#it did not help el save max

[koobyers]

"mike and el's love will save the world in s5" the world literally broke in half after mike's monologue. be fr.

[brionysea]

when max is depressed we know something's wrong because lucas says with his words that he knows something's wrong but when mike is depressed we don't think anything of it because will's right next to him rolling his eyes about how stupid straight people are

[chillinwithbyler]

Something that I truly believe the GA just won't understand is how much Stranger Things can actually teach you.

Like, we have a plethora of diverse characters and no two people are the same.

Will is a sensitive person, more so than ANY other character in the show. He cries, he likes to paint, and he loves EVERYONE even when they've hurt him. He's one of the characters who bears a lot of trauma, but he doesn't let it shape who he is. Will is DIAGNOSED with PTSD. God forbid he lets himself cry. He never gets angry at people because of what happened to him, and he always dismisses it if he's going through something. And his biggest problem is Mike 'We're friends. We're friends!' Wheeler.

Joyce is a baddie. She doesn't need no man on her shoulder to be a good mother. When Will went missing, she fought tooth and nail to bring him home even when EVERYONE, even her eldest son, was calling her crazy. She's a leader and she's a character who has so much willpower and doesn't let anything stand in her way.

At first glance, Jim is a fucking asshole. I didn't like him when the series was just starting out. But that's what makes it so good, because he wasn't an asshole for no reason. He lost his KID. And he was given a second chance with El. He can do it better this time and he's going to be there for her as long as he can help it. In season five, I'll expect them to be a separate team from the others. Which is what she deserves. She doesn't need to be with Mike to be an amazing character.

Nancy, Joyce, Robin, and Max are all GREAT examples of women who can lead without some MAN telling them what to do. El can be the same. What she needs is the chance to be independent and learn about herself. Mike can't give her that. She needs to figure that out for herself.

Billy was an asshole. Through and through. There was no excuse for him to be racist towards Lucas, even if he had a bad childhood. Just look at what Will went through, and he's still a fucking angel, so Billy literally has no excuse.

The amount of feminism that Nancy projects is INSANE. She doesn't listen to anybody and when she has an idea she GOES FOR IT. When something bad happens? SHE GRABS A GUN. When someone says she should do something this specific way, it's BULLSHIT and she does it her own way. When the kids are in danger, she puts herself directly in the path of danger.

Mike is one of the most complex characters in the show. He's a natural born leader and goes out of his way to save people. When he first met El, he didn't save her out of LOVE. He did it because he's a protector. Originally, he was going to send her back to the asylum and only let her stick around because she knew where WILL was. And that's what was important. Will. He was hellbent on finding him. In season five, I can GUARANTEE he won't be leaving Will's side. And the only time they'll be separated will probably be because Will is off his rocker this season and too busy fighting internal demons and disappearing all the time.

Because he's been reminded of what's important. And it's not El. She can protect herself. But we know Will can be vulnerable. He doesn't believe he's loved, and that's a good opportunity for Vecna to go after him. Only when he truly starts believing that he is loved will he find the courage to come into his own.

We have so many characters all with different backgrounds. We have mental health, domestic abuse, sexual assault, eating disorders, bullying, homophobia, anger issues, neglect, internalized homophobia, racism, and literal DEMONS FROM HELL.

But you're telling me the GA can't grasp something as simple as two boys falling in love? How emotionally dense do you have to be to be so ignorant?

If you're going to DNF the show just because of Byler, then I'm sorry but you smell like hotdog water and you've missed the entire point of the show. This is about not fitting in. Instead of the protagonists being some..chiseled jocks who are heroric and attractive, we instead have four weirdo nerds obsessed with a game. Four people who are smart as fuck and have been cast out from society and bullied for being different. Especially Will.

And the whole show centers around him. BECAUSE he's different. Growing up and feeling like you don't belong is one of the most difficult things I've ever had to go through. And as a fan of the show since the EARLY days of season one, I can't even begin to describe the happiness I feel when I see Will Byers.

He was not made for you. Will Byers belongs to the people who grew up as a misfit. He belongs to us who feel like mistakes in our own bodies and struggle keeping up with social norms.

Will Byers belongs to US. Not you.

If you have a problem with him because of Noah then I assume you're either a 12 year old who has spent too much time on a screen and not enough time touching grass or you're a 47 year old bald man who doesn't know what common courtesy is.

If you hate on Will just because he's gay then I'm sorry but Stranger Things is not the show for you. Try Riverdale instead. We do not want you here.

Stranger Things is not afraid to put homophobes and racists in their place. Troy pissed himself and suffered a broken arm. Steve got his face ruined and got a redemption arc. Billy literally fucking died. And they aren't afraid to put queers on a pedestal either. To make THEM the important characters. Instead of being sidelined, it's often the queers and the nerds and the people who don't fit in who are given the important roles.

And that's what Stranger Things is all about.

Like it or not, Will is an important character. He deserves this time in the spotlight. When Byler is canon in season five, don't say we didn't warn you. We've been trying to open your eyes since season two.

Byler is the perfect representation of what a HEALTHY and ROMANTIC relationship looks like. Two people are so alike and are quite literally color coded through the whole series and are just so painfully gay for each other it HURTS.

Mil*ven is the perfect representation of what an UNHEALTHY and TOXIC relationship looks like. It's full of arguments, no heart to hearts, NO mutual respect, gaslighting, lying, and literally just zero chemistry.

Over and out.

[thefreakandthehair]

ornament.

written for @steddieholidaydrabbles | prompts: ornament | wc: 999 | rating: teen & up | tags: eddie pov, eddie munson has a crush on steve harrington, the party, steve's nuggets (+ friends) love him so much, fluff, tree decorating, getting together

Eddie’s sitting on the couch with sweaty palms between Nancy and Steve with Robin to Steve’s right while the kids, including Will and El who’ve moved back to Indiana permanently, sit in a poorly constructed circle near the Christmas tree. 

The tree Steve hates. 

The reason Eddie’s palms are sweating. 

“I just hate this thing,” Steve had sighed as he flicked on the pre-lit white lights. “When I was a kid, I’d beg for the colored lights and when I’d make ornaments in school, mom would give me this polite smile and then I’d never see them on the tree anywhere. It’s always these stupid red and silver bulbs.”

It hadn’t taken much for Eddie to rally their friends and host an ornament painting party, everyone crammed into his trailer under threat of death if they blew the surprise, but now that’s it’s here, Eddie kind of wants to run and hide. 

What if he hates it? What if he thinks it’s stupid? 

Nancy knocks a knee against his and raises her eyebrows with a quiet smirk. Eddie nods, just one quick jerk of his chin, as his heart clatters in his chest and Nancy excuses herself. It’s telling, probably, that Eddie couldn’t keep the box of ornaments at his trailer because Steve spends too much there with him but Eddie’s too busy wiping his palms on the rough denim of his jeans to unpack that at the moment. 

“Where’s she going?” Steve asks. 

“We don’t need permission to go to the bathroom, do we?” Robin teases, uncharacteristically smooth in her distraction. 

Steve’s too busy needling her back to realize the front door opens and shuts, at least until Nancy comes back in with the shoebox she’d helped Eddie wrap.

“Oh my God, yes!” Dustin pipes up, spotting Nancy and whacking Lucas on the back. “Look!” 

“What—” Steve looks around in confusion, mainly down at the box that’s plopped in his lap. “What’s happening?” 

“Tell him, Eddie!” Max grins at Eddie, always a little too smart and observant for her own good. Or Eddie’s, for that matter. 

“Uh,” he stutters. “Well, we wanted to do something I guess, special? For you? It’s really nothing big but—”

“Will you stop underselling it?” Robin laughs. “It took me days to get that paint off my fingers. It was a big thing!” 

“Paint? What are you talking about?” Steve asks again, huffing. “None of your presents are ready yet, so we can put this under the tree or something and then—”

“Nope, you need this before Christmas. That’s the whole point,” Nancy chides, sitting back down next to Eddie. “Right, Eddie?”

“Yeah,” he nods, meeting Steve’s eyes with a blistering vulnerability he’s sure Steve can see, can maybe even feel with his thigh pressed against Eddie’s. “You should open it.” 

“Alright, alright,” Steve agrees, sliding a finger beneath the neatly folded paper, peeling back the tape and tossing the wrapping paper to the ground. “Did you guys get me new shoes?” 

“Just open it!” Robin snorts beside him and elbows him gently in the stomach. 

Eddie holds his breath and hopes he doesn’t pass out as Steve lifts the lid and finds the handmade ornaments carefully placed in the box. 

On top of strands of multi-colored lights sit a dozen ornaments with tiny hooks ready to be hung on branches. Lucas’ sits on top, painted to look like a basketball. Max’s is made to look like the nail bat he’d once used to save her life. Robin’s is an ice cream scoop with an anchor painted dead center. Dustin’s looks like a can of hairspray which Eddie still doesn’t completely understand but Dustin assured him that Steve would get it. Jonathan and Argyle’s pizza ornament, mailed from California. One after another, Steve pulls out ornament after ornament with splotchy paint by the people who love Steve more than they’ll ever begin to express. 

It’s silent and loud all at once as Eddie watches Steve pick each one up and run his fingers along the imperfections, pausing to pinch the bridge of his nose before he speaks. 

“You… you guys make these?” Steve finally asks; soft, hushed. 

“We did!” El offers with a cheery smile. “It was Eddie’s idea.” 

“Holy shit, this is…” Steve whips over to Eddie, and any nerves he has disappear. He can’t possibly hate it, can’t possibly think it’s stupid when he’s smiling ear to ear, his nose wrinkling from the force of it before he chokes out a laugh that sounds almost like a sob. “Thank you.”

Eddie swallows and feels the heat creeping from beneath his jacket collar. He shrugs and bumps their shoulders together, nods at the kids across the room. “They’re all such great little artists, aren’t they?”

He doesn’t speak for long seconds, staring directly at Eddie until Max, menace that she is, speaks up. 

“You guys can kiss after, okay? Can we decorate the tree now?” 

Oh, she’s never getting a ride to school from him again. 

“Okay, everyone come grab an ornament!” Robin claps her hands together and pats Steve on the back, winking at Eddie as she stands up. 

Neither Eddie nor Steve move.

At least, not until the kids have their backs turned with Robin and Nancy trying their hardest to wrangle the kids into wrapping the lights around the tree. Steve leans over, Eddie’s impression of the vest he’d once thrown at Steve— the same vest that tethered Eddie to life as he’d gripped it with bloody fingers while Steve carried him out of the Upside Down— resting in his palm. 

“You’re incredible, you know that?” Steve whispers, the back of his hand landing on Eddie’s thigh. “Seriously. I can’t tell you… this means a lot, man.” 

“They love you, Harrington,” Eddie tries for subtlety but that’s never been his strong suit. “We all do.”

“C’mon,” Steve nods at the tree, his smile reaching his eyes. “The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can prove Max right.” 

[multific]

Soulmate

Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary: Using your powers you save the life of Eddie, however, your powers might have backfired and bound his soul to yours.

Number Seven.

Ven is how Dustin called you when you met them.

You have powers similar to Eleven's.

Your powers included telekinesis, mind reading, and mind control.

You were also being kept in the same facility and growing up with her, you were glad when you escaped.

Trying to help your friends and be there for them every step of the way. You went through a lot, but you were glad you were able to find friends and a father, Hopper. Jim tried his best to take care of you and El.

He was an amazing father.

Years passed but you were never able to escape the Upside Down.

You met Max and many others on the way.

You tried your best to save Billy.

But you failed.

Living with your failure, you couldn't face Max.

And so, you left Hawkins.

But of course, you had to return. You dreamt of a creature.

Vecna.

He called himself but there was something so familiar about him.

Upon your return, you helped the others with Vecna.

Trying to save all of their lives in the process.

They had a great plan, you just needed to help them.

But then, a chill ran down your spine.

"SEVEN! SAVE HIM!" Dustin yelled at you. He was way too far, it must have been his thoughts and desperation reaching you. "EDDIE!" you moved, ran.

You didn't even think you just ran.

You found Eddie surrounded by the bats. Lifting a car from the ground you threw it at the creatures blowing the car up, and making them flee.

You knelt down on the floor.

"I didn't run this time," he said and you could feel the life leaving him. You put your shaking hands on his chest and closed your eyes.

Dustin joined you but you focused on Eddie.

Took you a while, but you saved him.

And you managed to save the life of Eddie Munson.

He opened his eyes and you let the tears fall.

Overcome by emotion you hugged yourself as the two watched with worried eyes.

"She needs help," Dustin said as he came closer to you. "Do you need to be grounded?" he asked and you quickly nodded.

Dustin hugged you and it almost instantly calmed you. His happy memories and thoughts filled your mind.

"Sometimes, when she uses her powers too much, she loses control. By grounding her, one person must help her."

"So you just let her focus on you," Eddie replied as you took a deep breath and thanked Dustin. "You saved me, thank you," Eddie said and you smiled.

However, even if you saved him, something wasn't right.

You felt his emotions more than everyone else's even when he wasn't close to you.

You heard his thoughts even when you weren't focusing on him.

You did something.

You knew you did because of the way he was looking at you.

As if he was a lost puppy left out in the rain.

After everyone returned to Hawkins and both you and El had your moment with Hopper.

You needed some time alone, so you headed to an open field and sat down on a rock.

"What did I do to make him like that? He was dying but I pulled him back... I-I took his pain away." you thought as you looked at your hands.

And then, you felt him. He was standing behind you and he was nervous.

"Uh-The others said I can have the RV. If you want- uh- You can join me." he spoke up and this is when you noticed just how dark it was getting. You knew he wasn't leaving, he was offering you shelter.

"I did something Eddie, something I wasn't meant to." you stood up and looked him in the eyes. Admitting your failure, yet again. "I think somehow I bonded our souls. When I saved you, I saw your memories, I saw how scared you were and I think I did something to help you. I feel your presence and I sense your feelings more than anyone else's. I'm so sorry."

"So, you are saying my feelings for you are... not real?"

"Your feelings are real. I'm just saying I did something that made you feel them."

"But- I liked you even before you saved me." he said and you nearly choked on nothing. "When we stole the RV, or when you helped me hide from Jason. I don't think you made me feel this love. I think we just... love each other?"

How can he say things so casually? His cheeks looked red but his eyes held fire.

"But... Chrissy..."

"I did like her yes. But then you came along and I- I truly don't think your powers caused my feelings for you."

As if a bus hit you, your world was spinning. You even stumbled a little as he rushed to catch you. And this time, you wanted to make sure.

You put your hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes.

It was true.

You saw how he looked at you, what he was thinking even before you stole the RV. When you two were hiding in that damn house.

You let go of his cheek and put your hands up but he was still holding you.

"I really thought I... made you love me somehow."

"You did. It just wasn't the way you thought."

"I don't know what to say."

"Nothing, just let me kiss you, please?" and you did. You let him lean in and kiss you.

But this time, you focused on the now.

You focused on him and his kiss. Not his mind, not his thoughts or memories.

You focused on him.

Soulmates were real, but it wasn't your powers that created them.

He was your soulmate.

Taglist: 

@castellandiangelo @imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl @manduse @jacalineiscomingforyou 

@mandoloriancookie @deliciousfestsalad @lilliumrorum @asgards-princess-of-mischief 

@fallout-girl219 @dracaryxzs @snowtargaryen 

~Masterlist~

ˇAO3ˇ

/YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO TRANSLATE, TO STEAL OR TO REUPLOAD ANY OF MY WORKS TO THIS OR OTHER PLATFORMS/

[lexirosewrites]

For slick sunday

O!Steve & A!Eddie have 3 nuggets in their grand 6 nugget plans, Steve is pregnant with nugget #4 after nuggets 2 & 3 were a set of twins & everyone is excited & nugget 4 is due around December 28th! They've done this twice now so they have their hospital bag ready, Eddie plans to remember his shoes this time after running out the door without them for both trips to the hospital, & Steve plans to eat a burger w fries & a chocolate shake before letting Eddie take him to the hospital bc once he's in there they won't let him eat, they have Grandpa Wayne on standby to take care of their pups while they're focusing on bringing nugget #4 into the world... except Steve doesn't go into labor on the 28th, the baby doesn't even drop but no one is worried because they've learned by now tht due dates are an educated guess most of the time

Except, then it's new year's eve & while Steve thinks the baby might have dropped while he was sleeping the night before he isnt feeling any of the usual pains he's come to associate w labor, still no one is too worried so they go about the end of year holiday as usual. The Munson family attend the new years party that A!Nancy/B!Jonathan/B!Argyle host every year, wherein the entire world saving party + family & spouses are invited, this year is the first time in awhile tht everyone is able to attend

Argyle has prepared a bunch of games to keep the pups busy as the night goes on & eventually Steve & Eddie w help from A!Lucas lay their kids down to nap till midnight, at around 10:30pm Steve is in the kitchen with Max & Suzie, the 3 of them laughing at Eddie & B!El as they beat out the others at a drinking game, the conversation flows & they end up on the topic of nugget #4 being overdue w Suzie joking abt the possibility of Steve's water breaking at midnight, they all laugh but then Steve abruptly stops as he feels exactly what Suzie described. His water broke & dammit that's what his small stomach cramps were all day & double dammit Eddie's been drinking!!!!!

Then it is utter chaos as a full contraction hits Steve & he tells Suzie to get Eddie & instead Max ends up yelling for Eddie bc Suzie has gone pale & tht just summons everyone at the party & then Eddie is panicking bc he's been drinking & so has the majority of the party guests except Steve & Max: Steve for obvious reasons & Max bc elumax r trying for a baby & so Steve says something he never thought he would, "Max you're going to have to drive."

The pandemonium gets louder as A!Robin calls the hospital, steddie realize they obviously dont have their hospital bag & Max has to help steve into the car while Eddie clambers into the backseat, then they're off & Eddie sobers up as best he can just from the adrenaline of the situation, they definitely break a few traffic laws but arrive to the hospital in one piece, only for Max to run in & realize tht Robin called the wrong hospital & the doctor & nurses aren't ready for them but the hospital staff don't let tht slow them down too much

Soon enough Steve is wheeled in & situated in a room & his contractions timed by a nurse while Eddie drinks something another nurse gave him to help him sober up a little more as Steve clutches his hand & then Steve is yelling because he can't hold off on the urge to push any longer & the delivery nurse is sending another nurse out to hunt down any doctor

Meanwhile Max is making a confusing call to the hospital she deduces Robin did call telling the receptionist to please if anyone arrives looking for the Munsons to tell them they're at this specific hospital & not tht one

For the rest of the pack it's a wild goose chase as the others arrive at the hospital Robin called only to b directed to another hospital

Max meets them in the waiting area telling them she doesn't know anything beyond the staff got Steve into a room & Eddie is drinking something gross to sober up

It's a hectic birth as a doctor they don't know but who was on call in the ER downstairs handles the delivery while their actual doctor races from home after the nurses call her, she gets there & scrubs in just in time to scoot the other doctor aside, coach Steve through the last two pushes, & catch the baby who opens his mouth to breathe & cry & generally let everyone know he is displeased w being out of the warm womb, right away

It's as a nurse & the stand in doctor look at the clock tht they all register the sounds of cheering throughout the building

Nugget #4, Jim Hendrix Munson is born at exactly 12:01am on January 1st 1996, he is a healthy baby with strong lungs & a head of dark hair & he is fussy in the bath till a nurse calls Eddie over to help clean the baby up, then he is placed in the waiting arms of his mom & both parents scent the newborn as soon as he's settled, not long after Eddie reluctantly leaves his mate & new baby to go out & inform the pack of the safe delivery

Before he can speak Robin hugs him & shoves their hospital bag into his arms because she'd gone to their home to get it for them & in the same breath apologizes for calling the wrong hospital but no one is actually upset & Eddie tells her tht, Nancy let's him know tht their pups are safe at the house w Argyle who's called Wayne

"Well that's good, & even better is our baby! He's in the world with ten fingers & ten toes & a set of lungs destined for metal, we've named him Jim"

Hopper outright cries at this tidbit of information

Everyone eventually disperses & Eddie goes back to the room to swaddle their baby in the cloth the parents had been scenting for months

Outside the world welcomes the new year & the parents welcome their new baby

& when the sunrises Robin is the first visitor with a greasy bag containing a bacon double cheeseburger, fries, & she carries in her hand a large chocolate cake shake from portillo's

i’m living for this chaos of love🥰

[bitofanupsidedowner]

obviously mike was the most feral about it but i love that lucas and dustin were immediately like, no i don't care what's involved, we ARE getting will back. if it requires going against the government we're still doing this. it doesn't matter how dangerous it is. mike is the one who calls lucas and starts talking about wanting to save will, but it doesn't take a ton of prompting for lucas to agree, and then obviously dustin does too.

like yes in season two there's the clear separation of will from other characters and the emphasis is put on mike as far as closeness to will, but lucas was literally telling off a girl who had the power to throw him with her mind because he was so furious she wasn't helping them save will and was angry with mike when he felt like mike wasn't taking it seriously enough too. like. lucas sinclair would go to bat for his friends in any circumstance, he's so protective. they all love will so much it's so sweet.

lucas getting so enthusiastic talking about how excited will's going to be about the heathkit that he swears in front of mr.clarke in season one. lucas going out of his way to try to apologize to will in season three. dustin calling out for will in s1 and reminding him of the comic he won from him (through cheating) and the fact they even did that cute little race. lucas telling max not to bring up the zombie boy thing around will because he thinks it's hard for him to hear about even though he's still trying to impress max.

will sticking around the longest and being the sweetest talking to dustin in s3 when he's trying to contact suzie. dustin commenting how he wishes will were there in season four. dustin running up to hug will (and el) in season four! lucas hugging will (and mike) in season four! all of them hugging and celebrating after will wins them the dnd campaign at the end of s1!!

and in the dustin experiment?? dustin writing letters to will praising him, will offering him emotional guidance and being generally just super sweet and supportive. will being the only one of the party members who's interested in/supportive of both lucas's new desire to play basketball and dustin's science fair project!! the party all getting so excited when will picks up the phone (none more than mike but like, obviously. they all want to talk to him so badly.)

like you expect it from his family, and hopper has his own baggage, but these are literally just twelve year old boys armed with slingshots and walkie talkies and they're like. no. i will fight anyone that has to be fought if it means will's safe, and that's very sweet. these boys would do anything for each other and it's just very wholesome.

(also proof that stranger things does have a bunch of male friendship, even with the gay male character, so people who cry "cant men be friends" are reaaaachiiinngggg)

[sillylittlerock]

fuck physics revision this is way more important

initial thoughts-

will, and therefore probably the byers family, are staying with the wheelers. hopper and el also could be there but i'm not sure.

holly will DEFINITELY be important this season. "the vanishing of holly wheeler", the leak of her talking to henry on the street, and now this bts photo confirms it for me. my girl is getting put through it this season. and will be crucial for the plot too.

mike's repressed emotions are going to be focused on this season i think!! from the look of it him and holly will (at first) be together a lot this season, so if she goes missing (likely ON HIS WATCH!!) the guilt he feels will be very very intense. perfect set up for his other trauma to come to light and be talked about, like they did with max in s4.

babysitter byler is all i needed in life i love this so much

WILL IS ALSO THERE, so maybe he will also feel some guilt after holly's disappearance?? how he couldn't help someone else and protect them from what he went through?

mike and will will almost certainly be a team / share the same plot this season - they clearly spend a lot of time together and will probably both feel guilt after holly goes missing, so will probably team up to save her.

this feels so full circle. the bikes, a child going missing, rooted in hawkins- it's definitely giving season one. and i'm SO HERE FOR IT

[thethingsweneversaid]

Am I crazy or did I just crack the mystery of the monologue scene????

Why did they lose against Vecna in season 4? What were they missing?

They lost the race against time. Time was obviously significant this season (The grandfather clock, Vecna's obsession with time, the UD being frozen in time). The time was simply up, they were too late. Who’s to blame? Mike Wheeler. 

Okay, let me explain, haha.

Throughout the whole series we all know Mike being late, or almost late to things is recurring. Every season in fact. S1: Mike’s campaign was too long, and he tried to get the party to stay past their curfew. S2: Mike was trying to get in contact with El on his walkie, almost making him late to the arcade. S3: Mike was almost late to the cinema because he was with El, making them almost miss the beginning of the movie. S4: Mike was reading El’s letter, almost making him and Nancy late for school... He begins every season with a race against time. Also worth noting that El was the reason for him being late in s2, s3 and s4. Also ALSO worth noting that in season 1, Mike begs his parents to let the party stay longer. The campaign took two weeks to plan! They need to finish it. He has no rush. While in all the other seasons (when he was late because of El), we get a "Shit! Shit! I'm going to be late"-version of Mike. He's stressed out and rushed. Not sure where I'm going with this last point, but I'm sure it means something and that it'll make sense in s5. The point is, Mike gets distracted by El.

Now for the monologue. This time, it's not Mike getting distracted by El. It's him distracting El.

Jason was obviously a key reason for them being too late as well. The scenes switch between Lucas fighting him and Mike’s monologue, comparing the two. Jason destroys Max’s walkman, destroying her connection to Lucas and the world outside her mind. Mike tries to get El to wake up by lifting her out of the freezer, taking off her glasses, Will shoves the radio away. They’re trying to get her out of Max’s mind and into the real world again. But El doesn't want to wake up. She is ready to fight for Max. The boys obviously tried to help because who knows what would’ve happened if they didn’t? They thought El was dying. When Mike begins his monologue, El looked away from Max and up “towards Mike’s voice”. She was listening to him now. Getting distracted. El continuously tells people throughout the series to be quiet when going into her “trance”. People talking distracts her, and she needs to concentrate. Mike also reminds the audience of the importance of the sensory deprivation tank. "It helps her calm down and focus on her powers". With Mike removing all the aids that help her concentrate (the glasses, the tank, the radio), while also talking to her, we can only assume that now, El isn’t only fighting to save Max, but also to stay in Max’s mind, further slowing her down.

At the end of the monologue, Mike reminds her she has to fight, and El’s eyes snap back to Max. That’s when she breaks loose from the vines. Whether you think El believes what Mike is saying and utilizes his loving words for strength or not, it’s still a distraction. I’ve seen a lot of people say that they felt impatient while watching this scene. Like «get on with it! Vecna is literally killing Max RIGHT NOW». And we're probably right to feel impatient! That's probably what the writers were going for! The audience was supposed to feel like that. El lost valuable time because of it. Mike is making them late this time too.

Will is also kinda to blame in this (I don't blame any of them, it's just an unfortunate set of events and they all did what they thought was best, but you get what I mean) Because in a way, Mike is distracted too. Distracted from the truth. That happened when Will lied to him in the van, disguising his own feelings for Mike, using El as a distraction for Mike to focus on instead. Will's guiding Mike towards a lie. He convinced Mike that El was feeling a certain way, which she WAS NOT. (For example: "You make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all, like she’s better for being different." cue Mike and El’s fight where she accuses him of thinking she’s a monster too, like everyone else.) (This also contrasts Will singling Mike out as the only person that doesn't treat him differently in season 2 in that scene with Will and Jonathan.) Mike doesn’t make El feel the way Will portrayed it in the van, though Mike is led to believe that she does.

Therefore, making the feelings that was the foundation for the monologue a lie. Both to Mike and El. It isn’t authentic. This doesn't apply to them. which brings me to my next point. 

 "A paladin swears to uphold justice and righteousness, to stand with the good things of the world against the encroaching darkness, and to hunt the forces of evil wherever they lurk. Different paladins focus on various aspects of the cause of righteousness (honesty=righteousness and honor for Mike), but all are bound by the oaths (promises, “friends don’t lie”) that grant them power to do their sacred work. Oaths, honor, and rigid rules define a paladin's everyday actions. Breaking these oaths (by lying) means their deity will revoke their powers."

This is why his monologue didn’t work. It was a lie (And Mike knowingly or unknowingly portrayed that lie to El). Without his honesty, Mike the paladin loses his powers. He couldn’t save them. 

Will’s selfless attempt to save their relationship sadly turned out to be counter-productive in every way, hindering all of them from seeing the truth. Will was also the one that told Mike not to stop, when in reality, maybe stopping and letting El be was exactly what he should've done. He's the heart. But he's Will's heart. That's what Will would've wanted Mike to do, seeing as Mike has saved him/snapped him out of his episodes multiple times by speaking to him: Of course Will thinks that's the right thing to do! Mike's doing what Will would've needed, not El.

It adds a new layer to El being upset with Mike in the cabin by the end of s4, because it isn't as simple as "she knows Mike is lying" or "She's just upset because they lost". She's upset because once again Mike doesn't trust that she knows her own limits (This being a huge reason for conflict in s3 between El/Mike/Max.) Mike worries because he cares of course, but it isn't what El needs ("Mike, I need you to trust me.") When Mike tries to help her, she fails. But she "redeems herself" when she's making her own decision, without outside influences other than love for her friends. She pushes her limits further than ever before, bringing Max back to life, trusting herself and her powers, without Mike knowing.

Mike is the heart, yes. The problem was - the heart was in the wrong place. They all got it wrong this time. They got confused and misunderstood each other. That’s why they lost. In the next season, I believe Mike and El are going to realize that they’ve both been focusing on the wrong things, and that is how they’re going to win. Still using love as their weapon - just a different kind of love that’s not distracting them from what they really need, not slowing them down. El coming fully into her own, reaching her full potential and using her powers the way she knows best, with the support of her loved ones making her stronger - not under the influence of Mike trying to stop her out of worry. And Mike’s heart being in the right place. With Will. 

I've seen other people talk about this next part, but I'm adding it in because it further proves the point.

Another indication that proves to me that at least SOME of the monologue is a blatant lie is the Romeo and Juliet parallel, with the word "Montague" spelled out behind Mike, and the "love at first sight"-refrence. "I knew right then and there, in that moment, that I loved you." That. is. a. lie. and there's just no going around it. Romeo and Juliet's romance wasn't actually real love, just infatuation. The Duffers also said they don't believe in love at first sight. For them to use that trope wouldn't just be wierd and cliché, but also contradicts everything we were shown in season 1. Are we just supposed to believe that Mike loved her, decpite them showing us otherwise?

More on the Romeo and Juliet thing in this post.

Conclusion: The Duffers are geniuses I’m never getting over this show.

[jollyformaldehyde]

i keep seeing milkvan shippers argue that mike cant show his love for eleven because of his parents less than romantic relationship, but i cant help but think how strange that is.

love isnt something you learn. mike shows love for all his friends, including el. its not like he grew up in a loveless household where no one cared about each other. its shown many times that mikes mother loves him and nancy very much and actively cares for all her children.

now, im not saying that platonic love and romantic love are the same thing. im just pointing out that mike isnt just someone whos never even heard the word love before.

you could also argue that el was never shown love in her childhood. if thats the case, then how can she love mike? she never had anyone who cared about her when she was in the lab, yet she knew in season 2+ that she loved mike.

nancy was another person used in the argument that the wheeler family cant show love. they use the example of her not being able to tell steve that she loves him to backup what they have to say about mike.

but its clearly shown that nancy loves jonathan!!!! like did they forget about that? even through their struggles she can still say that she loves him in s4. you can’t say the same for mike.

the reason mike can’t tell eleven that he loves her isnt because hes from some broken home. mike and els relationship is the only one that relies on the words “i love you.” most of the other relationships in st are based around actions and not words. ex: joyce saving hopper in russia, lucas sticking by maxs side while shes cursed and doing everything he can to save her, jonathan and nancy saving each other in the hospital

there are many more examples that dont include saving each other, but my point is that mike and els relationship is no longer portrayed in the same way as all the other canon ships are.

thanks for listening, your argument is trash 🤗

[dungeon-master-mike]

mike is the heart but not in just a "he's always right about the supernatural" kind of way, but in a he genuinely has a big heart kind of way

he not only gave el a place to stay but literally invited her into his family, that his sisters and his mother would be hers too... despite the fact he knew government would be after her. sure, realistically, she wouldn't have been adopted into the family. but it's the fact he doesn't even hesitate to offer it. that was his solution, and that says enough.

while the others didn't want her and immediately thought of her to be a weirdo, he saw a girl in need of help. he didn't just keep her there in the basement to fend for herself, he made sure she felt at home. my couch is yours, my food is yours, my toys are your toys, my family will be yours and this home will be yours too.

while yes, mike did refer to her as a tool to find will, you can't deny the blatant canon care he shows her through his actions. mike only lashes out at her when he believes she betrayed him after everything. he doesn't just react for no reason. on top of that, he carries literal regret for how he treated her in s1, why he becomes more controlling and protective in s3. he doesn't want the same mistake that he made to happen again and ultimately lose her.

mike also goes out of his way to protect and defend others, even if it costs his life or risks his safety. the scene where he jumps off the cliff for dustin's literal baby teeth will always be the most defining moment for his character in my opinion. let me emphasize on the bold text: dustin's life itself wasn't even actually at risk. mike was still willing to jump off the cliff just for dustin's teeth. (which makes you wonder if it really was just about his teeth, especially with how he stepped off, not even jumped. just dropped)

mike stands up against troy for his comments about will by pushing him down onto the ground. even when troy charges at him, mike doesn't even move, nor brace himself. mike steps in to save el in s3 during the sauna test while everyone just watches. he throws himself at a possessed billy for hurting max.

his acknowledgment of bob's courage and bravery after his death is also incredibly sweet. he is very sentimental and sees the good in others' flaws or weird parts and uplifts them. mike stands for people and cares. he's more than just the kid with temper issues that easily lashes out. there are so many positives and doors that opened in the story solely because he cared and decided to go the extra mile for someone else.

[ihni]

Family

(For @billybigbang's "Found family" mini-event) (On AO3 here)

~~~

Jim’s cabin had been badly damaged in the Mindflayer’s attack in the summer, and fixing it hadn’t exactly been a priority at the time. With so many people dead and injured following the events at Starcourt mall and everything that led up to it, they were all – quite understandably – busy dealing with the fallout or, in some cases, recovery. Jim himself spent almost two weeks in a temporary hospital half an hour outside Hawkins, and when he got out of there the town needed him to take charge.

So it was a week into September when he finally found the time to start fixing up the cabin again.

He didn’t need it; not really. He and El had spent the first couple of weeks living with Joyce and her boys, on Joyce’s insistence, and after that they’d moved back into Jim’s old trailer. But El missed the cabin, and to be honest, so did Jim. So when things in town finally settled back into something resembling normality, he returned to their old home to get a grip of how extensive the damage was and what he’d need to do to make it livable again.

It was bad. There were several smashed windows and in some places extensive damage to the walls, as well as a partially collapsed roof. Parts of their old living room had been exposed to the elements because of it, and a lot of their old furniture had to be thrown out, and the whole cabin dried out and above all aired out to get rid of the damp smell.

If it had been just Jim, he might not have considered it worth the effort. But for some reason, El had liked living there with him, and she insisted that they could do it if they worked together. And with her, came her friends. And with her friends, came … well. The rest of them, really.

Almost every evening, and every weekend, someone would show up to help. Jim was kind of baffled about it at first, but like Joyce said, “We’ve lived through too much to not help each other out, when we can.”

The biggest surprise was when the Hargrove kid showed up one Saturday alongside his step-sister; pale but determined and demanding to be put to work like the rest of them. Jim was hesitant at first, but not – like some of the other kids may have thought – because he didn’t trust him. No, it was mostly out of concern. Because Jim had been in the hospital for almost two weeks – the same hospital that Hargrove had been held at – and he had seen the kid with holes in his chest, on the brink of death in a hospital bed of his own in the room next to Jim’s. He knew that Hargrove had only just woken up when Jim was released, and he knew how much the kid had struggled to get back on his feet for the past month and a half.

See, Jim hadn’t been there to see it for himself, but El had told him what happened, that night. What she had seen in Hargrove’s mind, but above all what he had done there, at Starcourt. How he had saved Jim’s daughter, and just what it had cost him to do so.

Unbeknownst to everyone but El and Hargrove himself (and possibly Max), Jim had visited the kid at the hospital a couple of times a week, whenever he could make the drive over. He’d talked to his doctors, read his file; even had – on two separate occasions – had to wake him up from nightmares. He knew how the kid had suffered, how he had stuggled. And Jim had tried to be there for him, like the kid’s father apparently wasn’t.

“Where are his parents?” Jim had asked the head doctor, Dr. Poole, on his third visit – not a small amount of frustration in his voice as he’d found the kid sobbing in his bed. “Have they even shown up?” Because he knew that they’d been told where to find their boy, even if they’d only gotten a sanitized version of what had happened to him.

Dr. Poole kept his face carefully neutral as he gave a nod. “Once. The boy’s father has been by once.” There was not a small amount of judgement in the man’s voice, and Jim had clenched his teeth.

“Well. If something happens, you call me, okay?” Using his privileges as Chief was probably not the proper way to do it, but Dr. Poole had nodded grimly nonetheless.

And the man had kept his word. When the kid was released, it had been Jim who had shown up to drive him back home. Neither of them had said more than a handful of words during the drive, but when Jim pulled up in front of the kid’s house on Old Cherry Road, he’d cleared his throat and said, “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.” He leveled him with a look, trying to convey his meaning without saying the words. “I mean it. Anything at all.” Then he sat in his car while the kid hobbled to the front door and disappeared into the house.

Jim couldn’t help but notice that no one had greeted him at the door, despite the fact that he’d been gone for almost a month.

Naturally, the kid hadn’t called. Jim tried not to worry, especially since Max frequently showed up to spend time with his daughter. Surely she would have let him know if something was wrong. But weeks had passed, and he hadn’t seen the kid once.

Until he showed up at the cabin that evening, demanding to be allowed to help despite the way his hands still shook if you knew to look for it. (And Jim knew to look for it.)

Despite this, he put a hammer in the kid’s hands and put him to work pulling out old nails from broken planks, in case they could be used for again. That had the desired effect; no one in the so-called Party questioned his presence, even though no one except Jim, El and Max dare to approach him. The kid didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t seem to care. Every time Jim checked on him, he was wholly focused on his task.

They took a break around lunchtime – eating an assortment of snacks and foodstuffs that the kids’ parents had sent with them, including a pie from Mrs. Henderson – and just like that, Jim had a kitchen full of people, laughing and talking and eating. Despite the still drafty walls and the fact that the hole in the roof was just covered by a tarp, there was a warm feeling in the little cabin, and even though it was lacking a lot of furniture, the space felt full. Jim looked around the room with a smile; a smile that widened when he saw El laughing with Max and Mike and Lucas on the other side of the room.

It took Jim a little while to realize that the Hargrove kid wasn’t in there with them. A look out the window showed that he wasn’t out by the pile of planks either.

Jim slipped out of the cabin unnoticed. The kid’s car was still there – or, rather, Mrs. Hargrove’s car, as the kid’s Camaro had been demolished back in July – so he had to still be around there somewhere.

Turned out, he hadn’t ventured far. Jim found him at the back of the cabin, sitting on the ground with his back to the wall, under the rickety scaffolding that Jim had erected to be able to work on the damaged roof. The kid had folded his legs up and was resting his arms on his knees, leaning his head back against the wood with his eyes closed, and he started guiltily when he heard Jim coming round the corner.

“There you are, kid,” Jim said, and added unnecessarily, “The rest of us are having lunch.” Which Hargrove had to know already, since Jim had called it out less than ten minutes ago, and everyone had disappeared inside. By the way the kid drew his shoulders up and looked away, he was well aware of this. “There’s pie,” Jim tried. “Aren’t you hungry?”

“Not really,” Hargrove said, which had to be a lie because he’d lost a lot of weight since the summer. Jim was about to call him out on it when he continued, “I don’t really … I can’t eat as much, nowadays.” He gestured vaguely towards his torso, and Jim remembered the way he had looked in that hospital bed before he woke up – patched up with god knows how many stitches and hooked up to machines that kept him alive.

“I see,” Jim said, nodding slowly. “Well, you can still sit with us for a bit. Take a breather, you know?” He motioned in the general direction of where the kid had been working up until now. “You’ve done good work, today, you deserve a break.”

But the kid winced, and shook his head. Jim kept standing there, holding his tongue – he’d found that being silent often worked on perps, and it was a tactic he shamelessly employed in his everyday life, as well – and eventually, Hargrove made a face and hunched his shoulders up another inch. “I don’t think they want me in there.”

“Who?”

“Everyone. They don’t– I wasn’t–” The kid took a deep breath and tried again, without looking up from where he was idly picking at the knees of his pants. “I haven’t exactly been nice to them. They think I’m an asshole. And I don’t blame them for it. I’ve– I am.”

Jim sighed deeply and went to crouch in front of the kid, ignoring the way he shied away from him slightly. “Hey, look at me,” he said, and made sure that Hargrove was looking at him before he continued, getting straight to the point, “You saved my daughter’s life.” Immediately, the kid looked away but Jim reached out for him, nudged his knee, until he met Jim’s eyes again. “No, listen. You saved her life, and I don’t think I’ve thanked you for it.” Come to think of it … “I don’t think anyone has thanked you for what you did.” He put his hand on the kid’s knee and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you.”

It was clear that Hargrove didn’t know what to do with this, as his eyes flicked from Jim’s face, to the hand on his knee, to somewhere just around Jim’s left ear. He swallowed hard. “I … It was noth–“

“I swear to god, kid, if you say that it was ‘nothing’ …” Jim let the rest of the sentence trail off, because he didn’t actually want to make any threats, not when he knew what the kid had been through. Luckily, Hargrove seemed to get his meaning, and amended;

“You’re … welcome?”

“Better,” Jim decided. But there was more to be said. He nodded to the cabin. “Everyone in there owe you – if not their lives, then the lives of at least one of their friends. You’ve …” It was Jim’s turn to take a deep breath. He wasn’t good with words, and he wanted to get this right. “You’ve been dealt a shit hand,” The kid let out a derisive snort at that, “and you’ve had to go through things that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. But you made it through. You’re here now, and I, for one, am very glad that you are.” Big, blue eyes shot up to stare at Jim at that. Undeterred, Jim continued, “I’m glad you’re here, ki– Billy.” A pause, then, “And I’d be even happier if you joined us inside for lunch.”

A couple of seconds passed, during which the kid blinked rapidly a couple of times, looking stunned. He cleared his throat once, twice, before starting, “I don’t know if –“

“You saved my daughter,” Jim said. “You fought against that monster, and you got hurt while preventing it from hurting her. That makes you family, in my book.” Ignoring the kid’s sharp inhale at that, he clapped the kid on his knee before making to stand up. “And family have lunch together.” He got to his feet, grimacing slightly at his creaking joints, then held out his hand in offering. “Come on, kid. If you don’t want pie, El insisted on making sprinkle cake last night, and I know she made it mostly for you.”

Hargrove looked stunned. He licked his lip, and looked from Jim’s face to his outstretched hand.

“It has rainbow sprinkles …” Jim said, raising his eyebrows invitingly, as if that was a great selling point.

Hargrove hesitated. He glanced to the side, towards the woods, as if he considered making a run for it – and then back at Jim, who made a point to keep his face open and neutral. After a second’s deliberation, the kid tentatively reached out and took Jim’s hand, allowing him to pull him to his feet.

Jim nodded approvingly and watched as the kid brushed himself off, and then he – slowly, as to not spook him – put his hand around the kid’s shoulders.

“Good job, son. Now come on, let’s go get us some pie.”

“… or cake.”

Jim grinned. “Or cake.”

[queenie-ofthe-void]

The Babysitter Chronicles - Hopper

Steve POV 5+1 (immediately follows s2) || wc: 4.6k || cws: check tags || full fic ao3

Henderson || Mayfield pt 1 / Mayfield pt 2 || Sinclair || Wheeler || Byers || +1 Hopper

Can be read as a standalone

~~~

It’s Friday night at the Harrington house, which means it’s movie night. Even though this week is Dustin’s turn to pick, Steve can hear the kids arguing all the way from the kitchen. He’s in the middle of prepping snacks and drinks, just waiting on the pizza, when the doorbell rings. 

The arguing stops, and he can hear footsteps running towards the front door.

“Hey,” Steve shouts just as Mike and Max round the corner. “What did I tell you guys about answering the goddamn door?”

“But we know who it is,” Mike argues. “It’s the goddamned pizza man.”

“Language!” Max shouts it the same time Steve does, and he looks over to see her smirking with her hands on her hips. She obnoxiously runs a hand through her hair, pinches the bridge of her nose, and looks up at him. Of course he’s stood the same way.

He rolls his eyes, which only spurs her on as she laughs, running around the corner out of sight before he can bitch her out.

These kids will be the end of him.

The doorbell rings again and again and again.

“Jesus Christ,” Steve sighs, “I’m coming!”

Instead of the pizza man, he opens the door to Police Chief Jim Hopper. Fully uniformed, he stands stiff as a statue, arms crossed and mustache twitching in irritation. The cruiser sits running in the driveway and he’s looming on the front stoop staring him down like every other time he’s busted one of King Steve’s parties.

Anxiety floods his veins as he racks his brain for why the chief is here. He’s not throwing a party. The kids are noisy, sure, but not loud enough to bother the neighbors. He hasn’t drank since his fight with Billy.

Shit.

“Hop. I mean, Chief,” Steve stumbles, panic bubbling in his lungs. “Sir, I swear it was just to help with the pain.”

The Chief drops his arms, one hand moving to pinch his nose while he props the other on his hip. God this is worse than he thought. He hears Max cackle behind him, and he turns to find her watching them from behind the corner of the wall. Having absolutely no idea what she’s on about, he waves her away before Hopper gets even more irritated.

“No really,” Steve pleads, turning back to face Hopper and the consequences of his actions. “I just needed something to help me sleep! Munson said it would help with migraines too so I thought–”

“Munson?” He stares at Steve, eyebrows crinkling in confused frustration. “Why are you buying off him? More importantly, how do you even know he sells? You know what, no, nevermind don’t answer that. Didn’t you get meds from the hospital?”

Steve quickly glances away, shifting his weight as he tries to come up with a response.

“Dammit kid,” Hopper yells. “You told me you were going to go to the hospital.”

“Yeah, I know. I know I did but–”

He catches a brief rustling of fabric behind the Chief that he hadn’t noticed before. Leaning around the left side, Hopper steps out of the way to reveal a young girl with large, brown eyes and curly brown hair. She’s bundled up in an oversized flannel coat over what Steve thinks is another too-large flannel shirt. Actually, most of her clothes look a few sizes too big.

Steve’s never really met El before. They didn’t talk after she saved them all from the demodogs, and she was in-and-out of consciousness when Hopper brought her back after closing the gate. Things had been so chaotic, he’d made a point to go unnoticed as everyone trickled back into the Byers’ house, standing off to the side and out of the way.

For a girl who’s saved the world, she’s more shy than he expected. He smiles and bends over to meet her at eye-level. When she smiles back, he waves at her. She copies him again and giggles, hiding her face behind Hopper’s jacket.

The Chief’s heavy, drawn out sigh pulls Steve’s focus again. He scrubs his hands over his face, like he’s trying to wipe this moment from his memory. 

“Look, kid, I need a favor. Can we come in?”

Steve shows them down the hall and into the TV room where the boys greet her with enthusiastic hugs. He flicks his eyes over to Max, now sitting alone on the couch. She’s watching the boys flit around their friend with a slight frown on her face, but as Steve moves to make introductions, Will plops down next to her. He drops an armful of colored pencils and sketch pads on the table in front of them, and a small smile skates across her face.

Hopefully he can count on Lucas to remember not everyone knows El. If not, Steve will make sure to introduce everyone and ease the tension later.

Hopper leans against the kitchen counter, ankles crossed and arms braced behind him. He fixes Steve with a tense glare which has the boy self-consciously wrapping his arms around his torso, shrinking in on himself. Steve’s never had great relationships with adults or any type of authority. Hopper’s gruff and intimidating, doesn’t put up with bullshit, and he’s a cop for christ’s sake. 

They stare at each other uncomfortably for what feels like hours before Hopper sighs, hard and heavy. “I don’t even know where to start with you, kid.”

Steve flinches, can’t help it after a decade of hearing similar statements from his father, usually followed up by a lecture on how he’s not good enough in some way or another. 

Hopper, like Joyce, catches the movement faster than Steve can recover. “Shit, kid, that’s not–” he sighs again, “I’m not good at this kind of thing. Something that she likes to point out all the time.” A fond smile crosses Hopper’s face as he points a thumb behind him towards the living room.

He doesn’t know what to say to that, unsure what he’s even talking about,  so Steve waits for whatever lecture is barreling his way. Even with the Chief’s smile, he can’t relax.

“Why didn’t you go to the hospital, Steve?” Hopper asks, disappointed. “I asked if you’d go, and you said you would. So why didn’t you.”

“I got the stitches,” Steve snaps, hackles rising in defense, “does it matter where they came from?”

“You lied to me.” Hopper’s voice is rising. “I checked with the nurses, and they didn’t have any intake paperwork under your name.” He’s switched back to detective mode, and Steve feels himself being backed into a wall.

“That’s– that’s illegal, or something. Right? Like–” Steve stumbles his words when he catches Hopper roll his eyes– “you can’t look up my medical stuff.”

The Chief scoffs and bites back, clearly annoyed. “I’ve known over half of the ER nurses for longer than you’ve been alive. So if I ask after one of my own kids, I’m gonna get some goddamn answers.”

It feels like a hit to the head all over again, leaving Steve dazed. His mouth hangs open around words he can’t articulate, and he doesn’t know what to say. 

He’s never thought of Hop as anyone other than the Chief of Police and one of the only two adults in this damn town who know about the Upside Down.

So how’s Steve supposed to respond when Hopper calls him one of my kids? It rings in his head, settles hot behind his eyes. The Chief must notice, because he raises a hand and makes a move toward Steve that sets his heart into a panic. He fumbles for a response before something crazy happens, like getting a hug from an actual, male adult, or god-forbid crying in front of said adult.

“I drove out to Munson’s to buy some pre-rolls. He said if I paid extra his uncle could stitch me up because he was in the army and knows how to do that kind of stuff.” Steve’s rushing to fill the silence, the words tumbling over one another. “I already tried doing it myself–”

“Jesus christ, kid,” Hopper interrupts, muttering under his breath.

“– and I knew it would scar anyways but I couldn’t go to a hospital because they’d call my parents so I paid him a hundred and then Mr. Munson wouldn’t let me leave so they let me stay overnight on the couch.” Steve’s winded by the time he’s done, and sucks in a large breath to keep himself together. Judging by the red splotches on Hopper’s face, he might be feeling the same.

It had been one hell of a night, at least from the bits and pieces Steve actually remembers. The trailer was small and cozy, the space heater lulling him into a post-adrenaline haze. Even though the stitches were painful, Mr. Munson’s hands had been deft, his smile gentle, but his eyes guarded and wary. 

Steve can’t blame him. Most people know the Harrington’s, and it’s not past Steve for him to realize why Mr. Munson would be hesitant to invite him into their home, especially when he was beaten to a pulp. 

But he refused to let Steve go home to an empty house, said it was too dangerous to sleep alone. Munson let out a shriek weirdly reminiscent of Dustin when Wayne refused payment, although Steve still managed to sneak him a twenty for the weed and a few painkillers.

“Wayne’s a good man,” Hopper says. “Guess I’ll owe him one next time I catch his damned nephew out at the quarry again.” He chuckles fondly, eyes fixed on a memory Steve can’t see. But after a moment, Hopper’s back to grilling him. “Joyce mentioned something you said, your folks being gone a lot.”

Even though it’d only been less than a week since he knocked on the Byers’ front door, he’s still surprised she remembers his slip up. It didn’t register as important in the grand scheme of things. At least not in the face of Ms. Byers coming to terms with Will spending time with him.

“They’re home often enough.” Steve's familiar line rolls easy off his tongue. Still, he can’t stop from crossing his arms over his chest as he moves his gaze to the side, pretending his grocery list on the fridge is the most interesting thing in the room. He licks over the small scab leftover on his lip, the only remaining physical evidence of his life’s biggest failure.

“Really?” Hopper says. It’s not a question, so Steve doesn’t answer. “Then tell me where they are, right now. Or the last time you talked to them in person.”

Steve snaps his mouth closed, about to tell the Chief he’d actually talked to his mother on the phone yesterday. She’d called to inform him they’d moved money into his checking account for groceries and cleaning supplies, the house is surely a mess. He’s not actually sure where they are, or if they’re even in the country.

“They’re in Chicago,” Steve lies. Hopper’s already shaking his head.

“No, kid, they’re not.” A rock falls in the pit of Steve’s stomach, dread creeping up the back of his neck as Hopper pushes on. “I got your dad’s secretary's number from the Mayor. They’ve been in New York for three weeks, and they’re headed to Toronto tomorrow for another week and a half.”

“You called them?” Steve practically shouts. He shoots a glance towards the kitchen door. The muted sound of the kids’ arguing filters in from the living room, and it seems they haven’t noticed his outburst. 

Heat’s building behind his eyes, a wet sheen blurring his vision. The scab on his lip is starting to peel again, and he can’t stop the nervous tapping of his foot on the spotless tile floor.

But Hopper’s already clocked Steve’s cresting panic before he can shove the fear back in the box. The Chief holds up his hands, and Steve wonders if he looks like a spooked animal. 

“I didn’t mention you, or what happened. All I said was I needed some legal advice, and wanted to know when they’d be back in town.” Hopper’s tone is quiet, his words measured and slow. His eyes are wide, nervous.

Steve hesitates before looking up at him. “So?” He knows his voice is small, like a sad, pathetic child’s voice. Because even though he knows it doesn’t matter, he’s compelled to ask like he always used to. He wonders if there’ll always be some part of him who waits for a knock on the front door.

He hopes not.

When Hopper only responds with a shake of his head, mouth pinched into a firm line, Steve freezes, body tense. He tilts his head back fruitlessly as the tears drip down his cheeks. Steve presses the palms of his hands into his eyes hard enough to see stars, but it’s still no use. 

It doesn’t help. His lip starts to wobble even as he chews it bloody. There’s a rock lodged in the back of his throat, and his body heaves with a shameful sob that breaks the dam open.

He falls into a crouch on the ground, balanced on the balls of his feet. Hidden from the doorway behind the kitchen counter, he drops his head in his hands. If he can’t will himself to stop, Steve can at least hide himself away, hope Hopper’s uncomfortable enough he just leaves and they can both pretend this never happened.

But instead Steve feels warm, heavy arms sling around his back. He’s being pulled forward and slightly sideways, when his face hits the rough polyester scratch of the Chief’s uniform as he tucks Steve into his side. 

Hopper should be yelling at him to man up, to get it together, to live up to the Harrington name. He should feel embarrassed, ashamed. 

Instead, it’s a paternal warmth Steve’s never experienced. Hopper shushes Steve like a child, tells him over and over that he’s ok, everything’s going to be ok. Except Steve knows that that isn’t true, not always.

“The kids almost died, and it was my fault.” His voice is wet and his words are soaked together through the clog in his throat.

“Steve,” Hopper cuts in, but Steve plows over him like he hadn’t said anything.

“What if Max hadn’t stopped him, and he’d killed Lucas?” Steve’s shaking, gasping for breath. “I should’ve fought him off, thrown him off me when he pinned me to the ground.” He can faintly hear Hopper telling him to breathe, but he sounds so far away and Steve’s lungs are collapsing and his heart is pounding, pounding, pounding. 

He’s vomiting words he’s tried so hard to keep locked away, spilling them all over the kitchen floor for everyone to see how sick and fucked up Steve Harrington really is when no one’s looking. “Billy smiled when I hit him, screamed like it was fun when he smashed that plate on my head. He just kept hitting me and hitting me and hitting me. And– and it hurt. Everything hurt.”

“Steve,” Hop whispers into the top of his head. It’s scary, how soft it feels.

“Hop, I– ” Steve chokes, forcing the confession out of his chest with all the strength he’s got left– “I think I almost died.”

The gruff man doesn’t say anything. His large hand moves to cradle the back of Steve’s head as he continues to fall apart in his overly large arms. Hop’s stomach is squishy like a pillow, but Steve can still hear the guy’s strong, steady heartbeat from where his head is laid on his chest.

Steve hones in on the sound, matches his breathing to the pulse until he’s calmed. Exhausted, he moves to pull away, and Hop finally lets him. When they stand up, Steve notices Hop’s eyes are wet, although his cheeks are dry.

Hopper opens and closes his mouth a few times before dragging his hands down his face. He sniffles, loud and gross like a man who’s not used to being around people. It’s a little disgusting, and Steve can’t help but scoff at the sound. Hopper peaks out at him over the edges of his fingers where they drag down his eyes. 

The doorbell chimes throughout the house, and the shuffling of scattered feet break out from the living room. Before Steve can turn away, the kitchen door swings open.

It’s El, slowly exploring the kitchen with curious eyes before settling on the men across the kitchen. She tilts her head to the side, examining Steve like she’s carefully cataloguing his blotchy cheeks, the snot still clinging to the tip of his nose, his mussed up hair and labored breaths. 

She moves towards him, preparing to say something, when Mike shouts from the foyer, “nevermind, El, we found the money on the table” yet she doesn’t make a move to rejoin them. She’s still staring at Steve, still moving closer. 

Hopper’s watching her carefully but doesn’t say anything, so Steve doesn’t do anything. He’s trapped in her big, brown eyes, and maybe that’s one of her super powers, putting people in a trance by being too adorable.

“You’re sad, Steve,” she asks, a lilt in her slightly monotone voice.

He clears his throat. “Yes. Yeah, I am.” Steve drags his sleeve across his face so hard that it reddens.

El’s smile is gentle, but without a trace of pity or teasing, like he’d get from the other kids. Well, except maybe Will.

She reaches out to grab his hand and says, like she’s repeating a mantra that’s told to her over and over, “everyone gets sad sometimes, and that’s ok” and Steve does his best not to cry again. He squeezes her tiny hand in his, and she squeezes back.

“El, honey,” Hopper says, sniffling again like he’s sucking a noodle up through his nose. El scrunches her nose and visibly shutters at the noise. When she catches Steve’s matchin expression, they break out into a fit of giggles. Hopper only rolls his eyes at them. “Can you keep the kids busy so they don’t come in here?”

She nods.

“Without telling them why,” Steve pleads.

Her eyebrows pinch together, lips puckered into a frown. “But friends don’t lie.”

“Sometimes it’s to keep someone safe,” Hopper answers her unspoken question.

El tilts her head again, this time to the other side as she considers his argument. Steve’s compelled to defend himself, he doesn’t need to be kept safe from the kids. But he also doesn’t want to listen to their incessant teasing, so he keeps his objections to himself.

She looks over her shoulder towards the noise, shouting now about where to find paper plates and napkins. Mike’s bitching can be heard above the rest, and Steve catches El rolling her eyes. “Sometimes they are mouth-breathers too.”

Steve’s not sure what that means, but Hopper barks out a laugh and she giggles like she said a swear word. But she squeezes his hand again and leaves. 

It’s official, the girls are his favorites.

“Alright kid, listen up, because I’ve got a deal for you.” Hopper looks completely unphased, like the last ten minutes never happened. Steve can still feel the heat splotched on his neck and cheeks, the burn in the back of his throat. He doesn’t think he’ll forget this for a long time.

“I thought you needed a favor?”

“Yeah, well, now it’s an ultimatum. And you’re going to take it.”

Steve scoffs, amused at the surety of Hopper’s tone and the glint in his eye. The man must be waiting for him to respond, but Steve just raises his eyebrow. Hopper lets out an unflattering snort, but takes the hint to continue.

He appreciates the change in tone, thinks maybe Hopper did it on purpose. Like he was just as anxious and awkward as Steve felt. But now, back on familiar ground, Steve’s lighter than he’s felt in months.

“You’re going to babysit El.” Hopper says it like it’s a fact, like Steve’s already agreed to it. Like it’s not a big deal to have someone like El out in the general public when none of them are even entirely sure she’s safe in Hawkins.

Steve knew the moment he left the Munson’s trailer, fresh as a bruised peach with swollen stitches in his forehead, that he was going to put himself in charge of the kids. Planned on going to Dustin’s the very next day to talk with Claudia about it.

He’d strategized and planned each parent down to the details– other than Mike, which was a bit of a disaster. Some of them took more convincing than others, but in the end they’d all given him a chance to prove himself capable. It’s everything Steve’s hoped for.

But he’d never even considered El. Not because he doesn’t know her, even though it’s true. Steve didn’t really know Will either, yet that didn’t stop Steve from including the kid in his plans.

No he just never thought to ask after El because he thought it was, like, illegal. She’s more than just an awkward pre-teen girl. She’s a superhero, she’s on the run, she doesn’t go to school, barely sees the Party. Steve just assumed El was off limits.

She doesn’t need protection… does she?

A hard hand clasped on his shoulder breaks Steve’s daze.

“If the last year has taught me anything, Steve, is that she deserves to live her life around people that care about her. El needs her friends– even goddamned Wheeler.” Hopper huffs, rolls his eyes and, yeah, Steve can empathize. Mike is exhausting. “But she’s just a kid, and I need to leave her with someone I can trust. Some place where I know she’s safe and will be protected at all costs.”

Steve feels vibrations begin to rack through his body again. He can’t bear to cry a second time, can’t handle having to explain to Hop that he’s going to have to find someone else to fit all of those criteria. Because clearly the man wasn’t listening when Steve explained how he almost died failing to save the kids. But before he can argue, Hopper cuts him off.

“I know what you’re thinking, Steve. You protected those kids the best you could, better than anyone else in your situation would’ve been able. You put yourself between them and death more than once that night. That’s not something everyone’s got in them, kid. That’s something special– and it’s exactly what El needs. What I need.”

“I mean, of course. I’d love– thank you.” Hop shakes his head, again cutting Steve off mid-blabber.

“The ultimatum, kid, remember?” He waits until Steve nods before he explains himself. “The deal is, if you’re watching her for me, then you’re going to let me watch out for you too.”

That brings Steve to a halt. His brow pinches together as he puzzles out what exactly Hop means by watching out for him too. He just said he trusts Steve enough to watch El, but now it sounds almost as if he’s backtracking.

“Jesus I can hear the gears in your head cranking away, Harrington.” Hopper drops his other hand on Steve’s shoulder. He’s being held in place by two massive mitts on his shoulders and he can’t figure out if the weight is a comfort or a prison.

“I don’t get it,” Steve says, shaking his head.

The Chief exhales rough through his nose, and hangs his head. Anxiety sparks through Steve again until Hop shakes him lightly.

“If El’s going to be hanging around here, that means sometimes I’m going to be hanging around here, and you’re going to let me,” Hopper says with a small smirk on his face. “You’re going to let me bring groceries over and cook dinner while you do your homework. You’re going to come by the cabin every once in a while to watch the basketball game. You’re also going to tell me when your parents call or when they’re in town”

Steve knows there’s more to Hopper’s torturously long list of conditions, but he doesn’t want to hear it. The Chief’s grip is a firm hold as he tries to break loose. “Look, Chief, I don’t need someone–”

“And!” Hopper shouts, a manic grin spreads across his face. It’s such a stark contrast to the man’s normal scowl it stops Steve in his tracks. Hopper’s expression is wild, like he’s enjoying Steve’s feeble attempts at defending himself. “Holidays are a requirement, Harrington. Hot cocoa, old Christmas movies, decorating the tree. New Year’s Eve. Birthdays. All of it.”

Steve’s at a loss for words. He knows what this is, can spot a shakedown when he sees one. Except this doesn’t feel hostile, not like when his dad always threatened to take the car away if Steve didn’t medal in swimming or score during a game. This is uncomfortable, but– nice? 

A lot like how this entire conversation has been.

“Umm,” Steve tries, “I can’t leave–”

“Don’t argue with me, Steve.”

“Can I bring Max?” Steve asks as Hopper stares at him. “To the holidays, and stuff. I’ll do it if I can bring Max too.”

Hopper’s manic grin fades into a more genuine smile as he stands upright. He pulls Steve into another hug before releasing him to ruffle his hair. Steve squawks, immediately mortified at how Dustin-esque it sounds. 

“Of course you can bring Max.”

They make their way back to the living room and sure enough, the pizza is already almost gone. Scraps of crust and dirty napkins litter the floor. The coffee table is a mess of colored pencils, crayons, sketch pads, and pencils. 

He’s worried it’s still awkward between the kids, and hopes El’s ok with Hopper leaving her here for a few hours. She still doesn’t know Steve, doesn’t know Will or Max either. But when he notices the Party, his anxieties melt from his shoulders. He can’t help the smile that crinkles his eyes at the sight of them

Will’s sitting facing the group, drawing a giant purple dragon with a small castle off in the distance. Steve notices each kid has a sketchpad. Some are rather good, close to matching Will’s– Lucas and Max– while others could use some work– Dusin, El, and Mike.

But they’re laughing as Max draws a comically large skateboard under her green dragon. El’s sat between her and Mike, eyes wide and intense as Max promises to show off her skateboard the next time she sees her. 

He hears the soft click of the front door behind him, and the rumbling of Hopper’s truck as it pulls out of the driveway. Dustin catches sight of him, practically scrambles to his feet as he drags Steve into the living room, yanking him down in the open spot next to him and thrusts a sketchpad in Steve’s hands.

Lucas hands him a plate with two pieces of pepperoni he saved just for Steve, and Dustin helps him catch up before Will shows them how to draw a knight. El finds Steve a yellow colored pencil when he can’t find one. Max crawls to sit next to him and smacks Mike on the back of the head when he says Steve’s castle looks haunted, little wisps of chimney smoke mistaken for ghosts.

It’s nothing. 

It’s just a seventeen year old boy, sitting in the middle of a gaggle of kids, coloring and eating pizza and making each other laugh. Settled and relaxed in a way he never expected after the horrors from the past year. And he knows, without a doubt, he’d do it all over again if it meant he’d end up right here.  It’d be nothing to most people but it’s everything to Steve, because for the first time in his life, he’s well and truly happy.

[thewisewill80sbyers]

Can you name 3 things that you think are gonna happen in season 5?

I deduced some stuff from the BTS/leaks and others are just my speculation but I can say multiple things that I think are gonna happen:

*this is completely out of order, just what came to mind*

- Mike and El break up but they talk about it and stay friends in a good relationship

- Byler happens and Will makes a love monologue for Mike, Mike gets really hurt and almost dies but he doesn't - they kiss at least 2 times, one super emotional and one sweet

- Max's letters are either part of a voiceover at the beginning or the end of the show or are read by some of the characters, probably El and Lucas

- At some point the Party is going to be all connected inside Vecna's mind and Vecna is going to trap them in some sort of nightmare about their deepest fears and make them all experience something that they WILL survive and overcome during the nightmare and get free one by one and with the help of each others also, like finding each other inside a mental maze

- El's the one that connects all of them in this vision to fight Vecna but he takes over and it's a mind battle

-There's gonna be some kind of Maze situation either in the tunnel or mentally or both

- Lover's lake is important at the end, the Church is where someone dies and it's also part of the visions for Will specifically

- Will's internalized homophobia gets focused on

-Robin and Vickie kiss and get together

- Dustin finds the way to kill the Upside Down creatures and kills the bats in particular

-Will is going to trick Vecna and be the one to bring him down mentally

- Mike brings down Vecna physically like, gives him the final hit that kills him

- Jonathan or Nancy die protecting someone

- Max is going to help bring Vecna down from inside his mind and help save the people trapped there and is somehow going to evade him because she realized she wanted to live when she died so now she's strong mentally against him

- Holly gets trapped in a dream house and is sort of like a doll for Vecna to play with, he pretends she's Alice

-The military and the town too are going to help at the end of the season and fight with the Hawkins team against Vecna and the monsters

- At the beginning of the season they make a plan to evade the military

- Linda Hamilton is an antagonist but then changes her mind and helps them and dies at some point

- Sullivan dies, lots of soldiers get massacred etc etc

- This from the leaks mostly, but random kids start leaving their homes on their own because they're in a trance from Vecna and going to the Upside Down on their own, others get taken by the military for some experiments

- Derek helps the Hawkins group to infiltrate inside the military base

- Joyce gets hurt at some point but it's not extreme

- The Party gets bullied at school and Dustin gets beat up in the cemetery by Chance and the others (this is mostly from deducing it with BTS and then leaks confirmed)

- Karen gets hurt, Ted has badass scenes fighting the Demogorgons like Steve did in S1

- Hopper and Joyce have a sex scene in the first episode

- Background info about Henry's life is revealed and also about Owen's life too, Patty is brought up in some way

- Mike and Will are a team for most of the season and then at the end of the season they are all together again in a group and The Party is one of the groups

- We don't see the funeral of the person that dies but they time skip and we see them grieve but in a less heavy way like with them looking at a picture of who died or something like this

- LOTS of psychological torture in the climax moment of the show at the end, every single character will have to face their feelings and their fears and secrets and if they want to win they have to tell the truth and accept themselves

- The Party saves Mike's life with a speech, everybody says something good about him in turn and Will is the last one

- oh yeah and there's a time loop at the end when Vecna dies

Adding stuff:

Lucas cuts Vecna's head lol

Will and Max interact!!!!

Mmmh and I could continue but it's too long so no

Anyway this is my speculation, maybe I'll be wrong or maybe not but that's what makes sense to me 🤗

[cheshirebitch]

Sleepless Nights

Eddie Munson x Reader

*Another one. This one was inspired by the song Daddy Issues by The Neighborhood.

*******************************************************************

Sleepless nights were common for me. Minutes, hours, and sometimes even days before I finally crash to sleep. It has always been a secret of mine. Ever since Dustin brought home that stupid "pet", I haven't slept good since.

It's crazy how everyone else just simply pretends it never happened and like it couldn't come back again. Just because El raised her power hands and "closed" the portal doesn't stop someone else from opening it. I mean she never disclosed how many of them there were at that place she was raised at. Why is it I am the only one ever thinking about it?

Every night, every minute of every hour, I am stuck thinking "what if...", "what if...", and "what if...".

If I'm being so honest, I'm glad Dustin or his friends don't have the same problem as me. They are just kids, it's bad enough they had to go through what they did. I mean Max lost her brother Billy, not that I appreciated him threatening my friends, brother, and brother's friends. He was still a person and his death was traumatic for all parties involved. I have never seen Hopper or Joyce so strict on us checking with them.

Maybe they have the same sleepless nights that I do...

I pity them if so, but at least they have each other.

I watched over Dustin sleeping. All his friends and mine came over for a movie night, sponsored by Steve Harrington himself. My hands gently brush Dustin's hair before pulling his blanket up over him more. Sighing and gazing at everyone else sleeping.

Max was curled on the couch with Lucas, Mike and Dustin side by side on the floor, Steve and Robin on the other end of the couch with a small gap of where I was, and then Nancy on the chair. I didn't invite Eddie due to him having his other friends over at his trailer tonight.

I couldn't help but stare at all them sleeping so soundly, biting the skin around my nails before finally folding into my thoughts. Marching through the living room to the kitchen phone, I called the man himself.

ring........ring.........ring............ring

Why the fuck did it seem like the rings were taking longer?

"Hello...?" A gruff and groggy voice answered. For a moment, I thought it was Eddie's uncle, then I remembered Eddie always answered the phone.

"Eddie?" I wanted to make sure before I started on my shit.

"Sweetheart? Why are you calling me so late? What time is it? Are you okay?" Eddie started to get quicker and sounded to be waking up more after realizing it was late for even me to call.

"I'm sorry, I know you were probably sleeping..." Why did I call him? Was it really so bad of a night that I couldn't just wait till morning? Pretend I was the last to sleep and the first to wake up like always?

"Hey." He sounded so grounding, so calming. I stopped all thoughts, and once Eddie was sure I wasn't going to continue spiraling, he continued.

"You can always call me at any time. I need you to tell me if you are okay, though." Sleep swirled in his voice, hypnotizing my heart to beat faster and harder for him, not for the anxiety anymore.

"I just can't sleep." I can't tell him why, I can never tell him why for so many reasons. I don't want him to be in this life or death whirlpool everyone else is already sinking in. I couldn't bare the thought of dragging him in just to possibly save myself from drowning alone.

"Nightmares? Racing thoughts? What's going on in that head of yours?" He hummed out soothingly. I loved how he knew exactly how to talk to me. I hated the reasoning why was because he has also been there before.

"A bit of both I guess." Why was it that I called him again? Now what? Just sit in silence on the phone? I don't think anyone in their right mind would do that all night wide awake.

"What can I do?" Before I could even think about it, I answered with, "Can you come over and stay the night? I know you have your friends over and-"

"Of course I can. I am on my way in 5 minutes." Huh?

"What about-"

"They can stay here by themselves or go home. Either way, they will be just fine, Sweetheart."

"Thank you, see you soon Eds."

"Anytime Stranger." He hung up and I stood there, holding the phone against my lips as the other hand wrapped around myself. I tapped the phone a couple times before I glanced at the clock that glaringly read 3:47 AM. Sighing, I realized I owed him for this.

After a few minutes of pacing at the door, I heard the familiar sound of Eddie's van humming in the distance. I opened the door and shuffled outside, wrapping my zip up hoodie tighter. Eddie pulled next to Steve's car and killed the engine, hurriedly getting out of the van before stopping in his tracks seeing me. I wave stiffly, feeling guilt for waking him up and making him drive here despite never wanting to drag him into problems that aren't his to fix.

Despite all of that, he took a few long strides and held my face in his hands.

"You don't look okay. When was the last time you slept? Don't lie to me either." He pointed a finger at me after his lecture, waiting for my answer. As he waited, I noticed his other hand let go of my face and was pulling his leather jacket off and around me.

"I don't know, maybe a day or two? It's hard to tell some days." I shrugged, feeling caught in the secret of never sleeping all because I struggle to ever lie to Eddie.

"That won't do, let's get inside and get you warmed up." Wrapping his hand around my shoulder, I noticed he didn't have his rings on and his hair was frizzy. He really did wake up and leave the house, maybe just stuck on a different shirt or something. Everything else screamed he just woke up. Guilt gnawed inside me.

He opened the door and shut it behind me. I snuck around the sleeping bodies towards the other couch not facing the TV. I sat down and sighed as Eddie grabbed one free blanket.

"I am going to stay awake until I know you are asleep." He stated simply.

"You? The king of falling asleep anywhere? You fell asleep upside down on your bed before when I left you alone for maybe two minutes." I raised an eyebrow as he stared back incredulously.

"Okay, and?" He sassed back, stance mirroring Steves iconic mom look. I stifled a laugh, which seemed to ruffle him more.

"Listen here smart ass, I will prove you wrong." I almost laughed out loud before remembering the sleeping bodies just a few feet from us.

"Okay, okay, just sit down and be quiet. Other people are trying to sleep too yah know?" I tossed a pillow at him, smacking him square in his face. His small oof made me smile.

"You little-" He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me with a look in his eyes that made heat spread across my body.

"Move over more." Was all he muttered back, flopping onto the couch and stretching his arm across the back, patting his leg closest to me. I stared at him, realizing he wanted me to lay my head down. Against my better judgment, I complied. His fingers instantly raveling into my hair, gently brushing through.

"Thank you, Eddie." I hummed out as I closed my eyes in pure bliss. He was my comfort I was missing. I never noticed how I only ever seem to willingly sleep when he is with me. I just always thought those were my crash and burn days.

"Of course, Sweetheart." His voice was so soft, so welcoming, and so comforting. I took a few deep breaths, relaxation slowly flooding me.

"Everything is going to be okay. I'm here now."

********************************************************************

As always, the characters belong to their creators and the story belongs to me. Thank you for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed! Thank you for all the love and support <3! I hope you all have a great day! Deuces!

*Another one I gotta fix the layout of haha*

[morganski-19]

Chills Right to the Marrow Part 32

ao3 link| part 1 . . . part 29, part 30, part 31

Eddie ended up needing more than just a week before he was cleared to come home. He needed at least two, and even then, it was all up to the hospital’s physical therapist to determine if he gained enough strength to go home. Where he wasn’t going to get more hurt by living at home.

But he was still coming home. And soon. Which means that Dustin has to get convincing. Steve was supposed to plant the initial seed. Let it ruminate, so by the time Dustin got there, he could hammer the final nail in. But when Dustin pulled out his list of reasons, ready for the spiel, he can barely get a word out before Wayne’s speaking.

“Oh, I already heard all about it,” is what he said. “I can admit that it’s a good plan. Thanks for thinking of it.”

That was easy. Too easy. Did Steve really convince him all by himself?

Either way, the plan was in motion. A few days later, Wayne moves in with Steve. Taking one of the bedrooms upstairs, a few doors down the hall from Steve. Right next to the guest bathroom that would be just his. He was almost never there, but it was better than the motel.

Dustin could tell that he was sleeping a little better. It could be knowing that Eddie was coming home soon, and that he could slow down the house hunting process a little bit. Give more time to find a place that they will both love and spread out the expenses of finding new furniture. Steve already offering storage space in another one of his spare bedrooms and anywhere they need.

It's not like anyone else uses the house.

Time continues to pass, and each day Eddie gets stronger. On the two-month anniversary of the day he woke up from the coma, he takes his first step without any assistance. Human assistance, at least. He is still using mobility aids. But he still did it.

Some days are better than others. The pain has subsided to some extent, but there are days where Dustin visits and Eddie barely moves. Something about pins and needles traveling up his arms and legs when he does. And there are days where he’s really shaky, and nothing can help it.

But he can still come home this week. So, they needed to actually get their asses in gear.

Steve helped Wayne sneak back into his house in the middle of the night to try and salvage some of Eddie’s clothes. Or really, anything that was in Eddie’s room. They were able to save some of Wayne’s stuff too, so he could walk around in something other than the same two outfits and his work uniforms.

The room on the first floor apparently had never even been used. So, Steve had to take the plastic off of the mattress and get some sheets for it. the room was otherwise bare, except for the patterned wallpaper and basic furniture. It wasn’t Eddie though, so it needed some work.

Dustin employed pretty much everyone he could.

“Dustin,” Gareth yelled down the hall. “I have those posters that you wanted, they’re in my garage. Swing by anytime to pick them up.”

It was more posters than Dustin was expecting. Black Sabbath, Dio, Metallica, mixed in with old posters they made for Corroded Coffin, and one old one from Hellfire. There’re a few movie posters mixed in as well from titles Dustin doesn’t even recognize. But it’s good.

Steve finds an old cassette player in his basement. Looks like it had never even been opened. It’s a really nice one too. They were able to find some of Eddie’s cassettes, but most of them where ruined.

It was still something.

“Don’t you think this is, like, a lot,” Mike questions. The posters and picture Dustin had printed out almost entirely covering the walls.

“No,” Dustin says. Going back to unpacking some of the things that they saved from the trailer.

“His room wasn’t even this covered in the trailer,” Lucas adds for some reason. “You don’t think this might be a little overkill.”

Dustin glares at them. “But he didn’t have this gross wallpaper in his trailer.”

“It is not that bad,” El comments from the bed. Her and Max just sitting there, not helping.

“Someone describe it to me, I want to know. Wait,” Max points at Dustin. Somehow knowing exactly where he is and that he was going to describe it poorly. “Someone other than him.”

“It’s literally just a bunch of small red diamonds,” Lucas explains. “Think Steve’s room but slanted and red. But not plaid.”

Max nods. “Yeah, that isn’t that bad. It could be worse. Have you seen the pink flower room.” She gags.

“It still is not that bad,” El defends.

Will and Mike share a look, continuing to unpack a box of books. Steve brings in what should be the last box of things. Considering they were only able to save so much. He looks around at the walls, taking in everything.

“Dustin, I know you want this place to feel like home, but could you leave a little bit of wall uncovered. We don’t want to overwhelm him.”

“He’s not a toddler, Steve,” Dustin groans. “I don’t think he’s going to get overwhelmed.”

Robin comes in to tell Steve something. But gets stopped in her tracks as she looks around the room. “Oh. My. God. That is a lot of posters.”

“Thank you,” Lucas says. Arms crossed while he stands in the corner. “I think we have more than enough on the walls.”

“There’s more?” she questions. “Where were you going to put them?”

“Fine,” Dustin whines. “I won’t put any more posters up.”

Robin leans into Steve. “By the way, your mom’s on the phone.”

Steve lets out a long sigh. “Thank you.”

He walks out of the room, Robin close behind him. The rest of them putting the finishing touches. Lucas and Mike convincing Dustin to take down some of the posters and make the walls look less cluttered. Like Eddie would care about cluttered. Have they seen what his old room looked like.

But he might be able to admit that floor to ceiling posters were a little overkill. He just wanted this place to feel even a little reminiscent of the trailer. Of what Eddie had back home. Is that really so bad?

The next day, they all patiently wait in the living room. Eddie was getting discharged this morning. Meaning that Wayne is bringing him here, right now. Eddie will be in real clothes, out of the hospital. Finally getting back to normal.

Or, as normal as he could possibly be. But still more normal than in a hospital.

Because now, he can eat real food. And get real sleep. That isn’t constantly disturbed by nurses checking on him in the middle of the night. In a bed that is really comfortable. In a house that is constantly quiet.

He might finally start to fully get back to the Eddie that Dustin knew before all of this.

A car pulls up into the drive. Doors slam, and voices can be heard by the door. Steve goes to get the door before the bell rings. They were supposed to wait in the living room, but Dustin can’t help it. He follows.

“Holy shit, Harrington, how tall is this ceiling?”

“I have no clue.”

Eddie’s crutches make soft thumps with every step. Steve shuts the door and lets them know where they can put their shoes. It’s a bustle of voices while Dustin waits for them to turn around and see that he’s there.

That he’s been waiting for this. For so long.

“You know you didn’t have to build that ramp for me,” Eddie says to Steve. Still not turning around.

“I didn’t. I built it for Max. You just get to use it for free.”

Eddie smiles a teasing smile. It’s been a while since Dustin’s seen that. “Aw, taking pity on me, are you, Steve.”

“Just shut up.”

Wayne clears his throat, stopping whatever the two of them were doing. He nods his head toward Dustin still waiting in the hall. Eddie turns his head, finally, and sees him.

Something in the shape of relief fills his face. “Hey, Henderson.”

“You’re here.” Dustin can’t help the wetness in his voice. Or his eyes. He wasn’t expecting to cry, it just happened.

Eddie makes his way over to Dustin. Slightly wincing in pain, but not complaining. He balances his crutches just right so he can pull Dustin into a hug. A proper hug. Dustin’s not sure how long it’s been since he’s hugged Eddie. Too afraid to do in in the hospital.

But he’s not in the hospital anymore.

“Yeah,” Eddie says with more waiver in his voice than he would probably admit. “I’m here.”

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