#jane hopper kisses girls

[plussizefantasia]

CozyTober Day 5: Hot Chocolate or Tea

Jim Hopper x wife!reader

wc: 0.7k

warnings: literally just tooth-rotting fluff

a/n: Hopper has a special place in my heart and making him happy is the least I can do. Reblog if you enjoyed please, and I'll see you tomorrow for Day 6!

It’s no secret that Jim Hopper is not exactly a happy man. Sure he has his moments, usually when he is around his girls, but the majority of people you ask would say that the Chief of Police generally has the demeanor of a storm cloud. 

That ‘storm cloud’ is currently leaning against the sink in your shared kitchen, wearing a soft worn  New York Jets tee shirt, a pair of Levi's, and grey wool socks. He’s also sporting a comically large whipped cream mustache and pretending not to notice because it makes his daughters laugh. 

Jane’s giggles are hidden behind her own mug full to the top with hot chocolate, whipped cream, and coated with the leftover holiday sprinkles you found in the pantry from last year’s cookie-baking marathon. 

Your youngest, Emmie, though. Her laughter takes over her whole body. It comes straight from her tummy and spills out of her mouth as she throws her head back.

“Daddy!” She yells, “It’s right there!” She tries to point at his face but her shoulders are shaking far too much for her aim to be anywhere close to accurate,

“I don’t know what you’re talking about bug.” Jim takes another sip of his cocoa, making sure to really shove his face deep into the pillow of white floating on the top. 

She bursts out in new peels of laughter and he catches your gaze and winks.

Jane tries and fails to keep in a snort of her own and decides to join in on the fun. She takes a drink and comes up for air with her own, multicolored lip ornament. 

“Janie you have one too!” Emmie yells and her gaze quickly flashes between her father and her older sister. “Mommy look!” She turns to you.

“I don’t know lovebug, I don’t see anything different.” You tilt your head and look back at your little girl. 

“Mommy!” She shrieks and looks at you in disbelief. You have to use every ounce of willpower in your body to not burst out laughing at the look on her face. 

“Emmie, why don’t you show us what you mean?” Jim asks her, a faux look of innocence painting his features.

She looks down at her own Winnie the Pooh mug and steels herself, shoving her face into the whipped cream. She comes up for air a second later, with a whipped cream goatee instead of just a mustache and looks at the three of you before she starts to laugh again.

You quickly run to get the camera sitting on the entryway table next to the kitchen and hustle back. You make it just in time to snap a photo of your family, all sporting some pretty impressive cream facial hair. 

“Alright you three, maybe we drink our cocoa instead of shoving our faces into it.” You relent, grabbing a rag and wetting it in the sink next to Jim. You cross the small space to wipe off Emmie’s face before turning to Jane.

The teenager grumbles but lets you clean her off, and you quickly kiss the crown of her head as a thank you. 

Jim grabs you by your waist and hauls your back into his chest, quickly spinning you so that the two of you are chest to chest. He still has some whipped cream in his actual mustache and you use your thumb to wipe it away. Licking your thumb clean quickly after. 

Jim pulls you closer and into a soft kiss that lingers for a moment or two longer than it really should with children present.

“Mommy ew!” Emmie yells from her seat at the table. 

“Yeah guys, ew.” Jane agrees nodding in agreement at her little sister’s sentiment. 

You turn out of Jim holds and pick up your own mug from where it rested on the counter. You playfully stick your tongue out at the girls. Before taking the first sip of your drink.

Your cocoa is more warm than hot at this point but it’s still delicious. And if you make sure to tilt the mug just right so you come out with a cream ‘stache of your own that’s your own business.

“Mommy!” Emmie yells and her little giggling fit starts all over again. 

[munsonsprincess11111]

Just 5 minutes.

Eddie munson x hopper!reader

Summary: you and Eddie have a date night snd go back to your place. But hopper comes home with a date. So you and Eddie decide to go to thr trailer. Wayne also has a girl there.

You fall over the arm of the sofa as Eddie kisses you walking you backwards. Reaching a hand out Eddie takes it as he crawls up the couch till he's at your lips kissing you again. Your legs open om instinct as Eddie makes himself comfortable between your legs. Hands wherever he could reach, lips on yours and grinding eagerly into you.

He stops grinding his hips slidding a hand up your shirt finding tour bra covered boob and groping it over your bra. His lips move to your neck kissing, sucking and biting wherever his lips could reach. Your hands find there way to his mane of curls securing him on your neck as your legs wrap around the boys slender waist.

The click of the front door is heard by you. "Shit!" You exclaim. Eddie stopping and looming at you thinking he did something wrong. Then he hears talking and shoes dropping by thr front door. "Fuck!" HE whisper shouts throwing himself off of you hitting thr floor with a thump. "Ow!" HE says as his back hits the floor.

You look over the edge of the couch eyes wide as you look at Eddie. He shoots you a weak pained smile. "Why's munson on thr floor?" Hopper askes standing at the enterance to the living room making you jump.

"HE fell." You say eyed still glued on Eddie. Eddie sits up with a pained groan smiling at you. You both look over to hopper and see him stood with a lady... "who's she?" Eddie askes speaking without thinking earning a elbow to the shoulder followed by your hand rubbing it in an apologetic manner

"OH this is jenny. Jenny this is my daughter y/n and her friend-" "boyfriend." Eddie chimes in finally standing up then resting his chin on your head as you both look at hopper.

"Right boyfriend Eddie. My other daughter Jane is at her friend maxes." HE explains rolling his eyes calling Eddie your boyfriend.

"Lovely to meet you." She says with a kind smile.

"Lovely to meet you too I thought you was out tonight?" You ask hopper finally.

"Yes well I said we could come back here." HE says dropping jenny hand crossing his arms. Eddie groans standing up straight and picking up his jacket from the floor putting a hand out to you. "And your going?" You ask him.

"Common Wayne should be at work we can go to the trailer." HE says waving his hand to you.

"Dad can I stay at Eddie tonight?" You ask looking between him and jenny then at Eddie.

"Yeah that's a good idea." HE answers nodding his head. He then takes jenny to his room. Eddie grabs your hand and takes you to the van.

The drive to the trailer is filthy. Eddie telling you the dirty stuff he's gonna do to you when he gets you there. He parks the van like a lunatic jumping out and running sound to your side to open the door like then gentle man he is practically dragging you up the steps taking no notice of the already unlocked door.

He spins you and pins you to the wall kissing you passionately and sloppily. He taps your hip for you to lift your legs so you do wrapping yourself around him. But before he can carry you to his bedroom-

"Eddie that you boy?" Wayne. Eddie jumps nearly dropping you to which you squeel bit he quickly holds you tight again. You slid your legs off his waist as he locks eyes with his uncle.

"Why are you here?" HE askes his uncle frowning. Then a lady eddies never seen before stands next to Wayne smiling at Eddie.

"OH um I went on a bit of a date and invited her back here as you said you was out. This is Janet." Wayne explains. Janet gives Eddie a small smile. Eddie's eyes go to you still frowning then dropping his head to your shoulder with a huff.

You and Eddie both step into the kitchen bit that is attached to the living room to properly say hello.

"Janet this Is Eddie and his girlfriend y/n." HE says with a smile.

"Your uncles said great things about you Eddie nice to meet you both." She ways with a wave and a smile.

"Nice to meet you too." You smile back looking at Eddie who looks pissed.

"What's wrong boy?" Wayne askes breaking the ice. You look up at him so does Janet.

"5 minutes I wanted just 5 minutes n everywhere we go there's adults on dates. So we gotta leave what a guy gotta do to gwt 5 fucking minutes. Wayne you had work. N before u say go to y/ns we can't cause hoppers there doing exactly what u two were gonna do. 5 minutes where can I get five minutes please someone tell me." Eddie says really annoyed. He looks like steam should be coming out of his ears.

"Well you could always get your own place being 18 and all..." Wayne says crossing his arms. Eddie looks at his uncle like he just told him he's disowning him. "Thanks Wayne. Common babe." HE says walking off.

"Where are we going?" You ask skeptically before moving. "Were going to thr van n then to lovers lake." Eddie says jolting your hand. You nod and follow him.

He opens the passenger door and you jump in Eddie walking around to the drivers side before driving off. The drive is quiet. "I love you." You mumble reaching across for Eddie's hand that's in his hair. He glances over at you taking your hand and letting a sigh relaxing into thr drivers seat.

"I love you too." HE says bringing your hand to his lips kissing It. You arrive at lovers lake and kiss Eddie before you both climb into the back onto the bed. You lay down opening your arms for Eddie. He lays in your arms and the stress runs off of him. "Can't believe he said that to me." Eddie mumbles.

"It'll be fine he don't mean it babe." You say kissing his head. You both just lay silently for a bit as you run your fingers through his hair. Then you feel Eddie move so his crotch is over your knee and his legs are either side of yours. He kisses you before he lazily starts grinding into your leg. You don't notice at first. Until you do.

"Seriously Ed." You breath a laugh. "What I've been horny since we finished dinner. Need you baby." HE says rolling over so he's between your legs like he was earlier this evening. "Unless ofcourse you don't wanna." HE mumbles kissing your neck.

"Mmm no I wanna." You moan hands to his hair legs around his waist. His hands slide from your waist to the end of your dress hiking it up and pulling your panties down. Your own go to his belt unbuckling it, unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans as he shimmes them dien his waist with his boxers.

He lines himself up with you kissing you as he pushes in. As he bottoms you out he gives you a moment to adjust. You nod and he starts pulling himself in and out of you slowly. "More" You beg legs going back around his slender waist. His pace picks up and he kisses you softly. Propping himself on one arm sliding the other down to find your clit.

Your head goes back hand hands tug his hair tighter. He kisses you deeper nipping your bottom lip. You feel it happening before you van say anything. You cum throwing your head back moaning Eddie's name. He fucks you through it cumming as you squeeze him one last time.

He collapses on top of you panting kissing you sweetly. He pulls put after a while cleaning you up with his bandana throwing it to thr floor. You remove your dress and bra pulling your panties back up. Eddie removes his shirt handing it to you to sleep in. He's more then happy to sleep in nothing but boxers.

Eddie climbs to the front of the van turning the heater on. He will worry about the gas in thr morning he thinks. Turning bavk to the bed seeing his shirt still on thr bed nd you tucked under the covers opening them for him. Crawling up the bed he collapses next to you pulling you flush to his chest. On hand on your waist as his other gets wedged under his pillow. Your arms wrap around him holding him close.

"This is nice. Why didn't we just do this in the first place?" HE askes with a laugh.

"Mmm not sure but we will from now on." You mumble kissing him.

"Yeah... I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

"Why do you do this every night."

"Cause u gotta know I love you wayyyy more."

"OK mister 'I love you more' hug me n go to sleep."

"That I can do."

With that you both fall to sleep naked other then your underwear in the bed in Eddie's van holding eachother as close as possible.

[ijustwanttoreadfanfiction]

Working Lunch

Jim Hopper x AFAB! Reader

Plot? What Plot? It's straight up Hopper porn. It's not alluded to in this story but Reader is younger than Hopper like late 20's to his mid 40's as I'll probably string this, the Dirty Dancing story and others to come into a linked series of oneshots.

Warnings: Smut with a capital S, explicit language, explicit sexual content, oral sex (F receiving), p in v sex, creampie, rough sex, rough Hopper, size kink - we live for Dad bod! Hopper, semi-public sex? Light choking? Do better warnings shithead.

It’s a slow day at the diner, mostly due to the beautiful day outside, sun blazing in through the windows, making the vinyl booths almost too hot to the touch. You let out a huff, it’s bad enough that you’re missing the sunshine, but you’re also missing Hopper. The two of you have been super busy with work, helping Jane study, trying to fix up the cabin, most evenings you’re both so tired you crawl into bed with only a small kiss or two before succumbing to exhaustion. You thrive on affection, something that Jim was usually only too eager to give, so you’re feeling significantly touch-starved and needy.

You wonder what Jim is doing right now, it’s almost lunchtime, you knew from Flo that’s he’s barely been stopping to eat and when he does it’s usually from the station’s giant tray of donuts. A devious little idea starts to form in your mind, you could take Jim some lunch and maybe, just maybe get some attention whilst you’re there.

“Hey Donna, would you be ok for half an hour if I take some lunch over for Hop?” You ask your colleague, who is currently overfilling the sugar dispensers in a daze.

“Oh, sure sweetie take the time you need, it’s not exactly Grand Central.” She smiles, gesturing to the empty tables as you quickly make up a BLT, shoving it into a paper bag.

“Call me at the station, if it picks up.” You say, pressing a grateful kiss to her cheek.

The midday sun hits you in a stifling wave, heat gathering about your ankles from the burning sidewalk, you’re glad to be wearing your light pink work dress as you skip across the street towards the station.

It’s barely cooler in the building, despite the numerous fans humming and grating on every available surface, Flo has her nose pressed into a gossip magazine when you clear your throat.

“Hey there hunny, you here to see the Chief?” She smiles indulgently at you.

“Just thought I’d bring him some proper lunch for once.” You say shaking the bag.

“You’re too good to him, you know that?” Flo reminds you affectionately.

“I know.” You laugh, heading down the corridor, waving at Powell in greeting from where he’s stood by the xerox machine. 

  The door to Jim’s office is shut, no doubt to keep Callahan from bothering him incessantly, you knock smartly on the wood, buzzing with excitement to see the man on the other side.

“Yeah?” Jim grunts and you roll your eyes at his manners opening the door, he’s pouring over some paperwork, head in his hands not having bothered to look up, the air stale with cigarette smoke and coffee.

“Special delivery for Jim Hopper.” You chime, shutting the door with your butt.

His head shoots up straight away, the deep frown of concentration on his face morphing into a beaming grin that makes your heart swell and sputter. 

“Well this is a surprise.” Jim says happily, pushing his chair out, moving quickly around the desk. His large hands envelop your waist pulling you close, you wouldn’t be surprised if the heat from his palms burn a hole through your dress.

“It’s lunchtime, can’t have the big, strong, Chief of Police going hungry.” You smile, holding the paper bag aloft.

“You’re too good to me.” He murmurs, giving you a quick peck on the lips.

“You know it’s funny, Flo said exactly the same thing.” You tease, chasing his lips for a kiss of your own.

“She did huh?” Jim asks, eyebrow cocked, hands drifting down past your waist to cup your ass. “Well I can’t have my best girl going around thinking she’s underappreciated can I?” He teases, bringing you flush to his body, kissing you hard.

Your head is spinning as his tongue licks into your mouth, threading your fingers through his hair, moaning softly as he manhandles you, lifting you to sit on the edge of this desk. Jim hitches your dress up, hands disappearing under the fabric to rub along your thighs, his lips quirk up in a cocky smile when he coaxes another soft moan from your throat.

“So eager baby girl.” He croons, sinking to his knees in front of you, finger hooking at the waistband of your panties dragging them down slowly revealing your wet core. “Jesus baby, I’ve barely touched you and you’re already dripping for me.” Jim groans, placing heated kisses to your inner thighs, up and up, until his nose nudges at your sensitive clit, tongue swiping through your creamy slick before pushing in.

“Jim!” You gasp, head thrown back, fingers tugging at his short hair.

He growls against your cunt, hands grabbing at your ass, dragging you forward so his tongue fucks you deeper. You bite your lip to keep from crying out, aware that the majority of the Hawkins’ Police force is just on the other side of the door, but it’s hard to concentrate when Jim is lapping at your pussy in such a sinful way. Two thick fingers replace his tongue, stretching and scissoring, making you ready for his cock, the tip of his tongue now firmly focused on your sensitive clit, circling insistently.

Your body seizes, shivers wracking up through your spine as your orgasm pulses from your belly down to your curled toes and back again.

Jim is on his feet, frantically unbuckling his belt, unleashing his thick, girthy cock from the straining confines of his uniform, the tip ruddy and leaking heavily with pre-cum. You can only reach for him, with hooded eyes, head tucked into his neck as he leans over you.

“Fuck.” Jim grunts, lining himself up with your weeping slit, pussy stretching with a delicious burn as he works his way in. You already feel impossibly full, whimpering with each thrust, the edge of the desk digging into your back, your nails biting into Jim’s shoulders.

“You feel so fucking good baby.” He groans, hauling you up to his chest, capturing your lips in a messy kiss.

“Hop, fuck, want you to bend me over your desk.” You whine, licking the sweat from his exposed throat.

“Oh fuck, you’ll be the death of me.” He says in awed disbelief, pulling out, flipping you over and slamming back in, in one fluid motion, flicking your dress up over your ass so he can see his cock piston in and out. His large hand strikes the back of your thigh, leaving a welting red mark that makes you squeak, the sting only sending you closer and closer to your climax again. Papers, pens and clutter falling to the floor with the force of Hopper’s movements, fucking into you without hesitation, drunk on the tight, wet heat of your pulsing cunt.

“Jim, baby, I’m so close.” You whimper, tucking a hand between your legs to rub at your clit, feeling his heavy balls slap against you.

“Oh Jesus.” He huffs, his grip on your hips sure to leave bruises, there’s a knock at the door but Jim doesn’t stop if anything he drills into you harder than ever. “Go away - I’m busy!” He yells, breathing heavily.

“Yeah - Chief I have a question abou-”

“Callahan - if you don’t step away from my fucking door right now - I will fire your sorry ass!” Jim shouts and you have to stifle a giggle, which cuts off abruptly into a strangled moan as Jim presses against throat, hauling your back to his chest. “Something funny baby girl?” He growls in your ear, biting down on the sensitive lobe.

“Jim -” You whine brokenly, he bats your hand away from your clit, circling with his rough thick fingers.

“That’s it doll, come on my cock, lemme feel you squeeze me.” He encourages, voice rough and low.

The tight band in your stomach snaps, wave after wave of burning pleasure coursing through you, making your legs shake.

“God fucking dammit!” Hopper chokes, snapping his hips in staggered thrusts, his cum filling you to the very brim, leaning heavily against your back, trying to put his weight onto the desk, panting from exertion.

“Jim -?” You murmur weakly.

“Yeah baby?” He asks breathlessly, rubbing soothing circles over your back.

“We squished your sandwich.” 

[quixoticall]

This Could Get Ugly Track 3: The Upside Down Tour

Summary: It's 1983 and The Downsides need another lead singer and you just happen to need a band--it's a perfect match. The only issue? You have to pretend to be in a relationship with your bandmate, Steve Harrington, but you can't help but be drawn to the band's broody guitar player.

pairing: s.h. x fem!reader, e.m. x fem!reader, j.b. x n.w.,

warnings: ANGST, drinking, drug use, some minor panic attacks, mention of serious illness and subsequent treatment (poor ill Will)

A/N: Hello! I want to say thank you to all of you for the lovely feedback! I know it's been a minute, but I've been extra busy because I had family visiting for the holiday! But we're back to regularly scheduled programming!

wc: 7.8k

MASTERLIST🎸

PLAY PREVIOUS TRACK 🎹

***

ARGYLE: The first day of tour was always like the first day of school and summer camp and vacation all put together but that very first tour was all of that times a thousand.

They had these buses that had the name of the band on one side and our faces on the other, man, like huge Argyle and Eddie and Nancy and everyone else, it was crazy. Jonathan bought his camera and he took photos of all of us next to our giant selves as the crew was loading up. I sent mine to my mom.

It was all good vibes at the beginning, everyone was so excited. Hopper even brought his kid. We didn’t know Hopper had a kid before that. We didn’t know a lot about Hopper, actually. But it was nice to have the kid around, kept us all on our best behaviors, well during the day anyway. 

*** 

February 1984, On the Road: Upside Down Tour

“There’s no way my jaw is that crooked, Robin come look at the angle of Big Steve's jaw, will ya?”

“Shut up, Steve, Jonathan’s taking my picture with Big Robin, have someone else  measure the angle of your jaw!”

Steve turns imploringly to you and you can’t help but indulge him.  

“Your jaw looks fine, Steve, very symmetrical.”

“Eddie, man, if you stand right there, and kinda lean this way, it looks like you’re eating yourself!”

“Ah, that’s sick, Byers come here and take a picture of me eating myself when you’re done with Buckley!”

“Hey, no fair, we were next!”

“Worry about fixing your crooked jaw first, man.”

 “You said my jaw looked fine,” Steve turned towards you, accusingly.

“Hmmm, let me take a closer look,” you say, teasingly taking Steve’s face in your hands and making a big show of moving your gaze between the giant, two-dimensional Steve and the real Steve in front of you. You tilt his head one way, and then the next a few times over, pretending to be deep in thought.

“It looks fine,” you finally say, “no more crooked than the real thing.”

You punctuate your statement with a light tap on his cheek and he grins at you before coming to a realization.

“Are you saying my jaw is crooked?”

He chases you around the tour buses until you are both out of breath and then when Jonathan comes up to you, camera in hand, and the two of you pose stop to strike a pose that mirrors your giant selves, turned towards in each other, lips slightly pursed, as if preparing for a kiss. That kiss of course, never comes. 

Things have been like this between you and Steve since the press tour, warmer, affectionate even, but with the understanding that there was no deeper meaning behind the affection. You were simply doing your job. 

When Hopper is finally able to wrangle everyone onto their respective busses, you are already behind schedule. His threats don’t have their usual impact though, because even he’s been infected with the band’s giddiness at being on the road. 

You think you even see him smile when he introduces his daughter, a soft-spoken girl named Jane who immediately asks everyone to call her El and looks about 15.

Something about Hopper feeling comfortable enough to have his daughter join the tour made you feel like there was a huge responsibility on your shoulders to be a good role model—a feeling you’d never really had before.

There was a lot about being on tour that was strange and foreign in a way that was specific to you, like bunking with Nancy and Robin on the tour bus.

“It’ll be like a slumber party!” Robin exclaimed. You could see Nancy’s eyes go wide behind her at this, almost as if she’s questioning what she’s gotten herself into. 

“I’ve never been to a slumber party,” you tell them, unsure if your reaction should be more like Robin’s or Nancy’s.

“Well, we are honored to be your first,” Robin says as she bounces off her bunk to sit next to you, looping an arm through yours and leaning her head on your shoulder.

***

EDDIE: The first stop of the tour was San Francisco—we got there two days before the show and checked into a hotel that was  nice as fuck—well, compared to what I was used to, anyways— and they gave us all our own rooms down the hall from one another. I remember asking Wheeler if that was what college was like and she just laughed and said, “Kinda, but it smelled way worse.”

Everyone was so happy to be there, even me. It was a far cry from Corroded Coffin, sure. But at the end of the day, I was making music and even though I wasn’t really that close to the rest of the band, they were good people. Everyone respected each other and partied just the right amount. Wheeler did a good job of keeping us in line. Plus, we were still so wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, we hadn’t really fallen into our new old habits by then.

***

Once in the hotel, Hopper handed out room assignments and he even looking a bit apologetic when he lets you and Steve know that, at label’s request, you and Steve were assigned connecting rooms. 

You didn’t have it in you to let the fact that Starcourt was controlling where you slept get to you and instead decide to try an enjoy where you are. 

Nancy, who was as much of an older sister to the group as she was to her real family, had organized an evening of sightseeing for the band around the city during your first night there.

Walking through downtown, you had a hard time taking in the sites because you were too preoccupied watching Eddie. Eddie, who, from what little you knew of his past, never had the opportunity to travel, was like a child, taking in the sights, pointing to anything of interest, and excitedly exclaiming, “Can you believe that shit?” to anyone within earshot, including El and Hopper.

“You watch your mouth around my fucking kid, Munson,” Hopper had told him.

The entire drive to the Golden Gate Bridge he just kept saying “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit,” like he could genuinely not contain his excitement.

It was oddly endearing.

***

EDDIE: I know you know how fucking awesome the GGB  is.

***

February 4th, 1984, San Francisco, CA. The Upside Down Tour

The same lighthearted energy carried over to the next day’s soundcheck and until a few hours before the show when a cloud of nervous energy seemed to descend all at once.

The entire time you were in hair and makeup all you could think about was all the different ways the show could go wrong. Were you prepared enough? What if the audience was a dud? Could you keep them entertained for two hours? Each question wound you tighter and tighter until you could not think straight and by the time you were set to go backstage you had half-convinced yourself to call it all off. But you immediately sobered at the sight of the madness that had overtaken your bandmates backstage: Robin was pacing from one corner to the next, wringing her hands and muttering to herself in a language you weren’t completely sure was English; Jonathan and Nancy sat huddled together on the floor while Nancy recited the setlist over and over again like a prayer; Argyle was sitting by himself in a corner, tapping his drumsticks erratically against his knees with one hand while trying to braid his hair with the other; Eddie stood utterly stock still hold his guitar in front of him in an outstretched hand, talking to it like they were having a conversation; and worst of all, Steve was nowhere to be found. You looked around for Hopper, but he was also missing, so you went to the next best thing.

“Nancy, babe, look at me,” you say, kneeling next to her on the ground.

Her eyes bounce up to yours and in them, panic.

“Nancy,” you repeat her name again in a way that you hope is calming, “I know that you’re nervous, but I need you right now. Look around at the mess that everyone’s in. I need you to help me talk them down. I need you to make them believe it’s going to be fine. I need you to believe it’s going to be fine, okay? Because it will be. And because I can’t find Steve.” You say the last part low, in a meek attempt to mask the panic that is seeping into your tone. 

Nancy, who, as you had predicted, flourished in a crisis, hardens her jaw and narrows her eyes in focus.

“I’ll start with Jonathan and you go to Eddie, maybe we can get them to help us look for Steve in the bathrooms.”

You nod eagerly before making your way over to Eddie, who is still mid-conversation with his guitar. You approach slowly, careful not to spook him. 

“Hey, hello, I don’t mean to interrupt, but are you doing okay, Eddie?”

Eddie’s eyes snap to you like it’s the first time he’s noticed you were there.

“Who? Us? Yup, totally fine, just having a bit of a pep talk,” he says between haggard breaths. Where the hell is Hopper?

“Hm, yeah, see, the words that you’re saying and the way that you’re saying them lead me to believe that maybe you’re not fine,” you try to sound as gentle as you can when you say this and try not to flinch as Eddie turns to face you, his whole face taunt with fear.

“Well, it’s not like I’m not a total fraud and loser who completely blew it with his last band and is only part of this band because he sold his soul to an evil corporation that told the rest of you you had to let him play with you, right? Because then I would have reason to be nervous. Oh, wait—"

“Eddie,” you interrupt, reaching up to grasp his face in your hands, bringing him down to your eye level, “you’re being too hard on yourself right now, okay? You have earned your spot here just as much as anyone else in the band. You’re a great guitarist, and a great songwriter—almost as good as me—“ he lets out a breathless laugh”— and you’re gonna go on that stage tonight and be your usual talented self and blow their minds because you’re Eddie Fucking Munson, got it?”

“Got it,” he whispers, eyes blown wide, and at that moment you realize that you’re so close now your nose almost brushes up against his.

“Good,” you say, pealing your hands away from his face to fall at your sides.

“Now, do you want to do some deep breaths or do you think you’re good to go on?”

“I think I’m good,” he croaks out, still a bit out of focus, but much more mellow.

“Great. Now, can you please help us look for Steve? We can’t find him.”

“Steve?” Eddie repeats, eyes narrowing in confusion.

“Yeah, we can’t find him anywhere and everyone’s freaking out and Hopper’s not here either so Nancy and I were hoping you could help us by checking the bathrooms.”

“Right, Harrington, your boyfriend. The bathrooms, I’ll go check.”

You watch as he turns away and heads in the direction of the bathroom and try not to think about the way his shoulders dropped, the tiniest amount as he did.

Then, you turn your attention to the still-pacing Robin. “Robin, honey, can you please look at me?”

***

EDDIE: It was 20 minutes until the doors opened and Harrington was nowhere to be found. Jonathan and I checked all the bathrooms in the building and nothing. Finally, I got the bright idea to go out to the smoking area, not sure why, but, to my surprise there he was. I’m not going to lie, he looked a total mess: pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair, muttering to himself.

I asked him what the hell he was doing there. He asked if he could bum a cigarette. I said, “Didn’t know you smoked, Harrington.” 

And he responded, “I don’t but the smell reminds me of my mom.” 

That’s when I knew the situation was grim—if someone shares information like that about a parent, unprovoked, they’re probably losing it. It was also at that point that I knew I was totally out of my depth. I had half a mind to turn around and go grab one of the girls or Jonathan, but I didn’t want him to run off on me again.

INTERVIEWER: So, what did you do?

EDDIE: I stayed and let him bum a cigarette. We stood there for a minute, smoking. The guy was coughing up a storm but he kept going. Harrington was always like that—just kept going no matter what. Eventually I just straight up asked him if he was nervous.

He responded with, “Theoretically, I’m not nervous at all, but in a much more, like real sense, I am shitting it, man.”

To this day, I don’t think he knows what the word ‘theoretical’ means.

I asked him what he had to be nervous about, it was just a show, and he was half of the reason people were there to see us, plus he was too talented to bomb. 

And then he looked at me with his big Harrington eyes and said, “I’m not worried about bombing I’m worried about everything else. Like, what if we get up there and we realize that everything we’ve given up, everything we’ve had to go through was for something mediocre and ordinary?”

I told him that was a stupid question and asked him what if it was the opposite. What if it was everything he had wanted? I mean he was halfway there already, right? He had the girl, the sold-out tour, it was only a matter of time before he had everything else he could’ve dreamed of. 

I thought I was being comforting but that only made him freak out more because then he said, “The more you have, the more you can lose and I don’t think I could handle losing any of this.” 

It took me a minute to respond because, I mean, on one hand, it was hard to sympathize with the guy who had everything I wanted and then some. On the other hand, though, I had been there. 

So, I told him about Chrissy and rehab and Corroded Coffin and that whole shit show.  Like a testimonial: “Local Fuck Up, Loses everything and somehow still keeps going!”  I didn’t hold back either, I told him how much it sucked to fall so far on your own.  I also told him that unlike me, he would never have to worry about that because he actually did have people looking out for him. That whole band was like his team, they wouldn’t let him fall like that, at least, not alone. 

Something I said must’ve resonated because he snapped out of it after that. We finished our cigarettes and we went inside. Right on time too, because Hopper was about to send out a manhunt for him. 

***

There were 10 minutes until the doors opened and Steve was still missing, and now, Eddie was gone too. Your mind flits to the possibility that you’ll have to go one without both of your key guitarists  but even just the thought of that is too much to stomach.

Meanwhile, Hopper is back and yelling at everyone in the vicinity. 

Robin, who’s at your side as the entire scene unfold, pulls in closer to whisper in your ear, “what if they ran away together?”

And just as you were getting ready to turn and ask her exactly what had possessed her to ask such a thing the two missing members of your band burst through the door harried, out of breath, and smelling of smoke, to come face-to-face with their furious manager.

Hopper dismisses Eddie with a wave of his hand and then turns his ire towards Steve. 

“Thank you,” you whisper to Eddie as he makes his way to your side. You reach down and give his hand an appreciative squeeze for good measure.

“No problem,” he responds thickly, “couldn’t leave a queen without her king.” Something about his tone makes you wince.

After Steve had been properly chastised by Hopper, the stage manager calls for places and everyone begins to disperse.

You’re making your way towards the stage when Steve reaches out for your hand. “Hey, sorry about that,” he starts, “nerves got to me, I guess.”

“ You know you could’ve talked to us, right? We were all nervous, too. We could’ve been nervous together. We’re supposed to be a team, aren’t we?”

Steve looks more ashamed now than he did when Hopper was yelling at him. 

“You’re right,” he says, “I promise to do better. You’ve got me and I’ve got you.” 

You smile back. 

“I’ve got you and you’ve got me.” 

And suddenly, the curtain rises. 

***

ARGYLE: That night in San Fran we were a mess  but then, you get us all on stage and it’s like none of that ever mattered. We were freaking rock stars, dude, and we were good too and I’m not just saying that because it was us— I would’ve been a fan even if I wasn’t in the band.

EDDIE: Yeah, we were all good, but what really brought people through the door was our lead singers. Them bouncing around on stage together, dancing and making eyes at each other—the audience loved it. They both knew how to play up to a crowd too. She would dance and move around the stage like a total natural—hot but not too hot, ya know? And Harrington had his cool guy act down pat. They were in total sync. It was like they belonged together. 

***

Walking down the stage steps, your head was abuzz with the excitement and satisfaction.

The band had done a great job, even better than during rehearsal and the audience’s energy was addicting. 

This had been what you were looking for all along.

Backstage, you had made sure to give each one of them a hug, even Hopper— as a congratulation, as a thank you, as an expression of disbelief that you were finally here. They all understood and they all returned the sentiment. For the first time it felt that you were all on equal footing as members of the band. For the first time, it felt like you belonged and that was worth celebrating. 

Eddie’s the last one off stage, and for a moment you debate hugging him. You’re not too sure if he’d return the gesture, given your history. But to your surprise, his arms are already open and you fall into them. And then, he did something surprises you even further:  he pulled you close, picks you up, and spins you around in his arms. 

***

ARGYLE: I’m pretty sure he smelled her hair before putting her down. 

***

February  28th,  1984, New Orleans, LA.  The Upside Down Tour

A few weeks into the tour,  Hopper pulls you and Eddie one morning while the rest of the band is off exploring the French Quarter.

“Hopper, can you do us a favor and let us know how long this’ll take? We’re supposed to get beg-nets with the gang today.”

“It’s pronounced ben-yays, Eddie,” you correct automatically as the two of you are ushered into the hotel room that doubled as your manager’s temporary office.

“Whatever it’s called, it’s fried dough with sugar and I refuse to miss that.”

“Can you two just sit down?” Hopper says exasperatedly motioning you two towards a couple of chairs that crowded his small, makeshift desk before sitting down himself and reaching for the phone. 

“I got them both here, Murray,” Hopper says gruffly as the crackle of the speakers fills the room.

Before Murray can fully greet you on the other line, Eddie interrupts. 

“Are we in trouble?”

“No. Should you be, Munson?“ 

“Murray, can we hurry this along? I’m taking my kid on a ghost tour.”

“Fine, fine, listen, kids, I just heard from Brenner and the Big Wigs—the rest of the tour is completely sold out which means that they want to start recording about five weeks after you get back from touring. This means we need songs by then and since you two wrote the best song on the last album, you’ve been promoted (with no pay) to main songwriters. So your homework is to get us at least 20 passable songs by the first week of July.”

“But we get back from tour in mid-June, Murray, that’s a really short turnaround time, don’t you think?” Your eyes dart to the other two in the room, to gauge their reactions.

Hopper shrugs, “Sometimes that’s just the way it is, kid.”

“Which is exactly why you two should start writing now while you’re on the road, trust me,” Murray’s voice crackles over the line.

You look at Eddie, who cocks an eyebrow at you as if he’s letting you know that it’s your call.

 “Okay, we’ll start writing as soon as possible,” you speak out loud.

“That’s what I like to hear! We can check back in once you get to LA.”

The three of you say your goodbyes and Hopper dismisses you and Eddie to join the others.

As the two of you walk down the hall towards the elevators, your mind is already bubbling over with ideas. This was your first big shot to do exactly what you’ve always wanted to do. This was more than just writing a few songs, it was about creating an album, and an image of where the band was going. This was huge.

***

EDDIE: To be honest I never really thought about my writing process. I would just pull out a notebook and a pen and start writing when I had something I thought was good—little bits here and there. She took everything so seriously though. The entire elevator ride down, she was talking my ear off about concepts and inspiration and “sonic vision”. Eventually, I just had to say, “Listen, why don’t we meet up in your hotel room after the show tonight and talk about it then?”

***

The rest of the day, it was like only part of your mind was present. The rest was floating around, thinking about what you wanted to write.

Of course, you had plenty of things written, but you weren’t sure if any of that would work. The next album needed to meet the rising momentum of the band’s popularity: it needed to be current but also true to where you were as a band. You needed to say the right things—and most importantly, you needed to say them in the right way.

Before you knew it, you were back in the hotel after soundcheck, freshly showered, standing in the threshold that connected Steve’s room to yours.

“Are you sure that’s how it’s  pronounced?” Steve's voice echoed from his bathroom, where he was brushing his teeth.

“I swear to you that it’s not pronounced Ee-too-fee, Steve. Why do you think the waiter laughed when you ordered?”

You come up behind him in the mirror running a brush through your still-wet hair.

“Because I’m naturally endearing and everything I say is charming,” he responds, catching your eye in the mirror.

“Whatever you say, Harrington.”

Before he can retort, a knock thunders through your room into his.

“Oh, that must be Eddie,” you say, turning on your heel to cross the threshold into your room.

“Munson?” Steve asks, befuddled.

“Yeah, he’s coming over to start writing some stuff. Murray’s on our case, remember?”

“Right, I just didn’t think you’d start tonight.”

You just shrug before disappearing into your room, “The sooner we get started, the sooner we finish.”

You don’t hear his response because you’re already at your door, swinging it open to reveal Eddie Munson standing in the hotel hallway, guitar case in one hand and beat-up notebook in the other.

“The Eagles?” He asked, eyeing the logon on the oversized t-shirt you wore.

You bristle as your fingers brush against your shirt suddenly self-conscious of the length.

His gaze follows the movement of your hand and then settles right where the hem of your shirt grazes your thigh.

It takes you a moment to find your voice. “What can I say? I’m a woman of taste.” 

***

EDDIE: I became an Eagles fan after that night. 

***

You lead Eddie into your hotel room and gesture towards the small sofa in the corner for him to set his things down.

Before joining him, you peek into Steve’s room to see him fully peering through the door. “Night, Steve,” you say with a gentle wave as you move to close the door.

“Night,” he says back softly, his eyes bouncing from your face to the room behind you where Eddie was setting up his things.

“Night, Munson,” he says finally, voice a bit tighter. 

“Goodnight Sweet Prince,” Eddie waves theatrically as you close the door between the two rooms and walk over to sit by his side.

“You two always leave the door open?” he asks, fiddling with his guitar strings.

The question makes you feel defensive.

“Um, no, not always, we just, say goodnight, sometimes we will talk about the shows a bit before. bed.”

Eddie quips an eyebrow at this but says nothing.

 “Should we get started then?”

***

EDDIE: That was my first time writing with her. That was my first time writing with anyone else, honestly. She asked me a lot of questions: about what themes I wanted to include; what concepts I thought would fit; if I had seen any movies that I thought could be good inspiration. It felt like a job interview.

I could tell that she’d been thinking a lot about this, maybe too much, actually. So, I told her that maybe we just needed to slow down a little bit, talk about what we had first, and then go from there. She agreed, but she still seemed pretty wound up, so I suggested we bust open the mini bar and we drank for a bit. I think we were both a little nervous to share our songs. It’s something kinda personal, to share your art with someone, ya know? And it’s always worse when it’s someone you know in your regular life—it’s like someone slices you open and takes a walk around your brain but then you have to see them the next day at work or whatever and you have to pretend they haven’t just taken a tour of the best and worst parts of you. 

And it wasn’t like we were particularly close back then, so there was some extra nerves there. Hence, the liquid courage. 

***

You and Eddie are about two (maybe three?) shooters in by the time you decide to get properly started.

Eddie volunteers his work for the two of you to go through first and you’re secretly grateful as he hands you his beat-up spiral notebook and you splay it across your lap to read over what he has. Eddie leans in to read too, and in doing so, his leg is flush against yours. He’s so close that his hair brushes against your cheek when he moves and you can smell him—earthy like pine and a tiny bit like menthol cigarettes.

You realize you might be a bit tipsier than you had thought because it takes extra effort to focus on the words in front of you.

His first few songs are good, but they don't match the vibe of the band.

"Too metal,” you say to him, pointing out the songs you’re referencing.

“Yeah, that makes sense, those were meant to be for my old band,” he responds.

You know enough about Eddie’s professional past to know that he used to be in a metal band before joining The Downsides and that it ended poorly, but not much else.

You flip through a few more pages before a few lines of lyrics catch your eye:

Don’t remember who I was then

Can’t keep straight where I was when

What’s my name? Where have I been?

Where did I start? Where does it end?

You’re the one thing I hold dear

The only thing that’s crystal clear

I live and die if you’re near

And all the scars disappears.

“This is something,” you hold the page up to Eddie.

He reads over the lines and grimaces.

“I wrote that right after I got out of rehab a few years ago. It didn’t really go anywhere...as you can see.”

This realization is sobering to hear. Mostly because it enlightens you to how little you know about your bandmate.  You spend a moment trying to categorize everything you know about Eddie and you come up sparse. You weren’t even entirely sure you knew how old he was. 

He seems to take your silence as you process this as judgment because you feel him scoot away, his face and body angled away from you.

You reach out and lay a hand on his arm, and he freezes.

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” you say slowly, before picking up his notebook again, this time with a newfound care.

“This,” you tap the lyrics, “doesn’t need to go anywhere. It can just stay here or wherever you want it to.”

***

EDDIE: It wasn’t the reaction I expected from her, but it was really nice to hear. 

***

You and Eddie flip through the rest of your respective songs, not really finding anything that both of you can agree on. There are a few stray lines that jump out from both your books but beyond that, there was nothing the two of you could agree on. It was pretty clear that you were both writing songs for artists that you no longer were. 

Right around the third hour together, you both decide to call it a night, but only under the condition that the next time you meet, you’ll both have come with something brand new written.

“Hey, thanks for coming,” you say, voice hushed as you usher Eddie to the door, “and thanks for letting me read your work.”

He just smiles in response, wide and beautiful and rare. 

“Don’t worry, princess, we’ll get there. This was just a test run,” he reminds you. 

You watch him make his way down the hall    Until he disappears but not before throwing one last, rare, smile your way.  

Once Eddie is gone, you all but drag yourself to your bed, yearning for that special hotel-pillow softness when you hear another knock. This time, from the door connecting your room to Steve’s. 

“Steve,” you pull the door open, “why are you awake? It’s like 4 AM.”

 “Can’t sleep,” he mumbles. “Can I hang out with you for a bit?”

His eyes are barely open and his hair is disheveled beyond belief. He looks young standing there in his worn-out pajama pants.

“Fine,” you say as you turn back into your room, “but I’m getting into bed because I’m tired.”

He follows you into your room and shuts the door behind him. You make a beeline for your bed to slide under the covers and Steve, meanwhile moves towards the couch.

“Why can’t you sleep, Steve?” you ask, burrowing into your duvet, eyes already closed. 

“I dunno, can’t stop thinking.”

“Thinking? You don’t need to be doing that.”

By the time he responds, you’re already asleep.

When you wake up the next morning, Steve is still there, asleep strewn across the tiny couch, hair even wilder than the night before.

***

ARGYLE: Tour life was the best life. A new city every night, the music was good, the crowds were crazy and the drugs were plentiful. And the parties! My dude, the parties! After every show we’d end the night at some bar or club with the band, the crew and more groupies than a dude could ever want. 

***

March 6th, 1984, Atlanta, GA. The Upside Down Tour

“You know, it’s not what you think.” Nancy’s voice can barely be heard over the sound of the thumping music of the basement bar that you’re in. 

“What?” You ask the keyboardist. 

She gestures subtly with a nod towards the corner that had been occupying your attention. Robin and Steve were huddled together in deep conversation, both leaning against the bar. A few spots away, Eddie sat with a pretty girl with locs. Over the last few minutes, you had watched as his hand made its way slowly up her thigh with an almost morbid sense of curiosity. 

Your eyes turn back to Nancy, unsure as to why she would weigh in on the flirtation between Eddie and the groupie. 

“Steve and Robin,” she elaborates, “I’ve seen you staring and I know what it looks like, but it’s not what you think. They’re close but just friends.”  

Oh. Steve and Robin. Right. 

“It doesn’t matter what they are and what I think of it, Nancy, because it’s none of my business,” you respond. 

She turns to face you, clearly ready to argue something back but you cut her off. 

“Where’s Jonathan? I haven’t seen him all night.” 

A grimace flashes across her face for brief moment, nearly imperceptible, but you catch it. 

”He’s back at the hotel room,” she replies tersely,  “on the phone with his mom. Will had another surgery today.” 

You wince. It was no secret that Jonathan‘s younger brother had fallen ill again. You had seen less and less of the bassist as the tour had progressed. He’d been spending any time that he wasn’t on stage trying to get ahold of his mom back home to ask about the progress of the youngest Byers boy.

You smile at Nancy in a way that you hope is reassuring and say, “Weren’t his chances of recovery high after his surgery, though?” 

Nancy exhaled deeply, “If everything goes well, then yes, chances of recovery are high.” 

She looks like she wants to say something more but cuts herself short. Her eyes float past you, to the newly appeared figure to your right. Steve. 

He smiles in greeting, his arm falling to graze in between your shoulder blades. His pupils are blown wide— a dead give away that he had partaken in whatever substance Argyle had been touting earlier in the evening.

Even high, he seemed to pick up on the serious mood between the two of you  and asks if everything is alright. You smile softly and nod, arm snaking around his back lightly. 

Nancy sighs in response. “We were just talking about Jonathan, actually I think I’m going to go check on him. Have a good night, you two,” she says and she looks at you and Steve, her eyes catching on the points where your bodies touch. 

As she pushes herself forward, ready to move towards the exit, Steve calls out after her.

The two of them lock eyes and they seem to be holding yet another silent conversation. While you can not decipher their secret language of raised eyebrows and scrunched noses, you can that they’re arguing about something and by the way their eyes keep bouncing to you, you can’t help but wonder if it’s you they’re arguing about and what you could’ve possible done to warrant that. 

Whatever their argument is about, it doesn’t seem to come to a resolution based on the way Nancy scoffs at Steve and rolls her eyes before bidding her final goodbye. 

“What was that all about?” You ask, when she’s finally out of sight.

“Nothing,” Steve says tightly, “Nance is trying to convince me she’s right about something that I knowshe’s wrong about and she won’t let it go.” 

This catches your attention. 

“Oh, yeah? And what possible could Nancy Wheeler be wrong about, pray tell,” you plea conspiratorially, turning fully to face him and drawing closer.

This leaves Steve gasping for words in a way that makes you wonder if he’s higher than you originally thought.

Before you can ask him if he’s alright, he  freezes as he spots something over your shoulder a weird expression taking over his face. You turn, following his line of sight to Robin locked in a very intimate embrace with the female bartender that was serving her and Steve earlier in the evening. The bartender leans upward to catch Robin’s lips and you hear Steve hiss, “Damn it,” under his breath. 

Of course, this must have been the thing that Steve and Nancy were arguing about. Steve and Robin must be in a fight. 

You scan back through your recent memories of them wondering if perhaps there had been signs of a growing rift that you may have missed but as far as you’d noticed things were normal between the two of them.

“Oh, Steve, I’m so sorry,” you sooth, finally turning back to face him.

“Don’t be, it’s only $50,” he dismisses with a wave of his hand. He must really be higher than you thought.

“What?” 

“The bet was only 50 bucks,” he explains, way too calm for someone who just saw the girl he’s in love with kissing another girl in a crowded bar. 

“I’m not sure I’m following,” you say slowly, before the realization dawns, “wait, is this some where sex thing the two of you do? Listen, as much as I like you both as friends and appreciate that you trust me with the details of your romantic relationship, we’re still, like, coworkers and I don’t really think I should be hearing what the two of you get up to intimately—“ 

“Woah, woah, woah, romantic relationship? Me and Robin are not in a romantic relationship and we definitely are not intimate in any sense of the word, and the fact that you think that makes me want to barf, actually. Why would you think that?” He asks, a wildness coloring his tone. 

“Well, you’re always together and you’re so close, and you’ve always been so secretive, sneaking around together and stuff,” you struggle to answer under his confused gaze. 

“No, we’re friends, capital ‘P’ platonic,” he explains, “always have been, always will.” He can clearly tell you’re still confused because he then begins to explain further, “ The bartender, and her have been flirting all night, but Robin was too chickenshit to make a move so I bet her $50 that she couldn’t get her phone number by the end of the night but it seems like she got more than just her phone number. Which I guess is a good thing because maybe now she’ll stop moping about that girl back in LA but it sucks that I’m out $50.” 

“Wait, Robin dates girls?” 

Steve winces, as if the realization of what he’s told you has just now hit him. 

“Sorry, that was not my information to reveal. Please, don’t mention it. Please. It’s not that Robin doesn’t trust you or like you it’s just that she’s trying to be extra careful about it. She doesn’t want it to get, you know, out out. Especially with all the new press we’re getting.”  

You nod back in understanding, “don’t worry, I won’t say anything. To anyone. I promise. I would never put Robin in that spot.” 

Relief immediately runs through Steve’s features.

“Although, if she wants to keep things under wraps,” you begin, glancing back to where Robin is still kissing the bartender, “maybe she doesn’t want to be making out with women in public?” 

Steve nods rapidly in response, “Yup, good call, we should take her back to the hotel.”

Rob proves to be a stubborn drunk, and it takes you and Steve about 20 minutes to cajole her out of the bartenders arms and into the back of a cab. 

She spend the entire ride back to the hotel going on and on about ”star-crossed  love” and the “malignant force is keeping her from her beloved disguising themselves as friends”. In response you simply nod along and  your hand up and down her back in a way that you hope is soothing. 

“At least you two have each other,” she says softly, patting your cheek as the cab slows to a stop in front of your downtown hotel.

Then, as she steps out onto  the sidewalk, her stance wavers and she leans in, essentially pinning you to the side of the cab. 

You think she might try to kiss you too, but instead she whispers, “Please be careful with his heart. Steve’s softer than you think, you know.”

*** 

It’s a joint effort between you and Steve to put Robin to bed. 

Makeup is gently removed, hair is pulled up, and pajamas put on, and a slumbering Robin is safely tucked into bed with a receipt with the bartender’s number and $50 bill placed on her nightstand, ready to greet her in the morning. 

“She’s gonna be so hung over tomorrow,” Steve remarks as the two of you amble down the hallway to your own rooms. 

“Does she always get like that when she drinks?” You ask. 

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, all, Shakespearean and nonsensical? She was saying all sorts of weird things back there. I think she even thought we were together. Which is actually kinda funny considering early tonight I thought the two of you were together,” you chuckle at the irony. 

Steve, however, looks distraught at this observation. Suddenly, he stops in front of your rooms and turns to you. 

“Is that why you’ve been acting so distant with me, because you thought I was with Robin?” 

You blush. 

“Partially, sure,” you stutter, “it’s hard to pretend to date your bandmate when you think he’s in love with your other bandmate. But, I also think it’s good that we maintain a healthy distance.” 

“Why?” 

The severity in his voice when he asks that takes you by surprise. 

“Well, because it helps us remember that none of it’s really,” you admit, carefully. 

You struggle to meet Steve’s eyes when you say this because, while it’s a fact that your relationship is a farce, speaking that out loud feels particularly cruel. 

You catch the movement of his throat as he swallows thickly but you can’t brave a look at his face. 

When he finally speaks, his voice is unsteady, “If there was no Starcourt and no contract and you and I were just two normal people, would you want us to be real?” 

He sounds so scared you can’t help but reach out for him, trying to offer some comfort. He accepts your small hand in both of his, thumbs grazing the back of your hand with much more gentleness than you’ve ever been offered. Than you think you deserve. 

You can’t help but meet his gaze then, and the way he looks at you, vulnerable and hopeful is nearly too much to bear. 

“I don’t know,” you begin, tears building at your lash line, because you truly don’t.  

You think back, in earnest, to all you’ve come to learn about one another and how easy it is to be around him. You think about the way you find comfort in his touch and he in yours. And you think about the two of you performing and how every time you’re on stage with him, it feels like there’s no one else but you and Steve. 

The shrill ding of the elevator brings you crashing down to reality, to the dingy hotel hallway and the beautiful boy in front of you with the pleading eyes. 

Footsteps and giggles make echo down the hall, coming closer. Both you and Steve turn towards the noise, temporarily forgetting your very serious conversation. 

Suddenly, Eddie appears around the corner, the pretty girl from bar on his heels. 

He stops abruptly at the sight of you and Steve. You turn your face in the other direction, quickly. You don’t want him to see you in this state, teary and distressed, especially not while he’s with this beautiful stranger, so you hide yourself against Steve’s chest. 

There’s a terse quiet that follows while you’re sure Eddie assesses the situation. 

You can tell by the way Steve gently curls his arm around your shoulder that the two of them must be having some weird silent  standoff. 

“Wait,” you hear Eddie’s companion shrill, “are you Steve Harrington and—“

“Yes, that’s them, sweetheart, in the flesh,” Eddie cuts her off and you can hear them start moving down the hallway again, “How about we give the lovebirds their privacy and you and I pick up where we left off in the cab?” 

You listen to their footsteps growing fainter and fainter and when you’re sure it’s just you and Steve, you pull yourself out of his embrace, to face him once again.

“What I want doesn’t matter, Steve,” you admit, sadly, “not when everyone is depending on us fulfilling our contract.” 

He sighs, “I don’t understand why we can’t fulfill the contract while being together? Wouldn’t we be more believable if we didn’t have to pretend? If it was actually real?”

He didn’t get it. 

“Maybe, but what if things go badly? What if we’re happy for a little while but then we realize we can’t stand each other? Then what? We either break up the band or we are forced to keep pretending just like we are now but this time, we hate each other? ” 

You think of your parents and how they lived separate lives for as long as you could remember, speaking to each other only when absolutely necessary. You’re sure they didn’t intend to hate each other at first. 

“What if we find out we really like each other?” He argues back gently, “what if things work out great and we’re happy?” 

You wouldn’t know how to do that. No one ever taught you how to love without it hurting. 

“No,” you say, sadly shaking your head, “someone will just end up getting hurt.” 

Steve clutches your hand tighter, one final supplication. “If someone has to get hurt, I’ll make sure it’s me.” 

Full tears are streaming down your face now as you gently pull your hand out of Steve’s grasp. 

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” you tell him, turning away from him while you still can, leaving him standing alone in the hall. 

PLAY NEXT TRACK

Taglist:

@rexorangecouny , @persophonekarter @mystargirl-interlude @brinleighsstuff @thegaysaretired @nothing2-see

[bigdumbbambieyes]

"if I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more..." an excerpt from my upcoming @bigbangharringrove regency au fic moonflower, mine with a focus on the second pairing (my girls), cunningway

“I assume your dancing is better than your brother’s?” Chrissy asks with a small smirk, which Max gives her own impish smile at with a nod.

“My close friend, Miss Jane Hopper, and I have been practicing for quite some time.”

Billy recalls the giggles and chatter all through their home for the last few years, ever since Jane had arrived in the countryside with her father. The girls have been close friends since then and Billy’s happy for it.

“That’s lovely,” Chrissy says with a warm smile, her light eyes flicking over to Heather, “A friendship with your fellow woman is unlike anything else.”

Heather’s returned smile to her close friend is a soft thing, so unlike anything Billy’s ever seen her give a gentleman. He knows of their friendship and just how much deeper it is than that; he believes the two girls to be bound by their souls. He’s watched first-hand how they used to dance around one other, clumsy and skittish and eager. He remembers the first time Heather told him that she’d kissed Chrissy, whose lips were like milk and honey in the spring.

He is beyond happy for them, truly. And he is always happy to see couples in love, if they get the privilege to be. At his age, Billy has long since abandoned the idea that love would one day find him.

Because looking at himself, he wonders what there is to love?

[eightfifteen]

Madcleradin Paranormal Investigators AU because i simply had to sit down and think about it after remembering this post by @dis-a-ppointment again for the millionth time.

Will went missing in 1983.

He was kidnapped for a week, but he managed to get away and Mike found him in the woods near the quarry after going out every night to look for him.

Will swears there was another girl there, even though they never actually found the perpetrator or any sign of a girl having gone missing.

Will and Mike start looking into it in High School - Will swore by it, and kept having nightmares about the girl, feeling guilty he'd left her behind.

So, Mike, to help Will, looks into it further - using the same detective skills he'd used while Will had been gone. He finds out about Jane Yves, and how she should be around the same age Will had said the girl should be.

It's a project they kept hidden from Lucas and Dustin, Will not wanting to burden anyone else with it. He talked to Hopper a million times though, and he insists he's looked into it but that there's nothing to lead him in any direction. Especially as Jane supposedly died in a miscarriage, and the lab had shut down ages ago.

In senior year, they start breaking into empty houses because Will wonders if he might recognize one of them, if he might remember the location of where he'd been kept it could be their first clue.

One day, they're breaking into an abandoned house near the trailer park when Max catches them. She joins them for their 'ghost hunt' - the best excuse they could come up with - and though she thinks it's bullshit, she's having a blast making fun of them whenever they flinch at a "scary noise".

AKA Will starts hearing things and insists they're ghosts, while Max just makes fun. Mike is a fence straddler - he doesn't actually believe ghosts are real but he's a 100 percent on Will's side. If Will says he heard a ghost than it's a ghost. period.

Eventually it becomes a bit of a hobby - going to "haunted houses".

Max is doing it for the ghost hunting, unaware of the Jane thing, but Mike and Will are still also investigating behind Max' back.

The summer after High School, when Dustin and Lucas are both going to an early summer program at their respective colleges, the three of them are left to spend their summer break road tripping around the state and "investigating". Both for fun and because they found a way to make money off of it - they end up selling their stories to a popular alternative magazine - Max takes pictures, Mike and Will write, and sometimes Will makes art of the ghosts they saw.

Along the way though, Will starts wondering if he might actually be going crazy with the voices he's hearing and the things he's seeing, but his best friend buddy pal Mike insists that if that's the case they'd go crazy together.

Eventually, they figure out that their "ghost proof" has a particular pattern, and they realize the "ghost" might be communicating with them - that it's strangely enough - not a different ghost for each house, but one ghost following them.

Long story short it was El communicating with them using her powers, and she leads them to where she's being kept.

Also, Mike and Will kiss.

[eufezco]

NEW YEAR'S EVE – STEVE HARRINGTON X HOPPER!READER

Mike and Will were finishing putting the ornaments on the Christmas tree. No more sixteen-hour trips in a pizza-scented van to save Hawkins.

Jane was sneaking her presents for you all under the Christmas tree as if you couldn't see her doing it. No more being kidnapped and forced to relieve bad memories.

Dustin and Lucas were fighting about why the colorful lights over the fireplace were not turning on. No more going to the Upside Down and no more living with the anxiety of their loved ones might die in the next five seconds.

Your dad and Joyce were in the kitchen cooking dinner and your mouth was already watering just by the smell that came out of the kitchen. No more Russian jails.

Jonathan and Nancy were setting the big table, counting the cutlery, trying to see if there was enough for everyone. No more having to be apart.

Robin and Eddie were sitting on the floor next to the fireplace with Max in her wheelchair. Your boyfriend walked past them to sit next to you, not without kissing the redhead's girl first, and Max just needing to feel that loving gesture to know that it was Steve.

—Are you okay? —Steve sat next to you on the couch. One of his arms hugged your shoulders and he moved you closer to him.

You looked at all the people you loved, alive, finally starting to live their lives. You felt the warmth of a home after a long time; all of your friends, your little sister, your two brothers, your mom, and your dad, but most importantly the love of your life sitting by your side.

Steve looked at you with his eyebrows raised, he was wearing the Christmas sweater that you bought for him, his hair perfectly styled for the occasion, and his cheeks were decorated with a cute pink colour. No more seeing him almost die in front of your eyes, with those veins around his neck and those monsters biting him. His wounds were almost healed and the bruises on his neck were nearly gone.

—I'm great —. You leaned to give a quick kiss to his lips before resting your head on his chest. His arm around you hugged you tighter if possible and he kissed the top of your head. And that John Lennon's song started playing in your head...

War is over.

[most-canon-non-canon-ship-poll]

they're toxic + mike is gay and in denial

Why Mileven is shit - a submission-based essay, part 1/3

Mileven - a currently canon het ship from the Stranger Things fandom between Michael (Mike) Wheeler and Jane (Eleven) Ives/Hopper/Byers/IDK

12 years old girl raised in a lab is thrown in a relationship with the first boy she ever meets. They constantly fight, lie to each other and develop a unhealthy co-dependent bond. The boy has a close ambiguous relationship with his male best friend which leads a good part of the fandom thinking that he is actually gay. People who stan this ship constantly throw homophobic slurs to this male best friend and some even argue that they hope he dies of AIDS next season

Where do I even begin. I do not care what anyone says the chemistry is not there. Another cog in the Should Have Never Been Written As A Couple machine. What made them cute in earlier seasons was their platonic dynamic and Mike's kindhearted nature to help her. It is hilarious this is apparently their "flagship" and "main" couple when they have the least amount of chemistry and the poorest written out of the others. They are not their best selves together, not only hurting themselves, but the people around them. Mostly Will, which is clear as day in Season 4. At the end of Season 4 I am so to the nth tired of the same shit different shovel with them. I am probably too gay to see The Vision fans of them see, but I do have eyes and it looks to me like they've been slowly crumbling. There is no foundation for their relationship they were barley friends a week before Mike kissed her and then she vanished for a year. They maybe had a little bit of interaction between closing the Gate and Snow Ball. Kissed again. Then spent all summer making out and ditching their friends until El comically broke up with him. Their relationship is exhausting to watch. The drama eats up too much screen time. I am tired of watching them hurting themselves staying together. There is no meaningful conversations since maybe Season 2. In Season 4 what could have been one ended poorly and the other interrupted comically. They've dragged out the Mike saying "I love you" story line, seemingly concluding it while El was being strangled in a Mind Scape trying to save Max who was also in said Mind Scape being slowly to tortured to death. Said confession prompted by using Will's own veiled confession disguised as El's an episode earlier. Plus Will using his own words to encourage Mike to help her. He did to help her, but that was painful to watch there was so much going on! Then they expect me to believe they're better than ever afterwards when there is nothing to indicate that? I need them to break up please free them. Free me. I am over it bro.

My propaganda is *drum roll*. Season 4. That's it. I am putting faith in the other haters to submit something coherent. I do not have the energy unfortunately. It is shit now, but would be even more shit if they finish the show endgame. I do not care about them. I want focus on the supernatural plot!! I want focus on characters and conversations that don't revolve around or circle to their relationship! I don't want to see another character to become a mouth peice for Opening Their Eyes and What Really Matters and they'll "Work out." I am exhausted of third parties putting more effort into Mileven than Mike and El themselves. I want them to be their own people because they come off miserable together. They both vocalize their pain and no one that ships them cares! I have never in my years of watching shows have seen such a terrible,boring and annoying couple championed as much as Mileven. Every other canon couple in the show is miles better, yet are over shadowed. They are holding together by Elmer's glue and popsicle sticks. Them being boyfriend and girlfriend means nothing to me when the chemistry is not there. Final propaganda- Most of the more vocal fans are homophobic and go out of their way to harass others.

Two incredibly written characters that have so much potential outside of a relationship. seriously their relationship is absolutely erasing all and any personality that the show gave them separately. That and they're just incredibly toxic, el literally met mike almost first thing after living in a lab her entire life, she has no reason to start a romantic relationship, especially at that age. mike is also super insecure, and using el's love towards him to ease said insecurities. incredibly unhealthy on both sides how this became the main ship of the show absolutely BAFFLES the fuck out of me

[starlightshadowsworld]

The new Hopper

(I had a dream last night and elaborated and wrote it down)

"Yeah Ma I’ve got everything" Said Vance for what felt like the 15th time, not that he was counting.

He wasn’t annoyed though, not his Ma at the very least.

After…everything she had every right to be afraid that he was going to be out of her sight for a while.

Abigail Hopper sighed, running a hand through her own blonde curls and smiled sadly. "I will call you every day before you go to bed, you’ve got your plane ticket.

And your uncle will be waiting for you by the gate. If anything happens, call me as soon as you can and I’ll be there."

Vance smiled a little despite himself, giving his mum a hug. He knew his Ma knew he hated this whole thing, having to stay with some uncle he hadn’t seen since he was a baby in some random fucking town while she had to go away.

Apparently some relative was sick and she was going to go luck after them.

She would have taken Vance but apparently they had a restraining order against him.

Not that Vance remembered who it was nor what he had done.

"I know Ma"

Abigail kissed his forehead "try to make the most of it, and please try not to get into too many fights. And say hi to-" She was interrupted as the gate number was called. Vance bid her goodbye and hopped onto the plane.

At least he had some comics Billy had lent him to pass the time.

Before Vance knew it, they had arrived. He walked slowly to arrivals, wanting some time to himself before having to face the world.

Maybe he sounded like a coward but he was terrified of meeting his uncle.

All he knew about him was that he was supposedly a reformed alcoholic and that he was the chief of police.

Not things that made Vance relax in the slightest.

He’d dealt with enough creepy old men to last him a lifetime.

That’s when he caught sight of a man and little girl holding a sign with "Vance Hopper" written on it.

Vance felt his blood ran cold, gripping his rucksack and suitcase, he wished not for the first time that the others were with him.

What he would do for Bruce’s easy going smile, Robin standing at his side to fight alongside him, Griffin’s steady presence, Billy’s jokes and Finney’s protectiveness.

‘Even if we aren’t with you physically, we’re bound to each other that will never go away’ that’s what Finney had said, Vance hoped he was right.

He took a deep breathe and headed towards the duo.

"Uncle Jimmy?" Asked Vance, raising an eyebrow at the older man. It probably wasn’t wise to antagonise the guy but Vance refused to give the other an edge over him. If this came to a fight he refused to go down.

The man chuckled "Jim, Jim Hopper. And your Vance, nice to meet you kid. Abigail’s told me a lot about you." Vance wondered what exactly his Ma had told the other but just nodded, not shaking the hand offered to him.

If he noticed the ACAB patch on Vance’s jacket, he didn’t mention it.

His uncle didn’t seem perturbed in the slightest, looking at the girl beside him who was looking at Vance like he was some new animal in a zoo.

"Jane, this is your cousin Vance. Vance this is my daughter Jane."

Huh, his Ma hadn’t mentioned that or at least Vance couldn’t remember her mentioning it. The last week had been a whirlwind that had rocked his world, spending more time at Grab N Go and with his friends that being at home.

"You don’t have to be scared, we’re not bad" said Jane, a softness to her eyes. Vance felt himself stand taller, not that he needed to be towered over the kid.

"I’m not afraid of anything" he said, a sharpness in his eyes that had sent many kids running for the hills.

But Jane just smiled.

Who was this kid? Gwen’s long lost twin?

"Well we best get going, you can put your bags in the boot" said Jim, Vance declined his help and put his suitcase in the boot but kept his rucksack with him as he sat in the back of the car.

It wasn’t like it was the first time he had gotten into the back of a cop car.

Vance noticed Jane hopping into the back with him, sitting by the other window.

"There are no bad men here"

He felt himself freeze…he knew his Ma and he knew she wouldn’t have told Jim about any of that without asking him if it was okay first. So this couldn’t be about what…right?

Maybe this kid really was Gwen’s long lost twin.

….or maybe she had seen his penknife that he’d been messing with?

Vance shook his head, ignoring the kid entirely and looking out the window.

"We’re gonna be having dinner with some friends, some of em are around your age" said Jim, Vance merely hummed in response.

It wasn’t like he had a choice.

__________________________

It took everything Vance had to not immediately run off when they arrived at Jim’s supposed home.

A place where no one would find Vance, no one knew he was here….if he screamed no one would find him.

He had his penknife in hand, trying not to show how freaked out he was.

Vance wanted his mum…he wanted his boys…

He couldn’t die here.

Vance kept his rucksack on him, he didn’t want to be parted from it in case something happened and he needed to make a getaway.

He had all his essentials stashed inside just in case. He splashed some water on his face and ran a hand through his a hair.

He was okay.

He would be okay.

Everything was okay.

A knock on the door bought him back to reality, opening the door Vance saw Jane looking up at him "ready?"

He nodded, letting her lead him back to the car. Jim raised an eyebrow at his bag but didn’t say anything as he drove away from the cabin.

The further they got away from that place the better if you asked Vance.

He felt himself relax slightly once he could no longer see that damn place.

The car ride had a heavy silence over it, Jim clearly didn’t know what to say to his nephew and Jane was just content to look out the window.

Not that Vance cared to break the silence, he didn’t know these people and he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

He already missed his friends.

Vance could picture them all sat in the car, Robin would have been ranting about a new horror movie he had seen.

Telling them the plot in great detail with Bruce questioning how he can watch such a thing.

Griffin would be piping up about some movie he’d seen, something a lot less scarier with Finney and Billy asking them both questions that they’d happily answer.

They once went on an hour rant on how Texas Chainsaw Massacre would have been better if Leather head gone into the fashion business.

The smile fell from his face as the car pulled up and stopped in front of a house.

This one a lot less remote and had several other cars around it.

Though one of them was a sleek black van, Vance avoided looking at that one as the trio got out of the car.

Jim knocked on the door and a woman came out, kissing his cheek and smiling at him.

…Okay than.

"And oh El it’s lovely to see you, and you must be Vance. I’m Joyce Byers, it’s lovely to meet you dear." Said Joyce, pulling Vance into a hug before he had a chance to move.

He froze but she was patient, her smile one of a mother one that reminded him of his Ma and so he slowly hugged her back.

"Er…yeah, hi Mrs Byers." Vance said awkwardly, Joyce chuckled "oh none of that now, it’s just Joyce dear. Now come in, come in. I’m afraid we started early, you know what the kids are like."

Jane ran into the living room, a wide smile on her face as she sat with a girl with fiery red hair who smiled back at her.

Vance stepped in behind her, feeling eyes on him. He stood tall, hiding any of the unease on his face and straightened his posture like he was going into a fight.

Vance would be damned if anyone here tried to make him feel small or afraid, if any of them saw how uneasy he felt to be here.

"Did one of you lil shirts clone Billy while I wasn’t watching?" Asked one of em who looked a tad familiar, with a teasing grin on his face as he eyed Vance who glared at him.

The boy than eeped as he was elbowed in the side and dramatically fell off the sofa by a girl who looked somewhat familiar.

"Eddie! Don’t be rude!"

"Jesus H Christ Buckley, why do you have the boniest elbows in all of Hawkins?!"

"I’ll show you boney elbows Munson!"

"Both of you get up!"

"….yes Nancy!"

Nancy gave Vance an apologetic smile "sorry about them, we were supposed to have a better first impression but they didn’t get the memo. I’m Nancy, this is Eddie, Robin, Jonathan, Argyle" she pointed to the two obviously stoned duo in the corner. "And st-"

"Vance!"

Vance paused, looking to the last of the older kids. His hair was different but retained its old curls, he was wearing some polo that he’d never have worn before…but Vance would recognise that voice anywhere.

"Finney?!"

That’s all it took for Finney to tackle him into a hug and send them both falling to the ground.

"Your here! Your actually here! Holy shit your here Vance!" Yelled Finney, excitedly his smile wide and happy in a way no one in the room had ever seen him look before.

"Finney…how, how the fuck…you sneaky little motherfucker!" Yelled Vance, pushing him off and sitting on the floor before hugging him close.

"Oh man, is pinball Vance Hopper excited to see little ol me" giggled Finney with a cheeky grin.

It melted into a genuine one when he saw the tears on Vance’s face.

"I forgot…fuck I forgot this is where those assholes sent you…"

How had he forgotten….how had Vance forgotten where one of his best friends had been shipped off too.

Finney softened, hugging Vance close and Vance let himself melt into it. All the stress and fear of the day melting away in his friends warm embrace.

Finney was like that, warm and kind.

"It’s all good, I didn’t say I’d be here…here because I wanted to surprise you, so o told your mum to keep it a secret. Heh, I’m just happy your here. I’ve missed you assholes so much." He said, eyes shiniing with tears that Vance gently wiped away.

"Us 2…wait…those motherfuckers they knew all along!" Growled Vance.

No wonder they’d all put "secret" stuff in his bag that "he’d know what to do when he got here"…they were talking about Finney!

Which sent said boy down in fits of laughter.

Vance smirked, before grabbing him into a noogie.

"You mischievous little shits, going behind my back to trick me!"

"Vance! Lemme gooo!!!"

Laughed Finney, trying to get away but Vance holding him in place.

"Nope, never your staying right here Finney Elias Blake!"

"How did you…Gwen…ugh get off me you big lump!"

"Not till you say sorry!" Sang Vance, ruffling Finney’s hair and making him eep and try and wiggle away to no avail.

"Vance Caleb Hopper!"

"…Who the fuck told you that?!"

"Bruce"

"…that asshole!"

Finney used Vance’s distraction to wiggle out of his hold and wrestle him to the ground.

The other blinked before grinning widely and they both began rolling around laughing as they wrestled each other.

"What the hell is going on in here?!"

Finney felt Vance stiffen and held him close as Jim and Joyce walked in. "This doesn’t sound like people eating dinner, and what are you too doing on the floor.

I hope you aren’t getting into any fights already kid."

"Hey! Leave him alone Hop!"

"You stay out of this Harrington."

"Harrington?" Asked Vance and Finney sighed "yeah it’s my aunt and uncles last name, made me change it. Here I’m called Steve Harrington."

Vance snorted "sounds like some bitch kid I’d beat up outside Grab N Go."

Finney snorted "right!"

Vance looked up at the very confused Jim Hopper, slinging an arm around Finney "could’ve told me one of my best friends was gonna be here, Uncle Jimmy."

Finney snorted, copying his action and looking up at the chief. "Yeah Hop, didn’t Ms Hopper tell you about Finney Blake?"

Jim looked between the two of them "….no…that can’t be you…"

"Wow Cheif that really stings you know, I know you guys think I’m stupid but I know who I am." Scoffed Steve, Vance’s eyes widened before gaining a dangerous glint.

"Who the fuck said you were stupid Finney?!" He said, his tone dangerous. Finney snorted, curling up beside him "who doesn’t everyone says it aleast 6 times a day maybe that’s my name instead?"

Vance held him close, hugging him "you point em out to me and I’ll sort em out."

"Vance you can’t"

"I think you’ll find I can, hell I’ll call the others and they’ll be on their way. Sure Bruce and Robin will wanna hear this."

Finney shook his head but their was a fond smile on his face, knowing that all his bois would be there with Gwen to defend his honour and kick ass if anyone tried to hurt him.

"…okay what the fuck is going on?!"

[steddie-fanfic-recs]

Love, Drift & Monsters

by corrodedbisexual (mishabawlins)

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington & Eddie Munson & The Party, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, Barbara "Barb" Holland, Jonathan Byers, Argyle (Stranger Things), Jim "Chief" Hopper, Eleven | Jane Hopper, The Party (Stranger Things), Sam Owens (Stranger Things) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Action/Adventure, Action & Romance, Slow Romance, Light Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Slow Burn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Drift Compatibility (Pacific Rim), Minor Character Death, RIP Chrissy Cunningham, POV Eddie Munson, POV Steve Harrington, POV Alternating, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Bisexual Eddie Munson, Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Steddie Big Bang 2023 (Stranger Things), Eventual Happy Ending, Scars, Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Grief/Mourning, Recreational Drug Use, Dungeons & Dragons References, Dorks in Love, Mutual Pining, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys Kissing, Blow Jobs, Anal Sex, Nightmares, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Dry Humping Words: 40,275 Chapters: 12/12

Summary

Ranger Steven Harrington, a novice Jaeger pilot at the PPDC base in LA, has yet to be paired up with a co-pilot. Ranger Edward Munson, just recently transferred, has already seen his fair share of combat at the other side of the Pacific. Despite starting off on the wrong foot, Eddie and Steve turn out to be Drift compatible. With the memory of recently losing his previous co-pilot and best friend still fresh in his mind, Eddie is far from the easiest person to establish a stable Drift with. However, Steve is determined to make it work, remaining patient and helpful with overcoming Eddie’s earlier trauma. Day after day, mission after mission, one shared memory after another, they grow closer, eventually developing feelings for each other that are becoming impossible to deny, or hide from one another; for in the Drift, there is no space for secrets. Meanwhile, just a few floors below, in the restricted area of the base, a plan is being conceived. One that involves a young girl who can do the impossible, and might just be the only hope for humanity's salvation…

[plussizefantasia]

What More?

Flufftober Day 8: Rainy Days

Jim Hopper x reader, El Hopper & Reader

Word Count: 0.9k

AN: I really like how this one turned out! I love it when I'm able to kind of switch POVs like I did in this one. If you enjoyed reading this or any of the other flufftober fics I've put out, please support me by reblogging! Anyway, See y'all tomorrow.

divider credit @royallaesthetics

When you woke up this morning it was to the sound of rain pattering against the roof of Hop’s cabin and the man himself gone from the bed you shared. You treasure the rain, Hop thinks it's kind of ridiculous how much you love the rain. When it was storming you would stop whatever you were doing and sit at the window with a blanket while you watched the downpour.

 Today is no different, when you hear the shower outside you drag yourself out of bed. Taking the covers with you and walking into the bigger room of the cabin that held Hopper's big laz-y-boy chair and your own plush chair that you brought when you moved into his place. When you walked into the living room you were pleasantly surprised to see Jim already there. Holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hands and leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Mornin’” He called, sipping from his own mug and lifting the one next to him on the counter. “When I heard the rain I figured that you’d want to sit and watch it come down. Made you some coffee.” You took the mug from his hand and took a sip. It was exactly the way you liked it and your heart swelled with affection for the gruff man that you loved.

“Thanks, Hop,” you pushed yourself up on your toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Is Jane up yet?” You asked. 

“No, figured I’d let her sleep in. Don’t have much to do today.” 

“Well if you don’t have anything to do, would you want to sit and watch the rain with me?” You made your eyes bigger in the way you knew he couldn’t say no to and pushed your bottom lip out. “We could cuddle. And I could play with your hair the way you always say you don’t like but I know you really do?” Your offer was becoming even more difficult to refuse. 

The sigh that your man let out was both defeated and adoring and you did a little happy dance in the kitchen when you realized you had won.

“Could you pull your chair over here so we can look out the window?” you asked pulling out the pouty look again. 

Jim grumbled but acquiesced. When the large recliner was in the perfect position you grabbed him arm and pushed him down into the seat. Swiftly gripping your blanket and softly launching yourself into his lap.

Almost instantly his arms wrapped around you and you rested your head on the shoulder. 

The silence between you and Jim was always comfortable. He had said that he was too old for mindless chatter and you didn’t like speaking unless you had something that needed to be said.

It could have been minutes or hours you have no idea, but eventually, you were joined in the chair by a curly-headed teenager still in her pjs. The chair wasn’t necessarily big enough for the three of you, but you would actually die before marking her get up and switch chairs.

Instead, you just pulled her closer to you and made sure she was comfortable with you both.

“I like the rain” she had softly whispered. And Jim let out an almost silent groan, mumbling into your neck about how you “corrupted his daughter”. You could only softly smile and try to stop yourself from imagining all of the future rain showers you’ll get to watch with your girl. 

El never thought she would want another mom, she had really only met hers once but it seemed like it was enough. At least until you came into her life. She admired your strength, how you didn’t seem to care what others said, and how you yelled at Billy Hargrove for a full hour when you’d heard about how he had tormented her friends three years ago.

She didn’t think she would want another mom until she got one and now she never wanted to let you go.

Eventually though, after the third or fourth time, her stomach growled Hop made all of you move yourselves to the kitchen for a late breakfast which consisted of some buttermilk eggos for each of you. El topped hers with chocolate syrup, Hop topped his with some peanut butter and you added applesauce and honey. 

Slowly the three of you ate and discussed plans for the upcoming week, who would drive El where. When Hop had the late shifts and what you’d need to pick up for groceries that week. 

It was completely mundane and Jim couldn’t help but wonder if this is what his life would be like now. Now that there weren’t monsters to kill, Russians to defeat, or a little girl that needed to be kept hidden.

He wanted his life to be like this until he died. Lazy mornings with the girls he loves, talking about nothing and everything at the same time. Watching the way your eyes lit up when you watched the rain fall.

It was all worth it, he thinks. Because now he gets rainy days like this, and really, what more could he ask for?

[miano-oscarwilde]

Bring Kali back. She's hot and I have a request to her and Max. Either one of you please save my El from people who curse her behind the words "I like El but ...blah blah...Will and Mike blah blah" well I think that El is better off without Mike too but my girl gets what she wants. If she wants to be with Mike (before they break up) I support her. She's just begun socializing. She's like a child and she tries to impress Mike by telling lies, she becomes defensive and doubts Mike in the smashing Angela's nose incident. (I loved it. I'll Smash her butt next if she ever tries to humiliate you again El). I can tell that it's her lack of maturity that makes her do these. She loved kissing Mike inside her room, no dad will allow it. When Hopper did what he can she went against him. She is just a child who is stubborn and possessive. Even if you think I'm wrong leave her alone. M*leven right? All your disguised El hate makes me sick.

I'm in no one's party. El is the main character and my favourite character and nothing else concerns me. I will never defend myself saying that "I love byler but...". Let it happen but by doing so, don't curse El. Remember that it was Mike who told her first that he likes her. Curse him. It was he who HURT WILL by saying "what did you think? You thought we'd all Still be playing with you like kids? We're grown up and have girl friends now. It's not my fault that you can't be like that"- something like this. Curse him. Why are you always targeting Jane? And in that scene they even made us feel bad for Will, like when he said as will the wise "don't go, it's a trap" when El was calling Mike. They all left him. It was so sad. People read it as "if El hadn't interrupted them Mike would have played with Will and they'd be always together". The problem is not El here. It's Mike's mind.

[kamii22]

~welcome to my account~

i’m kami and im currently obsessed with life is strange but i write for multiple fandoms (my obsession changes a lot)

main account: @kamii-2

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requests: CLOSED

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masterlists

life is strange (currently no masterlist/stories)

stranger things (currently no masterlists/stories)

outerbanks (currently no masterlists/stories)

wednesday (currently no masterlists/stories)

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things about me

lesbian

im 18

mixed (black & white)

i’m learning spanish 😛

i’m active every once and a while

rules for requesting

will write: smut, fluff, angst, homophobia, racism (to a extent bc it’s the olden days and it very much did exist), death, light/kind of hard kinks

won’t write: sexual assault, pedophilia, death, incest, hardcore kinks (piss,shit,puke, etc.), threesomes (bc im not that good at writing yet)

pairings: girl x girl, boy x boy, girl x boy, platonic relationships, sibling relationships, character x character, character x reader

please be patient if you send in a request and it doesn’t come out in a day or two, i have a life outside of tumblr

I WILL NOT WRITE SMUT/SEXUAL CONTENT FOR PEOPLE UNDER 16 , THE MOST I WILL WRITE IS MAKING OUT/KISSING

who/what i write for

life is strange (requests open)

characters: max caulfield, chloe price, rachel amber, victoria chase, warren graham, steph gringrich, kate marsh, nathan prescott, mark jefferson

stranger things (requests closed)

characters: robin buckley, steve harrington, eddie munson, jonathan byers, nancy wheeler, joyce byers, tim hopper, argyle, billy hargrove, eleven hopper/jane hopper, will byers, mike wheeler, max mayfield, lucas sinclair, dustin henderson

outer banks (requests closed)

characters: john b, kiara carrera, jj maybank, pope heyward, sarah cameron, cleo, rafe cameron, topper, barry

wednesday (requests closed)

characters: wednesday addams, enid sinclair, tyler galpin, xavier thorpe, bianca barclay, ajax petropolus, eugene ottinger

types of things i write

headcannons

fics

incorrect quotes

blurb

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[mariluvvs]

you're no good for me (but baby i want you)

A slim boy who seems like he’s average height steps into the room. He has straight caramel hair and hazel eyes accompanied with eyelashes that girls would be a hundred percent jealous of. The uniform suits him perfectly, in Mike’s opinion, even if the navy blazer reaches up to his thumb and oh my god Mike could not tear his eyes away from him even if he is held at gunpoint.

-

Mike Wheeler is a typical rich boy you'd see on TV. He attends USA's most prestigious boarding school, which is actually bullshit in Mike's opinion. He's begged his father for years to take him out, but he refuses. Though Mike thinks it's not so bad anymore after meeting his past secret admirer, Jane El Hopper's, stepbrother Will Byers. Not long after they meet, Mike and Will are already trading kisses in secrecy. Mike tells himself it's just 'casual' and they'll eventually get bored. Because Mike cannot keep telling his heart that he feels nothing for Will.

[padme789]

This story is rated M Blink & She's Gone Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler Characters: Nancy Wheeler, Robin Buckley, Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Maxine “Max” Mayfield, Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Will Byers, Jonathan Byers, Karen Wheeler, Holly Wheeler, Vickie (Stranger Things), Tammy Thompson Additional Tags:Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler in Love, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends, Robin Buckley is a Vampire, Steve Harrington Eddie Munson and Chrissy Cunningham are Vampires too, Vampires, Bisexual Nancy Wheeler, Underworld Vampires, Buffy the Vampire Slayer References, Vampire Bites, Blood Drinking, Mild Sexual Content, Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things)Hurt/Comfort, Human/Vampire Relationship Possible Series in the future

Blink & She's Gone

Summary: That time when Robin was a Vampire. A few different instants involving Robin as a vampire.

Nancy is 18-20yrs old during the different points in time.

Excerpts:

The petite brunette pulled at the strap of her tank top, exposing her neck and clavicle, even letting a bit of her braless breast reveal itself, teasing the creature Robin let free.

The vampire watched, stunned, but before it could react, a hand gripped her blonde hair, slamming her face into flesh.

Time stopped.

Nancy heard as the fangs pierced through her skin. She felt weightless as they fell onto Robin’s rug. She listened to the vampire murmur pleased as it lapped at the wound. Nancy started to squirm, and Robin locked herself above the woman. One leg between Nancy’s, the other wrapping at her hip. She held firm to the brunette’s head, keeping it still as she pushed her fangs down, releasing more blood. Nancy reached out, delirious of the direction they lay in the space. Robin -pushed forward her leg, rolling her hips into the brunette.

The brunette released a panting inhale.

-

"Over here. This is the best we can do!" yelled Murray, backing away to allow Eddie to practically throw the petite brunette onto the two tables.

Chrissy rushed to Nancy's other side. She eyed Eddie, who nodded, and with their inhuman strength, the two took hold of an arm and leg on either side of the brunette.

Robin watched a tall, very tall, practically a tree of a teenager step close only to recoil and pull at his hair in a panic when Nancy began to convulse again. That must be the brunette's brother. What was his name? She watched Lucas Sinclaire. Like Dustin Henderson, he had a crush on Max and fawned for Steve, thinking the dingus was the coolest. She saw Joyce's two sons, Jonathan, hovering between his mother and the tables. Will near his friends but close to his mother, just like his older brother. Were they waiting for instructions? And, the girl, the one taken by Hopper. Meaning she was living with the Byers as well. There had to be two others. Robin's sure she heard eleven sets of feet running the long hall connected to The Hideout's locked-in loading space.

"I broke the seal. You should be able to use everything you need without any issues," said a jarringly calm voice. She was speaking to Joyce.

-

Yet, the kiss was over just as soon as it started. Robin turned, facing the wall, as she closed her eyes and mouth. She noticed the open window. It was an easy distance, but a hand on her arm turned her around. Her eyes opened revealing a bright, incandescent blue looking color almost white-hot. With fangs from behind her lips.

Nancy never said a word, her hand touching the tall blonde’s cheekbone. She took in the blonde’s new features.

Robin pulled away, and then, in a blink, she was gone.

-

Tammy waved her hands. “You two were at each other’s throats. Granted, Rob had been glamoured to think she was Amelia from ages ago. I still can’t believe that bitch was able to glamour two vampires. She must be crazy powerful when she’s not split in half,” she whistled. “Anyway, you two were inches from killing each other. Now you’re making those lovey-dovey eyes that drove Vickie crazy. Like nothing happened. If I didn’t have my own problems, I might smile about that. It’s sweet.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” spat Nancy, a defensiveness to her voice as she looked over a glass case illuminated by the outside lampposts.

Robin glanced at the list over Nancy’s shoulder and stepped to another case, scanning its contents.

“Sure, I do,” continued Tammy. “You’re just friends.” She finished in a voice with overly intense air quotes.

[eightfifteen]

Silly little Mike and Will in the Regency era AU (I'm thinking Emma by Jane Austin) that is dear to my heart - ignoring the historical shit going on at the time because I'm not a historian or an American. i'm here for vibes only.

The party grew up in a country town not too far from the city, where the Wheelers could man a mansion while Ted could still commute in for work.

Will lived closed by on one of the Wheelers' mills and quickly became friends with young Mike who kept running away to the Byers' mill to hide from his tutors/nannies.

Karen decided to just let Will study along with Mike because it's literally the only way Mike got anything done.

Eventually, Lucas and Dustin, son of the blacksmith and seamstress/saloon owner respectively, join their little study party.

When Will turned 15, the Byers' moved to the city because Joyce married Hopper. It was as tearful a goodbye as you can imagine. Mike tried going into the city with his dad for a few times to see Will, but eventually it stopped happening.

After Will left, and the party lost all contact with him, Mike became way more withdrawn and depressed.

Eventually at age 20, The Wheelers want Mike to marry and they have the perfect candidate. A certain Jane Brenner from a town not far away. They hire a portrait painter to sent her a portrait of Mike.

Mike comes downstairs one day, already in a horrible mood because he's supposed to sit down for a portrait for hours to send to some girl he's never even met before that he's supposed to marry, only to find Will standing in the foyer.

Mike is stunned.

Karen is already chatting with Will, happy to see him again and baffle in the coincidence of the portrait painter sending his apprentice. (it's not a coincidence. she planned this because she could tell Mike needed his friend.)

They're awkward at first, unsure of how to act. There's rules after all and Mike knows even a simple hug would be too much for him.

They reconnect while Will paints him, spending hours together every day getting the portrait done, and spending the nights chatting by the fire (as Will is staying at the Wheelers' for the time it takes him to finish the portrait).

It doesn't take much for everyone to notice how Mike brightens again, how he's happier than he's been in a very long time.

Will of course also gets to reunite with the party, who are just as excited to see him. It's no surprise that Lucas is already engaged to Max and that Will has just missed the engagement announcement that had been sent out to the Byers' home.

One night, after a night of drinking some wine and laughing a little bit too much, the tension between Mike and Will finally breaks, kissing each other like it's their dying breath.

They spend their last week wrapped up in each other, enjoying every secret minute they can get together until they can't possibly pretend the portrait hasn't long been finished.

Eventually, the portrait is sent out and Will has to leave again, but they both have more incentive now to continue finding ways to visit each other. Mike is working with his father anyway, learning out in the city so it's easier to meet up more frequently.

Months later miss Jane comes to visit and make the engagement official. Once again, the painter is invited as well to commemorate the first meeting.

Mike gets engaged as he's supposed to. Jane is nice enough. Polite, yet shy, and even Will gets along better with her than he'd thought he would despite the jealousy.

They both know there's no other option for the both of them.

Except, a few weeks into their engagement, the night before the wedding, Jane catches them together.

Mike and Will are terrified, but it's Jane that begs Mike not to break off the engagement.

Jane asks to strike a deal; she won't say anything either way, but if they get married, she'll help them hide their relationship. In turn, she gets to be Mike's Wife instead of Brenner's Daughter.

It doesn't take much for Mike and Will to understand that Brenner is not a nice a man as a seems to everyone else, and she just wants to get out of an abusive situation so they all agree.

They're all super nervous for the wedding the next day, and as much as Will hated watching Mike marry someone else, he was best man, and that very evening, as promised, Mike gets to fall asleep next to Will instead of Jane.

Mike and Jane's marital home is not far from the Wheelers' manor, and it's big and spacious. Jane takes up so many hobbies - always trying something new - and they all become great friends.

Brenner still keeps bugging them, but then Jane provides some information to Will, who passes it on to Hopper and suddenly Brenner is getting arrested for some fraud/inhumane practices or whatever.

In the process, Hopper and Jane become closer.

They barely have to pretend, all very easily affectionate with each other, and Will and Mike are often in the city for work, meaning that Will isn't there often enough to stir too much suspicion.

Even if Will were to be there a little too much, no one would bat their eyes because Will and Jane very obviously love each other like siblings, and Jane and Mike have such great affection for each other that no one would doubt their "love".

And the entire Byers family is very adamant of having adopted Jane, despite her already being a married woman.

They're all very grateful for each other and love each other dearly.

The End.