#that’s his second favourite child after Dustin

[rotteneldritchhorror]

I’m sorry but the entire time Max is out after season 4, Eddie is working on making her a cute little battle jacket with cripplepunk, arcade/gamer and skater patches (with a couple patches from Californian brands kindly donated from Argyle) and some cute embroidery done by Nancy

[cheer-nympho]

The older kids all have wills.

Nancy, Robin, Steve and Jonathan, ages 18 to 21, all have wills tucked away in various boxes under beds and behind wardrobes.

Their similarities only extending to the fear felt when writing them, mixed with resigned acceptance. A common feeling of “Man, it sure is sad that my late teenage years are spent contemplating the very real possibility of gruesome early death, I should be at the club.”

But in every other aspect they are completely different.

Nancy’s was written on a cream notepad with dainty flowers surrounding the border. Written from a view of logic and forward planning, a need to protect her family. All of the demands straight to the point, no nonsense.

Warped only by the small tear stains across the bottom.

Robin’s was clearly written in a panic, barely legible handwriting on a ripped off lined sheet.

Written after she read an article about a man whose boyfriend was refused access to him after his death because there was no will.

She refused to leave anyone in the dark like that.

Jonathan’s was the most emotional, surprisingly. But most of that emotion was palpable anger, the word “nothing” pressed so hard into the yellow paper next to Lonnies name it had almost ripped the page.

Even if it was the last thing he did, Jon would keep Lonnie away from them.

Steves was written begrudgingly, more out of a need to prevent his parents from tossing it all. They weren’t around to know about Robin or the kids, wouldn’t know he’d promised Lucas the car or Max his records.

They weren’t evil people, they just didn’t know. This way they would.

They hadn’t spoken about it in advance, hadn’t co-ordinated it or hidden them together like a morbid friendship pact. They had all just at some point come to the realisation that, given their current lives, it may one day be necessary.

Eddie had not had that thought.

Eddie Munson had many thoughts.

He had thoughts on the disease of pop music sweeping the last worthwhile radio station, he had thoughts on the price increases in his favourite gaming store in Indy, he had thoughts on selling enough stock to buy a new trailer gas canister.

What he very rarely had thoughts on was death.

It took a lot for him to say that these days, considering where he’d been not too many years ago. But these days the only thoughts on death he had were more abstract and fleeting, nothing more than the average schmuck.

And even if the thought would have crossed his mind, he would have shrugged it off with a ‘Wayne knows what to do.’

He had no other family and, as far as Eddie was concerned, nothing particularly valuable to single out to anyone. He may need one of the guys to burn the shoebox hidden under his bed, but that could be a more verbal agreement between bros.

So Eddie didn’t have a will.

Didn’t have a plan, didn’t have the worry.

And it’s not until he’s lying on his back, being cradled by a child that frankly should not have to see the insides of Eddies stomach, that he remembers that.

It rushes to him in a panic, the thoughts feeling slow and syrupy but in reality only taking a split second.

He needed to write a will.

He needed Wayne to know that Eddie /wanted/ him to have everything, not just given it by family rights.

He needed to write Dustin in, and Corroded Coffin, maybe even some random shit for all the other nerds.

A donation to Hawkins Church to really confuse them, not that Eddie would be leaving any money behind. Maybe they could have his guitar.

When he got back he would write it up on the finest non-scrunched up paper he could find.

When he got back he would take care of it all.

But that was a job for later Eddie, right now he really needed to sleep.

He could see Dustin crying above him but that was okay, he’d take care of it when he woke up.

When he wakes up he’ll take care of it all.

When he wakes up he’ll write his will.

When he wakes up.

[magniloquent-raven]

the devil ain't a beast

Day 1 of @harringrove-flip-reverse-it: Found Family

(read on ao3)

**

Dear Steve,

If you’re reading this, I better be dead. I told you assholes not to open

It’s okay that you guys couldn't

Hey,

It’s weird writing this while you’re sitting right over there

Steve,

I just…wanted to say thank you. I never said it, after you stood up to Billy for me. For Lucas. I should have.

Thank you.

Not just for what you did that night, but everything after that. All the little things. The free movies and driving all of us around and letting me poach quarters out of your glove box (I know you noticed). I know I’m about to die so Maybe it’s stupid to be thinking about some change and a back entrance into the theatre when I’m under the circumstances, but it’s more about the fact that you didn’t have to do any of it.

I know Dustin strong-armed you into helping with the whole D’art situation, but after that you kept choosing to hang out with us, when I’m sure you could’ve found better things to do.

So. I hope you don’t mind that we all kind of see you as a big brother, because we do. I do. It was nice knowing what it’s like for people who aren’t scared to care about their siblings.

When Billy died I’m sorry for pulling away after Starcourt I couldn’t even handle losing the brother I sort of hated, so

Please keep looking after Lucas for me.

-Max

Billy never really learned to keep his nose out of other people’s business.

Maybe this will finally teach him.

The letter falls from his numb fingers, floating back into place on Steve’s desk, light as air and landing silently.

His grip on the page left it crumpled, wrinkled, sweaty fingerprints dented into the blank space below Max’s last words for Steve. Damning evidence that he’s been snooping around, not that Steve would normally care. What’s mine is yours, he said. And so far it seems he meant it.

The words leave a bitter taste in his mouth now.

But he never wanted Max to be his sister, did he. He always said as much. To anyone who would listen, including Max herself. It’s not surprising that she decided to replace him with someone better. His stare goes glassy, scattered papers and trophies and the yellow lamp all blur. His eyes sting.

He has no right to be hurt over this. It shouldn’t hit him like a punch in the gut, but it has, and he aches all over, swaying, nauseated.

And there’s not a damn thing he can do about it. That’s the worst part. He can’t make it better, there’s no fixing this, no patching things up with Max, no going back in time and beating the shit out of himself before he can ruin everything.

No one wanted to tell him, at first. After he clawed his way out of a fissure in the ground, blood and dirt under his nails, and scared the shit out of all of Max’s little nerd friends. She was conspicuously missing, and no one would tell him why.

Being trapped in hell for eight and a half months wasn’t as bad as finding out he was two days too late to ever talk to his sister again. At least when he was being attacked by monsters he could fight back. There’s no fighting this. There’s no excising his grief no matter how many times he bloodies his knuckles.

The sound of the front door being flung open echoes up the stairs. “I’m home!” Steve calls just barely loud enough to be heard, muted by exhaustion.

Billy goes rigid, tension coiling up his spine. It’s usually a relief when Steve comes back, after the quiet, the boredom of being cooped up in an empty house all day. He’s a bright spot, a comforting presence…

It’s not hard to see why Max preferred him.

Billy lets out a slow breath, and swipes at the wetness on his cheeks.

Familiar anger bubbles up in the back of his throat. So familiar it’s almost comforting. He’d rather be angry than blubbering like a child, wallowing in misery.

He’s tired of being second best. Never the favourite, never good enough.

He can’t do anything about how fucking inadequate he was, he can’t ever change enough to make it right, so what’s the fucking point, what’s the point of any of this.

It’s pressure behind his eyes now, tears blurring with something else, that rage that threatens to blind him. He can feel it in his fingertips, and coiled like a snake between his ribcage.

He has to get out. He has to just. Go. Before he breaks another thing that can’t be fixed.

He doesn’t look at Steve, doesn’t listen to his confused stuttering, and he barely feels their shoulders collide as he pushes past him, out the door.

[yeonchi]

Sea Princesses: Into the Liamverse Part 18: Kenjy Shi-Label

Original post

Name: Kenjy Shi-Label

Occupation: Actor (former), gangster, organiser of underground races

Race: Salacian

Residence: Nyoto City

Gender: Male

Date of birth: 30 November 1971 (age 36, Sagittarius ♐)

Hair colour: Black

Eye colour: Black

Skin colour: White

Ethnicity: Japanese-American

Height: 180 cm

Relationships:

Mr Shi-Label (father)

Mrs Shi-Label (mother)

Freddy J. Fox (ex-co-star)

Federico do Roseiras (ex-co-star)

Teresa Cherrouse (ex-co-star)

H.J.R Misser (ex-co-star)

Wendy Naral Chammel (ex-co-star)

Ryujitaro Saitan (creator of Combo Rangers)

Wooler Traijan (ex-partner)

Krill King Dustin (ex-partner)

Golden Jellyfish King (ex-partner)

Dennis The Smug (ex-partner)

Dominic (partner)

Sea Serpent Prince Shai (current employer)

Enemies:

Wooler Traijan

Dennis The Smug

Sea Serpent King Shanbin

Salacian Police

Status: Alive

First appearance: Drawing (22 November - young/24 November 2023 - old)

Skills: Driving, handling weapons, karate, stealing, organising illegal races

Likes: Racing

Dislikes: Being caught, being recognised from Combo Rangers, acting, his ex-co-stars, annoying or abusive partners, people calling him “Li’l Cutie”

Kenjy Shi-Label is a former child actor who is currently a criminal wanted for various illegal activities. He was known for playing the Blue Combo Ranger in Combo Rangers.

History

Kenjy was born in Nyoto City in 1971 to a respected family in his neighbourhood. Although Kenjy was educated and disciplined, he loved to watch television as a child, his favourite programs being about superheroes fighting evil. One day in 1978, he saw in a magazine that a new superhero show, Combo Rangers, was casting children between the ages of 7 to 9 to be part of the main cast. Kenjy was good at martial arts and he had a little experience in acting in school plays, so his parents took him to audition for the role of the Blue Combo Ranger. After demonstrating his acting and martial arts skills, Ryujitaro Saitan and his producers hired him with no hesitation, making him the second confirmed cast member.

The Blue Combo Ranger was Kenjy’s television debut and despite being a rookie, he was a good actor. His character was Ken, a serious and disciplined student who fought emerging threats with the Combo Rangers. He never needed a stunt double since he was good enough to do his own fighting and acrobatics. Kenjy liked to accompany his co-stars in interviews and although he was reserved towards them, he did not approve of Wendy being teased by the others. After the series ended in 1987, he would continue acting in several films before he retired a few years later due to personal issues.

During the 90’s, Kenjy became interested in illegal racing, even competing in several races himself. He also began to commit crimes, such as robbing businesses and stealing car parts to modify sports cars. He would meet another criminal named Dominic and they would work together as hired thugs, stealing and attacking different targets sent by the people who hired them. Eventually, Kenjy and Dominic were hired by the Sea Serpent Prince Shai to be his full-time thugs and to this day, Kenjy continues his criminal activities while evading detection from the police.

Appearance

Kenjy as a child was of medium height and thin build. His greatest characteristic was his black hair that covered much of his face, despite which he could still see well. He wore a silver earring and his signature clothing of choice was a white t-shirt with ripped sleeves under a dark blue vest along with black sweatpants and a brown belt.

As a teenager, he did not have many changes apart from growing to a considerable height. He became completely different as an adult, however, cutting out his black bangs and leaving his hair short with a pompadour and a shaved face, preferring to wear black clothes.

Relationships

Kenjy does not have many friends as he is usually a reserved person. He is friendly and social to those who are familiar with him but he doesn’t tend to go far in relationships.

Curiosities

- As a child, Kenjy had bangs that covered a large part of his face and as such, was not considered attractive. In 2020, teenage girls began to admire many influencers on TikTok who had bangs, calling them “Basta sos re lindo,” or “Li’l cuties” in Argentinian slang.

- His adult design is based on that of Romanian singer Mihai Gruia and his criminal activities are based on those of Han Lue from the Fast and Furious film series.

- Kenjy and Wendy are on good terms with each other since he never treated her badly and although Kenjy dislikes royalty as they are related to the law and power, he is happy that Wendy became a queen.

[piastrinorris]

There is nothing j love more than Henderson!reader and Steve Harrington so if you’re looking for some prompts, look no further: Can you write a fluff Steve request where he unexpectedly comes over to the Henderson household after a dinner with his parents because while his parents talked all he thought about was how the Henderson!reader and Dustin are his family?

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader (no pronouns/gendered terms)

Genre: fluff

Word count: 3847

A/N: I set out for these prompts to be quick little drabbles but this one REALLY got away from me lmao. Also this one's more Steve-heavy than Henderson-heavy just bc I got real into the story behind his and reader's relationship, I hope y'all still like it though!

"Steven!" The second syllable grates his ears like nails on a chalkboard.

"What is it, Mom?" he shouts from the upper floor. It's useless, of course. She either can't or won't tell him. He runs halfway down the stairs, leaning across the railing. "Mother!"

"Oh please, don't be so immature," she rolls her eyes as she stands in the kitchen doorway. "And stop hanging like that, you're not a child anymore, for god's sake. Come down and set the table. And would it kill you to wear anything other than jeans? You know we've got company coming, and how important this is for your father."

With a heavy sigh, Steve makes his way to the dining room, and opens the closet to take out one of the "fancy" table coverings out. Ironic, he thinks. That would suggest they use the table for ordinary meals, too. Instead, it's plates of food left on the counter, not even called for, ready to take to whatever respective room they're each in; usually his mom eats while she watches her shows on the TV, his dad takes it straight back to the office, and Steve gets to eat in the comfort of his own bedroom.

Steve sets out the tablecloth, then the placemats, then all the correct forks, knives, spoons and glasses. He compares it to the photo his mother left in the closet for him, as a reminder because he kept "getting it wrong". Why have a fish fork AND a salad fork on the table if the entire meal doesn't have any of either?!

Once he's set everything up, he heads back up the stairs. A warning, "Steve..." from his mother causes him to shout back, "It's done, Ma! Take a look for yourself!"

"Oh, so you can do things when you're asked! Where's this energy when your father and I ask you to go get a real job, huh?" she asks.

Like a broken record. Steve gets changed into a dress shirt and slacks, stuffs his favourite crewneck and sweats into a backpack, styles his hair, throws some products from his bathroom into the bag too, sneaks into his parents' bathroom to spritz himself with one of his dad's colognes, and goes back downstairs to wait patiently like the good little family member he is. Having one of his dad's scents be at such close proximity is driving him crazy. Usually that smell precedes a monologue from his father that makes Steve hate himself, or a slap that stings for hours. He tries to get all the grossed-out facial expressions out now, before he becomes part of The Perfect Hosting Family.

His dad's guests arrive moments before his mother has to plate up. The couple that come in greet Steve briefly before he leads them to the dining room. His father offers to get wine from the cellar - he doesn't trust Steve after that one time when Steve was 15 and got drunk in there, supposedly ruining an important business proposal. It's up to Steve to make the small talk. "So, Mr Blake, how is your daughter these days?"

"Ah! Got into NYU! Naturally," he smirks proudly. "You, uh, you get anywhere with college?"

Steve shakes his head, recalling the fake reality for himself he'd been working on for this exact moment. "Not yet, my old man thinks I need real basic work experience, first. Can't get to the top without knowing the bottom inside out, right?"

"What a smart man!" Mr Blake laughs loudly, gesturing towards his father as he re-enters the room. "Punishing the boy with menial work before he reaps the benefits of a successful businessman."

"No such thing as a free handout, Jim," his father points to his guest. "Whatever it is that Steven makes of himself, it won't be through riding my coat-tails, that's for sure."

Steve wishes, just once, that his parents would have just enough pride to also protect their son's reputation. He sits the rest of the meal out in relative silence, perking up only when his mother would step on his foot and glare at him for not looking chipper enough. He takes every opportunity to clean up, washing dishes between courses and everything. The Blakes joke that his parents have trained him well. He just wants a few minutes where they can all just be out of sight, out of mind, for just a brief moment at a time.

As soon as the third course is all cleared up, Steve excuses himself from the table. "Are you sure, son?" Mr Blake asks, of course. It's not like anyone else at the table would call him that. "You could learn a lot about the trade by sitting in."

"Oh, thank you, but I've got quite a... Riveting biography upstairs that I'm itching to get back to," Steve plasters the fakest smile on his face before running upstairs. He throws his backpack out the window, jumps onto the roof below, climbs down and runs across the street to where his car is parked.

~~~

"Mom! Could you get that? I'm on a roll here!" Dustin calls from the sitting room after the doorbell rings.

"Sweetie, I'm just getting these out of the oven, can't you pause?" she shouts back.

"You guys know I'm here too, right?" you joke as you loudly stomp down the stairs.

"Wish I could forget!" Dustin chimes over his shoulder.

"Oh my god, I'm devastated. How will I ever recover from such a scathing remark from - truly the greatest wordsmith of his generation?!" You sarcastically yell before opening the door to see your childhood best friend-turned-acquaintance who barely acknowledged you throughout school-turned-brother's best friend, somehow. "Oh, hi Steve. You look... Nice." Your nose scrunches at the scent that follows him, missing the way he looks at you in shock. "Smell like your dad, though."

"Y-Yeah, can I... Use you guys' shower? I can pay towards the water bill in return," Steve offers as he steps through the doorway and kicks his shoes off.

In comes your mother, bustling through to pull Steve into a close hug. "Now don't you be so silly, Steve, we don't charge family here!"

Steve holds your mom extra tightly at that. You don't see it from where you're standing, but his eyes fill with tears and glee. "You're the best, Mrs H."

"When are we going to be on first-name terms, Mr Harrington?" she teases, and even you laugh at that.

Steve kisses your mom on the cheek and breaks the hug to head towards the bathroom. He stops again at you to smile softly. "Good to see you again. You're like, never here."

You shrug, "Different circles, I guess. Go shower, you reek of Old Rich Man," you hold your nose and Steve salutes you before climbing the stairs.

"You good, sweetie?" your mom asks when he's out of earshot, rubbing your arm sympathetically.

"Yeah, sure," you shrug, "it's not like we're both in school anymore. I can still exist around him, we're all grown-ups here. I'm fine, I promise."

When Dustin finally dies in his game, you tell him you want a turn on the Atari next, and instead boot up Mario Bros. Your brother sulks at being demoted to player 2, but you simply shrug him off, "Should have beat me to it at being the oldest then, shouldn't you?"

"Oh my god, gross," he pulls a face.

"Yeah, not such a wise guy now, are you?! Now c'mon, you've got until your BFF is out of the shower to get us past level 5."

When you're both deep into level 5, you can just about hear Steve talking up your mom's cookies with her in the kitchen. "Save some for us, Harrington!" you shout, your eyes not leaving the screen.

"Come and get 'em then, Henderson!" he shouts back with his mouth full.

"I don't hear you telling him off for talking with food in his mouth, Mom!" Dustin shouts, and you both cheer as the "level clear" screen shows up. "Holy shit, we did it!" Dustin cackles to you, holding his hand up for a high-five. Sure, you're both sarcastic little shits, but there's the occasional moment where he's bearable.

You return it and start up level 6. Steve sits on the couch behind you both. "You guys beat it yet?"

"Yeah, the key to know when you've finished a game is when you're still playing it," Dustin retorts. "Obviously not yet."

"We finally made it to the level before the fina- Dustin, I need you down here!" you yell exasperatedly, but he's just as frustrated.

"Well, I need you up -"

You both chorus a, "Shit!" as the Game Over screen shows up.

Steve laughs, and Dustin scoffs, "What are you laughing at, Steve? Not like you could do any better."

"Oh, yeah? It's just pressing some buttons and knowing where to go, it's not hard." You look over at Steve, who's sitting leant back on the couch, legs stretched out and arms crossed. You notice he's now wearing a sweater and lounge pants. He still looks just as good in them as he did the other clothes. Fuck. The thoughts you were scared to have being around him. Still there.

You hold out your controller to him. "Only one way to find out, I guess."

Steve pulls an upside-down smile and slides off the couch to sit next to Dustin. He tries to wrestle the player 1 controller off Steve, but with no success. You excuse yourself to go and pick up a couple of your mom's cookies. You offer to help her clean up, but she ushers you back in to spend time with the boys.

You sit and watch the back of Steve's head as your head swims with thoughts. Why did he have to change his whole personality when you were in school? Especially when this is pretty much how you remember him when you were kids. What would have happened if he hadn't? Would he still be in your life? Would you have... Dated, even? It's never helped that he turned out to be super hot, apparently in any sort of clothing, so that's just great. But maybe it wouldn't have worked out, and maybe he wouldn't be here for Dustin, and Dustin needs him. So. It all works out for him, at least.

They barely make it through level 1 without biting each others' heads off. Level 3 is their ultimate demise. Dustin groans in anguish, "God, you are the worst to play with, why wouldn't you come and help me?!"

"Because I had my own guys to fight off! Why didn't you come to my aid?!" Steve asks, exasperated.

"Because you never said anything! You kept doing your own thing!"

"Because you were doing your thing!"

"Fellas, fellas," you interject, noticing Dustin's voice getting hoarser, "there's a very obvious tiebreaker here. Dustin?" You make eye contact with him and jerk your head aside, silently instructing him to sit on the couch. You then look to Steve and raise your eyebrows. Not even looking away from you, he drops the player 1 controller, shuffles over on his butt and picks up the one Dustin left. You scrunch your nose up as you nod, and retake your place on the floor.

"What are you even still doing here tonight, don't you actually have friends tonight? Why aren't you at your little witches' coven?" your brother asks.

"Nobody practices witchcraft in book club, stupid," you roll your eyes. "Vickie couldn't make it, and we're kinda 'all or nothing', so we're meeting next week instead. That's all," you falter, before clearing your throat and starting another game. You don't notice Steve's eyes narrowing.

The pair of you work really well together. Realising where Dustin went wrong, you actually verbally communicate with Steve as much as you can, knowing he doesn't know this game quite as well as you and your brother do. You start off with asking things of him, like "Hey, can you bop that guy there and I'll kick it off?" or "If I bop this one, can you come over and kick it?", but as the game progresses, you both communicate with simple, "Bop!"s and "Kick!"s. You're both starting to lean into the screen as you play through level 6, until you lose your balance and, not realising just how close Steve is, take him down with you. Dustin yells nonsensically as he watches both Mario and Luigi die at the same time, but you and Steve are too busy rolling around the floor, laughing at yourselves.

He's the first to pull himself back up, and he helps you up, too. His hand lingers a little longer once you're stood, just enough for him to stroke the back of your hand with it, and he looks at you softly. Adoringly? Longingly? He quickly lets go, though, and clears his throat. "Alright, Dustin, why don't we play something that won't make you lose your voice?"

You take him inviting Dustin to play, as a sign that you should retire and let them have the rest of the evening to themselves.

You're sitting on your bed, now several chapters into a new book, when a rapping at the door catches your attention. You shout, "Night, Mom!"

"Oh, it's, uh, it's me. Steve. Mind if I come in?"

You sit up, putting the book on your nightstand. "Sure!" He opens the door tentatively, and closes it behind him again, which you appreciate. If Dustin sees Steve in here, he might see it as an invitation for him to come in, and there's no way in hell you're okay with that. "What's up?" you ask.

"I dunno," he half-laughs, ruffling his own hair a little. "I just... Wanted to say hi, again. I guess?"

You smile at him as he sits at the foot of your bed, one leg folded beneath him. "Hi, again." His laugh has a little more heart in it, this time. "Were you... When you were all dressed up earlier, was that from your parents?" He nods sadly. "Are they still assholes?" He stays quiet. "Right. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want. Um," you look around the room, trying to think of something to talk about, but you're coming up blank. "So, what is it you do for wor-"

"What happened between us?" he asks over you, not making eye contact. You quieten down and he sighs. "Why... What was it?"

"Steve, I - you're clearly not in a good mood, I don't want to drag old shit up, we're adults now," you explain, but he looks at you directly.

"Please?"

"Seventh grade," you eventually groan in resignation. "Carol Perkins had just started dating that guy, Tommy Whatshisface, and you were all in the hallway before class. I came to find you to invite you to my birthday party. Carol told me that I must be dumber than a pet rock if I thought I had anything of worth to say to any of you three. A-and you laughed."

He rubs his eyes hard. "Shit. You know, I did try and find you at lunch that day. But I couldn't see you. And then you kept ignoring me."

"We'd had gym that day," you continue, "and Carol... Told me... You'd told her I was a desperate little nobody. And you wanted nothing to do with me. And you didn't know why I would think it was okay to invite you. And, I know it was probably stupid of me to believe Carol Perkins, but I was young and stupid and -"

"No, I get it," Steve cuts in, looking at you with sad eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't better at sticking up for you. But, I never, ever said those things about you. I've missed you."

You half-crawl on your knees across your bed to put your hands on Steve's shoulders, resting your head on the closest one. "Missed you, too. But, I'm glad you've been around for Dustin. He's needed someone like you. Especially since Dad..." you falter. Steve tilts his head to rest on yours, and holds one of your hands with his. "He needs a decent man around."

Another sad half-laugh. "Not many people would call me 'decent'."

"Well, I just did, so... Bite it or fight it," you repeat the phrase you always used to when you were kids. It meant "bite your lip and keep quiet, or fight it out physically between yourselves".

Steve chuckles, "We're a little old for that, right?"

You shrug, "Whatever gets you to stop talking shit about yourself."

"And what about you?" Steve asks. "My friend Robin said she couldn't hang out with Vickie tonight because Vickie said she had book club. So one of you is lying."

You sigh in defeat. "They're great. But everyone else is graduating this year. The ones that graduated with me, went to college. I couldn't put our family in more debt, not when it's just me, Mom and Dustin. But I didn't want to be a downer, or else nobody would want to hang out with me."

"I mean, you've not kicked me out yet, so I'm gonna mark that one down as "not true"," Steve notes, and you chuckle.

"Yeah, but that's different," you shake your head.

"Huh. So it's different when you're talking smack about yourself? Got it," Steve slaps his knees and stands up. You look at him with confusion as he turns on his heel. His whole demeanour changes. He's full of mischief. With a wicked grin, he says, "Nobody's allowed to say that to my friend!"

"Wait, no fair, you didn't say bite it or - Steve!" you laugh as he runs towards the bed, launches himself onto it and tackles you onto your back. He grabs your wrists, but you're able to push back until you're almost sitting upright. You manage to wrap your leg around him and, along with swinging your shoulder around with all your might, you're able to flip the two of you around so that he's on his back. The impact causes him to let go for a second, and you grab his wrists, pinning him beneath you.

You both take a pause to catch your breath, your chest heaving as you pant from the exhaustion of the struggle. His hair is fanned out all around his face in a perfect angelic halo. He's breathing heavily too, through parted lips. His lips... So perfectly plump and pink. His Adam's apple bobs with every breath. He's looking at your lips, too.

Before either of you know it, you're all over each other. Your hands move to slide in his hair, and his arms wrap around the small of your back. He pushes the kiss open to slip his tongue into your mouth with ease, a natural expert. It's electric, and you grip his hair near the roots. He moans into your mouth, his hands slipping down to squeeze your ass. You whine, breaking the kiss for just a second. You both look at each other with all the delight of two people whose problems do not matter in this moment, and dive right back into another open kiss.

Steve snakes his arms around you to roll the pair of you until he's once again on top of you. He strokes your hair out of your face, turns his hand around to drag the backs of his fingers down your cheek lightly while smiling at you with nothing but adoration. He looks as though he wants to say about twelve things at once, but instead he leans down and starts pressing soft, sweet kisses to your neck. You whimper, shakily whining out his name as you run your fingers back and forth through his hair.

He pulls up again to look at you, eyes heavy-lidded. "Baby, baby, baby," he mutters softly, "you're gonna make me take things way faster than I wanted if you keep that up."

"Hmm, what are - where are you staying for the night? Are you going back home?" you ask as you reach up to stroke his face.

"Not if I can help it, are you offering me something better?" he asks, nuzzling into your touch.

You half-shrug. "Big ol' bed here. Wouldn't want all that space going to waste, right?"

"Oh, we can't possibly be wasteful," Steve smirks before bending down to kiss you again. He holds your hip and pulls you into a half-roll so that you're both laying on your side, still kissing, remaining that way until you can't possibly fight off the tiredness any longer.

Steve pulls you close, so you're laying on his chest, and he strokes your hair and your arm in a gentle rhythm. Every now and then he kisses the top of your head, until you feel it get heavier with sleep. The last thing you hear that night is Steve purring, "Good night, beautiful."

You awaken on your mattress, facing the window. A pang of sadness hits your chest, until you roll over and see Steve still in your bed, just at an awkward angle. You lean over and see a Steve that he would never let anyone else see - hair sticking out at all angles, mouth hanging half-open, snoring lightly.

You start trying to stroke his hair back into shape for him and he snuffles, his eyes opening ever so slightly as he stirs. With a sleepy smile, he murmurs, "How's about paying a little less attention to my bed head and a little more time on my good morning kiss?"

You kiss him deeply, but fleetingly. "Lets get some breakfast, I'm gonna get rid of this morning breath, and then we can pick right back up, how's that sound?"

"Like the world's greatest plan," he beams back, leaning up to kiss you again.

Once you get downstairs, two items greet the pair of you: a tupperware container filled with cookies and with a note taped to it that reads, "a snack for the road, for my favorite future son-in-law"; and a note in your brother's handwriting that reads:

RULES FOR DATING:

no kissing/cuddling/gross shit in front of me

no ditching me to hang out with each other

no talking about the other one when we ARE hanging out alone

I am not above hurting either of you if you hurt the other one

Welcome to the family officially, Steve. Don't fuck it up.

"Oh my god, they're so embarrassing," you rub your face in half-tiredness and half-embarrassment.

Steve chuckles, "It's cute. And I think Mr and Mrs Steve Henderson sounds cuter."

"Shut up," you slap his shoulder playfully and he laughs harder, before pulling you close by the waist. "Although..." you muse, sliding your hands up his torso to rest on his shoulders, "these just being left here means neither of them are in the house..."

A glint appears in Steve's eye as an equally eager grin slowly spreads across his face. "Race you upstairs."

[hardyas]

you're scaring me now | eddie munson x f!reader

summary: you have to share some news with eddie, not knowing how he will take it. will it make or break him?

pairing: eddie munson x f!reader

warnings: mentions of pregnancy.

authors note: i'm still new to writing & had too many ideas on how to end this story, but if you want the alternative ending lmk : )

This was the day. The day you shared the news that had been playing on your mind for the last few days, processing it yourself before you told Eddie. It's D&D night for the Hellfire Club, perfect timing, you thought. It was lunch, you were sat in the cafeteria with your boyfriend, Eddie "the freak" Munson and the members of the Hellfire Club. The typical day of Eddie rambling, the occasional comments from the other boys and a few cheers from Dustin. Your relationship with Eddie goes back to when you were young kids. You both had grown up in the trailer parks, found each other and you had been inseparable ever since. It wasn't until almost a year ago he accidentally confessed his crush on you, and it had been young love ever since. Eddie was your first everything. First boyfriend. First kiss. First time. Thinking on your relationship, a child was the one thing you never knew Eddie wanted at any point in his life.  

"It's my year, I can feel it... 86' baby." Eddie was thriving. Everyone's attention is purely on him, showcasing his excitement to finally graduate high school as he went off about how he's going to flip everyone off whilst snatching his diploma. It was great seeing Eddie at his happiest. The Hellfire Club were laughing at his enthusiasm, you included, until you remembered your action plan for tonight. The smile you just had had been swiped off your face and you began to get nervous. It was quick before not all the attention was on Eddie anymore. Dustin. Dustin looked at you in confusion, "hey you ok-" He was stopped when he felt a hard hand on his shoulder. "The future of Hellfire..." Eddie continued his speech about the future. Dustin's attention seemed to be divided at that point. Between the tenseness of you and the excitement of Eddie, he decided to ask you later about it.  

School was over and everyone started making their way home. "Hey Y/N, see you later for defeating the evil Vecna?" Dustin shouted towards you. "I'm sorry Dustin, I'm going to pass on tonight. I'm not feeling so great" Dustin fell disappointed. You sighed and started to walk away. Dustin chased after you. "Are you sure you're okay? You seemed pretty down at lunch and Eddie's going to catch onto something", "Dustin, I'm fine. I appreciate your concern". Soon enough, Dustin was being called by the Hellfire Club, "well okay, but if I hear something is wrong... I'll roundhouse your ass." You laughed, "I'll be sure to remember that, Dusty." 

It was roughly an hour before Eddie came back from dropping his friends off at home. You were sitting on his bed, running over the speech you have mentally prepared. Everything is going to be just fine, you thought. And that's when you heard the sound of a car door slam shut. He's home. Eddie's bedroom door flew open.  

"Sorry I'm late, sweetheart", "hey ba-", you went to stand up until Eddie pushed you back down on the bed to greet his guitar hanging on the wall. "EDDIE!", Eddie spun around to finally greet you, his second love apparently. "Hello, you", he smirked until he tackled you back onto the bed for a second time, smothering you in kisses. "and how's my favourite girl?", "I'm good now that you're home". 

It was a few minutes of being in each other's arms before one of you broke the silence. "Everything okay?" Eddie was the first to speak. "Sure, why wouldn't it be?", you turned your head and sat up to look at him. "Dustin mentioned you looked a little down. I don't want my girl to be feeling that way and to not talk to me about it." It was times like these you most appreciated Eddie. He got through everything with you. All the happy times, to the darkest ones. Every memory you had, he was with you right by your side. Which made you more nervous to announce what you had known for the past few days.  

You sighed and sat up. "Oh god, is this it? Are you breaking up with me? God, I knew that guitar would get in the way some day. Is it D&D night, because, babe, you know I'm the dungeon master-" You let Eddie ramble, finding humour in his panicked state. A chuckle slipped out of you. "This isn't a laughing matter, Y/N", "Eddie, I'm not breaking up with you", "then what is it?". You took his hands into yours. "Y/N, you're really scaring me now." Here goes nothing. 

"Eddie, I'm pregnant." He's frozen. "Eddie?" Nothing. You waved your hand in his face. "Eddie, helloo-" he tackled you for a second time and engulfed you in a hug. "You're not messing around with me, are you? Please, tell me this isn't a prank of yours?" "No Eddie, I'm being serious", you said, still not knowing how he feels. He stood up from the bed.  

"I'M GONNA BE A DAD... 86' BABY" You watched Eddie jump around the room in excitement, rambling on about names, how he knew something was up, going on about how much he loves you, basically speaking his mind on anything that came up. "And you know what the best part about this is..." Eddie's smile got bigger and bigger, "...a new member of the Hellfire Club! Babe, you really have given me the greatest gift a guy could ever receive."  

A better reaction than I thought.  

[agentnico]

The Bad Guys (2022) Review

What is it with Billie Eilish writing songs for future films? She released the No Time to Die title song only for the movie to get delayed, and now The Bad Guys is released 3 years after her famous ‘bad guy’ song. Look, the latter may have not been intended as a title song for The Bad Guys, but it should have! It’s literally the title!!

Plot:  After a lifetime of legendary heists, notorious criminals Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula are finally caught. To avoid a prison sentence, the animal outlaws must pull off their most challenging con yet - becoming model citizens. Under the tutelage of their mentor, Professor Marmalade, the dubious gang sets out to fool the world that they're turning good.

Dreamworks has always been the more cheeky and reckless animation studio cousin to Disney and Pixar. The latter always relied more upon establishing an emotional bond between the viewer and its characters, all whilst surrounded by the feel of a magical otherworldly air. Dreamworks on the other hand lent more into the comedic chaotic side, by either having a panda learn kung fu, a group of zoo animals escaping New York to hang out with some lemurs in Madagascar, or a straight up ogre messing around with classic fairy-tale characters. There’s always an element of ludicrousness, as if Dreamworks is that naughty child whilst Disney is the sophisticated older one who plays by the rules. That being said, in the last few years Dreamworks had lost a bit of its trademark spark. Yeah, there were those Trolls films that offered some mindful colourful fun, but I wouldn’t call them particularly memorable. They’re no Kung Fu Panda ya know? Look, I’ve recently been rewatching those Kung Fu Panda films with my fiancée and gosh are they so enjoyable and hilarious! A Jack Black voiced panda named Po being bullied by a Dustin Hoffman voiced raccoon named Master Shifu? Oh and that turtle martial arts spiritual monk master Master Ooooooooogway who blatantly and conveniently dies when crap is about to hit the fan as if to say “well that’s no my problem suckazzz!!”. Or that peacock from the second one that spends the entire film holding that same perplexingly shocked facial expression?? Kung Fu Panda is great yo and I’ll hear nothing else about it! Anyway, back to The Bad Guys. What did I think? It was okay.

The best thing the movie has going for it is its animation. Taking a page from Into the Spider-Verse, the animators blend both 2D and 3D animation to make the movie look like its a motion comic book, which to be fair looks great, especially in the action sequences and car chases does this animation style really pop. But even in the character designs, the use of 2D really brings out some great colours and details. In a nutshell, The Bad Guys looks good! As for the story? Well that is where the movie loses its merit. That isn’t to say the plot is bad, its just that the narrative is quite the generic heist storyline, and the message about bad guys turning good isn’t exactly revolutionary, let alone them being played by animals. Zootopia anyone? Or is it Zootropolis? Or how about the German title: Zoomania?? My personal favourite is the Polish Zwierzogród! Has the nice ring to it! So easily pronounceable!! Regardless, The Bad Guys doesn’t particularly inspire with its story, however its animation is stellar, there’s enough solid jokes in there to keep audiences and younger viewers entertained, and the voice cast fit their characters well. I’d say Sam Rockwell, Richard Ayoade and Zazie Beets probably are the most memorable. Oh, and Anthony Ramos from In the Heights gets to stretch his vocal chords once more by blasting out a musical number which in turn results in one of the movie’s more stand out sequences. It’s all good natured fun which is why I think I enjoyed The Bad Guys for what it was. It’s not a particularly special movie, not one that will go down in history as peak family entertainment, but as one to pass the time its entertaining. It kind of helped that I was fresh off finishing an early shift (don’t get me started on waking up at 5am, holy frijoles!) so didn’t want to particularly challenge my brain, and as such The Bad Guys worked like a charm. The plot twists and turns were super predictable though, just saying. Sorry, just wanted to end the review on a negative. Seemed right.

Overall score: 6/10

[bagesims]

The Morris/Dean family

Nathan Morris - this gray-heared man is Emilie's cousin (her father was brother of Nathan's mother). He has a son Mike from previous relationship (his mother rejected the child). He married Ginny, which he met in college. They have twins, Cole and Lilly. Unfortunately Ginny died some time ago, so Nathan moved to his daughter Lily.

Lily Dean - when she was a teenager she fell in love in one guy. They were couple until she said about... pregnancy. He was very angry and broke up with her. Luckily she got support from her family and now she have a son Rafael. In her second pregnancy, Dustin (her ex-boyfriend, Rafael's father) appeard in her live again. One evening he break into her house and he pushed her down the stairs, so she lost pregnancy.

Jeffery Dean - Lily's husband. They met at her party in college. Jeff accepted Rafael and he cares about him like his own son. Soon after loss the pregnancy, Lily, Cole and Mike with their families visited Nathan and Ginny, and then Lily and Cole's wife Liz informed, they both expect a babies.

Rafael Dean - he knows that Jeffery is not his biological father, but he love him as if he really was. He was so sad when Lily lost baby, because he always wanted to be older brother. When his little sister came to the world, she became his favourite person in family. He loves to spend time with her and teach new things.

Hannah Dean - she was born in the same day like her cousin Naomi (Cole and Liz's daughter). They have very good contact with each other and when they're together, girls likes to annoy family members.

[maluminspace]

Any Other Way

Genre: dad!michael

Pairings: Michael Clifford/Reader

Word Count: 1479

Requested: By anon for spooky!sos 2019

Trigger Warnings: n/a

A/N: Jex and I agreed to start posting these early as we’ve started getting ideas for them! We’re still accepting requests, so get your thinking caps on and send some in... Spooky!sos2019 is officially underway, lovelies! 💖

Halloween had always been one of Michael’s favourite times of year. You’d know this from very early in your relationship with him and yet, he’d managed to surprise you this year by being more enthusiastic than ever.

Despite his excitement, your husband had also been suspiciously secretive in recent weeks. When you’d questioned him about the various packages arriving in the past couple of weeks, Michael had simply replied that it was for the very special ‘father/son Halloween costume’ he’d had planned.

You’d gotten the hint that Michael wanted to surprise you with whatever he’d been working on and so you’d resisted questioning him any further.

Of course, you’d tried bribing your son with ice cream for more information but even he had kept his mouth shut on this. 

It was safe to say you were more than a little intrigued and excited as the moment of the reveal drew ever closer. You’d spent all day busying yourself preparing for the annual party you and Michael always insisted on throwing. It had turned into more a of a kid’s party now, since you and all your friends had all settled down and started families.

All of that was finished now, though, and Michael had disappeared upstairs with your son some time ago. Just as you were about to call up to them, you heard your son laughing and Michael hushing him gently before shouting down to you. “Are you ready to see our costumes?”

You picked up the tea you’d made for yourself, intent on appearing casually interested. If Michael knew just how eager you were to see what he’d put together. “Sure, boys...” you called back as breezily as you could.

The two of them were still giggling as they traipsed down the stairs, playfully jibing at each other as they shuffled ever closer to the living room where you were sitting.

“Okay, are you sure you’re ready?” Your nine year old shouted from behind the wall separating the living room from the hallway. There’s clear a smile in his voice and it makes your heart swell with love.

“I already told you that I was, little mr!” You replied, giggling into your mug. “You’re really overdoing the suspense thing now...”

You heard Michael huff indignantly. “We’re not overdoing it!” He insisted. “This will totally be worth it, I promise!”

Before you could reply, your son yelled again. “Close your eyes and we’ll come in!”

The excitement in your only child’s voice was almost enough to bring a happy tear to your eye. You’d always known he’d be a huge Halloween enthusiast just like his dad. “Okay...” you replied disguising the break in your voice as a little cough whilst you placed your tea back down on the coffee table.

“Are they closed?” Michael checked. He was obviously taking this costume reveal very seriously and it was more than a little endearing.

You covered your eyes with your hands obediently. “Yes, I promise!” You replied.

Seconds later the sound of excited footsteps traipsing into the room signalled that your husband and son were getting into position. It was hard not to giggle at the way your son bossed Michael about. “You stand there dad!” He commanded, obviously exasperated at his dad’s incorrect position or stance.

Judging by the fresh footsteps on the hard wooden floor, it was safe to assume Michael was obeying your son’s command.

“Can I open my eyes yet?” You asked after a moment of silence.”

“One minute!” Michael replied. “Can you straighten my hat please, son?” He added and your heart melted as your nine year old giggled.

After another short moment, your son finally said; “okay! You can open your eyes now...”

It was probably a little stupid of you but you couldn’t deny the nerves in your tummy as you lowered your hands. The sight that greeted you filled your heart with more love than you could have imagined was ever possible. This was definitely one of those family moments that you’d treasure forever.

Michael and your son had been plotting all this time to put together two costumes that really meant a lot to you all as a family. “Look at you two!” You gasped, the biggest smile on your face as you leaned forward in your seat. “You both look incredible!”

They were dressed as Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson from ‘Stranger Things’. Their costumes were perfect replicas of the characters in your favourite show to watch together.

Michael’s ‘Scoops Ahoy’ uniform was virtually flawless. The shorts were a little baggy on him which just made him look even more in character. The dark brown wig he’d decided to wear beneath the sailor’s hat was also a great choice. All-in-all, he looked completely recognisable as one of your favourite characters.

Your son was smiling widely beneath the yellow and green cap he was donning. It finished off his ‘Camp Know Where 85’ uniform perfectly. Unlike your husband, your nine year old had no need for a wig. Your son had inherited Michael’s sandy locks and they’d somehow exaggerated his curls to help him resemble his favourite character from the show.

“Your costumes are absolutely perfect!” You exclaimed, getting to your feet and crossing the room towards them to get a better look. It must have taken a lot of work to get them exactly right!”

Your son nodded proudly. “It took Dad a while but he got it exactly right!” He looked up at Michael with the most beautiful admiring smile you’d ever seen on his little face. The pretty green eyes he’d inherited from his father sparkled happily as he wrapped his arms around Michael’s waist, hugging him lovingly.

Your husband nodded tearfully, obviously enjoying this father/son moment as much, if not more than you were. He hugged his son close and offered you a watery smile. “Come on then, Mr!” He sniffled, “Let’s go trick or treating before all the good stuff’s gone!”

The nine year old giggled excitedly as he pulled away from Michael and made off towards the hallway.

“Hey!” You yelled, pouting a little. “I need some pictures of my awesome ‘Stranger Things’ boys before you go!”

Your son rolled his eyes as he plodded back over to you. “Hurry up, though!” He whined, “I wanna go to Mrs Morris’s house before she gives the other kids all of those cool chocolate eyeballs she always gives out!”

“Oi, Mr.” Michael reprimands, his voice a little sterner than usual. “What have we talked about respecting your parents, huh?”

Your son’s cheeks reddened as he muttered an apology and offered you a hug to sweeten you up. You accepted it gladly, assuring him that you forgave him before ushering him back over to his father. “Okay, do a pose for me.” You grinned, pulling your phone from the back pocket of your jeans.

Michael and your son obliged easily, adopting a pose that they each felt their character would be happy with as you snapped as many photos as you could.

After a solid minute of picture taking, your son grew impatient, asking again if they can leave now. You nodded, still smiling. “Don’t eat too many of the sweets, though! I’ve made a bunch of party food that needs eating...”

Your two favourite boys in the world agreed that they wouldn’t- Michael knowing full well that the comment was aimed just as much at him as at it was at your son. “Our guests are due to start arriving an hour or so, can you be back by then please?”

“Of course we will.” Michael assures you. “We wouldn’t want our lil guy to miss out on greeting his new crush...”

“Dad!” Your son pouted, cheeks turning crimson again. “I don’t have a crush!”

“Michael, stop teasing him!” You smirked, knowing that Michael had a point. You’d noticed how your son’s behaviour had changed whenever the Irwin’s brought their kids over. You were sure that he was crushing on their eldest child but he’d tell you in his own time if he was.

“We laid your costume out upstairs, babe.” Michael smirked as your son opened the front door and disappeared outside. “We decided that Steve and Dustin needed a monster to fight so we made you a ‘shadow monster’ costume.” He laughed mischievously.

You rolled your eyes, “thanks, I guess...” you laughed. “Now go on, I’ll see you both in an hour!”

Michael pressed a brief kiss to your lips before jogging down the driveway to where your son is waiting.

You can’t stop yourself from lingering at the doorway for a little while, watching Michael guide your son to each of the houses on the opposite side of your street. Your husband was as much of a child as the nine year old he was supervising but you wouldn’t have him any other way.

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[papipopsicle]

RENEGADE PART TWO

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Henderson!Reader

Genre: fluff

Summary: In which the best friend of his enemy turns out to be the only person who can break the heart of Hawkins new resident bad-boy.

Warnings: swearing

Song: Paradise City by Guns N Roses

a/n: It's been sooooo long but yayy I hope you all enjoy this!!!

Words: 3K

PART ONE

feedback is always appreciated

The following day had been her second encounter with the mysterious boy, although this one was planned to the T by Y/N. But before her fun could begin, she had to pick up two teenagers from the arcade.

"...so we went to check Dig Dug, and guess whose now number one?!" Dustin's strident voice ricocheted around the car and Y/N chuckled at her brother's annoyance. Not even Lucas could beat him on Dig Dug.

"Hmm," She pretended to think for a moment, turning into Maple Street from one empty road to another, "Madmax?"

Mike scoffed from the backseat and turned to look out the window as his friend started ranting again, "Yes! By ten thousand points, how does that even happen? Want to know the worst part?"

"Sure." Y/N hummed, pulling into the Wheeler's driveway and lifting the child lock so Mike could get out. She turned in her seat enough to send the boy a kind smile, "See you tomorrow, Mikey."

The young boy said goodbye to the siblings and they watched him enter the house before finally pulling off the driveway and heading home. Dustin perked up again and grumbled, remembering the events from the arcade, "So we asked Keith if he knew who Madmax was, and he wanted a date with you or Nancy in return for spilling."

Y/N gagged at the thought, not because of Keith's looks, but because she'd caught him staring at her ass and breasts on multiple occasions, "That's fucking gross."

"I know, who in their right mind would want to date you."

Billy's day had gone by in a flash. Getting up late, being shouted at by his dad, taking Max to the arcade, driving in circles, taking Max home, being shouted at by his dad, lifting weights, and getting ready for his 'date' with the perplexing girl he met last night.

She was a hurricane, an earthquake to every thought he'd had about Hawkins since he arrived all those forty eight hours ago. Although it was no match for his in his own mind, her car was still pretty bitching. But that made him feel conflicted; surely a girl as confident as this one who wore outlandish outfits in fall would have been quite high up on the food chain at school. It didn't usually matter to him, if anything laying a popular girl was a sure way to get in with the in-crowd.

But, hey, she was the one to invite him out on a date, surely she wanted it.

So, the Hargrove boy dressed in his favourite pair of dark-wash jeans, a burgundy button up with the majority of the buttons left undone, and of course his black leather jacket. He spent a little too long perfecting his hair and spraying copious amounts of aftershave absolutely everywhere.

After checking himself out and being positive he looked his best, Billy sat back on his bed with a loud squeak escaping a few springs. He closed his eyes for a moment, fully relaxing for the first time since his twisted family ambushed the small town of Hawkins. It'd been less than two days since they'd moved here and he hated nearly every single thing about it already. It was eight PM exactly, now Billy didn't want to be on time for his date, but he didn't want to get there for her to have already gone either. It was his rule, leave the house at the time you're supposed to get there for.

The boy took one last look in his smudged mirror, adjusting his collar and hair a couple of times before finally trudging out of his room.

"I'm going out." He yelled halfheartedly, jingling his keys while he waited for a response. But when none came, he huffed gruffly and left without anymore said. Times like these were blessings to have a family who didn't give a shit.

It took him another ten minutes of randomly driving about to find 'The Hawk', which appeared to be a brand new movie theatre. The car park was near empty on this cool evening, a few scattered cars here and there, but his attention immediately darting to the ruby Mustang in the spot closest to the entrance, a dim street lamp casting its shadow in the space next to it. He parked perfectly in that space, checking his hair one last time before leaving the safety the vehicle brought him to enter the unknown building.

The brunette clearly noticed him before he had the chance, breathtaking smile switching to a smirk as she spoke up with a glint in her eye, "I was starting to think you wouldn't turn up."

He stood dumbfounded for a moment, zoning in on her figure behind the counter from across the room. It wasn't the sight he expected to see; maybe her head stuck in a magazine while she waited, but not serving popcorn to a couple about to see The Terminator. Flames heated his cheeks in that moment and his broad chest pounded, wondering whether he'd misread her signals all along.

Clearly Y/N noticed this dismay as she let out an obnoxiously loud chuckle in the now empty foyer area, "Don't give me that look." The girl shook her head and he began approaching the desk rather warily, "Chin up, pretty boy, I get off in twenty minutes. Unless, you want to fix the soda machine for me?"

"Pretty boy?" Billy scoffed at the nickname, not knowing whether to be offended or flattered. Leaning against the counter, he raised an eyebrow at her which she chose to ignore.

The boy admired her attire, a black pencil skirt and a navy short sleeved blouse with a silver name badge stating 'Y/N'. He noticed a couple buttons were undone, not revealing too much skin but allowing her neck some air. Her y/h/c locks were pulled into a neat pony tail, only a few escaped strands framing her face. A number of studs and rings were now proudly glinting on her ears that he hadn't noticed the night before, but her face was bare, maybe a little mascara.

"You're nice to look at, and you're male, what's tripping you up?" She pouted before quickly smiling and winking as she began wiping down the counter, "Want anything? It's on the house."

"Wouldn't you get fired for that?" He didn't really know why he questioned the idea of free food, but for some reason the thought of this sweet girl, who could rival his banter no less, getting in trouble for him made him second guess it.

"The owner grew up with my dad, he loves me." She smiled up at him fondly, eyes fixated on his and not wandering down his chest no matter how much restraint it took. Something changed in Billy's expression at the mere mention of father figures, he wasn't jealous, more confused by his own emotions as this girl clearly had a good relationship with her father. What confused him was knowing that made him a mix of glad and happy, she deserved good parents in his mind. Y/N scooped out a large bucket of popcorn and placed it on the counter between them, "That was the last showing for tonight, Tim's shift starts in half an hour so I've got to empty the till, but by all means eat away."

The boy nodded and remained silent, every so often reaching for a handful of sweet popcorn as his eyes stayed fixed on her actions. She divided the cash and put them in small clear wallets, "I'll be back in a second."

Y/N disappeared but was back just as quickly, now with a black handbag thrown over her shoulder. "Let's bounce." She muttered playfully, a smirk cheekily finding its way to her lips as she held her hand out expectantly. She kept walking towards the large doors, making a grabbing motion with the hand now behind her; she began to lower her hand, but a moment later a warm, larger hand filled the gaps between her fingers.

The eldest Henderson seemed like the typical cold bad girl to her peers, but she craved small actions like holding hands or an arm around her shoulder. Feeling his skin against her own was different. It was rough and calloused, unlike Steve's softer hands, but his movements were slow and tentative. Y/N tilted her head down as he walked by her side, hiding the grin threatening to fill her face.

It only lasted a few seconds, but Billy made his mind up within the very first one. He really didn't want to fuck this girl over.

As the two approached their respective muscle cars, Y/N turned to him expectantly, "Wrong side, big guy, you're riding shotgun."

He knitted his brows together, expression harsh on his handsome features, "What?"

She scoffed and turned to face him fully, rummaging around in her bag until a small metal object found her hand and she pulled out her car keys.

"You could be a serial killer for all I know." Y/N joked playfully but watched as his expression dipped into one of sadness, and her voice softened with sincerity, "Jeez, I'm only messin'. My dad and I were in a car accident when I was little, as soon as I got my lisence I realised I never wanted to be a passenger again. I hated the idea of it happening again and having absolutely no control."

Without another word, the y/h/c girl sent him a small smile and got into the drivers seat. Billy silently followed suit, easily placing too much trust in Y/N without so much as knowing her name. A Queen cassette played lowly in the background and the boy began drumming his fingers against the centre console to the beat.

"Were you two okay? After the crash, I mean." Billy tried his hardest to sound genuinely interested and concerned, not wanting the fierce girl driving next to him to have even one bad thought about him. He couldn't even tell himself why though, not giving a damn what anyone thought about him because they meant nothing to him. All he knew was that he wanted her to like him for who he really was, not who he planned on letting Hawkins see him as.

"Yeah," Y/N muttered and kept her eyes on the street as she pulled down a more secluded road, "yeah we were fine. Broke my arm and had a bit of a concussion from the airbag but nothing in comparison to the other guy."

Was she a bad person for thinking he got what he deserved after finding out the car was stolen and he was under the influence of alcohol?

Y/N must have been in her head a while because the next time she heard the boy's voice, he was muttering out in astonishment 'wow' as she pulled up to the edge of a forest clearing. The y/h/c girl cleared her throat and cut the engine, resting back in her seat for a moment.

"This is my happy place." She confessed, ready to be ridiculed by the handsome stranger for sounding so silly. He didn't though, he watched her gaze skim across the waters edge, eyes glinting with a certain freedom that couldn't be found back home for either of them. Billy took in the small upward curve in her lips, dimples pronouncing at the slightest smile.

It was simple and silent, and made him realise this was completely new. She looked a lot more innocent than yesterday, and Billy became disgusted with himself, wanting to get to know her instead of the usual 'pump and dump'. Who the fuck was he?

Without waiting for his response, Y/N left the car and sat against the base of a large oak tree close to the lake. Footsteps soon followed and the mullet boy sat down beside her. She looked out of place in her work clothes, but still fit perfectly under the tree. She sighed, taking a risk and leaning against the boys lean shoulder. He froze. Billy didn't know how to act, he wasn't getting drunk at a beach party about to go skinny dipping.

Y/N noticed his hesitance, "Put your arm around me." Her honeyed voice felt small at the boarder of the woodlands, and the boy found it difficult not to wrap his arm around her in a heartbeat. So he did, and she scooted closer like this was the easiest thing for her.

It wasn't. Steve had made sure of that for the last few years. He'd scared off half of the basketball team at this point, terrified that they just wanted her because she's his best friend, or even worse, that they actually liked her. Total double standards, Y/N argued after finding out what he'd been doing, but then he brought up Hayden and she ran off. Low blow.

"Is this what you do, then? Work, school, and sitting here contemplating life?" Billy spoke up after a while, finding himself stuck in his head. This girl was nobody to him, just somebody with good taste in music. He wasn't friends with her, he didn't even know her name. But for the same reason, he felt drawn to her. A small red ribbon attached the two when he pulled up to his new house last night, she looked exhausted when she thought he couldn't see, but was all smiles the second he spoke.

He wanted to know what kept her awake at night, the name of her first crush, if she'd ever been in a fist fight. The ribbon was invisible, but he felt it clear as day.

Y/N smiled at his brash voice, seeing his militant tone as a defence mechanism. She was always good at reading people. Waiting for a response, Billy felt her shift against him and found her looking up at the leaves of the tree above, stars speckled about the sky through the gaps, "I'm my little brother's personal taxi, he has more of a life than me, I swear. There's not exactly much to do except contemplate our existence here, if you haven't already noticed. But, hey, at least the house parties are fun."

He gasped, "You hicks know what fun is?" She shoved him playfully at the insult and glared up at him for a few seconds before turning back to the sky.

Y/N elbowed subtly elbowed him to the ribs, smiling in satisfaction as he let out a strained yelp, "Asshole, you may have beaches and sun and athleticism back in California, but you haven't lived unless you've been to one of Tina's house parties. Her parents split up a few years back and her mom got this awesome house in the divorce, and she just lets Tina ruin it every other weekend."

It was quiet for a while after that. Neither of them counted the time that passed by, each moment just a couple of breaths leaving their lips. Y/N decided to leave out various details, like the monsters and her father, not wanting the boy to understand her just yet.

Her mind was screaming he could be a predator or serial killer for all she knew, but she pushed that unwanted comment aside because right now was far too comfortable to ruin.

"What's your life like, pretty boy?" She asked quietly breaking the silence with ease. Her eyes were shut now, her torso leaning more into his without realising it as the air cooled around them. She knew what Cassidy had told her, but Y/N wanted to know him truly, no biases, not what other people said about him.

Should he lie? Spare the gory details of the last nineteen months?

Billy shrugged passively and turned his glazed over gaze to the lake, away from the girl's serene expression, "Average. Dad's a prick, Susan's his perfect housewife and Max is their perfect child. I don't have a place in that family, and Neil resents me 'cause legally I can't leave until I'm eighteen."

The girl had enough brains to fill in the gaps, and instead of trying to console him with words, she simply hooked her fingers through his and gave them a small squeeze. They could act all tough in front of other people, but when it came down to it, the raw memories that stained and scarred their minds, they were both secretly broken.

Billy coughed and shrugged again, "We should probably get home soon, wouldn't want your dad getting mad." He chuckled humourlessly, hoping to lift some of the tension in the air.

Y/N nodded desolately, masking the sadness in her eyes with a look of pure happiness, enough to fool Little Miss Sunshine herself. She twisted under Billy's heavy arm and faced him with the expression. He knew what came next, watching her eyes closely burn a trail up and down from his own to his lips.

The two began leaning in, like someone was pulling the ribbon tighter between them. But Y/N turned her head at the last second and instead wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, "I'm sorry if tonight wasn't what you were expe-"

Billy chuckled lightly cutting her off, his own arms having a mind of their own as they wrapped protectively around her back, "It was great, Peach, I'm not really a dinner date kinda person, you know?"

The girl pulled back enough to fully look at him with her smile, the one that made Billy want to kiss her right then and there. He didn't though, because her small giggle stopped his thoughts like a red light, "Me neither."

PART THREE

Taglist:

@ilkaeliseb  @florenceivy @annas-unicorun @astro-sweetheart

Want to be tagged? Just send in an ask!

[fatewild]

there’s quite a few characters on my page, so here’s a comprehensive list of my original characters with bad short summaries:

unaffiliated

shiri madrala,  wood elf druid. can be mean because she only knows how to talk to plants and snails. her first time out of her woodland ended up with getting a strange parasite, so she gets a bit defensive. wants to be able to turn into a stone golem.

tomcat,  faerie changeling sorcerer. pink disaster. used to be a slave to a witch who was stealing his magic and gave him permanent scars. despite that, he’s a sweetheart and a clingy optimist. can’t read, but can draw really well. has sunlight powers.

charis fray,  tiefling wizard. pink disaster 2.0. used to be a princess locked in a tower, and raised by a wailing wraith, hence why she can can be a little deranged at times. learned illusion magic from books inside the tower and is on a quest to learn more.

vesper ‘vale’ vallen’as,  3/4 elf cleric. professional curse breaker, secretly an author of erotic novels under a pen name. comes from a long line that originated from celestial bloodline, but basically left to live alone in his woodland home for years and years. has social skills of a wooden stick.

ginny montague,  human wizard. your friendly neighbourhood necromancer. comes from a happy family that lived by a graveyard, hence why her expertise is what it is. used to be bullied as a kid, but grew not to care. wants to become a dead people’s lawyer.

jinho,  half-elf monk. with a dash of sorcerer. the grumpiest doctor you’ll ever meet. it’s very easy to read him, so he’s not very mysterious. he died and got resurrected by his brother, who gave up his life, so he’s been accused of killing the only person he actually liked.

roberta silkwater,  halfling warlock. local housewife makes pact with a sea hag to save her son, has a year to live before her soul is consumed and body overtaken by said fiend. may or may not have the hag’s voice inside her head at all times.

dustin the just,  human fighter. formerly a noble, got disowned after he protected people they didn’t want to protect. currently sword for hire, a bit oblivious, easygoing. lights torches for other adventures and often tends to befriend monsters instead of killing them.

crime clan

morwen shask,  elven blooded half-orc rogue. equivalent to fantasy millennial. works as a waiter and bartender during the day, professional thief during the night. a really chill, but firm guy, who has big, warm hands and fairly attractive looks. is currently looking for his sister.

jade / mya oriseis,  elven blooded half orc sea cleric. runaway from home, formerly a pirate captain before a mutiny occurred and she was killed at sea along with her husband. resurrected by an enemy to the god she used to serve, currently amnesiac.

wren oriseis / wu haoran,  half-elf bard. adoptive favourite child, certified eldest sister. businesswoman first, performer second. runs an inn and a spy network, taking care of her baby siblings. very passionate about cooking, gordon ramsay style.

immortals

svalin / strife / dalen (originally),  demon / fake deity. formerly a half-elven bard. local bard gets randomly selected for a curse, sets a chain of events where he’s eventually thrown into the abyss, gets turned into a demon because he can’t die and becomes a substitute for a lazy deity at a wishing well.

salazar rust,  ghost in a locket, formerly half-drow warlock. former courtesan gets killed and put in a locket, slowly fading into oblivion and forgetting himself. is stuck in an antique shop of an aged gnome with zero trading skills. bored to death (literally).

affiliated

nayan searlas,  human rogue. former prince whose (almost) all family got killed before he ran away. has chronic main character syndrome, but tries to avoid it like a plague. for a while worked for a theatre group as a scenographer, costume designer and stage assistant.

[bellero]

Imagine being the middle child of the Byers family.

Being the quietest in your family.

Only being loud and witty around people you know really well.

Sometimes crashing the guys’ Dungeons And Dragons campaigns.

‘Y/N, fire ball the son of a bitch!’ ‘screw it!’

Also sometimes crashing their arcade game nights.

Beating Dustin’s high-score on Dig Dug.

Him being incredibly salty about it for weeks.

You and Jonathan trading mix-tapes.

Him teaching you about photography.

When you can’t sleep (which is pretty much always) he’ll drive you around until you fall asleep.

Jonathan being protective big bro™️ 

Him almost killing a guy for asking you on a date as a dare.

Instead he puts on your favourite movie and makes your favourite snacks to try and cheer you up.

(He definitely kicks the guys ass the next day)

Will makes you small drawings which you keep in a scrapbook.

Literally it’s overflowing with little doodles he drew for you.

Being protective big sis™️

Him calling you his personal body guard.

Waking you up if he has a nightmare.

You make him some hot chocolate and sit in his room until he falls back asleep.

Joyce or Jonathan sometimes finding you sleeping on the chair by his desk most mornings.

You and Joyce are incredibly close.

You being able to tell her anything and everything.

Joyce being the first to find out that you really enjoy poetry.

And that you’re really good at writing.. like ridiculously good.

She buys you a huge journal and pens for you to write with.

Showing her your poetry after finishing it.

Her always hugging you after reading and saying how talented you are.

Having movie nights whenever the boys are out.

Finding out El is still alive after you see her wandering around town.

Taking her back to Hopper’s.

Promising over and over again that you won’t tell anyone about her.

Spending a lot of your free time with them both, mainly so you can tutor her.

El finds your poetry journal in your bag and asks you to read some for her.

‘good’ ‘hmm?’ ‘it’s good’

Teaching her how to cook different food.

‘Ellie, you can’t live on Eggo’s for the rest of your life’ ‘why not?’ ‘you just can’t’

Scolding Hop for yelling at her.

You comforting her when he did.

Teaching her how to read.

Giving her different novels to practice reading with.

Eventually teaching her how to write as well.

Hopper being continuously grateful for your help.

Them becoming your second family.

Hey look, my first head canon woop!!

my requests are open so please request things xox

Forever Tags-

@winchesters-favorite-girl @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish @keira-willow @1amluke @max-peralta @fabulouslycassie @intimeandspacewithyou @bluecookiesandbooks@deathtonormalcy56 @jensen-jarpad  @gogomez-509 @amayzing-mayzie@sassy-specter @nickie-amore @assbutt-still-in-hell@thecaptainamerica16 @alittlerosebud @internationalmusicteacher @rosie-winchester

[unbroken-imagines]

Freedom

Pairing: Deviant!Ashley x Reader

Requested by: Anonymous

Request: Imagine the Deviant being released from FEAR and coming home to meet your son for the first time

Ashley watched as they escorted Andy away, this was it, they lost. F.E.A.R. won. He’d be executed after. The unspoken agreement between the five of them that he would be the next leader if something happened to the Prophet.

“Ash…” He turned to glare at Jinxx, they never called each other by name, their loved ones could easily be found out if that happened.

“What?” He questioned, leaning again the back wall of his cell, picking at his nails. F.E.A.R. had stripped them of their leather, attempted to remove their tattoos to no success. He felt naked not having his leather on him, he was starting to hate the colour white. So plain and ‘pure’ he rolled his eyes at the notion that white was the symbol of purity and love.

“Were you able to see them before they got us?” Jinxx asked quietly.

“No, they got me when I was on my way to the medical tent.” Ashely frowned, his love had gone into labour when he was scouting, he was notified by a Legion member and without taking the proper precautions and having someone take over his position he quickly ran off to not miss the birth of his child. He blamed himself for their capture. If he hadn’t have left his post he would've noticed the guards and taking the proper measures to keep camp hidden.

“I know you blame yourself Dev.” Jake spoke up, using a shortened version of Ashley’s Wild One title, Ashley had a quiet enough life before joining the Wild Ones and changed his appearance enough that he was still the only one that F.E.A.R. hadn’t found the true identity for yet and he was grateful for that.

“I left my post, I didn't get a proper replacement. I disregarded the protocols I designed.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“You think they’ve done it yet.” CC spoke up, saying what was on all their minds, wondering if their beloved leader and brother had left the world yet.

“The lights would've flickered if they did it, the chair takes a significant amount of power.” Jinxx said, snapping his fingers and watching a small flame dance on his thumb.

The 4 of them looked up when they heard the door to their cell block open and Andy walk in, out of his shackles.

“Proph, what the hell?” CC asked in shock.

“Hacker did it.” Andy smirked, “the citizens are free and we’re free as well, let’s get out of here.”

“Please.” Ashley begged, wanting to get out of the cell and prison garb as soon as possible.

The rest of the Wild Ones were quickly released from their cells by guards and lead to where their personal possessions were held. They all quickly changed back into their leather. Ashely grinning as he slid his vest back on and combed his hair to the side, tying a bandana around his head and pulling on his cowboy boots.

“Looking good Dev.” Jake laughed seeing that Ashley was the quickest to change, out of the five of them he was clearly the one who hated the prison uniform the most.

“Feeling good Mor.” Ashely smirked at him.

The Wild Ones were escorted into the middle of the desert by guards before telling them to let them off, they could walk the rest of the way. Despite the population being freed from F.E.A.R.s control they still didn't trust it entirely.

Ashely was the head of the five of them as they started the hike to their second base camp. “Ready to see your child Ash?” Andy questioned, keeping pace with the very determined father.

“More then ready.” He breathed, “And y/n, fuck I’ve missed her.” He sighed, pulling at his arm wrap. “I feel like shit leaving her to raise them by herself.”

“You can’t really call getting captured your fault Ash.” Jinxx said, having to jog to keep pace with Andy and Ashely.

“Still, I promised her I’d be there to help her.” Ashely rolled his eyes, mind going to y/n. Legally they were just dating, but he remembered the small wedding ceremony that the Legion had performed for y/n and him, they didn't have rings. They couldn't have any indication that they were so much more than a dating couple. Ashley was one of F.E.A.R.s most wanted, they couldn't know he had a partner that he’d do anything for.

“Don’t feel too guilt Ash, I’m pretty sure the Legion helped her, wouldn't want the Deviant’s wife to suffer.” Jake said.

“They wouldn't help her just because she’s with me. She’s first and foremost a member of the Legion, they’re her family and that’s why they’ll help her.” Ashley said, remembering when he first met y/n. One of the most vocal and passionate members of the Legion, the most caring for other members who lost loved ones and friends during raids and battles. That’s what he loved about her, she understood that she was in a weird position being a partner to one of their leaders but also a member of the Legion, she made sure no one treated her differently in the Legion, and that Ashley didn't grant her favouritism, or treat her any differently than other Legion member during battle planning and during raids. He only became more protective when she told him of her pregnancy. He couldn't risk the life of his child, he hated making her stay back and help with the medical team as she was always on the front lines and one of their toughest warriors, but she understood. For the sake of the life she was carrying, she took a back seat from the fighting and started learning new skills from the medical team.

“THEY’RE BACK!!” He was drawn from his thoughts when he heard shouts. Looking up he saw members of the Legion running up to greet him and the guys. He smiled seeing them, and more behind them, even in their absence the Legion kept the fight alive and kept bringing in new members so support the cause.

“How’s y/n and the baby?” He questioned immediately.

“Both doing really well. They’re in the main structure.” One of their lead medics informed Ashley.

“Thank you.” He smiled gratefully starting to make his way to the centre of camp and entering the small rotting, but reenforced structure that he and the guys lived in since they were the heads of the Legion.

“Y/n?” He called out softly, not wanting to risk waking his child if they were down of a nap.

“Oh my god Ashely!” He was instantly greeting with a hug, y/n clinging onto him, he responded the same way, wrapping his arms around her and burring his face in her hair, breathing in her scent.

“I’m back, and they’re never going to get me again.” He said, promising her that.

“I was so fucking scared, I knew you guys had a plan to destroy F.E.A.R. from the inside but Andy was literally seconds away from dying, I saw it being broadcasted.” She said face still in his chest.

“We did it, that’s all that matters.” Ashely said, running his fingers through her hair and kissing her forehead.

“How’s the little one?” he asked softly, he still had no ideal whether he had a son or a daughter.

“He’s doing amazing, but he can’t wait to meet his daddy.” y/n smiled, kissing Ashely with force and passion, Ashely responded the same way, having craved her lips for months, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.

“I can’t wait to meet him too.” Ashely spoke softly as he pulled away from the kiss. She grinned, grabbing his hand and leading him to the back of his two room space, where a small crib was set up. Ashley’s heart melted the instant he saw his son. It was real, he was a father, and his son was beautiful, already a full head of dark brown hair, pale skin that was almost see through on some places in his body.

“He’s beautiful.” Ashely breathed staring down as his son.

“His name is Dustin, English origin. It means warrior.” y/n smiled, she was so relieved now that Ashely was back and he got to meet their son. She was terrified when she was notified after she gave birth that Ashley and the rest of the Wild Ones had been captured, even more terrified when Andy’s execution was announced because she knew that because Ashley was Andy’s second in command, he’d be the next in the chair.

“Perfect for him.” Ashely grinned. Ashely’s happiness quickly erased her dark thoughts, she had him back now, their family was whole again and they could continue on their fight to rid the world of F.E.A.R.

It was at this time Dustin decided to wake up, his chocolate brown eyes opening and staring up at Ashely, the small infant obviously confused by this new stranger. Y/n winced, knowing Dustin was horrible to new people, even if they were the medical staff present at his birth, he was a fussy baby and very particular about who held him.

“Hi baby boy.” Ashely’s voice was soft and kind, and had an edge to it that y/n had never heard before.

“I’m so happy to finally meet you.” He continued to coo his son, gently lifting him out of the crib and holding him close. “I’ve waited so long to see you, I bet mommy’s been taking good care of you, but daddy’s now here to help and I promise I’m never going to let anything happen to you or your mommy okay?” He asked his son who just gurgled in response. Y/n couldn't help but smile seeing father and son interact, their little family was finally complete, and nothing would tear them apart again.

She was torn from her thoughts when the rest of the guys barged in, wanting to meet their nephew, all crowding Ashley and Dustin. Y/n rolled her eyes with a smile, Dustin was going to grow up being the most protected child in the Legion and she couldn't complain about that.

[pendragonfics]

Family

Paring: Jim Hopper/Reader

Tags: female reader, adopted children, family dynamics, journalism, domestic fluff, spoilers for Stranger Things 2.

Summary: Sometimes, family isn’t nuclear, with the happy little American love story where it’s all good and well. Family is two adults who found each other in their times of need, and a miracle child.

Word Count: 2,355

Current Date: 2017-11-03

It’s dark when he comes home, but you’re awake. You’ve been awake for almost fifteen hours, and despite sore eyes, an aching headache, and sore limbs, you’re sitting up, to see the door open, and close very slowly. To see the way Jim takes off his shoes, peels off his socks, puts his hat upon the rack by the window. He looks as tired as you feel – in the moonlight through the window, you can see the lines above his eyebrows, beside his eyes.

Jim’s barefoot and stifling a yawn, working on undoing the buttons on his uniform. You watch as he walks toward you in the kitchenette, but as he turns the paraffin lamp, he jumps a little, but still quiet. You’re sitting on the bench, beside the sink, legs dangling like a novelty made-at-home dolly, wearing one of Hopper’s holey old shirts and boxers.

“You scared me,” he says, low, quiet. “What are you doing up so late?”

You shrug, gesturing to the cup of tea growing cold beside you. “Story came to me, couldn’t stop, and then couldn’t sleep.” You take a sip from your cold tea, and wince, “Why are you home so late?”

There could be a myriad of answers. Kids egged a house down on an avenue in town – perhaps he’d helped an elderly lady at the grocery store pack her bags into her late husband’s station wagon, maybe the paperwork wasn’t done on time and Flo stopped him until it was completed. But there wasn’t any egg on his wrinkled uniform, nor groceries in his arms, or ink on his hand.

“Found a kid walking around town, all alone. Drove them home.” His smile wan, he moved past you, flicking the stove on heat up the soup you made earlier for yourself and El. “Flo wanted to know how the story’s coming along.”

You make a noise. “Slow. Be better if I didn’t screw up my last typewriter.” You hummed, showing your hands to your boyfriend, hands that were covered in pen scratches and ink transferred from the paper.

“________, those things don’t come cheap,” he mutters, taking his dinner from the fridge, shoving it in the microwave.

“Ellie went to bed happily again.” You change the subject, tapping your bare foot lazily on the cabinets.

Jim raises an eyebrow. “Ellie?” he asks.

You shrug, drawing a knee to your chest, watching as the screen on the magical microwave oven counts down the seconds until it pings! “She doesn’t like me calling her Jane, and you know I feel funny calling her a number. She’s a teenager, Jim, Ellie suits her, I think.” You pause, and sliding down from the countertop, you add, “She was kind of bummed she didn’t get a goodnight kiss from her dad.”

The clock on the wall clicks over to the new hour, reading the hour that the witches come out to play. Or at least, that’s what your mother used to tell you back home in Boston, before the split as a child when your dad moved you to Hawkins.

“She called me Dad?” Jim asks, just as the sausages and gravy are ready.

You nod. “Right before nodding off. Said she missed your scratchy kisses.” You grin, eyes scrunching up like there’s no greater happiness in the world than seeing the person you love described so simply. “I missed your scratchy kisses too.”

Jim takes his meal to the table, smiling to himself. You stand there in the kitchen, still, swaying. It’s almost like you’re caught between being awake, and overtired, or perhaps you’re imitating a ghost caught between this world and the one beside it, swaying in the breeze of life. But you snap out of your moment when Jim’s fork clanks against the table, and carrying the paraffin lamp to the table, you sit opposite, silent.

While you’re not as important in your workplace as Jim; you’re just a journalist at the local newspaper, writing the little things that happen around the place. The editor in chief had a ‘real’ writer for the larger stories, saying you were second rate because you were more creative, and wrote things that weren’t real (or maybe because you were a woman). One day you’ll be published, a shiny hardcover in the hands of the nation – but until then, you wrote about the effects of the weather on chicken farming in the outer-regions of Hawkins.

It was a strange paring, your father said – you, and Jim. The divorced recluse of a police chief, and the daydreaming old maid who wrote. But you hadn’t talked to him in ten years, so what he thought didn’t matter to you. You weren’t that old. Thirty-five was just a number. Hopper insisted you were young – but then again, he’d gone to hell and back, fought in the war, lost his first family. He thought he was as old as the mountains themselves, and at the best of times (as well as the worst) doubted why you loved him as much as you did.

“________, you’ve got the thousand-mile stare.” Jim hums, and you’re brought back to the moment, instead of inside your head. He glances to his dinner, almost all eaten, and says, “What about you head to bed, and I follow?”

You nod, too tired to speak. But when your head hits the pillow, you’re gone, consumed by sleep’s touch.

---

You’re standing before the mirror on the basin, hairbrush in hand. Except, it’s not your hairbrush, and you’re not checking out your reflection in the mirror. Instead, you’re carefully carding the tines through your adoptive daughter’s hair, trying to get her in the habit of brushing her unruly locks. El’s face is composed of unadulterated joy, eyes bright, mouth stretched wide with excitement.

“Big day today,” you say, running your fingers through the last bit, untangling a knot the size of your thumbnail. “First day of school.”

She bounces on the balls of her feet at the sound of the word school, meeting your eyes in the mirror. When you first met El, she’d acted all shy like a woodland creature, then, after time went on, moody like a storm about to break. That was before all the commotion with the Hawkins lab and the passing of Mr. Newby. Now she’s sunshine in a bottle, threatening to explode.

“What was your…favourite?” she asks, selecting the right words.

You beam. “I loved the library. They have books on everything there.” You fluff out her head of curls with both hands, the hairbrush tucked under your arm, and add, “But my favourite class was where we read the books.” You peer out of the bathroom, seeing where Jim is lacing his boots, a piece of toast between his teeth as he rushes out the door, “Your dad liked it more in gym.” You remember the way he looked back in high school in the uniform, and you chuckle.

“Gym?” El asks. “Mike said it’s hard.”

You shake your head. “You’re not Mike, though, are you?” You ask her, and moving before her, you kneel, pushing the hair from her eyes away, you add, “Hey, Ellie,” you see your reflection in her eyes, a hesitant smile now on her lips. “You’ve got this.”

“I’ve got this.” She repeats.

“Okay, time to go!” Jim calls out from the other room. At this, El runs around you, her new overalls sliding down her legs, curls bouncing. “________, have you got the keys?”

“Yeah!” you exclaim, jangling them from your pocket. “Have you got Ellie’s bag?”

“I’ve got it!” She shouts, the sound of the sheriff’s wagon door slamming followed suit. You’re almost out of the door, and from the backseat, El makes the horn toot and hollers out the open window, “C’mon! I don’t want to be late!”

She’s not late – in fact, when you two walk her into the administration building with her, she’s run away as her class schedule is handed to her, off to walk to class with Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max and Will. Mr. Clarke stills her running, and from the window in the wall, you see her smile is big, group of friends even bigger.

“Your daughter seems excited to be here, Mr. and Mrs. Hopper,” the older office lady smiles, handing you a copy of El’s class schedule.

You glance to Jim, and he to you, scrambling over your words, until you manage to say, “We’re not – I mean, we’re just –,”

She raises an eyebrow, and goes on to say, “School ends at three, and if we have any trouble, I’ll make sure to get Principle Coleman call.” She smiles once more, and looks at your hand, holding Jim’s, “Are you sure you two aren’t married?”

---

You’re at work, staring at the typewriter that’s screwed to the desk, waiting for the fingers attached to your creative soul to pick up something and translate it to words. But sitting there doesn’t help, and when you return from the coffee machine, you’re face to face with your boss, whose fingers are pawing through your reporter’s journal, eyeing the notes you’ve made over the last six months in its pages.

“Saw you were stuck, ________,” he places your notebook down, the cover thwacking the desk very un-quietly. “You’ve been all over Hawkins, and still, found nothing worth writing about.”

You nod, cradling the cup of hot coffee close to your chest. “That’s right, sir.”

He hums. “Maybe what you need to consider is something a little closer to home?” He asks, and with that, goes off on his way by Debbie the copier for his regular demands of the poor P.A.

You still. Closer to home? You think about how boring your home life is, until you realise how un-boring it is, and inspired, you sit, and over the next four hours of the work day, manage to churn out and edit something that could be read by the people of Hawkins.

---

I grew up alone. I suppose we’re never alone; we have a mother, a father, a community. My parents left each other when I was young, and my father worked nights when I was at school. People didn’t want to be my friend, since I was a loner. I had my books, I had my mind, I had my mind to write the passages for books to come.

When I was at college, my boyfriend was fighting in the end of the Vietnam War. When I was starting at the newspaper, my boyfriend was married to another woman. When I re-met my boyfriend, he had acquired the position of sheriff at Hawkins Police station. He had lost so much in his life, and when we met, not for the first time as gangly teenagers who wanted so much more than what fate would give us, but when we were adults, hardened by life in our own ways, brought into moulds by our own hardships, there was something there. That feeling of loneliness.

This was not a conventional love story. I never wanted to grow up to be in a cul-de-sac, to do what any of my relatives could have done. I am a woman, making decisions for myself, loving a man who can make decisions for himself. And together, we love our girl, who can make decisions very well for herself. Sometimes, family isn’t nuclear, with the happy little American love story where it’s all good and well. Family is two adults who found each other in their times of need, and a miracle child.

You see, together, you are not without hope. You just can’t be – two heads, two hearts are better than just one. Since this we have solved mysteries buried deep beneath the dirt under Hawkins, Indiana, and found something that wasn’t loneliness to bond ourselves.

“It’s, uh, pretty feminist,” your boss commented, glancing up from the type-written paper near the end of the working day, “Is this what you’re willing to submit?”

You nod.

“It’ll be printed for tomorrow.” He slides it into his pile, extinguishing a cigarette in a cup on his desk. “Keep an eye out, ________.”

---

You’re waking up slowly, gently, when there’s what feels like an earthquake. But no, there isn’t another disaster falling over Hawkins – instead, it’s El, bouncing on the bed, wearing the Star Wars t-shirt that you bought her when you took her to see Return of the Jedi. In her hands is a crumpled newspaper, scrunched by her hands. You glance beside you, to see what Jim makes of this morning tyranny, but he’s not beside you, snoring as usual. Instead, he’s behind El, watching the both of you.

“What is this, a bouncy house?” you ask, pushing yourself up from the covers. “What’s the news, Ellie?”

Her grin widens. “You’re famous, Mom!”

You’re caught on the word famous, and peering forward to see what your daughter has, you almost miss the word mom and you feel overwhelmed. But then you see on the newspaper page caught between El’s pre-teen fingers your name, and beneath it, your words. You feel faint suddenly, even though you’ve been awake for all of two minutes, and let out a breathy laugh.

“I’m famous?” you ask, pretending to peer closer at the page, and instead, take El in your arms, and tackle her to the bed. “How about I’m the luckiest lady in all of Hawkins!” you laugh, tickling your daughter’s side. She squirms, laughing, and from the doorway, so does Jim. “Come on, let’s have a big family hug.”

El laughs, and before you know it, you’re all sitting on the bed, cuddled up like you’re hiding from a snowstorm, but instead of it being bad, you’re all in a fit of laughter. When El excuses herself to call Mike on the walkie-talkie, Jim leans into your ear, whispering, “You have no idea how much I love you both.”

You raise a brow at that, replying, “I’m pretty sure you do, Chief.” You kiss his cheek, and glancing to the door, where El could appear any second, and murmur, “She called me Mom!”

[wantisamlindyla]

Your Ghost - Chapter 1

New York, 1999.

He wanted her to live again, even if she could only come back to him through the pages of a book. 

A/N: Hi all. I’ve been sitting on this for a while I finally decided to post the first chapter.  I have a rough outline but I don’t know how many chapters there are going to be, maybe 6? This is AU, Mileven, takes place 15 years after Eleven disappeared. Most of season 2 still happened, but there was no Mike/Eleven Reunion at the end of episode 8. Will eventually post on Ao3, but I dunno when I’m gonna get my invite to set up an account. Enjoy!

28 October 1999

 “Ladies and gentlemen thank you for coming here today. There will be a book signing of this amazing book after this session. Now, the reason for why we are all here today, and why some of you have been lining up outside the venue all night, is currently backstage, waiting patiently for me to stop nerding out and pull myself together to introduce him!

 After publishing his first novel and topping the New York bestseller’s list at only the age of 23, he is here tonight to talk about his newest novel, titled the Ides of Winter, and the third book in the world famous Montauk series. Everybody, please join me in welcoming to the stage, Michael Wheeler!”

***

It was one month and 17 days into the book tour. Mike had one more stop in New York before he could call it a day and go home.

He was so goddamned tired, he still had several book signings, an interview with the New Yorker (with that pretentious prig, Howell), a TV appearance on the Today Show, and, a few radio interviews, before he can escape back to the Lake house in Lovell, Maine which he now called home.

It’s not all bad news though. New York means seeing Will again for the first time since Christmas.

Not that Mike has completely lost all touch with his old friends, quite on the contrary.  

After graduating from a fine arts course at his brother’s alma mater, NYU, Will had decided to stay in the city. He’d eventually landed an unpaid internship at a small start up animation studio. Now Will split his time travelling back and forth from California to New York as the head character designer on a number of superhero animated cartoons that Mike watched religiously on Saturday mornings.

It wasn’t hard to stay in touch with Will, it was just that this last year had been manic. Mike had barely fit in time for sleep what with working frantically to get his novel finished, having to attend stressful and tense meetings with his editor, forcing himself to return his lawyers’ phone calls about a copyright infringement litigation his publishers had commenced on his behalf, and having to deal with ideas about for the short story anthology he had been working on springing up at the most inconvenient times.

He and Will still managed to talk every other day though, either by telephone or AIM.

Ever since Nancy and Jonathan officially became a couple around Christmas of ‘84, Jonathan and Will became regular dinner guests at the Wheeler residence. He and Will had become almost inseparable, more than anybody in the party.

During his parents’ divorce, which took place during Mike’s sophomore year of high school, with Nancy and Jonathan away at college, Mike spent more and more time at the Byers’ residence, trying to escape the tensions at home, right up until he left for college in ‘89.

At college, Mike made new friends, attended dumb keg parties, dated girls, but he never lost touch with Dustin, Will, Lucas, or Max.

You didn’t help save the end of the world with your friends, twice, and then drift away from them over trivial things like distance and attending different colleges.

In fact, Mike had just met up with Dustin only a few months ago. Dustin had been in Maine for some reason connected with his annoyingly mysterious job.

After Dustin had graduated from MIT he had immediately been recruited by a secretive tech company in California. Dustin couldn’t talk about where he worked or what he did at his job. Whenever people asked him where he worked he’d tell them Cyberdyne Systems with a straight face.

He and Dustin had attended the Phantom Menace premiere together with Dustin’s then-girlfriend, Cindy. The boys had left the movie theatre deflated and heartsore while Cindy had tried valiantly to console them by saying all the wrong things.

Dustin called Mike a few weeks later to inform him that he and Cindy were no longer going out.

“I had to dump her Mike, she said she thought Jar Jar Binks was cute. Also she refused to share her food with me when we went out.”

“So?”

 “So? So? It’s weird. We go out for Italian and I end up having to eat an entire Pepperoni pizza on my own, which I don’t really mind, but then her ravioli looks good too, but she won’t let me have any because she likes us to have our own meals. And don’t even get me started on that time I took her to Wang’s Treasure Palace.” 

Besides those occasional and surprising visits during the year there was always Christmas and New Years at Lucas and Max’s place to look forward to.

Of all of them only Lucas and Max had opted to return to Hawkins. Lucas quit his mechanical engineering job and got a position as an assistant professor, teaching at the community college only after a few years in Chicago. Max got a job as a mechanic at a garage. They bought a house, got married, and got busy starting a family.

Mike smiled at the memory of last year’s Christmas.

He’d practically lived at Lucas and Max’s house the whole time he was there since the picture perfect Wheeler family Christmases that his mom had worked so hard to create during his childhood was now only a distant memory.

Nancy preferred to spend her Christmases in New York with Jonathan and Mrs Byers. The Wheeler home had been sold a few years ago when Holly had left to go to college. Holly preferred to spend her holidays in Chicago with her boyfriend’s family.

His mom was away on another cruise, and, his dad was busy with wife number two.

So, Mike spent his Christmas and News Years at the Sinclairs. He’d taught their three-year-old son, Robbie, how to build a snowman. He conducted a twelve-hour D & D Campaign, pelted Dustin with snowballs, watched a pregnant Max eat all the ice-cream and listened to her complain about how gassy pregnancy made her, watched a star wars marathon and gorged on pizza on Christmas day (just because Max was the only girl in the party did not mean that she would be cooking and cleaning for four man-child wastoids who liked to mooch off her and Lucas).  

Mike considered a detour to Hawkins for a visit after New York so he could meet the newest addition to the Sinclair family, baby Grace, who was about to turn 6 months old. He decided to bring it up with Will tonight at dinner.

Mike pulled himself back to the present and to the interviewer who was introducing him to her broadcast audience.  

“You’re listening to Terry Gross on Fresh Air. Joining us today is Michael Wheeler, author of the best selling book series, Montauk. The series is set in the 60s, in the small town of Montauk in upstate New York, the town is haunted by the misdeeds of its occupants.

The main protagonist is Millie, a brave young girl, with a few secrets of her own.

When Millie’s best friend, Noah, goes missing in mysterious and sinister circumstances, she sets out on a journey into the woods near the town to find him. The first two books in the series have already sold over 80 million copies worldwide and a movie adaptation of the first novel is currently in the works. The third book in the series, Ides of Winter, was released recently.

Michael was only 23 when the first novel in the series was published. He was awarded the Hugo Award for best new author in ‘95 and he has been named one of Time’s most influential people of the year. Michael thank you so much for joining us today.”

“Of course, thank you for having me.”

Terry was one of the best interviewers Mike had the pleasure of meeting. Her soft spoken and inquisitive questions put him immediately at ease, so much so that so he almost forgot he was being interviewed on radio.

He didn’t forget to lie though.

When Terry asked him about where he’d drawn inspiration from for his twelve-year-old girl protagonist, he told her Millie was a blend of himself and the two sisters whom he’d grown up with.

When Terry asked him what drew him to the supernatural and horror themes prevalent in his novels, he only talked about the books and authors he’d read growing up.

“Michael, my favourite chapter of your second novel is the Cave of Horrors. I’m sure you get that a lot. I just wanted to ask you about that chapter, because it’s pivotal, its when Millie comes to believe that she may have truly lost her friend forever, and you write so well about grief, and loss, and the trauma associated with that at such a young age. I guess what I wonder is, was this kind of loss something you had experience with?”

Mike pauses for a long moment.

He doesn’t know what it was, perhaps it’s the kindness in Terry’s voice.

Maybe it was the year he’d just had, it’d been especially difficult.  

Maybe it was the tour.

Maybe it was the thought of that big empty lake house waiting for him at the end of the tour.

Maybe he’s just so tired of the lies and the bullshit. He didn’t really even understand why he still did it; it’s as natural as breathing, but its been almost 15 years. All the men who could punish him or his friends for saying the wrong thing are long gone.

He doesn’t know why or what it is, but all of a sudden his chest feels as if it’s been cracked wide open and its like everyone can see the wound inside him, vulnerable and raw as the day it happened. He wants to tell the world about her, he wants to scream it from the top of the Empire State Building.

He’s twelve years old again, he can smell the tang of blood and the smoke of ashes that had never touched fire. He can hear the violent and desperate screams of a dying creature ringing in his ears and in between darkness and the flickering fluorescent lights, he sees her eyes, tired, resigned, and filled with pain.

Goodbye Mike.

He wanted her to live again, even if she could only come back to him through the pages of a book.

So he’d saved her the only way he knew how. She came back to life by people reading his book, by growing to love and adore Millie, the brave and wonderful girl that would face monsters and death in order to save her friends.

“I….I lost a friend when I was a kid Terry. I don’t really speak about it often. But the way that it happened….it was violent and sudden. I don’t think I was able to come to grips with it for many years. It’s hard to admit sometimes, I think I lie to myself about it, but so much of her is in my writing.”

Terry nodded thoughtfully even though though the gesture won’t be captured by the microphone.

“Did writing help you with dealing with that loss?”

Mike answered honestly, “I don’t know. Some days I think it’s made it worse, because she’s with me, everyday. I live and breathe the loss of her in work. But its just become inseparable from me, the pain. I think it’s just like an arm, or a leg. You heal, but you’re not ever the same. And you never really forget what you lost.” 

[easyhairstylesbest]

Elle Fanning Says Catherine and Peter's Relationship Gets 'Way More Twisted' in 'The Great' Season 2

Spoilers for Hulu’s The Great, below.

My rapturous two-day binge of Hulu’s The Great was immediately followed by the sinking feeling that a second season could be years away. The series, which stars Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great and Nicholas Hoult as Peter III, is the chaotic, violent, sensual, unhinged relative of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite. Tony McNamara, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind the latter, previously hadn’t confirmed his latest show would extend beyond its 10 delicious episodes.

But, huzzah, Hulu confirmed that a second season of The Great is on the way. Ahead, everything we know about the status of season 2—and a case for why The Great deserves one.

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A second season has been confirmed.

The show tells a revisionist history of the 18th-century Russian rulers’ rocky marriage, and it was initially reported as a limited series. But by the end of the finale, the Empress has only sampled her first taste of power. “This season doesn’t end the way you think it’s going to end,” Fanning admitted to Entertainment Tonight. “[Tony]’s definitely thinking about [season 2]. He has some idea.” Luckily, Hulu confirmed that Catherine and co. will return for a second 10-episode installment.

Both of the show’s lead actors previously teased their involvement with another season. Without divulging details, Fanning previously confirmed to ET: “If they wanted to do it, I would do it right away.” It also seemed that Hoult was already involved. Variety reported the actor exited the upcoming seventh Mission Impossible movie because filming “overlapped with the production of season 2 of The Great.”

All the main cast members will likely return—with one major exception.

For a show full of bloodshed, the central characters remain alive at the end of season 1. Those likely to return include Fanning as Catherine, Hoult as Peter, Phoebe Fox as Catherine’s maid Marial, Sacha Dhawan as bureaucrat Orlov, Adam Godley as religious advisor Archie, Gwilym Lee as Peter’s right-hand man Grigor Dymov, Charity Wakefield as Peter’s frequent mistress Georgina, Belinda Bromilow as the colorful Aunt Elizabeth, and Douglas Hodge as General Velementov. However, Catherine’s lover Leo (Sebastian De Souza) may have met his death. (Though we don’t see his demise onscreen, so anything is possible.)

Ollie Upton

The first season ends with a heartbreaking cliffhanger.

The Great‘s finale follows Catherine on her 20th birthday. As a present to herself, she decides to toss aside her meticulous months of planning by making a last-minute decision to kill Peter that day. Meanwhile, Peter is grappling with the fact that he may actually love his wife, and is determined to get her to say it back to him by day’s end.

In other events, Aunt Elizabeth realizes Catherine’s plans to overthrow Peter. While distressed, she doesn’t rat her out to the Emperor. “Most women die with an unsaid better idea in their hearts,” she concludes. General Velementov prematurely begins the coup, soldiers in tow. Plus, Orlo and Archie physically fight each other for power.

Ollie Upton

Catherine’s plans to eliminate Peter are complicated by his birthday gift to her—a visit from her idol, Voltaire (Dustin Demri-Burns). “You are the oddest of creatures,” she tells her husband afterwards. “Cruel and thoughtless, tender, entertaining, and bizarre—I’m fond of you. In some ways, you break my heart.” When Catherine lunges forward with a knife to kill Peter, he misinterprets her coup attempt as foreplay. But that confusion is set right when Marial tells Peter of his wife’s plan—and reveals Catherine is pregnant with his heir.

In the end, it’s a love story—his for her and hers for Russia. As Peter holds a knife to Catherine’s throat, they bargain about the fate of the country and their relationship. “You love me and you love Paul,” she says, naming their unborn child in an attempt to win his sympathy. “You won’t kill us.” Peter won’t, but he will ask that Catherine end the coup or lose Leo, her assigned companion turned real-life lover. After consulting Voltaire, Catherine sacrifices Leo for the sake of her adopted country. Catherine and Peter are bonded by mutual delusions—his that she will fall in love with him, hers that he’ll allow her to rule.

Ollie Upton

There’s much more of Catherine the Great’s story to explore.

From the beginning, The Great does not purport to be a historically accurate retelling of Catherine the Great’s life. A title card at the beginning of each episode reads “*an occasionally true story.” Based on McNamara’s 2008 play of the same name, The Great is the kind of period piece where every character inexplicably speaks in a British accent.

But despite the creative liberties (Catherine was 14 when she married Peter, not 19, and she lived with him for decades before staging her coup, not six months), there’s still much to her story. For one, Catherine didn’t rise to power until after the birth of her son Paul, a storyline teased in the finale. And she reigned for 34 years, so there’s a lot of content to dig into.

Ollie Upton

Executive producer Marian Macgowan said they had mapped out several seasons of the show. “We initially pitched six seasons. So we believe there’s sufficient material to take us through until she is an old woman,” Macgowan told Decider. When Fanning was asked about the timeline for season 2 by Entertainment Weekly, she confirmed it would pick-up with the characters at a similar age. (No The Crown casting changes here.)

In an interview with Deadline, published after Fanning picked up a Golden Globe nomination for her performance, she declined to reveal much about the second season, but did stress her relationship with Peter will shift. “Catherine, I feel, has a real soft spot for [Peter], which gets to be explored,” she said. “Their relationship gets way more twisted. So we have a lot working together.”

It’ll likely be years before season 2 of The Great hits the screen.

Before opening your stash of macaroons and breaking glasses, we must remember the state of the world. It will likely take more than a year before we get our promised second season. The first was ordered in February 2019 and didn’t debut until May 2020. Plus, nearly every film or TV production is delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ollie Upton

Until then, we’ll just rewatch Catherine teaching Peter how to say touché.

Stream season 1 of The Great now.

Sign up for Hulu here or as part of the Disney+ bundle here.

Savannah Walsh Editorial Fellow Savannah Walsh is an Editorial Fellow at ELLE.com.

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Elle Fanning Says Catherine and Peter's Relationship Gets 'Way More Twisted' in 'The Great' Season 2