#i can’t begin to describe my love for nancy wheeler

[menaceadored]

posts, quotes, snippets that remind me of nancy wheeler pt.1

can you see her?

[huntingpeople-savingsam]

I know this point has been beaten to death and I’m not shaming J for feeling how he feels, just pointing out a sad twist of irony..

Jonathan in Season 1: Nancy Wheeler, she's not just another suburban girl who thinks she's rebelling by doing exactly what every other suburban girl does, until that phase passes and they marry some boring one-time jock who now works sales, and they live out a perfectly boring little life at the end of a cul-de-sac. Exactly like their parents, who they thought were so depressing, but now, hey, they get it.

Jonathan in Season 4: I can’t leave my mom and my brother to chase a dream that isn’t mine! [..] if I told her the truth then she’d just throw her dreams out the window to come out here and be with me and I just can’t take that! This huge knot of resentment would build like some cancer until eventually she hates me and then before you know it, we’re just like my mom and dad. I’m divorced, my kids hate me, shit! I mean it’s all SHIT. The cycle never ends!

It’s kind of sad but everything Jonathan was telling Nancy in season 1 about how depressing her life would be if she married Steve is now how he views his own future with her. Boring, depressing, filled with resentment, just like their parents.

And alternatively, you see Steve’s dreams for the future as bright, hopeful, optimistic, and it’s not in spite of but because of Nancy.

Remember the dream I told you about? About the Winnebago? About seeing the country with my six little nuggets? It’s all true. Every last word. But I left one part out. It’s the most important part. You’re there. You’ve always been there.

And while we still don’t get a clear picture directly from Nancy about her future and what she envisions for herself, the closest we get is when she describes why she says she loves Jonathan while talking to Fred.

He’s caring and compassionate. He’s so protective over the people that he loves and he’ll never back down from what’s right, what’s moral, no matter the pressure, no matter the personal cost. That’s why I love him.

And while Jonathan is caring and compassionate and protective to an extent— he does back down when there’s a personal cost. And he’s not totally wrong all the time on that, Nancy did risk their jobs knowing he needed it more than her. But he has never put her needs ahead of his own or at least his family’s own and he only stands up for what’s right and moral if it will help or avenge his family.

And on the other hand Steve, who was not willing to risk anything in the beginning of season 1 and beginning of season 2, risks everything for Nancy and the kids and Robin by the end of season 2 forward. Starting in season 1 when he comes back to save Jonathan and Nancy from the Demogorgan, then protecting the kids in season 2, and protecting Robin and the kids and saving Nancy in season 3, and then all of season 4 following Nancy on every hunch and fighting to keep her, the kids, and Robin safe. It is Steve who has been beaten bloody every season protecting the people he cares about. It is Steve who comes back to apologize and save Nancy without expecting anything in return. And again I’m not dissing Jonathan, he has his own very valid reasons to prioritize his family after everything they’ve been through even before the Upside Down with all the abuse from Lonnie. But he’s not ready to be in a relationship, and he’s not checking all of those boxes she spelled out to Fred, and even though she might not’ve realized it then, Steve did.

[writemoment]

Babysit The Babysitter

Writer: Ellie-Mae (Pen Name)

Part: 1/1

Summary: Babysitting was Y/n’s part time job. To her surprise, the school’s prized heart-throb is basically a full time mom.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Warnings/Rated: None

Word Count: 1,833

( Reader ) P.O.V.

Hawkins, Indiana. My newfound home. 

I’ve been here for two months. Two glorious months of blending into the crowds and trying to not become the target of social ridicule. In that aspect, nothing has changed from my former hometown on the southern tip of the state. No matter where you go, peers are jerks.

I clamber into my house, hanging my backpack on the edge of the kitchen chair. “I’ve got you a job.” Mom says while stirring something sizzling on the stove.

My brow raises curiously. “A job? What kind of job?” I linger over to the fridge and open it to browse it’s empty shelves as a distraction. Finding work has been a source of stress for me, especially in a small town like Hawkins where everyone knows everyone. 

Mom smiles reassuringly, setting the food to simmer. She walks over to me, closing the fridge so I will look at her. “It’s a babysitting job for the Wheeler’s. I know how much you like kids, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity! Holly is around four and their son, Mike, is thirteen.”

It’s true, I do love kids... However, thirteen is a difficult age between I-don’t-need-a-babysitter and I-will-set-the-house-on-fire-if-I’m-not-watched. That’s the only thing that gives me a millisecond of hesitation. I smile at my mom, her expression mirroring mine.

“When’s my first shift?”

****

So, Friday after school, I drive over to the Wheeler residence to meet with the parents before they went off to have a ‘date night’. Holly was your typical four year old, playing with her toys on the living room carpet. Mike, on the other hand, was less than thrilled at the thought of my company.

“Mom, I don’t need a babysitter! This is ridiculous!” He cries as Mrs. Wheeler slides in a pair of earrings. “Will, Dustin and Lucas are supposed to be coming over to finish our campaign!”

“And you can finish your game just fine while Y/n is here. Nancy is out with Jonathan and we need someone here to put Holly to bed. I’m sorry, Michael, but you’re just going to have to deal with it.” Mrs. Wheeler finishes as she slips her heel into a pair of pumps.

“Dad, you can’t be serious?” Mike asks incredulously. My presence, standing like a statue in the middle of their house, seemed uncomfortable. I wanted to vanish from the throws of this disagreement between parents and child.

Mr. Wheeler was a very monotone man. Without much of a glance at his son, he said, “Listen to your mother.” He slipped on his coat, patted Michael’s head and followed his wife out with a definitive shut of the door.

Mike groaned loudly and he was obviously aggravated.

I drop my things beside the door and decide to check on Holly while I let Mike simmer down. She smiles at me, not finding me too intrusive, and continues to play with her dollies. Mrs. Wheeler said she ordered pizza and left the money on the counter.

Mike stands in the doorway, eyeing me wearily. “So... what kind of campaign are you having?” I ask, trying to break my way past his defense. He looks unimpressed with my efforts but answers anyway.

“It’s for D&D. I’ve been working on it for weeks and everything has to be perfect-” He’s getting antsy about it and I can tell that he’s afraid it’ll be disappointing.

“Dungeons and Dragons...Got it. It’ll be perfect, I’m sure. How about you go on down and set up? I’ll bring the pizza when it arrives.” Mike furrows his brows at me. “Listen, I get it. You’re too old for a babysitter. I’ll respect that, but you gotta cut me some slack. Deal?”

Something shifts and I can sense that I’ve made quite the impression. “Fine, deal.” He agrees. I sigh in relief and he spares no time in going downstairs to prepare. At least I’ll only have to really focus on Holly until her bedtime.

****

A few hours later, Holly was tucked in and knocked out in slumber. The boys downstairs kept to themselves and didn’t budge character even when I came sloping down the stairs with pizza boxes. Though, they did take the liberty of introducing themselves to me briefly.

Now that I had free time, I ventured back down into their lair with the intention to clean up whatever mess they’ve made during their game. Four boys sat around a fold-up table with junk food wrappers and crushed soda cans littering the area around them. All of them looked very high on sugar.

The bottom step creaked underneath my feet and all of their eyes turned up at me. “Don’t stop on my account! I’m just gonna pick up the trash so your parents don’t kill me.” I say, holding up the trash bin I’ve dragged along with me.

Mike shrugs nonchalantly and continues to describe the scene they all just rolled into. I can feel the hesitation to launch into full-blown roll playing while I’m walking in such near proximity. Hurrying my clean up, I try to make as little noise as possible as I crouch over to scoop the evidence of their escapades from sight. There must have been some sort of acceptance of me since they all begin to scream in horror, roaring with accents and acting out their advancements as they roll their dice.

My lips pull up into a smile at their excitement. All of them are out of their seats, focused on the board in front of them as Dustin rolls for dexterity. I don’t see the number in which it landed but the hollers mixed with ‘yes!’s lead me to believe it was exactly what they needed.

Suddenly, the door behind them slams open and Steve Harrington prances through looking stern. “You guy’s said you would be done at nine! I’ve been waiting outside for thirty minutes you shi-”

His eyes land on me as the boys lower themselves into their seats. I can’t imagine the expression I’m wearing. Shock? Confusion? Interest? Either way, I just saw golden-boy-heart-throb Steve freaking Harrington go into full mom mode.

Dustin speaks up, “I’m sorry, Steve. We didn’t know it would take this long! We are almost finished, if you could just-” His words are cut off by Holly’s voice roaming the living room. She must have been woken up by the commotion.

Looking sheepish, I silently excuse myself, though all eyes watch me ascend, to go take care of the disturbed four year old. Holly looks pitiful with a blanket draped over her shoulder and a pout tugging at her lip.

Picking her up, I stroll back up to her room. Her head flops onto my shoulder, still very exhausted and obviously troubled at being stolen from her precious rest. It takes almost no time to get her to settle back into her mattress with a sigh. My fingers brush her golden strands away from her mouth and I see her become heavy as she goes under. I close the door, only leaving it open a crack, behind me. Hopefully it’ll be enough to buffer out the sound of the boys downstairs.

Assuming the boys would have dispersed after the arrival of Steve, I'm quite surprised to see them all continuing their game as if nothing happened. Even more so when I notice they’ve convinced the brown hair senior to participate.

At the grounds of Hawkins High School, I’ve seen Steve around. Rumor has it that he had changed quite a bit from last year, though it’s inconclusive as to why. Steve was a popular. He had girls chasing after him, he was athletic and fell underneath another high school cliche. That’s all that I knew about him.

Yet, here he stands in front of me. Purple pointed hat and matching robes clothe him as a poor excuse for a wizard. He recites some line Mike had written out for him with thinly veiled irritation, though he does put a bit of effort forward to sound mighty. 

Will and Lucas join up to strike him down, their combined skills making for an epic conclusion to their campaign. Seeming as if Steve almost gets into it, he falls to his knees, hands grasping his chest as he curses them. With a dramatic cough he falls flat on his back, tongue lolling out of the corner of his mouth- dead. 

The boys laugh and I join in, covering my mouth in a weak attempt to hide my amusement. My burst of giggles must contrast very differently because it immediately makes Steve’s eyes open and him hop up, shedding the ridiculous getup. “Nicely done, boys! Mike, your parents should be home soon. Do you need help cleaning up?” I ask.

Lucas waves me off. “Nah, we can put everything away.”

“Thanks.” Will adds.

Together, they start gathering up their things while discussing the events that took place on their way to a victorious game. I’m so focused on the boys that I forget Steve for a moment.

“Hi, I’m Steve. Harrington, that is.” He introduces, holding out his hand for me to take. I accept it, smiling at him. Of course I know who he is, but I won’t point that out. “You’re that new girl that moved here a while back, right?”

Drawing my hand back to my side, I nod. “Yeah, a little over two months ago. I’m Y/n.” Bending at the waist, I gather his wizard robes and playfully extend them toward him. “These are yours, I presume?”

“What? No-no, that-” He stops at my smile, realizing my attempt at banter. “Oh, ha-ha. You try saying no to these kids when they’re hyped up on D&D and sugar!”

I laugh.”I’m sure I’ll have to at some point. That is, if I can keep this as a regular babysitting job.” I toss the robes into a basket setting on the couch. “I assume I’ll be seeing you around here as well. Seems like you’re....” I avoid calling Steve a ‘mom’ to his face, “close with them. I suppose I’ll have to learn from you on how to gain their respect.”

Steve laughs but he doesn’t get a chance to respond. “Stop flirting with the babysitter, Steve. If we’re out late again, we’re toast.” Dustin says, pushing the straps of his backpack over his shoulders. I instantly flush at the words and Steve knocks the kid’s hat down to obstruct his view.

“I’ll see you around, Y/n.” He calls, pushing Will, Dustin and Lucas out the door.

Shaking my head, I sigh lightly. Mike and I are left in the basement, standing in the quiet they left behind. My hand cups the back of my neck in an attempt to cool down the warmed skin there. “Thanks. For tonight, I mean. I guess you aren’t so bad.” Mike says, folding the table up.

I bite my lip to suppress my grin. Perhaps Hawkins won’t be too bad after all.

****

Masterlist Here

A/N: How do you guys feel about short(er) one shots compared to long series? I’ve been trying it out! Let me know what you think and what you prefer! Thank you for the support and feedback! - Ellie-Mae 

[idumpyourgrass]

Always Waiting- Chapter Four

Always Waiting- Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

Always Waiting Masterlist

Summary: It’s the final showdown. Eleven gets in contact with Will, Steve comes to apologize and ends up saving the day, things go back to “normal”

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

A/N: Not gonna lie I kind of popped off with this chapter. We finally get some Steve action!! I’m hoping to have the next chapter out soon, either tomorrow or the day after. I’m really just so excited for the next couple chapters. I think I know what I want to happen, maybe, kind of. As always lmk if you want to be added to the taglist!

Warning: Language, hand cutting, the Demogorgon? Typos probs

Word Count: 4.2k

You and Nancy sit in the waiting room of the police station while Hopper talks to Jonathan.

“Hey, thanks for uh…” Nancy swings her fist in a punching motion.

“No problem. I just couldn’t deal with him anymore” You reply.

Two police officers come walk through the waiting room and into Hopper’s office.

“Hey chief you’re gonna want to see this.” You overhear one policeman say. You watch as Hopper walks outside and goes to Jonathan’s car. You forgot that all the traps and weapons were still in the back of his car. You and Nancy exchange an “oh shit” look.

Hopper plops down the box right in front of you all. Joyce starts looking through it, “What is all this?”

“Why don’t you ask your son, it was in his car,” Hopper says.

Jonathan nervously looks at you and Nancy, as if asking for help.

“You won’t believe us if we told you.” You speak up.

“Try me,” Hop responds.

You three then try to tell them everything that happened. Barb going missing, Nancy seeing the monster and getting sucked up into a tree, you show them the picture of the monster.

“You say blood draws this thing?” Hopper asks.

“It’s just a theory.” Nancy explains.

 The door to the office opens and in comes an angry mom and her son. You recognize the kid from Dustin’s class.

“She broke my arm with her mind! She’s bald. She’s a freak!” The kid goes on and on telling a story to one of the police officers. There’s only one person he could be talking about.

“Eleven,” you say. Hopper looks at you.

“You know who he’s talking about?” He asks.

“Yeah, my brother and his friends found him out in the woods one night. She can do stuff with her mind and she’s been saying she knows Will and knows where he is.” You say,

Hopper tells everyone they need to go and rushes everyone out to his car. He drives to the Wheeler’s house only to find it swarmed with white vans.

“Shit, shit shit!” Hoppers yells.

“What is going on?! My parents are in there!” Nancy shouts back.

Hopper proceeds to tell you about Hawkins lab, how they have this gate thing that is similar to what you and Jonathan saw in the tree, how Will could be hiding in there, how Eleven escaped from there, and how anyone who knows about this could be in danger.

“Jesus Christ.” You respond as you watch helicopters fly overhead.

“We need to find the boys and Eleven before they do. Do either one of you know where they might be?” Hopper asks you and Nancy. Nancy shakes her head no.

“I don’t know where they are, but I know how we can find out.” You respond.

*       *      *

The Byers’ house was filled with Christmas lights. You couldn’t believe it. Jonathan runs into Will’s room and grabs the walkie talkie. He hands it to Nancy.

Nancy pressed the button on the walkie talkie and began talking,

“Mike, I know you’re there Mike… I need you to answer Mike.”

No response. You motion for Nancy to hand over the walkie talkie.

“Boys, Dustin, it’s Y/N. I know you probably think this is a trick but it’s not. We need you to answer.”

No response. Hopper snatches the walkie talkie out of your hands.

“Listen kid this is the chief, if you’re there, pick up. We know you’re in trouble, we know about the girl. We can protect you, we can help you, but we need you to pick up.”

More silence. You sigh. Right when you are all about to give up, you hear the crackle of the walkie talkie.

“This is Mike. I copy.”

*     *     *

You, Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy all sit around the dining room table while you wait for the chief to return with the kids. The sound of his car rolling up catches your attention. You run out the door and go hug Dustin then smack him on the side of the head.

“Ow!”

“Stop getting yourself into trouble, that’s my job!” You say

You see Eleven standing behind Dustin.

“Oh, hi Eleven. It’s good to see you again. I like your, uh I like your dress.” You say, still unsure of how to communicate with this strange child.

*     *     *

“Eleven says Will is in the upside down, he’s hiding from something, a monster we call the Demogorgon” Mike begins to explain. “Ok so here is a tightrope and this is us, we are the acrobat. Now we can only walk on the tightrope from side to side. This is the flea, the flea can also go side to side, but it can also go underneath the rope. Which in this case is the upside down.”

“Ok so how do we get to the upside down?” You ask.

“There’s a gate. We think it’s at Hawkins Lab.” Lucas chimes in.

“I’ve seen it.” Hopper says. He goes in detail to describe what he saw in Hawkins lab. Joyce asks Eleven if she can try to reach Will. Eleven agrees. The group sets up everything she needs. You all sit around the table while a radio plays static. Blood starts to drip down Eleven’s nose. You hold your breath hoping she will find something. She opens her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I can’t find him.” She says.

Eleven goes to the bathroom while the group tries to come up with a plan. There’s shouting and arguing, you barely hear Eleven come back into the room.

“The bathtub” Eleven states.

“What?” Joyce asks.

“I can use the bathtub.” Eleven says.

Dustin calls Mr. Clarke to find out how much salt you all will need for this to work out. 1500 pounds of salt.

*       *      *

Everyone gets assigned a job. Dustin and Lucas are getting the kiddy pool set up in the school gym, Nancy and Mike are connecting to the hot water, Hopper and Jonathan are getting the salt, and you and Joyce get Eleven all ready. Once everything is all set up, Eleven gets ready to emerge into the bath.

“Do you think you can look for Barb too?” You ask Eleven. She nods yes.

After a while of sitting and waiting, the lights flicker off.

“Barb.” Eleven states. Nancy’s ears prick up. “Is she ok?” Nancy asks, concern in her voice.

“Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone.” Eleven repeats over and over. You look over to Nancy with wide, tear filled eyes. She throws her hand over her mouth as she lets out a sob.

“Castle Byers….Will” Eleven pipes up again.

“Tell him, tell him I’m on my way! Tell him his mom is coming and to stay right there!’ Joyce says.

Shortly after, Eleven shakes in the water and quickly comes up, hugging onto Joyce for comfort. Hopper announces he’s going to go get Will and Joyce insists she comes with, leaving you, the boys, Eleven, Nancy, and Jonathan alone at the school. You look around for Nancy and Jonathan only to find that they have wandered out of the gym.

You stumble upon them sitting in the hallway, Jonathan has his arm wrapped around Nancy as she silently cries into his shoulder. They both looked up at you.

“Let’s go kill that son of a bitch.”

*       *      *

Before you go kill this “Demogorgon” or whatever it is, you go say bye to Dustin.

“Hey Dustin,” you call him over, “I’m about to go do some badass shit right now. I need you to stay here and to stay safe, got it?” He gives you the thumbs up.

“I love you, Dusty.” You say as you pull him in for a tight hug.

“Love you too, I can’t breathe.” You quickly let go of him and head out of the gym, giving Dustin one last wave.

*     *     *

The plan was to kill the Demogorgon or at least try to distract it while Hopper and Joyce went into the upside down to get Will. The Byers’ house was covered in traps and gasoline. You hammer nails into a bat while Jonathan and Nancy get the bear trap set up.

“Ok, remember, straight into Will’s room and don’t step on the trap,” Jonathan began, “then-“

“Wait for the yoyo to move,” Nancy cut in.

“Then we light this son of a bitch up.” You finish off.

Of course, the Demogorgon was attracted to blood and of course you couldn’t just do a small little prick, you had to slice your whole hand. Nancy started to count down.

“1….2….3!” You wince as the sharp knife cuts your hand. You all watch as blood drips on the floor. You grab the bandages and start wrapping your hand up, Jonathan and Nancy help each other get cleaned up. Someone starts banging on the door, startling everyone.

“Jonathan! Are you there man? It’s… it’s Steve!”

You turn your head to Nancy and Jonathan and mouth “what the fuck?” They both shrug. You go to answer the door.

“Henderson?” Steve asks, obviously surprised to see you there.

“Steve, you need to leave.” You start to close the door, but he puts his arm out to stop it.

“Y/N I messed up, I messed up, is Jonathan here?” He looks down at your bandaged hand.

“Hey, what happened to your hand?” He asks, concern in his voice.

“What? Oh nothing.”

“Did, did he do this to you?”

“No definitely not!” Steve barges his way in, pushing you to the side.

“Nancy?” Steve looks around, “What the hell is going on? What’s that smell? Is that gasoline?”

“Hey man you need to get out.” Jonathan says pushing him towards the door. Steve won’t budge.

“Steve please you need to leave.” You say, Nancy grabs the gun and points it at Steve.

“Steve, get out.”

“Woah woah woah wait WHAT?!” Steve starts yelling.

“Nancy put the gun down,” you say trying to get her to relax. She starts counting down from three. The lights start flickering. You and Jonathan look at each other with panicked eyes as you start trying to get Nancy’s attention.

“Nancy! The lights!” You shout. She looks around and points the gun down. You grab the bat, Jonathan grabs a crowbar, and Nancy holds onto her gun.

“Where is it?”

“Do you see it?”

“I can’t see anything!” You all start to shout.

“See what? What are you guys talking about?!” Steve yells.

Just then the ceiling caves in, the Demogorgon falls to the ground. It starts to stand up causing all of your heads to look up at it. Its mouth opens up as it roars.

“Shit, run!” You scream. Nancy and Jonathan take the lead down the hallway, you grab onto Steve’s hand and pull him with you.

“Jump!” You yell at Steve as you approach the bear trap. Once all of you are safely in Will’s room Jonathan slams the door.

You all wait for the yoyo to move.

“This is crazy, this is CRAZY, THIS IS CRAZY!” Steve starts yelling again.

“Steve! Calm down!” You say, knowing full well he won’t calm down as you, yourself isn’t even calm. The yoyo still hasn’t moved, you don’t hear anything. Jonathan slowly opens the door. You four make you way out of the room, Steve gripping onto your arm.

“Where’d it go?” You whisper.

“Will someone tell me what the hell is going on!” Steve asks.

Nancy turns around, “It’s going to come back, you need to leave!” She tells him. He looks at you and you raise your eyebrows at him. He rushes out the door. As soon as he leaves the lights start to flicker, then all the lights go out.

“Can you guys see it?”

“I can’t see anything!”

You can hear it, but you can’t see it.

“Y/N! Behind you!” You hear Jonathan yell. You turn around and come face to face with it.

“Oh shit,” you say right before it tackles you to the ground. Its arm knocks the bat out of you hand and out of your reach. You start panicking. It opens its mouth and screams in your face, you can feel the hot breath on your face. You squeeze your eyes shut waiting for it to chomp down on you, but it never does. You open your eyes in time to see Steve hitting it with the bat, making it get off of you.

“Steve! Go towards the trap!” Nancy yells.

You try to catch your breath as you stand up.

“Y/N are you ok?” Nancy asks. You nod.

“It’s in the trap! It’s in the trap!” Steve yells to Jonathan. Jonathan flicks the lighter and throws it down, lighting the hallway on fire. You can hear the screeches of the Demogorgon and then you hear silence. Jonathan grabs the fire extinguisher and puts out the fire. Once the smoke is cleared you see the bear trap is empty except for some slimy, bubbly, goo that swarms the bear trap. You let out a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding in. Steve reaches out for your hand.

“Hey are you ok?” He asks.

“Um, yeah, I think so.” You say, unaware of why he was being so nice to you. You look down at your hand that Steve is still holding, he follows your gaze and quickly lets go.

“Good, good to hear,” He says. You notice the lightbulbs lighting one by one, down the hallway and to the front door.

“Where is it going?” Nancy asks.

“I don’t think that’s the Demogorgon,” Jonathan says, “Mom?” He says quietly.

You all stand around quite awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.

“Dustin! I have to go check on Dustin!” You say.

“I’ll give you a ride, Henderson.” Steve says. You look at him in disbelief. “Unless you want to walk?” He asks.

“Um no yeah I’ll take a ride.” You respond.

“Hey Y/N, will you make sure Mike is ok?” Nancy asks. You nod yes, as you hug Nancy and Jonathan goodbye, telling them to be safe.

As you follow Steve out the door and into his car, your stomach fills with butterflies. The first couple minutes of the car ride is filled with awkward silence.

“You gonna tell me where I’m going or am I just supposed to guess?” He asks, jokingly.

“Oh! Right, just head to the middle school please.” More silence.

Steve ends the silence once again. “Listen, Y/N, I’m really sorry about everything. About being an asshole, I really am sorry.”

“It’s ok…-“

“No, no it’s not ok. I lost my best friend because what, I wanted to be popular?”

You weren’t sure how to respond. After you didn’t respond, Steve turned on the radio, Your song by Elton John came on.

“Oh my god! Do you remember this song?” Steve excitedly asks.

Memories flooded back in your mind of you and Steve dancing around his pool during the hot summers while listening to this song, it was your guy’s go to song. It really was “your song.”

You giggle as you and Steve start to sing along. Soon the quietly singing turns into loud singing and laughing.

“I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND!”

“I HOPE YOU DON’T MIND! THAT I PUT DOWN IN WORDS!”

“How wonderful life is”

“Now you’re in the world!” When the song ends you, both erupt into laughter. The car pulls up to the middle school, there are ambulances and police cars.

“Oh my god...” You say are you rapidly unbuckle your seatbelt and open the car door. You run to a policeman, Steve following quickly behind you.

“I’m sorry miss, I can’t let anyone in.” He says not letting you past the barricade.

“Her brother’s in there, man, come on.” Steve says. The policeman sighs and lets you both in.

“Dustin?” You shout, “Dustin!”

“Y/N!” Dustin comes running out from behind an ambulance, tackling you into a hug.

“Why are you with Steve Harrington?” Dustin whispers.

“Honestly, I don’t even know.” You respond.

*    *     *

At the hospital, everyone waits in the waiting room for Will to wake up. The three boys are all sleeping on each other, Nancy and Jonathan sit together, and you and Steve are sitting next to each other.

“Hey, Henderson?” Steve says.

“Yeah?” You look up at him.

“I was wondering if, maybe after all this is over, you would want to go out to eat or something? You know to catch up and make up for lost time?”

“Sure, Harrington, I would like that.” You say, grinning like a doofus.

Jonathan comes in the waiting room and wakes up the three boys, “Hey guys, Will’s awake.”

They all jump out of their chairs and run to Will’s room. You pat Steve on the knee and get up to go see Will. You lean against the doorway as the boys talked to Will. Will looks up and sees you.

“Y/N!” You make your way over to hug him.

“It’s good to have you back Will.”

*    *    *

~November 14th, 1983~

You’re pacing around your room. Tonight is the night you and Steve are going to go out. You don’t know why you were so nervous, maybe because you thought it would be awkward, or because you didn’t know if it was actually a date or not, but you knew deep down you were just scared that all those buried feelings you had for him would all come back out.

Dustin walked by your room and noticed you pacing.

“You’re creating a draft.” He says. You roll your eyes at him. The doorbell rings.

“I’ll get it!” You hear your mom shout.

“No! No! I’ll get it!” You say pushing Dustin out of the way.

“Who’s here?” Dustin asks.

“No one, it’s no one!” You say rushing to get to the door. By the time you get there, Steve is already standing in your living room.

“Y/N! You didn’t tell me Steve was coming over! Steve you look so handsome! It’s been so long!” your mom says as she pulls him into a hug.

Steve looks at you and smiles. “I’m sorry.” You mouth to him. He waves it off.

Before your mom has a chance to say anything else you grab Steve’s hand and head towards the door.

“Ok, we gotta go, bye!” You slam the door shut.

“You’re mom’s the best, I think we should stay and talk to her!” Steve jokes as he makes his way to his car.

“Ha, ha, so funny.”

He opens the car door for you, and you get it. He walks around to the other side and gets in.

“Alright Harrington, where are we headed?” You ask, still unsure of where you are going.

“Remember that one spot we found when we were little, and it was like by a small pond and there was that gazebo?”

“Of course I remember.”

“Well I thought, we could stop and get some snacks and things, then go and have a little picnic there. I have blankets in the trunk and some pillows. It’ll be just like old times.”

You hum in agreement.

You’re first stop is at the store. Joyce is working.

“You can go ahead and pick out the snacks, I’m going to talk to Joyce.” You say to Steve. Steve nods then goes off to get the snacks.

“Hi Joyce!” You say.

“Y/N! It’s good to see you!” she pulls you into a hug.

“How is Will?” You ask.

“Oh he’s doing so great, it’s so great to have him back home.”

“I’m sure! And how are you and Jonathan?”

“Just great!” Steve comes up and puts all the snacks on the counter. Joyce rings you guys up. You start getting your wallet out.

“Oh no, I got it.” Steve says.

“No, no, no, I can pay.” You say.

“No, Y/N I’m paying.” Steve insists.

You say goodbye to Joyce, she looks to Steve then winks to you. You laugh and wave goodbye.

*    *    *

You and Steve set up the pillows and blankets and lay out all the food.

“You got gummy worms!” You say.

“I remembered they were your favorites.” Steve says. You grin at him.

You and Steve spend the night talking and laughing and catching up.

“Oh, I have a really good one, what is blue and doesn’t weight a lot?” You ask

Steve thinks for a little bit. “I don’t know, what?”

You start laughing before you even get the punchline out. “Light blue!” You manage to get out in between chuckles.

“Oh my god! That was terrible!” Steve says, while laughing. You look over at him.

“I really missed you, Steve.” He turns and looks at you.

“Oh, believe me, I’ve missed you like crazy. I’m glad we’re doing this.”

“Yeah. Me too.” You smile up at him.

*    *    *

Steve dropped you back off at your house later that night. When he pulled up to your driveway, he got out of the car and started to walk up to your front door.

“What are you doing?” You ask him.

“Well, I should say bye to your mom.”

“Oh no, no,-“ He cuts you off by letting himself into your house.

“Oh you guys are back!” Your mom was sitting on the couch with your cat, Mews. “How was your date?” She asked.

Your cheeks turned red. “It wasn’t a date mom.” You say.

“It wasn’t?” Steve asks.

“Oh was it?” You ask

“I thought it was.”

“So it was a date! What did you guys do?” Your mom chimes in. You fill her in on all the details.

“Well I should go, it was nice to see you again Mrs. Henderson.” Steve says as your mom pulls him in for another hug.

“You too dear, tell your mom I said hello!”

You walk Steve back to the door.

“Tonight was really fun, we should do it again sometime.” You say

“Yeah, yes! I would love that.” Steve says. You both stand there awkwardly, unaware if you should hug or just high five. Steve pulls you in for a hug and rests his chin on top of your head. It might have been the longest hug you’ve ever had. You both pull away.

“Well, I’ll see you around Henderson.” Steve says as he makes his way to his car.

“See you round Harrington.”

*    *   *

~December 24th. 1983~

Ever since that night, you and Steve hung out a couple more times, having movie nights or going out to eat. You were back to smiling at each other in the hallways. It’s definitely safe to say you were catching feelings for him, although you tried not to, you just couldn’t help it. You would say hi to Nancy and Jonathan in the hallways, and occasionally sit by them at lunch. It was winter break now and things were almost completely back to normal.

You and your mom were in the living room doing some last minute wrapping when the doorbell rang. You went to go answer it, only to see Jonathan.

“Oh, Jonathan, hi.” You say

“Hi, I was just on my way to pick up Will from the Christmas party and was wondering if you wanted to come too?” He asks.

“Oh, yeah! I have to get Dustin anyways.” You grab your coat and say bye to your mom.

You and Jonathan get in his car and make your way to the Wheeler’s house.

“So…you and Nancy?” You ask Jonathan.

“Me and Nancy?” He asks back.

“Aren’t you guys dating?” You ask.

“Oh, um, no she actually, she got back with Steve.” He says. Your heart sank.

“She got back with Steve? When?”

“Oh not too long ago, right before we left for winter break. I guess he’s a “changed man” or whatever.”  You couldn’t believe it, you could feel your heart breaking little by little.

You arrived at the Wheeler’s. You and Jonathan were greeted by Mrs. Wheeler and made your way to the basement.

“Gross, have you guys been farting down here all day or what?” You joke.

“It was Dustin!” Lucas says pointing at Dustin causing everyone to laugh.

“Alright Dustin and Will you guys ready to head out?” Jonathan asks.

They say yes and say goodbye to Lucas and Mike.

Nancy comes down the stairs just as you guys were about to leave.

“Jonathan wait! I have a present for you.” She hands him a present.

While Jonathan talks to Nancy, you and Dustin go say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler.

“Merry Christmas Mrs. Wheeler!” You and Dustin say.

“You too! Tell your mother Merry Christmas!” she says.

Mr. Wheeler is in the living room sitting in his recliner. You walk into the living room and you immediately regret it. Steve is sitting on the couch waiting for Nancy. You pretend not to see him as you say Merry Christmas to Mr. Wheeler. You turn to walk out of the room but catch Steve’s eye.

“Harrington.” You say coldly. Before he gets a chance to say anything, you walk out of the room.

*    *    *

Well, things were officially back to normal, or as normal as they could be, unfortunately they wouldn’t stay normal for long.

Taglist: @loulouloueh​ @nighttwingg​ @hauntedduckdefendor​ @l0ve-0f-my-life​ @labrujaprincess​ @welcomethefears​ @metuel18​

[storybookwolf]

Nancy Wheeler, Matchmaker (for day 6 of Jancy Week 2019, Idiots in love and/or Forelsket [how you feel when you first begin to fall in love])

August, 1984

As Miss Walsh’s junior history class filed out of the room, Jonathan was intently reading Fahrenheit 451, oblivious as always to the mass of students around him. Nancy nudged him with her hip to get his attention. “Hey, do you want to come to Travis’s party this weekend? Steve and I can pick you up.”

Jonathan cocked his head to the side, looking at Nancy with his eyebrows raised in his best are you kidding me? expression. “Absolutely not.”

“Come on, why not? Are you afraid you might actually have fun?” she teased.

“It’s my greatest fear,” he said, deadpan. “But seriously, you know I don’t go to parties. They’re full of people, and I don’t like people.”

Nancy rolled her eyes. “You like some people.”

“Okay, fine, I like three people: my mom, Will and you. But if you keep trying to get me to go to parties, the list might be down to two.”

“Got it. I won’t bring it up again,” said Nancy. “Are you still up for studying after school today?”

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll meet you at my car.” They parted at the end of the hallway, him heading towards the art rooms and her towards the labs.

Nancy paused for a moment to watch him walk away, looking down at his book again but somehow still managing to navigate through the crowd. Like he was his own little planet, existing within Hawkins High but somehow not really a part of it. She was pretty sure that there were days when she was the only person he even spoke to at school. Other than a few awful weeks after everything that happened last year, when he was hassled for being a “pervert”, everyone other than her seemed to not even know he existed.

But then she noticed something. A girl – Samantha something, maybe Perrottet? – standing at a locker. It was open, but instead of getting her books, Samantha’s eyes were fixed on Jonathan as he walked down the hall. She even turned to watch him as he passed her. Unsurprisingly, Jonathan didn’t notice at all, too engrossed by Ray Bradbury. But Nancy saw it, and knew exactly what was happening.

This Samantha girl had a crush on Jonathan.

Nancy was delighted. This was so great! In the months that they’d been friends, she’d gotten to know what a sweet, kind, funny person Jonathan was, and it bothered her that no one else seemed to appreciate that. They were in a few of the same classes, and would study together after school once or twice a week. But she knew that whenever she was with Steve or Allie or Stacy, Jonathan was either working or holed up in his room. She wished that he had other people to hang out with – and now maybe he would.

She hurried off to physics, but the only formulas in her mind were how to get Jonathan and Samantha together.

***

It had been nice to learn that Jonathan Byers was the perfect study companion. Steve usually spent most of their study sessions trying to distract her from her work, and Allie and Stacy either wanted to gossip or get her to do their work for them. But she and Jonathan always seemed to strike the perfect balance between getting lots of work done and still having fun. It was almost like how things had been with Barb.

But that afternoon in the library, Nancy couldn’t focus on her notes. Instead, she was just waiting for the right moment to bring up Samantha. Did Jonathan even know her? She’d moved to Hawkins in middle school, and seemed to mostly hang out with band and drama kids. She was pretty, but not in a showy way, and was almost as quiet as Jonathan. Nancy wasn’t even sure if she’d ever spoken to her.

Her mind was still trying to think of a subtle way to ask Jonathan about Samantha when her mouth blurted out, “Samantha Perrottet has a crush on you.”

Jonathan froze, his pencil poised above the page. “What?”

“Umm. I just realised today, but I think she really likes you. You should…” Nancy shrugged. “You should ask her out.”

He dropped his pencil and leaned back in his chair, looking more nervous than he had when they were preparing to face the Demogorgon. “I, um, uh—I don’t even know her,” he said, colour rising in his cheeks.

“Well, maybe you should get to know her,” said Nancy. “She seems nice. And she’s pretty, don’t you think?”

Jonathan’s face was really red now. “I guess, yeah. I don’t know.” He twisted uncomfortably in his seat. “Listen, uh… I just remembered that Mom wants me home early today. I should go. You’re okay to wait for Steve to pick you up after practice, right?” Without waiting for an answer, he gathered up his things and rushed out of the library.

Even though her conversation with Jonathan about it couldn’t have gone worse, Nancy couldn’t stop thinking about setting him up with Samantha. It wasn’t surprising that he’d been so flustered when she’d brought it up – he’d never had a girlfriend. She wanted that for him, wanted him to have somebody who loved him and saw what a great guy he was. And she was pretty sure he’d make a great boyfriend.

This wasn’t her first attempt at finding someone for him. Over the summer, Stacy had been lamenting the limited selection of single high school boys in Hawkins. “Seriously, Nancy, Steve was the last decent guy in town, and now that he’s off the market there’s nobody,” she’d said. When Nancy suggested that Jonathan was good boyfriend material, Stacy just rolled her eyes, and she’d let the idea go.

But she just couldn’t let Samantha go. So Nancy did what she did best – research. By the end of the week, she knew that Samantha got mostly Bs, that she was a percussionist in the school band, and that she worked at the Dairy Queen, saving money to go on exchange to Italy. But most importantly, she found out that Samantha liked music that Nancy’s sources described as “weird” and “gloomy” – the exact words she would have used to describe half the stuff Jonathan listened to. Surely this was destiny.

It was time to step things up. Luckily, Nancy’s years of being a star student had ingratiated her with the school secretary. She dropped by the office before school with some of her mother’s fresh muffins for Mrs Verney, and when the older lady went to make a coffee to go with them, Nancy quickly found Samantha’s schedule in the files and copied it. All she had to do was cross-reference it with Jonathan’s, and she’d find all the possible opportunities for them to meet.

The only problem now was convincing Jonathan.

***

Nancy knew that persuading Jonathan to ask Samantha out would be the hardest part of her plan, so she decided to adopt a two-pronged approach. The first was to slowly, gradually reintroduce the topic, as subtly as she could, so as not to freak him out like last time. The second was to start taking routes through Hawkins High where they were more likely to see Samantha, so that when Jonathan was ready to make a move it could all come together naturally.

She hadn’t made much progress on the first prong — it was harder than she’d thought — but the second worked surprisingly quickly. One Tuesday, as they were cutting across the west hallway en route from English to Pre-Calc, Samantha was heading the other way (from Algebra to Social Studies). The younger girl was in such a rush that she literally ran into Jonathan as she passed, nearly dropping her books.

“Oh shit, sorry, I—” Samantha stopped speaking when she saw exactly who she’d run into. Her face went white. “I…. Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine,” said Jonathan.

“Okay, thanks.” Samantha smiled and rushed off again.

It was possibly one of the most awkward social interactions Nancy had ever seen, even though Jonathan was actually more relaxed than he usually was when talking to his peers.

“I told you she liked you,” said Nancy, unable to stop herself from smirking a little.

Jonathan looked exasperated. “She would have bumped into anybody who was standing there just now. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“She wouldn’t have been that flustered if she’d bumped into anyone else, believe me. Are you actually this oblivious, or is it just an act?”

“I’m not…” He sighed.

“All I’m saying is, she likes you and she seems nice. So you should try to get to know her.”

Jonathan looked down at his shoes, his brow furrowing as he fiddled with the strap of his bag. “Why are you so invested in this?” he said quietly.

“You’re my friend and I want you to be happy, that’s all,” Nancy said as they reached their classroom.

Jonathan looked slightly pained. “What would make me happy right now, is not talking about this any more,” he said.

So Nancy let the subject drop. But whether it was her needling or Samantha’s battering-ram approach, Jonathan and the sophomore would now say “hey” to each other when they passed in the hall. And over the next few weeks, Nancy even saw them having a couple of actual conversations (very short ones, but it still counted). When banners for Homecoming went up, Nancy had to bite her tongue to stop herself suggesting that Jonathan ask Samantha to the dance. But even if her matchmaking hadn’t worked, she was still glad that Jonathan had someone else he could talk to.

“Hey, do you want to study after school today? I’m already freaking out about the test next week,” asked Nancy as they took their seats in history one morning.

“Oh, I’d really like to but I can’t,” said Jonathan. “I, uh, have something on.”

Nancy looked confused. “You don’t usually work Tuesdays. Did you swap shifts with Eric?”

“No, I, uh … I’m hanging out with Samantha.”

Nancy’s eyes lit up. “What? Why didn’t you tell me? When did you ask her out?”

He blushed. “I didn’t! And it’s not like that. Yesterday I said something about the Depeche Mode picture on her folder, and she asked if I’d heard their new album. I said I hadn’t, so she invited me over to listen to it today. It’s not a date or anything, we’re just hanging out.”

Just then, Miss Walsh walked in and started the class. Nancy spent the whole period stealing glances across at her friend, and thinking about his “not a date” which she was 100% certain was a date.

***

Since she was studying on her own that afternoon, Nancy went home instead of to the library. But somehow she just couldn’t focus on her notes. Her mind kept wandering to Jonathan and Samantha, wondering how their “not a date” was going.

She knew she should have felt smug. Victorious, even. This was exactly what she’d wanted: Jonathan having a cute music-nerd date with a nice, pretty girl who was into the same things he was.

But instead, whenever she thought of Jonathan and Samantha her stomach would lurch a little, and her skin would feel weirdly hot. She found herself getting irritated by the whole idea of the two of them together, even though she'd spent weeks trying to make it happen.

Oh shit. She was jealous.

It hit her like a wave of nausea. How could she have been so stupid? All this time she’d spent wishing Jonathan had a girlfriend, what she’d really wanted deep down was to be that girlfriend. And now she’d pushed him straight into the arms of Samantha, a girl who was actually bold enough to invite a guy she barely knew over to her house to listen to an album. Her stereo was probably in her bedroom, too, which was awfully convenient. Honestly, it was a Steve Harrington-level move, and she almost admired Samantha’s brashness. She would have admired it, if Samantha was using these moves on any other boy. But now Nancy realised that if any girl was going to be kissing Jonathan Byers, she wanted it to be her.

She needed a new plan. A counter-plan, one to undo all the careful scheming that had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Turning to a fresh page in her notebook, she quickly scribbled down some ideas.

Ring Samantha’s house and tell Jonathan there’s an emergency with Will, and he needs to go home right away. Pro: He would definitely leave. Con: It’s a low blow, and he’d be upset when he realised I lied.

Go over to Samantha’s house, pretending I think Jonathan has my history textbook. When I get there, feign enthusiasm for Depeche Mode and insist on staying to listen to the album. Pro: Third wheels always kill romance. Con: I would have to listen to Depeche Mode.

Do nothing, and just hope nothing happens between them. Call Jonathan later tonight, and tell him how I feel. Pro: Doesn’t involve lying or embarrassing myself in front of Jonathan and Samantha. Con: The thought of telling him I love him is terrifying.

She stared at the list for a few minutes. She couldn’t do option 1 – it was just too cruel to use Will as a pawn. And option 2 would make her look like a crazy person. Which left option 3. The scariest one, but also the most honest. If she ever wanted to have a real relationship with Jonathan, it had to be built on the fact that they were friends who could trust each other, who said what they were really thinking. She just had to wait until tonight.

It was going to be a very long afternoon…

[bisexualklausmikaelson]

like winter’s losing fight -

a/n: will buyers is in love with his best friend or that rain scene in s3 gave me some real byler feels and produced this mess. au after s3. will-centric, angst. enjoy :)

-

He calls him, sometimes.

Nancy picks up, most of the time.

“Hey,” Will quickly says. “Can you pass the phone to Mike?” he can’t hide the excitement in his voice and somehow, the Wheeler sister finds it endearing. She was away from someone she loves too. So she knows how hard this is on him.

“Sure Will,” Nancy smiles, calling her brother down.

Mike Wheeler rushes down to the living room, a huge grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Hey Will,” He sings, and he can imagine the look of pure excitement on his friend’s face. “How are you?” Mike asks.

Will twirls his fingers around the phone cord, biting down on his bottom lip. “I’m good,” he whispers, sounding nervous. “What about you? And everyone? How are things back in Hawkins?” He wonders.

“Better,” Mike replies. “Things were really crazy for a bit,” he says while scratching the back of his head.

There is an off pause then - and strangely enough, silence was never an issue for the two boys. They used to talk for hours, but now, things had changed. They were older and therefore, awkward silences between them were becoming more and more common.

“Do you ever think about leaving?” Will suddenly asks - attempting to fill the void.

And, after everything that went down in Hawkins, you’d think Mike would be eager to run. But instead, he says this: “I can’t, this is my home, Will.” 

Another pause.

More awkwardness.

“Do you ever think about coming back?” Mike suddenly questions.

Will doesn’t hesitate to answer him. “Yes,” he claims. “All the time,” he offers as he can hear the other boy release a sigh of relief. 

“Maybe you should,” Mike tells him. “I think - I think we would really like that...me and the guys you know?” He adds on, sounding a tad too excited for a possibility that was only that - a possibility. Nothing more.

Will stammers, wondering why his heart was beating so fast, at this very moment.

“Maybe when I come back, you can show me how to be like you,” he quips, fingers clenching tightly around the phone. “How to be tough and brave,” Will specifies, as his other hand is pulling on the phone cord so hard, he might just yank it off the wall.

And, and that moment, he hears Mike release a fond laugh.

“Will,” he sings (with, what Will imagines, dreamy-eyes and rosy cheeks that hurt from smiling so much).  “You already are those things,” Mike sighs.

Oddly enough, Will doesn’t believe him. 

-

He doesn’t see Mike again until Thanksgiving day.

As predicted, he spends all his time with El. He can’t be angry at him for it - he loved seeing his best friend so darn happy. Even if it was with someone else. However, in the end, Mike does save a bit of time for Will.

And it doesn’t matter how small the contribution is, he appreciates it nonetheless.

It’s the thought that counts after all.

“Will,” Mike hugs him tightly as soon as he sees him. “I’m so glad you came,” he whispers in his ear - and it makes Will want to ball his eyes out.

He missed his touch so much.

“Of course,” Will says, looking at him and realizing that his eyes slip to the other boys mouth more than he knows. “I wouldn’t miss thanksgiving,” he recovers quickly and joins the rest of the boys.

In the evening, everyone gathers outside to watch the stars. Max and Lucas’ bickering can be heard for miles. Dustin laughs into Will’s ears as he sits beside Mike while he holds El’s hand. Will doesn’t want to describe the feelings he has right now as jealousy. Because that’s not it - El was like his sister and Mike was his best friend. So naturally, he’s happy that they’re together.

Just sometimes -

He wishes he could be included.

“Look look!” Mike shouts, shaking El’s shoulders. She looks up at the sky and smiles.

“A shooting star,” she whispers, squeezing Mike’s hand. “Did you make a wish?” she asks.

Mike nods. “Yes, I did,” he tells her, sealing their night with a kiss.

(That night, Will had made a wish as well. He wished that he could stay). 

-

He is sixteen when he comes out - and sure it’s not exactly the most open of times when it comes to stuff like that, but Joyce Buyers has always been way ahead of the curve when it came to being a parent. 

She doesn’t exactly get it - but she tries. And that’s all Will really asks for. Besides, she’s always known that her son was different from the other kids, that he was special.

Jonathan doesn’t have much of a reaction to it either - especially as someone as sexually ambiguous as he is, Will didn’t expect any less from his sensitive, kind and caring older brother. 

El is overjoyed - she pulls him close and smiles widely. She’s probably even happier about this that he is.

“I’m so glad you can be honest with yourself about who you really are,” She goes on to say.

He keeps the snarky remarks to himself - the fact that her boyfriend was the one who helped him come to this realization in the first place. He laughs at the tragedy. He’s gay and he’s in love with his best friend who’s in love with his sort-of sister.

God couldn’t have played a crueler trick.

-

Will doesn’t come back into Hawkins until he is eighteen.

It took him some time to be ready to face the guys - would they accept him? Would they even understand?

Lucas is a bit apprehensive, which makes sense, this is a small town after all. Max, on the other hand, is totally ecstatic, talking about how this totally makes sense and no wonder he didn’t like girls. Dustin seems unfazed by it all - he leans against his friends with a joint in hand.

“Gay, straight, bi, who the fuck cares? Love is love, you know?” He hums, nudging Mike, who’s been very quiet through the entire process. 

He’s thinking - and as always, the Wheeler boy wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s obviously upset about something.

And sure enough, that night, Will finds out what that something is.

“How come you stopped talking to me?” Mike asks, cornering him when he’s on his way up to the washroom.

“I’m sorry,” he offers, almost immediately, as he’s unable to look his best friend in the eye. “I just didn’t think you’d understand,” Will explains.

“Understand what?” Mike jerks, placing both hands on the other boy’s shoulders and shaking him.

“What I was going through,” Will whispers, looking down.

Then, Mike finally hears it - the vulnerability in his voice. His friend was scared of him. He eases his expression with tired eyes, speaking to him almost as if he was a child.

 “Look I get it, you like guys - and it’s hard. But I would never abandon you just because we’re different,” Mike assures him.

 “You don’t get it,” Will insists.

“Yes I do,” Mike nods.

“No you don’t,” Will argues. “I don’t just like guys,” he shouts, eyes brimming with tears.

And it almost takes a lifetime for Will to speak again.

“I like you, okay?” he confesses, causing Mike to take a step back.

“What?” he releases, completely shocked.

Mike looks at him like he’s made of ash and he almost hates him for it. If he didn’t love him, that is.

 “I like you,” Will repeats, exasperated. “There, I finally said it, now we can go back to not talking to each other?” he knows this hurts his friend too.

What hurts more is that, in that moment, Mike Wheeler chooses to walk away.

-

It’s days later where Lucas finally breaks his door down to get him out of his funk. He stares at the mess of video games and undone laundry, followed by empty chip bags and cans of pop lying all over Mike’s room. 

“Man,” he sighs, as he begins to pick stuff up for him. “Did El dump you again or something?” Lucas asks, chuckling.

He doesn’t know how to tell him that his best friend is in love with him and he just broke his fucking heart. That Will’s confession may have awaken something inside of him. That all he wants to do is run back to the time where they just kids and things were just easy.

In the end, Mike doesn’t answer Lucas - he grabs a beer instead. 

-

That night, Will wakes up to an incessant knocking sound. 

He opens it up to not just the view of his quiet little backyard but of Mike Wheeler, possibly drunk, throwing pebbles at his window.

“What kind of person says they’re in love with you and then runs away?” He shouts, as soon as he locks eyes with his best friend (ex-best friend?)

Will stammers, not knowing how to react. Rose pink blush rushes to his cheeks and he breaks out in a sweat. “I-I never said I was in love with you,” he simply says.

And those words hurt Mike even more - although he’s not sure why.

“Will please,” he begs, this time, it’s his turn to cry. “I want my best friend back,” he demands, tears streaming down his cheeks, passion in his eyes.

“I can’t just - “ Will sighs, but he can’t bring himself to finish his statement - not when Mike is looking at him like that. 

“I want the person I can talk to when I feel like shit, I want the guy I can game with, I want you by my side please I - “ Mike trails off, unable to continue with his words as he catches himself shedding more and more tears. 

“You have to give me some time,” Will honestly says. “I can’t just forget how I feel about you,” he goes on with.

The slight moment of silence between them offers Mike some time to compose himself again. He wipes off a few of his tears and fixes his gaze on the other boy. 

“How long do you need?” He asks, sounding desperate.

“I don’t know,” Will shrugs. “A few years maybe?” He doesn’t know how to calculate this - how the hell is he supposed to know the answer to that? You can’t just math out heartbreak - it doesn’t work like that.

The wounds left by unrequited love are not mendable some times. But he couldn’t bare to tell Mike that. 

“You’re not making this easy,” Mike grits.

“Neither are you,” Will whispers. He finally makes his way downstairs and walks up to his friend. He places a kind hand on his shoulder and actually offers him a small smile. “You have to go home now, okay?” Will quietly advises, in the softest tone.

And that’s how he’s always been - gentle.

“I was right about you,” Mike sniffs, brushing off the other’s touch. “You are the tough and brave one, even in moments like this,” he chuckles, making his way off of Will’s property.

Even when he was having his heart broken, he knew he had to be strong one, for Mike’s sake.

Will knew that if he broke down too, his best friend could not handle it.

Even if he so desperately wanted to.

-

[wanderleave]

My contribution for @jancyficweek, which, in an extremely on brand move for me, is not finished, but! I wanted to get it up for AU day, of which this is most definitely. Parts two and three coming, hopefully, soon. I know my blog text is tiny, so if that isn’t your jam, you can also find this guy on AO3.

As always, this is @stoprobbers‘ fault.

Attending her ex-boyfriend’s wedding alone may not be the stupidest thing Nancy Wheeler has ever done, but it’s close.

It was meant to be a statement, attending the wedding at all, crossing out the plus one on the invite, traveling all the way back to Hawkins, where her parents don’t even live anymore. But as Nancy steps off the plane, she can feel the pit in her stomach, the one that says, this is the worst idea you have ever had.

She pushes the pit down, takes a deep breath, and goes to find her luggage.

For some inexplicable reason, she’s been invited to the rehearsal dinner, a tiny slip of a note in her invitation, perhaps by virtue of arriving early from out of town, or maybe Steve just wants to get the introduction out of the way before the actual wedding.

She’s never met his fiancée, but it’s a wedding. Nancy’s going to have to meet her eventually.

Might as well get it over with.

The first person she sees (of course) as she walks into the restaurant is Carol, who mutters something to Tommy before walking over with what Nancy knows to be a fake smile on her face.

“Nancy Wheeler, what brings you back to Hawkins? I thought you were too big for our little town?”

Nancy plasters a matching smile on her face, even as she remembers exactly why she left Hawkins in the first place. “I was invited, Carol. Although I didn’t realize you were close enough for the rehearsal dinner?”

Carol lets out a simpering laugh. “Tommy’s a groomsman, I’m just tagging along. Are you bringing anyone?” she asks, looking around, her tone implying she knows Nancy’s here by herself.

“Oh, um,” Nancy begins, but Carol cuts her off.

“I mean, it must be so hard finding someone who can live up to all of your demands, I mean, dreams.”

Nancy blinks, the smile on her face turning brittle. She knows Steve would have unburdened himself after the breakup, but she should have expected this, should have realized there would be an ambush. She shouldn’t have come alone.

“It was great to see you again, Carol,” she says, cutting off the conversation, only sort of trying to hide the sarcasm as she walks away.

It doesn’t end with Carol.

Steve’s mother, his grandmother, his cousins, everyone mingling, all incredibly interested in Nancy and how she’s doing, and if she brought anyone, Nancy stammering out vague responses.

She should have prepared for this. Made up a boyfriend sick with the flu back in New York, or in the Peace Corps, or Canadian, unable to cross the border for some reason. Anything would be better than having to admit that she came alone to her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, as a matter of principle, yes, but also because she hasn’t dated anyone since she broke up with Steve last year.

And then she sees Steve.

Their eyes meeting across the room, his arm wrapped around someone that has to be Robin.

It’s easier than she thought it would be.

And harder, all at the same time.

Nancy manages a weak smile, one that Steve returns. The hand resting on Robin’s waist lifts in a wave.

She needs some air.

It’s started raining.

Of course it has.

Nancy stands just under the awning to the restaurant, letting her hair frizz up, letting the raindrops splash onto her toes. Breathing in and out, wishing she hadn’t left her wine inside, or that she’d stopped after the fourth glass, she’s not sure which.

“Fuck,” she half-shouts, at life, at her choices.

Maybe she shouldn’t have come at all.

“Everything okay?” an unfamiliar voice asks.

Nancy turns to find a stranger tucked into the shadows, smoking a cigarette, looking at her with concern.

She blinks, flustered. “Oh, no, yeah. Everything’s . . . ” She pauses, trying to find a way to describe her situation. “Fine.”

The stranger smiles wryly at the emotion she packs into the word. “Anything I can do to help?”

Nancy begins to turn him down, then reconsiders. Nodding at his cigarette, she says, “Can I get one of those?” She’s not normally a smoker, but if there was ever a time, it’s now.

He frowns, his nose wrinkling. “It’s, ah, my last one. But?” He holds it out to her.

Nancy looks at him, considering.

Finally she breathes, “Fuck it,” and takes a drag. Lets out a deep sigh of relief.

The stranger laughs.

“Thanks,” she says, handing it back to him, and as he leans back against the wall, gestures to herself. “Nancy.”

“Jonathan.”

She nods at him, looking back out at the parking lot. The rain starts to fall harder.

“Should I ask?”

Nancy huffs out a mirthless chuckle. “Probably not.” She puts her head in her hands. “Oh god, what am I doing here? I shouldn’t have come, I should have never come back, I can’t believe I have to deal with these people all weekend.”

“Bride or groom?” he asks, and the perfunctory curiosity of someone who doesn’t know her history with Steve—with this town—is so refreshing that Nancy laughs out loud.

“Groom,” she tells him. “About as groom as you can get. What about you?”

“Neither,” Jonathan shrugs. “Or, both. Kind of? I don’t actually know anyone in there, except for the bride, and I’ve only met her once. I’m just waiting until they need me.”

Nancy tilts her head in confusion at the statement, but before she can ask him to clarify, she hears from behind her, “Nance?”

Nancy swallows. Turns.

“Hi.”

Steve looks good, better than the last time she saw him in person, although that wouldn’t take much—almost anything is better than tears and screaming.

He pauses for a second, a vague smile on his face, almost rueful. “I didn’t think you were actually gonna come.”

Nancy shrugs. “Here I am.”

Steve nods. “Yeah.”

They stand in silence for a few moments, Nancy breaking it before it goes on too long. “Everyone’s told me you’re doing really great—she’s really great—I’m . . . I’m really happy for you.”

Steve smiles, a real smile this time, one that lights up his entire face. “Yeah, she’s . . . yeah. She’s amazing.”

Nancy smiles back. “That’s great,” she says, meaning it, and even though it’s awkward, so awkward, it’s manageable. She thinks maybe coming back was a good idea, that the closure provided was, in the end, worth it.

Until Steve asks the question, the one she’s been asked too many times to count.

“And what about you, how are you? Are you uh, seeing anyone?”

Later, Nancy will blame many things for the words that come out of her mouth—the wine, Carol, her precarious emotional state—but even as she says them, she knows they will be impossible to take back.

“Actually yeah, I am.”

What has she done?

“Oh.” Steve sounds surprised. “My mom—she was saying . . . ” He shakes his head. “That’s great, Nance. I’m . . . happy for you too. I’d love to meet him.”

Just kidding, Nancy wants to say. Just wanted to see your reaction.

Instead, what comes out of her mouth, even as she thinks stop, what are you doing, is, “Well, you won’t have to wait too long.”

She watches as her hand extends toward Jonathan, the man she met literally minutes ago, hears herself say, “Steve, this is Jonathan,” makes herself meet his eyes as Jonathan’s head cocks in confusion, pleading silently, please, just go with it.

To his credit, Jonathan barely skips a beat. He drops the cigarette on the ground, grinding it out as he leans forward, placing his arm around Nancy’s waist in the same movement as his other hand extends towards Steve. “Jonathan Byers.”

“Steve Harrington,” Steve replies automatically, before his eyes narrow and flick to Nancy and then back to Jonathan, shaking his head from side to side, once, twice.

His eyebrows knit together.

“Wait,” he says, slowly, and Nancy holds her breath, sure the ruse will end before it even begins.

“You’re dating my photographer?”

Nancy feels like she’s going to faint.

She feels Jonathan’s hand tighten around her waist, almost like he can tell, like he’s trying to hold her up.

Or he’s warning her that he’s about to walk away, she’s not really sure.

Steve is still looking at her expectantly, and after the silence drags on for far too long, Nancy says, lightly, hesitantly, “Yes,” her tone landing somewhere between statement and question.

“That’s so crazy.” Steve shakes his head. “How did you guys even meet?” But before Nancy can even try to come up with a plausible explanation, Steve answers his own question. “Oh, New York, of course.”

Nancy presses her lips together, turning her head to meet Jonathan’s gaze, and this time Jonathan’s the one to answer, his “Yes,” even less confident than Nancy’s, his eyes locked on hers.

“Great, that’s great,” Steve repeats. He seems to mean it, and Nancy feels a twinge of guilt at her subterfuge, but her sense of self-preservation keeps her tucked into Jonathan’s side.

“So I’d better, uh,” he nods toward the door, “get back, but, uh, good to meet you.”

Jonathan nods.

Nancy does the same, counting the seconds until Steve leaves, even as she knows that the conversation she’s about to have will be one for the ages.

“And,” Steve turns back, hanging onto the door frame, saying to Jonathan, “I think we’re gonna start the speeches soon, so . . . “

“Got it,” Jonathan confirms, waiting for the last glimpse of hair to disappear, before turning to Nancy, stepping back, his steadying presence at her side disappearing, Nancy strangely finding herself missing it, even as she knows she doesn’t deserve to feel that way.

“Okay—”

“I am, so, so sorry,” Nancy breathes.

“Yeah . . . ” he trails off, and she blanches, her anguish swallowing up the rest of her apology. “I mean . . . so that’s clearly your ex, right?” he says, offering her an opening.

“Yes.” Nancy swallows. “And you’re the wedding photographer.”

Jonathan nods at her, an expression on his face that could be apprehension or amusement. “So, what—”

Nancy cuts him off. “I’m so sorry,” she says again, because she can’t say it enough times. “I don’t know what I was thinking, it’s just that his mother, and everyone in this fucking town, it’s like they were all waiting for me to come back, tail between my legs for dumping him, and I just . . . with everyone else I could fake my way through it, but then he was right there . . . and you were right there, and I’m so sorry and if you give me five minutes I will march in there and pretend you dumped me because I didn’t tell you about Steve, just give it a second for it to spread around so people won’t get confused, because it will, I promise you, and then you can spend the rest of the evening taking truly awful pictures of me, which I absolutely deserve.”

Jonathan blinks as she catches her breath. His gaze is sympathetic, and Nancy hopes against hope it means the photographs taken of her won’t be too unflattering.

“I think you would have told me about Steve, though, right?” he muses. “If we’ve been dating for—how long have we been dating?”

Nancy’s mouth drops open. She stammers for a second, before finally choking out, “What?”

He shrugs. “I did offer to help.”

“Yeah, but this is—this is beyond . . . are you serious?”

Jonathan laughs at the expression on her face, shrugging again. “I’ve been there, trust me. And like I said, I don’t know anyone here, so it’s not like I’ve got anything to lose—and it seems like you do.”

Nancy feels tears prick at her eyes, perhaps from the wine, or perhaps because someone she just met is being kinder to her than all of the people inside the restaurant, people she’d grown up with, people who, before she left, she’d considered almost family.

“Plus,” he goes on, hurriedly, as Nancy blinks the tears away, “weddings are boring. I could use someone to talk to.”

She frowns at him. “Is there lots of time for conversation? Shouldn’t you, I don’t know, be taking pictures or something?”

“My contract doesn’t officially start until 8, and it is,” he checks his watch, “7:55 on the dot. So, no.” His head tilts. “I’ve got nothing better to do for the next five minutes. Except talk to my girlfriend of . . . five months? Seven?”

Nancy eyes him warily, but his face is open, genuine, and she thinks he may actually want to help her, for no other reason than she needs it. For the second time that evening, Nancy says, “Fuck it,” but this time it’s accompanied by a grateful smile. “How about six?”

Jonathan grins. “Six months it is.”

They stand in silence for a few moments, Nancy letting the enormity of what she’s about to embark on wash over her. She’s going to lie to everyone she knows. And she’s going to have help doing it. She thinks about telling Jonathan forget it, I changed my mind, but the thought of having to walk back her lie to Steve, to his entire family is far too daunting.

Better to just have a fake boyfriend.

Nancy sees the door to the restaurant opening and moves toward Jonathan, almost instinctively. He frowns at her sudden movement, but picks up on her intentions quickly, wrapping his arm around her once more, solid, steady.

Tommy’s head appears around the door.

“Hey Nance, heard you’re banging the photographer.”

“Hello, Tommy,” she says dryly.

If Tommy knows, everyone knows.

“Anyway, best man duties mean I’m here to tell you to get your asses inside. Speeches, and all.”

Nancy frowns. “I thought you were just a groomsman?”

“Whatever. Just . . . get in here so he can take the pictures.”

“We’re on our way,” Jonathan says pleasantly, as Tommy rolls his eyes and disappears inside.

“Sorry about him,” Nancy apologizes, “he’s always been—”

“A dick?” Jonathan guesses.

Nancy shrugs, “I was going to say asshole, but, yeah.”

Jonathan laughs, and then walks away, back to the shadows. Nancy feels a sharp stab of alarm, but he’s only slinging a large bag she hadn’t noticed before onto his shoulder.

Photographer. Cameras. Of course. He’s not just here to prop up her ruse.

“Hey,” she says, waiting for him to turn to her, giving him one last chance to back out. “You’re really sure you want to do this? Because I can—”

“I’m sure.” He looks at her sideways. “Six months?”

She lets out a grateful laugh, and instead of answering, says, “Thank you.” Nancy tries to put everything she’s feeling into the words, the gratitude, the relief, and as he looks back at her, she thinks he understands.

He raises his eyebrows. “Don’t mention it. Literally. Or everyone will know.”

“Right,” she says, nodding solemnly. “Six months.”

He nods back at her. “Exactly. Shall we go in, honey?”

Nancy makes a face at him.

“No pet names. Got it,” Jonathan says with a grin, and offers her his hand.

Nancy takes it, and holds on for dear life.

[astridthevalkyrie]

Axe to the Heart: Chapter 9

Astrid Hofferson/Steve Harrington. “Maybe I hate a lot of things here in Hawkins but I suppose you’re not one of them.”

Chapter 8

This chapter is dialogue HEAVY you guys...

Her nose wasn’t stuffed, and her throat didn’t hurt, and she wasn’t really nauseous, but she had had a headache the entire day, felt drowsy and cold all at once, and to top it all off, she had the whole day to actually, freely think about everything Hopper had told her last night. The demogorgon. The dogs. The Upside Down. Jane’s abilities. Her abuse. How a bunch of kids were dealing with things that kids shouldn’t have been dealing with.

And how her parents weren’t allowed to know because not many people were allowed to know. Because it wasn’t supposed to be known. Other dimensions and monsters were hidden away from people like her.

So Astrid spent the day groaning pitifully to no one in particular. She wanted to go -

Well, she didn’t want to go home, but she also did. Berk was strange, but it was beautiful and mysterious and it was her life. Hawkins had been dull and dry until this all happened. And maybe the excitement would be welcome if it didn’t come so fast and with a dose of child abuse.

There was a light knock on her window, and Astrid saw the hair before she looked at her clock. It wasn’t that late, but there was no reason for Steve to come. Their presentation had been today, and she had missed it.

Still, she trudged up and opened the window, reaching out and plucking a leaf from his hair before allowing him to come in. “Did you drive here? Can you even do that with your leg?”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Steve closed the window and then she saw he had a bag in his hand. “I was already out, I had to drop someone off at the middle school dance.”

“Was it…” She tried to remember a name from the multitude Hopper had given her yesterday. “Lucas?”

He shook his head. “Dustin. Here, I picked up soup for you.”

Astrid blinked in surprise, but took the bag without protest. She’d been too lazy to eat too much all day. “Um...thanks.” She looked up at him. “You didn’t have to.”

Steve snorted as she sat down on the bed with the bag next to her and flopped down, his head on her lap. “And I should have let you make your own soup? Please, I didn’t want you to die.”

She flicked his ear (it had been one bad smoothie and suddenly she was a bad cook? Unbelievable.) and yawned softly. “Why are you here? We don’t have anything to work on.”

“No,” Steve agreed, “but A, your parents are never home and you’re taking care of yourself, B, I didn’t have anything else to do, and C, you kissed me yesterday. We’re not going to just ignore that, are we?”

To her benefit, the way he brought it up caused her just to roll her eyes rather than any of that cursed blushing she’d been doing lately. “I just found out about alternate dimensions and me kissing you is what you wanna talk about?”

“Alternate dimensions will still be here tomorrow,” he said with a wide grin, raising his head slightly.

“While your lips won’t?”

Steve sighed dramatically and fell right back into her lap. “I thought Hopper already told you everything.”

“He did,” Astrid murmured, distractedly running her fingers through his hair, “I got Eleven, superpowers, bad lab people, missing Will, fake body, more monsters but little ones...I heard a lot, but not much about your involvement.”

He smirked; it seemed everything she said today was enough to set him off. He leaned up with his elbow propped up on the bed and his head in his hand. “How about this? I’ll tell you my involvement if you tell me something.”

Astrid furrowed her brows - how was she the interesting one right now? Lying on her stomach to face him eye to eye, she nodded. “Shoot.”

“Who are those people?”

Steve jerked his head towards the picture of the gang still propped up on top of her drawer, and her heart leaped in her chest. “Why?”

He gazed at her for a few seconds, and then said quietly and sincerely, “Because you look beyond happy in those pictures, and I’ve never seen you like that. Happy, yeah, but not that. Not...her,” he said, looking at the photo curiously.

“I…” Her voice caught in her throat. “That’s...they’re...important.” She took a deep breath and forced herself to look into Steve’s eyes. “They’re...the most important people in the world to me. They’re my best friends.”

She closed her eyes for a second, expecting a laugh or something, but when she opened her eyes, he was looking at her, intrigued, so she bit her lip and went on.

“I grew up with the gang. We...all of us played in the mud together, went on swings, took the mickey out of each other.” A small smile graced her lips as fond memories rushed through her head. “It was like...us against the world. There was me and Ruffnut, we were the only girls.”

Steve wasn’t looking at her anymore, he was looking at the picture and squinting as she described them all. “There was Ruff’s twin brother, Tuffnut, or Tuff. Fishlegs. He’s the other blonde boy. Snotlout, the short one. And…” She swallowed. “And the brunette is Hiccup.”

Her voice must have cracked, because he turned back to her and a look of understanding passed through his face. “And you and Hiccup dated.” It wasn’t a question.

“How did you -”

“I wouldn’t know for sure,” Steve mumbled, his cheeks reddening slightly, “but I think...the way you were looking at his picture just now?” He looked down. “I think that’s the way I was looking at Nancy when I saw her volunteering at the dance.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to do with that information. “That’s…”

“Pathetic, I know. She’s moved on, so why can’t I?”

Astrid hummed in thought for a few seconds and then said, “Just because she’s dating Byers doesn’t mean she’s moved on. She probably still cares.”

He snorted, sitting up with a slightly pained expression. “Of course she cares. She’s Nancy Wheeler. She’s nice and sweet and she...she cares about everyone…”

Oh, like she’d never met anyone like that before.

‘Hiccup too.” She sat up and he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in. “He was nice and smart and funny and he loved animals.”

“He sounds like a great guy.”

“Nancy sounds like a great girl.”

“And we sound fucking pathetic.”

A laugh escaped her and she pressed her face against his chest. He wasn’t wrong, they were praising each other’s exes. “Well, we’re the assholes in the relationships, remember?”

“Yeah, we are.” He took a deep breath and then his words came out in a rush. “Last year, I saw Jonathan in Nancy’s room and my fucking head told me that meant she was cheating on me. I let my friend - at the time - spray paint shit about her. Then I...I…”

Deciding to follow his example, she didn’t say anything, but held his hand to show she was listening.

“I...insulted Will, and Jonathan punched me, and oh God, I fucking deserved it. So I went to his house to apologize but fought a demogorgon instead.”

Astrid breathed softly, looking up at him. “But Nancy was still dating you. What about this year? You had to deal with the...the demodogs?”

He gave a short nod. “Yeah. Dustin needed my help and I didn’t realize there was so many of them. I thought I could take it. Anyway, at some point Billy showed up -”

“Hargrove?”

“Yeah, Hargrove. He hates Lucas and he hates that his sister Max is with Lucas and he came and he pushed the kid onto a shelf.”

“What the fuck?” Astrid pulled back, staring at him incredulously. “What could Lucas have done that was so -”

“Billy’s racist.”

Pieces clicked together in her brain, and she nodded slowly. Great, more child abuse, just what this story needed, and now with a sprinkle of racism. Perfect.

“I got him away from Lucas, and I punched him, but then he smashed a plate on my head -” Astrid winced, trying not to imagine terrified kids watching their teenage protector lose a fight to someone who was out to hurt them - “and started to beat me up.” He scoffed lightly. “I guess I kinda deserved that one too. Once I hit the ground...I let him. At least he was beating me up instead of the kids, right?”

Steve’s voice was shaking, and Astrid, vividly remembering how Snotlout would tremble just like that whenever he talked about his shitty father, slid her arms around his neck and pulled him close, so that he could hide his face as he tucked it in the crook of her neck.

“He kept going. And going. Until...well, I passed out, but they told me Max stabbed him with a syringe that knocked him out.” She felt a slight wetness on her skin. “So a thirteen year old saved me because I couldn’t bother to hit back after a few punches.”

Astrid felt tears prickling at the corner of her ears too (to think that she’d thought he got those bruises in some stupid alpha male fight!) and she rubbed his back. “Hey. It’s okay. You...you were amazing, okay? Hiccup’s dad, he told me once that we both were warriors, born to protect. You are too. We’re protectors.”

Steve didn’t respond to that, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and grabbed fistfuls of her shirt, holding her close.

Then, after a minute, he said, without letting go of her, “I’m not over Nance.”

“I know.”

“I think you’re amazing, and - and a great kisser, and I wanna be with you, but it’s not fair if I’m still thinking about her.”

“I know what you mean.” She glanced at the photo over the shoulder. “I don’t think I’m ready yet either. Definitely attracted to you, but…”

“But let’s wait awhile.”

“Yeah. Maybe the feelings will go away.”

“Or maybe they’ll stay.”

“Maybe,” Astrid said softly.

It was then Steve pulled back, wiping his eyes (a lot more softly than she did when she was crying, but she was starting to notice he was a soft boy in general).

“Sorry. You’re sick. We should - I should....uh…”

Astrid bit back a smile and then closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. “Just hold me, yeah?”

Steve complied, and as she was warmed up by his arms and soothed by the sound of his heartbeat, she thought that it should have felt like the end of a story just about now.

Instead, it felt like the beginning.

Okay, so I have like, five people who read this thing, and I want to ask you:

Since there’s no real plot running in my head, but a bunch of oneshot ideas, do you want me to end this story here and post them as separate oneshots in this universe? Or should it just be new chapters for this, but without a real plot (i.e. the Upside Down, demogorgon) and just Steve and Astrid’s developing relationship?

Also, either way, I’d like you guys to send in prompts for oneshots that I won’t guarantee I’ll write each one, but hopefully they’ll inspire me and you can send me as many as you want (but only for them at this stage of their relationship, close friends but not dating, once they start dating it can be prompts for that. You can still send romantic prompts, but they won’t be dating).

Please let me know!

[mullingarssweetheart]

Classes Other Than Chemistry - Stancy

Just my interpretation of how I think Steve and Nancy met and started dating. Enjoy :)

Let it be known that English was definitely not Steve’s favorite subject in school. He wasn’t good with words to begin with, let alone the complex ones written by William Shakespeare. He didn’t get why they had to read Romeo and Juliet anyway. The incessant monologues about boring love and feuding families that were described in an almost impossible language left Steve feeling confused and even more tired than he was at the beginning of class, if that was even possible. Okay, the fight scene in the beginning was kinda cool, I guess.

Steve sat in his desk and did his best to shield himself from Mrs. Thompson’s eagle eyes that were roaming the classroom in search for a volunteer to read their assigned segment. Steve silently prayed today wasn’t the day she would call on him and sank lower in his chair. It wasn’t that he didn’t have his lines memorized, he just didn’t understand a word of them and every time he practiced, he stumbled through his words in an awkward rush to be finished.

“Nancy Wheeler,” came Mrs. Thompson’s shrill voice and Steve heaved a sigh of relief and watched Nancy get up from her seat and walk towards the front of the room. Steve hadn’t really paid much attention to the seemingly timid girl before and didn’t know much about her except that she was super smart. And pretty. She wore a cream-colored sweater that hugged her tiny waist and framed the rest of her body perfectly. Her soft brown hair was down but the front strands were pulled back from her face to showcase her blue doe eyes which Steve immediately decided he liked. She wasn’t like Laurie or Amy or Becky with their glossy lips and too-short skirts. They were just…hot while Nancy was somehow both cute and beautiful at the same time.

The class grew silent as Nancy stood in front of them and began reciting her lines.

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

Or, if you wilt not, be but sworn my love,

And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.”

Steve listened rather intently and felt his heart rate quicken as he watched her lips move. Steve had never really been one to pay attention to people’s voices, except his dad’s when he was mad and moody, but her voice was soft and smooth compared to his dad’s gruff, angry one and he liked the sound of it.

“…Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.”

Steve’s stomach fluttered as she continued. What the hell? Must be getting sick.

“…O, be some other name!

What’s in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Steve himself was beginning to forget his own name. Yep, definitely getting sick.

Nancy finished her soliloquy and the room clapped as enthusiastically as a group of tired teenagers could on a Monday morning. Steve clapped too and shook his head to clear his mind.

“That was beautiful, Nancy,” Mrs. Thompson gushed and Nancy’s cheeks turned pink which made Steve’s lips involuntarily twitch in a small smile. She’s so cute.

“Thanks, I studied a lot,” she mumbled and quickly made her way back to her seat.

The butterflies in Steve’s stomach subsided as the bell rang for next period but Steve found himself hanging back to wait for Nancy. His feet had a mind of their own, apparently.

Steve quickly ran a hand through his hair, cleared his throat, and sauntered over to Nancy who was packing up her things. Be cool, Harrington.

“Hey,” he started. Nancy whipped her head up and her eyes went wide at the sight of him and her mouth dropped open a bit as if she couldn’t believe he had just spoken to her.

“It’s Nancy, right? Your speech was really good. I mean, seriously, it could put Shakespeare to shame. The guy’s probably rolling in his grave right now,” he said which earned a shy smile from Nancy. “I’m Steve Harrington, by the way,” he added quickly when she didn’t respond right away.

“I know who you are,” she rolled her eyes and began walking towards the door. Steve would’ve been hurt if it weren’t for the ghost of a smile on her lips that he managed to catch sight of before she turned her head, so Steve followed.

“So, I hear you like studying.” He gently nudged her arm and flashed her a grin to let her know he was only teasing, not mocking. Most girls didn’t like to let on when they were smart for fear of embarrassment, but Steve thought that was ridiculous. If he had half the brain Nancy or any of them did, he certainly wouldn’t try to hide it.

“And I hear you don’t,” she fired back, grinning up at him just the same.

“You’re right,” he said just because he didn’t know what else to say. Girls were his area of expertise and he was always confident around them, except for now it would seem. Nancy paused at her locker, dialed her combination, and switched out her textbooks.

“So listen, you wanna, like, do something Friday night?” He shocked himself by asking. Nancy seemed just as shocked as him, so he leaned against the lockers as casually as he could to feign nonchalance. “I mean, I was planning on going to the football game if you wanted to come.” The butterflies had returned full swing in his stomach as he awaited her reply.

Nancy bit her lip in contemplation. “I don’t know, Steve. I’ve got a big test on Monday that I need to study for.”

“Oh come on. You can’t take one night off to have some fun?”

Nancy’s eyes narrowed at him in offense but she was still smiling. “Huh? Come on.” Steve raised his eyebrows in temptation and flashed her his signature grin.

“Fine, fine. Okay,” she eventually acquiesced and let out a laugh.

“Okay?” he asked, just to be sure.

“Okay,” she said and began walking in the direction of her next class.

“Uh, cool. So I’ll meet you there?” He half shouted over the mob of students flooding the hallway.

“Yeah,” Nancy replied before turning back around and meeting up with her red-headed friend, Barb.

Maybe that Shakespeare guy was on to something after all.

Tagging my bby @stancy :)