#if anything its on both mike and el they just need to sit down and talk

[paperbackribs]

A Christmas Message

Prompt Day 15 - Time Travel | Rating: G | CW: None | Tags: getting together, minor angst, first kiss | WC: 995 (@steddieholidaydrabbles it's the 15th where I am, so I hope this isn't too early on your side)

🎄💖🎄💖🎄

Eddie stares down at the piece of paper in his hand. It’s just a little slip, fragile and white and torn on both ends. But the handwriting is his own and the message disturbing: burn the world.

“Eddie?” Steve calls from his lounge room, the sound of the kids arguing over their movie choice almost drowning out his voice. “Bring me a beer too?”

The world had narrowed like peeking through the mouth of a glass bottle, distorted and small, but at Steve’s voice Eddie startles, blinking up at the warm kitchen lights. Outside, the night looks normal, the full moon hanging low in the dark blanket of stars and the distant pine trees swaying beyond Steve’s house looking fat and serene.

Yet, Eddie had just pulled out a torn message from inside his jeans instructing himself to light up the world. An uneasy tendril unfurls, winding its way around to sit heavily in his gut. Eddie digs his hands into his pockets, searching for any more scratchy evidence but they remain empty. Frowning, he runs his thumb over the text before shoving it into his pants; he’ll think about this later.

Mike complains as Eddie renters the lounge, “You just want to watch it because it has ‘babes’ in the title.” He’s frowning so hard that Eddie’s vaguely worried that his face will freeze in that expression forever. He hears an echo of his uncle’s voice saying the same and rolls his eyes at himself.

Lucas shrugs, “Babes. Babes in Toyland. It’s got everything we need for a Christmas movie.” He blindly holds out his palm behind his back and Steve high-fives it. The slap resounds through the room as Max rolls her eyes at El, but she’s staring at Eddie. Watching him cross the room to sit beside Steve. He hands over the can, their fingers brushing and Steve smiles at him, warmth shining from his eyes. “Thanks,” he says, subtly leaning into Eddie.

It's nothing new, Steve shifting into Eddie’s space. Ever since he’d been released from the hospital and they’d worked out the nitty gritty with the government so Eddie wouldn’t be arrested for Henry’s crimes, Steve had slowly, but surely been moving into Eddie’s world.

First, through stopping by to make sure that he had enough meals while he and Wayne worked out their living situation. Then casual visits just because he’d been thinking of Eddie, which had progressed to anything from structured movie nights to simply hanging out, smoking and talking and ensuring that with very little effort Eddie had stumbled and fell, tumbling at the feet of this man he’s come to love.

He thinks that maybe Steve has come to feel something similar for Eddie too.

The idea makes Eddie stir in his seat, the fear of being too little for anyone’s love making that uneasy feeling in his gut revive. As he does, he hears a crinkle. He digs under his ass and pulls out a familiar slip of paper but this time it says, You’re going to want to run.

He doesn’t notice El’s head whip towards him because fear has struck through him cleanly, powering him to his feet to bolt towards the front door. He hears Steve’s voice call his name, but his gut is roiling, and his brain is lighting up, and he needs to get out of the house.

Steve catches him as he fumbles at the door handle, his hands slippery and feeling further numb from the heat at his back. “Eddie…” Steve breathes, his words ruffling the long waves at his neck.

Pressing his eyes tightly shut, Eddie turns. The anxiety of not being enough for Steve combined with the ominous, unexplainable messages whipping into a fear that if he looks at Steve he’ll blurt out his big, stupid feelings and ruin the best thing he has in his life.

A broad palm cups his jaw and Steve says his name again, a soft, reverential sound that breaks over Eddie’s lips as Steve kisses him. It is chaste, just a simple, experimental brushing of lips, but Eddie can feel the depth of emotion behind it, as wide and high as a tsunami wave. Helpless to do anything but succumb under it he whimpers before pressing urgently forward, kissing Steve back and drawing his hands up to frantically grip him by the collar of his shirt. Eddie hears another crinkle.

Drawing back, he absently notes Steve’s heaving chest, but it’s the paper that holds his attention: away. You’re not going to do that. Steve...

“Eddie?” Steve asks, concern shadowing his eyes, fear shimmering at the back of them. And it is the latter that draws Eddie up short: he has such potential to hurt Steve, to make him believe that he is bullshit or too much or not enough, all the big and small hurts that they had shared over these months. He desperately doesn’t want to do that. He wants to cherish Steve, shower him in gentleness and care enough to overshadow those hurts.

A crisp white piece appears in his other hand and Eddie is finally able to put together the whole message: You’re going to want to run away. You’re not going to do that. Steve would burn the world for you, burn the world for him back.

Eddie contemplates the papers in his hands for a moment, a decision locking in place deep inside. Resolve fills him, banishing the jittery panic that had once stayed his hand. He looks up, a smile spreading across his face, “I love you, Steve.”

Steve blinks, brow furrowing in shock before the tension that had frozen him in place gives way. He smiles, a tremulous, hopeful thing and steps forward into Eddie’s space once more, cupping his jaw and leaning in. “Thank Christ,” he says and takes Eddie’s lips again. In the safety of the house, guided by an uncanny message, the two embrace, love and devotion present and enduring.

[sweet-villain]

You Feel Like Home~ B.H

@moonchildquinn asked:

hi lovie, i know you’re the queen of angst but could i request maybe a dinner date or anything kinda on the romance side for either Dacre or Billy whichever you feel ❤️

Anonymous asked:

Hi! Its the sadistic anon who requested the Billy, Eddie, and Steve story. I've working on a fluffy request for you to make up for the heartbreak!-

Billy takes Max with him to pick out the reader's engagement ring. The entire time they're both giddy because Max is excited to have the reader as a sister, and Billy is excited to be with the reader forever.

Tags : : @ceriseheaven @josephquinnlover0 @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @stillfalling30minslater @alyisdead @witchy-munson

My Master List is in This Area

He happily wore a smirk on his face when he catches you staring at him as he lifts his head up from underneath the hood of his Camaro. A hint of red appears on your cheeks as you watch his arms flex, some of the grease has caught on his arms. He shut the hood wiping his hands with the small towel he had in his back pocket.

" Are you going to stare at me all day doll?" he asks not even lifting his head to meet your gaze.

" I can't help it when my boyfriend is a pretty sight" he laughs, his cheeks burning with a hint of red as he raises his eyes to meet yours.

" I could say the same to you" you rolled your eyes getting up from the steps you were sitting on as you turned to head inside to prepare to make dinner.

Max was sitting on the couch watching tv when you entered. She turned it off as she turned to face you, " I'm happy Billy has someone like you around. You make him happy."

" He makes me happy too. Do you want to help with dinner?" you asked. Her eyes lit up as she nods, " Let me wash my hands" she hurries off to the bathroom while you head into the kitchen. Billy walks into the house, and as he makes his way to the bathroom he ends up bumping into Max.

" Oh, watch it shit bird" Billy grumbles. Max sticks her tongue out at him causing him to laugh. The two were doing much better as siblings, but there were moments were still things were rocky.

" You watch it, big bird" Max mumbles as she heads into the kitchen. Billy shakes his head as he heads into the bathroom

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Billy clears his throat as he bounces from one foot to the other staring down Max sitting at the table with Lucas, Will, Mike, El and Dustin.

" What?" Max asks, Billy averts his eyes as the words in his mouth feel like dryer than Sahara desert. Max feels the shift in the room as she looks around standing up from the table.

She makes her way over to him, looks up with worry in her eyes.

" Is something wrong?" he looks around her friends then down at her. " I need to talk to you"

Billy felt his palms sweaty as he swallowed the lump in his throat. The others look at each other with their eyebrow raised.

" Come on" Max grabbed his wrist and leads him out of the room and into the arms crossing her arms over her chest as she taps her foot on the ground.

" What is this about? I don't have all day"

" I want to ask Y/N to marry her and I need your help with the ring" her eyes go wide and her mouth drops.

" You are going to marry Y/N!" He hears El making her way to the room with her hands clasped together under her chin and her eyes shining with a wide smile on her face.

Billy groans.

" You're going to marry Y/N?!" Dustin shouts. They all scramble into the room. " Do you have a ring to propose to her with?" Mike asks.

" Not yet" Billy says. " This stays between us you little shit birds, you got it or I'll turn you all into pretzels" they all zipped their mouth and threw away the key.

" I just need your help" Billy looks down at Max.

" I know the perfect place" she says, looking at El. " But El comes too" El look up at Billy with pleading eyes and the widest smile she can muster.

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

" Don't make me regret this" the girls squeal as they hug him around the waist. He softly smile down at them.

" Is Billy smiling?" Dustin asks in shock. Billy head shoots towards him and reaches over to grab the cap off his head and throws it into the kitchen.

" Go play fetch Henderson"

" That's not nice!" Dustin shouted as he races into the kitchen to get his cap

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You giggle feeling pepper of kisses being placed all over your face as you eyes flutter open seeing your boyfriend hovering above you. His curls shield part of his eyes as he looks down at you with those blue eyes.

" Good morning, doll" he says, leaning down pecking your lips. His lips were a little chapped this morning but that was okay.

" Good morning handsome" his cheeks flush red as he buries his face into the crook of your neck. Your arms wrap around him, chuckling.

" You don't have to shy baby"he says something into your neck that you can't understand. " What?"

He lifted his head from the crook of your neck, " I'm not being shy."

" Then what is this?" you motion to him and your neck. He shrugs as he rolls over onto his side on his back rubbing his eyes from sleep.

" I'm going to hang out with Max today" at this, your head snapped towards him as you hear this. " Are you feeling okay?" you asked bringing a hand to his forehead to feel if he was sick. In return he swatched your hand away.

" I can't hang out with my step sister?" he asks. You gave him a look.

" You two haven't hung out like that" he shrugs as he sits up in bed looking for his shirt. " Do you want me to come?" he shakes his head, his curls were wild this morning but he was the most beautiful man you have ever seen.

" Stop looking at me like that" he say as he slips on his shirt. It was on the chair were you folded it for him.

" Like what?" he finds his pants and slips them on.

" The bedroom eyes" he brushes a hand through his curls. " you look so good in the mornings, William" you teased. He shoots you a glare for using his real name.

" You're lucky your cute and I have to go otherwise I'll be over there tickling you" you gasped pulling the cover up to your chin.

" Better not be late"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Billy stares at the box in his hands as El sits in the back and Max is in the front.

" It's really pretty" El says. " She's going to love it" she adds. Billy smiles down at it. Max nudges him, " When are you doing it?"

" At dinner tonight at Harringtons" Max looks surprised.

" I didn't know you and Steve were buddy buddy all of sudden" Billy grumbles something underneath his breathe.

" What was that?"

" We're no where near buddies" Max nodded. " You know, this is pretty big even for you."

Billy turns to look down at Max.

" I know, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her" For the first time Max can see how you make Billy feel. Loved. Appreciated. Wanted.

" She's going to love it" El puts her hand on his shoulder while Max puts a hand on his arm. He puts the box in the pocket of his jacket. He really is nervous on proposing to you. You make him feel safe and loved. He never felt something like this before.

" You're going to be all mushy at the wedding" Max teased.

" Shut it shit bird"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You ran a hand down your outfit as you looked at yourself in the mirror, chuckling seeing in the back Billy playing with his curls as he hair sprays some of them, grumbling how you didn't let him use the mirror.

" I'm done now, you can look at how pretty you are now" he stops hair spraying his curls as he turns to look at you with a hint of red on his cheeks. He's never getting used to you calling him pretty.

He makes his way over to you, setting the hair spray down as his arms wrap around your waist and tugs you to him.

" How did I get so lucky to have a girl like you?"

" I believe because you ended up spilling your lunch on him as you walked past me and I poured milk on those pretty curls" he chuckles, remembering the memory grumbling when he remembers the milk had soaked him.

" That was the day I knew I wanted you" Billy says.

" Yeah?" he nods.

" You got that fire in you, I like it. You were cute too, how could I pass that on?"

You raise on your toes brushing your lips against his, " I love you Billy."

It took a while for Billy to tell you he loved you too. He would show you in the simplest things he would do for you weather drive you around, move nights, tolerating Steve Harrington, bringing you to parties with him, doing the things you liked.

" I love you too" he says, pressing his lips against yours.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Billy raised his head to knock on Steve's door and it flew open in matter of minutes to reveal Robin standing there.

" The love birds are here!" she shouted through the house. You walk hand in hand with Billy by your side. Billy's stomach turned and his heart raced because tonight was the night he was going to propose to you.

He was nervous. His eyes met Max's as he looked into the living room. She threw him a thumbs up in encouragement.

" You got this" she mouths to him. It didn't really ease his nerves but it made it a little better knowing he has support.

" Hargrove" he hears Steve says. Steve tolerate Billy around because he's dating you. You and Steve go way back to when he was King Steve, he didn't make fun of you but he would copy your work over your shoulder and nudge you for answers.

" Harrington" Billy says. The two exchange an unpleasant look between each other. " Be nice" you tell them, pointing one finger at one and pointing the other at the other one.

Steve puts his hands up telling you dinner would be ready soon. You make your way into the kitchen to see if Nancy needed help, Vicky is there with Robin as the two help.

" Need help?" you asked. Nancy puts a pot down as she comes over to hug you while Vicky shyly waves.

Your head peeks in to see Billy interacting with El and the both of them looked to be happy as they talk.

" I wonder when he's going to put a ring on your finger" Nancy says. " You two are into each other that's it disgusting" Robin says. Vicky pushes her shoulder giving her a look.

" I think it's cute" Vicky says.

" maybe I should put a ring on him" you joked. But the three girls look at you and smirk.

" You don't have the balls to do it" Robin teases. " You're way too much of a softie to ask him."

" I can ask him" Robin shrugs before Nancy tells you to make yourself comfy and Vicky hands you a drink.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Dinner was going well, Billy had been getting along with everyone and teasing Steve like usually. The two haven't thrown food at one another and they were being civil. For your sake.

Billy's leg kept bouncing up and down and he's been staring at the plate for more than a few minutes. You placed a hand on his thigh, squeezing it letting him know you wanted his attention.

His head slowly turns as he looks at you with a panic look on his face.

" What's wrong?" you asked, concern in your eyes. He shakes his head mumbling it's nothing. He looks over to Max in need to help of some sort. She sets her fork down and looks at you then looks at Billy.

The chair scraps on the floor catching the attention of the others.

" Sorry, but Billy has a few words he like to say" she sits back down and Billy shots her a glare on why she did it like that.

" Fuck it" he mumbles as he turns to face you with big blue eyes. His hand is shaking as he takes it in his. You can feel how sweaty his palm is. It must be really big if he's being this nervous.

" You're the best thing that happened to me. You healed pieces of me I didn’t know needed healing. You cared for me when I didn’t know I could use that extra love. You brought out the happiness in me I didn’t know existed. You’ve made me feel more alive than ever." He pauses to take out the box out of his pocket.

Your eyes brim with tears as you watch him open the box and inside is an engagement ring with your birthstone color.

" Billy.." you gasped putting your hand over your mouth. El and Max share a smile.

" When I first saw your smile and heard your laughter, I knew I wanted to hear and see it for the rest of my life. Marry me?" he asks.

" Yes" you whispered out, nodding your head. The table cheers as he takes the ring out of the box and slips it on your finger. He leans down softly kissing you with his index finger and thumb holding your chin.

" Who knew Hargrove can be such a softie and romanic" Steve teases. Billy pulls away as he chugs a piece of bread at him. It hits him in the face landing on his plate.

" That's not nice" the whole table erupts in a food fight but you and Billy get away, he's holding you in his arms as he looks down at you.

" I thought I would be the one to ask you to marry me, I really thought you wouldn't have the balls for it" His mouth drops open.

" Is that so?" How about we start early on our honey moon?" you giggled as he grabs your hand and head upstairs.

" Not in my room!" Steve shouts. But Billy didn't listen as he did exactly that.

[unfinishedslurs]

Nancy's GBF (ghost best friend)

IT'S OCTOBER QUICK POST GHOST BARB FIC

She dreams about Barb every night.

She’s dreamed about her before, of course, but ever since Vecna died it’s different. She doesn’t scream. Doesn’t cry. There’s no blame placed on Nancy’s shoulders, no shrieking accusations about how it should have been her instead. 

She’s a silent figure. Unmoving, unfeeling. No matter how far Nancy reaches, or how fast she runs, she can never get close. 

Eventually, she comes into focus, and it’s awful because she seems younger than she ever did in real life. Her best friend died a child, closer to her little brother’s age than Nancy’s own now. The red shade of her hair, the exact outfit she had on, it’s all things she forgets in the waking world. But for these few minutes she can have Barb back. Even if she can never hug her best friend again, or exchange secrets, or laugh together, she still has this.

When she wakes up, it’s with tears on her face.

“Nancy?” Jonathan asks groggily, still half asleep. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Later, when he tells her he was accepted to Lenora Hills, she’ll wonder if she could have saved their relationship if she hadn’t started lying too.

Two months after the dreams start, Barb speaks. 

“Nancy? Nancy, it’s so cold. I don’t like it here, Nancy, please–”

In that moment, Nancy can finally reach out and take her hand.

She wakes up shivering and automatically checks her surroundings. Mike bursts through her door when she shrieks, her mom not far behind him.

They both try to ask her what’s wrong, but she can’t answer, too busy staring at the dead girl in the corner.

“Nancy?” Barb asks, pool water dripping down her chin. “What’s wrong with me?”

She tries to ignore it.

She’s having a mental breakdown of some kind, that’s fine. It’s to be expected, really. She’s been struggling keeping up with school, and the end of the world, and breaking up with Jonathan. Of course she’d see Barb around every corner. Of course she’d be cold all the time. Of course. And everyone knows the first step of having a mental break is to not feed into the delusion. 

She checks with El and Will, just to be safe.

They both look confused when they open the door, which makes sense. She and Jonathan have been split up for a month, she hasn’t exactly been around. Still, they accept her inside without question.

“I need you to make sure Henry isn’t back,” she blurts out as soon as the door shuts behind her. Both of them rear back in tandem, and something clatters in the kitchen. 

“Nancy?” Jonathan pokes his head around the corner, bewildered. “Are you okay?”

“Jonathan!” She feels herself flush. Why didn’t she think he’d be home? She knows he doesn’t have a job anymore, and his friend Argyle went back to California a while ago. Where else would he be?

“Nance, you’re pale,” he says, like she hasn’t noticed. As if her mom hasn’t said the same thing a hundred times in the past few days. He reaches out to guide her to the couch, and flinches back as soon as he feels her bare skin. “You’re freezing. Let me get you a blanket.”

She turns and looks at the kids as soon as he’s out of sight, noticing the way Will is rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I’m sorry, I’ve been having weird dreams for a while, and lately it’s gotten…worse, I guess, and I need to make sure it’s not him. It doesn’t feel like him, but I need…I can’t…”

El’s face turns into something determined, and oh, Nancy hates asking this of her. But if Vecna isn’t really dead, if they can get a headstart on his next plan, well. The sooner the better.

Ten minutes later the three siblings are sitting across from her, El tying a blindfold around her eyes as a blanket sits on Nancy’s shoulders. It doesn’t do anything to help, of course. It’s nothing like when Will was possessed but the mindflayer. The heat doesn’t bother her, no matter how many times she brings a spare blanket to add to the pile on her bed or turns the shower faucet to its highest setting. In fact, she can’t feel it at all.

“Close your eyes,” El commands. “Focus. I need to be able to see inside you.”

She grimaces, involuntarily glancing at Barb in the corner. The past few days she’s been weeping nonstop. More than a few times, Nancy has cried with her. Now, though, she looks around the Byers’s new place curiously.

Nancy shuts her eyes.

“Don’t shut me out,” El reminds her gently, and then light floods her vision. 

Barb, always Barb. When they were kids they would push each other on the swingset and dare each other to climb trees. The last time she saw her, reassuring her she’d be fine before following Steve upstairs. Vecna daring to taunt her, as if she could ever forget what she’d lost.

A million memories, some she’d almost forgotten. And then it’s over too soon.

El rips the blindfold off, breathing heavily. Jonathan hands her a tissue for her nose, looking at Nancy with so much concern it feels like it’s going to kill her.

“What did you see?” Will asks frantically. “Was it him?”

El shakes her head, confirming what Nancy already knew deep down. “It wasn’t him.”

“Then what was it?” Jonathan asks, eyes still on Nancy. She raises a shaking hand to her face, and it comes away wet.

“Nothingness,” El finally says. “And then sadness, and cold, and dark. And a light. There was a light, and a hand, and then there was warmth and feeling again. But the feelings are bad. They are not Henry, but they are not good.”

“So she’s real?” Nancy’s voice cracks.

“What? Who’s real? Nancy, what’s going on?” Jonathan asks. WIll just looks at her, concern in his big eyes.

El tilts her head. “I think so? But I do not know her. I can’t see her like you can.”

“Who is ‘she?’” Jonathan demands. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”

“I actually have to go,” Nancy says, almost stumbling as she stands up. She takes a moment to fold the blanket Jonathan gave her so kindly. He’s still trying to get her attention, but she brushes him off as she heads out the door and to her car.

“Nance, please, I know we broke up but I still care–”

“I know!’ She says, whipping around. Barb watches curiously from the corner of her eye. “I know you do, and that’s great, really, but it’s none of your business. I didn’t even think you’d be here, so…”

“Where else would I be?”

“I don’t know, Jonathan, California?” She snaps. He rears back. “Isn’t that where you’re going anyway? Just– stop acting like this is any of your business! We broke up, we’re done, I don’t… I don’t want to talk, Jon! Just leave it alone.”

“Nancy…” he reaches out, and Nancy takes a step back. Barb appears between them in an instant, and his hand passes right through her. He jumps, swearing and turning pale. Nancy feels herself gasp, feeling warm for the first time in days in that split second before he pulls back.

He watches her silently, with those big eyes she’s always been weak to. She doesn’t have anything to say to him, or maybe she has too much to say. Either way, she gets in her car silently, driving off and leaving him standing in the rearview.

For once, she doesn’t startle when Barb jumps into existence in the front seat.

“Byers, huh?” She asks, something like humor in her voice. She always sounds distant now, like she’s underwater, or whispering from across a field. But Nancy understands what she’s saying. She always will. 

Barb sighs when she doesn’t answer. “At least his brother’s alive, I guess.”

That makes Nancy laugh, a harsh cackle that would make her jump if it came out of someone else. “Yeah,” she agrees, speaking to the ghost of her best friend for the first time, “At least Will’s alive.”

It’s not like having Barb back. Not really.

She’s bitter, and angry, and she screams and yells and cries all the time. Sweeps her arm across Nancy’s desk like she’s trying to break something, and only gets angrier when she can’t. Yells at Nancy sometimes, which she knows she deserves.

There’s the blame for her death of course, which is nothing new. She’s been having nightmares about that for years. But then there’s the other stuff. The weird questions, like, “Why did you bring me back? Why couldn’t you let it be?”

When she asks about it, all she gets is Barb turning away from her.

“Nancy? Naaaaaaancy. Nance, are you listening to me?”

She turns her head and almost shrieks to see Robin staring at her, almost nose to nose. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for, like, forever minutes,” she complains.

Nancy looks at Steve. “It was, like, forever,” he confirms, staring at her intensely. “You okay, Nance?”

 Eddie rolls his eyes. “It’s been thirty seconds,” he deadpans.

Robin flops onto the floor. “Forever.”

“I’m starting to think getting you guys high was a mistake.”

“You say that every time. It’s not even your weed.” Steve yanks the dying bud out of his hand, taking a drag that has to be mostly ash at this point and putting it out on the ashtray. They don’t do this often, or at least Nancy doesn’t join them often. She’s not fond of the floaty feeling the weed gives her, preferring alcohol if she’s not going to be sober. But Eddie asked her to come, and Steve and Robin prefer having more people around if they’re going to get high. Something about what the Russians gave them.

She hasn’t seen Jonathan here since they broke up, but she thinks that’s less about them not inviting him and more about everyone trying to give them both space. 

Nancy’s gaze has already wandered back to Barb. It’s been a quiet day today, which makes her nervous for tomorrow. But at least during quiet days she can seem semi-normal in front of her friends.

“Nancy? Seriously, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she tells Steve, not bothering to look away from Barb. She looks from Nancy to Steve, this new, older Steve she’s seeing for the first time, and pretends to gag herself on a finger. The pool water that never stops coming out of her mouth splatters silently on the floor. Nancy doesn’t laugh. 

“Hey.” Steve moves in front of her, slightly wobbly as he sits cross legged across from her. She can barely see Barb past his hair. “Yanno, Jonathan asked about you.”

“What?” That breaks her from her trance.

“Yeah, he said he was worried about you. I asked him why he was asking me and not you, but he said you didn’t want to talk about it. But he was, like, really worried Nance. So, like, is everything alright?”

“Do you ever dream about dead people?” She blurts out.

All three of them go completely silent, staring at her. She laughs nervously. “Never mind! Never mind, that’s weird. Wow, why did I ask that? I think I took too many hits. Where’s your bathroom?”

“I mean,” Eddie says, after Steve doesn’t answer, “I dream about Chrissy all the time. How could I not? Shit was a real life nightmare, of course it made its way into my dreams.”

Steve shakes himself. “I guess I dream about Billy, but that’s different. I mean, it’s still a nightmare, but it’s not like…” his hand drifts unconsciously to the faint scar on his forehead. “It’s not about the Upside-Down, I guess. It’s not the same as my other nightmares.”

“I have dreams where people die all the time,” Robin declares, scooching herself across the floor until she can lay in Steve’s lap. “They suck.”

“Yeah, but are any of the dreams ever…weird to you guys? Like they’re not normal nightmares? Like they’re there all the time, just staring at you, and you try to reach for them but you never can?” She asks desperately.

The three of them look at each other, and shake their heads.

“Cool,” Nancy says, palms sweating. “Me neither.”

It’s raining when Mike storms into her room while Nancy is trying (and failing) to do college prep. “What is wrong with you?”

Barb starts laughing, a gurgling, chilling sound that Nancy heard once and made her summarily decide to never make a joke again. 

“What are you talking about?” She asks, eyes flitting between Mike and Barb. “Get out!”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” he accuses. “You’re not even looking at me!”

“Maybe I just don’t want to see your dumb face.”

“Fuck off!”

“Michael!” Their mother hollers. 

He rolls his eyes. “Ugh, sorry!”

[sade-alicious]

Byler fist kiss scenario i jotted down at 2 am and have been writing for the past hour:

————————————————————————

Mike and Will are hanging out in Will’s room at the cabin, both trying to clean stuff since Will’s apparently gonna be living here for a bit.

Eventually it came time for Mike to head back home, and even though he wants to stay his mom is making him go. So they hug before Mike leaves.

It lasts for a good while and they’re holding on to one other, each have one hand over the others shoulder and another around their waist.

They let go slowly, but only partway, still holding on to each others arms.

Mike glances at Will’s lips, maybe for a bit longer than necessary but he’s been doing that all week so who really cares. Will looks kind of puzzled but he still holds on.

Mike’s thinking. He thinks about it, all he ever does is think about it actually, but funny thing is his mind is blank when he leans in.

Will meanwhile, isn’t thinking either, his eyes wide as an owls, because what?

Mike kissing him seems like all Will’s wanted for who knows how long, but not now. Now its pure confusion along with some sort of satisfaction and wanting, but mostly shock.

Mike pulls away after three seconds, he knew he wanted to do it but didn’t know his body would let him this time.

Mike quickly drops Will’s arms and goes owl-ish for a moment, shocked at his own actions too.

“I’m sorry,” he says, with just the right amount of emotion so he doesn’t start crying, but enough to let Will know he’s sincere, “I was, I was gonna go anyways.”

And he makes his way out of Will’s room.

Will stands there as if Mike’s still by the door, mouth agape and eyes wide with shock. He’s at a loss for words and he doesn’t know what to make of anything, everything. It’s stupid, and he stays still for a bit before making his way over to his bed and he sits down for a moment before shoving his face into a pillow and just stays there, because he doesn’t know what else to do and he wants to stop his mind except he didn’t know the day would turn out like this and…

And he starts crying. Because El, weren’t they in love or something?; his feelings for Mike he shoved down for what feels like a century; the blatant confusion; and everything else, because did they really need to have a coming of age story during the end of the world?

[sunflowersand-bees]

upside down concept where will and mike were stuck in the upside down and they're hiding out in the library (bc the library has a lot of importance and i can't wait to find out what importance. also the library is empty bc they killed the demogorgon who had been sticking its victims in the library and demogorgons are probably territorial or something) and they're sitting there, backs against a bookshelf. will despised being back in the upside down, every moment reminding him of that week in 1983.

will absentmindedly said, "this is where they found me."

"what?" mike asked, confused by the abrupt change in topic.

"when mom and hopper saved me from the upside down. this is where i was," will elaborated.

"oh." mike's voice shrunk. "why are we in here then? we can go somewhere else."

will shrugged. "it's fine. this place is safe." he pushed away the memories.

they both sat in silence. mike didn't know what to say.

will took a deep breath. "my heart had stopped."

"what?" it sounded like someone had sucker punched mike.

"hopper used cpr on me. i guess i probably wasn't dead," will mused.

will didn't dare look over at mike, not yet. he wasn't done.

"there was a vine, or something. and it went..." will tried to stop his voice from shaking. where had his initial apathy gone? "it..."

"will, stop," mike said softly. "you don't... you don't have to say any more."

will nodded wordlessly. he wanted nothing more than for mike to wrap will in his arms. he just wanted to be held. he just wanted to collapse into someone. he wanted to feel loved, even if it was just for a moment. maybe he could even pretend it was in the way he wanted it to be.

"when you were... gone..." mike started, clearing his throat. he sounded as steady as will felt, which was to say that he sounded terrified. "there was a situation. troy threatened to hurt dustin. he told me to jump off a cliff. and i didnt... i didn't know what to do."

will watched mike patiently, and mike glanced over, hands gesturing.

"it was already my fault that you were gone-"

will opened his mouth to protest but mike stilled him with a look.

"-or at least that's what i thought. you were riding home from my house. i blamed myself. and i just couldn't let another one of my friends get hurt." mike swallowed, and the noise seemed to echo in the stillness of the dark library. "so i... i took a step. i - fuck - i jumped off a cliff."

will put a hopefully comforting hand on mike's leg.

"el saved me. obviously, i'm not dead." mike laughed, but it didn't sound like he found it funny. "but, um, yeah."

mike's eyes darted down to where will's hand was still on his knee, and will moved to take his hand away, but mike stopped him. he took will's hand and threaded their fingers together.

"i'm so glad that hopper saved you. i don't know what i would've done otherwise."

will wanted to make a wisecrack about how mike would've been a mess, but he just couldn't seem to get his mouth to work properly. whether this was because of the somber topic and solemn confessions, or because mike was fucking holding his hand, he wasn't sure.

"and i'm glad that el saved you," will croaked.

instead of saying anything, mike just scooted closer to will. will leaned his head against mike's shoulder.

they probably needed to talk. there was a lot to talk about. but this was not the place nor the time, so they simply sat, mike rubbing his thumb along will's hand, and will leaning against mike's side.

[muppetbyers]

will being “good at hiding”, the ud being a mirror of hawkins so he was Right There but also not. how he likely only survived so long because he was good at running and hiding from the demogorgon, and of course everyone was looking for him but if he didn’t try to reach out and communicate with joyce then he maybe wouldn’t have made it out at all. how at first he tried to defend himself but it was futile, maybe he couldn't have even done it anyways. the clone of his body that joyce immediately knew wasn't will.

will coming back wrong and feeling like a freak and being targeted at school, the scene of him walking down the hallway while everyone looks at him. he only opens up to mike at first and singles him out as not making him feel like "even more of a freak". he hides things from joyce until he cant because it all goes so wrong. how he tries to run and hide from it but its when he tries to fight back and stand his ground that it gets him. literally being possessed, his entire self being taken over, "what happens when he cant remember anything? when there's nothing else there? what happens when my boy is gone", and how joyce, jonathan and mike can bring him back just enough for him to help save them, even if saving them could kill him. and how none of them let that happen and they force the mf out to get will back.

in s3 when he's there but basically invisible, like a twisted parallel of s1. he's right there but having to still try to be noticed, and this time it ends with him destroying castle byers. the same castle byers that he hid in in the ud before the demogorgon found him, and which the memory of building with jonathan helped bring him back. castle byers with its 'all friends welcome' sign but joyce needed a password to be let in. how he has a 'no trespassing' sign on his bedroom door.

and just everything about dnd and "you shouldn't like things just because people tell you to" and how he doesn't conform to mike and lucas's 'normal teenage boy' shtick and how he tries to be his normal, but its just different to what they're doing. he destroys castle byers in part because he feels too seen, "what did you think that we were gonna sit around in the basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives" and yet he says yes, to mikes face. he gives away his dnd set but promises its not possible to join another party, and he doesn't.

he dances with a girl at the snowball bc he doesn't know what to do and mike is there pushing him to. in lenora he does a presentation on alan turing in front of, presumably, his whole class.

in s4 how his outfits just make him merge into the settings, almost camouflaged. how he doesn't reach out to mike despite wanting to stay in contact with him because he cant risk being too seen, because he doesn't want to lose their friendship. "sometimes its hard to say how you really feel", and then giving mike the painting under the guise of it being from el, masking feelings that are only his with el's name, trying so hard to express his own feelings but at the same time divorcing himself from them. jonathan immediately clocking it and for probably the first time ever, someone is truly seeing him and telling him directly that they love him no matter what. because they know, they know and its okay. how "hakwins isn't the same without him" and "god we need will" and his friends have his drawings on their walls and and and.

just. how hiding is the most integral part of wills arc and how everything is linked back to him hiding. and how sometimes its necessary to survive but that doesn't make it hurt less. and how he has so much courage and he's so true to himself but tries so hard to be both seen and not seen, because fuck man its complicated being who he is. and just. how other people's love for him keeps bringing him back, can bring him out of hiding. yeah. idk.

[demadogs]

how do you think mike will react when he finds out the truth about the painting? also how do you think a break up between mike and el could work after Mike's monologue? I literally have no idea and I keep thinking abt it o wanted to know what do you think

i’ll be honest, a lot of what im about to say is wishful thinking but i do think its all very plausible. i think mike and els break up, his coming out, and how he finds out about the painting will all coincide with each other. so i believe the season will start with mike and el still together and theyre alright but we can tell theyre not super all over each other. its nothing like s3 when they were both really trying to be as couply as possible. (if youve read carry on, i imagine it like simon and agathas relationship). we’ll see more ambiguous byler moments and then later mike will be vecna’d and when he’s tranced he will see things mocking him for his feelings for will and his sexuality. i would fucking love if it went full circle and vecna told mike “its not my fault you dont like girls”. this will be the big reveal to the audience AND it will also reveal it to el because she was piggybacking in his mind to defeat vecna. and its bad. like mike had always avoided thinking about his feelings and trying so hard to pretend theyre not there and not let anyone know and all of a sudden hes being forced to confront who he really is. when mikes back in the real world he’ll see el’s bloody nose and realize she was there and knows everything and start to panic and lock himself alone in a room because at this point he and el were still together and mike was still deep in the closet.

i think their breakup will be very emotional to show how much they really do care about each other, just not romantically. not emotional in a sad break way but emotional in the sense that el can’t believe he felt like she would treat him any different if she knew the truth. i want it to be similar to jonathan and wills talk. i imagine mike completely breaking down alone in a locked room because he was basically outed to el. hes so long overdue for a gay panic attack. unlike will, hes been DEEPLY suppressing all his emotions and we’ve never seen him just let it all out. like full blown panic attack, maybe worse than will destroying the castle.

then i think el will let herself in with her powers and see mike just sitting on the floor and she’ll join him and they’ll have a long talk and mikes just apologizing over and over again because he feels like hes hurt her so much just because he didnt want to accept that he doesnt love girls and el will tell him that its ok and she actually also would rather just be friends and they hug it out and I WANT IT TO BE REALLY EMOTIONAL AND SWEET!!! I WANT IT TO MAKE ME CRY!

and THEN after el tells him that, he’s kind of shocked because he thought for sure el loved him based on everything will said so he asks “but what about the painting” and she says the MUCH anticipated line, “what painting?” and mike is so confused and starts to explain how will gave him a painting that he said she commissioned and then told him about how she needs him and thats what gives her the courage to fight on and he explains that thats why he said all that when she was in vecnas mind because as much as he hated to lie, he thought she needed to hear it to continue to fight. el tells him she never told will to paint anything and he asks “well then what was be talking about?” and el kinda knows the answer to that but theyre interrupted. maybe by will knocking on the door and wanting to check on mike.

so then mike is in this weird limbo where he and el are over, el knows his feelings, he kinda maybe suspects that will might like him back but isnt sure and afraid to confront him about it. also unpopular take but i dont think there will be a huge fight when he finds out will lied about the painting. i just dont think thats a lie to be pissed about, i think he’ll be confused more than anything.

then eventually there will be a quiet time with just mike and will (stuck in the upside down i hope) where they have a long talk about everything and how theyve lost each other and miss each other and then mike eventually gives in and kisses him.

i also have an alternate situation in my head that i think is less likely but MAN WOULD IT BE JUICY!!! when mike is vecna’d what if they had the walkie on the way they did in s1 so everybody could hear what was going on in mikes head and what vecna was telling him. vecna could be saying vague shit about him lying to everyone and being disgusting and the whole party could be really confused at what hes talking about but then vecna would call him a mistake and will would figure it out and get up and grab the walkie and sprint to another room so no one else hears the rest and THEN vecna says “its not my fault you dont like girls”. so he’d be outed to el and will but he wouldnt know that will knows. oh my god thatd be so good.

so yeah this is a specific scenario i imagine it going down but to be more broad, el and mikes breakup will also be a coming out scene and it’ll be very emotional and sweet and mike wouldnt be mad about wills lie, just confused at first but he figures out it might be because will feels the same way.

[asquinate]

figured I'd reblog this with a version thats easier to read.

----

She walked around for what felt like days. Going from memory to memory. She had long since abandoned the need to hide away from vecna. It was clear that wherever she was now he couldn’t reach her. Unfortunately, that also meant that El couldn’t reach her either. 

She had initially called out for her yelling and pleading for someone to get her out, but it was useless. She now just walks with no destination, walking, because it was the one thing keeping her from losing her mind.

She was walking when she saw them. She had just left the memory of her’s and the party’s first movie together. She remembered how excited she was to finally be included. She remembered Dustin arguing with a couple to move so they could sit together, she remembered Mike and Will eating all their snacks together as they watched Dustin, having already sat down themselves. She remembered Lucas’ laugh, bright and amused, as he turned and smiled at her. And she remembered the joy, the belonging in that moment. 

That's when she noticed them.

In the darkness of the void she could make out a figure, sitting, with their head buried in their knees as their shoulders shook. 

She approached apprehensively, she had not seen another person in the void, outside of memories she had not seen anyone in a long time. 

She had not seen anyone in a long time. As she got closer, she recognized disorganized black curls, bad fashion sense, and a galaxy of freckles dotting his arms just like her own.

“Mike…” she breathed softly as she finally came face to face with him.

He looked different from when she had last seen him. He was wearing one of the flannels his mom bought for him that he always complained about, and his hair was different, less cared for and tied up in a ponytail. He looked like a mess and his sobs didn’t help the appearance. He didn’t register her words.

She frowned in concern as she began to question how she was seeing him. Could Vecna have gotten him too? But that didn’t make sense because why couldn’t he see her? She tried calling out to him a few more times. He still didn’t seem to hear her, pulling into himself more. He began to mumble to himself.

“Stupid, so fucking dumb. Screw things up again, why don’t you?” he began to pull at his hair, wincing in pain but not letting up on the action.

Max, instinctively, reached out to stop his hands. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but when her hand caught his, feeling cold to the touch but very much there.

She looked up at him as he stopped what he was doing, meeting her wide eyes with his own. And for the first time the two locked eyes, both seeing each other.

Max didn’t say anything, looking at Mike with shock and hope, maybe…

Then he said one word that had Max's world crashing down. 

“Max?” he said as he stared into her eyes, she nodded and his eyes got wider.

“Max- wait- '' his shape flickered out of the void and his voice became choppy. Her hands clasped nothing and in a moment he was gone.

A sob forced its way up her throat as she broke down. He was right there. And now she was alone. Again.

“No! No, no, no, no! Come- come back!” she cried. Though, it did nothing, when she looked around all she saw was void. It was empty. She was alone.

I was forced to attend church today courtesy of my mom. So here is a little drabble of Madwheeler void buddies I did.

This was originally supposed to be possession gate but its not really clear so you can interpret it however you want.

If you saw Grammer of spelling inaccuracies.

No you didn't.

[beaulesbian]

I mean, i'm a Mike stan, but I know he was being anything but good to El. He is a walking red flag on that relationship.

I wouldn't say he was anything but good, he cares about her a lot, and that is obvious from his actions especially in s2 and s3. But it's obvious they both needed something else from that relationship - together like that it just didn't work (and that's on El too, as much as Mike made a lot of mistakes, she was the one to continue lying/being dishonest in her letters, which i think hit Mike hard.)

When they broke up in s3, it felt like he wanted her back just because he needed the title of El being his girlfriend. Hopper mentioned how they spent so much time together, and that seems to me almost like he needed her so he didn't have to question what exactly he felt (for her or for someone else..).

Slowly his actions and feelings felt more and more off, especially in s4 and their fight about the 'I love you'.

There's a lot of discussion about that part. I feel even if you're not used to hearing or saying it, when El told him he never says it, in typical situation he could confirm he indeed loves her.

But the way he couldn't say it, and then later agreeing with Will that sometimes it's hard to share something with people, even more so with close friends, because what if they don't like the truth. He nodded at this part, agreeing.

He was having a hard time telling El a truth.

Another point i've seen a lot of ppl thinking because of some possibly fake leaks, that he might say 'I love you' to her in vol.2, and i don't see how would that be a problem IF they make sure they both know its only platonic - if they talk and decide staying friends is just better for them, and then i feel it would be actually very much in character for him to say it. Because what he couldn't say was I love you in the romantic sense, what El expected to hear.

Overall, i just think there's much more nuance to his character, that we've seen over the past seasons play out, but it would make most sense if he's gay and figuring it all out. If he's not, then yeah, some of the stuff with him is just not written well, and i very much don't think that's true.

We as the audience can see their both sides, both of them did some mistakes, now we need to hope they will learn from it, and not fall back into what society expects from them, instead of what they really feel.

[emilyskinners]

so take your time while you're mine and smoke slow

steve harrington x reader (no specific gender use of pronouns), and platonic!eddie munson x reader

requested: nope, not at all

warnings: spoilers for stranger things 4 (both volumes), smoking (does it even need a warning, smoke is literally in the goddamn title), st*ncy (it deserves its own warning), also if you can't tell already, I am apart of the nancy protection squad and i will defend her in anyway possible so if you hate her: please leave, a helluva lot of mutual pining that's confused for unrequited love, eddie playing matchmaker, a huge bowl of angst with an eventual and fluffy happy ending

a/n: after reading like a bajillion fics of steve, I wanted to make one for myself out of boredom, and I tend to make people cry. and in honor of joshua bassett's new song, "smoke slow" that's officially out, I decided to do a fic of said song because the snippet that has been out since may has been stuck in my head on a loop so I wanted to do something with it. but go check out the song please, I am begging you. it is so good. also, the pronouns in the original song are gonna be switched in the story, but the original lyrics are there. so in the story it's from she to he (he as in steve) and he to she (she as in nancy) as the fic goes on so you'll understand. I don't think I need to explain myself further anyways so...

*not my gif btw*

she asks for a light

as our secrets spill on the window sill

we're buyin' more time

while we kill ourselves as we both inhale

you didn't exactly hate steve harrington, you could tolerate him to a certain extent. the boy wasn't entirely unbearable and was sometimes entertainment at points. you were dragged into the whole upside down stuff since 1983. and you weren't usually around steve very often when the world goes to shit to care about him.

the only time you formed some type of connection with him was at tina's halloween party you saw him while walking home, sulking on the sidewalk. and as someone who wasn't entirely heartless, especially after seeing the look in his eye that just made him look like he's on the verge of sobbing. you didn't need that tonight, cause you just wanted to have fun and act normal for once. sitting down beside him as the two of you talked it out, about how nancy wheeler called him bullshit and that their entire relationship is bullshit and then he just left.

"so you just left her at the party... drunk?" you looked shocked, still trying to process it, "dude, what she said wasn't cool but come on!"

he didn't say anything else on the matter, just wanted to forget everything, "do you have a light?" you nodded and went into your pocket, bringing out cigarettes and a lighter. the two of you just sat there, getting high off your asses and watch as the night went on. both of you had opened up about your own personal lives and finding some kind of understanding.

after that, it was now four in the morning and you took him home. after what had happened at the party, he needed to rest before being hit in the face with reality before school. then heading home and heading to bed yourself, then just wondering maybe there is a good side to steve harrington that you just haven't seen yet, and even some part of you wished to see more of a vulnerable side to steve.

makin' believe there's a future

is it naive to think we could work?

the night el had closed the gate back in eighty four, you and steve didn't talk at all after that just between the both of you, after that for at least a year. the only somewhat time you saw one another was at the snowball when he dropped of dustin. he saw you, who was currently chaperoning the dance with nancy and jonathan, but you were currently smoking a cigarette. you had noticed him staring at you and all you did was wave before he drove off.

during the summer, you didn't exactly had a proper conversation with him. he was with robin, dustin and erica at the mall where there was a secret russian base underneath. meanwhile, you were with mike, el, will, max, lucas, jonathan and nancy, trying to find out how to stop billy and the mind flayer.

he hadn't noticed the tiny little glances you gave him once you saw him again. you honestly had no idea why you couldn't stop staring at him, there was just something that just made you infatuated that you were not self aware of your current actions. even in jonathan's car as he drove you, steve, robin, nancy, will and lucas away from the mind flayer and as they all had overheard dustin and his girlfriend, suzie singing "neverending story" over the walkie talkie, your eyes were on him, at least 90% of the time. there were times that you couldn't while the rest of you were in peril that very same night.

then after the events of starcourt, you were imagining these dreams of your future. like, wanting to be successful and rich, wanting to be loved, maybe have a couple of kids or two. but in those dreams about that potential future, steve was there. what part did he play in it, who knows honestly? being your boyfriend, or a friend, or something, he was there but for what purpose? you two weren't that close, yet again, not even aware of the fact of how much you stared at him.

but honestly, he couldn't even be the only there (with 'there' being the future, your future). you both are apart of the same friend group, even though said friend group consists of mainly middle schoolers. you obviously didn't mind hanging around them of course, more fun to be around then most people your age.

the second it's out, then i lose her

we're already here, so one more won't hurt

it won't hurt

it's now the spring of 1986, and this was the year where you and steve had to be in close proximity of one another. and ever since spring break started, you saw more of that same steve from that halloween night, vulnerable and kind and sweet and caring. that even something in the air had developed some type of non-platonic feeling. but with this itching feeling that steve is still in love with nancy, you refused to say anything. in order to cope and try to forget for a few minutes via smoking as your mind had went away, it wouldn't hurt, would it?

but obviously that didn't last, because you were forcibly pulled back to reality. you guys did anything to stop vecna and clear eddie's name. eddie has been your friend since the start of your senior year, he taught you how to play guitar. it felt nice to be around a guy without it being awkward. you and eddie were strictly platonic, like what steve and robin are. so, of course you would do anything to make sure he's able to walk in broad daylight without people calling him a murderer and with the cops on his trail. you and dustin were the ones that were the most passionate on clearing eddie's name.

then, in the last couple of days, max got cursed by vecna and almost died, but another victim was added which was lucas' basketball teammate was the next one. and then here you currently are, in the upside down with steve, nancy, robin and eddie, after a bunch of vines had dragged you down the lake and into the upside down because you refused steve to put himself in danger (again). where steve, by no hesitation had jumped in after you first before the others.

you could not handle the steve and nancy flirting going on, so you needed some type of excuse to be away from that. and that you'd rather have someone shoot you in the head with a nail gun, repeatedly than having to watch the two of them give each other heart eyes the entire time. and even eddie looked like he was over it and he's new to the group. the sight of steve looking at her made you wanna vomit, but the munson had noticed your reaction to the other two and knew what to do.

the five of you were walking over to the wheeler residence so nancy can grab the guns she has in her bedroom. eddie walked right next to you and immediately started the conversation with, "you know, i'm not particularly an expert when it comes to romance cause i have never been in a relationship. but, i've seen the way you act around harrington."

you risen your eyebrow at the munson in confusion, "i have no idea what you're talking about..."

"come on, y/n!" he pats your shoulder, "whenever he says one word, your eyes are immediately on him and solely focus on whatever he says."

"that's because he's talking..." you looked even more confused at what eddie is trying to tell you. the munson rolled his eyes, "you practically looked in awe of him. whenever i talk, you don't look at me like that." he then snaps his fingers and points our, "oh, and another thing, the look of disgust on your face whenever him and nancy flirted."

"and that's also because one: she has a boyfriend, and honestly she honestly did not look comfortable at his advances and I do not blame her. and two--" you held up two fingers as you proceeded, "we're practically in hell. so maybe flirting while we have a high possibility of dying isn't exactly the best time."

"fair points." eddie agreed, "then, let's talk about how harrington feels about you."

"and what about it?"

"personally, i would have never jumped in, not under any normal circumstances. outside of d&d, i am no hero. i see danger and i just turn heel and run. or at least that's what i've learned about myself this week. give yourself a break, y/n. see? the only reason i came in here was 'cause harrington and the two ladies over there chit chatting came in straight after you. now, i was too ashamed to be the one who stayed behind." he explained, "i just played follow the leader."

you had a fake smile on your face, "so what is your point? you're wondering why other people care about me?"

"if you let me get to the point--" eddie says, "but harrington right there, he didn't waste a second. not one second. he just dove right in. now, i don't know what you guys had before i came in, but if I were you, i'd confess my love while i still can. cause that was as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen."

"that is..." you had paused for a second, taking in a deep sigh, "the most cheeziest shit i have ever heard. and it's pretty damn stupid. steve is selfless and such, he would've dove in after anyone... like nancy."

"maybe..." the munson shrugs at you, "but it's just the worry and the concern on his face while you were dragged down the lake. honestly the look on his face didn't look like he'd have that reaction for anyone. not even nancy wheeler."

"so you're basically just finding this--" you proceeded to had put in quotes, "'love story' between steve and i, your entertainment?"

"yeah..." eddie had let out a chuckle, "watching you silently pin over him with those sad lost puppy dog eyes was tugging the heartstrings."

"glad you find my pain entertaining." you sarcastically responded, "but even if i had these 'feelings' for steve. what makes you one hundred percent sure he feels the same?"

"it's in the eyes." he points out, "sometimes the voice, but mainly the eyes. look, if you don't want him, you can let wheeler have a second shot with him." and that made you gag a little and eddie couldn't help but laugh, "i knew it, you are jealous of her."

"no, i'm not."

"i'll let you be in denial."

"i just don't wanna ruin everything." you had blurted out, and then further explained, "i confess how i feel, then he doesn't feel the same and our friendship is ruined. i would rather have him as a friend than not have him at all."

but all that we are is all that we'll ever be

'cause he's the one waitin' at home

finding out the upside down has been stuck in the day will went missing for over two years, the five of you had went over to eddie's trailer. since dustin had explained that there must be a gate at every murder sight. him, lucas, max and erica had found a way to get you and the others back to your world safely. and then a pit of rage and jealousy had pondered when you made it through and looked up to see only steve and nancy left. and with nancy now being possessed by vecna which left everyone in a fit of panic.

but suddenly, she was out of the trance and you saw steve cradling her face. and that made you wanna grab eddie's guitar and shove it down your throat. both of them made it back through as they all snuck over to max's trailer as nancy explained to what vecna saw her see. after that, and a lot of convincing to go back into the upside down but with protection and weapons. as well as max using herself as bait to make vecna's physical body defenseless so he can be killed with breaking a sweat. and then they had stolen an rv from one of the trailer park residents with steve driving and nancy in the passenger seat.

you couldn't help but roll your eyes but also stare at them with your head lying down on the small table with robin and eddie on both of your sides. god, why would you be jealous of nancy? she has boyfriend for crying out loud and you know how much she loves jonathan. you honestly didn't know if they were still going strong, but that wasn't any of your business. after hearing steve talk about wanting six kids and seeing the two looking at each other that made you want to die. but also another part of you thinks, god, poor nancy, hasn't she had been through enough? for a split second, you could tell that she didn't look exactly comfortable, especially that you can tell by that fake smile on her face cause that smile did not seem anywhere near genuine. personally, who could be comfortable in that situation? if steve is really hinting at her being in that dream (especially the way he was looking at her), then you felt more bad for nancy constantly being flirted by her ex boyfriend while he knows she's in a relationship and saying all of this to her, specifically out of anyone.

your mind just wondered off, after that. still really having the urge to open the door to the rv and jumping out while you still can, and hopefully get run over by a nearby car, but that's definitely not gonna happen.

it's just all that you and steve is, is probably what you were ever gonna be. best friends and completely platonic. even though what you felt for him, was not platonic at all, and everyone else knew it but steve and sometimes even yourself.

she holds my guitar as i pluck out a melody

there's only so far we can go

and then after dropping off max, lucas and erica at the creel house, you and the others were in the upside down. you went with steve, nancy and robin to go to the upside down version of the creel house to take out vecna, while dustin and eddie were being the distraction against the demobats.

and the walk, felt like it had been forever, your feet were hurting, robin ran off with nancy chasing after her. and now it was just you and steve alone. and god, did that terrify the fuck out of you. for a split second the thought of you being alone with steve with all of these confused feelings going on scared you more than vecna himself. but, you try and stay calm and started talking about robin being a super clutz and how it took her longer to walk then most babies. that had made steve brought up how when he was a baby, he used to crawl backwards.

"what? how, exactly?" you had looked entirely confused, but couldn't help but laugh. he laughed along with you, as he explained, "come on, it makes sense. you push to move, right?"

"no, no, it doesn't make sense whatsoever."

"well, it did to my tiny little harrington brain. that is, until i reversed my baby butt down a flight of stairs and thumped my head really good."

"that explains a lot." you snorted.

"yeah." he chuckles, "i think it kinda does. i think, like, right out of the gate, like, i'm super confident. but i'm also, like, an idiot. which is just... i mean, it's a brutal combination. but, i mean, the good news is, i get a big enough thump on my head, i can change, you know? i can learn. i can crawl forward." he had finished explaining, "honestly, thanks to nancy for giving my head the biggest thump of it's life two years ago, it's changed my life. i really needed it, and now i'm crawling forward. slowly."

you then had brought up to remind him, "also jonathan too, since he did beat the ever living shit out of you. it was satisfying to watch."

"that too." he then went on further, "for so long i was dwindling in the past over a girl who couldn't love me back. which is not her fault, people just can't control how they feel. i thought these things i've been feeling this past week have been about old flames that should've never died out. but honestly, realizing these past twenty four hours, there's a new flame in my life that i just never realized til now."

you had looked a tad bit confused, both of you stopping while you looked directly at him, "what are you saying exactly?"

"you heard the talk i had with nancy, right?" you shrugged and nodded, "all of it is true. every last word. for so long, i saw nancy in that dream with me, but i just don't see it anymore."

"you don't?"

"no, actually and surprisingly, i don't." he replied, "there was just this one important part that i had left out." you noticed him giving you this look as he said those two words that had rocked your world and that it changed your guys' friendship so much from that point on, "you're there."

oh.

you didn't know what to say. how can you respond to something like that? like you felt this relief on your shoulders that he wasn't talking about wanting a family with nancy straight to your face. he saw you. it was still something difficult to process it all. this was as hard as trying to teach steve how to play the guitar a few weeks ago cause he noticed it in your room and asked for you to teach him for fun. but instead of him plucking the strings of your guitar, it is the strings of your heart. with said heart on the verge of beating out of your chest and exploding everywhere.

literally, what can you say to that? like having a life long commitment with someone who imagines and wants six kids with you? you'd die on the spot.

but, just in time before you had the chance to pass out or something, robin and nancy had found you both. interrupted this moment you and steve have, and it just felt like another relief lifted from your shoulders. you were put on a pedestal and expected to have a response of some kind, at least one word. but said words were just too hard to form.

i'm next to you but i'll never be close

so take your time while you're mine and smoke slow

two days after everything that happened. eddie is dead, max is in a coma and you were still processing everything that had happened. like holy fucking shit, what just happened? and now, it's been two days, you're helping nancy clear out some of her old things to donate it to people that are in need of stuff ever since vecna's gates had opened. then, you all suddenly heard honking from a small distance with a pizza van showing up out of no where. and conveniently said pizza can had mike, will, jonathan, el, and some other guy coming out of it. you immediately had embraced el and will with dustin, "i've missed you kiddos so much! how are you, are you okay?"

you also had noticed el's hair is gone, and you just couldn't say anything cause you were in shock. all you did was just give her a meaningful kiss on the forehead. you then had walked over to mike and gave him a quick hug, "god, you leave for one week and everything goes to hell."

"same thing happened on our end too."

"well i'm glad you're okay." and then you walked in between jonathan and nancy's little reunion, "so glad so see you two back together. a major relief for me, actually." and then you gave jonathan a big hug, "you've grown out your hair, byers. i'm so close to grabbing some scissors and getting your old hair back."

"i'll think about it." he says, he let's go and the other dude who you didn't know walked over as jonathan introduced him, "this is my friend, argyle. he was honestly a big help on our end."

"sup." argyle says. you just nodded and shook his hand, "pleasure to meet you."

after the reunions and such, you, steve, robin and dustin went to the school and volunteered to help out the people that are in need. you were helping steve fold clothes as the both of you had noticed robin talking and smiling with her crush, vickie. and then you had broken this two day silence with steve after what he said, "about that night--"

"no, no, it's fine." he cuts you off, "i shouldn't have dropped that on you while we were on the possibility of not making it. it's not fair to you, and i was crossing a million boundaries. and i--" you stopped steve from rambling further by kissing him to shut up. you pulled away with a smile on your face, "i understand, really. because, i had imagined my own future for you apart of it for a while. in like, any possible way, you were there. maybe not the six kids in an rv, traveling across the country type suburban dream. but just, a nice one where we don't have to worry about demogorgan's, and the mind flayer, and vecna, and just the upside down in general." you stopped yourself for a second to catch your breath before proceeding, "i just personally didn't wanna say anything because i didn't wanna ruin this friendship we had built if you didn't feel the same. but hey, you do, and that's great! but, maybe we just take our time slow. cause i'm definitely not ready for six kids."

"i can see that." he smiled, "we don't have to have six kids if you're not comfortable with it. that's totally fine."

you returned a smile at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek and went back to folding clothes, "thank you." then you had also adding, "i'm glad i was there whole you were sulking on halloween night two years ago."

"i'm glad too."

a/n: hope you guys enjoyed! honestly, I wouldn't mind getting some stranger things requests for steve and other characters like nancy, jonathan, robin, max, lucas (I may need to make a new post on who you guys can requests from which fandoms again and a new masterlist but not at the moment)

[sublimecatgalaxy]

Hey, if requests are open, can we pretty please get some Jonathan and Will with a sister/sibling (middle sibling) who is kinda a good balance for both of them? I just would like to see your take on a dynamic like this! Thank you!

I like this concept a lot :) This will be the only thing I write tonight since I'm recovering from surgery.

For days, I could sense the overwhelming weight and sadness taking over my younger brother, his eyes sunken in and a permanent frown etched on his face. I know that he won't come clean that it's about Will, that his whole speech about how El probably feels like an outsider with no one to understand her was just a way for him to communicate how he feels without actually saying it.

But unlike Jonathan, Will doesn't need to actually say anything to me, I just know.

He's never really fit in with anyone, even the group and all of their games over the years. With the Mind-Flayer and the Upsidedown invading Hawkins, making my youngest brother its prime target, it only made him and our family stick out more. He has never been able to go out without people looking at him or itching to ask him questions.

That's why the move to California was possibly the best decision that my mom ever made from us, aside from leaving all of our friends and the rest of our 'group'. It gave all of a chance to start new, gave Will and El a new place to really make a name for themselves outside of our conservative town, but it also let Jonathan and I make new friends and try new things.

"So, do you like it?" Jonathan asks, leaning against his headboard as I let the smoke billow out from between my lips, watching it seep into the air and blow out the window in a moments notice. I cough a bit with a small smile, giving him a stern nod. "Good, Argyle got it from his guy last week and then totally forgot to give it to me." He snorts, taking a hit off the bong with a doped out smile and hazy eyes.

"So," I pause, flopping back down onto the bed as I watch the fan spin back and forth, "you gotta stop giving Will dating advice." I huff, giving him a pointed look as he scoffs, holding his hands up in feigned offense.

"My dating advice is great!" He shakes his head, brows firmly pulled together in an attempt to make himself believe his words but he can't be any further from the truth. It's an unspoken rule in this household to not come outright and talk about Will's struggles with sexuality and who he likes. It's already confusing for him to think about let alone talk about so we've steered pretty clear of talking about it when he's upset.

But lately Jonathan keeps trying to play match-maker and get him out in the world which, if he could have a successful relationship, I'd appreciate the thought. But given his weird relationship with Nancy, I don't trust a word of advice that comes out of his mouth.

I say that with all the love and respect in the world.

"You guys play for different teams! It doesn't help when you're giving him tips on how to woo people and you use the words 'boobs' every other sentence." My head tilts with a deadpanned smile, giving him somewhat of a condescending look that he calls 'the Joyce'.

"That's fair- alright." He sighs, his eyes fluttering shut as he pulls the bong up to his lips once more, lighting it and taking a deep breath before going to argue once more. "But-"

"Mike's ignoring my calls." His rebuttal is cut short by Will storming into Jonathan's room, red in the face and angry tears lining his lashline. Immediately, I sit up, sobering up quickly as I'm filled with unadulterated rage.

"Is he answering El-" I start but he cuts me off with a scoff.

"Of course he is." He huffs, his hands hitting his sides after he throws them up in the air, his hair falling in his eyes as he looks down at the ground and I can practically hear his heart pound out of anxiety from ten feet away.

"Then he's a dick- ignore him bubs, come take part in the illegal with us!" I laugh, trying to turn the tension to laughter but he just shakes his head, ignoring my comment all together.

"I just don't understand how he could just be my best friend for all of those years and then get a girlfriend and drop only me and not any of the rest of them." His voice quivers, eyes looking to me for support but I just frown deeply, my shoulders deflating in disappointment that he has to deal with this at such a young age.

"If he cares enough to talk to El and not you, when you're the same distance away, then maybe it's not worth it. Mike's always been kind of an airhead dude- I always liked Dustin more." Jonathan laughs, pointing a finger at our younger brother as he finally cracks a half smile, stepping towards the bed as I pat the spot beside me.

"C'mere." I whisper, wrapping my arm around Will as he slides down onto the bed, turning into a bundle of mush the minute I side hug him. "I know that it upsets you that he doesn't care- or it seems like he doesn't care- but remember that you're way more in touch with your feelings than he is." I look down at him, brushing his bangs from his face as he nods, not completely believing me but he stays quiet and lets me continue. "You're not a dumb boy like he is. So maybe just drop him for a bit, spend more time with us and less time worrying about what he's doing and who he's talking to." I offer and he nods, his eyes a bit more brighter than they were before and I can hear the words 'hard to get' playing over and over in his mind. Make him work for it, Will.

"Sounds like you're giving dating advice." Jonathan snorts, pulling the marijuana away from his lips as his eyes widen in accidental embarrassment. "Shit, sorry man, that wasn't a joke or anything-"

"Boy advice is boy advice whether it's a friend or not a friend." I cut him off, quieting his high rant as quickly as it can come out before looking to our brother, rubbing his back gently. "You gotta be a good friend before you can be a good boyfriend or girlfriend so this all applies, got it?" I ask, my eyes flickering back and forth between his as he smiles sadly, giving me a simple nod.

"Got it."

"Now lay here and get the second hand smoke, we'll take care of you." I laugh, forcing him to lay down as his eyes flutter shut, his back hitting the mattress moments later as he takes a deep breath.

"I don't trust you guys." He whispers, looking at me specifically and I gasp, looking to Jonathan for support but he just snorts and sends our brother a wink.

"You shouldn't."

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[fandomregression]

I had the idea of, what if Mike regressed, but for a long time he didn't even know it. Like I got the feeling especially after I started rewatching the show. (In this after everything ends Mike and El decide to just be friends, and it works for both of them because they realize its only platonic love.)

In season one after Will goes missing he locks himself in his room or whatever one night and just kind if starts playing with his dinosaurs. The next morning Nancy goes to check in on him and she sees him in bed with a bunch of dinos surrounding him. She doesn't think much of it and just continues to let him sleep.

Well as years go on and time continues. They defeat whatever evils and everything is going back to normal.

One day Mike is hanging our at the Byers/Hopper house with Will, El, Nancy, and Jonathan cause they moved back to Hawkins.

They are going through old things to get rid of and they stubble across Rory the dinosaur cause Mike gave it to Will when he was moving to California.

Mike looks at the dinosaur and just smiles and both Nancy and Johnathan notice a slight change in his behavior, it becomes more...child like in a way. He starts pointing out small things to Will, and going back and forth from clinging onto his best friend, El, and his other best friend, Will. And eventually some of his words turn in to like messes of different words. It's not hard to notice the change...well El and Will don't really notice it, they just think it's cool to have a more expensive Mike than normal, but don't really care either way cause hes their best friend. Whatever continuing

Now, Johnathan and Nancy had heard about agere from Steve and Robin because they both use it to cope, and although J and N don't regress they will still color with the other two and chew on things to help themselves relax.

So when they started to notice Mike acting like this they both looked at eachother.

"Me and Nancy are going to get something to eat, I'm hungry for some french fries, what about you guys" Jonathan had said trying to see if his suspension was right and to see if he and Nancy were on the right wave length.

Nancy looked at the 3 teens that were now all cuddled together looking at dinosaurs because of Mike. She said something about getting chicken nuggets or something.

By now Mike had already perked up, he was looking at the two next to him, and then back at the two older kids. "I want nuggets. Can I have apples too?"

Both J and N smiled and nodded. They asked what the other two wanted, they just asked for the same and then a drink and then went back to messing with the dinosaurs.

And then when Nancy and Jon went out to get food, by the time they got back Mike had started to regress more. Will and El didnt really know what was happening, but they now had maker on them and were laughing and being chased by a Mike who had a marker in each hand and was laughing with them.

Long story short they soon had a sit down with Mike, and soon enough, him, Robin, and Steve were having play dates. Later on they find our Max also regresses....let's just say the rest of the group struggled to keep all the kiddos out of trouble.

Regressed Mike loves messing with his big sister hair, and will not set still long enough for his friends to try and help him when he needs help with things.

(this is long I'm sorry, I just had an idea and ran with it, also if I messed up anything I'm dyslexic...so yeah sorry again)

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 this is the cutest yessss regresser mike is a SWEETIE

[circethesinner]

the puppeteer ✿ protect - chapter 32 ✿

pairing: steve harrington x original female character (can be read as x reader)

warning(s): strong language, descriptions of violence, mature themes 

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Bambi could have happily stayed there with her arms wrapped around Eleven for the rest of her life, protecting her from anything and everything that came their way.

Unfortunately, she had to let go after a minute. El had a job to do in order to save Will, and Bambi couldn’t selfishly keep her from that. There was time for hugging later.

“Just come back safe,” Bambi pleaded, holding back tears. She hated crying, least of all in front of anyone. She’d once locked herself in a supply closet at school because she didn’t want anyone to see her cry. But she’d already lost El once before, and her heart wouldn’t be able to take it a second time. She physically couldn’t stop one or two tears from escaping. “Please come home safe. Okay, baby?”

“I will,” El confirmed, pulling her in for another hug. Mike stood awkwardly to the side, waiting for his turn to talk to El.

“I trust you,” Bambi eventually sighed, pulling away and placing a soft kiss on El’s forehead. “You’ve got this.”

“I’ve got this,” She repeated, smiling at her. Bambi regretfully pulled away completely and walked away to give Mike and El some privacy.

She started to walk over to Steve but found that he was talking to Nancy and thought it best to leave them to talk privately too.

If what Jonathan said was true, and the hickey had solidified that, it was likely that they were having their final ‘let’s break up’ talk. Bambi knew that Steve had settled on breaking up with Nancy, but she still wasn’t sure if he’d actually take it well in the moment. She knew it was difficult to get over someone, particularly if that someone was Nancy Wheeler.

Nancy was undoubtedly the epitome of perfection. She was the girl next door of everyone’s dreams. Perfect grades, perfect looks, perfect personality. She was just… perfect.

It would take a lot to get over Nancy Wheeler, but she would help Steve in any way she could. Her shoulder would be there for him to cry on.

“What are you doing?” Dustin asked, joining Bambi at the sink where she’d stationed herself to keep busy.

“Washing up,” She shrugged, running the soapy sponge over a glass for the fifth time, still not happy with its cleanliness. If there was one thing George and the diner taught her, it was how to wash the dishes and do it well. She barely even broke any cups or bowls anymore.

“Why?” Dustin frowned. “Aren’t there more important things to be doing right now?”

“Mhm, and what important thing are you doing right now?” Her smile dripped with condescendence. “When Will is back to normal, do you think Joyce is going to be able to find time to wash the dishes, or will she be too busy trying to repair her life yet again? I mean, her son is possessed, and her boyfriend was killed by evil creatures from another dimension. Do you think she, Jonathan, and Will need dishes to eat off of, or do you think that this isn’t all that important and I should go sit down with the others and talk about- what was it that Max and Lucas are currently talking about? Right! The weather in California! Should I go and join them, or do you think that washing dishes is the moreimportant task right now?”

“Shit…” Dustin sighed, realising she was right. “Dishes are important.”

“Yes, it is,” She nodded in confirmation, doing her best to hold back her smug smile. “Now pick up that tea towel and help dry.”

“Yes, ma’am,” He mumbled, reluctantly picking up the tea towel from the side and using it to start drying the dishes Bambi had already washed.

They finished doing the dishes quite quickly after that. Steve had joined them and helped put some of the cups away on the higher shelves that both Dustin and Bambi couldn’t reach. There was usually a step-stool that both Bambi and Joyce used, but it had gone missing somewhere in the chaos of the previous few days. Bambi made a joke about Steve at least being useful for something as a way to gauge his mood. Considering he had just assumably broken up with Nancy, he seemed to be as positive as ever - which, for Steve, was admittedly not all that positive. He was usually quite a cynical person.

“Look at that!” Bambi smiled as she finished wiping down the counters. “Us three make a good team!”

“Yeah, whatever,” Dustin sighed, walking off to join the other kids gathered on the sofa. Bambi managed to catch a small smile on his face as he left.

“I think we make a great team,” Steve leant on the counter, watching Bambi as she rearranged the spices so that they were in the order Joyce liked. “Bee, I think you should take a break.”

Bambi would have cleaned the entire house had he not stopped her. However, it didn’t take a genius to see the way she was still incredibly unsteady on her feet.

The Tylenol had kicked in and done its job in reducing her headache down to where it was a manageable pain, but it didn’t help when the rest of her body still felt like jelly. It was a miracle that she hadn’t broken anything while doing the dishes.

“Fine, fine…” She yawned, leaning her back against the counter so she could still face him. She used what little remaining energy she had left to try and jump up to sit on the counter. He quickly closed the gap between them so he could help her up, hands on her waist, so she didn’t slip and fall. They stayed there in awkward silence for about a minute until Bambi finally broke it with a single word. “So…”

Her legs dangled down the side of the cabinets as Steve stood in front of her. His hands moved from where they’d been unconsciously staying on her waist. One rested on the counter beside Bambi, and the other rested on her knee.

“So…” He repeated, drumming his fingers on her knee. They stayed there in silence for another ten seconds. Silences between them were never usually awkward. They were always comfortable. But something in their energy had changed. Perhaps it was Steve’s breakup with Nancy that had left him in a more vulnerable state that caused it? Or maybe it was because they both knew Bambi had seen the memories he’d tried to suppress?

Taking a deep breath, Bambi decided to test if it was the latter.

“So exactly how often do you watch me sleep?” She came out with it quickly before he had the chance to stop her mid-sentence.

“What? I- I don’t-” Steve stuttered, but Bambi pressed a finger to his lips to shush him.

“Stevie, I saw your memories,” She smirked, pulling her finger away. There was no denying what she saw, and what she saw was a good 30 or so brief clips of him watching her sleep. It had been like a movie montage with the images flashing up in quick succession. Since she’d been actively trying to push the memories away, it hadn’t lingered on any of them long enough for her to know why he’d watched her.

“And one of the main things I saw was an alarming number of clips of you watching me sleep, you creep!” She said so in an overly teasing manner so he’d know she wasn’t actually upset with him. “Wanna explain why or should I just assume you’re a creep who likes to watch girls sleep? Wait, that rhymes! Steve the creep who watches girls sleep! Actually, I might spread that around anyway. It’s catchy.”

“Please don’t,” He pleaded, closing his eyes as he debated his next words. “It’s because… you… chirp…”

“I chirp?” She repeated, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Her brain tried to come up with the possible noise he could be referring to. “Like… Like a bird chirping?”

“Well, yes, but no. It’s more like….” He raked his brain, trying to find a suitable comparison. “More like a pigeon than a normal bird.”

“Are you saying pigeons aren’t normal birds?” She joked. “So is it like….” She paused before trying to do her best impression of a pigeon cooing. It sounded weird and almost made her laugh as she did it. “Like that?”

“Kind of?” He nodded with a smile on his face after hearing her trying her best to replicate a pigeon. “It’s like that crossed with snoring.”

“Oh my god! Why the hell would you stay awake to hear that?” She laughed. “I’d get it if you found it funny and wanted to make fun of me for it, but you’ve never even brought it up!”

“It’s not because it’s funny! It’s…” He sighed, throwing his head back as though he was regretting saying his next words before they’d even left his mouth. “It’s cute! Okay? It’s cute!”

“Okay!” She held her hands up at his defensiveness. “Whatever floats your goat, I guess!”

They stayed in silence again for a while. This one was a lot less awkward than the last, but some awkwardness still lingered in the air between them.

“You also… talk in your sleep sometimes,” He admitted quietly, now tracing circles on her knee. It tickled, and she kept on trying to pull away, but he pulled her back each time and carried on. His next words tumbled out of him at a fast pace to the point where Bambi almost struggled to keep up. “You usually make no sense when you talk in your sleep, but sometimes you do make sense, and it’s always when you’re having a nightmare, so I just stroke your cheek through it, and it settles you, and I realised you just sleep so much better when I do, and I didn’t want to tell you in case it upset you, and I’m sorry for that, I just-” He froze and stopped talking when she leaned over and pressed a feather-light kiss to his cheek, wrapping her arms around him in a hug as she did so.

She’d kissed the top of his head before, and sometimes she’d kiss his hand as a joke whenever they put on some music, and she asked for a dance at 2am. They would waltz around the couch and through the kitchen, giggling the entire time. She always took the lead, but Steve never complained.

But she’d never kissed his cheek before. Something about it always felt too intimate, like it wasn’t something two strictly platonic friends should be doing. That’s what they were, after all. Strictly platonic friends. Nothing else.

“Thank you for protecting me,” Bambi whispered. “Even when I’m not awake to see it,” She rested her head on Steve’s shoulder, her face buried in his jacket. She took a deep breath in, hoping he couldn’t tell that it was just to inhale his scent. Steve always smelt amazing. It was comforting to her, like a warm blanket on a cold night.

“I’ll always protect you,” He said it so quietly she almost didn’t hear. But she was grateful she had. They stayed in that embrace for a while, the sounds of the kids arguing in the other room slowly increasing in volume.

“Moving on…” Bambi pulled away from the hug and chewed on her lip to hold back a smile. “So is checking yourself out in the mirror when you’re completely naked a weekly routine or…?”

“You saw that?” He groaned, trying to hide his head in his hands.

“Babe, I saw a lot of that!” She laughed, pulling his hands away so she could see his now bright red face. “I’m seriously asking if it’s a weekly ritual or what? Does it bring you luck? Are you just checking progress? I really need to know so I can judge you accordingly.”

“It’s- No, it’s just- I just-” He stuttered, trying to come up with a valid excuse for it. She relished in how flustered she’d managed to get him.

“Okay, okay,” She laughed, releasing his hands. “We’ll revisit that one later when you’ve had time to prepare an excuse.”

“Is there uh… anything else?” He asked cautiously. “That you saw and wanted to… address?”

“Oh, I saw a lot more that I want to address,” She smiled, her laughter dwindling down. There had been a lot more that she wanted to talk about, but she needed time to process it all as well. That could wait until the world hopefully wasn’t ending. “But, I think we should save that for when we’re not co-parenting four kids who are likely in the other room coming up with a plan to stick themselves in the face of danger.” As if on queue, the sound of arguing picked up even more from the living room to the point where they could make out the words. Steve moved out of the way and helped Bambi hop down off of the counter.

She brushed herself down, getting rid of the creases in the t-shirt from where she’d been slouched over a bit while sitting. “Come on, mom, let’s sort them out.”

“Wait, why am I the mom?” He asked with a frown. “Shouldn’t you be the mom?” “Wow! Enforcing stereotypical gender roles?” She teased. “Come on, babe! I thought I taught you better than that!”

“Fine, then!” He sighed, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. “Let's go, dad.”

“Oh no,” She shook her head, leading the way to where the kids were arguing. “I’m also mom. We’re both moms.”

“Wait, does that mean-?” Steve paused but shook his head after a second. “You know what? Nevermind.” 

━━━━━━━✿━━━━━━━

I've had that kitchen scene written out and ready to go since chapter 19 lmaooooo I have so many random google docs with scenes waiting until I can slip them into seasons 3 & 4 

you all deserve a huge apology - I've been inactive as hell these past couple weeks and I don't even have any writing to show for it!I was very sick for the first week, then last Thursday I joined a Minecraft server... long story short, I've hyperfocused on that Minecraft server and I'm proud to say that I have the 3rd best island on their skyblock realm the owner headhunted me after a week of playing to ask if I wanted to become a helper, and I've got background as a helper on 1 server and a senior moderator on 2 other servers, so I was more than happy to agree to ittruthfully you are only getting this chapter now because the server is down for 5 hours - I'm hoping I can speedrun some writing to catch up again

if y'all ever want to hop online and yell at me to write more then the server is called fruitysmp (yes its because its a very queer server) and I'll be on axo realm (skyblock)

since my special interest has switched back to Minecraft, I can't promise chapters every few days, but I will do my best not to allow this story to go without a new chapter for no longer than 2 weeks

likes and reblogs are very much appreciated and I will give each and every one of you little kisses on the forehead for each comment you write :)

━━━━━━━✿━━━━━━━

taglist (let me know if you want to be added!)

@missyviolet123 @littlet-holmes @buzzybee111 @preciousbabypeter @youmakemyhearthowl @joscelyn02 @wh0re4harrington @r1dd1kulus

[yourpreciousrose]

byler fanfic: I wish you were a girl on ao3 (baelikestowrite)

[pt2]

Its been a year, they are finally back in Hawkins. Mike and El have been having their problems and decided its time for them to have a conversation. Mike is sitting on the edge of his bed as El is standing by the door.

"so...what did you want to talk about?" Mike asks. El looks at him with a blank expression, she hasn't been very expressive since everything that has happened.

"did you want to sit?" Mike says as he pata a spot next to him. El walks over and takes a seat in his desk chair ignoring the gesture.

"there's good too" Mike says. Theres an awkward tension in the air, it bugs Mike but he doesn't show it. He looks around the room waiting for El to break the painful silence.

"why did you lie?" El finally says. Mike looks up at her with his confused puppy eyes. She isn't looking at him though, she is messing with some of his pencils.

"what do you mean?" Mike says. El picks up a pencil and starts drawing on a piece of paper still refusing to look at Mike.

"you said you loved he since you found me. but you didn't. you wanted to get rid of me, I remember." Mike starts to panic internally. He didn't plan to have this conversation, he hopped she would just accept that he said he loves her and move on. He knows why but he's not sure if he's ready to admit that.

"its just a figure of speech people use when they really...like someone" El stops drawing and puts the pencil down. She finally turns to face Mike. Mike is extremely nervous, he isn't really sure where this conversation is going. He also can't tell what she's feeling which doesn't help.

"you still can't even say you love me Mike" El finally says. Mike stares at her blankly. He told her he loves her multiple times. He does love her but maybe just not the way he thought he did. But he has to, he can't like Will. Plus Will will probably think its weird if he ever found out. He would never be mean to him about it but he can imagine how uncomfortable it would make him even if he didn't say it.

"I told you I love you, multiple times. I don't know what more you want me to do to prove it." Mike starts to get defensive. He doesn't mean to but he can't help it, he's not really sure why.

"show me? actually act like you love me? you don't even look at me like you love me..." El pauses. She knows why Mike is acting the way he is. She's seen how he looks at Will a few times and thats all she needed to see to know that he isnt in love with her, but in love with her brother. She won't expose him though, he'll open up when he's ready. But she knows. She knows they both like eachother but neither of them seem ready to admit that yet. Mike is staring at El not saying anything, honestly he doesn't know what to say. He hates that he has to lie to her, she doesn't deserve that.

pt1 here

[carnationcreation]

Safe haven (Will Byers x reader)

Masterlist

Prompt/summary: Reader is new in town and gets trapped in the upside down with Will

Word Count: 1,988

Warnings: Kidnapping (if you can call it that), mentions of PTSD, trauma bonding, etc.

Hawkins, Indiana was definitely a… strange town. I could never really pinpoint what made me think that but somewhere in the back of my mind that is just how I would describe it. Adjusting to a new life in a town that made me vaguely uncomfortable was not how I pictured my middle school years to finish up.

The move came as a surprise. With my dad getting a job at Hawkins lab my mom and I didn’t really have a choice but to move with him. After about a week of unpacking my mom finally got a job at the local newspaper as a secretary.

My science class was definitely interesting. Mr. Clarke was an enthusiastic teacher who really only taught to the four boys sitting up front, the rest just seemed like background characters. Everyone realized that they could get away with raising their hand only once a day and sometimes even less than that. Regardless of if the answer was correct or not Mr. Clarke would take that as participation and wouldn’t really force anyone to talk after that. Being the new kid that was amazing.

When I wasn’t at school I was either one of two places. One being at the office with my mom, or two blowing my allowance money at the arcade. Tonight was arcade night. Mom stayed late to finish up some last minute papers while I spent 2 hours playing Dig Doug and stuffing my face with chilli dogs from the concession stand. I even made the top score tonight. Before I knew it the clock finally hit 8:30 signalling closing time. I grabbed my bike off the rack and began my ride home.

The ride home was dark. My bike lamp was out so I tried to use the flashlight I kept in my bag. Riding one handed was not fun. I could feel clouds forming leaving the moisture smell in the air.

I heard something behind me and soon enough Will Byers pulled up next to me, “Hey!” he shouted, “you ride through Mirkwood?”

“What?” I shouted back.

“This road is called Mirkwood by the locals, where’s your house?”

“Just beyond the ridge, my dad works at the lab” I said, his bike lamp was now illuminating the way so I put my flashlight into my front basket.

“I didn’t even know you lived that close to me,” he smiled.

“Me neither.”

Just then Will’s lamp started flickering. We both jolted on our bikes trying to adjust to the darkness. Right as we started up the hill a tall lanky figure appeared in front of us. We both swerved to the right. We sped down a hill and into a ditch. My bike crashed into a try sending my flying onto my back. For a second I laid there trying to regain the wind that was knocked out of me.

“(Y/n)! Come on we gotta get out of here!” Will said. He pulled me to my feet and we began to run through the woods. Tripping over tree limbs and stumbling over rocks.

“My house is right over here,” he yelled.

We ran inside. Turning the lock and the deadbolt before he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the back. “Johnathan? Mom?”

His dog continued to bark. Will grabbed the phone and tried to dial 911, but a loud static sound was heard even from where I stood. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed the sharpest knife out of the block. A loud bang was heard at the front door and Will dropped the phone.

“There’s a gun out back,” Will said.

We barricaded the shed door as much as we could, Will fumbled with the rifle but soon had one in the chamber and pointing at the door. I gripped the knife so tight my knuckles went white.

A strange gurgling was heard behind us.

As we turned around, there it was.

We were gone before we could react.

________________________________________________

We woke up in the woods.

Not in the same woods we ran through, but I swear it was the same one just… dark. The same feeling I got in the back of my head walking through town. Random particles flew through the air. Spores? Dust?

Will groaned from beside me.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I think so.”

From ahead was the same gurgling we heard last night.

“What do we do?” I asked.

“Run.”

________________________________________________

We ran.

For 2 days we ran. Breaking into gas stations and the grocery store to hide and steal food when we could. Everything tasted bland or stale. We stashed water bottles in our backpacks along with chips and granola bars. Taking turns sleeping and staying on the move.

It was terrifying.

Every single noise felt like it was my last moment alive. Every movement out of the corner of my eyes made me jump. When I could sleep it felt like I hadn’t at all. We never got a good look at that, well, thing, that took us. All we knew is that it was huge and dangerous. The tentacles tried to grab us but we dodged as much as we could.

It was so cold we would sleep in the same sleeping bag we found. Any embarrassment went out the door due to me almost getting frostbite on my toes. We took shifts sleeping when we could. I think Will let me sleep longer than our agreed time but I never said anything. It made me feel selfish.

Sometimes when we thought it was safe we would talk. Anything that came to mind we would discuss, trying to make it feel like we weren’t being hunted by a creature in a strange world we didn’t know. We talked about music, books, science, video games. Anything.

“Do you think they’re looking for us?” I asked. Will shifted so he could look down at me. My head was on his shoulder and his arm was around me. The ground was hard under us but I felt the most comfortable I could be at that moment.

“Well, I think so. My mom always tells us how she loves us more than anything, and Johnathan is the only brother I have. What about you?”

“My dad isn’t around much, my mom tries her best to make my life seem normal but it doesn’t always work out. I know she’s probably tearing up the town trying to find out where I am. Oh gosh I hope she doesn’t think I ran away.”

“Our bikes were left in the woods, I think they would’ve found them by now. How long has it been?” Will said, he stretched his right arm out to place behind his head as a pillow.

“A few days at least,” I said before I yawned loudly.

Will smiled, “Get some rest, I’ll take first watch.”

I pressed my nose towards his shoulder to hide my smile. Just as I began to drift off the words popped into my head. He’s my safe haven.

We were exhausted.

I think that was part of the creature's game. It wanted us to run and wear ourselves out so it could kill us easier. I tried to fight that theory with everything I could. I stocked energy drinks when we could find them, we made coffee one night to drink the next morning, anything we could to give us enough energy to run the next day.

But it wasn't enough.

________________________________________________

It finally got us.

All that running just made us fall into its trap.

Watching Will get picked up by the tentacles and dragged away from me played over in my mind. The last thing I remembered was the thing shoving some sort of gross tube down my throat. And now it just feels like I’m lucid dreaming. I saw my house, not the one in Hawkins but the one I lived in before we moved. My family was inside. I thought I was safe yet I still felt that feeling in the back of my brain. That’s when they attacked me.

The nightmares only got worse from there.

I felt myself slowly slipping away. Like a battery in my brain was slowly being drained. I fought to keep dreaming but I was getting flooded with the exhaustion and the want to give up.

Where was Will? I just wanted to be back in the sleeping bag with him. I wanted to feel his arms around me and his slow breathing in my ear.

I felt something being ripped out of me. My lungs felt like I was underwater. I felt someone pressing on my chest and I woke up coughing. I sputtered, gasped, and cried as I was lifted into someone's arms.

“(Y/n)? This is police chief Hopper. You’re safe now.”

He looked familiar. I racked my brain trying to think of where I saw him but I only had one thought on my mind. Hopper placed an oxygen mask over my face.

“Will?” I gasped out. My chest still hurt.

“He’s right here,” a woman said, she had him cradled in his arms.

I reached out to him. I needed to make sure he was still there. That this wasn’t a nightmare.

He grabbed on to my hand.

“Please don’t let go,” I sobbed.

“I promise,” he said.

And he didn’t.

Not when we were put into the car, not when we got to the hospital, not even when we were being treated. The adults just left us alone. We were put in two beds as close together as possible. At one point a doctor came in to take my vidals and tried to pull me away from him, I don’t know exactly why but I broke down. Another doctor came in and explained something about trauma bonding and PTSD.

My parents came to see me. Dad didn’t look too happy about me holding hands with a boy, but he still didn’t say anything. Apparently he quit his job at the lab.

Weeks passed by in an instant. The nightmares never stopped but they did get better. Will showed me castle Byers and we often went there after I asked him over the radio. His friends accepted the fact that I would hang around since I never wanted to be far from the Byers boy.

At one point Mike pulled me to the side, “Thank you for keeping him alive.”

“We kept each other alive.”

I never got to meet El. Which was a shame because I’d always wanted to meet a real life Jedi. But as time went on she became an afterthought. My mind stayed focussed on school and the next time I’d get to see Will again. I slowly managed to deal with my separation anxiety (as my therapist called it) and began doing my own thing most days, but I was still over at the Byers house as often as possible.

“Do you think they’ll stop?”

“Stop what?” I asked.

“The nightmares,” Will said, “Do you think they’ll stop?”

I sat the comic book I was reading down on my lap and sighed, “Maybe one day, for now I’m just so thankful that we’re alive they don’t bother me as much.”

“Can I say something?”

I looked in confusion, “You can tell me anything Will.”

“I think-” he coughed into his hand, “I think… I’m in love with you.”

I wasn’t surprised but was still left speechless. I scooted closer to him on the bed.

And we kissed.

After that, I knew there was gonna be no one else but him. No one else who will ever know what I went through, no one else who will know how I need to be held after I had a nightmare, no one else that can calm the racing thoughts I’ve had since November 6th, and no one else I would want to face the fear of something as new as relationships.

He was my safe haven.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S3:E3; Chapter Three, The Case Of The Missing Lifeguard - [Pt. 5]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

𝘌𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘋&𝘋. 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦.

⚠️: Castle Byers scene. Meaning lots of angst, self destructive thinking, and misguided self punishing

📝: Started making it... had a break down [fr tho]... ¯\_( ツ)_/¯ bon appetite! 👩‍🍳 [edit: told ya 💀]

🔑: underlined and bold means they're talking in Russian

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

Warm rain spits from the angry blanket of clouds, falling through the sky and drenching Mike and Lucas to the bone despite their rain gear. Mud splashed up onto their ankles and drenching their socks as their bikes skid up the Byers driveway. Without a thought, they throw their bikes into the ground before racing up onto Will's porch.

It had taken far longer than they cared to admit to decide to go and find Will. To make things right.

Mike was realizing far too late just how right Will was. He didn't even recognize himself anymore. El had become such an important piece of his life, but he hadnt realized until now just how much he let his feelings screw up all the wonderful things he had in his life to begin with. He missed how things used to be. With the party. With Y/n.

With Will.

All the anger he feels towards himself is channeled into his fist banging on Will's front door.

"Will!" He cries. "Will, I'm sorry, man, alright? I was being a total asshole. I've been a total asshole. Please, can you just come outside and we'll talk?"

No answer but the thundering clouds rolling over their heads. He pounds on the door again.

"Will!"

Lucas hurries to the window, cupping his palms against the glass and peering inside. He knocks on the window, doing his best to peer around the curtains and furniture obscuring his sight.

"Hey, Will! Come on, man! We're sorry!" He knocks again, growing nervous. "Will!"

||𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

'Sorry, man. Curfew,'

'For the last time, Will! No!'

-'What, so I should be locked up all day, too?'

-'Maybe!'

Huffing, I throw the wrinkling comic book into the old mattress. Nothing was working. Nothing was enough to distract me. I was too angry.

I looked down at the withered cover of the comic book I had just thrown, my chest sinking further. Dustin's X-MEN 134, he gave it to me after that night at the hospital.

Thinking about it now, I can't even remember the last time all seven of us hung out as a party. I don't count Dustin's welcome home. Mike and El couldn't be bothered to pretend to care, and Lucas and Max kept ganging up on Dustin. Dustin was understandably upset and not wanting anything to do with us, leaving just me and Y/n. And now, not even her.

How did everything get so messed up?

What was I doing wrong?

I looked around the walls of Castle Byers, a lump forming in my throat. Everywhere I looked, I was painfully reminded of the truth.

My friends don't want me anymore.

I keep telling myself that's bullshit, but the more I do the more it feels like a lie.

They're moving on without me.

Friends don't just forget you, I reasoned. They don't just abandon you.

Then why were they doing just that?

Maybe they weren't my real friends. Friend's don't do what they did.

Everything hurts. I've been telling myself I'm fine, that I'm overreacting but I don't think I am anymore. I'm just tired. I'm tried of feeling like this. I'm tired of being pushed aside, especially when I need them most.

They didn't use to be like this, I tell myself. But somehow that just hurts more.

I had people that cared about me, who were willing to risk their lives to save me. Twice.

And now they don't give me a second thought.

I was shaking now, but I don't think it's from the rain. The storm had finally reached me, seeping through the walls and dampening my clothes and hair.

Another painful realization hits me; Castle Byers looked just like it had the night I built it with Jonathan.

Even though this night was so much like the night Castle Byers was constructed, it couldn't feel more different. More unfamiliar.

My teary eyes find my first D&D manual, propped up against the wooden walls, soaked and forgotten like me. I'm painfully reminded of the night all this started.

I remember it as clear as if it were yesterday, and yet it feels light-years away.

'Something is coming. Something hungry for blood.'

《•••》

"What is it?" I ask, edging further off my seat.

This time it's Dustin who cuts in, "What if it's the Demogorgon?"

Oh, great, I think, throwing myself back in my seat with an anxious huff. We're not ready to face a Demogorgon!

Beside me, Y/n draws in an equally anxious breath.

"Oh, Jesus, we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon." Dustin rambles on.

"It's not the Demogorgon." Lucas says, assuring us all.

《•••》

My eyes trail to one of my favorite drawings; Will The Wise and Y/C/N. The one I had made when Y/n was first constructing her character. The one that hung in my room for so long, always cheering me up. The one that gave my mom the idea to help me communicate my now memories.

The one that Y/n always threatened to steal for her room as often and as recently as her last visit. The memory of her warm touch lingering on my cheeks burned as bright as the blush raging over me that night so long ago.

'Wait a minute... Did you guys hear that?'

《•••》

The anticipated silence in the basement left by Mike grew louder as he leaned in.

"Boom..." His voice grows louder. "Boom," Louder.

"BOOM!" Mike bellows, slamming his hands against the flat surface, rattling the table and all its contents.

The sudden noise was enough to make me and my friends jump, as was the sudden hand grabbing for my own.

All the more startled, I look down to see Y/n's hand grasping my arm like a lifeline. I feel my skin flush, my cheeks surely reddened as I catch her eye. She looked flustered, smiling a small smile before retracting her hand and returning to the game, unknowingly leaving me in a dizzying blush.

•••

"Will, your action!"

"Fireball!" I cry, throwing the dice to the board with a satisfying rattle.

"FOURTEEN!"

My friends erupt into cheers, all around me as we celebrate together.

"BOOM!"

"Direct hit!" Mike cries, beaming proudly at me across the table. "Will the Wise's fireball hits the Thessalhydra!"

Our excited shouts fill the basement, each and every one of us victorious. My smile can't get any wider when I feel Y/n's hands grip my shoulder and begin shaking me excitedly. We both laugh, feeling on top of the world with our cheering friends by our side.

《•••》

Pained, I look away only to find the proof right in front of my eyes. My three favorite pictures; all of them, my friends and me — happy — staring back up at me.

Our photo from the science fair, encased in the popsicle frame Mike had made bearing all of our characters' names along the side. I brought it here, I brought all my favorite pictures here, to Castle Byers — to my safe place — cause that's where I knew I would need their comfort the most.

But as I look at them now, all I feel is bitterness and pain. I'm reminded of just how much everything has changed.

The science fair was a reminder of the good thing I had before that night. Before everything started.

Y/n and me, at the Snow Ball. My arm wrapped around her, the two of us grinning nervously. It wasn't just the night Y/n and I had first kissed, it was also the first night I felt like the Party had gotten bigger. All of us, Max and El included had been happy. Everyone was laughing and getting along, the happiest we had ever been — the strongest. But now I see it was really the beginning of the end.

It had been coming for so long and I didn't even see it.

And Halloween. Last Halloween, everything had been perfect. For just one. Single. Stupid. Moment.

Shakily, I pick up the photo Jonathan had taken of all of us in our costumes. We were all smiling.

We were all happy.

'Who you gonna call?'

《•••》

I beam as I see my friends pulling up, looking just as excited as I felt.

"Ghostbusters!" I finish, watching as they look me over, happily surprised.

"Hey, Spengler!"

"Egon! Looking sharp!" Y/n grinned, pulling me into a quick hug.

"Janine!" I beam. "Venkman!"

《•••》

As I look at it now, my eyes and throat stinging as Mike's voice echoes louder than ever in my mind.

'I mean, what did you think, really?'

What was I thinking?

'That we were just gonna sit in my basement all day, playing games for the rest of our lives?'

How could I have been so naive?

'it's not my fault you can't move on!'

How could I have been so... so...

"Stupid." I tell myself, my voice splitting in my throat. "So stupid!"

My hands trembling violently with rage and my own sobs, I tear the photo in two.

I was stupid. Stupid to believe I was as big of a priority to them as they were to me.

I rip the drawing off the walls, tearing it to pieces.

Stupid to ever think they'd still cared about me.

I rip and tear and crumple up every meaningful piece of them in an act of defiance.

They won't care. I think bitterly. They won't miss these, they probably won't even notice. Not like I would have.

I grab my bat.

How could I be so fucking stupid?!

Why was I hanging on to all this stuff anyway? Why was I clinging so tightly to something that was already gone?

Because I've been stupid. I'm just some stupid kid that won't grow up.

I storm out of the tent.

I'm just some stupid kid who can't grow up. They made that perfectly clear.

I stand in the pouring rain now, heart thundering in my chest as I stare at the piece of my childhood I couldn't let go of.

So. Stupid.

And I start swinging.

I swing and I swing, with an anger and frustration I've never felt so intensely until now. It's been building my whole life and I didn't realize it. Every swing is simultaneously the best and the worst I've ever felt. Every slur I've heard from my dad, from Troy, is channeled into the bat. Every ounce of frustration and fear I felt since I came back from the Upside Down that nobody understood. Every laugh, every jeer, every single moment I've felt alone is channeled into the destruction of the one place on this earth I ever felt safe.

But it holds up and in the back of my mind, I hear Jonathan again.

'And it took so long cause you were so bad at hammering'

And I start kicking, and I start ripping the walls apart until it's a crumpled heap and I stop.

The sight of Castle Byers in ruins breaks me even harder.

I didn't want it gone, but I did it anyway. That part of me that was angry at myself, told me to keep going. Cause that's what I deserved for believing things could stay the same even though deep down I knew that wasn't true.

I finally stop when I see the castle in ruins.

Exhausted, I collapse to the ground beside the wreckage.

As I sob, stewing in the pain and overwhelming grief I felt I was drowning in, the rain pours heavily over me, soaking me to the bone.

Just as it had the night it had been built.

And now, Castle Byers was gone.

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

When blue meets yellow in the west.

8:41 pm. It was almost time.

The yellow and blue clock hands were illuminated by a flash of lightning, streaking through the mall's skylight. Starcourt had long since closed, and the real activity was just beginning.

Stationed at the loading docks near the back, standing under the worst storm Hawkins had seen in years were two guards. They watched through the downpour as the scheduled truck backed its way under the concrete cover.

And perched on the roof, just out of sight sat Dustin, Steve, and Robin, scouting from under their rain slickers.

"Look for Imperial Panda and Kauffman Shoes," she reminds them.

Steve wipes away at the rain dripping into his eyes, squinting even further to get a clear picture Dustin already has.

A man in a bright yellow raincoat emerges from a hidden side door, a trolley cart full of packages marked with a familiar insignia.

"They're with that whistling guy!" Dustin says suddenly, motioning out from behind the only pair of binoculars.

"What do you think's in there?" Steve wonders, eyeing the Lynx logo on the back of their many yellow jackets.

"Guns? Bombs?"

"Chemical weapons?" Robin tries.

"Whatever it is," Dustin says, now cautiously studying the heavily armed guards. He had to admit to himself, they really weren't trying very hard not to be obvious. "they're armed to the teeth."

"Great," comes Steve's sarcastic voice, once again rubbing at his eyes, silently wishing he had brought a coat with a hood. "That's great."

A soft clink that would have been obnoxiously loud had it not been for the noise of the storm brings their attention to another guard. Having pressed a glowing button on a small control panel, two large metal doors swung open to reveal another room.

"Hey!" Robin says, squinting through the rain as she tries to get a glimpse without the binoculars. "What's in there?"

"It's just more boxes,"

"Let me check it out," Steve says, grabbing for the binoculars.

Huffing, Dustin fought to keep his grip on the binoculars. "No, I'm still looking!"

"Lemme see it!"

"Hang on!"

Steve's grip had loosened with the slick of rain, sending the binoculars knocking into the cement. The issue had already been forgotten when they saw the guards' attention had been stolen. Simultaneously, the three of them dove to the ground in a panic.

The guards began to pace, grip on their firearms tightening as they gaze out into the night. Seeing nothing but empty roofs and angry skies above them, they unknowingly miss the trio huddled against the roof wall.

Just out of sight to the right of Dustin, Steve and Robin sat panting as they try to calm their racing hearts. Way too close a call. And neither of them had realized what they had done until their eyes landed on their entertained hands. Just as quickly as they notice, they break apart, embarrassed.

Down below, the guards were now on high alert. One of them, unable to shake the feeling of being watched, stalked into the rain with his eyes deadset on an open spot on the roof. He was certain he heard the noise come from that direction.

"Stay here!" He orders to the other. "Watch the door!"

Reluctantly, his partner complies and inches back towards the doors.

When he finally reaches the top of the stairwell, he hesitates only a moment before he throws the roof door open, gun cocked.

But he was met only with steady claps of thunder and an empty roof.

Had he been wrong?

Or had he just missed whoever had been here?

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Clothes drenched, their shoes sloshing underneath their feet like sponges, Steve, Robin, and Dustin slip out from the shadows and make their way throughout the back halls behind the scenes of Starcourt.

"Well, I think we sound your Russians," Robin quips.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Black Trans Travel Fund:

For The Gworls:

"The Black Trans Travel Fund is a grassroots, Black Trans led Collective, providing Black Transgender Women with financial and material resources needed to remove barriers to self-determining and accessing safer travel options"

Trans Women Of Color Collective Fund

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"Founded by a Black transgender woman and a Black nonbinary person, For The Gworls raises money to help provide funds for rent and gender affirming surgeries for Black transgender people across the country."

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