#society belle Steve Harrington

[fizzigigsimmer]

To B, With Love: 32

Moodboard by @prettyboylikeyousteve

Genre: A/B/O Mail Order Bride Au!

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Harringrove

Summary: Steve, a society omega, puts out an add in the paper looking for an alpha among the lonely hearts expanding the west. He’s answered by Billy, a lonely cowboy living in a growing settlement in California rich in just about everything but available omegas. He seems like the perfect choice, but there’s one problem. It’s not Billy who has been writing Steve but his little sister Max, who is determined to find a good match for him. The real Billy is the single most rude and uncouth creature to ever walk the planet and there’s nothing, absolutely nothing, on God’s green earth that could ever convince Steve to marry him.

The blissful ignorance of Steve & Billy's bonding retreat comes to a close while back home the kids decide it's time to take on a new adventure.

[spencerrscardigans]

𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader

summary: “one day, i will stop falling in love with you / some day, someone will like me like i like you / until then, i’ll drink my coffee, eat my pie”

includes: best friends to lovers, no use of y/n, you work at family video with steve and robin, idiots to lovers, pining, angst, reader is emotional, emetophobia warning (2 mentions but no actual), fluff, robin buckley is a meddler, song inspired fic but i added a happy ending

a/n: this is the first ever oneshot that I have actually finished and am posting! yay me! I also totally didn't write this instead of doing my bio homework. this is barely edited and probably horrible but give me some grace because this is my first time writing one of these

word count: 5000

⊹₊⟡⋆

You were sure that the coffee and cherrie pie from the bakery down the street was the sole reason for getting you through your shifts at family video.

Sure, it helped that you shared most of your shifts with your two best friends, Steve and Robin, but the fact that you were hopelessly in love with one of said best friends seemed to get in the way of enjoying your shifts with them.

Robin helped make it more tolerable, however her looks of pity sent your way whenever a pretty girl came in to flirt with Steve just made it blatantly obvious how pathetic your feelings for him were.

Being one of Steve’s best friends also meant that you had to listen to every nauseating detail of his conquests with these women, making your inadequacy feel even stronger.

The bell on the door chimed, signalling that a customer had entered the store, and looking over you saw a pretty blonde around your age walk in.

You don’t bother to get up, knowing that Steve will be there to greet her before you can even stand up.

As predicted, Steve jumps up, stumbling over his feet to greet the girl. You sigh, and reach into your paper bag to grab your boxed slice of cherry pie which frankly has turned into a comfort food for situations like this.

Seemingly moving on their own accord, your eyes look up to see Steve leaning on the counter with a sly smile on his face, and you know that your feelings for him were futile.

“You know that Steve’s just an idiot, right? He has feelings for you, he’s just too blind to see what’s right in front of him.” Robin says once Steve is out of earshot.

“Or,” you start, dragging the word out, “there’s nothing for him to see. He doesn’t care like i do, he doesn’t like me like i like him. It’s okay, i’ve made my peace with it.”

Robin glances over her shoulder once more, and when she’s sure that Steve is distracted she grabs your shoulders, “he likes you!” she exclaims.

“He’s just too stupid to realize. Just tell him how you feel! I know society thinks that’s men’s job but frankly I think that’s sexist, and Steve’s too stupid to do it himself. All this pining would be over if you’d just tell him how you feel!” she says while shaking your shoulders to emphasize her point

“Rob, it’s never going to happen.” you shake your head at her.

Before Robin can argue back, the topic of your conversation starts walking towards you both, grinning while waving his hand in the air, and you make out messy numbers scribbled with ink on his skin.

The second Steve opens his mouth, you figure it would be in your best interest to tune it out, and you turn back to your pie as if it’s suddenly the most enticing thing in the room.

You let yourself enjoy your pie, and for a minute, let yourself pretend that you and Steve are more than friends, and that the sick feeling coursing through you is simply because of the coffee and pie and not heartbreak.

The bell chimes, indicating a customer has entered the store, and this time it’s your turn to jump up.

“I’ve got this one” you say, glad you have an excuse to get away from the conversation.

You hurriedly walk up to the counter, and you see a boy, about your age, scanning his eyes around the store.

“You need help finding anything?” You ask, mustering up a friendly smile.

“I’m lookin’ for something scary. Do you have Poltergeist? Or anything similar.” He asks.

“Over there,” you say pointing. “Do you want me to get it for you?” you ask.

“I think i’ve got it from here,” he says with a smile, glancing down at your name tag and reading it aloud.

You watch as he retreats, before finally stopping to scan through the movies. After a few seconds he reaches up, plucks the movie off the shelf and is making his way back up to the counter.

“Have you found everything you’re looking for?” You ask in your trained customer service voice.

He nods, before asking “So, have you seen this one? Is it any good?”

You respond, and soon enough find yourself too distracted by the conversation with the boy to notice the very familiar interaction that you had just previously had going on between your coworkers.

“You’re jealous!” Robin gasps.

“Shhhh!” Steve says, covering her mouth with his hand. “Shut up!”

“Ew,” Robin says, shoving his hand off her “You didn’t deny it!” She sing songs.

“I’m not jealous, i just think it’s inappropriate for customers to be flirting with the employees” He says defensively, eyeing the way the boys eyes light up with interest at whatever you’re saying, leaning over the counter slightly.

His comment receives a deadpanned look from Robin, “Dude, look at your hand. You literally were just bragging about how you scored that ‘totally hot girl’s’ number.”

Steve opens his mouth, ready to defend himself, but after failing to come up with something to say, he closes his mouth in defeat.

He lets out an exasperated sigh, “Okay, fuck, maybe I am.”

“Hah! I knew it.” Robin says smugly. “So,” she says, dragging out the ‘o’ “When are you gonna do something about it?”

“I can’t-“ he starts “I don’t know!” he exclaims.

“Let me guess,” she starts. “You’re going to call that girl tonight like an idiot and pretend like you’re not totally in love with someone else?”

“It’s been working so far.” he shrugs, and robin squints her eyes at him.

“Is it though? Is it?” she accuses, and Steve suddenly feels small under her stare.

“Just tell her, you dingus!” Too distracted, neither Steve or Robin notice that you’re back until your voice breaks them out of their argument.

“Tell who what?” you ask, and Steve and Robin both look at each other nervously, leaving you confused.

“She, uh, was giving me pointers for when I ask that hot blonde out.” Steve says, and you shudder.

“You’re such a boy.” You motion with your hand for Steve to move off the stool you were previously sitting on, and when he complies, you sit back down and take a sip of your coffee.

You make a face at the change of temperature of your coffee, and Steve laughs. “Gone cold?” he muses.

You shut him up with a glare, and the three of you go back into a comfortable silence as you stare at the clock, waiting for your shift to end.

After what feels like an eternity, the three of you start closing the store once your shift ends, and you plop down into the drivers seat of your car with a groan.

You start driving, and you hope that the soft music and pretty sunset is enough to bring you out of your spiral of thoughts, but when a familiar song comes on, a song that Steve showed you, you start to think that you’re cursed.

The song brings you back to the moment where you were sitting in the passenger seat of Steve’s beemer, your legs up on the dashboard despite Steve’s scolding that it’s ‘dangerous’, to which you would reply ‘whatever, mom”.

The sun was setting in the sky, similar to how it is now, you and Steve taking turns sharing music after arguing over what to listen to, Steve claiming that he had the better music taste, to which you would argue back that yours is better. After going back and forth, you ended up with a compromise of taking turns picking the music.

You remember that night vividly, because that was the night you caught the first glimmer of hope that maybe he liked you like you liked him. It was also the night where that hope was crushed just as quickly as it came.

You had caught him staring, but too distressed at what that could possibly mean you pretended you didn’t notice. You spent the rest of the night going over and over in your head of what that look possibly could have meant, driving yourself crazy to the point where Steve noticed that there was something wrong.

Steve stopped, mid sentence when he noticed that far away, troubled look in your eyes once again.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asked, seemingly bringing you out of your daze.

“Hm?”

“I said, what’s going on in that head of yours? I don’t think you’ve registered a single word of that story I was just telling you.” he says, with a slight laugh.

“Feels like i’m talking to a wall.” he teases, however you catch the glint of worry.

For a minute, you thought about telling him. You thought about spilling every thought that had been plaguing your mind since you realized that you were in love with him a few weeks back. You wanted to tell him you loved him. That you were in love with him.

You open your mouth to say something, but the words seem to catch in your throat, and tears start streaming down your face instead.

Not to sound dramatic, but Steve thought he could feel his heart breaking in his chest watching you, his best friend, breaking down beside him in his car. He wished he could wave a magic wand and take away all your hurt. Hell, he would even take all the hurt on himself if it meant he got to see you smile.

“What’s going on?” he asked you, “You know you’re my best friend, you can tell me anything.”

Steve hoped his words would reassure you, but instead you just sobbed harder.

You shook your head, and Steve figured that was you saying you didn’t want to talk about it, and he was right, partially, he just didn’t realize that it wasn’t just you not wanting to talk about it. He didn’t realize that the real reason you were shaking your head was because you didn’t want to be his best friend. You loved him, but not how best friends typically loved each other. You were in love with him.

You realized then, that that was all you would be. His best friend. You didn’t want to ruin your friendship, and you knew that if you told him how you felt, you definitely would, so you decided that it would be in everyone’s best interest to never let him find out.

Little did you know, those same fears swirled around in your best friend’s head as well.

“M’sorry, I promise I don’t mean to cry.” you tell him. “I’m just, i’m overwhelmed and confused.”

Steve caught the look that you were giving him, your pleading eyes begging him to not ask you what you were overwhelmed and confused by. As badly as he wanted to ask, he remembered all the times that you were there for him no questions asked, and he knew that as your best friend, that he owed you the same respect.

He settled with holding you in his arms while you cried into his chest. He whispered soft, reassuring words, not knowing that he was the reason you needed them.

Later that week, you’re sat by the counter, once again eating your pie, wondering whether your shift could go by any slower.

This time, it was just you and Steve sharing your shift, and at first it made you nervous knowing that Robin wouldn’t be there and you’d be left alone with Steve and your feelings for him, but it had been surprisingly going pretty well.

You noticed that Steve seemed tense as well, but after him brushing your questioning eye off, you decided not to bother him about it.

“What did that pie do to you?” Steve teases, noting the way you are stabbing your fork into the pie as if you have some vendetta against it.

“I’m bored.” you groan, dragging the word out. “I miss Robin.”

Steve brings his hand up to his chest, acting as though he was wounded. “Am I not enough for you?"

When you bark out a laugh, the corner of his lips twitch up into a smile as he gazes at you with a fond look that makes you feel like you’re about to vomit. Not out of disgust, but from the overwhelming feelings that he makes you feel. Vomiting is about the most accurate way to describe how it makes you feel, and you try not to imagine the look you’d receive from Robin if she heard that.

The door chimes, and with Steve being closer, he gets up to greet the customer. Just as he’s getting ready to ask how he can help, he pauses when he realizes that it’s the same guy who was in the store flirting with you the other day.

He clenches his jaw, remembering yours and Robins scolding that he needed to be better with his customer service, and grits out “Welcome to Family Video, how can I help?”

Just to Steve’s surprise, more like disappointment, the customer tells him that he was actually hoping to speak to you.

Hearing your name, you look up and smile when you see Matt, the customer from the other day. You get up and walk towards them, turning to Steve to tell him that you’ve got it from here. He begrudgingly leaves, but still stays in earshot.

“I’m just here to return this.” Matt says, setting the movie on the desk. You pick it up, and begin scanning it and clicking buttons on the computer.

“How’d you like it? You owe me that review you promised.”

“Well, i’ve actually spent the past couple days trying to think of the best way to tell you my thoughts, and I thought maybe we could discuss it over coffee?” he says, eyes hopeful.

You’re taken aback for a minute, struggling to remember the last time someone asked you out, and then wondering whether he meant as a date, or just as friends, but before you can think of something to say, Matt speaks again.

“I hope i’m not coming on to foreword or reading this wrong, I just think that you’re gorgeous and would love to take you on a date.” he sends you a shy smile.

“I, yeah, i’d like that.” you manage to sputter out, sharing Matt’s same shy smile. “I’m off tomorrow, but I work the rest of the week.” you tell him.

“How about noon? We could go to the cafe down the street if you’d like. Or anywhere else.”

“The cafe works. I’ll see you then.” You tell him, feeling giddy as a smile graces your face as you finish running through his return. Matt matches your smile, and waves before making his way out of the store.

You watch as he walks out the door and out of eyesight, and do a little happy dance, ignoring the fact that Steve is going to definitely make fun of you.

For a minute, the hopeless feeling that had settled over you because of Steve’s unshared feelings is forgotten, and you think that maybe won’t be as hard to get over him as you thought. Maybe you will find someone who likes you how you like Steve, and you’ll be able to stop falling for him.

“I thought you didn’t go on dates.” Steve says once you turn around, and the smile quickly falling off your face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Seeing the hurt look on your face, Steve quickly clarifies.

“You just always say that you’re more content staying single. That dating just causes unnecessary stress that you don’t have to have when you’re single.”

“I don’t know, I just changed my mind I guess.” you say, and Steve raises an eyebrow at you.

“What made you change your mind?” he questions.

“Why does it have to matter?” you say. “It just felt nice to have someone be interested in me.”

Steve accepts your answer, and you both continue to work in silence. You wonder why Steve doesn’t seem as happy for you as you expected, and it sends a pang through your chest.

The next day comes around fast, and after spending about an hour debating what to wear, noon finally comes around and you nervously step foot inside the cafe, despite the amount of times you’ve been here.

You glance around, and you spot Matt already sitting down at a table. You shyly walk over to him, suddenly uncomfortably aware of everything you do.

After the initial nervousness settles down and you both have ordered, conversation starts flowing easily, and you find that you and Matt have a lot more in common than you originally expected.

You feel comfortable around him, and after learning more and more about each other, you find yourselves talking to each other like you’ve known each other for years.

You like Matt, you really do, but despite how much you like him and how well you guys are getting on, a nagging feeling won’t leave you alone.

You know it’s wrong, but as you tell Matt about yourself, you can’t help but think about Steve, and how he already knows all this about you. Honestly, you think Steve knows more about you than you do.

Internally, you start connecting everything to Steve, and this realization suddenly starts making you feel both guilty and uncomfortable.

As the date starts to wrap itself up, you realize you need to be honest with him. Getting over Steve is apparent to be way more difficult than you anticipated, and you know it’s unfair to string Matt along when your heart is elsewhere.

You decide to just be upfront with him, telling him exactly as such, and Matt’s reaction is the exact opposite to what you expected.

He doesn’t seem upset, he just simply looks at you with understanding, and if anything, it makes you feel even more guilty.

“It’s okay, i’m just glad you were able to realize this and be upfront with me now. The heart wants what it wants, and I can’t blame you for that.” he tells you.

“I just feel so bad, I really thought i’d be able to do this, and I do really like you, but I just can’t.” you sigh, feeling disappointed in yourself.

“It’s that coworker of yours, right?” he asks, leaving you shocked.

“How did-“ you start to say, looking at him with bewilderment.

“I noticed how he looked at you when I came by the store, both times, I thought there might be something there but was just hoping I was wrong.” he tells you, and it just leaves you more confused.

He doesn’t look at you in any way, does he? Seemingly noticing your distress at this new information, Matt continues on.

“He looked like he was ready to have me banned from the store,” he says with a laugh. “it’s clear as day that he has feelings for you, and you feel the same way, so just tell him.” you continue looking at him with bewilderment, but this time for a different reason.

“This was not the direction I was expecting this to go in.” You say with a breathy laugh.

“I know, believe me,” he says with a laugh, “I know this is definitely not how either of us expected this to end up, but I still would like to at least be your friend. How does that sound to you?”

“I would like to be your friend as well, I meant what I said, I do really like you, I just feel really bad about this whole situation.” you tell him nervously.

“Don’t, I meant what I said as well, the heart wants what it wants. So, friends?” he says, offering you his hand for a handshake, and you laugh. You take his hand, and shake it.

“Friends sounds good.” you say with a smile.

“Now that we’re friends, i’m telling you this as a friend, tell him how you feel.” he says sternly.

“God, you sound like Robin. Don’t make me regret agreeing to be friends.” you say lightheartedly.

You both say your goodbyes, telling him that now that he has friend privileges you can snag him any good movies coming in that he requests, and he promises to stop by the store sometime soon.

Driving home, you start to feel a sense of clarity come over you. You think that maybe telling Steve isn’t a bad idea, Matt only saw Steve twice and could say with confidence that Steve had feelings for you, maybe he was right?

But what if he was wrong? What if Matt was wrong and you make a fool out of yourself and ruin your friendship?

You realize that your friendship would be ruined either way, because thinking about it, you don’t know if you have it in you anymore to keep having your heart broken. You either tell him, and risk him not feeling the same way and ruining your friendship, or not telling him and end up definitely ruining your friendship because you can’t handle just being his friend.

If you’re going to lose him either way, you figure you might as well just tell him. Now you really feel like you’re going to throw up.

The next day, you work the closing shift with once again just Steve, and the entire time leading up to it all you feel is dread. You even consider calling in sick and asking Robin to cover for you, but you push through it and find yourself walking through the staff doors, getting ready to start your shift.

You and Steve start working as you usually would, closing shift on Thursday's always being quiet, him making his regular comments and you once again sitting on your stool drinking your coffee and eating your pie.

Despite Steve being your best friend and you both having worked together without Robin many times, you both feel the uncomfortable shift in the air.

“How’d your, uh, date go?” Steve asks, internally cursing himself out.

“It went good.” you say, sounding unsure. Steve raises an eyebrow at you in question, and you clarify.

“It went good,” you say, sounding more sure of yourself. “We had a surprising amount of things in common, and the conversation came really easily. Honestly for a moment it felt like we had known each other for years.” you tell him with a smile on your face as you think back at yesterday.

“Oh, that’s- that’s good. You’ll probably be going out with him again?” Steve asks, and it may be you going crazy, or did he sound disappointed? Is it bad that that makes you feel happy?

“Yeah, we will, I think. Not on another date, though.” you tell him, paying close attention to how Steve reacts. When he keeps a calm composure, just looking confused, you think that maybe you were just crazy.

“We decided that we’d be better as friends.” you clarify.

“Oh, how come? You seem to really like him.” he asks, and you think that this might be your opportunity to tell him how you feel. You pause for a minute, trying to think of the best way to word what you are going to say next.

“I realized that my hearts," you pause, "elsewhere? I do really like him but I didn’t think it would be fair to string him along if I wasn’t fully in it.” you tell him carefully.

“Elsewhere? Like you have feelings for someone?” you nod.

“Why’d you agree to go out with him if you have feelings for someone else?”

“I don’t know, he seemed like a really good guy and I thought maybe i’d be able to get over my feelings but I was wrong.” you tell him, shamefully.

“It was nice having someone be interested in me." you begin to explain, "I figured since the person that I want to be won’t ever be interested in me, maybe it was time to move on. And it felt nice. Being in love with someone who only sees you as a friend sucks and for a minute I was able to forget about it. I don’t want to keep letting him break my heart again.” you explain.

Steve doesn’t say anything, he just looks at you as if you’re some difficult math question, and you feel yourself shrinking under his gaze.

“Who are you in love with?” he finally asks.

You open your mouth to respond, and once again, just like the time you were sat beside him in his car, you're unable to get any words out, and a tear slowly falls down your cheek instead.

You went over this conversation many times in your head, preparing how you were going to tell him, but now that it was happening, it all went right out the window.

Steve steps closer to you, and wipes the tear from your cheek, and the action makes you want to cry harder but you force yourself to keep your composure. You tell yourself all you have to do is get this over with, and then you can cry as much as you want.

“How do you know that he isn’t in love with you too? What makes you so certain?” Steve asks, figuring his first question was too difficult for you to answer.

“He flirts with other girls all the time. And I get friend zoned practically on a daily basis.” You manage to mumble.

“How do you know he isn’t doing what you were trying to do by going on that date? What if he thinks that you don’t like him back, and that’s why he does that?” Steve asks, and you wonder whether there’s more to what he’s asking. You chalk it up to him just wanting to make you feel better, and sigh.

“I don’t know whether this is just Robin getting to my head, but is the guy me?” Steve finally asks.

Your silence is enough of an answer, but then you finally nod your head in confirmation. “It’s okay though, one day I will stop falling in love with you and we can pretend this never happened, some day I’ll find someone who likes me like I like you and we can go back to normal.”

You honestly think at this point you’re more trying to reassure yourself than you are Steve. You reason that he’s the one who made you fall in love with him, so you’re allowed to try to reassure yourself.

“What if I don’t want you to?” he says, and your eyes go wide, thinking that he has to be messing with you.

“What if I don’t want you to stop falling in love with me? What if I don’t want to pretend like this never happened? What if I don’t want you to find someone else? Because you won’t need to, because I do like you like you like me.” he continues, and you shake your head, not believing him.

“Look at me.” he commands softly. Instead of doing what he asks, you stubbornly close your eyes and face your head down, scared to look at him. Scared that if you look at him you’ll see that he was joking and you’ll be stuck feeling humiliated.

Steve gently brings his hand under your chin and lifts it up so your head is facing him, but you refuse to open your eyes. When you hear him let out a little laugh, you feel glad that you didn’t look, fearing the worst.

“Hey, look at me, please.” he says, and his begging tone is what makes you finally peak your eyes open.

Steve’s close, closer than you realized, and his eyes are looking right into yours, and you don’t see any mocking or teasing looks in his eyes like you expected.

His eyes leave yours, slowly traveling down to your lips. “I can prove it to you if you don’t believe me.”

He looks back up at you, silently asking for permission, and all you’re able to say is a breathless “okay.”

He grins, and slowly leans in, allowing you time to change your mind, and when you don’t, he finally presses his lips against yours.

Your eyes flutter closed, and his hand that was under your chin comes up to softly cup your jaw, and suddenly all you feel is him.

At this point, the tears that you had trying so hard to hold in finally stream down your face, however this time for an entirely different reason. All the love that you had been suppressing down was finally released, the emotion pouring out of you as you kissed.

Steve pulls away, noticing your tears, and his eyes widen in a panic. When you respond with a laugh, he calms down and wipes your tears.

“I knew it,” he starts. “you do taste like coffee and pie.”

You’re both grinning, and he leans down and kisses you again. If you thought the first kiss was a lot, this one nearly knocks you off your feet with the force of passion that he kisses you with.

His hands move down to your waist, pulling you even closer and you let out a squeak of surprise. Your hands move on their own accord to grip at his collar, and the groan he lets out is nearly enough to make you faint.

This time you’re the one to pull away, feeling like you’re about to run out of air, and you both are left flushed and breathing heavily.

The bell on the door chimes, bringing you both out of your daze. Steve sighs and sets off to greet the customer, with a promise that this will be continued later, both of you with a giddy feeling you didn’t have at the start of your shift.

[adiraargent]

I wish you were a boy - Robin Buckley

wc: 3.9k warnings: homophobic parents, fluff, friends to lovers Summary: You're Steve Harrington's younger sibling and you're in love with your best friend, but you're scared of people's judgement... but you get over it and finally admit your love. Based off the scene 'why not' 'I wish you were a girl'

The cold evening air nipped at your skin as you hurried through the dimly lit streets of Hawkins, thoughts racing a mile a minute. It had been a chaotic day at school, and your mind was still reeling from the conversation you'd had with Robin earlier.

You and Robin had been friends for as long as you could remember. But lately, the friendship had started to morph into something more. She was captivating, with her quick wit, infectious laughter, and the way her eyes lit up when she talked about the things she loved.

But there was a barrier you couldn't bring yourself to cross. You had been raised in a conservative household with parents who held strict traditional values. You'd only ever dated boys, and admitting to yourself that you had feelings for a girl felt like stepping into an unknown territory, a place wrought with uncertainty and fear.

As you finally reached home, the façade you maintained throughout the day began to crumble. The walls you'd built around your emotions threatened to collapse, and the fear of what it meant to acknowledge your feelings for Robin loomed over you like a shadow.

Entering the house, you were greeted by the familiar sight of your parents, engrossed in their own world, oblivious to the turmoil brewing within you. You offered a weak smile, excused yourself, and retreated to your room, seeking solace in the silence of solitude.

The weight of your own admission echoed in your thoughts like a relentless drumbeat. "We can't be together," you had whispered, the words tasting bitter on your tongue. "Why not?" Robin's innocent inquiry pierced through your defenses. You had struggled to find the words to say, screaming internally to just go with your heart instead of your mind.

You wanted to be with her, you know you did. "I wish you were a boy," you murmered, your voice laced with a longing you couldn't suppress.

The truth gnawed at your insides, a secret that threatened to consume you whole. You wanted to be honest with Robin, to bare your soul and tell her everything, but the fear of judgment and the consequences it might bring weighed heavily on your shoulders.

The night passed in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, leaving you tossing and turning in your bed, grappling with the realization that your heart yearned for something society deemed unconventional.

The following day at school was a haze. Robin's smile felt like a beacon, drawing you in, but you kept your distance, burying your emotions beneath a facade of normalcy. You tried to ignore the butterflies that danced in your stomach whenever she laughed, the warmth that spread through you whenever she was near.

The hours crawled by, each passing moment a reminder of the distance you had imposed between yourself and the one person you longed to be close to. The weight of your own truth felt like a burden, a secret too heavy to bear alone.

As the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, you found yourself lingering by your locker, lost in your thoughts. You felt a presence behind you and turned to find Robin standing there, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Hey Harrington," she greeted, her voice warm and familiar. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern flickering in her eyes as she scanned your face.

You wanted to say so much, to pour your heart out and tell her everything, but the words caught in your throat. "I'm fine," you managed to say, offering a weak smile before turning away from her.

Robin's expression shifted to a mix of confusion and understanding, as if she could sense the internal battle you were fighting. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said softly, giving your hand a gentle squeeze before turning away.

As she walked away, you felt a pang of regret and longing. The internal turmoil gnawed at your conscience, the weight of your unspoken truth heavier than ever. You wanted to be true to yourself, to break free from the confines of societal norms, but the fear of judgement held you back.

That evening, as you sat in your room, the walls seemed to close in on you. The world felt suffocating, and the weight of your own doubts threatened to suffocate you. Tears welled up in your eyes, a testament to the internal struggle tearing you apart.

The silence was deafening, broken only by the sound of your own sobs. The realization that you might lose Robin because of your own fear was a bitter pill to swallow.

Robin was so brave and so strong... and you could hardly even bring yourself to look at her now because you were the opposite. A coward.

As you lay there, battling your inner demons, a sense of hopelessness washed over you, leaving you feeling isolated and lost in a sea of conflicting emotions.

The days that followed were a blur of pretense and inner turmoil. You attempted to navigate the tumultuous sea of emotions while maintaining a facade of normalcy. But every interaction with Robin felt like a missed opportunity, a chance to share the truth slipping through your fingers.

You didnt want to lose your friendship.

The weight of your secret grew heavier with each passing day, gnawing at your conscience and creating an ever-widening chasm between you and Robin. You felt torn between the fear of being seen with a girl and the desire to be true to yourself, and the constant battle took a toll on your mental and emotional well-being.

Meanwhile, your relationship with Robin seemed to grow strained. The casual banter and easy conversation you once shared were replaced by awkward silences and hesitant glances. It was as if the unspoken truth lingered between you, a barrier you couldn't seem to overcome.

Your parents' traditional values and societal expectations loomed over you like a shadow, adding to the weight of your fears. The thought of disappointing them, of not fitting into their mold of expectations, cast a shadow of doubt over your decision.

Yet, amid the chaos of your conflicting emotions, there was a flicker of hope—a beacon of light in the form of Steve, your brother and confidant. He had always been there for you, a pillar of support in times of distress.

One evening, as you sat in your room, consumed by the turmoil within, there was a soft knock on your door. Steve's familiar voice filtered through the silence, "Hey, can I come in?"

You nodded, and Steve entered, his eyes reflecting concern as he settled beside you. "You've seemed distant lately. Is everything okay?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.

You hesitated, unsure of how to articulate the storm of emotions raging within. But as Steve's comforting presence enveloped you, the words spilled out, a rush of emotions and pent-up truths.

"Steve, I... I think I'm in love with someone, they like me back, they told me they liked me but I told them I didn't feel the same... I'm scared," you confessed, tears welling up in your eyes.

Steve listened attentively, offering a reassuring smile. "You don't have to be scared. Love is love, and it's okay to feel what you're feeling," he said, his words a beacon of understanding in the tumultuous sea of uncertainty, "what's there to be scared about? Whoever he is, I'm sure he's a nice guy and if he isn't, I'll sort him out."

"Steve..." you murmered.

Tell him

Just tell him

"Thanks Stevie," you plastered on a fake smile. Steve reached over, placing his hand on your shoulder. "Whoever it is, I support you."

With Steve's support, a glimmer of courage began to blossom within you—a resolve to confront your fears and embrace your truth, whatever the consequences. You knew that the road ahead wouldn't be easy, but having Steve by your side gave you the strength to face the uncertainties that lay ahead.

The following day at school, as you navigated the halls, thoughts of Robin consumed your mind. You knew that you had to tell her the truth, to lay bare your feelings and the struggles you'd been wrestling with.

As the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, you sought out Robin, determined to finally confront your fears. You found her sitting by the bleachers, her eyes fixed on the distance.

Taking a deep breath, you approached her, your heart pounding in your chest. "Robin, can we talk?" you asked, your voice laced with a mixture of nerves and determination.

As Robin turned to face you, her expression a mix of surprise and curiosity, you felt a surge of nerves. The weight of the unspoken truth felt heavier than ever, but the resolve to come clean persisted within you.

"Sure," she replied, a hint of concern in her voice as she noticed the apprehension etched on your face. "What's on your mind?" she asked, giving you her full attention.

Taking a moment to gather your thoughts, you drew in a deep breath, steeling yourself for the confession that had been weighing on your heart for so long. "I need to tell you something," you began, your voice quivering ever so slightly.

Robin's gaze was fixed on you, her eyes urging you to continue. "I... I like you, Robin," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. Looking up in her eyes, you almost lost it. God how the hell were you supposed to talk when she was looking at you like that, her pretty eyes looking up at you filled with support

"More than just friends. But I've been afraid to say it because..."

Your words trailed off, the weight of your fears rendering you momentarily speechless. You wanted to pour your heart out, to confess the depth of your feelings for her, but the unspoken truths held you captive.

Robin's expression softened, a gentle understanding in her eyes. "Because of what people might think?" she finished your sentence, her voice filled with empathy.

You nodded, feeling a lump form in your throat. "Yeah. My parents, everyone... I've never told anyone this before, but I'm scared of what they'd say. I've only ever dated boys, and I don't want to disappoint anyone. I wish it was different."

There was a brief silence between you, the weight of your confession hanging in the air. You braced yourself for Robin's reaction, unsure of what she might say or how she might feel.

But to your surprise, instead of judgment or rejection, there was a gentle smile on Robin's face. She reached out, taking your hand in hers, the touch a comforting reassurance that eased the tension in your shoulders.

"Hey, I get it," she said softly, her voice a soothing balm to your frazzled nerves. "Feelings are complicated, and they don't always fit into neat little boxes. But that doesn't change anything between us."

Her words were like a ray of sunshine breaking through the storm clouds. You looked at her, a glimmer of hope igniting within you. "You don't... you don't hate me? You arent mad at me for that stupid thing I said to you the other day? You don't hate me bec-" you rambled tentatively, your heart pounding in your chest.

Robin shook her head, her eyes locked with yours. "No, I don't. And it doesn't change anything about how I feel about you either. I adore you y/n Harrington"

A surge of relief washed over you, a weight lifting off your shoulders at her understanding and acceptance. The fear that had gripped you for so long slowly began to dissipate, replaced by a newfound sense of courage.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the two of you, you felt a sense of liberation. The truth was out, and despite the uncertainties that lay ahead, there was a glimmer of hope and acceptance in Robin's eyes.

The evening passed in a blur of shared laughter and heartfelt conversations. You and Robin sat together, hands interlocked and in between you as you finally were able to have conversations comfortably like you used to.

You could feel her thumb rubbing your hand tentively, the feeling making you all giddy on the inside, butterflies erupting in your chest.

As you walked home that night, a sense of relief washed over you. The journey ahead might not be easy, but having Robin by your side, uncertainties seem less daunting. You were excited... you couldn't remember the last time you had felt this happy, the feeling of her warm hand in yours imprinted in your memory.

The days that followed your heartfelt conversation with Robin were filled with a mixture of relief and trepidation. You felt a weight lifted off your shoulders now that your feelings were out in the open, yet the fear of how others would perceive your relationship lingered in the back of your mind.

You spent more time with Robin, relishing the comfort of her company and getting more comfortable with the relationship. You hadn't done this before. She understood the complexities of your situation, and her unwavering support gave you the courage to confront the challenges ahead.

However, the prospect of revealing your feelings to your parents loomed over you like a dark cloud. Their conservative values and traditional beliefs had always dictated the choices you made, and the fear of their reaction gnawed at your resolve.

One evening, as you sat at the dinner table with your parents, the silence between you felt heavy. You struggled to find the right words, to express the feelings and the truth you had kept hidden for so long.

Finally, summoning all your courage, you cleared your throat, drawing your parents' attention. "Mum, Dad, I need to talk to you about something," you began, your voice trembling slightly.

Your parents looked at you, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern. "What is it, dear?" your mother asked, her voice gentle yet expectant.

Taking a deep breath, you forged ahead, the weight of your confession heavy on your chest. "I... I have feelings for someone," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

Your parents exchanged a quick glance, their expressions growing stern. "That's good to hear. Who is he?" your father asked, his tone indicating the seriousness of the matter.

You hesitated, the words catching in your throat. Summoning every ounce of courage, you continued, "It's someone... unexpected. Someone I care about deeply."

The silence that followed felt suffocating, the tension palpable in the air. You knew the gravity of what you were about to say and the impact it would have on their perception of you.

Finally, you found the courage to say the words that had been weighing on your heart. "I like a girl. Her name is Robin," you confessed, your voice filled with a mix of apprehension and sincerity.

The room fell silent, the weight of your admission hanging in the air. Your parents exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of surprise and disbelief.

After what felt like an eternity, your father spoke, his voice laced with disappointment. "You know our values, our beliefs. This... this is not acceptable," he said firmly, his words echoing in the quiet room.

Your heart sank, the reality of their rejection hitting you like a tidal wave. Tears welled up in your eyes as you struggled to come to terms with their response.

In that moment, a whirlwind of emotions consumed you—disappointment, fear, and a profound sense of loss. You had hoped for acceptance, for understanding, but their disapproval only deepened the chasm between you and your family.

Your mother looked like she was about to burst into tears, while your father was about ready to boil over and kill you. "You're a disgrace. Look at your poor mother. You are no longer welcome in this house, pack your clothes and get out.

Your jaw dropped open, looking between your mother and father in disbelief. "Mum!" you begged your mum, eyes pleading with her to make your father change your mind, but she just stared at you, "ma please..."

Stunned and hurt by their harsh words, you felt a surge of emotions welling up within you—pain, confusion, and a deep sense of betrayal. As tears streamed down your cheeks, you struggled to process the reality of being rejected by your own family.

Your hands trembled as you tried to speak, to defend yourself, but the weight of their disapproval made it hard to find the right words. With a lump in your throat, you choked back the tears, struggling to comprehend the sudden turn of events.

"I can't believe you're doing this," you managed to say, your voice trembling with a mix of hurt and disbelief. "I'm still your daughter, I'm still the same person," you pleaded, hoping they'd reconsider their stance.

But the look in your father's eyes spoke volumes—disappointment, anger, and an unyielding resolve. "You've made your choice, now face the consequences. You're not welcome here anymore," he declared, his words cutting through you like a knife.

Feeling the weight of their rejection, you stood up, your legs trembling as you made your way to your room. Tears blurred your vision, making it hard to see as you packed a few belongings into a small bag. Each item felt like a piece of your shattered world, a stark reminder of the fracture that had torn through your family.

As you glanced around your room for what might be the last time, memories flooded your mind—the laughter, the shared moments, the love that once filled these walls. Now, it all felt like a distant dream, fading away in the wake of their disapproval.

With a heavy heart, you slung the bag over your shoulder and made your way to the door. The house that had once been your sanctuary now felt alien and unwelcoming. Your parents stood there, their expressions hardened, unmoved by the pain etched across your face.

Without looking back, you stepped out into the world, your heart heavy with the weight of rejection and the uncertainty of the future. The chilly air outside matched the emptiness in your soul, and as you walked away, tears continued to fall.

Steve was godknows where, probably out with Nancy or Dustin so you hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye, but you'd just call him tomorrow and hope it was him that answered the home phone. Or you could just go with Robin to her work and see him there.

With a heavy heart and a mind clouded by emotions, you headed towards the only place that felt like home now—Robin's house. Each step felt like an eternity, the weight of your belongings dragging you down both physically and emotionally.

The journey was a blur, your thoughts consumed by the haunting echoes of your parents' disapproval. Tears stained your cheeks, but you pressed on, driven by a desperate need for solace, for refuge.

Finally arriving at Robin's doorstep, you hesitated for a moment, the fear of rejection gnawing at you. With a trembling hand, you knocked, the sound echoing in the quiet neighborhood.

The door creaked open, revealing Robin standing there, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of you, tears staining your cheeks and your trembling form. Without a word, she pulled you into a tight embrace, sensing the distress and pain etched across your face.

"Hey, what happened?" she asked gently, her voice filled with concern and warmth.

You couldn't hold back the flood of emotions any longer. Between sobs, you managed to choke out fragments of the painful encounter with your parents, the hurtful rejection, and the feeling of being cast away from your own home.

Robin's embrace tightened around you, offering a sense of security and comfort. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she whispered, her voice soothing and filled with empathy. "You're safe here, okay? You can stay with me."

You nodded, finding solace in Robin's words, in the reassurance of her arms around you. In that moment, her home felt more welcoming than anywhere else in the world.

With a shaky breath, you wiped away your tears, feeling a glimmer of hope amidst the pain. Robin guided you inside, offering a warm embrace and a shoulder to lean on. The weight of your burdens felt lighter in her presence, and for the first time since the ordeal, a faint smile graced your lips.

Robin gently took your hand, guiding you to her room. The ambiance was serene, a soft glow from string lights casting a warm hue over the space.

As you settled on her bed, the comfort of being close to her washed over you. Robin wrapped her arms around you in a gentle embrace, pulling you close. The air was filled with a mix of nervousness and excitement, a palpable tension that added to the anticipation of the moment.

You cuddled close, feeling the steady rhythm of each other's breathing, the rise and fall of chests syncing in a silent, comforting dance. The softness of her touch against your skin felt like a soothing melody, calming the inner turmoil that had once gripped your heart.

With each passing second, the closeness between you grew, the space between your bodies diminishing. The intimacy was tender, innocent yet charged with unspoken feelings, a silent acknowledgment of the emotions that blossomed between you.

The touch of her lips against your forehead sent a shiver down your spine, a gentle gesture filled with warmth and affection. You looked up, meeting her gaze, and in that moment, without words, the unspoken understanding between you bridged the distance.

As if drawn by an invisible force, your lips met in a soft, hesitant kiss. It was delicate, a fluttering of emotions exchanged through the gentle press of your lips against hers. The moment lingered, a sweet and innocent exploration of newfound emotions.

The world outside seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of you in that cocoon of warmth and affection. Your heart raced, the feeling of closeness amplifying the intensity of your emotions.

You rested your head against her shoulder, feeling the steady beat of her heart against your cheek. The simplicity of the moment was beautiful, an unspoken language of love conveyed through gestures and shared emotions.

In the quiet cocoon of their shared embrace, Robin's fingers gently traced patterns on your back, eliciting a tender shiver down your spine.

"You okay?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper, her breath warm against your ear.

You nodded, a contented smile playing on your lips. "More than okay. I'm happy right here," you confessed, your voice a gentle murmur.

"I'm glad," Robin murmured, her arms holding you closer, the feeling of warmth and safety in her embrace making your heart flutter.

The air between you was filled with a comfortable silence, punctuated by the occasional soft chuckle or whispered sentiment. It was the kind of quiet that didn't need words, where the language of touch and shared glances spoke volumes.

As the night wrapped around you like a cozy blanket, you reveled in the simple joy of being close to Robin, feeling a sense of ease and contentment settle over both of you.

With a soft sigh of content, Robin leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to your cheek. "You're my favorite person," she murmured, her voice filled with warmth and affection.

"You're mine too," you replied, your heart swelling with a quiet happiness. In that moment, amidst the tranquil intimacy of the room, you knew that no grand gestures or elaborate confessions were needed—just the simple joy of being together was enough to fill your hearts with warmth and happiness.

Written by adiraargent

Please do not steal, copy or post on other platforms

Requests are open for pretty much anyone :P

[swayhere]

canon starter call - open to anyone !

i have a strong urge to write some canon muses, so if you would be interested in writing against any of the canon muses listed under the READ MORE below, please comment/IM me and i can send a starter your way or reply to one of your starters.

i do not require you to know anything about my muse's canon, but i'm more than happy to tell you about it if you ask. i'd be happy to write canon muses against your ocs! also, mixing fandoms is 100% ok with me unless your canon muse is problematic and makes me uncomfy. my canon muses do not have all their memories or relationships from their life unless we plot it, but they will have the same general personality/ambitions.

if you are willing to write against my canon muses but don't care which, just like this post, and i'll take a look at your open starters and/or send you a closed starter at random with a muse i think fits the vibe.

*please don't agree to write against my canon muses if you're one of those picky weirdos that will be up in arms if i don't write a cannon muse exactly how you would.

( if you'd prefer to write against an oc muse only, check this post. )

canon muses i'd like to write: bold = extra big muse rn. strikethrough = exclusive, so not rn.

muses from tv shows: 

911 — eddie diaz , evan buckley , athena grant , bobby nash , karen wilson

911: lonestar — carlos reyes , grace ryder , judson ryder , t.k. strand , owen strand

as the world turns — dr. reid oliver , luke snyder

boy meets world — shawn hunter , jack hunter , angela moore , topanga lawrence

chuck — sarah walker , chuck bartowski , bryce larkin 

degrassi — jimmy brooks , sean cameron , ellie nash , marco del rossi , sav bhandari , drew torres , zoe rivas , miles hollingsworth iii , tiny bell , esme song , 

gilmore girls — jess , luke

good trouble — gael martinez , jamie hunter , callie adams foster , mariana adams foster , evan speck , joaquin perez , dennis cooper 

how i met your father — sid , ian , sophie , jesse

how i met your mother — marshall eriksen , lily aldrin , victoria

how to get away with murder — laurel castillo , connor walsh , oliver hampton , michaela pratt , frank delfino 

jessica jones — jessica jones

lost — kate austen , juliet burke , daniel faraday , desmond hume , sayid jarrah , sun-hwa kwon , claire littleton , walter ‘walt’ lloyd , charlie pace , hugo ‘hurley’ reyes , shannon rutherford , miles straume 

new amsterdam — lauren bloom , elizabeth wilder , casey acosta

new girl — nick miller , winston bishop , cece parekh

one tree hill — nathan scott , lucas scott , keith scott , chase adams , brooke davis 

outer banks (obx) — jj maybank , kiara carrera

please like me — arnold 

rosewell, new mexico — michael guerin , maria deluca , isobel evans

scandal — olivia pope , prezzy fitz

scooby doo — daphne blake

stranger things — robin buckley , steve harrington , jim hopper , chrissy cunningham , eddie munson , max mayfield , eleven , mike wheeler 

superstore — jonah simms

the 100 — finn collins

the bear — richie jerimovich, carmy berzatto , marcus , sydney adamu  

the mindy project — danny castellano 

the office — ryan howard , jim halpert , pam halpert , kelly kapoor , holly flax

the politician — river barkley , astrid sloan 

the young & the restless — sally spectra , adam newman , chelsea lawson , phyllis summers , lily winters , sharon newman , chance chancellor , victoria newman , tessa porter , amanda sinclair , cole howard

younger — josh , kelsey peters

muses from books: 

along for the ride ( book version only ) — eli stock , auden west , maggie  

one of us is lying ( book version only ) — cooper clay , nate

red white & royal blue — alex claremont-diaz , prince henry , zahra bankston

we were liars — gatwick ‘gat’ matthew patil

muses from movies: 

dead poets society — neil perry , charlie dalton , todd anderson

harry potter — lee jordan

les mis — enjolras , grantaire 

super 8 — joe lamb , martin , preston

twilight — irina denali , jasper cullen

[lcstinfantasy]

below the cut is a list of all the muses on this blog. some will have more information than others. this is a mixture of oc and canon characters.

CANON CHARACTERS

hayley james - 18-30 - fc: bethany joy lenz - one tree hill

lydia martin - 23-33 - fc: holland roden - teen wolf

lucas scott- 18- 30-: fc: chad michael murray - one tree hill

brooke davis - 18-30 -  fc: sophia bush - one tree hill

stu matcher - 18-30 - fc: matthew lillard - scream (1996)

tatum riley - 18- 30 - fc: rose mcgowan - scream (1996)

Eli Hale - 18 - fc: Vince Mattis (son of derek hale and stiles stilinski) - teen wolf

john b routledge - 18-21- fc: chase stokes - outer banks

sarah cameron - 18-21 - fc: madelyn cline - outer banks

rafe cameron - 20-23 - fc: drew starkey - outer banks

steve harrington - 19/20 - fc: joe keery - stranger things

eddie munson - 20 - fc: joseph quinn - stranger things

nancy wheeler - 18 - fc: natalia dyer - stranger things

chrissy cunningham - 18 - fc: grace van dien  - stranger things

robin buckley - 18 - fc: maya hawke - stranger things

joyce byers - 44 - fc: winona ryder - stranger things

max mayfield - 15/16 - sadie sink - stranger things

Carol Perkins - 18/19 - fc: talia ryder - stranger things

jonathan byers - 18 - fc: charlie heaton - stranger things

tara carpenter - 19 - fc: jenna ortega - scream

sara carpenter - 25/26 - fc: melissa barrera - scream

ethan landry - 19 - fc: jack champion - scream

quinn bailey -19 - fc: liana liberato - scream

dom torretto -verse dependent - fc: vin diesel - fast and furious

jokob torretto - verse dependent -fc: john cena, young fc: finn cole - fast and furious

taylor jewel - 18 - fc: rain spencer - the summer i turned pretty

billy loomis - verse dependent - fc: skeet ulrich - scream (1996)

campbell eliot - 18-20 - fc: toby wallace - the society

sam eliot - 18-20 - fc: sean berdy - the society

allie pressman - 18-20 - fc: kathryn newton - the society

abel teller - 26 - fc: austin butler -soa

thomas teller - 22 - fc: finn cole -soa

isaac lahey - 19-33 - fc: daniel sharman - teen wolf

erica reyes - 19-33 - werewolf- sabrina carpenter

micheal jeffery lane • 28-40 (verse dependent) • fc: channing tatum - magic mike

OC CHARACTERS

sage thomspon -25- fc: madelyn cline - fandomless

juniper thomspon - 23 - fc: katie douglas - fandomless

hope whittemore - 18-23 - fc: zoe colletti - teen wolf

noah armstrong - 26 -fc: theo james -fandomless

eric armstrong - 22 - fc: chase stokes - not open to other rudy pankow fcs -fandomless

bree armstrong - 24 - fc: ella purnell -fandomless

katherine bell - 26 (300+ vampire) - fc: madelaine petsch -fandomless

elijah moran - 22 - fc: gavin casalegno - fandomless

ethan moran - 23 - fc: christopher briney -fandomless

naya gomez - 28 -fc:  priscilla quintana - teen wolf

matthew evans - 25 - fc: cody christian - teen wolf

daniel james - 24 - fc: daniel sharman- teen wolf

kendall floyd - 22-25 - fc: madison bailey - teen wolf

joseph taylor - 25-28- fc: daniel ezra- teen wolf

kira huges - 21-24 - fc: josephine langford- teen wolf

kai coleman  - 27-30 - fc:oliver stark - teen wolf

hanna pittman  - 20-23 - fc: samantha logan - teen wolf

miko young - 21-25 - fc: evan mock - fandomless

jasper wooley - 21-26 - fc: thomas doherty - fandomless

eden wolfe - 21-26 - fc: emily alyn lind - fandomless

sterling herrman - 21-27 - fc: jeremy allen white - fandomless

pete warner - 22-26 - fc: cameron monaghan - fandomless

dixie adams - 27-30 - fc: emmy rossum - fandomless

lily danberry - 21 (80 vampire) - fc: nina dobrev - tvd/teen wolf

julia danberry - 21 (80 werewolf) - fc: nina dobrev - tvd/teen wolf

nick danberry - 21 (80 witch) - fc: dylan o’brien - tvd/teen wolf

davina davidson - 24 - fc: danielle campbell - fandomless

hayley davidson - 28 - fc: phoebe tonkin - fandomless

madison lewis - 21-25 - fc: maddie phillips - ahs/teen wolf

russel lewis - 20-24 - fc: nolan gerard funk - ahs/teen wolf

talon lewis  - 19-23 - fc: melissa benoist- ahs/teen wolf

tatum lewis - 19-23 - fc: cody fern- ahs/teen wolf

dani sanchez - 24-26 - fc: alexa demie - fandomless

maya sanchez - 21-24 - fc: camila mendes - fandomless

celeste lovegood - 24-26 - fc: ana de armas- fandomless

samuel johnson - 23-25 - fc: jacob elordi - fandomless

paisley johnson - 25-29 - fc: victoria pedretti - fandomless

nate felix - 21-25 - fc: drew starkey - fandomless

andy darnell - 19-22 - fc: michael provost - fandomless

astrid sullivan - 20-25 - fc: sydney sweeney - fandomless

carter ramsey - 36 - fc: jensen ackles - fandomless

willow anderson - 19 - fc: alycia debnam-carey

ivy greene - 22 - fc: halston sage - outer banks

Nate Felix  stranger things verse

Dakota Roth - 28 - fc: bill skarsgård - stranger things 

wesley henson -  - fc: jonathan daviss - fandomless

roxanne roca - 28 - fc: camila morrone - fandomless

jolene devin cooper - 24 - fc: madison iseman - fandomless

colby ireland roberts - 24 - maia mitchell - fandomless

myles james boyce - 26 - alex roe - fandomless

kyro javier gomez - 23-26 - taylor zakhar perez - fandomless

Dalton Winter Richmann - 29 - josh hutcherson

Shepard Knight Richmann - 40 - hugh dancy

vincenza "vince" lucciano - 30 - Michele Morrone

wren nicole caruso - 42 - morena baccarin

james oliver alexander - 25 - william moseley

elinor brooke henderson - 19 - olivia welch

rowan grey - 20-30 -avan jogia

alfie reynolds - 24 - 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫

reign grey - 18-20 - lola  tung

dillon combs -19-25 - nicole wallace

gunner kyle hudson • 21-25 • college football • fc: brian altemus

ayla aslan • 23 • college student/royalty • fc: afra saracoglu

ariana "arie" berry • 22-24 • retail worker • fc: maia reficco

oliver 'ollie' greyson - pogue/bartender -18-24 - fc: julio pena

henley madison dinozzo - kook/honorary party girl - 19-25 - fc: adelaide kane

kaleb owens - 26 - ranch handler fc: noah lalonde

noah owens - 23 - ranch handler - fc: ashby gentry

luke owens - 40 - ranch handler - fc: nathan parsons

dallas marie archer - 23 - store clerk - fc: grace van patten

test muses/by request:

faye rainee munson -tba - alice pagani

asher poe munson - tba - belmont cameli

milo michael larson - tba - damian hardung

fallon marie larson - tba - angourie rice

declan felix larson - tba - corey fogelmanis

adeline blair cameron - tba - amalia williamson

davina claire - verse dependent - danielle campbell

tate langdon - verse dependent - evan peters

christopher mckay - 19-22- Algee Smith

dean winchester - verse dependent - jensen ackles

[dimepdf]

can i request sub!steve and he has had the biggest crush on reader and he’s completely head over heels for her and he gets rlly shy and stuttery every time he tries to talk to reader? could reader also be fem!reader pls? love ur writing!

NEVER IN YOUR SUN. + STEVE HARRINGTON

masterlist. / taglist. / any request? summary. Steve Harrington made you a music tape. He felt as if he was dying, or at the very least on the verge of dying, his heart pounding against his chest. He paced around his house, a piece of paper twiddling between his fingers on which he had written your phone number. author's note. This is me pleading with someone to give me shows/movies with small fandoms like the society, the 100, my babysitters a vampire, and moxie so that I can help the under appreciated characters in need. everyone thank @hprefect for proofreading!

[ ❥ ] pairing. steve harrington x reader

[ ❥ ] word count. 2.9k

[ ❥ ] genre. fluff

[ ❥ ] warnings. fem reader, not show canon, slut steve, one sided pining, friends to lovers, slight enemies to lovers, misunderstanding, himbo steve, simping, good 80s music, king steve

Steve Harrington hated driving around in his dad's car.

Although it was majorly convenient–considering the number of times he would creep down the steps of his home and snatch the keys from the hook before slipping out of the front door, just to meet up with his usual group of friends that spent all night partying and drinking–it didn't take away the stress of actually being behind the wheel, swerving down the dark Hawkins roads, intoxicated.

Getting your license when you were of age was a necessity in the small town, not having to bike around to places or take the school bus with everyone else was like the entrance to the unwritten passageway of being at-all relevant at Hawkins High School.

Steve didn't really understand the whole “rules” thing, but he wasn't one to stick a toe out of place seeing what the “less fortunate” students in school had to deal with in terms of not being “cool enough”.

Steve was cozy and comfortable with his statue at the top and wanted the status quo to stay as such all the way until he graduated.

He had gotten used to it so far, being popular for most of his life. Since there weren't any new people in the rural town in Indiana, everyone just sort of grew into their respective places of cliches.

Despite his forward image of being "King Steve", he was still a teenage boy who didn’t understand the hearts and minds of women his age.

As the last class bell rang, signaling everyone to go home, it was normal for teens to linger outside of the school–waiting for buses, their parents or chatting with friends.

Steve was doing the latter, leaning his butt on the back of his father's car as Tommy had his own parked next to him, standing between Carol's thighs as she sat perched on the trunk of his hood.

Steve didn't find the conversation that they were having very interesting, mostly because the couple made him feel like a third wheel by redirecting whatever he would respond with to whispering something sexual to each other.

The main reason behind the problem was Tommy didn't know how to whisper correctly, as his lewd comments made Steve cringe more word by word, curling into himself as his arms crossed, pretending like he wasn’t hearing his friends talk about having rough car sex in earshot of him.

Steve didn't want to come off as sour, nervous to tell the two to knock it off because his weekly girlfriend had recently ghosted him–just because he had moaned another girl's name during sex.

He thought it was a totally normal and very common mistake. Steve rolled his eyes, noticing Tommy shoving his tongue down Carol's throat and grasping at her thighs as he pushed against her.

He knew that he couldn't get angry about it, not bothering to hide his own displays of affection to other women in public that he had been dating, but it didn't make it less awkward being someone on the outside looking in.

Then there was you, standing just at the corner of his eye, wrestling to get your bike out of the stand, with your messenger bag strap hoisted around your shoulder.

Fumbling with the lock on your bike, you seemed to have forgotten the password.

For some reason, this mesmerized Steve. You were always the one girl in his entire grade to catch his eye.

Maybe it was because of how your brown skin seemed to glow as you sat at your desk in the only class you two shared, your chin always resting on your palm as you slouched against the desk.

Maybe it was because you two used to be best friends before Steve gained his "King'' status as a freshman in high school. Or because you cursed at him and sneered at Coral for accidentally bumping into you in the lunch line, the mess from her lunch tray colliding with the book cover you held in your hands.

Steve had noticed it was the same book that you liked to hide your nose in between the pages of, your glare pointed at him the second she had collided with you.

 You hadn't taken too kindly to the exchange.

Thinking it was just another one of Harrington's shitty jokes, whenever you caught him having fallen trance to your looks, you would return his hopelessly romantic look with an almost deadly glare.

Ignoring the fact that he was weirdly attracted to you, simply wanting to earn back your attention since you were just so beautiful in a quiet way.

Since then, Steve hasn’t seemed to make it up to you, not knowing when the relationship between you two drifted apart.

Being caught up in being someone he wasn't all the time was confusing, but the only thing that seemed to stay the same was you.

He hated how you just seemed to be the main reason he couldn't figure out women, like a puzzle missing a single piece, and only as he was reaching to finish the puzzle you had taken a sledgehammer to the table and scattered all the pieces again.

He knew the feelings he had for you were more severe than just missing the friend he once had.

You were just so hard to talk to, he thought, his eyes squinting as Jonathan Byers walked up to you, Steve watching how your eyelashes fluttered and your face curved into a bright smile to greet your friend.

God, how he wished that smile was directed towards him.

You were friends with Jonathan, he knew, watching as you made small talk by the bike rack.

Jonathan reached down to unlock your bike for you as you made some type of big gesture reaching out your arms before pulling Jonathan into an embrace.

“Dude, Steve, did you hear me? We’re gonna head out,” Tommy interrupted, snapping his fingers in front of his face, Steve flinched away, pushing Tommy’s arms as he rolled his shoulders back.

“Alright, alright I got it, see you guys later,” Steve grumbled, mentally deciding that staring at you the entire time was getting a little weird as he hopped into the driver's side of the car.

Just as he was about to pull out of his parking lot his foot slammed against the brake, his head peeking out the car window after hearing a thud.

"What the fucking fuck Harrington," your voice startled him out of his car, leaving the door open as he ran to your aid.

Seeing your bike practically under his tire, the handlebars bent at an ugly angle, no doubt broken, he was at least happy that you weren't the one under the tire.

Your eyes are big, almost like a deer caught in headlights before switching to your usual glare at Steve.

The boy almost freezes as you look up at him, his mouth opening to apologize or at least say something that would save him from your sharp tongue.

"Hello, Earth to Steve. You ruined my bike." He'd just realized how long he'd been staring at your face, which had turned a flushed pink as his hands stretched at his side.

 "Uh, yeah I—I’m, I'm so sorry." Steve stuttered out. 

You moaned, hunching down to your knees and burying your face in your hands. "Fucking hell, Steve," your groan was muffled in a whine as Steve paced behind his car, mind racing with ways to not screw up any more than he already had.

"Okay wait, I'm gonna back up and–yeah." Not finishing his sentence as he sprints towards the front of the car, pulling just a bit forward and bouncing off of the metal of the bike. It was still usable, as you yanked your bike from the ground, climbing over the seat, wanting to do nothing else but get home.

"Steve," you shout. Looking at you from his rearview mirror, gripping his knuckles white against the leather steering wheel, he bowed his head for just a moment. 

"Y—yeah, yes?" Steve’s brain was fumbling as he swore he could feel smoke coming out of his ears from the thoughts firing in front of your presence.

Who would’ve thought that you could be the only woman to make King Harrington so nervous? Just now realizing how loud his radio was, he reached to dial down the volume enough to hear you.

"What song is this?" you asked, pushing yourself closer to the car window as Steve was caught a little off guard by the sudden question, being the only actual conversation you had given him the chance to have in years. 

Wearing taffeta and lace

That matched her braided hair

With their coraled beads that sang to me

The lyrics in the background hummed, as Steve refused to make eye contact with you, standing so close to him, glancing at his lap as his words were once again caught in his throat.

Not wanting to slip out the fact that when he first heard the song, he instantly thought about you and had not stopped listening to it since, caught in an unbearable loop.

His hand accidentally hit his own horn as a car behind him had honked.

Upon reminding Steve that he was in fact sitting parked in the middle of the exit way, hearing you giggle at the interaction only added onto to his flushed state, finding yourself noticing how adorable it was to see Steve so nervous for no reason.

"Alright, I’ll spare you just this once, Harrington. Just promise me you’ll tell me later, okay?" he heard you say, watching you pedal away ahead of him. 

Reaching the exit of the parking lot, grinning as you waved your hand, still looking ahead, Steve wanted so badly for the conversation to continue.

Smacking his fist against the wheel, flinching as he honked his horn once again, swearing under his breath, he accelerated forward, dialing up his music as he tried to process what the hell just happened.

Your last words to him, already circling his thoughts. "Just promise to tell me later?" meaning that you wanted to talk to him again? 

You were truly going to be the fucking death of him. Steve couldn't count the number of times he had found himself glancing in your direction, only to find you already staring at him. 

The first time he'd caught you was when his eyes trailed up your thigh.

His bottom lip got caught between his teeth, just as he glazed up to your torso.

His blood ran cold as he met your gaze, his hand wiping any traces of drool from his mouth as he nervously chuckled. 

Trying to point at the window trying to come up with the excuse that he was “just staring out the window” and “totally not checking you out”, you mouthed something to him, almost as if you were begging him to watch your lips. 

Your mouth curled with every syllable, finishing whatever you were saying with a grin and your eyebrows raised. That's when Steve watched you attempt to repeat the string of sentences.

This time he was actually paying attention before he realized what you were saying to him.

“My eyes are up here Steve.”

I looked up at her and smiled

And said, why I don't know

But would she agree, to stay with me

As the bell rings, you pack up everything into your binder hurrying for the next class period.

You’re both surprised to see Steve standing beside you, his hand clutching the strap of his book bag as he gives you a nervous closed-mouth grin.

“Well good evening Harrington, come to get a closer look at my thighs?” Steve’s brows furrowing in confusion he didn't understand why you would switch from addressing him to his first name one second only to call him by his last a second later.

Maybe you were still pissed at him, he thought. You giggled watching the familiar pink tint flush across his face. “Oh the song!” you suddenly smiled, your eyes beaming brightly up at him in a way that made Steve’s knees buckle, his mouth opening before he could close it again, wincing at himself before covering it up with another nervous chuckle. So much for King Steve.

"Yeah! yeah , the–the song, uh, it's…Never in Your Sun by Stevie Wonder, I uh, recently just started listening to it and it just sort of…stuck." Steve was trying hard not to stammer his words, but it was so damn hard to act normal when you were looking at him like that, like you and him were the only two people in the classroom.

“Stevie Wonder huh, okay white boy I see you.” you smile, playfully punching his shoulder as you gestured for him to follow you to your next class. “Oh wait, awe man, I'm totally gonna forget if I don't write this down.” Steve watched you shuffle your arm around in your messenger bag before pulling out a black ink pen, scribbling the song name onto the back of your hand and then without any protest taking Steve’s hand in yours, inking your number onto the back of his with big bold black ink.

“Can't believe we’ve known each other for so long and you’ve never called me once in your life, Harrington.” there you go calling him Harrington again with that look on your face, it was like you were toying with his head, knowing that teasing him would cause him to short circuit–almost like you got a rise out of it. “I say–for putting me through so much emotional stress–you owe my own music tape.”

The request left Steve a bit stunned as his foot dragged against the floor stumbling over his feet catching himself on your shoulder as you suddenly paused, “Only of songs that you’d think I'd like though, I'm putting trust in your music taste right now white boy,” you waved him off, parting to walk to your next class leaving Steve tongue-tied as he cringed, realizing how little he responded to you.

It took Steve only a day, a whole fucking day, to try to fix every single song he could fit on the tape.

He raised it above his head, almost like it was a nobel prize, “for [childhood nickname]” it read. The case was just plain clear plastic, no funny designs but the bold scribble of font on the front.

When you found it in your locker the next morning, you were less concerned on the speed with which it was created, moreso on how the hell Steve had managed to get into your locker.

Even more, that he probably bribed someone to give him your locker combo.

But it was passed aside the moment you stepped inside your bedroom, fishing for the clear case and tossing your bag on the floor, flopping on your mattress and pressing play on the cassette player.

Not bothering to hide your excitement, as the first song played through your headphones, your feet kicked up and you neglected to brush the knot of curls from your forehead as you pushed the front of your face into your duvet to muffle a yelp.

Not quite believing yet that Steve Harrington, the King of Hawkins, had made you a music tape.

“for [childhood nickname]”

Never in Your Sun — Stevie Wonder

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic — The Police

Just Like Heaven — The Cure

Everywhere — Fleetwood Mac

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes — Paul Simon

Maneater — Hall & Oates

Steve felt like he was dying–or at least felt close to it–his heart hammering against his chest as his fingers curled around the phone line connected to his wall.

Listening to the dial tone managed to get his heart racing as he bit his lip, his mind raking over every possibility that could have been your reaction to the tape. 

Just the mere thought of you managed to cloud all of his thoughts for the entire day, from the plush of your thighs as you sat down in a chair, to the way your plump lips formed every word. 

He wanted to hear from you the instant he had gotten home, but alas, under all of that expensive hairspray, Steve Joseph Harrington, was actually a huge fucking softie.

Procrastinating the time for as long as he could, he had paced around his home with the piece of paper he had written your number on twiddling between his fingers.

“Harrington?” was the first thing that came from his phone, already feeling himself get breathless as he exhaled away from the phone. “I never expected you to be such a musical softie. I really like it.”

“Really? like …really?” Steve freezes, not expecting you to praise him this much. It was actually starting to become a little overwhelming in his mind.

“Yes, really Steve, thank you so much.” Hearing your laugh helped any ounce of insecurity clear from his mind as he couldn't help but to copy the breathy chuckle.

“Well, I mean I'm like, happy you like them so much,” he smirked, his smile so large on his face that it was starting to strain the muscles in his mouth, half convinced the look would be stuck there forever.

The effect you had on him should have been considered illegal. “So.. Do I need to worry about lyrics and song titles, or is it only a vibe thing?”

[ ❥ ] taglist. @prettyeyedmaureen @torynicholsgf @bucky-daddy-barnes @eldriidd @ycarlii @guitarromantic @lafresamilk @loveshineslikethesky @haechaniebom @hello-100 @vxid42 @biggestslutever-1stnamegrea-blog @spenglerslime @slvdsjjk @misaamaneswifey @kyyellaxi @eichenhouseproperty @hotgirlsshareaccounts @ran-rap @avasjunkpile @punkrockrocks @first-edition-dumpster-fire @batmetallady @woahhhfidget @ireadstoriesnotmakethem @notsoshynomore @the-night-owl-blr @1efleur @todoroki-slut @mjauqeen @scarlet-kazuha @astralwaifu @prettyplant0 @imliterallygonnagetviolent @strangerthanfanfiction713 @graktung @sughcashsaiki @fzzybrain @caseket @spiritualwhore444 @xoxo-dede @joyrubyjanee @irlbeaniebabey @myheartlikesu @elliebellsblog @universallygiantwagonhumanoid

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[toomanybandstocare]

{Love is a Battlefield, Pat Benatar}

Program: Autumn afternoons seem to envelope the small town of Hawkins in a haunting hold. You thought that with the start of the school year, you would find solace in time spent away from the friend group. But it seems like you can't escape the chilling memories of last summer when you bump into Chrissy Cunningham during Thanksgiving break when everyone's home for the weekend.

Pairing: Chrissy Cunningham & GN! Reader

Referenced Pairings: Best friend! Eddie Munson x Heartbroken! Reader, Platonic(ish)! Steve Harrington x GN, Platonic(ish)! Reader

Genre: Angst, Heartbreak, Trying to move on

Warnings: Couple of swears, Slightly bigger time skip than between other parts (please read the program for clarification), Crying, Heartbreak, Forced to remember memories you're trying to move on from

Length: 1866w

Series Program | Camp Upside Down

Counselor Notes: There was one side of the story that I neglected to share when I originally wrote the series, and it was disrespectful to Chrissy that I didn't expand with her perspective. So Chrissy, I am so sorry for only using you as a device. Hopefully, I did you just in how caring and sensitive you were trying to be while everything was unfolding. This will not make sense if you have not read the previous chapters of this series.

“Can we talk,” her voice soft and bell-like shrills in your ear.

Her words run down you like ice water and freeze you on the sidewalk. Cold air bites your flushed cheeks this forsaken autumn afternoon. Your headphones feel heavier on your shoulders.

“I didn’t realize you were back in town. Congrats on almost finishing your first upperclassmen semester,” you force out. The warm cups of coffee in your hands do nothing to protect you from the shivers of anxiety coursing through you.

“I get why everyone runs on coffee with capstone deadlines,” she half-heartedly jokes, “It’s been nice being back. I’ve gotten to help mum and dad get ready for Thanksgiving, and I’ve caught up with almost everyone in the friend group already”.

“Chrissy,” you rasp. The paper cups start to shake in your hands as you desperately try to hold your emotions back.

“Please,” Chrissy breathes out. “The last thing I ever wanted to do was drive you and Eddie apart,” her voice wavers, “And it hurts, tears me to bits, that I basically did. It’s hurt Eddie so much- I know how much you still mean to him”.

“Chrissy, stop,” you hiss. Tears sting across your lash line as you shut your eyes tight. You swallow the bile that formed in your mouth at the sound of his name.

“I never meant to replace you. That was never my intention. I am so-,” her voice, now louder just behind your shoulder, breaks, “so sorry. Five minutes. That’s all I ask, and I know how selfish it is when you’re the one in pain. I’m sorry for hurting you so much”.

“If you’re so sorry, then why are you asking that much of me,” you choke out. Her words burn you worse than the steaming coffee trickling over your fingers. Cups crumpled from holding them too tight without realizing.

“Because you two are meant to be in each other’s lives. I don’t know how- what type of connection or love- but you two complete each other,” Chrssiy’s voice softens. She bites back the tears bubbling and stops herself from reaching out to touch your arm. Fiddling with her fingers, she doesn’t want to cross any of your boundaries more than she has.

It’s odd, you think. Passersbys scuttle around you, completely oblivious to your shattered heart they’re stepping on. Blaring cars whir past you on the street and block any attempt to escape. Only the sound of Chrissy’s voice seems to get through to you as the town of Hawkins falls silent. As if the only choice you can make in the situation is to spare five minutes of your time to hear Chrissy out, and then the world will let you back into society.

“Five minutes,” you blurt out, “Steve’s waiting, and I’m going to have to get new coffees anyways now”. You toss the cups into the trash can and shake off the lingering droplets. Your chest feels heavy when you turn to face Chrissy.

No longer sporting the varsity sweater or green ribbon in her hair, Chrissy looks only slightly older but more at ease. Comfortably bundled in the faded jean vest with band patches that she knows a few songs of. The skittish energy that you had become familiar with her presence is now dormant as she looks you in the eye. Her bright blue eyes glisten with unshed tears and harbored guilt. Unwarranted guilt that you know the young woman should not hold on to. She did absolutely nothing wrong.

Chrissy tentatively nods back to the café you had just exited and falls in step when you walk by her. Your steps fall unintentionally fast as you try to avoid meeting the eyes of an all too familiar devil.The little bell above the door announces your entry and confused glances of recognition flash onto the baristas behind the counter.

“Can I pay for your drinks? I don’t mean to keep inconveniencing you,” Chrssiy timidly offers. The hard expression pressing into your face leaves her in a sea of unease.

“S’alright, but thank you. Steve lost a bet, so daddy’s credit card is treating us today,” you chuckle and reorder your coffees. Shuffling over to one of the tables by the door, you take a seat in the stiff chair and watch Chrissy out of the corner of your eye as she shares her order with the barista. Still seemingly lighting up any room she inhabits. 

When her shining rays of joy face your direction, you focus your unenthused gaze out the window. Classmates’ parents walk by as dogs twist between the legs of pedestrians. The metal shriek from the opposite chair makes you wince and forces you to look at Chrissy’s small smile.

An olive branch to help you feel as comfortable as you possibly can in this unwanted situation.

“Five minutes,” you look at her with a blank expression, “That’s how long it’ll take to make our stupid, complicated coffees. That’s how long I’ll be able to look at you without crying. That’s how long I’ll allow you to torture me with this any further”. You encourage her to begin with a small gesture of your hand. 

Chrissy knows you don’t owe her anything. She accepts that, but the unwavering look of discontent doesn’t make this any easier.

Taking a deep breath, Chrssiy summons all the confidence she can muster. “Eddie has been a wreck without you. He spent countless nights leading up to the,” she hesitates and gnaws on her lip, “confrontation. At least that’s how he refers to it since he admits he was a dick to you. Let anger get the best of him”. Both of you weakly laugh at Eddie’s eloquence. 

Clearing her throat, Chrssiy shifts in her seat before continuing, “I didn’t know what to do. It shattered me to watch him slowly lose the most important person in the world, other than Wayne, and not be able to do something about it. The relationship you and Eddie had, still have, was one I did not want to insert myself into. I didn’t want to intrude on the beautiful connection between you two, so I did what I thought was best and waited. I wanted to be your friend and make an effort to get to know you better since you mean everything to Eddie, but I wanted to respect your place in his life and do it on your terms. But when you started to pull away, or maybe it just seemed like that, I stood by him and tried to be there for him. It must have been so weird to have to share your best friend and partner in crime, and I didn’t know what was going on in your head. From the outside looking in, I couldn’t figure out if I had done anything wrong to you or if Eddie upset you somehow. I didn’t want to pretend and make any assumptions about what was happening. Whether you just wanted to avoid me or were in love with Eddie or falling for Steve- it just wasn’t, and still isn’t, my business”.

Sniffles and coffee machines fill the shop with an awful tune. 

Tears mix with sweetener to make a signature melancholy drink.

Volatile emotions steep with serene tea bags.

Chrissy looks at you through blurring tears, “And when you hung out- that day when you guys went to Lovers’ Lake- he looked so excited. He bounced out of the house to pick you up. But, when Eddie came home explained what happened on your porch- I knew. And my heart shattered for you”.

With a trembling hand, Chrissy reaches out and grasps your hand that isn’t furiously wiping away tears. She carefully rubs over your knuckles and tries to comfort you. Not out of guilt, but out of complete and utter love. Her chest sears with pain as if all the hurt and agony your heart has gone through is her own. It’s not though. She knows that.

“I’m not here to make my claim or tell you to leave Eddie alone. He needs you more than anything,” she squeezes your hand, “I’m here to just-”. Her sob breaks her train of thought. Guilt and hurt pound against her forehead. She doesn’t know what to do. Doesn’t know what to say to make it better or try to help. She knows she's the last person you ever wanted to bump into, let alone speak to.

Chrissy Cunnigham feels helpless and heartbroken for the soulmates that separated.

“Please, if there’s anything I can do to help mend your bond- I’ll do it. You guys are double trouble, and this town is far too quiet without your carefree laughter and music blasting,” Chrissy’s voice can be barely made out over the pair of you struggling for air.

Looking at her with a sad smile, you squeeze her hand back, “You can’t fix a broken heart, Chrissy dear. Only time can”.

“Order for Harrington,” a far away voice calls.

Reality slams into you, breaking the intense walls Chrissy had built with you. The faint mutters of customers hum in your ears as the smell of bitter coffee stings your nose. A chuckle of disbelief bites your lungs at the thought of how odd your table looks to anyone from the outside.

Standing from your hot seat, the metal screeches against the tile as you share one last look with Chrissy. Her face is blotchy from your sob session, but genuine distress darkens her eyes. “I was never upset with you, Chrissy. I want to make that clear,” you quietly admit. “You did nothing wrong, and I don't want you to hold onto a guilt that’s not from your own actions. Your boyfriend on the other hand,” you tear your gaze away from Chrissy’s apprehensive gaze, “I don’t know. He did nothing wrong, but he fucking sucks at balancing his life. Nothing new- it just fucking hurts to be on the receiving end of it this time. Felt like I got tossed to the side”. 

A wave of dizziness makes you sick as you choke out, “So, I appreciate your time and support, but I don’t think there’s anything left to this lost connection”.

Slipping your hand out of her hold, you feel a rush of coolness hit your hot skin. You keep your eyes trained on the order counter when you call back in a flat voice: “Five minutes are up”.

Everything blurs in a haze as you slip your headphones back on and click your Walkman to play. Pat Benetar’s cries seem to harmonize with your heart’s pounding. The short walk over to the counter appears long like one of those fun house mirrors, but every step feels like warp speed leaving you lightheaded.

“Thanks,” your voice comes out scratchy when you grab the coffees.

Sympathetic eyes look you over as the barista hands you your drinks, “What’re you listening to?”

Deep down you know he’s just trying to make you feel better and give you something happy to think about. However, it can’t help but feel like another stab from the universe.

“Love is a battlefield,” you bitterly admit.

[hermitcreep]

✨[NSFW] Blood and Diner Waffles - FULL CHAPTER AFTER THE JUMP✨

Pairing: Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove [Harringrove]

Summary - Steve Harrington finds himself stood-up at a diner date and a bloody-nosed Billy Hargrove fills his date's seat. Steve cannot deny that he feels tumultuous emotions dancing in his stomach as he looks over at the masculine man sitting before him, sure that Billy wouldn't hesitate to connect his fist with Steve's jaw. It was until a cop appeared that Steve realized Billy was hiding--should he rat him out?

Word Count: 3,155

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There was something romantic about the infinite wrinkles in the red pleather of a diner booth; how they danced right up to one another and spelled out every clandestine thing about the person that sat upon it. The veined markings almost formed text, recording the woes and triumphs of everyone -- from the greatest local hero to the desperate downtrodden bum. It was almost as if the flattened cotton beneath the upholstery held tight to a piece of every soul whose weight had traversed it, remembering them when no one else did. Flanked by the bustling crowd of mid-evening consumers, the warm smiles of a passing waitress and the warm, thick smell of smokes and coffee, the diner seemed a hinge of modern society as one knew it--a mecca of society, somewhere any girl would be lucky to meet a handsome suitor. Right?

The clamoring of a fork against porcelain was barely audible in the bustle of the place and the sigh that left Steve Harrington's lips was louder. Staring down at an empty plate as his fingers met a dark brow, he would contemplate what this moment meant for him. Robin was right. He did suck; and what's worse, he knew it. Licking over the bow of his lips, he straightened a bit, a lock of hair kissing the passage above the center of his brows as he tried to reason with himself. Maybe she had an emergency. Maybe he wasn't being patient enough. Maybe it just slipped her mind. Those things happened in the world and they could have been happening here.

After the third offering of coffee from the matronly waitress, Steve felt he should leave. He'd been in the diner nearly an hour and the girl was a no-show. His fingertips tapped the meticulously straightened color of his shirt, caressing navy blue and ochre, brushing against a calm pulse and warm muscle. He thought for a moment on whether or not it would be more pathetic to leave without a girl at his hip or to remain here for longer, staring at the door each time the bell above it chimed like some sort of lovesick pup. The girl was a pretty thing, someone he'd met in the mall, but he wasn't sure the slim chance of her showing up an hour late was worth the humiliation of eating alone.

Taking a breath, making a piss-poor attempt at convincing his legs to move from the booth, he heard the bell again. This time it wasn't so much a sweet jingle as it was a violent chime. Patrons near the door dispersed, dropping their pleasantries to allow the newcomer into the space. Attempting to look less forlorn, Steve righted his awkward posture, the aftermath of attempting to exit, and lifted his hazel gaze to the figure that entered. Billy. Billy Hargrove. Following the line of red and leather to that masculine face and curled hair, Steve felt a pang deep in his stomach. He wasn't sure if it was fight, flight, or something different entirely, but what he was sure of is that this couldn't be good.

Billy only spent a passing moment by the door before he quickly moved around the bodies congesting the counter and slipped into the booth with Steve, offering not one glance to acknowledge the brown-haired male's existence. Billy stared at the door from which he had just entered, seemingly cautious, the side of his face near enough for Steve to observe. This close, Steve could easily see that Billy was hurt. His eye was blackened and nose bloody, the trail having smeared across his scruff upper lip, leaving crackled red over the full bottom tier. The young King wondered for a moment what Billy could have gotten himself into, his hate for the guy melting away to pure curiosity. A curiosity that was quickly shattered over the knee of agitation as Billy turned in the booth to face him, a grin spreading across that busted face, lighting up the depth of Billy's eyes--Steve knew it was patronizing.

Billy's full lips moved to form words, but before sound could escape them, the door chimed again; a breath in the crowd forming for a policeman to enter. Billy didn't look in the direction of the door, but knew immediately from the tension in the room who had entered. Flashing his gaze over Steve's face, Billy's eyes looked almost soft, as if all that macho gallivanting had been a front to cover for the fact that he was actually worried. Steve found himself contemplating if all of that blood was Billy's alone.

"Be cool, pretty boy." Came an even tone from Billy's throat, thrumming his adam's apple behind well-kept skin. The words hit Steve and he crossed his arms, rolling his lips into his teeth in contemplation. "Just be cool." Billy repeated and Steve nodded slowly. It wasn't that he felt fully comfortable agreeing with Billy in that moment, it was just that If he was honest, he had no idea what "being cool" entailed.

It was only a few passing moments of silence before the policeman fully approached the booth that the boys sat in. His eyes rolled from empty plates to each male, noting that it was odd the two would be eating together. Billy was a degenerate by birth right and Steve practically teenage royalty. Things didn't add up. Didn't they hate one another?

"--Got a call about a local boy being assaulted. His arm was nearly broken. Know anything about that?"

"No, sir." Billy said, wearing his prized shit-eating grin, his intimidating maw behind it. It was almost feral.

"Really? Then tell me, Hargrove. How'd you get that shiner, seems to m--"

"We were fighting." Steve said, talking over the policeman. He wasn't sure why he did it and it surprised even himself, garnering a raised eyebrow from Billy who took to rolling his tongue in his cheek as Steve spoke, "Yeah, um...We fought outside. I, um...we fought big time."

"Uhuh--" came the skeptical reply from the officer, his hands resting on his hips in disbelief. A moment's pause and the policeman turned to face Billy fully, sure he could smell the bullshit from where he stood. He didn't know his patrol tonight was out to pasture, and if he had, he would have worn shoes he didn't mind soiling, "--and you're telling me that you, Billy Hargrove, didn't hit back?"

"Why would I want to hurt that pretty face?" There was that smile again. It could have outed a whore in a nunnery. It was predatory, cunning and all-over charming in the worst way. Steve felt a chill in his spine and looked away.

"Why would you want to eat with someone you're fighting wi--"

"--He's treating me to dinner because he lost." Steve interjected, stumbling over his words a bit, "I got some good hits in and--and like I said... he lost, so." The policeman sighed, "Boys, I find all of this hard to believe, I--"

A female voice would suddenly sound from behind the counter nearby, the tone shrill yet somehow comfortingly sweet, "Officer Jackson, leave those boys alone." The waitress had found herself fed up with teenagers being questioned over things that teenagers were known to do regularly, " So they were in a little fight. Boys will be boys -- there's nothing else you'll get out of them. You go tell that Jason that he'll be fine with a hurt arm. He's young. He'll bounce back." She spoke quickly and shooed him with a wave of the checkered rag she'd been cleaning with, causing him to sigh softly. That was the thing in small towns like Hawkins. Everyone knew everyone and you couldn't hassle the youth without the older crowd getting involved to share their opinions; and with the diner being a safe space for commerce, it was likely the waitress saw her fair share of degenerate activity. She knew this was not important enough to waste policed hours on--and likely it wasn't.

"This isn't over. I'll have my eye on you, Hargrove." With those words and a dejected sigh, the policeman turned to leave, making eye contact with each boy before making his way from the diner. Now it was just the two of them. Billy and Steve.

"Why didn't you narc on me?" Billy asked after the diner regained its usual hum of patronage, "I thought you would have snitched."

Steve simply shrugged, looked a bit like a kicked pup. For a moment, Steve wandered himself why he hadn't given up the ghost. It could have been because he had been stood up. Maybe he was just lonely. Maybe he was just insane. He thought over several possibilities in the time before he spoke, the only constant being his uncertainty. Wrinkling his brows, he chewed on his words before spitting them out, "I don't know, but you should pay for my food." Steve seemed to soften after he said that, jesting, "You know--as like...a thank you for saving your ass."

"I don't have any money, Harrington." He smirked, biting his bottom lip, "How about a totally serious, definitely not bullshit 'thank you'?"

"No. No can do. You can just make it up to me." Steve said, thinking perhaps he could use this as leverage the next time Billy threatened to cave in his skull. Billy nodded as if he understood and Steve found himself proud with the transaction, glancing to the waitress in contemplation of what he might want to eat. The girl obviously wasn't showing tonight and all that had transpired had actually forced Steve's appetite to flair.

Somewhere between Steve looking up and his stomach growling, Billy had moved from the booth and broken the brown-haired male's line of vision, filling it with red fabric tensed by light colored buttons. Billy offered a hand and Steve wrinkled his brows, taking it. Assuming they were leaving, Steve looked bewildered when he was actually led deeper into the diner, passing booths and smiling faces. If Steve's brain had moved faster than his feet, he may have asked what was going on, but his curiosity blanketed any thought, keeping him on a projected path forward.

As the boys approached the back of the diner, Billy stopped at a booth with two bikers sitting at it and he smirked. "Can you guys play something on the jukebox that I can rage to?" He asked, the older men smiling at the sight of that blood, nodding as if they knew just the medicine Billy needed, taking no interest in the fact that the fit male had Steve's hand in a vice grip. They had been that young once.

The jagged hum of metal music bloomed inside of the diner, barely hitting Steve's ears before he was shoved into the men's restroom, the door shut and locked before he could react. The bathroom was a soft beige in theme, with tile and linoleum that looked recently replaced, its grout immaculate. It was a single stall room, but large enough to move around in. Steve moved to the wall opposite the sink and pressed himself against it so that he could keep a close eye on the full layout, "Look, man. You don't have to beat the shit out of me. I...I stood up for you back there! I mean, I was on your side!" He said, fully expecting Billy's motive to be violent, his hand pushing back a lock of his hair, somehow not disheveling a strand.

"Shut up." Billy said, pushing his curls behind his ears before approaching Steve. Their noses a breath away from one another, Steve found himself staring into the intense depth of those eyes, memorizing the length of every lash that framed their brilliant color. It was something otherworldly and enthralling, like the stare of the last wolf left alive, a creature who had fought its entire life just to live at peace, the tumult reflected in galaxy pools of grey and shooting stars of blue and green. Steve lost any word he could have said against their closeness and as Billy got closer, the tips of their noses touched--his nose filled with the smoke on Billy's breath and the blood that soiled his face.

Billy trailed his nose down, catching Steve's lips and chin, taking time to trace the pulse of his neck, the dip of his collar and onward. On his knees, Billy's hands moved to the male's belt, making fast work of it, the jingling deafening in the reverberation of the room. "Oh--wait, wha--wait. What are you doing?" Steve managed, frantic.

"Do you want me to stop?" Billy asked, breathing heavy from his lips, staring up at Steve through thick, curled lashes. "No--I mean, I...I don't know. I just--this is so weird, I--"

"Calm down, Pretty Boy. It's just a blowjob." Billy said, continuing his work at that belt-line, fingers grazing the dark hair that peeked from Steve's underwear, the sparse bloom beneath his naval.

With Steve's pants down, he could see the shape of that plump girth pressing against fabric, causing the slightest bit of tension. Smirking up at Steve, he would lean forward, pressing the heat of his mouth to the stiffening tip. Breathing out, spreading warmth over the shape, Steve would shiver hard, his eyes closing tight. Licking his lips, Steve did his best to focus on anything other than the fact that BILLY that was doing this to him. His cock didn't share the lack of sentiment and it stiffened right up under the line of Billy's soft upper lip, nearly begging immediately. Furrowing his brows, Steve exhaled slowly, fingertips pressing to cool tile at his sides to diminish the urge to touch tamed curls.

Billy's fingertips found home in the tight elastic waistband of Steve's underwear and he would slowly pull them down, that cock popping free and bobbing with vigor. Dropping those underclothes to mid-thigh, meeting Steve's denim pants, Billy would place his warm worn hands on Steve's bare hips, feeling their tension. His mouth opened wide to accept the darkening head that glistened with need, his eyes fluttering up to look at Steve with the hopes of making eye contact with the older boy as he slid that aching girth onto the thick muscle of his tongue, enveloping it.

Had Steve been looking, he might have passed out from the sight. He couldn't make comprehensible thought as Billy took him into his mouth so he made a noise that was somewhere between a grunt and a whimper, the notion blooming into an open-mouth moan as Billy pushed forward, allowing Steve's cock to spread open the back of his throat. Billy took his time, admiring the scent and taste, his nose meeting soft, curled hair after a few moments work. Settling the full line of that cock inside of his mouth, Billy would begin to suck.

At first, Billy would slowly slide his head back, allowing the tip to pop free of his lips with a gentle sound before taking it back into the depths of his mouth, taking pride in the worship. It was obvious this was not the first time Billy had done this and something about that notion made Steve's head spin with pleasure. It was dirty, gritty and Steve had never done anything like this. Not even with Nancy--and funny enough, she was gone from his thoughts as quickly as she had entered, nothing in his mind but coating the hot depths of Billy's throat with his cum.

Heated breath and torturous suction passed between them as Billy began to move quicker, his head bobbing in tandem with the hard pulses that Steve's cock gifted him, every coordinated movement urging Steve closer to ecstasy. Steve's moans grew desperate as his head tipped back, his body arching from the wall he once desperately clung to as his fingers searched for stability still. Billy knew that Steve wouldn't last long like this, and he took the tightening of the muscles beneath his hands as a sign that he was closing in on his climax--and Billy hungered for it.

Lips wet with saliva and precum, Billy sucked harder still, causing Steve to nearly collapse with pleasure. Like a tightened coil in the pit of his abdomen, Steve felt the tension grow tighter and tighter until it snapped and he shattered. "Fuck!" A guttural groan left him and his hands instinctually snapped to Billy's hair, gripping and pulling his head closer, forcing his cock as deep as he could. "H-holy s-s-shit!" Steve shouted and Billy nearly choked, a pleased sound rumbling through his throat as Steve came undone, shooting thick abundant cum down that beckoning tracheal corridor.

Nearly collapsing in pleasure, Steve stared down at Billy with reckless abandon, as if his mind had just been forced to expand. Billy, whose mouth was seated at the base of that cock, would move back, freeing his throat of the obstruction before swallowing around it, wasting not a drop. Leaning back, that girth cleared his lips and Billy moved to stand, wiping his lips on the sleeve of his jacket, making eye contact with Steve as he stood, the "pretty boy" well ruined. Bewilderment covered his features, and Billy felt pleased with himself. "Come on," Billy said, moving to the door to unlock it and exit. Steve, who was then forced to quickly right his clothes and make himself presentable, took a look in the mirror before following the blonde out, heading back through the diner to where they had previously sat.

Steve's legs felt weak and he nearly plopped into his seat, the objection of the seat drowned out by the jukebox which had now cycled through three or more fast-paced rock songs and settled on "Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol. As the song swelled, Steve felt the hunger pangs return to his stomach, worsened now by his recent exertion. Maybe he needed waffles--diner waffles were heavenly. He looked to the empty booth before him and to Billy, who now stood beside where Steve sat, looking down at him. Curious why the male hadn't sat, Steve opened his lips to speak, but felt Billy's hand grip the rounded point of his chin, holding his face still. Eyes meeting those endless pools once more, Steve felt inner peace and chaos all at once, his heart thrumming. Giving that same charming, reoccurring, glowing smile, Billy licked his teeth and tipped his head. Dropping his hand from Steve's face, it disappeared into his pocket, bringing back a handful of wadded bills, which he let fall to the table onto that empty plate. Looking back to Steve, that grin spreading, Billy pushed a cigarette between his lips and turned with a wink, heading out of the place with a vibrant jingling of the diner's door bell.

[lightsupinthenorth]

Read on AO3

“Dingus, haven’t you noticed something weird?” Robin asks as they are shelving the returned tapes of the day.

“Mh… What? No… What?” Steve replies, as eloquent as ever.

“Billy rented The Shining.”

“Yeah… and so?”

Steve doesn’t see anything weird about that. Not that he has watched it, but it is supposedly a good movie, why wouldn’t Billy rent it?

“Well, it’s the third time he rents it.” Robin informs, frowning.

“And…? Maybe he really likes it.”

“It’s the third time, in two weeks, Steve.”

“Oh… okay… so that’s kind of weird.” He admits.

“That’s all you’ve got to say?”

“Yes…?”

What does she want Steve to say? If Billy wants to obsessively watch some creepy horror movie, it is none of Steve’s business.

“Okay. Nevermind.” Robin replies, before pointing out: “you placed that tape upside down.”

Oh… he did.

 -

Billy is about to snap. Ever since he’s been discharged from the hospital, he goes to Family Video every day. Well, every day it is open, that is. And he doesn’t do it for the movies. Not really. He does it for Steve Harrington.

At first, he doesn’t say much. He just goes there in an overlarge hoodie, picks a random movie and proceeds to stare at Steve for as long as he can without it becoming suspicious. Then, he hightails out of there and goes back to his flat.

But then, he starts dropping hints. He rents the same movie several times, he tries to say more than two words to Steve, he starts wearing nice shirts (fully buttoned, but still) and fancy cologne. And none of it does anything, except maybe make Steve’s coworker look at him in assessment. Her attention isn’t the one Billy was looking for, but that’s what you get when you go after the most clueless person ever, he supposes. Because, either Steve really is that clueless, or he purposefully ignores Billy’s cues. And Billy prefers not to think of the second option at all. If he does start thinking about it, he’ll realize how it makes more sense than Steve not understanding what Billy is getting at, considering King Steve has had more conquests than someone clueless would ever have.

It doesn’t matter, anyway. Billy has come to a decision. He’s got to talk to Steve, lest he explode and do something even stupider than confessing his attraction… Like grab Steve by his ugly green Family Video jacket (in which he still manages to look infuriatingly handsome) and plant one on him.

Billy is going to man up, be a functioning member of society or whatever, and politely asks for what he wants. If it goes wrong, it’s not that big a deal: Billy’s has very little dignity left to lose.

So, the next time he enters Family Video, making the bell above the door jingle and Steve and Robin look up from their respective tasks, Billy doesn’t even pretend he came here for a movie. He bypasses the shelves and goes straight to the counter, behind which stands a surprised Steve Harrington.

“Can I help you?” He asks, his wide eyes fixed on Billy.

Billy has to look down to actually get the words out, Steve’s intense staring making him squirm.

“Would you… go on a date… with me?”

“You… wait, what? You want me to go on a date… with you?”

Billy looks up briefly, annoyed that Steve needs a confirmation even though Billy couldn’t have made his invitation any clearer. Steve’s eyes got even wider, which Billy wouldn’t have thought possible. He softens a fraction.

“Yes, pretty boy. ‘s what I said, innit?”

“Uh… sure… yeah, I’ll go with you.” Steve stammers.

He still hasn’t blinked a single time, and his tone is stinted. Should Billy be worried? Steve doesn’t really sound enthusiastic for someone who just agreed to go on a date. He makes it seem like he’s agreeing to a dentist appointment, or something. Flattering, really.

“Are you sure about that?” Billy asks, narrowing his eyes.

Sure, he really wants that date with Steve, but only if Steve’s a hundred percent in too. He doesn’t want him to agree to it just to spare the feelings of the guy who nearly died saving one of his kids. If that’s what Steve is trying to do.

“Yeah, yeah… I’m sure. Honest.” Steve assures.

Billy still isn’t convinced, but he leaves it at that in favor of asking when Steve is available. He knows the guy’s schedule by heart, by now, but he doesn’t keep track of all the time Steve spends with the nerds and his coworker/friend.

When the actual date comes, a few days later, Steve doesn’t seem any more enthusiastic than when Billy asked him out. If anything, he looks more reluctant.

He barely says anything on the whole way to the diner, and once they reach their destination, he lets Billy do most of the talking and only gives one-word answers. And talking is still hard for Billy after the whole near-death experience, so he had kind of expected Steve would be the one leading the conversation.

Because, as far as he knows, Steve is talkative. A real chatterbox. He’s often bantering with Robin when Billy comes into Family Video, and whenever he drops Max off somewhere and sees Steve with Dustin, they always seem to be having some kind of rapid-fire conversation. So him being silent must mean he’s really uncomfortable in Billy’s presence. That’s quite the bummer.  

“Why did you say yes?” Billy ends up asking out of the blue, unable to take one more second of the awkward silence surrounding their table.

“What…?”

“To the date… why did you say yes?”

“Because… I wanted to?”

Steve’s questioning tone is like a sucker punch to the gut.

“Are you asking me?” Billy snaps.

“No, of course not! I’m just surprised you’re asking… what other reason would I have?”

Steve’s eyebrows are knitted, making him look confused. But Billy’s the one confused, here, alright?

“Well, you tell me. You’ve been looking like you’d rather be anywhere else ever since I picked you up… It doesn’t scream that you’re a willing participant in this date, princess.” Billy mumbles, pushing his now cold fries around his plate.

He feels one of Steve’s feet nudging his leg under the table and startles before relaxing.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to come off like that. I swear I agreed wholeheartedly… It’s just…” Steve apparently can’t finish the thought and heaves a sigh.

“It’s just what?”

Couldn’t he spit it out already? Billy is on the edge of his seat, there.

“I’m… uh… Promise not to laugh?”

Billy rolls his eyes.

“I promise, pretty boy. Now please tell me what it’s all about.”

“I’m really nervous.”

Billy doesn’t laugh. He doesn’t feel like laughing, at all. He does stare for a long while, though. His jaw has dropped, and it takes Billy several seconds to recover enough from the surprise to close his mouth. Steve “The Hair” Harrington… King Steve… is nervous to go on a date… with Billy? Billy who has no friends, scars all over his body, and only goes out of his flat to get groceries, go to therapy, and rent random tapes at Family Video? It sounds surreal.

“See, that’s ridiculous.” Steve says, fidgeting with the straw from his untouched chocolate milkshake.

“Hey, no. I can’t say I saw that coming, but I don’t think it’s ridiculous, okay? I wished you had said something earlier.”

Billy would love to take Steve’s shaking hands in his to steady them, steady him, but they’re in public so that will have to wait.

“I didn’t want to be a burden… I mean… you went through so much, and you had no problem asking me out… whereas I’m just a mess… I haven’t been on a date in ages… ever since Nancy really, and I really like you, I didn’t want to mess this up… I didn’t want you to realize I was lame… and I ended up messing it up even more. I’m sorry.”

Steve was speaking quite fast, in a voice almost too low to be heard. And, damn, there was a lot to unpack here. Billy didn’t know where to start.

“Don’t apologize, it’s fine. You’re not a mess, and you’re not lame, and you didn’t mess anything up. We’re still here, right? This date isn’t over.”

“Really?” Steve asked, looking up tentatively from his milkshake.

“Really. Oh and, Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“I was a nervous wreck when I asked you out, so don’t go thinking I had “no problem” doing it.”

Billy wouldn’t usually admit that, fearing it could make him look weak. But Steve has been honest with him, so it’s only right to do the same in return.

“Really?” Steve asks again.

“Really” Billy confirms again.

Steve smiles at him, and finally takes a sip of his milkshake. When Billy kisses him on his doorstep later in the evening, he can taste the chocolate on Steve’s tongue, and thinks that this first date wasn’t so bad, in the end.

*

Thank you for reading ;)

[uhnoodles]

Stobin Shipping (ST3)

Hello all!

I’ve been debating whether or not to post this because conflict and confrontation make me physically ill and I’m not usually one to start anything of any sort that would invite such a thing.

I’m not writing this post to invite such a thing either, but unfortunately, I don’t think I can post this opinion without getting a lot of hate. I wouldn’t even be putting my voice out here unless something big happened, which has.

So, here goes.

Stobin is a ship from the 3rd season of Stranger Things featuring Steve Harrington, a character from every season, and Robin, a character introduced this season.

Steve and Robin work together at Scoops Ahoy and seem to be warily civil with each other in the beginning of the season. Various plot points drag them together, and eventually they bond and begin to grow warmer and friendlier with each other, a classic enemies to friends trope that is seen in many a fiction story. What usually comes next in this line of relationships is lovers or something synonymous. And we got a taste of it when Steve admitted his growing romantic feelings for Robin. Robin, however, turns him down because she is a lesbian. Steve is oblivious, then accepting and friendly with her from then on. There is absolutely no hope for them to ever be together in the show because she is a lesbian. I don’t want them to be together in the show because She. Is. A. Lesbian.

...Having said that, I feel slightly more comfortable approaching the purpose of this post.

A lot of people feel that it is homophobic/lesbophobic to still ship Stobin even after Robin came out to Steve, turning down his romantic advances. And I’m not going to tell you how to feel. I’m not in the business of doing that, because I’m not you and I don’t dictate your emotions or reactions. And honestly, if someone does still ship Stobin because they think it’s stupid that Robin is a lesbian and that she doesn’t “fit the bill” or they are just fucking homophobic, then fuck that guy. Because that’s not cool.

But. In my opinion, which is an opinion and not a fact, Fanfiction and shipping were made so fans can live out their non canon dreams.

I ship Stobin. Not because I think Robin being a lesbian is dumb or disgusting, or even because I wish she wasn’t a lesbian. Because I don’t wish that. I’m a lesbian. I was so fucking ecstatic when she turned out to be a lesbian! She is a cool, funny, complex character and she’s ours! Holy shit! YES! I honestly can’t wait for the writers to explore this in season 4 and give us all the sweet lesbian content I want.

Representation matters. I know that, and I feel that. I’m white- so I have had the privilege of being represented in the media my whole life. Hell, I remember when I first saw Beauty and the Beast, Belle immediately became my favorite princess because she had brown hair like me. I’ve also been lucky enough to grow up in an era where the LGBTQA+ community is slowly being accepted by society. I’ve also been lucky enough to have absolutely no issues in that area of my life. I’ve never been faced with prejudice in any way regarding my sexuality. I’m lucky, and I know I’m one of the few. So maybe Robin isn’t hitting me as hard as she is a lot of lesbians.

Don’t get me wrong, please, don’t get me wrong! She is a lesbian, I know this, and I never want that to change! If she and Steve got together in the show, I would be fuckin pissed! That is erasure! That is queer baiting! (I think that’s the term?) Her presence as a lesbian in this show is important because Stranger Things is set in the 80s, a very homophobic period in American history (which is true for all of American history through pretty much now for a lot of people). The fact that we have not just Robin but also Will- and both are accepted and still loved by their friends- is amazing and I have cried multiple times over it! If their presence in the show is of the utmost important to me, a lesbian who has faced zero kicks in the ass in her life, I can’t imagine how important she is to a lesbian who has faced every struggle in the world.

I believe, as I’ve stated, that fanfiction exists so fans may live out their non canon dreams. I ship Stobin because I thought their warm and fuzzy moments slowly building up throughout the season were very believable and they lit up the fan girl in me so fuckin quickly. “Yes!” I thought, “Steve is getting a romance again, and with arguably the coolest girl in the show!” And then she came out as a lesbian, which didn’t even phase me because I knew I could read fanfiction of Stobin to satisfy that whirlwind of fangirling emotions inside me that would never be satisfied canonically, which is completely okay with me.

That’s what fanfiction and shipping is to me. Satisfying my unmet fangirling needs. Am I mad about any of my unfulfilled ships? No! Absolutely not! Every fandom I am part of, I ship most ships in existence. I also ship Steve with Billy, Jonathan, Nancy, I’ve even read Steve and Kali (008) and enjoyed it! The thing about Robin is that, in season three, she only interacted with Steve and 2 children, and her and Steve had many faux romantic moments. I’ve read RobinxOFC and shipped the two! Hell, there’s this Haringrove fic with an OFC that I think she would be really cute with! I guarantee that as soon as she interacts with literally any female character, I will go buck fuckin wild. However, the in-depth character connection she has is Steve.

I know to a lot of you guys, these are just excuses, and I’m honestly very very sorry if I am hurting you in any way by continuing to ship them, completely apart from the canon, in the fics I read a write. I definitely would have kept my fuckin mouth to myself, but I noticed something quite alarming.

“Kill yourself”. Two words. Both simple words. Put together, they could destroy a life. They have many a time. I’ve been the target many times when I write a fic with a ship people don’t like. So alarming. So fucking alarming. Those words can do real damage. In real life. Not a fictional universe, such as the Stranger Things universe. But in real life. Now, I know that representation is so very fucking important, and I know that Robin is a lesbian. I support her as a lesbian and will accept no less in canon. Threatening another human’s life over respresentation in media isn’t okay, not in my books. Even if I didn’t ship Stobin and was as affected by it than a lot of you guys are, I would still be writing this post, just minus the explaining my view of Stobin and fanfiction in general. Because death threats, disturbing messages, and mocking one-off comments won’t get your point across. They’ll just root tour subject of hate more firmly into the ground and harm their psyche along the way.

It’s not worth it. Stranger Things is not worth it. Someone, a human being, in real life, could be hurt by careless, aggressive words. Over something that you could ignore so easily if you don’t support it. And I know that ignoring something you find abhorrent and a violation of human rights can be downright near impossible sometimes, but resorting to such terrible words just isn’t okay. Explain your side, debate, argue, don’t berate, don’t get furious. Or at least don’t let your fury turn you into a monster who threatens another human being’s life. Because doing that, saying those things? It’s monstrous.

I know this will get replies, and I’m not looking forward to it because confrontation, again, makes me hate my life. But you have the right to express your opinion to me if my own displeases you, but know that I will definitely ignore threats and furious massages that I’ve seen circulating around this particular ship.

I don’t know if I properly expressed myself or if this came across at all how I wanted it to. Bottom line:

-Robin is a lesbian, I support her

-I got attached to the teased romance between her and Steve, so I will be reading fanfiction and imagining scenarios myself to satisfy my hunger

- I, personally, don’t think that makes me a bad person or a homophobe/lesbophobe for reasons I’ve listed above

- I sincerely apologize to anyone who is offended or hurt, that is truly not my intention

-I only opened my fat mouth about this because death threats and hostile behavior have been circling this ship and it crossed a line in my head

I’m sorry this is so long. @pelegringo is a blog I know has been experiencing a lot of these threats and I don’t know how many others have been dealing with it. I’m so sorry if my opinion is unwelcome, but I saw someone being hurt and couldn’t ignore it.

I wish you all the best, and I hope you have enjoyed my Ted Talk.

[fizzigigsimmer]

To B, With Love: Chapter 22

💕 Moodboard by  @prettyboylikeyousteve   💕

Genre: A/B/O Mail Order Bride Au!

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Harringrove

Summary: Steve, a society omega travels west to marry the cowboy who answered his matrimony ad. The problem? Billy isn’t the one who was actually writing to him. That was his ward, Max who is determined to find her stubborn alpha brother a mate.

Preview: Steve takes his first stab at running a household and makes an enemy while Billy realizes he might have been too lenient with his. Back in Hawkins, Nora deals with the fallout of Douglas' discovery, and makes a discovery of her own - she's got nerve.

[thefreedomspray]

Rape Culture Readings

Abdullah-Khan, Noreen. Male Rape: The Emergence of a Social and Legal Issue (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008). Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Ballantine, 1969). Armstrong, Elizabeth A., Laura Hamilton, and Brian Sweeney, “Sexual Assault on Campus: A Multilevel, Integrative Approach to Party Rape,” Social Problems, vol. 53, no. 4 (2006), pp. 483–99. Azoulay, Ariella. “Has Anyone Ever Seen a Photograph of a Rape?” in The Civil Contract of Photography (MIT Press, 2008) Bederman, Gail. Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of Gender and Race in the United States, 1880–1917 (University of Chicago Press, 1995). Bevacqua, Maria. Rape on the Public Agenda: Feminism and the Politics of Sexual Assault (Northeastern University Press, 2000). Block, Sharon. Rape and Sexual Power in Early America (University of North Carolina Press, 2006). Boswell, A. Ayres and Joan Z. Spade, “Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture: Why Are Some Fraternities More Dangerous Places for Women?” Gender & Society, vol. 10, no.2 (1996), pp. 133–47. Brison, Susan. Aftermath: Violence and the Remaking of a Self (Princeton University Press, 2003). Brownmiller, Susan. Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (Simon & Schuster, 1975). Buchwald, Emilie, Pamela Fletcher, and Martha Roth, eds., Transforming a Rape Culture (Milkweed, 2005). Bumiller, Kristin. In an Abusive State: How Neoliberalism Appropriated the Feminist Movement against Sexual Violence (Duke University Press, 2008). Burstyn, Varda. The Rites of Men: Manhood, Politics, and the Culture of Sport (University of Toronto Press, 1999). Butler, Judith. Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? (Verso, 2016). Campbell, Kirsten. “Legal Memories: Sexual Assault, Memory, and International Humanitarian Law,” in Signs, vol. 28, no. 1 (2002), pp. 149–78. Cappiello, Katie and Meg McInerney, eds., SLUT: A Play and Guidebook for Combating Sexism and Sexual Violence (Feminist Press, 2015). Celis, William. “Date Rape And a List At Brown,” The New York Times, November 18, 1990. Clark, Annie and Andrea Pino, We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out (Holt Macmillan, 2016). Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me (Spiegel & Grau, 2015). Connell, R. W. Masculinities, 2nd ed. (University of California Press, 2005). Crenshaw, Kimberle. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color,” Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6 (July 1991). Critical Resistance and Incite!, “Statement on Gender Violence and the Prison Industrial Complex,” in The Color of Violence: INCITE! Anthology (Duke University Press, 2016). Davis, Angela. “We Do Not Consent: Violence Against Women in a Racist Society,” in Women, Culture, and Politics (Vintage, 1990); “Rape, Racism, and the Myth of the Black Rapist,” in Women, Race, and Class (Vintage, 1983). Deer, Sarah. “What She Say, It Be Law” in The Beginning and End of Rape (University of Minnesota Press, 2015). Dick, Kirby and Amy Ziering, The Hunting Ground: The Inside Story of Sexual Assault on American College Campuses (Skyhorse, 2016). Dworkin, Andrea. Intercourse: Occupation/Collaboration (Free Press, 1987). Enloe, Cynthia. “Wielding Masculinity inside Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo,” in Globalization and Militarism: Feminists Make the Link (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016). Estes, Steve. I Am a Man! Race, Manhood, and the Civil Rights Movement (University of North Carolina Press, 2005). Estrich, Susan. Real Rape (Harvard University Press, 1987). Factora-Borchers, Lisa ed., Dear Sister: Letters from Survivors of Sexual Violence (AK Press, 2014). Falcon, Sylvanna. “Rape as a Weapon of War: Militarized Border Rape at the U.S.-Mexico Border,” in Women and Migration in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands: A Reader, edited by Denise A. Segura and Patricia Zavella (Duke University Press, 2007). Feimster, Crystal. Southern Horrors: Women and the Politics of Rape and Lynching (Harvard University Press, 2011). Filipovic, Jill “The Conservative Gender Norms That Perpetuate Rape Culture, And How We Can Fight Back” in Yes Means Yes (2008) Flanagan, Caitlin “The Dark Power of Fraternities,” The Atlantic, March 2014. Freedman, Estelle. Redefining Rape: Sexual Violence in the Era of Suffrage and Segregation (Harvard University Press, 2013). Friedman, Jaclyn and Jessica Valenti, Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape (Seal Press, 2008). Funk, Rus Ervin. “Queer Men and Sexual Assault: What Being Raped Says about Being a Man,” in Gendered Outcasts and Sexual Outlaws: Sexual Oppression and Gender Hierarchies in Queer Men’s Lives, edited by Chris Kendall and Wayne Martino (Harrington Park Press, 2006). Gay, Roxane. “Peculiar Benefits,” The Rumpus, May 16, 2012. Gilmore, David. Manhood in the Making: Cultural Concepts of Masculinity (Yale University Press, 1991). Goldin, Nan. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1989); Nan One Month After Being Battered (color photograph, 1984) Gottschalk, Marie. “Not the Usual Suspects: Feminists, Women’s Groups, and the Anti-Rape Movement,” in The Prison and the Gallows: The Politics of Mass Incarceration in America (Cambridge University Press, 2006). Griffin, Susan. “Rape: The All-American Crime,” Ramparts Magazine, September 1971. Halley, Janet. “The Move to Affirmative Consent,” Signs: Journal of Women and Culture (2015). Harding, Kate. Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture—and What We Can Do about It (Da Capo, 2015). Harding, Kate. Asking For It (De Capo Press, 2015). Hartman, Saidiya. “Seduction and the Ruses of Power” in Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in Nineteenth-Century America (Oxford University Press, 1997). Hasday, Jill Elaine. “Contest and Consent: A Legal History of Marital Rape,” California Law Review, vol. 88, no. 5 (2000). Hesford, Wendy. “Witnessing Rape Warfare: Suspending the Spectacle,” in Spectacular Rhetorics: Human Rights Visions, Recognitions, Feminisms (Duke University Press, 2011). hooks, bell. “Understanding Patriarchy.” Jarvis, Christina. The Male Body at War: American Masculinity during World War II (Northern Illinois University Press, 2003). Jones, Gayl. Corregidora (Beacon, 1987). Kahlo, Frida. A Few Small Nips (painting, 1935) Kimmel, Michael. Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era (Nation Books, 2015). Kimmel, Michael and Abby Ferber, eds., Privilege: A Reader (Westview Press, 2016). Kimmel, Michael Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men (Harper Perennial, 2009). Kollwitz, Käthe. Raped (etching, 1907) Krakauer, Jon. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (Anchor, 2015). Law, Victoria. “Sick of the Abuse: Feminist Responses to Sexual Assault, Battering, and Self-Defense,” in The Hidden 1970s: Histories of Radicalism, edited by Dan Berger (Rutgers University Press, 2010). Leo, Jana. Rape New York (Feminist Press, 2011). Levy, DeAndry. “Man Up,” The Players’ Tribune, April 27, 2016. Luibheid, Eithne. “Rape, Asylum, and the U.S. Border Patrol,” Entry Denied: Controlling Sexuality at the Border (University of Minnesota Press, 2002). Luther, Jessica. Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape (Akashic, 2016). MacKinnon, Catherine. “A Rally Against Rape,” in Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law (Harvard University Press, 1988); “Rape: On Coercion and Consent,” in Toward a Feminist Theory of the State (Harvard University Press, 1991). Marcus, Sharon. “Fighting Bodies, Fighting Words: A Theory and Politics of Rape Prevention,” in Feminists Theorize the Political, edited by Judith Butler and Joan W. Scott (Routledge, 1992). Mardorossian, Carine M. Framing the Rape Victim: Gender and Agency Reconsidered (Rutgers University Press, 2014). McGuire, Danielle. At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance—A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power (Vintage Books, 2011). McIntosh, Peggy. “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Meyer, Doug. “Gendered Views of Sexual Assault, Physical Violence, and Verbal Abuse,” in Violence against Queer People: Race, Class, Gender, and the Persistence of Anti-LGBT Discrimination (Rutgers University Press, 2015). Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye (Vintage, 1970). Morrison, Toni ed., Race-ing Justice, En-Gendering Power: Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas, and the Construction of Social Reality (Pantheon, 1992). November, Juliet. “It Takes Ass to Whip Ass: Understanding and Confronting Violence Against Sex Workers: A Roundtable Discussion with Miss Major, Mariko Passion, and Jessica Yee,” in The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities, edited by Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (AK Press, 2016). Pascoe, C.J. and Jocelyn A. Hollander, “Good Guys Don’t Rape: Gender, Domination, and Mobilizing Rape,” Gender & Society, vol. 30, no. 1 (2016), pp. 67–79. Pascoe, C.J. and Tristan Bridges, eds., Exploring Masculinities: Identity, Inequality, Continuity and Change (Oxford University Press, 2015). Patterson, Jennifer ed., Queering Sexual Violence: Radical Voices from Within the Anti-Violence Movement (Riverdale Ave Books, 2016). Peek, Christine. “Breaking out of the Prison Hierarchy: Transgender Prisoners, Rape, and the Eighth Amendment,” Santa Clara Law Review, vol. 44, no. 4 (2004). Prickett, Sarah Nicole. “Your Friends And Rapists,” December 16, 2013. Puar, Jasbir. “Abu Ghraib and U.S. Sexual Exceptionalism,” in Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times (Duke University Press, 2007). Reeves Sanday, Peggy. Fraternity Gang Rape: Sex, Brotherhood, and Privilege on Campus (NYU Press, 2007). Richie,Beth E. Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America’s Prison Nation (Duke University Press, 2012). Ristock, Janice L. Intimate Partner Violence in LGBTQ Lives (Routledge, 2011). Ritchie, Andrea. “Law Enforcement Violence against Women of Color,” in The Color of Violence: INCITE! Anthology (Duke University Press, 2016). Roberts, Mary Louise. What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France (University of Chicago Press, 2013). Rumney, Philip “Gay Male Rape Victims: Law Enforcement, Social Attitudes and Barriers to Recognition,” International Journal of Human Rights, vol. 13, nos. 2–3 (2009). Russell, Diane. Rape in Marriage (Macmillan, 1982). Sapphire, Push (Knopf, 1996). Scully, Diana and Joseph Marolla, “‘Riding the Bull at Gilley’s’: Convicted Rapists Describe the Rewards of Rape,” Social Problems, vol. 32, no. 3 (1985), pp. 251–63. Sebold, Alice. Lucky: A Memoir (Back Bay, 2002). Simmons, Aishah Shahidah. “NO! The Rape Documentary” (film, 2006). Simmons, Aishah Shahidah and Farah Tanis, “Better off Dead: Black Women Speak to the United Nations CERD Committee,” The Feminist Wire, September 5, 2014. Stone, Lucy. “Crimes Against Women,” Women’s Journal, June 16, 1877; “Pardoning the Crime of Rape,” Woman’s Journal, May 25, 1878. Sulkowicz, Emma. Self-Portrait (performance, 2016); see also Conversation: Emma Sulkowicz and Karen Finley (YouTube video, 2016) Sussman, Eve. The Rape of the Sabine Women (video-musical, 2007); Giambologna, The Rape of the Sabine Women (marble sculpture, 1583) Syrett, Nicholas L. The Company He Keeps: A History of White College Fraternities (University of North Carolina Press, 2009). Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta. From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation (Haymarket, 2016). The Chrysalis Collective, “Beautiful, Difficult, Powerful: Ending Sexual Assault Through Transformative Justice,” in The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities, edited by Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (AK Press, 2016). The Hunting Ground (film, 2015). Thuma, Emily. “Lessons in Self-Defense: Gender Violence, Racial Criminalization, and Anticarceral Feminism,” WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly, vol. 43, nos. 3–4 (fall/winter 2015). Tracy, Carol E. et al., “Rape and Sexual Assault in the Legal System,” Women’s Law Project (2012). Traister, Rebecca. “The Game Is Rigged,” New York Magazine, November 2, 2015. Van Syckle, Katie. “Hooking Up Is Easy To Do,” New York Magazine, October 18, 2015. Walker, Kara. My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love (exhibition, 2007) Wells, Ida B. “ Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases” (1892), “A Red Record” (1895), “Mob Rule in New Orleans” (1900). White, Janelle. “Our Silence Will Not Protect Us: Black Women’s Experiences Mobilizing to Confront Sexual Domestic Violence,” in The Color of Violence: INCITE! Anthology (Duke University Press, 2016). Williams, Sue. Irresistible (sculpture, 1992) Zirin, Dave. “How Jock Culture Supports Rape Culture, From Maryville to Steubenville,” The Nation, October 25, 2013. Zirin, Dave. “Jameis Winston’s Peculiar Kind of Privilege,” The Nation, December 5, 2014. Zirin, Dave. “Steubenville and Challenging Rape Culture in Sports,” The Nation, March 13, 2013. “In the Shadows: Sexual Violence in U.S. Detention Facilities; A Shadow Report to the U.N. Committee Against Torture” (2006).

[blackkudos]

Cory Booker

Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician, attorney, and author who has served as the junior United States Senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is first African-American U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He was previously the 36th Mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013. Before that, Booker served on the Municipal Council of Newark for the Central Ward from 1998 to 2002.

Booker was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Harrington Park, New Jersey. He attended Stanford University, where he received a BA in 1991 and then a master's degree a year later. He studied abroad at the University of Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, before attending Yale Law School. He won an upset victory for a seat on the Municipal Council of Newark in 1998, where he staged a 10-day hunger strike and briefly lived in a tent to draw attention to urban development issues in the city. He ran for mayor in 2002, but lost to incumbent Sharpe James; he ran again in 2006 and won against deputy mayor Ronald Rice. His first term saw to the doubling of affordable housing under development and the reduction of the city budget deficit from $180 million to $73 million. He was re-elected in 2010. He ran against Steve Lonegan in the 2013 U.S. Senate special election and subsequently won reelection in 2014 against Jeff Bell.

An advocate of social liberalism, Booker supports women's rights, affirmative action, same-sex marriage and single-payer healthcare. During his five years in office, Booker co-sponsored and voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (2013), tougher sanctions against Iran, the Bipartisan Budget Act (2013), the National Defense Authorization Act (2014), co-sponsored the Respect for Marriage Act (2014) and led the successful push to pass the First Step Act (2018). In 2017, he became the first sitting senator to testify against another when he testified against Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election.

Early life and education

Booker was born on April 27, 1969, in Washington, D.C.; he grew up in Harrington Park, New Jersey, 20 miles (32 km) north of Newark. His parents, Carolyn Rose (née Jordan) and Cary Alfred Booker, were among the first black executives at IBM. Booker has stated that he was raised in a religious household and that he and his family attended a small African Methodist Episcopal Church in New Jersey. Booker has Sierra Leonean ancestry, a fact which was presented to him on the PBS television program, Finding Your Roots.

Booker graduated from Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, where he played varsity football and was named to the 1986 USA Today All-USA high school football team. Booker went on to Stanford University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1991 and a Master of Arts in sociology the following year. While at Stanford, he played football as a tight end and was teammates with Brad Muster and Ed McCaffrey, and also made the All–Pacific-10 Academic team and was elected senior class president. In addition, Booker ran The Bridge Peer Counseling Center, a student-run crisis hotline, and organized help from Stanford students for youth in East Palo Alto, California.

After Stanford, Booker was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, where he earned an honors degree in United States history in 1994 as a member of The Queen's College. He earned his Juris Doctor in 1997 from Yale Law School, where he operated free legal clinics for low-income residents of New Haven, Connecticut. At Yale, Booker was a founding member of the Chai Society (now Shabtai), was a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and was active in the National Black Law Students Association.

Municipal Council of Newark

Contemplating advocacy work and a run for city council in Newark after graduating from law school, Booker lived in the city during his final year at Yale. After graduation, he served as staff attorney for the Urban Justice Center in New York and program coordinator of the Newark Youth Project. In 1998, Booker won an upset victory for a seat on the Municipal Council of Newark, defeating four-term incumbent George Branch. To draw attention to the problems of open-air drug dealing and associated violence, he went on a 10-day hunger strike and lived in a tent and later in a motor home near drug-dealing areas of the city. Booker also proposed council initiatives that impacted housing, young people, law and order, and the efficiency and transparency of city hall, but was regularly outvoted by all of his fellow councilors.

Mayor of Newark

Mayoral campaigns2002 election

On January 9, 2002, Booker announced his campaign for Mayor of Newark, rather than running for re-election as councilman; this pitted him against longtime incumbent Sharpe James. James, who had easily won election four consecutive times, saw Booker as a real threat, and responded with mudslinging, at one campaign event calling him "a Republican who took money from the KKK [and] Taliban ... [who's] collaborating with the Jews to take over Newark". In the campaign, James' supporters questioned Booker's suburban background, calling him a carpetbagger who was "not black enough" to understand the city. Booker lost the election on May 14, garnering 47% of the vote to James' 53%. The election was chronicled in the Oscar-nominated documentary Street Fight.

During the campaign, Booker founded the nonprofit organization Newark Now.

2006 election

Booker announced on February 11, 2006, that he would again run for mayor. Although incumbent Mayor Sharpe James filed paperwork to run for reelection, shortly thereafter he announced that he would instead cancel his bid to focus on his work as a State Senator, which he was originally elected to in 1999. At James's discretion, Deputy Mayor Ronald Rice decided to run as well. Booker's campaign outspent Rice's 25 to 1, for which Rice attacked him. In addition to raising over $6 million for the race, Booker attacked Rice as a "political crony" of James. Booker won the May 9 election with 72% of the vote. His slate of city council candidates, known as the "Booker Team", swept the council elections, giving Booker firm leadership of the city government.

2010 election

On April 3, 2010, Booker announced his campaign for reelection. At his announcement event, he remarked that a "united government" was crucial to progress, knowing his supporters in the city council faced tough reelections. Heavily favored to win, Booker faced former judge and Essex County prosecutor Clifford J. Minor, as well as two minor candidates. On May 11, Booker won reelection with 59% of the vote.

Tenure

Before taking office as mayor, Booker sued the James administration, seeking to terminate cut-rate land deals favoring two redevelopment agencies that had contributed to James's campaigns and listed James as a member of their advisory boards. Booker argued that the state's "pay-to-play" laws had been violated and that the land deals would cost the city more than $15 million in lost revenue. Specifically, Booker referenced a parcel at Broad and South Streets that would generate only $87,000 under the proposed land deals yet was valued at $3.7 million under then-current market rates. On June 20, 2006, Superior Court Judge Patricia Costello ruled in favor of Booker.

In late June 2006, before Booker took office, New Jersey investigators foiled a plot to assassinate Booker led by Bloods gang leaders inside four New Jersey state prisons. The motive for the plot was unclear, but was described variously as a response to the acrimonious campaign and to Booker's campaign promises to take a harder line on crime.

First term

Booker assumed office as Mayor of Newark on July 1, 2006. After his first week in office, he announced a 100-day plan to implement reforms in Newark. The proposed changes included increasing police forces, ending background checks for many city jobs to help former offenders find employment in the city, refurbishing police stations, improving city services, and expanding summer youth programs.

One of Booker's first priorities was to reduce the city's crime rate. In furtherance of this, he appointed Garry McCarthy, former deputy commissioner of operations of the New York City Police Department, as director of the Newark Police Department. Crime reduction was such a central concern to the Booker administration that Booker, along with his security team, was known to personally patrol the streets of Newark until as late as 4 a.m.

Booker was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bipartisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets". Booker was honored in October 2009 by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence with the Sarah Brady Visionary Award for his work in reducing gun violence. During his mayoralty, crime dropped significantly in Newark, which led the nation in violent crime reduction from 2006 to 2008. March 2010 marked Newark's first murder-free month in over 44 years, although murder and overall crime rates began to rise again after 2008. In addition to his crime-lowering initiatives, Booker doubled the amount of affordable housing under development and quadrupled the amount under pre-development, and reduced the city budget deficit from $180 million to $73 million.

After taking office, Booker voluntarily reduced his own salary twice, reducing his salary by 8% early in his first year as mayor. He also raised the salaries of many city workers. However, his administration imposed one-day-a-month furloughs for all non-uniformed employees from July through December 2010, as well as 2% pay cuts for managers and directors earning more than $100,000 a year. In 2008 and 2009, the City of Newark received the Government Finance Officers Association's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. In an effort to make government more accessible, Booker held regular open office hours during which city residents could meet with him personally to discuss their concerns. In 2010, Booker was among the finalists for the World Mayor prize, ultimately placing seventh. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2012 award.

In July 2010, Booker attended a dinner at a conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, where he was seated with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg, who had no known ties to Newark, announced in September 2010 that he was donating $100 million of his personal fortune to the Newark school system. According to an article in The New York Times, Booker and Zuckerberg continued their conversation about Booker's plans for Newark. The initial gift was made to start a foundation for education. The gift was formally announced when Booker, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Zuckerberg appeared together on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The timing of Zuckerberg's donation was questioned by some as a move for damage control to his image, as it was announced on the opening day of the movie The Social Network, a film that painted an unflattering portrait of Zuckerberg. On her show, however, Winfrey told the audience that Zuckerberg and Booker had been in talks for months and had actually planned the announcement for the previous month, and that she and Booker had to force Zuckerberg to put his name to the donation, which he had wanted to make anonymously.

On October 10, 2010, Booker established Let's Move! Newark as part of First Lady Michelle Obama's national Let's Move! initiative against childhood obesity.

Booker gained national attention when, on December 28, 2010, a constituent used Twitter to ask him to send someone to her father's house to shovel his driveway, because her elderly father was going to attempt to do it himself. Booker responded by tweeting, "I will do it myself; where does he live?" Other people volunteered, including one person who offered his help on Twitter, and 20 minutes later Booker and some volunteers showed up and shoveled the man's driveway.

Second term

In October 2011, Booker expanded the Let's Move! Newark program to include Let's Move! Newark: Our Power, a four-month fitness challenge for Newark public school students run by public health advocate Jeff Halevy.

On April 12, 2012, Booker saved a woman from a house fire, suffering smoke inhalation and second-degree burns on his hands in the process. Newark Fire Chief John Centanni said that Booker's actions possibly saved the woman's life. After Hurricane Sandy destroyed much of the shoreline areas of New Jersey and New York in late October 2012, Booker invited Newarkers without power to eat and sleep in his home. In February 2013, responding to a Twitter post, Booker helped a nervous constituent propose to his girlfriend. Booker rescued a dog from freezing temperatures in January 2013 and another dog that had been abandoned in a cage in July 2013.

On November 20, 2012, a melee occurred at a Newark City Council meeting attended by Booker. The nine-seat council was to vote on the successor to the seat vacated by newly elected U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne, Jr. Booker's opponents on the council, including Ras Baraka, sought to appoint John Sharpe James, son of the former mayor, while Booker and his supporters favored Shanique Speight. Booker attended the meeting to deal with the eventuality of the lack of a quorum or a tie vote, in which state law would allow him to cast a deciding vote. After Baraka was refused an opportunity to address the council by acting Council President Anibal Ramos, Jr., Baraka and two other council members walked away in protest. Booker cast the deciding vote for Speight. Supporters of James stormed the stage and were held back by riot police, who eventually used pepper spray on some members of the crowd. Baraka later blamed Booker for inciting the disturbance, while Booker refused comment to the media after the vote.

In December 2012, after discussions with a constituent about New Jersey's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Booker began a week-long challenge attempting to live on a food budget of $30 per week—the amount SNAP recipients receive. When critics noted that the very name of the SNAP program shows that it is intended to "supplement" an individual's food budget, not be its sole source, Booker replied that his aim was to spark a discussion about the reality that many Americans rely solely on food stamps to survive.

Newark Watershed

The Newark Watershed comprises 35,000 acres of pristine land and reservoirs that supply water to municipalities in northern New Jersey. A New Jersey State Comptroller report issued in February 2014 revealed irregularities and corruption within the Newark Watershed and Development Corporation, which was in the process of being dismantled after being taken over by the city during Booker's mayoralty.

Public opinion polling

Throughout Booker's mayoralty, Fairleigh Dickinson University's public opinion poll PublicMind asked New Jersey residents statewide whether or not they had heard of Mayor Booker and whether they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of him. The results are as follows:

March 2014

Name recognition: 88%

Favorable opinion: 47%

Unfavorable opinion: 23%

Legacy

Booker's mayoralty and celebrity drew much media attention to Newark. While he enjoyed high ratings from city residents, his legacy has received mixed reviews. During his tenure, millions of dollars were invested in downtown development, but underemployment and high murder rates continue to characterize many of the city's neighborhoods. Despite legal challenges initiated during his term, Newark Public Schools has remained under control of the state for nearly twenty years. Newark received $32 million in emergency state aid in 2011 and 2012, requiring a memorandum of understanding between Newark and the state that obligated the city to request and the state to approve appointments to city hall administrative positions.

While Mayor of Newark, Booker claimed in an interview that Newark's unemployment rate had fallen by two percentage points. This statement was rated "false" by PolitiFact, because he used data that had not been seasonally adjusted; the adjusted rate was 0.7 percentage points.

U.S. Senate

2013 election

On December 20, 2012, Booker announced that he would explore running for the U.S. Senate seat that was then occupied by Frank Lautenberg in the 2014 election, ending speculation that he would challenge Governor Chris Christie in the 2013 gubernatorial election. On January 11, 2013, Booker filed papers to form a campaign committee, without announcing whether he would run. Roughly one month later, incumbent Lautenberg—then 89 years of age—announced that he would not seek reelection in 2014.

On June 3, Lautenberg died of viral pneumonia; five days later, Booker announced his intention to run for Lautenberg's seat in a 2013 special election. Booker announced his candidacy at two events: one in Newark and the other in Willingboro.

On August 13, 2013, Booker was declared the winner of the Democratic primary, with approximately 59% of the vote. On October 16, 2013, he defeated Republican Steve Lonegan in the general election, 54.9% to 44.0%, Booker is the first African-American to be elected to the Senate since Barack Obama in 2004. The night before his victory, Booker visited the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, where he offered his prayers and lit a vigil candle in memory of his father.

Booker resigned as Mayor of Newark on October 30, 2013 and was sworn in on October 31, 2013 as the junior U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He is the first African-American U.S. Senator from New Jersey.

2014 election

On January 9, 2014, Brian D. Goldberg, a West Orange resident and New Jersey businessman, announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. On January 27, 2014, Freehold Township businessman Richard J. "Rich" Pezzullo announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination. Pezzullo had previously run for the US Senate in 1996 as the Conservative Party candidate. On February 4, 2014, conservative political consultant Jeff Bell announced his bid for the nomination. Bell was the Republican Party nominee for U.S. Senate in 1978. Ramapo College professor Murray Sabrin, who ran for the Senate in 2000 and 2008, announced another run on February 13.

Bell won the Republican primary and received support from the conservative American Principles Fund, which ran a direct mail operation costing over $80,000, and the National Organization for Marriage, an organization opposed to same-sex marriage, which paid for $6,000 of automated calling. Booker defeated Bell in the general election, capturing 55.8% of the vote to Bell's 42.4%.

Tenure

On October 31, 2013, Booker was sworn into the Senate. In November 2013, Booker co-sponsored and voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. In December 2013, he was one of the original cosponsors of Bob Menéndez's Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013, which would toughen sanctions against Iran. He also voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. In January 2014, he cosponsored the Respect for Marriage Act. In February 2014, Booker voted against the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013. In March, Booker pledged to meet with each of his Republican colleagues in the Senate in order to find common ground, and was spotted having dinner with Senator Ted Cruz in Washington.

Leading up to the 2016 presidential election, Booker endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. He was speculated as a potential vice presidential candidate during the primary and as the general election began, though Booker stated on June 16, 2016, that he was not being vetted. After the election, in which Donald Trump defeated Clinton, on January 11, 2017, Booker testified against Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions, the first instance of a sitting senator testifying against another during a cabinet position confirmation hearing.

Booker was supportive of fellow New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez while Menendez faced trial on federal corruption and bribery charges. During the trial, Booker was a character witness for Menendez, giving him effusive praise. After the judge declared a mistrial, Booker argued that prosecutors ought not to take Menendez to trial again. When Menendez ran for re-election, Booker praised Menendez, saying he was "so grateful for Bob Menendez and that I get to work with him and stand beside him". Booker downplayed the corruption allegations, saying "to try to continue to try to throw this kind of mud at him, it's not going to stick. It didn't stick when the government tried to do it and it should not stick now."

Cory Booker was named as part of the "Hell-No Caucus" by Politico in 2018, along with Senators Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders, given he voted "overwhelmingly to thwart his [Trump's] nominees for administration jobs", such as with Rex Tillerson, Betsy De Vos, and Mike Pompeo; all of the Senators were considered potential 2020 presidential contenders at this point in time.

In April 2018, following the FBI raid on the hotel room and offices of Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, Booker, together with Chris Coons, Lindsey Graham, and Thom Tillis, introduced new legislation to "limit President Trump's ability to fire special counsel Robert Mueller". Termed the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, the legislation would allow any special counsel, in this case Mueller, to receive an "expedited judicial review" in the 10 days following being dismissed to determine if said dismissal was suitable. If negative, the special counsel would be reinstated. At the same time, according to The Hill, the bill would "codify regulations" that a special counsel could be fired by only a senior Justice Department official, while having to provide reasons in writing.

On September 5, 2018, during the Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, nominated by Trump to replace retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, Booker questioned Kavanaugh on a series of E-mails marked "committee confidential", dating back to Kavanaugh's time in the office of the White House Counsel during the presidency of George W. Bush. The E-mails, which were released to the public by Booker's office the following day, show Kavanaugh and others in the Counsel's office discussing racial profiling as a means to combat terrorism, particularly after 9/11. Booker said that he was violating Senate rules in releasing the documents, with the penalty including possible expulsion from the Senate; he nonetheless defended his decision, referring to the process of producing documents for the hearing as a "sham" and challenging those who warned him about the consequences to "bring it on". Booker also described the release as "probably the closest I'll ever have in my life to an 'I am Spartacus' moment", referring to a line in the 1960 film, Spartacus. But committee chairman Chuck Grassley said the documents had already been cleared for public release the night before, and that Booker was not violating any rules, leading some Republicans to accuse Booker of engaging in "theatrics" and "histrionics". Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas mocked Booker in comments the following week, saying, "Honorable – if we could use that word about more people who are in public life, people who actually ask the questions at confirmation hearings, instead of 'Spartacus.'"

In November 2018, Booker co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S.270), which made it a federal crime, punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government.

Booker played a leading role in the push to pass the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill. Booker has introduced the Marijuana Justice Act which would legalize cannabis in the United States on the federal level, defund some law enforcement in jurisdictions that have shown racial bias in marijuana arrests, and increase funding to communities affected by the war on drugs.

Booker announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president in the 2020 election on February 1, 2019.

Committee assignments

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Committee on Environment and Public Works

Committee on Foreign Relations

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Committee on the Judiciary

Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security

Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet

Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security

Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard

Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security (Ranking Member)

Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife

Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight

Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy (Ranking Member)

Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism

Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management, International Operations and Bilateral International Development

Caucus memberships

Congressional Black Caucus

Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus

2020 presidential campaign

On February 1, 2019, Booker announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2020 presidential election, the start of Black History Month. Before his announcement, he was widely speculated to run for president but expressed uncertainty as to whether he would run. The same month Booker announced his campaign, Governor Phil Murphy U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and every Democratic member of the House of Representatives from New Jersey endorsed Booker. Booker held a campaign kick off rally in Newark on April 13. After qualifying for the first five Democratic Party presidential debates, Booker failed to meet the polling thresholds to participate in the sixth debate that was held in December 2019. On January 13, Booker announced that he was ending his run at the Democratic nomination for president. In March 2020, Booker endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, over Senator Bernie Sanders, for president.

Political positions

Booker has been described as a liberal. Throughout his Senate career, Booker has amassed a liberal voting record. In a July 2013 Salon interview, Booker said that "there's nothing in that realm of progressive politics where you won't find me." In a September 2013 interview with The Grio, when asked if he considered himself a progressive, he stated that he is a Democrat and an American. Booker has the most pro-animal welfare voting record in the Senate year after year according to the Humane Society.

He supports long-term deficit reduction efforts to ensure economic prosperity, cap and trade taxation to combat climate change, and increased funding for education. He has spoken in favor of creating a federal jobs guarantee and baby bonds (low-risk savings accounts that minors get access to at age 18). In the Senate, he has emphasized issues of racial and social justice. He played a leading role in the push to pass the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill. He supports ending the War on Drugs. Booker supports abortion rights and affirmative action. He also supports a single-payer health care plan: in September 2017, he joined Bernie Sanders and 14 other co-sponsors in submitting a single-payer health care plan to congress called the "Medicare for All" bill.

On foreign policy, Booker supports scaling down U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and is against intervention in Syria. After the US strike on Syria in April 2017, he criticized military action "without a clear plan" or authorization from Congress. He supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. On Iran, Booker has stated the country poses a direct threat to American and Israeli security and feels all options should be on the table for dealing with the conflict. However, his decision to back the Iran nuclear deal framework damaged his long-term relationship with some Jewish voters and supporters. In an attempt to reduce the damage, he initiated an emergency summit for Jewish leaders, which some of his longstanding supporters did not attend.

Other activities

Obama association

In 2009, after Barack Obama became President of the United States, Booker was offered the leadership of the new White House Office of Urban Affairs. He turned the offer down, citing a commitment to Newark.

Booker generated controversy on May 12, 2012, when he appeared on Meet The Press as a surrogate for the reelection campaign of Barack Obama and made remarks that were critical of that campaign. Booker said that the attacks on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital were "nauseating to me on both sides. It's nauseating to the American public. Enough is enough. Stop attacking private equity. Stop attacking Jeremiah Wright." The comments were subsequently used by the Romney campaign against Obama. Booker made follow-up comments clarifying that he believed Obama's attacks on Romney's record at Bain were legitimate but did not retract his point about attacking private equity in general. Two weeks later, Booker's communications director Anne Torres tendered her resignation, although she maintained it was unrelated to Meet the Press.

Affiliations and honors

Booker sits on the board of advisers of the political action committee Democrats for Education Reform. He is currently a member of the board of trustees at Teachers College, Columbia University, and was formerly a member of the Executive Committee at Yale Law School and the Board of Trustees at Stanford University.

In 2010, Booker received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by the Jefferson Awards.

In May 2009, Booker received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Newark-based New Jersey Institute of Technology for "his outstanding career in public service as the Mayor of Newark". In May 2009, he received an honorary doctorate from Brandeis University, and was a commencement speaker that year as well. Booker received another honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in December 2010 from Yeshiva University for "his bold vision for Newark and setting a national standard for urban transformation". In June 2011, Booker received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and served as that year's commencement speaker at Williams College for the urban transformation of Newark. In May 2012, Booker received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Bard College and gave the commencement speech at the graduation. In 2010, Booker delivered the commencement addresses at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, on May 15; Columbia University's Teachers College in New York City on May 17; and Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts, a week later on May 23, 2010. Booker gave the commencement address to New York Law School graduates on May 13, 2011, at Avery Fisher Hall (now David Geffen Hall) at Lincoln Center. Booker gave the commencement address at the University of Rhode Island in May 2011; he also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. He delivered a commencement address to Stanford University graduates on June 17, 2012, at Stanford Stadium. He also received an honorary degree at Fairleigh Dickinson's 69th Commencement Ceremony in May 2012.

In May 2013, Booker gave the commencement address at Washington University in St. Louis and received an honorary doctorate of law.

On May 16, 2014, Booker gave the commencement speech for Ramapo College of New Jersey graduates at the IZOD Center.

During the 2016 presidential election, when Clinton had an illness described as "pneumonia", Donna Brazile, the then DNC interim chair, considered that her ideal replacement ticket would consist of Joe Biden and Cory Booker. However, the possibility of a divisive reaction and the possibility of "allowing Trump to capture votes in confusion" caused her to "not entertain any more thoughts of replacing Hillary".

Films

Booker's 2002 mayoral campaign, which he lost, was chronicled by filmmaker Marshall Curry in his documentary Street Fight. The film was nominated in 2005 for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Since 2009, Booker has starred in the documentary series Brick City. The series focuses on Booker and his efforts to improve Newark by reducing crime and bringing about economic renewal. Brick City won a Peabody Award in 2009 and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2010.

Booker contributed to the 2011 documentary Miss Representation and commented on the representations of women in politics within mass media.

Booker appeared in a scene in the 2015 Parks and Recreation episode "Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington" alongside Orrin Hatch.

Conan O'Brien "feud"

In the fall of 2009, Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien engaged in a satirical on-air and YouTube feud with Booker, with O'Brien jokingly insulting the City of Newark and Booker responding that he would ban O'Brien from the Newark airport. Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for the feud to end during a prepared comedy skit, telling Booker to chalk it up to a head injury suffered by O'Brien less than two weeks earlier. Booker then appeared on O'Brien's show and assured viewers that the feud was over and that he was actually a big fan of O'Brien, who agreed that every time he made a joke about Newark, he would donate $500 to the City of Newark, and also made a $50,000 donation to the Newark Now charity, which was matched by NBC Universal.

Waywire

In 2012, Booker and tech executives Sarah Ross and Nathan Richardson formed Waywire, a company focused on video sharing technology. Early investors included Oprah Winfrey, Eric Schmidt, Jeff Weiner, and Troy Carter. After Booker's relationship to Waywire was discussed in a front-page The New York Times story, board member Andrew Zucker stepped down from his position. Shortly thereafter, Waywire CEO Nathan Richardson departed the business as the company shifted its focus from content creation to content curation. In August 2013, Booker told NBC News he intended to resign from the Waywire board and put his holdings in a trust if elected to the Senate; by September, he had resigned his place on the board and donated his share of the company to charity. Waywire was sold to another video curation business the following month.

Book

In 2016, Booker wrote an autobiography, United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good.

In an article in HuffPost, Shmuly Yanklowitz said of the book:

If there is anything that Booker repeatedly returns to in United, it is that the myopia of contemporary politics leads citizens astray, and leaves them vulnerable to ignoring issues of tangible importance. "I believe that this broken system, which afflicts us all, will be repaired" writes Booker near the end of the book. To repeat an earlier point, what sets Senator Booker’s work apart from that of similar political books is that it seeks to elevate discourse rather than bring down opponents of the opposite partisan persuasion.

Personal life

Booker regularly exercises and has been a vegetarian since 1992, when he was a student at Oxford University in the UK. He abstains from alcohol and "has no known vices or addictions" other than coffee. In 2014, Booker began practicing a vegan diet and has expressed his vegan ethical philosophy and advocacy for animals. As of June 2016, Booker worshiped at the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.

Booker has never been married, and in 2013 he was named one of Town & Country's "Top 40 Bachelors". Although he has generally tried to keep his personal life private, Booker has in the past described himself as a "straight male" and has said that he is trying to date more in hopes of finding someone to settle down with. He has been romantically linked to poet Cleo Wade. In March 2019, actress Rosario Dawson confirmed to TMZ that she was in a relationship with Booker.

In a 1992 column in The Stanford Daily, Booker admitted that as a teenager he had "hated gays". Booker has himself been the target of rumors about being gay and has generally refused to address these on principle, which he explained in 2013:

Because I want to challenge people on their homophobia. I love seeing on Twitter when someone says I'm gay, and I say, "So what does it matter if I am? So be it. I hope you are not voting for me because you are making the presumption that I'm straight."

In 1992, Booker recounted in his column for The Stanford Daily that as a 15-year-old kissing a friend on New Year's Eve, he reached for her breast, had his hand pushed away once, and then "reached [his] 'mark.'" The column described Booker's changed attitudes towards sexual relations and how "skewed attitudes" lead to rape. The Daily Caller and Fox News brought up the column during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings in September 2018.

From 1998 to 2006, Booker lived in Brick Towers, a troubled housing complex in Newark's Central Ward. In November 2006, as one of the last remaining tenants in Brick Towers, Booker left his apartment for the top unit in a three-story rental on Hawthorne Avenue in Newark's South Ward, an area described as "a drug- and gang-plagued neighborhood of boarded-up houses and empty lots". Brick Towers has since been demolished, and a new mixed-income development was built there in 2010.

Since 2013, Booker has lived in a townhouse he owns in the Lincoln Park section of Newark's Central Ward, also known as "the Coast" for its arts, jazz, and nightlife history.

Booker speaks Spanish; he attended a Spanish immersion program in Ecuador.

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To B, With Love Chapter 19

💕 Moodboard by  @prettyboylikeyousteve   💕

Genre: A/B/O Mail Order Bride Au!

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Harringrove

Summary:  Billy and Steve get their rut on.

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To B, With Love: Chapter 17

💕 Moodboard by  @prettyboylikeyousteve   💕

Genre: A/B/O Mail Order Bride Au!

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Harringrove

Summary:  “I’m sorry.”  And Billy really looked it. Hair damp, too pale, and blue around the lips, Steve had never seen a man look sorrier; and yet there was nothing but care in his eyes as he looked down at Steve. Steve’s hand twitched with the urge to reach out and touch. He was starting to see there was so much more to Billy than he let on, and what he saw was really beautiful.  

Read on A03

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🌟Writer Appreciation🌟

When you get this show of our five of your favorite fics and five fics you like from other writers then send this to at least one other person.

To whoever sent these to me, thank you and I hope some goodness is finding its way to you today ❤️ So here we go all in one post.

My five favorites of my own fic:

1. The Wish Your Heart Makes: Alpha/Omega verse fic featuring teen omega Billy , pre-Hawkins traveling to the year 2002 and getting a glimpse of married life with Steve. I just love the domesticity of this verse and giving Billy the love and family he deserves.

2. To B, With Love: Alpha/Omega period romance where Steve is a society belle and Billy is a cowboy. I wanted to write a steamy western romance novel about cowboy!Billy and his fancy mail order bride, so I did. No regrets.

3. She lays me down, soft and sweet. Crack fic treated seriously. Steve gets turned into a girl and has the most dramatic bi-sexual awakening. I can't explain this fic, other than it started out as a joke and just grew into something wonderful. I love it.

4. Blinding baby, like city lights. BDSM-Au where everyone is either a dom or a sub. I have such a weakness for bratty sub Billy and the fandom definitely needs more of him.

5. All The Kings Men. BDSM-Au with some Alpha/Omega thrown in cause why not. An epic fantasy where Billy is a siren of royal blood, abandoned in the land of his enemies. Steve is a prince of that land. Billy's not about to let two armies and a centuries old war stand between him and his sub though. This fic is honestly just everything I love about fantasy cooked up in a pot but I love it.

And now for the best part!!!!! Five fics that I absolutely loved reading or am reading and thirsting for updates. Although honestly this list could be soooo much longer. But here we go in no particular order.

1. The Long Night by Nox_Wicked - I am FERAL for this story.

In September of 1986, a plane transporting several inmates from Hawkins Penitentiary crashes into the west Canadian Wilderness. It only lets one of them go.

2. The Mean Dom Steve Multiverse by @shieldofiron - I couldn't just pick one so sue me!

Mean Dom Steve short Drabbles and one shots. Enjoy your mean Dom!Steve!

3. what a wicked game you played (to make me feel this way) by @brawlites - Alpha/Alpha Harringrove and it's so goooood.

Billy knew Steve Harrington would ruin him. Steve knew Billy Hargrove was nothing but trouble. They never expected it to end up like this.

4. Only One Bed by @robthegoodfellow - this fic is so chef kiss. Gender fluid Billy. Polly relationship negotiations. One of the best oc's in existence. Chrissy!!!

After high school, Eddie works at the Hideout. And then moves into the ratty apartment above the bar. And then Billy moves in with him. And then they start hooking up. And then they scheme to set each other up with the person they think the other really wants.

5. definitely better than being dead by @dragonflylady77 - what I said about loving giving Billy family and all the good things he deserves? This fic just hit the spot for me this summer. Such a tender piece.

When Billy comes to, everything hurts. He keeps his eyes closed, even though the space around him feels dark, and slowly takes a tally of where it hurts: hands, sides, chest, back, feet too… He listens to the noises in the room and the regular beeping of a machine close by tells him he’s in a hospital.