#Demogorgon & the Flesh Monster

[solwhynot]

Halloween Party crushed by the Demogorgon, Byler ft Elmax

[ @bylerween2023 Day 2 ]

[meowza315]

bylerween day 2 !! demogorgon and flesh monster

hello hello I’m gonna attempt to do a few bylerween prompts!! I missed day 1 but hopefully I can do it later in the week ‼️

anyways demogorgon and flesh monster, where I made Mike and Will hide from the demogorgon!! somewhat

It’s a little chaotic but I think all of my bylerween artworks will since I have to do them in a day 💀

[spacecasehobbit]

So many fics where Eddie finds Billy alive in the Upside Down post S4.

Meanwhile, I keep thinking that maybe I should eventually return to my fic where Billy gets a surprise rescue from Barb, the first person to survive in the Upside Down after being left for dead, and who teamed up with a still living Bob Newby after S2.

Then Billy gets a loving and supportive parental figure in Bob, Barb and Billy both get a queer sibling who they start off hating and end up protective as hell over, and Bob doesn't have to rethink the nerdy 'team name' he came up with after Barb saved him and they started working together to survive the Upside Down.

They get to help each other process their various sources of trauma, experience lots of found-family shenanigans, and argue over whether it's Steve or Nancy who has bad taste for their interest in the other one (though Barb does have to concede the point a little bit upon learning that Nancy eventually dumped Steve for Jonathan) while Bob indulgently attempts and fails to mediate.

And with the addition of Billy, maybe The B Team can finally find their way out of the Upside Down.

[wheelercore]

Holly and Henry both being "explorers" aka the intentionally cut scene of Henry on moving day and Holly following the lights and almost seeing the Demogorgon may be paralleled and possibly both are inspired by Danny scene with his father + going into Room 237 in The Shining.

We get these jumbled up mixture of events from Nancy's Vecna vision:

Initially I thought Henry had walked into the bathroom, but he actually walked through an open door way next to the bathroom. Not sure where that leads to, possibly the bed rooms. Regardless, when Henry walks through the door way we see the lights flicker in the bathroom, then we get a cut to future Henry finding the black widows in the vent, then it cuts back away to moving in day Henry, seeming running out of where ever he went into with jump scare music playing for a moment. We don't see what frightened Henry saw.

The mirror with the lights on either side in the Creel bathroom (see: screenshot of future Henry) is an interesting detail because The Shining does this repeatedly, particularly in the woman in the bathtub scene in Room 237.

Personally I believe it symbolizes someone's true self being revealed. Its always there in moments where Jack sees a reflection of himself.

Anyways, in s1 we got Holly venturing into Will's (?) bedroom- following the flickering lights- similar to the scenes with Henry:

Except with this scene we're actually shown Holly venture into the bedroom and seeing the Demogorgon, unlike Henry who possibility could have been frightened by something he saw in a bedroom, but we don't know yet.

Notice the line of lights on front of Danny as he walks towards the room (which are pretty intentional you realize when you watch the movie- for example as Hallorann makes his way into the hotel before he is killed, the line of chandeliers above him are off up until the very last moment before Jack jumps out and kills him). Its later revealed that the ghost of the woman (but might have actually been Jack) had choked Danny and he had bruises to show for it. The scene abruptly cute off after Danny enters, but we see later when Jack ventures into it how it looks before he gets to the bathroom:

Looks a bit similar to Holly entering Will's room except from the opposite perspective. Mind you, the scene with Danny venturing into Room 237 is right after this scene where Danny walks into the family room and find his father sitting on the bed:

^ This scene from the images looks to be a cute scene, however if you actually watched it you would notice the ominous scary music played over it. You're supposed to get the sense that Danny is in danger. In both of these scenes there are also intentionally placed mirrors in the bedrooms- both angled towards the beds. There's also a similar set up, while the beds are arranged against different walls, both bathrooms are to the right on the back wall and both entry ways into the rooms have double doors. Notice however, in the scene where Jack is venturing into Room 237, the mirror is covered by a potted plant and the restroom door is closed, unlike in the father-son scene where the mirror is reflecting Jack and the bathroom door is open. Jack only truly sees his reflection in Room 237 when he kiss the ghost.

Also in the entry way of the father-son scene there is another curved entry way into the bedroom itself- with curtains on it, reminiscent of the Room 237 bathroom with its curved entrance into the bathtub with the white shower curtain.

In the scene with Holly, there are no mirrors however if the Demogorgon coming out of the wall is meant to take the place of the Woman in the Bathtub, and that ghost serves as a mirror itself, then there's an interesting logic to follow there. Both Holly and Danny are wearing shirts with flying objects pointing upwards- Holly with her little firefly (?) and Danny with the Apollo rocket ship.

Both Holly and Henry are described as explorers, Henry in the context of both seeing his parents (Victor was reflected in the bathtub where the spiders were and his whole thing is that he killed a family- Jack Torrancecore much?) for who they truly are and also exploring the UD (which is a very interesting repetition):

Danny spends a good portion of the movie exploring the Overlook Hotel on his little tricycle.

I don't know what Henry saw on moving in day but. I might have an idea.

[lokilaufeys]

succumbed to my fatal flaw again (bought a blind bag and was disappointed)

[bylerween2023]

Announcing the daily themes for Bylerween!

Each day has three themes: one horror theme, one in-show theme, and one fluff theme. Feel free to use inspiration from just one, two, or all three themes for each day!

Day 1, October 26:

Ghosts & Hauntings

Trapped in the Upside Down

Haunted House

Day 2, October 27:

Slashers, Gore & Body Horror

Demogorgon & Flesh Monster

Halloween Party

Day 3, October 28:

Demons, Devils & Exorcisms

Will’s S2 Possession

Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard

Day 4, October 29:

Psychological Horror

Attacked by Vecna

Sweater Weather

Day 5, October 30:

Came Back Wrong

Flayed!Mike/Flayed!Will

Carnival Night

Day 6, October 31:

Supernatural Creatures

Trick or Treat, Freak (2x02)

Trick or Treating

Day 7, November 1:

Witches, Wizards & Necromancers

D&D

Renaissance Festival

***

Rules and guidelines for posting can be found in our intro post here.

Extra prompts and ideas for these themes are under the Read More cut! Also, look below to see which themes are Double Date Night themes. For Double Date Nights themes, we encourage other ships to be featured along with Byler (but it's not required)!

amazing art by @light-lanterne!!

Here are some additional ideas that you can use as inspiration for each day's themes! You don't need to follow these prompts at all, but feel free to jump off of these ideas.

Day 1 - Ghosts & Hauntings, Trapped in the UD, Haunted House:

Ghosts & Hauntings - Mike and Will move into their first home together... but it's haunted. Ghost!Will haunts Mike, or Ghost!Mike haunts Will. Ghost movie AU. Young Mike and Will hide from a scary ghost in the closet or under the bed. A midnight stroll through a graveyard goes wrong.

Trapped in the UD - “It’s like home, but it’s so dark. It’s so dark and empty. And it’s cold!” Mike, Will, or both are trapped in the Upside Down this Halloween.

Haunted House - Creaking floors, spiderwebs, skeletons, and spiders! Mike and Will break into the scary, abandoned house down the street, only to run away when there's a creepy noise coming from the attic. Did Mike and Will get part time jobs as monster actors at the Hawkins Haunted House this October, or are they just going to the Haunted House as guests? Double Date Night: we encourage you to feature other ships with this theme!

Day 2 - Slashers, Gore & Body Horror, Demogorgon & the Flesh Monster, Halloween Party

Slashers, Gore & Body Horror - Slasher movie AU’s. Serial killer Byler, cannibalism Byler, or Frankenstein Byler.

Demogorgon & Flesh Monster - Looking back at our S1 and S3 monsters! The demogorgon or flesh monster are on the prowl and looking for victims this Halloween.

Halloween Party - What costumes are Mike and Will wearing to the party? Who has a few drinks, gets a little extra silly, and starts some drama? What feelings bubble up at the party? Loud music and dancing, spilled drinks, drunken confessions, and kissing in the dark corner of the room. Double Date Night: we encourage you to feature other ships with this theme!

Day 3 - Demons, Devils & Exorcisms, Will’s S2 Possession, Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard

Demons, Devils & Exorcism - Will and Mike make a deal with the devil. Demon x Exorcist enemies to lovers AU. Exorcism movie AU.

Will’s S2 Possession - Looking back the scenes of Will saying ominous things, not remembering the names of his loved ones, Mike sitting by Will’s bedside in the hospital, and the shed scene. What if Mike had been possessed instead of Will? What if Mike and Will were already dating in S2 when Will was possessed?

Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard - Picking out the biggest pumpkin at the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, baking pumpkin treats, and wearing ugly pumpkin sweaters. Getting lost in the apple orchard, climbing trees together, picking apples, drinking apple cider. Riding the hay bale and sneaking kisses.

Day 4 - Psychological Horror, Attacked by Vecna, Sweater Weather

Psychological Horror - Ramp up the horror, terror, paranoia, and fear! Psychological horror movie AU.

Attacked by Venca - Looking back at our S4 villain, and the horror filled visions he uses to attack his prey. Vecna returns on Halloween this year.

Sweater Weather - Everyone wants to cuddle up once the weather gets colder! Mike and Will start wearing their cozy sweaters and flannels. Falling leaves, hot cocoa, bonfire nights, smores, and camping.

Day 5 - Came Back Wrong, Flayed!Mike & Flayed!Will, Carnival Night

Came Back Wrong - Resurrecting your beloved childhood friend and sweetheart from death comes with a price... they're not the same now as they were before. A call back to good ol' Phineas Gage.

Flayed!Mike & Flayed!Will - Rethinking S3 if Mike or Will were flayed. Suspicions are raised and fear mounts: Mike or Will aren't quite acting like themselves and it's a fight to rescue them from their gruesome fate!

Carnival Night - Will and Mike play carnival games and go on rides. Bobbing for apples, getting lost in the corn maze, face painting, and feasting on carnival food. Double Date Night: we encourage you to feature other ships with this theme!

Day 6 - Supernatural Creatures, Trick or Treat, Freak (2x02), Trick or Treating

Supernatural Creatures - Vampires, and werewolves, and monsters, oh my! Mike and Will encounter a supernatural creature this Halloween, but is it friend or foe? Will as a werewolf, Mike as a vampire, Will as a goblin, Mike as a centaur? The options are endless! Monster x Monster Hunter AU.

Trick or Treat, Freak (2x02) - A look back on our beloved Halloween episode. Mike is complaining about Max, Will sees the Mind Flayer looming in the sky, and Mike takes Will home. Crazy together, right?

Trick or Treating - Mike and Will take Holly out trick or treating. Adult Mike and Will hand out candy. The early years of Mike and Will trick or treating with the party, TP-ing a bully’s house, and swapping candy afterward at home.

Day 7 - Witches, Wizards & Necromancy, D&D, Renaissance Festival

Witches, Wizards & Necromancy - Witch covens, a trickster wizard, or a necromancer raising zombies from the dead! A witch hunter falls in love with a witch, or Zombie Boy comes back to life.

D&D - Paladin Mike and Will the Wise celebrate the spooky season! Redecorate the Will the Wise costume with some Halloween vibes, or alter Will's S4 painting of the party to give it a spooky twist.

Renaissance Festival - Dressing up as knights, fairies, wizards, and more! The knights are jousting, everyone is eating a turkey leg, and Mike and Will are playing ax throwing games. Entertainers are juggling swords, fire eating, and putting on raunchy comedy skits. Are Mike and Will attending as guests, or working at the Renaissance Festival this fall? Double Date Night: we encourage you to feature other ships with this theme!

[sparkle-fiend]

Fruity Four Advent Calendar, Day 21: “Midwinter Night”

When they come across the tree in Walmart, Eddie practically starts to vibrate with excitement. "We gotta get it, Steve, please. Please, please, please. I need that tree."

They're shopping for decorations for their first ever apartment together, and they do need a tree, but... "Why that one?" It's obviously artificial, 7 ft tall and solid white. 

"We never had space for a real tree, so Wayne got a little plastic one that fit on the coffee table. It looked just like this one." Eddie waves his hand at the tree in question, like a magician showing off a trick. "I loved that thing." 

Looking at his boyfriend's bright, hopeful face, Steve easily concedes. 

They add some ornaments, a string of rainbow-colored lights, and a tinsel star to complete the recreation of Eddie's childhood tree. 

Once it’s all set up, they stand back and admire the way the lights shine pink, blue, yellow, and green against the white branches. It does look pretty; plus, Steve’s father would hate it - which adds to the appeal. 

(Sometimes the flash of colored light makes his heart race, bringing to mind the memory of a charging demogorgon, or the burst of fireworks against melted flesh in the atrium of Starcourt mall - but Steve ignores it. It'll be fine.)

It is fine... until it's not.

***

Steve comes home, tired and feeling the start of a migraine. He heads through the living room toward the kitchen, intending to grab some water and a Tylenol - when the upstairs neighbor cuts on a vacuum. The muted roar doesn't sound much like a demogorgon, but with the Christmas lights twinkling nearby it's enough to trip something in Steve's weary brain.

He's not in their apartment anymore. He's in the dimly lit hallway of the Byers' house, the smell of gasoline burning in his nose. The lights are flashing, which means the monster is coming - but he doesn't have his bat. He fumbles around the coffee table, searching... it was just here a minute ago, right? His heart is pounding like a drum, pulse rushing loud enough to muffle the voice calling his name.

"Steve? Steve?!"

He can't tell if it's Nancy or Jonathan, but they sound frightened. "Hold on Nance!"

Warm hands grip him by the shoulders. "STEVE!!"

If he doesn't find that bat they're going to die, and it'll be his fault... all his fault... 

"Please baby, come back to me. It's okay - you're okay."

It's not Nancy or Jonathan. Not Robin or Dustin or Erica calling his name.

It's Eddie leaning over him, dark curls falling like a curtain over Steve's face. His cheek is smudged, and for a second Steve thinks it's blood. They're back in the Upside Down and Eddie is bleeding out under his hands...

"Steve," Eddie says softly. He's warm and healthy, wounds sealed into scars; and the smudge on his cheek is just sauce. 

Because he was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Steve can smell it now, sausage and tomato and garlic.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Eddie asks gently.

Steve tries to explain without mentioning the lights, but Eddie knows him too well. He asks just the right questions to work it all out, and the look of guilt that crosses his face hurts worse than a blow to the head. 

Eddie gets up and goes to the tree, yanking the plug from the wall and plunging the room into gloomy darkness. "Ed, you don't have to do that..."

"I do Steve, I absolutely do.”

Steve sighs. It's the night of the winter solstice - the longest, darkest night of the year. It'll be even darker with the tree stripped of lights. "At least wait until tomorrow."

Eddie pauses his task of carefully unwinding the light strands from the tree without disturbing the ornaments. "Come here." He tugs Steve off the floor and maneuvers him onto the sofa. 

"Lay down for a minute, okay? I got this." He fetches a cool cloth and a glass of water, along with the Tylenol Steve originally meant to find.

"What about dinner?"

"It's done. I'll just pop it in the fridge, and we can eat when you're feeling better."

Steve wants to protest, but the pain in his temples has escalated to a blinding pitch. He agrees to close his eyes for just a minute - drifting off to the sound of Eddie humming softly in the background.

He wakes to the same sound and assumes that only a few minutes have passed; until he sees the clock. "Two hours? Shit, you shouldn't have let me sleep so long!"

Eddie shrugs. "You needed it. Besides, I had to run an errand."

He leans behind the tree and plugs a cord into the outlet, filling the room with a soft yellow glow. Apparently, Eddie had replaced the lights while he slept.  Clear, simple bulbs - no frills or flashing patterns. "Are these okay? Be honest." 

Steve nods. It's not as pretty as it was before, but it's comforting; like the lamp he used to keep by his bed. 

Eddie reheats dinner and they eat it straight from the pot, so there won't be more dishes to worry over. The plan was to watch a movie, but Steve is still exhausted even after his nap - worn out by the headache and the panic attack; so they just cuddle together in front of the tree.

Curled against Eddie, head resting easy on his boyfriend’s shoulder, Steve says, “I'm sorry about the tree. It doesn't look like the one you had growing up anymore."

Eddie puts an arm around him and squeezes. "I like this better. We're making a new tradition."

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 87

Part 1 Part 86

Mom’s hovering in front of the door, a knife in her hand, trying to get the rest of them to get away from the window. It’s not working. If anything, Max’s nose only presses more firmly to the glass with every request she makes.

Will’s hovering just behind her, desperate to keep Steve and Eddie in his line of sight. He can just barely see the wisp of a curl through the side window of the van, bouncing as Eddie moves around inside.

He squints, trying to keep the hair in sight as the movement becomes more erratic.

Will hears glass breaking just as he loses sight of Eddie entirely, wisps and all.

He rushes past his Mom, using the weight of his body to open the door, even as she stands in the way. It’s almost involuntary, a compulsion to follow the thread that Eddie’d pulled him by.

“Will, don’t!” she cries, but it’s too late. He’s out, and through.

Mike calls after him, too, and there’s the sound of tennis shoes stampeding out of the house behind him. Will only hopes he’s not leading them all to their impending doom.

Bodies slump into the driveway, none of them human. They’re like if the Demogorgon had followed a different evolutionary chain. Dustin would find it fascinating. Will just wants Eddie and Steve back.

Wayne’s still standing sentry, looking out across the street, waiting for more monsters to creep in from the darkness, Barbara by his side.

Shielding the entrance to the van, is El.

“El!” It’s Mike, because it always is. He sounds so genuinely elated that something curdles and dies in his throat. He swallows it down, hopes it decomposes in his stomach, so he never has to look directly at it. “You came!”

El smiles, happily at Mike, then around to all of them. “Of course.” She looks over at Max, and she’s frowning now, that way she does when she doesn’t understand something. It used to happen all the time. Now, it’s rare.

Will doesn’t care, can’t when Eddie’s too quiet in the van somewhere Will can’t see. He pushes past her, too.

There’s a misshapen, monstrous foot sticking out of the broken window. He stares at it for a second before swinging the door open. It wrenches the foot strangely, makes it crack and tear with the resistance of the door before it breaks free, black blood flowing like the thing’s still alive. 

It stays still. 

Will looks past it, and finds Eddie’s pale face.  

There’s glass in his hair, and his palms are bleeding where they’re held in front of him, but he’s breathing. Alive. And he’s looking up at El like she’s answered all his prayers. Will and Eddie have been sharing the same prayers from the same broken pews for so long that for a second, Will thinks Steve is back. 

He scrambles over the dead thing blocking his entrance. It’s cold against his palms, flesh barely giving as he crawls hand over feet atop it. But, Steve’s still just sitting there, blinking, Carol huddled into his side like he can protect her, even like this.

“Steve needs your help,” Eddie says, plaintive. Begging with both voice and unblinking eyes, gaze locked on El’s own until she breaks it to look at where Steve still sits, unbothered.

Her brow furrows, eyes squinting like she’s peeling off layers of skin and meat to get to whatever’s underneath. “He’s lost?” she asks.

Carol is squinting at El like the words aren’t clicking for her. She looks back to Steve, then back to El, brow furrowing with anger.

Eddie nods. Will clears his throat. “Not like last time,” he clarifies. “He’s here, but his mind isn’t.”

El nods, decisive. “I will help.”

“What the hell are you all talking about!” Carol demands, even as people scatter around her, setting up for El’s latest rescue mission. “He’s right there!”

She’s not looking at Will, though. She’s looking at Eddie like it’s all his fault. Still, when Steve doesn’t say anything, her lip wobbles as she turns and asks, “right Steve?”

He doesn’t answer, even as she calls again. Will looks away when she bites her lips, eyes wide.

It’s easier this time. They don’t have to break into the school, don’t have to find a pool. El just sits cross-legged in front of Steve on the carpet, careful to stay away from the broken glass and the dead thing. Mike covers her eyes with Wayne’s flannel while the man himself switches the radio dial until he finds one with enough white noise to satisfy.

He can’t quite tune out the murmured conversation between Eddie and Carol, though, no matter how hard he tries. Eddie explains, in clipped, emotionless words, that something, one of the monsters from the other place she’d just gotten a taste of, has taken over Steve. 

“But we’re getting him back?” she asks, voice shrill and breaking, contrasting with Eddie’s own even tone. A veteran to the newbie in the warzone. 

Will, suddenly, feels terribly old. 

“Quiet now,” El demands. 

Eddie looks away from Carol without answering. There is no answer to that question when they’re all subsisting off hope, and not much else.

“Tell him we’re coming, okay?” Eddie asks. He’s looking down at his own bloody palms now, like he can’t bear to look at their last bastion of hope and wait for it to flame and go out. 

“Ask ‘im how to stop the thing taking ‘im over,” Wayne interjects. 

Eddie’s lip wobbles. Will knows how he feels. He doesn’t want Steve to know, if he’s in there at all, that they don’t know what to do. Neither does Will. He wants to save Steve. He always wants to save Steve.

But, Eddie finally looks up, meeting Will’s eyes before nodding. The movement knocks a tear free, but his voice sounds clear when he says, “Ask him how we kill the fucker.”

El nods, shoulders settling as she reaches out to take Steve’s hand. The white noise blankets them all. Will settles down to wait. 

That’s what they always do, when Steve is dying: they wait. This time is no different. 

Part 88

Taglist: @deany-baby @estrellami-1 @altocumulustranslucidus @evillittleguy @carlprocastinator1000 @hallucinatedjosten @goodolefashionedloverboi @newtstabber @lunabyrd @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @manda-panda-monium @disrespectedgoatman @finntheehumaneater @ive-been-bamboozled @harringrieve @grimmfitzz @is-emily-real @dontstealmycake @angeldreamsoffanfic @a-couchpotato @5ammi90 @mac-attack19 @genderless-spoon @kas-eddie-munson @louismeds @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @pansexuality-activated @ellietheasexylibrarian @nebulainajar @mightbeasleep @neonfruitbowl @beth--b @silenzioperso @best-selling-show @v3lv3tf0x @bookworm0690 @paintsplatteredandimperfect @wonderland-girl143-blog @nerdsconquerall @sharingisntkaren @canmargesimpson @bananahoneycomb

[aidaronan]

Krampusnacht? More Like Krampus-Rocked

For @steddiemicrofic December's prompt: pine. 508 Words || Explicit || Tag it Monsterfucker Steve, BDSM, Spanking It was December, and there was a monster in Steve's bedroom.

Not a demogorgon, not a demoanything.

Something else. Something with cloven hooves and horns. Something that smirked with sharp teeth when Steve relaxed enough to talk, to—shit—to flirt.

He—Eddie apparently—hadn't come for Steve. He'd intended to visit Steve's parents, but some wires had gotten crossed in the magical lines of the universe. So Eddie didn't know Steve's parents had been gone for years, that at that point, Steve was basically acting as caretaker for their future retirement home.

"Is that pine?" Steve asked, staring at the long, wispy rod in Eddie's clawed hand.

"Birch." Eddie thwacked it gently into his opposite palm and then smirked. "Would you like to feel it?"

Something about the look in Eddie's eyes and his low tone of voice went right to Steve's cock. It was fucked up, wasn't it? To start flirting with an intruder, especially when that intruder was…

"Like, hold it?" Steve asked, voice weak as he stared at the apex of Eddie's furry thighs, at the thin scrap of rags he wore there and the obvious tent beneath.

"Or…" Eddie licked his teeth and offered an outstretched hand. "Other things."

Like snow, Steve found himself gently falling, bending over the side of his bed. Eddie's claws skimmed his hips as he worked Steve's shorts down.

The first blow was gentle, just enough to feel the impact. More surprise than pain. The second stung a little, like a sunburn just on the edge of a tan.

The third though—that one had Steve moaning, grinding his cock into the side of his mattress.

"Fuck," Eddie said, voice reverent. "Look at you. Dying for it already."

"Guessing this isn't how these things usually go," Steve panted, hips still circling, canting.

"Never even once. Another?"

"Please."

Eddie hit him again. All told, they got in six poetic licks before Steve needed more. Eddie let him peel the rags off, a thick pink-brown cock hiding underneath, pre-come beading at the tip.

Starving for it, Steve dragged his tongue through the deep slit, palming himself at the low growl it pulled out of Eddie.

"That's enough," Eddie said.

"What?"

"Oh I want you to, don't get me wrong. But I want to fuck it into your pert little ass even more."

Steve's exhale stuttered out of his throat. "Okay."

It was its own kind of torture, Eddie eating him out and fingering him until he could actually fit inside. It was worth it for the stretch of fullness, for the way each thrust hit true.

It was worth it, too, for Eddie's claws raking his skin. For each slap on already-tender flesh as they groaned like two animals instead of one.

They finished seconds apart, Eddie filling him with so much come that it overflowed, dripping off his balls.

After, they lay panting side-by-side, fingers intertwined.

"That was…" Steve turned his head. "You could come back, you know… if… if you…?"

Eddie smiled, teeth sharp and shiny. "Sweet Stevie baby, I'll move in tomorrow."

[wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart]

An average day in Family Video:

"It's just so stupid, you know?"

Robin looks up from where she is rewinding the tapes and nods enthusiastically. "I know, right? I mean, seriously, why would you pay an extra fine if all you need to do is-"

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about that." He points to one of the two monitors in the shop.

"Just....movies? Like, I get that working here sucks, but -"

"No! I'm talking about the scene that comes before this one- or well, now the one before that."

"Ohhhh. You mean needles."

In that moment a customer comes in. Robin goes back to rewinding tapes and Steve goes back to frowning. As soon as the customer is gone (thankfully an older lady who was not interested in starting small-talk) the conversation resumes as if she'd never been there.

"We really should be able to put other things to watch. It's not normal to know a movie by heart that isn't even good. I hate capitalism, it's destroying genuine art."

"Like back in the good old days when everything was black and white and mute?"

"Tell me one contemporary actor that comes even close to Charlin Chaplin."

"Dunno. Like, Harrison Ford?"

"Wow. I can't believe you are literally my soulmate. I'm so embarrassed."

Another pause. Robin motions to the growing pile of tapes in front of her and Steve starts putting them back in the shelves.

"It's just so stupid, you know? Like, I can deal with literal flesh-eating monsters from another dimension. I can deal with almost getting beaten to death more than once. I can deal with the constant stress of being responsible for a bunch of teenagers who put their "thirst for knowledge" before their own safety. And a fucking little needle gets me down?!"

"Steve. It was a traumatic-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I just don't...get it. Like, the flickering lights make sense. But I don't even remember being drugged up because, oh yeah, I was literally high as a kite. It's such fucking bullshit."

"One of the pros of being gay, I guess. I don't need to worry about donating blood."

They fall silent again. The conversation isn't over, they just need to find the right thread to continue. Talk between them rises and ebbs as naturally as breathing.

"Maybe I should just become gay, too."

"Oh my god you can't just choose to be gay you dingus. It's not like someone is gonna put a barrel against this hollow head of yours and force you to donate"

"I mean, it's not like men are unattractive. If, I don't know, Jonathan offered. I wouldn't say no. Like, I'm not gonna lie, when he got all mad back when I was still with Nance-"

"Deflection or over?"

Steve sighs. "Deflection."

"Resume or later?"

He sighs again. "I don't know. I mean it's not like we can do anything about it."

"Exposure therapy is a thing, you know. If it really bothers you."

"Like a tattoo or something?"

They are silent again. Robin rewinds tapes, Steve cleans the already spotless counter.

"What would we even get?"

"Dunno. Would have to be something discreet to not make job hunting even harder when this one inevitably falls through because of Demogorgons or Mind Flayers or some shit." She doesn't look up but Steve knows she is listening.

"You actually know the names?"

"Don't tell the dipshits."

Another customer comes in. This one is unfortunately a chatty one. Steve's behavior could perhaps be most accurately described as "bitchy". In his defence, he was in the middle of a conversation here.

"Okay, but a discreet tattoo. Like what. A tramp stamp or something?" Robin continues as soon as the door falls shut again.

"N- you know what. Why not?"

"Because it's a fucking tramp stamp Steve"

"What, are you saying I don't get around enough to be considered a tramp? I'll let you know-"

"No, Steve, believe me, I know. But if you get a tramp stamp, I also need to get a tramp stamp."

"Is that a no?"

A pause. Steve knows he won before she even opens her mouth

"You know what? Fuck it. Let's get fucking matching tramp stamps"

(more)

[hairrington]

The Last Thing Ever Lost

Summary: Years after escaping from the lab with Eleven, you've found a home in Hawkins. When you, your boyfriend, Steve, and the rest of your friends come to realize that a new monster, Vecna, is cursing the town, you do everything you can to stop it. But when the mission takes a turn for the worse, Steve is the only one who can bring you back.

Female reader with powers and protective boyfriend Steve who would do anything for her. Requested by anon. Angst & hurt/comfort. Mentions of blood, injuries, and the S3 torture scene. Gif credit to smallscreensource.

The word "normal" means nothing to you. It never has.

You had grown up staring at white walls, playing games of chance, and being subjected to test after test after test.

When you escaped from the laboratory with Eleven, you didn't know what was coming your way, but you knew anything was better than the prison you'd two been living in.

You'd been introduced to everyone then, from the young kids who had first given you shelter, to the older siblings and adults, who had fought alongside you.

You'd been envious of Eleven's ability to create connections with the new people you had met. Even with all the help you'd received, you were much slower to trust. You had an inkling that it was because you were older than Eleven, and had grown out of the childhood naivety she still seemed to have.

But naivety wasn't the right word. Hope was.

El had the ability to move things with her mind and see things without being there, whereas you had to touch things to use your power. When you contacted a thing or a person, you could search their history, learn the truth about them, feel what they feel. And you could change their emotions in the blink of an eye, but that took a considerable amount of energy.

You didn't like using your powers on people. Things were okay, but people? You didn't feel right digging and travelling through their minds.

After the grueling battle with the Demogorgon, with El fighting the monster and you keeping your hand to the portal to tell her its every next move, Hopper took both of you in and you were in hiding for nearly a year together. It was hard for Eleven. She had gotten close with her new friends and was desperate to get back to them.

You, on the other hand, were just happy to have a home. Hopper and Eleven were the only people you truly trusted. You thought fondly of those who helped you - one person in particular - but didn't have the same urge to reunite with them that Eleven did.

It wasn't until after Eleven had ran away and returned, allowing a chance for you to come face to face with the others in Hawkins who you'd previously tackled the Upside Down's creatures with, that you realized how much you actually did miss everyone.

Including Steve. Especially Steve. God, there was something special about that boy.

When Steve watched you walk through that door at the Byers home, his heart nearly stopped.

Nearly a year. A year. He thought you were dead and seeing you in the flesh, looking around the room, seemingly nervous, made him want to wrap you in his arms.

But he didn't have that right. The two of you had barely spoken. But even when he reminded himself of that, he had an impulse to be near you, to protect you.

He tried to chalk it up to the break-up. Nancy had just dumped him, so maybe he was just eager to find love?

But he knew that wasn't the case. Not with you.

When you’d entered the room, you met his eyes and felt a pull to him. But you ignored it, figuring it was just sentimentality, and you quickly left with Eleven and Hopper to close the gate.

At the end of that exhausting and dreadful night, everyone reconvened at the Byers home.

A group of you had scrounged up a meal with what you could find in the kitchen, then moved to the living room to eat together. After the late dinner, full of overlapping conversations that you preferred to listen to than join, you stepped outside on the front porch, waiting for Hopper and El so that you could get back to his cabin. To your home.

You breathed in the night air, the sounds of crickets filling your ears.

Steve had noticed you slip out through the door. In fact, he'd noticed you all night with that faraway look in your eyes. He took the risk of rejection and followed, finding you standing outside in the hot summer night, gazing ahead at the front yard and beyond.

"Hi," he simply said.

You looked over at the man, dried blood splotched on his handsome face. He had a black eye and a swollen lip. It was obvious he had been beaten to a pulp.

He shut the door behind him.

"Hi," you echoed, surprised to see him out there. Had he felt drawn towards you like you did towards him? "What happened?" You vaguely motioned at your face. You'd noticed the second you got back that he had obviously been in some sort of fight.

Steve half-frowned, pacing to stand about a foot away from you, facing the front yard to mirror you.

"This guy Billy," Steve said, waving a hand and seemingly trying to downplay the fight. "You can see for yourself, right?"

Steve had been intrigued by your abilities - he'd heard about them but never saw them in action and for some reason, he trusted you enough to be a guinea pig. He held out his hand, looking at you with curious eyes.

You gave a small smile, holding his hand, which was calloused from swinging his bat around, and closed your eyes, focusing on what had happened that night and that night only. You didn't want to risk digging into anything else - nothing personal, nothing you weren't invited to see.

You were plunged into the fight with Steve and a blonde man, feeling Steve's anger and protectiveness over the kids he was babysitting. You felt every punch, both given to and given by Steve.

You watched his memory through your eyes - waking up in the car discombobulated, Max driving, Steve shouting.

Suddenly, you had caught a glimpse of this evening, and felt Steve's worry... for you. He was drawn to you, concerned for you, and you quickly let go with a gasp, feeling wrong for seeing that far. You didn't mean to.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

You wiped the dribble of warm blood from your nose, and nodded quickly, unable to hold back the smile growing on your face at the knowledge that Steve was interested in you.

"Max drove, huh?" you mumbled with a smile.

"Yeah, did you see me freaking out?" Steve said, impressed as all hell that you could see that without him saying a word. You nodded, smile still on your face, in confirmation.

"It's really good of you to have watched the kids like that," you say, admiring him. You'd just felt the intensity of his steadfast determination to take care of them.

"Lost a fight doing it," Steve joked, smiling through the pain of his fat lip.

"Looked like a tie to me," you said. Steve gave you a sweet chuckle. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to see it but..." you began. "You're worried about me?"

Steve's eyes darted away and he let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his neck.

"I know it's stupid," he said. "I bet you’re a thousand times stronger than me. You could kick my ass if you wanted to." You smirked, looking back out into the night sky, arms crossed.

"It's not stupid," you said. You looked back at the messy-haired boy. "It's sweet."

He finally met your eyes again, the nervous blush in his cheeks apparent. It sent another pang of guilt through you.

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to see... that far," you admitted. "This is why I don't really read people. Good people, I mean."

Hearing himself described as "good" made Steve's chest warm with delight.

"I don't think it's right to poke around in their head," you continue. "I just tried to focus on that fight but... my concentration kind of sucks right now."

"Hey, I invited you in here," Steve said, pointing to his temple. The two of you shared a chuckle and you realized you really, really liked being in Steve's company.

"So you know what I think about you? Just from touching me? That's unreal," Steve said, more so impressed than anything. "Remind me to never lie to you."

His childlike amazement in your abilities was pretty endearing.

"You're safe," you said with a smile that Steve could only describe as adorable. "I only do it with permission."

Steve dug his hands into his pockets and tried to shoo away the butterflies in his stomach, mentally telling himself to be cool.

"Are you going to still be living at Hopper's?" he asked.

"Yeah," you told him. "I guess not in hiding anymore, though."

Looking at him, you had felt his genuine interest in you, and could already tell that he'd become someone you'd be able to trust.

"How's that?"

"It's..." How do you describe it? How could you explain just how different it is from the torture you endured at the lab? You felt a tightness in your throat as you thought back on how you'd been saved by Hopper.

"It's home," is what you finally settled on.

The front door creaked open and you both shot your eyes towards the noise to see Hopper with one foot out on the porch.

"There you are," he said with relief. You didn't miss the glare he gave Steve. "We're leaving."

You gave Steve a small smile and left with Hopper and El. You couldn't stop thinking about Steve after that. And he couldn't stop thinking about you.

Within a week, life had gotten better. You were no longer in hiding. You started actually going outside. The first time El and Max went to the mall, you joined them, feeling like a babysitter kind of like Steve did.

When you walked through the massive building and passed Scoops Ahoy, your heart leapt at the vision of Steve behind the counter.

"Ooh, ice cream!" Max said. "Come on, let's haggle Steve for a discount."

You giggled, following the excited girls into the ice cream parlor. Steve handed an ice cream cone to the customer in front of you, then when he met your eyes, he felt two things: elation and embarrassment. He was so happy to see you. But man, he hated how he looked in his dorky uniform.

He didn't know that you found it extremely cute.

"Hey," he said, looking at you and only you.

"Hi." It'd been a week since you had your conversation at the Byers house, but if felt like it's been ages.

"Rocky road in a cone, please," Max said. "And...?"

"Me too,” El said. They both looked up at you.

"Oh, I'm okay," you said, out of sorts.

"It's on the house," Steve said quietly with a little jerk of his head.

"What the hell?" Max asked. "You always say you can't do that because you'll get in trouble."

Steve raises his eyebrows, looking down at the young redhead.

"(Y/N) is... a first-time customer," he stammered.

"Yeah, so was I and I still had to pay," she argued.

"Well, that's because you're rude," Steve told her. You and El laughed at their bickering.

You interrupted with your favorite ice cream flavor.

"In a cup, please," you said with a smile. He smiled back and in that moment, you wished you could break your own rules just for a second and touch him to see if he felt the same giddy way that you felt.

After getting your ice cream, the three of you sat at a booth. Steve stole glances at you from across the counter the whole time, completely infatuated and getting several orders wrong.

Going to the mall became a regular hobby of yours. You let Max and El know they could go enjoy themselves; seeing their friendship bloom was endearing to you.

This, of course, gave you an opportunity to go to Scoops Ahoy as much as possible. Even with your history of being afraid to trust people, there was something about Steve that pulled you in and assured you that he was someone worthy of trust.

You'd met Robin and became good friends with her and Steve, which led to them treating you like a fellow employee, inviting you to hang out in the break room when the manager was gone and eat as much ice cream as you wanted.

Over the next month, your feelings for Steve had grown. You seldom had opportunities to be alone with him and it was borderline painful.

Finally, one day, you had the courage to write the phone number to the cabin on a piece of paper. Once you got the opportunity to speak to Steve privately - Robin was helping customers and he was stocking new cups in the back - you walked up to him and handed him the small parchment.

"If you ever want to talk," you said shyly.

Steve looked down at the paper with a dopey grin.

"Yeah, I do," he said. You nervously smiled and left the ice cream parlor.

He called you that night. Hopper had left, vaguely telling you and El that he had "something to do", and El took the opportunity to invite Max over for a sleepover.

You and El had shared a bedroom, but with Hopper gone, you took the phone to his bedroom, and when it rang, you shut the door. You could hear El and Max talking and giggling from a room away, and made a mental note to speak at a low volume.

"Hello?" you said.

"(Y/N)? It's Steve." His voice made you smile already.

"Hi."

"I first just want to say that I'm a wuss."

"What?" you laughed.

"I've been thinking about asking you out for... a long time," he said. "But obviously you had to make the first move."

He didn't want to say it, but flirting with girls hadn't exactly been hard for Steve in the past. But there was something about you that made him so cautious, so determined on doing everything perfectly.

"I don't know," you said. "I think that night at Will's house... you made the first move by coming out and talking to me. Plus you fight monsters. You're no wuss."

"How are you the nicest girl in the world?" Steve whispered. You smiled to yourself.

"You think that?" you asked.

"I know it."

You put your hand on your stomach, as if the action could slow down the warm, fuzzy feeling Steve gave you.

"So, how was the rest of your shift today?" you asked.

The conversation went from light surface topics - how your days went, to what Steve's introduction to the kids was like, to how infuriating and wonderful those kids were - then just as slowly as the night fell, the topics had gotten heavier and more serious.

When the conversation had slowly taken a turn to discuss the Upside Down, you could hear Steve's smile disappear from his tone.

"What was it like?" he asked.

He didn't have to say "the lab". You knew that's what he meant.

"Even though it was the same thing over and over... I don't know, it somehow got even worse every day," you told him honestly. You described the horrific scene the day you and El had escaped, and Steve listened on the other end, his heart tightening at your story.

"I'm sorry," Steve said quietly. "I'm sorry you were put through that."

So were you. You were robbed of a normal life. You saw orderlies in the corner of your eye everywhere you went. You saw monsters in your nightmares, ripping you apart.

"I'm happy now," you told him. And you were being honest. At that moment, Steve silently made a promise to himself to do all he could to keep you happy.

After you had spoken about your childhood, you asked Steve about his. He shared the good first, but when he began to speak about the bad, his voice was quieter.

"It wasn't all great," Steve said. "But compared to what you had to go through, what so many people have to go through, I know how lucky I am."

"You can feel lucky and unlucky at the same time," you told Steve. "We don't need to compare. Please tell me."

Hearing that made Steve feel like you truly were the kindest soul in the world.

"I was a pretty lonely kid," he admitted. "You know that cliché that's like 'even when they're there, they're not there'? It was like that with my mom and dad all the time." Sadness filled you as Steve spoke. "I don't know, I feel like I barely know them. And they barely know me."

"Well, they're missing out," you said.

"What, on my pity party?" he asked. You shared a laugh.

"That does sound lonely, Steve," you said after a beat of silence.

"Well, like you, I'm happy now," he said.

The conversation continued, and when he joked, he made you laugh like nobody could, causing your cheeks to hurt for smiling too much.

When you finally couldn't keep your eyes open anymore, you told Steve the disappointing news.

"I should sleep," you said.

"It's not even that late, is it?" Steve asked. Your heard his mattress creak on the other side of the line. "Holy shit, it's 2 am."

You laughed together, then let a comfortable silence settle between you. You had been talking for hours.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked.

"I've been at Scoops way too much," you joked, hoping he'd tell you he still wanted you there. He did.

"Too much doesn't exist," he said. "Please come. If you can."

You giggled.

"I can."

Peace had been shattered the very next day when the Mind Flayer returned, and to make matters worse, Steve, Robin, Dustin, and Erica had disappeared before you got to deliver on your promise to Steve that you'd see him at Scoops Ahoy.

On the night of the Starcourt fire, you had arrived at the mall with the kids and Jonathan and Nancy, determined to kill the monster once and for all.

When you had finally reunited with the missing four who you had later learned had been deep beneath the mall, your heart leapt. You ran to Steve, who gaze was on the ground. When he noticed you, he took in a big breath, his nerves calming immediately.

"What happened? Where were you?" you ask, hands on Steve's cheeks. Your grip was light so not to hurt him. His soft hair brushed against your fingertips.

His eyelids were low; he was exhausted and swollen and beat up. You were so worried about him, but so happy he was standing in front of you, alive.

You could feel the others' eyes on you, but you didn't care. Robin finally beckoned the others away to give you privacy, and you heard them chattering behind you.

"You can check," Steve said, putting a warm hand overtop of yours as it rested on his cheek. "Everything. You have permission."

So, you did. Eyes closed, your mind travelled through his and dove in what had happened that night. An elevator crashing down. A brutal and violet soldier. A forced drugging. A narrow escape.

"Oh, Steve," you groaned, feeling your lip quivering.

You felt his agony, his fear, and his yearning for you. He sat tied up in that chair, taking punch after punch, thinking about you to gain some semblance of solace. You so badly wanted to feel more, but it felt intrusive, so you willed your mind to stop and opened your eyes to meet his.

"I'm so glad you're okay," you whispered.

He rose his hand, swiping the blood that had fallen from your nose off of your upper lip.

"We match," he said, holding his thumb in front of you, your blood smudged on it. How he could make jokes at a time like this was beyond you, but it was part of the reason you liked him so much.

"I'm sorry that happened," you said, palms still on his cheeks. "I can make you feel better. With..." You raised your hands off his face. "With these, if you want." You both chuckled.

"Please," he groaned. You put your hands back on his cheeks and focused, giving him hope, bravery, and happiness. He needed the first the most. It drained you of your already low energy, but he was worth it.

"Wow, thank you," he whispered, stepping a little closer to you, pressing his forehead to yours. "Thank you,” he said again. "How are you?"

"Better now," you said honestly.

"Same," he said with a chuckle.

"Hate to interrupt, lovebirds, but we kind of have a monster to kill!" a voice had called. You turned back to see Erica with the group ten feet away, her hands on her hips.

You couldn't help but smirk, leaning back, staring at Steve.

"To be continued," you said, lowering your hands.

The battle was grueling, but the Mind Flayer had been defeated. By the time the flames had grown and licked the night sky, you were all safely out of the mall, being looked at by paramedics.

Steve had been patched up and taken care of and immediately went looking for you. Sure enough, you were sitting on the back of an ambulance, getting some cuts on your face cleaned and bandaged.

He took a second to look at you, wrapped in the metallic-looking safety blanket and looking beautiful as ever. When the paramedic left your side, Steve paced over, sitting next to you, his own blanket draped around him.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi." Even with your exhaustion, you could never be too tired to smile at him.

"Can we continue now?" Steve asked.

"What?"

"You said to be continued," he explained.

"Oh," you giggled. "Yeah, we can."

"I think where we left off, we were about to kiss," he whispered. Butterflies in your stomach went mad.

"Were we?" you teased. He only nodded adorably.

You inched closer, sharing your first kiss with Steve Harrington, gentle to not hurt his lip. Everything about it was perfect. Since then, the two of you had been inseparable.

Now, Vecna had been terrorizing Hawkins, shattering the peace yet again. Hopper had been presumed dead and Eleven had left for California, leaving you alone in the cabin with a massive piece missing from your heart. Now, innocent people were dying at the hands of this creature.

After you, Steve, Max, Lucas, Dustin, Nancy, and Robin arrive at Victor Creel's house, you think that even if you didn't have your abilities, you'd still feel the dark, sinister energy within the building.

You enter the dusty, grand home, eyes travelling over the old furnishings.

"There's the clock," Max says. "I saw it when..." She didn’t have to finish her sentence.

The group of you pace towards the grandfather clock, frozen in time. Robin runs a hand over the glass surface of the face of it, shifting the dust.

"It's stuck," Steve says.

"What, you expected it to be working?" Dustin asks him. You shoot Dustin an unimpressed look, and he puts his hands up in surrender, sighing.

Steve notices and he gives you a small grin. You don't like anyone messing with your boyfriend, not even Dustin.

You step in front of the clock, hand stretched out, before Steve steps in front of you, blocking you.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Steve asks. "If Max saw it in her visions, maybe... I don't know, it's got some whacko powers or something."

"Your girlfriend has whacko powers, too," Dustin says.

"Nothing about her is whacko," Steve says, pointing in the air.

"I'm a little whacko, it's okay, Steve," you say, gripping the end of his shirt between your fingers and smiling. "If we want to get to the bottom of this, we need to learn more about Vecna's connection to this place, right?"

You knew that look on Steve's face: he so badly wanted you to reconsider, but he knew you'd do what was best. What was kindest. That's why he loved you.

"I'm right here," he whispered, squeezing your hand and getting out of your way.

As soon as your fingertips made contact with the clock, you were plunged into horror. You were taken through a flashback of Henry Creel, a troubled and cruel little boy. You watch as he kills animals, torments his family, and murders his sister and mother.

Meanwhile, to the others, you'd been standing at the clock, eyes closed, silent. Nearly an entire minute had passed, but it was seconds to you.

"Okay, that's been long enough," Steve says, holding onto your wrist. You're unresponsive. He grips tighter, but you’re suspended in another world, eyes still shut. "She's never been out this long," he says, tone concerned as he looks to the group.

In your mind, you suddenly see Brenner. It shocks you. The vision takes you through a spine-chilling realization. Vecna is Henry. And Henry was one of Brenner's subjects - just like you.

"What are you doing here?" a raspy, terrifying voice rings through your ears. You feel his presence flood your brain like a poison, going into every crevice.

You’re in the Creel house, in the same spot in front of the clock, but back in time in the night when Henry had killed his family. You turn and you watch the young boy coming down the stairs, turning into the horrifying monster it is now with every step.

"Oh my God," you mutter. Vecna finds his way in your mind - the violation makes you scream. 

But on the outside, to your boyfriend and your friends, you’re quiet and still.

“(Y/N), come back! Please,” Steve whines as he gets between you and the clock again, holding your hand tightly. Your eyes remain shut. “Can you hear me?” he half-shouts.

“You were a subject too?” Vecna growls to you. You feel him slipping into your memories of the lab. “That’s how you got in here. In my mind. Well, you’re not welcome!” The last words are screamed at you and you can’t move as Vecna screeches inches away from your face.

You will all your strength, all your power to pull yourself out of the daze. As you struggle and shake, feeling your insides twist, a voice becomes louder. It’s Steve’s.

“(Y/N), please!” he shouts. At this point, his hands are on your face, and he’s doing anything, anything he can. He plants gentle kisses on your still lips, pulls you in tightly, keeps talking. “Please, please, come back.” It’s like hugging a statue.

Half of the group members are frantically shouting your name, too, while the other half are running around the house, desperate to find anything that could help you. Steve pulls back to look at you again, and he notices the blood trickling down your nose.

Your eyes suddenly fly open, but the effort you’ve put into pulling yourself out of the memory makes you see black and faint immediately. Steve catches you before you hit the ground.

You slowly open your eyes and find yourself bouncing in Steve’s arms. He’s cradling you and panting as he runs outside, and you slowly open your eyes to notice he’s running away from the Creel house.

He looks down at you and when he notices you’re awake, his breath hitches.

“Oh my God,” Steve says, relief thick in his voice. “Are you okay?”

You’re confused, lost, and look around to see he’s arrived at his car. Dustin opens the passenger side door so that Steve can gently place you inside. 

“We were about to go to the hospital,” Steve says. “You passed out.”

“What did you see?” Nancy asks.

“Give her a second,” Steve says, kneeling down on the ground outside the BMW, clasping your hand. You stare down at him, at his brown-green eyes, slowly coming back to reality. Steve’s eyes are glassy, his chest is rising and falling rapidly, and he’s looking at you like he almost lost his own life.

You look at your boyfriend sympathetically. He’s seconds away from tears.

“Don’t give me that look,” Steve says, a little smirk on his face. He knows you well enough to know you’re feeling sorry for him, and it’s amusing to him that he’s the one getting sympathy right now. “You’re the one who just... did that.”

You mirror his smile. Relief fills you when you realize you were able to pull yourself out of the vision.

“Did what?” you ask.

“You were like... a statue or something,” Dustin interjects.

“For how long?” you ask, head pounding.

“Like a full minute, at least,” Robin says.

“Maybe even longer,” Nancy adds.

“Definitely longer,” Lucas says.

“Did you see him?” Max asks. You meet her eyes and nod your head solemnly.

“Vecna, he’s...” You swallow hard. “He’s Victor’s son. He’s Henry. And he was in the lab. Like me and El.”

The truth settles on everyone in the group, thick and discordant. 

“He’s the one who killed them. And he... he screamed at me for being in his mind. In his memories. He went into mine, too,” you rambled, bringing a shaking hand to your head.

“Thank you, (Y/N).” You look up to see Dustin staring at you seriously. “We know who he is - or who he was - and now, we’ll figure out how to stop him.” All six of your friends nod, giving you compassionate, grateful looks.

You offer a small smile, looking down at your lap.

“Let’s call it for today, huh, guys?” Steve says, posing it like a question even though you know it’s a statement. In Steve’s book, his girlfriend has been through enough today.

Your head heavy, you put your seatbelt on and let your eyes close so you can sleep away the fatigue.

The sound of a car door closing is what pulls you out of your slumber. 

Your eyelids flutter open and you gauge your surroundings to see that you’re in front of Steve’s home. You watch as Steve rounds the car and when he opens the door and sees you’re awake, he gives you a tender smile.

"You woke up just in time,” he says softly.

You undo your seatbelt and step outside into the warm afternoon. Steve takes your hand and shuts the door behind you, still afraid for your stability, and you walk towards the massive Harrington house.

“Did everyone go home?” you ask.

“Mostly,” he says. “Dustin and Lucas and Max got dropped off together - plotting for our next move, no doubt. Nancy and Robin went separately and I bet they’ll meet them, too.”

“Should I help?”

“You heard Dustin,” Steve says, putting the key into the door and unlocking it. “You helped so much, (Y/N). I think you’ve done enough today.”

You entered the empty home and he led you to the first seat available, which was the couch in the front room. He was petrified that you’d fall again.

To Steve, you were and always are the top priority. He feels immense guilt for what the trip to the Creel house had done to you. And he doesn’t even have to say it out loud for you to know.

“You tried to stop me, Steve,” you console him. He sits next to you and you face each other on the plush, white couch. You put a hand on his knee. “I knew the risk and I’m glad I took it.”

He wants to say he’s not glad, but he feels selfish for even thinking it.

Steve swallows hard, looking down at your hand and slowly squeezing your fingers, one by one, a habit he had long ago developed. Your eyes travel his face, looking at the beauty spots you’ve memorized.

“What did it feel like?” he asks, afraid of the answer.

“Like... my mind was broken into,” you tell him. “I can’t believe I was able to get out of there.”

“I can,” Steve says, looking up to meet your gaze. “You have no idea how strong you are, do you?”

You smile, tilting your head.

“You still think I’m a thousand times stronger than you?” you ask. He smiles, leaning down to go from squeezing each finger to kissing them and thinking back to that night when you had had your first conversation.

“A million times stronger,” he says. You feel his lips on your knuckles, his warm breath on the back of your hand.

“I heard your voice in there,” you tell him. “You helped pull me out, you know that?”

Steve’s head perks up, eyes swimming with adoration.

“Really?” he asks. You nod. “I don’t ever want to see you like that again. I’m sorry if that makes me selfish.”

“I know, Stevie,” you say, the nickname making him melt. “You’re not selfish for that. I love you.”

“Say it again,” Steve mumbles into your hand. You smile, used to this routine of his. He loves hearing those three words from you. You lean in, lowering down to nuzzle your face into his neck, your hand on the back of his head.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” you whisper into his hair.

“I love you,” he says back, holding you tightly with no plans to let go anytime soon.

You know that this is just the beginning of a journey that’ll be full of pain and troubles, but you’ve never felt more hopeful of your ability to survive it than you do right now.

---

Taglist: @calpurniatypes; @rexorangecouny; @slashersluttt; @baker151910​

[mara-xx217]

Oohhhhh dear lord listen listen I will worship the very ground you walk on if you write something yandere and/or dubcon with Demogorgon

Totally ok if no tho ilysm❤️

Sweet Jesus I FINALLY have an excuse to use the idea my partner has been pestering me to use since I first wrote Monsters’ Favourite! It’s gonna be spicy sooo…

Warnings: Noncon, Hunting, Alien Biology, Freaky Alien Genitals, Deep Throating, Oral, Knotting

Running into an abandoned house was among the worst decisions that you could have made during this chase. You got turned around in your panic and ended up tripping over a raised floorboard, falling face first into a corner that was filled with junk.

FUCK FUCK FUCK-!!!

There was nowhere left to run. You shot to your feet but it was already too late. The Demogorgon had you boxed in. Your heartbeat screamed in your ears as you struggled to breathe. It was already at your back. You could feel its hot breath on your neck and your shoulders.

Why did it have to be you?! You didn't even do anything to piss it off! The Demogorgon absolutely demolished your friends, tearing them limb from limb in front your very eyes before it set itself upon you. Your entire body trembled as you braced for the inevitable. It was going to be painful and messy... You closed your eyes and waited for those petal shaped jaws to wrap around your head-

"UGH-!"

A long, slimy tongue flicked against your ear. You instantly cringed away, raising your shoulders as you cried out in surprise. You couldn't escape from the invasive tongue- there was nowhere for you to go now... What was it doing?! Taste testing you before it devoured you?! It growled behind you, low and bassy and something that vibrated the organs in your chest and something behind your eyes. Shit. Shit, shit, shit- SHIT! You held your breath and prepared for the worst, but absolutely nothing could have prepared you for what was to come.

It's thick, curved claws sliced into your arms but instead of ripping a strip of flesh off of you, the Demogorgon yanked you backwards so hard that you fell flat on your back. Before the shock of such a sudden motion could even set in your stomach dropped.

The center of the Demogorgon's flower-like head had buried itself in the valley of your crotch. You were left stunned, unable to react as the monster sniffed that area with the vigor of a dog that knew no boundaries and no manners. As you came to your senses, you felt the curl of the Demogorgon's face flaps take hold of the fabric of your jeans. And your underwear-!

"N-No! S-Stop! Stop it! I SAID FUCKING STOP!"

You punched it in the ribs and in the gut but it didn't react in the slightest. The Demogorgon had placed a tight grip onto your legs, preventing you from kicking or scrambling away as it tore a massive hole in the crotch of both your pants and your underwear. Panic turned into hysterics as your voice raised in pitch and loudness.

"W-WHAT THE FU- UGH?!"

A long, thick, wet stripe was licked along the length of your sex. What the fuuuu-?! Is this really happening right now?! You vainly scratched and pulled at the boney fingers that held you down. A flash of white hot embarrassment and disgust pooled in your gut and settled between your thighs. Your hips arched involuntarily into the Demogorgon's repetitive tongue lashings as a strangled moan escaped from the back of your throat. Your eyes squeezed shut as you struggled to regain some of your senses but it was no use.

It felt fucking good.

Its tongue seemed to have a mind of its own. It was like it knew every little trick to get you to squirm and gasp. It rolled against you, squirming and writhing and applying pressure in juuust the right places to have your mouth hanging agape and your guard lowered. The feeling of that thick tongue teasingly dipping into your entrance had your back arching and you throwing your head back in ecstasy. You had pretty much given up the fight to free yourself and instead clutched onto the Demogorgon's long fingers as your body began to shake. Being as distracted as you were, it was more than a little surprising to feel something long, thick and hot suddenly slip onto your face and start squirming around like crazy. Your eyes snapped open and your stomach dropped and your core began to ache.

Oh GOD that's a BIG fucking dick-!!

It was purplish grey in colour and had a slick yet textured feeling all along its length. You couldn't see its head but you could feel it touching your jawline, worming its way around your face with something that felt similar in shape and function to the Demogorgon's actually head. The entire organ was prehensile, able to move with the same amount of accuracy and precision that its tongue had.

It won't- You seriously aren't going to put that thing in your mouth, are you?!

....are you?

The struggle you put up was halfhearted. It wasn't like you wanted to get this thing off but at the same time you didn't really have a lot of options to work with at the moment. You didn't open your mouth but you also didn't try that hard to keep that freakishly dexterous dick from prying your lips apart and slithering into your only partially closed mouth.

It did not taste good yet you couldn't quite place the reason why. It had a musky, sweaty almost earthy-but-not-quite taste that had you salivating and gagging before it had even slipped all the way into your mouth. You had to screw your eyes shut and focus solely on breathing as it's cock slid all the way to the back of your throat in one fluid thrust. But the Demogorgon wasn't moving its hips at all, no, its dick somehow just moved all on its own like it was a separate entity or something!

It was nearly impossible to breathe at all. As the Demogorgon's member crammed itself down your throat its tongue continued to assault you in between your legs. Oooohhh God- You don't know why you bothered, but you tried to push its hips back. As if that would help right now. You just needed a little bit of room so you could breathe! The Demogorgon didn't relent and you started to feel lightheaded and panicked from the lack of air your lungs were receiving.

Are you seriously going to die from getting throat fucked?

Cumming had you seeing stars and unintentionally sucking on the Demogorgon's cock. A strangled gargling noise sounded from your throat. It felt like you were drowning on your own saliva and the monster's precum that had gathered in your throat. Your hips bucked against your will and your legs were kicking wildly as you really couldn't fucking breathe anymore!

Somehow it felt like everything was getting tighter and tighter in your mouth. Your tongue was flat against the back of your teeth and you could feel the monstrous cock pressing against muscles of your throat. You managed to knee the Demogorgon in the side of the head but it didn't react. You punched it in the side, dug your fingers into its ribs and still the creature didn't react to you in the slightest. You're actually going to die. You're going to die from sucking dick and receiving oral from a literally fucking monster.

Your jaw was stretched painfully wide, until you were sure something had popped and shifted in a way it was never supposed to. You were shocked when you felt something thick and hot streaming down your gullet. It filled your stomach enough that you felt physically bloated. Did- Did it just fucking cum?! Trying to breathe at all was a mistake. Something filled your sinuses and it shot out of your nose with startling force. All the while, the Demogorgon was still tongue fucking you with the same vigor and determination as when it first began.

No. No No- No you're fucking done! You tried to pull away but- You couldn't? You couldn't pull away at all! It was like it was... was stuck inside of you!? Oh GOD-!

You would have to wait for the swelling to go down... Whenever that would be... The Demogorgon certainly wasn't in any rush though. It had you exactly where it wanted you and it's not like you had a chance to get away, knotting or not.

@prettycutebunny, @infinitewhore, @kennbb, @slutwithadegree, @dead-bxxxtch-walking, @space-arsonist, @pink-soft-shadow, @sinlessdesire, @hoemine

[greyghoulclub]

It’s gonna be fine (HG relay fic)

Thank you to @writer-in-theory for passing the baton to me! Thank you to @harringrove-relay-race for hosting this event!

It was a death wish, heading into the upside down on his own. Steve knew this but he had to do it. He had to make sure, make sure that Billy was gone. To let himself grieve and move on, move on from Hawkins, from the dumb kid he used to be. He’d told no one that he was doing this in case they tried to stop him. Stepping out of the Harrington house late at night, with a flashlight and his baseball bat, Steve headed into the woods behind his house.

The woods at night were creepy enough, but Steve’s brain was working overtime to psych himself out of doing what he was doing. It felt as if his brain was at war with his heart. Logically, he knew Billy was most likely dead. His heart didn’t want to believe it though, hoping against the inevitable that Billy was somehow alive. He jumped at any small noise, whether a twig snapping underneath his shoe or an animal rummaging in the darkness.

“Just keep moving Steve,” he muttered to himself.

Eventually, he reached the portal in the trees, it was perpetually open now, since the earthquake in Hawkins. An eerie red glow illuminated the trees around him, everything was completely silent in this part of the woods, apart from the almost tide-like noise of the portal, it was like the thing was alive and had a pulse. Steve steeled his nerves, almost three years of dealing with all this shit and it still scared him, but also gave him an adrenaline rush. He wasn’t sure which one was worse.

He stepped into the world full of monsters, his only source of light was his flashlight and the occasional flash of red lightning. From where he was, he was still in the woods, remembering the route he had taken with Robin, Nancy, and Eddie to what was Lover’s Lake in this bizzaro version of Hawkins. He was heading in the opposite direction, towards the ruins of Starcourt Mall, the last place he had seen Billy.

Coming out of the woods, he saw the upside down’s version of his house, just as quiet and unlived as it was in the normal Hawkins. It was sad in a way, even in this nightmare version of Hawkins the Harrington house was still empty. Nevertheless, Steve carried on through into the town.

This part of not-Hawkins had more monsters roaming about, forcing Steve to take a more roundabout way. Demodogs and the taller, more humanoid ones, what did Dustin call them? Demo… Demogorgons. That’s it, demogorgons. The faceless monsters roamed these streets more freely, feeding on the weaker ones and fighting over territory. Steve needed to be extremely careful and not make any noise to attract them, or else he’d never make it to Starcourt. Most of them had converged on Main Street, where the larger ones were taking their share of a dead demogorgon’s flesh. So if Steve took the left off of Cherry Oak Street and took the route to the community pool, he could get to the mall without being seen. Easy enough right? The monsters were too interested in their dinner to pay attention to anything else, and Steve easily slipped by into Cherry Oak Street. Nice and easy right?

Abandoned cars littered the streets, some with the windows smashed in, some overturned with the suspension ripped out. Some were just straight up on fire. The overturned cars made good hiding spots if any demodogs came snuffling by, Steve figured the smell of motor oil would cover up his scent, although some demodogs did nearly discover him. Luckily for him, the motor oil and the smell of burning drove them away. He still didn’t feel safe as he slowly made his way through the street, looking over his shoulder every other moment. It was too quiet, all of his instincts were screaming at him to get out of there. Run like his life depended on it.

But he had to be patient, lest he become a demogorgon’s dinner.

A booming flash of red lightning sounded in the sky, all of it relegating to one place, the Starcourt Mall. Something must be happening there. Could it be the Mindflayer? No it can’t be right? They killed it last year. Billy sacrificed himself to save them all. Steve could still remember Billy’s agonised screams as the Mindflayer’s claws pierced his flesh. Steve knows Billy did it to save everyone but, but he regretted not being able to get Billy out of there before the mall went on fire. At least then he could’ve been buried properly.

Still he slowly soldiered on, moving towards the wreckage of the mall. The roof was cracked open like an eggshell. Twisted pieces of metal exposed to the sky. Billy’s totalled Camaro was in the foreground, the windscreen cracked and the engine still steadily burning. That car had been Billy’s pride and joy, it was sad to see it in such a state.

A flash of movement from within the mall caught Steve’s attention. Too big to be a demodog, too small to be a demogorgon. Steve’s heart wanted it to believe it was Billy, but there was also a chance that it wasn’t and Steve was just walking to his death. Which sometimes, if he was being really honest with himself, didn’t sound too bad.

Steve entered the dilapidated building, taking in the wreckage that was caused last summer. Shopfronts destroyed, the plants torn from their pots at the root, shattered glass and neon tubes everywhere. He chuckled when he caught sight of the Scoops Ahoy building with the sign hanging off the wall. Those sailor uniforms had been ridiculous. But he still was sure he’d seen something moving in here. Steve wasn’t sure if he was seeing things but he was sure he saw a flash of dirty blonde hair.

He wandered through the lower levels of the mall, not daring to go upstairs in case it was unstable. Nothing seemed to be in here except maybe a dust bunny rolling through. It was too quiet and Steve didn’t like it. He felt like he was being watched, or maybe he was just being paranoid but his grip tightened on his nail bat.

His brain told him he was right to be paranoid when he got tackled from behind. His bat fell from his hand and landed somewhere on the floor. Whatever had gotten him was strong, managing to get him into a headlock. It looked humanoid, from skin that looked like it was once tanned, veins that looked a darker blue than usual popped from the skin. But the voice. The voice was familiar.

“What are you doing here pretty boy?”

“Billy? Let go of me, I’m here to help you.” Steve struggled against Billy’s grip. Even though he was taller, Billy was stronger, managing to hold Steve down.

Billy laughed mirthlessly. “You’re here to help me? Why didn’t you help me when I was possessed by the Mindflayer then?” Billy put more pressure against Steve’s throat and roared at him to answer.

Steve didn’t really have a good answer for him, his best bet was that he didn’t know he was possessed. That didn’t seem to please Billy much.

“You didn’t know? Really? That’s your excuse?” Billy sounded hurt. As if Steve had told his biggest secrets. Even though after their fight at the Byers’s house after Halloween, they had started to become maybe-friends over the Christmas break, both stuck in Hawkins with nothing to do. They’d settled some differences over shared packs of cigarettes and shitty beer from the Pay’n’Go. But what could Steve say? He wasn’t entirely privy to the kid’s Upside Down plans.

“I’m not saying this to save my neck. I genuinely didn’t know you were possessed by the Mindflayer. I was busy being beaten up by Russian soldiers trying to open a gate to this hellhole because they thought I was part of the Navy from my work uniform.”

Billy couldn’t help but laugh at that. It was so ridiculous that it couldn’t be anything other than the truth. He let go of Steve in his fit of laughter.

“True those uniforms were ridiculous, how the hell would they think you were Navy?”

Steve would have laughed too if he wasn’t catching his breath.

“Uh sorry, I thought you were him,” Billy replied sheepishly, “he’s mega pissed that you guys destroyed the Creel House by the way.”

“Who Vecna? Yeah we figured, but I’m just here to get you out of here if you want me to.” Steve offered a hand to Billy, the olive branch for him nearly choking Steve to death.

“But everyone thinks I’m dead.” Billy looked sceptic about Steve’s offer, like it was too good to be true. “Why would they believe it’s me and not a monster. What about Max?”

It tugged at Steve’s heartstrings to hear Billy sound so concerned about Max, also because he probably has no idea what’s happened with her. And Steve dreads telling Billy about it.

“Something is wrong with Max, I don’t know why but I can feel something is wrong. Please Steve, tell me, is Max ok?” Billy’s tone was so desperate, Steve really wanted to lie and tell Billy that Max was fine. But he knew Billy wouldn’t appreciate being lied to.

“Max… she got targeted by Vecna. She’s in the hospital right now, in a coma. If she survives she’ll probably be blind for the rest of her life.”

Steve held Billy close as the tears fell. Letting Billy go through the motions of it all. Trying to placate Billy by saying that it’s all gonna be fine but it felt insincere since Steve couldn’t really believe that himself.

“You’re right though, it’s gonna be fine, I’ll make it fine. For Max.” Billy’s voice was still shaky but with a determined tone. “She’ll need her big brother right?”

“Yeah, she will. So you wanna get out of here?”

“Yeah.”

Now I’m passing it over to @manwrre!

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Nancy wandered into Max's hospital room after everyone was unexpectedly kicked out. Max was lying in the bed, her head bent as she cried. Maybe she shouldn't. . .maybe she should give her the space she said she wanted. She couldn't leave her alone to cry, though. She sat carefully in the chair next to Max and took her hand. Max jumped.

"Who's there?" Max asked, her eyes trying to look around the room.

"It's Nancy," she said softly.

"I said that I wanted to be left alone," Max said.

"I know. I was never really good at doing what people told me to do, though," Nancy said, smiling when Max laughed.

"Me neither," she said softly.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you if you need to talk," Nancy said.

"I'm just - I'm really bad at letting people in," Max said.

"I'm the same way," Nancy said. "When things get rough, I tend to push away the people who matter the most. . .especially when they just fall apart, and then you just let them."

"I want to let people in, I really do," Max said softly.

"Yeah, me too," Nancy said.

"I don't know where to start. Every time I think about it, it's like I can't breathe," Max said.

"I think for me, my biggest fear is that my pain will somehow hurt them more than if I just let them go. In some weird way, it's my way of protecting them," Nancy said.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Max said.

"Somehow, in the back of my mind, I tend to think it's better if I do this alone, but we live in a world dependent on people and as much as we try to admit that we don't want help or think we don't need help there's always this part of us trying to reach out for the people we care about the most. We keep trying to push it away or stamp it out because there's people in our lives who tell us we don't need them, that we don't fit. Like my mom said to me once, 'People are always saying you can't. That you shouldn't. That you're not smart enough. Not good enough. This world, it beats you up. Again and again. Until eventually. . .most people, they just stop trying.' I think when you start to believe that, it starts to come true. I think the hardest thing for people to say is that they can't do this alone. I think it takes a lot of strength to say that you can't or don't want to do it alone. Max, you're the strongest person I know, I think you can do it. No, I know you can do it," Nancy said.

"In the junkyard," Max said, sniffling. "When Steve moved me out of the way to protect me from the demogorgon, and stood in front of us holding up the bat. . .no one's ever done that before. Not Billy, not Neil, not even my mom. . .it's the first time I felt like I could do it myself. I looked at Steve and thought that this was what a brother's supposed to be. He's supposed to protect you, not hurt you, and when I saw Billy hurting Steve, I had to stop him. For a long time, I just wanted Billy and Neil to stop hurting us. When Billy died, I thought it was my fault, so I pushed Lucas and everyone away because I thought I was protecting them."

"It's not your fault, Max. What happened to Billy. He had many chances to do the right thing by you, to be the brother you needed. He failed you, Max, and you wishing for him to stop hurting you doesn't make you a bad person. You didn't wish him to die, did you?" Nancy asked.

"I just wanted it to stop," Max said.

"He waited until it was too late, and because of what Dr. Brenner did. . .because of the Russians. . . He died without really making it up to you. All these things that happened to you aren't your fault. The blame lies on other people. I know what it's like to feel guilty about the things that are out of your control. I know what it's like to deal with trauma that no one's ever dealt with before. How do you deal with real flesh and blood monsters? We have no guidebook for this, only each other. When you're ready, we're here for you," Nancy said.

"I'm scared, Nancy," Max sobbed. "I don't know if I can handle being blind. I won't ever see my mom's face or the sun again. I won't ever see the ocean or Lucas's face. I'll never see him play basketball. I should have gone to his game. Why didn't I just go to his game? Because I was scared? What kind of excuse is that?"

"A really good one," Nancy said softly. "Sometimes, the best way you can let people know you care about them is to let them take care of you."

"He's good at that, Lucas. He read to me, I heard him," Max said. "I heard his voice. . ."

"Steve’s good at taking care of people too," Nancy said, mentioned casually.

"Except he pretends as if he doesn't like it like he's a goddamn cat," Max said, and Nancy laughed.

"He is a cat, but then I think so are you," Nancy said.

"Lucas is more like a golden retriever," Max said. "Which is weird because I'm not a very affectionate person."

"I'm not really either, but there are other ways to show people you care about. One of them is, like I said earlier," Nancy said. "And it's in the little million different ways that I think only you can discover along the way. And if it's someone who's willing to do the same, even better. . .How do you want to show Lucas you care?"

Max grinned so suddenly, it startled Nancy.

"I want to see him play basketball," Max said.

"Max. . ."

"Will's a good dungeon master, right?" She asked Nancy.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think he would be willing to transfer those skills into telling me what's going on when Lucas is playing?" Max asked.

"I think he would be willing to do anything to help in any way that he can," Nancy said with a grin of her own. "That's a good idea, Max."

Max beamed, suddenly looking more comfortable in her hospital bed.

"I want to make it work this time with Lucas," Max said. "No more pushing him a way or El or anyone else."

"I think Robin's hoping for that too. She said something about 'two flames that never should have been burned out,' so she's rooting for you and Lucas," Nancy said.

"Was she saying that about us or about you and Steve?" Max asked slyly.

"It can be both," Nancy said.

"Well, she's smart, so maybe she knows what she's talking about," Max smirked. "Does Steve have anything to do with you breaking up with Jonathan?"

"No, well, a little bit. It's been a long time coming. We've had problems before, but I think an important part of wanting to be in a relationship with someone is wanting to be with them. We didn't want to see each other, and it's not because we didn't love each other. It's just that love wasn't enough anymore. Suddenly, it wasn't Jonathan who I could see in my dream anymore," Nancy said. "He wasn't who I wanted anymore, and I wasn't who he wanted, but that doesn't mean he's not going to be in my life. We were both relieved when we ended things."

"Are you sad?" Max asked.

"A little, but I think that happens when you close a chapter of your life," Nancy said. "But then a new chapter starts. . .a new day begins and the sun rises. . . I'm looking forward to being friends with Jonathan."

They sat in silence for a while as Max let Nancy stroke her knuckles.

"Thank you, Nancy," Max said and paused. "You're too stubborn for your own good, you know?"

"I've been told," Nancy laughed.

"I didn't really feel like I would ever have a family again until I came here to Hawkins. You and the others. . .especially Steve and Robin. . .have been the best older siblings that I could have asked for. I don't think. . .I don't want to do this alone," Max said.

"We're here," Nancy said softly and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"Can you send Lucas in?" Max asked.

"Yeah," Nancy said.

She walked out into the parking lot where everyone was loitering around. Lucas was talking to Will and Mike when she approached. She touched his shoulder, trying to ignore the nostalgia and the realization that he had grown so much. They all had.

"Hey, Nancy," Lucas said with a smile.

"Max wants to see you," Nancy said.

"Is that a good thing?" Lucas asked. "I mean, is she okay?"

"Yeah, and it's a very good thing," she grinned and hugged him. "Good luck."

"Thanks!" Lucas exclaimed and ran off towards the hospital.

She found Steve’s car parked a few feet away. Robin and Dustin were leaning against the trunk while Steve argued with them about something. That was something Nancy noticed Steve did. He would start a trivial argument in order to get other people's minds off other things, especially when they worried too much and they couldn't do anything about it. He knew how much Dustin was worried about Max. Steve was so much smarter than he ever let on. His back was to her. Robin and Dustin's eyes looked at her curiously as she approached. She didn't care. Nancy placed her hands on Steve’s hips and turned him around.

"Nancy?" He asked.

"I love you," Nancy said.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. He froze for a moment, and she was about to pull back when he returned the kiss. He wrapped his arm around her waist, supporting her weight, as she moved her arms around his neck. Nancy smiled against his lips, enjoying the familiar way they fit against hers. They smiled into the kiss before pulling away.

"Hi," Steve said, his cheeks red.

"Hi," Nancy said.

He stared at her in amazement, and she looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, yeah, I love you too!" Steve exclaimed.

Robin and Dustin let out a squeal. They turned to find them both clinging to each other, jumping up and down in excitement.

"I can't believe Dustin had doubts!" Robin exclaimed.

"I didn't have doubts. You had doubts," Dustin accused.

"Harrington! Did you seriously just make out with Nancy in front of me?!" Jonathan yelled from across the parking lot.

"Oh, shit!" Dustin exclaimed.

"She kissed me!" Steve squeaked, and Jonathan laughed.

"Oh, man, your face! Sorry, man, I was messing with you. Nancy and I broke up. I'm dating someone else," Jonathan said, grinning. "We're good."

Everyone in the parking lot laughed and Steve sighed.

"I'm going to kill him," Steve muttered.

"The look on your face was pretty funny," Nancy giggled.

Steve smirked and began ticking her sides. She laughed and slapped his chest.

"Oh, yeah, you think so?" Steve asked.

Nancy laughed and shook her head. Steve stopped and hugged her tightly. She let him for a moment, letting him savor her touch while she did the same before pulling away. She laughed when he went over to gush about it with Robin. Suddenly, Lucas came running out of the hospital with a grin on his face. He ran over to Will.

"Are you okay?" Will asked.

"Better than okay! We're officially back together. She said she loves me and we kissed," Lucas said.

"That's great!" Will exclaimed.

"I was wondering if you would be able to help Max with something," Lucas said.

Nancy smiled. These kids were more than friends. They were family. They all were. Whether romantically or platonically, they were all willing to help each other through the bad times, no matter how big or small. The part of her that wanted to do everything on her own was no longer screaming at her. Even without monsters from other dimensions, it was difficult to navigate this world on your own. Nancy wouldn't go anywhere without one of her guns, just like Steve wouldn't go anywhere without his bat, nor would they go anywhere without knowing that they always had their family to fall back on.

[fruitierthings]

El literally survived being held in the lab twice, killing the demogorgon, being stuck in the upside down, fighting Vecna (also twice), closing the gate and fighting a literal monster made of flesh and milkvans still think she’s not going to survive without Mike…

[bylerween2023]

Happy Bylerween!

Happy spooky season, bylers. Thursday, October 26, is the first day of Byler Halloween Week (or as we like to call it, Bylerween). This is our masterpost of all of our links, mod posts and tagging system. Note: This post will be updated and added to as necessary!

Rules & Guidelines | Tagged

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FAQ

Trigger Tagging System

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Bylerween Recs Info (self-promo encouraged!)

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Bylerween Rec posts

Mod posts: Ayla | Jo | Lex | Sara | Rae

Mods: @howtobecomeadragon @lucasvenkman @foodiewithdahoodie @willelfanpage @ice-sculptures

Go to @bylerween-trick-or-treat for more info on how to participate on 10/31 (Day 6).

Theme tagging system under the cut:

Day 1

Ghosts & Hauntings Trapped in the Upside Down Haunted House

Day 2

Slashers, Gore & Body Horror Demogorgon, Demobats, & Flesh Monster Halloween Party

Day 3

Demons, Devils & Exorcisms Will’s S2 Possession Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard

Day 4

Psychological Horror Attacked by Vecna Sweater Weather

Day 5

Came Back Wrong Flayed!Mike/Flayed!Will Carnival Night

Day 6

Supernatural Creatures Trick or Treat, Freak (2x02) Trick or Treating

Day 7

Witches, Wizards & Necromancers D&D Renaissance Festival

Double Date Night

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