#carol and tommy h

[wheneverfeasible]

🧠🪱Wiggly Wednesday🪱🧠

Thank you for the tags @scoops-aboy86 and @endlessmusings1801!

Okay so hear me out. This was a worm I’ve been thinking about lately, which is bizarre, because it isn’t inherently Steddie…

But we get all kinds of fics of if Eddie and/or Robin were pulled into things earlier than their seasons. But…

What if Tommy and Carol were pulled into things with Steve? Like, picture it…

Instead of ditching Steve after his fight with Jonathan, Steve and Tommy and Carol hash it out a bit more, get into a bigger argument maybe even, and maybe they do separate for a bit. But then they’re still friends, so maybe they huff and puff about it but they talk things out too. Maybe Steve even gets to somewhat convince them that they should all apologize, even if Tommy and Carol don’t really want to or care all that much.

So all three of them go to do so, and all three of them see the demogorgon, and all three of them have that life altering paradigm shift. Maybe Carol and Tommy don’t change completely, at least not immediately, but they’re forced to confront that there’s more than just high school popularity contests, and maybe they become just that little bit of better people.

Maybe Carol and Nancy have a genuine talk, genuinely open up to each other, and no one can ever replace Barb of course, but it’s nice to have another female friend, even if they’re pretty much polar opposites.

Tommy isn’t fond of Jonathan at all, because demogorgon aside, it was creep behavior taking photos of them like that. Tommy helps pitch in to get Jonathan his new camera though, because he egged on Steve’s insecurities (brought on by the fact that Steve’s dad has cheated on his mom so he’s really sensitive to potential cheating in partners) and he guesses he’s partly to blame. He rolls his eyes about it, but Steve is happy he has his friend beside him still.

Tommy and Carol don’t really take to the kids much, but Carol does secretly enjoy getting into bitching sessions with Mike, and later Erica.

When Billy shows up, maybe Tommy and Carol start backsliding. Maybe they have to have a big blowup. Maybe they aren’t there when Steve gets dragged in helping Dustin, at least not immediately, but maybe they hear about Steve dealing with that without them because they chose Billy and they just…they…

They can’t believe they left Steve to deal with that horror by himself. They feel guilty and terrible and they tell Billy off. They can’t believe they chose some stupid popularity that doesn’t even matter over the guy that literally went to bat for them. They’re at the end with him, apologizing for not being there before, and they become even better people.

They come around to lovingly tease Steve at his job at Scoops, wheedling free ice cream out of him. And who knows, maybe telling Billy off changes the third season, maybe them being there, better people and supportive of Steve changes things, maybe the three of them can even change Billy to an extent. Maybe, Steve and Tommy and Carol and Billy hashing it all out and coming to terms with the toxicity of high school and judgemental parents and a society that believes you need to be a certain way to matter…maybe it changes things for the better.

Idk. I’ve just always wondered how things would have gone if Tommy and Carol had been exposed to the truth the first season.

And then blah blah blah, Steve and Eddie eventually fuck about it. Because I am nothing if not a Steddie truther in everything. And who knows…maybe Robin and Carol fuck about it also 😏

-

Hostage tag: @derythcorvinus

Co-Hostage tag for this: @katyawriteswhump

No pressure participation tag: @stervrucht (I know you’ve been tagged already but lmao I’m tagging YOU first this time anyways lmaoooo) @fkinkindagauche @steddiecameraroll @henderdads @queenie-ofthe-void

[qprstobin]

Someone asked in the tags of my post for my Nicole headcanons so! This is... extremely mean girls trio heavy lmao, I see her as fourth piece of the puzzle. The DLC to a completed game.

Nicole is really fun for me to think about because she's a mover for some of the teens' drama but she doesn't just disappear after that scene, she's there the next day when they graffiti the movie theater. I don't think that she's as close to the mean girl trio as they are with each other, but she's definitely a lot closer to them than anyone else is.

She often got invited along on "double dates" with the trio. Normally when Steve wasn't dating anyone, but also sometimes even then because they enjoyed hanging out as a quartet that much.

Steve and Nicole never really dated, but they probably hooked up at least once. Nothing serious though. They have known each other for a while though because their parents do business together. So they're each other's standing dates for a lot of things.

Canon adjacently, I think they probably went to prom together. Nicole is the only one that Steve still talks too after the fight and blowout lmao.

Nicole often tags along to "save Steve from third wheeling" but I'm a Carol and Steve were friends first truther, so Tommy also ends up third wheeling a lot. So I think that Tommy kind of considers Nicole his best friend other than Steve. They hang out a lot on their own when Starol are wrapped up in Starol things.

@meangirlstobin suggested they go bowling together and are actually both really good at it.

Tommy and Nicole study together a lot too. Carol doesn't really care about school or studying, and Steve finds it boring and so only joins them when he needs to cram for a test.

Nicole has the most common sense of the group, and definitely is considered the most "normal" of the friend group.

@stregoniconiconii said she'd be the lawyer friend and honestly that's canon to me now. I think she's gonna go to school for law.

She's one of the school's main student photographers. (Jonathan definitely isn't doing that lmao) She puts more of her energy into yearbook, but does photography for the student newspaper as well.

She's not quite as into partying quite as much as the others, enjoys a quiet night at home way more. (Is probably a bit introverted - needs time to decompress from their crazy.) She does hang out with them sometimes but it's not an every weekend sort of deal.

She probably got invited to the Barb and Nancy party but decided to stay home because it was a weekday and she had shit to do.

[domsaysstuff]

Steve's kindness is, like all self-taught one, a mirage of borrowed expressions, a collage of habits picked from people he loved, a bit stilled but eager and well-meaning, sometimes a bit chopped at the sides, a growing want to let the good feelings out in front of the right people.

Eddie liked to sometimes watch him and find all the signs of other people in him, try to match them up to right people.

He would watch and think - this is Nancy's stubbornness to never give up on people and Dustin's loyalty, he would see him trying to give advice to Dustin and see Johnathan's akward pep-talks to Will. The way he would always try to have snacks for the kids screamed both Joyce's and Mrs. Henderson motherly kindness. His willingness to sit in silence, a steady presence, when somebody needed it shined with Will's warmth. How he fights for the people he cares about, letting his meaness be a defense for them all, a barier and a shield similar to Max's snark.

And whenever he found himself to be the matching person? It made him feel loved, so fucking loved and seen that he would choke on it.

Eddie sometimes would make a game out of it, to found the matching puzzle whenever Steve's kindness shone (and it was a lot of the time). It was always someone from the party and he would always find himself with a strange fond warmth whenever he realized who it was. And usually he was good at it, it wasn't really hard when he loved and knew all those people too

There were exceptions though. The first one was Robin and it wasn't for the lack of Eddie's knowledge and love for her and moreso because of the whole RobinandSteve being always so SteveandRobin, never really separate. Whatever was Steve's was also Robin's, their clothes, habits or sometimes even their smiles shone in the same way. They were mismatched in a funny melted together sort of way, his kindness was her and hers was his and it was hard to difference between the two when even they didn't know where one ended and the other began, they traded traits like they traded clothes, wore them bright pink socks with yellow soft sweater, a joke to cheer you up with a soft you can tell me anything in the same breath.

He didn't really knew whose kindness it was the innate one that must have been deep within Steve before he let it shine or Robin's. He didn't think it would really matter anyway, they would trade it between themselves like shiny cards anyway.

The other one was a smile. An unique one, one that Eddie swore he saw somewhere before and that lacked the freckles and a missing teeth except noone in the party had these two traits, at least not as Eddie knew them and he could never find that one puzzle. It was boyish and full of mischief, usually with a starry reflection in Steve's eyes.

The last one was a lift in his tone, the way he would make his voice honey-like sweet when he tells Robin her new haircut suits her or El's new shirt brought out her eyes. The intonation always made Eddie think of bubble gum and sugared summers.

He couldn't place the last two to nobody. At least not until Steve told him about Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins.

Obviously Eddie knew about them, but Stevie didn't talk about how they are. But how they used to be.

"Sweet." he said while passing the joint they shared laying on Eddie's bed, pressed from shoulders to their ankles. "Carol used to be sweet, warm with the naive love only kids hold" Steve's eyes were looking out the window of Eddie's room, as if he could see the young version of them just outside playing childlish games. "and Tommy used to be wild. But not like bad wild, more like he was always chasing trouble, adventure. Like kids do."

And Eddie couldn't see it, not with how the world twisted them into different people, cruel. More cold, all sharp teeth and autumn's rain.

Except he could, he could in Steve's special smile and the sound of his voice, he could see it and he could see the love that Steve Harrington had for them.

"They're douchebags now," he said when Eddie voiced it out loud "but I did loved them once, sometimes I feel like I've never stopped, they just... Grew out of my love, grew into something I couldn't."

It should be strange, to love something someone isn't anymore, but to Eddie it just spoke of the way Steve Harrington threw himself into love, how he never really stopped loving and caring. It was admirable, it was so lovable and it was so Steve-like. Earnest in the sweetest way.

It made sense that Steve Harrington would love people even through his expression of it.

[samgelina-jolie]

Stranger Things + headlines (7/?)

[anarcoqueer1994]

Some angst with Steddie fluff.

TW use of homophobic slurs

When Steve was 13, he realized that he may be into other boys. Sure, he thought plenty of girls in his 7th grade class were pretty, but he couldn't help that he also thought some of the boys were pretty, and he may even have a crush on one, namely Tommy.

Tommy had been his best friend for years, it made sense. Their dads were business associates and they were often stuck going to the same stuffy events. They just ended up spending a lot of time together.

The summer between 7th and 8th grade, they spent nearly everyday together, playing basketball, running around town, and just trying to past the time on those long hot days. One day in particular stands out in Steve’s mind. They were sitting by Steve's pool, drying off in the sun. Even at that age, Steve's parents began leaving him home alone, gone for days at a time, not even bothering with a nanny anymore. Needless to say, they were there by themselves.

He doesn't remember how exactly the topic came up, but he does remember asking Tommy. "Hey, do you think it's like possible to like boys and girls?" He was trying gage his reaction, playing dumb.

Tommy looks confused, but not...angry. "Yea, I mean, I guess. Why?"

Steve hesitates, still nervous but reminds himself that Tommy is his best friend. "I don’t know. I mean, like I kissed Tina R. last year at the Snowball and that was great. But I've been thinking about kissing boys too." He quickly looks away, afraid to meet the other boy's face.

After what seems like an eternity, Tommy responds, "That makes sense, I guess. I thought about kissing a boy before, you know..." He pauses, "Just to see how it feels."

Steve risks eye contact. "Really?"

"Uh, yeah." Tommy fidgets nervously.

A burst of bravery comes over Steve as he scoots a little closer to his friend. "Do you want to, um, maybe try it then?" Steve holds his breath once the words leave his mouth, bravery leaving him.

But Tommy nods and starts leaning in, and before Steve knew what was happening, his lips were against Tommy's. The kiss was chaste and awkward, but Steve loved it. When they pull apart, he can't help but smile.

Tommy, though, suddenly stands up, panic covering his face. "I gotta go."

"Wait...please..." Steve tries but Tommy is already running out of his backyard, leaving Steve alone.

After that, they don't talk about it. Steve tried once, only for Tommy to say "Look man, I'm not some faggot. I'm sorry you came onto me, but I'm just not like you. And if I were you, I would keep this whole thing to yourself. Try being normal. Wouldn't want your old man finding out."

And that feels like a knife in Steve’s chest, he knows what he saw, he knows Tommy wanted to kiss him too. But he just nods, never mentioning it again.

Tommy starts dating Carol the following year, and Steve takes his advice. He tries being "normal." He becomes the stereotypical high school popular boy, good with the girls, and no one knew his secret.

Even today he keeps his secret from all but Robin. He had a word for it now, bisexual, but that doesn't mean he goes out announcing it. He liked guys and girls, though is crush on Tommy had long since disappeared. But he does like someone new, Eddie.

He'd first realized he liked Eddie after they had saved the world together. He still remembers the terrified feeling in his chest as he ran with Eddie’s body out of the Upside-Down, praying to whoever might be listening to save him. And he made it, and Steve couldn't be more thankful.

Now, Eddie has become a permanent fixture in his life, often hanging out with the larger group. Sometimes, they even hang out alone. Steve likes those times a lot. Eddie makes him feel comfortable, like he can be himself, well for the most part. He still isn’t ready to tell him he is bisexual, and he definitely is not ready for the heartbreak of telling he likes him. He isn’t even sure Eddie likes guys, let alone him.

Tonight, is one of those times where they are alone. It is a few days before Thanksgiving. Steve and Eddie are at the only diner left in town, grabbing a bite to eat before going to a movie. Everyone else was busy. Steve doesn’t know when they started doing it, but when it is the two of them, they find themselves squeezed together on the same side of the booth. Eddie insists it’s so Steve can hear him better. Steve won’t admit it, but the various head injuries have started to affect his hearing, and Eddie seemed to be the only one who noticed. Steve just likes being close to Eddie. Their heads were close together, laughing over something Steve said.

“Steve.” A voice behind them calls out, its Tommy. He must be back in town for the holiday, home from college. Steve instinctively grates his teeth as he walks up, arm wrapped around Carol’s waist. “How’s it been, man?”

“What do you want, Tommy?” Steve says, not hiding his annoyance. It’s not like they hung out sense that fight in the parking lot, only talking to Steve to fuck with him.

“We’re adults now, can’t we just put that stuff in the past and catch up?” He puts on a condescending smile before scooting into the booth across from them, Carol following behind. She quietly adds “Hi, Steve.”

Steve only glares at him, ignoring Carol. Before he can say anything, Tommy gets a look at who is sitting beside him. “Eddie Munson?”

Eddie not phased, just gives a cocky grin “In the flesh…”

“Wow, how the mighty have fallen.” He laughs towards Steve. “I had to see if the rumors were true, some of the guys told me you were hanging out with the town freak, and I guess you were.”

Steve sees anger flash in front of his eyes, pissed off that Tommy thinks he can come in here and just treat his friends like that. He doesn’t even give Eddie the chance to defend himself. “You better watch your fucking mouth.” His voice in angry, a shakiness to it like he is about to lose control.

“Or what? You going to fight me? You didn’t last time, and I doubt you can now. All I am doing is telling the truth. He’s a freak.” He smirks. Steve balls his fists at his side.

He is about to stand up, ready to make his way across the table and kick Tommy’s ass, when he feels a hand on his thigh. Eddie softly says “It’s okay, Stevie. Let’s just get out of here.” Steve takes a deep breath, before nodding, beginning to walk away when Tommy opens his mouth again.

“Listen to your boyfriend, Stevie!” Tommy mocks as they are halfway to the door. “I’m glad you found yourself another faggot to hang out with!” The restaurant is quiet now staring between the boys now. Steve is so focused on Tommy, he does not even notice the panic look in Eddie’s eyes when Tommy said those words.

Suddenly the conversation from years before plays in Steve’s head, and he feels stupid for ever liking the other man. He doesn’t know what comes over him but before he can think better of it, he looks Tommy in the face and says, “I may be a faggot but at least I’m not an asshole!” He raise his voice even louder, making sure everyone can hear him. “And just for the record, everyone, Tommy let the faggot kiss him.” Steve smiles, ready self-destruct and pull everyone down with him. Eddie stands behind him mouth ajar, not sure what to say or do.

Tommy is fuming, and before anyone registers what is happening, he lunges at Steve, knocking him the floor and landing punch after punch to his face. Steve was unable to react in time, knowing he’s not the best fighter. He does get a good few punches in, landing one that cracks the bone in Tommy’s nose. In the background he can hear Carol screaming stop, and it isn’t until Eddie knocks Tommy off of him that he is able to get up. He walks out of diner, bloodied face, without a word. Eddie follows close behind. In the distance they can hear police sirens.

They get to Steve’s car, where much to Eddie’s surprise he gets into the passenger seat. “I’m not feeling too good, Eds…” He says softly. “Can you please just get us out of here?”

Eddie nods, taking the keys and driving them back to his trailer. Neither of them saying much, but Eddie periodically looking at Steve to make sure he is alright and still conscious.

It isn’t until they pull up to Eddie’s home that Steve says, “I’m…I’m sorry.”

“What? Why?” Eddie is confused, he has nothing to apologize for.

“For Tommy… and for pulling you into all that bullshit. I don’t want to make things harder for you…you know since my grand announcement inside the restaurant. It’s a small town, I’m sure word will spread.” He laughs sadly to himself. “Steve Harrington, into dudes. I’m sure my dad is going to be happy with that one. What I am saying is I would get if it’s easier for you not to be seen with me.” It hurts to say, not wanting to lose Eddie, even as a friend but he would get it. He looks down.

“Steve, the last thing I want to do is stop hanging out with you. What you did in there, standing up to Tommy, was pretty metal. Even if you got your ass kicked.” He laughs, but his eyes are kind.

Steve hides his face in his hands “Ugh thanks for reminding me.” Steve says, embarrassed.

“That’s not the point I am trying to make. I just think it’s cool how you were able to be open, even if not the best circumstances.” He pauses. “I wish I could do that.”

Now it is Steve’s turn to look at Eddie confused. Even with the bloody nose and black eye, Eddie still thinks he is the prettiest person he knows. “What do you mean? You are one of the most unapologetically you person I know, Eddie. You don’t have all that fake bullshit everyone else has. You’re just you….and I love that about you.” He voice shifts, sounding shyer.

“Being a freak is easy.” Eddie jokes, Steve cringes at the word that he himself used to describe Eddie months earlier. “But um, I’m not ready to come out…like you did. When Tommy called us…you know, I just assumed he was only calling you that because you were hanging out with me. To be honest, I was terrified that someone saw through me, knew I was one.”

Steve is not used to the lack of confidence in Eddie’s voice. He tries not think about what this confession could mean for them, tries not to get his hopes up, focuses on helping Eddie instead. “You don’t owe anyone in this town shit. Eds, if you aren’t ready to have a pride parade in the middle Hawkins, that’s fine. You could find a boyfriend, get married and live happily ever after and it still wouldn’t be anyone’s business if you don’t want it to be.  It can be our secret.” Steve puts his hand on Eddie’s shoulder, squeezing gently.

“Thanks, sweetheart…” Suddenly Eddie’s face is bright red, realizing what he just said. He calls Steve little nicknames all the time, but never in serious moments, and never so sincerely. Eddie expects him to freak out. Sure, Steve just said he liked guys, but that doesn’t mean he like him.

But Steve smiles, moving his hand from Eddie’s shoulder to the small of his neck, shifting in his seat so he is staring into Eddie’s eyes. “Can…can you call me that again?”

Eddie can’t believe this is happening, but he goes with it. “Sweetheart…” he puts his hand on Steve’s thigh, leaning closer. “Can…can I kiss you?”

And Steve gives him the prettiest smile he has ever seen, loving the way his nose scrunches when he smiles too big. Its adorable and Eddie has been hooked since the first time he saw it. Steve leans closer in response, resting his forehead against Eddie’s. Steve is inches away from his lips when he says “Only if you promise me you won’t run away from me after…” Steve doesn’t think he could handle someone…Eddie, changing his mind on him.”

“Oh princess, I could never.” Eddie says in breathy voice, desperate for Steve.

Steve’s face tinges pink at the sweet name, but he doesn’t hate it. Instead, he closes the gap between them, lips connecting with Eddie’s, his hands twist in the other man’s hair, the kiss is desperate and needy and everything Steve wanted.

When they break apart for air, Steve notices that he got some of his blood on Eddie’s face. “Oh god, Eds…I’m so sorry.”

Eddie just laughs before pulling Steve close. “Doesn’t bother me…” Before connecting their lips again.

[sh1tbird-shantytown]

It was homecoming. The royalty had been announced and it was Billy Hargrove and Sara Katczinsky with the plastic, fragile crowns on top of their heads. Billy had his hair tied back and his father’s suit on. The shoulders were a little big on him and they sagged just slightly. The dress shirt was fine and the pants too tight. He purchased a pair of dress shoes last minute on discount and his feet hurt from moving in them all day to break them in.

His eyes burned with sweat as he took Sara’s hand and led her to the center of the gymnasium. She smiled plainly and never made eye contact with him.

And he tried. He really truly did. She stepped on his toes five times and her long, pastel pink nails dug into his forearm every time he made to twirl her. She seemed to laugh at him through her almond shaped eyes.

He knew she was enjoying this. Making him uncomfortable. She rolled her eyes when a burst of girlish giggles erupted near the end of the song. The sound was like a balloon bursting in the quiet of the room. She kept her eyes on either Billy’s necklace or somewhere over his shoulder.

When the song came to an end, something Sara might have recognized but he surely didn’t, she slipped away like an ice cube on linoleum with a proud smirk.

It wasn’t until she had Jacob Marley’s arms wrapped around her waist and her cheek shading one of his pecs that he realized she hadn’t said a word to him the entire thirty-two minutes they’d had to be together.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d stood there dumbfounded. But, eventually he shuffled his feet towards the double doors to the parking lot.

His heart had cracked a little more because of Sara, and he felt hate boiling in his arteries.

“Your crown’s about to fall off.”

Billy halted. The gravel crunched and then abruptly muted itself under his shoe.

Steve Harrington opened his own car door before looking back over at Billy. He had that kindhearted and goodnatured grin he gave to people like Jonathon Byers and Tommy H. and Carol Perkins.

“Watch it, Harrington,” Billy muttered and fished for his keys in the tighter than tight pants pocket.

“Oh, I am.”

Billy only paused for one reason that time. He nearly dropped his keys too.

Because Harrington was grinning at him.

Harrington was grinning like he did when he was talking to pretty girls. He was grinning all soft at Billy like he did at Nancy when they were still an item.

The cracks sort of…melted back together.

[leslie057]

tommy h and carol were endlessly entertaining antagonists and honestly i think i kinda miss them

[sailorbuckley]

if this isn’t the best friend group you’ve ever seen i don’t know what is

[calicheer-cove]

Billy: My girlfriend is so cute!

Steve, Nancy, Robin, Heather, Eddie, Jonathan, Argyle, Eden, Kali, Barbara, Vickie, Tommy H., Carol, and Henry/ Vecna:

Chrissy: My boyfriend is so cute!

Steve, Nancy, Robin, Heather, Eddie, Jonathan, Argyle, Eden, Kali, Barbara, Vickie, Tommy H., Carol, and Henry/ Vecna:

[fanficsfromyesteryear]

𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘❜𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐄

⟶ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒 ////////////////////////////////////

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prologue | chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 synopsis: there’s a new monster terrorizing the small town of hawkins, indiana, and it’s not one from an alternate dimension. with halloween quickly approaching and everyone’s nerves already on edge, the last thing anybody wants is a prankster serial killer running amuck, but alas, hawkins’s residents aren’t exactly known for getting what they want, are they? warnings: major(??) character death, mentions of animal death, violence, language tag list: @maackiimoo​

         “What are you looking at, creep?” Carol snapped, gaze trained on the hunched figure across the hall.

         Jonathan’s gaze slid from Nancy, just beyond Carol, to the accusatory redhead with furrowed brows. He opened his mouth to stutter out an excuse, but Eddie stopped him.

         “Don’t listen to her,” he muttered, barely paying Carol any mind as he scribbled in an open notebook.

         With a nod, Jonathan pulled another textbook from his locker and shoved it into his bag before focusing on Eddie again. “What’re you working on?” he asked, eager to change the subject.

         “Campaign stuff,” Eddie answered with a shrug, but as Jonathan leaned over for a peek, he angled the paper away. “Top secret campaign stuff.”

         Carol scoffed. “You saw what happened to Billy,” she told Tommy H., who flanked her. “No way he killed himself. Everyone was at that party, too, so it could’ve been anybody, but my money’s on one of them.” Her gaze was still trained on where Eddie and Jonathan were now turning to leave, and Carol moved as if to follow them, but Tommy grabbed her arm.

         “You think they’re cold-blooded killers, and you wanna go start something with them?”

         “Well—”

         “Carol!”

         Y/N and Tina pushed their way past Tommy, Y/N throwing her arm around Carol’s shoulders as they neared. “Meeting in the bathroom,” she announced, already beginning to urge the redhead toward the ladies’ restroom.

         Tommy H. started to trail after them, but Tina interjected, palm to his chest as she nudged him back. “Girls only,” she clarified, grinning mockingly before joining the others as they pushed through the bathroom door.

         Carol stood at the mirror, rifling through her bag on the sink for her Chapstick, while Y/N checked beneath the row of stalls in search of any indication that they weren’t alone. At last, she announced, “It’s clear,” to which Tina smiled and produced a cigarette from her pocket, bringing it up to her lips. Y/N passed her a lighter and entered the nearest cubicle, taking up post against one wall and leaving space for Tina to follow suit.

         “You should really be more careful who your friends are,” Carol said, at last breaking the silence that had settled over them, save for the sound of Tina exhaling a cloud of smoke before giving the cigarette to Y/N.

         It had been the elephant in the room for weeks now, that Y/N had taken a liking to Eddie Munson. Carol and Tina didn’t think he was good enough, but they’d bitten their tongues for her sake—it wasn’t their business what Y/N did when they weren’t around to stop her, but Billy’s death had struck fear and an odd sense of determination into Carol, and the mysterious phone call she’d received was the kick to the pants she needed to meddle in what she considered “problems” that weren’t even hers to solve.

         “What’s that supposed to mean?” Y/N asked, peering around the door at Carol’s reflection, the warning glare that Tina sent the redhead going unnoticed. “I’m friends with you—is there something I need to know?”

         “I’m serious, Y/N! You know, I’m surprised you can stand to be around Eddie after what he did to Billy.”

         “Woah! Back up.” Y/N shoved the smoking stick into Tina’s grasp. “Eddie didn’t kill anyone. I was with him, like, all night. Just because someone has different interests than you, doesn’t make them a murderer or give you the right to call them one.”

         “I don’t know,” Carol pressed. “He likes that weird game they’re always talking about in the news. He could be a Satan-worshipper, for all we know—he sure looks like one.”

         Y/N scoffed. “Nancy’s Wheeler’s little brother plays D&D. That doesn’t prove anything.”

         “He’s probably a freakshow, too, then.” Carol heaved a sigh, fingers working to fluff her hair. “Back me up, Tina.”

         Tina had fallen silent for the duration of the exchange and wasn’t looking to get involved now. While she’d agreed with Carol’s points a couple of days ago when they’d first talked about it after Eddie had dropped by her house to pick Y/N up, Carol had no tact. It was one thing to be concerned for a friend but another to point blame and confidently accuse someone of stabbing another classmate to death, and personal biases aside, Tina couldn’t bring herself to do such a thing. As Tina waited for a half-assed excuse for an exit to the conversation—at the very least, a change in topic—to come to mind, she flicked the cigarette into the toilet, foot lifting to press the handle. The water swirling in the bowl reflected her turbulent thoughts, but at Carol’s insistent, “Well?” she started, “I—”

         The door of the stall next to theirs flung open, effectively cutting Tina off before her embarrassment could, and Y/N reached out, grabbing the closure to their own compartment and yanking it closed in the case a teacher had entered their midst.

         “What the hell are you supposed to be?” Carol asked. “You’re a little late—Halloween was last week.”

          Y/N and Tina exchanged a quizzical look, but before they could voice their curiosity, Carol said, “Hey! What are you doing? Get away—” Her angry words fizzled out into a pained screech, though the noise was muffled—by what, the girls didn’t know, and they didn’t dare ask. Instead, they waited with bated breath, hands clasped over their mouths and panic clawing at their throats like a wild beast desperate to break out of its cage as they listened to their companion struggle against her assailant. At last, Carol’s body slumped to the floor with a soft thud, and Y/N and Tina expected to be next, both of them shifting their weight to lean on the door in a poor attempt to keep it bolted shut, but the threat never came.

         Only silence.

         “Are they gone?” Tina whispered, her voice shallow and broken.

         Y/N nodded. “I think so.”

         Timidly, Y/N stepped out of hiding to find that they were alone. Carol laid on the tile, a red puddle oozing out from beneath her limp form. Behind Y/N, Tina’s scream alerted her added presence, but Y/N was hardly able to muster a reaction—all she could do was stare. This wasn’t her first dead body, and at the rate things were going, it probably wouldn’t be her last.

         As Tina ran out into the hallway, calling for help, Y/N ambled along numbly in her wake. Several people rushed past, knocking into her, and she nearly fell if not for the strong hand that reached out to steady her.

         “You okay?” Eddie asked, dark eyes blown wide with concern.

         Y/N shook her head. “Carol—somebody killed her.”

         Eddie’s brow furrowed, and his mouth fell open to speak, but down the hall, Chrissy called Y/N’s name, her words accentuated by frantic footsteps and a bouncing, blonde ponytail. Once she was within reach, Chrissy clutched onto Y/N’s arm, pink fingernails digging into the thick fabric of her sweater’s sleeve. “Let’s get out of here,” Chrissy urged. “This place is giving me the creeps.” Then, sensing she’d interrupted something, she turned to Eddie. “Do you need a ride? I’m sure Jason won’t mind.”

         Jason scoffed as he walked by, clutching Chrissy’s shoulder and tugging her away. “He doesn’t need a ride,” he countered. “I’m sure the Freak can take care of himself.” Jason glanced back to his girlfriend’s prior companion with an impatience in his cold gaze. “Y/N, are you coming?”

         Y/N hesitated, gaze darting between Eddie and the couple. Finally, she said, “I’m sorry. I’ll call you later, okay?” and jogged to catch up with the pair of jocks.

                                           ────── 〔 ☠ 〕─────

         The shrill tone of the telephone went unnoticed by most in the room, save for the woman sat at her desk, flipping mindlessly through a magazine. At the first ring, she exhaled, pushed the book aside, and slid her small notepad over into its place, pen already poised in her grip to jot down a message by the time she answered, “Hawkins, P.D.”

         Florence rose to her feet, shuffling around the corner of the table in front of her, and diligently strode down the dimly lit hallway. She paused at the shut door of the Sheriff’s office, knocking once out of forced politeness, then entered without an invitation.

         Jim Hopper’s muddy boots were propped precariously on the corner of his messy desk, chair leaned back as he licked off the donut glaze that had crusted onto the fingertips of his right hand, his left prying open the blinds for a clearer view of the tree line behind the station. He started at the woman’s sudden arrival but gained composure quickly with a dissatisfied grunt. “What is it, Flo?”

         “Carol Perkins is dead.”

         “Shit,” Hopper muttered, righting his seat. He threw back the rest of this morning’s coffee—cold from lack of attention—and stood, grabbing his coat and hat. “Where is she?”

         “They found her over at the school.”

         Hopper burst out of his office with Florence in tow as she returned to her spot in the office. The man threw on his coat as he strode toward the door, drawing the attention of some of the others as they took in his hurried state.

         “Where ya goin’, Chief?” Powell asked, hand slowly creeping toward his hat as an unspoken question of whether or not he should be accompanying Hopper.

         “The high school,” Jim answered. “A student died.”

         “Jesus,” muttered Officer Callahan. “Another suicide?”

         Hopper paused his movements, fingers stalled on the doorknob. “I’m not so sure it is.”

                                          ────── 〔 ☠ 〕─────

         “I let it happen.”

         The muted strumming of guitar strings halted as Eddie shifted on the floor to get a better view of Y/N. “What?”

         “Carol,” Y/N explained. “I was there. I heard her getting attacked, and I didn’t do anything to stop it.”

         Eddie tilted his head, studying her. Y/N was perched at the edge of his bed, her fingers fiddling anxiously with a loose thread at the hem of her sweater. If she didn’t stop, she’d unravel it, but she didn’t appear to care. A deep furrow had taken up residence between her brows and didn’t show any signs of budging, the corners of her mouth turned downward to match. She stared at the space beside Eddie, one of the only bare sections of his wall, as if afraid to meet his eyes, that the information she’d just revealed to him would somehow negatively alter how he viewed her.

         Setting aside his instrument, Eddie hesitantly scooted over until he was sitting crisscross on the carpet in front of Y/N. “It’s not your fault,” he began. “You know, I can’t think of anyone outside of a comic book that would’ve done anything other than what you had. We’re only human, and there’s nothing wrong with being scared.”

         “That’s all I am, though,” Y/N answered, a tearful crack in her words. “Every day now, I’m scared, and I don’t even know what I’m scared of.” She inhaled sharply. “Maybe Carol was right. We shouldn’t be friends.”

         No matter how much Eddie had braced himself to hear Y/N utter that sentence, it hadn’t done anything to soften the blow. He’d allowed himself to become too comfortable, something he’d always been wary of when it came to letting new people into his life, and she’d stolen his breath with a punch to the stomach when he wasn’t looking. No. Eddie had been punched in the stomach before, and this felt worse.

         “Oh,” he said. “Okay.”

         Y/N gave a helpless shake of her head, strands of hair catching in the dampness that now coated her reddening cheeks as her sadness overcame her. “I think I’m cursed. Everyone close to me keeps dying, and I can’t—I don’t want you to be next.”

         Eddie’s lips twitched. Oh. “Don’t worry about me,” he assured, risking a timid smile. “I’m tough. I mean, you heard Carver today—I can take care of myself.”

         “You shouldn’t have to.”

         “Well, sweetheart,” Eddie said, “that’s a risk I’m willing to take.” He reached up, hand finding purchase on the side of Y/N’s face. His thumb brushed away water droplets as they trailed along her skin, urging her to meet his eyes. “If you’ll let me.”

         “I can’t ask you to do that.”

         “I know.”

         He was going to anyway.

         As the sun sank toward the horizon, the shadows cast through Eddie’s thin curtain grew longer, reaching toward the opposite wall of his room and threatening to creep down the short hallway toward the kitchen. The seemingly endless lull in conversation that had settled over the duo was ended only when Eddie pointed out that it was getting dark. “C’mon, I’ll take you home,” he said.

                                         ────── 〔 ☠ 〕─────

         The front door had barely slammed into place when the phone started ringing, its demanding calls bouncing off the walls of the dark, empty house.

         “Jesus Christ,” came an irritated mutter.

         Steve had been with Dustin Henderson for hours of his life that he’d never get back, spent in a vain search for the boy’s supposed cat-eating lizard. He was tired—the teen wanted nothing more than to take a shower, scrub the dirt from his hair and wipe the grime from his face, and crawl into his inviting albeit cold bed.

         “Hello?” Steve asked, pressing the receiver to his cheek.

         “Remember me?”

         “Look, buddy, I don’t have time for your bullshit tonight.” Steve moved the speaker away from his ear, phone angled back toward its cradle, but the voice crackling from the other end was still audible, and what it said stopped him in his tracks.

         “I’ll take that as a yes. It’s a good thing, too, because I haven’t forgotten you. That future deadbeat and the girl were just bumps in the road, but your time will be here soon enough. Better keep that bat handy, Harrington—never know when you might need it. Not that it’ll do you any good, of course. You won’t see me coming, just like poor Barbara in that swimming pool of yours. At least you’ll deserve it.”

[qprstobin]

I think stomarol HATE tommy hayes so much. Tommy (Hagan) calls him a name thief, an imposter, etc. And the hatred is definitely mutual lmao. Both because Hayes hates Tommy H's attitude but also because Tommy H is best friends with Steve their captain who stops them from being as big of dicks as they wanna be.

[ghostlynimbus]

How do y'all feel about Tommy and Carol? What do you like to see in regards to them in fic?

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts, or any clarifications on votes.

I'm personally pretty ambivalent about them, I've definitely read fic where the experience was greatly improved by their inclusion, but I have also read a lot of fic where they weren't included and i didn't really miss them.

I'm curious how other people feel.

[roanofarcc]

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER FOUR → TEENAGEDOM

summary: steve harrington x oc

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown. 

word count. 3.1k

warnings: cannon typical violence, child-abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. slight cannon divergence. 

previous chapter ← → next chapter

When Sunshine was little, she was allowed to press glow-in-the-dark stars to the ceiling of her room. It wasn’t her idea, but rather the oldest child inside the Lab. Ivy, or 002, somehow convinced them to let them all decorate their otherwise cold and white rooms with the stars. And after they were stuck to the ceiling, whenever Sunshine was upset, Ivy would sneak into her room after curfew, and they’d look at the stars together. Ivy would tell her to make a wish, and she promised that it would come true, even if they were real stars. But the older Sunshine got, she realized that wishes on fake stars didn’t come true, no matter how much you believe in them.

However, for the first time in what felt like her whole life, she saw real stars with her own eyes.

Seated in the backyard of Steve’s house, Sunshine found herself surrounded by a group of teenagers who were drastically different from her.

It was a dangerous game she was playing. The more people who knew about her added to the long list of threats the two posed, but it was a calculated risk on her part. It was either return to Steve’s house for one night or risk a night in the woods.

And it was going rather well. The lie that Steve had told his friends worked. They all believed she was a family friend, and none of them questioned it despite the obvious differences she had from them. To them, she was another teen at a party; they had no idea of the nightmare she was still too close to.

Sunshine noticed every small difference between them and her. The two boys held cans of beer in their hands and smirks plastered on their faces, and the girls wore soft-colored clothing and carried an air of sweet carelessness with them. They all were normal kids who talked about school and their plans for the weekend, while Sunshine sat with her knees pulled into her chest while the world slowly closed in around her.

Her head spun from the events that took place that day, which were full of bad decisions. When she left that morning, she didn’t realize how unprepared for the real world she was. Every person she passed made her heart seize up inside her chest The air of Hawkins was cold, and all the streets were unfamiliar.

She had roamed the woods for a while in search of Eleven, and the whole time she thought of Ivy. The older girl had been the closest thing they all had to a mother, but she was still a teenager herself. Ivy acted much older, though. She was the one who pressed kisses to their foreheads before they fell asleep and held their hands when they were scared.

Sunshine wished, more than anything, that Ivy was beside her. She would’ve known just want to do, where to go, and how to find Eleven.

Instead, Sunshine was still without her sister and still haunted by the ghost of Two.

Before she got too lost in the woods, Sunshine hesitantly ventured into town to see if her sister had sought out the paved streets instead of the towering trees. And when she entered the convenience store that afternoon, she had no intention of drawing any attention to herself. She had the money from Steve tucked safely inside her coat pocket and planned to use to it buy something to eat. But when she walked down one of the aisles, there was a woman at the other end who stared at her with a gaze that bore into Sunshine's skin. It freaked her out, so she hurried into the next aisle, but as she did so, she swore she saw the frame of a familiar ghost with dark skin and even darker eyes pass her by. In a frantic blur, she tried to chase after the conjured version of Ivy her mind had created.

She followed the false hope of a child who longed for something comfortable and familiar in such an unfamiliar place. But there was a bag of chips in her hand that she hadn’t paid for still in her hands as she rushed toward the door, and the man in charge thought she was trying to steal.

He refused to listen to her and grabbed her wrist harshly. The contact caused her to freeze and almost shut down completely. It felt like she was back in the Lab, in a paper gown and with a shaved head, being dragged down the hall. Her limbs went stiff, and her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest. She was so sure the man was going to make one phone call and that’d be it for her. They’d find her and put her right back inside the very place she had finally escaped from.

And instead of fighting back, all she could do at the moment was try not to cry like a pathetic child.

But, in an odd turn of events, the boy she’d met the night before appeared out of nowhere and untangled her from the mess she’d made. Maybe that was why she was so quick to follow him back to his house for another night.

Even in the presence of strangers in his backyard, Sunshine was a little less petrified. The people were all kids like her, and she had always trusted kids more than adults. There had yet to be an adult she came across who didn’t lie to her, hurt her, or manipulate her in some way or another. Adults never kept their promises, and Sunshine had seen adults do some of the vilest things imaginable to innocent children who couldn’t defend themselves.

It was children and teenagers alike who she trusted and put her faith into; they were the only ones who hadn’t let her down. So, she didn’t run from the unusual social scene, and sat in a chair beside Steve’s swimming pool and listened to his friends talk.

A soft sigh fell from Sunshine’s lips, and it was visible in the cool air. She watched the stars that glittered in the darkness; real stars that maybe, just maybe, made wishes come true.

“So, Stella,” someone said, calling her attention using the name Steve had made up back at the store. A petite brunette, who sat in the seat beside her, asked, “Where’d you say you were from?”

Sudden panic swelled up in her chest and her eyes darted toward Steve, who was already looking at her. He cleared his throat and toyed with the can of beer in his hands, probably formulating another lie. “Oh, man, you know, her family moves around like crazy. But, uh, you said New York was the next stop, right?”

Sunshine nodded slowly. “Yes. New York,” she repeated.

The girl who asked her the question introduced herself as Nancy. She was about the same height as Sunshine, with long hair that fell over her shoulders and a soft smile. “That’s cool! I’ve always wanted to visit New York,” she said. Maybe Sunshine did too.

One of the friends that she’d met earlier that day, Carol, flicked a lighter and grumbled, “New York’s gotta be better than this shithole.” She took a long drag of a cigarette and blew out the smoke before she spoke again. “How long are you crashing at Steve’s bachelor pad?”

“N-Not long,” she answered quickly and a little clumsy. She wasn’t used to being asked so many questions or talking much to anyone who wasn’t Eleven. And even then, she had hardly saw her sister inside the Lab.

“Not much of a talker, huh?” Tommy mused.

Sunshine shifted in her seat, unsure of what she was supposed to say until Steve steered his friend’s attention away from her. He held up another two beers and whistled at the boy. “Hey, dude, shotgun?”

Tommy’s lips quirked upwards in a smirk as Steve tossed him the can.

She watched closely as the two boys poked holes in the cans and threw their heads back, drinking it as quickly as they could before the can was empty, then they threw their trash to the ground and cheered.

There was almost nothing she understood about the world around her. Every word from the teens' mouths, mixed with carefree laughter, made her sink further into the daunting realization that she was still all alone. Steve and his friends fit together; they made sense to each other. It was Sunshine who was the clear outlier. Her mind had been re-wired to remove almost all normalcy inside of it. There was a persistent buzz in the back of her brain and a dangerous glow she could create in the palms of her hands. She wasn’t like them, but she wished she could have been.

It didn’t matter how far she and Eleven ran away from Hawkins, she’d never fully rid herself of the past. All Sunshine hoped for was that her sister got a second chance. Eleven was a few years younger, and there was still time for her to live a somewhat normal life as a kid if they fully escaped.

“Oh, shit!” A chorus of yells ripped through the air, causing Sunshine to flinch at the noise and turn her attention onto a short-haired redhead, Barb, who was standing and clutching her hand as blood dripped down her arm and onto the concrete below.

“Barb…” Nancy stood up too and placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder, but Barb jerked away and shook her head.

“It’s fine, Nance. It’s fine,” she muttered before she glanced at Steve. “Where’s your bathroom?”

“It’s just down the first hall and to the right.”

Right then, Sunshine felt a sudden shift in the air, one that she couldn’t explain but felt deep in her gut. She was struck with an almost violent sense of unease, and her eyes stayed glued to the drops of blood that soaked into the concrete.

The air felt thick and even colder than before.

Sunshine watched as the group of teens, minus Barb, returned to their conversation as if nothing had happened. Turning her head, she peered out into the darkness toward the woods.

The bottoms of her feet still stung with cuts from running, and her body still ached. All of that pain collided with a feeling of dread that only increased when she gazed into the woods.

She wanted to believe it all was just an overwhelming feeling of guilt. Guilt over not finding her sister and splitting up with her in the first place. But, that little voice in the back of her head warned her that it was something more.

There was something out there.

A dual set of screams rang out within a colorless bedroom. A young number Seven fell against the floor with a strangled gasp before she scrambled backward until her back hit the wall on the opposite side of the room from an even younger boy.

The boy’s eyes were glassed over, foggy and unfocused, and a line of blood dripped down from his nose. Ivy jumped down from the bed she sat on, observing, and kneeled beside Seven. She placed her cold fingers on the little girl’s shoulders and stared at the crescent-shaped nail marks felt behind on Seven’s forearm, deep enough to draw blood.

The air was thick and buzzed with unnatural static that caused the hair on all three children's arms to stand on end.

Ivy let go of Seven and slowly crossed the room to where the youngest of the three sat. The boy held his legs close to his chest and let tears dot his pale cheeks, but he bit down hard on his lower lip to stifle his cries.

“What did you see?” Ivy asked calmly, as to not frighten the boy any further than he already was. His chin trembled as his eyes cleared and returned to their natural, unhazy gray. “Tell us what you saw, Nine.”

Nine sniffled and rested his chin on top of his knees, gaining the courage to speak. “Dark,” he whispered. There was something unnerving about the tone of his quiet voice.

“What else?” Ivy pressed.

They all knew Nine was fragile - most kids inside the Lab were despite what they were capable of - but Nine’s abilities were not to be tip-toed around. Whatever he saw when his fingernails dug into Seven’s skin was important.

“Nine, tell us what you saw.”

“Dark. The dark, so much of it,” he cried as more tears gathered in his eyes and ran down his face. There were things inside the little boy’s head that neither Two nor Seven could fathom. His head was like a hive of wasps, and each time he made contact with someone, it was like kicking the nest. It buzzed too loud inside his ears; too many blurred figures, bright flashes, all-consuming darkness, and hundreds of hushed conversations from unknown voices that he couldn’t make out.

“A-And the end.”

The sound of splashing and loud laughter drew Sunshine out of her memory. She tried to shake the image of Ivy and Nine out of her head as she looked away from the woods and onto the pool, where the teens had pushed each other into. They swam around still in their clothes with wide smiles.

Sunshine swallowed the lump in her throat and hurried from the backyard back into Steve’s house.

She felt hot and cold at the same time. Her fingers were numb, but the back of her neck beaded with sweat. She didn’t know what was happening to her, or in general. Maybe it all was inside her head, some kind of side effect of escaping the Lab and experiencing the real world. Or maybe the little boy from her memory knew something no one else did; maybe he had felt the same sense of dread she did at that very moment.

There was something wrong about Hawkins; it was like the rancid air of the Lab leaked out onto the town, and no one noticed, or they chose to ignore it. Maybe that was easier to do when you hadn’t witnessed what happened behind the white walls.

Sunshine turned down the hallway and almost collided with someone who was rounding the corner as well.

“Oh!” Barb gasped out in surprise. “Geez, you scared me.”

“Sorry,” Sunshine said, her heart racing. Her gaze dropped onto the girl’s hand, which was wrapped in a red-stained bandage. “Is your hand okay?”

Barb nodded. “Yeah. It’s just a little cut, but I guess that’s what I get.” She let out a small, almost bitter laugh that punctuated the end of her sentence. Barb’s eyes met Sunshine’s before they shifted slightly and across her face, probably noting the bruises that looked a little worse in the brighter lightening of Steve’s house than compared to outside. “Are you okay?”

With a tight-lipped smile, Sunshine replied, “Yes. I just…I needed, uh-” Her words came out clunky and she didn’t really know what she was trying to say, but Barb seemed to know or guessed that she did.

“You need a break from the happy couples out there?” Barb said.

To Barb, it seemed like she and Sunshine shared something in common like they were on the same page. What they supposedly were on the same page about, Sunshine had no clue.

“Tell me about it,” Barb huffed. “You’re just lucky you don’t have to go to school with them.”

There was a sadness that Sunshine saw behind the teen’s eyes, but it was a kind of sadness that confused her. The two girls that stood face to face in the hall lived very different lives, but Sunshine pretended to understand, and just for a moment, Barb believed that Steve’s friend Stella understood just how she felt. For a moment, Barb believed that Sunshine understood something as mundane as teenage drama.

“Hey, Barb. Can you talk for a sec?” Nancy’s voice came from somewhere behind Sunshine and it was followed by more chatter and footsteps. The group all entered the home in their soaked clothes.

Barb’s shoulders slumped slightly before she slipped past Sunshine and disappeared around the corner to speak with her friend Nancy.

Steve’s other two friends, Tommy and Carol wandered into the kitchen, which only left Steve. He had a towel draped over his shoulders and his hair felt flat against his head. The carefree and happy look on his face faltered when he met Sunshine’s gaze, who still stood in the hall with her face paled and muscles tense.

“Everything all right?” he asked, walking toward her.

She wasn’t sure she had an answer to that, not one that could explain just how she felt. Every emotion she experienced felt out of place inside her head. She was so used to pushing all of those feelings down, but they refused to stay put and all rose to the surface at once.

With a quiet sigh, she replied with a simple, “Yes.”

Steve didn’t look too convinced of her answer, but it was clear that his attention was elsewhere. He wiped a few drops of water from his cheek and gestured down the hall. “There are clean pajamas in the laundry room, and my mom always keeps the bathroom down there stocked with stuff, if you want to shower or anything,” he said. “And there are still blankets and pillows on the couch, okay?”

Sunshine nodded, and Steve took that as his cue to return to his friends.

After grabbing a change of clothes, she locked herself in the bathroom.

Warm water worked to soothe her tense muscles just slightly, and she tried to focus on the shower itself instead of the tangled web of thoughts inside her head. She scrubbed her skin until it was raw, making sure that any trace of the woods or the Lab was washed down the drain. She even rubbed her tattoo in a fruitless attempt to erase that identity completely, but it’d never leave.

“The end.”

Over the running water, Nine’s words still sounded in her ears. They stirred up a cold, hopeless feeling deep inside her chest, snaking around her heart and squeezing it tight. She had tried to ask him what he meant, what he saw, but she never got the answer. All she knew was that Nine saw something when his fingers dug into her arm, showing him her future.

That, among many other things, were answers Sunshine would never get.

She wouldn’t be the only one who wouldn’t get the answers they deserved either.

Blood ran down the drain of the tub from a cut that Sunshine accidentally reopened on the palm of her hand. Outside, another drop of blood fell into the swimming pool. It hit the blue surface and mixed with the stench of chlorine, and yet another mystery unraveled in Hawkins.

Tagged → @thearcher-winchester-version @suniloli

@sattlersquarry

[stevethehairington]

okay but. stranger things challengers au when hrjskskdjsms

[friendsdontlieokay]

I want Carol and Tommy H. to peak into S5 for a little while where the party and the fruity four (now three, I'm sorry) are hanging out, performing some important task where they bump into those jerks and they're like "Oooh..Look who it is! Nancy the slut wheeler with her boyfriends" and keep throwing a disgusting snarky look which they think is cool but it absolutely isn't. And Nancy just tries to avoid them cause there's no point in arguing with them, they're real shits, but as she keeps moving, Carol pushes her and starts off like "Where are you going whore? Got another lover at home?" And they start laughing, and suddenly Tommy's met with a bunch of punches but it's not Steve or Jonathan, it's actually Mike breaking his nose with his bony fist and intending to break Carol's too but only stopping himself cause she's a girl. Please I need this