#The Byers Harrington Story

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

The Battle of Starcourt Mall

pairing: steve harrington x female byers!reader

WC: 6.8K

warnings: cursing, blood. think that’s it…

summary: the final boss level

A/N: ALL PARTS UNDER THE TAG -The Byers Harrington Story-

so what i’ve decided to do is stop this chapter after the fire and since the last like ten minute take place three months later i’ve decided to use that for my in betweens. kinda weird ik BUT THIS IS MY FIC I DO AS I PLEASE!!!!

@alecmores​ 🫶🏻 the best proofreader

series masterlist / steve harrington

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It was a scene from a horror movie.

Tears of blood dripped from El’s nose as she continued her wails of pain, her screams filling the empty mall. Beneath the skin of her injured leg, something squirmed restlessly. It pushed at her flesh, trying to break to the surface and it was only making her cry and squeeze Mike’s hand tighter.

“What is that?” Erica leaned in for an inspection. “There’s something in there.” Was Mike’s simple answer. 

El screamed higher, “No!” “Jesus Christ,” A mutter from Dustin’s lips.

Jonathan pushed off the floor and talked over El’s vocals, “Keep her talking. Keep her awake, okay?” And he ran off to the food court.

El’s chest was panting slower and her eyes blinked slowly a few times. Mike started to shake her shoulder, “Hey, hey, hey. Stay awake, stay awake.” He looked to Dustin for assistance, “Let’s get her on this side, on this side.”

Nancy and Steve rushed to aid their help, El now leaning her back on Mike’s chest. “You know, it’s not actually that bad,” Robin spoke for the first time after five minutes, a new record for her. “There was a… The goalie on my soccer team, Beth Wildfire, this other girl slid into her leg and the bone came out of her knee. Six inches or something, it was insane.” Everyone’s eyes were on her, wondering why she was telling this story.

“Robin,” Steve called her. “Yeah?” She breathly exhaled as she looked at him. “You’re not helping.” “I’m sorry.”

You looked up when Jonathan came rushing back, his sneakers squeaking on the polished tiles. He held a kitchen knife and a wooden spoon in his left hand. “Okay. Alright, El?” A courtesy question. “This is gonna hurt like hell, okay?”

Her sobs shook her petite frame, “Okay,” Wrapped in snot and tears.

“Need you to stay real still.” He used the calm adult voice that he pulled on you and Will if either of you got hurt. He slipped flimsy prep gloves on his dormant hand. “Here, you’re gonna want to bite down on this okay?” Passing the spoon into Mike’s outstretched hand and he placed it between her teeth as she bit hard.

Jonathan held the knife and lowered it slowly to the wound. “Holy shit. Holy shit.” Dustin repeated as Jonathan sank the sharp point into her infected wound. Her screams were still loud even with her mouth muffled. 

“I’m gonna be sick,” Talking to yourself with sweaty hands holding the queasiness inside. Steve’s larger stature blocked the gruesome sight from your tired eyes. A hand pushing your face into his chest. The noises, El’s screams, and sobs mixed with everyone’s gasps or whines echoed in your eardrums. You couldn’t see what was happening after the cut was made, but it wasn’t any better. Nancy screamed Jonathan’s name and he yelled back, “Stop talking! God damn it!”

Then El’s cracked and tired voice, “No! Stop it!” Grunts followed with a whimper, “I can do it.”

You moved your head when everything grew silent. You were still tucked into Steve as you watched El sit up and stretched out her right arm over the bleeding wound. Her arm shook from all the energy that was being spent from her, all eyes watching as she hurt herself. Her screams grew in volume as the unknown was wiggling away from her telepathic grasp. They grew loud in frustration that the lights flickered and the glass from Levi’s display shattered to pieces, Steve turned your body away from the specks.

With some more steam power, El was able to grip the unknown and tug it out of her body. It was a small thing, almost looking like charred flesh as she held it in front of her face. With a grunt she threw it a foot away, all of you just watching as it slowly crawled further away. No one made a move to finish the job as you were all stunned when Hopper stomped a giant black boot hard into the creature.

And there stood an odd trio. Joyce, Hopper, and some bushy-bearded balding man (who was dressed in some short shorts) you didn’t know.

Only took one minute max before your brain kicked into gear. You untangled yourself from Steve’s protective hold and took one, two, three hesitant steps as you croaked, “Mom?” She moved away from the taller men and you rushed forward into her open arms. You almost knocked her over with the force of missing her touch and gentle pets.

“Oh, my sweet girl.” She shushed you and held you tight. Salty tears webbed your lashes together and marked her flannel top. You almost worried she was a mirage, a figment of your tired and bruised brain to keep you calm in a stressful moment. But she was real, you could tell by the way she held you tighter and tucked her face into your neck.

“I’ve missed you.” A whispered confession. “I’ve missed you too, honey. I’ve missed you too.”

Her hands grabbed your upper arms and pulled you away, motherly touches pushed loose hair and flyaways. Her palms cupped your cheeks like you were fine china as she examined your Russian party gifts. “What happened to my beautiful girl?

Your bottom lip wobbled as you joked, “Russian bullies. It’s been a long day, Mom.” Her open brown eyes started to gloss over with wet tears and you couldn’t have that. So you jumped to ask, “Where- Where have you been? And-” You looked over her shoulder to look at the unknown man beside Hopper, “-Who is that man?”

Her tangled curls swung with the motion of her head while peeking at the men and then back to you, “Oh, uh… Also Russian stuff.” You couldn't help the high raise of your mouth as you sputtered, “Wh-What? More Russians?”

“Uh…Why don’t we all go sit down? All of us and just go over everything.”

-

“The Mind Flayer built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, kill her, and pave a way into our world,” Mike spoke with his hands while giving the simple details of the events leading up to tonight for their group. Nancy also pitched in, “And it almost did. That was just one tiny piece of it.”

Everyone congregated by the turned-off fountain, standing in a circle. Hopper and El sat on the wooden bench beside the structure as he held a wet paper towel to her forehead and she sipped quietly on her straw. Joyce sat next to her as she rewrapped the wound closed. And even though you knew the time wasn’t right for couple displays, you couldn’t help but sink into Steve’s arms as he held you to his chest. His chin rested at the crown of your head as you held his hands in their infinity hold.

“How big is this thing?” Hopper asked. His eyes checked over El as Jonathan answered “It’s big. Thirty feet, at least.”

“Jesus,” You whispered just imagining something that huge. Probably takes up the whole space of the mall where you’re all talking. “It sorta destroyed your cabin,” Lucas tacked on. You heard the deep sigh from Hopper and Lucas’, “Sorry.”

“Okay, so, just to be clear,” Steve’s chest vibrated into your back with his talking, “This… This big fleshy spider thing that hurt El, it’s some kind of gigantic…weapon?” Your scalp tingles from the movement of his chin.

“Yes,” Nancy replied quickly. Her features turned a bit annoyed and you wanted to get defensive with her. But Steve continued to ask his question about this…fleshy monster. “But instead of, like, screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon… with melted people.”

“Yes, exactly.” Her permed hair hits her face. You felt Steve shrug his shoulders, “Yeah, okay. I- Yeah, I’m just making sure.” He tugged you even closer into his body. You gave his hands three squeezes.

“Are we sure this thing is still out there, still alive?” Joyce questioned. “El beat the shit out of it,” Max pointed out, “But, yeah, it’s still alive.” Disappointed evident in her tone.

“But if we close the gate again-” “We cut the brain off from the body.” “And kill it. Theoretically.” Will, Max, then Lucas finished the single train of thought.

Everyone went quiet again. They were probably thinking of the next plan of action, the attack plan to bring the demon to the ground. You were just hearing white noise and staring blankly at all the different shoes as you tried to blanket Steve over you. You were so close to the end, you had to keep reminding yourself about that, it’ll be all over tonight and everything can go back to its relative normal.

A loud shout of, “Yoo-hoo!” Bounced in the empty space followed by paper rustling. Steve turned the both of you at an angle to see that the mystery man, Murray, was waving yellow papers in the air. He bypassed the group and stopped in front of the dining table as he slammed the papers down. He looked over his shoulder and frantically waved his arms while yelling, “Class! Over here! Over here!” And everyone internally groaned as you took the short trip.

You stuck near the back, Steve leaning over your shoulder as the both of you looked down at the lined paper to try and make sense of the drawing before your eyes.

“Okay, this is what Alexei called “the hub”.” You wanted to ask who this Alexei was but stayed quiet. “Now, the hub takes us to the vault room.” Murray slid his finger down the drawn path.

“Okay, where’s the gate?” Hopper inquired. Murray took a moment before, “Right here.” Pointing at a different section on the paper map. “I don’t know the scale on this, but I think it’s fairly close to the vault room, maybe fifty feet or so.” Dragging his pointer finger from end to end.

“More like five hundred.” Erica’s snarky voice stopped the adults as she walked toward them. “What, you’re just gonna waltz in there like it’s commie Disneyland or something?”

You noted the raise of Hopper’s brows at Erica’s tone and Murray vocally asked, “I’m sorry, who are you?” “Erica Sinclair. Who are you?” Sassying the bald man back. His expression was plain and simple as he said his first and last name.

“Listen, Mr. Bunman,” Purposely mispronounces his last name, “I’m not trying to tell you how to do things, but I’ve been down that shithole for twenty-four hours.” Turning away from Murray and directly looking into Hopper’s eyes, “And with all due respect, you do what this man tells you, you’re all gonna die.” Hopper’s brows scrunched in the middle.

You would say she’s exaggerating, but knowing what was down there, they didn’t know what they could be walking into. Their schematics were just based on one person’s view, not knowing the actual distance from room to room. So yeah, they would be in danger.

“I’m sorry, why is this four-year-old speaking to me?” “Um, I’m ten, you bald bastard!”

“Erica!” Both you and Lucas called for her to stop. Shocked by all this language she most likely learned from the boys. “Just the facts!” Defending herself to her brother.

“She’s right.” Dustin stepped beside her, taking her side. “You’re all gonna die, but you don’t have to. Excuse me. Sorry, may I?” Pointing at Murray’s paper. The man flashed a sarcastic smile and shook his head with a, “Please,” Tacked on.

Dustin and Erica took a seat at the table, Dustin grabbing a pen from his pocket and pointing at a square box. “Okay, see this room here? This is a storage facility.” He circled it. “There’s a hatch in here that feeds into their underground ventilation system.” He then took the pen and drew a line to the over end of the paper, “That will lead you to the base of the weapon.”

“Wait, sorry.” Suddenly speaking up, eyes on you. “Was this where the two of you went when we got taken?” Just needed clarification. “Duh,” Was Erica’s only answer. “Okay. Continue.” Stepping into Steve’s chest, his arms thrown over your stomach.

“It’s a bit of a maze down there, but between me and Erica, we can show you the way.” Full seriousness in Dustin’s words as the two nodded together.

“You can show us the way?” The tone of voice he used was a mix of confusion and amusement. Two kids acting all high and mighty with more information than the adults. Dustin held a hand towards Hop, “Don’t worry, you can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero shit, and we’ll just be your… navigators.”

One nod of his head before a simple, “No,” fell from his lips. And this was exactly the reason you wanted Hopper to know about this from the beginning. “Nope.” A second confirmation at the two before he walked away. You were so happy you didn’t have to be the adult in the situation anymore.

Everyone split up into their different groups until it was time to fully split up. You, Robin, and Steve walked to Hut Sam. All of you hopped onto the counter, Robin with her legs crossed as she held her ankles and leaned her head to the wall. You and Steve sat near the end with your legs mindlessly kicking the air, Steve’s left hand in your grasp as you played with his fingers, specifically his marriage finger.

“Hey,” The single word ghosted your ear. At normal speed, you moved your attention away from his rough hand and moved your eyes onto his damaged face. Your right hand moved to touch the side of the swollen eye, the pads of your fingers touching him as if he was fine china. One wrong move and he’ll break into millions of tiny pieces. “Oh, my Stevie.”

He moved his head quickly so he could plant a lingering kiss on the heel of your hand before fully leaning into your touch. “I’m sorry. Again. For this.” He slipped two fingers under the hem of your shorts, his thumb sat on the scratchy material. 

“I forgive you.” At this point you truly do. It seemed no matter what you could have done, the horrors of Hawkins will always find a way to pull your group of family back into its pull. “I just… I just want you to listen to me. How I’m feeling when it comes to getting involved. Don’t disregard my feelings, you and I, along with everyone, have some sort of trauma they’ve taken from this. And you might hide it or joke about it, but you know I suffer because of it every day or night.”

Steve made sure he was looking directly into your eyes, his hand holding your thigh. “I know, I will. I got swept up in- in- I don’t even know. But if you need to, slap me, hit me, yell at me. Anything to make sure it gets through my thick skull, I don’t want to be the cause of your pain and sadness.”

Both of you sat in silence, hands touching any space of skin. You moved your hand from his cheek and used your thumb and index finger to hold Steve’s chin and pull him to you. It was a press of chapped lips before it moved to a slow dance that ended too short for comfort. Steve gave a quick peck before fully leaning away, a pleasant smile as he was bathed in the neon of pink and purple.

“Lovebirds!” Your heads snapped in the direction of the shout. Dustin waved a hand frantically and you both knew it meant there was a mission to be conducted. Steve moved first and grabbed your hand to pull you behind him. Dustin threw a set of keys that Steve was able to catch mid-air, “What’s this for?”

“Car out front,” Hopper stated. Dustin, Erica, and Robin were already heading in the direction of the front doors before the two of you caught up. You yelled, “See you later!” To everyone you were leaving behind.

Steve pushed the door open and then whistled, “Oh, man, now this… this is what I’m talkin’ about!” Excited about the open cruiser.

“Toddfather?” Robin questioned as the both of you spotted the license plate. You grimaced while walking to the passenger side. “Oh, screw Todd! Steve’s her daddy now.” He jumped into the driver's seat while you processed his words.

“Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?” “Did he just call himself daddy?” Robin and Erica are questioning your boy. You still needed to process the way Steve called himself daddy.

“Ew, gross. (Y/n), you better not be into that.” Robin whacked your shoulder from behind. You could only shake your head.

“All right, where are we going?” Steve turned the engine on. “Weathertop,” Dustin said over his shoulder. Steve turned in his seat, “Weather-what?”

“Just drive!” “Okay. Jesus!”

Steve threw his arm behind your seat and reversed the car before changing to drive and speeding out of the empty parking lot.

-

You weren’t sure how long the drives had been so far, but you know you’re far away from Starcourt now. The wind was wiping your sweaty hair into knots, smacking your eyes, and getting stuck in your mouth. Steve had a radio station turned to twenty, loud enough over the howling wind.

“Jesus, how far is this place, man?” Steve’s hands squeezed and loosened the leather steering wheel.

“Relax. We’re almost there.” Was Dustin’s only answer to Steve’s question. The older boy sighed and you noted the quick eye roll before he stepped hard down on the gas. Car going ninety in a sixty-five.

“Suzie must be pretty special, huh?” Robin shouted over the different sounds to talk to Dustin. “I mean, if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?”

You turned in your seat, left side pressed to the leather so you could see everyone in the backseat. Robin is in the middle with the two kids on either side.

Dustin grinned at the mention of his Suzie. “I mean, nobody’s scientifically perfect, but Suzie’s about as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be.” And the sweet answer made you coo at the young ‘love’.

“She sounds made up to me,” Erica added her two cents. “Does she sound made up to you?” The words pointed at Steve then you.

“No, of course not!” Quickly saying your answer, even if you still weren’t one hundred percent. Steve stayed quiet as he looked your way and into the rearview mirror. As discreetly as you can, you backhanded his outer thigh.

“Why are you hesitating, Steve?” Dustin leaned forward. “I’m- I’m- I’m not! I’m not!” Shifting his hands, one on the wheel and the other in the air flinging about. “I think she sounds real. You know, totally, absolutely real.”

He looked your way and you widened your eyes to silently communicate, “Really?” Your scrutinizing of Steve’s words was shut off when Dustin shouted, “Left. Turn left.”

“There’s not a road here.” Nothing but fields of grass. But Dustin was insisting, “Turn left now!”

“Jesus! Hang on!” Steve’s right hand held your thigh as he turned the wheel sharply on his left. Everyone was thrown from the quick force and then jolted from the bumpy road and the wired fence the car drove through.

“Whoa! Henderson, where are we going?!” “Up!”

The radio song was fitting with the lyrics syncing to the situation. The car was going up a steep hill and it was slow as it got higher.

“Oh, Jesus!” “We’re not gonna make it!” Robin yelled in your ear. Steve pressed the gas to the floor. “Yes, we are. Come on, baby. Come on, baby!” And if you weren’t stressed your mind would have gone to places from the last few days.

When the car reached the peak the engine strained under the gravity and dirt. Steve stomped the gas pedal multiple times, “Come on! Come on!” Grunted under his breath. The tires just screeched from the revving. “Guess the Toddfather had its limitations.” A mindless comment as you looked toward Steve. And sighed then shut the car off.

Everyone hopped out of the car and trucked up the last couple of feet. Your thighs burned and chested huffed, never one for the exercise of any sort…well only the fun kind.

“I hate this. I hate this. I hate this.” Wasting your breath just to grumble your vendetta.

Two hands are pushed into your back to keep your feet moving forward. You already knew it was Steve but his comment, “Come on, baby. So close.” Cause shameless flutters in your lower stomach and you swore your knees almost collapsed.

“Sounds like you’re talking to the car…daddy.” A teasing grin painted your sweaty and flushed cheeks. You heard the scuff but knew Steve enjoyed it from the squeeze to your back.

“You guys are gross. There are children present. Me included.” Robin chided as she passed the both of you.

As you reached the tip top there stood the radio tower, Ceribro. Dustin sprites forward to grab the walkie. He held the side button down and called, “Bald Eagle, this is Scoops Troop, do you copy?” He released the button and there was nothing, he repeated the call. “Bald Eagle, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop, do you copy?” Steve quietly paced back and forth.

Just as Dustin was getting ready to repeat the code it crackled with “Yes, I copy.” You all chuckle with relief, everyone moving into a tight circle.

“Call sign?” Dustin asked. “Dude, you’re gonna annoy him.” Having noticed the tone of voice through the radio. But Dustin didn’t care and Murray called back with, “Bald Eagle.”

“Please repeat.” “Bald Eagle. This is Bald Eagle!” Murray shouted.

With a winning smile, “Copy that. Good to hear your voice, Bald Eagle. What’s your twenty?”

“We reached the vent. I’ll contact you when I need you. Until then, silence.” He must have been so happy about that.

“Roger that, Bald Eagle. This is Scoops Troop, going radio silent. Ten-Ten, over.” Steve patted Dustin’s shoulder as he stood up.

You walked to the side, separating just by a foot, lowering yourself to the ground. Pulling your knees up you wrapped your arms to hold them close as you plopped your forehead to your knees. You were so tired, mentally and physically. If you had the money you would look into people that you could talk to, vaguely, about everything. Maybe you could barge one from the government?

The sound of footsteps caught your attention, but you didn’t turn your head. You had a feeling it was Steve and he would know to give you a few minutes of quiet even if you wanted his presence.

You dropped your left hand into the grass, a silent gesture if he was paying attention. And he always was. A second later he slipped his hand under yours, palm to palm, and curled his fingers in. Neither of you said anything, not wanting to or needing to at this moment. Just enjoying each other, that was all you needed.

“We should do star gazing as a date night. What’d ya’ say?” Steve pulled your linked hands up and pressed three kisses to the back of your hand, two on your knuckles.

You turned your head, ear, and cheek pressed into the scraped skin of your knees. Steve leaned his head forward, hair flopping over his forehead and into his eyes. He didn’t bother pushing it away, he kept his loving gaze zeroed in on you. Wanting your opinion, a reaction, you weren’t sure, but you gave him both.

“Would you make it super romantic, lover boy?” Teasing smirk to your scratched and bloody features.

He rolled his eyes, “Duh. What kind of boyfriend do you take me as?” And it unintentionally felt like a loaded question. And you knew it was the aftermath of Nancy, he needed constant reassurance. Whether he made it obvious or not, you will always give it to him.

In an awkward shuffle, moving your knees and twisting your body, you now sat in front of Steve. You held your empty hand out and did a ‘give me’ motion and he happily dropped his other hand to you. Like he did earlier you kissed his knuckles, multiple times until you heard that sweet-deep chuckle. You love when you make him flustered.

“Steve Harrington,” A kiss to his index finger to punctuate his name, “You are the best boyfriend I’ve ever gotten. And! And I know what you’re gonna say, “You’ve never had a boyfriend”, first of all, that means nothing.” A kiss to his middle, “Second, and this might sound horrible if I can’t word this right, but… I’m happy Nancy got time with you first.”

His brows scrunched in the middle while he wore a small pout and he tilted his head like a lost puppy. “Uh… Yeah. Yeah, that doesn’t- It’s not bad! Just doesn’t make the most sense?” He ducked his chin to his chest.

“Stevie…” You added a squeeze to his hands so he would look at you again. “You know how you were in high school. A total douchebag with only a sliver of gold in his heart.” And he didn’t disagree. He just bit into his bottom lip as you continued. “When you were with Nancy after the whole thing happened. It’s like… you bumped your head. Nudge in the right direction for your emotional growth.”

“There’s a joke in there that I want to make, but I won’t for your sake.” Lips curling to stop a stupid boyish smile at an inappropriate joke. You just sighed, “No. Go on, oh funny one. Say it aloud.” Also excited to hear it.

“You’re my nudge for emotional growth.” “Oh! That’s- That’s so horrible! Just bad.”

Your giggles mixed as you leaned toward each other. When they died off and you both went quiet you couldn’t help as you whispered, “All the girls you’ve been with have made you the one I love. I get to see the real Steve Harrington. Every crack and jewel.”

His eyes softened while the ends of his lips turned up, “Another joke. But…That was…I love you.” A declaration as he moved his lips onto yours.

A pretty good star gazing date as you thought to yourself while smiling into Steve’s pink lips.

“Mr. and Mrs. Byers, we have a problem!” Robin shouted into the night. You dove in for one more lightning kiss before Steve pulled the both of you up and back to your group and the tower.

“What’s the problem?” Seeing how Dustin and Erica were listening intensely to the quiet radio and Robin had her arms crossed while biting at her thumb.

“There’s an emergency.” Erica relaid, in a nervous tone. That didn’t bode well for you. “Who's in trouble?”

Loud cracking from the walkie stopped any answer from them and heard the shout of “Scoops Troop, do you copy? We require evacuation! We’re trapped! Help!” And the line went dead. Loud roaring was the last thing heard over the transmission.

The shouting of Mike’s voice over the crackling comm sent chills down your spine and blood rushing through your veins from the animalist yell. When you looked back to the horizon with your eyes set on Starcourt, the lights were flickering. Just like that November day back in nineteen eighty-three, when you faced the Demogorgan.

“We gotta help them. We gotta go!” Shouting to everyone and mostly to yourself to kick you into gear. Beat-up converse carried you down the steep hill, almost tripping over yourself. Forgetting you didn’t hold the keys to the car, you yelled for Steve as you threw yourself into the driver's seat.

“Woah, hey I can-“ “Steve, just give me the damn keys!”

He stood for a second before sitting in the passenger, Robin tagging along in the back. The engine roared to life as you hightailed it back towards Starcourt.

-

“Is that-” “Billy’s Camaro.”

The Toddfather was waiting on the far side of the parking lot. The Wheeler’s hatchback was stationed in front of the mall and Billy’s car wasn’t too far away, the headlights beaming into the night. He was revving the engine, smoke billowing from the exhaust. Nancy stood like a waiting soldier, her arms held high as she held a gun, her aim steady.

“I need you guys to hold tight,” A quick command before you stepped down on the gas just as Billy launched forward, straight to Nancy and everyone. 

“(Y/n), I don’t think this is a good idea!” Robin’s shaky plea passed your ears. Knuckles turning white from your death grip, mentally preparing for the impact. Steve’s hand fell on your thigh and squeezed the flesh, his blunt nails digging into your skin. “Baby, this is a stupid plan! But I love you no matter what!”

“I love you too, Steve! No matter what!”

The nose of the cruiser crashed into the passenger side of the blue Camaro, the two spun out until you turned it to a stop with the wheel and brake. It was like a shot went off beside your ear, a loud ringing that drowned everything out. Your heart was beating out your chest, quick and swallow pants puffing from your lips.

“Is everyone okay?” Shakiness to each letter. From the whiplash, your neck ached as you slowly turned to face Steve. He too was panting from adrenaline with his eyes set forward, then he looked your way. He loosened the grip on your thigh, you didn’t even notice. “Please don’t ever drive again.” Joking to take away the severity of the moment, you just nodded in compliance.

“Robin? Alive?” “Ask me tomorrow?” A weak thumbs up to her question.

The moment of catching breaths was interrupted by the horrific roaring coming from the mall. All three of you pulled yourselves up and leaned forward for a better view. “Oh, shit!” Robin exclaimed at the giant fleshy monster that climbed on the roof of Starcourt. You wanted to vomit from all the different emotions running through you.

Honking from a car turned heads. Nancy leaned through the window and shouted, “Get in!” All of you hurried to the trunk, legs, and arms knocking into each other while being crammed into the small space. Steve, being the last one beside you, shouted for Jonathan to start driving.

With tires screeching on asphalt, you peeled out and back to the road. The monster followed, it was quick and slow in its steps, keeping you within sight but only a few steps behind even with the car going one hundred.

Your heart was beating in your ears as you kept your eyes locked on the flesh monster that was tailing the Wheeler wagon.

A loud static filled the car and then two voices followed. “Dusty-bun, do you copy?” “I copy, Suzie-poo. It sounds much better now, thanks.”

“Dusty-bun?” Steve couldn’t help but repeat the nickname that the very much real Suzie called him. And you couldn’t help but follow with, “Suzie-poo?”

“Okay, so, listen, do you Planck’s constant?” “Do you know the Earth orbits the sun?” And you heard Dustin snicker over the comm. It was cute, but not the right time.

“Okay, so I know it starts with two sixes, and then a… w-what is it?” “Okay, let me just be clear on this. I haven’t heard from you in a week, and now you want a mathematical equation that you should know so you can…save the world?” “Suzie-poo, I promise, I will make it up to you as soon as possible.”

There was a short lull and then she replied, “You can make it up to me now.” “What?” Dustin’s voice went serious. “I want to hear it.” And you weren’t sure if you wanted to hear it.

You could hear the slight panic in Dustin’s voice as he spoke back, “Not right now.” “Yes, now, Dusty-bun.”

“Suzie-poo, this is urgent.” You were getting sick of the nicknames. You looked at Steve and Robin, “What do you think she’s asking him to do?”

Steve shrugged, “Probably something nerdy and gross mixed.” Robin didn’t as Suzie radioed back, “Yes, yes, you’re saving the world, I heard you the first time, but Ged is also saving Earthsea and he’s about to confront the shadow. So this is Suzie, signing off.” Very stubborn in getting her way.

Dustin hurried in, “Wait, wait, wait! Okay. Okay.” His end went silent for about thirty seconds and then- “Turn around. Look at what you see. In her face, the mirror of your dreams.”

“Am I concussed?” The abrupt question fell from your dry mouth. “Are they singing?” Needing to know you weren’t the only one hearing this.

Robin and Steve shared a look before dumbly nodding their heads. You looked to the front of the car and everyone was quiet. You couldn’t see their faces, only Will’ since he was turned at an angle and you saw the clear look of confusion painted over his features. You wonder if Hopper and Murray were hearing this musical number.

And the monster was still chasing the station wagon.

Suzie and Dustin sang in sync until the final note, Dustin ending off with a giggle. “Planck’s constant is 6.62607004.”

“You just saved the world.” “Gosh, I miss you, Dusty-bun.” “And I miss you more Suzie-poo.”

“Ugh, gross. They sound just like you two. You’ve rubbed off on him, Harrington.” Robin groaned as her head hit the window.

Steve scuffed, “Me? Why just me? There are two of us in this relationship.” “Well, he is your best friend.” Teasing him with a smirk.

Steve shook his head and didn’t follow up with a comment, his eyes out the window then yelling to the group, “It’s turning around.”

“What?” Nancy and Jonathan look over their shoulders. “It’s turning around!” Steve repeated.

“Maybe we wore it out,” Lucas suggested. “I don't think so. Hold on.” And Jonathan wiped the wheel hard and headed back to the mall.

-

The car jolted to a stop. Every one climbed out and grabbed the boxes of fireworks from the roof, you led them to the back entrance and typed in the door code. A beeping noise prompted you to pull the handle and usher them inside.

“Okay, so the plan is to get to the second level, spread out, and start setting them off. Don’t stop for a second, just go.” Lucas huffed his idea to everyone.

By the time your group spread out, you with Robin and Steve to the far left, the mind flayer was in the middle of the mall. It’s looming figure looking down at Billy and El. The lights were flickering and flashing as it growled and groaned. There was a high-pitched hissed and a tentacle limb stretched forward.

Before it could reach El a firework was thrown and hit the monster in the back. You heard Lucas’ voice as he yelled, “Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!” It prompted everyone to start setting them off and throwing bombs.

“Hey, asshole! Over here!” Steve yelled before throwing his lit cannon. It fell into the creature's mouth and exploded. You and Robin threw your fireworks one after the other.

If it wasn’t such a scary situation, the private display was beautiful. The different colors and shapes brighten the already colorful mall. The roars are mixed in with the high-pitched singing of explosive powders.

Your throwing arm started to wear out quickly but you had to push yourself through the soreness setting in. You couldn’t see what was happening down below and didn’t know if El was safe or still in danger and out of reach for help. But you had to push that away, you were helping her in this moment, distracting the monster from attacking her.

It felt like hours but must have only been thirty minutes or so before you were out of fireworks. You started to panic when less light and noise filled the space. “Last two!” You yelled as you flung your lit stick forward.

Steve grabbed the walkie and radioed to Dustin, “Dustin! We’re out of time!”

A few more fireworks went off and then they stopped. The only sound was your heavy panting in your ears filled with the monstrous roaring of the flayer.

“What do we do? What’d we do!” You yelled at Robin and Steve. They both pant with open mouths and just stared at you and then at the floor below.

As you looked down you could barely make out Billy standing in front of El, keeping her blocked from view. The monster screeched and roared then shot its mouth limb towards El, but Billy stood in the way and took the talons. Two more attached to his sides before several more limbs dug themselves into his body. You could hear his screams.

And the screams of Max as she watched her shitty step-brother die before her eyes.

Little flames flickered from tiny fires on the bottom level. Everything was static and quiet until the flesh monster started to roar even louder if possible. It started to thrash, its body slamming into your side of the railing making Steve pull you into him as the both of you with Robin fell to the floor.

With one final roar, it collapsed to the floor before the lights stabilized and the fire engulfed its skin. It was over. The battle was over and won.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay, just breathe.” Steve whispered into your ear. You didn’t notice that you were shaking and breathing in shallow intervals, almost making you pass out. You clung to him tighter as you closed your eyes and inhaled his scent which was mixed with sweat and gunpowder.

With the quiet lull of silence followed multi and fast footsteps that carried voices shouting over each other. Steve pulled the both of you from the floor and looked over the bent railing with Robin at your side. Dozens of soldiers with guns raised caused your heart to spike, was it more Russians?

But when they started shouting commands in English you knew you were safe. Everyone was evacuated from the building and led to the ambulances waiting outside for all of you to get checked. You and Steve for sure needed it the most.

You waited beside Steve as the nurse was looking over his face and gave him some meds for pain. They walked away to check on the others leaving the two of you alone. Steve threw one side of his blanket over your shoulder and pulled you close.

“I love you. So fucking much.” He muttered into your hair. You wrapped your arms around his stomach and held him gently. “I love you too. Out of this world much.” You felt his body move with a laugh, “Not a competition…but I would win.” And you laughed but didn’t retort back.

Your eyes flitted to the chaos of moving bodies. Three different groups of workers dressed in uniforms mixed. In a small opening you saw Will running towards someone and when you saw who he ran into tears started to sting your eyes.

Again that night, you pulled away from Steve and took off running to your mom and younger brother. “Mom!” You screamed into the night air.

Her head looked up and a teary smile spread across her face. They both opened their arms and you slithered into their warm embrace. “You’re alive. You’re alive.” A quiet mantra to yourself, she just squeezed tighter.

With your eyes open and over Joyce’s shoulder you could see El walking around. By herself and looking everywhere with confusion and worry screaming out in her body language, you pulled away from Joyce so you could look into her eyes and ask, “Where’s Hopper?” And she could only close her eyes and tiny whimpers fell from her lips.

He didn’t make it. El was alone once again.

Reluctantly you released your mom and walked to El. She was twisting her hands together anxiously, head swiveling in different directions. And you knew the person she was looking for wasn’t coming back for her.

“El…” Just saying her name and trailing off. She sniffled while turning your way, her eyes watery and bloodshot. She bit into her bottom lip and you could tell she was trying not to cry.

“Oh, sweetheart.” And she launched herself into your chest. Your arms take a second before holding her tight in your embrace. Her petite frame shook with rough cries and your skin tickled with the dropping tear drops falling from her eyes. You didn’t know what to say, you could only repeat, “Oh, sweetheart.”

-

taglist: @heartyhope / @preciousbabypeter​ / @dessxoxsworld​ / @piper3113 / @animiacorn​ / @burn1ngw00d​ / @drxwstxrkxy​ / @m-rae23​ / @noisyeggsmoneystatesman​ / @yournan69 / @thats-s0-ravenn​ / @ameliabs-world​ / @mayonesavegana​ / @gracella0709​ / @gengen64​ / @alecmores​ / @choclate32 / @stvrdustalexx​ / @redheadedfangirl​ / @agustdeeyaa​ / @yappydoo​ / @liberhoe​ / @hehehehannahthings​ / @ladybug0095​ / @sweeter-innocence-fics​ / @j-6o / @voteforevilthoughts​ / @harrysflowercrownrry / @ilovereadingfanfics / @sorrow-has-a-place-here​ / @80strashbag​ / @sunsumonner​ / @sweet1peach / @cierrajhill​ / @we-out- here-simping / @nix-rose-a / @x-theolivia​ / @stylesyourmine / @starkeylover /

*striked out means tumblr cant find you*

[steddielations]

Flight of Icarus Character List

Lore Part 1 | Part 2

- Eddie Munson: Our boy is 18 years old, lives alone in his dad's house with Wayne checking in on him. By 1984, he's the lead singer and guitarist of Corroded Coffin and the DM for Hellfire. He's known as Freak King at school, and Munson Junior around town, he hates both. His grades are bad, but the only trouble he gets in at school is getting blamed for fights with jocks that he doesn't start or win. He works as a barback at the Hideout where his band plays sometimes. His status as town pariah due to his dad's criminal reputation and being an outcast deeply affects him. He wants nothing more than to escape that image, even if he's trading it for a different image. The story kicks off when he gets a chance to chase a record deal in California and teams up with his dad to get the money to move.

- Al Munson: Eddie’s dad, he comes in and out of Eddie's life. He's been abandoning Eddie alone/with Wayne for long stretches since Eddie was a child. Al's very charismatic and has even made Jim Hopper laugh. He uses that "Munson Magic" to manipulate everyone around him, he's a conman and career criminal. He taught Eddie guitar, but also taught Eddie to jack cars at age 10 and only sees Eddie as his little minion. He comes back to town, claiming he's fresh out of a prison stint in Colorado with a debt he needs to repay, and enlists Eddie into helping him rob a truck carrying drugs from his former boss. He leaves details out of the story that blow up in their faces. In the end, he leaves again when Eddie needs him most.

- Wayne Munson: Eddie’s uncle, factory job guy and the best caregiver as we all predicted. Wayne’s a quiet guy, very emotionally reserved too. Eddie says he’s never even heard Wayne yell, he’s non-confrontational. He doesn’t like Al, says nothing even when Al tries to instigate an argument. He deeply cares for Eddie. Eddie is very stubbornly independent, so used to being on his own because of Al, and Wayne tries to respect his boundaries while also being concerned, as Eddie gets very prickly about it. He tries his best to keep Eddie from getting roped in with Al, but overall he lets Eddie make his own decisions. He seems like he wants to just bundle Eddie in a hug at times, but they're not to that point yet in the book. In the end, Al's scheme gets their house burned down, so Wayne permanently takes Eddie in. He shapes Eddie by telling him he’s not his dad and to stop caring what people think and not to put himself in a box. Some nice tidbits: Wayne has a green thumb, reads Gardener’s Weekly magazine and goes to a bar called the Attic on Fridays.

- Ronnie Ecker: Eddie’s childhood best friend. She lives with her grandma in the trailer park. Her father passed away and her mother is implied mentally unstable. She meets Eddie when they’re 8. She’s described as tall, taller than Eddie since they were kids, always wearing a corduroy hat, and people mistake them for siblings. She’s the first drummer of cc. Ronnie and Eddie formed the band specifically because they had to do the middle school talent show. Then Gareth becomes the drummer when she graduates. She’s also in Hellfire, wants to go to law school and has a full ride scholarship to NYU. She’s sort of implied aro/ace after Eddie tries to kiss her when they’re 13, she says it’s not just Eddie, she doesn’t think she’ll ever have a crush on anyone. Ronnie is perceptive and smart and she teases Eddie a lot but they’re very protective of each other. Eddie gets blackmailed by Principal Higgins into dropping out when he threatens to jeopardize Ronnie's scholarship. Eddie never tells Ronnie this, even when they have a fight about him choosing to end Hellfire because Higgins convinced him his friends would be better off. This causes them to leave off on vague terms when she goes to NYU.

- Dougie Teague: This could possibly be unnamed freak from the show, but there’s an age discrepancy because he’s the same age as Ronnie and Eddie in the books and it says he graduates. So he would have to fail senior year twice along with Eddie to still be in high school in the show as unnamed freak. Dougie is the backup cc guitar player, whereas unnamed freak played bass in the show. Dougie is brash and blurts things out. He lives where Eddie calls the nice side of town and they rehearse in his garage. Dougie’s mom is not fond of Eddie but lets them practice there. Dougie’s dad is an HVAC truck guy.

- Jeff (no last name): Jeff is a sophomore and the bass player for CC, whereas in the show he plays guitar. Jeff comes across as reserved compared to Eddie and Ronnie. He played D&D with his older brothers before joining Hellfire. Eddie says Jeff knows more about bass than him. Jeff is ‘the nice one’ and generally nervous and anxious. He’s reasonable but he looks up to Eddie and buys into what Eddie says about the band getting a deal even if it’s unrealistic. Jeff is awkward around girls, wants to do good in school and he’s afraid of getting in trouble. The owner of the Hideout bar lets the band split a beer and Jeff is nervous the whole time. Also, when Eddie screws up, Jeff is the first to forgive him.

- Gareth (no last name): Gareth takes on the role of Eddie’s first sheep, whereas everyone else are Eddie’s friends, Gareth is like the little kid he’s fond of. Gareth is a freshman, there’s a whole scene of Eddie helping him create a D&D character. He’s hotheaded and a target for bullies. Eddie sticks up for him a couple times, and once, Gareth barrels in shrieking and throwing windmill punches to stop Eddie from getting jumped by Tommy H and crew, which results in Gareth going to the hospital with a fractured wrist.

- Rick Lipton (Reefer Rick): Rick is a very typical laid back stoner character. He's around 35, described as a giant soft guy with big smiling eyes and friendly face, wearing a Smokey the Bear shirt, and not what Eddie expected from a drug dealer. His house is also not what Eddie expected, being pretty clean compared to Eddie's teenage inhabited space. Eddie meets Rick through his dad, who has screwed Rick over in the past and this makes Rick unwilling to be the buyer of what they're going to steal off the drug truck. Eddie however puts on his best "Munson Magic" and convinces Rick. Rick is impressed and calls him Munson Junior, which Eddie hates. He goes back to Rick at the end of the book, needing money and a job. Rick gets him started dealing.

- Elizabeth Munson (maiden name Franklin): Eddie’s mom, he's a certified mama's boy. She doesn't appear in the book, Eddie says she got sick and passed away when he was around 6. She's originally from Memphis, Tennessee, where she met Al and they moved to Hawkins when she was 19, they got married March 12th, 1966. She loved Eddie's dad but Eddie says Al was always leaving her to go off on schemes. She passed her love of music onto Eddie. Her favorite was Chicago blues, Eddie didn't understand why until she passed and he started to feel it in his bones too. Eddie remembers dancing with her to Muddy Waters' "Rollin' Stone" and when the song comes on in the truck while he's doing business with Al, it makes him tear up. He recalls this memory several times, it seems like it’s his happiest memory. He says "When Elizabeth Munson was happy, the whole entire world was happy." His biggest connection to his mom was through her music. Then when Al's scheme goes wrong, the people he screwed over show up and burn down their house in an act of revenge. Eddie almost gets killed trying to save his mom's records, but they burn.

- Paige Warner: Paige is a junior scout at WR Music. She's not described beyond having freckles, chin-length dark hair and dark eyes. She has a younger brother on the Hawkins baseball team. At the Hideout, she sees Eddie's band playing and he chalks up the courage to talk to her. (He's squeaky and blushy, no game) Paige is in town for her grandmother's funeral, she remembers Eddie from the middle school talent show, though she is two years older. She likes his band because they're "real". She returns another night and Eddie (after some bad news that makes him desperate to chase his future) propositions her to get them a record deal. She's insulted, having told Eddie that guys use her for that reason, but they agree to work together. Paige pays for the studio time for cc to record the demo tape. In the meantime, Paige meets Al and Eddie is beside himself the entire time, not wanting her to find out the dirty work they're doing to fund his future. Then, Paige's boss only likes Eddie, and when she delivers this news, Eddie expresses that he doesn't want to ditch his band, but she says this will benefit both of them. So he agrees and it's implied they start hooking up, never making things official. She leaves for California and he's supposed to go later for his audition and stay with her. This doesn't happen, Eddie's heist with Al lands him temporarily in jail, and over a heated phone call, things end between them. It's implied that Paige pays his bail but never speaks to him again.

- Tommy Hayes: It's debatable whether this is supposed to be Tommy H from the show, whether his last name was always Hagan or if that was a fanon thing. Given his proximity to the jocks and being bitter that Steve has changed since dating Nancy, it's supposed to be Tommy H from the show. He's extremely violent in the book, which doesn't track so much with Tommy in the show, who's more of a shit-talker lackey. This Tommy bullies Eddie for being poor, a freak, and the son of a criminal. He bullies the whole Hellfire club and beats Eddie up on two occasions, punches Ronnie (accidentally?) when she tries to protect Gareth, and puts Gareth in the hospital. He faces no repercussions because the Principal is on his side, as Tommy's family is influential and rich.

- Principal Higgins: The principal of Hawkins High. Eddie is justified for wanting to flip him off in the show. Higgins has a ton of favoritism toward the kids from well off influential families, like jocks and preppy students, and always takes their side even when Eddie (and friends) are the ones bruised and beaten. He's a Bible thumper and hates Hellfire and also hates Eddie because he's a Munson, considers him a rotten apple that poisons the bunch. He wants Eddie to drop out to rid the school of the Hellfire club. After the brawl between the jocks and Hellfire, Higgins convinces Eddie that it's his fault his friends are considered freaks and get bullied. He blackmails Eddie into dropping out by threatening to jeopardize Ronnie's scholarship to NYU. Eddie eventually comes to his senses and finds his fire again when everything falls through. He gets re-enrolled in school and turns things around by blackmailing Higgins. At this point, he knows Higgins buys drugs from Reefer Rick, and uses that information to force Higgins to let Hellfire continue and leave him and his friends alone.

- Officer Moore: A Hawkins cop who has it out for Eddie. He's described as having a blond buzz cut, a square jaw, Superman level All-American looks. He has a growing mid-forties beer gut. He pulls Eddie and Ronnie over in Eddie's van, Eddie sasses the shit out of him since apparently he pulls Eddie over a lot trying to find reasons to arrest him, just because he's a Munson. But he has to let them go.

- CJ and Toby: These are two goons that worked with Al under the same boss, Charlie Greene, one of the biggest drug kingpins in Oregon. They are transporting the truck with the drugs that Al enlists Eddie to help him rob. Eddie and Al successfully rob the truck, but CJ and Toby show up to their house days later. While holding Eddie and Al at gunpoint looking for the drugs, It's revealed that Al didn't owe money because he borrowed it, he stole it because he got greedy. Eddie was under the impression that he was saving his dad from enforcers that would come to collect the debt eventually, not helping him steal more from them. Al wasn't in prison like he told Eddie, he was living large as Charlie Greene's right hand man, never sending Eddie a dime. At this point, Eddie and Al have already sold the stolen drugs to Reefer Rick, so Al turns over the 15 grand of money to CJ and Toby. They think it's settled, but CJ decides to set the house on fire too, since Al embarrassed them with the boss. The only reason they don't kill Eddie and Al is because Officer Moore shows up, having been following Eddie. Instead, CJ shoots Officer Moore in the leg and then he and Toby flee. Eddie immediately goes to help the officer (despite hating Moore) while Al is telling Eddie to come on so they can run. Eddie feels like its their fault Moore was shot and won't leave him, Al says he didn't realize Eddie was this much of a fool. Eddie tries to get him to stay because he needs him, but Al leaves him anyway and Eddie is devastated and numb. He's arrested when cops show up.

- Jim Hopper: Hopper brings Eddie a cup of water and talks to him while he's in lockup for the night. He calls Eddie "Junior" but Eddie's too numb at that point to care. He says they know that Eddie tried to help Moore, but he's being held for arson because of the house, until he makes bail. Hopper is really trying to give Eddie a break, knowing he helped Moore, and talks a bit about Eddie's dad. He says something cryptic about knowing Al in school and how every time something went down, Al was usually at the center. Hopper does Eddie a favor and lets him use the phone in his office, where Eddie calls Paige. Hours later, Hopper tells him he made bail and that Wayne is there to get him.

- Chrissy Cunningham: Eddie remembers Chrissy from the talent show. Eddie's dad was supposed to be there, but didn't show up, meanwhile Chrissy is disappointed that her mom did show up. A lot like the show, it's minimal but Chrissy is sweet with troubled undertones. Eddie's surprised she even talks to him, but she's nice and says she'd cheer for him if his dad didn't show. Fast forward to high school, when the jocks are giving Eddie flack, Chrissy tries to get them to stop. Then they try to lie to the principal and say Eddie was bothering Chrissy. Chrissy says it's a lie but Jason quickly silences her.

- Bev: The owner of the Hideout bar. She's a very no nonsense drill sergeant kind of lady. She keeps Eddie humble, calls him Junior despite him asking her not to, always tells him to get a haircut and doesn't like his band at all, though she lets them play there as part of the exchange for Eddie working there. The stage is just some rickety wood that her late husband built. It's implied she had something to do with his death. She's strict and doesn't give anything out for free, only Al is able to charm her out of a free pitcher of beer when he's celebrating Eddie (temporarily) dropping out of school, which stuns Eddie. When Eddie quits the job chasing his California dream, she admits she'll miss their band and that's that.

- Janice: Principal Higgins secretary who equally hates Eddie and favors jocks and preppy students. She wears coke bottle glasses that magnify her eyes and has a fanatical obsession with purple.

- Stan: A junior member of Hellfire who had to sneak around his parents to go to meetings by pretending to be at algebra tutoring, as they consider D&D to be Satanic. When his parents find out, they write a letter to the school, condemning Hellfire club and saying they sent Stan to a church program to cleanse him. Higgins shows Eddie this letter to make him feel guilty and responsible.

-Nicole Summers and Cass Finnigan: These girlies are mentioned in one sentence but I don't know where else to put this info. Eddie implies these are the two other hookups he had before Paige, once in grade ten and once senior year, saying that he could tell they were only doing it for the dare of getting with the freak. Though, he wasn't looking to be anybody's boyfriend. He compares them to Paige, who he feels like genuinely likes him

- Steve Harrington: He doesn't actually appear in the book but his balls get a mention so he's going on the list. The only thing to note is that Steve doesn't approve of any freshman getting beat up, to the point where the jocks do it behind his back and Jason Carver is worried about him finding out. Tommy says Steve doesn't have any balls since dating Nancy Wheeler. Eddie defends Steve's balls, saying Tommy can't talk about someone else having no balls when he gets his kicks beating up freshman.

- Will and Jonathan Byers: At the end of the book, in a record shop, Will and Jonathan walk in. Eddie recognizes Will from his missing posters and recalls the events where Will had a funeral yet somehow was found alive. Jonathan goes to the back for a certain record, and while Will is alone, Eddie watches as a few younger jocks come into the store and start hounding him, calling him zombie boy. Eddie takes up for him, goads the jocks and gets them to take it out on him, takes a baseball to the chest and they leave. Eddie tells Will that Zombie Boy is metal as shit and Jonathan thanks Eddie when he comes back. Eddie offers Jonathan weed and says Jonathan is way too offended by the question for someone with his haircut. This whole interaction solidifies Eddie's new sense of purpose, collecting and protecting sheep.

- Granny Ecker: Ronnie's grandmother. She's not a big part of the story at all but she lives in the trailer park too. She's a wooden spoon wielding grandma character. Eddie calls her Granny too and she worries about Wayne and makes Eddie bring him casseroles and stuff. it's just cute so I'm including it.

[friendly-neighborhood-peter]

Can’t stop thinking about how in the midst of like a life or death situation Will just started singing lines of Neverending Story instead of just SAYING HER NAME

[estrellami-1]

If I Should Stay

On the 15th, as promised! Ngl, I definitely almost forgot this. I have SO many feelings about this one, y’all check the tags if you want my ramblings. Buckle up. Also, happy stabbing Caesar day.

Part 1 | . . . | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66

Steve works his jaw, staring at Will. “Yeah,” he whispers. Will looks down. “Hey,” Steve says gently. “That’s not on you, okay? And Jonathan’s a really great guy. He and Nancy both had a lapse in judgement. They got together a while later and they were better for each other than she and I ever were.”

“But they hurt you.”

Steve chuckles. “In the moment, sure. But I’m fine now, I’ve moved on. It surprised me just now because I didn’t expect her to react like that. I know that’s not who she is as a person, and I’m sure as soon as Joyce talks to her about it and she’s had some time to think about it, she’ll come apologize. But none of that is on you, okay?”

Will shrugs, playing with the hem of his pants.

Steve glances at Eddie, who winks and plops down cross-legged next to Will, nudging their shoulders together. “My dad’s in jail.” Will looks up at him, surprised. Eddie shrugs. “I’ve had time to process, but it took me a while to realize he just isn’t a good person. Now, my momma was an angel among women, she just had a disease. It didn’t make her a bad person. But they’re my parents, so that must mean I’m a bad person with a disease, right?”

“No!” Will says emphatically. “Just because they-” he pauses, mouth a perfect circle, before flushing and ducking his head, smiling a little. “Okay. I get it.”

“Good kid,” Eddie says fondly, ruffling his hair. “Now, back to the planning?”

“Probably,” Steve nodded. “First things first, who wants out?”

“Papa hurt El?” Mike asks. Steve nods. “Then let’s kill this fucker.”

“Language,” say all the adults, and Mike rolls his eyes.

“I’m in,” Will adds.

“Me too,” Dustin says, and Lucas nods.

Steve looks around, and all the adults present nod at him. Robin squeezes his hand, and Alli pulls him closer to her by his shoulders. “Alright, little brother,” she says. He elbows her. “What’s the plan?”

Steve sighs and looks to El. “What do you think, Ellie?”

“Everyone else is dead,” she murmurs. “But if I go into the rainbow room, I will see them.”

Steve’s heart breaks. “You don’t have to go anywhere you don’t want to.”

She smiles sadly at him. “You cannot promise me that, Steve.”

He meets Robin’s eyes above El’s head, watches her heart break. “Watch me.” He looks back to El. “I know what he put you through, El.”

“He loves me.”

Steve takes a breath, shuts his eyes for a moment. “Remember what I told you, last time you said that?”

El nods. “You thought the same thing about your parents.”

“Exactly. It took me a long time to learn, but they don’t love me. And there’s nothing I can do to change that. Even if I was perfect, that wouldn’t be enough for them. Does that make sense?”

She nods. “You love me differently from how Papa loves me.”

“Yeah,” Steve whispers. “Which do you like better?”

“Yours.”

“Do you know why?”

She thinks about it for a minute. “You love me because you see Ellie. He loves me because he sees Eleven.”

Next to him, Alli makes a broken sound. Steve reaches back to hold her hand. “Yeah, Ellie. That’s exactly right.”

“I do not want to only be Eleven anymore,” she decides. “I want to be Ellie.”

“And that’s why I’ll do all of it myself if I have to,” Steve tells her. “So you can be Ellie. You don’t have to go in the rainbow room, okay?”

“Okay,” she nods, wiggling around until she can bury her face in his neck and whisper, “I trust you.”

He blinks quickly. “I’m glad,” he whispers back.

“Ellie,” Wayne says, voice not much steadier than Steve’s. She shifts to look at him from where she’s tucked into Steve. “We all want you t’be just Ellie if you want it. We’re all gonna be right there with you.”

“Thank you,” she says quietly. “Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“I won’t be strong enough. If I see Papa.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Hopper says, checking his gun. She shifts to look at him. “He’s not going to hurt you again.”

She frowns and buries her face back in Steve’s neck. “I’m happy,” she murmurs. “But I’m also very sad.”

Steve sighs and hugs her tightly. “I know how you feel.”

“I don’t like feeling this way.”

“I know, El. I don’t think there’s really any way to get rid of the feeling, though.”

“Just life,” Alli says quietly, scooting closer and laying a comforting hand on El’s upper arm. “I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true.”

El looks up at Alli. “Okay. What’s a cliché?”

Alli meets Steve’s eyes, a smile starting to spread, and Steve thinks everything’s going to be okay.

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[musicalchaos07]

"Old habits die SCREAMING" but it's me pining after platonic Stoncy

[throttlegainwell]

The Steve Harrington from a year ago wouldn’t have been caught dead talking to Jonathan Byers, and that Jonathan Byers wouldn’t have had any clue how to talk to him. If Steve knew anything about him—if he was consciously aware, on more than a passing level, of his existence—then it was only because of what Jonathan represented. What his family represented: a set of anxieties made visible and all too tangible in the form of bruised flesh, cheekbones jutting too sharp under pale skin, stress lines and a kind of unmistakable flinch that made people tut and shake their heads but not actually care. Hawkins’s own cautionary tale and spectacle all in one. But apparently once Steve Harrington decided he liked you, he had only one speed. 95% relationship study of two guys who can't quite talk to each other, 5% ill-advised darkroom blowjob. Really.

Rated E. ~9k. Jonathan/Steve. No warnings.

[trensu]

I doubt there's much overlap between the stranger things fandom and the magnus archives but frankly, i dont think there's enough horror in stranger things. Which is surprising when you consider the source material. So i've been having Thoughts about the Fears and their avatars.

I'm turning everyone into monsters, is what I'm saying.

Steve would be a perfect candidate for avatar of the Corruption. He achingly wants to be loved. He needs to be Loved. He's been so alone for so long and he just wants someone to stay, so of course the Corruption would welcome him to its domain. The insect thing doesn't work for him though. Or at least I couldn't think of any insect that would mesh well with his whole thing.

Then I remembered that Robin is terrified of rabies, and there isn't a Steve without a Robin, who is also someone who desperately wants to be loved for who she is. Obviously their connection to Filth wouldn't lie with insects. They'd be disease. So Corruption avatars Steve&Robin (always always Steve&Robin) would have fever bright eyes, skin damp with sweat, cheeks somehow both flushed and sallow, and lips cracked dry and red. They're always in contact somehow: leaning against one another, standing with arms pressed close, pinkies hooked together. Constant contact. When they're still for long enough, their skin starts to ooze and meld so they could be closerclosertogether.

Things get truly horrifying, however, if they're ever forced apart. They become rabid things, violently agitated and foaming at the mouth. They infect anybody who gets in their way. It's a horrible way to die, burning with fever, fear, and confusion as skin and muscles spasm hard enough slough off bones. Anyone who dares stand between them doesn't live for long.

Steve&Robin have their own collection of statements at the Usher Foundation. In fact, Hawkins, Indiana is of great interest for the Usher Foundation because of the number of avatars present in such a small population. Because you have Steve&Robin collecting fear for the Corruption, but there is also Nancy who is a prolific avatar of the Hunt.

When the Usher Foundation first started studying Hawkins, they had Nancy pegged for Beholding. They had, in fact, been preparing to recruit her after she graduated. But hers was not a need to Know; she was never content to simply Watch. She needed to track down leads, she needed the chase. The Usher Foundation knew they lost her completely when she discovered the use of guns. She Hunted criminals and monsters now to help rid the world of evil. Or so she tells herself, even when the story she finds doesn't always paint her victims as monstrous as she wants others to believe.

Then there's Eddie. Eddie Munson grew up knowing people would hurt him for the crime of existing, given half the chance. Poor terrified Eddie, always running, because deep down he knew he was destined for a cruel and painful death. There was no escaping it no matter how fast he ran or how often he hid, the End was waiting for him.

When his time finally came, he was out of his mind with fear because he didn't want to die oh god please not yet, pleaseplease he doesn't want to die. It was such pure delicious Fear that the End made an offer and Eddie grabbed it with both hands in a white-knuckled grip. He's not a murderer; he doesn't have to be because everyone dies regardless, and the End is patient. But he's always there with the End's victims. He's the last thing they see - eyes black as the emptiness of death and a bone white smile - and the last thing they hear is his summation of their pathetic, meaningless lives and the endless emptiness that will follow. Every narration finishes with the gleeful proclamation of "and so Ends the life of..." And it's always gleeful because though Eddie's's destined for the End as much as anyone else, his is not today.

(We could probably include some steddie here; I'm sure some of Steve&Robin's victims were more afraid of the End than the Corruption so Eddie would show up whenever Steve&Robin were on a rampage. Steve likes to listen Eddie narrate the gruesome deaths. He liked it even more when Eddie was done and he would let Steve reel him close.

Eddie, Steve would rasp, ravenous for him, love me. Eddie, love me, lovemeloveme and Eddie would let him press skin to moist hot skin, dry lips chafing against Eddie's cool wet mouth. Eddie would say, yes Steve, always, love you. Steve would press in harder, trying to fuse them into one, more Eddie please please love me more. Eddie would reply with equally hungry fervor every time, yes yes, love you with all of me, i love you just you. God, but Steve reveled in it; it almost filled the starving, bottomless pit of his sickly pounding heart.

Eddie loved it when Steve got clingy. The sheer physicality of his need tethered Eddie against the constant terror the lingered in the edges of his mind where the shadow of the End haunted him. Eddie poured his adoration out through a whispered soliloquy into Steve's ear, detailing how the Corruption was slowly killing him, how he would die from it but that Robin would die with him, they'd leave the world together, and Eddie would be at his side, hands sinking into his spongy, diseased flesh as he held Steve in his final hours. Steve let out the softest, sated sigh every time Eddie did this.

Eddie hopes that when the End finally claims him, it would be through Steve's rotting kiss; a terrible death, he knew, but what bliss it would be to let the affliction of Steve consume him entirely).

Around the same time Eddie reached his awakening, Chrissy Cunningham heard the siren call of the Flesh. It was fascinating, the way she manifested as avatar. She hated her body, was disgusted by it, and this was reinforced my her mother. No matter how little she ate or how often she purged herself, it was never enough until one day she discovered that her hands burned like stomach acid when she touched her body. And like acid, she could suddenly melt and pull her skin like taffy. It hurt, it burned like nothing else she's ever felt but she could finally make her body as skinny and insubstantial as her mother and the rest of the world always wanted it to be.

Her very first victim was her mother. She dug her hands deep into the belly of the woman her birthed her into an imperfect being, and shifted and molded the flesh until she was just as beautiful as she forced Chrissy to be. She threw the extra unnecessary pounds of organs and fat and splintered bone in a heap to the side. She would find use for it later, as more and more victims were drawn to her and her promises to help them find the body they always wanted.

She took joy in the screams of agony she inspired every time she helped someone through a transformation. And once she started pulling someone apart, she never stopped, no matter how much they begged for mercy, until her masterpiece was complete. Because she knows she can make them more gruesomely beautiful and that's worth all the pain they'll feel for the rest of their existence.

In this world, Jonathan never meets Argyle. He was never going to meet Argyle because the fog of the Lonely seeped into his lungs and mind when he was young and never left. His was a curious case, according to the researchers at the Usher Foundation. There was really no reason for the Lonely to have called to him. Yes, he had a verbally abusive father but his mother's love and protective dedication paired with his love for his little brother should've been enough to ward him against it.

Instead, he actively sought solitude from his peers; he would take pictures of them from afar, relishing their distance. The Usher Foundation got some of his photos and noticed that somehow they always depicted the subject slightly blurred and completely alone no matter if they'd been in the middle of a crowd when the picture was taken. He'd send the photos to their subjects sometimes. It had an intriguing effect. The subjects became hyperaware of how Lonely existence truly was. The photos of them became clearer the longer they stared into them; and the sharper their images became, the more the victims faded from existence until finally only a photo of a nameless forgotten person remained.

Jonathan's love for his brother manifested in teaching him how to be Alone, encouraging a pursuit of solitary entertainments like painting. Will's paintings soon became nothing but empty landscapes. Will would wander quiet and unseen to galleries to put them up where people could see them. A specific type of person would be drawn to them. They'd come back to them over and over until they were trapped in those dreary landscapes, doomed to never see another person; to be utterly Forsaken forevermore.

The Usher Foundation is eager to see if the Byers Brothers would become the American equivalent of the Lukas family. Or perhaps the Sinclair siblings would build a family empire to the Web. The younger one, Erica, had a need for control that surpassed anyone her age. She somehow always managed to get her way no matter what situation she found herself in. Meanwhile her brother seemed happy to let others take the lead. He always complied to his sister's commands eventually, though he chafed against her bossy bratty behavior.

He much more happily complied to the demands of one Max Mayfield. They were an odd combination, and were being closely watched by the Usher Foundation to figure out how they worked. Max spent her whole life afraid of the nonsensical violence posed by her stepfather and stepbrother. She was afraid of how they hurt her mother, of how she specifically was targeted by her stepbrother. But then her stepbrother redirected his violence to Lucas Sinclair and Max snapped. Baying for blood, she had taken her skateboard and beat her stepbrother to death.

The Slaughter was not picky when it came to violent murders, so it was confusing that she didn't immediately turn to make Lucas suffer the same fate. Instead she had taken her stepbrother's car and driven back home, where she then took the tire iron and beat both her stepfather and mother until they were nothing but bloody masses of pulp. The Web-touched Sinclairs were able to shift attention and blame so Max got away with it with none the wiser. The Web and Slaughter were nearly opposite sides of the Fear spectrum, and their avatars were never seen together. Yet the Sinclairs and Mayfield were inseparable from that day forward.

Finally there was Dustin Henderson, but the Foundation wasn't worried about him. His thirst for Knowledge has already put many lives at risk on multiple occasions, and not once has he felt any regret afterwards. He always got the Knowledge he wanted, after all. He was of the Eye, through and through. The Usher Foundation already has a scholarship and internship in reserve for him when he graduates high school.

a full fledged fic (well, a WIP technically) is being posted on ao3 here

[toobusybeingdelulu]

the “right in front of my salad??” saga apparently continues

[wildsupernova]

oh, brother.

summary: after a trip to indianapolis, steve starts a long distance relationship with the lead singer of a band performing at a popular grunge bar. little does he know he’s actually dating his best friend’s sister.

word count: 2.4k

warnings: vulgar language, insinuations of sex

authors note

i’m gonna be honest with you guys, this is kind of a shitpost chapter just so i can put something out while i work on more serious stuff lol. i don’t really know how i feel about it but hey, i think it’s pretty funny, so enjoy.

x reader prompts list | full masterlist

Steve had no idea Eddie had a sister until he started dating her.

Looking back on it, it should have been obvious. Despite minute physical differences in appearance, they were practically the same person; same attitude, same likes and dislikes, same sarcastic looks and semi-annoying attitude. Eddie had talked about her once or twice, never really knowing enough about her to share any useful information. All he’d ever said was that his uncle told him he had a sister he’d never met. 

Steve had only met her on a roadtrip to Indianapolis with Robin. It was an impromptu trip to mark Robin’s last summer before college (even though she was only enrolled in community college a half hour away), with Robin claiming she wanted to enjoy her ‘last few days of freedom.’ They’d already spent the first half of the week with the rest of the group, so when Robin suggested she and Steve pack a few things and spend the weekend in Indianapolis, Steve was quick to fill his bags and grab his keys. 

They’d been itching for something to do since driving into town, dropping their bags off in their cheap motel rooms and aimlessly driving around town to find something to do. They’d seen a few small paper signs taped to light posts about a concert going on in the basement of some grunge bar, deciding it was about the only thing they could find that wasn’t closed at 10 pm on a Thursday. After a 15 minute drive through downtown Indianapolis in an effort to find a place, they finally pulled into the dark parking lot behind the building and made their way down the ramp to the basement. 

The basement was probably no wider than the basement of Steve’s house, packed from wall to wall with teens and young adults that were drunk, high, or both. A small stage sat against the wall across from the bar, a few stage lights hanging from the ceiling and a black curtain cutting off the stage from whatever laid behind it. The band’s equipment sat on the stage; a drumset, an electric bass, a guitar. The bright purple guitar sitting next to the microphone stand reminded Steve a lot of Eddie’s, making a mental note to tell Eddie about this place next time he tagged along.

Steve and Robin didn’t know how long they had been standing there before the stage lights kicked on, the second hand high and alcohol all mixing together thanks to a bar that didn’t card and a smoke circle going on in one of the far corners. Anyone else from Hawkins might have had a heart attack seeing it, but Steve was just glad nobody had started popping pills or snorting lines; he’d been to far too many parties with those kinds of people. 

Steve, deciding to spend the night sober considering he was the one that had to drive the two of them back to the motel, was on Robin babysitting duty, despite the fact that he was doing a really shitty job of it; she’d already found her home with one of the other girls in the venue, drink in hand and distant look in her eyes. When he went over to make sure she was alright, the other girl assured him she was sober and Robin was in good hands, so he decided to let her have her fun for the night and mingle amongst the crowd.

As soon as the curtain on the back of the stage opened, the crowd started to go wild, sending out whistles and cheers at the performers that began to fill the stage. He hadn’t seen the name of the band on the sign, nor was it anywhere in the venue, so he didn’t know what to expect. This wasn’t exactly his usual hangout, only coming to places like this whenever Eddie landed a gig or wanted to get loose for the night. He decided to just stand to the back of the crowd and watch as the band set up, eyes never leaving the stage as the last band member came through the curtains. 

You were probably one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen, basked in the red and blue stage lights shimmering a few feet above you. The black leather skirt you wore covered very little, so short it was a wonder it covered anything at all. A white t-shirt covered in colorful paint splatters was tucked into it, covered by a leather jacket littered with patches, doodles, and pins. The fishnet tights that adorned your legs were ripped in various places and disappeared under the tops of thick black combat boots, with a belt loosely hanging around your waist that tied everything together. Your maroon painted lips curled up in a confident smile, and you winked at Steve as the two of you locked eyes. 

He was hardly able to focus on anything except you, taking note of the way your eyes closed when you got particularly into your performance, or the way your black painted nails shimmered in the light as your delicate hands wrapped around the neck of the guitar. He drowned in your cover of Pat Benatar’s Heartbreaker, and let every note flow through him and cover him like the smoke floating around his head. 45 minutes later and the set was over, much to his dismay, and he sighed as he watched you walk back through the black curtains behind you.

Fully prepared to leave and never see you again, he went on his search to find Robin, finding her engaged in a heated game of drunk Rock-Paper-Scissors with the group of girls she’d found a home with at the beginning of the night. Steve, deciding to let her be, decided to take a seat at the bar, nursing a Coke to pass the time.

“Quite the show out there tonight. The usual?” The bartender, a thin blonde woman wearing the most extravagant goth makeup Steve had ever seen, spoke to someone behind Steve’s back as she dried out one of the glasses. The woman she was speaking to sat down in the barstool next to Steve’s, leaning her top half on the bartop.

“You know me better than anyone.” The bartender nodded and smiled in response, setting off on getting you your drink. Steve glanced at you out of the corner of his eyes but didn’t say anything, much to your disappointment. “I’ve been waiting for you to say something to me all night. Figured you’d at least come a little closer to the stage.”

“Didn’t want to bother you.” He saw you swivel the barstool towards him, legs crossed and leaning one arm against the bar. 

“Pretty face like yours could never be a bother.” Steve felt the redness rush to his cheeks. “First time here?”

“Is it that obvious?” You laughed.

“Let's just say you don’t exactly look like one of the regulars here.” You thanked the bartender as she put your drink down in front of you, a red concoction of alcohol he didn’t know. You took a sip, barely flinching at what had to be heavy liquor based on the vodka bottle he’d seen the bartender pick up earlier. “Where are you from?”

“Hawkins. A couple hours away from here.”

“I’ve got family there, an uncle and a brother. Never been to a place like that, not really my thing. What brings you to Indianapolis?”  

You and Steve shared small talk for what had to have been an hour, based on how far the hands of Steve’s watch had moved, but neither of you were in a rush for the conversation to end. The conversation had quickly become flirty, a tone initiated by you, and the next thing Steve knew he was driving you back to his motel room. 

He spent the rest of the weekend traveling around Indianapolis with you, spending time at parks, restaurants, practically anywhere that provided any sort of entertainment. When he left to drive back from Hawkins, you exchanged numbers and vowed to stay in touch, and before either you knew it, you were embroiled in a 3 month long long-distance relationship. Robin often made fun of Steve for driving to Indianapolis a few times a month just to see you, but he simply ignored it and kept his usual routine. 

He was ecstatic when you called him and said you were coming down to Hawkins for a few weeks to see family, planning out everywhere he could take you in town (which really limited his options, but he was being optimistic). He really should have connected the dots when Eddie had mentioned his sister from Indianapolis was coming down to Hawkins to meet him and his uncle, but he was too clouded by hormones and his own stupidity to see the signs. 

Now here he was, sitting on top of one of the picnic tables in Eddie’s trailer park, patiently waiting for Eddie’s sister to show up. Eddie had been begging Steve and the rest of the group to meet her ever since he heard she was coming down, barely giving them a choice. Steve had been engaged in a conversation with Robin when the car pulled up, Eddie rushing forward to greet the driver. Steve froze when the door opened and she stepped out. 

“So, naturally, I said- hey, dingus, you still with me?” Robin slapped his arm to try and get his attention, and when she followed his line of sight, she practically cackled like an evil witch. 

Because you were standing there a few feet away, hugging the long lost brother you had met only a few days ago. Your brother. One of Steve’s best friends. Steve was dating his best friend’s sister. 

Oh god. 

He slapped Robin upside the head to get her to shut up, shooting down the barrage of questions now being fired at him from Nancy and Jonathan. He tried to stay casual when the two of you walked over, but the moment the two of you locked eyes, both of you went red as a tomato. 

“Steve?”

“Hey, Y/n.” Eddie’s head ping ponged back and forth between the two of you, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Robin got up from her seat and hid the ear to ear grin on her face, tossing her empty beer can in the trash.

“I am going to go get another beer before this shit storm hits. Good luck, you two.” She held up a salute as she walked back towards the trailer. You cleared your throat, putting on the most innocent smile you could muster.

“You know that guy I was telling you about over the phone? The one I met at the bar?” Eddie still didn’t connect the dots, only looking at you with a confused expression. “Eddie, that guy was, no is, Steve.”

The words hung in the air for a second, the silence far more deafening than anything Eddie was going to say. Nancy covered her mouth in an effort to hide the laugh threatening to slip from between her lips. Jonathan’s lips were pursed to stop from smiling, and Steve could see Robin peering out from around the corner of the trailer to watch from a safe distance. When Eddie finally registered it, he clenched his fists and took a breath. 

“WHAT?” The next five minutes were a shit show. Nancy finally let out the laugh she’d been holding in, Jonathan let himself snicker and smile. Steve only sat there and flushed red as Eddie threw a variety of particularly vulgar words at him, yourself trying to hold him back and prevent anything from turning into a physical confrontation. Eventually, you dragged him back to the trailer, shutting the door behind you to shut him off from the group and calm him down. Robin came back laughing, fresh beer in hand. 

“Oh god, what are the odds?”

“I cannot believe that she’s the girl you kept talking about! You call her everyday, how did you not know?” Nancy wiped the tears from her eyes, shaking her head.

“He hasn’t just been calling her everyday, he drives there every other weekend to fuck her, too.”

“Robin! Come on, you’re just making it worse.” He held his head in his hands, trying to hide the red flush on his face. “How was I supposed to know? When she talked about her brother that lived in Hawkins I never thought she was talking about Eddie!”

“Yes, because it’s so difficult to figure out when Eddie also kept talking about his sister from Indianapolis.” Robin rolled her eyes. Steve sat there for a second and sighed.

“Wow, I am an idiot.”

“I wasn’t gonna say it.”

A few moments later, he heard the door of Eddie’s trailer open and then slam shut, looking up to see Eddie stalking towards him, red in the face. He braced himself for something along the lines of a punch, but Eddie only pressed a finger to his chest.

“You do anything to her and I swear to god, I’ll kill you.” Steve only offered a nervous nod in response, watching as Eddie sighed and shook his head. You appeared behind him, biting your bottom lip. “God, I need a drink.” 

When Eddie left, you approached Steve, letting out a relieved sigh and a smile.

“Hi.” He smiled at you. 

“Hi.” You shoved your hands in your pants pockets, rocking back and forth nervously. “If I’d known, I would have told you. I told Eddie he couldn’t blame you, since he never even told you my name. And I guess since I never told you his.”

“Well, let’s just hope the awkwardness has faded.” The two of you shared a laugh, and then fell into introductions and re-introductions with the rest of the group sitting at the table. Despite a few sideways glances from Eddie, the rest of the afternoon went smoothly, and by the time the sun dipped below the horizon, you were relishing in the feeling of family.

And hey, at least you wouldn’t have to go through the awkwardness of introducing Steve to your family, considering he already knew them.

[dontcallmeeds]

Me: you should be able to ship whoever in the ST fandom

Stancy and Jancy shippers: what about-

Me:

[madelynraemunson]

GUYS.

It just hit me.

What if it’s called Stranger Things, ST 2 … 3… 4… 5 and the episodes are called CHAPTERS because it’s a never-ending story?

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

packing up to go

pairing: steve harrington x fem byers!reader

summary: the moving boxes are being filled and tears are being shed.

series masterlist

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October 7, 1985

She kept saying, “Fresh starts will be good for everyone” “This is good for us.” Any variation that came to mind, Joyce Byers said it aloud to make everyone feel better. It never worked though, all four of you, plus your friends hated the idea of your family moving to the other side of the country.

California was thousands of miles away from everything you grew up loving and hating. Everyone was now a phone call, letter, or five-hour plane ride away. It sucked. So you sulked and held back tears as you packed the last of your room into cardboard boxes.

“I’ll miss you, Mr. Teddy. Nice and soft.” Steve’s voice bounced off your bare walls while hugging a stuffed animal from your childhood.

You sighed dramatically, “Guess that means you’ll mourn his loss more than mine. I get it, bears before girls.” Tapping off your box of clothes.

“Well, me and Mr. Teddy have a history. You wouldn’t understand.” Lovingly petting the plushies head.

You scoffed, “What history? You’ve ‘met’ him two years ago. My grandma gave me him for Hanukkah. When I was four.”

You walked over to Steve, who stared into the doll's cold black eyes, and you felt a pang of jealousy towards the doll. You can leave the bear with Steve and he’ll get to hug it to sleep every night, it’s cotton-filled ears won’t short-circuit whenever Steve says I love you. A stuffed bear will be able to stay with Steve when you can’t and it makes you sad.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Steve set Mr. Teddy atop your box so his hands could reach out to cup your cheeks. You didn’t realize you had tears falling until Steve was getting blurry and he was knuckling away the waterdrops.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to be separated from you.” A blubbering mess as you wrapped your arms tight around Steve's middle, trying to burrow into his yellow sweater.

“It's gonna be okay, baby. We’ll still talk on the phone and I’ll start sending letters and pictures so you aren’t missing out. And I’m gonna save money so I can visit you during the holidays.” 

You sniffled your tears as Steve pressed a deep lingering kiss to your hairline. “I love you too much to lose you. 

So you're stuck with me one way or another.” And he squeezed you tighter.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

-

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[hyperfixationgoddess]

Welp, here I am again, rambling on Tumblr cause I can't ramble about it irl. Hope this makes somebody smile!

So, here's my thing. We all know that if the og party, none of them were "mr. popularity." We also know that they were bullied by what's-his-name- troy, right? And when Max joined the friend group, she might have been picked on for associating with the nerds. After the events of season 2, or even before everything goes down, I imagine that the party, now including Max, is getting chased around by troy, and they somehow end up near the high school gym.

As they're trying to figure out where to hide, Dustin has a thought: wouldn't Steve Harrington be in basketball practice right about now?

Meanwhile, Steve is just trying his best against the absolute beast of an athlete that is billy hargrove. He's already having a hard time focusing, but then he hears the door opening.

"Steve!"

He pauses, and turns his back on hargrove to see Will, and all the kids who were involved in last year's shitshow, plus a red-headed girl he hadn't seen before. With the exception of lil' Byers, everyone is talking over each other.

"whoa, whoa, whoa," he says. "Slow down, guys. One at a time. What's going on?"

Henderson takes a deep breath and speaks calmly, but Steve can hear his voice trembling.

"troy is giving us shit again. Can we hide out here for a little bit? We're nerds, so he'd never thin to look for us in the high school gym."

Steve starts to nod, but pauses. Something Nancy had told him comes floating to the front of his mind.

"Isn't troy the kid who threatened to cut your teeth out if Wheeler didn't jump off the cliff at the quarry?"

Henderson and Wheeler both go a little pale, so Steve knows he's remembered correctly. He takes a deep breath to reign in his anger. Even if the kid deserved it, no eighth grader, not even this "troy" bastard, deserved to get beat up by a high school senior. Besides, the kiddos don't need his anger right now.

Okay, sorry, that became much more like an actual story than I meant it to, and I don't know how to continue it that way, but I'm not finished rambling, so. I'll continue, I guess.

Anyway, Steve gets all protective of all of them, naturally, and gets Hargrove to chase troy away, because Billy is freaking scary. He doesn't realize that Billy agrees because this punk was chasing Max, too.

Anyway, at the end of it all, the kids are kind of shaky, and Steve remembers that they all play d&d, and he also remembers that there is a particular student who dms the school d&d club. So what does he do?

He gets cleaned up, and picks up all 4 of the lads-don't ask me how, he strong jock boy, ok?-and carries them off to Hellfire. Max follows on foot, because Steve asks her if she'd rather do that, or be carried with the boys. Max prefers to walk.

Anyway, that is how Steve introduced the lads to Eddie Munson, and how both the bad boy athlete and the metal head nerd both fall for Steve, because I just can't help myself.

[writerdream22]

requested by: @multifandomwriter56 , I sincerely hope you like this ✨🌻💛

pairing: Steve Harrington x sister!reader

warnings: none

feedbacks are always appreciated!

You and your brother were standing in the living room of the Byers' house, along with the kids that you were tasked to supervise until Joyce, Jonathan and the others were done taking care of what was going on with Will.

You were talking about what you all would have done if the situation were to escalate, and knowing how you'd kept the Demogorgon away the year prior, you gave your own suggestion.

“Guys, I have a solution” you announced, holding your hand up as to draw attention to yourself. Steve sighed in relief, and said “Thank goodness. What is it?”

“It involves fire” you explained “But—it's not as bad as it sounds”.

Your brother stared at you for a few seconds, speechless and astounded by what you'd just said. “Absolutely not!” he finally exclaimed, and you groaned in frustration.

“It would be completely safe, I swear. Like last year!” you insisted, to which the older boy responded “Last year was an exception !”

“But—” “No buts!”

[copernicuss]

stancys listen okay:

when jonathan comes back in the end of vol 2 she’s excited they haven’t seen each other all year but their meeting falls short during their conversations and their only scene is packed with foreshadowing.

they both express through stuttering that they’re glad the other was not there, nancy covering it up by saying shes glad he was with mike and will. then jonathan makes a small dig at steve “otherwise who wouldve be in charge, steve?” which prompts her to defend him “he’s actually grown up quite a bit, y’know?”. you can tell the comment bothered her and even made her feel a tad bit guilty for what she said back to him but from what she’s seen all season, he has. from their time together you can tell a shift in the perception she had of him— his maturity his compssion, his HONESTY, protectiveness, loyalty and especially his steadfast presence in the hawkins group (her relief when she sees him&the group while they interrogate her about fred, “be careful!” scene, diving head first into watergate, catching her during the earthquake and after vecna releases her, etc.) all of which are traits she’s described to fred on why she loved jonathan was but instead better fits steve this seasonc also contrasting jonathan’s absence; which she’s hinted if not outrightly said she doesnt understand why he’s not there in hawkins or ever visited her. steve has said she’s always been there in the dream he’s envisioned, while it’s shown he’s been there for her throughout the whole season. jonathan and nancy’s scene continues awkwardly as he chooses to keep her in the dark about the letter and her unsure answer if theyre okay.

the unaddressed problems for jancy suggests a swap of what happened with jancy and stancy in s1-s2: the issues jancy faces this season closely resembles her relationship with steve at the end of s1/start of s2 where she had growing feelings for jonathan, but now she has unresolved/reignited feelings for steve but is staying with jonathan for the sake of relationship.

and as the duffer brothers have said, not only will we see character arcs come full circle for will or the younger kids, stating “but also with steve and nancy, and her relationship with jonathan, where things are not fully resolved”. steve and nancy have grown as characters separately and in season 4, together they continue to attract each other. her revived feelings that she’s kept down did not come out of nowhere because first love is first love and hers will always be steve. we will see them come full circle in season 5 back to season 1 with their arcs complete.

[throttlegainwell]

You know that thing you see sometimes (often with younger writers) where a character's preferences line up very closely with the author's preferences? I take perverse pleasure in doing the opposite of that and just roasting things I love dearly.

So when I inevitably post the story where Steve listens to Billy Joel and Jonathan's internal narration is brutal about it, just know that it's only because 1) I know Jonathan wouldn't be able to stand it and 2) my feelings for Billy Joel's music run very, very deep. And that cracks me up.