#but like canon steve doesn’t have much going for him lmao

[lincolndjarin]

Not So Secret Santa

javier peña x fem!reader

this is a part of the @pedrostories gift exchange!!

summary : you get the only person you didn't want for your offices secret santa.

warnings/tags : 18+ mdni, enemies/friends to lovers, canon divergence, steve is your boss/close friend, reader and javier have a complicated relationship, reader is insecure, brief mentions of alcohol, porn with plot, smut, light angst, javier and reader fight physically but it's very light with no actual injury, masturbation, semi-public sex, p in v, idk how to properly tag this but javi likes boobs in this so he touches boobs, unprotected sex (don't do this, wrap it this holiday season), use of a makeshift gag, rough yet very loving sex because it's christmas and christmas magic means i can write what i want.

tldr : you and javi have sex in his office and you put his tie in his mouth to shut him up.

word count : 4.4k

✦ : merry christmas @taro-666 !!! i'm your secret santa !!! i hope you're well this holiday season and i hope you enjoy this fic !! i haven't written much peña, despite how much i love him so i hope i did him justice and i hope you have a wonderful holiday <3 <3 (also sorry this is a little late (20 minuetes left before midnight so we're good). i was out with family all day and was only just now able to get to my laptop, i promise i didn't forget about you lmao)

no use of y/n, reader has hair and painted nails & javier sort of half picks her up at one point, nothing else is described besides clothing.

lovely dividers by @saradika-graphics

“Please, Steve, I’ll give you a week's pay.” You lean across his desk, genuine desperation in your voice after an hour of begging. 

“Not gonna happen.” He doesn’t even bother looking up from his computer.

“A month.” Your voice is starting to pitch up, something similar to anguish in your tone. Your offer finally gets a reaction out of him as his eyes widen, head tilting up.  

“Jesus, you can’t be serious.” He’s examining your expression, trying to determine the sincerity of your claim. 

“My entire Christmas bonus.” 

“Okay, stop.” He sighs, giving you a sympathetic look. “We’re not allowed to switch.”

“When did you become such a stickler for the rules?” You cross your arms in front of your chest. 

“It’s just a secret Santa. He’s our friend, whether you like it or not, you two are close and this shouldn’t be this big of a deal, now go, please, I need to finish up here so I can leave at a reasonable hour.” He loosens his tie as you sigh. 

“It’s not just a secret Santa, Steve. It’s an opportunity for him to tell me that I once again didn’t do something right. No matter what I get him, it isn’t going to be good enough.” Even as you’re saying it you can see that he isn’t going to change his mind about this. 

“He’s a dick to everybody. That’s inevitable, it just means he’s comfortable with you.” He’s already turning back to his work. 

“Please, Steve.” 

“No.”

You glare down at him, giving him your angriest look as his gaze tilts back up to meet yours. 

When it’s clear that he isn’t going to switch you turn and leave, slamming his office door in the process. 

“Don’t forget, I need you here early to help set up for the party!” His muffled voice seeps out into the hall as you walk away. 

Once you’re out in your car and far away from prying eyes you unfold the damned slip of paper you’d drawn earlier today. 

Javier P. 

Of course, you got stuck with fucking Peña, a nickname you’d given him a few months ago. He absolutely hates it but the entire time you’ve worked for the DEA he’s gone out of his way to bother you. Sure, he’s your “friend”, in a strange, complicated way. But he still drives you up the wall with his constant need to one up you and the way he’s constantly making passes at women around the office. 

And it’s not like you have any problems with him sleeping around, lord knows you’ve had a fair amount of one night stands, but he just has to hit on every woman you work with. 

Every single woman, except you. 

You’d never admit it of course but a part of you will always be self conscious about that fact. It doesn’t help that Javier absolutely adores bothering you at every possible moment. He loves nothing more than to pester, annoy, and mock you, spending nearly half his day leaning over your desk despite the million complaints you’ve sent Steve about his persistent partner. 

He’ll sit on your desk, doing an endless amount of things to cause you distress. Like crowding you with his cigarette smell and vanilla cologne as he tells you you’re filling papers wrong, or telling you what colors to paint your nails, or solving your cases before you can even get to them, or teasing you about your shitty car. Today he wouldn’t stop bothering you about your weekend plans like he doesn’t already know exactly where you’ll be. 

“Are you doing anything this weekend?” He’d asked with that devastating smirk and eyebrow raise combo. 

“I have to go buy my secret Santa gift, just like everyone else.” You’d turned away, avoiding eye contact as he scoffed. 

“What about Saturday?” He continued to pry, you wanted nothing more than to shove his perfect ass off your desk. 

“The Christmas party, Javi. Just like everyone else.” You had sighed, squeezing the bridge of your nose as Emilia had walked past your desk. Javier immediately forgot your entire conversation as he turned to her. 

“I love your nails.” He’d pushed his hair out of his face, holding his hand out to take hers, getting a closer look at the well manicured designs. 

You had tuned out after that. Not wanting to be involved in the exchange as you went back to typing. Acutely aware of your own nails. 

Red chipped paint. 

You couldn’t help but wonder what it must be like to be the object of his affection.

It wouldn’t matter if he did hit on you, you would probably reject him anyway. 

Probably. 

It doesn’t matter, it’s never gonna happen so why let it bother you? 

With a sigh you toss the paper into your cup holder, reaching to turn on the radio, maybe some Christmas music will make you feel better. Of course nothing happens as you turn up the volume knob but it makes you want to scream regardless. 

Stupid fucking Peña. 

Stupid broken radio, stupid shitty car. 

“Fuck.” You mumble under your breath as you shift into drive.

Before you know it you’re back in your car in the DEA office parking lot, this time a few things are different though. 

You’re dressed nicer, trading your slacks in for a skirt and your dress shirt for a sweater. And of course you now have a small wrapped box in your lap. 

Since you had yesterday off for the holiday you spent your Friday at the mall, searching for a gift for Javier. Eventually you had settled on three little things; Nicotine gum, mostly because you’ll get more work done if he isn’t constantly dragging you outside for his smoke breaks. He complains too much about going alone and it’s always been easier not to argue, now he can stay at your desk with his gum. Beard oil, the fancy stuff he always insists on using in his mustache. You’d bought him the wrong kind last year for his birthday and you still haven’t heard the end of it. And a lighter, you had to beg the shop owner to make an exception and do a same day engraving of his birthday. 

Jesus. 

You know way too much about him. 

You arrived two hours early as requested by Steve to help him set up. With the wrapped box tucked under your arm you anxiously tap the patterned wrapping paper with your freshly manicured nails. 

“You should paint your nails green, I love green.” He had said through a drag of his cigarette. 

Why did you let that idiot's opinions influence this decision? You feel foolish. The green chrome polish shimmering in the street lights in the parking lot as you step into the building. You had extra time while you were waiting for the engraving and you just couldn’t help yourself when the salon was just a few stores away. The image of Javier holding your hand and examining your painted nails while telling you how nice they looked was just too tempting. Maybe he’d even ask if you did it just for him, and you could drag him into a closet at the party, the exact situation you watched unfold last year. Except in that scenario you weren’t the lucky lady he’d run off with that night. 

There’s no time to be thinking like that.

You shake off whatever filth you were imagining as you look around the hectic mess of garland and glitter.

Steve is already stressing, setting up tables as you set your gift under the tree before getting to work. The office is already mostly decorated but with his new position as supervisor Steve is insistent that everything be perfect his first Christmas in charge. So you plate food, and you mix drinks exactly as he wants them, and you hold the ladder steady when he insists on putting more lights up. When you’ve got about a half an hour before guests start arriving you’re finishing up and last minute touches, the two of you crowded around a drink tower. 

The tension from your conversation yesterday seems to have fizzled out as you become engrossed in your work, when you’ve both finished he gives you an appreciative look.

“Thank you, seriously, it means a lot.” You help him adjust his tie as he straightens out his shirt. 

“Anytime, although I’m surprised you didn’t just ask Javier.” You pat his shoulder as you finish, brushing a stray blonde hair out of his eyes. 

He laughs, a nervous chuckle that makes you raise an eyebrow but when you open your mouth to comment on it he lets out a relieved sigh as the first of your coworkers arrive.

More people show up than you could have expected. 

You stay near Steve for most of the beginning until he gets dragged away by one of the higher ups who had made an appearance, leaving you alone to sip your drink against the back wall. You hum along to a Christmas song that plays loud enough to drown out any conversation you might eavesdrop on to entertain yourself in his absence, your eyes scan the crowds as you try to match up the people you work with with their spouses. 

You’re getting ready to find another group to talk to when you catch a glimpse of him standing against the opposite wall, talking to Bonnie, the woman who works in the cubicle next to yours. 

Fucking Peña. Dressed in a stupidly tight green dress shirt. 

You should leave them alone, especially if he’s trying to make a move on her. But you can’t help it as you make your way around the room towards them, a vague sense of jealousy settling in your stomach. 

String lights twinkle across the ceiling of the office, creating a warm ambience throughout the space, just as you’re about to tap him on the shoulder you overhear their conversation. 

“I had to beg Steve to switch with me, took an hour of convincing and a week's paycheck but it’ll be worth it to see the look on her face.” His back is to you as he leans in closer to Bonnie. 

He’s probably talking about one of the other women from the office. Steve probably had someone Javier was trying to impress and that’s why Steve didn’t want to trade with you, he had already promised his pick to Javier. 

Whatever, you can’t be too bothered about that. It does make you want to return to your spot on the other side of the room but you don’t get the chance to as the music is turned down rather suddenly.

One of the secretaries, Benjamin, stands on a chair, making an announcement that it’s time to do the secret Santa. You manage to twist through the crowds so Javier never sees you, finding his gift and bringing it to where he now stands, simultaneously keeping an eye out for your own gift.  

You hand him the box, watching the way his face lights up. 

“You picked me?” He grins as you nod, carefully peeling back the wrapping paper as you feel a tap on your shoulder. Benjamin waits behind you, leaning in to whisper while you watch Javier open his gift. 

“It was short notice so we didn’t have time to get you a back up gift but your secret Santa told us at the last minute that he forgot to get you something, he promised to bring in something after New Years, I’m so sorry.” You feel a little disappointed as he murmurs but it isn’t that big of a deal, it’s a busy time of year and people can forget things. 

“No worries, do you know who it was? I’d like to at least tell them it’s fine.” You turn away from Javier as he smiles at the nicotine gum, Benjamin's eyes flicker from your face to Javier’s before he gives you a sympathetic look, walking away. 

Javier traded for your name? 

As your head tilts to look at him now you can see the smirk he’s now sporting. 

“ …but it’ll be worth it to see the look on her face.”

Javier had made a conscious effort to get your name just so he could not get you something.

Huh.

That doesn’t feel great. The look he gets to see on your face is betrayal and then just sadness. You don’t really care what the reason for his decision is, you turn and walk away from him regardless. If he tries to say something to you it’s drowned out by the music that starts once again. 

Why are you so upset over some stupid joke? If it had been anyone else you wouldn’t have cared, you’d have brushed it off as a harmless accident but this wasn’t an accident. 

Maybe he didn’t really think of you as a friend. 

Maybe all of the teasing and one-upmanship really was from a place of animosity and you were just too blind and too infatuated to see it. You want to cry but you don’t want to give him the satisfaction so you sift through the bowl of keys, searching for the Star Wars keychain attached to your lanyard but you can’t find it. The combination of the blaring Christmas songs with the frustration you’re currently feeling only makes you more emotional.  

You don’t want to go to the bathrooms where you might run into someone and you can’t go to Steve’s office because he might be talking to his supervisor, so you go to the only place you know there won’t be people. 

Javier’s office. 

You walk as quickly as you can, slipping inside as you slam the door shut behind you, clicking the lock in place before turning around, resting against the door as you feel tears spilling from your eyes. It isn’t until he clears his throat that your head snaps up.

Today is just not your day.

Did he know you’d come here? How the hell did he beat you here? He’s fidgeting with the lighter you bought him, watching it light and go out as he sits with your keys in his other hand. 

Your face feels hot as you take in the sight of him. 

“Give me my keys.” You hold your hand out, wiping your eyes with the other as you wait. Of course he doesn’t hand them over, that would be too easy and today is insisting on being difficult. 

“I really liked your gift. Seriously, this is… outrageously thoughtful.” He murmurs, seemingly unaware of your mood until he takes a closer look at you, his expression shifting as he realizes your eyes are rimmed with red. “Why are you so upset? What happened?” He slides open a drawer, tossing your keys into his desk while you consider calling a cab. 

What a foolish question. 

How could he possibly not know?

“I want to leave, I’m sick of this party.” You turn to leave, maybe Steve can drive you home. 

“Come on, the parties barely started.” He’s on his feet, he doesn’t try to corner you, if anything he sets himself against the wall. 

“And I want to leave.” When you reach for the doorknob he grabs your wrist, holding it as he stares at you, a look of impatience crosses his face. 

“Don’t tell me you’re mad about the secret Santa.” His brows furrow. 

“This isn’t about a stupid secret Santa.”

“It sure seems like it is.” He’s still holding your wrist, why is he still holding your wrist?  

This isn’t about the secret Santa. It’s a lot more than that, and after ages of keeping your thoughts to yourself in front of him you just let it out. 

“This is about the fact that you don’t even care about me enough to make any sort of effort. I know you deliberately chose me, you specifically chose to do this to me and I don’t care that it’s just a stupid prank. It still- It’s still a shitty thing to do.” Your voice starts cracking half way through and you can feel your eyes welling up again but it doesn’t matter anymore, you were wrong, the two of you aren’t friends. 

“So this is about the secret Santa.” 

Of course he wouldn’t get it. 

“You’re an idiot.” You finally pull your wrist from him. 

You aren’t sure what else to do so you shove him, his back hitting the wall with a soft thud as you push past him to get to his desk, hoping to grab your keys but he catches your waist first. 

“Can you stop being so stubborn for five seconds and just let me explain myself?” You can tell his patience is wearing thin, his voice is strained as he pulls you back against him, caging you against his chest with his arms. 

“Fuck Javi- let me go-” You try to kick his knees but he anticipates it, shifting his legs to avoid you.

“Just wait- listen to me.” He swings you around a bit as he tries to still you, you can feel his breath hitching, the buttons of his shirt digging into your back. The two of you thrash around for another moment until you freeze, feeling something poking your hip. When he realizes why you stopped putting up a fight he lets you go in an instant. “Shit- I-I’m sorry.” He stammers as you turn around towards him, eyes wide. 

You never thought you’d see Javier Peña flustered yet here he is. When you take a step back his cheeks are burning red, his fingers twitch nervously at his side, and as much as you try to ignore it, his pants are tighter than usual. (And considering how tight they usually are this is quite a feat.) He won’t look you in the eye. 

“It- It’s fine, Javi.” You adjust the hem of your skirt, trying to fix your hair. You just can’t catch a break today. “It was an accident, there was a lot of- of friction and it happens. I think I should just go.” You stutter a bit trying to find the right words. This entire evening has been catastrophic, and you’re more than ready to call it a night. 

“It’s not an accident.” He mumbles, finally looking at you, not bothering with subtlety as he adjusts himself. “You should probably go.” 

If it’s not an accident you don’t want to go. 

You want to stay and keep making accidents, starting with rushing forward into him, taking his face in your hands and kissing him. Which is exactly what you do. At first he doesn’t react and you worry you read the situation wrong but when you pull away, just an inch, his hands envelop you. 

Hips, waist, back, shoulders, hair. He’s everywhere, all consuming as his teeth graze your lips, in an instant your backside hits his desk.

When he finally does remove his lips from yours his are slick and a tiny bit swollen, his pupils swallow his irises whole. 

“I loved your gift, I wasn’t joking, it’s perfect and the last thing I want is for you to think that I don’t care about you. Of course we’re friends, you-” As he rambles on you ball up the end of his tie, unceremoniously shoving it between his teeth. 

“Talk later, this now.” You grab the bottom of your sweater, pulling it up over your head, watching his jaw tense at the sight of your chest, his hands playing with the strap of your bra as you hop up onto his desk. Hiking your skirt up, he slots himself between your legs, your own fingers push your panties to the side as he reaches behind you, easily twisting the clasp of your bra to release it, tossing it to the side as his enormous palms engulf your breasts. 

You dip your fingers into the wetness between your legs, briefly taking a moment to wonder how you found yourself here. Just moments ago you were ready to leave and consider your friendship with Javier over, yet now you’re spread out on his desk, on display for him as you sink your fingers into your eager cunt. 

You don’t get to linger on the thought for long because he groans into the fabric of his tie and you’re pulled back into the moment. 

Jesus you’re soaked. 

You have no trouble pushing two slick digits into yourself. You can feel the outline of him against your thigh and you know that you need to warm yourself up to take him. He’s too engrossed in your tits to do it right now and you’ve waited too long for this, you don’t want to wait, you just want to have him. 

He’s tender at first, squeezing and softly tracing the outline of your areola until he seemingly can’t control himself any longer and he pinches, rolling your nipples between his thumb and pointer finger as your whine. Back arching of the oak of his desk as you curl your own fingers. Even through the tie his moans are still somehow louder than yours, you’re briefly worried about someone hearing as you let out a whimper while he tweaks your nipple but the music’s so loud at the party you can hear Mariah Carey from here. 

You don’t stop for a second, putting your focus on reaching the peak that you find yourself already getting startlingly close to. You can feel yourself pulsing as you pick up the pace, reveling in the way his eyes devour the very sight of you. You’re agonizingly close when he grabs your wrist, removing your fingers carefully as you try and resist, wanting to finish what you started, you’re about to whine when he begins unzipping his pants. You can feel your pussy clenching at the very sight of him, of course he isn’t wearing any underwear under his dress pants so the second his zipper is fully down his cock springs free.

Javier fucking Peña has a gorgeous cock. 

Standing stiff and proud without either one of you even having to touch it. Pretty and pink on the tip, already leaking down the shaft. And heavy, as he takes it in his hand, his other hand gripping your waist as lines himself at your entrance. He takes a moment, eyes scanning your face, silently asking for permission. 

You can’t nod fast enough but the second that you do he slides into you. 

You could never conjure up something this good in your fantasies. The way he fills you, stretching you open as he whimpers into the fabric of his tie, you like that he listened, that he kept it in his mouth this long. His strokes are needy and fast, like he’s been waiting for this for so long and now he can’t help but be ravenous. You were already painfully close before he filled you with his perfect cock, it takes only a few minutes for you to be right back there. His fingers dig into your waist so hard that you’re certain he’ll leave marks as he slams in and out of you, pulling out almost entirely with every thrust. 

You’re vaguely aware of the sound of his trinkets rolling off his desk and onto the floor. 

“Javi, Javi, Javi.” Between gasps you chant his name, the sound encouraging him as he pushes in deep, his pelvis grinding against your clit until you see stars. Your cunt clenching around him as your orgasm is ripped out of you. Messy and loud and blurry, he fucks you through it. You’re so blissed out you can barely focus on the persistent pounding into you until you manage to come back to your senses and his hands leave your waist, instead intertwining with your fingers as his hips twitch forward and you feel him hastily pull out of you.

He spits his tie out, opting to instead bite your shoulder as he comes, the groan that leaves his throat is obscene. Raspy and filthy as he collapses down on top of you, the two of you sweating and gasping amongst the paperwork and pens now scattered across his desk. 

Did that really just happen?

He manages to collect himself first, leaning back and tucking himself into his pants before quickly tending to you. He grabs a few tissues, wiping your stomach where the product of your activities lay, before redressing you, slipping the flats that had slipped off, back onto your feet, pulling your skirt back down to cover you as he slides your panties back into place, and retrieving your bra and sweater, lifting you into a sitting position as he redresses you, kissing your cheeks, nose, and forehead the entire time. 

“All good?” He whispers, gentler than you’ve ever heard him as you nod, grinning. 

“Good enough to make me forgive you for not getting me a present.” You reach into his drawer, grabbing your keys before sliding off of his desk. 

“Maybe this was your present.” He tilts his head, kissing you again, smiling all the while. 

“That was the perfect gift then.” Probably the best you’ve ever gotten.

“Are you gonna stay for the rest of the party?” He takes your hands in his, his thumbs absentmindedly rubbing circles into your skin. 

“I think I need to go to bed after that.” You laugh as you jingle your keys, turning towards the door as he catches your lips in another kiss. 

It makes your heart flutter. The continued affection makes you think this isn’t a one time thing. You want more. You want conversations about feelings, and to talk about what just happened, you want to feel him inside you again, and the look in his eyes tells you that you’re going to get all of that. But right now you’re tired, so the rest can wait. 

“Can I walk you to your car?” You nod as he murmurs.

He doesn’t let go of your hand, walking you out of the building towards your car, opening the door for you and giving you one last kiss with a promise that he’d call you tomorrow, before you watched him walk back into the building.

Your phone buzzes as you turn your key in the ignition, the sound of Wham! fills the car, Last Christmas playing softly. You take your phone out of your pocket, checking the text notification from Javier. 

[ i forgot to tell you how pretty your nails are. merry christmas hermosa ]

Your head turns up in surprise as you realize your radio is working. A new radio system is installed in the center of your dashboard, with a little green bow taped to the top, and a paper tag with Javi’s familiar messy handwriting. 

from : your secret fucking santa

a/n : happy holidays everyone!!

[urlocalnonbinarybastardwrites]

Headcanons for the greasers x s/o who flinches when they raise their hand in a fight

Tw: Angsty ig, light potential violence, slight abusive

Ponyboy Curtis

-you two were arguing about his smoking again

-you really hates when he does it, and he does it too much

-so you express that one night when it’s just you two having dinner at the Curtis house, Darrys still working, and Soda is out with Steve

-“You need to quit smokin so much Ponyboy! It’ll kill you!”

“I can’t quit y/n, yk how I get without my cancer sticks, y/n, just lemme have one more!”

-soon it turns into a bigger arguement, and you both get into each others faces, yelling

-he raises his fist, not thinking, and pauses when he sees the fear in your eyes

-he feels immediately sick to his stomach, at the thought of scaring someone he loved so dearly

-as you run out of the house he yells “W-wait! Y/n! Y/n! I-i ain’t mean to I swear!”

-he feels horrible and definitely breaks down on his steps crying a bit and soda and carry find him there ask him what happened

-he explains and they exchange looks, and they make him go apologize

-he comes to your house with flowers and a handwritten apology, getting ready to leave them at your door when you open it

-before you can get a word in he’s already rambling “Y/n I-I am so sorry I would’ve never actually hit you, I hope you know that I’m so so sorry please don’t break up with me but I understand if you w-“

-you hug him

-“Ponyboy Micheal Curtis if you ever raise that fist again-“

-he never does

Johnny Cade

-it’s so hard to imagine him actually doing this

-I feel like the only way you’d get that kind of reaction out of him realistically is hurting his friends

-but for the sake of the hcs let’s say you both get into a fight and you try getting in his face or sum and he pushes you back, a lot harder then he meant

-you slam into the wall

-with tears down your cheeks, you always thought Johnny was your safe person, the last person on earth who would hurt you

-it wasn’t really about the pain, it didn’t hurt that much. But the fact he did it

-for Johnny, his world just shatters…. He just did what he swore he’d never do… lay hands on you

-he drops to his knees in shock at himself, feeling the worst pain imaginable looking at your wet eyes, your… scared eyes

-he knows that look so well, the one he’s had so many times himself and he feels his heart rip out when you run away from the lot

-in canon it takes a LOT to make him cry and this does it

-he cries in his hands, he can’t believe what he just did

-feels the worst out of all the greasers ☹️

-he lets you come to him, he doesn’t go to you, he wants to give you enough space from him

-when you come back and meet him at the lot his stomach does a flip

-“Y/n I didn’t mean to push you that hard I swear I wouldn’t ever hurt you I’m so sorry I’m just like my old man and ma…. I don’t ever wanna hurt you I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry….”

-practically drops to his knees before you

-you look at him, sighing, it’s impossible to stay mad at him

-you look him dead in the eyes as he gulps

“Johnny Cade you best never lay a finger on me again in that way y’hear?”

-he never comes close to doing that again, and even months later apologizes

Sodapop Curtis

-him doing this is so ooc like johnny lmao so it’s hard to protest and I think he’d again only ever do this if you attacked pony or sum

-you’re frustrated with him, he’s smart, dammit! Maybe a little slow, but when he gets things he gets them!

-and you really wish he could see that

-you both have enough collective money to push him through college to get a better job than a gas station

-and even if he is happy, he could be happier

-you both get into another arguement, and he grabs your arm, pulling you closer, and you squeal a little as your arm turns red

-he turns to you and meets your eyes, dropping your arm instantly

-you look at him in bewilderment and… fear as he starts

-“Y/n c’mon now please, wait…”

-but you’re out of that house faster than lightning

-he immediately goes to your house with flowers, and some jewelry that he’s been saving up to buy you

-you open the door “Soda, you can’t win my affection back with a half assed smile and-“

-he cuts you off with a sheepish grin “I- I actually intended to win you over in a different way…. Like an apology. I’m so sorry. I-After Sandy… I just can’t lose you too, to something so stupid. I’ll never do it again.”

-he is a man of his word

Darry Curtis

-one day he comes home, already tired from work and sees you there, crossed arms

-he forgot your anniversary… again

-he tried to apologize and you interrupted, furious

-he shoots back, arguing he can’t remember because he works all the time and actually does something with his life

-you get furious at this remark, and yell up in his face and he shoves you, (pb Curtis style 💀💀😭)

-you sit up, looking at him with tears because hell yes getting abused by Darry’s muscle mass hurts

-you look so scared and when darry meets your eyes his jaw drops, and he tries to apologize but you’ve already ran out of the house

-you head home and he comes to your door the next day, and the next

-your relationship takes the longest to heal

-about a month later you let him in and he’s mostly quiet, he feels horrible

-he lets you tell and scream at him and take out your anger, just so he can at least let you get it all out before he tries to apologize

-“Y/n I-i am really sorry. Sorrier than I ever have been in my entire life. I made one of the biggest mistakes I ever have and I am real sorry.”

-you stand up, and let out a teary sigh “if you ever lay another hand on me again I will leave you faster than you can’t count to three DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

-he nods

-it takes a very long time to repair your relationship, but once you do, he never lays a finger on you like that ever again

Dallas Winston

-one night, he gets a bit drunk and a girl kisses him

-you get mad, and see the whole thing before he pushes her away with disgust

-you think he cheated and yell at him about it when you both get home

-you both get HEATED and get in each others faces, this is definitely the most fast building fight

-he raises his palm up, nearly hitting you but taking a pause when he looks into your alone angry eyes, now with a layer of fear

-for a look the he’s used to getting so much his way, this hits differently

-he drops his hand, and looks down at it then back at you, and immediately tries to apologize

-“C’mon y/n I wasn’t actually gonna hit you you know that stop making such a big deal out of it-“

-you run out and he actually feels badly

-he won’t ever approach you first, he waits for you to come to him

-“Dallas Winston you NEVER do that again. Please.”

-he nods, and even, for the first time, apologizes sincerely

-he doesn’t ever do it again

Two Bit Matthews

-you two were joking around when suddenly he cracked a joke a bit too close to home

-you told him off and annoyed, he argued back

-pretty soon it was a full on fight, and he grabbed your hand and raised the other one

-you looked up at him “Two… were ya gonna hurt me?!”

-he snaps out of it, looking at you and instantly pulling away

-“Y/n, I’m so sorry… I-i don’t know what came over me. You know I couldn’t do that.”

-he looks into your eyes genuinely and you pause

-“Never again?” “Never again, promise.”

Steve Randle

-he left Ponyboy out of another hangout between him you and soda and you were mad, you knew it hurt Ponyboy

-you bring it up to him and he immediately deflects and rolls his eyes

-after a while things get pretty heated and he snaps, and grabs the collar of your shirt

-you gasp, and look down then up at him, and he looks at you, confused then guilty

-he looks at you as you back away “Y/n…… don’t be like that… I wouldn’t- I couldn’t-“

-you run out of the gas station and sit under a nearby tree, your head in your knees

-he runs after you, and squats down next to you, looking you in the eyes

-“Y/n, I’m so sorry. I know never do that to you. I’ll never do it again.”

[sadie-bug345]

Ok so can I maybe get greasers headcanons with an absolute academic weapon s/o (think Rory Gilmore/annabeth chase/Devi Vishwakumar) who’s parents like make them get all A’s and they are very Ivy League bound, always dressing in blazers/looking very sharp and corporate and super ambitious? (Probs academic rivals with pony lowkey 💀) Thanks so much lmao I think Dallys is going to be 🔥🔥

YESSS 🫶🫶 i myself am an academic weapon🧐(JK LMAO ap physics has made me lose my will to live) ANYWAYS

ponyboy:

yall are actually so cute together ngl

like you guys study for tests together and do hw together

cause you guys are in the same honors classes and stuff

some days pony will get cocky and be like “i’m so much better than you at bio” or smth like that (🙄)

and then you guys get into competitions to see how many times you can get correct answers in class it’s actually crazy

everyone else in class is like 😟 LMAOO

sodapop:

soda is a little on the dumber side😭

im sorry i feel like its canon that he’s a lil slower

WHICH IS OK

but he’ll try and watch you do hw and then get bored like instantly

that or confused

he always says “i was good at math til they added letters🤓☝️”

and you’re just like🥱

LMAO you guys are good for each other tho

cause you convince him to prioritize some form of learning

and he helps you let loose

johnny:

he is honestly really sweet🫶

like understanding when you turn down hangouts cause you got final exams and you cram like crazy

but he also loooves just chilling in your room while you do homework

his catchphrase is “just ask the teacher tomorrow, man”

and you’re just like “🧍‍♀️ it’s a friday night”

anyways he’s just really supportive and proud when you come back with all As on your report card🙏😜🤩

darry:

HE GETS IT

he is real supportive

hes all abt that grind as we know PLUS he canonically gets on pony for his grades

so he’s glad that he don’t gotta worry at all abt that for you

he’s so proud and happy when you get a good score on a test you were worried about and yall go on a lil date night🫶🙏

dally:

he couldn’t care less i’m sorry😭🥱

like DONT GET ME WRONG

hes secretly like super impressed and proud to have a smart asf s/o

but he gets butthurt when you blow him off cause you got a test tomorrow and you’re going to bed early

dal never really had the internal motivation to actually put stuff into school so he just doesn’t get it

whenever you try and include him w your studying/homework he tries to help w flashcards

and whenever you get the answer right and it’s super specific he’s just like 😟

and you’re like “right?” and he’s like “…yeah”

MY GUY IS SCARED cause he knows you could just totally destroy him intellectually🧐

also cause he’s scared you’ll realize you’re too good for him

but its okay 🫶🫶

two-bit

he thinks school is boring like bruh is a total super duper senior just for the friends but the academics

BRO CLOCKS OUT

meanwhile it’s like a major part of your life

hes really impressed

whenever you get some academic award he’s always like “WOOOOOO”

LMAO

you guys have really funny fake arguments

which you destroy him in

youre just like “that’s a fallacy…and that’s a fallacy…bandwagon”

boom roasted asf

steve:

you tutor him kinda on yiur school subjects

yk the study method where you explain a concept to someone else to help you remember it?

you do that for him but he’s just like 😀🧍‍♂️

“and that’s pretty much what mitosis is!”

and hes like ”…i’m glad😀”

LMAOOO

he’ll also try and teach you abt cars and car parts

which is just a bit of a struggle🤏😀

TYSM FOR REQUESTING🤩 my inbox is open! i’m really trying to get to everyone’s and some take more thought for me to plan than others so sorry if they take a while🥰🤪‼️

[thestobingirlie]

Somewhat tangentially related to that other ask but I wish fandom would just acknowledge that Eddie is also bully in his own right and just because he's antagonist towards jocks doesn't mean they deserve it by virtue of being jocks (no matter how much fandom likes to pretend it's warranted because Eddie is bullied himself- this is nowhere near canon and I'd go so far as to say it goes against canon if we're basing it off of Eddie's own behavior) and beyond all that; like the other asker and yourself said Eddie isn't just antagonizing jocks! He openly scorns band kids, geeks and pretty much everyone that isn't his specific brand of nerd which is not about academics so much as nerdy interest like fantasy and "non-conformist" music.

I put that in quotations because Eddie is actually probably the one that buys into the whole high school hierarchy spiel more than any other character on the show; by setting himself up as such an anti-establishment non conformist (all within the high school setting mind you we see nothing to make me believe his ideals go beyond that setting and it makes sense to me considering he's a Peter Pan archetype stuck in a state of arrested development- but I digress) because he sets himself up in such a way that his entire persona is built off of the abject refusal to adhere to societal expectations he's by and large helping to perpetuate them. He's cosplaying this attitude more than living by it because the societal norms still very much dictate how he views himself and how he approaches others.

Ironically Steve is the real deal in this regard by shucking what others expect from him and living his own life the way he wants it divorced from the excepted norms he used to let dictate him as late as mid s3 while changing the things he didn't like about himself behaviorally while still retaining his core personality and interests without the need to revise himself fully.

But because he doesn't have an alt style or interests that go against the mainstream, fandom refuses to see him in this light. He also doesn't let his new friends change his own interests nor expect them to change theirs for him.

I guess this rant makes me sound like I don't like Eddie but I do! I think fandom Eddie is entirely separate from canon Eddie however, to the point where his only recognizable qualities are his interests and aesthetic. Fandom really seems to martyr him in that regard and fully drink his kool-aid which is hilarious because it's largely performative with no substance lmao (even the "woe is me hunt the freak huh 🥺" falls flat narratively when a whole ass dead girl was found in his home).

I think the duplicitous nature of his personality and his hypocrisy (while still fully being a good guy! If you ignore the whole uh selling hard core drugs to a 17/18 year old girl who clearly never did them before thing) I think it's this dual nature and slightly shady actions while still having a caring heart and good intentions is what makes him a good character and we don't get to see that hardly ever with the way a laaaarge portion of fandom worships at his freak alter.

god, beautifully written. i agree with every single point. honestly, you anons just know how to word exactly what i’m feeling.

yes! eddie pretends like he rejects societal ideals, but he just reinforces them to the next generation. he’s built his life on being the freak, he plays it up to get attention, and to rile up his classmates. i honestly think eddie won’t know who he is post high school. which is, like you said, ironically the way the fandom tries to portray steve. but we see that he’s much more secure in himself and his life than eddie. does he have everything figured out? of course not, he’s 18!! but he knows a hell of a lot more than eddie.

but because he isn’t a nerdy outcast, the fandom would have us believe that he actually hates his life and who he is, and secretly doesn’t want to be a jock. fanon steve is honestly way more like canon eddie than i think the fandom wants to admit.

(and yeah, chrissy is found dead in his home. people aren’t just witch hunting eddie for no reason lmao)

all this is what makes canon eddie an actual interesting character!!! and the fact he (and steve) are entirely stripped of these characteristics is one of the reasons that i just can’t vibe with the fandoms rendition of steddie.

[mister-mickey]

Sexuality headcanons

(Does not have anything to do with the ship hcs, these are my personal hcs. It’s more related to the twitter au but even then it’s not 100% the same)

Experience doesn’t necessarily mean sex, just like dating and such

Darry

- Cis and gay lol

- He likes guys that fight (Paul, tim)

- That’s why he liked football so much lolol

- Despite this he doesn’t have a lot of experience with other guys because he only dated girls in highschool

Soda

- Bisexual ofc. Also cis but very connected to fem side

- His type is uhh. Mean ppl. He hates to admit it though and makes excuses for his partner/crush

- “No Sandy isn’t cheating on me she just has lots of guy friends!” “Steve isn’t mean he’s just bitey!”

- Has experience with lots of different ppl because he’s so in demand so he’s good at flirting (charming handsome boy)

Pony

- Hm. Also bisexual because if taht obvious crush on cherry but also everyone else in the book lmao. Non-binary in a “I don’t give a fuck about my gender” way. Still he/him

- Doesn’t have a set type, it’s literally just anyone. He meets someone? Oh wow, new crush.

- It seems like he’s attracted to assholes, but it’s actually just because everyone around him is an asshole

- No experience, he’s 14 and kind of losery (I love him still, not pb hate)

Twobit

- Bisexual but leans towards girl, cis

- Canon that he likes blondes, so I bet he’s made out with dally at a party at least once.

- Marcia is an obvious exception to this and he doesn’t understand it. He jokes about her dying her hair blonde but he really does like her as is

- Lots of experience I’m sure. He’s funny and charming, I’d be surprised if he didn’t

Dally

- Bisexual but leans toward guys, cis

- Likes people that kick his ass (tim, Sylvia) honestly his type is just people that see him for who he is

- Tim and Sylvia are his toxic exes that he keeps going back to. He hates it but they really are some of the only people that he feels understand him

- He’s Dallas, im pretty sure Ponyboy mentioned him having tons of flings so he’s got experience.

Steve

- Gay, and I read a really good fic where he was ftm and it rearranged my brain so he’s trans now

- His type is pretty boys (soda) he’s mostly only ever had a crush on soda so it’s not like he’s explored his type lol

- He dated evie because she was friends with Sandy and he wanted to double date with soda and Sandy so he could watch them the entire time (jealous mf)

- Zero experience, he refused to even kiss evie and he never had the guts to even look at other guys

Johnny

- Hm. Gay and cis, but he seriously questioned his gender for a bit because he didn’t have much of a self concept and he couldn’t imagine himself at all. He decided to stop thinking about it because it stressed him out

- His type is people that he thinks are better than him (Dallas, for being tuffer, pony, for being smarter) he thinks that being around cool people will make him feel better about himself

- It doesn’t work, but he still likes to do it. Anyway, pony and dally still make him feel better in other ways because they think he’s so cool

- No experience, nobody ever flirts with him (or even notices him) except for Sylvia that one time. He thinks he’s ugly but honestly he just needs to put himself out there

Tim

- Gay and ftm (projecting lolll) very few people know because he was really young when he transed. Like when he was like 4 and his parents were like “hm okay whatever we don’t care anyway.” Also itty bitty titty committee so he doesn’t even have to bind (jealous)

- His type is literally just tough guys. That’s why he dated dallas and why he likes darry. They’re both tough and good at fighting.

- also dated Sylvia but only to make dally mad (and he regretted it because he realized immediately afterwards that he was definitely gay. Sylvia thought it was funny)

- Lots of experience but only with select people (people he can trust)

Angela

- Bisexual but doesn’t realize it lol, cis

- She likes traditionally masculine guys and traditionally feminine girls. Idk why but she likes it. Tbf it’s the sixties she wouldn’t be exposed to many fem guys and masc girls. Maybe she had a crush on Sylvia

- Dated bryon and actually really liked him for a bit. She broke up with him for pb but regretted it lmao.

- Bryon was her first bf so no real experience. Also tim chases any possible beaus away so she’s real unlucky

Curly

- Gay and cis, but too stupid to realize that he’s gay

- His type is any man ever. (Saw tuffponyboy’s post about how curly likes dally, bryon, and Sodapop and I committed it to my belief system)

- But he also likes pony. Maybe he even realizes and is like “omg I’m a homosexual 😧” and he doesn’t realize that everyone around him is also gay and wouldn’t judge him.

- Zero experience, gets no bitches, loser. Also he’s fifteen and he cares more about fighting than smooching

Mark

- Aromantic, asexual and ftm. Idk I feel like it fits him.

- Honestly he cares more about his friends and family than anything else. He literally sold drugs ti support his family (look where that got him)

- Has dated girls before but he hated it so much. Even tried kissing a guy at a party but decided that everyone else was crazy for enjoying this stuff

- A little bit of experience from before he decided that it all just wasn’t for him

Bryon

- Bisexual and cis

- His type is shorter than him (he likes to be tall and feel strong)

- He dated angela and Cathy, but he kissed curly at a party once (claimed it was because he was drunk and curly looks like angela but it’s not true he just thought curly was a cutie (even he’s super annoying))

- He mentioned being a ladies man so yeah he’s got experience.

Cathy

- Straight and cis, but a mega ally !!

- Her type is thoughtful and also big muscles

- She really thought bryon was perfect until he had his, err, mental breakdown and flipped out. It really hurt and she was so worried about him but he shut her out for months so she ended up moving on.

- Pretty sure bryon was her first bf? But she got with pb so she’s got a little bit of experience now

M&M

- I think gay and nb, and he doesn’t care about pronouns at all. He’s nonchalant like that

- Had a crush on mark lol. And Randy. He doesn’t date anyone because the only person he’s come out to is Cathy

- He thinks curly jumps him because he’s gay. Doesn’t realize its because he’s a hippie (curly is stupid but not homophobic)

- No experience, he’s like 13 and has never ever dated. Maybe he’s danced with someone at a school dance but he has no charm

Cherry

- Cishet ally

- Her type is canonly jerks. Very funny miss cherry.

- She dated bob, liked dally, in the series she liked Tim too. Why is she like this 💔

- A bit of experience, she dated bob after all.

Bob

- Bisexual in a homophobic way, cis

- Type is attractive rich people. He would never be attracted to a greaser, he’d rather jump off a cliff

- Dated cherry, likes Randy. He wants a very traditional future with a spouse and two children and he doesn’t think he can get that with a poor person for whatever reason. He also wants to be the “man” in the relationship.

- Lots of experience because he’s a whore I think. Flirts with most any rich person.

Marcia

- Cishet, doesn’t know that gay people are actually real. (When cherry told her she thought it was a joke)

- Type is funny lol. That’s why she likes twobit. I guess that means Randy is somewhat funny

- She actually isn’t that funny herself, she just likes to laugh.

- Very little experience. Randy was her first bf

Randy

- Gay and cis

- He likes bob. That’s it !

- He legit isn’t attracted to anyone else. After bob died he changed his entire ideology and became a hippie !! He was down bad. He doesn’t give a fuck about Marcia she’s just a girl to him

- Only has experience with Marcia and it’s not really the experience he wants because he is bobsexual

[sky4cherry]

ELABORATE ON THE LAST POST PLSSSSS

HEHEHEHE I LOVE YOU HOLD ON ANON

obviously,, johnny dally and bob aren’t making it out 🧍 let’s clear that up immediately

darry worked too hard to keep the house for me to see him giving it up and moving away, but i also think that the greasers are doomed to stay in tulsa regardless of other circumstances, because it’s all they know and at least they know for sure what they have to do to survive in tulsa specifically

soda (other than his heartbreak over sandy) is generally pretty happy go lucky so i don’t really think he wants anything more than to stay near his friends and family, and keep a steady job so he can have at least a little money to support the family he wants to make, all of which is doable if he stays in tulsa

two-bit mathews you will not get far in life if you keep refusing to get a job 🫶

i feel like, based off of the new ace lore, she’s pretty engrained in tulsa. she’s experienced so much there, and really i don’t think she’s leaving if the gang aren’t, especially two-bit (who will probably live with his mother for the rest of his life like bro 🧍 GET A JOB)

steve randle we all know you’re doomed to fail in general and i’m sorry for that because you hold a special place in my heart fr king

pony is the only one (out of everyone) i can see who would leave. he has his plans he made with johnny, and i think he probably spends the rest of his teenage years promising to make it real, even if johnny won’t be there to see it. he also has the intelligence to get into a decent college, which could be far away from tulsa (that was an accident LMAO), or which could lead him to getting a job that could have him moving away (darry and soda are not letting him go without a fight even though they want him to succeed)

PAUL HOLDEN. my paul lore is so deep and complex we don’t have time to unpack it all amidst this rn,, let’s just say i think paul’s dad is a piece of shit which means paul is really close with his mom, and he didn’t want to leave her alone (while his dad is constantly away for work) so in my head he goes to the best college within driving distance, even if it’s a few hours away. something about darry being content with his life in tulsa and paul being the one to stay by family circumstances,, anyway i’m SICK

chet,, you got your own post pookie

brill my long list of hcs for you goes insanely hard,, he’s got the picture perfect family fr i love you king 🫶 he is not going anywhere if his boys aren’t and is definitely not going anywhere without beverly

beverly my pookie with troubling hcs,, yea she is not getting out at ALL. in my mind she’s living with her aunt and uncle who make it very obvious they don’t view her the same way they view their sons, and her mom is m.i.a, while her dad is too focused with his new gf. brill and bev are getting married asap and finding a nice little house with a guest room for chet idc it’s canon to ME

marcia i want you to succeed sooo bad but you aren’t going anywhere if you’re that anxious 🙏 fr i do think both trip and marcia have a shot, but i feel like bob’s death leaves the socs wanting to stay together 24/7 which isn’t gonna happen if these two head off to college

CHERRY 🫶🫶🫶 cherry is staying in tulsa i actually don’t care. YES she could leave if she wanted to but she doesn’t want to!!! she’s seen and experienced what the divide within tulsa does, and she is spending the rest of her days helping greasers and socs alike at the hospital!! and i strongly believe she IS the one who puts the divide to its end!!!

[hairstevington]

mysterious ways (Steddie Week 2023)

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Hello all! I am participating in Steddie week this year, and I am doing a seven part series reflecting each of the seven prompts. Thank you @steddie-week for the challenge! I will only have this first part on Tumblr, but will post the next six chapters each day on Ao3, so follow along over there if you're into it! :)

Summary: Steve feels lonely after the earthquake. Somewhere deep in the Upside Down, new life is born. (Prompts: Hunger - Pining - Somebody to Love by Queen)

WC: 1.4K (each part is going to be pretty short I think)

Warnings: Kas!Eddie/Steve, canon universe post-season 4, pining, angst, a bit darker than my usual fare but not by much, PS this fic will have a happy ending because all my fics do lol

A/N: I wasn't planning on doing Steddie week because I'm going through a bit of a tough time right now but I randomly felt inspired today, so I'm giving it a go. Shout out to @skjachukson for requesting Kas Eddie, I have a feeling I'll be writing him more after this lmao

Sometimes, when things are at their worst, Steve can shrug and say, “hey - it’s not the end of the world.” 

Of course, in Hawkins, it often is the end of the world. So now, Steve has no idea what to tell himself. 

His hometown, which - let’s be real - was never that glamorous, is now in shambles. After the “earthquake,” almost everyone fled, which was valid. The ones who stayed were mainly those who’d been directly involved, or those who have nowhere else to go. Many people lost everything, and Steve tries to give back where he can - they all do - but a lot of the time he’s just sad. 

His hometown was split in four, and all of his friends are in love. 

Steve feels so dumb for even caring, but he does. All he ever wanted was to be loved, really, and he’s gotten the short end of the stick the last few years. He used to feel on top of the world, and now he’s - well, he had been in the Upside Down, which was probably as close as he could get to the literal opposite of the top of the world. 

His friends found happiness where they could  - mostly through crushes and girlfriends and boyfriends. Steve doesn’t have any of that right now. He doesn’t even know where to look. Everything around him is sad. 

Robin and Vickie had bonded over peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, of all things. Since then, she’s been volunteering every chance she can with Vickie. Steve joins too, sometimes, but he feels very much like a third wheel. 

Some random dude with incredible hair and an even more incredible name (seriously, who names their kid Argyle?) showed up with Mike, Will, El, and Jonathan in a pizza van. A day later, the guy decided to drive back to Utah to visit his one true love or something. A woman with an equally badass name - Eden.

Steve wasn’t surprised when Dustin wanted to join, because apparently Eden lives with Suzie. Still, Steve was baffled by the whole thing. Usually, some sort of alarm would go off in his head about his surrogate little brother going on a road trip with a stoner, but Argyle seemed nice enough. 

Although, he did unironically use the word “brochacho,” and Steve didn’t really know how he felt about that. 

Steve knew Dustin was taking - uh, things - super hard, and so Steve encouraged any sort of break for the guy. Visiting Suzie seemed like the perfect way for Dustin to decompress, especially after what happened. 

So, Dustin took off. Robin’s busy. Steve is too mortified to even look at Nancy after he’d basically professed his love for her and she brutally rejected him and stayed with Jonathan. Lucas spends all of his time with Max. El and Mike are inseparable. 

That leaves Will. Steve doesn’t know Will that well, but he’s so lonely he doesn’t care if he comes off desperate or weird or whatever. 

Steve shows up at the Byers’ residence one Saturday morning, looking like a total dork. Hopper answers the door, even though Steve would have far preferred Joyce. She’s less, uhhh -

“Steve?” Hopper asks, gruffly. “What are you doing here?”

“I, um - I’m looking for -”

“Is that Steve?” a familiar voice calls from the living room. 

Ah, shit.

“Hey, uh, Nancy,” Steve says, giving a small wave. 

“Is something wrong?” she asks, joining Hopper at the door. 

“No, I -” Steve sighs. He’s mortified to even be in this situation. It was such a stupid plan in the first place. “I’m looking for Will. Is Will here?”

“Umm, yeah,” Nancy responds, retreating back into the house to presumably get her boyfriend’s little brother. 

“What do you need Will for?” Hopper asks, suspiciously. 

“Jeez, relax, Sheriff,” Steve replies. “I just wanted to talk to him. I’m the babysitter, remember?”

This explanation seems good enough for Hopper, even though Steve hasn’t really interacted with Will much prior to this. Not directly, anyway. He’d let the kids in to see movies for free back when he worked at Scoops, but that was it. 

After a full thirty seconds of awkward, painful silence, Will comes to the door. 

“Hey, kid,” Steve says. Hopper and the others had thankfully walked away to give them some privacy. “Do you - do you want to go to the music store with me?”

Will stares at him blankly for a moment, then shouts to the others behind him. 

“Mom! I’ll be back later!” 

Steve smiles, triumphantly. 

“Okay, have fun!” Joyce’s voice rings from somewhere in the house. “Be home by 5 for dinner!”

“You got it, Mrs. Byers!” Steve yells into the void. “Okay, let’s go.”

Will hurriedly walks out of the house and shuts the door behind him, then sighs in relief. 

“Thank god you’re here,” he says. “All the couples are driving me crazy.” Steve chuckles. 

“You and me both.”

-

Will turns out to be excellent company. He has good taste in music, and he’s funny. A little nerdy, like Dustin, but much quieter about it. They get along great, and end up spending a few hours together.

“My brother said he’d be there for me, and now he’s back to spending all his time with Nancy,” Will complains. 

“Yeah, well Nancy broke my heart into a million pieces, so,” Steve replies. 

Then, they riff on how annoying Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship is for a while. They aren’t saying anything out of genuine dislike for either party, but it’s still some much needed venting. Steve listens to Will talk about Mike and El, and that’s when he picks up on some things in between the lines. 

Maybe having a gay best friend makes him better at detecting that sort of thing. 

They pick out a bunch of music and listen to it as they drive around for a while. They both are big fans of Queen, so they blast that first. They get a little too into singing along to Somebody to Love, but neither of them poke fun at the other for it. As much as Steve and Dustin tease each other, and as much as he complains about being the babysitter, Steve loves these kids with all his heart. All of them, even the ones he doesn’t know as well, like Will. He would do anything to protect them. He’d done quite a bit already.

He drops Will off before dinner as promised, then heads home. It’s only after he passes by Forest Hills that he starts to think about Things again. The Things that he tries to suppress. The Things that bubble beneath the surface at any given moment. 

The Things that led up to the Earthquake. He isn’t ready to think about them. Not yet, maybe not ever. 

So yes, it’s far easier to reach out to other people who understand, and to cling to them as long as he can. And then he goes home, and instead of letting his mind drift to those dark places, he starts singing Queen under his breath. 

It’s stupid. It won't fix anything. But still, the need is there.

All he wants is somebody to love. 

-

Hawkins has begun to crack open, and soon what lay beneath will rise. 

It’s a dark place - somewhere that’s always on the verge of a storm. The energy in the air is thick with dread and impending doom. The creatures that live there are something that people may cast off as fictional, because their eyes aren’t open yet to how terrifying and big the world really is. 

Monsters, of all kinds. Some who had once been human, some who prey on humanity. Evil forces that keep kids awake at night. Forces that their parents insist are in their imagination. 

How foolish to think an imagination could be so vivid. Then again, perhaps imagination is what created this place to begin with. It could also be what sustains it.

A flash of lightning. Bats scattering. 

There’s a body somewhere in the fog, going through a transformation. Wings, teeth, and hunger. It takes several days for the body to resemble its altered form - one of strength, intimidation, and a deeply-rooted instinct for evil. 

Once complete, the body gasps in its new life. The soul of a tortured boy once occupied this space, but now there’s something else within him too - something ancient. 

Eddie Munson’s glowing eyes snap open.

He’s starving.

----------------------------

@paintballkid711 @abraca-fxckyou @allbimyself26 @jellybabiesforall @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @justaloadofgarbage-blog @alliemunsonsstuff @undreamingnscatworld @hobbitnarwhal @calivanus @wreckmyplans-thatsmyman @antheia @goodolefashionedloverboi @lillemilly @missmagillicuddy @steviesbicrisis @gamerdano @menamesniall eyeslikewildflowers111 @callmesirkay @stringischeese @eds-trashmouth @mnl-enuh @redfreckledwolf @itsanarrum @soulsofstarsliveinyourveins @gregre369 @stevesbipanic @momotonescreaming @aryakanojiaa @wrenisflying @comicmadlover @lilacrobin @itch-my-b0nez @anonymousbandgirl @disastardly @dangdirtydemons @daisyellsong @val-from-lawrence @starryeyedpoet17 @taikawaiteatea @clumsiluni @hollysimone @swimmingbirdrunningrock @witchofhawkins @steddiegarbage @suddenlyinlove @ricekristytreaty @eddielives1986

[a-star-that-burns-brightly]

Ask and you shall recieve lmao [Obvious trigger warning for parent death, probably should’ve had that in my previous post too. Oops.] - So something I realized thanks to one of @in-a-bucket​’s analysis posts on Whit (seriously go read them if you’re a Whit enjoyer) is that when talking about his deceased mom, he only ever brought up her looks and how beautiful she was which...is strange as you’d think he’d bring up her personality first especially since when talking about his dad, who he’s probably a lot less close to due to how distant he is, he does mention his personality. All of this is to say that I think Whit’s mother, or Elizabeth as I’ll be calling her cause that’s her canon name...wasn’t exactly as good of a person as Whit’s view of her would lead you to believe. But Whit still chooses to look up to her and see the best in her (the latter of which Whit does a lot as we know) because she was probably the only person Whit truly had in his life. Whit’s father, Lin/Steve, was absent from his life due to working overseas and though we don’t know much about Whit’s social or school life, it’s possible Whit didn’t have many friends as well. Elizabeth was really the only person he had, so he chose to see her in the best possible light and put up with whatever treatment she gave him because if she left then he would be truly alone. But as we know, she ended up leaving regardless...just in a different way. (Sidenote: Taking this into consideration, this probably was the beginning of Whit’s “everything is fine and I’m fine” approach to situations, the death of his mother was just the water that let the seed grow until it hit the ceiling) - Whit is canonically a light sleeper, and the canon reason for this is because he can’t sleep when there’s light, and that’s probably true but I’m an angsty fool so I shall propose another answer. I feel like Whit often has nightmares about Elizabeth and her death, these nightmares possibly often involve the day of her death or Elizabeth blaming him for whatever happened. I saw someone say that it’s possible Whit saw Elizabeth die whatever her cause of death was, and if so that’s one more thing to add to his nightmares. These nightmares very often wake Whit up, and he can almost never fall back asleep. - On the topic of sleep issues caused by Elizabeth’s death, I feel like after she died Whit possibly developed insomnia due to his mind being filled with thinking about her death. If this still sticks with him now, I also imagine he has some serious panda-like eyebags, he just covers them up with concealer or foundation. - The reason Whit knows how to cook is because he had to start cooking for himself after Elizabeth died because Lin is always overseas and thus obviously can’t cook. And generally had to become an adult before he was ready to - I feel like whenever Whit is alone, which is basically all the time, he just...talks to Elizabeth as if she’s still here. He’ll tell her about his day, about any jokes he’s come up with, about his job as a matchmaker, all the while knowing that she will never respond... - Whit probably never went to Elizabeth’s funeral, nor does he ever want to see her grave. He doesn’t want that final permanent reminder that his mother is gone forever.

[tender-emotional-music]

Hi, I love your blog!!! It's so tubular to talk to fellow Stranger Things and Byler enthusiasts and you really get the characters. I wanted to ask, when do you think Mike and Will started liking each other, when do you think they realised it, and how oblivious are they to each other's feelings? Also any opinions you have on Mike's sexuality and his feelings for El? I'm aro-spec ace and way too fixated on analysing the platonic/romantic nuances of relationships, and it would be so cool if you could break those down in Mlvn and Byler. Make the answer as long as you like, I could talk about Byler for hours! This blog is totally sweet!!! Oh, any Byler headcanons you have too, sorry for such a long ask, lmao.

Sorry, i haven’t been checking my inbox and completely missed this ask 😭

I think Will has had a crush on Mike pretty much since he can remember, but it’s around s3 that he starts to realise it, with everyone growing up and having to see Mike in a relationship. He represses it throughout the summer, and it’s in s4 that he’s consciously aware and accepts it. Will is still dealing with his own internalised homophobia though, and fully believes that Mike will never reciprocate, hence him giving away his feelings in the painting scene and essentially resigning himself to helping fix Mike and El’s relationship, since he wants them to be happy and thinks this is how that can be accomplished.

Mike is more complicated, but I do believe that he realised he was in love with Will/gay/bi/however you interpret it in the s3 finale. Just the flashing between his and Will’s faces as the van drives off, focusing on him looking back at the Byers house and hugging Karen, and also him looking like he’s having a *realisation* when El says she loves him (while kissing him in front of an open closet with “The First I love you” playing - the song which also plays when Robin comes out to Steve in the episode prior). He’s aware of it then, but I think he seriously represses it and also doesn’t think Will is gay. It’s cool to see him leaning back into his more nerdy interests and being influenced by Eddie to be more carefree in s4 though, since we see him start to shed the idea of being “normal” and conforming (which is a big theme for Karen and Nancy too. That damn Wheeler family 😭)

I’m still torn as to whether I see Mike as bi or gay. Pre-s4 i was firmly in the gay Mike Truther camp, but I can see them going either way and I think there is evidence to support either reading. S1-3 he comes off as possibly being bi, but s4 it seems like he’s been written as gay. Either way, i hope they do it justice, as it will recontextualise his actions and his relationship with El differently depending on what his sexuality actually is.

Regarding El, I do think that he and El have work to do if they want to have a proper friendship after they break up. I don’t think they’re immediately going to fall into being besties, since they don’t share a lot of interests, and we don’t actually see much of their dynamic as friends, since the romance overshadows it. Regardless, they care deeply for each other and I’d like to see them start to make up for lost time and form a friendship.

And finally for headcanons, we know Will gives art to Mike, so I imagine Mike also gives Will little stories and stuff he writes. After the stuff with Vecna is over, i love to think of them starting a comic series together, maybe taking inspiration from their own experiences with the UD and their friends. They’d probably go to the same college too, and would move to a city, but still live a relatively quiet life and maybe adopt a dog. I think Mike would also start to listen to some of Will’s music. We know he calls Should I Stay or Should I Go “that weird song” in s1 and if we take his playlist as canon he seems to personally prefer synth music to rock, but I think he’d probably listen to some of Will’s faves to feel closer to him. They’d both also love 90’s music, and we see that there’s a guitar in Mike’s room in s4 (probs Eddie’s influence) so maybe he’d try to play something for Will.

That’s all I can think of for now, but I hope this is fun to read and I answered everything well enough! Sorry for leaving it so late lol

[dontfeeltoohot]

happy birthday! I hope you have a good one :) tiny little bday prompt: locked out~

Thank you!! This is actually my second ‘locked out prompt’ I’ve gotten in the past hour LMAO. Y’all out here wanting misery 🤣 enjoy some locked out canon (divergent bc he lives) Eddie. Also this got a bit long, whoops.

X X X

Of course. Of fucking course today of all days he’s going to get locked out of his damn van. There’s no way he’s breaking his window or door, and though he knows how to break into a car, it requires a damn hanger which he doesn’t have. Sighing, he knows he’s going to have to get help.

The thing is, it’s fucking cold outside, and he’s already feeling like shit. Whatever flu’s been going around Hawkins has started hitting him since he woke up, and his dumb ass didn’t even wear a heavy jacket. The walk back to the trailer park is well over 5 miles from the pharmacy he’s just walked out of, a brown paper bag containing Tylenol, cough drops and a thermometer in his hand. The long haired man would rathe walk to Harrington’s than attempt walking icy back roads right now.

Harrington.

Looking around, he spots a pay phone down towards the next store, so Eddie huffs, grips the bag tighter, and walks over, careful of the patches of ice on the sidewalk. As he gets closer, he pauses to cough into his arm, grimacing as his throat stings. Fuck Hawkins and their inability to cover their damn mouths. After paying the 25¢ to call, the musician dials the ex-jocks number and waits, praying the guy is home.

“Harrington residence.” The voice, while still his friends, is much more enunciated and proper.

“Harrington, hey, it’s- snf! it’s Eddie.”

“Oh, hey man,” the voice on the phone relaxes into a completely different persona. “What’s up?”

“I kind of got locked out of my car…is there a way you could pick me up? I have a spare set of keys back at my-“ Eddie turns away to cough, before returning to the mouth piece. “-sorry, my trailer. I can come back to get it later.”

“Oh shit, yeah, I can pick you up. Where are you?”

Eddie can’t help but thank whatever higher power there is. He’s starting to feel gross and achy, and while he knows his name has been cleared, people still look at him with disdain. Going back into the pharmacy, or any other store, really, isn’t his best option. Freezing to death would suck too.

“The pharmacy down off Main.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in like..ten minutes. Just gotta find a jacket and I’ll be there.”

“Thanks princess.”

By the time Harrington gets there, Eddie’s shivering, nose pink from both the temperature and the attention he’s been giving it from it getting runny. Hauling himself up, body feeling ungodly heavy, the twenty year old walks up to the others car and gets in, instantly blasted with heat. Thank fuck.

“Sorry about this,” Eddie clicks his seatbelt and puts his bag on his lap, wincing as he swallows.

“No worries man, seriously. Happy to help. What were you doing over here anyway? It’s cold as hell, would think you of all people would just stay in your house and keep warm,” Steve smiles, and Eddie watches, warmth pooling in his stomach.

“Think that shit that’s been going around finally hit me, needed to grab some Tylenol, we don’t really have anything at the trailer.”

Rubbing his face, he’s thankful Harrington knows where his place is, even if the reason for knowing sucks. He’s too tired to keep his eyes open, though he wishes he could, with someone as hot as Steve sitting next to him. Eddie curls away from the driver and presses his arm tight to his face, not wanting to get his germs all over the man’s car.

“Damn, that sucks. Robin just caught it too. I had it back last week, finally feeling human again,” he explains, looking at Eddie in sympathy.

“Why does it not surprise me you caught it first?”

“Yeah yeah, my immune system sucks,” Steve rolls his eyes fondly. “Have you eaten? We can grab soup on the way.”

“Nah, I’m not hungry. But thanks anyway.”

“I was going to bring some to Robin anyway. You sure? It’ll save me a trip too.”

And damn, Eddie’s too gone on Steve fucking Harrington to say no to that, especially when he’s been grateful enough to come pick him up in the first place. Forcing his eyes open, he looks at the man and nods.

“Yeah, that’s fine then. I don’t need any though, kind of scared I might hurl it up if I try to eat it.”

Steve turns down one street, then back up on to Main, parking in front of the small family owned deli. He keeps the car running, then puts a hand on Eddie’s shoulder.

“I’ll be right back. You just stay here and relax.”

As if Eddie would do anything else. He drifts for a bit, letting the aches and chill take over. A door opening and shutting makes him open his eyes again, and Steve is there with two brown bags, setting them in the back of his nice BMW.

They don’t speak as Steve drives, Eddie’s too tired and the other man seems to respect that. He did say he’d been sick last week with it, he probably still remembers how awful talking is. The long haired man leans his too warm temple against the cold window, a tiny, quiet moan escaping his mouth.

“Eddie? Hey man, we’re here,” Steve shakes his shoulder gently, and he opens his eyes, feeling worse. Damn this shit hits quick.

“Thank you, seriously,” Eddie gives the shaggy haired man as much of a smile as he can muster.

“No problem, what was I going to do, say no?”

“Could have. Instead you were my knight in shining armor,” Eddie jokes, grabbing his pharmacy bag, opening the door.

“Oh! Here.” Steve thrusts one of the two bags from the deli at him.

“What-“

“It’s soup. I know you said you did t want any, but…you might get hungry later.”

“…you bought me soup?”

“Yeah? It’s not a big deal.”

“Thanks Stevie.”

Half an hour later, Eddie’s back in sweatpants and one of Wayne’s old, heavy sweaters. If he finishes the entire cup of soup, almost wishing for me, well….Steve won’t need to know.

[upside-down-low]

Fuck it I’m gonna put into the void what I had in my notes of linking a main older teen character to a Party member when I was making these two posts (scene redraws + duos), I spent enough time thinking about it, I’ll shut up after lol

TL;DR

Mike -> Nancy

Lucas -> Steve

Will -> Robin

Dustin -> Eddie

El -> Jonathan

Max -> Argyle

Fruity Four -> core four, easy:

Nancy and Steve would be Mike and Lucas: having known each other quite a bit, Steve being the jock Lancer to the nerdier but fiery Nancy like Lucas is to Mike

Nancy is capable of being a de facto leader of the group the way Mike is and to be the kind of person willing to jump off a cliff/jump in the water for her friends’ sake; she’s also unfortunately polarizing in the fandom much like her brother, partly due to how her romantic relationships are being handled

Steve is loyal, has big sibling—not necessarily second parent, but specifically older brother—energy, bit of a romantic, and the closest one of the group to have one foot in the popular circles before ultimately choosing his friends over that crowd; they also both directly faced off with a blond, fandom-polarizing “top dog” type of antagonist at one point

Ironically Nancy is more of the ranger in terms of weapons like Lucas while Steve would be more of a sword swinger like Mike’s paladin

Robin coming from a lower class background, having felt like an outcast, and possessing a similar creativity and sharpness (enough to survive the UD on her own for a week) with a sarcastic streak similar to Will; “Is that why you don’t have friends?” / “He just said he dumped your ass, that doesn’t sound like a break” That’s literally her

Imagine Robin being Will, her going missing, and then Jonathan turning up in the woods around the same time; Steve being suspicious of him + of the way Nancy trusts him to help them find Robin can mirror S1 Lucas’s suspicion towards El and her intentions while really wanting to find Will

I can see Robin falling in love with Nancy like Will has for Mike; meanwhile Nancy was raised in the Wheeler household that’s so famously known for having parents that love each other, and then there’s her relationship with Jonathan

Eddie would join the group later like he did in the actual show S4 + when Dustin joined the Party later; sharp, D&D informant guy, lives with a single parental figure, sometimes boisterous and snarky, a little impulsive, would also probably be the type to foster a demogorgon baby that ended up eating something it shouldn’t

Good natured bickering Lucas and Dustin (especially in the early seasons) to good natured bickering Steve and Eddie would translate so well

That scene in S1 where Dustin enthusiastically tries to get El to levitate a toy spaceship by just dropping it in front of her while she doesn’t react lmao that’s Eddie and Jonathan

Jonathan having limited social skills, complicated father issues, and been raised in an environment neglecting to see him as the kid he is in favor of seeing him as something else, such as a grown adult or a lab subject like El; he can eventually learn to develop as his own person independent of others after years of being depended on by others (as a psychic government tool/as a parentified caretaker for his family)

He too got arrested for busting someone’s face bc they talked shit about his family

People always talk about how he looks like he wants to explode someone with his mind. How can I not make him El

Terry was a fighter like Joyce; imagine Jonathan finding Joyce in the void and calling out “Mama” to her :(

Will and El duo -> Robin and Jonathan duo; Robin and Jonathan are like written in the same font in canon (5’8, nerdy, awkward but snarky pretentious art hoes that like Nancy Wheeler), do you see my Willel/Robjon vision

Do they look alike? Not even close but someone confused Jonathan for Robin on an ST4 poster once so im running with it

Why yes I am implying the Mileven/Byler triangle here would be Jancy/Ronance. I think that’s fun

Argyle is the last to join the Party, originally hailing from CA and wanting to make friends as a lonely newcomer to Hawkins; the supernatural and everything the Party deals with can be a lot, but he goes where the group goes, accepting the risk and rolling with it, sorta like he does with Cali gang in S4, driving all the way to Indiana, and learning his best friend’s little sister has powers

Initially Argyle was being left out of the loop by the group and later, despite being excited to meet him, Jonathan was probably a little dismissive of him at first like El was to Max

But they warm up to each other, and the S3 Elmax bonding where Max helps El experience being a regular kid -> Jargyle bonding where Argyle helps Jonathan experience being a regular kid kinda like S4 Jargyle with Jonathan having been able to have a friend + feel a little more like a teenager

El going to Max for relationship advice in S3 -> Jonathan going to Argyle for relationship advice

Also he’s a good driver; he was the getaway driver for Cali gang that is zoomer behavior

[sadie-bug345]

OK so I was wondering if you could do greasers head canons x gn!Goth s/o who just moved to town, and everyone, both socials and greasers are scared of them because everyone thinks that they’re a witch I know that’s super specific, but it’s an idea that’s been in my head for a really long time 

Thanks pookieeeee! Much love your writing is my addiction

i’m twinning with @urlocalnonbinarybastard !! go check out their amazing blog‼️🫵‼️

anyways pony is def intimidated by you

yet also intrigued 🤨

he honestly just thinks the whole mystery aspect of your personality and vibe is quite literary LMAO

def wants to match your fits you cannot convince me he doesn’t🫶

johnny noticed you and just kinda always had you in the back of his mind

like he just couldn’t stop thinking abt you

which i think is super sweet😭🥰

you guys are actually the cutest together like just the vibes match

and no one messes w yall PERIOD

soda was a little surprised when he had a crush on you

like he’s used to dating the cherry type (no hate to cherry cause id date her too🤷‍♂️💞)

anyways you guys are both night and day

givingggg black cat golden retriever

which i LOVE BTW

you guys are deffff a power couple

darry was prob really intimidated cause there were lots of rumors going on abt you

and guy doesn’t really get out much cause he spends most weekdays working like crazy

so he didn’t really get to meet you for himself for a while

but once he did actually interact w you he’s like TOTALLY crushing

you seem very sure of yourself and being around 14 year old kid brother pony, darry wasn’t really used to that

probably the most surprising couple here which just makes it better 🫶

yours and dally’s vibes definitely match

but guy was fr scared

so he’d probably cover that up with dumb comments

BUT you hold your own against him and he ends up regretting it

(this is like the first time in his life he’s actually thought abt other peoples feelings 😐)

asks you out a little after and you’re just like

”uhhh…ok🤷‍♂️”

POWER COUPLE.

two bit and you mainly just bond thru humor

other than that it’s a very opposites attract situation

you have really dark humor which two bit wasn’t expecting cause of your rep

but he LOVES IT

you guys just have inside joke after inside joke

and you guys have that “F WHAT ANYONE THINKS” mentality💞

steve prob saw you at a gas station

or soda mentioned you to him and he’s like

”i gotta know more🧐” LMAO

you guys are actually really cute

hes really sweet to you

and promises to punch anyone who says anything remotely negative abt you💀

go check out @urlocalnonbinarybastardwrites’s blog!!! they have amazing content there🫶🙏😀🥰 ANYWAYS MY INBOX IS OPEN!!

[thestobingirlie]

I saw you talking about the whole shovel talks thing, and I hate it so much in fics where they have everyone giving Steve the shovel talk in a relationship with Eddie. (I saw one the other day where ROBIN gave Steve the shovel talk instead of Eddie? Like what the hell? She would shovel talk the hell out of anyone to protect the guy who she got tortured with. Not give him the shovel talk.) And when it's Nancy it bugs me more like? You hurt him, you don't get to tell him not to hurt others.

And with the kids, they've seen him do casual dating, but his only relationship they've seen was with Nancy, who, outside of the fight in S1, he was so obviously in love with, only to get hurt by her. They don't know him to be an asshole in relationships. It's never really in canon that he's an asshole in relationships, just that he slept around a bit and did casual dating. They wouldn't think they had to shovel talk Steve, because he means so much to them and they have never known him to be that sort of person.

The only one who would give Steve the shovel talk would be Wayne. Maybe Eddie's bandmates.

Whereas Eddie would 100% get the shovel talk from Robin, Max, Dustin, Erica and Lucas. Possibly the other kids as well.

literally cannot fathom robin giving steve a shovel talk? she does not care about eddie enough to do that shit. and i think it would be fucking weird for nancy, steve’s ex, to try and give him a shovel talk. like, if she gave one to eddie in a kind of “i hurt him and he doesn’t need that again” type of way, it’s kinda cute (but still a little weird), but if she’s giving the shovel talk to steve, that is strange and fucked up.

i honestly don’t think the kids would know much about steve’s relationship. i don’t think nancy would’ve really spoken to mike, and steve wouldn’t confide in the kids because they’re some of only people that still think he’s slightly cool and i don’t think he’d try to ruin that. i also cannot see him talking to them about his sex life because that would be weird lmao.

but yeah, the kids know steve as over-protective, and kind of a pushover. they never saw king steve, so they would have no reason to assume steve would hurt eddie!

i could see wayne giving steve the talk, but i don’t think he’d go into it. like, i don’t think steve would realise it was a shovel talk, you know? he’s a man of few words, and again, i don’t think he’d know much about steve, he’d see how steve was devoted to eddie, and mostly leave them alone.

i don’t think the bandmates are as close as other people seem to think, and also they’re kind of scared of eddie, so i think they would attempt to make some joke at steve’s expense and eddie would shut that shit down.

and again, yeah, i think all those characters are more likely to give eddie a shovel talk, but, i don’t think steve would let them. he’d make fun of the kids if they tried to threaten him. if it did bug eddie, he would make them stop. (and i think he’d be kinda insecure in his whole, ‘i will never make up for mistakes i’ve made’ thing, so i think he would see himself as more deserving of a shovel talk)

he wouldn’t be able to stop robin though.

[strcngergirls]

the way the duffel bags don’t expand on the grief of the characters is mind boggling to me & part of the reason i personally love delving into the way the characters change and evolve through trauma in threads

plus this is only the canon characters & the ones that we actually know flat out what happened to them, but i’ll make one for the more oc-canon girls i have eventually

Joyce

Joyce was told her son was dead. Her baby boy. She was gaslit into believing they’d found his body and that she was just crazy for not wanting to accept his death. Even when he came back, like that shit doesn’t just POOf disappear the second she finds out her son isn’t actually dead. ESPECIALLY when instead of dead he’s trapped in a different dimension with monsters trying to kill him??? And she can’t do shit?? AND people are calling her crazy? That kind of grief sticks with you even if you’re lucky enough to get them back. And Will isn’t the same after all he’s seen and experiences so in a way she did lose her son. 

And obviously seeing Jonathan upset affected her too. After everything happened with Will, Joyce finally realized how much pressure and responsibility she placed on her teenage son (which i could go into deeper another time lmao) and she became more protective over both boys once she realized how infinitesimally close she was to losing them. 

NOT TO MENTION SHE LOST BOB TOO. She was finally branching out to find love again after Lonnie and making sure the kids were taken care of and then he’s killed and she adds that to her list of losses. AND THEN when she thinks Hop dies, it’s just another additional blow. The only inkling we get to her struggle is in s4 when she says “I don’t want another funeral” to Hopper 

Nancy

In season one Nancy was fifteen/sixteen. Her brother’s best friend and her hometown was dealing with a tragic death to begin with. Then she lost her best friend and boyfriend in a short span of time. Yes she broke up with Steve, but it was only because she was a teenager who was being forced to deal with trauma that no adult could’ve handled. Her best friend died and she blamed it on herself, along with Steve’s attempt to guilt her into admitting she loved him that’s heavy shit for a teenage girl to go through. ESPECIALLY when there’s a lack of support from the family and/or the community. She felt like it was her against the world and it kinda was. The only person who believed her and took her seriously was Jonathan and that’s part of the reason she felt so drawn to him. A reoccurring theme with Nance is she just wants to be taken seriously and doesn’t want to be looked down upon for her age, sex, background, etc

Susan

Susan lost two husbands, a stepson, and almost lost her daughter too. Her first husband and father of her child just up and left, moved to San Diego and left a young Sue trying to figure out what she did wrong. And then after Billy dies in what she thinks to just be an accident, and Neil leaves her, she’d stuck in debt and alone. She primarily seeks out self-worth in other people which is why she’s rarely single and each time she’s abandoned she cracks more and more. She self medicates with alcohol and busies her mind with work so that she doesn’t have to face her reality of what she considers to be a failure of a life. After nearly losing Max, she’s forced to face that trauma head on or lose the last thing she cares for in the world. But she’s portrayed as a mindless and neglectful mother (which to an extent she def is) but there are layer and layers of trauma there, its not just black and white, good and bad 

Max

The only character they really touched on the trauma with was Max, but even then they barely grazed the surface. Not only did she watch Billy die in front of her in such a gruesome and traumatic way, but he died protecting her and her friends. The brother that she was pretty sure hated her guts died to save her and she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone. She wasn’t allowed to properly grieve and mourn not only her brother but the versions of herself that she lost after each traumatic event. Yes, they kinda touched on it as a plot point for vecna to get a hold of her but that shits real heavy PTSD especially for a middle school girl and I don’t think they dove in as deeply as they could’ve.

Conclusion

That being said I knowwww it’s a show and there’s only so much they can show of certain characters while maintaining a cohesive plot line and not veering too off path but i think the way they ignored the trauma that all the characters went through is just… batshit to me. Will & Max are the only ones who really show the effects of their trauma in the show but even then it’s minimized for entertainment. END TWEET

[two-sides-samecoin]

No Jancy leaving them in s1 without saying any word after one of the scariest days these kids had was so questionable? Like they just just dipped without a second thought. You could argue for Jonathan well Will wasn't there so fuck the rest but Nancy also was like yeah no my little brother who is with the girl that is wanted by an organization that kills people will be fine on his own. Even in s2, she just left Mike alone with Steve after learning her brother witnessed a death and is traumatised from watching his best friend being possessed, but Jonathan's dick was so great apparently so bye Mike have fun with my ex. Like no, Jonathan only gives a shit about Will (and El as an extension in s4), but otherwise, I don't see him go out of his way to drive around his friends. Same with Nancy, she can barely stand her own brother she would not hang out with the rest and be a consistent person. It was established that she didn't hang out with them because she thinks their interests are stupid and she's grown up and wants to do her own thing. Meanwhile Dustin has no problems to go to Steve after everything and asks him for stuff, including all the other kids because Steve is a pushover and even tho he complains he still does it because he secretly likes hanging out with them, especially Dustin. Plus, he would never abandon them like Jancy did in s1. I would argue that leaving Max, Lucas, and Erica alone in s4 was ooc. I'm sure he put up a bit of a fight because he was like the only one who thought the plan was dumb.

But yeah like Jonathan is a great brother to Will (idk about El we don't have much interaction) but couldn't care less about his friends (outside of danger but also s1 he didn't care). Nancy isn't close with Mike and his friends in any situation, really. She cares about keeping them save just not in s1 and s2 (by going after an organization that could kill her family and everyone involved plus shutting down the only people who knew about how to deal with the vines as she didn't know about El being alive. She practically doomed Hawkins for a second, especially her family, Mike, in the name of revenge, and everyone overlooks it as this girlboss moment, but in reality, it was incredibly stupid). And Steve is arguably closer to Dustin than Nancy and gives a shit about his friends as well even outside of danger. Sorry that probably came out petty lmao.

it really was sooo questionable fr! especially because they know the adults are leaving too like they know everyone is going on a dangerous mission and they’re just like ‘peace out’. honestly everyone talks about nancy being protective of mike when she sees how her house is and that he’s been followed by the gov and he’s on the run but for someone that’s sooo concerned about him before she really just fully left him there without a second thought. no literally will never understand her ‘worry’ again for mike in season 2 but then being like ‘okay actually i’m leaving you with steve’ like it almost makes it seem like she doesn’t care about mike when it actually calls for it. she’ll worry about him for a few moments and then just leave without a second thought about what will happen to mike. lol jonathan canonically barley even thinks about any of the other kids besides will and when it calls for it mike. honestly everything that you’ve said in the rest of this paragraph!!! i think everyone acts like nancy gee out of hanging out with her brother and friends just started to act like that because of steve but that was not even true. it’s a point about the whole elf thing that she dressed up as that it was years ago - she didn’t suddenly stop because she had a boyfriend. her hobbies changed and she’s growing up!! i have to convince myself that steve would put up a fight cuz i would pull my hair out thinking that he didn’t do that.

honestly jancy isn’t close with any of their siblings friends (and in nancy’s case she’s not close with mike) which is fine! don’t get me wrong they have the choose to do that. it’s just why are you going to ignore that? especially if you love those characters! because it shows a lot about who they are and you’re just erasing apart of their character if you make it seem like they’re totally close with them. hell they were only close in season 3 because of danger but outside of that? they’re not close at all! meanwhile you have mike max lucas and will going to steve before danger hits! hell even el goes to get ice cream with max before everything hits! like steve and the party do not have the same dynamic as jancy and the party. which is fine!!!! it’s just like you’re erasing apart of their dynamic and personality if you make jancy totally involved involved with their siblings’ friends because that’s not who they are! i love those last few sentences and you’re sooo right about it! and it might have but honestly i’m petty too so lol

[munsontm]

IMPORTANT PORTRAYAL HC’S  :  EDDIE & THE PARTY PT 1.   (  MAX  )

This HC will not be including Dustin as I’ve already covered Eddie’s relationship with him in a seperate post here. This part is going to cover Max Mayfield. There will be subsequent follow up posts for the rest of the gang. These ramblings are of my own canon and do not relate to anything seen on the show for the most part since Eddie was hardly explored at all.

Finally there will be discussions of abuse in the examination of Eddie’s relationship to Max. Therefore, I don’t suggest reading ahead if that might trigger you.

MAX MAYFIELD.

I can’t talk about Max and Eddie without talking about Billy. It’s a very important component for various reasons. So, I’ll start with that. Both Billy and Eddie come from abusive and broken homes. The key difference here is not that Eddie is a better person than Billy. The key difference is that Eddie has been free of his abusers for 8 years and was given a chance to grow and recover from what was done to him by his own parents. Billy is still stuck in his cycle of abuse. He’s stuck with his dad. Stuck in Hawkins. He’s still living in his own hell. And he reacts to that by lashing out, being an asshole, and getting into trouble and doing stupid things. Eddie still does the latter two things, something to remember. The point is that Eddie could have easily become Billy if he’d stayed with his parents, and was still caught in thar cycle of abuse. If Billy had been given a chance to get out of his cycle. He could well have grown and become someone else with help and support. Abuse victims do not all look like and act like Eddie. Sometimes...anger is how they react. Is it right? Not necessarily, but it’s the tool they have without any support. I don’t condone or excuse anything Billy did, in case people are wondering, which I know you will be. But I understand it.

With that information in mind, let us look at Eddie and Max. After Billy dying and Max having complicated feelings about it. I feel like Eddie is the person she sorely needed in her life. Someone who had similar experiences to both her and Billy, but had come out the other side---somewhat better off. He’s still very much reeling from his past, he always will be. His parents fucked him up for life. Eddie can get help, which he does eventually. But there are parts of him that have been ruined forever and that he’ll never get back. Max and Eddie’s shared experiences of abusive homes, poverty, loss of family and after S4...the experience of death. It’s a no brainer that they have a lot in common, and that Eddie can be there for her in a way that Billy was not able to be because he was still caught in his abuse cycle. And Max can be there for Eddie too because she might be younger than him, but she understands better than many others what he has been through, is going through, because she’s been there herself.

I’ve said before that Eddie always wanted a little sister but also hoped he never would because he didn’t want another kid to experiences his parents. So, when Max comes along and Eddie is free from that former life---he does latch on to her a little bit once he gets to know her. She’s a big asshole lmao which Eddie doesn’t mind since he sees she hides behind that persona like he hides behind his freak mask. This shared persona makes them both absolutely atrocious at asking for help or even talking about their issues. Yet, Eddie makes a bigger effort to be open when it comes to Max because it really is like looking in a mirror sometimes, and having the big bro vibe that he does, he hates to see her suffer. And although he won’t tell her for years to come. Pushing himself to be more open for Max did help him overall get better at talking about his own problems and asking for help when he needed it.

Furthermore, Eddie always makes an effort to tell Max that his and Wayne’s door is always open for her. This soon extends to Eddie and Steve’s door when they move to Chicago. Eddie’s mother too was a drunk and as a small child he had no escape from that. But he wants to give Max the option he never had because he knows that shit is hard and it is draining, and Max deserves so much better than what she’s been dealt with, especially in S4. Max also concludes pretty quickly that Eddie isn’t guilty of murdering anyone in S4. For me this is because she does know him prior to Vecna events since they’re neighbours. Yeah, he’s a fucking weirdo. She’s not wrong. But she sees he’s absolutely harmless a lot quicker than everyone else aside from Dustin. i like to think Eddie attempted to recruit her for Hellfire too at one point---and she told him where to shove it.

Eddie and Max’s relationship post S4 is even more important than their one from before and during the season. They’ve both literally died. The world was already stacked against them because of their social standing, and Vecna came in like the government and tossed them into the void. Eddie wants to be there for Max even more than before since he knows she’ll need a kick in the ass to get back to herself just as much as he needs one. He really does love Max in every conceivable platonic way and would do anything for her. For me, at least. After Dustin, Eddie’s relationship with Max is the most important to his character, and it’s a shame the Duffer’s didn’t explore it hardly at all...like with all of Eddie’s relationships lmao.