#for a fact Will has more ties to vecna than them

[chirpsythismorning]

Vecna’s plan requiring Mike to leave for California means nothing. The number 1 following Mike cryptically at the airport means nothing. Them barely giving us Mike’s perspective the last two seasons (despite him being the original protagonist) means nothing and it isn’t setting up his POV to be revealed in s5 bc the entire audience is completely comfortable with where Mike stands as a character in regards to his deeper feelings/motives. No confusion there so no need to address that. Mike saying How will I survive a whole week without you guys at the start of s4 wasn't foreshadowing his fate at the end of said week. Mike standing in front of exit signs 3+ times in s4 is probably just a coincidence. Mike being associated with gaping mouths in multiple moments spanning the entire series, even going back to his very first line on the show, means nothing at all. Nancy’s vision about her family (Mike) dying was mentioned at the end of s4, but it didn’t happen so probably won’t ever happen, even though there’s still another season left set directly after the events of s4. Will calling Mike the heart and how without heart they’d all fall apart, was not in any shape form foreshadowing something happening to Mike and them all falling apart, bc Mike is definitely just a prop and everything in relation to his story only holds meaning on the surface or for other characters arcs and couldn’t possibly be hinting at something deeper that’s being saved as one of the many surprises for the last season.

[steveshairychest]

Time travel au where Steve is the last one to go through the gate in Eddie's trailer, except when he comes out, he's not in his Hawkins anymore. Instead of being greeted by the sight of his friends safe and sound and Wayne's mug collection, he's standing in some random guys trailer.

He gets shoved out the front door and into the strange new world that is undoubtedly Hawkins, but not the Hawkins he remembers.

Everything feels wrong. The people look strange in their weird clothes and a lady across the park screams into a flat rectangle in her hand. The trailers look the same but there's something about them that's definitely wrong. Some guy blows smoke in his face while walking past and instead of the gross smell of cigarette he was expecting, it smells sweet, almost like strawberries. He's so fucking confused. He knows he's causing a scene by walking around gaping at everything, but what else is he supposed to do? Steal a car and drive off? He's never seen cars like this in his entire life!! Do they even work the same way?!

Maybe he has a concussion. Maybe this is his version of a vecna hallucination.

And then things only get more confusing when a little girl runs over to him and beams up at Steve like they've been best friends forever. "Hi, Mr Harrington! Why are you here?" She can't be older than 9.

Why does this little girl know him? He stares at her and his confusion must show because she tilts her head and frowns. "Are you okay, Mr Harrington?"

She keeps calling him Mr Harrington, is he a teacher here? Oh god, does that mean there's another version of himself running around here?! Wherever here is.

"I'm... fine. I'm just a little lost." He walks away before he scares the poor girl with his rising hysterics. Steve knows these roads like the back of his hand, he's driven them his entire life, but he takes a million wrong turns because there's suddenly so many new streets he's never even heard of. Where there should be a huge clearing, there is now a building so high Steve swears it touches the sky and the tree him and Robin used to have picnics under is now gone and replaced with a parking lot filled with more weird cars.

"What the fuck? What the fuck?!" Steve finally makes it to where his house should be and there's... nothing. It's just a block of land for sale. It tips him over the edge. He can't remember the last time he cried but right now he is balling and hiccuping as he stumbled down the street he grew up on. But it's wrong. It's all so wrong. People drive past and give him weird looks, a lady even stops jogging and takes out the tiny earplugs that play music so loud Steve can hear it, and asks if he's OK. "No, I'm not. This isn't real. This isn't real!"

It has to be vecna. He's got him. That's why he's stuck in this nightmare. "You have to play music! Give me your plug things! Make them play anything! Get me out of here." The woman refuses and does nothing but stand there in shock as Steve sinks down to the sidewalk and starts singing Everybody Wants to Rule The World as loud as he can.

"I'm calling 911. You need help." Steve doesn't hear her. He's singing so loud people are starting to come out of their houses to see what's going on but that doesn't matter to him. This isn't real. Vecna has him and he needs to get out.

When the ambulance pulls up, Steve's run out of tears. He's cried himself dry and he's resigned to the fact that any minute now, Vecna is going to snap his arms and legs. "I'm ready." He says quietly to no one but himself. He'd rather it be him than any of his friends. He knows they are probably watching him and trying to bring him back but it's too late. He can't hear the music they're playing.

"Steve?" A familiar voice drags him out of his own head, but it can't be real. He heard that voice take its final breath just mere minutes ago, he can still feel his drying blood under his fingernails. Steve lifts his head and there he is, it's Eddie, no doubt about it. His long hair is tied up in a bun and his eyes are sparkling with worry as he crouches down in front of Steve. It's then that Steve realises Eddie is in full paramedic gear and he's pulling all sorts of things out of a bag to check on Steve.

"Eddie, you're alive." He whispers in disbelief as Eddie checks him for any head injuries. "Where are we? How do we leave?"

Eddie pulls back and there's panic behind his eyes as he slowly helps Steve to his feet and gestures to his partner to grab the stretcher. "Steve, love, I need you to tell me what happened. Why aren't you at work?"

At work? What is Eddie going on about? And did he just call Steve love?!!

"Eddie, this isn't real. I need to leave. I can't stay here with you." He says it slowly so that Eddie understands. He may be some figment of Steve's weird dream imagination and he doesn't want to freak the poor guy out by telling him he's actually dead.

Eddie breathes in and out, his hands a little shaky as he helps Steve onto the ambulance stretcher. His partner helps get Steve set up in the back of the ambulance before they're driving off. Eddie reaches out and holds Steve's hand gently, the gesture surprising but not unwelcome. "Steve, baby, this is very much real life. You're in Hawkins. It's March 21st, 2023. Your name is Steve Harrington, remember?"

"Wait, what?!" Steve tries to sit up but Eddie gently pushes him back down. They hit a bump in the road and Eddie swears softly under his breath about his partner's driving. "It's not 1986?!" He's panicking. He can feel his heart rate spike and his breathing starts to quicken. Eddie tells him to stay calm and just breathe in and out but Steve can't hear him.

Maybe this really isn't Vecna. He'd be dead by now if Vecna had him and Eddie's touch feels too real to be a dream.

Before he knows it, his vision is going spotty and then he's out; the panic and absolute absurdity of it all finally getting to him.

"You'll be okay, Stevie."

Except this isn't the Steve Eddie knows and loves. His Steve, his darling husband, is currently having a dilemma of his own back in 1986.

[fuctacles]

Making moves the nerd way

"Halloween" for @steddieholidaydrabbles Part II of the previous warm-up but can be read alone

G | 1k | no cw | almost getting together, slightly oblivious Eddie

next up

Eddie was sitting on the kitchen floor, painting empty pizza boxes while Steve was trying to focus on making dinner. Despite the newspapers spread around him, he managed to stain his surroundings with grey paint. 

“How much do you have left?”

"I'm making a graveyard, Steve, not a random burial site with three corpses. It would go faster if you helped me, you know?” 

“Well, do you want to eat? Because I can’t cook pasta and paint tombstones at the same time.”

Eddie grumbles something under his breath. 

“Point taken.”

So they resume their activities, a weird mixtape of Metallica, Queen and Tears for Fears playing in the background. 

“Okay, little Picasso, time to eat," Steve announces eventually.

"Don't call me like I'm a toddler," Eddie scolds him, but the fact that he's peeking over the table while on his knees, eyeing the plate put there, does nothing to help his statement.

Steve smirks at him, at the half-tied mop of hair surrounding his eyes over the counter.

"Wash your hands before eating. Kiddo."

"I'm older than you!" he protests but hops up anyway to do as he was told. It's good Steve reminded him though, he'd probably just throw himself at the spaghetti like a savage, paint stains or not.

They eat and discuss the acceptable damage to Harrington's lawn to prop up the gravestones. Eddie's devastated to hear he can't just put holes in the ground.

"We can prop them up with sticks. Or weigh them down with rocks. We'll figure something out," Steve shrugs and that placates him for the time being. He helps with the dishes but is quickly shooed back to his art station. Steve joins him later, with a hand in his hair.

"How is it going, baby?"

Eddie grumbles, not looking up.

"I know you mean it in like, a kid way, but maybe don't call me that?" he says, double-focusing on the cardboard in front of him.

"Okay, kid, sorry," Steve amends, petting his hair, and scratching his scalp gently. Pretends not to see Eddie fold under the treatment. "Does my little artist need help?"

"Your little artist has been asking for help for the past two days."

Steve snorts, detangling his fingers from the long hair.

"That's fair, sorry. I guess you wore me down," he says, sitting down. "What do I do?"

Eddie finally turns away from his work, considering him.

"You can paint them over," he decides, handing him the grave he's been working on. "I'll cut them up." He grabs a new pizza box for himself, the needed shape already drawn on it with a Sharpie. His scissors follow the outline slowly and jaggedly, struggling with the thick cardboard.

“How many do we need?” Steve asks, dipping the brush in paint. 

“At least ten. I don’t have stuff for more anyway, figures I can just make extra later when I have time and supplies.”

Steve looks around.

“We have like, three,” he observes.

“Well, chop chop then, my little helper.”

Steve sighs and gets to work. 

While he’s happy to indulge Eddie and help him out, he’s been imagining their evening together differently. Getting one-on-one time in their little traumatized family was a rare thing unless you're already an established couple. Or him and Robin, but that's because they work together. Needless to say, it was hard to make a move on someone. Even with something already brewing between them. 

“So, are we putting our enemies’ names on them?” he settles on learning more about Eddie instead. Hopes he doesn’t mind treating his graveyard project like a shared effort, that Steve says ‘we’ instead of ‘you’.

“Oh, I’m totally absolutely putting Vecna on one. Other than that I think I’ll keep them fantasy-themed. Maybe use all the NPCs my Party killed throughout the campaign. I think we’ve seen enough of that in real life.”

“You said it.” Steve mentally kicks himself in the ass. Just his luck to start a topic that goes straight into the trauma of their Upside Down past. How is he supposed to make a move now?

He shuts up and starts painting the cardboard more angrily while Freddie Mercury screams his lungs out in the background. He doesn’t notice when the cardboard cutting ceases. 

Not until their hands brush when they both reach for the paint. He looks up to see most of the boxes cut up and shaped, waiting for paint.

“My hand started to cramp from the scissors. And you looked so peaceful, I wanted to join you,” Eddie explains. Steve watches him bite at his bottom lip, mulling something over. “I’ve always liked working with someone on projects like that. Help out with school play scenography, make Halloween costumes with Wayne…” He shrugs, like it’s not a big deal, but the soft, genuine smile tells Steve otherwise. “So uh, thank you, for letting me do this here. For joining me, too.”

And Steve realizes this could be a date, too. He could make a move like this, on his kitchen floor, fingers stained with paint. 

“Of course. I have this weekend off, we could work together some more,” he offers. Then frowns at Eddie’s stunned expression. “What?”

“You want to spend your time off with me, playing with paint?”

“Well, I was hoping you have something more planned. We could work on our costumes, maybe?”

He’s alarmed when Eddie makes a pained noise.

“You’ll take Aragorn from me!”

“What?”

“We’ve been fighting over Lord of the Rings characters for Halloween costumes and if you join us there’s no way Henderson will let me keep him.”

“I don’t need to join in, I’d rather just help you with your costume.”

To this, Eddie turns suspicious.

“Why?” he squints.

“Eddie,” he sighs, staring fondly into his eyes, and grabs his wrist for good measure.

Eddie’s eyes go big like saucers when it hits him.

"Holy shit. Do you want to have a nerd date with me?”

Steve chuckles. 

“I guess I do.”

[alivingfire]

he'll see i'm not so tough

a @steddiebang fic

author: alivingfire artist: @knitsforthetrail betas: hibiscus & @hamiltonsteele

150k | explicit | tags: steve as kas the betrayer; secret relationship since s2 planned posting dates: november 21-december 2

When Steve gets trapped in the Upside Down, Vecna offers him a deal: become lieutenant of the monster armies and gain some of Vecna’s power, in exchange for being the bait to lure his friends back to rescue him. Steve takes the deal, believing wholeheartedly in the Party’s ability to save him and finally kill Vecna, but discovers quickly that his power to infiltrate the memories and dreams of people in the real world is very limited; in fact, he can only visit one person in his new monster form. 

Thus begins Steve’s haunting of Eddie Munson, who, coincidentally, has been in love with Steve since they started secretly hooking up after a Halloween party in 1984.

“Something wrong, Munson?” says a voice, and Eddie yelps and rolls out of bed. 

When he pops up on the other side, he sees a very alive Steve Harrington perched on his own bedroom windowsill. His face is exaggeratedly wild and sharp, and his hair is windswept. His skin is silvery-blue in the moonlight. His fingernails are dark and long and curved like claws. He’s in a Hawkins Swim t-shirt and light wash Levi’s, and there’s dried blood on his bare arms.  

He’s like the film negative of a boy Eddie knows by heart, like a cover version of his favorite song.  

And then he smiles, and his teeth are sharp.   

“Hey, babe,” Steve says. “Did you miss me?” 

Eddie, bravely, faints. 

longer excerpt under the cut:

The vine around his left wrist uncurls, and Steve lifts that arm automatically to see his palm glowing like a lantern, and more than a dozen strings of light shooting straight up at the sky. The strings are golden-hot and hard to look at, too much on Steve’s overloaded senses.

“Look at that,” Vecna says, moving that large clawed hand from Steve’s face to wrap around Steve’s free wrist. “That’s a power I never gained, try as I might. All that love and affection you have for your friends has connected you securely to them. Even as a dead man, you have ties to the world above. Eleven did not plan for that. Could not plan for that.”  

Steve stares at the lights, too, and the more he looks, he feels like he can see differences between them. One seems weaker than the others and looks like wood smoke and has a ruddy red tinge that, for some reason, Steve knows is the string tying him to Will Byers. One is pinkish and looks wrapped in lace: Nancy. Robin’s looks like water dripped with nail polish, swirls of navy blue. He can pick out Dustin’s, then Lucas, El, Max, Jon, Erica, even Mike. Eddie.

He can’t think about this. He rips his gaze away. 

“Why are you showing me this?”  

“I can teach you how to visit them. How to talk to them,” Vecna says. “Through dreams and hallucinations, yes, but you could see them, and they could see you. See that you’re alive.” 

“But trapped.” 

“Yes,” Vecna says. “The only way either of us could ever truly leave this place is if Eleven opens the gates back up, or if Max dies to finish the ritual I began. And I’m assuming you’re not willing to do that second option.” 

“Fuck you.” 

“As I thought. So, here is my deal: if I give you my powers, it would not be for free. You will act as my lieutenant here in this realm. You will control the beasts in my stead, and do as I command. If you are convincing enough, your friends will come to rescue you, and when they do I won’t make you fight them, but I will be there to welcome them, and this will finally be finished.” 

“Then why would I do this?” Steve laughs, incredulous. “Why would I draw them here, if they’re just going to die for it?” 

“Because you doubt me when I say that I would win against them,” Vecna says. He lays it out like a winning poker hand. “You believe in your friends. You believe they could beat me. And if they do, you could be saved.” 

“And if I say no?” Steve asks. 

Immediately, the pain comes pouring back, his vision going blurry, the colors fading from the world, his mouth filling once again with blood. His thoughts are slow and dripping. He groans and slumps forward, barely held up by the vines around him. 

“Then I leave you like this,” Vecna says. “It won’t take long for you to die. Your friends will never know what happened to you, and I will spend as long as I need to working to get back to the other world without you. And I’ll have help, because your friends cannot keep the government from meddling once more. Every crack they make in the barrier between worlds is one I can exploit. I will get through some day. At least this way, you have a chance to stop me. You have a chance to live again.” 

Steve breathes unsteadily and looks back down at his palm. He thinks about those tiny connections to people that he loves, and thinks about leaving them to fight this fight without him. 

It’s stupid. He isn’t the person who should be making this deal. He knows that Vecna manipulates and twists to get what he wants. But his logic makes sense, too. 

Steve doesn’t know what to do. He’s not the planner. He’s not the right one to choose this. He’s- 

Two weeks. Robin, Dustin, Eddie, Erica, Max, Lucas, Eddie, Jon, Will, Mike, Eddie, Joyce, Claudia, Wayne, Tommy, Carol, his parents, Eddie- they all think he’s gone. He remembers how he felt when Hopper died. He can’t- 

His jaw creaks when he opens his mouth. 

“Fine,” he says, pain cracking his voice into something horrible, weak, pathetic. He sucks in another breath. “It’s a deal.”

[starsarefire824]

Dragons and Tigers

So I know it’s well established that Will has been associated with tigers since pretty much season one. First it was with very similar tiger stuffies with El and Sarah (This is still something that I’m wondering why exactly they made that initial connection between the three of them.) It adds to my belief that El and Will are tied in some way, and that Hawkin’s Lab may have more involvement in Sarah’s sickness/care/death than we were originally led to believe. But I digress.

And then in season four tigers are everywhere in relation to Will.

First we see it when he’s introduced:

Then we see it all throughout his room:

I am sure there are way more instances I missed, but these are just a few examples. There is also the fact that Hawkins school team are the tigers.

Anyway, from what I’ve gathered I think that Vecna (or his great evil) is represented by the dragon.

I think that it’s interesting that Will chose to draw the party fighting a dragon. And so I did a little light research into it with the thought okay, so how are dragons and tigers related? What’s the significance of the symbolism? And then I came across this:

And this really stuck out to me because a lot of theories revolving around Will potentially having powers have him as light vs. Henry’s darkness, creation vs. destruction etc. So if Will is connected to El in some way or ends up having powers I really am starting to think that he (or him and El as one) will be the tiger. I think that’s what the connection between him and Henry is. They are two sides of the same coin, yin and yang. That is why he can never escape him. But as of now things are out of balance because Will hasn’t realized his full role and significance to his connection to the Upside Down and Henry. So I truly think that there will be something in season 5 brought to light that tells us he is the “key” to bringing equilibrium back to the Upside Down. He can heal what Henry has destroyed. He can bring balance back, and reset the Upside Down to it’s neutral state.

But because of this significant connection to Henry, I think there’s going to be some sort of temptation or trickery. Some sort of darkness pulling at him that he’ll have to overcome. I think that Henry will try his damnedest to use his self-worth, sexuality, and trauma against him. I think he will use Mike against him as well.

It also makes me wonder if Will x El’s “Wonder Twin” connection ends up being what we’ve all been hoping it will be maybe together they are the “key” or “The Tiger.” And that’s why El hasn’t been able to succeed against Henry as of yet.

[sp0o0kylights]

Steve x Eddie Werewolf AU

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Not that you need to read any of that to get it because this skips ahead after the Vecna battle, Steve uses a pack mating bond to save Eddie and all you need to know past that is there is like, romance novel type werewolves (not A/B/O) and also Alexi’s alive. 

Steve’s wolf has always accepted Hopper as a father figure, allowing the older man’s pack to slot easily over Steve’s larger one due to the bonds both the children involved have with their parents, and how the overwhelming majority of his pack views Hopper as a trusted, beloved elder. 

Absolutely, Steve is their Alpha, the wolf in charge of their Pack. There is no question there, no argument (particularly since the children’s original pack had all but harassed Steve into taking up the role) but as does happen with werewolves, the human and wolf halves mixed to create sort of in between, combined culture. Within it, parental figures can easily hold ties to their own children, no matter if they were in different packs. 

Not that things still didn’t end in bloody fights, but as with most things, werewolves had, at large, contingencies in place to prevent dominance fights in modern times. 

Steve had always respected that, respected Hopper, more so than any other adult he knew beyond perhaps Joyce. 

A fact that made this display all the more startling. 

“Hopper.” 

The words crackle with power, werewolf dominance and pack magic flooding the kitchen. 

Murray sucked in a breath while Alexi outright shuddered, more affected by it than Eddie and Hopper. The latter two still look over in surprise as Steve stalks in. 

The movement is predatory, almost inhuman, and no one needed to see Steve’s gold eyes to figure out that it was his wolf in control. 

He moved fast, faster than he should be with his injuries, to come to rest with his back in front of Eddie. It’s an aggressive, protective, stance, fury rolling off him in waves along with the blatant display of pack magic. 

“Why are you harassing my mate?” Steve outright snarled, and there is not a person in the room who has ever heard him sound so unfriendly. 

For a moment everyone freezes. 

“I’m making sure Eddie knows what’s important.” Hopper responded after a long moment. “--for the safety of both our packs.” 

He’s holding his stare, looking Steve straight in the eyes.

 Challenging him. 

It’s the wrong move.

Murray shifted slightly in front of Alexi, both their heads ping-ponging between Steve and Hopper. 

Eddie himself sucked in a quiet breath but tries to keep his own emotions down-the last thing  they need is Steve and Hopper have a blowout fight in the kitchen. 

Not when Steve’s wolf was in charge. 

Steve Harrington the human fought only to inconvenience. He lost fights due to the fact that he didn’t want to permanently harm the people he often fought against. He hated killing, refused to physically punish his packmates in the style many traditional werewolves preferred, and as a whole let even the most submissive of his pack boss him around. 

Steve Harrington the wolf fought to kill. 

No hesitation, no pulled punches. 

Just death. 

The noise that ripped its way out of Steve’s chest is inhuman. “Eddie is mine. You have no right to him, or to question my decisions.” 

The way his wolf speaks is strangely formal, almost royal. Not the choked, half-formed sentences many wolves speak in when taking over in human form, wolf understanding incompatible with human languages. 

He doesn’t have to see Steve’s eyes to see the warning in them. “You’ve overstepped.” 

“It’s okay.” Eddie said quietly, trying to head this off before it gets worse. It’s his fault, he realizes with horror, that Steve is out here now. He had been the one to lose control, to tease and taunt Hopper as was his usual defense when being read the riot act. 

It was second nature to him, a layer of defense. Words couldn’t hurt if he didn’t let him. People wouldn’t betray him if he forced their intentions towards him out in the open. 

Except this was Chief Jim Hopper, legendary Hawkins hero and father figure to the vast majority of his shiny new pack. 

Including the man who had decided that someone as worthless as Eddie was worth claiming as his mate. 

He’d let his emotions get the better of him, goaded Hopper into saying shit that frankly, wasn’t even close to the worst that had ever been thrown at him, even before the entire satanist-cult-murderer business.

Got his own stupid feelings hurt in the process, because he somehow had led himself to believe this adult, the fucking Chief of Police, who was well acquainted with his shitty parents and had arrested Eddie himself on a half-dozen occasions for everything ranging from petty theft to selling drugs, and who had been stuck in a Russian prison and fighting away from Eddie entirely, would believe that he was a good addition for Steve’s pack. 

The same pack his daughter was in (and if looks were to go by, his step-sons as well.) 

Nevermind all the children he’d been defending from this bullshit for ages. 

“Steve, it’s okay.” He stresses, hesitantly reaching out to put a hand on his mate’s shoulder. 

The younger wolf doesn’t acknowledge him. 

Hopper’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of his wolf’s green starting to show around his pupils.  

“Think it’s time we all cool off. Maybe not have a pissing match in Joyce’s kitchen?” Murray’s voice is uncharacteristically devoid of its usual crazed energy, but Eddie’s got to give the man points for trying. 

The dude’s a weird one, in a way that Eddie almost feels a strange kinship with. Unlike Murray though, Eddie’s got a dominant streak in him that makes him do more than just taunt and poke. It makes him strut, flaunt, throw things in people’s faces. 

Murray is smart enough to not give in to that half of himself-or perhaps, simply doesn’t have that same need to display his dominance in new and confounding ways. 

“Shut up Murray.” Is Hopper’s reply, voice hard. 

Steve manages to tense even further, muscles in his arms and neck flexing to make themselves known. For a moment his fingers blur in and out-Eddie catches the movement and tugs hard at Steve's shirt. 

Somehow he knows that If Steve shifts at all, even just to get his claws out, it’s game over.

There won’t be any going back once they fight. Not when they're like this. Not when Steve’s told him that Hopper and Steve have never fought before, and the kids are thankful for it. The dynamic the two packs have, the familiar bond between them keeping the peace-they need that.

Tears try to burn their way out of Eddie as he once again finds himself on the edge of ruining everything for everyone else around him. 

‘Maybe I am the devil,’ He thought hysterically, ‘--set here on earth to destroy everything around me.’ 

Hopper spotted the collection of power as it shifted down to Steve’s hands. His back straightened, shoulders going tense and Eddie knows he’s about to step forward, is trying desperately to figure out a way to stop this, when Jonathan bumbles dead into their midst.

He’s sleepy, hair a mess, sweatpants riding low on his hips and shirt slightly off one shoulder. The calmness that comes with him is the kind only an Omega wolf can pull, blanketing over the building anger in Hopper and blatant rage from Steve. 

“Mornin.” He mumbled, before he opened his mouth in a yawn, lazily opening a cabinet next to Steve and Eddie. He pulls out a cup, fills it with water, movements slow and deliberate. 

Eddie’s eyes go wide. 

This is their pack Omega. Sure okay, he was one of their best fighters according to literally everyone else (not that Eddie would know, he hasn’t been around the guy long enough to tell much about him) but the fact remained: Omega’s were rare. Precious. 

Protected.

And he was putting himself directly in harm’s way. 

“Byers.” He managed to get the warning out, voice half strangled. 

Hopper’s eyes snap to Eddie, a wave of protectiveness flowing forward in that sort of scent/magic/posture/positioning way their wolf halves spoke to one another. 

It was a response clearly made over Jonathan, which definitely meant that dating or not, he’d decided to consider the kid a one of his own. 

Steve shortly came to the exact same conclusion and as expected, considering the elder-Byers  was his Pack’s Omega, reacted poorly. 

Very poorly. 

Power took visible form, cackling outwards from his eyes and down around his hands, dancing across his fingers. The blur was back, not quite yet shifting fingernails into claws but it was a close thing. 

Hopper raised his lips in a snarl, fangs already formed. Eddie felt panic rise fast within him, hand still clutching Steve’s shirt. Watched as Murray shoved Alexi further back into the wall, in preparation of getting the more submissive wolf out of the way and Jonathan-

Jonathan fucking sighed, before dropping his entire body weight against Steve, leaning on him while preventing any movement form either angry Alpha for risk of hitting him if they fought. 

One again, every single person in the room froze. 

Byers took a noisey sip of water before raising his eyes to stare to the left of Hopper’s.

“Could we not do this today?” He said quietly, that Omega calmness solidifying into a blanket-like feeling. 

There was a moment so tense Eddie could taste it, before Steve’s wolf released the power he’d drawn, the visible electric-like energy easing before disappearing entirely. 

“Everyone is still nursing injuries and I kinda think the kids would prefer a day where they didn’t have to see blood everywhere.” He continued, soft voice sounding annoyed. 

Eddie could feel the undercurrent of Jonathan’s own abilities pulsing outwards. Soothing things over, easing bloodlust and anger both. 

His head rolled, eyes flicking from Hopper to Steve. “And personally, I’d like to go back to bed with my packmates.”

Over the Pack-Bond he added,  ::Who shouldn’t be out of bed with their injuries.:: 

It was a fond chastisement that in any other scenario would have made Eddie smile.  

Hopper opened his mouth, only to be beaten when another voice jumped into the fray.

Joyce Byers, mother figure of Steve’s pack and second in command of Hopper’s (if not currently his mate, Eddie was very unclear on that dynamic) strode into the kitchen, hands on her hips. 

“What is happening here?” She demanded, her own Omega abilities matching smoothly with Jonathan’s as she came to stand in between Steve and Hopper. 

Eddie had met her a few more times than he had Hopper, enough to know that the Byer’s ability to churn out Omega’s was particularly strong considering Joyce was also one. 

Will hadn’t taken on any similar abilities, not yet, but the kid was extremely submissive in nature and there was a going bet about it being just a matter of time before he too, came up as an Omega wolf. 

Joyce took in the scene in her kitchen with narrowed eyes. They landed on her eldest son for a moment, the two of them no doubt communicating silently in that way parents and kids often did,  before she continued. 

“Hopper, why are you cornering three of my kids?” She demanded, rounding on her pack leader.. 

Eddie damn near fell into Steve at the words, he flinched so hard. 

Apparently, the claim startled Hopper too. “I-” He began but Joyce flickered her hand out,  cutting him off. 

“Are you seriously trying to start a fight in my kitchen? Barely a few days after all the-the crazy shit happened!?” Her voice raised in pitch, her own anger joining the fray, but unlike other werewolves, Joyce’s had the distinct ability to make everyone involved feel deeply, deeply ashamed. 

Eddie certainly did, for starting this whole mess.

‘You knew you weren’t good enough for them.’ His inner voice whispered. ‘You should have done more to convince them you were nothing but a fucking mess. They never should have allowed you to join their pack.’ 

“I’m trying to be a good parent here, Joyce.” Hopper grit out but it was aimed entirely at her, his attention falling away from Steve. “I have arrested Munson more times than I can count, and while it’s one thing to give the kid a pass now and then it’s another when the kids are involved!” 

Jonathan sighed as the two began to bicker, Joyce physically advancing on Hopper with a wagging finger. 

“I cannot believe you’d be this stupid-!” She was saying, and though it was aimed at the older man she might as well have said it to Eddie too.

He’d been stupid.

So fucking stupid. 

“Mate.” Steve said firmly, making him flinch again and Joyce pause. “Whatever he said to you isn’t true.” 

It was spoken to Hopper, though Eddie realized instantly after watching Joyce’s face darken in realization that it wasn’t said just for the Chief to hear. 

Stve’s wolf apparently, was just as cunning as his human half was. 

Their Alpha turned slowly, letting Jonathan fall gently into his chest before the other man righted himself, the two of them shielding Eddie with their bodies as Steve put his hands on either side of Eddie’s hips, palms flat on the counter. 

“None of it is true.” He repeated firmly, wolf gold staring directly at him. 

Eddie gulped, looked away.

“Okay.” He whispered, when it was clear Steve’s wolf wanted an answer. 

He could tell he was being scrutinized. Figured if he cried now, hed’ ruin all the peace Jonathan and Joyce had just brought them. 

So he cleared his throat, and mumbled a second time, “Okay.” 

That seemed to satisfy. 

“Guys, seriously.” Jonathan complained, leaning into their space slightly, pushing that quiet calm forward. “Can we go back to bed now?” 

Steve huffed. In a very uncharacteristic gesture, he leaned across Eddie’s lap to press a chaste kiss to Jonathan’s cheek. It was probably the closest thing a human had to a wolf’s lick, intention wise, which was the only potential reason behind it Eddie’s brain could come up with before it damn near stalled out at the sight. 

“Come, Mate. Our Omega wants to sleep.” Steve gently pulled Eddie off the counter, the other boy’s breath whooshing out in surprise. Eddie barely caught the blush that inflamed Jonathan’s face before as he was pulled right into Steve’s broad chest. 

Did definitely catch the way Steve curled one arm possessively around his waist, before reaching out to touch Byer’s arm for no reason Eddie could figure out. He positioned him so that Eddie was between the two younger wolves, Jonathan closest to his mother and Hopper, the arm wrapped around him never leaving (and likely there in case Steve needed to pull him out of the way, behind him.) 

“Go back to bed kids.” Joyce called over her shoulder, giving the three of them a gentle, mothering smile, one finger pressed firmly into Hopper’s chest as if to hold him still. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay mom.” Jonathan mumbled, and yup, his face was positively burning. 

Eddie tucked that reaction away for later, as Steve and Jonathan both started forward, tugging him along between them. 

They didn’t even make it all the way down the hall before the argument between Joyce and Hopper resumed, in a kind of hushed yelling that said they were trying to be quiet and not quite succeeding. 

“What on earth possessed you-” was the starting words from Joyce at the same time Hopper whisper-shouted; 

“I was handling it-” 

Alexi’s quiet, musical laughter and Murray’s loud, deadpanned. “Clearly not.” followed. 

Jonathan and Steve led him back to Jonathan’s room. A handful of the kids were holed up across the hallway in Will’s, the door firmly closed. 

Superior werewolf senses let Eddie hear the light snoring coming from within, showing they at least had managed to keep the fight from the kids who were here, and found himself grateful that their group had chosen to split between the Pack’s two dens. 

Meaning Robin and Nancy weren’t here at least, to see him fall apart.

Personally he’d prefer it if Jonathan and Steve weren’t either, but then, he had yet to manage not to shatter into pieces around his mate. 

Apparently causing problems wasn’t the only thing he was cursed to keep repeating. 

Steve walked them all to Jonathan’s bed like it was his own, door swinging closed behind him. He insisted Jonathan get in bed first with a gentle push, putting him closest to the wall. 

He nudged Eddie in next, the metalhead climbing in silently, trying to ignore the awkwardness of sharing a close space with a packmate he barely knew. 

Jonathan looked downright shy for a moment, averting his gaze as Eddie laid down next to him. That was sure to go away soon given both their Pack status and the fact there was zero space in this bed, though Eddie was struggling to recall much of Jonathan from their high school days.. 

What he did remember spoke to the elder-Byer’s just being the shy and quiet type in general. 

It was only awkward for the moment it took Steve to drop down next to him on hands and knees, the man physically scooting Eddie closer to Jonathan which startled noises out of them both. 

Steve apparently, wasn’t done just yet. He moved to hover over Eddie, their chests touching, as he pressed his forehead against Jonathan’s, eyes lidded. 

“Thank you, Omega.” He said a painful amount of honesty in his voice. Jonathan hummed in response, sliding his own eyes closed as he relaxed down into the pillows under him. 

Steve pulled back, gold eyes moving to look into Eddie’s own. “You belong with us. Here.” He said, the wolf speaking plainer than Steve the human over would. 

He leaned down, pressing his forehead against Eddie’s forehead for a moment too, before swiftly turning the gesture in a deep, quick kiss. 

“You are ours.” He continued when he pulled up, and now it was Eddie’s turn to blush horribly. “Now, we sleep.” 

Then he fucking curled into Eddie’s side like he hadn’t just embarrassed the hell out of two of his packmates, sleep claiming him near instantly. 

Not surprising considering his wounds, and the pack magic he had to have pulled to not only remain upright but threatening, but Eddie still wanted to groan about it, emotions rubbed raw by the morning's activities. 

“That’s Steve for you.” Jonathan whispered in Eddie’s ear, though he refused to look at him when Eddie turned towards him. “Welcome to the team, Munson.”

“Thanks.” Eddie responded automatically. “I think.” 

Jonathan laughed gently, breaking the awkward tension between them enough to allow both to slowly, quietly, drift to sleep. 

[hairstevington]

That '90s Fic

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Eight years after defeating Vecna, the Hawkins crew has done their best to forget their past (and the ones they lost along the way). You can only imagine Steve's surprise when he runs into a very-alive Eddie at a coffee shop. (Ao3 link here)

Word Count: 5.5K

Warnings: Fluffy shit as always, canon universe, first kiss, Steddie reunites and eventually gets together, it takes way too damn long because they're idiots, angst, implied sex, also mentions of the rest of the characters!

A/N: This fic is for @detachedfacade and I wrote it for the Steddie Valentine's fic exchange!! Enjoyyyy

The year was 1993. Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley had remained best friends and followed each other from shitty apartment to shitty apartment. They’d skipped town pretty much the moment she’d graduated, once they knew the rest of their loved ones were safe from the absolute hell they once called their home - Hawkins, Indiana. 

After that final battle, everyone pretty much scattered, and while they would always feel connected from the experiences they’d shared in the upside down, they didn’t keep in touch nearly as much as they’d used to. It was one of those things where, if any of them were to call another, they would be there. But everybody had moved on from their lives. They didn’t want to be a slave to their trauma anymore. 

It had been eight years since they’d defeated Vecna. Once they’d gotten through the 80’s, they started to settle back into normalcy. Robin and Steve stuck together, but they rarely talked about their past - it was no longer relevant.

The two of them were out of town for a week, taking a trip to a big city and draining their bank account to have a little fun for once. It was, more or less, a yearly tradition. This year, they’d chosen Philadelphia, mostly because there was a concert there that they wanted to go to. 

Their first full day, they didn’t have much planned other than to scope out fun things to do that were near their motel. Robin slept in, as always, but Steve was up, so he decided to go for a walk (he left a note for Robin so she knew he was okay). He found this cute cafe a block away from where they were staying, and decided he could use a bit of a caffeine boost, so he went in. 

It’s funny how such a mundane morning can turn into something extraordinary.

“Thanks, doll. Have a good one,” a voice said from beside him in line. Steve looked up to see a person he hadn’t thought about in years, not since -

No. That would be crazy. There’s absolutely no way Steve was seeing this right. The man in front of him just looked so incredibly familiar, like an old friend, but that’s all. A doppelganger. 

He was wearing black jeans with a black t-shirt tucked into it, a belt holding the ensemble together. His long hair was tied in a ponytail at the back of his neck, a guitar pick necklace hanging against his chest. 

He was the spitting image of Eddie Munson. It was freaky.

Steve ordered his coffee and tried his best to shake off the fact that he’d basically just seen a ghost. He averted his gaze and tried to convince himself that he was somehow still high from the night before. That was a thing that could happen sometimes, right?

As they waited for their coffees side by side, Steve decided he had to ask. 

“Hey, you look really familiar,” he began. “Do we know each other?” The man chuckled, amused, then put the back of his hand to his forehead and dramatically stumbled backwards, as if he was fainting. Steve reached out to catch him (as if that wouldn’t have taken them both down), but then Eddie stood up straight again, completely unharmed. 

“Steeeve Harrington, how you break my heart.” No fucking way. “You don’t remember me?”

“Oh, I remember you,” Steve replied. “But you - I mean we - and then -”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I know.”

“How?!”

“Magic,” Eddie said, wiggling his fingers around his face. “Just kidding, nothing too exciting. Some government people found me, had a quick coma, blah blah blah, started a new life in a new town because I would have been sent to the electric chair if I stayed in Hawkins, by the time they found out I was innocent I’d already settled into my new life, and uh, yeah. That’s about it.” 

Steve stared at Eddie, wide-eyed. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. I’m dreaming. I’m high. I’m high AND I’m dreaming.

“Black coffee for Ron,” the barista said. To Steve’s surprise, Eddie reached over to pick up the cup. 

“I’m sorry, Ron?!” Eddie laughed, then lowered his voice. 

“They told me to pick a new name,” he whispered, his lips dangerously close to Steve’s ear. “I was twenty, and obsessed with Dio. Thought it would be cute to choose Ronnie and pay tribute to the lead singer. I hate it, but I’m too damn lazy to go through the trouble of changing it again.”

“Oat milk latte for Steve,” the barista called again. Steve grabbed his coffee, then turned back to Eddie.

“Okay, so this is obviously all insane, but Ron? Really? There’s no way you could pass for a guy named Ron,” he teased.

“Oh, but Steve, I’ve been doing it for years now,” he replied playfully. “So, are we gonna catch up over coffee or what?”

-

Eight years since Steve had left Eddie in the upside down. He was dead. He was absolutely, 100% no longer living, his injuries far too serious to fix with the limited first aid they had access to - aka pieces of fabric torn from their own backs. Things had been so complicated then - the extent of Eddie’s interactions with Steve were done while they were highly stressed, traumatized, and managing the upcoming apocalypse. Even so, their friendship (if you could call it that), was cut short, and Steve refused to think about those few days together since then. He’d successfully managed to shove it down deep inside. It barely hurt anymore. 

Now, it was brought to the forefront of his attention again. Eddie looked happy and healthy, which was great, but still - how the fuck had he been alive this whole time and nobody knew? Steve thought about asking, but it wasn’t his business, not really. Plus, he had to get a new name and everything, so he likely wasn’t able to reach out. And they weren’t even that close in the first place. And, Steve had tried to forget about it all, so he couldn’t judge Eddie for doing the same. Jesus.

“Steve, you look like you’ve seen a ghost, man.” Eddie smirked as he sipped his coffee. “Relax.” 

“Relax?” Steve raised his eyebrows. “You’re not the one who just found out their friend who they’ve been grieving for years never actually died.” 

“Friend?” Eddie cocked his eyebrow and grinned devilishly, as if he was mocking Steve’s words.

“I don’t know what else we’d call it.” 

“I usually go with ‘unlikely companion against the forces of evil,’ personally,” Eddie replied. 

“Usually, huh? So you talk about me a lot then?” Steve drank his latte and tried to focus on the sweet taste to combat his angst. It all felt like a dream, but somehow a stupid oat milk latte grounded him back to reality.

“I mean, not a lot,” Eddie clarified. “I can’t really disclose the full story or anything, but I do talk about the popular jock from my hometown who ended up being a lot cooler than he had any right to be. And Wheeler? Who the hell knew, am I right? And - oh, Robin!” Eddie waved towards the door, where Robin burst in. Steve had called her about ten minutes prior telling her the news. Her hair was a mess, and she was still in her pajamas. 

“Holy shit,” she said as she ran frantically towards the table. “You’re real.” She pinched Eddie’s arm to make sure, causing him to laugh.

“In theory,” he responded. Steve pulled up a chair next to him and gestured for Robin to sit. She did so, moving on autopilot, her eyes still fixed to Eddie. 

“You didn’t have to rush, Robbie,” Steve said, using his thumb to clean a bit of toothpaste off the corner of her mouth. She was unfazed by his touch.

“Of course I did, Steve. What the hell?”

“I didn’t know you guys were still -” Eddie hesitated. “- Still in touch. Friends. Or are you guys, like…?” Robin cackled. 

“Noooo, no, no, no,” she said. 

“Okay, let’s not be mean about it,” Steve huffed. 

“Sorry Stevie, you know I love you.” She turned back to Eddie. “I’m a lesbian. Steve was actually the only one I was out to in high school.”

“No shit,” Eddie said, leaning until his elbows were on the table. “Ohhhh, that explains so much.”

“Does it?” she asked, confused.

“Well, just because you guys obviously were close, but insisted upon being just friends, which usually means you’re not just friends,” Eddie explained. “I don’t know, I was kind of thrust into a lot of shit back then without any context. Mostly I was just trying not to die, and then, well - I mean, you get it.” 

“Oof,” Robin winced. 

“You guys, it’s fine.” Eddie laughed again, then leaned back in his chair. “Water under the upside down bridge, am I right?” Robin and Steve grimaced. “What?”

“We don’t really talk about that time of our lives anymore,” Robin shrugged. “All of us just tried to leave it all behind.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “It’s great to see you again, I think, and I’m glad you’re okay and all, it’s just -”

“Weird,” Robin finished his sentence. “Not in a bad way, just in a way where we might need a moment to act semi-normal.”

“Ugh, normal?” Eddie groaned. “I didn’t like you guys so much because you were normal. I liked you because you were batshit crazy.” He chuckled at the double meaning of his words. “Ha ha, bat-shit. Those things were nasty. I can’t believe you took a straight-up bite out of one, dude.” 

“Jesus Christ, I forgot about that.” Steve put his head in his hands before running them through his hair. “This is crazy. So crazy.”

“Sorry,” Eddie said with a shrug. “You know, you’re the first people I’ve been able to talk about this with. I didn’t think I’d ever seen any of you again, but here we are.” 

“Are you even supposed to be talking about it?” Steve asked.

“I dunno, maybe not. But it’s been long enough. No trouble in Hawkins since, right?”

“Nope,” Robin confirmed.

“Not that we’ve been back,” Steve added.

“No? What about the others? Dustin?” Steve smiled, remembering that Eddie and Dustin had their own brotherly thing going on. 

“He’s good. Everyone’s okay,” Steve smiled. “Dustin and I still talk sometimes. I’m sure he’d love to hear from you actually, if you wanted. I mean, he was really shaken up over your ‘death’ and all.” Steve used quotations when he talked about Eddie’s death now. Insanity.

“Yeah, for sure,” Eddie agreed. “Steve, man. It’s genuinely so good to see you. I’ve wondered a lot about what happened to the King of Hawkins High.”

“Really? I guess I didn’t realize I left such an impression,” Steve said with surprise. It had been a while since he’d been reminded of his King Steve days. Eddie chuckled again, rolling up his sleeves absentmindedly as he continued talking. 

“Oh my god, Harrington, I wanted you so bad back then. I didn’t realize it until shit went down, but yeah. I thought I was making it really obvious.” Steve’s eyes widened. 

“Oh,” he said. “Well, um, I mean -”

“You were,” Robin interjected. “And you were totally jealous of him and Nancy, which is hilarious because -”

“Robin!” Steve groaned. “Anyway, yeah. There was that, and the whole ‘big boy’ thing.” 

“Really? Eight years later and that’s still fresh in your mind, huh?”

“He used to talk about it every time he got drunk,” Robin laughed. 

“I will kill you,” Steve threatened. “Fine, yeah, whatever. You helped me realize I like guys. I owe it all to you - the big man himself - Ron.” Eddie practically snorted at the way Steve said his fake name. 

“God, it’s so bad,” he agreed. “But Ron has been good to me. Things are good.” They all smiled, realizing things had somehow all turned out okay. Normal, in their own messed up way. “So! How long are you guys in town?”

-

The three of them hung out in Philadelphia a few more times that week, catching up and getting friendlier with every passing moment. Steve started to relax around Eddie, something he never had the chance to do before. Eddie was touchy, and called Steve things like babe and sweetie and once, Big Boy for old time’s sake. 

But the week was coming to an end, and the Dynamic Duo was scheduled to return home the following morning. They decided to go out one last time, and made sure to exchange numbers to stay in contact. Steve promised he’d reach out to Dustin and break the news, but he wasn’t sure when he’d see Dustin again. 

Robin went home first, insisting that she get her beauty sleep before their flight. This left Eddie and Steve alone at the bar, where they continued to chat until eventually, Steve decided he needed to get home, too. 

He didn’t really want to go, at all. He didn’t want to say goodbye to Eddie. Reconnecting with him had genuinely been great, weird as it was. Plus, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Eddie had told him in that cafe. Harrington, I wanted you so bad back then. Enough time had passed where Steve wasn’t sure that statement still applied, or if he even wanted it to. The whole week had been a whirlwind of the past becoming present, the lost being found, the gone returning. 

Eddie walked Steve home, and it was too short. Eight years ago, when their budding friendship(?) was cut short, Steve didn’t know the extent of his sexuality, or understand the feelings he was having. But he knew then, with Eddie at his door, and he decided to be bold.

“Ya know,” Eddie said, “usually when I walk a guy home like this, I kiss him goodnight.” He had said it so casually, in the same joking manner he’d done everything else. He said it in a way where, if Steve hadn’t been into it, he could just as easily say he was kidding and move on. Steve knew it well, and he wasn’t going to take it this time.

“Okay, so kiss me then.”

“What?” His eyes went wide in shock. Steve smirked at the way he was finally able to catch Eddie off guard. 

“You heard me. Come on, I dareeee youuuu.” Steve had quite a few drinks at the bar, a deadly combination for a guy who was already pretty confident in the flirting department. 

“Where the hell is this coming from?” Eddie asked, still unsure. He couldn’t believe what Steve was saying. Even though Steve had said Eddie was his bisexual awakening, that had been ages ago. Eddie never in a million years thought he had a shot with Steve in actuality.

“I knew it, I knew you wouldn’t do it.” Steve gently pushed against Eddie’s chest, then leaned against his door. “All those flirty glances and the pet names and talking about how you used to have a crush on me when-“

And then Eddie was kissing him. 

It was awkward for a split second, as Eddie had all but smashed his lips against Steve’s, but they quickly melted into each other, reaching an unspoken groove. 

It was nice. So incredibly nice. Eddie was warm and inviting and sensual, his hands explorative and firm around Steve’s body. 

As they broke away from each other, Steve pouted at the thought of never finding out what kissing Eddie while sober would be like - it’s just that they were about to be separated by a few hundred miles, so the possibility seemed unlikely. 

“Just as good as I thought it would be,” Eddie grinned as he let go of Steve’s waist. “Now you have a new thing to talk about when you get drunk, Harrrington.”

That he would, Eddie. That he would.

-

So, Steve and Robin returned home, still somewhat unconvinced they hadn’t had some sort of mutual acid trip and hallucinated the whole thing. He told her about the kiss, which she was entirely unsurprised by, and asked if he’d call once they got home. 

Steve wasn’t sure. After all, he’d left that whole life behind, and he wasn’t interested in anything long distance. It felt weird to return to a life he so deliberately ran away from. He’d spent so long shoving away those memories, but they were back, and they were back with a vengeance. 

And now, there were new memories too - the ones of them in Philadelphia, catching up under new circumstances, haunted by the old ones. 

He didn’t end up calling Eddie, in fear of it getting even more complicated, and eventually the events of their week in Philly became a dream-like visit to the land of what-ifs.

-

In 1994, Dustin came to visit. It had been the longest Steve and Robin had ever stayed in the same apartment. In fact, not much had changed at all in the last year - Except that Robin started going to grad school, and Steve was promoted at work, which worked out well considering Robin’s income dropped when switching to part-time. 

Robin was engaged - she’d been dating the same person for years now, and it had been long overdue. They were happy together, but waiting to get married until Robin finished school. Well, they wouldn’t be legally married, thanks to the government being homophobic, but they wanted to celebrate with their friends and family nonetheless. 

Steve had also begun dating a woman from Robin’s class. She was kind and quiet, and it had been going well for a month or two already. 

Catching up with Dustin was always a whirlwind, because they didn’t do it nearly enough. He spoke quickly and without abandoning, covering so many topics in such a short amount of time that Steve could hardly keep up. Robin, on the other hand, followed beautifully, and filled in Steve whenever he got confused. 

“So I was telling the head of DETRA,” Dustin said. Steve turned to Robin. 

“His company,” she muttered. Steve nodded. 

“And he basically said that Justin was going to get the promotion, even though I was the one who came up with, developed, and perfected the prototype for G-TER.”

“The robot,” Robin clarified, quiet enough only for Steve to hear. 

“Oh, right,” Steve said in recognition. “The thing you’ve been working on for like a year now?”

“That’s the one,” Dustin confirmed. 

It went on like this as he continued to talk about engineering and robotics, things that went way over Steve’s head, but he listened the best he could anyway. Once he was done updating them on his first official post-college job, he asked them what they’d been up to. 

“School,” Robin answered. 

“Work,” Steve added. “And Diana, who I’ve told you about.”

“Still going good?” Dustin asked. Steve nodded. “Sweet. How’d the trip to Philly go?”

Steve and Robin froze, glancing at each other nervously. Once again, it was something they had pushed deep down into oblivion, in fear of opening the can of worms yet again. They hadn’t talked about it since the plane ride home. 

“So fun,” Robin responded at last. 

“Concert was great,” Steve added. 

“You guys are so comically bad at lying,” Dustin said with a roll of his eyes. “What happened?” They paused, knowing the upcoming conversation was a big bomb to drop. 

“It’s…serious,” Steve began. “Has to do with Hawkins stuff.” Dustin’s face dropped into sincerity, understanding the weight of the situation. 

“Is everything okay? Do we have to go back?”

“Everyone is fine,” Robin blurted out. “Everyone.” She stressed the word as if that would be enough to break the news. When Dustin was still confused, Steve decided to just go for it. 

“Eddie Munson is alive, Dustin.” 

“What?!”

“It’s true,” Robin said. “He lives in Philadelphia under a different name now.”

“But how??”

They continued to explain the situation, going over the story that Eddie had told them, and the time they’d spent together. They left out the kiss, of course, but that wasn’t relevant.

Dustin processed the news slowly, before running to his computer and urgently looking something up. 

“What are you doing?” Steve asked. 

“I’m gonna go to Philadelphia,” he answered. As Steve peered over, he noticed Dustin looking at flights. 

“Woah, seriously?” Steve asked, shocked. “Don’t you want to call him first?”

“Well, yeah, duh,” Dustin said. “We call him, then we go. Or, I go. I mean, if you can’t.” He sighed, putting his phone down. “You knew about this for a year and didn’t tell me?”

Robin and Steve felt the weight of their secret. They’d been protecting themselves, or so they thought.

“I’m sorry, man,” Steve apologized. “We didn’t wanna -”

“It’s whatever. Just call him.” 

-

Even though Robin and Steve hadn’t planned their annual getaway yet, it was far too short-notice to go with Dustin. It did, however, mean that his visit with them was cut off after only a day, and that kinda sucked. They really tried to make it work, but between Steve’s job and Robin’s classes, there was no way they could join in on the action. 

So, Steve called Eddie

“Steve Harrington,” he greeted as always. 

“Edd- I mean, Ron,” Steve replied. Eddie chuckled. 

“I didn’t think you’d ever call me. It’s been what, a year?” Steve grimaced at the realization. 

“I’m sorry, I just -”

“It’s cool. What’s up, man?”

And so, Steve told him what was up. Eddie was thrilled at the prospect of seeing Dustin again, and together they arranged a place to meet up. Eddie also gave Steve his address to give to Dustin, although Steve couldn’t help but wonder if he had ulterior motives. 

No, Steve. Don’t do that, he thought to himself. You closed that book, and you’re with Diana now.

It was probably for the best Steve couldn’t go, honestly. Because the moment he heard Eddie’s voice, he realized he was an idiot for not calling the moment he got home. 

-

By 1995, Robin had moved out to live with her fiance. They’d even set a wedding date for the following year. Steve was still dating Diana, and things were good there, but he had no plans for proposing just yet. He felt as though he needed to live with her first to see for sure how compatible they’d be, so she joined his lease once hers ended - her name replacing Robin’s. 

Steve had a business trip in Philadelphia. He considered visiting Eddie, but thought better of it. 

They ran into each other anyway at the grocery store. 

“Well, if it isn’t the heartbreaker himself?” Eddie teased. Steve froze, feeling immediate guilt and panic. 

“E - I mean, Ron!” Steve said, as he always did. 

“You know, I finally legally changed my name back, so you can stop doing that.” 

“Oh,” Steve said. “Okay.” 

“I’m not mad at you, Steve,” Eddie assured him. 

“Why would you be?” Steve asked, as casually as possible. Eddie opened his mouth, but before he could explain the very valid reason he’d be upset, Steve continued. “Don’t answer that. I’m sorry. I’m still sorry.”

“It is what it is,” Eddie said nonchalantly. He genuinely seemed unbothered. “So, what brings you back?”

“Work,” Steve answered. “I’m only here for the weekend this time.”

“Would you want to grab a drink, then?” Eddie asked. Steve swallowed. 

“I - I shouldn’t.” Eddie seemed confused for a moment, then lit up in understanding. 

“Ah, I see,” he said with a smirk. “You’re still with the lady.”

“You know about her?”

“‘Course. Dustin told me about it when he was here.”

“Oh,” Steve said, unsure how he felt about that. “How’d that go for you guys, by the way?”

“It was great,” Eddie answered. “You don’t even want to go out in a completely platonic, friend way?”

Admitting that being just friends with Eddie seemed impossible felt worse than it did to go and inevitably act weird and closed off. In any case, Steve agreed to one drink.

-

Three drinks later, he felt relaxed again, and almost forgot why he was so nervous about this in the first place. Like, he and Eddie didn’t know each other that well, and they lived in different states, and they’d kissed one time. That was it. It was practically nothing other than them both being queer, flirtatious, and enjoying each other’s company. 

“I’d really like to be friends,” Eddie had said at the end of the night.

“I think I’d like that, too,” Steve agreed. 

He went back home, relieved that the guilt he felt was no longer relevant. 

-

Eddie and Steve were friends in the sense that they occasionally called each other to talk about new movies, or to rave about the amazing things Dustin was doing, and eventually, they talked about Robin’s wedding. 

Robin had decided to invite Eddie after he and Steve became friendly in a genuine way. She tended to have a sense for these things, and they really did just seem like good friends. 

She was wrong. 

Diana worked overnights, and Steve would end up on the phone until well past midnight talking to Eddie. It was a gradual change from the conversations they’d had before, but an important one. Eddie was giddy at the thought of being reunited with the Hawkins gang - they joked that Steve shouldn’t tell anyone so Eddie could surprise them, but ultimately decided they could never stir up that much drama on Robin’s wedding day. 

“Maybe during the rehearsal dinner,” Eddie suggested.

“Yeah, maybe,” Steve replied. 

Steve broke up with Diana a few months before the wedding, where she was supposed to be his plus one. It was a clean break, or as clean as it could have possibly been. Steve just knew that if they went to the wedding together, she’d think about the possibility of marrying him, and he knew she wasn’t the one he wanted to spend his life with. 

He had an inkling he knew someone he would marry. Well, if marriage between them had been legal, anyway. 

He didn’t tell Eddie about his change in relationship status, though. Even when they still talked late into the night, when Steve had to wake up early the next morning. He didn’t tell him, because he still lived so far away, and he didn’t want to ruin something so perfect. 

-

Robin’s wedding was in the Spring of 1996. Steve was going stag, as he’d decided when Robin asked whether she should eliminate a place setting or invite someone else. He could have found another date to replace Diana, but he didn’t want to. 

It was the first time he was going to see Eddie since they’d gotten a drink a year prior, which would have been exciting enough - it was just that Steve was single now. And if Eddie was too, and if he was still interested, there was no way Steve was going to miss out yet again. 

It didn’t matter that they lived far away from each other, or that they’d spent very little time together in the same physical space - Steve knew there was something there. He knew it. 

Steve was, of course, in the bridal party. In fact, he was technically Maid of Honor, although the role wasn’t really defined that clearly because Robin didn’t want to follow any of the normal traditions. She really just wanted Steve as her best friend and right-hand man. His tasks mainly included making sure she didn’t fall over, and handing her various fidget toys when she got antsy.

The rehearsal dinner was the night before the ceremony, and was mainly just close family and friends. It was the first time the entire Hawkins gang reunited in ten years. 

Hopper and Joyce were happily married. The kids were now 24 and figuring their lives out. Dustin was already rich, and everyone else was financially okay as well due to El having rigged a lottery one time to split the reward (Mike’s idea - but it worked out pretty well). 

It was so nice to see everyone again under non-apocalypse circumstances. Everybody seemed happy in their respective lives, and catching up seemed entirely normal.

Eddie showed up late - he had told everyone in advance he would, so it wasn’t rude or anything, but it did mean that they were already sitting down and deep into conversation when he snuck in and sat down beside Steve - the last empty seat.

(Which was pretty much exactly what Steve hoped would happen)

They waved to each other and smiled, and then the conversation resumed as normal. They ate, they drank, they laughed, and then the group split - half of them going home, the other half going out. 

-

“Where’s Diana?” Eddie asked at the bar while sipping his beer. “Is she sick or something?” Steve froze, realizing the time had come to break the news. 

“Uh, no, she’s not sick.” Eddie looked at him curiously, having no idea where this was going. “We broke up a few months ago.”

“What?!” Eddie asked, a thousand emotions in his voice. He was confused, concerned, and a little upset. “Why didn’t you tell me? I talk to you all the time!”

“I don’t know!” Steve responded, shrugging. “I don’t know why I didn’t, I just -”

“Wait, before we go there. Are you okay?”

Steve was taken aback by the question. He was okay, but a few months ago? Shit was tough. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s what I needed to do,” Steve answered. 

“Why?” Eddie’s voice dropped in volume ever so slightly. “I mean, what happened?”

“She just wasn’t -” Steve averted his gaze, as though eye contact was too intimate in the moment. “She wasn’t the one.” 

Their conversation was interrupted when Dustin insisted they all play a game. And that was that - at least, that’s what Steve thought. 

-

He was getting ready for bed after everyone else had split off to their own hotel rooms. He showered and brushed his teeth, then climbed into bed to watch TV. He wasn’t tired yet, but he hoped the sounds of Friends would lull him to sleep eventually. 

Then, there was a knock at the door. 

It was late, and as Steve jumped out of bed and walked towards the noise, he worried it was Robin or that something terrible had happened. 

Instead, it was Eddie. 

“Hey,” Steve greeted him. 

“Hey,” Eddie echoed. “Tell me if I’m reading this wrong.” 

Eddie knew it was a bold move, showing up like this, assuming that their friendship had transcended into something more. Or, perhaps they were never really just friends. 

“Okay,” Steve responded. 

And then, Eddie was kissing him again. 

Steve shut the door as soon as they’d crossed the threshold into his hotel room. They were alone, single, and clearly into each other. Clothes came off before Steve even had a chance to catch his breath. 

Eddie started giggling when they fell to the bed. 

“I’ve always wanted to hook up with a Bridesmaid,” he joked. Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop himself from laughing, too. 

“Can we turn the show off?” he asked, distracted by the antics on screen. 

“What, Rachel doesn’t do it for you?” Eddie teased. Steve reached over to find the remote, then pressed the off button - leaving them in silence. 

“I’m more of a Chandler guy, myself,” Steve replied with a smirk. 

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

-

Robin’s wedding was beautiful. Eddie and Steve snuck knowing glances at each other throughout, but made sure not to make it obvious they’d hooked up to avoid stealing any thunder. 

Everyone knew pretty much immediately, anyway. 

-

It was New Year's Eve, 1999. Eddie and Steve had gotten their own apartment after the wedding, and had been together ever since. Steve insisted they stay in the same town as Robin, and Eddie obliged - there wasn’t much tying him to Philly except that it was where he’d been for a decade, and a little location change seemed like the perfect way to enter the next phase of his life. 

“I can’t believe the world is going to end in five minutes,” Steve said sarcastically. Eddie rolled his eyes. 

“You don’t really believe that shit, right?”

“Well, the world wouldn’t end,” Robin interjected, “just all the computers in the world might crash, which would be just as not fun.”

“Exactly,” Steve agreed. Robin smiled, then was whisked away by her wife. Steve turned back to Eddie. “You’re not nervous at all?” Eddie shook his head. 

“No, not really. We’ve already been through an apocalypse together, you know? And we got through that.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Steve realized. “So what’s one more?”

“What’s one more?” Eddie agreed, kissing Steve into the new millennium. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[springfaekohaku]

Fics that I’m dying to write:

Steve In The Upside Down (so many variations)

Steve getting shot by Nancy in S1 (might also connect to Steve being dragged into the Upside Down) How Will that turn out? What are the consequences? How does this affect everyone? It was only supposed to be a warning shot…

Steve befriending a Demodog. It somehow disconnected from the Hivemind or was created as defect, hence the other monsters turn on it. But Steve saves it and in turn they both bond.

Steve has Powers (I’m already writing and continuing my first fic. But I want more different powers for him)

Steve’s powers being more physical and more practical. Maybe even adaptable and willing to change. Especially under pressure. Kinda like how El can fight off 001 in their minds and Steve can finish him off by destroying his physical body too.

Richard Harrington and Steve both flee to escape the abuse from Richard’s wife, Steve’s Mother and find themselves at Forest Hills Trailer Park. Before S1 maybe?? Eddie and Wayne notice their new neighbours and their story starts from there.

Hannibal Inspired fic but I’ve never seen the show. Only like, the premise and insane amount of Hannigram. Except, Henry/001/Vecna was stolen, taken under Brenner, a mad-man who believes that Cannibalism is the key to knowing all and the human condition. 001 was passed the torch to continue Brenner’s experiments and quest. So, he tries to find his first victim. First it was El, but then she escaped. His first attempt and failure, but he succeeds with capturing Steve. But then no matter how hard he tries, Steve never breaks, so he sets out to find a more younger impressionable youth; enter Will Byers. Steve stays and tries to keep Will alive and sane. Will they escape? Will they be brainwashed like how Brenner did to Henry? Will El find others to help them escape? Will they actually find the key from consuming human flesh? Is that Jason fucking Carver and why does he have Chrissy Cunningham and Eddie Munson tied up? Steve feels like everything is going to shit. Now he has more people to save before they become the next main course. Hehehehehe—

Steve actually being Dmitri’s son. Steve was taken as a baby and sent across to the USA, Dmitri hoping to give him a better shot at life rather than to stay in Russia. Can you imagine in S4 when Dmitri follows Hopper back to Hawkins that he’s reunified with his son?

Everyone besides Steve is a Vampire and Steve is the last werewolf. Humans have hunted down Werewolves for centuries and the numbers have dwindled down severely, right down to almost extinction. Vampires are more adaptable and find it easy to survive in plain sight. The Party and everyone in their Coven have found sanctuary in Hawkins and for years, things have been normal. But then a new scent and sunshine of a boy comes along with it (after S1) — but his timing is seemingly the worst because now he’s facing off Demodogs as a giant wolf and no one knows who he truly is unless he shifted back as a human. In S1, he missed out on the excitement but he got to know and become close to everyone. But then in S2, he is faced with the existence of The Upside Down and vein revealed that his friends and found-family are in fact Vampires. Oh and Vecna is a boomer elder-vampire. Everyone in The Party does not know ANYTHING about Werewolves and so, they learn a lot from Steve when they finally know about him and vice versa. ;))

Another Werewolf Steve AU but this time, he’s hurt, while hunting in his wolf form, he was caught in a bear trap and found by Wayne. Inspired by How To Train Your Dragon scene, Wayne was about to mercifully kill the wolf, but looked into his eyes and saw himself. So he instead took it upon himself and take the wolf back and nurse it back to health. Eddie of course has no idea what his Uncle is hiding until he finds out and freaks out. But finds himself enamoured by the wolf too. Steve is so fucked because he needs to shift back soon, his body itches and the need to be human again nawed at his entire being.

Kali introduces the Punk Culture to Steve. They have a sibling pond and Steve loves his new self. Kali dyes his hair, shaves it a little on the side/s and helps picks out clothes and everything. The whole gang also educated him of the history, iconic figures and music. Just, Punk Steve means a lot to me. You can also imagine him and El bonding about it too. “Bitching.” Eddie is head over heels. Wait, is that a bloody hanky in his pants right back pocket?

I will expand on these later and separately. But these fic ideas have been in my brain and I can’t write them out because I already have two fics to focus on. So ah, thank you for letting me get this off my mind and into the world. 💜🪻

[wheelercore]

Mike, Victor, Fred, and Ted: weird murder/killing & PTSD subtext

Now that I have been thinking Too Much about Fred, I am interested in the "holding the mirror up" aspect of it.

We see them intentionally show Fred's reflection on the grandfather clock

Which the camera angle in which this was done reminds me SO MUCH of how they reflected Victor in the bathwater where the spiders were.

Also notice when Victor was arrested it was against the same wall the grandfather clock stands against-it actually might be there within frame on the right but that also might be a doorway- I'm not sure. Looks like its probably a doorway but the clock is somewhere around there.

You also have the fire similarity between Fred's vision and Victors:

The similarity being: murderer

They both feel and intense amount of guilt for what they have done- however both was an accident. Victor, I think, pretty obviously has PTSD and Fred might have also. We'll get to this later.

They also do the same reflection into the grandfather clock with Henry- right as he uses his powers for the first and it immediately cuts to him killing a rabbit.

Also the rainbow being ~~gay~~ but also may I say it might also be a reference to Henrys future killings in the Rainbow Room.

The thing that interests me is why the grandfather clock is associated with 'murderer'? In fact it's what is associated with Henry's powers, which is what he then uses to kill his family and the kids in the rainbow room. We also see the clock presents most of the time as jutting out of trees (Chrissy- reference to Nancy in s1) and walls (Patrick and Max)- which are places we've seen be associated with a breach in the barrier between the UD and RSU. As if the clock is forcing it's way from the UD to the RSU- like we see repeatedly UD beasts do.

So in a sense the symbolism works like this:

Clock -> breaching the barrier between the UD and RSU -> akin to UD monsters -> the UD monsters being a mirror/reflection of humanity's predatory nature -> predator defined as "preys on the weak" -> mentions of various famous killers (Freddy Krueger, Michael Meyers, and Ted Bundy- all in the same episode by the way).

Its especially interesting that Fred is a mix of Mike and Ted:

(Mikes s3 scar and Ted's glasses. Again, all in the same episode.)

Mind you, they make a whole circle of character-murderer references: Victor is compared to Michael Meyers, Eddie (not a murderer but was witness to one and is later accused) is compared to Ted Bundy (both names are short of Edward also), and I believe Vecna/Henry is compared to Freddy Krueger at some point also.

To add to this, the topic of PTSD is also something shared, I believe, between Fred, Victor, Mike, and Ted (and also most likely Henry but I haven't really looked into any specific uses of symbolism, name games, etc etc im lazy).

I believe I saw @aemiron-main mention previously about how it seemed that Victor had gained weight over the course of the Creel sequences given to us. While neither Victor nor Henry, I believe, are inclined to mention how much Victor had been eating once he was triggered by the Vecna visions so we don't necessary see any explicit confirmation of it, to me in a round-about way its supported by Ted's eating habits particularly in s2 and how that ties back to Victor since they're paralleled in this sense.

(Em, you're the resident expert on Victor so feel free to add anything on here related to this if you would like to. I'm sure you have much more coherent things/proof to say about this than I do when it comes to Victor haha).

In Henry's monologue (which is literally just the writers "spelling it out to us" as promised), he mentions eating as one of the distractions, ie just another way of describing coping mechanisms (heavy themes of mental illness/trauma all over the place in s4 as it relates to conformity and the metaphor behind Vecna).

In season 2 we hardly see Ted not eating/drinking (dinner scenes- obviously, doorbell scene with Dustin where he was holding a mug in his hand). Even in the opening scene he's the only person eating pringles (?) in the kitchen with Karen and Holly:

Even in the end of s1 he's apparently fallen asleep while eating out of a large bowl of popcorn.

Multiple times overeating is brought up with Karen angrily commenting that she hopes he's enjoying his chicken after we see her observe twice Ted not backing her up at the dinner table but rather just drinking/chewing (mind you this is all happening while discussion wills disappearance is going on, with the general consensus in the town being that Will was taken by a child abductor/murder- with Ted's See what happens? line being particularly interesting):

and Dustin jokingly putting an excessive amount of pancakes on his plate after Ted sarcastically tells him to "take us for all we're worth".

Hell, even the scene were Ted is holding a random donut in the church in s4- it's overeating/eating when its inappropriate, particularly doing a stressful moment, and again, this was related to the serial killings of Chrissy, Fred, and Patrick and how Eddie was scapegoated for it. Or Ted being the only person eating at Will's funeral, very obvious because he's the only one holding a plate. And these are only instances I remember off the top of my head.

Victor, while, again, we don't see as much of an association with food we do see him repeatedly get triggered over the course of the events shown to us. Victor describes his vecna visions as "living nightmares" which is a callback to Hopper and Joyce's conversation, again, in season 2:

Victors visions, unlike Virginia's, were intentionally very reminiscent of PTSD flashbacks. Victor was being repeatedly triggered all throughout the time of being "haunted" by this "demon".

Switching back around to Mike for a bit, we get the parallel in s4 to the s1 dinner scene, this time with Mike, who, unlike his father, is not eating very much. And Will, from the same vantage point as Karen in the s1 scene and like Karen, notices subtly:

Takes a similar sip of his drink when El storms off, similar to how Ted takes a sip of his drink both times when Nancy and Mike storm off. Honestly it would have been funny if Murray had made chicken risotto.

Regardless to get to my point, these can be signs of traumatic events happening in the past:

(x)

While again, it's hard to tell with Victor, because comparatively we don't see much of him, there are some subtle hints. Talking about being "moody":

Dr. Owens explicitly mentions "changes in personality" as a sign of PTSD to look out for.

There's the clothing parallel between Mike and Ted related to this in again, you guessed it, season 2:

Both are scenes in which they are acting pretty irritable and standoff-ish to someone. Mike being this way towards Max due to the trauma and guilt of watching El "die" at the end of s1, related to death- again like Victor and Fred, however Mike was not culpable although I suppose he may have felt that he had not done enough to save El.

We don't know what's up with Ted, but he was actually strangely in this scene- not hearing the incessant ringing of the doorbell or even noticing Karen out loud ask him to get the door judging from the fact that he says "I'll get it" as if he hadn't heard her. Karen seemed annoyed by this as if this has become a common occurrence in the last year or so. He seemed to have been intensely concentrated or more so distracted, obviously with a drink in his hand.

stranger things writers dot twitter are sooo correct s2 is underrated we love the PTSD season

Notice how both are all dressed up- projecting an image of having yourself together, "perfection", when you're really not. Reminds me of that scene of s1 where Mike is complains the tie is choking him, and Ted tells him that that's how its supposed to be. Symbolizing an excessive amount of control over oneself and ones emotions (choking oneself as symbolized by clothing), which is seen through various habits, e.g. overeating/lack of eating.

Now, last thing that's a bit of a tangent, but going all the way back to this theme of murderers and killing- e.g. Mike's survivor's guilt, the interesting parallel between Holly and Henry catch my attention. Both are described as "explorers". Henry after he looks into the grandfather clock and 'gains' his abilities:

I saw my parents as they truly were. They presented themselves as good, normal people. But like everything else in this world, it was a lie. A terrible lie. They had done terrible things, Eleven. Such awful things.

(Sorry I ran out of image space >.<)

After Holly witnesses the Demogorgon ("predator") almost come out of the wall, again like we see with the grandfather clock which is reflected on Fred (Ted+Mike), Karen describes her as an explorer- which is referenced back to Henry seeing his parents for who they truly were. Holly then also notices the flesh monster from the ferries wheel (UD "predator") but Karen and Ted tell her to ignore it and look at the pretty fireworks. We know Holly was at the pool when Karen was flirting with Billy there, however what "terrible", "awful" thing Ted had done in the past is still unknown.

Shortly after this in s3- Karen, Ted, and Holly become the family unit which is then indirectly described in the church scene as "a lie designed to hide a truth", with Karen and Ted's clothing paralleling Mike and El's from early s3 when they were being an annoyingly fake couple.

While Victors fate is almost obviously reminiscent of Oedipus (the whole eye gouging and all- falling into a fate that was one of his own doing when he accidentally murdered that family during the war)- Mike does also get two moments were he technically "blinds" himself all throughout s4: the sun glasses in the airport and the sensory deprivation glasses at that pizza place- a fate that more closely follows Oedipus: kill your father, become your father, and then marry your mother.

(the last one being a whole nother long post)

Anyways... what exactly happened in 1959?

[willel]

The "Main Character"

I realize belatedly this might be a controversial post, but it's not meant to be. I'm writing this to express how I think about things and why. Why I theorize about some things but not so much others.

It will be under the read more since I imagine it will end up getting a little long. That's said, let's get started. 👍

I suppose I should start by saying, this is meant to be an ensemble cast. Season 1 balanced everyone out the most, but as the seasons have progressive added more and more people, they've had to hone their focus on some characters more than others.

In this fandom, almost entirely because of shipping wars in my opinion, the fandom has began arguing who is the "main character" between Will and El.

Based on the definition of "ensemble cast", neither of these individuals are main characters or they're BOTH main characters along with everyone else.

But if you take the show itself into consideration so far, I think it's pretty clear that El is at least the main protagonist of the entire cast and no one else comes close. It's not even due to screen time or anything like that, it's based purely on her relationship with the "end goal" of each season and how each season ends based on her actions.

In season 1 she leads to Hopper and Joyce finding Will and she destroys the Demogorgon, putting an end to the seasonal threat.

In season 2, she's the one who closes the gate, putting an end to the seasonal threat.

Season 3 sticks out more than the others, but in the end, she's the one that stalls Billy in the final moments long enough for the Mind Flesher to get got.

In season 4, similarly to season 3, she's the one that holds Vecna in place long enough to at least partially save Max and to keep him trapped in his mind so he can get flamed.

As someone who makes theories for fun and tries to predict what the next season might be, this actually makes it kind of difficult to create theories about El. Inevitably, her role will be the "end the season". She's the "final weapon". In fact, she's the ONLY weapon. If the fight comes down to a 1v1, El vs a supernatural threat, she's the one that's going to take it out.

Which leads to my second point. It doesn't matter who the "main character" is because El's status as the final boss killer only works thanks to the efforts of the other characters.

It's much easier to imagine "What will so-and-so do that will enviably help El defeat the final boss? What if so-and-so does this, allowing El to get to the final boss? How will so-and-so trick the bad guy so that El can get them?"

And you see, that is why coming up with theories for one character in particular so so easy and fun! I'm sure you know who that other character is, right? It's William Byers.

Similarly to El, Will is the only other character in the entire series that is tied to the supernatural threat and there's nothing anyone can do about it. You know how Brenner and the lab constantly comes crawling back into El's life to ruin her day? Well, that's how the Upside Down is for Will.

In every season thus far (except season 4), Will is the deciding figure that tells the characters and the audience that something fucked up is happening. In season 1, his disappearance set off the entire plot for our main characters, leading them to El in the first place.

In season 2, the link he's been trying to ignore for an entire year comes back with a vengeance, once again wrapping everyone up in a supernatural affair (while El is none the wiser)

In season 3 though it takes him a while to admit it, he's the first one to whiff something stinky going on around them.

Much like El, Will has no choice but to be involved. He has no choice but to help. He has no choice but to play some kind of role.

This is why I often insist Will and El are technically the "main characters". To me, everything has been leading to this.

"What can Will do that will help El succeed in the final battle of all battles".

It seems to me that whatever Will has going on is the key El has needed all this time to rid them both of the curse of the Upside Down and Henry Creel. There's something only the two of them can do together that will finally cut the link to all their trauma. There's something that sets them apart from the rest.

It's so fun to imagine what Will will be able to do that will inevitably help El defeat Vecna. What can Will and El do together to finally put an end to all of this. What can Will do to finally repay the person who has saved his life countless times? Can you see where I am coming from when I put forth these "Will has powers" essays? How Will is also a protagonist in this story with every reason to participate in the final battle?

They're both the main protagonists in this story. They've both been personally afflicted by this evil (Max too). Their lives especially rely on the outcome of this conflict.

So when people bring up the argument "Who is the main character", my response is really, "What does that matter? El has always relied on others to be victorious, as it should be."

I want the result of this story not to be "El is a superhero, therefore, she should be able to do this alone." I want it to reinforce, "El is a traumatized girl with all this responsibility placed on her. She shouldn't HAVE to do this alone, she has so many people who love her now who can help her."

For Will, I want it to be, "I don't have to let my fears hold me back anymore. Even if I don't fight with my fists, I too can be strong. I can fight. I can stand up for myself and the people I care about."

OK RAMBLING DONE. Just some wandering thoughts before taking my lunch break. Carry on. 👽

[stobinesque]

One of my biggest issues with this storyline—and the lack of an onscreen apology from literally anyone to Lucas—is that they missed an opportunity to actually explore the nuances of Lucas' desire for social acceptance. It's canonically a part of the reason he's on the team and I don't really think there's a problem with it. Except that the show doesn't commit to either telling the story of how the one black/non-white kid in a friend group (who has also experienced a lot of trauma—some of which is directly tied to hi race!) might feel more motivation to "fit in", OR a story about someone who is changing fundamental aspects of who they are in order to do so. As you said, outside of missing one session, Lucas has not given up on DnD, and at no point do we see Lucas acting markedly differently with either his friends or the basketball team than he has in previous seasons. (Even when it would have been in his best interest to do so! While he plays along with the search for Eddie, he routinely tries to talk Jason & co. down and only ever says anything explicitly negative when he is being directly challenged/questioned. It would have been safer for him to ham up some supposed disdain the whole time, but he doesn't.)

Just like there's nothing wrong with being a jock and playing sports, there's also nothing inherently wrong with wanting to be socially accepted. (There's also nothing wrong with wanting to be popular but that doesn't even seem like something Lucas is explicitly interested in. He just wants to stop being a social outcast.) And, like, it's valid for Mike not to want that, but it's a lot easier for him to say that when he more or less has a choice in whether or not he is an outsider. But Lucas has and will never have that option, and the show has already demonstrated that his friends don't seem to understand that. In better hands we could have gotten a really interesting exploration of the inherent tension of being the only black/non-white friend in a friend group, and we also could have seen Dustin and Mike have to grapple with the fact that there is this one aspect of their friend that they will never be able to fully understand.

I also think the Duffers did Lucas and that storyline a real disservice by 1) refusing to flesh out Patrick even a modicum more (both Chrissy and Fred got more attention to their trauma and why Vecna was targeting them), when there is a clear implication that he and Lucas have bonded and 2) not giving Lucas and Jeff at least one onscreen exchange. If the Duffers really wanted to write a story about Lucas struggling with the unique circumstances of being black in a predominantly white small town, it would have been so easy to set Patrick and Jeff up as foils to each other and have them represent the choice between "acceptance" and "nonconformity." While I think that dichotomy is still overly simplistic it would at least make more sense than having that tension between set up between Jason and Eddie, because, realistically, Lucas is never going to be able to be either of them. And if Lucas was exploring his place as a black kid in Hawkins, talking to black students a little older than him and gaining insight into how they've managed to navigate it probably would have naturally come to a more complex conclusion anyway.

It really seems like the Duffers realized when creating Lucas that they couldn't completely ignore the racism he would face, but that they also had no interest in (or ability to) actually exploring it.

I apologize, you hit another one of my buttons but like I have mixed emotions on the whole basketball/DND thing in season 4. The way the show punishes Lucas choosing basketball over DND, as if other party members don't have interests outside of DND, is so frustrating. Lucas has to realize that "normal is a raging psychopath" when it's really not? He wasn't dropping his friends or interests to play basketball. He just had a conflict on one day. And if the Duffers didn't have an agenda, this is all it would be. Lucas likes two things and once they unfortunately happen to collide and he has to skip one of them. It's not a punishment, but rather something that people have to deal with sometimes. It's just so frustrating that the show punished Lucas for having interests outside DND, when Will has art, and Dustin has his radios!

But as someone who organized events when I was in high school, it is so hard to schedule things so that everyone can attend if they want to. Especially in the evenings. And at some point if you can get most people that you need at a time, you take it. So I can understand where Eddie is coming from, that it might not be worth it to cancel/reschedule the last session at the last minute when only one person can't make it. So I understand why Eddie might not want to move it. But again, they shouldn't have made it seem like it was a punishment for Lucas doing jock things.

But like Dustin and Mike! These two chose a game over supporting their friend and then they dragged that Lucas's sister into the game as well, so she wasn't there either! And Dustin and Mike did have a choice to say to Eddie, no, we want to support our friend, you can run the campaign with or without us. Because missing one person is one thing. Missing three is an entire other ball game.

And like all of this could have been resolved if they talked about it but now Eddie is dead so it's just a loose thread and a win for the Duffers in the nerd vs jock battle that only exists in their head.

Seeeeee the thing for me is, while I totally understand trying to coordinate a time to meet with everyone being difficult. It is! Group projects in uni are bonkers. But, Hellfire is directly called a club, meaning it has regularly scheduled meetings, presumably scheduled at the start of the semester (January) if not the school year. So it's not like they have to rearrange their schedule for this particular meeting, it's already ON the schedule. The make up might take work but. Postponing two weeks to do it on regular night isn't the end of the world. If the space is in use for whatever reason, people have basements and dining room tables.

I think it's mentioned that the championship game wasn't scheduled until like, a day or two before? If not it was likely at most a week and a half. With how Eddie talks about basketball, despite one of "his sheepies" being on the team, I don't really blame Lucas for being nervous to ask him directly. So like, there's a scheduling conflict, and literally any other session I wouldnt be upset. Stuff happens, sometimes you're down a player! You work through it with them doing something off screen. It's whatever.

It sucks but it can drum up whatever conflict they want from it I guess. It'd be a dick move to bring Erica (and his best friends) in when she could be supporting her brother at the championship but whatever. (Also. Introducing a new player character is kinda complicated? That's not something I would want to do in a finale?) It can be worked through. But. My experience playing dnd with people is that, y'know. The whole point isn't to beat the bad guy, it's to have fun with your friends? In S3 they sort of address this when Mike and Lucas half ass their way to finish Will's one shot faster! He's hurt partially because winning isn't what it's about! So having a player not able to make a major session for me just doesn't compute. I want my friend there! Who's been there from the beginning! I want to win with my friend.

Listen. I love Eddie! But he's clearly stuck in highschool clique mode, despite his anticonformist talking points, (something that is never brought up! Eddie's like stick it to the man! But as soon as someone steps out from the box he views as acceptable, he doesn't know what to do with them) and thus does things that are dickish. Someone in hellfire is on the basketball team, yet Eddie rails against them, doesn't even try to understand there's nuances. No wonder Lucas got Dustin (Eddie's favourite) and Mike to ask for a raincheck. Dustin and Mike could have stuck up for Lucas and said they couldn't find one, let alone three subs between them and the game. They could have gone! They should have gone! And the fact the didn't isn't brought up when it's already been an issue in S3 with Will, is a shame.

Having to cancel plans you're looking forward to sucks, but honestly it's more fun to reschedule big things (like a campaign finale) so everyone can make it than just. Replace them. Idk that's just me and my experience playing. We don't actually know how hellfire usually goes so maybe it's normal? Idk.

The show has this very bizzare view of jocks v nerds. As though every person who has ever touched a ball willingly is automatically a terrible person and only likes sports. There's sooooo many layers to it. Because people are complex. My brother was on like three teams in school, and a guy he was on football with that had a friend of a friend in common later said that he wasn't a jock! When I would have said he absolutely was. A nerdy one, absolutely, but definitely a jock.

It's annoying that the show just. Doesn't accept that people have many interests and sometimes those interests are sports. Sports are fun! Exercise is good for you! While, yes. Absolutely sports teams can cultivate a toxic environment, they can also be incredibly fulfilling.

It just feels like the Duffers want to punish anyone who dares like sports in any way tbh.

[chronicrabbit]

A Very Steddie Christmas

Listen. I had an idea.

It’s post-Vecna. Steve and Eddie are friends. Eddie has had a hopeless little crush on Steve for years, yada yada yada. The usual shit. You get the picture.

It’s mid December and Steve Harrington is hyped up for Christmas.

Steve had always been a Christmas fan. He lives for it; the tacky decorations, the twinkling lights strung up on every tree and house on the block, the joyous atmosphere, the warmth of a good cup of cocoa on a snowy Hawkins night.

Everything.

Steve loves Christmas, even more so now that he has a Family™️ to share it with!

So when he overhears Eddie talking to Gareth about how he’s:

“Never had an actual Christmas”

he knows his services are needed.

He makes it his mission to give Eddie Munson the best Christmas ever, despite Robin’s teasing looks and Dustin’s frown of confusion.

He starts it all off with inviting him over to decorate inside and out, mostly because he doesn’t particularly want to do it himself and Robin point blank refuses when he asks her.

It’s not the funnest holiday activity, but the end goal is worth it; that’s what Steve’d always thought, anyway.

The Harrington’s were not terribly festive people, but they were deeply prideful and competitive, so naturally there were about five shelves in their sizable garage packed full of lights, tinsel, baubles, and other more expensive pieces of decor purchased by a fuming and wine-drunk Claire Harrington after a single and very passive aggressive conversation with Mrs. Thompson across the street.

Steve and Eddie work for hours, ending in tinsel littering every available surface, a bent gutter from a very close call with the ladder, and a declaration of hatred for string lights, but the huge grin on Eddie’s face is undeniable as they stand side by side, clinking together their hideous holiday mugs of eggnog and rum as they survey the impressive product of their hard work.

It looks amazing.

Mrs. Thompson, eat your heart out.

His next step is to bake his Nonna’s red-hot cinnamon snickerdoodles, the ones she’d sneak him every Christmas when he was a kid before his parents decided visiting was too much effort, and to watch a few Christmas Classics.

The cookies were meant to be a surprise, but Eddie shows up an hour and a half earlier than he’d said he would with the movies Robin had set aside for him and finds Steve in the kitchen, hair pinned back, glasses on, and red knit sweater covered in flour despite the apron tied around his waist.

He finds he doesn’t so much mind the change of plans as he and Eddie dance around the kitchen to George Michael, Eddie grabbing the batter covered wire whisk for a compelling performance of “Last Christmas”, a song he very clearly knows none of the words to.

Once the cookies are safely tucked away in the oven, they make their way to the couch, sitting nice and close for extra warmth as “It’s a Wonderful Life” begins to play.

Eddie talks through the entire first part of the movie, and when they return from the short break they take to retrieve the cookies from the oven and divvy them out between the two of them along with two cups of steaming hot cocoa, he talks through the rest through his mouthful of cookie.

Steve’s never enjoyed that movie more.

The third step is a bit more of an impromptu thing, because when Steve wakes up to see a fresh layer of beautiful powdery snow on the ground, he basically has no choice but to round up the party for the worlds most epic snowball fight.

Eddie complains at first, but quickly changes his tune the moment Mike manages to nail him directly in the face with a snowball.

He leaps into action with a declaration of:

“Oh it’s on, Wheeler!”

No matter how much Dustin swears you can’t win a snowball fight, Steve and Nancy definitely take the victory that day between her killer aim and his brutal throwing arm.

They split up into groups after the fact for some more snowy day activities.

El, Max, Nancy, and Steve build a little snow family together, Mike, Lucas, Will, and Robin work exceptionally hard to craft a nice sturdy fort with packed snow and ice (they write out actual equations and dimensions that make Steve’s head spin), and Erica, Dustin, Eddie, Jonathan, and Argyle make a serious of increasingly more ridiculous snow angels, ending in the five of them just tackling each other over to see what shape it makes.

Everyone stays out until their fingertips and noses are bright red and numb, finally giving in and heading inside once the sun starts to set and fresh snow starts to fall.

They clamber into Steve’s house, bundling up in blankets and huddling in front of the fireplace together to watch, much to Steve’s chagrin, the He-Man Christmas Special from the year before that Dustin had recorded over an episode of Night Court (Claudia was still upset with him over it).

And he couldn’t lie to himself and pretend he didn’t know how close he was sitting beside Eddie on the couch; close enough that their shoulders were bumping together with each breath.

He also couldn’t pretend he wasn’t enjoying every single time Eddie would turn to face him, to share in the excitement of whatever was happening on the screen.

Steve hadn’t watched a single second of the movie, far too focused on the dimples that appeared whenever Eddie smiled that big sunny smile, or the crinkles that appeared likewise around his big brown eyes, or the small freckle just over his lip…

Oh.

Oh.

Well…

He’d have to adjust his plan just a little.

With that new information tucked safely away in his mind, his next step became very clear. Thankfully, he didn’t need a different gift idea than the one he’d already come up with, perhaps just a different method of delivery.

………

It’s the afternoon of Christmas Eve when he knocks on the door of Eddie Munson’s trailer, the only one in the park with a complete absence of Christmas decorations or, at the very least, a wreath or something.

Eddie answers with that heart stopping smile, dressed in a blue sweater Steve is 90% certain he snatched from Robin who stole it from him some time last year.

He doesn’t give Eddie much time to greet him, holding out a small green bag with a red bow.

“What’s this, Steve?”

Eddie’s eyebrows pinch together, his smile not quite dropped, more slanting into a look of gentle confusion.

“It’s a present. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow, so…”

Steve does a ‘here we are’ motion with his hands, pushing the present towards Eddie once again.

The movement seems to reactivate Eddie, who pulls Steve into the warmth of his living room with a shiver.

“You got me a present?” Eddie inquires the moment the door was closed behind them, protecting them from the bitingly cold air.

“Of course. Can’t have Christmas without the gifts, can you?” Steve laughs.

“Christmas,” Eddie repeats after him a bit dubiously.

“Yeah, I suppose you can’t,” he shrugs, as if he doesn’t know.

“Exactly, so!” Steve extends the bag towards Eddie once again, shaking it enticingly.

Eddie’s nose scrunches in that way it does when he’s very carefully considering something.

“Steve. As much as I appreciate the constant stream of hot cocoa and holiday cheer you’ve been bombarding me with for the past week, I gotta ask. What gives? Why are you doing all this?”

Steve sighs.

“Well, I…” he starts, licking his lips as he tries to sort out his jumbled thoughts before continuing.

“To tell the truth, I overheard you telling Gareth that you’ve never had a real Christmas before. I… I’ve always loved Christmas. It’s the only holiday my parents would stay home for- well, up until I turned 16, that is. So, I guess I just… wanted to give you one. A real Christmas, that is.”

Eddie presses his lips together into a thin line, his usually open expression strangely unreadable as he considers Steve closely.

He nods when he seems to come to a conclusion, reaching his hands out towards the little bag and clenching and unclenching his fingers as if to say:

“Gimme.”

Steve smiles and hands over the gift bag, his stomach turning somersaults like an Olympic gymnast.

Eddie tears through the tissue paper, sending it flying to litter across the carpet, until his fingers find the occupant of the bag; a single Polaroid.

He fixes Steve with a raised eyebrow before letting his eyes fall back down to take in the picture.

“Alright,” Eddie nods as if he’s trying to understand a joke, mirth-filled gaze landing back on Steve over the Polaroid.

“Ok, Stevie. Very funny.”

Steve can’t help the smirk that overtakes his own face.

“And it’s all yours,” he assures him, playing into the playful tone as he watches Eddie survey the snapshot of the guitar; a BC Rich Warbeast with a glossy black body and a cherry red flame motif.

“I’ll cherish it, Big Boy,” Eddie snorts good naturally, pressing the image to his chest with a dramatic little sigh.

“I sure hope you will,” Steve nods.

“It cost me most of my savings up front, and I still have payments to make on it for the next few months.”

Eddie eyebrows scrunch together at that, that puzzled look from before returning to his face as he pulls the picture back up to take a closer look.

“Steve, wha- this… is this in your living room in this pic- Did you…”

Steve watches as several emotions crossed Eddie’s face; confusion, bewilderment, disbelief, and then, finally, understanding.

“Steve…” he says in what’s barely a whisper, Steve leaning in a bit closer to hear him.

“Did you… did you actually…”

He can’t seem to finish the sentence, so Steve takes it upon himself to answer him.

“I know you’ve been missing your old one. It’s not the same, but it’s the closet I could find and it’s waiting for you under the tree at my place. I had to drive all the way to Indy for it, and it’s not new, but I checked it out and it’s only lightly used. The scratches were easy enough to buff out, and Jeff helped to make sure it was-“

Steve grunts at the sudden impact of a body against his, warmth flooding through him as Eddie wraps him up in the tightest hug he’s even been given in his life.

He can’t help the surprised laugh that escapes him, sputtering as some of Eddie’s hair gets in his mouth. He winds his own arms around Eddie’s waist, pulling him somehow closer and simply breathing him in.

“You are unbelievable,” Eddie breathes as he gives him a solid squeeze before pulling back, though he doesn’t relinquish his hold on Steve’s shoulders.

“So, I’m guessing you like it?” Steve asks through his smile.

“Like it? Stevie, I… I could honestly kiss you right now! You’re damn lucky there’s no mistletoe here, or else-“

Eddie’s words die out as Steve digs in his pocket, pulling out and raising up high above their heads a little sprig of mistletoe with the most charming smile he can muster.

He prays his nerves don’t show through as Eddie’s eyes meet his, wide with shock as they flicker back and forth between them and the mistletoe.

“Damn lucky,” Steve says, his tone steady with resolve even as his hand shakes.

In the next second Eddie’s lips meet his and it’s everything he could’ve ever dreamed of.

It’s everything every single cheesy little Christmas RomCom promises.

Magic.

When they finally part, both breathless and dazed and smiling like complete idiots, Steve tugs Eddie in close by his pilfered sweater.

“So? Was this a good first Christmas?”

Eddie’s eyebrows raise up and he honest to god giggles.

“Considering Christmas is tomorrow, I’d say it’s a pretty solid start.”

Steve allows himself a very John Bender-like fist pump, much to Eddie’s amusement as he pulls him into another kiss.

“As sweet as this is, Sweetheart,” Eddie whispers against his lips, hands fisting in the fabric of his sweater to hold him nice and close, which is lucky considering how hard Steve swoons at the word “sweetheart”.

“I feel the need to ask.”

“Anything,” Steve promises, nudging Eddie’s nose with his own as he presses a couple more gentle kisses against his grinning mouth.

“You know I’m Jewish, right?”

………

I might turn this into an actual multi chapter fic. Let me know if that’s something y’all would want!

[steveshairychest]

Okay but listen.. Steddie with rhe quote "Now I have to remember you longer than I've known you"

I just woke up and now I am standing outside in the rain crying!!

Steve never got the chance to know him properly, sure, he knew his favourite song but that was something they all had to share before the final fight with vecna. It wasn't enough, Steve craved to know him inside and out but all he had was his own foggy memory of things they spoke about before he died. He wished he'd done more over the week they were together, maybe asked him what his favourite flower was so he knew what to bring to his grave.

A month passes and Steve can't stop thinking about the fact he has spent more time with Eddie at his grave then when he was actually alive. He goes to hellfire with the kids every week to try and feel closer to Eddie, to try and understand why he loved that stupid game so much. He talks to Gareth when they pass each other on the street, he doesn't bring up Eddie, he can tell Gareth isn't handling it well. Hell, Steve isn't handling it well. Does visiting his grave every day and asking Eddie questions that he'll never get the answer to count as handling it well?

Wayne comes to visit Eddie one afternoon while Steve is there. They've bumped into each other quite a few times at his grave, Wayne always smiles at him as Steve leaves to give them privacy. But today, Wayne stops next to where Steve is sitting and hands him a single sunflower, it has a black ribbon tied around it's stem. "They're his favourite. Thanks for keeping him company every day." Steve holds the sunflower close to his chest and sobs.

[theyaregayyourhonor]

But why Max? Asked the girl and couldn't stop thinking about it ever since

In s4 why Max is the one getting Vecna'd (I know why but let me finish)

They could have write the hero cliché, because Mike already calling Jane his hero, so why didn't they personalized it? Jane was his hero because she saved the workd twice. When s4 Mike and Dustin talk about their girlfriend Dustin talks about how Suzie changed his D to an A, Mike brags about Jane saving the world twice. Why didn't he say ' Did your girlfriend ever levitate you?' or 'Did your girlfriend ever broke your bully arm?' or 'Did your girlfriend ever saved your life with her amazing powers?'

Why didn't he personalized it? I know first it doesn't seem much and 'My girlfriend saved the world!' sounds better but that's not what he says he says

'You do realize El saved the world, twice'

We know Mike's girlfriend is Jane so why didn't he say 'You do realize my girlfriend saved the world twice'

Because that would personalized it. But that answer, you can place it in an argument about superheros and it would fit. Mike talks about Jane, his girlfriend as she was a superhero, his favourite superhero, but you don't date your heros, your a fan of them

Also Jane in her letter write twice as happy, which is a lie;

I don't know about you but I find it intresting that they used the word twice, just this two time. Jane could've say 'just as happy' or 'happier' but she said twice (maybe I'm reading into it but still I find this interesting)

By s4 we never had the cliché of the hero saving the love intrest and that being a big plot point. Most of the time the love interest being saved is tied to a plot twist or a major clue or something we missed. It totally has the BIG BAD monologue of how they became what they are and in what and how the hero shaped them and similar to the BIG BAD. In s4 we do have this but with Max

Like I said they could've write any type of way s4 and it would've been a cute and romantic moment which makes moodswings endgame. If Jane ends up saving Mike the way she saved Max it would've been romantic and swipe away byler, it wouldn't leave room for doubt, but they choose Max

Why?

Because after Hopper she is the most important person in Jane's life. In s3 moodswings broke up and Jane before and after that spends her time with Max and she is living. She is happy and full and she just loves being with her. Not even talking about the fact that she has Hopper. Hop not-dies and she confinds in Mike but in s4 they have a break up (From, Mike was a break up you can't change my mind) and who does Jane finds herself thinking/worrying about? Max

In the knew-lab and after it her main focus is Max she is the one that Jane has a need to fight for. She willing to do anything to save her, not even talking about this:

That's what every BIG BAD said to the hero before they bring in the love intrest to kill them

And who does Vecna bring in? Mike?

No, the writers for some reason didn't had Vecna bring Mike in, it's Max

Also Jane face:

And after that Henry/001/Vecna went on about they creator how he is no monster but man, how Jane played into him becaming dimensiondemonlord and how similar the two of them and how they are not

So the writers ended up making the BIG BAD bring in Max instead of Mike, making the time Max and Jane spend together as the source of her strength to keep on fighting, not Mike's weak, half-assed monologue AND had Max and Jane reunite this way in Max's mind:

I am not saying that Max is more important to Jane than Mike. The writers do

Max and Jane relationship is deeper and more meaning full than what she has with her boyfriend and because of that Max was a target of Vecna

Because he wants his revenge on Jane

And he took Max

Not Mike

[you-usuratonkachi]

The way i love your analysis so much ugh😩

I wanted to ask you if could make a post about what’s gonna happen in season 5,regarding Vecna,the new monsters,Nancy’s visions ecc ecc :)

Have a nice day! <3

Thank you so much, I'm so glad that you enjoy my rambling haha!

As for what I believe will happen plot-wise, tbh I don't really know. My thoughts and analysis do not go beyond what I think will happen between Will and Mike becuase there's way too much to unpack supernatural-wise and my fantasy is limited...

I know for sure that Will will have a big part in S5, though, and it won't be just him crying over Mike. I'm a firm believer that his feelings for Mike and his queerness in general are inherently tied up with the supernatural part of this story.

There is a reason why Will was taken to the upside down, and we know from S1 that Will has been bullied at school for being queer and by his dad since before that, despite the fact that he was really just a child still. I feel like none of that was strictly necessary if they just wanted to have a simple queer character in the story. They could have brought that in in later seasons, when he was older and perhaps questioning, if it was as simple as including queer rapresentation, but no, the first things we learn about Will at the very beginning, even before we get to know him as a character, is that he's missing and he's bullied for being queer. Not just that, Hopper makes it a point to highlight the fact that for a split second him being queer might be more important than him missing.

Think about it, if that information had never been offered to us, would the story have played out differently? As far as we know, not really? Yes, we see that the bullies mention that different times but he could have been bullied for another reason and technically everything could have played out the same, right? We get hinted that Will might be queer before we even get to experience Will as a character. That's... a lot of emphasis on it for someone who we have basically seen on screen once.

It almost feels like they are suggesting that he was taken because he's queer. The bullies even kinda infer it by saying that "he's in fairy-land now with all the other fairies", which puts the idea in the watchers that the Upside Down is the land of the queer.

But think about it, would a kid so young even know for sure if he's gay or not? What made people (and his dad) even think he was?

Joyce describes him as a "sensitive child", which was also used as a descriptor for Vecna by his dad.

Will and Vecna shared similarities since they were children, then. Vecna saw this in him. "Sensitive child" suggests to me that Will might have had the potential to develop powers, just like Henry did. Because contrary to Brenner's lab experiments, we do not know how Henry came to be with powers. By his explanation one day he just... awakened them. If he saw similarities between himself and Will, wouldn't he also think that Will might awaken his powers, then?

Will survived a week in the Upside Down. Whatever took him (I assume Vecna now) did not kill him on the spot. He was not a prey, clearly. Which suggests to me that Vecna might have been trying to recruit him. Possibly train him to open more portals? Since El had refused to do so once already.

I think the reason why the Upside Down is stuck on the day Will entered it is because Will changed it to look like that, the same way Henry made the Mind Flayer look like a spider, I think that day Will might have actually shaped the Upside Down into something that was familiar to him, without even knowing it, which is also what helped him survive. Suddenly the Upside Down didn't just respond to Henry, but Will too.

I think the fact that ultimately he turned out to actually be queer is just a "coincidence", but it might also be what ultimately will set him apart from Henry himself.

I just know that by the end of the story, his feelings for Mike will play a part in all this. They might be just the thing that helps him get away from Henry's control, or what awakens his powers (assuming he has them dormant somewhere), but his love for Mike will make a difference somehow, and that will make the reason he was kidnapped the first time also the reason why the evil was defeated. It won't be "he was taken because he's queer" anymore, but "he won because he's queer" instead.

I think the overall message of Stranger Things is that people should learn to accept and embrace their queerness (as in "what makes them strange, special and unique) and not conform (in Eddie's words "conformity is what is killing the kids") because there are STRANGER things out there than being gay or nerdy or black or toothless. And I feel like they chose to have Will be queer in the story because the word queer also means strange and they played on words with that. Which also makes me feel like they might reclaim the word "gay" too, because yes, it means loving someone of the same sex, but it also means HAPPY.

The Upside Down might simply be a metaphor to the "inside" of a person's mind when they push themselves too hard to conform to society and bury what makes them different. It wouldn't surprise me, because the whole thing with Vecna and Max this season was all a big metaphor for depression and suic*dal thoughts.

So I feel like Will accepting that he's gay and voicing his feelings for Mike and feeling damn good doing it is actually the completition of his whole character arc and possibly also the whole point of the story.

(Which in turn makes me feel like Byler endgame because??? Otherwise what was the point... You cannot put Will at the center of the whole narrative and then make him miserable and rejected?? How does that follow the message you're trying to give... I mean he could just accept that he's gay and get empowered that way, except they spent way too much time in S4 establishing that he's IN LOVE with Mike. If they wanted to go the gay acceptance route they would have given him THAT struggle without relating it to Mike. The moment they chose Mike as the other side of this issue, they decided the fate of the story to me. It's either happy ending or they screw up the whole message of the story)

So, see, I have no idea what is going on in the story, but I have lots of ideas about the overall narrative of it haha! The plot doesn't interest me as much as the narrative apparently. I'm also curious to see how they will get here and if I've actually read their intentions right...

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

To the woman who has my heart:

A letter to the woman Eddie loves, read aloud to the people who despised him. Words he could not say outloud himself.

Warnings: r*pe, angst, grief, blood. A little bit of sadness.

18+ MINORS DNI

Grace Henderson stood up in front of the church, trembling with nervousness and grief. She also hadn't eaten much today, everything tasted like cardboard. She glanced down at the letter in her hands, the letter that Wayne had given to her moments before. He had found it amongst Eddie's things. Eddie, the reason they were all here today. Grace made the mistake of looking into the crowd. In the front row sat her brother and mother with Wayne Munson. She could still hear her brother's cries from both of the times that Eddie had died. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to stop the memory from coming forward.

Fire. Blood. The pile of bodies that stood before him. The smell of it all mixed together and she could feel bile building up in her stomach. The blood dripping from his mouth. They had deserved it. He had had said. To be torn apart like they were nothing? Their bodies raped and beaten? This wasn't her Eddie. Not anymore. The jocks hadn't deserved that, despite the fact they had hunted Eddie and tried to hurt his friends. Eddie wouldn't do something like that. . .

"Please," Eddie begged. "You have to do it. You have to kill me. I can't hold him back any longer. The monster inside me. He's crawling to get out. He doesn't care who he kills."

Grace opened her mouth to sing, to sing the same song that pulled him forward earlier from the depths of his mind. Hey Jude. Though it wasn't metal, it had been his mother's favorite song. His earliest memory of his mother had been her playing it all of the time when it had been released and singing it to Eddie when he felt sick or hurt, or angry. It had been his favorite song too and it had been the one to save him, to bring him back to her however briefly. The vampire that had stolen Eddie's body took down Vecna but now they had to stop Kas and close the gates once and for all. It was time to end this. A hand dropped onto her shoulder and she looked up at Hopper.

"You don't have to do this, kid," Hopper said softly and she shook her head.

"No, it has to be me,"  Grace sobbed. "It has to be."

It wasn't because Kas had marked her as his own, the throbbing bite upon her neck proof of that. . .she had to do this for Eddie. Grace looked into Eddie frightened brown eyes, the only thing that stayed the same. He didn't want to look like this deformed monster anymore. He didn't want to hurt anyone, never did. She has to end this for him and for everyone else because what if it had been Dustin that Kas had killed? What if? Grace continued to sing, placing a gentle kiss on his lips, and plunged the flaming stake into his heart. It burned her hand as she did so. The light in Eddie's eyes went out and he collapsed into her arms, as Kas melted away from him. . .turning into dust as the sun began to rise. Grace held Eddie's still body and sobs wracked her own.

"Eddie," she whispered. "Wake up."

Grace opened her eyes and found everyone sitting in the pews waiting for her to talk.

"Eddie Munson. . . ," she paused, clearing her throat. "Was so much more than everyone in this town thought he was. He wasn't a murderer. How could he be? He could never hurt a fly. I know, I know. The metal head who played the Devil's game. . .he couldn't hurt a fly? No, he couldn't. Instead, he pulled lost sheep under his wing and protected them from the storm. He was a man who was afraid that the woman he. . .the woman he loved thought of him like everyone this town did. . .a freak. She never did. I wasn't sure what to say today so I will read this letter of Eddie's and say the words for him that he never could say."

To the woman who has my heart:

Gaahh! I feel so tongue tied and I am not even speaking. See? This is what you do to me, Henderson. You make me feel like utter shit. I want to throw up and laugh at the same fucking time. My heart wants to explode from my chest whenever you walk into a room. You became friends with me and I still don't understand why. You were a good girl with decent grades and a better chance at a future than I did. You also had a foul mouth which I loved that I knew and everyone else in this damned town didn't. When you graduated and I didn't, I thought for sure that it was it for us but you stayed in town and I was overjoyed. I shouldn't have been because you deserve better than me and this God awful town who can't stand anyone who's different.

I could never tell you how I feel face to face. Never. I suppose that makes me a coward. I am sitting here writing this and laughing. Wayne probably thinks I'm fucking nuts. You once told me that you thought I was the bravest man you had ever met because everyone in this cursed town was too afraid of standing out, of being different. You said that I was never afraid of dressing the way that I want to, of listening to the music that I love, and saying whatever the hell I want to. Tell me, this, my Gracie girl, how come I can't tell you how I feel?

I think it's because I am afraid. Not because you might not feel the same way or because you might think that I am what everyone says that I am. It's because I know that you don't. I look into those wide gorgeous eyes of yours and know that you absolutely adore me for whatever reason. I know because everything I do makes you laugh, I mean like side splitting laugh and I know that I am not that funny. Oh my God, that snort of yours. . .that's so fucking adorable. I can't get enough of it.

I know that when you touch me you feel for me more than anyone else because I know that you don't do that for others. That time I heard Hey Jude come on the radio and you held me in your arms as I cried? I never wanted you to let me go. I told you about my mom that night. I think that I know now why I am so afraid. I think I am afraid of being loved so completely like my mom did, like my Uncle. . . I mean, how could anyone love me like you guys do. . .a broken freak who lives in a fantasy game. . .who can't seem to stay still for more than a minute? I mean, I am batshit crazy and the possibility that Grace Henderson might love me.  .  .impossible. I don't want to run anymore, my sweet Gracie girl. I think I will tell you over Spring Break with this letter and your favorite flowers. As long it's up to you, I hope that we spend every single day of Spring Break together. Until then. . .

Forever yours,

Edward Munson

Eddie Henderson

Eddie Munson

P.S: How is it possible that someone so lovely is related to a butthead like Dustin Henderson? Of course, I'm talking about your mother.

P.S OF P.S: Just kidding, all of the Hendersons are lovely people and I would be honored if I could join the family.

Grace looked up at crowd after folding up and placing the letter smoothly in her pocket.

"How is it possible that a man like that is even considered a murderer? He wanted nothing more than to be understood, to be loved as he is. . . and to live in the town where his mother did. . .to be loved by the people who once loved her. They couldn't see beyond who his father had been or the clothes that he wore. He was a man who loved, to be loved, and he loved more than anyone ever could. Eddie Munson will always. . .will always hold my heart."

Grace climbed down off of the podium and collapsed, sobbing into her mother's arms. It wasn't long before Dustin joined in, wrapping his arms around the both of them. What was surprising was when Wayne stood up and hugged all of them, kissing the top of Grace's head. The whole town was watching them now. When Eddie's name was cleared and had been announced that he actually been the hero who saved the town, hundreds flocked to give him a funeral he deserved. The church was packed and all eyes were on them. It was immediate family who went to bury him: Wayne, the Hendersons, and the Upside Down team. Grace leaned on her brother, her head on his, as they watched Eddie's body being lowered into the ground.

"Goodbye, Eddie," she whispered.

She watched the photo she had nestled in the roses as it disappeared along with the casket. It was a polaroid of Eddie's that he had taken of her before she graduated. She was leaning on her desk, smiling at him with both her eyes and her lips. Grace couldn't remember what he had said then but whatever it was, it made her happier than she had ever looked. He told her before he died that it was his favorite photo of her and now he was taking with him into the afterlife. She hoped he would carry it with him forever.

FIVE YEARS LATER. . .

Grace smiled at the headstone. She could do that now. . .smile. it had taken her a long time to get there but she could do it. It was still a little sad though and she never smiled like she had done with Eddie but she was happy. That was the important thing, that he would want her to be happy.

"The kids are off at college now. Can you believe it? We did good, I think. It was awkward between Will, El, and Mike for a while but they're with their respective others now. Nancy and Jonathan are married now so that's great. Jopper eloped. (Dustin calls Hop and Joyce that.) We've all tried to stay as close as possible and even though the gates are closed now no one wants to live there. It's a ghost town. We all try to keep an eye on it while trying to live our respective lives. It's hard to forget what happened so we don't bother trying. We use it to remind ourselves to live because others can't and to remind ourselves that it only made us stronger. . ."

Grace paused and looked down at her hands, feeling ashamed. She shouldn't be though. Tears flooded her eyes suddenly.

"I'm not sure why I haven't told you this before. . .afraid, I guess. After you died, I was a mess and I just fell apart. It wasn't fair that we didn't get enough time together. Everyone helped to pick up the pieces but the one person who was there for me most of all . . . was Steve. We got an apartment together and for a long time we were just roommates. . . just friends. I had spent most of my nights crying and Steve just being there for me. He held me when I had nightmares and I did the same for him when he had them too. He still gets embarrassed about his scars sometimes but I am there to reassure him and vice-versa. Eventually, overtime, we fell in love."

Grace paused again, openly crying this time. She couldn't tell if they were happy tears or sad tears.

"We live just outside of Hawkins, far and not too far way. We still worry sometimes. Robin and Steve still work together, platonic soulmates and all. . .They opened their own buisness together. I am sorry that I didn't tell you about Steve sooner but we haven't been able to get here much with everything and all. We are very happy and he loves me. . .he is so good to me. I love him with almost all of my heart. I think there will always be a piece of my heart that will always belong to you. Steve's alright with that. He understands. We got married, Eddie. We're having a baby. We want to name him after you. It's not that weird. Our family understands and we hope you do too. . . I love you, Eddie Munson."

Grace placed a hand on her swollen stomach and leaned forward to kiss the headstone. A hand dropped onto her shoulder and she looked up into the face of her husband. Steve smiled and knelt down beside her.

"Hey, man, I am not sure what to say to the man who's girl I stole," he said and Grace chuckled. "But I want you to know that I plan to spend every day of my life making sure she's safe, happy, and loved. No hard feelings, right?"

He fist bumped the headstone and helped his wife up off the ground, brushing dirt off of her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked to the car. Steve glanced over at the headstone once more. The Upside Down was put to rest, Vecna was dead, but the scars that were given ultimately remained behind. . .a monument to what happened. . .forever etched in stone.

Here Lies Eddie Munson

Beloved, Friend, Nephew, and Hero

"Not all those who wonder are lost. . ."

The End

A/N: I apologize to anyone who is upset by this, I don't have enough money for your therapy bills. Also, notice how I didn't say that Nancy and Jonathan were necessarily married to each other. This also could imply to the others beside Joyce and Hop. It's up to your imagination who the others ended up with.