’re gonna be looking for us up there,” your brother redirects the attention back to the fact that you’re all still very much in danger. He starts to interrogate Steve, trying to come up with a plan. “So I need you to tell me where you parked your car.”

“Oh, can we make a pit stop at the food court?” Steve’s eyes glaze over and you know you’ve lost him again. 

Robin leans forward and starts playing with your hair. “I would kill for a hot dog on a stick!”

You snap your fingers at the two of them. They’re impossible to level with, you’re not even sure why you’re still trying. “Guys, we need to focus.”

“No! No hot dog on a stick,” Steve suddenly lifts himself up and glares at Robin. “The guy at the counter said that Y/N she has pretty eyes. He’s an asshole.”

“You mean Dave? When the hell did he say that?”

Steve scoffs at you. “Last week. Ruined my whole day.”

“Fine! We’ll get you and Robin something else to eat.” Dustin says, which Robin cheers at, though he ignores her. “But only if you tell me where your car is parked.”

Suddenly Steve’s hazy eyes fill with remorse. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh? I don’t like uh-oh, can we not uh-oh?” Dustin nudges you with his shoulder to shut you up and let Steve explain. You mumble an apology. “Okay, why the uh-oh?”

“They took the keys.” Steve shoves his hands into his pockets and reveals that there’s nothing in them. “The Russians, they took the keys. Like forever ago.” For some reason this is hilarious to Robin, who starts to laugh hysterically in the corner. He joins her, amused by the whole thing. “That’s a bummer, right?”

You drop your head in your hands as Dustin sighs. With no keys and no way out of the mall, you’re not sure what else you can do. The only other option would be the bus that takes commuters home, but it comes every few hours and you have no idea what time it even is right now. 

Which means you’d be left with having to hide a very drugged up Steve and Robin in a giant mall swarming with Russian undercover guards for an unforeseen amount of time.

Not ideal. 

“We’re doomed.” You sigh into your hands.

Dustin nods beside you. “Yeah. We’re doomed.”

– 

When the five of you finally reach the mall, you guide everyone through the back hallway and fling the doors open. Fresh air hits your face and you take a moment to inhale. It’s only then that you notice that it’s dark outside. The air is warm, crickets chirp faintly from far away. What day is it? How long could you have possibly been down in the lair? 

As you have a minor breakdown trying to get your bearings, Steve and Robin walk behind you. Their mouths are wide open as they greet the fresh air with glee. “Oh my God, that tastes so good! Steve, can you taste the air?”

They stick their tongues out and marvel at the world around them. “I taste it!”

You watch them with your arms crossed. If you had any suspicion before that they were drugged, seeing them try to eat the air only confirms it. 

“Shit!” Dustin screams out of nowhere and grabs your hand. He tugs at you to start running. You look up and see two Russians men now running straight towards you. 

“Come on!” You grab Erica’s hand and shove her in front of you to run alongside your brother. Then you grab Steve and Robin by their shoulders and all but throw them against the mall’s door. “Go!”

“Why are we running?” Steve mopes, tired from all the physical activity he’s been forced to endure these last few minutes. 

You don’t bother answering him and instead shove him inside the second Dustin gets the mall’s doors opened. Everyone runs, though you’re not sure if anyone has an actual plan. The guard’s footsteps can be heard behind you, and all you know is that you guys need to hide until you can figure something else out. 

“Any chance you guys know any hiding spots?” You shout behind you to the kids, nearly tripping over your feet as you do so.

“No, this mall is one giant public swamp.” Dustin responds, huffing. 

Steve stumbles next to you, still obviously drugged up, yet giggling as always. “It feels like we’re running from movie villains!” 

Turning a corner, what Steve has said floats through your mind. Running from movie villains… What are the odds the Russians know about American movie theaters? They’re dark and usually crowded with people for night showings. It could be the only safe place to hide. 

“Dustin, start heading towards the theater!” Erica and your brother start asking you questions, but you don’t have time to explain. “Just trust me.”

Somehow you all make it to the theater’s doors without being detected. Poking your head through, you make sure there isn’t anyone nearby. When you’re sure it’s safe, you open the door wider and motion for everyone to follow. “Let’s go.”

Dustin guides, dragging Robin behind him while Erica follows. You stay with Steve and start walking once the others have gone ahead. 

“Awesome, movie date!” Steve exclaims with a dopey smile. He’s about to say something else when his eyes find something. Completely forgetting that you’re holding his hand, he runs towards a nearby trash can. He pulls out a bag of popcorn that had been on top of the trash pile and quickly starts shoving the food into his mouth. 

“If you ever wanna kiss me again, stop eating trash popcorn.” You snatch the bag out of his hands with a disgusted face. “I cannot believe I have to tell you that.”

“But I’m hungry.” Steve pouts, staring down at his now empty hands with despair. 

You ignore his pathetic pouting and follow Dustin, who has now flung open the curtains to the theater’s seats. He scopes the area and starts heading right. When he stops at two open seats, he points his finger at Steve and Robin. “You two, sit.”

“But these seats are too close!” Robin complains, and Steve voices his own qualms about the seating arrangements. 

However, you have other things to worry about. Shoving the teens into their seats, you wipe away crumbs on the ground with your shoe. “I’ll sit on the floor next to them. No way I’m leaving them alone when they’re high off their asses.”

Dustin looks at you, skeptical. He doesn’t want to leave you alone with them, afraid they’ll somehow get you into trouble. “You sure?”

“Positive. I’ll take care of them.” you squeeze his arm. While you understand his concern, you can’t bring yourself to abandon Steve and Robin again. Not when Steve’s face still bleeds slightly and Robin’s cheek swells with a bruise. They got hurt because of you; the least you can do is stay with them now. “Find other seats, we’ll be fine here. Just… be careful, alright?”

A man behind you shushes you rudely, reminding you where you are. If the kids don’t leave now, they run the risk of drawing more attention. You push your brother back up the aisle of seats, and he seems to understand what you’re doing. “Fine, but whatever you guys do: Don’t. Go. Anywhere.” 

“Fine, dad.” Steve glares at the kid, which you sigh at. It’s going to be a long night. 

Dustin leaves after you’ve saluted him, and Erica follows. Once they’re gone, you do your best to keep Steve and Robin quiet. As you shush them, you look up and see Dustin standing near the exit. You tilt your head, hoping he sees your questioning, and thankfully he does. He holds his radio up and mimes making a phone call. 

He’s calling for help.

You nod at Dustin, indicating that you understand, and he leaves. After you’ve checked to make sure Erica is still in her own seat at the other end of the row, you turn back towards Steve and Robin; they’re enamored with the movie playing. They whisper to themselves, not understanding what’s happening, but at least they’re quiet and out of danger. Slowly, you start to relax. 

All you have to do is stay in this movie theater until Dustin can contact the party for help. Should be simple enough. Except you make the fatal mistake of absentmindedly mentioning that you’re thirsty. “God, I need water right now.”

“Water.” Robin exhales as if it’s a prayer. Her entire face twists into longing and she hits Steve’s shoulder. “Water. Now.”

“On it!” He nods earnestly and suddenly the two of them are scrambling out of their seats. You snap your fingers at them, hiss whispered threats, but they don’t listen. They climb over you as if you’re an inconvenient bug on the ground. 

Before you can even stand up, they’re already halfway up the aisle of seats. You barely have time to get up before they’ve left the theater itself. “I’m so over them being drugged.” You huff, running after them. There isn’t time to tell Erica where you’re going, too afraid you’ll lose them if you don’t hurry. 

Those fuckers better save you some water.

– 

Steve makes you hold the button on the water fountain because he “can’t do it himself”.

“Is my help really necessary?” You complain, arms crossed as you watch Steve messily gulp water down. His neck is bent at an awkward angle and for a brief moment you truly question whether or not you find him attractive. Water drips down his chin and his gulps are obscenely loud. 

“Yes,” Steve responds in between slurps. The cold water washes over him and he’s never felt closer to God than in this moment. “That’s amazing.”

Robin stands next to you, patiently waiting her turn. “So like, I wasn’t totally focused in there or anything, but I’m pretty sure that mom was trying to bang her son.”

“In the movie?” You hadn’t been paying much attention in the theater. Your view from the ground was shitty and you were too busy making sure the idiots didn’t somehow kill themselves. However, despite your lack of attention, you doubt that’s what the movie’s premise had been about. 

“Wait, the hot chick was Alex P. Keaton’s mom?” Your hip knocks against Steve’s, causing him to choke on the water he’d been drinking. Coughing, he clutches at his chest. “I could’ve died, Y/N!”

“Sorry,” you smile sympathetically at him, feigning pity. He lost the privilege of calling other women hot after getting you locked in a Russian elevator for twelve hours. “My hip slipped.”

“Aren’t you two going to question how the guy was able to go back in time?” Robin is still focused on the whole son being in love with his mom plotline. 

Steve inhales even more water. “Then why is it called Back to the Future?”

Robin begins explaining the complexities of the movie, but you tune her out. While you appreciate that she’s trying to make conversation, you’re uneasy about being out in the open like this. There’s no one around, but you can never be too careful. It’s only when she shoves Steve away from the water fountain that you focus again. 

“Wait, I was supposed to go after him–” Your protesting falls on deaf ears as Robin steals your turn for water. Reluctantly, you step away. She can hold her own damn water fountain button. 

You notice that Steve has wandered off a few feet away. He still stumbles as he walks, though his footsteps aren’t as unsteady as they were earlier. He stops in the middle of the walkway and you join him. 

“Wow,” he breathes out, looking up. He’s mesmerized by what he’s seeing. Curious, you look up as well, though you only see the skylights above. It’s night, no natural light flows through the panels. Yet Steve stands transfixed next to you. “The stars.”

“The stars?” You’re not sure what he means. You can’t see the stars from where you stand. Then again, you suppose he could be seeing things, given that he’s heavily drugged up. 

“The stars are pretty like you, angel.” Steve says, eyes still on the sky, yet his hand somehow finds yours. He intertwines your fingers together and is able to pull you closer, albeit weakly. “You’ve always been so beautiful… scared me when we were younger.”

Your breath catches and you look at him. He’s looking up, seemingly unaware of the effect his words have on you. An overwhelming warmth fills your chest. You want to say something, tell him you love him and that his beauty last July had terrified you. 

But you don’t say anything. Steve is still high, he wouldn’t remember what you’ve said, and you want your confessions to sit within his chest the way his sit in yours. Instead, you find yourself admiring him. You study the length of his neck. The mole that rests just below his jaw and the others that litter his pretty face. His nose, the dip of his chin. The hair tucked behind his ears. His eyes.  

Steve Harrington is beautiful. Scars and all. 

Then he starts to gag and quickly the moment is ruined. 

“Oh, God.” You quickly grab his shoulders and frantically look for the nearest bathroom. In your haste, Robin reacts to Steve’s sudden sickness by gagging as well, and you’re very afraid of what’s about to unfold. “Okay, bathroom time! For the love of God, we need to find a bathroom.”

They’re useless as you twist and turn them around as you search for a bathroom. When you see a nearby sign, you drag them behind you and pray that they make it the next fifteen feet. As soon as you barrel through the bathroom door, Steve and Robin run out from behind you and just barely make it to the toilets before spilling their guts. 

You stand near the doorway, cringing. It’s not a pretty sight. 

They puke, spit out the excess, and flush the toilet to clear it before the next round of vomiting begins. Then they do it all over again. It goes on like this for a while, and all you can do is linger in the doorway and offer halfhearted comfort from across the room. You’ve never really gotten over your slight fear of vomit, if you’re being honest. 

Eventually Steve and Robin seem to throw everything up. When they’ve flushed the last of their sickness down, you hesitantly walk towards them and stand in between the stalls. “We feeling any better?”

“The room stopped spinning for me.” Robin says, her feet propped against the stall’s wall. You have no idea how she’s laying down the bathroom’s ground so casually. “Steve, is it still spinning for you?”

He looks up for a moment, testing what will happen. When he feels perfectly fine, he exhales with relief. “Holy shit. No.”

“You probably flushed the drugs out of your system when you puked.” You observe, leaning against the stall’s divider. “What were you guys on?”

“Allegedly a truth serum.” Robin says from the floor. “Ask me something, test if it’s really all gone.” Then, because she’s trying to get you to laugh, she lowers her voice and impersonates one of the Russians. “Interrogate me.”

Though you smile at her, your stomach twists. Not only were they beaten for information, they were also injected with a goddamn truth serum. Treated like lab rats. And you left them behind, all alone; you’ll never forgive yourself for that. 

But they’re here with you now, you remind yourself. They came out the other side. So you’ll do whatever you can to make it up to them and show them that you’re here for them. Even if that means asking bizarre questions to make sure they’re no longer being controlled by truth serums. “When was the last time you peed your pants?”

“Today.”

Steve looks at you to make sure you’ve also just heard Robin’s response. “What?”

You shrug. “I can’t really judge. I peed my bed a few years ago. Watched a scary movie with Dustin and had a nightmare. Wasn’t my proudest moment.”

“What?” Steve can’t believe what he’s hearing.

“See!” Robin lifts her head up from the ground to look at you. “I was also scared. When the Russian doctor pulled out a bone saw, it was only a little bit, but holy shit.”

She starts to laugh and you join her, despite the image of the bone saw you saw burning your mind. You had seen it in the room when you were saving them. It had terrified you. Yet Robin laughs about it now, so you allow yourself to as well. 

Steve shakes his head at you both. “Yeah, it’s definitely still in her system.”

“And it’s not in yours, Harrington?”

His eyes shine when he looks at you. He’s coming back to himself, you can feel it. The knowing smirk is back. “Clean as a whistle, Henderson.”

Robin clears her throat, now uncomfortable. “Aright, my turn. I want to ask him a question.” When Steve gives her the okay, she takes a deep breath. She looks at you, a resigned look on her face. Something seems to have struck her, something that terrifies her. Her laughter is gone. “Have you… ever been in love?”

Steve doesn’t expect the question. He looks startled by it and tilts his head up at you. Your eyes meet, and you nod, giving him the permission he doesn’t truly need. You talked about it once, last year. The two of you in your room late one night, whispering confessions about love and the pain it brought. It was never a secret. 

“Yep. Nancy Wheeler. First semester, senior year.” Steve mimes a gunshot to his heart, trying to lessen the unease. He will never really feel comfortable talking about that time of his life. 

“Oh, my God.” Robin rolls her eyes. “She’s such a priss.”

You walk over to her stall and nudge her leg with your shoe. “Hey, she’s my friend, ya know.” Ignoring how dirty the bathroom floor inevitably is, you sit next to Robin. “She’s not a priss.”

“At least, not really.” Steve adds, nostalgia in his voice. 

Robin seems to hear it, too. She sits up, eyes not meeting yours. “Are you still in love with Nancy?”

Without meaning to, you hold your breath. You know Steve no longer loves her, but it’s July and somehow he still isn’t yours. There’s still trust between you, but your body tenses and your heart stutters. 

And yet Steve doesn’t hesitate. It’s immediate. He doesn’t even have to think about it. He’s known since April, though his body has known since he offered you his hand the day you almost hit his car with your bike. “No.”

“Why not?” Robin doesn’t know why she’s pushing this. You’re next to her, your thigh presses against hers. She knows that Steve is in love with you. He confessed it to her when she was teasing him about it just a few days ago. She devoted an entire whiteboard to tallying all the times he failed to ask you out. 

Steve is yours, and you’re his, but Robin can’t help but pick at scabs and expose old wounds. 

There’s a few moments of silence. Steve takes his time responding. He can almost feel your hand ghosting over his, even though you’re separated by a stall. “I think it’s because I found someone who’s a little bit better for me.”

You’re quiet. Robin is as well. 

“You know, it’s crazy.” Maybe it’s the truth serum still coursing through Steve’s veins or maybe it’s because he’s almost died a million times tonight. All he knows is that he’s tired of running. You deserve to know how he feels about you. “Ever since Dustin got home, he’s been badgering me about asking this girl out. That I need to ‘find my Suzie’. A girl he met at camp who somehow became his girlfriend, who I’m not even sure is actually real.”

He’s rambling. He knows he is, but you and Robin remain silent and patiently wait for him to keep going. Steve inhales, holds the breath for a few seconds, and exhales. All summer he’s been agonizing over this very moment. He’s spent countless sleepless nights terrified that he’d somehow ruin it. In the end, his own cowardice only hurt you; he still remembers the way your body shook in his arms while he held you as you cried last night. Steve remembers the fear on your face when you realized you couldn’t save him. That the Russians were going to take him away from you. 

It was then, seeing the terror in your eyes and hearing the desperation in your voice, that Steve Harrington finally realized you would give all of yourself to him; that is what love is. 

To love someone is to know that they deserve your love. 

And for some reason you love Steve. You see something in him that deserves your love. He’s no longer terrified that his love isn’t enough for you. He realizes now that it’s enough. His love is enough because it is his. 

You deserve love, and Steve is more than happy to give all of his to you. 

“The point is,” Steve runs a hand through his hair. He can feel you listening, waiting. “This girl, you know, the one that I love, it’s somebody that I didn’t even talk to in school… and I don’t even know why.”

A small laugh cuts through the barrier between you and Steve. The two of you spent years together in school, and not once did he ever talk to you. There was one time, early sophomore year, when he collided with you in the hallway while running to the bathroom to meet Nancy. He had apologized to you, but he continued running and hadn’t looked back.

It was two years ago, but you had only been kids, then.

Hearing your laugh emboldens Steve. He clears his throat, lifts his head. He wishes you were in the stall with him. “I think… I think I was scared. I had always watched her from afar. I mean, here was this girl who would offer help to anyone who needed it. Didn’t matter who they were, she’d help them. I just, I didn’t understand. I couldn’t understand why someone would go out of their way to help others without expecting anything in return.”

“I mean, there I was, worrying about being prom king while this girl was tutoring kids for free in the school library.” Steve scoffs at himself. He will never forgive himself for wasting all those years with you. He could’ve been your friend sooner had he not been such an asshole. “It’s stupid. I mean, Dustin’s right, it’s all just a bunch of bullshit anyways. Because when I think about it, I should’ve been friends with this girl the whole time.”

You rest your head against the wall, buzzed with warmth. “You should’ve,” you find yourself saying softly. Though you know yourself. Steve came into your life when you needed him the most, at the right time, for the right reasons. The timing had never been right before. “But I’m sure the girl is glad you ended up how you did.”

“Me, too.” Warm honey laces Steve’s voice. He can almost feel your body on his. He can see the lines and strings above him, materializing into something more solid with every word he says. “Still should’ve happened sooner, though. I mean, this girl we’re talking about is incredible. She makes me laugh more than anyone I’ve ever met. She’s witty, she always knows what to say and she’s so goddamn smart. I don’t think she knows this, but she has this way with people…”

His voice trails off. It’s what he loves the most about you. The effect you have on everyone you meet. The impact you make within a person’s life simply by smiling at them. “She has a way of making someone into a better person without even realizing it, just by being a part of their life. She… she made me a better person. Taught me to be softer, more vulnerable.”

Steve hadn’t known gentleness until he met you. 

To your left, Robin starts to close in on herself with every word he Steve says. She slouches down, drops her head into her knees almost as if in despair.

“She saw this good in me that no one else had before. For some reason, instead of using it against me like others have, she believed that I could be someone different. That I could change… It didn’t matter how long it would take me, she would wait. And I’m so goddamn lucky to be in love with someone as selfless as her.”

Guilt eats away at Robin. She’s harbored a resentment towards Steve all summer, even though she tried to swallow the feeling down. The love between you and Steve had always been obvious from the first day she met you. She watched the two of you dance around each other every day, basking in the sickly sweet young love you shared with one another. 

It’s not that Robin resented your relationship with Steve. No, she was happy for you, truly. The bitter taste in her mouth whenever she watched you gently stroke his cheek with your fingertips was remorse intermingling with resentment because she will never be able to do that. She will never be able to love someone so openly. To have someone hold her hand and call her tender names. 

You’re a beautiful girl with a boy who could adore you freely. Robin can only ever watch you from the shadows, scared to be caught.

You notice Robin’s shift in demeanor and press your body closer to hers. You’ve never seen her look so small before, so unsure of herself, and it worries you. “Hey, is everything okay?”

She shakes her head, too afraid that if she talks she’ll start to cry. The kindness that you offer her stings. She doesn’t deserve it. Not when she believes you outshine the sun. Before she can make up some excuse, Steve knocks on the stall. “Robin? Y/N? Did someone just OD over there?”

“No,” Robin’s breath is shaky, which worries you even more. “We’re still alive.”

You try to meet her eye, but she won’t look up at you. You’re not sure what’s happened, but she’s closed herself off from you; you feel like an intruder. Placing an arm on her shoulder, you’re about to offer her some more water when Steve’s body slides into the stall.

He settles himself across from you, shy with his movements. Your heart lurches when you see him, too. He confessed his love for you only moments prior, and you want nothing more than to wrap your arms around him and call him yours, but Robin looks pale. She’s scared. You just don’t know why.

“The floor’s disgusting,” she says to Steve, hoping to get the attention off of her. 

“Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt, so…” He looks down, cringes slightly. You remain silent, and Robin’s eyes are still downcast. Seeing this, Steve tries to lighten the mood and asks Robin a teasing question. “So, what do you think?”

“About?”

“This girl,” he turns to you, then. He looks at you with such fondness and knows that both you and Robin know he had been talking about you the entire time. He’s trying to get you to laugh, bring a smile back to your faces.

Robin tries to play along, swallowing down the remaining bitterness. You’re sitting next to her, your hand is still on her arm. “She sounds awesome.” 

“She is awesome.” Steve winks at you, hoping it’ll get you to blush the pretty pink he loves so much. When it works, he smiles. “And what about the guy?”

“I think he’s as sweet as honey in July.” You say, giving into Steve’s charm. It’s worked on you ever since the day you crashed into that ditch, even if back then you refused to admit it.

“Yeah? Well, I think he’s on drugs, and that he’s not thinking straight. That he doesn’t realize how lucky he is.” Robin interjects. She doesn’t look at you, her eyes remain on Steve. You raise your eyebrows at what she’s said. You hadn’t expected such a pessimistic response from her.

Off put by her sudden dejection, Steve becomes defensive. He doesn’t understand what Robin is doing. She was the one who kept encouraging Steve to ask you out all summer. “Really? ‘Cause I think he’s thinking a lot more clearly than usual. He knows what luck is.”

“Does he? What if there’s this other girl, one he hasn’t seen yet. I mean, really seen.” Robin swallows. Her fingers twist together nervously. “What if he one day sees her and realizes just how unlucky she is. I don’t think the guy would ever want to be her friend after that.”

“No, that’s not true. No way is that true.” Steve shifts closer to the two of you now, confused as to why Robin is saying all of this. Of course she’s his friend. “I mean, apart from the girl he’s in love with, this other girl is the guy’s only friend.”

“Listen to me, Steve.” Robin still doesn’t look at you, but you listen silently and allow her the space she seems to need. “It’s shocked me to my core, but I like you. I really like you, but I’m not lucky like you are. I think… I think you should use that luck. Go for the girl.”

Steve tilts his head, not quite following. “What does luck have to do with any of it?”

Robin sighs and you sit next to her, quiet. She seems to be trying to figure out what she wants to say, and somehow you think you know what she means by luck. It’s always fascinated you, luck and love. Two sides of the same coin. But it never occurred to you that there could be an undercurrent that cuts through the luck. A double meaning behind it. 

“Do you remember what I said about Click’s class? About me being jealous and, like, obsessed?”

“Yeah,”

Robin closes her eyes and sighs. When she opens them, there’s a resolved look in them.  “It… It isn’t because I had a crush on you. It’s because she wouldn’t stop staring at you.”

At first, you’re confused. You had missed their conversation about Mrs. Click’s class. They must’ve had it when they were being held captive, but the phrasing of what Robin has just said feels heavier than it should. Her words land on you with a force you hadn’t seen coming. 

If Robin had for some reason talked about being obsessed with Steve in a class they once shared, but not because she had a crush on him, but because a girl wouldn’t stop staring at him… 

“Mrs. Click?”

Even though you’ve done well remaining silent this entire time, you can’t help but snort at Steve’s response. He’s trying, you know he is. Robin must know this too, because she laughs softly at him as well. “No, Steve.”  Her smile dims, however. “That would’ve made things easier for me, though.”

Easier. Luckier. 

And then it all clicks. 

Robin’s insistence on always pleasing you. The subtle touches. The way her eyes would darken sometimes when you looked at Steve. How, only an hour ago, she had asked you for a kiss when she was still under the influence of the truth serum. 

You draw your hand towards hers and slowly thread your fingers together. Robin’s head spins, she finally allows herself to look at you. She finds your eyes staring into hers. They’re kind, understanding. You’re looking right through her in this very moment, and Robin Buckley has never been more afraid. 

“How long have you known?” You ask her, voice gentle.

Robin’s voice shakes. “Since Tammy Thompson…” She has to look away from you. She can’t do this with you looking at her. “She was in Mrs. Click’s class with me and Steve. I–I wanted her to look at me, but.. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from him and his stupid hair.”

She pauses, tries to compose herself, and you squeeze her hand three times. Once to tell her that you’re there, another to give her the reassurance to go on, and the final time to communicate that you understand. There isn’t a reason to be scared. Somehow, Robin knows what the gesture means. Breathing in, she looks at Steve and continues. 

“And I didn’t understand, because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor and you asked dumb questions and you were a douchebag. And–and you didn’t even like her and I–” Her voice breaks. “I would go home… and just scream into my pillow.”

Steve looks between the two of you. It’s obvious he’s the only one not aware of the underlying layers. “But Tammy Thompson’s a girl.”

“Steve,” Robin breathes out, pleading. She doesn’t want to say it out loud. She can’t say it out loud. He needs to understand what she’s trying to say. Why she’s been giving him hell all summer. Why she feels guilty when she looks at you.

“Yeah?” But he doesn’t understand.

Robin can’t say anything. She looks at him, can feel the tears in her eyes; she’s begging now. Steve’s eyes find yours, silently begging you as well to explain this to him. He doesn’t understand what he’s doing wrong. He doesn’t want to be doing something that could hurt Robin like this. 

Your shoes squeak against the tile floors as you draw your knees into your chest. You’re not sure what else you can do. Robin has laid everything out for Steve. Your hand still holds hers and you try to quell the fear within you that maybe he’s being intentionally naive. Maybe he doesn’t want to believe it. 

“Oh.” 

It’s one word, one exhale of breath from a mouth that once used to say cruel things. Steve’s face softens, his jaw unclenches and his shoulders relax. He surprises you, showing nothing but empathy. He’s kind, he’s always been kind.

“Holy shit,” Steve doesn’t want to mess this up, but he’s never been good with words. 

Robin laughs. “Yeah, holy shit.”

He sighs and leans against the stall wall. It’s quiet between the three of you. No one really knows what to say now. Steve is still processing, Robin’s heartbeat still hasn’t quite settled, and you’re trying to figure out how to tell her that you understand more than she may know. She’s braver than you, trusted you with this secret, and it’s only fair that you offer her a part of yourself as well. 

Plus, it’s a wonderful ice breaker. 

“You have terrible taste in women, Robin.” You nudge her with your shoulder, teasing. “I mean, I’ve heard Tammy Thompson during choir rehearsal. You can totally do better.”

“She wants to be a singer, she has dreams!” Robin defends the girl, the change in conversation bizarre but welcomed. 

Steve, sensing that you’re trying to lessen the tension, gratefully plays along. “So what she has dreams? She can’t even carry a tune. But, more importantly, what do you know about taste in women, Y/N?”

“I see things,” you jut your head out, defiant. “Probably would’ve fallen in love with Nancy Wheeler had I known her instead of Jonathan.”

Their reactions are expected.

“You would’ve loved Nancy?” Steve exclaims at the same time as Robin guffaws, “You loved Byers?” 

You laugh. It’s a full, whole body laugh. One you haven’t felt in so long. “Yes,” you wheeze out, the look on their faces killing you. Steve looks unnerved while Robin looks disgusted. “At least Jonathan doesn’t sound like a muppet when he sings.”

“Tammy does not!” Robin is laughing alongside you now. It’s been a long time since she’s laughed this hard, too.

Steve rolls his eyes, his own smile overtaking his face. “She sounds like a muppet giving birth, Robin.”

“That’s what she reminds me of!” You snap your fingers and point at him. “You’re right!”

Robin clutches her stomach as she laughs. She leans into your side as you lean into her. Steve starts doing a terrible impersonation of Tammy’s awful singing, which only gets the two of you to laugh even harder. Steve gets you to sing along. He grabs the hand that isn’t holding Robin’s and swings it around as the two of you sing. Robin joins, laughing more than singing. It’s lovely. Absolutely lovely. 

And this is how Dustin finds the three of you.

He slams the bathroom door open, Erica right behind him, and stands in front of you.

“Okay,” he glares at you specifically. “What the hell, Y/N?”

You giggle at his disappointed dad stance. “I told you I’d take care of them.”

Dustin isn’t amused, which only makes your giggles turn to laughter again. The other two teens aren’t far behind you, descending into yet another fit of laughter. Hunched together, the three of you giggle breathlessly as your brother and Erica watch in disbelief. 

But you ignore their questioning stares.

With both Steve and Robin holding your hands, laughter warming your belly, you feel like a kid again.

– 

 The bus becomes your only option.

“I managed to contact the party.” Dustin had informed you after your laughter died down.

Relief washed over you. “Thank God–”

“But then my walkie died.”

“Yeah,” you had sighed and dropped your head down in defeat. “Yeah, of course it did. Why wouldn’t it die when we need it?”

Which leads you to now: peering out the bathroom door with Steve breathing down your neck and Dustin in front of you, checking to make sure it’s safe. A crowd of people flood the once empty hallway. The movie must’ve just finished. Everyone is talking excitedly, having no idea that five teenagers are currently hiding in the bathroom from Russians. 

You envy them. 

“When I say ‘blend’, we go. Okay?” Dustin asks the group, eyes still on the mass of people exiting the theater. 

“Because Steve dripping blood definitely will blend in.” You retort. It’ll be hard not to draw attention to yourselves with the way his face still oozes. It’s a long walk down to the bus station and you’re getting worried now. The mall closes in ten minutes, soon there won’t be any crowds to hide behind. 

Dustin doesn’t bother justifying your remark. Instead he studies the flow of traffic before giving his signal. “Blend.”

The five of you swiftly exit the bathroom and align your pace with everyone around you. Dustin guides in front with Erica while you stay back with Steve and Robin. Your eyes move constantly, scanning every face you pass. Thankfully, the people close to you seem innocent enough.

Erica looks around, impressed. “Well, shit. That worked.”

“Of course it worked.” Dustin is smug, which makes you wince. He’s always had a bad habit of jinxing things. You really wish he had gotten more of your mom’s humility and less of your dad’s ego. “Now we just have to get on the bus with the rest of these plebes, and home sweet home, here we come.”

You shove your brother. “Can we not taunt our inevitable bad luck?”

“We’re in the clear now, Y/N. Trust me, in just twenty minutes we’ll be back home, where our dear mother awaits with her frantic arms wide open–”

“Uh, Dustin?” Steve eyes him nervously. Already you dread whatever he’s about to say. You guys only lasted thirty seconds without any bad luck. It’s a new record, honestly.

“What?”

“Yeah, we might not wanna go to your house.”

“Why?”

“Well,” Steve winces with regret. He knows he’s about to piss both Hendersons off. “I might’ve told them your full name.”

Dustin turns to look at him, bewildered. “What is wrong with you?”

“Dude, I was drugged.” Steve argues, which. Yeah. That’s fair.

Not liking that he apparently sold your brother out to Russians, yet understanding that Steve hadn’t been the most clear headed when it happened, you grab his hand. There’s more important matters to deal with, like whether or not he sold you out as well. “Did you tell them my full name?”

“No, I kept you safe.” He says, with an air of obviousness that you smirk at. 

“Aw, thanks honey.” You kiss his cheek, not caring that Dustin is fuming in front of you. 

“Oh, so you can resist for your girlfriend but not for her brother?” Dustin struggles to keep his voice low. He has never wanted to shove Steve down a flight of stairs more. “You were supposed to tough it out. Like a man!”

You flick the kid’s hat. “Hey, he was very manly defending my honor.”

“I hate you both–”

Robin suddenly freezes, her eyes catching on something. “Guys…”

Everyone stops, alarmed by the tone in her voice, before you see them. There, standing right in front of the exit of the mall, are the two Russian men from the alley. They’re stopping people, checking their faces, looking for you. 

“Abort.” Dustin says, before one of the men makes direct eye contact with him. His face pales and you already have one hand on his shoulder, pulling at him to run. “Abort!”

Steve grabs Erica’s hand and motions for you and Dustin to run ahead as Robin guides. She pushes through the crowd of people and towards the escalators. However, when you get there, they’re roped off and blocked by plexiglass. 

You kick at the glass, frustrated. The Russians are close now. Robin, quick as ever, steps past you and places herself in the middle of the two escalators. You’re confused at first, but then you realize there’s just enough space for your bodies to fit through. Sitting down, Robin is able to use the gap as a makeshift slide.

“Let’s go,” Steve places Erica to slide down next, then Dustin. When it’s your turn, he nods at you. “Ready?”

“I’m so tired of running from these shitheads.” You say before launching yourself down the escalators. 

Robin waits for everyone at the bottom. When you’re all there, she waves for you to follow as you run again. None of you have any idea where to even hide now that the mall has emptied. There’s no one to hide behind, no corner to run into. And the goddamn Russians are fast, never trailing more than fifty feet behind you. 

Somehow you end up in the food court. It isn’t much, but there’s at least vendor’s stalls and restaurant counters nearby. Panting, you point towards the nearest counter. “There! Everyone jump over!”

No one argues, doing as they’re told. You make it there first and help Erica over while Steve and Robin help Dustin. Kneeling down, you motion for everyone to sit with a finger to your lips. The men have to be nearby, you can practically feel their presence close. Facing your friends, you grip your knives and strain your ears for any sounds. 

It’s tense. Dustin pants, he’s scared and overwhelmed and you wish you could offer him better protection. Steve glances at you, silently asking you what the next move is, and you shake your head helplessly. You’re cornered, there’s no way out of this one. 

The sound of boots falling against the mall’s ground approaches. It grows louder and louder at a maddeningly slow pace. Your knuckles are white from how tightly they grip around the hilt of your switchblade. With one flick of your wrist, you know you could at least disarm one of the men long enough to cause a distraction. You’d never kill anyone, but you know from experience that a cut to the shoulder is sufficient enough. 

You’re pulled away from your thoughts when a car alarm suddenly goes off. Its loud noise echoes within the empty mall. Everyone jumps at the unexpected sound, shuffling closer together. Deciding it’s worth the risk, you poke your head up to see what the hell is going on. 

The guards are standing around a red convertible. It shakes, vibrates almost, and they look at one another in confusion. The car continues to shriek its alarm, and while the men stand in fear, you smile. There’s static in the air.

Looking up you see El, with an arm outstretched, on the second floor. Her face is strained, her fingers clench in mid air. The look on her face is terrifying, and you’ve never been happier to see blood drip down from her nose. She twists her arm and sends the car flying into the men. You duck as it crushes them, rolls over the tables and chairs in the center, before spiraling into the counter next to you. “Shit!”

The alarm stops ringing. Everything falls silent. Slowly, you and everyone else stand up to inspect the damage. A tire rim rolls past, the Russians guards are sprawled on the ground, unmoving. There’s smoke from where the car has landed, and you let out a low whistle. “Nice one, El.”

“El?” Dustin turns around, wondering if he’s heard you right.

“She’s up there,” you point to where she had been standing, but when you see Jonathan now standing next to her with Nancy, your heart stops. “Jonathan.”

You’re the first to start running, and when he sees that it’s you, Jonathan wastes no time running either. He’s down the escalator in seconds. Your whole body buzzes as you run, adrenaline and longing coursing through you. The moment he’s close enough, you practically leap into his arms.

“Bug,” he holds onto you tightly. He buries his face in your hair and you breathe him in. It’s a familiar scent, a familiar warmth. You had been so focused on escaping the Russian base that you hadn’t even considered that he and everyone else in the party could’ve been involved. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” you tighten your arms around him, but when he makes a pained noise, you immediately pull away. It’s then that you notice the swelling in his head. The dried blood. Pressing your fingers softly to his face, you fill with concern. “What happened, are you hurt?”

Jonathan tries to shrug it off. He doesn’t care about what he’s been through. All he wants to focus on is that you’re okay, for once not covered in blood and bruises like he is. Wherever you’ve been these last few days, at least he knows you weren’t in any pain. “I’m fine, I’ll tell you everything later–”

“You flung that thing like a Hot Wheel!” Dustin exclaims to El, now joining you and Jonathan as the others gather around. 

You don’t leave Jonathan’s side as everyone starts talking at once. Lucas asks why Erica is involved, to which you wince at. “I tried stopping them.”

“It’s their fault.” Erica points at Steve and Robin, clearing your name in the process, which you appreciate her for. 

Steve stands next to you now and puts his hands on his hips. He doesn’t even try to deny that he’s the reason a ten year old girl ended up locked inside an underground Russian facility. “Yeah, true. Totally true. It’s absolutely our fault.” 

Robin asks what happened to the car and Dustin and Steve explain El to her. They quickly catch her up to speed about the girl’s power, and you feel bad for the teen. It’s a lot of information to take in at once. Erica joins, having remembered her conversation with Dustin from earlier in the vents when he had explained the Upside Down to her. 

Meanwhile, Nancy is focused on Robin. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“That’s Robin. She’s a friend.” You step between them. When Nancy sees that it’s you, she quickly looks away. She fidgets with her fingers, overwhelmed with shame and regret. She hasn’t forgotten the cruelty she showed you a few days ago. You haven’t forgotten either, but you’ve never been one to hold anger towards others. Extending a kind smile, you nod at her. “Hey, Nance.”

Nancy looks up, surprised, but smiles at you as well and it’s enough. Maybe one day you’ll sort through the tension that never seems to leave you and the girl alone. Untangle the lines and threads that haunt both of you. For now, there are other things to worry about. 

Steve has started explaining the Russians now, and quickly it becomes clear that you’ve all been dealing with vastly different situations. 

“Russians, what Russians?” Jonathan asks you with alarm. 

“See those guys laying over there?” Everyone looks at where you’re pointing, the men still knocked out on the ground. “Russians. We enjoyed twenty-four wonderful hours with them.”

“Yeah, we ended up trapped in their secret base underneath Hawkins.” Dustin further explains, to which everyone’s eyes widen at. 

“It was fun. Spent my birthday in mortal danger.” At the same time the kids all wish you a belated birthday, which you salute them for. “Thanks, guys. I’m just happy I wasn’t gravely injured this time.”

“And that Steve finally kissed you.” Dustin unhelpfully adds before Steve is covering his mouth to shut him up. His face reddens, embarrassed and nervous. Jonathan is standing too close to him for comfort right now.

Nancy looks uncomfortable with this new information, Mike makes a disgusted sound, Max high fives you, Lucas cheers, Will gasps and looks nervously towards his brother, and Jonathan chokes on his own spit. It’s truly a very wide array of reactions, all of which are expected to certain extents. 

That doesn’t stop you from hitting the back of Dustin’s head, though. “Can we focus on the Russians infiltrating Hawkins?” Dustin hits your shoulder in retaliation, but he knows you’re right. He turns to Mike, upset that he hadn’t come sooner. “Didn’t you get our code red?”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t understand half of what you were saying.”

The kids all start to argue and Steve joins in, making a remark about how he’s always bugging Dustin to watch for a low battery. More arguing follows. Lucas and the others demand to hear more about the Russians. As you try your best to explain everything, you notice from the corner of your eye El walking away from the group.

Her shoulders are drawn into her body, her breathing seems to be labored. You nudge Jonathan, pulling his attention away from the kids arguing, and point towards El. “What happened to her tonight?”

Jonathan is about to explain what they’ve been dealing with, but when El collapses onto the ground, you leave his side in a heartbeat to join her. Kneeling beside her, you’re cold with panic. She’s covered in sweat, her face is flushed. “El? Sweetheart, what’s happening?”

Mike and Jonathan are beside you now. Mike is in his own fit of panic, nearly ramming into you in his hurry to get to the girl. He turns her over onto her back, his face twisted with worry and fear. “El! What’s wrong?”

The rest of the group stands around El now, staring down at her. She manages to open her eyes, but you can tell that it pains her to do so. “My leg.” She rasps out, voice thick with tears. 

“Her leg, okay.” Jonathan takes action, swiftly unraveling a bandage on her leg. You hadn’t noticed it before. There’s a deep wound underneath the gauze, its blood has soaked through it. Nancy helps Jonathan with the bandage, and when they finally get it off, you almost throw up at the sight. 

The flesh is raised, angry and swollen. There’s a giant gash in El’s leg, deep and to the bone. The veins in her legs are dark and begin to constrict when something starts to move inside the wound; something is crawling inside her leg. It’s a nauseating sight.

Mike starts to freak out even more. He doesn’t understand what’s happening. He’s scared for the girl, his eyes fill with panic. Instinctively you pull him into your arms, tightening your hold as he fights against it. 

That’s when El begins to scream.

-

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[familyvideostevie]

august: a no good at waiting one-shot

Almost a year has gone by since you arrived in Hawkins. You and your enemy-turned-friend-turned-love-of-your-life Steve Harrington are feeling a little restless as summer passes. Your anxieties will not leave you alone: Are you going to move in together? Does Steve want to leave Hawkins? What will you do if he goes somewhere else? It all comes to a head on a day spent at Lover's Lake.

fluff, angst, miscommunication, musings about making choices, and lots of love! [5.4k]

this is a one-shot set after the events of no good at waiting, a farmer's market au, so it's best if you read that first! | au masterlist

__

Everything is perfect.

Well, not exactly. But you're happy.

Okay, again, not the whole truth. You're mostly happy. You love living in Hawkins, you love working at New-Bee's and the library, and you love Steve. Your boyfriend, your short-lived enemy, your favorite person. Who is kind of pissing you off right now.

Almost a year has gone by since you arrived in Hawkins not knowing what you wanted or who you were or how things were going to go. This summer has been fantastic -- dates with Steve and nights with your friends, drives to amusement parks and county fairs and visiting Robin's campus. It feels right to be here and you're glad that you decided to stay. You think that maybe you've finally figured out how life is supposed to feel: like this. Like love.

But at the moment, Steve has you in a bit of a rut. A few months ago he told you he really wanted to go on a trip this summer. Something just the two of you, a week or two, exploring a new place. You loved the idea because you love doing anything with Steve, but for some reason he's hardly mentioned it since then. And with the end of summer fast approaching, you know your chances at getting away are running out. As far as you can tell, he hasn't planned anything secret. Sure, things have been busy: El broke her arm last month so Steve took on extra shifts, there was a huge storm that flooded some of the fields, you got a promotion and the library and thus more hours, his car needed new breaks. The stars haven't aligned but there also hasn't been any...effort.

And that's just one thing.

The other thing, which is maybe bigger and actually makes you a bit mad, is you've been focused on figuring out how to move in together. You live at Bob's still and while you spend a lot of time at Steve's loft you've talked about finding a place of your own and your loose goal was to have it sorted by the fall. But he talks about both the move and the trip like they're just dreams, far away things that will never actually happen. He's vague whenever you bring up the new apartments going up on the old mall property, about the for sale signs you sometimes see around town. He tells you that it'll work out, that he wants to be sure you guys have enough money to be comfortable.

Does he not want to move in with you? It's a silly thought, sure, but what else are you supposed to think? He's spending every minute he's not with you at the farm or on errands he's been calling "Hopper Missions" on some property just outside of town. It's like he's filling the time so there's no room to discuss the future, like he wants to pretend it'll be summer forever.

Being in an adult relationship is hard. It's lots of decisions and compromise and learning how to talk to each other even when you don't want to and you wouldn't trade it for the world. You know it'll all work out, you just wish that it was worked out already, so you could enjoy the end of the summer and stop worrying that your boyfriend doesn't want to live with you. You know that you should just tell him how you're feeling, but that's easier said than done. Every time you try you wonder if you're being oversensitive or ungrateful or reading into things too much and you back out. Feelings are hard, okay?

You're mulling over the weight of all of these thoughts at the market on one warm Saturday morning in August. Market day is routine by now. It was fun to be here for the start of the season back in May, but you prefer the high summer days when there are endless fruits and veggies to buy and everyone is full of energy and excitement at another day. By now you run the stand practically alone -- local kids free for the summer help you stock in the morning and unload and cover when you're otherwise occupied. You've expanded to four standard candle scents and try out a seasonal one every month or so and the soaps were a very popular graduation gift. You've just tried your hand at chapsticks and they're doing really well.

Most people in town call you by your name when they come say hi. It's a little slow this month, with seasonal allergy honey sticks being less and less popular as the season winds down. So you feel okay retreating into your thoughts until someone clears their throat. You snap out of it and find El standing in front of you with a paper bag. There's a crease between her brows as she watches you.

"Hi," you say. "Is that for me?"

She nods. "I said that you looked sad so Steve told me to bring you something because he's 'up to his ears in husk'. He said you didn't eat breakfast." She uses air quotes. You soften.

"Thank you," you tell her. She keeps looking at you for a few moments before giving you a smile and trotting back to the Sara's tent. Inside the bag is one of her newer experiments -- peach scones. It's fantastic. You munch on it and keep smiling at anyone who comes by, though it's maybe not as effusive as you'd like. You really want to talk to someone about how you're feeling (a voice in your head says that person should be your boyfriend but you ignore it) but you're not sure who to go to. Robin is in Boston visiting Nancy at her hot-shot job at the paper, Eddie and Wayne are on a fishing trip somewhere in Michigan, and you're not about to chat to high schoolers about your love life, no matter how much you like them. You're not sure anyone around here notices your mood like your friends do.

"Why do you look like you swallowed a lemon?"

Well, anyone but your friends and...Murray, it seems. The guy is a little weird, sure, but he's friends with Hopper and Joyce and he really buys "a fuck ton" from the market every week, as Steve once said.

"Hi Mr. Bauman," you say. He frowns.

"Cut that Mr. shit out," he says, though it's not harsh. You do this dance every time he comes to buy an alarming amount of honey. "Your mood is going to ruin the honey."

"I...don't think that's how it works," you say. He levels you with a stare that you think must have served him well when he was a journalist in Chicago, as you've learned he was. "I'm thinking about a place to live?"

"You sure?" he says, poking fun at your uncertainty. "You can live anywhere. Trust me. Cars aren't great, but they'll do. I'd avoid tents. Very damp."

"I guess I was thinking a house," you admit, looking at your fingers. You've never put this into words before and you're not sure why you're doing it now. "Somewhere not too big, maybe with some land so I could get a dog. Not in town but not too far from town." You sigh. "It's a dumb dream."

Murray doesn't say anything. You look up at him and he looks confused. His gaze darts between you and the Sara's stand where you can see the back of Steve's head. "Not the dumbest I've heard."

He slaps down a bill and picks up his usual jar and walks away without another word. Whatever, he's a weird guy.

The day winds down and you're a little too warm to be comfortable and you're just sweaty enough that you want to take a shower and you've stewed in your feelings for too long. Of course this is when Steve comes over. Handsome as ever in his work jeans despite the heat and a Sara's t-shirt he's cut the arms off of, he looks like the lead in a teen movie.

You're loading up the crates to take back to the truck. He squeezes your hip in hello before he starts to help. "How did New-Bee's do today?" he asks.

You shrug. "Average. You?"

"Every damn person in this town wanted corn," he says. "I swear it felt like we sold more than we did for the fourth!"

You hum. It's unfair that your mood has plummeted just as he's shown up and you don't want to take it out on him, even if you consider it a little bit his fault. Steve, for his part, is being a typical boy and doesn't notice. "Hey, listen," he says.

"Listening," you mutter.

"Let's go to the lake tomorrow." That gets you to look at him. He wipes his forehead with his pocket bandana.

"The lake? Why?"

"Everyone says it'll be hotter than today and I think we deserve a day to relax, don't you think?" He squints at the sky, shading his eyes. His arms look lovely like this. "I know we haven't gone on that trip so this is like, a mini trip! Staycation? I think that's what it's called."

"I don't know if a day at the lake in town counts as a vacation, Steve," you say. But even as the words come out you find yourself wanting to go because its something to do. You haven't been swimming in the lake despite Steve's summer bucket list item of skinny dipping. You've actually only been to the lake in general a few times, which is a bit strange since it's such a big place in your relationship. You kissed for the first time at the bonfire on the shore, you told him you loved him in the cab of your truck on a cold night.

"So, is that a no?" He's looking at you with a confused expression.

"It's a yes. Is anyone else coming?"

"No, just us. We can have a picnic or some cute shit, yeah?" He rests his hand on your lower back and maybe it's a combination of the heat and your mood and the universe but you don't want him to touch you right then so you pull away from it. You don't look at him.

"Are you sure you don't have super secret Hopper shit to do?" Silence behind you.

"No," Steve says, dragging the word out. "Hey, are you alright? Did I do something?"

You ignore his question. "Are you going to come get me in the morning?" Usually, you'd go home, shower, and then stay over at Steve's place. This is a clear line in the sand that you're not sure is fair to draw.

"Sure," he says. "But, seriously, what's going on?" You do look at him then. He's got a frustrated set to his shoulders and his brows are drawn like he's trying to solve a puzzle.

You chew on your lip, hands in fists at your sides. "Nothing," you say. He gives you an incredulous look. "Okay, I just don't want to talk about it right now." The last thing you need is to not talk about it but you can feel that you're getting actually bothered about this and you don't want to have a discussion that gets taken over by your mood.

"Okaaaaay," he says. It annoys you even more. Your own shoulders creep up to your ears. "I'll help you pack up and then --"

"No," you say sharply. "I can do it myself."

"Woah, woah, woah," he says. "Okay, alright!" He holds his hands up in the air and the fight wooshes out of you.

"I don't want to fight with you, Steve."

"Who said we were fighting? Do we have something to fight about?"

You close your eyes and tip your head back. It all comes out in a rush. "Steve, I love you and we spend so much time together and I keep trying to get you to talk about looking for a place and you just won't and you want to go on a trip but you won't actually plan it and you want to go to the fucking lake tomorrow and it's like you want to do anything except talk about this stuff and I don't really want to be around you right now."

You don't feel any better for having said all of it. In fact, your chest aches and your nose stings. You don't know if you can look at him.

"I didn't know you were that upset about it," he says finally. It sounds frosty.

"I didn't tell you."

"I can see that," he says. You still don't look at him.

The market is really closing up around you, fewer voices and commotion. You wonder if anyone heard this argument. "I can pack the rest. I'll see you tomorrow." You could have told him you don't want to go but maybe the lake is where you can squash this once and for all.

Steve seems to take the dismissal at face value because you hear him sigh. Part of you wants him to fight you on it right here right now, to sort it out so you can stop feeling so worried all the time. But he doesn't. Instead, you hear his steps and then feel the heat of him as he gently kisses you on the cheek.

"Okay," he says. "See you tomorrow."

And then he's gone.

"Fuck," you say to yourself. You shake yourself out of it and try to pack away the rest of the stall with as much speed as you can muster without breaking anything. The scar across your palm is faint by now but you aren't eager to get another one.

You're almost done bringing the crates to the truck when you hear your name. Will stands in front of your stall, a hesitant smile on his face. He's a sweet kid -- 18, soon, you think, so hardly a kid at all -- and you've gotten to know him a little more since you asked if he wanted to draw the labels for the chapsticks.

"Hi, Will," you say. "Sorry I didn't see you."

He's holding a single sunflower. "Sorry to bother you," he says. "This guy is the only one left today and El said you looked a little down earlier so I thought maybe you'd like it?"

You blink a few times. "Did you, uh, hear all of...that?" You vaguely gesture behind you as if the ghost of Steve is standing there with his arms crossed.

Will looks at you for a second, considering something. Then he holds the flower out and says, "Hear what?" Tactful kid.

"Thanks, Will." He tells you to have a good day and goes back to the flower stand. The sunflower stem is velvet-soft in your hand and the petals are a brilliant yellow. It's a bit lonely on it's own but you will put it in a wine bottle and keep it on your windowsill.

Imagining it there, the only stem, standing as tall as it can in the sunshine in your bedroom, makes you want to cry.

--

The thing you're most scared of is Steve wanting to leave Hawkins after all. You knew it was a genuine possibility when you started dating, knew that he wanted to explore the world just as you started to make yours here. You told him you'd go with him anywhere he wanted and you meant it then. But now you're not so sure. You love Hawkins and you love Steve. You don't know what you're going to do if one of them demands you leave the other.

Your mind churns as you go to bed and as soon as you wake up. Maybe he doesn't want to plan a trip because he's afraid he won't want to come back. Maybe he's afraid to move in together because he doesn't want to invest time and money into something he'll leave behind. Maybe he's already got plans and he's trying to figure out how to tell you.

"Stop it," you tell yourself in the bathroom mirror. You're prone to this kind of overthinking; it's why you made the huge mistake of running from him last fall. And while you know him so much better, know yourself so much better, sometimes it's hard to believe that you not only deserve nice things and a nice life full of love but that you already have them. And that's why you don't know if you can leave even if you told him you could.

You sit at the kitchen table in your swimsuit under shorts and a wax-stained New-Bee's t-shirt and feel a bit sick about yesterday. You know that Steve will come get you -- he would have called if he didn't want to go anymore. You don't leave each other in a lurch like that, even if you've fought. But you're worried that you've ruined the chance of a fun day that hasn't even happened yet.

The frustration with Steve still simmers under your skin. But you want to table it to have a bit of fun, if you can. You hear the crunch of his tires in the driveway and you grab your stuffed bag and head for the door. You're greeted with the sight of Steve getting out of the car and smiling at you a little hesitantly. He's in bright red swim trunks and a ratty Hawkins High t-shirt and sunglasses.

"What is this, Baywatch?" you ask him, breaking the tension. He laughs and meets you on the porch stairs to give you a quick kiss. You chase his lips a little but he doesn't call you on it.

"Well, I was a lifeguard," he says.

"Which I bet you did just so you could look hot in the chair."

"Obviously," Steve says. He takes your bag from you. "Actually, I taught kids to swim, too. Jesus, what's in here, a watermelon?"

You roll your eyes. "Just the essentials. Sunscreen, a book, some sandwiches, grapes, a water bottle, spare clothes, a towel, a hat --"

"Okay, okay, damn," he laughs, putting it in the back seat. You get in the car and he heads for the lake, windows down. He was right about the weather -- it's much hotter than yesterday already. It could be a nice day. You want it to be a nice day. But the churning your gut demands you address the elephant in the room.

When Steve reaches for the radio you catch his hand in yours.

"Steve," you say. "I do want to talk about yesterday." He doesn't look at you, chewing on his cheek and tapping the wheel in what you know is a nervous habit.

"Yeah," he says. "We probably should. But I also want today to be nice, okay?" He kisses the back of your hand.

"I do, too."

It's not much but it's enough for now. It doesn't take long to get to the lake. Steve takes you to a different part than where you had the bonfire and where you told him you love him. This area has a dock and some grass and a shore of sand and rocks that you can see from where he parks the car.

"There's no one here," you say, unloading the backseat. "Are we even allowed to swim?"

Steve grabs the blanket from his trunk and you spread it out on the grass. "Yeah," he says. "Five years ago or something they finished a project with some scientists or some shit to make sure the lake was good for swimming. They built this but honestly I don't think a ton of people come here." He shrugs. "Or they knew we were coming and left it to us."

"Lucky us," you smirk. You spread out your items on the grass before shimmying out of your shorts and t-shirt. Steve wolf whistles. "Gross!" you tell him.

"Sorry," he says, not looking sorry at all. "That's a nice color on you. Have I seen this before?" His eyes rake over you and you plant your hands on your hips instead of crossing your arms.

"Have we been swimming before?" you ask him.

He grins. "Good point." He pulls off his shirt in one motion from the collar like boys do and without another word sprints down the small hill and onto the dock, jumping off the end and into the water with a yelp and a splash.

"Such a child," you mutter, but you're endeared. He surfaces and shakes out his head like a dog.

"Okay," he says. "It's kind of really fucking cold."

You stop in your tracks, feet just on the edge of the dock. "Really?"

"No," he says. "It's only a little cold. Nice, though." You look skeptical.

"Did you put on sunscreen?" you ask, stalling.

"Yeah." Steve swims in slow circle. "Did you? I'll do your back," he says with an eyebrow wiggle.

"I did it already," you say primly. You knew that if you ended up touching too much on this date, you'd never get to talk about the stuff you need to talk about. "So no back rub necessary." Steve shoots a stream of water at you with his mouth. It gets your knees.

"It is cold!" you squeal. Steve looks too pleased with himself. "It's on, Harrington." You take a few running steps and cannonball into the water.

Honestly, once you've been under for a few seconds it's not so bad. You surface and find Steve grinning at you. "That was cute," he says. You splash him.

After acting like children for a little you both float on your backs, hands clasped, watching the sky. Your conversation and teasing fades and in its place returns your anxiety and frustration from yesterday.

Steve seems to think you're hungry. "Let's eat something," he says. "And put on some more sunscreen."

He gets up on the dock first and runs to get your towels. He wraps yours around your dripping shoulders and you stand in his arms for a second, hand pressed to his heart to feel it beat. You love him. You will work this out. You wonder if it's possible for something to go wrong not because you don't love each other enough but because you love each other too much.

"I made you a great sandwich," you say, pulling away. "And you need more sunscreen, too. Your nose is getting red."

"Wait, really?"

You settle on the blanket and lay out your lunch. Steve pulls berries from his own bag and you eat in a silence that is only a little tense until he tosses a strawberry top into the grass and sighs.

"So, I'm guessing now is the time to talk about it?" he asks.

"Do you not want to?" You don't want this to be a fight but you don't know what else it's going to be.

"No, of course I do," he says. "We need to, clearly." He crosses his legs, his tanned stomach rolling in the way you adore over the waistband of his swim trunks. God, you love him. That's why you have to figure this out.

"We do," you say, squaring your shoulders. "I'll start." The frustration returns full force. "What the hell have you been up to, Steve? You're busy all the time and I don't need to know what you're doing because I do trust you. I just don't get why you can't tell me what you're doing on these weird errands and you won't talk to me about going on a trip or moving and I thought those were both things we wanted."

"I do want those things --"

"I've been looking into what we can afford in Hawkins and thinking about places we could go and I'm busy busting my ass at the library when I'm not at New-bee's so that we can live somewhere nice. And it just seems like you don't actually care that much about moving in together because --"

"I do, care," he says over you. "I just don't want to live in Hawkins."

Time slows down. Your heart thunders in your ears. "What did you say?"

Steve looks stressed. He reaches for you but you don't want to touch him so you cross your arms. A look of hurt crosses his face but it fades quickly.

"Let me explain," he says. "I can explain it all. If I had known you were feeling this way I would have much earlier. Why didn't you tell me?"

You shake your head to clear it. He doesn't want to live in Hawkins? Well, what does he want? Does he want you, still? "Because I didn't think you'd make me feel this way," you say hoarsely.

He takes a deep breath. "I wanted to go on a trip this summer, yeah. I thought it would be fun. And then, like, two months ago, I started thinking about how I didn't actually want to leave Hawkins, but I also don't want to keep living the same life in Hawkins, if that makes sense."

Two months? Two months? The timeline rolls around in your mind. He's been thinking about this for two months and he didn't tell you?

Steve is still talking, apparantly not noticing your distress. "And we talked about looking for a place so I realized that maybe a trip wasn't a good use of our money even though I know we both work hard and are doing fine. And then I was on a drive the weekend you went to visit your family, remember?"

You nod. You'd gone home for a weekend and missed him terribly the entire time. Steve taps your ankle and you realize he wants you to reply. His eyes are wide like he's scared and he runs a hand through his hair. What is he scared of? "Yeah," you say hollowly. "I called you every night."

"You did," he says. "The first night you left I went for a drive all around the county, basically. Just to get out of town but not go too far. To do anything other than mope at my place after we hung up. And that's when I found it."

You aren't following. He leans forward and taps your cheek with his knuckle. "The most perfect damn place in the world."

"Don't tell me you bought a piece of land, Steve," you say. It doesn't seem like a thing he'd do and wouldn't make sense if he's just going to leave.

Your boyfriend just smiles at you. "No," he says. "I didn't buy it. Well, not really."

"Not really?" you say, incredulous. What the fuck is going on?

"I'm almost done explaining, I swear, honey." He runs a hand through his damp hair again. "It's maybe half an hour out of Hawkins proper. It's a real nice little farmhouse with lots of open space around it and I saw it and it felt like I'd been struck by lightning, or something."

The pieces start to fall into place but you don't dare hope. "Dramatic," you say.

"Hey, don't make fun of me!" Your joke seems to encourage him. "It looked like no one lived there so I figured out what the address was and turns out that weird guy Murray owns it."

Murray? Who you say yesterday at the farmer's market and who listened to you tell him about your dream property? That he, apparently, happens to own?

"He's not that weird," you mumble.

"He is weird but I don't give a shit because he doesn't use it and after talked to me he agreed to rent it to us for barely anything if I fixed it up a little first. So that's what I've been doing."

Steve looks at you, eyes wide and waiting. You blink a few times and try to take it all in.

"So let me get this right," you say. "When you haven't been working at Sara's or spending time with me, you've been fixing up a house that you're going to rent from Murray? And you told me none of this? For two months?"

Steve frowns. "When you say it like that I sound like the bad guy. Also, we're going to rent it." He seems to realize you haven't agreed to anything by the way his face falls and okay, maybe you're being a little unfair. Yes, he lied, a little bit, but it wasn't anything harmful. You just got in your head about it.

"I just don't get why you didn't tell me," you say, feeling small. "I was starting to think that you didn't..."

"Didn't what?" Steve reaches for you and you let him take your hands this time.

"Didn't actually want to live together. Didn't want to go on a trip. I don't know." You sigh.

Steve looks genuinely upset at that you've thought this. "Honey," he says, voice rough. "All I want is to live with you. This house is for us. Now that I'm saying it out loud I'm realizing I probably should have told you that at the start."

A whole house. You've imagined your first place together to be a dinky apartment on the edge of town. But a house? It's a dream come true. You bring Steve's palm to your cheek and lean into it.

"I thought we were good at communicating," you say softly.

"Apparantly not," he says wryly. "I'm sorry for not telling you. I just...wanted to make it nice and official first, I guess." His thumb strokes your cheek. "But you should have told me how you were feeling a long time ago."

"Yeah," you agree. "I'm sorry. Would have saved me some heartache and you some hard work. I could have helped!"

"You still can," he says, eyes lighting up. "It's not quite done. I still need to paint the outside."

You scoot forward so you're almost in his lap. "Where did you learn to fix up a house, Steve?"

"Hopper," he says. He fiddles with the strap of your bathing suit. "He's been helping. So I really was doing Hopper stuff, kind of?" He licks his lips. Another nervous tell. "So, what do you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"About the house. I know it's a lot and we're still kind of young but renting means we can change our minds and --"

You put your head in your hands. "Steve," you say, voice thick. "I'm still getting over the fact that I thought you didn't want to move win with me and finding out that instead you've found us a house."

His hands circle your wrists. "Only to rent!" he says a little desperately. "I mean, you might not even like it!" You allow him to pull your palms away. Your nose starts to sting.

"I will," you say.

"Oh no," Steve says. "You look like you're going to cry." He pulls you fully into his arms and flops onto his back on the blanket, taking you with him. You land on his chest with an oof.

"I've been really scared," you say into his bare chest. "That you were going to leave and I don't know if I can follow you because I love it here even though I love you, too."

"I know," he says. "But I think this is perfect. It's close but not the place we've been. It's ours until we want something different. And I don't think I want to leave because I want to be wherever you are."

"It's so grown up." You sniffle and he rubs your back.

"I know," he sighs. You can feel his heartbeat under your cheek. "What the fuck."

"What the fuck," you echo and laugh wetly. "Is the yard big enough for a dog?"

"Sure is," he says. "Do you want to drive by when we head home?"

"I do." He hums.

You sit in silence for a few breaths. "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, but please tell me things next time, okay?" He looks down at you through long lashes.

"Deal," he says. "I love you back, but please tell me how you're feeling, okay?"

"Deal." You roll off of him and sit up. "Can we go see our house now?"

He grins toothily. "Hell yes we can," he says. "Well, it's not ours yet. Seriously, we have to work that out with Murray. I think we need a lawyer to draw something up? I don't really know how all that works --"

You kiss him in the middle of his sentence. "We'll figure it out."

"You're right," he says. He kisses you again. "We will."

thank you for reading <3 reblog, send feedback, masterlist here!

[will80sbyers]

being 14 years old and wanting to spend a nice fun evening with his friends now that he has them back without having to feel like the third wheel every time and think about how he will probably not have a relationship EVER because he realized he's gay in the 80s and loves Mike...

he spent all the summer BEFORE Dustin came back being the only single one in a group of "straight" kids in relationships!!!! ffs!!!!

and then Dustin comes back and he has a girlfriend too 💀 and he doesn't even complain about it he's happy to go talk to her on the radio!

then when he's finally tired of girl drama and wants to convince them to play and be their own age... THEY ACCEPT only to make fun of him after they had accepted!!!!

he's also reassuring his friend that he does want to spend time with him now that he's back from camp when he understood that Dustin was sad about Mike and El leaving

Having difficult conversations when needed even after his best friends just openly made fun of him to his face

realizing that his fight with Mike and Lucas is not as important now that they have to stop the mindflayer and letting it go immediately.

telling Mike and Lucas to just respect the decision of the girls after they got dumped instead of trying to win them back

still supporting his best friend EVEN after a brutal fight they had by leaving him alone with his ex girlfriend when he wants to talk to her at the hospital

AND HE'S THE IMMATURE ONE IN SEASON 3???? Are you kidding me?!?!

meanwhile Mike and El were talking shit about Hopper whispering to each other, lying to Dustin about curfew, Lucas and Max broke up constantly, Mike started lying to El, El and Max were spying on the boys... Dustin went to Steve to avoid talking with his friends because he was angry at Mike and El for leaving

these KIDS were PLAYING at relationships because they were too young to have serious relationships. It's normal. It doesn't make them mature. It makes them kids that as kids tend to want to look older than they are!

Will was a kid too and he's immature for wanting to do fun things that kids should be doing???????? His trauma made him understand a lot of things about life sooner than his friends and he wanted to enjoy his childhood as much as he could now that he was free from the torment of the trauma he lived. That's not "being stuck in childhood" or have "stunt development" AND that's NOT being immature.

[runninguplenorahills]

I just wanted to remind everyone that no matter how much better Lenora objectively was for Will than Hawkins, he was not happy there!

Will might’ve not been bullied in Lenora but he had no friends either which was not a deliberate decision btw. I see a lot of people claiming that Will could’ve made friends if he wanted to but didn’t because he rather spent time with El and I just don’t think that’s the case. Will is not an extroverted person who makes the first step when it comes to making new friends. He’s introverted in general and shy when he’s surrounded by people he doesn’t know so making friends is a struggle for him in general and has nothing to do with him sticking with El in Lenora. And while we don’t know anything specific about if Dustin and Lucas sent letters or called Will, we do know that Mike did not. Furthermore it’s canon that Jonathan wasn’t really there for Will during the time spent in Lenora either and while it is never specifically said it is heavily and obviously implied, it’s shown, that Will was in utmost need of his brother’s help and support! And El did not replace Jonathan in that aspect! Jonathan being distant from Will does not and did not equal Will and El becoming close on the level that Will and Jonathan are. I know I talk about this a lot (that willel isn’t as close in canon) but I just had to say it again because to me it seems really clear that a lot of people think that Jonathan not being there for Will somehow led to Will and El sticking together. Like it’s them against the world while that was never the case ever! Will did not once seek comfort in El because Will didn’t simply need a sibling, he needed Jonathan. Jonathan and Will have a close and deep bond and it’s unique because Jonathan isn’t just fulfilling the role of a sibling for Will. So Jonathan cannot just be replaced by another sibling or anyone at all. Point is, when Will realized Jonathan was being distant he started bottling up everything he wanted to talk about. He did not talk to El instead because quite frankly, they don’t have that kind of relationship (El also didn’t tell Will about her and Mike’s problems and the lying).

So Will had no friends in Lenora, he almost lost all connection to his closest friend whom he’s also in love with and his big brother whom he could always count on for support wasn’t really there for him either. Mike and Jonathan are literally the two people Will always knew he could trust with anything because he knew they’d understand in one way or another. But then neither of them was there for him anymore for reasons unknown to Will which lead him to feel as though he can’t talk to either of them anymore. He wanted to talk to them! Desperately! But he just couldn’t. And all of a sudden Will was all alone. Lenora wasn’t fresh and happy and so much better than Hawkins. Lenora was lonely.

Did Lenora allow more room for personal development due to the lack of the upside down and bullying/rumors? Of course it did. Will’s willingness to make and present a project about Alan Turing is hinting at some positive development. In that aspect Lenora was better for Will than Hawkins but in every other aspect it wasn’t, simply because Will was on his own.

The fact that Will felt lost and alone in Lenora is also important for byler’s love story btw. Will telling Mike that he felt lost without him throughout the months he’s spent in Lenora is so significant because it’s a reply to Mike telling Will: “It’s Hawkins. It’s not the same without you.” Mike has called Hawkins his home throughout his entire life but once Will wasn’t there anymore the feeling of being at home left as well. And Will could move anywhere with his family but if Mike’s not there he feels lost nonetheless. The place where they feel like they belong is not a place at all, it’s the state of being together. Will feels found with Mike and Mike feels at home with Will. Mike makes Will feel better for being different and Will makes Mike feel like he’s not alone. Hawkins, Lenora, that doesn’t matter because it’s not about the place!

Will not being happy in Lenora without Mike is exactly as important as Mike not being happy in Hawkins without Will. Erasing that creates a different narrative, destroys the story they’re trying to tell. Simply because people are making it seem like Will can do just fine without Mike while Mike loses his mind without Will which is just not the case. The whole of s4 showed us that Will is not happy without Mike and that he needs him! Will literally tells Mike that he’d fall apart without him and still there are people that try to depict Will as having a good time in Lenora without Mike. Feeding into Mike’s insecurities and undermining Will’s love for Mike! And this is honestly something that makes my blood boil! People who constantly feel the need to undermine Will’s feelings for Mike are completely missing the point.

And this is kinda a different topic but I’ve seen this trend where people headcanon Will to have been on a sports team in Lenora and I just think that these people are once again missing a point that’s been made in the show. Will not being into sports serves a purpose in the telling of his story, It’s a story telling device. And while I do of course know that the focus is on baseball specifically, baseball seems to stand as a symbol for sports in general which then again are a symbol for conforming to society. Being into sports is what society thinks you should be into as a boy. “You shouldn’t like things just because people tell you you’re supposed to” is what Jonathan tells Will in s1 in regards to Will going to baseball games with Lonnie. Will does not like baseball = Will does not like sports = Will does not conform to societal standards. And Lonnie dragging him to the baseball/sports games is him trying to force Will to conform to societal standards. And Basketball was this big symbol of forced conformity in s4. Therefore being into sports and joining a team in Lenora totally defeats the purpose of a rather important story telling device in canon and therefore just isn’t compatible with the character. I’m of course well aware that Will wore a letterman jacket in the stranger things experience clips but owning a letterman jacket doesn’t automatically equal being on a sports team. It was a popular fashion item in the 80’s just like it is today. And I think it’s more likely that Will wore the jacket because he liked the jacket and not because he’s on a sports team because, again, that’d be missing the point. And as I said, the Alan Turing project hints at positive development while Will joining a sports team would hint at negative development so it simply doesn’t make sense for Will to have been on a sports team in Lenora.

[louisupdates]

By Marcelo Fernández Bitar [translated from Spanish]

In just over 24 hours, Louis Tomlinson passed through Buenos Aires and caused a commotion, with hundreds of fans crowding at the door of his hotel singing and shouting his name, and also occupying almost the entire block where there is a FM radio station where he went to give an interview.

The fanaticism generated with his solo career by the former singer of One Direction in Argentina is so great that in fact he will give a recital in the same stadium where he was in 2014 with the mega-boy band. It will be on May 18 in Vélez Sarsfield.

Louis Tomlinson already has two solo albums and is touring the world presenting the most recent, Faith in the Future. It came out in November 2022 and surprised with his most rocky sound, close to the Brit-pop of his beloved Oasis, and less pop. It was number one in England and three singles came out, Bigger Than Me, Out of My System and Silver Tongues.

Hurricane Louis

The visit was really fleeting with the purpose of promoting his show next month, the old-fashioned way, when the artists toured the countries to advertise albums or tours, something they currently do on Zoom or with posts on their official accounts.

Louis arrived on Friday night and spent Saturday fulfilling an intense schedule of activities, to leave early the next day.

First he went to the Vélez football field for a television interview which will be televised later by TN, and then he went to the radio station Los 40 Principales, where his fans filled the entire Gorriti street, between Ravignani and Arévalo, to witness an interview where eight listeners joined to ask him a question each.

He finally arrived at 4 p.m. at the Four Seasons hotel, where hundreds of other fans were screaming for him. There he gave a series of reports and chatted with Clarín in a room equipped as a small television set, with lights and a set with his name and the cover of the disc.

"Never, not for a second, did I think I would be going through some of the same experiences," he said, "that I was lucky enough to live in the band. I thought that was something unique. So being able to come here and feel the level of love and the incredible reaction on today's radio station, means a lot to me. When I imagined what my solo career would be like, I really didn't know what to expect.

Re-filling stadiums

At 32-years-old, Louis Tomlinson has the experience of having been part of one of the greatest pop phenomena of the last 20 years, with sales records and sold-out shows in stadiums around the world. And now he is repeating the fury alone, just as it happened just a little earlier with his ex-bandmate Harry Styles.

In Louis’ case, he first sold out the closed Movistar Arena stadium in 2022 and now he goes through a huge soccer field like Vélez.

Q: Did you think that being a soloist you had to start from below and sing in smaller places?

Louis: Yes, exactly. But it turns out that I can still play in big places, so it's great.

Q: Can we really talk about a mania of a "louistomlinson-mania"? Does it happen everywhere or is it special in Latin America?

Louis: I think that in terms of the level of similar intensity, and seeing what happened a moment ago on the radio station, that certainly doesn't happen to me everywhere. Let me put it this way: it's incredible to be so far from home and feel that level of love. I'm very excited to think about what the show will be like here.

Q: It's incredible that almost exactly ten years have passed since the last time you filled Vélez. How do you feel when you return to the same stadium?

Louis: I feel very lucky to be able to play in those places again on my own. I also feel very, very proud of myself and my fans. I feel like we have created something that is quite special and we did it together. With them as listeners, but also as facilitators. That really helped my confidence and made me feel good on stage. It's a lovely relationship and I'm very proud of it.

Q: This tour started almost a year ago, how did it evolve with respect to the first shows?

Louis: I definitely feel in a good place right now with the show. Anyway, in advance I was excited about this tour because this album was designed for the live show. So I was excited to see how the songs would work. And the energy is great. I am very excited to show Faith in the Future to Latin America.

Q: How did the idea of making a live cover of Arctic Monkeys come about?

Louis: Arctic Monkeys grew up about 20 minutes from where I live. It was something very close, very fresh in the mind and obviously huge. I was growing up and I'm also a big fan. I usually do the song 505 because it's very pretty.

Often, with the versions, I probably think more about what I would like to sing than about what I imagine that everyone else would like to hear, which may be misjudged, but I'm enjoying it.

Q: When you were a teenager you sang Oasis songs and now you have a rock band that sounds very Brit-pop, almost closing a circle.

Louis: Thank you. I am very, very fortunate to have the band I have, but they also perform sonically and visually, everything that is really important to me. They sound absolutely incredible. I don't think I would be able to do this without my band.

Q: Live you also perform songs from One Direction. Did you feel that kind of shadow at the beginning of your solo career and now you are more comfortable looking back?

Louis: I think a bit about both things. I think that at the beginning of my career I would have been a little more worried about putting too many One Direction songs in the repertoire. What I wanted most was to spread my wings and show who I was. But I think that as time went by, the nostalgic moments are really charming. So it's like a beautiful mixture of nostalgia and it's very nice to do it.

Ping-pong

Q: This is the third time you have visited our country. If you had to describe your Argentine fans in three words, which one would you choose?

Louis: Passionate. Loyal. Affectionate. That’s okay, isn't it?

Q: The soccer player Kun Agüero said that there is a lot of talk to you through Instagram or Twitter. Have you ever met him in person?

Louis: Actually, we have never seen each other in person. Over the years we've talked a little here and there, but I never found time. I have a kind of crazy hope that he can come to the show.

Q: If you had to choose one of your songs, either from Walls or Faith in the Future, that reflects how you feel right now in your life, what would it be?

Louis: I would say that the name of the album (Faith in the future) represents where I am right now, but I think that in the future I would like to always be optimistic.

Q: And if all the One Direction discography was deleted and a song had to be saved. Which one would you save?

Louis: It's interesting... I would probably say Story Of My Life. That seemed like a real milestone. I would say it's a little more serious. And I also think it's a bit of a crazy song.

Q: You are a big soccer fan, do you have any preference for an Argentine club?

Louis: I'm very afraid to say something wrong... I'd better say that I love you all. (laughs)

Photos

Links

[lgbtimelords]

the argo trials: argo city

I, unsurprisingly, spent a whole lot of time wondering how tf does argo city is mapped out so here's what I came up with:

Following the headcanon I created in the third chapter about Kryptonians liking circles and since Argo city is basically a big circle, this is the layout:

The main circle is the square, where people buy trinkets from the artisans guild and books from the science guild, among other things.

The second circle are the guilds. One building for each guild. And behind each of the guilds, in the third circle, are the houses of the people belonging to that guild.

Couples go to the "neighborhood" of the person with the highest ranking family name (which is why the Els are always in the science guild sector, even when Alura was living alone in it and she belongs to the lawmakers guild).

Also!!!! I was sooooo annoyed when I realized that Argo City has no mountains and since it's a fucking dome it wouldn't really have natural weather so I was like "where tf did that lake that's in the show comes from?", especially because it's a flying rock on space so it shouldn't have enough space for underground water AND the rocks outside (and by relation the rocks Below) are filled with kryptonite and that would make everyone sick even if there Is water underground. But we're gonna be delulu and smile and nod when I said there's underground water that gets filtered by the science guild :)

[luvhu9hes]

Everywhere, Everything (Analisa Au!)

ANALISA AUGILARS PROFILE

Basics-

NAME: Analisa Aguilar 

BIRTHDAY: March 7th 2003 '21'

BIRTHPLACE: El Centro, California 

HEIGHT: 5’5

PIERCINGS: 2 lobe piercings, bellybutton piercing, eyebrow piercing

HEALTH: Low Iron

MAJOR: Sports Management, she's always loved sports and has a scholarship for her lacrosse skills

FACECLAIM:  Darianka Sanchez (or others from pinterest)

LOVE INTEREST: Luke Hughes

Fun Facts-

She is the middle child, her older sister Lillia is 24, and her younger brother Silas is 16

Her older sister is her biggest role model, she used to copy everything she would do and it would drive Lillia insane

Her younger brothers friends always had crushes on her growing up (she thought it was sweet, but Silas hated it and threatened to fight his friends if they even looked at her funny)

She lived in California until she was 11

When her family lived in California, they didn't have a lot of money, so she spent a lot of time with the community center youth programs, where she found her love of art and learned how to play lacrosse

Her favorite things are; art, lacrosse, baking, Dominic Fike, her camera, raspberries, rom coms,  and soccer

Loves and I mean LOVES swimming, and the beach

Secretly made out with Mark Estapa in the bathroom at a frat party her first week of college, before her and Luke ever admitted their feelings for each other. The only people who know are Lillia, Ethan, Rosie (Ana's best friend) and Luke (He looked so betrayed when he found out about it)

She met Rosie her freshman year and they've been best friends since.

She met Luke her first day of 8th grade in michigan, they bonded over being nervous, Luke was always nervous because he thought people would realize he wasn't like his brothers and wouldn't like him because of it, and Ana was nervous because it was her first day at her new school.

The minute the Hughes family met her, the immediately fell in love with her.

She became a big part of the Hughes’ lives after they met her, always going to games, and having family dinners together, they were practically her second family 

She was there for Quinn and Jacks draft days (the internet went crazy)

The boys try to keep her out of the spotlight and away from the hate that comes with it, but she still always finds herself blowing up on social media 

She spends every summer at the lake house with the Hughes’ and their friends (they let her invite Rosie and her siblings so she's not alone with a bunch of hockey guys all summer)

Due to her summers at the lake house she's gotten very close with Trevor and Cole (her and Trevor are absolute menaces)

She is a certified party girl she loves how they give her an opportunity to just let loose, they also give her an extra sense of confidence 

Her love languages are physical touch and acts of service, she's never been the best at putting her feeling to words, so she uses the two to show how she feels

Ana loves reading, it's hard for her to sit down long enough to enjoy books sometimes, but when she can it's like heaven.

Considering her camera is one of her favorite things she is CONSTANTLY taking photos on it, she actually has 2, she has a camcorder, and a polaroid camera

She has a box of polaroids in her dorm room that she likes to go through at the end of the year to look back at her memories

Luke introduced her to the UMich hockey team, and they're all besties at this point (things were awkward between her and Mark at first, but they're so close now)

Ana shares a dorm with Rosie, but spends most of her time at the hockey house 

Because of her friendship with Luke, Silas always credits Ana for him getting into hockey

Ana can sleep anywhere, like she could be at a party and fall asleep standing up (Luke has a collection of pictures in his camera roll just of all of the weird places and positions she's fallen asleep)

Ana loves board games/video games, and has forced all of her friends to have game nights every Wednesday (everyone pretends to hate it, but she knows they all love it)

Ana is the most competitive person ever, whether it's from lacrosse or her love of games, she's always been so competitive.

She honestly has a shopping addiction (she'll never admit that though)

She loves coffee and tea, iced in the summer and hot during the winter

She is an avid poster on social media, mainly tiktok and instagram, but she's certainly considered starting a youtube channel a time or two

Ana takes after her sister and if very protective of those around her and can easily stick up for herself

She's a passenger princess, driving scares her if she's being completely honest 

Only gets called Analisa when she's in trouble

She has two instagram accounts @/anamaguilar is her main account that everyone follows, and @/anabannana is her private account with only her friends and family

She's 100% the type of person to just randomly get at tattoo on impulse

Notes:

ahhh okay I'm glad to finally get this out, im not sure what took me so long to put this together, but everything for this series will be found under the tag "Everywhere, Everything Au!" Analisa has some similarities to me but otherwise she is my fictional baby and i have so much love for her, and i hope everyone else will love her as much as i do. I would also like to address that in certain pieces I will be writing about Ana and Lukes past because i just have so many thoughts floating through my head about baby Ana and Luke!

All love - Chaela

[thestrangestthing89]

This is long and I'm mostly just trying to explain why I think it's important for El to have a stable family life rather than a romance at this point. Her interpersonal relationships have been pretty rocky. I think the way she forms relationships with other people is realistic considering she spent the first 12 years of her life living in a science lab. We know now that there were other kids there with her, but they weren't friends. She was bullied and isolated. She had a brief friendship with Kali during this time but Kali left. We don't know too much about the timeline here. And El forgot about a lot of this. So for the most part, she was alone here. And after age 7, it was her and Brenner and some other lab employees. She was the only kid. It was obviously an abusive environment and she was forced to do things she didn't want to do until she escaped. She had minimal interaction with kids her own age up until she was 7 and this wasn't a positive experience. But she forgets this. She doesn't remember interacting with other kids.

When she escapes from the lab, Benny is the first person who she comes across who is nice to her. She's understandably distrustful of him at first but just as she is starting to warm up to him, he gets killed. Because the lab went looking for her and he got in the way.

When she comes across Lucas, Dustin, and Mike these are the first kids she probably remembers ever seeing (except Will?!?! she recognized his picture). She has trouble communicating with them and we see this from the flashbacks in the lab too. She doesn't have a lot of socialization so it's hard for her to explain herself.

This interaction with the boys isn't necessarily positive. It's good that she is out of the lab and found people who could help her but she is still being used as a useful tool. A weapon. Just like at the lab. And it's not just the boys, it's Joyce, Hopper, Jonathan, and Nancy too. They need her to find Will and Barb. And she does this voluntarily. I think she feels guilty for opening the gate. And it's something that tends to drive her to help everyone in later seasons too. So while everyone in this group is a lot nicer to her than the lab, she still has a purpose here. They need her.

It makes sense to me that she would get fixated on Mike during this time. She spend a little more time with him than Lucas and Dustin since she was at his house. He told her about the world and gave her things to look forward to (like a place to live and the Snow Ball). He's mostly nice to her during this time, but he isn't always. When she fails to find Will he gets mean. This is not unlike Brenner. For the record, I'm not saying Mike is abusive. He's 12 and doesn't understand her situation at all and he's scared. But the fact that she doesn't want to run away from him even though he isn't always nice to her is a problem. Because she is used to this behavior. She is used to being punished when she doesn't use her powers well. She's used to getting locked in a room, so Mike abandoning her on the side of the road would have been familiar.

Lucas does apologize for being mean to her and she apologizes for hurting him. The two of them don't have any issues in later seasons. But her and Mike consistently do (and there are no apologies made between the two). And a lot of that has to do with him still viewing her as a superhero and not knowing the impact that that has on her (because I don't think she ever told him).

Her time with Hopper after this is also complicated. The kid spent about a month living in the woods alone in the freezing cold before he found her. From what we know of their year together, it was mostly good. They played board games, watched tv together, and Hopper read to her and helped teach her things. It's the first somewhat stable home she's had. I say somewhat because while this is a much better situation to the lab, she is still locked in here. For a year. Mostly by herself. She spies on Mike a lot because she is lonely.

Her and Hopper start having problems when their communication breaks down. When she first moved into the cabin it seemed like she would only have to hide temporarily. But it's been a year. She understandably wants to leave but Hopper is scared. He doesn't have control of this situation. When he apologizes to her later, he explains himself a lot better than he does during this fight. He says some awful things here (that he'll send her back to the lab). He's grieving and depressed and isn't handling this situation well. Hopper isn't great at communicating his feelings when he's upset. He does this to Joyce and Mike in S3. He struggles with this for a lot of reasons.

But this is El's model for fighting. She's allowed to yell at Hopper in a way she was never allowed to with Brenner. So in that sense it's a good thing. She doesn't have to hold back. It shows she isn't scared of him. I don't believe for a second that Hopper would have ever sent her back to the lab. He was frustrated and said something he didn't mean and he does apologize for this later. But this is how she learned how to communicate her problems to people. Hopper wasn't giving her what she needed and she found out he lied. She then runs away. For the second time in her life she runs away from her home. The lab situation was obviously a lot more problematic, but this one to me had a lot to do with Hopper not communicating well and letting fear take over. Which I think is partly why El does come back home. Hopper is probably the first person she formed any long term relationship with (besides Brenner). She spent a year with him during a time when they were both struggling. So it was a tense situation. She finds very brief periods of feeling at home at her mothers house and then with Kali but doesn't feel like she belongs with either. She runs away from both situations. The Kali one was a little more dangerous but she is scared at her mothers when she overhears her aunt calling Hoppers police station. She isn't ready to go home yet.

El doesn't really feel like she belongs anywhere and part of the reason she returns to Hawkins is because they are in trouble and she can protect them. Her superpowers give her a role here. People need her to save them. They need her.

So El at this point has run away from 4 places that she considered home (the lab, the cabin, her mother, and Kali). I'm not including Mike's here because she was only there for a few days and it wasn't her home so much as a temporary shelter. She was planning to stay with her mother and then Kali for a while. She also didn't choose to leave Mike's and had to because it wasn't safe.

Season 3 puts her in a very different situation. She's at the cabin but she has the opportunity to have a somewhat normal life. Only she doesn't really. And it's because she is fixated on Mike. Up until this point El pretty much forms bonds with one person at a time. Briefly Mike in S1, Hopper for a year in S2, and briefly her aunt and Kali. There are other people around but she doesn't bond with Kali's friends or with Lucas and Dustin as much, mostly because she doesn't know them long. She only spends time with them for a few days.

So now when she is allowed to leave the cabin and see other people...she stays in the cabin with Mike. All the time. Honestly, Hopper is right to be annoyed and worried about this. He doesn't handle the situation well, but calling it unhealthy was correct considering all the other shit she's been through. And Hopper has a much better idea of what El has been through than Mike. I'm not sure Mike fully gets what happened to her in the lab. I don't think anyone ever told him, which is why he still calls her a superhero. He doesn't get that it's bad in this case.

But El now has the opportunity to form other friendships and she doesn't. She doesn't know how. Her relationship experiences are limited and boil down to what she's seen on tv and those aren't realistic. So it's not bothering her to run off with Mike and ditch anyone else. It's interesting to me that Mike gets himself a girlfriend who has no clue that his behavior isn't normal. He wants to ditch his friends and hide away in the cabin every day, he stands still with his eyes open and doesn't move when she kisses him, and when he does kiss her back it's awkward. He's far away and he's moving her hands off him, and interrupting constantly to sing or piss off Hopper. They are things that only someone with limited relationship experience would ever look past. El doesn't know any better.

When Mike lies to her, she responds the way she did when Hopper lied to her in S2. She runs off and ditches him. She finds herself a BFF. She previously ignored Max. Her behavior toward her in S2 wasn't ok. She hurts her and ignores her for no reason other than she saw her talking to Mike. It's possessive and it's because she is lonely and she doesn't know how to form healthy relationships with people. Thankfully she lets up on this and realizes it was a mistake and lets Max in. It's unclear exactly what changed her mind here. She immediately goes to Max when she's confused about Mike and they probably had some interaction over the few months since the Snow Ball. But this is clearly the first time they hang out together. Maybe it was just loneliness that drove her to go to her house? It drives a lot of her attachments to people.

It's a relationship that is good for both of them but I want to point out that this season it's focused on El. She is centered here. El is once again getting the world explained to her because she doesn't know something. In this case, she doesn't know what she likes. SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SHE LIKES. She is 14 years old and this is the first time in her life that someone prompted her to think about what she likes. She is dressing the way that she wants to for the first time.

El mimics people in the way that little kids do when they are trying to understand the world. So in this case she mimics Max. And when she runs into Mike she does what Max told her to do - she dumps his ass. Sometimes this is a justified response. But in this case Mike isn't given much of a chance to explain - Hopper is largely to blame for a lot of this situation but Mike does make a lot of excuses for himself. However, El isn't willing to hear any of this out. She dismisses him and ignores him being upset that he was spied on. She is doing what Max would do and in this case that's not exactly what's best. Max is 14 and hardly a relationship expert herself and El still isn't communicating well. She doesn't even tell Mike why she is upset with him either or how the lying made her feel. It's not a conversation so much as her having a girlboss moment. It's not one that actually fixes any problems. She still doesn't know how to do that.

When Hopper dies and she's left without a home and her powers she decides to get back together with Mike. He's familiar and once again her loneliness drives this decision. His opinion is also not asked for. And she doesn't notice his awkward fumbling over the I love you declaration. Another thing that would have been a red flag to anyone who has been in a relationship before (I mean he point blank said it was heat of the moment stuff and tried to pretend he forgot). In S4, She has a new family now and it's somewhere completely new. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Being in Lenora gave her a chance to have a normal life. She got to be a regular kid - one without powers who gets to go to school. But this situation leaves her feeling vulnerable. She's away from Max - the first positive relationship she's had, and she's getting bullied. She fixates on her bullies and makes it sound like they are friends, I think so she can feel like she belongs.

Because this is the first time El is confronted with the fact that she's different and kind of weird. Sure the boys said so when they first found her in S1, but she started dressing like everyone else so that was fixed. This group fully accepted El and her idiosyncrasies in a way that most people don't. This is the first time she interacts with a lot kids her own age and it's very obvious that she is behind academically and developmentally. She spent her childhood in a lab so this makes sense. But the other kids are awful about it. She is in a very vulnerable place here and feels defenseless.

I am assuming she didn't form much of a relationship with Jonathan during this time because he even pulled away from Will. Joyce was likely there for her and knew that she missed Hopper so they probably talked about it. But she does leave suddenly with little explanation. It was for a good reason but feeds into El's abandonment and vulnerability.

And I don't think her and Will were very close. They went to school together and probably talked about that, but Mike is unintentionally between them and making it hard for them to bond. So I think El probably felt alone a lot of the time. Her and Will clearly care about each other and are relieved to reunite, but I don't get the impression that they are friends. And a lot of that has to do with El not really knowing how to be still. Because when Mike shows up she completely ignores Will. She knows the two are friends but he is very much a third wheel here. She's never really had a relationship with more than one person at once before. Mike was struggling with this in S3 but he has the benefit of having friendships his whole life, so he's able to correct this more easily.

But she ignores Will's feelings and on the surface so does Mike (though he was paying very close attention to him the whole time). But she's also not really considering Mike's either. She decided they were getting back together without talking to him and gets mad at him for not saying he loves her. She fights with Mike the way she does with Hopper. A lot of yelling and hurt feelings. She dismisses his experience with bullying because she can only see her own pain. The miscommunication happening here is entirely El. Mike starts off this in the way that he should. He does the same thing to Will later. But Will responds in an emotionally mature way and El doesn't because she doesn't know how to. So the conversation quickly devolves into an argument.

She ends up running away from home once again. She runs away when there are problems. Sometimes, like the lab, that is the correct response. But sometimes, like here, it's because she doesn't know how to work through her problems with people. She doesn't know how to have those conversations because she never learned. She runs back to the lab because she's feeling vulnerable and alone. She also hears that people in Hawkins need her. She's their only hope. It's kind of an impulsive choice to go. She doesn't spend much time thinking about it and when she gets there and realizes Brenner is there she tries to get out. It's interesting to consider what would have happened had Joyce been in Lenora when this went down. I don't think she would have just let Owens take her and it may have made her not want to go (at least not alone).

But part of the reason why she wants to is because she feels like she has no purpose without her powers. And people need her when she does have them. She likes to be needed. Mike says a lot of similar things. He needs El to need him. He feels useless when she doesn't. It's not good that either of them think like this. She goes through a very traumatic thing once again and resurfaces memories that she forgot about. El never got the chance to deal with any of her lab trauma. She's young and likely didn't talk about any of it with anyone. But this has such a huge impact on her emotional well-being. Her self-worth is tied to her powers, and her powers are tied to her abuse, but at this point she is realizing she doesn't want to be a superhero. She does get some closure with Brenner though which is a good thing. I think it puts her in a place where she is starting to heal for the first time. But she's unable to save Max, a person who she has grown to care about a lot. She wasn't able to be the hero this time.

Which leaves El in an interesting place moving forward. Because Mike liking that she's a superhero is a big problem and her not being able to save Max is going to hurt her self-esteem. Mike calling her a superhero is something he doesn't notice is a problem because he thinks it's cool. And when he's called Dustin and Will that in the past they liked it. But he doesn't know her lab origin story. So he doesn't understand that her powers are tied to abuse and it's not an empowering thing for her to be called this. Mike and Brenner's attitudes toward her powers are similar - not the same. Both think it's interesting and useful that she can do this. Mike in a more childlike way where he idolizes superheroes. And Brenner in a creepy mad, scientist way.

So after knowing all of this. After knowing everything El has been through. How can anyone suggest that El needs to be in a romantic relationship with Mike? Because she has had nothing but an unstable childhood full of trauma. And obviously because of this, she doesn't know how to form healthy relationships with people or handle problems well. It isn't her fault. No one taught her. She didn't get to learn the way the rest of us do. But it doesn't change the fact that she struggles with this. It doesn't change the fact that Will and Mike have both had their feelings dismissed by her and she didn't notice or apologize. And it doesn't change the fact that what she actually needs is a stable, normal life. Which is why it is so so important that she now has a family. And it's so important that she learns to form relationships with people. Her and Max haven't spent that much time together, but it's also important that she spend more time with the rest of the group too.

I always assumed that El had Post-Institution Syndrome but I don't think that's ever been confirmed. I think it's far more interesting for her to go through this journey and end the series with a stronger sense of self and a stable support system than it would be for her to have a boyfriend she doesn't communicate with or understand. It would show character growth in a way that a romantic relationship just wouldn't at this point for her.

I think she's at the point where she is realizing this herself. She wants distance from Mike at the end of the season and she is happy to be reunited with her family. She deserves her lost childhood back.

Edit: Apparently this kind of post qualifies as El hate. This post explains why it's not.

[dollywheeler]

September 27th, 1996

Dear diary,

I fumbled.

I fumbled and almost made the wrong turn and I could have died.

I could have died on the spot and it would have been less awful.

It's so embarrassing I can barely think back on it, but I can't stop. It keeps playing through my head again and again.

Everything started so great - the gymnasium was loud and colorful and bright, and everything I love about game days.

The gymnasium was crowded too - every student and teacher, and even some of the girls that graduated last June. Hell, mom and dad were there. Of course they are there when I mess up! I wanted them to see how good I was getting, not fumbling around like a complete idiot!

I really don't know what happened; I've never made a mistake like that ever. I'd been so looking forward to it, working so hard to make sure I knew the routine by heart. I should have been able to do it in my sleep.

I just managed to keep it together until the game started up again and I could sneak out into the hallway. I'm sure at least one of the girls saw me leave, but they know I usually do this when I fuck up so they let me be. I haven't needed to since Freshman year - I've been working so hard exactly so this wouldn't happen again.

I still don't know why I do it. Obviously it's better to hide, where no one can see me until my skin stops itching and I stop feeling like everyone is staring at me. But I also know it's counterproductive. I know it just makes me sink deeper into my failure, know that I'll just be miserable and alone if I run away. But I can't stop it - I just can't stand being around that many people anymore.

The last time had been at an away game - some school closer to Chicago that I can't even remember. The best I could do there was some alcove in a dark hallway. At home I knew where to go. It had been a while since I had gone out there, but the bench on the far side of the building was still there, far enough from the gymnasium that it was always quiet and empty. No one wandered far enough from the game to find it.

It was starting to get dark, the sky a deep purple, which was nice but also strange. Usually it's already fully dark out, and it feels like there's more cover. I still felt too exposed now, even sitting there curled up with my arms wrapped around my knees. I'd forgotten my jacket.

"There you are." I jumped at the sudden voice, not expecting anyone to have followed me. Even if I had, the last person I would have expected to see was Mike. He was slightly out of breath as if he'd had to run to catch up to me. I hadn't even noticed he was at the game, though it stood to reason he wouldn't have sat with the other teachers just yet.

He came to a stop in front of me, suddenly slightly awkward as he looked me over. "Hey."

I honestly didn't know what to say so I just stared at him, baffled he was there in the first place. No one ever followed me. And suddenly Mike had appeared out of nowhere, blipped into existence when I had spent the last few years trying to forget he even exists. He's not supposed to exist - just a negative space in the last seven years of my life.

"I know you're not a fan of me but-," he started, fumbling over his words as he inched closer to the bench. "I just wanted to check up on you."

"I didn't even know you were here." I frowned, swallowing against the knot in my throat, my voice shaky even to my own ears. I wanted him to leave. I didn't want to be alone. "I thought you had plans this weekend."

"Uh, yeah - the party's back in town. Well, everyone except Dustin because he has some conference or whatever, but... uh, yeah, we were planning to come to the game. We wanted to come see your show. El and Max are here too. Lucas tried but he's not really a fan of basketball anymore so he left early..."

He rambles a lot, I noticed, sounding nothing like he does when I overhear him talking to just Will. In class, he rambles a lot too, but at least there he's doing so with purpose, knowing what he's saying and when to stop. It made him look awkward and out of place, as if it's me that's making him nervous. As if I'm not just the little sister that's nine years too immature for him, shoved into the corner of the room with a pile of dolls so I'm out of the way.

"Great," I told him, my misery finally making me cave and scooting over to make space for Mike on the bench. He seemed surprised, hesitant still to join me, which I had to admit was kind of funny. Still, I sobered up again quickly enough, a shiver running through me at the memory. "At least one person that didn't see me completely humiliate myself."

"Come on, Holzie." Mike nudged my shoulder, and I was thrown off guard by the new nickname, pulling my attention away from my spinning thoughts. "It really wasn't that obvious. I noticed at least two girls that were out of step the entire routine - you made one tiny mistake that no one will remember."

"It's that I made the mistake at all," I corrected him, and to my dismay and complete mortification, my voice cracked. "I'm not the best if I make stupid mistakes like that. And if I'm not the best I'll never make cheer captain and I'll just be one more girl on the cheerleading team that no one really-" cares about is what I was going to say, but luckily I cut myself off before I could finish. I know it's stupid. Know everyone is important. There's not a girl on the team I wouldn't miss - but that's because they're my friends.

For once I want people to notice me for me. I want to make a mark to people that don't know me at all. Want people to see me, notice me, because of me, not because they already know about me.

Worse, I started crying in front of the last person on earth I wanted to cry in front of. The only person in the world who I've spent my entire life trying to convince I'm not a baby anymore. There's just something about Mike that always makes me feel younger than I am. Inadequate.

"You will," Mike assured me, "no one works harder than you."

I was confused what made him think that. How he would know. It's not something I like to advertise, and it only made me cry harder. Because that's the point - I have to work twice as hard to be half as good as everyone else. Everyone else gets it with the six hours practice we have a week - they're flawless, make no mistakes at all. It's just not fair.

And I'm so tired of trying to catch up.

I desperately tried to wipe my tears away as quickly as possible as we sat in silence for a while, Mike leaning closer and handing me a tissue he pulled from his pocket. For some reason, it always helps me stop crying once I can wipe my face dry, physically putting myself together, so I was grateful even if I was completely embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I used to be good at this," Mike chuckled, trying to lighten the mood as he nudged my shoulder again. "It's been a while."

If he were, I don't remember it.

I told him we should get back inside, even though that was the last thing I wanted to do. But Daniel was still playing, and I couldn't stay gone from the team forever either, so I sucked it up. I just hoped I could stop by the bathroom to make sure I didn't look like a complete nutcase - which was a terrible idea because of course I did, now I just knew exactly how fucked I looked.

Before we entered the gymnasium Mike stopped me.

He told me he'd seen me practicing on the field sometimes.

After everything I seriously couldn't be any more embarrassed so I just shrugged and confirmed it, even though I was confused as to where he was going with it. I also hadn't considered anyone showing up early being able to see me, so it was good to know for the future.

"I know I can't tell you what to do but... please don't practice without the team - at least not the crazy gymnastic jump things." I blinked at him in surprise, perplexed at his request. It's not like I was in anyone's way or bothering anyone, but he explained it was dangerous and didn't want me to fall and get hurt with no one around to get help. And it didn't feel like a scolding - I mean I felt stupid for not having thought about that myself, but for some reason i didn't care about any of that.

I promised I wouldn't anymore, and as we entered the gymnasium I automatically searched out mom and dad. Dad was watching the game, but mom is usually bored by the game itself, so it wasn't a surprise that she'd been looking out for me, immediately noticing us by the door. It stood to reason she'd already deduced Mike had been at the game too, but she seemed content to wait for the dinner to talk to him again because she just smiled at us before looking at the game now she knew we were okay.

Mike asked if I wanted to come sit by him and his friends for a bit. Now I knew to look for them I found them easily enough in the left top corner of the bleachers on their side of the court - Max was the most obvious with her bright hair, and from there it was easy to find Will and El sitting on either side of her. I know El the least out of all of Mike's friends, which I've always found strange because I'm pretty sure they dated at some point and before Mike and Will had moved back, she'd been the one hanging around Hawkins the most often. Even from that far away I could see her expressive features, and she hadn't had those pink streaks in her hair the last time I'd seen her. They suited her.

I'd like to talk to Max again, thank her in person for helping Mike pick out my birthday present, but of course, even if I wanted to take Mike up on his offer, I couldn't, having to go sit with the rest of the team. I could already see Dylan smiling at me and beckoning me closer, so I just dismissed Mike. I thanked him though, because even though he hadn't been much help in making me feel better, it had been nice that he'd followed me. That he'd sat with me.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get my sense back.

For now I'm too worn out to be angry.

At least I think writing has helped me calm down enough from my embarrassment to sleep.

Love, Holly

[lassieposting]

You have really intresting and anazibg analysis why do you think that The prototype had a lot of appropriate to kill the protagonist why do you think he hasn't killed them yet?

Oh my god this has been in my inbox all year I am so sorry

Firstly, thank you! I'm glad you enjoy my incoherent yelling.

Secondly - okay so here's the thing. The reason this has sat here for so long is because I was already working on a post about this, and it has been so hard to make it like. Properly coherent. So fuck it. Here we go we're gonna freeball this thing.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to this: he hasn't killed us because he still needs us.

Now, let's get into that a little more. I've mentioned a few times in other posts that I don't actually believe this game has a true "Big Bad". As things stand at the end of Chapter 3, the vibe I'm getting is that while the player character likely currently believes Prototype is evil (because Poppy says so), the only real evil at play here is the Playtime Company - and even then, plenty of people worked at Playtime who were in the dark about what their bosses were getting up to. The creatures that are left after the Hour of Joy are less good/evil and more just. Different points on a spectrum of trauma and violence.

Prototype in particular I think has spent the past ten years trying to do the right thing in a situation that has no good outcome, and which keeps leaving him with fewer and fewer viable options.

Fact: Prototype fights for the freedom of the captive experiments.

While he's a prisoner, he focuses everything he has on escape. We hear of not one, but several prison break attempts by Prototype, both alone and with (or on behalf of) others. Huggy escapes at one point, and since it's confirmed that

a) Huggy has very limited intelligence

b) Prototype and Huggy have a relationship

it's very likely that he had help from Prototype in this escape attempt, both in terms of discovering an escape route and causing a distraction to give Huggy a chance to get away. It's even plausible that this "release" of Huggy was an attempt to get help for the captured experiments - Huggy is tall, but he's fast, agile and able to squeeze through small gaps, while Prototype - based on CatNap's statue - is BIG and would have a lot more difficulty getting out of the facility unimpeded.

We also hear about the laser pointer escape attempt, which results in the death of a Playtime Co staff member, and uses the skills that make me suspect Prototype was once military. And then there's the doomed joint escape attempt with Theo.

So. With all these failed escape attempts under his belt, Prototype turns instead to outright revolution. He focuses everything he has on planning and executing the Hour of Joy. He's single-minded about it, because in times of war and ongoing trauma you have to be - you can't afford to let your determination slip, you can't afford to question yourself, you can't sink into the apathy and depression of long-term captivity. He presses forward. He wins the Bigger Bodies experiments to his cause, and he leads them in a wholesale massacre of everyone responsible for their torment.

Fact: The experiments never left the factory.

But then, in the glorious, victorious aftermath...it hits him that there is no next step. He's led the experiments into a bottleneck. They can't leave the factory. They're no longer human. This is America: they'll be shot on sight. And they've just massacred the people who were "caring" for them, which means they're now facing an imminent food shortage.

So he thinks fast. He tells them to gather up the bodies and store them as food. It's not meant to be a longterm solution. The experiments are children, but he is (or at least, I suspect he is, based on his behaviour) likely a veteran, and he's able to be brutally pragmatic in ways they can't. This is a bad action, driven by good motives - keep the toys alive. He's buying himself breathing room to come up with something else.

But there is no 'something else'. They're trapped, and eventually, the buffer brought by the staff-corpse stockpile starts to run short as they finish eating the dead.

Not Quite Fact, But A Reasonable Conclusion: Prototype's territory is in the labs in the bowels of the Playtime Co factory.

In an interview with CatNap, Leith Pierre tells him that, "[Prototype's] place is down in the labs." So this is likely where he was kept as a prisoner, in his solitary cell. He would have a lot of horrible, traumatic memories associated with that part of the facility.

So why is he still down there?

My theory is that as the food ran out, and the starving Bigger Bodies critters began to turn on the smaller toys to feed themselves, Prototype - a proven tactical thinker who does not need to eat to survive - likely took baby CatNap and at least some of the smaller toys and retreated to the most defensible position in the facility - which just happened to be the labs.

They're deep, deep underground, as evidenced by the fact that despite being well below ground level already, we still have to ride an elevator down to confront him at the end of Chapter 3.

The labs used to house Prototype himself, and he's notorious for escaping. While Playtime Co is definitely negligent with its employees' safety, the labs would probably still have emergency lockdown defenses to protect Harley Sawyer and other important scientists in the event of a containment breach, and as intelligent as he is he's probably figured out how to trigger them to his own benefit.

The wider facility is a maze, but the labs are secret - they probably have one way in and one way out, perhaps with an emergency exit for Important People.

So anything trying to get into the labs will have to go through Prototype first. And from what we've seen and heard, he's the scariest fucking thing in that facility - but he's also the only one with no motivation to hunt his own kind. It's the best way for him to protect the most amount of toys.

(As an aside, I love the idea that this is where all the small toys whose bodies we see in the hallways - and the Bunzo picked off by CatNap - were trying to get to when they were killed. They want to make it down to the labs. That's what's making it worth leaving cover and running the gauntlet of Bigger Bodies experiments - because they are flirting with death every time they so much as set foot out in the open. If you're a small toy with limited motor function and no defensive capabilities, you absolutely want to put like two tons of sharp metal and terrifying reputation between you and the things that want to eat you alive.)

And while he's down there, he's frantically thinking of ways to get them all out of this mess he's unintentionally led them into.

And all he can come up with, in the end, is us. The missing face from the pile of bodies. The staff member who wasn't there.

Theory: We are Prototype's suicide.

Prototype has been tailing us from a distance ever since we entered the facility, and he's helped us - we don't open the locked gate after Mommy dies, there's no way for us to open the gate; Prototype lets us go. There's a gate that lifts up just in time as we're being chased through the vents by Huggy - who gave us that way out? - so clearly he has some kind of plan for us. He needs us to get through all these dangerous environments.

My theory is that we are his final solution. We're the end of the road for everything in that facility.

He's just. Been putting out fires since the Hour of Joy. And there are too many fires. He's had to prioritise, and that's meant letting some awful shit go unchecked, or doing some awful shit himself, and he's tired. He's realised, and finally made his peace with, the fact that the only freedom any of them will ever get is in death.

So he led the player to Poppy, who hates him, and sees him as no better than Playtime Co itself. Poppy, who will encourage the Player to kill him outright. Poppy, who knows "Ollie" as an ally. He's building himself up to be the Big Bad so that when we finally confront him face to face, we'll kill him without question, and it will finally be over.

The suicide theory also gives him a way to "clean up" the remaining experiments without having to kill them himself. Because like. He knows Huggy and CatNap. He doesn't want to hurt them, no matter what they've become - because he knows them as frightened, helpless children. It's probably killing him to let anything happen to CatNap in particular. But he can look the other way while the player takes care of the last children he failed to save.

(Obviously, he ends up involving himself with CatNap anyway, because that's his kid. That's his friend, who tried to help him escape, and paid with his life. He likely raised CatNap. And the death the player is giving him is absolutely not quick or clean or painless. It's messy and painful and he can feel CatNap's pain and fear through the telepathic link Prototype established long ago to reach out to Theo, and that's not going to stand. So he does it himself after all - one blow, straight into the brain, severing the spinal cord: immediate, almost painless death.)

Like. 100% this guy has done some terrible shit. He's in no way an innocent pure uwu bean. But I don't necessarily think he's any more evil than any army general in a long campaign full of atrocities on both sides. War hero to some, war criminal to others. Exhausted. Desperate for it to all be over, but unable to stop fighting. Constantly weighing lives on the terrible scale of survival. Powerful. Powerless. Painfully aware of how much blood is on his hands, starting to wonder if he's any better than the regime he fought to overthrow.

If this turns out to be right, what we have here is not a Big Bad. Just a traumatized, tired old soldier driven to do terrible things in the names of freedom and safety and survival, like thousands of other tired old soldiers before him. A freedom fighter who has had to come to terms with the fact that there is no freedom.

And he's ready for it to be over.

And that's where we come in.

[andiwriteordie]

Mike coming out to Will sometime during season 5 before they’ve confessed their feelings for each other or anything hehe

For the writing prompt requests <3 also CONGRATS ON 1500 ANDI U DESERVE IT!!

hi elli!!! oh my god this prompt 🥺 this is so sweet, and it was so much fun to write. (side note i have now written like 3 coming out stories in the span of a week so. that's fun!) also tysm!!! <3 i hope you enjoy this!

—

you pull me in (and i’m a little more brave)

Mike Wheeler has two secrets.

He’s never really been a person who has liked keeping secrets, at least not from his friends. He’s kept secrets from his parents for his entire life, so that doesn’t really matter. But Mike has always tried to be honest with his friends. After all, the Party’s first rule isn’t “friends don’t lie” for nothing.

But Mike Wheeler has two secrets, and he’s kept them close to his chest for the past couple of years.

The first secret is this:

Mike Wheeler is gay.

Yeah, that… that had been something difficult to come to terms with. It all started back in the fall of 1985 before everything went to shit and before the world started ending and before they got trapped into an interdimensional war with One and the monsters of the Upside Down. Talk about an awful time to have a sexuality crisis. 

Seriously. Mike spent… a lot of sleepless nights, absolutely terrified that his first big secret would be found out. When you’re fighting a monster who literally reaches into your brain and brings out the worst parts of you—the parts that you’re terrified to even admit to yourself—it’s really not a good idea to have this big of a secret. 

At least… at least that’s what Will said when he came out as gay, early last year.

God, he’s the bravest person that Mike knows. There’s no one braver in the world than Will Byers—not even El, whom Mike believes is really fucking brave. But El, as incredible as she may be, is also a superhero. Of course, she can bravely face monsters and government scientists and anything the world throws at her. Mike thinks he’d be braver too if he was better than Superman.

Will’s just Will though, and he’s been through so much. And yet, he makes the decision to get back up every time the world tries to knock him down. He stands up against all the monsters and the bullies and every single being that’s ever hurt him, and yet, he still manages to be the kindest, most loving person Mike has ever met. He’s never lost sight of who he is, and everything he does inspires Mike to be braver. 

There’s no one braver than Will Byers—no one better in the world than Will Byers.

And that’s exactly why Mike decides that Will Byers should be the first person in the world to learn his secret.

The two of them are sitting in Mike’s bedroom now. Earlier, he’d asked Will if they could talk—alone, he’d been quick to add. Naturally, Will had been a little bit confused, but he’d nodded and promised to come over to Mike’s room in the lab after dinner.

And so… here they are. 

Mike’s heart pounds inside his chest, and his hands feel clammy. Of all the people in the world, Will is going to be the most accepting. Everyone in the extended Party has been accepting of Will and Robin (who’d come out a few months before Will), so honestly, Mike knows he shouldn’t worry about their reactions. But still, he’s never shared this secret with anyone before, and… and it’s terrifying.

But this is Will.

And Will makes him feel brave.

So, with Will Byers’ kind hazel eyes staring back at him, Mike takes a deep breath, and he wrings his hands nervously.

And he chooses to let his walls down.

“Will… I… I’m gay,” Mike admits, his voice impossibly soft. He doesn’t dare look up at his best friend—not yet. The memories of words so cruel and so hurtful, said years ago on a day full of pouring rain and his worst mistakes, make their way to the forefront of his mind. “I… I’ve known for a while now, and I, um… I didn’t want to admit it... But I… I don’t want to hide anymore.”

Another breath—shaky and quiet this time.

Mike dares to look up, and he meets Will’s eyes. “I, um… I said some things to you when we were younger,” Mike whispers, and though his vision is a little blurry because of the tears stinging his eyes, he can still see the recognition that flashes across Will’s face. “Some really, really hurtful things… and I’m sorry, Will. I… I know it’s no excuse, but… that’s when I was first starting to realize this about myself… And I was scared, and I took it out on you. And I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”

One more breath. In and out.

“I wanted to tell you first,” Mike says, his voice soft, “not… not just because you’re gay too, but… but because you’re my best friend in the entire world, Will. And I just… I trust you more than anyone else, you know? And also… because you make me feel brave enough to be myself. So… yeah. That’s it, I guess.”

For a moment, Will just stares back at Mike, as if he’s searching for… for something or trying to understand Mike better. There’s curiosity but also compassion and understanding in Will’s eyes, and before Mike knows it, he’s being pulled into Will’s arms.

“Oh, Mike,” Will whispers, holding him close. 

The embrace is warm and familiar and comforting, and God, fresh tears well in Mike’s eyes as he all but collapses into Will’s hug. Will’s arms wrap around him tighter in response, and Mike sniffles, burying his head in his best friend’s shoulder.

 “I’m so proud of you,” Will murmurs, rubbing Mike’s back gently. “God, I am so, so proud of you, Mike. You have no idea. Thank you. Thank you for… for trusting me and for being you. You’re incredible, and I’m so proud of you.”

Somehow, just like he always does, Will knows exactly what to say. He knows exactly what Mike needs to hear, and Mike can’t help the watery laugh that escapes his lips. “I didn’t really do anything,” he admits. “Nothing that you haven’t done.”

“Hey.” Will pulls back, just enough so they can look at each other now, and he smiles at Mike, gentle and familiar. “Coming out is terrifying no matter what, and it’s not about me. It’s about you and how brave you are and how incredible it is that you’re accepting who you are. So… I mean it, Mike. I’m proud of you, and thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.”

Will pauses for a brief moment; then, he smiles again. “When I came out,” he says softly, “Robin told me this… She said that the world becomes a better, more beautiful place whenever anybody accepts who they are and shares it with the world. So… just remember that, okay?”

Mike can’t help but smile, and he reaches up, putting his hand on top of Will’s. “Okay,” he whispers back. “Thanks, Will… Seriously. Thank you for… for everything.”

The look on Will’s face turns soft again, and for a moment, the world shrinks until it’s just the two of them. Something wildly beautiful and familiar and electric lingers in the air between them, close enough for Mike to reach out and grab it, and he nearly does.

Because, you see, Mike Wheeler has two secrets—though, he’s now shared one of those secrets with someone and is starting to find the courage to share it with others.

The first secret is this: 

Mike Wheeler is gay.

The second one is… a little more complicated than the first, and it’s this:

Mike Wheeler is in love with Will Byers.

[isitisitearlymichael]

Completely taking Byler out of the equation here, the thing that bothers me the most about Milkvan is that they barely know each other.

I think some viewers are blinded by the fact that the gaps between seasons have been so long, and think that they’ve been a couple for like 5 years or something.

In reality, if we consider that Mike and El got together at the Snow Ball, there were only 15 months between the ball and the events of season 4. In that time, they spent around 6 months together, broke up, had an unspecified relationship for 3 months (a book suggests they didn’t get to see each other at all) and then were separated for about 6 months when El moved away.

Add to that, they spent the last 6 months apart sending letters to each other in which El put on a façade, lying to Mike about how happy she was because she was insecure about the truth - which just goes to further prove how much these two just don’t know each other very well at all.

The show makes the situation worse, because it constantly separates the couple. The only times we got to see El and Mike being themselves around each other in season 4 were when they were arguing, or the brief conversation they had before Argyle interrupted them. It’s really hard to tell if they have any chemistry at all when we’re not even getting to see them together.

Although the characters shouldn’t have aged as much as they visibly did in those short 15 months, it’s undeniable that they’ve changed a lot too. Just looking at El alone- her vocabulary has improved so much to the point that she really stood her ground when standing up to Papa this season. She’s not the same girl that Mike found in the woods 2 years ago, and she’s still finding herself too.

So I’m looking at two characters which have spent more time apart than they have together, and who within that time have been growing into two very different people. I get that they care about each other a lot - their separation and reunion in season 2 really showed how much they missed each other - but their relationship is not anywhere near as deep and prolonged as some fans seem to define it. That’s also why Mike’s monologue felt so insincere.

[aloneinthehellfire]

Come Back Home

Season One | Season Two | Season Three | Season Four

Raining Hellfire: Season Four

Word Count: 3113 words

Warnings: swearing, bullying, mentions of death

[A/N: The introduction to RH4 is here! This season has been the hardest to write considering that this is where we find out all the truth behind Vecna. I'm excited to finally share this with you all :)]

Before we begin a new season, I just want to thank every single person who has supported my story. I'm not sure what will happen after RH4, if this will be the last season, but I've had a hell of a time writing this :)

Come Back Home

Dear Y/n,

High school hasn’t really been anything special. It’s kinda hard but at least the lessons are slightly more interesting.

The guys decided to join Hellfire Club. Eddie’s taking care of them. Just like you said he would.

Lucas tried out for the basketball team. I think he’s enjoying it, despite all the assholes he says are his friends. We’re not really seeing eye to eye lately. But it’s all fine. I promise.

Mike complains a lot about El and Will not being there. I think he forgets that we’re all missing them too. It kinda sucks that El and I got so close only for her to move away. But she calls me, telling me about her time in California. She tells me she’s enjoying it.

Steve and Robin seem to like working at the video store. I visit them sometimes, Steve always sneaks me any new releases. He thinks I’m lonely but I’m fine. He just overreacts. He also constantly asks about you, pretending like he doesn’t care. He misses you, even if he doesn’t admit it. We all do.

Mom and I moved into a trailer after Neil left. It’s nice, sometimes. Mom started drinking again but we get to spend time together and she’s trying her hardest. She couldn’t take Jack’s house. She misses her brother.

I miss you. A lot. I know we’ve done this before and at least this time I can talk with you but sometimes I wish you and I could just hang out together. The party are kind of acting like you’re on holiday. Like any day now you’ll burst through the door with souvenirs. But Nancy keeps telling them that’s not the case. They don’t listen. Of course they don’t.

I know why you left. You did it for us, even if the others can’t see that.

I’m doing okay. You’ve said in your letters that you worry about me but I’m completely fine. You should live a life away from Hawkins. You deserve that. You don’t need to come back.

I love and miss you,

Madmax.

You stuff the letter back into your drawer with a sigh. That was the last letter Max had sent you. It had been weeks now.

You couldn’t help but worry every single day you spent away from Hawkins. After hearing about Susan and Neil’s divorce, you felt guilty for ever leaving Max in the first place. Billy died and she needed you. But it was too dangerous.

The nightmarish figure hadn’t visited you in the eight months you’ve been away from Hawkins. It was a relief, really. You could finally sleep without fear of being pulled into the Upside Down.

But you still couldn’t close your eyes without seeing Jack and Billy die in front of you.

“Y/n?”

Your room-mate poked her head around the door, eyes wide.

“You okay?” You looked at Clara with a confused expression, setting down the pen you were using and slipping a half-written letter into a pile of work on your desk.

“She’s at it again.” She sighs and your lips purse.

Great, you thought, another fun day in Florida.

Clara patiently waits for you to sort out your things before you grab your keys and join her, walking quickly to the college courtyard where you could already see a crowd of students forming.

Yells and shouts could be heard as a trio of girls messed around with Emma Sanders. You suck in a breath. You wished you could say this wasn’t a daily occurrence.

Emma Sanders was a 16 year old girl who had managed to get into college early from her brains alone. She was a modest girl, very shy since everyone else around her was much older. You and her had shared a class together and it turns out Emma was much more sweet and funny than anyone seemed to notice. But, there was a rumour spreading that her parents were on the board and used their position to get her into college. She has claimed over and over that she just got an early scholarship but that’s the thing with the students at this college; they hate to see someone out-do them. They hate it even more when the girl they bully actually sticks up for themself and calls them out on their bullshit.

Which is why, almost every day since the beginning of the college year, poor Emma had to experience the very worst of what teenage girls are capable of.

“Move out of the way.” You sigh, shoving past a group of guys clearly enjoying the display. They protest but shift out of your way regardless, craning their necks for a better view of the fight.

It was a deja-vu moment for you; breaking up a fight. And over three years later, here you were. Being a ‘hero’, as someone would always say to you.

Clara shuffled up beside you as you pushed your way into the circle, coming face to face with the devils themselves.

“Okay, we get it. You’re upset you’re all dumb and had to pay to get in.” You retort, picking your friend from off the floor and she sends you a grateful smile.

You gently nudge her away from the crowd and Emma disappears, most likely to the library. Hopefully she’d be okay.

“Y/n Mayfield. Here to ruin the fun, like always.”

The shrill voice called from behind you and you clicked your tongue. She had the kind of voice that scratched your brain in the most excruciatingly painful way possible.

And it just so happens that you had years of experience blocking her out.

“Carol.” You purse your lips, turning to face the queen of high school herself, still taking advantage of those around her for her own personal enjoyment. “You realise this is college, right?”

She simply raises her eyebrows, edging you on.

“You’re not in high school anymore.” You sigh, shaking your head, “Maybe you should focus on actually passing the semester instead of proving that your daddy has more money than the rest of us.”

“Yeah, and can the rest of you stop acting like this is some crappy teen drama movie?” Clara yelled at the few students still standing around you, chanting as if something more than an exchange of words would happen. “Go to class or something! Get a damn education!”

A few sighs and groans sounded but soon everyone dispersed, leaving you and Clara with Carol and her new-found minions.

“Why, oh why, do you always have to annoy me?” Carol sighs, waving her hand in the air. The action caused the other two girls to stalk away. She really did have power over them.

“Look, Carol.” You take a step forward, shoulders slumped. You were really tired of this. “I had no idea we were going to end up at the same college. But here we are and honestly, I just want a normal college experience, okay? No fights, no stupid rumours. Is that so impossible to ask for?”

Carol shifted on her feet, chewing the gum in her mouth slowly as she pondered the thought.

“You know what?” Carol slowly nodded, smiling. “You’re right.”

You almost fall back in surprise. “I am?”

“She is?” Clara chimed in beside you, just as confused.

“Yeah.” Carol took a few steps towards you. “It really is impossible to ask for.”

“Oh for the love of-” You mutter and Carol glares at you.

“Why would I ever forgive and forget someone that slept with my boyfriend?”

Clara audibly gasps beside you. That was something you had left out of the room-mate introductions.

You roll your eyes, crossing your arms, “For the last time, I didn’t know! I was drunk and I would never have done that if he just told me you were dating.”

“Really?” Carol raised an eyebrow. “Cause it seems to be a trend with you lately. Stealing other girls’ boyfriends.”

“I doubt Y/n would do that.” Clara shakes her head and you smile to yourself. Good to know someone had your back.

“I heard a rumour…” Carol stepped forward, her pink lips stretched into a wicked smile. “That you ended up sleeping with Steve Harrington.”

“Who?” Clara whispered to you and you just waved your hand.

“That didn’t happen.” You say. It was the truth, nothing more than an emotional shared kiss ever happened between you and Steve. Certainly not when he and Nancy were still dating.

“You should really rethink your friends.” Carol turns to the girl next to you, an innocent look on her face. “Y/n was notorious for being the whore of Hawkins.”

“Fuck you.” You finally spat and she smiled. She got exactly what she wanted; to get you angry.

“Hm, let’s see.” Carol held up her hand and started putting down fingers as she counted. “Tommy, Eddie, Steve. Oh, and let’s not forget Billy.”

You stayed silent, breath hitching at the sound of his name.

“All in the space of, what, three years?” She smirked at you. “And yet, little old Y/n Mayfield couldn’t manage to keep any of them. In fact, she ended up running away just when she realised that they could never love a girl…”

Carol’s eyes turned dark as she leant forward to whisper into your ear. “… who murdered her best friend.”

Your eyes widen with tears, breath caught in your throat. How did she know that?

“Don’t underestimate your enemies, Y/n.” She said, glaring at you, “Especially ones with friends in high places.”

She leant in again with a smile, chuckling lowly, “Or ones who end up snooping through the school shrink’s files. You should really be careful what you tell people.”

“What do you want from me?” Your voice was barely a whisper.

“I want you to realise that you deserve everything that’s coming to you. I want you out of Florida. This is my college, not yours.”

“I can’t.” You say, shaking your head slightly.

“You’re gonna have to.” She pouts, fixing the collar of your shirt. “Or I’m gonna tell everyone at this college exactly who you are.”

She let’s out a shrill laugh, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

“Anyway, it was nice catching up. Let’s not do this again, ‘kay?” She looks to your friend with a grin, “Bye, Claire.”

“It’s Clara.” She mumbled, glaring.

“Whatever.”

And just like that, the infamous Carol Perkins reclaimed her power and left you stood in the middle of the courtyard, heartbeat running fast enough to blur your vision.

“Y/n?” Clara placed her hand on your shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“… yeah.” You nod, shaking away the burning nerves. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Don’t let her get into your head, Y/n.” She frowned. You let out a breathy laugh, shaking your head.

“It’s not that easy.”

Clara invited you out with her friends for lunch, claiming you needed to have some fun and actually explore outside of your room. You respectfully declined her offer, telling her to have fun without you. You weren’t in the party mood.

You pulled out the paper you had hidden away earlier, grabbing your pen and wiping away a stray tear. All you had done to forget your past, it always found its way to haunt you.

The paper was crumpled at the edges and you tried your absolute best to smooth them out, wanting it to be perfect. You took a breath, reading the very first line over and over until your brain hurt.

Dear Eddie,

For months now you had tried to muster up some kind of courage to write to him. Ever since the day you left, the metalhead never left your brain. But, at the exact same time, neither did Steve. Never in your life did you think you’d be stuck in some kind of love triangle that only you were aware of.

It’s always been hard for you to express your feelings. Growing up in a house with parents that thought being tough built character would do that to you.

Billy had come first but the feelings between you two had gotten muddled up along the way; you weren’t ever in love. He was your best friend, your closest friend and you were both too young to understand that love didn’t have to be romantic. Which made sense. You didn’t think you were capable of it.

Then Eddie Munson changed all that for you. He was sweet, and kind, and everything you could have hoped for. You finally got to feel what real love felt like. All the best and worst moments of it. Every time you were with him, you felt some kind of electricity you couldn’t explain. And those feelings never left you, not really. You just couldn’t admit it to him in the end.

The kiss you and Steve had shared the night of the ‘mall fire’ was far from meaning nothing to you. In fact, you had both confessed you liked eachother. You had confessed you loved eachother. Love was a word that barely left your lips. Steve made you feel safe, feel heard. Like he knew every part of you. But you were both still in love with the ones that got away.

You groan into your hands, throwing the pen back down. Writing this letter was impossible.

Maybe it was for the best that you’d never see them again.

And with Carol’s sudden blackmail, you were way too busy figuring out if you could transfer colleges. Maybe you could head to San Diego instead. Or Arizona. Or just flee to Europe.

Hopefully Max will get your letters when you move.

As you reach to switch off the table lamp, the phone at the edge of the desk suddenly starting ringing. You jumped in surprise, chair wobbling on two legs for a moment before you composed yourself. You frowned. Nancy only just called you yesterday evening.

You pick up the phone, holding it to your ear cautiously.

“Hello?”

“Y/n?” Robin’s voice called out and you breathed a sigh of relief. You and Robin had an occasional phone call now and then, just to catch up about once a month. But you had just spoken to her last week.

“Robin? Why are you-” Your question is cut short when you hear her shooing someone away, most likely a customer, plus some clatter as you assume she moves the phone to a more secluded spot.

“Have you seen the news?” Her voice was urgent and you frowned.

“The Hawkins news?” You let out a breathy laugh, confusion mixed with fear at her voice, “Uh, no, Robs. I haven’t.”

She’s silent for a moment until you hear her let out a sigh.

“Robin, what’s going on?” You started to panic, straightening in your seat.

“It’s…” She lowered her voice to a whisper and you wondered if Steve knew she was calling you. “It’s Eddie.”

Your heart leapt into your throat. “What-what about him?”

“Okay this really isn’t easy to say but I figured you should know that some freaky-deaky shit is going on. Like not exactly a monster made out of flesh and evil Russians but like-” Robin rambled and you shook your head.

“Robin! Rob- Just tell me!” You were out of your seat now, staring at the paper on the table in front of you.

“Someone was found dead in his trailer and the police think he did it.”

You gulped, chest a little lighter to know he was still alive. “What-”

“Chrissy.” Robin said quietly, “Her name. She… Max saw her go into his trailer and apparently the lights were all whack-a-doodle, but she didn’t think anything of it at the time since the trailers are always experiencing some kind of light failure.”

“Robin.” You say as softly as you can, reminding her to stay on topic.

“Right, yeah. Anyway, the police found her body in his trailer this morning. It was all snapped up and broken and-” She takes a deep breath as you hold your own. “There’s no way any kind of human could have done it.”

“But the police think Eddie did?” It wasn’t really a question. After all, the only policeman in Hawkins who had ever thought clearly was Hopper.

“He apparently ran away after it happened and we managed to find where he might be hiding-”

“We?” You ask.

“Me, Steve, Dustin. Max.” She adds with a knowing tone.

You take a moment to think through Robin’s information. She wouldn’t have called if she wasn’t scared. From her description, something very sinister was happening in Hawkins.

Again.

“Look, Y/n.” Robin sighs and you hear muffled voices, one clearly belonging to Dustin. “We’re gonna go find him and try to make this all right. The others… they didn’t want to drag you into this and neither do I but, I- I don’t know, I guess I just felt guilty if I didn’t let you know what was happening.”

“No, no. It’s okay, Robs. Thank you for telling me.” You assure, slumping back into your chair. “Just… if it gets worse…”

“We’ll be careful.” She tells you before you clearly hear Steve yell for her. Your heart tightens at the sound of his voice. You hadn’t spoken to him in eight months. “Okay, I gotta go. We have this handled and I’ll call you later. Bye.”

“Rob-” You try but she’s already hanging up the phone.

You go to set the phone back down, when suddenly something sounds from the receiver.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Then, a sudden flash of images burns your mind, eyes fluttering shut, as you envision a dark room.

Random objects littered about, like an attic of treasures. But that wasn’t what caught your eye. In the middle stood a grandfather clock, chiming methodically. You start to get a closer view, something about the glass seeming off.

Then, suddenly, it cracks, a single scar running across the face and everything plunges into a dark blue hue, specs of white dust fluttering around it. And vines...

You snap out of your vision just as Clara opens the door, a laugh leaving her lips.

“Bye, guys!” She calls to her friends before locking the door. She turns around to see you stood, staring at the phone while biting your lip.

“Y/n? Are you okay?” She closes the space and you slowly shake your head.

Every thought in your mind was telling you that they were fine. That it was all a misunderstanding. You weren’t in Hawkins, there was no reason for them to be unsafe.

But the shiver in your bones told you otherwise.

You finally meet Clara’s eyes, eyebrows furrowed. You take a breath.

“I’m going back to Hawkins.”

Chapter 1: Hunting Season ->

taglist: @gnnnne / @beepisbeep / @paintballkid711/ @eddiesbirdie/ @livasaurasrex/ @darktimelegends / @jackierose902109 / @mvrylee / @chervbs/ @eternallyvenus / @nervouscatsuit/ @f1nn-wolfhard/ @hereiamhereigo/ @ladybug0095 / @fangirling-4-ever / @astrolockley/ @mothmanatemycat

[bluepeachstudios]

GitS Asks!

Lots of Chapter 29 spoilers in here!

@hrshlandturtles I'm so sorry fhgkdjhgd thank you so much for enjoying! I know chapter 29 was a rough one. I'm so glad everyone liked it, I was so nervous about it. It was fun seeing the different reactions from 2003 fans vs non-2003 fans. I feel like GitS is really two different stories in one. It effects both groups in different ways and ough it's so good. I will say, watching 2003 again after Ghost is. Oof. It horts.

Ghost: I tolerate them both and that's all you can ask of me.

If this chapter caused you distress, you may be entitled to compensation. Call 555-GOGO to join the class-action lawsuit against Amevello Blue to receive a payout for YOUR emotional damages. (The payout is more GitS chapters).

Well he didn't lose it, it's just. Broken. Like everything else from his world. Him included.

The mutation wasn't that big of a surprise, but the Reveal tho ;)

Thank you!! <3

Ough I know. Splinter was like "okay he's just pissed off at me and feels bad, he's just mad at me, that's fine" and then the skateboard ramp... The boys love that ramp. And Ghost would never hurt them. That's how he knows Ghost is gone.

Ohhhh my god I'm so unnormal about that scene in 2003. When Leo's desperately shooting his own brother with tranqs. Don is tearing the base apart and Leo has to fight around him, screaming for people not to hurt his brother, begging for more time to calm him down from Bishop... oof... my heart...

@sakuracards I'm glad you enjoyed!! And yes, they know now :')

Ghost knows, he knows Splinter can understand some of it. But Splinter also lived in Japan, where he didn't deal with those things. Maybe he wasn't accepted as completely himself. Splinter definitely went through shit. Ghost knows this. But he had a childhood, even if it was marred with his mother's loss.

Ghost is talking about something much deeper than what Splinter experienced. From the very beginning, Ghost and his brothers were raised knowing that it was only the four of them. They were it. Period. No one else. If they were seen, or caught, they would get taken to a facility and killed and dissected, or kept alive and experimented on. No one would vouch for them because they were different.

There is such a deep difference between feeling acceptance early in life, knowing that there were people who would accept and love you, who would care about your well-being because at the end of the day you are all human, and growing up with only four of your kind. You are alone together. There may be kind people but they will never connect with you on the same level as being a mutant turtle. They are the only four of their kind.

Ghost spent a single year in a world where there were people who would accept and protect them. He was barely starting to learn that he could feel safety in people other than his brothers, that he could connect despite not being the same species.

Then Ghost spent 10 years alone, without any kindness because his brothers were gone. And those old fears he grew up with became ingrained in him once again, made worse by paranoia and depression and anxiety and emerging PTSD.

Ghost understands that Splinter knows something about being othered and shunned despite being human before. What Splinter will never understand is how isolating it is to have grown up fearing everything because it could mean your death.

Ooouuu... I could see it happening to El and maybe Mike, though with Mike it feels like the wrong... vibe. With Spirit, it doesn't happen. His story is different.

GitS definitely. That's some wack-ass mutagen Draxum made.

Spoilers <3

Spoilers <3

Yes yes yup yeah exactly!! This is why Ghost is so paranoid! He grew up for 15 years thinking like this! And then he spent 10 years completely alone, the one time he did actively make extended contact with Yokai at that point was going to Big Mama and he was immediately put in a coliseum! Like!!! AH he's literally never felt safe, anywhere. He's never been safe anywhere.

Kinda makes the fact that he just sleeps out in the open in the lair now feel that much riskier for him.

Lmao I think about that so much, too. Season 4 was the BEST season of 2003, it was the most popular season. It was great. But it got too dark, and when they tried to continue that in Ninja Tribunal, the network went "AH OOPS WELL NO" and it's like. What we could have had.

Spoilers <3

JUST A WHOLE BUNCH OF RANDOM PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT UNIVERSES AND GHOST IS LIKE "WHERE ARE YOU ALL COMING FROM" FHGKDHGDG

[nowmemoriees]

STRANGER THINGS PUZZLE TALES

Game Observations Part 2/4- Mike's internal struggle

Well, as you know, when I have free time, I play the Stranger Things official games from Netflix to get some external clues from them. Today it's ST Puzzle Tales turn. (Anyway I'm gonna use some screenshots from the walkthroughs of the pre-s4 version of the game)

This analysis is gonna be soooo long since this game has a lot of interesting stuff, so I'm gonna split this in parts. I'm probably gonna be posting about this game specifically for a few days :)

- View Part 1: ST Puzzle Tales Characters Analysis.

So, this post is about Mike's internal struggle and how this is shown in the game's story mode.

We see how he's forced to "Grow Up", so that idea gets so deep into his mind and it's thanks to Ted.

We also see that Mike tries to fake a new personality when he meets El and Will in California in s4, which makes this part really curious...

"Lack of personality for so long" when did we all say that Mike's character was being ruined? Since s3.

And this reminds me to that part in "Lucas On The Line" book, where he said that Mike spent a lot of time alone, isolated playing in his basement after the Byers moved to California.

Boy, how can you say it's gross? You literally have a girlfriend.

Unless... you're not used to treat her like that because love is not what you feel. Admiration, could be? Coolness?

I mean, even his sister thinks it's weird that he got an amazing girl as his girlfriend😭

and then we have this VERY direct parallel to M1leven with the "you're my superhero" line, and this is what Jonathan says. Mike, what are you hiding behind that monologue?

Part 3: ST Puzzle Tales Foreshadowing and s5 clues

Part 4: ST Puzzle Tales Byler Hints