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estrellami-1 · 1 year

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The Bet

So @artiststarme wrote this blurb about the boys’ first serious argument being about how Steve doesn’t like Ozzy Osbourne. I was on my KNEES in the comment section asking if I could flesh it out, and this is the result. I hope you like it!! ❤️

The thing is, they actually have a really healthy relationship.

Everyone mentions it, whether in response to how similar it is to something their parents do, or something the complete opposite of what their parents do.

“Wait,” Max said once. “Weren’t you just arguing?”

Steve and Eddie looked at each other. “We disagreed,” Steve started cautiously. “That doesn’t mean we were arguing or fighting. Sometimes a disagreement doesn’t end in yelling, y’know? Actually it never has to end in yelling, but people are messy and emotional and that’s what it usually ends up as. But… no. We weren’t really arguing.”

Mike narrowed his eyes at Steve when he came to watch Hellfire once. “What’re you doing here?”

Steve shrugged, smiling. “Watching.”

“Why? You don’t even like D&D.”

“I don’t hate it. And Eddie likes it. We make time to engage in things the other likes. Share interests.”

Mike’s nose wrinkled as he thought about it. “Share interests?”

“That is what I said. He watches basketball with me. Can’t tell me a single thing about it, but he watches and gets excited whenever I do.”

“And we share music with each other,” Eddie added, smirking. “Stevie here’s officially a fan of Dio.”

The thing is, they don’t really argue. It gets to the point where people are starting to bet on when and what their first fight would be about.

Eddie brings it up during band practice one day. “I just don’t get it,” he says. “Steve and I have, arguably, the healthiest relationship out of anybody we know, and now everyone’s fucking betting on our first argument? Do they want us to fight? Do they want us to break up?”

“I mean,” Jeff starts cautiously, “You two are an unlikely pair. He’s part of the group that bullied us in high school. You two couldn’t really be more different if you tried. Like, I get that opposites attract or whatever, but some similarities could be a good thing, y’know?”

Eddie stares for a minute, then abruptly says, “Okay, so I’m not sure about the key on the first song,” and that’s it. Band practice continues.

Eddie, however, is stuck on that moment. He thinks about it all the way home, is preoccupied enough that Steve surprises him when he walks over and slides a hand over his back. “Eds?”

Eddie jumps slightly before turning to face Steve, inadvertently dislodging the hand on his back. “Steve?” Steve stays quiet, lets him think, put the words in the right order. “Do… do you think we’re too different?”

Steve jerks back in shock. “What? Eddie, where is this coming from?”

Eddie shakes his head, sighs, drags fingers through his hair. Won’t meet Steve’s eyes. “No, sorry, it’s stupid, just drop it.”

Steve ducks to catch his gaze, smiling hopefully up at him. “Hey. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“I know,” Eddie says, then turns around. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing if it’s bothering you,” Steve returns. “To answer your question, though… I don’t think we’re too different. I mean, We’re working out pretty fine right now. We communicate, we work out our problems… we love each other, plain and simple. We try to get into each others interests. Sure, there are probably things each of us will never really love—you and basketball, for example, and I just don’t understand the hype surrounding Ozzy Osbourne—but-”

“Wait,” Eddie interrupts, brows furrowing. “You don’t get the hype surrounding Ozzy Osbourne?”

Steve shrugs. “No, not really. I don’t like his music.”

“Oh, that- that’s great.” He huffs a hysterical laugh and begins to pace. “I play him constantly, Steve, and you’ve never once said anything?”

“I don’t-”

“And if that’s a lie, what else? D&D? Metallica? Dio?”

“That’s not-”

“Hell, I told Mike that you liked Dio! Was that a lie?”

“No, it-”

“Do I have to go to Mike fuckin’ Wheeler and tell him I lied? Because you don’t tell me things like ‘I don’t like Ozzy Osbourne’?”

“It’s called being in a relationship,” Steve says, louder than either of them had been up to that point. “And I could say the same of you! I know you hate sports. I know you don’t understand basketball and you think football is boring. You refuse to run with me. I know you don’t like it but I thought that’s part of loving each other. Doing so in spite of everything we don’t like. Or has it all been an act for you? Is it all a character you’re playing?” He snaps his mouth shut, takes a few deep breaths, and shakes his head. “I’m going home. Come to me when you’re ready to talk, instead of throwing accusations at me.”

And there Eddie’s left, gripping onto the kitchen counter, watching as Steve walks out the door.

A few days later, Robin Buckley storms in. “Edward Munson, what the hell did you do?”

“Whoa there, missy,” Wayne says. “What’s got you up in a huff?”

Robin does, indeed, huff. “Eddie upset Steve.”

Wayne raises a brow, considers her, then nods. “How about a cup of tea after you’re done yellin’ at him?”

Robin stops short, thinks about it, and nods. “That would be nice. Thank you.”

Wayne just chuckles and shoos her in the direction of Eddie’s room.

She slams the door open, watching as Eddie jumps a foot into the air, his wide eyes opening even wider as he realizes who he’s looking at. “Yeah, dipshit, it’s me,” she says, crossing her arms. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Do you know how upset Steve is? He doesn’t know if he’s still your boyfriend, and I’m honestly considering telling him to end it now. What the hell could’ve happened to make you avoid him like you’ve been doing? You and I may be friends, but Steve and I are platonic-with-a-capital-p soulmates, and he’ll always come first.”

Eddie gapes at her. “I- he-” he groans and buries his head in his hands. “I fucked up, didn’t I?”

“Majorly,” Robin agrees. “I’ve half a mind to not let you see him, actually, except I know how sneaky you are, and I know you’d find a way regardless. If you thought it was important enough.”

“If-” Eddie gapes again. “He’s the most important thing. I was upset, and I took some things to heart that I really shouldn’t have, and oh, holy shit, I need to talk to him-”

Robin nods approvingly. “Go fix it, Munson.” She leans casually against his doorframe, then says as if completely changing the topic, “y’know, Nancy’s been teaching me to shoot. It’s fun.”

Eddie pales appropriately. “Robin Buckley, you are the scariest woman on the planet, second only to Nancy, and no one deserves you,” he says seriously, laughing when she nods.

Robin wanders back out to the kitchen, where Wayne hands her a mug with a grin. “Heard you gave ‘im hell.”

“Yup,” Robin answers. “He’s gonna go fix it. If he doesn’t, I hope you’ll be okay living on your own.”

Wayne shrugs, an amused twist to his mouth. “I survived thirty-eight years on my own. I think I can do it again.”

“Good,” Robin says, and that’s that, and they both turn to watch as Eddie races out the door.

“Shit shit shit,” Eddie mutters as he throws himself into the driver’s seat. He turns the car on and curses again as fucking Ozzy Osbourne blasts through the speakers. He ejects the tape and tossed it behind him, prepared to sit in silence on the way to Steve’s.

Eleven and a half minutes later, Eddie pulls up to Steve’s house and knocks on the door, shifting impatiently.

Steve opens the door twenty-seven seconds later, and twelve minutes after leaving his house, Eddie says, “I’m so sorry.”

It’s the first thing out of his mouth, flying out practically without permission. There was a plan, a script, but he sees Steve’s hazel eyes and forgets everything he’d ever known.

Steve regards him, then nods and moves aside, inviting him in with a wave of his hand.

“I got really insecure about something and exploded instead of just talking it through,” Eddie continues. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any of what I said. I just-” he tears a hand through his hair, makes a frustrated sound.

Steve gently touches his arm, gets his hand out of his hair, directs him to sit on a couch. “I know,” he says quietly, then sighs. “And I owe you an apology. It takes two to argue. I shouldn’t have gotten riled up when you did. It didn’t help anything.”

“This isn’t your fault,” Eddie whispers, desperate to make him understand. “Stevie. This is completely on me.”

“How about we start over?” Steve suggests. “You asked if we were too different. Where’d you get that idea?”

“The band,” Eddie admits. “I was thinking out loud, wondering why everyone had started a betting pool on our first argument, and Jeff said that he thinks it’s because we’re really different. And then I kept thinking about it and got insecure about it. And then you said what you did, about not liking Ozzy, and that really got me insecure because that was the first real compliment I gave you.” Steve blinks, confused. “In the Upside Down? He bit a bat’s head off onstage?”

“Oh, shit,” Steve whispers, understanding trickling in.

“So I thought- I don’t know what I thought. I guess I thought it was all fake, that since you didn’t like or accept the compliment, or whatever…” he shakes his head. “It really is stupid. And I’m so sorry I let it go so far.”

Steve sighs. “And I’m sorry. I’d completely forgotten about that complement. I do know how much that means to you, though. And I might not like the guy’s music, but I’ve got no opinions on the man himself. I guess I should’ve specified. And like I said earlier, I never should’ve risen to the bait. I never should’ve said what I did about sports and exercise. So I’m sorry, too.” He holds a tentative hand up, and Eddie pushes it out of the way in favor of wrapping his arms around Steve, who huffs a laugh and returns the gesture. “Love you, Eds,” he murmurs.

“Love you, Stevie. ‘M sorry.”

“‘S alright. I’m sorry too.”

“‘S alright.” They both giggle and pull back a bit, just to lean in again and press their lips together.

“Next time we talk about it,” Steve mutters after they pull apart.

“Agreed,” Eddie says, then pauses. “So who do you think won the bet about our first argument?”

Permanent Taglist:

@justforthedead89 @ilovecupcakesandtea @madigoround @bookbinderbitch @suddenlyinlove @nburkhardt @artiststarme

#stranger things #stranger things fic #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #wayne munson #robin buckley #Wayne and Robin #that’s not a tag yet which is a TRAVESTY #misunderstanding #miscommunication #fights #arguments #idek how to tag this #read op’s first #op I’m so sorry I forgot the blue icee #I hope you like it anyways #starambles

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stevesbipanic · 2 years

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Imagine if Mrs Henderson leaves Hawkins after Season 4 and Steve manages to persuade her to let Dustin live with him. This means Eddie is always popping up at Steve's house (because I refuse to accept the finale episode) so much so that he basically lives there as well.

Claudia didn't want to leave Hawkins, this was her home, but her mother needed a full time carer and they couldn't afford to put her in a home and they couldn't risk moving her interstate.

"Mom I don't want to move! My friends are here!"

"I know Dusty but I don't have any other option!"

"I hate you!" Dustin yells and runs out the door, jumping on the bike and riding to the only place he can think of.

"Dustin, you shouldn't have said that to your mom, but I understand how moving could be really hard," Steve says rubbing Dustin's back as he cries into Steve's shirt.

"I know but I can't leave you guys, what if something happens?" And this is something Steve understands all too well, he couldn't imagine leaving Hawkins while the kids are still here.

"Let me talk with her."

And that's how Steve Harrington ended up as the temporary guardian of one Dustin Henderson.

Steve doesn't really notice much of a change in routine, Dustin and the other kids were already around so much anyway now that Steve had moved out of his parents house and into an apartment. Dustin took up residence in the guest room and it was nice to have someone in the house all the time. They'd always eat dinner with each other and Steve packed him lunches for school and helped with homework where he could.

The thing this new arrangement does lead to is a lot more Eddie. He's always over now, doing something with Dustin or just to hang out. Not that Steve minds, he and Eddie had grown much closer since Vecna. Eddie had been making it his life mission to educate Steve on need culture which Dustin took a lot of joy in helping with.

"I have seen this movie you know."

"You called the Ewoks teddy bears Stevie were watching it again.

It's a couple months into Dustin living with Steve when the nickname 'Mom' towards Steve becomes less of a joke amongst the party and more Dustin just always calling him that. Steve doesn't mind though, it makes him feel loved.

Things with Eddie had also changed, now instead of crashing in the couch whenever he visited he slept in Steve's bed instead.

"There's enough room for both of us Eds I splurged for a queen we might as well make use."

"Damn is that the line you use on all the ladies, sweetheart?"

Eddie now has a drawer of clothes in with Steve's which is quickly becoming just a mix of both of their clothes since Eddie steals Steve's sweaters and Steve steals Eddie's band shirts.

Dustin starts calling Eddie dad after month four.

Even Robin starts commenting how they're like a little family of three.

It's Steve that brings it up to Eddie one day when Dustin is over at the Wheelers and Eddie is lounging with his head in Steve's lap while Steve plays with his hair.

"Why don't you just stay?"

"I already said I'd crash tonight?"

"No I mean like, what if you moved in?"

"Ok Stevie"

Neither comments how there's not another room and that when Eddie does move in his stuff finds a place between Steve's and that they're still sharing a bed.

It all comes to a conclusion one day when Dustin is out and Eddie is heading off to work at the mechanic and Steve has packed him a lunch which Eddie almost forgets to take.

"Wait Eddie, don't forget your lunch,"

"Thanks baby what would I do without you,"

And Eddie kisses him as if that's just what they do as if it's what they've always done and not a world shattering kiss for Steve. When Eddie's brain catches up to him he looks at Steve nervously, but he doesn't have to worry long before Steve is pulling him in for a proper kiss.

This is of course when Dustin arrives home.

"Finally, now my mom and dad can be together for once"

And their little family becomes a little more whole.

#ty for this prompt!#had to think of a reasonable way for claudia to leave #stranger things #steddie #dustins dads #mama steve #steve harrington #eddie munson #dustin henderson #ficlet #steddie ficlet

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eskawrites · 2 years

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Anyway Nancy hates cooking because she isn’t naturally good at it. There are very few things Nancy isn’t naturally good at, so when she’s 8 years old and accidentally dumps too much salt into the pan—and when Ted mutters something about how the food is inedible, despite Karen’s pointed praise of how Nancy made them dinner—she decides she’s never going to cook again.

That’s unrealistic, of course. Her mom all but forces her to help out in the kitchen, no matter how much it stresses out little 8, 10, 12 year old Nancy. She can chop vegetables and stir pots, but she refuses to touch the seasonings.

Once she’s a teenager, and her parents start leaving her to watch Mike and Holly once in a while, she finds herself floundering even more in the kitchen. After burning eggs, letting pasta boil over, and nearly poisoning her siblings with undercooked chicken, Karen starts making sure she always leaves leftovers if she and Ted are going out. It might be her imagination, but 14 year old Nancy swears her mother gives her a disappointed look every time she points out the leftovers in the fridge.

And once when she’s 16 and spending a rare night alone, she steps into the kitchen, determined to do this right at least once in her life. She ends up with little burns on her arms and a small cut on her thumb, frantically opening windows to get rid of the smoke. She gives up, fighting back angry tears as she cleans the dishes so no one knows she was even there. She goes to bed without eating at all.

Meanwhile you have Robin, who doesn’t really think she’s naturally talented at anything (even though she very much is) and so she doesn’t mind being bad at something at first. She’s creative and flexible, and the last thing she expects is perfection. If she messes something up in the kitchen—which she does, often—then she either comes up with a way to fix it or she tries again. She also has plenty of time on her hands with her parents either working or hanging out with friends so often. Her mother teaches her a few basic recipes, and by the time she’s 10, her parents deem her competent enough to feed herself whenever.

So she does. And, because she’s Robin and she gets bored easily, she makes a habit of finding new recipes whenever she can. She cuts them out of magazines or memorizes the ones she overhears other women sharing. Some of them take a few tries, but the more she learns, the more she enjoys cooking.

She loves it even more when she can share what she cooks with someone else. Once she learns Steve only gets home cooked meals when he has dinner with Dustin and Mrs. Henderson, she makes a point of keeping his kitchen stocked and cooking whenever she stays the night at his house. Which means she cooks for them—and for whichever munchkins are around at the time—nearly every day of the week.

So Nancy is hanging out with everyone at Steve’s one afternoon, and they dig through the abundance of leftovers in the fridge to make dinner. She asks when cooking became part of his babysitting resume, but the kids all jump to tell her that it’s Robin, actually, and how have you not had her food yet, Nancy, she’s such a good cook

A week later she goes over to Robin’s house to study with her and finds her in the kitchen, wearing an apron, a streak of flour on her cheek, beaming at Nancy when she walks through the door. “You didn’t have to make cookies just for our study date,” Nancy tells her. “I know. I wanted to. I like baking.” “What? Why??”

Cue Robin talking about how she loves cooking, loves the creativity, loves playing music and doing something that lets her move around a lot without thinking too hard, and especially loves getting to share with others, when so many of her childhood meals were just made for one.

“You don’t like cooking, I take it?” Robin asks. “Not my thing,” Nancy says quickly, not meeting her eyes.

Robin comes over for dinner at the Wheelers and brings a pie. Karen adores her just for the gesture, but when it turns out to be amazing, she decides Robin is her new favorite of all her children’s friends. Even Ted gives an absent compliment after taking a bite, and Nancy quickly excuses herself from the table.

Robin finds her upstairs later, pretending like everything is fine. She asks if the pie was really that bad, and despite holding back tears, Nancy laughs.

And it’s stupid, because Nancy knows she’s good at many things, and in the grand scheme of things she doesn’t give a fuck about cooking. But she’s just so bad at it, and she doesn’t like being bad at things.

Not to mention the fact that she doesn’t remember the last time she got a compliment from her father, but she sure remembers him insulting her food.

So Robin sits down beside her and tells her about the time she ruined her mother’s favorite pot by burning chili in it. She spent four hours trying to scrape a rock hard layer of beans and peppers and stewed tomatoes from the bottom before her mother found out. She had to save up for two months to replace it.

“But I’ve had your chili,” Nancy says. “It’s amazing.”

“Yeah, once I learned how to not turn it into charcoal.”

Robin tells Nancy, not for the last time, that her father’s an asshole. And the next time she cooks dinner for the two of them, she casually asks if Nancy wants to help.

Nancy doesn’t. Robin says that’s okay, too.

But Robin’s kitchen is such a pressure free environment. There’s music playing, and dishes everywhere, and she can’t use an ingredient without spilling it. So one day, Nancy nervously walks up behind her and wraps her arms around Robin’s waist. She stands on her toes and rests her chin on Robin’s shoulder and asks, quietly, “Can I help?”

Robin asks what she wants to do. So she chops vegetables and stirs the pot. Next time, she lets Robin guide her through stacking layers of lasagna. After that, they make Robin’s favorite vodka sauce. The next Saturday morning is spent trying to flip pancakes. There are plenty of mistakes and much more laughter, but even the ones that fall apart still taste good.

Nancy decides cooking really isn’t for her, but she doesn’t mind being in the kitchen with Robin one bit. Maybe, even, she learns a thing or two along the way.

#ronance #this started as cooking headcanons and ended with perfectionist Nancy #(my beloved)#anyway robin and Nancy almost burning dinner because they’re too busy dancing and laughing and losing themselves in each other

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pacinglikeghosts · 7 months

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Happy belated Valentine’s Day, my loves! As Valentine’s Day is a fem holy holiday, I wanted to share the love. My take on one of my favorite rom-coms’ most iconic scenes, ronance-ified! I don’t have the energy to give you the song and dance of a moodboard, so imagine it’s pretty :) I’ll put one in when I’m up for it.

Frankly, Robin’s night couldn’t get worse. Not that it was bad to start—house parties are never her thing, especially ones that welcome the presence of Tommy H. and Steve Harrington—but babysitting Nancy Wheeler and being a couples counselor for her stupid younger brother made every part of the evening grow more and more insufferable.

And who knew that Nancy Wheeler, with her baby bird frail body, would be so damn heavy when drunk? Sure, alcohol added a bit of weight, but carrying Nancy’s concussed body away from the party was like carrying a ton of bricks.

“This is so patronizing,” Nancy insisted. “I’m fine.”

Robin rolled her eyes and adjusted her grip. “God, leave it to you to use SAT words when you’re drunk, Ms. Spelling Bee Champion, and clearly you’re not, since you whacked your head on an incredibly expensive chandelier and practically passed out in my arms—you’re welcome, by the way—only to nearly pass out again once we got outside.”

“I don’t think so,” Nancy sang, pushing Robin away from her and attempting to walk towards the car, only to stumble and fall onto the damp grass. “Fuck me,” she cursed, staring at the grass stains on her pastel pink pants.

“C’mon, up you go,” Robin encouraged, offering her hand to help Nancy up. “No use staying on the ground where you could also get hypothermia.”

Nancy, rather than get up, stared up at Robin, her big blue eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “Why are you doing this? I mean…helping me? Making sure I get home safe.”

“Like I said, you probably have a concussion. If not checked out I’m pretty sure it can have serious damage to the brain, not to mention the headaches, the nausea, the dizziness, and the light sensitivity…”

Nancy rolled her eyes. “Like you care what happens to me.”

“Of course I do, otherwise I’d have to find someone to go out with that actually cares about me, and god only knows no one’s banging down my door in order to spend more time with the school’s resident dyke,” Robin laughed, though there wasn’t an ounce of joy in her expression. She sighed, before joining Nancy on the cold grass. “So why do you let them get to you?”

Nancy leaned back, her elbows failing to brace her and instead landing flat on her back. “You mean Tommy and Carol?”

“And Steve, I guess.”

“I hate him. And them. I hate all of them.”

Robin coaxed Nancy up to a sitting position before crossing her legs and staring at the worn laces of her boots. “Well, coming here gave you the perfect chance to take part in your revenge by mainlining cheap vodka.”

Nancy’s face softened before she laughed, encouraging Robin to laugh alongside her. “Well, you know how it is…” she trailed off, closing her eyes.

“No, how is it?” Robin asked, looking over at Nancy. “Hey, Nancy, Nance, wake up…I told you not to go to sleep, your parents would have a warrant out for my arrest if they found out you died at a party because of me, c’mon..”

Nancy opened her eyes, exhaustion still lingering on her face. “Your eyes have a bit of gold in them,” she noted, before rolling over and vomiting.

Steve Harrington owed Robin more than just cash after this.

#oh FUCK yeah I had to do 10 things #this is like half a teaser half me wanting to write #but it does let you into the dynamics a little bit ;)#and it was so fun I wrote it in like 30 minutes #I wish I was back in the game #but alas. final semester slump #and yknow. the everything with st #stranger things #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #ronance #nancy x robin

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kairiscorner · 1 year

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Hiii i love your writing really and i hope you're taking care of yourself ok?😡😡😡

Can i request a platonic reader x pavitr that the reader is dating hobie and they are like parents to him when they hang out the three of them,like reader buys him an ice cream and stuff?

I hope it's not confusing 😭😭

HI ANON !!! OMG THIS IS SO CUTE !!!!!!!! reminds me of that one tiktok audio i love sm HSHSHHSSHHSHS from a full-time third wheeler, yes, i shall make it (❁´◡`❁) HOPING YOU LIKE THIS, MWAHAHAHAHHA

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

they're my parents !! — pavitr prabhakar and parent-figure reader

being one of hobie brown's best friends, pav has gratuitously been bestowed the title of 'our child' by you and hobie (even though he hates labels, you only call him that). pav had been there for you two since you met each other, and ever since he witnessed you two talk together, fight side-by-side, and the two of you just instantly clicking the moment you two crossed paths with each other.

he kept pairing you two together, asking the spider society if they shared his vision, "don't they make a great couple?" one can only imagine the overwhelming joy he experienced for the two of you when he discovered you both confessed to each other and became a couple; he had loved you two like you were parents to him, and now, he was adopting you two as his parents. yes, pavitr prabhakar's adopted you two as his new parents, and that meant being more (or less) responsible than him and giving him after mission treats privileges. today, you three kicked a few anomalies' asses–which was, according to pav, another stupendously easy adventure for the spider fam–and headed off to a local ice cream shop he had dreamed of going after hearing about it from you.

you and hobie had to keep pav calmed down so as not to bother the other patrons, he was so blown away by how pretty the inside of the shop seemed and how many delicious flavors they had–he was like a kid in a candy store, he was a pav in an ice cream shop. he would've bought his own, though he forgot his wallet back at home, which severely disappointed him; though you had him covered and bought him all the ice cream he wanted. he couldn't thank you enough, you were so generous to have given him such big servings while you and hobie just shared a soft serve together.

as pav ate his ice cream, he kept staring at you two with the biggest, sweetest smile on his face; his eyes beaming with adoration and love as he kept thinking, 'wow... they're my parents now, i love them so much, THEY'RE SO PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER, I WAS RIGHT!'

you caught him staring at you two, with hobie meeting his gaze and chuckling. "what's up?" he asked him, with pav laughing slightly to himself as he ate some of his ice cream. "nothing... dad." he called hobie as he burst out into laughter, asking him what he just called him. pav grew flustered, not really thinking that nickname through, trying to cover it up by saying he was calling him 'dude'!

what a cute family you guys were, though; pav was going to be the sweetest son who's ever adopted you as a parent, ever!

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lonesome-witching · 7 months

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You're Hot

An anonymously requested enemies (/rivals) to lovers ronance story. This one is also longer than my usual work, but it is quite cliché. I hope you enjoy this one.

Do you have any prompts yourself? Or do you want to dive into what I wrote before? You can read my previous prompts or send me some new ones.

Nancy Wheeler liked school. She was good at school. It was her talent. She got straight A’s since she was in elementary school. She was the best at school. It was all she had.

At least, she had been the best. Until one Robin Buckley. A girl with hippie parents and a too bright smile. She was annoying. She was worse than annoying. She was smarter. Well, maybe not smarter, but better at school. When Nancy got a 97, Robin got a 98. When Nancy got a 98, Robin got a 99. It was frustrating. Nancy hated Robin. Truly, hated her.

They only shared a couple of classes. History, Chemistry, English. Other than that Nancy was able to avoid her. And she did, most of the time. Their circles didn’t really overlap. Except for one person. Nancy’s ex-boyfriend, Steve. He was surprisingly close with Robin. Apparently, they worked together in the video store in town. They were probably fucking. But that was the least of her worries.

“For this task you will be working in duos. Your parents have been assigned alphabetically.”

Nancy repressed a groan. She preferred to work alone. Most of the students were as incompetent as they come.

“Ricky Adams and Lauren White,” the teacher announced, and a horrible realization dawned on her.

“Robin Buckley and Nancy Wheeler.” No, no, no, NO!

She looked over at where Robin sat. Those blue eyes already looking back at her. A soft smile on her face. Robin waved. Nancy turned around.

Mere seconds after the bell rang, Robin appeared next to Nancy’s desk. “I was thinking we could go to the library after class. Wednesdays might be best. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have band practice and Mondays and Fridays you have the paper. But if you prefer the weekend, that’s fine too. I work on Saturdays, but Sundays I’m usually free. I can make time on Saturdays too if that works best for you.”

“I thought it might be best we work on this separately,” Nancy replied with a tightlipped, all too fake smile. She was about ready to choke Robin. She shouldn’t think that.

“Oh.” Robin’s entire stance changed. Her shoulders slumped. “Yeah, sure. That works too.”

Nancy Wheeler was a bitch. It wasn’t that Robin hated her or anything. It was just that… Nancy was a bitch. One with a stick up her ass. Prissy and perfect and terribly mean. Robin didn’t like her.

“I’m not even sure what to do. She just won’t talk to me despite us being paired together. You know her, right? Has she always been such a bitch?”

“Nancy is a bit uptight, but she’ll loosen up. She needs some time to get used to people. That’s all,” Steve said, leaning against the counter.

“She won’t even give me a chance.”

“Do you want me to talk to her?”

“No, please don’t. That would only make things worse. And it’s not like I need her to like me or anything. I just want to do well on this project. I’ll probably be moving before graduation anyway.”

“I don’t know. You’ve been her for over a year now. Maybe this time your parents will stay.”

Robin nodded, but she didn’t believe it. She never stayed. The exact same sob story a bunch of coming-of-age protagonists had. If only she was in one of those movies. Just minus the male love interest, of course.

The only thing that didn’t make her a walking stereotype was her attraction to girls. Girls who looked like Nancy Wheeler. Maybe if Nancy had been just a tad bit nicer, Robin would have a crush on the girl right now. Maybe it was good she was such an asshole.

“And even if your parents want to move, you are nearly 18.”

“And broke.”

“You can live with me.”

Robin smiled at how sincere Steve sounded. He was a surprisingly good friend. The best Robin could ever wish for. Hawkins probably could be worse.

Nancy couldn’t do this alone. It was one of the worst realizations she’d ever had. She couldn’t do it alone. She would need Robin’s help. She had reached a new low. She’d already called Steve and begged him for Robin’s number. It would be weird not to call now.

Her eyes were trained on the corner of her notebook where she had scribbled the numbers. They were taunting her. Making her feel inadequate, just like Robin did. She groaned but reached for the phone.

She rolled her shoulders back. “Hi, Robin. I’m sorry for calling so late. I just wanted to ask when you have time to go fuck yourself,” Nancy mumbled to herself.

“Buckley residence, how may I help you?” It didn’t sound like Robin. Her mother maybe.

“Hello, my name is Nancy Wheeler. I’m looking for Robin.”

“Just a moment,” the woman responded. “Robin! For you!”

“If you’re gonna keep calling, my parents will start to think we’re dating,” Robin laughed on the other side of the line.

“I have to say I doubt that.”

“Oh, shit. Nancy? I’m sorry, I thought you were Steve.”

“So, are you saying you aren’t dating Steve?” Nancy asked. She wasn’t sure why she cared.

“We’re not. We’re just friends. Did you think we were dating? Is that why you were— Nevermind.”

“Why I was what?”

“Nothing, why are you calling?”

“It’s about the project. I’ve been working on it and well, I thought maybe we could meet up and discuss it together.” She was ready to hear Robin’s gloating. She could only imagine how awful she’d be if Robin called her like this. God, what was she doing?

“Yeah, sure. When were you thinking?”

“I know, I was the one who— What?”

“I asked when you wanted to meet up? For the project?” Robin sounded confused. Nancy wasn’t sure if it was because of her response or Robin’s own words.

“Oh, yes. What about this Sunday?”

“Alright, where?”

“My place?”

“Okay.”

“Your room is very pink,” Robin’s hands were grabbing at Nancy’s stuff.

“I’m sure yours is not.”

“Mine’s white. Boring. I don’t really care for decorating it much. You like Blondie?” She pointed at the Autoamerican poster on the wall.

“Yes, I do,” Nancy replied. She was biting her tongue, literally and figuratively. Why couldn’t they just get the work done so Robin could get the fuck out of here. She’d have to remember to kill Mike for taking the basement.

“And Tom Cruise, huh?”

“Can you please just sit down and work?”

“Ay, ay, captain!” Robin saluted before dropping down on Nancy’s bed next to her.

“Goddamit, Robin! You’re so fucking infuriating.” It slipped out. She just couldn’t help herself.

“Me? I’m sorry to say it, little miss perfect, but you’re the infuriating one. You call me to ask for my help on a project you wanted to do alone and now you can’t even play nice when I show up? That’s just rude.”

“Me? Rude? You are just flaunting. How can you be so fucking arrogant?”

“I’m arrogant? You’re the one who can barely accept help because you’re oh so much better than everyone else.”

“I’m not better than everyone else.”

“I know, but you think you are.”

“I don’t!”

“Really? Because you surely think you are better than me. Where did you get such a superiority complex?”

“You’re unbelievable! You think I have a superiority complex? You’re an asshole.”

“You’re a bitch. I can’t believe Steve ever dated you. Was it just because you’re hot?”

Nancy’s words died in her throat. Robin looked far too smug for someone who had just called her enemy hot. But Nancy could feel her cheeks burning up, so she wasn’t doing much better.

“You think I’m hot?”

“What?” Realization dawned on Robin.

“You said ‘was it just because she’s hot?’ So, does that mean you think I’m hot?”

Robin cleared her throat. “I mean, objectively speaking with the male gaze in our patriarchal society a normal person of the male specimen would probably most likely call you attractive.”

“That barely made sense.”

“I know, I heard it too. What I meant to say was that… Steve thinks you’re hot.”

“Oh, alright. So, the project?”

“The project!”

Nancy hated herself. It had been three days since Robin had sort of called her hot. And yet, Nancy had thought of nothing else. She hated Robin, and she knew she hated Robin, but it had still felt special when she had said that. Even if it was in a fit of rage. Maybe that was why she did what she did. Which was walk up to Robin and invite her to her house after school. To finish the project, of course. And hopefully trigger another compliment out of the girl.

It proved to be harder than expected. Because when Nancy wasn’t shouting at her, Robin was polite and quiet and bordering shy, with the occasional ramble on English literature. It was hard to hate her like that.

But if Nancy was to achieve her goal, she would have to dig deep and infuriate Robin. That was how it happened last time.

“You’re such a know it all, with your stupid rambles.” It felt wrong to say that.

“As opposed to you, of course. Little miss I’m so humble.”

“At least I’m not shoving it in people’s faces.” She had to force herself to shout.

“I’m being informative, you just gloat that you know more than other people.”

“Oh, c’mon get more original with your insults, Robin Buckley.”

“What for? You think you’re worth my creativity?”

“Am I not then? Who do you save your creativity for? Steve?”

“I’m not dating Steve.”

“I never said you were.”

“It was implied.”

“It wasn’t,” Nancy shouted. It was. It had been implied even though she knew it wasn’t true. She was just riling her up. It was working too.

“You know damn well it was. I’m not sure what you are trying to achieve with this? You want Steve back? He’s all yours.”

“Sure, because he thinks I’m so hot.”

“You are hot!” Robin shouted back. And there it was. Bullseye.

Nancy wasn’t sure what got into her. Why she didn’t just gloat and have her fun with it. Maybe tease Robin a bit. Why that wasn’t enough? But it wasn’t enough. So, while Robin was still fuming, Nancy leaned in and pressed her lips against Robin’s. It was an impulse decision. Nancy never made impulse decisions. Not until now. Not until Robin.

But now she was kissing this girl. Her lips were soft, softer than any of the guys she had kissed. And she tasted vaguely of cherry. It felt nice. It felt even nicer when Robin’s lips started moving against her own. Softly, slowly, gently. Nancy never wanted to pull away. She liked the feeling of Robin being so close.

It was only a few more moments before Robin pulled back. Flustered and red. She threw her hand over her mouth, eyes wide as she stared at Nancy’s lips.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“You didn’t do anything, Rob. It was all me.”

“Why did you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Alright.” Robin nodded her head.

“But…,” Nancy started, unsure of what to say. But Robin’s head perked up at the word.

“Yes?”

“I guess I would like to do it again.”

“You would?”

Nancy nodded. She would. Her tongue darted out, licking the place Robin’s lips had been mere moments ago. She could almost taste the remnants of the kiss.

Robin leaned in. “I guess we could do it again. If that is what you want.”

Nancy quickly connected their lips. She had hated Robin Buckley. Until she hadn’t. Until she started falling in love.

#prompts #ronance #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #my work #stranger things #fanfic #robin x nancy #nancy x robin

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campbyler · 6 months

Note

OOOOOOOOH this is so Delicious literally this fic is OUTSTANDING if i had money i would be putting this thing into multiple bound copies with different colored covers (like dorian gray. i make bad literary references) because this thing infected my brain! i can NOT stop thinking about them and chapter nine was OUTSTANDINGGGG!!! dude ted wheeler actually awful but so realistic - the pre-law, pre-med, business thing with parents is a STRUGGLE . the STICK SHIFT and mike's showy car finally explained . oh and the poor barista having to witness Them order and then MIKE ON HIS PHONE manners whomst?? but the pencils and mike obvi about to purchase as many pencils as will wants meanwhile will is like... "he thought of me? no i'm overthinking things!" SHARING COFFEES AND THEN THE THRIFTING TOGETHER!!! kermit ! (frogface)(i'm sorryyyyyyyyyyyyy) cliffhanger so tragic but understood... just to say y'all are SLAYING and this fic is BEAUTIFUL keep it up i hope y'all are enjoying your holidays and get SO much rest <3

AHHH THANK U!!!! insane of you to love it so much that you want a Physical Copy............it would be like a billion pages but we support you anyway <3

ty for appreciating mike wheeler's #car #backstory!! if people still hate the mustang after ch09 i am going to kick them in the teeth (gently). LMFAO i think you are the only person to pay their respects to the barista so thank you for recognizing their struggle!!

HOPEFULLYYY the cliffhanger was WORTH ITTT and you enjoyed ch9.2 as well if you have gotten around to it!! ty for your kind words even tho i am responding to them a million years late!! comments like these definitely helped keep us going when we are writing next installments so it's beyond appreciated!! 💗

#asks #ch09 #acswy spoilers

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sixofpomegranates · 2 years

Text

☠︎ Girlfriend ☠︎

Request: A Part 2 to "Tutor"

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Carver!Fem!Reader

A/N: Ignore that Silence of the Lambs was published in '88.

CW: Smut, Fluff, Angst 18+| [y/n]'s Mother (Family Secrets/Misogyny/Rich Family/Unhappy Marriage/Unplanned Pregnancy) Mentions of Forced Date, Self-Deprecation, Feeling of not being good enough, Secret Relationship, Wayne being our #1 Dad, Smut~ Penetrative Sex (Unprotected, Creampie, Semi-Public)

"Sooo... Girls' night has officially started," Robin announces as the Wheelers leave and reveals the whiskey she stole from her dad's liquor cabinet.

Steve looks up from the graduation cap Nancy makes him hold so she can glue down the white lace she wants on it. "Hey," he cries, hating that he technically is one of the girls.

Robin rolls her eye. "Girls' night with Steve," she corrects herself sarcastically.

Steve ignores the tone, simply giving a satisfied, "Thank you."

Both take a sip of whiskey, grimacing their faces, while I glue the last and final red rhinestone on the devil's skin, which lurks maniacally on Eddie's cap. He hasn't written his test yet, but as I told him, I am certain he'll graduate.

"Eddie will love that," Nancy tells me, and I grin.

"You think?" I ask, looking down at Mike's Hellfire Club shirt one last time to make sure I copied everything correctly. It looks good, the devil, full of red rhinestones, is surrounded by spikes on the edges and a silver '86 on the side, and the black tassel comes from his mouth like a hellish tongue.

Robin cackles, "Are you crazy? The graduation cap looks like it's straight from his brain."

"Because it kind of is," I laugh, taking a sip of the vile liquor that burns in my throat.

"So, you are a couple now?" Steve asks, still confused over the whole secretive concept Eddie and I have going on at the moment.

"Kind of," I reply, making him raise his eyebrows.

"What's a kind-of-couple?"

I sigh, annoyed over the last two weeks - the first two of our relationship - having been nothing but hide and seek, little notes in my locker, mixtapes delivered to me by Dustin, and staying as far away from each other as possible.

"We like each other a lot. We see and want a future together, but we'll have to wait until we graduate because my family believes the devil possesses him," I explain as casually as possible.

"Well, I wish that would be the strangest thing I've ever heard," Nancy mutters, empathetic. "Have you made up a plan for after graduation?"

I nod. "I'll move out, and I already have found a store I'm interested in renting."

"Where are you going to live? I can always ask my parents to let you stay with us," my best friend asks sweetly, but I decline.

"Thanks, Robin. But I think I'll buy a house a little outside of Hawkins, closer to the store."

Steve raises his brows, "You have that kind of money?"

"Yes, it's a generous trust fund. A small house is affordable," I explain as if mine and Steve's dad haven't been business partners for over a decade now.

"Especially since after the earthquake, the real estate prices dropped to an all-time low," Nancy jokes, taking a sip of soda to flush down the taste of whiskey.

"So, no better time to buy a house," Robin joins in. "Except if Vecna comes back and decides to continue his mandala of terror."

We share a look, knowing it's inevitable that it will happen at one point in time, yet I shrug. "Hey, I'm going to enjoy my life to the fullest until he returns."

Nancy's hand brushes over my shoulder, signing her support, then she shows us her finished cap.

As she puts it aside, Steve asks teasingly in his most girlish voice, "Are we now painting our toenails?"

"Who invited you?" Robin exclaims, annoyed but chuckling, and throws a pillow at him.

As they bicker, a very clear yelp from outside the bedroom catches my attention.

"What was that?" I ask Nancy, who answers suspiciously fast.

"That's Mike and the boys."

Another annoyed row of curses follows, making me state, "That sounded like Eddie." As nobody answers, I stare at the most guilty looking of them. "Nance."

"They help him study," she replies, and I feel my heart starting to beat faster.

"So, he's here, and you didn't tell me?" I ask.

Robin shrugs, "It's Girls' Night, and he asked us not to tell you."

I jump off the bed, graduation cap in my hand, and leave the room. Stopping by Mike's room, I watch them through the small gap they've left the door open.

"Last chance, Eddie," Dustin announces, standing before the chair my boyfriend sits on.

From a paper handed to him by Mike, he reads, "Antacids and antiallergic drugs interfere with the function of histamines but do not interfere with the function of each other. Explain."

Eddie's hair is wet and slicked back; Erica stands beside him, a water gun pointing in his direction.

"The-" he starts, but the armed girl soaks him in water. "What the fuck?"

"Erica, he was about to answer," Mike tells her, being quickly shut up by her.

"He was too slow."

"I hate you, little shits," he tells them, brushing his wet bangs from his face.

"Answer," Erica demands, the neon green gun pointed at his face again.

"They do not interfere with the functioning of each other because they work on different receptors in the body. Histamine stimulates the secretion of pepsin and hydrochloric acid in the stomach. The drug cimetidine was designed to prevent the interaction of histamine with the receptors present in the stomach wall. This results in the release of fewer amounts of acid. Antacid and antiallergic drugs work on different receptors."

"Mike?" Dustin asks, having him nod.

"He's right."

A triumphant laugh escapes Eddie, making my heart swell with love. I knew he could do it if he tried hard enough.

"Great, can we take a break?" he asks, hopeful, but Erica shakes her head.

"No."

"C'mon," he whines, and I decide to intervene.

"Hey," I greet them, knocking on the door. "Would you mind if I borrow Eddie for a while?"

My eyes meet his brown ones, and I can swear they sparkle as he realizes I am actually here. If his heart beats as fast from excitement as mine?

"Five minutes, else his dumbass brain resets itself," Erica allows, putting the water gun down.

Eddie uses the opportunity and bolts out of the room, past me, and down the stairs.

"What did he pay you?" I ask the kids.

Dustin grins excitedly. "He bought us the new Atari 7800."

I raise my eyebrows, "And you Super Soaker him for getting answers wrong?"

"Four minutes," Erica announces, and I quickly lift my hands in surrender.

"Kay." She has a bright future ahead of her, that bossy little girl.

I follow Eddie down the stairs, finding him on the porch, a cigarette in his mouth.

"I love kissing smokers," I announce jokingly, making him turn to me and pull me against his chest.

"Sorry, Sweetheart. They're really pushing me in there."

"I know, saw it," I giggle, running a hand through his wet curls.

Flicking the butt of his cigarette away, he cups my cheeks. "Jesus, I missed you," he announces before bringing our lips together. The taste of cigarettes is overpowered by his own, so I don't feel bothered by it as I melt into the kiss.

His hands wander to my waist as he deepens the kiss. "Eddie," I giggle, but he doesn't stop, instead moving down to my neck.

"Eddie," I breathe again, weakly. "I got something for you."

He instantly stops, curious puppy eyes staring me down. I reveal the graduation cap I had hidden behind my back, and he takes it, holding it to the porch light.

"That's... You made that for me?" He asks, baffled. I nod, having him truly touched. "You're that sure I'll graduate?"

As I nod, he pulls me into another kiss, this one being less lusting and more... More.

As he pulls away, he whispers against my lips, "I need to go back in. Still have a few notes I need to go over."

"If you need a break, Nancy, Robin, Steve, and I are having a Girls' Night," I offer, making him place a kiss on my forehead.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," he tells me. "I'll see you when we graduate, but keep Dustin's walkie-talkie on just in case I'll get lonely and need to hear your voice."

We haven't used them yet, but Dustin — our number one supporter — has lent us his walkie-talkies. It's cute and a valuable thing to have since we can't exactly just call each other.

I follow Eddie inside, surprised by how determent he can be. "Eddie?" He stops on the stairs, looking down at me. "If given the choice, house or trailer?"

He chuckles, "Can't afford either."

As I give him a serious look since we both know I can afford both for us, he sighs, telling me smiling, "I'd follow you wherever your heart takes you."

And as if he knows it can't get any more romantic, he leaves me there before the moment is ruined, returning to his study circle of hell.

*****

Cursing, I slam the door behind me. This has to be a sick joke.

My father just announced that his old friend from college and his son are here for a visit. Directly followed by the boy's resume and the information that I will be going out with him for dinner next Tuesday.

Matt is a rich jock, of course, from an old money family and has a family line cleaner than the operating table of the nearby hospital.

He is also exactly what my family wants from me, and therefore, Dad didn't even give me a chance to say no.

No. He said this was an essential step for my future, and if we'd get along, there would stand nothing in the way of further arrangements.

I feel like cattle about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

I feel trapped in the current situation.

It knocks on the door, and although I – loud and clearly – say no, my mother comes in. She holds a silver foiled Pop-Tart – I know she hates when I eat them – as a peace offering in her perfectly manicured hands.

"Hun," she says, sitting beside me on the mattress. "Your dad didn't mean to upset you. He just really wants you to have a husband that can offer you something."

"I'm eighteen. I don't want to think about getting married just yet."

Mom nods, her eyes focused on the shiny foil in her hands. "I know you think this is ridiculous now, but your teenage years are over quicker than you think, and then you're expected to fit into society seamlessly. You have a family name and legacy to protect. It would help if you'd trust your father more. He knows what's best."

I sit up, feeling like she's messing with me, sounding like a broken record that always tells me what I, as a Carver, am expected to be and do. "I don't wanna go on a date with this guy, but Dad forces me to because he'll benefit from me being with a son of a wealthy friend. That isn't thinking about what's best for me, Mom."

After a few seconds of deafening silence, she looks up from the Pop-Tarts. "You're still seeing the Munson boy, aren't you?" she asks calmly, knowing.

I quickly shake my head. I didn't even dare to look at Eddie anymore, just out of fear we'd get caught. "N-No. Dad said I wasn't allowed to, so I dumped him."

I sound convincing. I trained myself to sound like that. The words are clean and painful to think about, but I am so convincing.

They always say that you can't lie to your mother. She's supposed to be the person knowing you best, having loved and raised you. I never thought my mom knew me enough to keep up with that saying... Yet, her eyes fill with shock and worry the second the lie leaves my mouth.

"[y/n]. Your father will be furious."

"About what?" I ask her. "You want me to call him? I bet you ten bucks he's at some stupid party or has another girl over right now."

I recall the fact that I know Eddie would pick up, that he doesn't like parties, and that he wouldn't cheat on me. I don't like having to sound so convincing. I am messing with my own mind doing it.

Mom sighs. "This might've fooled your father, young lady, but not me. You have to break things up with this boy. [y/n], I beg of you to be reasonable here. You know this family will never approve of him. They will disown you, shun you..."

I shrug. "So? There's worse than having to pass on Thanksgiving dinners with a family that thrived for generations of exploiting others and yet still acts as though they worked for their wealth."

"[y/n]," she sighs. "Sometimes it's about what's best for your family."

"So my family benefits from me being miserable? Sounds like a shitty family to me," I scoff.

"How do you think I would feel if your grandparents would announce your exclusion from the family? Do you think they would ever let me see you again? I wouldn't be able to go to your wedding or meet my grandchildren."

"Mom, this family isn't the mafia. We could still see each other..."

"We both know you're not stupid enough to actually believe this. Think of your Aunt Sweety."

My father's younger sister, Mary Louise Carver, mostly known as Sweety (a hint toward her sweet nature), met the love of her life when she was eighteen. The boy (born to immigrant parents) had come from a broken, financially unstable family and was working odd jobs to support himself.

Sweety decided to marry him, not caring about what our family said.

The scandal had shaken our entire family, I had only been five, but I still remember the Sunday night dinners ending in screaming and tears.

The Carver family line is as clean and purebred as could be. We have lives planned for us, expectations and traditions to fulfill that have come with us on the Mayflower... We're not allowed to pair with the common folk.

Disowned and shunned, my aunt carried on and married her boyfriend. The last time we heard from her, she'd moved overseas.

On family celebrations, we're not allowed to bring up her name; there are no pictures of her found anywhere in our houses; when an old family friend (unaware of the drama) asks about her, we pretend she's dead.

When it comes to the Carvers, Mary Louise doesn't exist.

God, fuck, we have an awful family. Even if I like to pretend that my family life wouldn't change by choosing Eddie, my mom's stressed-out face gives me a very needed but heavily unwanted reality check.

"If our family is as bad, why did you marry Dad?"

I know how Grandma treats Mom. She always makes sure to let her know that she isn't a Carver and isn't a welcomed person in our bloodline. I can't see how anyone would ever choose to be part of this family.

Love makes you do crazy things, but love isn't even in the top ten words I'd use to describe my parent's relationship.

My mother quickly shrugs off my question. "Different situations."

I cock my head, watching her focus painfully hard on the Pop-Tarts. "How so?"

She swallows harshly, forcing herself to smile. "As I told you before, bad boys have the ability to ruin your life."

My mother and I were never close. She genuinely tried but couldn't fully connect with me. And once I was older, we were simply too different.

The way she played the role of the happy, rich housewife, although she needed to take uppers every morning just so she could get out of bed, was common knowledge in our family.

When I was little, Jason spent enough time at our house that he'd even developed a system that was planned to prevent me from seeing her fight with my dad, pop her uppers, or have her breakdowns.

My mother isn't happy.

And the longer I think about it, her words, my age, a very clear image paints itself for me.

"Mom, were you–"

She nods, interrupting me. "Three months pregnant when I married your father? Yes."

"So you married him out of obligation."

Pressing her lips together, she says, "His family was very clear about what they thought of the idea of having a grandchild born out of wedlock. There weren't many options given to me, so I took the most beneficial one for all three of us."

Oh, do things now make sense. "You married Dad because of me."

"Oh, now don't look so sad, [y/n]," she smiles her fake smile; I assume this mask gives her comfort. "I have a beautiful life, and I wouldn't change it for anything. I have a hard-working husband providing for his family and a beautiful, intelligent daughter; I get to keep up the family's values, and I never have to worry about money..."

... And you take pills and cry to yourself every day. Having money doesn't sound like it's worth it.

"It's the '80s, Mom," I tell her carefully. "Money isn't everything, and I definitely don't care if you divorce Dad to start over or not. You'd still be my mom."

Shaking her head and wiping away an uncried tear, she shuts me out again. "[y/n], I am not going to take life advice from an eighteen-year-old child. I am in the place and life I created for myself, and I am very happy," she lectures me.

After handing me the Pop-Tart, her eyes become a little sifter again. "Please just go on this date with Matt and think about all the possibilities a marriage to him could offer you in comparison to marrying trailer trash. If not for yourself, do it for me."

Tired of the conversation, I nod. "Kay."

I wait until Mom's outside, lock the door behind her, and fetch one of the shoe cartons from under the bed. Opening it, I push away my old Metallica shirt and grab Dustin's walkie-talkie.

He gave it to me, saying that Eddie has the other and should we ever want to talk, we could do it over the walkie-talkies. Keeping up an appearance, Eddie agreed not to pick up the phone should I call or pretend not to want to speak to me.

"Eddie," I ask quietly, turning on some music. "Eddie, are you there?"

I wait shortly, having him answer happily, "Hey, Sweetheart. I thought I'd be the one caving in first. Is everything okay? Miss me?"

I decide to tell him about my date. I refuse to be as toxic as the rest of my family, yet, I dread his response. Eddie deserves better than having his girlfriend go out with somebody else. We haven't even had our first date yet.

"I- I need to tell you something you won't like," I say.

"Okay?" he answered, confused.

"I need you to know that it means nothing to me, and I solely do it because I can't get out of it, so please don't read anything into it, okay?"

Clearing his throat, Eddie becomes more serious. "Okay? You're getting me a little worried over here. What's wrong, Baby?"

Biting the bullet, I blurt out, "My dad makes me go on a date with the son of a friend of his."

I wait for an answer, but there is none.

"Eddie, are you still there?"

"Uh-huh," he answers coldly. "Why did you tell me that?"

I frown. "Because you're my boyfriend, and I didn't want to keep it from you and have it look like a bigger deal than it actually is."

"It's a gigantic deal, actually," he tells me, irritated.

"It's just dinner with some jock-"

I am interrupted by Eddie's hurt rambling, build-up anger I didn't know he held coming forward. "No. It's a fucking date you go on with some other dude while I – as your boyfriend – am not even allowed to look at you. That jock gets to take you out and be seen with you while I get nothing."

"Eddie–"

"Don't go," he says quicker than I can find calming words.

"What?" I ask, taken by surprise.

He repeats himself. "I don't want you to go."

"It's not exactly like I have a choice."

"Bullshit. You always have a choice. You're not a fucking piece of meat," Eddie scoffs.

It's something so basic, but I love him for believing that I truly have a choice.

"Eddie, I have to because my dad told me to. I am not interested in the guy, but it is what it is. After dinner, he'll drop me off at home, and that's it," I say, hearing him sigh emotionally.

His emotions are so delicate underneath all of his freak armor.

"I know this is all upsetting for you," I tell him. "But it is only until we graduate, and I'm out of here. The second I have my diploma, I promise I will make sure everyone in Hawkins knows I'm Eddie Munson's girlfriend. Gonna have it printed in the newspaper and on flyers. But I need you to trust me until then."

I really am not eager to meet this guy. I have all my horses set on Eddie, on us.

"It's not about trusting you..." he admits. "Just don't want you to see how much better you can do. What if that guy's some fucking prince charming, and you realize that's what you actually want, and I was just a phase of teenage rebellion?"

A giggle escapes me. "Eddie, you are not a phase. I wanted to be with you for years, and now that I got you're not getting rid of me again. I am not rethinking our plans—not even for a second."

"You sure?" he asks.

"Absolutely," I assure him.

He seems to think for a few seconds, and I just wish I could see his cheeky grin as he asks, "So forever?"

"I'd say till death do us part, but-"

He interrupts me with a burst of giddy energy. "Death can go fuck itself. I'll still hold your hand when I'm a freaking ghost rotting in my forever box. I'm actually thinking of getting a shared casket so we can rot together."

"Romantic," I giggle sarcastically, having him agree.

"Totally metal."

"Makes death metal get a whole new meaning, huh?"

We share a well-needed laugh.

"Gotta love that my girl makes jokes like that," Eddie chuckles.

"So I'm still your girlfriend?" I ask, glad that we're already acting healthier and more mature than my parents.

"You crazy? That was never up for debate," he assures me. "I'm as loyal as a dog. Unless you decide against it, we're forever."

"So, should I start writing [y/n] Munson on all my binders? I think I'm a little too old for that," I tease, still thinking of doing it anyway, feeling like a thirteen-year-old again.

"Lucky for you, I never grew out of that age; my options just got more advanced. I'm gonna ink it all over my body, permanently. Like a deal with the devil."

Having my name permanently marked on Eddie's body does sound nice...

"Hey, [y/n]?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna tell you something, but you're not allowed to reply to it over the walkie-talkie, okay? Wanna hear it in person for the first time."

For towing my brows, I agree. "Okay? What is it?"

"I love you. Can't even think of a day I didn't, which makes me kind of stupid but also stupidly lucky 'cause I never want there to be a day without that feeling."

He says it so casually, yet honestly. I am overwhelmed and want to answer him and tell him I love him too, but as he requested, I'll wait until I get to see him again.

"In other news," Eddie chuckles. "I just finished a new campaign for Hellfire. The guys will both love and hate me, and I can't wait to see where the journey will take them."

"Wanna tell me about it?"

"You actually wanna hear about it, or are you being nice 'cause I'm good in bed?" he jokes.

"So full of yourself," I snicker. "Now tell me."

I get comfortable on my bed and hear Eddie clearing his throat, starting to talk, "Okay. So I actually wrote some lore I made up; I'll have to tell you about first: Centuries ago, the old gods were still reigning over the human kinds..."

*****

You just got to appreciate the irony of having my father set up a date for me to prove I can do better than Eddie Munson, and it just hardening my decision to spend the rest of my days as the freak's girl.

"So, you're going to Yale?" I ask after the seventh time that Matt flirts with the poor waitress, gawking at her ass.

"Yeah," he answers, looking around bored. He looks me up and down. "Look, I'm gonna cut this short: Am I getting something tonight?"

I raise my eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Sex," he clarifies, poking his pasta – the one he sent back three times. "I mean, like, you're not my type, but like... If the night ends in the back of my car anyway, we can skip this shit dinner."

Yes, this "date" is a step back for women's rights.

"I don't think we will," I tell Matt, and he shrugs.

"Yeah, kinda thought you were a prude."

I just nod. Fuck that. At this point, I don't even care for anything other than this date being over. Let that guy think whatever he wants.

"Is there any place around here where I can go for a beer?" he asks me, pulling me from my thoughts.

"You're underaged," I tell him loudly as some people have heard his previous question and start talking. We all drink secretly every once in a while, but rich-guy here doesn't seem to care for making it a secret.

Matt sighs, annoyed. "Fuck me. You're a buzz kill, huh?"

I think for a second. It's Tuesday, and suddenly, I know the perfect way to end the night. "Actually, there is this place called The Hideout. They play rock and metal, all in all, a rougher crowd, and usually, they don't check IDs there. We can drive there; I'll lead the way."

Throwing a couple of dollar bills on the table, he stands up. "You sound eager," he notes, putting on his jacket as I do the same. "Your boyfriend's there, right?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," I quickly answer, running after him, toward his car.

Matt chuckles as we get in. "Bullshit. You're dad told my dad you were running around with a punk."

"Metalhead," I correct him quicker than I can stop myself, knowing that Eddie would lose it being confused with punks.

"Ha," Matt quips back.

"Fuck."

Driving out of the parking lot, he sighs. "So, that's why you don't wanna fuck. Has nothing to do with you being a prude or with my looks, huh?"

I internally cringe as he rests his hand on my thigh, but my tone stays friendly. "No, absolutely not," I say, making him smile smugly. "You're an absolute heartthrob; every girl would be happy to be with you.

"But the last time that Eddie – my boyfriend – found out a guy flirted with me..." I remove his hand from my leg, sighing. "Poor guy, they haven't found him since. All I know is that Eddie ate his liver with fava beans and Dad's nice chianti."

Matt sucks in a breath, "Shit, really?"

I blink at him innocently, "I have no reason to lie to you, now, do I?"

"That is absolutely terrifying. Do- Is there anything that I can do to help you?"

Never read "Silence of the Lambs" and realize that you're a little stupid...

"That is so sweet of you," I tell Matt, laying a hand on my heart, "but please only worry about yourself. This date is already more danger than I'd like you to be in."

He swallows nervously, nodding. "Okay."

"We have to go right after the next fire hydrant."

Fair to say, I think I terrified Matt enough to keep his hands to himself. I would even feel a little bad if he wouldn't have been an insufferable asshat.

The second we're at The Hideout, loud music fills my ears, and Eddie's obnoxiously loud voice makes my heart beat faster. We hurry inside, Matt quick to leave my side, no longer caring if we lose each other in the crowd.

Through all the shit Eddie went through with these false accusations, his story really provided Corroded Coffin with their shot. The knowledge of the lead singer and guitarist being accused of murder, and satanism, being called a freak for minor things like music and the love for fantasy games really resonated with outcasts throughout America.

He is one of them. His story and hardships could easily be theirs.

The crowd loves the band. The cheap, handmade merch – t-shirts and cassette tapes – is already sold out, The Hideout has a tapestry with their name nailed to one of the walls, right next to tons of different biker trinkets.

I make my way to the bar and get myself a beer. Grabbing a stool the second it becomes available, I just sit there and watch my boyfriend and his band perform.

Half an hour later, Eddie thanks the unholy amount of people cheering for them for coming. His eyes scan the crowd and land on me. Instantly his smile becomes wider, eyes glistening in the spotlights he deserves to stand in.

I stay seated until the fans got their chance to swamp the boys, and when Corroded Coffin starts dragging their things outside, I follow swiftly through the back exit.

The cold air bites my skin while I watch Eddie and Gareth lift the drums in the back of the van. When the instruments are gone and he wishes his friends goodbye, Eddie finally notices me. With one hand moving through his sweaty mane, he tries to fix his deliciously disheveled appearance as he approaches me.

"Hey, baby," he says so softly it is almost a whisper. "What are you doing here?"

His hands grab my waist as he tilts his head and lovingly pecks my lips.

"The jock needed a beer after I friendly declined his offer to fuck him on the backseat... and I just couldn't stop thinking of you."

Eddie nods, approving, a smug grin on his lips. "So, two birds with one stone."

"I also told him you're Hannibal Lecter, so he'd keep his hands to himself."

Kissing me again, Eddie nips at my jaw, making his way down to my neck. "I'm honored you believe I know how to cook, let alone have a doctor title."

I giggle, letting him spin us around and back me against the side of his van.

"Missed you," I mumble into the feeling of a hickey being placed right behind my ear.

"Missed you more," Eddie purrs, hands grabbing my flesh so harshly, I just know he's bruising it. "Mind if we take this further, Sweetheart? Need you."

He pulls himself away from me; arm stretched out above my head to keep him up, so he can look at me. I run my tongue over my bottom lip as I stare at his naked torso, only covered by his leather jacket.

My appreciation and unholy thoughts for my perfect boyfriend stop abruptly as I see the new ink decorating his skin. On his chest, right across the bloody demon head and the spider, there's my name.

I lift my hand, pulling the jacket away to get a better look at it. Yes, my name.

"Like it, sweet girl?" he asks genuinely, but with his boyish grin, already knowing my answer.

I carefully trace the tattoo with my fingertips; it's not fully healed yet.

"Eddie..." I whisper, the feeling of possessive lust and love bubbling over, "Fuck me."

He chuckles darkly, "Whatever you want, baby."

His lips crash down onto mine, this time not caring to be gentle. His tongue glides over my bottom lip, entering my mouth the second I moan as he cups me through my panties.

My nails dig into his leathered forearms as I pull myself closer, making sure to give him enough pressure as he grinds his clothed erection against my thigh while rubbing my clit through my underwear.

As Eddie pulls himself from me, a shaky breath escapes him. "Shit, okay." He looks around and then grins at me while opening his black jeans. "Nobody comes here, promise. It's the band exit."

I barely get to nod as his lips are on mine again in a heartbeat. He hoists up my left leg, and I wrap it around his waist, feeling him almost rip my panties as he moves them out of the way and enters me quickly and entirely.

We moan into each other's mouths, then giggle idiotically, yet greedily we begin moving against each other, rocking the van behind us as we fall into a harsh and deep rhythm.

The almost painful stretching makes me rest my head against the van. Only the moonlight makes it possible for me to see Eddie's face. I don't think I ever felt as much adoration for anyone before, and I surely know that nobody ever looked at me like Eddie does.

It's a mixture of deep, unconditional love and animalistic wanting.

It's frightening, yet safe.

It's familiar, yet new altogether.

I whimper loudly as Eddie hoists my leg even higher. Solely his grip on my leg and waist and the van behind me keep me from falling.

This new position not only makes my spine tingle from the adrenaline rush of practically hanging in the air but also allows Eddie's pelvis to grind against my clit.

Having to keep quiet while my body erupts with pleasure is horrible, but being caught in this position would be even worse.

Eddie clenches his jaw, looking down at me. "Fuck, I don't think I can last much longer," he grunts. "How close are you, Sweetheart?"

"So close," I moan, the sensation of approaching bliss having me chase it frantically, "so, so close. Please don't stop."

Keeping up with his harsh thrusts, the tip of his cock suddenly hits the perfect spot, the one that has me see stars, and I unexpectedly fall apart, coming with a loud, lewd moan as my legs start shaking.

I would worry about the fact that I was definitely heard, but Eddie clouds all of my senses and all of my judgment. He moans and groans, throwing his head back and exposing his from sweat glistening neck, and as he fills me with his cum, his fist hits the van behind me, curses leaving his mouth.

For the moments we need to collect ourselves after that, I don't care if we're getting caught or what it looks like... not like there is any way to misunderstand the position we're in.

Eddie leans close, kissing me sweetly. Hand on my back, he helps me stand on my own as he swiftly pulls out and tucks himself away.

"You are ethereal," he mumbles against my lips, accentuating every word of his with a kiss. "Perfect. Beautiful. Love you."

Leaning against the cold van, I hold onto Eddie's leather jacket, making sure he stays close. Thankfully, touch is one of his love languages, and he happily obliges.

"Did that idiot at least take you out for dinner? Did you eat something?"

I shake my head. "We ate at a restaurant, but I was too busy apologizing for his shitty behavior toward the waitress."

"Want me to take you for burger and fries? Gonna take you home after. Don't want you to get driven home by that jock when he's in there getting drunk."

"That sounds good."

He grins. "Good? Yeah, baby?"

I nod excitedly. "Very, very good."

Eddie kisses me again, taking my hand and walking me to the passenger seat, where he opens the door for me. As he joins me in the car, he starts it, turning the stereo down quickly.

"We can listen to music," I tell him as he leaves the parking lot of The Hideout, and his hand sneaks onto my thigh.

"Rather talk to you," he replies, squeezing my leg gently. "Thought you'd like to know that I told Uncle Wayne about us."

I look at him, surprised. "You did?"

He nods. "Hope that's okay," he says, almost embarrassed.

"Of course it is. I- I'm just- I like that you told him."

"You do?"

"Yes. He's... You're close," I say, sad that I can't tell my family about Eddie and how happy he makes me.

Eddie grins. "He's my dad. Like, not actually, 'cause he's my uncle, but he's my dad."

"I hope he likes me," I whisper nervously.

"Want me to tell you how it went?"

I nod, making him lick his lips before setting the scene and carrying me through the relationship he has with his uncle. How Wayne is glad he is happy, how he's concerned because I'm a Carver. How I, indeed, made a good first impression and an even better second one when I stood up against my drunk cousin.

Eddie certainly tends to overshare, the story is filled with snippets of his parents' relationship and how Wayne is Eddie's number-one supporter.

*****

Graduation. Finally.

I've never felt freer than today. After today, a new life is starting for me. I don't even mind the overpriced dress mom put me in.

As Jason and I take our diplomas – technically, the placeholders handed to us for the ceremony – we are surrounded by our family, taking dozens of overly professional photos.

I can excuse myself as I see Eddie standing in line for his diploma. Wearing his black robe and the graduation robe I made for him, he plays with his rings nervously.

Joining my friends and Eddie's uncle, I exclaim, "He made it?"

For surprise and 'safety' reasons, the Hellfire Club had left me in the dark until today. I hated every day since the test, but now seeing Eddie in his robe; I feel proud enough to forget the worry that he might hadn't made it.

That's my boy up there... – standing next to me, Wayne lays a hand on my shoulder – ...Well, our boy.

"I knew he could do it," Wayne tells me, taking out his camera and starting to take photos.

"Edward Munson."

As his name is loudly announced, we cheer and scream his name excitedly. A moment passes while Eddie takes his diploma, and I wonder if he is seriously going to flip our former principal the bird.

But instead, he looks at us, looks at me. And in a burst of his chaotic, uncontrollable energy, he jumps down the podium and runs up to me.

"I did it," he screams loudly, bumping against me and hugging me tightly.

"You did it," I reply, giggling.

"I feel so smart. I bet I could fight God."

Lifting a hand to his chest, I snicker warningly, "Now, don't be crazy."

He chuckles at his own silliness before kissing me, only pulling away when Wayne clears his throat.

"Son," he calls, Eddie quickly walking over to him.

"I did it," the metalhead tells his uncle, holding up his diploma.

Wayne nods. "Always knew you would make it. I'm so proud of you."

They hug, both men clearly not as tough as they present to be.

"Give me your camera," I tell Wayne, taking a photo of them... Two photos since Eddie insisted on going the devil horns and pulling a grimace in the first one.

In return, Wayne insists on taking a photo of his nephew and me. This one is adorable; I already know it as Eddie wraps his arms around my waist, hugging me sweetly from behind. It's like compensation for having missed out on prom.

I see my parents looking for me, their appearance as proper as always. Mine and my mother's gazes meet, her face turning into something terrified as she sees who I am standing next to.

"Come," I say, taking Eddie's hand and walking to my family, Wayne following behind us.

"Mom? Dad?" I say to ensure I have their attention. "Those are my boyfriend Eddie and his uncle Wayne."

My father plays it cool, stepping before my mom. "Mr. Munson. Edward," he greets them, shaking their hands.

Then his cold stare meets me. "If you'd excuse us for a moment?" he tells Eddie and Wayne without as much as to even look at them again, then he grabs my arm and pulls me aside.

"[y/n], is this a joke?" my father asks angrily. "These people-"

I finish his sentence for him, "Are my boyfriend and his uncle."

He huffs angrily, my mother staying quiet. "We talked about this."

"No. You talked, and I was supposed to stay quiet and do what you want," I retort. "I will not stay away from Eddie, and you both will have to get over it."

"You can do so much better-"

I interrupt my father, unsure if Eddie hears us or not, "Stop that. I am sorry you are unhappy with my choice, but I love Eddie, and I will not have you talk about him like that. I want you to make an effort to get to know him."

The angry vein on my father's forehead pops out. "[y/n], I will not have you turn our family's name into a joke," he growls, infuriated. "It is him or us."

"What?" I ask, baffled, my mother's eyes becoming wide with shock, yet she stays silent like the good little wife she is expected to be.

"If you choose this boy, your mother and I don't want to have anything to do with you," Dad repeats himself, Mom whispering his name but falling silent as he lifts his hand, forbidding her to speak.

He is protecting the family's reputation at all costs. Right, because this is all that was ever important to my father, our reputation.

"Wow, thank you for making this decision so easy for me, Dad," I tell him sarcastically, swallowing tears as I see some rolling down my mother's cheeks.

"[y/n]. Are you really going to choose trailer trash above your own parents? How dare you?" Guilt-tripping, all my father could ever do when I wanted to make my own decisions.

"No, how dare you?" I reply. "Treating yourself and my love for you like a bargaining chip to manipulate me... Eddie would never have the bar go that low and respects me and my decisions enough to not challenge them with the thread of leaving me."

"We'll revoke all your trust funds," he tries again, having the impression of me being as materialistic as himself.

"Mom and I had the money from the one set up for my graduation transferred to my bank account yesterday, but please, enjoy your life with the rest of the money. Maybe invest in therapy for Jason or yourself," I tell my father and walk away before tears start running down my cheeks.

Of course has our fight not gone overlooked. My family has been blessed with exceptionally loud voices. The Munson's are fast to walk after me, Wayne having a gentle yet firm grip on my arm.

"Hey, are you okay, kid?" he asks calmly, empathy in his eyes. The way he tilts his head already tells me this isn't the first time he has to calm an upset youth.

I nod, taking the tissue he hands me. "Uh-huh. I- I could use some help moving, though. I kinda just got disowned."

Eddie stands there, looking at me like a kicked puppy, while Wayne pulls me to his chest, firmly starting to rub my back. "It's alright, hun. Promise it's not that bad. We're gonna give them some time to cool off before we try talking to them again, and until then, you're part of the Munson clan. You're not alone, promise. We got you, kid."

It is no wonder that Eddie is as emotionally intelligent as he is. This type of gentle parenting is something that never was used for me. I feel awful, but Wayne's calm way of comforting me talks me off the edge.

"That's my fault," Eddie says, guilt filling his voice.

We look at him quickly, his uncle shaking his head. "Family can be tough, son. It's nobody's fault. Especially not yours or yours, hun," Wayne lectures us, now also having a tight grip on his nephew's shoulder.

"I should talk to them," Eddie insists. "I- Need to make sure they know I'm not that bad."

I shake my head, Wayne stepping back and letting us hug each other. "Eddie, no. No, it's okay. I knew they were going to react that way."

"I'm sorry," my boyfriend repeats.

"You did nothing wrong," I assure him.

Wayne touches my shoulder quickly, saying, "I see your mom, kiddo. I'm gonna go give her our address and phone number so you can talk when things have calmed, okay?" I nod, and he straightens his tie before making his way over to my mother.

The second we're alone, Eddie shoves a folded, green piece of crafting paper into my hands.

"Hey, that's your goal card," I say, surprised.

I open it, and the formerly empty card is filled with [y/n] Munson written into the middle of a heart on one side and the polaroid Wayne took of us while practicing guitar glued on the other side.

"I wanted to graduate for you, so I'm less of a burden to be with," Eddie explains.

"You're no burden," I tell him, making him shake his head.

"Yes, I am. Your family just kicked you out because you want to be with me. I have no money to my name and would be reliant on you. I just barely managed to graduate; having a bunch of freshmen help me study. I am a freak and a burden. And- And-"

"And I love you," I finish his sentence for him.

Eddie stops his self-deprecating rambling. "Huh?"

I smile at him softly. "You heard me. I love you, and you are no burden because love is unconditional. We'll use the money as if it would be a credit we got from the bank together, we build our own life and income with it, and I don't care how you managed to graduate because I know how hard you tried. Even if the rest of the town – including yourself – thinks you're bad and not good enough for me, I won't ever stop loving you or even for a second stop seeing your worth."

My boyfriend's bottom lip shivers as his grip on me tightens. I kiss him gently, hearing some shocked mumbles from nosey watchers and not caring one bit.

As we pull apart, Eddie smiles at me, and I feel the need to teasingly add, "And yes, you are a freak, but you're my freak, Eddie Munson."

"You mean it?"

"Absolutely."

"Thank you," he mumbles, kissing me again. As his lips leave mine, he whispers, "I love you too, Sweetheart."

Another kiss and more unhappy small-town minds noticing the love I share with the town's freak later, Robin makes us jump apart as she nonchalantly slaps our shoulders. "Hey, lovebirds. We're going to have a graduation party at Nancy's." She looks over to Wayne, who politely kept his distance while we were busy. "Family allowed."

"You just ruined their moment, dipshit," Steve says, pulling her away from us.

She shrugs. "They can cry and make out later. Right now, it's time to celebrate."

"You still ruined their moment," he insists, dragging his best friend away while shaking his head in our direction. "Do you see what I need to deal with on a daily basis?"

Robin elbows him in the ribs. "Shut up, dingus. You love me."

I ignore their bickering, looking at my boyfriend. "Do you wanna celebrate?"

He nods. "Yeah, Robin's right, actually. We can make out later and cry tomorrow when we get your stuff."

He places a kiss on my forehead, then enlaces our fingers.

"A house," he says suddenly, making look at him a little confused. "You asked me, trailer or house. My answer is house, and I want a white picket fence, a big living room for D&D adventures, and a guest bedroom for the freshmen to crash at when it's too late to drive home."

I can't help but smile. My metalhead is nothing more than a big softy dressed in leather and denim. "A white picket fence?"

He nods happily, informing me, "Always wanted one. Very heavy metal."

"Okay, crazy," I giggle. "House it is."

Remembering Eddie's uncle, who still stands there, giving us our private moments, I ask, "Have you told him?"

Eddie shakes his head, letting go of me and walking over to his uncle.

"Uncle Wayne?" he says nervously. "[y/n] and I want to move in together."

"Oh, that poor girl," he chuckles deeply.

"Is that okay for you?"

Wayne nods. "Of course it is, Eddie. And until you find something, you'll stay at the trailer with me."

"I'll still visit you all the time, and you can stay over as often as you want," Eddie assures his uncle again.

"Son, I already said it's okay."

"I just don't want you to think you'll be alone."

My heart swells at Eddie's sweet words, and so does Wayne's, as he lets out a loud sigh.

"Lord, you're a good man, Eddie. But I'm okay. I waited nine years to have the trailer to myself again," he assures his nephew, placing a hand on each of his shoulders. "We're family, boy. We're not going to stop being there for each other just because you're changing your address."

Eddie nods, trying to look away from his uncle as his eyes fill with tears, but Wayne follows his gaze, searching for his eyes. "I'm so proud of you. Always were," he tells him, pulling him into a hug.

As they put on their manly facades again, Wayne also adds, "And you better treat that girl well. Not every day one comes around and loves you that much."

Eddie nods quickly, wiping his teary eyes into the sleeve of his graduation robe.

Wayne keeps the boy close while looking at me and opening his other arm. "Now you come here, let me hug you too." I oblige, having my first family hug at the age of eighteen, with a found family that, through its brokenness, is so much more complete than mine ever was.

"If he ever treats you wrong, you'll tell me, okay?" the older man tells me, making me giggle. "I'm serious; you're family now."

I nod. "Okay, Wayne."

Wrapping an arm over my shoulder while we walk towards our friends, Wayne tells me, "You're taking his mattress with you when moving."

I quickly shake my head. "No chance. That thing needs to be burned."

People that requested a part 2: @maystecc @englishmensbitch16 @ttsbaby01 @lucktwistedlady

#eddie x y/n #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x reader #eddie x reader #x female reader #fem!reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x fem!reader #reader insert #x reader #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fanfiction #eddie stranger things #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x female reader

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nburkhardt · 2 years

Text

hello, i'm antoinette! you can call me toni :)

welcome to my blog, there's a lot and probably even more to come. i write here and there. this is the one stop for it all, it's a little organized with short descriptions with each link. i also tag everything with #nburkhardt writes. i have a permanent tag list if you would like to be added let me know!

enjoy the fics!

💐 multiple part fics

Desperate Prayers of a Cursed Man (on hiatus) Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 , Part 6 short description: Steve has issues with being called asshole. Eddie's the one to save him.

Someone You Loved (on hiatus) Part 1, Part 2, short description: Post-Break Up, Steve trends on tiktok with his song about Eddie.

Lower the Noise (Won't Be Putting My Heart On Display) Part 1 & Part 2 short description: Steve realizes he's in love with Eddie.

Wanna Share a Last Name? part 1 & part 2 short description: Steve has a plan, Eddie's a little slow. Wayne has the brain cell.

Goodbye is a Second Chance Part 1, Part 2 short description: Modern Day, A video ends up on trending under the name "TheHair" (posted as snippets)

Does The Ghost Know? (on hiatus) Part 1 short description: Steve thinks Eddie's ghost is apart of his imagination, but is he really?

Touch-Starved Steve part 1, part 2, part 3 (coming soon) short description: Touch is something precious. Steve doesn't get it until Eddie barrels his way in.

Somebody Loves You, You Got A Friend Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10 (coming soon) short description: a/b/o teenage parents steddie! takes place in season 2 (focus on steddie, slice of life fic!)

Love Is... part 2 (coming soon) short description: Love is something not to play with. (its an angst feast, be warned!)

Of Scissors and Wild Curls Part 1 & Part 2 (coming soon) short description: Eddie's bad hair day leads to Steve's hair salon. (Meet-Cute, modern setting)

The Pokemon AU Dustin's Journey, Egg Exchange short description: A series of fics in the world of pokemon (world build, Steddie)

The Rockstar, The Baker & Baby. original idea, slice of life, short description: Both Steve & Eddie are famous, in their own ways. They're also mates, the world doesn't know that.

Pray For The Ground to Swallow Me Whole part 2 (coming soon) short description: Joyce doesn't like Steve, she tells him and leads to a breakdown

Alone for the Holidays ..... Not Exactly. short description: With winter comes holidays, with that Steve is alone. That is until his platonic soulmate calls in a favor with one metalhead. (PLEASE note: the "not exactly" links to the second part)

🌷 one shots

Valentine's Day Fic short description: Eddie loves and hates that he says 'I love you' on Valentine's Day, that's it.

Started as a Joke short description: Steddie called each other boyfriends before dating.

Really, Him? (Mike Wheeler character study) short description: Mike learning about himself and hating that he has a crush on Steve.

Street Fair Dates (Buckingham) short description: Robin gets ditched by Steddie at a fair, buys a plush frog and rambles her way into a date with Chrissy.

Tattooed Steve bonus snippet the start of it short description: He forgot to mention his tattoos, will add more eventually

Short fic: Robin's a babysitter. short description: She babysits Steddie's daughters, thats it.

March 27th, 1986 short description: Eddie Munson has opinions on the date March 27th

Be Your Alibi short description: They had plans to tell everyone, but then Eddie's wanted for murder and really the only way to save your boyfriend is to be his alibi.

Super Angsty Steve short description: Steve's reaction to Eddie saying he doesn't like him. super angsty with very little comfort lol

Oh Sugar, Sugar, I Love You short description: Steve is an overly affectionate lightweight. A silly and fluffy relationship reveal.

Steve's Birthday short description: His birthday rolls around and all he wants is to relax.

Somewhere Along the Bitterness short description: Major character death, angst/no comfort. Steve as Vecna's victim

Meet-Weird short description: its a silly fic with no real plot, steddie!

Of Insomnia and Nightmares short description: It's not the first time Steve looks for him. It’s an unfortunate side effect from nearly dying; insomnia and nightmares.

Feels Like the World's Gonna End (But I'll Get You Through) short description: Steve has a panic attack on the fourth of july, Eddie helps him and they cuddle ❤️

Fluffy established Steddie short description: a short and silly, steddie being deeply in love and silly ❤️

Dancing in the Rain short description: Eddie has a secret love for dancing in the rain

How did this happen? (angsty) short description: This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were supposed to be fine. *has a happy ending

Sappy Boys (fluffy) short description: It's in the title, seriously its just very sappy and sweet.

Steddie first kiss scenario short description: At Eddie’s trailer, they’re high as fuck and Max witnesses.

A chaotic Steve short description: Steve decides to wear a shirt and causes everyone to question him (its a relationship reveal!)

The Hoodie Mistake short description: Eddie's late to practice and the guys learn of his relationship with Steve

Jeff helped Steddie get together short description: Jeff asks Eddie a question and spiels down until he and Steve get together.

Backpacks short description: Relationship Reveal featuring Steve being a little shit and backpacks.

Realizations and Maturing short description: Steve's words burn at Nancy, months after Vecna's gone. She learns a few things along the way. (Steddie with Nancy pov)

RWRB inspired short desciption: Eddie disappears on Steve, Steve chases him down (angsty with a happy ending)

Finally Safe & Happy short description: Dustin sees Steve for the first time while he's not on edge.

Single Soon (a famous AU) short description: Chrissy Cunningham is back with a new single! (Buckingham with implied Steddie)

5 Random words fic short description: Someone is stealing from the Capital, Eddie finds out who. Steve has no choice but to steal.

Scoops Troop Time short description: Dustin's finding the the perfect time to line their schedules up for Scoops Troop time.

Hellfire Club or Steve Harrington's fan Club? short description: It started as a dnd club and somewhere along the way it became a little bit more. Eddie also somehow manages to land himself on a date with Steve.

Cuddles short description: Robin is tired of Steve pouting. While all Steve wants to do is cuddle maybe with Eddie.

“H-How long have you been standing there?” short description: Steve doubts if Eddie wants him around, Wayne tells him otherwise

Booping Noses short description: Steve is a very affectionate while high.

Pretty Boys short description: The plan is ruined in seconds just because a pretty boy looks at him.

Giggles in the Morning short description: Slice of life, Steve falling in love all over again with Eddie. (omegaverse, mpreg)

Sweet Morning short description: Steve wants to stay in bed with Eddie

True Love's Kiss short description: Dustin flipped Steve's life upside down, but that wasn't the biggest surprise of his life.

🌺 headcanons | ideas

The Grimm AU short description: Steve doesn't know he's a grimm until a relative shows up with a mysterious trailer. (will eventually continue)

What if Gareth is Robin's step-brother? Part 1, Part 2 short description: AU where Gareth is Robin's step-brother and friends with Steve before steddie happens. Not quite one shots. Maybe eventually will expand on these.

HC: Steve has family short description: Steve is close to his mom & her side of the family

HC: Steve's brain is something else short description: Words are hard for Steve.

HC: Steve gets shovel talks short description: not quite a fic, more rambling of my take on shovel talks

HC: Mike notices Steve pull away short description: Out of everyone to notice Steve pulling away, its Mike Wheeler. (might turn this into something, not sure yet)

What if? Steve has a good relationship with his parents short description: After Vecna, everyone learns of the kind of relationship Steve has with his parents (will eventually expand this!)

An Idea: Omega Steve. short description: an a/b/o idea of Steve wanting to be a parent. Anyone can use it!

An Idea/HC: Mike confronts Nancy short description: Nancy tries to give Steve a shovel talk, Mike's not having it. Anyone can use!

Imagine: Eddie finding the rings short description: a very quick little thing inspired by a pair of rings

Steve's Stuck short description: i projected on steve, He feels stuck in life.

Silenced short description: Its a projection! Steve grew up not allowed opinions or talking back.

Steve and Robin's Quiet Time short description: Steve's favorite pastime is coloring

Eddie gets quiet short description: A projection on our fave boy. When he's overwhelmed, he shuts down.

Steve goes to the park short description: growing up, Steve wasn't allowed to play like the other little kids.

Disneyland Meet-cute short description: Steve's a disneyland VIP who escorts Corroded Coffin around. (an idea that anyone could use!)

Love Language is Food short description: Home Chef Eddie Munson gets on Triple G, Professional Chef Steve Harrington is the host. (very short)

Personal Space short description: Steve's family life. Based off my life with my nieces

Fall Date short description: Steddie's first date is in fall. short & sweet.

Imagine: Steve & Dustin on The Amazing Race short description: It's a fic idea of a henderfam duo on a reality show

Falling in the Cruelest Way short description: Steve tries not to fall for Eddie. Eddie leaves Hawkins behind. (angsty)

Super Powers Sometimes Aren't Great short description: Steve has a deathly touch, he meets Eddie; who can't die.

Anastasia AU short description: Imagine Eddie as Anastasia with Steve as Dimitri.

Claudia's boys short description: it didn't take Claudia to adopt Steve

*updates whenever i post something new or update

#steddie #nburkhardt writes

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scarlet-pandrian · 8 months

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Can You Be My Sunflower In The Snow

To grow up without a father was something Dustin never thought of as a problem. Why should it be one? His mother was perfect in every sense of the word. Claudia Henderson was a Goddess on earth, she did everything in her might to give Dustin the perfect childhood, to fulfill every wish he had. She worked at night so she could be there for him every morning to make him breakfast. She drove him to the playground, the Wheelers’ and then the arcade everyday until she got him his first bike. And even then she tried to drive him at night out to school events, she even drove him to his first ever convention.

When Dustin turned seven he learned about summer camps and all those different kinds of camps. He fell in love instantly because he saw an opportunity to see the world and learn different kinds of things. There were summer camps for math, for astrology and tech- things he was interested in. So Claudia, the angel she was, saved money every year so Dustin could go to summer camp, because Dustin loved it there. When he met Mike's parents for the first time, he realized one thing. A father wasn’t important. Ted Wheeler sat in his armchair, read his newspaper and told them off because they ate too loud. When he met Will’s parents he was grateful for his mother- for only having his mom, because Lonnie Byers was an A-grade asshole. Then the trio met Lucas at the arcade and they became friends and so he met the Sinclairs.

Mr.Sinclair was…he was kind, and supportive of Lucas but he also worked a lot, so oftentimes he only saw Mrs.Sinclair and Baby Sinclair. For a minute he thought that fathers could also be something good, something a young kid needs but then everything happened at the Byers’ and he saw how much Joyce loved her kids and how little Lonnie loved them. So, in his book, that was it. Why should he need a Dad if he had the best Mom out there?

So Dustin never understood why he should need or want a dad, he had everything he needed with Claudia. He did understand however, how lonely it was to be an only child. His Mom called him precious when he was a child because that's what he was for her: precious. But his Mom never wanted a second child- or rather she could never afford another child and couldn’t get over the death of her husband. So Dustin was her everything and that was okay but…kook. He had eyes, and all his friends had siblings, Mike even had two of them.

Will and Jonathan had a bond like no other, they probably needed it, but Jon did everything for Will. He brought him to every playdate the kids had, he shaped his taste in music and clothes and he was simply there for him. Lucas on the other hand didn’t adore his little sister, sometimes he hated her, because he couldn’t go to places with his friends because of her or because she was nosy. But at the end of the day…he helped her with everything. They always did their homework together and Lucas told them that he sometimes missed watching saturday morning cartoons together with Erica in his bed.

And Mike- two sisters, that was a lot. Especially Nancy. But she was the first person Mike ever played DnD with, she was the first person who would know something about his life, he would always go to Nancy when life got hard and he could always go to Holly to simply laugh or play Knights and Princess with her.

His friends were never alone, when the party wasn't together. Dustin however- he was alone at home. No nosy sibling, no one to share a secret or a meal with. He was all alone when Claudia went to work or even when she was at home. She was his mother not…a friend.

He wished for a sibling, but he wasn't stupid, he knew he would never get one and that was okay. He had friends, the best friends a boy could wish for.

And then he met Steve Harrington and everything changed. It was such a corny and stupid sentence but at the end of the day, no, at the end of the world, it was true. If Dustin ever stuck into a time loop, he would adopt Dart every single damn time for the rest of his life just to meet Steve Harrington. He didn't see ‘King Steve The Hair Harrington’ that day at the Wheelers’, he saw a boy that wanted to meet a girlfriend who wasn't even there. He saw someone strong who could help him find his demodog. He did not think that this boy would stand between him and his friends and a hoard of demodogs, that this boy would fight Billy freaking Hargrove for them, for Lucas, for Max. But when that day had ended, he had known for sure that he never wanted this boy to leave his life again.

Dustin knew that Nancy and Jonathan helped Mike and Will for the Snow Ball, he knew Erica made fun of Lucas’ outfit that day and…yeah. He wanted help for his hair, he wanted to look good for Max and the ladies but he also wanted to not be alone, to have someone that would be there for him but also would make fun of his stupid suit. And Steve; he was the first person to ever be a sibling for him.

Steve was his brother in every sense of the word. After Upside Down Round 2 and ‘the fight’ Steve made sure that somebody would drive them, because nobody knew for sure what could happen in a town like Hawkins.

He could simply call Steve and ask him for help and he would be there. But he also realized something else at that time.

He was not the only kid who felt lonely, who wished for a sibling. Dustin was many things;stupid wasn't one of them. He noticed rather quickly the loneliness Steve carried with him. A big house, with no parents ever present, nobody who would go to his competitions, nobody who cooked food for him, there was simply Steve in this house filled with ghosts instead of memories. And Dustin hated this, he told Claudia about this and his mom, she was an angel, wanted Steve's phone number, called him and Sunday's Dinner got invented. She loved cooking, so to have another tummy to fill was a dream come true for her.

He hated sports and he hated watching them, but he tried to visit Steve's competitions because if he wasn't there, nobody was and Steve… he always laughed about it. Dustin didn’t understand why, until he realized that Steve was a fighter and a fighter will never show you his weakness. So Steve played it off, his absent parents, his loneliness and that he lost his friend group. It was a shitty friend group for sure, but it was everything he had for a long time and to now see them hate him, that must hurt.

1985 was the first year Dustin thought about not going to summer camp. They rarely talked about the Upside Down, because trauma bonds are strong but also create walls you can't easily climb, but he feared that something could happen if he wasn't there. That not everyone would be here, when he will come back. He hated his thoughts but he feared for Will and he saw how little Steve thought of himself, which in this context meant, he would sacrifice himself first before anyone if they got hurt. He dreamed about coming back and standing before Steve's gravestone… he woke up screaming, he woke up crying after these nightmares.

So he told his Mom that he was too old for summer camp, that the money should go to his college fund and that there wasn't even any interesting camps anymore. Which was a lie of course, he wanted to go to Camp Know Where for years, he stood on the waiting list for 5 years and this year he got accepted. But the camp was simply that, a camp. Steve, he was his brother, the boys and Max were his party, his family. He could not leave them.

Steve was the one who sent him to summer camp. He helped him pack and he told him that everything would be fine, they made a code system that summer and he forced the Harrington boy into writing him letters every single week.

So when he came back and met Robin Buckley, the co-worker Steve wrote a lot about in his letters, Dustin was excited.

But then, oh no, Upside Down Round 3 began. Though he didn't know that, he thought the Russians and the Upside Down were two completely different things, yeah. He was wrong, they were the same fucking thing. And again, here was Steve, helping him, getting beat up for him and Erica and that nosy co-worker girl. He meant it when he said “If you die, I die” because what should he do without Steve? He never had a brother but he knew there would never be a better brother than Steve in his life. They were meant to be brothers, two lonely boys in a hellish town. Steve was all the goodness Dustin never possessed. He… couldn't be weak, not in his condition, not when he needed to help Will feel comfortable. Steve, after he got rid of those stupid rich kids, was everything good in this world. He was a sunflower in a field of snow, strong enough to withstand the cold world.

A lot of people, Mike included, told him that Steve was a dick in High School, but he saw it as a defense mechanism, something Steve did because he was a soft soul after all. Something Steve did because a lot of people hurt him and everything he wished for was to be loved. And at the end of the day, Dustin too, was an asshole. He called Steve stupid and other names, because the other boy didn’t understand him. He called Erica childish simply because she was younger than the rest of them. He was booksmart, the others were booksmart, his girlfriend was booksmart so Dustin had a problem with people who weren't. Some people simply aren't smart but they are something better, something that is way harder to achieve, because they are kind. And Steve, he was kind and loved with his full body, he would rescue them before even thinking about himself.

So yeah, he didn’t know how he could ever live without that person in his life. He saved Steve not only because he loved him, he saved him, because Dustin couldn’t phantom a life without Steve in it anymore. He could not even think about a life as an only child because he had Steve and he would die before losing Steve again.

Steve warned him, all of them really, what it could mean to be a freshman, who to trust and which people to avoid. Dustin thought this all would be bullshit. He wore his math shirt on the first day, ran into Jason Craver and then he got a swirly. An amazing first day, really. It was great. On his second day he searched for Eddie Munson. Will had told them that Eddie had helped him, that he'd given him permission to join his school club. So of course Dustin and the boys tried to get into Hellfire. Eddie was an ass, but he also looked at them, really looked at them and then they were never alone again. The curly haired boy helped them find a footing in a school that was so different from the one before. In a time when Mike lost his focus because he lost El and Will. In a time when Lucas and Max broke up and didn’t get together again. In a time when it felt like they lost the red-haired girl.

Yeah, at first he wanted to meet Eddie for Hellfire, for a good DM to finally play again because Mike wasn’t all that great. But then he and Eddie, they clicked. The other boy had an amazing taste in fantasy literature, his music taste was a bit off but that was okay because Eddie could talk for hours about different music genres, like Dustin could talk for hours about numbers.

When he realized that Steve Harrington was jealous of Eddie Munson? He had not believed it himself, because he had never thought about Steve's side in this situation, that for the other boy it must have felt like losing a loved one again. That Dustin would be away on Sundays more and more, that sometimes Steve didn’t meet him outside of driving him places for weeks on end. He saw that Eddie and Dustin not only clicked but that they were similar. And Dustin? What did he do about it? He made fun of Steve.

But nothing could have ever prepared him for the springbreak of hell.

The Upside Down would always return on important days, never did the shit hit the fan at some boring time like a regular Monday. They've had Christmas, Halloween and the Fourth of July and now every spring break will remind him of this…this horrible round 4 of the Upside Down.

When he saw that the police of Hawkins had Eddie as their main suspect his first instinct was calling Steve, because his big brother always helped him. So he got Max and they drove to Family Video, they found Eddie, because Robin was a smartass like them, and got him back. They had a chance to help, to save him. And everytime in this awful week, every single time he thought they could make it, that it could only get better at that point, it got worse.

He never saw Steve's recklessness as a cry for help, so he also never saw Eddie's big personality as armor or a shield for the other boy to hide behind. Eddie was a bard, he was a natural at entertaining others. He had the ability to manipulate others into believing that he was this strong and loud-mouthing man. But at the end of the game, when no dice will roll again, he was a lonely little boy who didn't even believe in himself. Who didn’t believe in the fact that others could love him, who could never love himself. He didn't believe the fact that his uncle Wayne loved him to the moon and back, that he wasn't a burden for the other man but a blessing. He also did not believe that his friends actually liked him, that they would be sad without him. That he had an impact on anyone. That he changed the lives of others for the better. Eddie, he was like the moon. The light that was surrounded by others but would alway shine the brightest. The guiding light, that you’d follow when everything else is dark.

Eddie, he became Dustin's second brother. And he was the first person who died that really meant something to him.

Sometimes he would wake up and ask himself if he could have done more, if he could have told Eddie more often how important he was to him and them, that he was as much part of his party as the rest of them. Sometimes he would wake up screaming the name of this lost boy and then he would cry. Because at the end of the day, it would always be Dustin's fault.

He also screamed that fateful day. First he yelled after Eddie, he tried his best to get back into the hell dimension to help. But he was too slow, all those Demobats fell to the ground and then there was his brother, bloodied on the cold ground. In that moment he wasn’t the moon, he was a shooting star. “I didn’t run away this time, right?” He wished that Eddie would have run away or that he could have just cast a saving spell and Eddie would get back up and laugh, but this wasn’t a stupid game. This was reality and reality really sucked.

He made him swear that he would take on Hellfire, that he would be the next Eddie…but how could he save other kids if he could not even save his own brother? What did Eddie see in him? He was another lost soul, not a shining moon or a strong sunflower. He was only Dustin Henderson.

When Eddie had stopped breathing…Dustin had screamed at him first, he should wake up, he can’t go and leave him alone. And then he'd screamed for Steve, Steve could help him and… he wanted his brother there. The Harrington boy ran, but even running through the Upside Down will not bring a dead one back. Steve had stood there, over them, he got to Dustin and hugged him, so hard that it felt like his ribs would break.

The first days after getting out there… actually, to this day he didn't know what he'd felt back then. Telling Wayne Munson that his nephew died; how can you tell a man that his greatest gift was gone forever? Dustin was not cut out for this. He was a simple boy, he could explain Euler's identity, but how could he explain to a man that his only child had died protecting a town that tried to hunt him down? That he did not kill Chrissy, that he'd played the most metal concert in history, that he did not only save Dustin but changed his life for the better. After this day he never saw Wayne Munson again, he asked himself a lot why. Had the old man died of a broken heart? He will never find the answer and he is happy about that. Sometimes it is better if a mystery stays a mystery.

“Never change, Dustin Henderson”; Eddie was a stupid boy for telling him that and then dying. Because traumatic events will always change people. He was so angry at Max because Billy was an abusive prick, more than one time Billy tried to kill them and yet Max changed after losing Billy. She changed so much that she would have almost been his second victim. Losing Eddie did the same with Dustin, it changed him. He got irrationally angry, at everyone and everything. He would snap, at his friends, at Steve and at his mom. Because nobody could understand Dustin. Nobody knew how it felt for him to visit Eddie's grave and see these awful words. Eddie was not a murderer or a cultist or a monster, he was a kind boy, too kind for this town.

He started growing his hair out, started wearing rings, he wanted to be closer to the shadow of a boy, to the ghost of his brother. He tried so hard to get Eddie back, to be near him that he forgot about Steve. Steve had Robin, she was his soulmate. Steve had the party, they loved him. Steve had Claudia, or so he thought.

He knew that this was not over, everyone knew it really. It was a matter of time, really.

In 1988, He started High School as a senior, he was the head of Hellfire and he got together with Suzie. Overall a good year, the perfect time for the Upside Down to make a comeback.

Steve and Robin started community College and worked their fifth job together, everything was fine. Yeah, he was a dick to the people he loved most, but other than that everything was fine.

Losing Steve was a pain Dustin could not put into words. Steve died a hero, saving the people he loved the most. He was a level 20 paladin, the strongest soldier they had, the most loyal soul out there. But even that could not save him, when death stood at his door. The worst part was that Dustin wasn’t even there when it happened. He came back and he saw Eleven and Mike, He saw Will and Nancy. But he couldn’t see Robin, or Jonathan or…Steve. He lost his triumphant smile instantly, he asked for them and everyone got silent. Something was so wrong he felt it. And then he saw Robin Buckley, this strong and quick-witted woman, bent over a bloodied body, over a young man with brown hair and closed eyes.

“No”, he screamed. Robin looked at him with red rimmed eyes that screamed of sadness.

“Dustin, I'm sorry…”

He sat beside her and they held Steve together, a long time. He could not let go of his brother and she could not let go of her other half, her soulmate.

Sometimes, on good days, Dustin would buy sunflowers and Robin would buy ice cream and they'd meet, sit together, listen to Tears for Fears and Abba and in these small moments he felt Steve at their side. Holding their hands and smiling.

On other days he would smash a vase and cry for hours because he never in his life wanted to be an only child again and he missed them so much that even breathing hurt.

Today he was back in Hawkins, it was his 22nd Birthday. Eddie never got to be 22. Steve never got older than 22. The boys wanted to throw him a big party, they wanted to celebrate because every year they make it was another year worth celebrating, right? Birthdays were something they needed to celebrate because there was a time in their life that simply wasn't on the table anymore. He decided against it, and told them next year. That he needed to be in Hawkins again this year. So he bought flowers and visited Claudia again. His mother never left this cursed town. He was thankful for her because he would have never left if she wasn’t here.

They ate his birthday cake and talked about his new girlfriend, about university and the boys. She told him that Max got better at walking and that her new cat was a shy little thing.

Then he bought big and beautiful sunflowers. He wanted the most beautiful ones because he wanted the best for the king. He also bought another set of beautiful dice.

Meeting his brothers on his special day was his only birthday wish this year. He sat in between their graves and laughed for a moment before he laid his presents at their graves.

“I miss you guys so much, you know? I think…I think I was the luckiest guy on this planet to get to meet you, to call you both my brothers. I hope you two are proud of me. I know I changed a lot. But I hope that…That I changed to be like you guys? I’m happy about it. About not being an only child anymore, about talking about you, because you are my heroes and…Thank you. Both of you.”

Also on AO3:

#steddie #stranger things #dustin henderson #found family #ficlet #my fic #dustin and steve #dustin and eddie #character analysis

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spicysix · 1 year

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fake it 'till you make it | jonathan byers X reader

“It was all Nancy Wheeler's fault. I mean, literally. Quite from the beginning. Because it was all about Nancy Wheeler, wasn't it? It was all because of Nancy Wheeler, it was all for Nancy Wheeler.” or: you and Jonathan create a plan to make Nancy jealous

warnings: fake relationship, in between S1 and S2, gn! reader (no pronouns, no gendered terms, no y/n used). mostly fluff, a pinch of crack taken seriously at the beginning just because i love it, right before all the fucking feels hit in. and my already known absurd use of italics.

word count: 9.1k

a/n: based on this request, thank you so much anon. your request drove me completely insane, i had a few out of body experiences and ended up with 9k words of love and devotion to Jonathan Byers. don't worry, no Nancy hate in here, it's almost as much of a love letter to her as it is to Jonathan tbh, Reader just doesn't know better in the first paragraphs. hope y'all like it! don't forget to reblog if you do, and comments are always treasured and kept in a little golden box in my nightstand for me to delight in them on lonely nights ♡

↳ ao3

It was all Nancy Wheeler's fault.

I mean, literally. Quite from the beginning. Because it was all about Nancy Wheeler, wasn't it? It was all because of Nancy Wheeler, it was all for Nancy Wheeler.

Okay, let’s start from the top.

Jonathan has always kind of been there. He didn't say much, he didn't present himself much, he didn't get quite noticed. But he has always been there. And you had a thing for those who weren't actually seen, but that had always been there anyway.

Your interest was purely out of curiosity, though, of course. Because you wanted to understand the whole thing. Sure, you had the bigger picture — abusive, absent father, overprotective mom, young brother, and the whole heavy weight of teen parentalization on top of Johnny-boy's scrawny shoulders.

Multiply that for, like, a billion, and we get what we got after November 6th: missing young brother, over-overprotective mom, asshole opportunistic father, and the whole heavy weight of guilt on top of Johnny-boy's scrawny shoulders.

And, in the middle of all that, enters Nancy Wheeler.

Okay, wait, from the top again.

It was mid-May, and Jonathan was just there, as usual. Revealing some photos, the bigger and the smaller pictures you were so deeply curious to see. A precisely requested assignment for a History project — you really loved History, you'd put all your effort into it — and, oh wow! You were also there!

Both of you revealing your pictures, Johnathan had used that shiny new camera he showed up with after Christmas break — after Nancy Wheeler's boyfriend, Steve Harrington, broke the previous one (I mean, if the rumors were true, Johnny-boy was being kind of a creep. But apparently he apologized or whatever, because after Steve's purple eye and Will Byers' death and resuscitation thing, you've seen Johnathan, Steve, and Nancy Wheeler having lunch all together. As crazy as it all sounded).

That’s a digression, back from the top again.

You and Jonathan were sharing the silence only a red room and its buzzing little red lamp lights could provide, minding your own business. Well, he was minding his own business, you were kind of curious about the bigger and the smaller pictures. Minding his business as well.

Shoulder to shoulder as you worked on your photos, you hanging your own as Jonathan took his down from where they've been drying.

It was literally a bigger and a smaller picture, okay, I kid you not.

Jonathan seemed to get lost in his thoughts as he analyzed the bigger one, the one you've seen already — what seemed to be a reunion of sorts between the Byers and the Wheelers, parents and children, and those other two little gremlins that Will and Mike (was it Mike? Nancy’s younger brother, Will’s best friend) were inseparable friends with.

The younger ones were sitting on the floor, those huge smiles on their baby faces, happiness exhaling from, well, probably finding out that their friend that had gone missing for a week wasn't actually dead.

The parents, Joyce Byers, and Karen and What's-His-Face Wheeler were sitting on the couch behind the kids, pride and joy in the mothers' faces and boredom on the father's face — it was his permanent state, you were aware of it by now from seeing him from time to time on the streets.

Pretty, preppy, prissy Nancy was standing behind the couch, just behind her daddy, younger baby sister in her arms as she smiled that tiny little pouty smile of hers. No pretty, preppy, poshy Steve in sight, you wondered where he was, as Jonathan was standing beside Nancy and the baby, hands in his pants pockets, that perpetual blank stare in his eyes of someone being constantly haunted.

You found it cute, somehow.

Cute in, like, a curious kind of way. Wanted to find out what was haunting him so badly.

And then. In the present, real, out-of-picture time or whatever, Jonathan snapped out of his thoughts as he went to get the other picture — the smaller one — from where it was hanging. His hand stopped a single inch before touching it, and you saw from the corner of your eye that he was looking at you from the corner of his eye. Combine the peripheral vision situation with his hesitancy to grab the smaller picture, your life-long curiosity and an impulsive strike, and before you even thought about what you were doing, you were suddenly grabbing the fucking picture before Jonathan could.

You grabbed it, and he let out what sounded like a gasp and a whimper at the same time, and you walked backward until your back met the wall behind you. And Jonathan was all over you in a second, trying to grab your arms as you put them behind your back, hiding the picture — you didn't even get to see it, had no idea what he was so mortified about. He was saying, or screaming maybe, something at you that you couldn’t distinguish because his head was too close to yours. Distress all over his cute scrawny face, and you barely had the time to register the guilt bubbling in your stomach — because, fuck, why did you do that? It was a personal thing, you weren't even friends, you had talked to him like five times tops if you didn't count the whole trimester where you were basically best friends because of that Science project in freshman year.

You missed freshman year.

Anyway, there was no time to think about freshman year.

Over from the top, for real this time!

In the middle of all that, enters Nancy Wheeler.

Literally, physically enters the red room while you and Jonathan are pressed together against the wall, your arms behind your back, his arms on your arms and waist or maybe hips — you were unfocused, to be honest, by the fact that he was basically manhandling you with all his scrawny kid strength.

Well, Jonathan did win a fight over Steve Harrington, handed the School King's ass to him on a golden plate, so you shouldn't be that much surprised.

Alas, Nancy stopped at the door, her huge doe eyes getting even huger, sharp jaw going slack, long pointy fingers wrapped so tightly around the door handle that her knuckles were white.

"Oh! I- Jesus, I'm sorry! Jonathan, I-" Jonathan hadn't said a word since she entered, his whole body had gone frozen, and you were afraid he had stopped breathing altogether. "I'll come back later? I- Or, you'll come find me? I- Oh, god, I'm sorry!"

She ran off after her eloquent speech, not waiting for an answer and slamming the door behind her. Jonathan walked away from you and started murmuring something under his breath while walking in circles within the tiny space in the red room, forgetting about you and your stupid kidnapping of his picture, and finding out a new something to stress about.

You brought your arm to your front, finally looking at it and seeing what he really didn’t want you to see in the picture.

Guess who?

Nancy Fucking Wheeler.

It was on the same day as the other photo if Nancy’s clothes were to say, and she was away from the camera, her profile showing. Holding a single flower — you had no idea which one, you didn’t understand much about flowers. You knew it wasn’t a rose — in between her thin fingers, nose close to the petals, a delicate smile on her lips. She was in front of a window, the light from the outside encompassing her in a kind of godly aura, specks of dust around her, and yet she was the main focus of the whole frame.

As far as a picture could talk, this one was screaming ‘love’ so loudly it was deafening.

Something stirred in your belly, something raw and annoying and mean, but you ignored it and approached Jonathan carefully — as he was still kind of shaking, palms pressed tightly against his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, already stretching your arm to give him back his Nancy Wheeler love portrait. “Curiosity killed the cat and whatnot,” you muttered as he looked at you with anger and snatched the photo from your fingers.

“Yeah, and it’s gonna get you killed too.” His voice was restrained, his whole strength going into not yelling at you again even if his words were threatening enough. “You should go,” he commanded before remembering that his pictures were ready and yours weren’t. “I should go.”

He gathered his photos, his tools and his backpack, and you couldn’t will yourself to tear your eyes from every single movement he made, even if it was painful to watch because he was so clearly pissed at you — and rightfully so.

“If it’s any worth, she looked jealous,” you said, right before he left the red room.

Jonathan paused, door half open, his hand gripping the handle so tightly his knuckles were going white — a perfect mirror image of what Nancy looked like just a few minutes before. He didn’t turn to look at you or to answer your remark, just huffed, shook his head, and left, slamming the door behind him.

You rubbed your face, felt like tearing your hair off your head, took a few long, deep breaths before resuming your task of revealing the photos for your History Project. Buried every single feeling into your head and heart, they weren’t worthy to feel or talk about, and you had more pressing urges.

The History Project. Something about your local community, how a small town revolved around its few citizens, and you thanked every god you could come up with that Jonathan left before you revealed your last picture. Or, that you distracted Jonathan enough by prodding onto his secrets before the revealing liquid did its job and revealed the secrets you were hiding yourself.

You took the picture from the container with the revealing liquid and hung it alongside the other ones you had already put up to dry. You looked at your secret smaller picture.

Out of frame, you knew that Joyce Byers was at the cashier counter of Melvald’s, handing little Will some random candy as he looked excited at the gift. In the frame, in the picture, focused on, behind Will, was Jonathan. Also on his profile, almost the same angle as his own picture of Nancy. He was smiling softly at the sight of his family once again reunited in such an uneventful task such as grocery shopping. The natural daylight from outside the store made his skin glow, and the little crisp texture and reflexes of the not-so-clean window between you and him made the picture look somehow cozy — the opposite effect of distancing that you’d think it would give it. He was at the very center of the frame, soft brown jacket over his shoulders, hands holding plastic bags as he waited for his brother, his pink cheeks making your own face heat up — you remembered. You were infatuated with how relaxed he looked, some of that whole heavy weight finally off his scrawny shoulders; so relaxed that he didn’t even notice you from across the street, taking the picture like a fucking weirdo stalker.

And as far as a picture could talk, this one was screaming ‘love’ so loudly it was deafening.

Thankfully, your own ears were the only ones at range. And accustomed to the noise already.

-✧-

“I fucked up.”

Those were the first words you heard from Jonathan after the whole Nancy Wheeler love portrait fiasco in the red room. It was Friday already, and three whole days had passed - not that you were waiting for him to come talk to you sooner, because you never even talked before that, but something about the way you’d cross eyes in the hallways of the school made the air between you two weighted with something other than your crippling guilt.

“Come again?” you asked, setting down the Bukowski book you were pretending to read for your English class - ugh, Bukowski annoyed you.

Jonathan, for some reason, seemed annoyed at you.

‘Some reason’, okay, other than the obvious reason.

“I avoided Nancy after that day for as long as I could, but then she cornered me earlier today and I got too nervous and might have made the whole situation worst than it already was,” he answered, looking around him as if someone in the school parking lot was about to come out from behind a car and punch him in the face.

Hm, maybe Steve Harrington would.

“How did you manage that?” you asked again, crossing a leg under the other where you were sitting on the bench.

“I might have told her we, you and me, I mean, are… in a relationship.”

There was a ringing in your ear that kind of popped before the world went abruptly silent. You could see Jonathan in front of you, staring at you, waiting for your answer, but he was kind of blurry and the people walking behind him seemed to move in slow motion all of a sudden. It felt like years before you gathered just enough brain power to answer him.

“You. What.”

He groaned, and that made the world go back to normal inside your head, before he rubbed his eyes with the tip of his fingers.

“She came at me, asked who you were and if everything was okay that day, and all I could think of was you saying she had been jealous and, I don’t know, it felt like I blacked out or was possessed or something and then, out of nowhere, I was saying we were dating.”

“To make her more jealous?” you confirmed, and he shrugged violently.

“I guess!” he almost yelled, and then curled over himself in embarrassment. He hid his whole face behind the palms of his hands and you wanted to push them away, hold his cheeks yourself and-

Nope, block that thought out.

“Okay,” you said instead.

“Okay? ‘Okay’, what? Jesus, are you even more insane than I thought?”

You shrugged and pretended his words didn’t sting. “I’m saying we should go for it.” You saw his mouth opening, and spoke before whatever words were going to come out of him could hurt you further: “I can be your fake lover, you make Nancy jealous, she finds out she wants you and not Steve, dumps his ass and you and her will live happily ever after.”

Why were your impulsive thoughts making you so willingly throw yourself into a scenery that was only going to hurt you badly? You had no answer for that.

Jonathan frowned and actually seemed to consider, which was probably worse because you were pretty sure he was going to immediately deny your offer. It was a crazy fucking offer after all, who did you think you were? Molly Ringwald in a rom-com?

Well, apparently Jonathan thought he was Anthony Michael Hall, because the next thing he said was: “Yeah, let’s do that.”

“Dude. You’re kidding me?” you asked, twisting your entire body to fully face him and he seemed confused. “I was being sarcastic!” You weren’t, not really, but he didn’t know that. “We can’t do that, it won’t work! Just grow out some balls and ask her out, or whatever.”

You got up and started gathering your stuff since your free period was coming to an end, but Jonathan held your wrist before you could leave, a wave of shock starting where your skins connected all the way up to your brain. You ignored it.

“I already embarrassed myself too much in front of her. Please?” he begged, those sweet eyes of his staring deeply into your soul, and you huffed.

Closed your eyes so you wouldn’t see him, pulled your arm away so he wouldn’t touch you. He had too much power over you — and he had no idea.

“You owe me one, boyfriend,” you said just in time for the bell to ring, and then you were on your way to your English class, Bukowski ignored and forgotten, Jonathan’s pleading eyes the only thing on your mind.

“So, boyfriend, how did our love story begin?” Your question startled Jonathan, who hadn’t seen your approach.

He was sitting on the bench furthest from the entry of the park, looking at every direction around him just as he was in the school parking lot earlier that day. Still scared Steve Harrington would pop out of nowhere to beat his ass in revenge a few weeks late.

Jonathan had the luck of not sharing a single class with you over the rest of the school day, so he slipped a little note into your locker at some point, like a middle schooler trying to flirt. His note, however, did not read “WANNA GO GET MILKSHAKES WITH ME? [ ] YES [ ] NO - MARK WITH AN X”, but a simple “meet me @ train station park after school, gotta plan this right” instead.

Underwhelming.

You, however, were a pro at nothing else except committing to a bit, and it had been your stupid idea after all. So you went to the damn train station park to meet him and plan your damn love story, just so the two of you could make damned Nancy Wheeler jealous.

Jonathan was jumpy and kept as much distance in between you on the bench as he could, as if he was afraid you were going to attack him and devour his flesh like a monster coming from a sci-fi horror. You buried all your thoughts and feelings for him in the deepest of corners inside your mind (you’ve been doing that a lot, lately) and tried not to take any of his skittish reactions personally.

The two of you worked nicely, considering all the circumstances, and came up with some ideas that weren’t half bad. If you stopped to think why you were even doing all that in the first place, you’d have a hysterical laughing fit, so you just pretended like you were rehearsing a school play or something.

“You… need a ride?” Jonathan asked and you thought for half a minute before denying.

Surely it would be better if the two of you spent more time together since you were supposed to be dating. But Jonathan was still acting weird — more than usual — and you really didn’t want to impose or to feel worse than you already did from all his mistreatment.

“Uh, no, house’s not that far,” you lied, it was a good walk to your home, but Jonathan seemed relieved at your answer so you felt like you picked the right one.

You suppressed the need to huff, roll your eyes and push him in annoyance or do something else a middle schooler would do.

You also suppressed the will to smile politely at him as you said your goodbyes because, frankly, he wasn’t so deserving of it.

Phone numbers were exchanged in case of emergencies or needs to plan further, and you left before he could come up with something else. You were tired, drained really, from suppressing so much the whole day, and you couldn’t wait to sleep throughout the whole weekend if you could. Hoping no ‘Jonathan Byers loves Nancy Wheeler and would do anything for her’ emergencies would come up. Building up the courage to continue your own ‘You love Jonathan Byers and would do anything for him’ stupid plan.

-✧-

From all the worldviews you had to deconstruct as you grew older — you know, like, Santa isn't real, Reagan’s not a good president no matter what your grandpa said, vegetables are good for your health, and no, U2 wasn't actually that great of a band-

Well, the hardest and also easiest mental worldview deconstruction to be made was that Nancy Wheeler was actually a nice gal.

It was easy because it happened only after your first lunch with your brand new boyfriend Jonathan, and his great best friends Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler herself. Because it took Nancy one single lunch to win you over with all that wit, brains, charm of hers. And it was hard because, let's be honest, you've been holding a grudge over her for absolutely nothing (let’s call it nothing, okay?) for… a couple of years, now.

It happened Monday, and Jonathan was waiting for you outside your classroom right before lunch break, ready to take you to meet his friends or whatever they were. You were caught by surprise, but you were also a great improviser, and so you tucked his hands into yours (ignored his astounded demeanor and the blush in his cheeks, and that electric wave that hit you again) and let him lead you down the hallways.

You tried not to pay attention to all the looks you received. If all that had happened before November, you wouldn’t even be noticed — neither you nor Jonathan noticeable enough to gather attention from your peers. After his… well, after everything that happened to him and around him after November 6th, though, Jonathan was a little more perceived around school grounds.

Your face burned and your palms sweat with all the eyes turned on you, but you mastered the art of looking blasé all the way to the cafeteria. All the way to the table where Steve and Nancy were sitting side by side, his arm over her shoulder as they talked quietly.

“Hey,” Jonathan greeted as you reached the table, and the couple looked up at you. Steve raised an eyebrow and Nancy’s face contorted in some way before settling into a smile. Jonathan introduced you by name. “we’re dating,” he said, mostly to Steve who didn’t seem to know the news.

“Oh, wow. Cool, man. And nice to meet you,” Steve nodded at you with his million-dollar smile.

“Same,” you answered before letting go of Jonathan’s hand, sitting down and getting your sandwich from your backpack.

Jonathan sat down beside you and you could feel how stiff he was moving. You’d normally reach out and try and reassure him through physical contact if he was a friend of yours. But even though you were dating, you didn’t know if he would react nicely to that. So you kept to yourself.

“It’s nice to finally meet you properly,” Nancy called out, reaching across the table to rest her hand against your arm. Her skin was warm. “I’m sorry about… the other day.”

Steve turned to her clearly confused, and you answered before he could ask questions.

“Don’t worry about it. Hey, we have Math together, don’t we?” you asked instead, and Nancy nodded before going on a rampage about the Math teacher who was an absolute asshole.

She didn’t seem like a huge talker, but that was just one of your misconceptions about her that she went off on proving you wrong about. She seemed cold and distant, but she was actually really attentive and asked questions about you all lunch. She seemed uptight and annoying, but she was actually really funny and amusing. She seemed arrogant and presumptuous, but she was actually really down to earth and offered to help you with some English assignments in exchange for you to help her with some Math assignments.

She talked quietly and smoothly, and had witty remarks to every single comment her boyfriend made — not all of them were dumb, and not all of Nancy’s answers bordered on mean, but some of them certainly did. Steve didn’t seem to mind, though. He looked at her as if she hung the Sun all the way up in the sky. It was funny to see them side by side. They had a lot in common, physically. Top line, casual-chic clothing, elegant fabric softener smell, ironed to no faults. Sharp-edged jaws and expressive eyes, silk-smooth tongues and winning smiles, charisma all over.

That’s as far as it went, though.

Her nerdy comments went in through Steve’s left ear and out through his right. Jonathan laughed at them. Her journalistic eye caught onto little details that went unnoticed by her boyfriend. Jonathan noticed them with her. Steve smiled politely at Jonathan’s dry jokes, not always understanding them, but Nancy hid her laughs behind her wrist.

As if god was trying to show you that opposites attract, and if the devil was trying to give him a counterpoint of: no, actually, similars attract. All happening right in front of your skeptical eyes in the middle of school lunch, in between Science and PE.

Jonathan walked you to your next class after it was all over, and you were overwhelmed with how much you enjoyed Nancy Wheeler’s company. Which made it all extra difficult, since now you understood Jonathan’s infatuation with her.

“See you later,” he said his goodbye at the gym entrance.

A group of people walked past the two of you and Jonathan thought it was a good idea to land a kiss on your cheek. Your breath hitched and you didn’t have the time to say goodbye back before Jonathan was walking to the main building, to his own class.

Your cheek burned the whole day, and so did the hand you used to hold his through the hallways, and your heart ached with the thoughts on your mind of how much Jonathan and Nancy seemed meant to be, and how much you wish they weren’t.

-✧-

It was two whole weeks of that. Two whole weeks walking hand-in-hand with Jonathan and sitting with him, Nancy, and Steve at lunch. And sitting beside Nancy at the Math classes you shared, because she invited you to and you couldn’t say no.

And there was something about the three of them, something weird that they seemed to have in common. When they’d reminisce over something that happened around the time Will went missing, and they would stop and look at you mid-sentence sometimes, and one of them would suddenly change the subject.

You were curious, of course, it was part of your nature to be exceedingly curious at all times.

But they all seemed to hate to talk about it, even if they brought it up from time to time, and you seemed to recognize that constantly haunted look of Jonathan in his friends’ faces as well, and the look wasn’t as cute anymore.

So you didn’t pry.

Somewhere between the end of May and the beginning of June, Nancy and Steve asked you and Jonathan to go out with them on a double date, as if reading your mind for what could possibly be your worst nightmare, but again you couldn’t say no.

You might have picked your best outfit, and you might have done your hair more carefully than you usually did, and you might have put on an extra ring or necklace. And your parents might have noticed, and you might have lied and said you were going to a colleague’s birthday party and not on a double date to the movies and a restaurant with your weird fake boyfriend and his weird preppy friends.

Jonathan picked you up at seven sharp in his old Ford and he didn’t seem much different than usual outfit-wise, but he was definitely using cologne.

“You look nice,” he said as you entered the car and you tried not to swoon at the crumbs of his attention.

“You smell nice,” you answered, and it pleased you enough to see that blush of his creeping up his neck and cheeks.

Steve and Nancy were already there waiting under the marquee. Jonathan parked and the two of you left the car and went on your way to meet the other couple. Nancy greeted you with a tight hug. You wanted to throw yourself into oncoming traffic just as much as you wanted to stay in the unusual embrace for a long time.

“This is where your boyfriend gave me a taste of his amazing right hook,” Steve said to you, pointing at the little alley by the theater.

“Steve!” Nancy reprimanded, but it seemed like she was holding back a smile.

“What was all that about, anyway?” you asked, giving into your curiosity, eager for the whole story now that you could finally have it.

You forgot that dating Jonathan should probably mean that you’d know what it was all about already. He would’ve told the person he was dating, right? Thankfully no one seemed to notice your little slip.

“Jonathan was a bit of a creep, I was a huge of an asshole and Nancy sadly got caught in between us,” Steve answered honestly. “We’re all good now, though, aren’t we? All in the past.” He smiled at the other two, who nodded along and smiled back.

Jonathan and Nancy’s smiles didn’t seem as sincere as Steve’s. And that didn’t feel like the actual whole story, but again you didn’t pry because they were getting that weird haunted look.

Steve threw his arm over Nancy’s shoulder. “Let’s get some popcorn, my treat,” he said and started walking into the theater. Jonathan touched your lower back, guiding you, and you held back a sigh.

You were in for a long evening.

Indiana Jones conquered the Temple Of Doom, or whatever. You didn’t pay much attention, it was hard to with Jonathan’s arm draped over your shoulder the whole time and the whispered little comments he would make with Nancy — instead of you — through the film.

You went to a restaurant after, Nancy’s choice, not too far from the theater so you all walked there. Hand in hand again. Nancy and Steve behind you, talking about the movie. Jonathan tried to rile up a conversation about it with you — finally — but, as you hadn’t paid much attention, you didn’t have a lot to say.

Food was good and thankfully the topic of conversation wasn’t the movie, because you couldn’t pretend to have paid attention to it in front of the three of them at the same time. Instead, you talked about your summer plans. Well, mostly Steve’s summer plans, he was going on vacation with his parents, somewhere on the East Coast, maybe Hawaii? Nancy was just going to see her grandma for a couple of weeks up in Chicago. Your parents weren’t fans of travels, and Jonathan was… well, the guy was poor. So Steve’s plans were the most thrilling ones.

“Too bad your parents won’t wanna travel, you could have the house to yourselves,” Steve said with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows.

You laughed loudly — mostly nervously — and Jonathan blushed. It was your usual responses at this point.

“Sure, yeah,” you said, if only not to leave a weird silence up, before looking at your wristwatch. “They’re very strict anyway, and look at that! I gotta be home soon,” you continued, and Jonathan coughed to hide a laugh.

“We should ask for the check,” he said and raised his hand to get the waiter’s attention.

That weird conversation was over, finally, and you paid for the dinner individually. By the grace of gods Steve didn’t comment on Jonathan not paying for you, since he paid for his own girlfriend, but he sure eyed you curiously as you handed your money.

“This was so nice, we should do it more often!” Nancy commented on your way back to the cars, her arm intertwined with yours as Steve and Jonathan steered behind. “It feels nice to have a normal friend after-” she stopped herself and her eyes widened, and she gulped loudly and didn’t finish her sentence.

You remembered Barb Holland, and her great English essays and her amazing grades in History, and her suspicious disappearance near Will’s back in November. How she supposedly ran away from home. How she didn’t seem at all like the type to do that.

Nancy was looking guilty and haunted, that look the three of them shared, and your curiosity was turning into apprehension of knowing what had happened. She let go of your arm, and she never finished her sentence. The boys also went quiet behind you. There was a weighted tension on top of the four of you.

You reached Steve’s bimmer and he touched Nancy’s arm to lead her to the passenger side, and she was still in a kind of haze as she waved goodbye from the window. Steve seemed worried, and so did Jonathan, but none of them said anything. And neither did you.

Jonathan took you home, one of his hipster band’s tape on the sound system, the stars out brightly and the most awkward of silences between the two of you.

There was no one out in your street to see you as he parked in your driveway, but he kissed your cheek goodbye all the same. And you held him tightly in a hug, wanting to comfort him even though you had no idea what haunted him. Crippling curiosity equal to a crippling fear, wishing for the truth and wishing to never having to find out the truth.

-✧-

You had two final weeks of school before Summer and the great excuse of having to finish your essays and projects to hide in the library and not have to talk to the trio that confused you more and more every day.

But still, sometimes Nancy would stop by and study with you. Always helpful, and kind, and nice. You never talked about that night. Sometimes she’d bring Steve with her, and she’d tutor him and they didn’t bother you, and it felt good to have the company.

Sometimes Jonathan would stop by. He’d bring you lunch, he’d bring you books, he’d bring you comfort. The warmth of his presence was addictive, reminding you of late freshman year and the Science project you built together. And you dreaded the day this would all end, he’d forget about you with Nancy Wheeler in his arms, and you’d be nothing but an embarrassing and funny story to maybe tell their grandkids.

You were able to escape them one single day, to retake your final picture for that History collage, the one you used to replace Jonathan’s love portrait. As the class to present the projects came up, you shared a knowing look with him when you noticed he also replaced Nancy’s love portrait on his own collage. A secret between you, him, and little red lamp lights. A secret neither of you talked about. Those were starting to grow.

“How cute that you two have so much in common, you even chose the same format for your projects! I love collages,” one of your colleagues said to you after class was over.

Jonathan was waiting beside your table for you to gather your stuff, and you felt your knees weaken at the way he smiled from the compliment, none of that blush anymore, a pinch of almost confidence. You couldn’t know if you loved it or hated it.

“Mine doesn’t look as good, though,” he answered, pointing at your pictures as if he wasn’t the professional photographer, and you weren’t just someone with a hobby.

“You’re both adorable,” the colleague said before leaving, Jonathan thanked her all nonchalant as if used to it by now.

And you couldn’t come up with any words throughout the whole conversation, your throat constricted with the need to tell her to shut up and tell Jonathan how you felt for him, beg him to let you go. It wasn’t fun anymore.

He didn’t let you scurry away to the library, no more excuses to do so since the History project was the last one, and he held your hand through the hallways, and he held your bag for you, and he sat so close to you at the table bench, while Nancy ranted on about her Spanish essay, that you could feel the heat of his thigh pressed against yours, but his eyes never left Nancy’s as she spoke.

It felt as if there was an elephant at each of your shoulders, and you couldn’t stop staring at him, and he didn’t spare a single glance your way even as his arm was almost glued to yours with the heat and the sweat and the stickiness of early Summer. Your heart tight in your chest, beating fast and loud and strong against your ribcage, as if begging to be let out, to go rest on Jonathan’s hands where it belonged.

-✧-

Summer came, and you stayed home. Not many friends to go out with, not many party invitations in your mailbox, no one else to see on a day-to-day basis except your parents. They asked about Jonathan once, because they saw him picking you up and bringing you back on that double date you had with Nancy and Steve. You said he was probably traveling, that you weren’t so close, you didn’t know, and they knew better not to ask again.

It was August already, a whole long month of Summer break where you’d missed him every day, missed his sweet smile, the way his blush would start by his neck and go up until it reached his cheeks, missed his calm and soothing tone of voice, missed the way he’d smell of pancakes and mint shampoo in the mornings.

Didn’t miss the way he would look at her.

But you missed her too, though. You missed Nancy’s company, and her sweet smile and her calm and soothing tone of voice. You even missed Steve and the way he’d compare everything to a basketball game, and how he high-fived you when Nancy quizzed him on the library and he’d get an answer right. In the weirdest turn of events, they became your friends. And you missed your friends.

Your body seemed to know how your brain thought and your heart ached, because when your father asked you to get groceries, your feet automatically walked further than needed and took you to Melvald’s on Main instead of the market near your house.

And of course he was there.

You knew he’d be there. He told you (and Nancy, and Steve, during that double date) he’d be taking a summer job with his mom, was dreading the tasks already but he could use the money.

He was stocking, standing in the cereal aisle seeming a little confused about where to put the Honeycomb and the Fruit Loops. And that same natural daylight from the outside reached him and made his skin glow, and there were no dirty windows between you two as you reached him without even noticing you had been walking towards him.

“Hey,” you called out, and he turned to you and smiled weirdly wide.

“Hi. Long time no see. How’s your summer?” he asked, putting down the cereal boxes.

You shrugged. “Nothing exciting. How’s Melvald’s treating you?”

“It’s not so hard. Not a big place,” he shrugged as well, and he was still smiling and he was taller than you so the sunlight behind you was hitting his eyes just right and your heart thumped.

“You’ve seen Nancy?” you asked because you liked to suffer, you’ve come to know. “She’s back from Chicago already?”

“Oh, I think she is. Will went to Mike’s yesterday, but I haven’t seen her, no.”

“Don’t you want to?” you pressed, because you weren’t suffering enough, apparently. He shot you a comically puzzled look before shrugging and smiling again.

“I guess? No more than I wanted to see you, though. Or, like, Steve, for that matter,” he answered and you huffed.

“Sure. Anyway, where’s the pasta sauce in here?” you changed the subject and he pointed towards a specific place.

You started walking without saying anything further and, to your surprise, he followed you.

“What, you didn’t miss me back?” he was teasing you, and it would’ve thrilled you just a few months ago how close you got to each other, and you would’ve reveled in any kind of attention he’d paid to you, but you just wanted to scream because it wasn’t fun anymore. It was painful.

You didn’t answer, because you wanted to tell him the truth, and tell him that yeah, you’ve missed him so much it ached, you’ve missed him so much you cried yourself to sleep once, you missed him so much and you couldn’t have him, he wasn’t yours, but you were his even if he didn’t know. Even if his eyes were never focused on you as yours were focused on him.

“C’mon, don’t go breaking my heart,” he teased again and you stopped abruptly right in front of the tomato sauce stand.

“Jonathan, please don’t do this,” you asked, voice wavering, and his smile dropped instantly at the sound of it.

“I’m sorry. What is it?” he asked earnestly, really had no idea, and you didn’t have it in you to be patient enough to spell it out for him.

“How long do we have to keep this up for?” you pleaded, turning to look at him. Your heart ached, your eyes burned, how could he not see it? How could he not see you? “We can just call it off now, yeah? We haven’t seen them yet, don’t even know if Steve’s back already, we can just say it happened over summer when they weren’t here.”

“What are you talking about?” he pushed the knife in deeper, your hands were shaking, you were almost begging for him to look at you, to see right through you so you wouldn’t have to say it out loud.

“Really, dude?” you asked loudly, saw his mom looking up from a magazine at the cashier counter to look at the two of you. “Our fake relationship thing? That amazing fucking plan of ours? It’s clearly not heading anywhere, Nancy and Steve are still together and she’s actually become my friend so it sucks to be in this position.” You gestured around you as if your mentioned friends would pop out of nowhere to your surprise. You were still loud, and you didn’t care. “Just do as I said that day, grow out some balls, and tell her the truth.”

Rich advice, coming from you.

Do as you say, don’t do as you do, or whatever.

You didn’t wait for an answer and forgot about the fucking sauce, and just started walking towards the store entrance so you could let all of this go and never have to deal with the ‘Jonathan Byers loves Nancy Wheeler and would do anything for her’ fiasco.

Joyce — Jonathan’s fucking mom, for Christ’s sake — called out to you as you stormed out of Melvald’s, you didn’t even know she knew your name, but you didn’t stop anyway. Not until there was a warm hand holding your arm, and you knew that hand by now, all its softness and its calluses, bends and curves and dents, and your heart was already broken but it somehow hurt and bled even more.

“Dude, please!” you begged again, and he was looking at you, searching for something in your eyes and yet he still couldn’t see it. Couldn’t see you.

“I’m sorry, what did I do? What can I do?”

“There’s nothing you can do, I think, just leave me alone,” you answered, and he let go of you and he seemed hurt by your words.

You walked back to your house and apologized to your dad for not bringing back his groceries, and he didn’t ask why when he saw your wet eyes. He made you tea, patted you on the head and you cried yourself to sleep again.

-✧-

“A friend of yours is here,” your mom said as you left the shower, three whole days after your (fight? Was it a fight?) encounter with Jonathan. “Waiting in your room,” she said.

It should have confused you, made you wonder. But it didn’t. You knew it was him. Who else would it be?

It was Nancy Wheeler.

Sitting on your bed, and her hair was shorter and her cheeks were a darker shade of pink than they were when you last saw her on the last day of school before Summer break.

“Hi?” you said or asked, and she smiled when she saw you were there.

Got up and walked towards you and hugged you tightly, you missed that hug, and her freshly cut hair smelled of something floral.

She pulled you by your hand until you two were sitting in your bed, side by side.

“I broke up with Steve. Jonathan told me everything,” she said, and your tiny broken heart still had some strength in it to break even further, shockingly.

“Uh, good for you, I guess?” You shrugged, not sure what she wanted you to say. “When’s the wedding?” you clouded your pain with humor because, when didn’t you?

“I just said I broke up with Steve, what wedding?”

“Yours and Jonathan’s?” Why were they so difficult? Oblivious. Why did they enjoy torturing you?

“No, listen,” she called your name as if you weren’t paying attention. “Jonathan told me everything. The whole deal, the whole plan, the whole picture, everything.”

It was a funny déjà-vu. There was a ringing in your ear that kind of popped before the world went abruptly silent. You could see Nancy in front of you, staring at you with a weird misplaced smile, waiting for your answer — what did she want you to answer, honestly? — but she was kind of blurry. It felt like years before you gathered just enough brain power to answer her.

“He. What.”

She giggled, and that made the world go back to normal inside your head, before she rolled her eyes with amusement.

“You two are so dense,” she said, still smiling. “I had to spell it out for him, and I kinda saw it coming, but not from you.”

“Nancy, for the love of all things holy, what are you talking about?” You held her hands in yours, and she looked at your hands held together for a second before looking into your eyes again to talk.

“You’re in love with him,” she answered, and you weren’t surprised that she knew.

“Fucking duh, he’s the only one who can’t see it.” She laughed, and her eyes twinkled.

“And he’s in love with you,” she completed, and it wasn’t funny anymore.

“No, he’s not.”

“You’re the only one who can’t see it,” she threw back at you and you rolled your eyes at her wit — you loved it so much.

“Nancy, he likes you. Literally how we got here in the first place.” You gestured around you as if she could see how miserable you’ve been lately without him, and without your study sessions and your lunches together as a group. “If not to get with him, why did you break up with Steve?” you asked.

“There is… a lot that held us together. Not just Steve and me, but us and Jonathan as well. And I was just using Steve as a crutch, trying to pretend everything was fine and normal, but it isn’t, and it isn’t fair to either of us. And I noticed all that thanks to you being my friend.”

You remembered the date — again — and the way Nancy recoiled to herself at the end of it, and your friends’ collective haunted guilty look, and Will Byers and how he came back, and Barb Holland and how she did not.

“Jonathan came to my house to talk, we got a little lost in the middle of it all but he knocked some sense into me, and I like to think I’ve knocked some sense into him back,” she said, and she was still so calm and collected, but she felt lighter somehow, and she never stopped smiling sweetly at you. “You should go check.”

It was all Nancy Wheeler's fault.

I mean, literally. Quite from the beginning. Because it was all about Nancy Wheeler, wasn't it? It was all because of Nancy Wheeler, it was all for Nancy Wheeler.

She convinced you to go talk to Jonathan, and at this point you trusted her so freely that you did just that. She convinced you to give him a chance, and you convinced yourself you were doing it because she asked you to, you were doing it for her and not for yourself or Jonathan. She was a very persuasive little lady, you’ve come to find out.

The street where the Byers lived was weird as fuck, and the forest surrounding it gave you the worst chills ever, but you kept your calm as you rode your bike all the way to the Byers’ front yard.

You knocked, and Jonathan answered. He seemed surprised to see you, and that blush of his creeped up from his neck to his cheeks and you fell for him again just then.

“Hi,” he said, still staring.

“Hi. Can we talk?” He shook his head, came back to himself, and opened the door to let you in. “Where’s your family?”

“Mom’s still at Melvald’s, Will’s at Mike’s,” he answered, and started going down the hallway, so you followed him.

His room looked, felt and smelled like him and it was both comforting and distressing to be surrounded by Jonathan in all senses. You were still scared of how this conversation would go.

He went digging through some stuff in his desk, and when he found it he walked closer to you where you were still standing awkwardly by the door. He handed you something, a picture.

“You called it ‘Nancy Wheeler love portrait’, that day at the train station park,” he said while you observed again Nancy’s profile in the photo. You had it memorized at this point, burned to the back of your eyelids. “It really was,” he continued and you shot him a puzzled look. “It was a love portrait, it was love I guess.”

He shrugged, and only then you noticed he was holding something behind his back. He moved his hand, brought it forward and you saw that it was another picture but you couldn’t see what it was about. He smiled down adoringly at it before handing it to you.

It was you.

A photo taken of your profile. You were sitting at a desk at the school library, in front of a window, the light from the outside encompassing you in a kind of godly aura, specks of dust flying around you and a big smile on your lips as you looked down at your hands resting on top of the table.

It was so similar. It was the same angle, the same lightning, the same pose. And yet it was so different from the Nancy Wheeler love portrait.

“Your own love portrait,” Jonathan said, voice almost a whisper, and you wanted to look at him and check if he was blushing the way his voice made it seem like he was, but you couldn’t take your eyes off the photo. “Steve and Nancy are out of frame, you were laughing at something he just said, so relaxed and happy around our friends you didn’t even notice me taking the picture like a weirdo.”

He softly touched your hand that was holding the picture, just the tips of his fingers, and they were enough to ignite a spark that made your whole body burn. You stared at that contact of your skins for the very few seconds they lasted before Jonathan pulled his arm back and continued talking.

“I got a little lost in the middle of it all, I think. Forgot there was a plan. Forgot why it all began. Forgot about Nancy, and all I could think about was you. How I wanted to see you again day after day, and hold your hand through the hallways on our way to lunch, and sit beside you at the cafeteria table. And take you on dates without Steve’s stupid comments, just you and me, and you’d laugh at my jokes ‘cause you always do. And to take more pictures of you. Take pictures with you. Just, do stuff together. All the time.

And I was so scared that you’d notice that change in me, notice how far gone for you I was. I didn’t want to spend time apart but I also couldn’t even look at you without wanting to kiss you so bad. I’d be glued to you at all times, hurt from wanting you so much, and yet I couldn’t let you go. Didn’t want to ask you to let me go.”

You finally looked at him and, yes, he was blushing. But he was so determined, so confident. You decided you loved it.

“Me and Nancy, we… got a past. Not even romantic, but, we’ve been through a lot and I’ll tell you all about it, but. I think you’ve always been there, ever since that Science project freshman year, you’ve been there on the sidelines, and when we started talking again because of our stupid plan, I realized how much I’ve missed you. And I didn’t care about the plan anymore, and I didn’t want it to end because I just wanted it to be real.”

It was unbelievable how much you recognized those words, as if you were saying them yourself. You couldn’t help but smile, and Jonathan smiled back at you, and you wanted to kiss his smile senseless.

So you did just that.

You held the pictures far from your bodies, because you didn’t want to damage them, and you threw your other arm around his neck. He hugged your waist close to him and you kissed his smile, and he kissed your smile back. He tasted of pancakes and maple syrup and coffee with cream no sugar, and you feasted on that meal as if it was your last. You let your fingers wander through his hair, and it was soft and it smelled of mint shampoo, and your senses were overwhelmed, surrounded by Jonathan in all senses and it felt like dying and going to heaven.

You kissed for a long time before your lungs ran out of air, and your lips separated but your foreheads were still touching. You handed the pictures back to Jonathan, and he took them with a confused expression. You fished something out of your back pocket, your wallet, and you fished something out of your wallet, a picture. You handed that to him too.

“Jonathan Byers love portrait,” you both said at the same time and laughed together.

You kept your picture of him and he kept your picture of you, and you held onto his face that was still blushing and warm and soft, and he kissed you for a long time. And the plan didn’t work out, not really, but it kinda did, and it was all Nancy Wheeler’s fault.

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