#i bought mike and hopper

[gamma-ghoul]

I'm so tempted to do a meta-analysis on how Stancy and Byler actually do parallel each other.

I found a scene in season one that does this when Mike and Nancy talk about El.

Nancy thought Mike was acting weird because of Will, and Mike thought Nancy was acting weird because of Steve.

And then they ask each other if they like Jonathan or El now, and then the two deny it.

And then by the end of season 2 both Mileven and Jancy are canon.

And then, in season 4, Mileven and Jancy start to have issues in their respective relationships and an alternative starts to creep up...

Honestly, though, you can find narrative parallels all over the series to support whatever ship you like.

[clioerato]

The Language of Steve Harrington’s Feelings

After everything — the underground base, the torture, the screaming, the bloody teeth, another concussion, and that awful, bleach-heavy smell that lingered in memory — Steve started learning Russian. Just… because. Because when you survive torture, when no one understands the words you’re screaming, you simply want to be able to speak.

And to be understood. Or not understood — that too.

He studied from old textbooks. Ordered cassettes and grammar guides, repeating harsh, growling words until they turned into honey and milk on his tongue. He scribbled awkward letters that, over time, became a graceful Cyrillic flow.

Steve didn’t tell anyone. Not Robin, not Nancy, not even Dustin. There weren’t any Russian language experts in Hawkins, and no real reason to speak it, so it was easy to keep his little hobby tucked away at home. He didn’t even use the local library — just occasionally bought books with his father’s money. (He secretly hoped some government official would start wondering why John Harrington suddenly took an interest in the USSR. But that, of course, belonged more to the realm of unlikely fantasies.)

Two years passed, and it became a habit.

He’d start thinking in Russian when he wanted to hide from his own thoughts. And speaking it — quietly, when no one was around. Or even when they were, but couldn’t understand.

One day he saw Nancy and Jonathan in the park. They were laughing. Holding hands. Jonathan had that rare look of confidence on his face, and Nancy… she had a softness in her smile, a gentleness in her eyes. Their happiness scorched Steve with quiet bitterness. He didn’t love Nancy anymore — not in that way — and he loved Jonathan, if anything, like a friend. But his feelings almost lifted its heavy head and made him whisper:

"Я завидую тебе. Мне до сих пор больно из-за того, что ты сделала тогда со мной на вечеринке" (“I envy you. It still hurts, what you did to me at that party.”)

And no one understood. And that was… a relief.

From then on, Russian became his emotional purge. He’d whisper, "Если бы ты только знал, как я устал" (“If only you knew how tired I am,”) when Mike begged for a ride even after two shifts and three sleepless nights. Of course, Steve would still pick him up. He’d mutter "Придурок" (“dumb-ass”) in Russian to particularly rude customers at Family Video and smile broadly when Robin wasn’t on shift. His father, in the private corridors of Steve’s thoughts, was officially renamed “Сэр мудозвон” ("Sir fuck-nugget") Russian swearing hit just as hard as drugs.

And then… there was Eddie.

Eddie became something like a permanent hallucination. Always there. Loud, alive, real. And that… was dangerous.

Steve, who had long stopped feeling in English, stumbled one day in a Russian-English dictionary on the word "любовь" (love), and froze.

Nothing changed in the way he behaved, but his vocabulary shifted.

Sometimes, when Eddie sat beside him, loudly sipping soda, feet kicked up on the table, calling Steve pretty boy, Steve would turn away and whisper:

“Отвяжись, я тебя умоляю!

Вечер страшен, гул жизни затих.

Я беспомощен. Я умираю

от слепых наплываний твоих.” (Набоков)

(“Leave me alone, I’m begging you. The night is terrifying, the hum of life is still. I’m helpless. I am dying from your blind surging will.” (Nabokov))*

Or he’d murmur:

"Я бы хотел, чтобы ты знал" (“I wish you knew.”)

It all came out by accident.

Summer. A quiet evening. The Party threw a backyard bash — barbecue, lemonade, beer for the grown-ups, sunscreen in the air, fireflies. Everyone had gone. Nancy and Robin, freshly licensed, had dropped the kids off. Only Steve, Eddie, and Hopper remained — the latter fiddling with the Jeep, not in any hurry.

Steve was tired — the kids had been extra energetic, and sleep had been a stranger lately. Slightly drunk, which was rare, but Hopper had promised them a ride home. Disheveled.

He watched Eddie walk toward the woods with his guitar, and without thinking, not even loud enough to be heard, he said:

"Я люблю тебя. Ты же никогда не узнаешь, да?" (“I love you. You’ll never know, will you?”)

Nothing happened.

The world didn’t explode. No cicadas stopped singing.Hopper sighed, slammed the hood of the Jeep, and called them over.

Nothing happened. But before he dropped Steve off, Hopper said quietly:

"Знаешь, парень… ему ты можешь это сказать и на английском." (“You know, kid… you could tell him. In English.”)

Steve froze. Turned his head. Hopper was looking at him — not judging, just calm. Understanding.

Steve lowered his gaze.

“I didn’t want anyone to know. It’s easier that way. I… didn’t think you knew Russian.”

“You’re not the only one who had a wild time back in ‘84,” Hopper replied with a shrug. “I don’t know much — just the basics. But "Привет" (‘hello,’) "Пока" (‘goodbye,’) "Сдавайся!" (‘give up the fight’) and "Я люблю тебя" (‘I love you’) I can still recognize. And listen, Steve… that’s your choice. But him? You can definitely tell him.”

Steve nodded. Said nothing. Just turned away.

Hopper watches them for another month. He doesn’t look at Steve—Steve is already clear to him. He watches Eddie. Watches how Eddie smiles only at Steve. How he jokes a little too nervously, as if afraid of how Steve might react. How he leans toward Steve more than toward anyone else.

That’s all Hopper needs. One day, he catches Eddie by the trailer park and hands him a battered book, a creased notebook filled with scribbled notes, and a worn-out cassette tape.

"Hopper? What’s this?" Eddie asks, uncertain, not quite sure how to deal with the former sheriff without a bunch of kids around.

"You’ll find out if you want to find out," Hopper says simply and turns to leave.

Eddie stands in the doorway, holding a Russian language textbook.

—

The next time Steve says " Я люблю тебя" (“I love you”) they’re sitting in his backyard. Summer is in full bloom, and the world feels quiet for once—no monsters, no missions, no kids who need constant supervision. Just sunlight and the sound of cicadas.

Eddie is covered with drop of water and tattoos, halfway through a story about the one inked on his chest.

Steve says it in a whisper “Я люблю тебя.” ("I love you") Soft. Natural. Because he’s used to thinking in Russian when the feelings are too big for English.

He doesn’t even notice the shift at first— Not until Eddie’s face flickers, like something fragile just cracked. Steve’s heart skips. Panic bubbles up. Then— A push to the chest, sudden and strong. Followed by a kiss. Desperate. Breath-stealing. So intense Steve forgets how to breathe.

"...what?" Steve whispers, dazed, still not quite caught up.

"Harrington, you’re a damn mystery." Eddie’s voice is hoarse, a little wild.

"Я люблю тебя тоже" ("I love you too.")**

*It's not really a love poem and damn me, I shouldn't be translating Nabokov. Sorry. **It would be more correct to say "Я тоже тебя люблю" (like “I too love you”), but let's assume that Eddie uses the correct words, but puts the words as in English grammar.

*** It started as the language of pain and ended as the language of love because Steve deserves it.

[autistic-robin]

more dynamics i need to see in st5 for my mental wellbeing

1. el and dustin. that’s it send post. they were genuinely so sweet in season 1 and i miss their mad scientist/test subject vibe immensely. i know el and lucas are going to be paired up this season because of their shared connection (polyamory) to max, but i would love to see more scenes between dustin and el— maybe some lighthearted bonding over their matching leg injuries or daddy issues.

2. mike and robin. i don’t think you understand i need this like i need air. will has already had his gay awakening he doesn’t need a queer life coach!! mike on the other hand is out here in the TRENCHES. this man is down critically horrendously morifyingly BAD for will but is convinced el needs him and that will could never reciprocate his feelings. he needs robin’s gay intuition and advice if anyone does.

3. steve and jonathan. HELLO??? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD HELLO???? i know this is pretty much guaranteed to happen in st5 because full-circle character development and hammering in themes and blah blah blah but i’m still gonna talk about it because listen. steve got his shit rocked by jonathan one (1) time and immediately decided “fuck my idiot friends” developed a moral conscience and SHOWED UP AT HIS HOUSE to apologize. he wasn’t there for nancy he had no idea nancy was there!!! he bought jonathan a new camera!!! he was so respectful of nancy and jon even when nancy dumped his ass a season later!!! yet we never get closure between him and jonathan or even a conversation and i’m PISSED about it. matt and ross duffer rectify this or else.

4. hopper and jonathan and will. you see the vision. these kids have never had a stable father figure who truly understands them (i love bob but he was only there for st2 and was sweet but naive) and everything they’ve been through. jonathan DESPERATELY needs to be de-parentified and released from the emotional burden of constantly putting will and joyce before his own needs and dreams, and hopper desperately needs to feel like he can protect his family instead of “cursing” them. will needs a loving father figure who supports his queer identity, and hopper only had a fire lit under him in s1 when joyce mentioned it could have been a hate crime. this is like textbook recipe for healing and closure for these characters.

5. joyce and karen? i just think it would be neat. we know karen’s getting more involved this season and i think she should get to be a little gay for joyce as a treat. we had crumbs of their dynamic in s1 and on a more sincere note i honestly think joyce could help give karen the courage to leave ted or demand better from him moving forward.

6. nancy and mike. if they don’t have a genuine conversation i’ll actually be fuming raging pulling my hair out. i get it i get that they’re both emotionally repressed but GOD i wish we had more moments with them talking about their trauma or empathizing with each other’s survivor’s guilt and crippling savior complexes. all the “max and mike are the same character in a different font” business is very valid and i agree madwheeler is like ten shots of espresso injected directly into the bloodstream HOWEVER, nancy and mike’s traumas and emotional issues are so so similar please let them talk about it!!!!

7. steve and robin???? please for the love of god????? literally what the fuck was happening in s4 they were NOT given enough screentime together. not cool. i want them BACK on their queerplatonic bullshit in s5, fully codependent disgustingly clingy like god intended.

8. jonathan and el. i just want them to be siblings together!!! we got a lot of willel sibling vibes in s4 and some sweet jon-and-will moments, but i would love for them to delve into jonathan and el’s dynamic. this girl is a big reason why will was saved in s1 and we just… never really see the byerses address that? jonathan has a lottt of self-blaming tendencies when it comes to will and i’d love for el to help remind him he isn’t responsible for protecting and saving his brother all the time. conversely, i’d love for jonathan to remind el that she’s just a kid and that the weight of the world shouldn’t be on her shoulders. they’re both really soft-spoken and sweet characters with hard veneers and i feel like they’d pair well together for more emotional scenes.

9. literally the entire byers-hopper family they are the heart and soul of the show and i will never forgive the duffer brothers for losing that in s3-4 in favor of expanding the scope of the story. i miss them.

10. steve and el. i would maim and kill for this dynamic actually. both of them are involved in love triangles and have arcs centered around independency and platonic/found familial love, and steve has his whole mom-of-the-group shtick that could be really endearing paired with el’s plucky weird-little-girl vibe. idk i just think they would be a cute team, maybe paired with dustin or lucas.

11. stoncy and robin. literally give me this team or give me death. i miss stoncy’s iconic end-of-season-1 monster-hunting trio dynamic SO MUCH i would give anything for them to go on a sidequest and really just hash it all out with each other. and robin could offer steve moral support and comic relief— while we’re on the subject i would also kill to see her and jonathan interact!! like they are so similar in that brooding-noncomformist way and i feel like they would either immediately gravitate toward each other based on values OR immediately clash due to their personality differences. jonathan is all quiet and avoidant and robin can be… A Lot (said with love) when she’s not masking like s3. i just think they’d be funny together.

12. this is devolving quickly so scott clarke and the party. no i will not elaborate. thank you for your time

[queenie-ofthe-void]

The Babysitter Chronicles - Wheeler

Steve POV 5+1 (immediately follows s2) || wc: 3.6k || full fic ao3

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

Can be read as a standalone

~~~

Karen Wheeler stands in the open door of her own house, shock etched into her gaping mouth and wide eyes. She reaches out towards what Steve assumes is the wound across his forehead and into his hairline, an angry red from getting the stitches removed earlier that morning. He sees the moment she decides against it, dropping her hand back to clutch the door handle. "I'm sorry, Steve, but Nancy isn't home right now."

He accepts the change in direction with a sharp pang of disappointment, forgetting amidst all of the bullshit his life has been lately that Karen Wheeler loves her children and the people close to them. And that's not Steve, not anymore.

She’s wearing the red and green sweater she bought on sale last winter. Karen had thrown her handful of oversized shopping bags into the middle of the living room floor while Nancy and Steve were cuddled up watching reruns on the couch. Nancy tried making up an excuse for them to skip the fashion show, but Karen looked so disappointed– plus Steve really does love shopping. So they’d spent the next twenty minutes pouring over each piece she found. The sweater was one of his favorites, and she’s now paired with simple light-wash jeans and a casual pony-tail. 

She looks good, but Karen Wheeler always knows how to put herself together enough to fool anyone, even her own family– like mother, like daughter.

"It's ok," he replies, tone bursting with false cheer. "I was hoping to talk to you, actually. About Mike."

Although Steve practically lived with the Wheeler's for the past year– much to Ted's chagrin– Steve and Mike tended to avoid interactions at all costs. Their arranged seats for dinner were at opposite sides of the table. While Steve and Nancy watched a movie in the living room, Mike would hide upstairs. And whenever Mike beat them to the remote, he would steal Nancy into the basement. Steve was always cordial when he could be, but Mike would only reply with dirty looks or a roll of his eyes.

So when Karen sighs and waves him to follow her into the kitchen, he's surprised that she seems like she’s been expecting him. He takes his normal seat at the table and she hands him a glass of iced tea with lemon on the side. The familiarity clogs his throat, and he thinks the slight twist of her mouth means she's stuck in the same moment, a nostalgia for affection neither of them had a choice in ending, but with an ending all the same.

"Mike told me you got into a fight with a boy from school, but I never imagined–" Karen gestures at his face, mottled brown and yellow like bruised fruit. One scrutinous glance from Karen Wheeler has him mentally cataloging the numerous injuries decorating his face, and he can feel them all at once. 

The swelling in his eye has gone back to normal. His lip's scabbed over for the third time and he can feel the edges peel away where he absently pokes at it with his tongue. Steve wishes he could hide the evidence of his failure in the same way he can with the headaches, fuzziness, and the night terrors. The stiffness in his hands and neck, and the high-pitched static in his ears.

"Yeah, looks like I'm not the best fighter in town." His laugh is hollow. She knows it in the tilt of his lips. He knows she’s figured him out by the tap, tap, tap of her foot.

"Mike said you were protecting them," she says, lilting up at the end in question. "He said something about the new girl, Max, and how her brother didn't care much for Lucas."

When he nods, she pulls out the chair next to him. Her normal spot at the table, Steve on one side and Holly on the other. He never really understood why Nancy and Mike always seemed annoyed by the way she was always around, or how they felt genuinely misunderstood when Karen would ask about their days. Maybe they saw Ms. Byers carve her way into another dimension to save her son, setting a bar so high it forced them to wonder if their mom would do the same. Not realizing some parents wouldn't notice their child missing in the first place.

It's not a competition, Steve repeats to himself whenever he feels that familiar thick bitterness climb up his throat. The Wheeler’s lives aren’t better or worse from one his, just different.

Karen pats his fisted hands, pulling him from his reverie. He unclenches his teeth to take a sip of his favorite drink, and she smiles at him. "Is that what you came to talk about, Steve? About the fight?"

"Kind of," he answers. "I'm worried that Max's brother won't– that maybe it'll happen again. And I want the kids to feel safe, so I was hoping you'd let me watch out for Mike when he's not home. I've already talked with Mrs. Henderson and the Sinclair's, and they're ok with me driving the kids to and from school, hanging out at my house until they're done with work. Stuff like that. Max's mom's alright with it too, not that you know her, I guess."

He takes another large drink to stop his rambling. Talking with the other kids' parents wasn't easy for him– well, except for Claudia, who welcomed him with open arms and a slightly painful kiss on his forehead. But now all he can think of is the fact that he can't remember the last time Karen Wheeler hugged him and that she probably never will again.

"Do you think Mike would feel safe with you?" The question cuts through him. He looks up to see genuine softness in her eyes, and Steve’s forced to realize he's not actually sure what Mike would think. He'd only thought of the kids being together, all in one spot where he can see them and know for certain they’re alright without having to drive all over town in his pajamas in the dead of night just so he can be absolutely certain. "I know Nancy forgave you pretty quickly for what happened last year. And since I've gotten to know you, I've seen you grow and change for the better. But Mike," she trails off.

"I know." He’s not sure of what else to say. How did he get this far without even considering what Mike would want? He spent weeks planning what he'd say to everyone's parents, assuming the kids would be ok with it. How could he be stupid enough to remember that, no matter how hard he fights, Mike’s never quit hating him. "I'm not sure what to do to get him to forgive me."

"My boy might be stubborn," she says, "but he knows right from wrong, and he knows a good person when he sees one." Karen stands from the table, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder as she bends down to look him in the eye. "If you talk with Mike and he's ok with it, then I'm ok with it." She pats him on the shoulder and he moves to follow her where she’s headed to the side door leading out to the garage.

They find Mike kneeling on the floor, bike flipped upside down and fingers covered in grease as he holds the chain in front of him. Without looking up at them, he huffs, annoyed and frustrated. "Mom, I told you I'd be done before dinner, okay? Jesus–"

"Hey, language," Steve chides in time with Karen. They share a smile until the moment's severed by Mike's shrill screech.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Instead of scolding him once more, Karen gives Steve's arm a last reassuring squeeze before he hears the door close behind him. Mike stares at him, confused and impatient. Steve supposes he can't blame the kid, but it doesn't change the fact he doesn't know what to say.

Steve takes a cautious step down off the entry mat, the hard concrete floor shooting spikes of cold through his socked feet. Mike stands and takes a step back, wiping his greasy fingers on his pants, and he finds himself feeling a little bad for Karen when she inevitably finds them in the laundry pile.

Might as well rip the band-aid off.

"I want to be your babysitter."

"Fuck no!"

"Hey, I said language, Wheeler! How many damn times–" he trails off, the automatic response dying out as Mike's answer settles into his brain. "Why?" It comes out sounding small, more desperate than he likes.

"Why would I want you as my babysitter?” He throws his head back, barking a laugh so full of hate it reminds Steve of himself, of his father. “You think you can get whatever you want just because you've got money and hair and a fancy car. You've convinced everyone to forgive you, and that you're a 'good guy', but you're still just King Steve.” 

Mike throws the chain down on the ground between them, and Steve flinches on reflex. The tantrum unfolding in front of him is red and swollen and hurts more than the cuts on his face. 

It leaves Steve momentarily frozen, long enough for Mike to dash towards the side door and out into the yard. He follows Mike around front to the driveway, socks damp and cold with melted snow. Steve wraps his arms around himself, jacket on the hook inside the front door with only a maroon Henley to fight away the chill of a dark, winter evening. Mike isn’t faring any better in jeans and an oversized zip-up sweatshirt, but Steve breathes a small sigh of relief to see the kid’s at least got shoes on.

"Mike, look, I'm sorry–"

"You're sorry?" Mike yells, turning to get in Steve's face. "Do you even know what you're sorry for?"

Headlights blind them as Nancy pulls into the driveway, hurrying out of the driver's side door. Steve takes a step towards her when he hears another car door close. Jonathan rounds the front of the car from the passenger’s side, taking his place shoulder-to-shoulder with Nancy as they stare at him in confusion.

"What's going on?" Nancy asks, gesturing to the both of them.

Mike scoffs. "King Steve here thinks he's going to be my babysitter just because he's charmed everyone else’s parents into thinking he’s a good person now." He's looking at her like she's in on the joke, but she's looking at Steve with surprised awe in her eyes. Brief butterflies fill Steve's chest, quickly dying out when Jonathan takes Nancy's hand. He sees her squeeze his grip, yet she doesn't look away.

"Steve?" Her eyebrow's arched in question, and even Jonathan tilts his head as they wait for an explanation.

He somehow can't find the words. They're trapped in the fog behind his eyes, and each time he thinks he's grasped it, all he finds are nightmares. 

You weren't there, you left me! You left me and I was scared and alone and I almost died because you weren’t there and youleftmeyouleftmeyouleftme–

“Nance.” A small whisper, a plea. Jonathan squeezes her hand but Steve couldn’t care less. There’s only one thing now that matters. “I just want them to be safe, please.” She frowns, pulling Jonathan in her wake as she stands in front of Steve. Nancy’s gaze pierces through him, and he watches as she catalogs each and every one of his injuries. 

Steve closes his eyes as she gently runs her hand over the cut on his forehead and into his hair. They never talked after they made it back to the house. He doesn’t blame her for it, at least he tries not to. She’d been concerned with Mike, flying to his side as soon as her and Jon had stepped through the door. Mike poured himself over Will’s limp body draped in Jonathan’s arms, and Nancy had wrapped herself around him from behind. It was beautiful and painful and it was in that moment he knew Jonathan Byers was the perfect man for a girl like Nancy Wheeler.  

Steve hears her sigh, and as he holds back tears when her touch leaves him unmoored, Steve looks up to see Nancy and Jonathan share a look of understanding he’s never experienced from her. The way she looks at Jonathan isn’t with what he now understands as motherly exasperation. When Nancy gazes at Jonathan, she sees a partner. Someone who will stand next to her in a fight and support her the way she supports him. 

Jonathan needs her just as much as Nancy needs him back. But she’s never needed Steve, not really. He’s only ever needed her, and that only ever weighed her down. 

He knows she sees the desperation for purpose in his eyes. The drive to be useful if not wanted in full. As Steve holds back tears when she removes her hand from his hair, he’s momentarily bolstered by Jonathan patting his shoulder. A gesture in solidarity that leaves Steve stunned enough to miss Nancy turning to Mike.

"Mike," she says, firm and unyielding in a way only Nancy Wheeler can sound. "You know Steve’s changed. None of us would be standing here if he was still just King Steve. He kept you safe from the demodogs and from Billy. You know he deserves a second chance so why won’t you give it to him?"

Mike sneers at her. "Just because you were stupid enough to give him a second chance doesn't mean I will. He's an asshole, Nancy! He was an asshole to you and you act like it never happened. You just took him back and he got to have Christmas with us like we all loved him. How did you expect us to like him when you couldn't even pretend to?”

Her eyes are wide, mouth hanging open, and she steps back to gain some space. Steve's never seen this kind of anger in a kid before– deep seeded and heavy– and it seems Nancy's just as surprised. 

He turns to face Steve now, screaming at him for all of Hawkin’s to hear. Light from the kitchen window flashes across the snow covered front lawn, and Steve absently wonders if Karen predicted how this would all go and wants to see for herself.

“You're an idiot if you think you’re the one who kept us safe. You got your face beat in while Max did all the work. Why would you think you're good enough to be my babysitter when all you are is a punching bag?" Steve watches Mike's face bloom red across his cheeks and ears, flamed with rage built up over a year of sharing a dining room table with a guy he hates.

When Mike’s first punch hits one of Steve’s bruised ribs, he tries his best not to wheeze and fall back. The second hit sends sparks of lightning through his chest. Even through the searing pain and the high-pitched ringing in his ears, he finally understands that Mike’s right. Steve really is stupid, in a way. 

Because when Mike looks at Steve, he sees every bully who’s ever pushed him down or called his friends names. Every popular asshole who looks at him in the halls and only sees the weird kid who plays DnD and joins AV club. 

Mike looks at Steve and refuses to see the difference between him and bullies like Billy Hargrove. People who find outlets for their anger through violence and scathing slurs instead of brains and compassion. 

Steve’s always been angry. An angry child raised in an angry home by an angry father. All out in the open and easy to see by anyone who looked their way, not that anyone did. Best to avoid Richard and Elizabeth Harrington if they could, but obvious all the same. So Steve tries not to be too hard on himself that he failed to recognize the same undirected anger in Mike’s eyes. It’s not so obvious with the Wheelers.

Maybe monsters and bullies and missing friends drove an angry and confused Mike to his father, unbothered and aloof, leaving Mike with only the same bullies and monsters to model his anger.

Maybe Nancy looked to her own mother to find a polite, mild-mannered woman who kept her feelings close to her chest. Steve only ever saw Nancy as passionate with a fierce sense of justice, when she’s just a girl angry that her best friend is dead and there was nothing she could do about it. How their relationship fell apart because Steve’s never seen a girl filled with rage, so he couldn’t recognize the fire in her eyes for what it was, and how Jonathan’s eyes burn the same.

Maybe, Steve thinks, the four people standing in this driveway are all searching for outlets for the same, too-big emotions bubbling inside of them, and Mike’s picked Steve. 

Good. Because now Steve finally has a purpose for Mike Wheeler.

He’s not sure when his arms wrapped so tight around the boy screaming into his chest that he couldn’t move, but he feels Mike shaking against him as his small, grease-covered fists continue to hit him in the back, each strike slower and softer than the last. Steve’s surprised to see Nancy silently crying in Jonathan’s arms, her hands clenched in the front of Byers’ jacket and knuckles as white as the snow around them.

Steve’s whispered apologies morph into just a string of slurred, repetitive noises. He knows the anger never really goes away, but there’s only so much energy to burn before it flares out and dies. 

Steve’s socks are soaked through, his toes are filled with painful pinpricks, and there’s a wet spot on the front of his jacket where Mike’s head rests against his chest. Whether it’s just a towel and a punching bag or a babysitter and protector, Steve will be whatever Mike Wheeler needs him to be. 

Drained, Mike finally slumps against him. Steve holds him up.

“Mike,” Steve says softly, moving the boy back far enough to look him in the eye, “it’s ok if you don’t want me around, or if you don’t want me to be your babysitter. I want you to feel safe, and if that’s not with me– then it’s not me.”

The kid’s face is a wreck of red splotches, puffy eyes, and a leaky nose. Steve smiles, as soft and gentle as he can manage as he tries to pry Mike’s dirty fingers from his sweater. The small hands hold firm, and he watches as Mike does his best to stop from hyperventilating. 

“What about Will?” Mike asks.

Before Steve can ask what he means, Jonathan cuts him off.

“I’ll talk with Will,” he responds, smiling at Steve. He lets out a small chuckle. “I think Will’s been wanting to meet you anyway. He’s heard enough about you from Dustin and Lucas that I think he feels a bit left out.”

“Really?” Everyone jumps at the volume of Steve’s voice, shocked.

“Yeah, man,” Jonathan laughs again. “They won’t shut up about how cool you are. I think even Max likes you.”

The scab on Steve’s lip breaks open, his smile so wide he can feel it prickle behind his eyes. He hoped the kids had grown used to him by now. Fairly confident that Dustin, Lucas, and Max enjoyed having him around, even if it was just to poke fun at him. All in good spirits, and that’s ok with him.

Knowing Will Byers, of all kids, wants the chance to get to know him is more than Steve could’ve ever hoped.

“I’d love that,” Steve chokes out, releasing his hands from Mike’s shoulders to rub the wetness from his eyes. 

“Come over Thursday morning. Early, like six-thirty. Mom’s usually getting ready by then.”

Steve nods, hard and fast and excited enough that it makes him a bit dizzy. Last year, Jonathan had told Steve all was forgiven, that saving him from the demogorgon more than made up for their fight. He never really believed him. Steve only accepted the apology because it was important to Nancy, not because he felt he deserved it. 

To find out Jonathan not only truly forgave him for what happened, but that he trusts Steve to keep Will safe. After everything the boy’s been through, everything the entire Byers family has survived, he feels overwhelmed with gratitude. 

Mike sighs, low and exhausted. “If it’s ok with Will, then I guess I can give you another shot.”

Steve tastes the metallic tang of copper on his tongue when he smiles again. 

“I promise I won’t let you down, Wheeler,” he vows. He’s met with a hesitant but genuine smile, and it fills him with hope.

Steve walks with them back up to the house to grab his shoes and coat. Karen greets them at the door, pulling Mike, then Nancy, and then Jonathan into a hug. He finds the same bitterness in his throat again, but it’s smaller now. Easy to push aside now that he’s starting to understand the Wheeler’s as they are, rather than how he used to see them.

He hopes he can be more than what Mike sees in him too, happy just to be given the chance to show them all the person he’s trying to be. Someone who’s safe and strong and caring. All the things he needs to be a good babysitter.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

I've been thinking about that video.

We know that El's hair is longer and Hopper has a big beard in what we've seen so far. That lets us know about a time skip at some point. But what if they're filming latter season scenes first? You can cut hair and shave beards, but you can't grow them at will, so they have to film scenes where characters look like that first.

I know people have suggested that it's a post-breakup scene, and I haven't really bought into it. However, now I'm thinking they do breakup earlier, possibly before the skip, and then things get weird between them. Maybe this is indeed them finally talking it out and finally being friends. Mike seems nervous, but hopeful during the entire conversation, but also open and vulnerable in a way we've never seen him be with El before. It's a damn shame we can't see El's face at all.

The part where El is yelling from the roof could just be in response to a member of the Party yelling up at them instead of something dire. Maybe they're taking too long and Dustin shouts up to ask if El killed Mike yet.

[francesderwent]

what is stranger things saying about the dichotomy of ordinary versus strange? it’s more complicated than you think

1x01 Hopper tries to tell Joyce that Will is probably with Lonnie, saying, "99 out of 100 times, kid goes missing, the kid is with a parent or relative." She answers, "What about the other time? You said 99 out of 100. What about the other time, the one?" Over the course of the season, her willingness to entertain unlikely options is proven correct (pro-strange)

1x02 In a flashback, Lonnie skips out on a baseball game with Will and Jonathan tells Will, “He's trying to force you to like normal things. And you shouldn't like things because people tell you you're supposed to. Okay? Especially not him.” (pro-strange)

1x04 Jonathan tells Nancy why he does photography: "I guess I'd rather observe people than, you know..." "Talk to them," she finishes. "I know, it's weird," he says. "No," she says. "No, it is. It's just, sometimes, people don't really say what they're really thinking. But you capture the right moment, it says more." (pro-strange; verging very slightly into anti-ordinary because Jonathan doesn't trust people to tell the truth from their own lips, he has to seek it out and capture it.)

1x05 The infamous Nancy and Jonathan scene, Nancy says why she thinks her parents got married, "I don't think my parents ever loved each other." "They must've married for some reasons," Jonathan answers. "My mom was young, my dad was older but he had a cushy job, money, came from a good family. So they bought a nice house at the end of the cul-de-sac and started their nuclear family." "Screw that," says Jonathan. "Yeah," Nancy agrees. "Screw that." (pro-strange, starting to creep into anti-ordinary)

1x05 Jonathan explaining what he saw in Nancy's photograph: "I saw this girl trying to be someone else, but for that moment, it was like you were alone, or you thought you were, and you know, you could just be yourself." "That is such bullshit," Nancy says, "I am not trying o be someone else just because I'm dating Steve and you don't like him." They fight, he says, "Does that mean I have to like [Steve]?" Nancy says, "No." "Jonathan says, "Listen, don't take it so personally, okay? I don't like most people. He's in the vast majority." Nancy says, "I was actually starting to think you were okay. I was thinking, Jonathan Byers, maybe he's not the pretentious creep everyone says he is." Jonathan answers, "I was just starting to think you were okay, I was thinking Nancy Wheeler, she's not just another suburban girl who thinks she's rebelling by doing exactly what every other suburban girl does, until that phase passes and they marry some boring one-time jock who now works sales, and live out a perfectly boring little life at the end of a cul-de-sac, exactly like their parents, who they thought were so depressing." (this is a clash of perspective; Nancy is vaguely, defensively pro-ordinary and Jonathan is pro-strange and pretty-anti-ordinary)

1x06 Eleven confesses that she opened the gate and she's the monster. Mike says, "No, El, you're not the monster. You saved me." (her powers and her difference make her a hero; pro-strange)

1x08 Steve, the boring, popular one-time jock, comes back to fight the demogorgon alongside Nancy and Jonathan. (pro-ordinary)

1x08 Mike tells Eleven that when it's all over she can have a real bed in his basement and his parents will be like her parents and Nancy will be like her sister. "I was thinking, I don't know, maybe we can go to the Snow Ball together. It's this cheesy school dance where you go in the gym and dance to music and stuff." (cheesy ordinary school stuff that Mike wouldn't have considered going to before is now a desirable ending. pro-ordinary)

so the main thrust of season 1 is strongly pro-strange. ordinary people are blind to the evil and suffering in the world, and blind to the strengths of people like El and Will. Joyce is contrasted to the perfect prim Mrs. Wheeler; where Mrs. Wheeler's comfort and advice is useless, Joyce sees the truth and saves her child. Nancy and Jonathan butt heads, but end up being an effective team. there's just a little bit of ambiguity introduced at the tail end of the season: Mike doesn't want to escape or rebel against his family, he wants to bring El into it, and wants them both to go to the Snow Ball - the epitome of ordinary - together. and ordinary, shallow Steve surprises everyone (including the writers, who'd planned to kill him off) by showing courage and selflessness when it counts.

2x01 Steve talks to Nancy about the future: "I'm just going to end up working for my dad anyway. Is that such a bad thing? There's insurance and benefits and all that adult stuff." (the scene is about Nancy's fear of following in her parents’ footsteps, and so it leans pro-strange)

2x01 Will tells Jonathan that treating him like he's fragile just makes him feel like more of a freak. "You're not a freak," Jonathan tells him. "Yeah, I am. I am," Will answers. "You know what, you're right," Jonathan says. "You are a freak, but what? Do you want to be normal? Do you wanna be just like everyone else? Being a freak is the best, I'm a freak." "Is that why you don't have any friends?" Will asks. "I have friends, Will." "Then why are you always hanging out with me?" "Because you're my best friend, right? And I would rather be best friends with Zombie Boy than with a boring nobody. You know what I mean? Okay, look, who would you rather be friends with? Bowie, or Kenny Rogers." Will grimaces. "Exactly, it's no contest," Jonathan says. "The thing is, nobody normal every accomplished anything meaningful in this world. Got it?" "Well," Will says thoughtfully, "some people like Kenny Rogers." Bob, passing by in the hallway, says "Kenny Rogers? I love Kenny Rogers!" (strongly pro-strange, strongly anti-ordinary)

2x02 Nancy and Steve fight about whether to tell Barb's parents the truth or keep on pretending everything's alright. Steve says, "It's hard, but let's just go to Tina's stupid party, wear our stupid costumes that we've been working on for a stupid amount of time, and just pretend like we're stupid teenagers, okay?" (this scene is ambiguous, leaning pro-strange, because they both use the language of "pretend"--ordinariness is all a performance, a lie)

2x02 Bob asks Joyce, "What if we were to move out of Hawkins together? I was thinking about what you said, we have all these memories here and you wish you had enough money to move. My parents are selling their house in Maine, there's a Radio Shack nearby I'm sure they'd take me on. We could just..." He sees Joyce's reaction, and says ruefully, "My turn to be silly now." "No, it's just so hard to explain," she says. "It's just this...this is not a normal family." "It could be," Bob says. (this scene is ambiguous, leaning pro-strange. Bob means well but Joyce doesn't see his hopes as possible or realistic given the complications of their life)

2x02 Nancy drunkenly accuses Steve in the bathroom, "You're bullshit. You're pretending like everything's okay, you know, like we didn't...like we didn't kill Barb. Like it's great. Like we're in love, and we're partying." Steve echoes, "Like we're in love?" Nancy says venomously, "It's bullshit." Steve asks, "You don't love me?" (the scene is mostly pro-strange, but with a little ambiguity injected because we can see how much this hurts Steve)

2x02 Will tells Mike about his episodes, Mike tells Will about feeling like he sees Eleven. "I don't know, sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy," Mike says. "Me, too," Will says. "Hey, well, if we're both going crazy, then we'll go crazy together, right?" Mike says. "Yeah, crazy together," Will agrees. (pro-strange)

2x03 Nancy and Jonathan discuss the burden of carrying on after loss. "Maybe things just can't go back to the way they were," Jonathan says. "Doesn't that make you mad?" Nancy asks. (ambiguous! "the way things were" being possibly gone forever is a loss, according to Nancy.)

2x05 Bob deciphers Will's drawings, saving Hopper's life. (pro-ordinary)

2x06 Murray tells Nancy, "Probably, like everyone, you're afraid of what would happen if you accepted yourself for who you really are, and retreated back to the safety of...name? Name!" "Steve," Jonathan supplies. "Steve!" exclaims Murray. "We like Steve, but we don't love Steve." "We - I do!" Nancy protests. (pro-strange and anti-ordinary; Steve's only desirable characteristic is that he's safe, he's being set up as another Mr. Wheeler, the husband in another loveless marriage)

Bob tells Joyce, "I thought stuff like this happened in comic books and movies, not in Hawkins and certainly not to people like you." "Or you," she says. He chuckles, jokes, "Bob Newby, superhero." She asks if he's cold, he tells her not to worry about him. "It's not as if you didn't warn me, this is not a normal family, isn't that what you said? Kind of makes my idea of moving to Maine seem a little less crazy, doesn't it." Joyce says, "Oh, it's not crazy." (still ambiguous; Bob's heart isn't in question but it's still unclear whether he can keep up with the world he's been thrown into. his plan is to flee it, but is that admirable?)

2x07 Kali tells El, "We will always be monsters to them. Let me guess, your policeman, he also stops you from using your gifts? What you can do it incredible, it makes you very special, Jane." (pro-strange, anti-ordinary)

2x07 El tells Kali that she has to go back because her friends are in danger. Kali says, "There's nothing for you back there. They cannot save you, Jane." El answers, "No, but I can save them." (pro-strange but with nuance! the strange and the special have something to offer the ordinary)

2x08 Bob gets Joyce, Hopper, Will, and Mike out of the lab, saves all their lives. Mike tells everyone that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV club, that their teacher Mr. Clark learned everything he knows from Bob. (strongly pro-ordinary! not only is Bob a hero, but he's shown to have been just like the boys, and even though he grew up and became the epitome of normal, his legacy helps other little nerds)

so season two is more complex than season one. on the one hand, Nancy finishes the arc she started in season one: rejects Steve and chooses Jonathan, rejects ordinary and chooses strange, precisely because she sees being with Steve as buying into the whole suburban destiny that she now knows is a lie. on the other hand, the two main heroes of the season are Bob - Mr. Ordinary - and El, who rejects her sister's anti-ordinary worldview and chooses to use her strange gifts in service of her ordinary friends.

3x03 Joyce tells Hopper that the magnets can't be a coincidence, and he says "I don't think it's a joke, I think that when I asked you out, I think you got scared. I think you got scared, and now, you're inventing things. You're inventing things to get worked up about so that you can push me away, because God forbid any of us move on! Because that, that would be too much, right Joyce?" (the strange happenings are seen as an excuse to stay away from ordinary vulnerabilities; the scene is vaguely pro-ordinary, filtered through angry hungover yelling)

3x03 Dustin tries to tell Steve that he should date Robin, Steve tells him she's not his type: "For your information, she's still in school. And she's weird. She's a weirdo. And she's hyper. I don't like that she's hyper. And she did drama. That's a bad look. And she's in band? No." Dustin says, "Now that you're out of high school, which means you're technically an adult, don't you think it's time you move on from primitive constructs such as popularity?" (pro-strange)

3x07 Steve confesses to Robin on the bathroom floor, "The point is, this girl, you know, the one that I like, it's somebody that I didn't even talk to in school. And I don't even know why. Maybe cause Tommy H would have made fun of me, or I wouldn't be...prom king? It's stupid. I mean, Dustin's right, it's all just a bunch of bullshit anyways. Because when I think about it, I should've been hanging out with this girl the whole time. First of all, she's hilarious. She's so funny. I feel like this summer I have laughed harder than I have laughed in a really long time. And she's smart. Way smarter than me. You now, she can crack, like, top secret Russian codes and, you know, she's honestly unlike anyone I've ever even met before." Robin tells him he's not thinking straight, he says he's thinking a lot more clearly than normal. She says, "Look, he doesn't even know this girl, and if he did know her, like, really know her, I don't think he'd even want to be her friend." "No, that's not true, no way is that true," Steve says. (pro-strange)

3x08 Joyce re-initiates her date with Hopper, calling it what it is this time. If the world doesn't end, they deserve to celebrate. They deserve to move on. (pro-ordinary)

season three takes a step back from the focus on these themes or any themes. as in s2, Joyce tries to have the courage to seek an ordinary happy ending again, and again, experiences loss. the only person still grappling is Steve, who's coming to see more deeply the parts of "normalcy" that deserve to be rejected.

4x01 Eddie's introduction speech: "We're the freaks because we like to play a fantasy game. But as long as you're into band or science or parties or a game where you toss balls into laundry baskets...it's forced conformity, that's what's killing the kids. That's the real monster." (pro strange, casually anti-ordinary)

4x01 Chrissy confesses to Eddie, "You know, you're not what I thought you'd be like." "Mean and scary?" he guesses. "Yeah." "Yeah, well, I actually kinda thought you'd be kinda mean and scary too." (this scene is pro-strange AND pro-ordinary! neither of them is what the other thought they'd be, underneath the "freak" and "queen of Hawkins High" facade)

4x07 One's manifesto: "Why would you cry for them, Eleven, after all they did to you? You think you need them but you don't, you don't. Oh, but I know you're just scared. I was scared once, too. I know what it's like to be different, to be alone in this world. Like you, I didn't fit in with the other children. Something was wrong with me. All the teachers and the doctors said I was...broken, they said. My parents thought a change of scenery, a fresh start in Hawkins might just cure me. It was absurd. As if the world would be any different here. But then, to my surprise our new home provided a discovery and a newfound sense of purpose. I found a nest of black widows living inside a vent. Most people fear spiders, they detest them, and yet I found them endlessly fascinating. More than that, I found a great comfort in them, a kinship. Like me, they are solitary creatures and deeply misunderstood. They are gods of our world, the most important of all predators. They immobilize and feed on the weak, bringing balance and order to an unstable ecosystem. But the human world was disrupting this harmony. You see, humans are a unique type of pest, multiplying and poisoning our world, all while enforcing a structure of their own - a deeply unnatural structure. Where others saw order, I saw a straitjacket, a cruel, oppressive world dictated by made-up rules. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, each life a faded, lesser copy of the one before. Wake up, eat, work, sleep, reproduce and die. Everyone is just waiting, waiting for it all to be over, all while performing in a silly, terrible play, day after day. I could not do that. I could not close off my mind and join in the madness, I could not pretend. And I realized...I didn't have to. I could make my own rules. I could restore balance to a broken world. A predator, but for good....I could reach into others, into their minds, their memories. I became an explorer. I saw my parents for what they truly were. To the world, they presented themselves as good, normal people, but like everything else in this world it was all a lie, a terrible lie. They had done things, Eleven, such awful things. I showed them who they really were, I held up a mirror....To your papa, Eleven, you are just an animal, a monster, a lab rat to be tamed, but the truth is just the opposite. You are better than they are. Superior....If you come with me for the first time in your life you will be free. Imagine what we could do together. We could reshape the world, remake it however we see fit." (this is explicitly the villain’s perspective which it is clear we are not supposed to share, and so the scene circles back around to pro-ordinary. moreover El, our hero, rejects his proposal, and so we see that the heart of the strange doesn't have to be about superiority and resentment, and so it's also pro-strange)

4x08 Will's speech to Mike, about El and about himself: "These past few months she's been so lost without you. It's just, she's so different from other people, and when you're...when you're different, sometimes you feel like a mistake. But you make her feel like she's not a mistake at all, like she's better for being different. And that gives her the courage to fight on." (pro-strange & pro ordinary! ordinary Mike makes his strange loved ones feel like they belong; they fit together)

4x08 Steve's speech in the Winnebago while Fire and Rain plays: "It's silly, but I've actually...I always had this dream that I'd have this really, really big family. I'm talking like a full brood of Harringtons. Like, five, six kids?" "Six?" Nancy repeats. "Yeah, six little nuggets. Three girls, three boys. And every summer I figured all of us Harringtons we'd pack into something like this and just see the country. You know, the Rockies, Grand Canyon, maybe Yellowstone, end up in some beachside town in California, spend a week parked in the sand, learn how to surf or something." Nancy says, "That sounds nice." "Yeah?" Steve asks. "Yeah," she says, then shakes herself and adds, "Well, um, except for the six kid part, that sounds like a total nightmare." Steve gestures around the kid-filled RV and says wryly, "If only I had some practice!" Nancy smiles, and says, "All right, fair. That's fair." (strongly pro-ordinary! but at least a little ambiguous because Nancy tries to brush it off after.)

4x09 Max hides "in the light": the Snow Ball. its ordinary goodness is a haven against the darkness, which is invisible to Vecna who can only see the evil of the world. (pro-ordinary)

4x09 Jason tells Lucas, "I was wrong about you. I never should've let you in the door." Lucas answers, "And I never should have knocked. I thought I wanted to be like you. Popular. Normal. But it turns out, normal's just a raging psychopath." (pro-strange, anti-ordinary)

4x09 El tries to get through to Vecna: "I know what [Papa] did to you. You were different, like me. And he hurt you. He made you into this. He is the monster, Henry, not you. Not you!" "You're right," Vecna answers, "you and I, we are different. And Papa did hurt me, but he was no monster. He was just a man, an ordinary, mediocre man. That is why he sought greatness in others, in you, and me. But in the end, he could not control us, he could not shape us, he could not change us. Do you not see, Eleven? He did not make me into this. You did." (this scene is more ambiguous than his previous one--it's clear we ought to reject his extreme anti-ordinary views that make him want to destroy the world, but it's less clear what we are to make of the fact that El did reshape him)

4x09 Mike's speech to El: “I love you on your good days, I love you on your bad days. I love you with your powers, without your powers. I love you for exactly who you are. You're my superhero.” (like his conversation with Will, it's both pro-strange and pro-ordinary)

4x09 El uses her powers to restart Max's heart, focusing on their happy memories together rather than any anger - her power is more than violence, it can also be beauty. (pro-strange)

season four, things are coming to a head! the "normal" townspeople are shown to be afraid of what they don't understand, and prone to blaming the wrong person just because they're different - but if we look closely, Jason isn't evil, he's just misdirected. he does want to kill Eddie, but then again all our main characters want to kill Henry, and it just so happens that they're correct about who's to blame. Jason's biases are wrong, but his intent- Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good - is very much right and in line with the message of the show. Jonathan and Nancy's forays into anti-ordinary thinking are shown to be eerily similar to that of the monster haunting them - and moreover, Jonathan's solitary ways lead to him smoking so much pot that he can't even be there for the people he does care about. El remains committed to using her powers to help her friends; she doesn't want to be a monster just because she is different. and Steve finally reveals himself as the anti-Vecna, completing his transformation into the embodiment of ordinary. his prior classification as "babysitter", an unorthodox role for a teenage boy to choose, has been replaced by a sincere desire for the most orthodox of destinies for an adult man: fatherhood.

[scoops-aboy86]

🥺 Forced

I know I voted for this one but alsoooooo please? Just a little snippet <3

You got it!!!

They drive day and night until they reach the Chicago suburbs, and pull into the attached garage of a house that was also bought with payout funds, but by Robin this time—she’s enrolled at a college that’s a reasonable commuting distance into the city. Eddie has basically taken over one of the guest rooms, and various kids have been crashing there on and off while working out the problem of Rescuing Steve. They’re all there: Dustin, Will, Mike, Max, Lucas, Erica, Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, and Hopper. There’s a fucking Welcome Home cake. 

Steve refuses to see or speak to any of them. 

(make me write)

[starlightshadowsworld]

Pakistani Steve Harrington

Steve likes coffee but he doesn't like regular tea. He will only drink pink tea.

His father used to make it back when his grandparents would visit semi regularly.

And it was Steve's favourite drink.

His father had actually shown him how to make it.

Not that Steve could remember the last time they'd had it together, or seen each other for that matter.

Kid Steve had thought it was like drinking happiness, and older Steve thinks little him was onto something.

And he knew some people who needed some happiness.

It was awkward standing their in the hospital with a tray of mugs, his arms were very much protesting at his decision.

Eddie looked at him, amused while Wayne sighed good naturedly and helped him put the tray down on a table.

"I thought you weren't meant to be pushing yourself?" Asked Wayne, Steve attempted to look sheepish.

It didn't work to well but Wayne just shook his head, a fondness in his eyes.

They'd gotten to know each other after Wayne thanked him for keeping his rascal of a nephew alive.

"Whats this?" Asked Eddie, nosey as ever. Trying to peer at the mugs and seeing bright pink liquid inside.

Steve wondered momentarily if the Munsons would make fun of him for a "girly" looking beverage.

But shook that thought away.

"The nurse said you should try drinking something warm, so I bought some tea." Explained Steve. "Why's it pink?" Asked Eddie, no judgement in his voice just curiosity.

And yet Steve braced himself, he was getting better at talking about his culture but it was usually just to the other teens and the kids.

His King Steve days were long behind him but he was afraid he'd be made fun off.

"When my family would get together, we'd have this tea. Its proper name is Kashmiri Chai, but we just called it pink tea. I dunno why it's pink though.

Dustin and Mike said you love sweet food and it's plenty sweet. And... It makes me happy when I drink it so I thought... Why not."

Steve wasn't looking at Eddie or Wayne at this point, looking down into the tea before him... Maybe this was a mistake.

His spiraling didn't last long before Eddie, somehow without pulling any stitches, reached over and pulled him into a hug.

"That, is the sweetest thing anyone has done for me. Pun not intended." Smiles Eddie, Steve couldn't see a trace of mockery in his eyes and relaxed.

Wayne softened "sounds good kid, looks like you made a lot."

Steve nodded "one for each of us and than one for the kids, max if she's up for it, Nancy, Jonathan, Robin, Argyle Hopper...." He trailed off seeing both Munsons giving him the look.

"Man you really don't know how to relax, do you?" Said Eddie, wide eyed. Steve shrugged, wincing slightly "it's nothing."

Wayne shook his head "you are something else kid..." He said before handing a mug to the boys and getting his own.

"Huh, I'm not usually one for sweet stuff but this is good." Said Wayne.

Steve smiled, looking over at Eddie feeling some of his anxiety leave him.

Eddie's eyes widened, he put the mug down and dramatically flopped on his bed. "Steve, I thought you made me tea. Not the nectar of the God's!"

Seeing Steve's confused face, Eddie softened "It's great, thanks Steve." Steve smiled, putting his down.

"Your welcome, I better get these to the kids before they hunt me down." He wasn't kidding, somehow they always knew when Steve had any treats on him.

Tea included.

"Alright, but than you sir are coming back here and drinking your lovely tea and taking a break." Said Eddie, Wayne nodded.

Steve chuckled "sure" he went off to the kids who as predicted all lit up at the mention of pink tea and were making grabby hands before Steve could put the tray down.

With a pointed look that they all ignored, Steve handed out the mugs.

It was in the mugs that they had all claimed at Steve's.

"Wait... Steve did you carry these all here?!" Asked Dustin, looking from the tray to Steve's still injured arms.

Quick as a flash, Steve vanished before the group could hound him for not "taking care of himself."

Whatever that meant.

Wayne chuckled as Steve burst in. Steve noticed that they'd waited for him, and began sipping his own tea with the Munsons.

Father had always said pink tea was best drank with the people you cared about.

Steve agreed.

(Did I write this purely cos I'm drinking pink tea now... Yes)

[magicalwastelands]

byler

byler is almost always paralleled to romantic couples and not paralleled to friendships. i was thinking about this the other day and turns out you guys voted for byler on the poll so HERE IT IS :)))

minor spoiler alert for: heartstopper, harry potter, stranger things

i'll be talking about how byler parallels to:

romantic pairings in stranger things

romantic pairings in other shows/movies (ive posted a more in-depth post about taoelle [romantic pairing in heartstopper] and byler being similar - if u want you can go check that out!!)

NOT friendships in stranger things (how it rarely parallels to other friendship pairings in the show compared to romantic ones)

romantic pairings in stranger things

jopper (joyce / hopper)

a. jopper has some scenes that parallel byler (this is just one example):

"I think we make a pretty good team." "I think it'll be easier if we're... we're a team."

b. also this music (you might know this already lol but this is just SO CRAZY LIKE WHAT DO YOU MEAN "oh, it's joyce and hopper" AND THE SAME SUBTITLES ARE SHOWN DURING SCENES WITH MIKE AND WILL???!? WHAT?????????????????????) [ website ]

[tender, emotional music swells] [tender, emotional music playing]

rockie (robin / vickie)

a. robin is the only confirmed gay character other than will and her crush on vickie is being shown as possibly reciprocated in the last ep of s4

[tender, emotional music playing] --- also another example of these subtitles

b. vickies relationship with her boyfriend is similar to mikes relationship with el (btw i loooove el im not saying shes similar to that guy, just talking about her relationship with mike and the love triangle imagery)

then theres these scenes of them being DIRECTLY positioned between established couples like.... these scenes are too crazy

2. romantic pairings in other shows/movies - this is strange because why would their dynamic be so similar to couples dynamics? if theyre just supposed to be friends???

harry potter - ron and hermione (I DO NOT SUPPORT JK R*WL*NG)

a. best friends to lovers trope / slowburn trope

in the final harry potter movie, ron and hermione have their first kiss. in the final season of stranger things, mike and w-

b. these scenes...

c. love triangles - ron thinks hermione likes harry over him (similar situation with will but mike and el are actually dating)

Heartstopper - nick and charlie

a. blue and yellow

b. this in the actual books - nick is the heart of the rugby team and mike is the heart of the party:

"You're the heart and centre of this team, Nick." "You're the heart."

c. bonus: i recently bought the heartstopper colouring book (its suuuper cute btw love it) and theres this???? is it giving paladin and cleric vibes???????

3. friendship pairings

lucas and dustin (im only gonna talk abt them for examples of friendship pairings)

a. season 1 - last ep, mike is super worried about will and immediately jumps up to see and hug him (he says that will is awake 3 times), while dustin and lucas are asleep

[snoring] "Guys. Guys, he's up. Will is up. Guys, Will's up."

also omg in this scene dustin calls her a "wizard" and then mike CORRECTS HIM SAYING SHES MORE LIKE YODA I CAN'T... CAUSE WILL IS THE WIZARD NOT EL..... ALSO BRO YODA??? THAT GIRL YOU KISSED AND ARE GOING TO DATE FOR LIKE A YEAR AND SAY YOU LOVE HER IS LIKE YODA???????

"She's basically a wizard." "More like a Yoda."

like bro... THIS UR GF???? LOVE OF YOUR LIFE???????????? YOUR LIFE STARTED BC OF HER?????? (feat. will being the wizard el can't replace in mikes head...)

b. different reactions to will's "body" being pulled out of the lake

lucas says that it must be will. mike doesn't accept the body being will's. (NOT LUCAS SLANDER DON'T WORRY I LOVE HIM)

shocked, has to lean on the truck to calm himself down, gets mad at el because she couldn't help him save will, is in tears, doesn't care about eleven in this moment because he's so sad that will is "dead"

(also sorry for the bad vid quality)

mike is obviously the most affected one by the "body" being found.

c. whenever something happens with will and mike, the others know they shouldn't interrupt, like this (lucas knows not to follow mike out):

and this (they're walking behind the others, having their own private conversation):

and also this (max doesn't get it but the others know mike and will want to be alone):

d. if mike, will, dustin and lucas are all just friends, and mike also said this to dustin (talking about lucas at first) ...

(Mike: He's not my best friend. [sighs] I mean, he is, but so are you. And so is Will.)

... then why is the relationship between mike and will so different and singled out to the relationship between ANY OTHER PAIRING BETWEEN THE FOUR if lucas, dustin and will are all supposed to be mike's best friends??

[undreaming-fanfiction]

With This Ring (15)

Chapter 14 here, Ao3 here.

This is the last one, it's past midnight so it really was 1 chapter per day for 15 days. Thank you again to the wonderful artists who found this fic interesting enough to create wonderful illustrations, @yellowsweater-bluevest and @mcdadarts. Please go check them out and give them a follow.

Thank you for all the encouragements, a special mention to the Angstflayer group who helped me to push through the creative burnout and finish this story.

Steve was sweating under his suit. This was it, the big day, the big moment, the one thing he could absolutely not afford to mess up. More than two years in and he was about to fulfill his promise to Eddie. Yep. That was all. No big deal. 

“You know, I can feel the stress just radiating from you. Like a Cloudkill.” 

Laughing, Steve turned around and took in the sight of his most important person in the world, grinning and adjusting his own tie. His unruly hair was tied into a neat ponytail and Steve felt a wave of warmth. He looked beautiful. Healthy and happy. And most importantly, alive. 

“You are aware I barely know what that means,” he nudged Eddie’s side and swatted his hands away, making sure the tie wasn’t crooked – Eddie’s fidgeting was getting worse by the minute and if left unchecked, self-strangulation seemed likely. Not on Steve’s watch though. “Are you ready?” 

Eddie leaned in and kissed Steve, gentle and unhurried. It still seemed unreal, not living on borrowed time, getting to live and grow old together. And maybe during that time, to fulfill their dreams too. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Now come on, big boy, they’re waiting for us.” 

The last few months had been…Steve found it difficult to describe them. Moving in with Eddie and Wayne to the small house they bought with the payout from Jason’s family was nerve-wracking, but also everything he’d ever wanted. It wasn’t just another empty house, it was home; full of Eddie and Wayne’s things, their mug collection, more books than Steve could ever hope to read, and not a single ugly wallpaper in sight. 

He was in constant contact with Robin, of course, the phone bill was high but so much worth it. She and Nancy were doing well, slowly mending the rift between themselves and their families. Nancy was now wearing the ring that brought him and Eddie together, it didn’t fit Eddie anyway, and Steve was happy enough to put it in an envelope addressed to Robin with a note: This belongs to Nancy, but I wasn’t the right person to offer it. Don’t be nervous Robs, this ring brings good luck! 

And of course, they kept their promise when they found a tiny kitten meowing behind their window one day, not pitifully like kittens often do, but impatiently and with an unwavering determination. Steve didn’t even have to look to know that there was a small triangle-shaped mark near the creature’s tail. “Took you long enough,” he laughed and opened the window to welcome Dart The Second, soon to be renamed Freddy for the sharpness of his claws, into their home.

Everything was great in Steve’s world. He had a warm home, a loving boyfriend with an awesome uncle that seemed to adopt him right back, as if there were no years when Steve had avoided him. He had a pet he could spoil rotten and was finally free to pursue his passion. 

And now, he could use that passion to repay some of the love he’d received. 

They arrived on the stage together, facing painfully bright lights. As their eyes slowly got used to them, they could recognize the faces of everyone who came to support them, expected and unexpected. 

Robin and Nancy were there, cheering so loudly Steve could make out their voices in the sound explosion that had started as soon as they left the privacy of the sidelines.

Dustin and his mom, sitting right next to Karen Wheeler and Mike, all four clapping and waving at them.

Jim Hopper, looking very uncomfortable in formal wear but still dedicated to being there.

Steve even thought that he caught a glimpse of Chrissy and Eddie’s friend Gareth, leaning close to each other and almost jumping in their seats. 

But the most beautiful sight of all was Wayne Munson in the first row, clapping as if his life depended on it and smiling so wide he was almost unrecognizable. 

And next to him…

Steve’s breath hitched as he recognized his parents. His father still looked stern, but there was curiosity in his eyes that Steve had never seen before, something that seemed to say you have my attention, and wasn’t that what Steve had always wanted? Mary Harrington had a genuine smile that matched Wayne’s, clapping way more excitedly than was expected or acceptable, but Richard didn’t reprimand her for once. Time really seemed to heal some wounds and relationships.

As the cheering and clapping quieted down, Steve moved to the side and Eddie cleared his throat, taking the microphone and addressing the audience. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much for being here. I…uh. I practiced this speech for weeks, just ask Steve here, he probably knows it better than I do by now.” 

Steve absolutely did. 

“Just being here before you all is kind of a miracle. Well, a literal miracle. So many things had to go wrong and even more of them had to go right to bring me here, and just thinking about all of them…it’s a lot. And…as this is the first time I get to introduce my music to such a huge audience, I want to tell you about my miracles. Tell you where I’m coming from.” 

He went quiet for a second and Steve wished they were alone, that he could embrace Eddie, cradle his face and make him forget all that time spent in darkness, alone. He wished for that a lot, and no matter how much time passed, the feeling didn’t go away. If he was honest with himself, Steve didn’t want it to. He never wanted to forget how blessed he was to have this extraordinary man by his side. 

Eddie continued: “I wasn’t the sort of a kid you’d expect to get into music. Metal, maybe, and don’t get me wrong, it’s cool and I love it. But the piano and actual composing? That wasn’t in the stars for a son of a petty criminal. We often didn’t have enough to eat, so you can imagine things like music weren’t really a priority, but my wonderful mom showed me what she could in those few short years that we had together. I don’t know where and how I’d end up if my sperm donor didn’t bite off more than he could chew and go to prison. And I don’t care if it sounds cruel, getting locked up was the best thing he’s ever done for me. Because…” 

He smiled, wide and bright. “Because social workers sent me to my uncle, the most amazing man I’ve ever known. He didn’t want kids, but he took me in without a single complaint. He taught me whatever manners I have today – and if you see me holding a fork wrong or something, just know that I’m a poor student, he really tried, okay? He never gave up on me, even if everyone else did. And most of all…he’s always believed in me. It’s thanks to him that I had the courage and opportunity to follow my dreams, it’s thanks to his kindness that I get to be here today. So please, join me in appreciation of the one and only Wayne Munson, the father every kid should have.” 

The applause was deafening. Eddie and Steve joined in, cheering and pointing at Wayne who grew beet red, desperately trying to blend in with the seat. Steve saw his mother grasp Wayne’s forearm, whispering something into his ear with a happy laugh that Steve remembered from his childhood. 

As the clapping gradually faded, Eddie continued his speech. “There are so many people I want to thank today. My friends Gareth, Jeff and Dave, who all accepted me for who I was. My favorite bunch of kids who, as all kids do, hate being called kids – Dustin, Lucas, Mike, Will, El, Max and Erica. You all have taught me that I have something to give to the world,  even if it’s something as small as a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Nancy and Robin, who went above and beyond to help me start over. Chrissy, who taught me that kindness could come from the most unexpected places. Our cat, may he be blessed with tuna fish for the rest of his days. And finally…” 

He extended his hand to Steve, waiting. Steve took it without a second of hesitation. 

He never had any doubts Eddie would go far, that his talent, creativity and drive would be recognized. What he didn’t expect was Eddie taking his hand, both literally and figuratively, and pulling him into the limelight too. After the first demo got accepted, reworked to death, and finally released to public acclaim, Eddie could have chosen anyone to be his pianist. Hell, he could have even played the pieces himself. 

But he wouldn’t. 

He always insisted on having Steve there, calling him so many different names – his good luck charm, the only person he trusted to understand the message, his own private piano virtuoso…but the one that Steve preferred was simply “love”. 

Eddie squeezed his hand tighter. “Steve Harrington. Steve, who dreamed with me, who respected me. He trusted me to teach him whatever I knew about the piano, fell in love with it as I have, and then chose to lose what was dearest to him for me and my family, to keep us safe. And when I no longer could play, he carried on my melodies, safeguarding them until I could come back. In doing so, he brought them to life in a way I never could. Steve, none of this would have been possible without you, and it will never be. Thank you.”

Eddie returned the microphone to its place and leaned in. “So, without further ado – let me thank you again for being here, it means more to me than you could ever imagine. Please, make yourself comfortable and allow me to introduce the song set that speaks about all those that I’ve just introduced and more – Second chances.” 

Steve had never felt comfortable being in the spotlight, but standing there with Eddie, with his mother’s joyful clapping, the smiles from his friends, Wayne’s poorly concealed tears…it was a lot, but also just enough. 

As he stretched his fingers and found the familiar melody, a small bat stirred behind the stage. After the performance, he’d fly to the Munson residence and update his cat friend on how it went, but for now…he would just enjoy the show. 

After all, it had been long enough in the making.

[vanillabean-draws]

Third installment of; books I read when I was a kid that I don’t think are necessarily underrated but need more love, because I never hear them talked about.

Secret Coders, by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes

“Hopper hates her new school. The kids are mean, the principal is scary, and there's something creepy about the building itself. for instance: why are the walls of Stately Academy covered in the number 9? Hopper and her friend Eni are determined get to the bottom of it. But the mystery of Stately Academy has been programmed into its very stones, and it'll take two persistent programmers to figure it out! Hopper and Eni are about to become secret coders.” (Summery from the back cover of book one)

My dad works in tech, so the moment he saw this he immediately bought the first book, and I’ve gotta say, it is the best educational AND fun book I’ve ever read, the mystery and the way Yang and Holmes integrate the coding is beautiful and seamless. When first reading I got invested immediately, and it initiated some very interesting discussions about algorithms, binary, patterns, etc with my dad and other people. I am not caught up on the series at the moment, as I didn’t know there was a book six, but I highly recommend this series!

[gayofthefae]

...has Mike ever done anything for or towards El on his own? If so, I think it fits in a short list. Ok, okay...

Took care of her, Developed a crush on her/dated her (Lucas, Dustin, Nancy), Radioed her every day, Bought her a gift (Lucas), Apologized (Lucas, Max), Said he loved her, Got back together (El), Brought her flowers (~voluntary but prompted: El), Told her he loved her (Will, El)

As I listed that, I noticed that pretty much the only things left on the list are either prior to romantic suggestion or indirect/things he thinks she can't hear. He is most honest and internally motivated when he thinks she cannot hear him or that she won't prioritize the romance of it, like with the radioing. Once again, proof of the truth of his indirect "I love you" but also that his words to others, like Will in season 4, are more credible than his words to her.

On this note, too, El:

Started dating him (Mike), broke up with him (Max), got back together (~though there are arguments for Hoppers' death influence), planned their first Cali day (~canonically Angela escapism), left him

So the only fully uninfluenced thing she's done was leave him after their fight...yikes.

[rygoespop]

Thomas and Friends: Legends of Sodor (Story 71): The Phantom of Arlesdale

Narrator: The Phantom of Arlesdale

Scene opens on the Miniature Railway at Arlesburgh Junction, where Mike, Rex, Bert, and Jock are working

Narrator: On the small railway on the Island of Sodor, the small engines work hard delivering Wool, Ballast, and Passengers to the North Western Railway

Jock: *shunts 3 Ballast cars up* Alright, I got them up, now Edward will collect the ballast for the construction yard

Mike: Excellent!

Frank oiled in with Wool

Frank: Yeah, soon he’ll arrive for sure

Mike: Oh no! Not you again Frank

Narrator: Frank is a miniature diesel engine who enjoys delivering Wool and Ballast, but to Mike’s annoyance

Bert: *blew his whistle as he arrived with passengers* Now Mike, Mr. Fergus Duncan bought Frank to help us out since five is better than three

Rex: I agree

Mike: Pah, unless he’s a phantom, the Phantom of Arlesdale some would say

Jock: I wouldn’t mess with that Mike

Mike: What are you talking about?

Bert: Long ago, before Jock and Frank join the railway, there was a Phantom of Arlesdale

Rex: He kidnaps passengers at night, and the police have never arrested him yet

Mike: Oh please! That’s a fairytale! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to take some empty cars to the Ballast Quarry! *blew his whistle and puffs off*

Frank: What’s his problem?

Bert: Oh do mind Mike, he’s a grumpy engine

Scene transitions to night, as Mike puffed down the line with 5 Empty Ballast Hopper Cars

Narrator: That night, Mike puffed down the line to the Ballast Quarry, but he was still grumpy

Mike: Phantom of Arlesdale? Pah! Rex and Bert are going soft in their smokeboxes!

Suddenly, Mike notices the Arlesdale Station being lit up

Narrator: Suddenly, Mike sees the lights at Arlesdale Station

Mike: Huh? What’s going on?

Mike’s Driver: I don’t know, maybe something is going on

Just then, a man in a suit wearing a cape and mask walked on the platform

Mike: It’s the Phantom of Arlesdale! Let’s go back! *puffs backwards*

The man sees Mike puffing backwards

Narrator: The man watched Mike puff backwards

Scene transitions to the next morning, as Mike was shunting Ballast cars up to the chute

Narrator; The next morning, Mike was shunting ballast, but he was quite

Bert: Boy, what’s got Mike worked up?

Rex: And he’s quiet

Jock; Something is wrong

Frank: Maybe he’s shy

Soon, Fergus Duncan arrived

Narrator: Later, Fergus Duncan arrived to see the engines

Fergus Duncan: I need to an engine to take home the passengers this evening, any volunteers?

Jock; I’ll do it sir!

Fergus Duncan: Very well Jock, then the evening passenger run is yours!

Scene transitions to evening as Jock puffed down the line with 4 Open carriages

Narrator: That evening, Jock was taking the passengers home

Jock saw the Man, the “Phantom of Arlesdale” on the platform at Arlesdale Station

Narrator: Suddenly, Jock was surprised, he saw the man that Mike has seen

Jock: It’s the Phantom of Arlesdale! *he tries to puff faster*

The man was surprised as Jock tried to puff past him

The Man: Stop! Stop!

Jock’s Driver applied the brakes, and the coaches all bumped into each other, and onto Jock

Jock: Ow!

The Man walked up to Jock

The Man; You didn’t stop for me!

Jock: I terribly am sorry sir, I thought you were the Phantom of Arlesdale

The man: *surprised and laughed* Me? The Phantom of Arlesdale? Oh heavens no!

Jock: Huh? If you’re not The Phantom of Arlesdale, then what are you?

The Man: I’m an Actor who plays the role of The Phantom of Arlesdale, it’s for a movie

Jock: An actor? Movie? *realizes something* Oh yeah, I think Mike mistook you for one

The Actor: Well take me to this Mike at once

Scene transitions to Arlesburgh Junction, as Mike, Rex, and Bert are in the sheds, and Frank was next to the sheds

Narrator: At Arlesburgh Junction, Mike was worried

Mike: I’m worried about Jock, what if The Phantom of Arlesdale got him?

Frank: Don’t be silly Mike

Bert: The Phantom of Arlesdale captures Passengers, not engines

Mike: I think I-

Jock blew his whistle and puffed in

Mike/Rex/Bert/Frank: Jock!

Jock: Hello everyone, I brought someone who would like to talk to Mike

The Actor got out of Jock and walked to Mike

Mike: Oh, hello there

The Actor; So, your the engine that was scared of me last night

Mike: Y-yes

The Actor: *chuckled* You silly engine, I’m not the Phantom of Arlesdale! I’m an actor playing the Phantom of Arlesdale!

Mike: An actor?

Jock: Yeah Mike, I think you gotten scared by him

Mike felt embarrassed

Mike: Oh my… I’m sorry sir, I thought you were the Phantom of Arlesdale

The Actor: Oh it’s alright Mike, we all make mistakes, but sometimes, we need a good laugh

The engines and the actor all chuckle

The Actor: Ha ha ha!

Scene cuts to black

Story end

[tartarusknight]

I don't know what you're hunting. It's not me, it's something else - Part 5/10

Also on ao3 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5: But you listen to the tone and the violent rhythm. And though the words sound steady, something's empty within 'em

The forest was filled with the sounds of sounds of rumbling growls and the crackle of fire. But Robin didn't slow down. She rushes towards where Nancy should be, unwilling to lose any more people. Just as she's running, she sees in the corner of her eye a figure rushing at her.

Robin raises the bat too slowly as she's tackled to the ground. Her back hit the ground, a root digging into her spine. She squeezes her eyes shut, expecting the pain of teeth digging into her flesh. Instead, a hand covers her mouth, stopping her from speaking.

Imagines of Eddie's long fingers with talons that could kill her in a second flash through her mind. But the person on top of her isn't attacking. They were keeping her still and quiet. She squeezes her eyes shut and for a moment she thinks it's Steve's hand. His body against hers. But she's been tackled by Steve before and this wasn't him.

Her mind lags until it settles on Nancy. The small but rough hands of hers, the gun on the ground next to them. The smaller form that was always surprisingly strong. Her eye peaks open to see black blood on Nancy's cheek and her chest heaving. She was out of breath but trying to stay as quiet as she could be. Robin stays still in her grasp, trusting Nancy.

Slowly Nancy's hand is removed from her face. “Boys?” Nancy mouths in question.

Robin nods to the road. “Car,” She mouths back, watching a little of the weight on Nancy's shoulders slide off.

Nancy's eyes narrow, “you should have run too.” She mouths and Robin glares back. It makes Nancy's mouth twitch like she wants to smile.

She rolls off of Robin and they slowly stand, the forest silent around them. Robin looks around, expecting to see the monster that took over Eddie's body, leering, waiting to attack. But nothing. The dark was hiding any signs of him. Nancy tugs on her hand making Robin turn to look at her. “We're closer to Steve's than the car,” she mouths and it takes Robin a second to understand it. “We can radio the others when we get there.” She continues silently.

She nods and gestures for Nancy to lead the way. Nancy moves forward a little before Robin reaches over and takes Nancy's hand on impulse. She can't see Nancy's reaction but she doesn't let go of Robin's hand. Nancy stays silent as she guides Robin through the woods, how she can tell where they are, Robin has no idea. But Robin kept a tight grip on her bat; the same as Nancy's grip on her gun. Robin's heart feels too loud in her chest as they creep onward.

The Harrington house comes into view in, what feels like an eternity later. The house always looked too big and lonely to Robin. Even before Steve told Robin how often his parents left him home alone. It made the house feel like a daunting pressure and it wasn't even directed towards her. It looked worse paired with the Upside Down's leaking atmosphere around them. The small flicker of ashe in the air made the house look haunted. 

Still, it was their best option. Once inside they could contact the others and hopefully learn that Dustin and Mike got out of there with the car. Then they could stay there either until someone like Hopper could come and get them now or they could bunker down until morning.

Nancy doesn't let go of Robin as they get to the door. She lets Robin pull her around as she grabs the hidden key under the gnome Robin bought for him. Robin looks over at her as she continues to scan the trees and Robin gets the door open. They slip inside and Robin doesn't go for the light switch just yet.

She leans back against the door next to Nancy, the two of them catching their breath for a moment. “Radio,” Nancy says so quietly that Robin almost misses it. The girl grabs the radio from a pocket in her small bag and switches it on. Instead getting loud arguing between Dustin and Will.

But Robin's distracted by a smell. Hawkins was smelling rotten as the Upside Down leaked into their world but this was different. It wasn't the normal cleaning product that the house usually smelt like. It smelt putride... acidy. “Robin and I are hiding out, go home if you haven't started driving yet,” Nancy states, her voice coming out not as strong as normal. Making Robin focus on the conversation.

The voices of the kids are all frantic. “Oh thank god,” Mike says in the background of Dustin's “Where are you? We can pick you up. We lost Eddie a little while back. We had to drive off pretty quickly and- fucks sake Mike watch the mailbox. I guess Ted Wheeler doesn't have the best driver's training advice.” Robin smiles at the kid's distracted ramble.

“You guys are okay?” Jonathan asked.

Nancy's hand grips hers a little tighter. “I think so, after I shot at him and ran we haven't dealt with much of anything. But we're staying alert.”

Robin leans closer to Nancy, “Dustin you head back to the cabin or Wheelers. We don't need you out looking for us right now.” She says and Nancy nods in agreement.

“Do you want Hop and I-” Jonathan starts to ask but Robin's distracted by the sound of something upstairs.

Her eyes go to where the stairs are but the dark house is hard to see. Nancy tensed up as well and Robin gestured to the light next to the shorter girl. She gently handed the radio to Robin before sliding over to flick on the entryway light. Instantly Robin's stomach is twisting.

The walls are covered in blood. So much blood. The blood was inky black, some fresh some crusted and old. Claw marks littered the walls like something had been locked in. Some of it dripped down the wall but most of it didn't look a few hours old but instead looked days old.

Something was wrong. Robin shut off the radio, plunging them into silence. Except for a very soft footfall above them. Nancy glanced back to the door but Robin was focused on the walls. Steve disappeared not even 3 hours ago. This was too old to be from tonight.

She looked over at Nancy, hoping the other girl wasn't as lost as she was. Nancy let go of Robin's hand to get two hands on her shotgun. Pointing towards the stairs. Robin swallowed, gripping the bat tighter. “Should we go?” Robin whispered and Nancy looked at the door. It reminded Robin of what they had just run away from. What was the smarter option?

Nancy took a step further into the house and Robin wondered if Nancy was thinking logically or trying to solve the puzzle. Nancy seemed to get distracted by something by the sliding glass doors. Robin grimaced but moved away from the door, following after her.

The doors were shattered, the glass on the outside, meaning something broke out . But that wasn't even the worst part. A gate pulsed from the bottom of Steve's pool. Her throat felt tight and she began to shake. She thought of the distance Steve had put between them this time. Robin had thought it was because they lost. But now...

A low rumble came from the house and Nancy glanced back, her eyes going behind Robin. However, she turned her back on the gate. Robin shot forward as a vine shot toward Nancy. She barely registered Nancy's shout of her name before her hands reached Nancy as the vine did the same.

It curled around Nancy's chest tight enough for the air to leave her lungs. Nancy didn't have a second to breathe before she was pulled backward into the pool. Robin refused to let go of Nancy even as they hit the water and were pulled through the gate. It tossed them against the now-empty pool wall. Robin forced herself to keep moving and rolled to her feet.

Nancy's hands scrambled at the vine, her shotgun on the ground away from her. She struggled to sink in a breath as the vine held her tight. Robin dropped the radio to bring the bat down on the vine. Doing it again and again until Nancy sucked in a deep breath and was able to rip herself away from its grip.

They stumbled to their feet, grabbing the walkie that was now waterlogged and Nancy's shotgun. Before Robin can take a step towards the portal Nancy's pulling her away from it and to the ladder. “Nance,” she whispered as she felt Nancy shaking.

“We're going out a different portal.” She demanded and Robin remembered Steve's short admittance that Barb Holland died in that pool. She wouldn't be surprised if the portal was there because of that.

But she also knew Nancy was smart and brave enough to go back through that gate if it was the fastest way out of this hellscape. “Nancy, we need to get out of here as soon as possible.” She argued but Nancy was already climbing out. Robin grimaced before following her. “Nancy is it smart-”

“We need to be fast,” Nancy demanded, her hand grabbing Robin's once again.

“Fast would be that gate,” Robin stated but didn't stop Nancy from pulling her back inside the Harrington home and to the front door. “Nancy-”

Nancy tugged her closer, “You can- you wouldn't want to go back that way. Now let's just keep moving.”

Robin's eyebrows furrowed, “what do you mean I would-” she goes quiet at the sound of a familiar guttural growling. She tenses up and stops fighting Nancy. Jogging to pick up the pace. Repeating to herself that you can hear their world from this world. Before they could even get out of the too-big Harrington house, a scream that was far more human than a monster, roared in the silence.

She could hear the gate's squelching as something came out of it. Following them into the Upside Down. The sound of nails scratching the ground as something raced into the house had Robin panicking. Nancy pulled them into a room and shut the door behind them. Before they can even lock the door, something slams against it.

They both jolt, barely able to keep it from slamming open. They put their weight against it, holding it shut to the best of their ability. Robin couldn't get Eddie's monstrous face out of her head as she wondered if she might die right here and now. In Steve's spare bedroom with its shitty window that could never lock because of Tommy and Carol.

“Rob, Rob, I'm sorry,” The voice from the other side of the door is wrecked. Like someone who had been choked out and drowned. But it was Steve's. “Robbie, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry, please just open the door. I'm sorry, please let me in. There's- there's shit out here.” Steve begs and Robin looks over at Nancy.

Nancy is shaking her head, looking even paler than she had when she had Eddie's blood on her face, dripping down her neck. She doesn't even lessen her stance against the door as if they were trying to keep Steve out. “Not him,” she mouths and Robin doesn't understand. How couldn't it be him? It sounded like him.

The door nob twists and jerks, like Steve's trying it. Nancy presses even harder as Robin feels frozen. She thought- but that was Steve. Steve was okay, he got up like he always does. “Robbie, please let me in. I- I'm sorry about earlier. You know I love you.” He promises and Robin starts to let up against the door. “You know I do. You're- you're my soulmate.” He says and Robin's ready to open the door and tackle Steve into the biggest hug.

Then he continues, “You're mine - my soulmate. You know this. It's the two of us against the world. The love of my life.” As the door jerks, she braces against it. Nancy looks shocked at the help but Robin's brain spins with information. “ Stop being so - I'm sorry okay, just let me in. We need to get out of here.”

Robin moves her hand over and clicks the lock in place. It won't do much but it'll give them an extra second. Her chest heaves as she hears a choked-off grunt that isn't completely human. She bites her lips and looks at Nancy, nodding her head to the window. “Run to the pool,” She mouths and Nancy's eyes widen.

“I'm not leaving you behind.” She mouths back and Robin's eyes squeeze shut.

“Robbie, I know you're panicking but I can protect you. Just- just let me in. We can work together and get out of here. We can finish this together. Like we do everything.” Steve's voice seems to be getting raspier the longer he speaks.

Nancy grabs Robin's hand, “Together.” She mouths and Robin shakes her head.

But before she can respond the door slams again, hard this time. Robin can almost hear the wood starting to break. “ God dammit Nancy stop poisoning people against me. Let me in, ” Steve snaps and there's a low rumble paired with the words. Like he couldn't hold back on the sounds any longer.

“Robin, we're- why aren't you letting me in? Don't you care about me at all? I thought- don't you trust me ?” The voice was off completely now and Robin refused to think it was her best friend. The door shuttered against another slam.

As soon as they stabilized the door, she ran to the window. She pried it open and waved her over. Nancy looked at the door before moving over as quickly and quietly as she could. Robin crawled out and gave Nancy a hand. They ran across the yard and Robin ignored the ladder to drop in on the swallow end.

She winced as she heard the door splintering in the room they left behind and dove into the water. It was confusing and took her a second to get her bearings before she was able to break the surface. She wiped the water from her face and relaxed a little as Nancy broke the surface right next to her.

Robin never got out of a pool faster though. Nancy gave her a hand after pulling herself up with more ease than Robin had. She had lost the bat at some point but felt at least a little safe with Nancy holding her shotgun. Nancy tugged her back inside the Harrington's house and this time they were just running. A roar emitted from the pool as they stumbled down the steps and started to run down the driveway.

This is not what I had planned. It's out of my control (Waiting For the End - Linkin Park) Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Tags: @ellietheasexylibrarian @nburkhardt @artiststarme @flowers-that-sing @juleswashere3 @indiearr @remosdeerica

[redlegumes]

If it's just till St. Patrick's Day: Excerpt from Thanksgiving

Chapter Summary:

An orphan Thanksgiving with their strange family. Steve reveals some new secrets to Eddie. Steve proposes a new arrangement for the holidays which they start. After Thanksgiving, Eddie offers Steve his support. Can be read stand-alone

"They’re just hookups though. Steve put his pants on after and left after. I shouldn’t, agh. That sounds so cold. It hasn’t been that cold. But it’s definitely a ‘friend with benefits vibe.’ Though… Eddie mused, our friendship was always odd too. Forged in supernatural hell. Now that the supernatural hell was gone, he had kinda worried how long their little trauma family would hold on. But here they mostly were, in November, still maintaining various group chats, hanging, and celebrating holidays."

Complete tags and finished fic on A03

CW: Smut, Closeted trans character, Tobacco use, Mentions of (not overtly detailed)- alcohol use, past physical abuse parents, family transphobia, disownment

( 〃● ₃● ) ~ 🍁🍂 🧡EXPLICIT CONTENT AFTER THE CUT 🧡🍂🍁

"Who knows what will be, But I'll make you this guarantee, No way November will see our goodbye"

Mrs. Henderson had set out a big spread. She was hosting a bit of an Orphan Thanksgiving for the ‘family.’ Not everyone was around, Nancy wouldn't be back from Boston till Winter break and Robin was off visiting family in Ohio, but those who were tried to make the Henderson house’s gracious invitation to eat there. Mrs. Henderson apparently hadn’t wanted to travel to see her family that year. She’d bought such a big bird, and said it seemed a shame for just her and Dustin to enjoy it.

Eddie learned all this from Dustin, surprised he made the cut for invites. It was still a big group making time for the evening meal. He and Wayne never did much for the holiday, normally turkey frozen dinners, football (that he didn’t watch), and cheap beer. So after a quick check-in text, he said yes.

Hopper and Joyce Byers were in, which included Will, El, and Max. Jonathan was in school for photography now, but he was coming in from Chicago. Mike got permission, as well as Lucas since his family was having their meal closer to lunch. Family was staying with the Sinclairs that week, and his house was going to be packed. Lucas practically begged for a break from his cousins that would be sharing his room over the holiday.

…

Turkey day arrived, and Eddie spent the beginning of the day hanging with Wayne, just catching up. He drove over afterwards to Henderson’s, feeling a little bashful that he was the last to arrive, the others showing up early to help cook and prep the table. The food was plentiful and damn close to the commercials and movies Eddie’d seen when he was a kid. So this is Thanksgiving. Wild.

He even assumed their ‘family’ followed the classic tropes. Before the meal was set out, he and Jonathan took a little ‘walk’ to wet their appetite. The kids mostly bickered and ran around, some watching the game, others watching a stream in Dustin’s room. Eddie hadn’t expected Harrington there, but then he remembered he had picked up Mike and Lucas. For some reason he kind of just assumed he’d drive off after, to his own Thanksgiving. If this was a regular one Eddie could only imagine a rich people version of the holiday.

…

After the meal, Eddie volunteered for dish duty. It only seemed right since he hadn’t done any of the prep. Steve joined him. Most everyone else had relocated into the living room where a game of Mario Kart had been agreed on. Based on the yelling and the huddle around in front of the tv, it appeared as if the game was in full swing.

Mrs. Henderson wandered over with a shot of brandy for the adults. She patted his cheek and then Steve’s before handing them two little glasses. She delivered some platitudes about it being the holidays and moved on to the next room.

He and Steve exchanged shrugs and grins before turning back to the last pots and pans. Steve knocked his brandy back once they finished washing; Eddie'd waited to follow suit. Steve had hopped up to sit on the countertop. He looked good. Maybe it was just that extrovert glow. Or maybe it's because he's one-on-one with me for the first time this evening.

They'd talked since Halloween. Mostly flirting over texts, which wasn't too new, but things had gotten… perhaps… maybe… just a teensy bit more complicated. Steve had been over to his twice now without booze and slutty costumes to provide an easy excuse for ‘bad’ behavior. They'd done the dirty on a total of three occasions at this point and each time it had been good. We both got off. Hell, more than just getting off. Recalling Steve, fucking him on his bed, instantly made Eddie’s cheeks red.

They’re just hookups though. Steve put his pants on after and left after. I shouldn’t, agh. That sounds so cold. It hasn’t been that cold. But it’s definitely a ‘friend with benefits vibe.’ Though… Eddie mused, our friendship was always odd too. Forged in supernatural hell. Now that the supernatural hell was gone, he had kinda worried how long their little trauma family would hold on. But here they mostly were, in November, still maintaining various group chats, hanging, and celebrating holidays.

Eddie had sat down in a kitchen chair, broken from his thoughts by the tap of Steve's foot on his knee.

"Eddie."

"Yeah?"

Steve’s volume was low, but the house had gotten so noisy Eddie doubted anyone could hear their conversation. "I was just saying it's cuffing season. Look, I’d, ah… I’m good with hooking up for the holidays."

Eddie felt himself do the double take. "What?"

"I know you heard me that time."

"Yeah, but cuffing is a little more than just fucking." Eddie gazed up at Steve, still somehow cool and calm above him. Eddie wanted to run a hand through his hair but he'd tied it up. He settled for picking at a fraying rip on his jeans. Cuffing… that’s practically. Nope. Not even gonna think it.

"We could keep it casual but exclusive. You do like it don’t you? That way we could do fewer barriers. It’s fun, Munson. Been real fun. So, let’s keep it going." Steve winked at him. No no. I am the winker. I’m the bad boy here. Who does he think he is? "I want more, but I like a little structure. And if true love shows up in between for either of us, we break it off. No hurt feelings."

"No hurt feelings? We’re just above tolerating each other as it is." Aren't we? I'm always teasing and pushing. Well, is that it? Is he finally pushing back? What's it gonna be, Munson, he asked himself. Take him seriously or… nah. Obviously more teasing. "Former fuckboy."

Steve snorted. "E-girl wannabe."

"Fantasy footballer.” Eddie stuck his tongue out. “Best you can do, without enough skill for a scholarship."

"Shows what you know. I still didn’t have enough cash to go to State, even with the scholarship."

Why lie about that? "That’s fucking bullshit. You’re a ‘Harrington,’ as in Harrington Law Offices with that, y'know. The awful jingle on the radio." Eddie snapped his fingers but couldn't remember it.

Steve’s face soured, and he slid off the countertop. "Disowned."

Okay. That. That I couldn’t have heard right. "Steve. Wait. What?"

Steve looked at him as though calculations were running through his head. "Not here," he jerked his chin out toward the backyard.

Eddie flicked the light on as they walked out. As soon as the door shut he launched what felt like the first of a few million questions he had. "Since when? Also who knows? And Steve, we can fill out a fucking FAFSA for you. Why not? You can still go to college, man."

Steve stuck his hands in his pockets and jumped a bit in place as though he'd experienced a chill. It wasn’t that cold outside, considering the time of year. "You got smokes on you,” Steve asked instead of answering one of Eddie’s many questions.

Eddie patted his pockets. "Fuck. The pack's in the van."

"That's fine." It didn't look fine. Steve rocked on his feet.

"You sure?"

"I wanted to go on HRT." Steve said, suddenly focused on his Adidas. "I wanted to transition."

Eddie looked over Steve. To his eye nothing had changed. His hair was a little long, but it wasn't as long as Eddie's. He knew Steve shaved all the time, but that was explained as a holdover from his swimming days, and of course now he knew how some of Steve's partners probably liked that but… trans? Eddie knew better. He already felt shitty for ‘looking’ for clues. It didn't matter how Steve presented now. If the 'he' wasn't good for him, she should be able to be a her.

Steve was nervously rambling a little. "Yeah, I won't exactly be treating you to too much if we do hook-up for the holidays. Why did you think I was here and not with my bio family anyway? Family?" He muttered, "this is what I’ve got."

“You want to transition." Eddie hated the disbelief betrayed in his tone as he made the statement. That’s not what he, she? he? needs from me right now. Fuck. Why'd he say wanted? Past-tense. What the hell happened?

Steve finally looked up and met Eddie's eyes. "I did. End of high school, I spoke to my doctor about it and was trying to start shifting the way I present, just a little and… And then I told them… Bye bye insurance, home, financing for college. I would have had to take out too much in personal loans." Steve had turned away from Eddie, head thrown back as he stared at the visible stars above them. "I didn't qualify for financial aid when I was with my folks. Luckily, the car was in my name, so I got to keep that. But… I was homeless for a little and…" Eddie walked around to Steve's front, an urgent need to be in his space. "I mean, I got out with a duffle bag."

Steve's hand went to his face in a gesture Eddie recognized. If he thought of his past battles or his losses, Steve always had to check his face to make sure the cuts had healed and the bruising had gone away. It 'grounded' him, Robin had once said.

That motion with that story. "They didn't," Eddie gasped. He held the hand on Steve's face with his own, gripping Steve's waist with the other.

Steve's big eyes met Eddie's. He whispered, "I can take a hit."

Eddie's eyes raked over Steve's face. He held him a little tighter. "You can dish ‘em out too."

"Not in that moment." Steve chuckled, and he let his hand leave his face. He shifted it to hold Eddie's hand and shrugged. "That's what he wanted. Restraining order with an assault charge strapped to it. Make things a lot easier to explain versus, 'I disowned my son because he was trying to be my daughter.' Easier for others to digest. Though, I guess they say whatever they want about me now." He shared the last piece of information as though he was contemplating it for the first time.

"Steve." Eddie dropped his hand and flung his arms around him, holding him as tightly as he dared. "I can't believe… this whole time you’ve been on your own like that. Who else knows? Why? You've never said."

Steve pulled back a bit to shake his head. "Eddie, you know why."

Because he would've had to have said why they did it. Explained. Eddie looked hard at Steve's saddened but resigned face. He thinks his plans for his future, including transitioning, died that night. Jesus Fucking Christ.

"Robin knows about everything. Dustin knows something happened and about my apartment. Hopper probably knows that I'm cut off and living independently, but he was a detective basically so..." Steve sighed, and Eddie watched him brace, as if he was waiting for some sort of rejection. "Now you know everything too," he said softly.

Eddie looked at Steve’s big eyes glistening magically like they did, even under the poor strength flood light in Dustin Henderson's backyard. Guess I was always kinda right. Eddie had privately believed that eyes so starry and big could only exist due to princess powers. His heart broke for the sweet princess in his arms. He couldn’t help but be reminded, standing in each other’s embrace, that Steve was very, very pretty.

He kissed him, and, at first, Steve tensed. Then he relaxed in Eddie’s hold, letting him kiss deeper. Steve’s lips were just as welcoming and sweet as the last time they’d kissed. Okay… Eddie had made a decision. I want this.

He let them part, stifling a little moan when he did. "’Cuffed’ or ‘exclusively hooking-up’ so shit isn’t so bleak with all that holiday Hallmark crap plastered everywhere. Whichever, whatever. I'm in. Okay?"

Steve bit his bottom lip and then ran a hand up the side of Eddie's neck. "Okay," he whispered back. They kissed again till Steve got anxious that someone might come out to get them.

Eddie felt as though he couldn't care less, but there was pie waiting inside to be considered.

…

"How's the apprenticeship going," Hopper asked.

Eddie was moments from taking a huge bite of pumpkin pie, but he set it down to answer Hopper. "It's fine, and no nights. So, in theory, I could gig again when I want to."

"You with a wrench seems like a menacing image," Hopper replied. Eddie knew him well enough now to know when he was fucking with him. He stuck his tongue out and went back to his pie. The mechanic apprenticeship was going well, they paid him to learn a trade. All in all, a good deal from where Eddie was sitting.

Dustin piped up. "You should see him with a guitar."

"Will you play some tonight," Mike asked.

There was a general begging from the table, and Steve appeared at his shoulder. He held out Eddie's keys that had been in his jacket pocket and dropped them in his lap. "He'll play. There's always a guitar in the van."

He knows me too well. "Fine. Yes, but a total of three requests only! And then whatever I want until I get tired. So you better get to brainstorming."

He returned with the guitar to find the family had split into teams.

Hopper, Joyce, and Mrs. Henderson requested 'Alice's Restaurant.' Eddie played a few rounds of the chorus for them. He didn't know the whole thing and didn't want to try. It was a goddamn long 'song.' His boys and Jonathan requested 'Hellraiser' next 'cause they were good like that. After came Steve, crouched on the rug between El and Max. He smiled wickedly up at Eddie.

"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."

"No," Eddie said firmly.

"Yes," hissed his traitorous audience.

But they cheered and he relented. Damn my vanity.

Steve watched intently when Eddie played. Even now, settled between the girls, he knew there was that spark between them as Steve watched him perform. Imparted in that instant was the knowledge of who would be following him home that night. It made it hard to focus, but Eddie managed to finish his requests and strummed through whatever came to mind afterwards. Everyone in the house had settled down, full and content. The evening was at an end.

…

There were plenty of hugs and 'happy Thanksgiving's' on the way out the door. Mike, Lucas, and Will were staying the night, and Jonathan had driving duty to ferry them back home in the morning. It gave Eddie the strong feeling his wishbone wish went through.

He put his guitar back into the van and waved at the Hopper-Byers group filling up their SUV. Steve leaned against his car as Eddie closed his back van doors.

"Angel, you having car trouble? 'Cause I never work on German automobiles." Eddie leaned back next to Steve. "But for you…" He made a show of looking Steve up and down, checking him out. "I could make an exception."

Steve fluttered his eyelashes and pushed up off the vehicle. "Mmm, lucky me." He dropped into his driver's seat and shut the door.

The hell? The car started but didn't move as Eddie walked to the driver's door, and peered in to see Steve smiling. Tease. He lowered his window and Eddie leaned down. "Your place or mine?"

"Yours?"

"Heads up. Nothing else is getting stuffed tonight baby." Ate too damn much.

"That's fair. But you forget… maybe I'm still hungry." Steve looked at Eddie's crotch and licked his lips.

The lethargy Eddie had felt after the pie melted away. Excitement pumped through his veins, waking all of him up. Fuck-buds for the holidays. Perhaps this is a brilliant idea.

He drove back to the apartment far too fast, grateful there were rarely cops on the back roads. Eddie locked his van, unlocked his door, and went straight to the bathroom to freshen up. He'd finished when he heard Steve knock and enter. He also heard the sound of the deadbolt turn.

He walked out of the bathroom and looked back over his shoulder at Steve standing in his little hallway. "Hey, do you want to change into something with an elastic waistband?"

Steve had a flirty little smile on his lips. "God, Munson. Where were you hiding that kink?"

Eddie smacked his lips, walked up, and slid his arms around Steve's waist. "Oh no. Sweatpants and a cock like yours? That's not hidden baby."

Steve pulled back Eddie's hair to rest his lips on Eddie's neck, just below his ear. "Then I'll have to slip into a pair."

He resisted the urge to do more in the moment, moving instead to the bedroom. Eddie rummaged in his drawers for a pair of promised sweatpants and threw them on the bed. Steve was just about to reach out and grab them when Eddie pressed up behind him. "Can I help you?"

"Now that you mention it, I could use a helping hand." Steve stood back upright and undid his jeans, letting Eddie help him push them down, followed swiftly by his underwear. Steve patiently stood still as Eddie eagerly pulled off his shirt and then his own. He left his pants on and wrapped one hand around Steve's chest, pulling their bodies close together. Steve angled his head back, seeking Eddie's lips as his free hand wrapped around Steve's hard cock.

Steve moaned as Eddie held him, jerking his cock, pressing his own denim covered erection against the bare swell of Steve's ass. His lips ranged over Steve's neck and shoulder, murmuring into his skin every promise he wanted fulfilled for Steve that night. "I want you to bust in my hand baby, feel it against my chest when your spine tingles, give you that release, let you melt back into me. You beautiful angel…"

Steve moaned, and Eddie tugged at a faster pace, keeping his hand at the same firmness. He wanted to wet it some but was loath to do anything that changed their position. Instead he sucked love bite after love bite onto Steve's shoulder. He let his short nails rake across Steve's chest and with a shudder and a cry, Steve came. Eddie drew up his hand to catch what he could, waiting for the last pulse of his cock before letting Steve go. Steve turned and sat on the bed.

"How did you make a reach around… Fuck.” Steve was flushed, his pretty lips wet and pink. "Eddie, my legs are literally weak."

Eddie could feel himself blush a little as he cleaned off his hand. "I didn't know that you would, dry… I, um. No shame in admitting it I guess…" He rubbed his hand across his mouth. Damn. Am I getting self conscious over my body count? "I've been getting cocks off for a bit now."

Steve looked up at him with big eyes and pouted. "Eddie. I'm still hungry."

Christ. Eddie unzipped and lowered his pants and underwear that time. Steve pulled Eddie's hips forward till he stood between Steve's knees. He ran his lips over the side of Eddie's cock. He teased the wet pleasure of his mouth by tonguing the whole of the underside of Eddie's cock, from balls to tip. Eddie flinched, fighting the urge to grab and manhandle Steve.

Steve seemed to know he was holding back. "You can put your hands wherever," Steve said sweetly. "I trust you not to choke me. Three taps for out, two for slow, one for keep going."

"You have been a naughty thing, haven't you? I'd've never guessed and now you’re sitting so pretty, holding my cock, telling me your non-verbal signals." Before Eddie could tease him more, Steve had wrapped his lips around Eddie's member and had half his length sucked into his mouth. Steve's mouth met with his hand around the base of Eddie's shaft.

Eddie's hand shot out and buried itself in Steve's luscious hair. Eddie held his head in place, so that he paused Steve's motion. He wanted to savor the depth a while longer, the tongue pressing against his cock. All fluctuating pressure and spit. He liked the precautions Steve had set up for himself. He wasn't as worried about gagging him when he started to lightly pull on Steve's hair. Eddie pushed his head forward and back at a varied pace. Steve's mouth slid and sucked obediently, focused on Eddie prompts.

"That's good baby. Who taught you to be so good," Eddie asked. Steve's eyes shot up to look at him. Light brown irises nearly imperceivable, Steve's pupils had expanded so much. They were a little teary too, making them glisten even more than normal.

Eddie couldn't tear his eyes off of Steve either. Mouth stretched, gazing up at him, so focused on his pleasure. So pretty and pink cheeked. "Lovely," he whispered. "You're so lovely, baby."

Steve kept going, and Eddie lost himself to the sensation. He kept his hand on Steve's head but let him continue at the depth and speed he'd last set. It was all consuming. Eddie barely recognized when it built so high he finally spilt over. The delight etched in his body in waves, as Steve sucked his release down.

Steve's voice was a little graveled when his mouth popped off of Eddie's spent cock. "You're teaching me gorgeous. You're teaching me how to be good for you."

Eddie felt like his heart stopped before pounding at high speed again in his chest. He leaned down and angled Steve's head up, index finger curled under his chin. Eddie kissed him softly. "Very, very good Stevie." Steve's face rapidly covered in a blush, and Eddie felt a grin spread across his own face.

They both put on sweatpants, Steve threw his undershirt back on, and then he lay down in Eddie's bed. Steve stayed the night.

…

Now that Eddie was looking for it, little pieces of dysphoria seemed to be everywhere.

The way Steve was always more comfortable with the girls than he’d been with his buddies on his sports teams. Those friendships hadn't stuck, but with Nancy and Robin... Steve talked to them on the daily. Any guy could be protective of his friends and kind to kids, but all the maternal jokes and the babysitter ribbing now sprang to mind. Any guy could care about his appearance and fuss with his hair, but now Eddie couldn’t help but think how proud and pleased Steve was over the length of his locks and look. Those things didn't make him a woman, they were just parts of Steve. Yet… don't those details mean a little more now?

Out of everything Eddie considered, if he knew anything about Steve it was that he would put aside his own discomfort and pain for others. The longer Eddie dwelled on the matter, the more he felt like it was deeply fucked that Steve had abandoned his transition. Steve had shoved it to the side as he worried about having to get by, and killing Vecna, defeating the Mind Flayer, and caring for the kids. How much of his stress had piled deeper? How much had he struggled with that core element of himself… herself?

When Eddie woke up with Steve still in his arms, sound asleep that Black Friday, he was determined to help her however he could. He hadn’t asked her yet about pronouns, but mentally he’d already made the switch. She deserved the help to be herself. I want her to be happy. I want her to feel whole.

Chapter continues *•.🍁.•* Keep reading on AO3

[isthatmyjacket-covenofchaossq]

It was Eleven's first Christmas, and she couldn't be more excited. The whole concept was still new to her, but El enjoyed seeing houses and businesses adorned, the large Christmas trees with all those colorful balls and other ornaments, not to mention the snow.

People also seemed to have a penchant for themed sweaters, and that was one of the things Eleven liked the most. Most people said they were horrible, and especially the boys, like Mike, refused to wear anything resembling a Christmas sweater, but El loved them.

Hopper had bought her four sweaters with Joyce's help, and El suspected, with Max's assistance as well. Although Max claimed not to be a fan of such things, Max knew El's tastes better than anyone, even better than Mike.

Thinking about Max made the corners of Eleven's mouth curve up in an involuntary smile and brought warmth to her heart. Since the events of that fateful July 4th, they had started spending more time together. At first, El felt guilty about everything that had happened, especially Billy's death, even though he wasn't a good person, especially to Max.

El knew she didn't understand relationships very well, and she didn't understand, especially, how Max could feel so bad about Billy's death, but Max was her friend, and she was very sad, and El hated seeing her that way. Not to mention the nightmares.

Right after Billy's death, Max told her that things were ugly at her home, with Neil arguing with her mom more and more intensely. El knew she couldn't use her powers on Neil, but she could try to keep Max safe, so she always found an excuse for Max to sleep in the cabin, and Hopper seemed more than happy to accommodate her requests.

When Max woke up screaming and crying on the first night, Eleven woke up startled, but seeing her friend's state, the shock was replaced by guilt and concern. She didn't know what to do; all the movies she had ever watched never showed how to comfort a friend.

So, El let her instincts speak. She pulled Max close and hugged her as best as she could, and felt relieved when Max didn't reject her approach, but instead buried her head in her neck and gripped her pajama shirt, letting tears flow freely as sobs shook her entire body. Despite the trauma and sadness that moment represented for Max, and for El too, she couldn't help but like how it brought them even closer.

"Earth to Eleven."

Dustin's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she noticed he was staring at her. "What?"

"Is everything okay? You were—" Dustin shrugged. "I don't know, seemed like you were far away."

"But I didn't go anywhere." Eleven furrowed her eyebrows, looking confused at Dustin.

"No." He smiled. "It's like when we start thinking about something, or remembering something, and get carried away by it, you know?"

"Ah." Eleven's eyes shifted to Max for a moment, then back to Dustin. "I think I know."

Eleven watched in silence as Dustin, always so perceptive, seemed to study her for a moment, as if deciding something, and then he just shrugged and asked, "How are you liking Christmas so far?"

"I like the lights and the sweaters." El smoothed her sweater as if to make a point.

"Sweaters are great! I don't know why Mike doesn't like them."

"Mike doesn't like a lot of things." Max grumbled from where she was, helping Robin put up some lights on the wall.

"Not true, I like plenty of things." Mike replied, coming from Joyce's room, with Will right behind him, each carrying a cardboard box. "But these sweaters are ridiculous."

"Your hair is ridiculous, and no one says anything."

Max shot back, giving Mike a challenging look. El watched the scene and felt her heart warm. She knew that was Max's way of defending her interests, and she liked how Max didn't care if she had to argue with Mike or anyone else to defend her. Not that she needed someone to defend her, but it was nice to know there was someone willing to do so.

She smiled, seeing Max narrow her eyes at Mike, and the way she lifted her chin slightly.

She knew the other boys would hardly stand against Mike, especially Will, even though they were almost brothers now, and she understood. They had been friends for many years, and she was the outsider. Just like Max.

Maybe that's what brought them together, in parts. And it was good to have someone to talk to and spend time with beyond Mike and the boys, especially now that she and Mike were no longer together. Someone to teach her things that Mike could never. And who understood her.

"She's doing it again."

Dustin's voice brought Eleven out of her thoughts, and she looked at him for a moment. "Sorry."

"Nah, no need to apologize." Dustin smiled and tossed a ball to her. "Help me finish decorating the tree."

Eleven nodded and joined Dustin and Steve to decorate the Hopper-Byers Christmas tree.

Yes, that was another thing Eleven liked a lot; since the events on July 4th, Hopper and Joyce had started going out, or as Max had explained to her, having dates. It was good because Hopper smiled a lot now, and so did Joyce.

And it was really nice to have a large family, even though Eleven was still getting used to all this. Being closer to town, she and Hopper had moved to Joyce's house a few months after the July 4th events.

She wasn't sure how it had happened, but one day Joyce came to the cabin to talk to her and ask if Eleven would like to live with her, Hopper, and the boys in her house.

What Eleven liked most about Joyce was that she didn't try to use anything to convince El about anything. Instead, she sat and talked with her, giving options, explaining things, and letting Eleven decide what she would do.

Max's laughter filled the room, drawing Eleven's attention, and she smiled widely at seeing her friend on the floor with Robin on top of her. Robin had fallen from the ladder. Again. Eleven didn't know Robin as well as Dustin, Erica, or Max, but she liked her. Robin was funny and smart, and she made Max laugh. That was one of the things El liked most about Robin.

"Oh my God, are you guys okay?"

Joyce came from the kitchen upon hearing the noise, hands covered in flour and something else.

"We're fine, Mrs. Byers." Max laughed, pushing Robin. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize, dear." Joyce smiled kindly, and her gaze shifted to Eleven. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." Eleven nodded, her eyes finally leaving Max. "I'm fine."

The door opened, bringing in a blast of cold air as Jonathan, Hopper, and Nancy entered with more Christmas shopping; food, last-minute decorations, and extra gifts.

"Hello, kiddo."

Hopper ruffled Eleven's hair as he passed by her. Eleven smiled at him but didn't stop what she was doing. She picked up another ornament from one of the boxes Will and Mike brought from the room and busied herself helping the boys decorate the tree.

Jonathan joined them and went to help Steve with other decorations while Nancy took the Christmas lights from Robin's hands, instructing her to help Max hold the ladder so she could put the lights on the wall.

Surprisingly, Lucas was helping Joyce in the kitchen. Apparently, he had a hidden talent and a taste for cooking that caught everyone by surprise, but no one was complaining or judging him.

"After we finish here, we're going to make snowmen," Mike said, his smile widening.

"Snowmen?" Eleven furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah, with the amount of snow piling up in the backyard, we can make a bunch of them!" Will said, excited. "But don't worry, El, we'll show you how to do it."

Eleven nodded, and without even realizing what she was doing, her eyes met Max's across the room. Her lips curled up into an involuntary smile, and she felt relieved when Max said, "You got this!"

(...)

After finishing decorating the tree, walls, and doors, Eleven and the others headed to the backyard of the Hopper-Byers house. The house was larger than when El first set foot there; when Joyce asked if she would like to live with her and the boys and Eleven said yes, Joyce and Hopper started the project of renovating the house to accommodate everyone. It wasn't a big house like Mike's or the other boys', but it was cozy and familial, and most importantly: Eleven felt safe there.

"Here, let me help you with this," Joyce said, stopping Eleven on the porch. "There you go, now you're ready." She said, closing the zipper of Eleven's winter coat and adjusting a beanie on her head.

"Thank you."

"Come on, El, let's go."

Eleven felt her heart race, as it always did every time Max took her hand and smiled at her that way, highlighting her dimples. She ran hand in hand with Max across the yard and joined the boys, who were making snowballs with their hands and throwing them at each other.

"Hey, you idiots, be careful!"

Max shouted, sending an irritated glance toward the boys when a snowball came too close to Eleven's head.

"Sorry, El!" Lucas offered an apologetic smile.

Eleven looked at the boys, one by one, and then exchanged a glance with Max, in a silent conversation only they understood. Max nodded, and Eleven's smile widened.

She looked back at the boys, her expression neutral as she focused on her powers and made a massive snowball float just above the boys' heads. She exchanged another brief glance with Max, who nodded, and Eleven turned to the boys with a smile on her face that they knew well at this point.

With a slight nod of her head, the snowball fell onto the boys, and she and Max burst into laughter.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"This is cheating!"

"I'm going to freeze to death."

The girls' laughter intensified in the face of the boys' indignation and drama, and soon Steve, Robin, Nancy, and Jonathan were by their side to see what had happened.

"What-" Steve blinked, confused. "Did you do that?" He turned to Eleven, eyebrows raised slightly.

Eleven just nodded, laughing. Her eyes sparkled with innocent mischief, and soon everyone was laughing at the boys partially trapped under the snowball.

"Well done, you idiots." Max stuck her tongue out at the boys and pulled Eleven by the hand. "I think here is good to build our snowmen."

"If you say so."

To anyone else, this simple phrase might sound rude or dismissive, but El knew that Max already knew her well enough to know that it was just her agreeing with Max.

"First, you do it like this," Max said, kneeling in the snow and grabbing a handful of snow between her hands, forming a small ball. "You make a snowball like this, and you keep adding snow to this ball until it's about thirty centimeters."

Eleven nodded and started doing the same as Max, gathering snow until she formed a ball large enough for them to place on the ground and roll it to achieve the ideal size for the bottom part.

With the corner of her eye, Eleven noticed that the boys had already been freed from the snow and were building their own snowmen.

She turned her attention back to the snowman she was building with Max, and soon they moved on to the middle part. Building the snowman was faster and easier than Eleven expected - especially when you have powers and can use them to stack the snowballs on top of each other, she thought. Once they finished, they ran inside the house to grab scarves, hats, and other things to decorate their snowmen.

They placed carrots as noses, blue bouncing rubber balls and green gems for eyes, and colorful pebbles for the teeth. Eleven put a blue scarf on her snowman, and Max put a red one on hers.

"Now we need sticks for the arms," Max said.

Eleven joined her in searching for the ideal sticks for their snowmen's arms, and after a few minutes, they were complete. The boys', however, were still halfway done. That's because every now and then, they interrupted the snowman building to play snowball wars or to mock each other's snowman-building skills.

With not much else to do, they joined the boys in the snowball fights and chases, zigzagging between the snowmen in the yard.

Eleven had never felt such happiness in her life as in that moment; surrounded by people she loved and trusted, people who cared about her and saw her as more than a girl with special powers.

She never imagined it was possible to feel such joy, the kind that feels like your heart might leap out of your chest at any moment, and this feeling intensified when she and Max fell into the snow - breathless and sweaty - with Max on top of her.

Her eyes locked onto Max's, and Eleven felt her heart race. Max's blue eyes were already mesmerizing on an ordinary day, but in that moment, against the gray sky and with cheeks red and glowing with a happiness Eleven hadn't seen in months, they seemed even bluer, even more captivating. Eleven felt her breath catch in her throat as Max's eyes dropped to her lips, and she thought she saw something in them, like when Mike went in for a kiss, but she wasn't sure.

"Hey, dingus, let's go inside before we become part of the decoration."

Robin's voice interrupted that moment, and Max's eyes widened as she quickly got up; her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. She reached out to Eleven and helped her up, but for some reason, it seemed like she was avoiding her eyes.

"Come on, let's have hot chocolate to ward off the cold!"

Joyce called from the door, and Eleven followed Max inside. She still held her hand, but something felt different. Max seemed tense and thoughtful, and El wanted to ask her if she had done something wrong, something that upset her, but she knew she would have to wait until they were alone for that.

As they entered, each one hung their coats on a hook. Hopper was in the living room, sitting in his armchair and sipping on a mug of hot chocolate, but Eleven was pretty sure it wasn't just chocolate in there. He smiled at her, and she returned his smile.

Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas sprawled out on the carpet, all talking at the same time and gesturing wildly. Jonathan and Steve went to the kitchen to help Joyce bring trays of hot chocolate and cookies, while Nancy, Robin, and Erica settled on a sofa.

Eleven pulled Max by the hand, and they sat on the carpet near where Nancy was. El liked to look at Nancy. She was so different from Mike, with her big, intense, blue eyes, completely different from her brother's dark brown eyes.

"Your snowman looks really nice," Nancy said, pulling Eleven out of her thoughts.

"It's the first time I've made one."

"You've never made a snowman before?" Robin's eyes widened, and she grumbled when Nancy nudged her.

"She lived in a lab, dingus. I doubt that old man made snowmen there."

Max's protective tone made Eleven smile involuntarily, and she noticed Nancy and Robin exchanging a look, like the ones she and Max exchanged sometimes, but at the same time, it was different.

"But now you're here, and you'll build many snowmen from now on," Nancy said gently.

"Yes," Eleven smiled. "And I can also go to the arcade, and to the movies, and I learned how to ride a bike. Hopper even gave me one!"

"The next step is learning to skateboard," Robin said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"I prefer to watch Max do that. She's really good at it."

"And to think that when you two first met, you looked like you were going to rip Max's head off," Steve said playfully, coming with a tray of cookies for the girls.

"Things changed. Now I don't want to knock her off the skateboard anymore."

"Wait, you were the one who knocked me off the skateboard that day at the schoolyard?" Max's eyes widened comically, her mouth open in disbelief.

"Maybe." Eleven bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile.

"Oh, you're so in trouble for that." Max said, narrowing her eyes and pushing Eleven, falling on top of her again.

Eleven gasped and burst into laughter when Max started tickling her. When Jonathan approached with the tray of hot chocolates, Max stopped tickling Eleven and helped her sit up, and although that had been a normal moment between them - Max often tickled her - while sitting, Eleven noticed that Max was still avoiding her gaze a little.

Eleven tried not to care about it and not to dwell on it at that moment. Later, she would ask Max, and whatever it was, they would figure it out together. She accepted the mug of chocolate that Jonathan handed her and focused on eating some cookies.

After eating and drinking, everyone settled in the living room to watch a movie, and it took longer debating which movie to watch than to actually watch it.

After the movie ended, Joyce went to the kitchen to check on dinner while Hopper, Jonathan, and Steve set the table. Will, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin took charge of tidying up the living room, while Nancy, Robin, Max, Erica, and El helped bring dishes from the kitchen to the dining room.

El had just placed a plate on the table and was heading back to the kitchen when she nearly bumped into Max.

"Sorry, I was distracted," Eleven said, still standing in front of Max.

"Oh, oh!" Robin's voice made El shift her gaze from Max to her. "Mistletoe!"

"What?"

El and Max asked simultaneously, but Eleven could sense a nervousness in Max's voice that rarely made an appearance. She looked at her friend and saw that she was as white as the sheet she once used for a Halloween costume.

"Mistletoe. You know what that means," Robin wiggled her eyebrows, but despite the gesture, there was no malicious intent in her.

"No, she doesn't!"

Max shot a furious look at Robin. Eleven knew she had a lot to catch up on, but she didn't understand why Max seemed so upset. Max blushed, turning as red as a ripe tomato, and El, oblivious to social implications, was genuinely confused.

"What's the mis... mistle-"

"Mistletoe," Steve said, appearing beside her.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"It's just a silly tradition," Max quickly said.

"What tradition?" Eleven asked, ignoring Max's eye roll. She knew Max did that when she was annoyed or upset, and she knew it wasn't anything personal against her.

"According to tradition, when two people find themselves under the mistletoe, they should-" Steve gestured vaguely.

"I don't understand."

"Oh, for God's sake." Max huffed, annoyed, even redder than before. "According to tradition, when two people meet under the mistletoe, they're supposed to kiss."

"Oh." El's eyes widened, still innocent, and she looked at Max. "Oh! Do you want to... kiss?" she asked.

Max hesitated, her eyes shifting between El and the mistletoe. She managed a small, uneasy smile. "We don't have to, El. It's just a silly tradition."

"Ah." Eleven didn't know why, but the fact that Max seemed uncomfortable with the idea of kissing her made her feel sad.

Max took a deep breath, seeming to notice El's unease. "I mean, we can if you want, but it's not a big deal." She nervously chuckled, looking at Steve and Robin, who tried to contain their amusement.

She couldn't understand why Max seemed so bothered by this seemingly harmless tradition, but the subtle uncertainty in Max's eyes caught her attention. "If it's just a tradition, why not do it? Traditions are supposed to be fun, right?"

"Yeah, you're right. It's just a silly tradition." She then turned her attention to the mistletoe. "Okay, let's do it."

El tilted her head, still unsure. She didn't want to upset her best friend.

Max leaned in, giving El a gentle kiss on the cheek. The room fell silent for a moment, and El touched her cheek, feeling the warmth there.

"Oh, come on!" Robin grumbled.

Max rolled her eyes again, her cheeks even redder than before. "Fine, you want a real kiss?"

She turned to El, who nodded, now understanding the situation a bit better.

Eleven watched as Max leaned in slowly, her eyes locked on El’s. As their lips met, El's eyes fluttered closed as the new sensations swirled within her.

The room faded away, leaving only the warmth of Max's lips against hers. The kiss was sweet and innocent, yet filled with unspoken emotions. El found herself enjoying the sensation, and a small smile played on her lips. Max's kiss was gentle yet firm, so different from Mike's sloppy ones.

Before she could fully process what was happening, Max had pulled away again, and El immediately missed their closeness. Although she still didn't understand many things, that kiss made her comprehend a bit the confusing feelings she had been experiencing toward Max for the past few months.

As they pulled away, there was a discreet celebration from Steve and Robin. "It was about time!" Steve smiled, clapping.

She tucked a strand of hair behind El's ear. "Well, that was unexpected."

Max chuckled, her cheeks still very red, and her eyes sparkling in a way Eleven hadn't seen in a long time.

"I liked it. Can we do it again?"

"Sure, El. As many times as you want."

Max was still as red as a tomato, but she didn't seem upset anymore, Eleven noticed. This time it was El who leaned in and pressed her lips softly against Max's. “Okay.”

(let me know if you are interested in reading Max pov as well.)