#dustin's mysterious father figure

[howtobecomeadragon]

just thought about father's day for everyone in stranger things and nearly keeled over in pain

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Headcannon that Steve is actually smarter than he let's on because he's so used to pretending to be stupid in front of his dad. Even though he never said, his dad always hated it when a kid was smarter than him. When he got mad at him for not getting into college, Steve figured that it wasn't him that was the problem but his dad. No matter what Steve did, he wasn't good enough for his father. Steve figured out D&D pretty quickly, not that he would tell Dustin that. It was always hilarious when Dustin got mad when Steve called it anything other than Dungeons and Dragons. He was so used to hiding the fact that he understood more than he let on. He even hid it from the party, even though they had been through so much together and they were more like a family than his own family had been.

It was Eddie who had caught on to the fact. He was always watching the former king of Hawkins High, curious to know about the mysteries he hid deep within. The kids always scoffed when he called him that: a mystery. They saw what they wanted to see on the surface: a man with no hidden depths. He was exactly who he said he was. Eddie knew differently. He watched him out of the corner of his eye and watched him smirk at every joke Steve Harrington shouldn't have understood. Eddie knew exactly what he was hiding. He decided to test his theory.

Steve hadn't been expecting it. They were holding Hellfire at his house since the school wouldn't allow them to host it on the property anymore. Steve didn't play, but Eddie allowed him to sit in to watch. While Steve was watching the game, he didn't know that Eddie was casually watching him. When the game wrapped up and Eddie called out to him while he was cleaning up, Eddie asked him a question that Steve shouldn't know.

Steve froze when he answered and looked up to see Eddie looking at him gleefully. Eddie pressed him, and eventually Steve broke, telling him all about his father. He told him how his father hated that he read so much. He hated that his son was such a nerd. He told him how his books had been his only source of comfort growing up because he had been left alone so often. He told him how he had to let that go in favor of sports, but he did eventually love basketball, but he hated being an asshole like his father. When he stopped crying, a thing he was taught never to do, he realized that Eddie was holding him in his arms.

"What else are you hiding from us, big boy?" Eddie asked softly.

Steve leaned over and kissed him. He pulled back, afraid that he had messed things up, but Eddie was smiling. The other man moved forward and kissed him so sweetly that Steve’s legs nearly gave away. It was a good thing that Eddie was holding him up.

"You don't have to hide yourself away, Stevie, not ever. Not with us, okay? And I know I made a big deal about it before, and I apologized to Lucas for it. It's okay to be a nerd and a jock. It's okay to like both."

[formosusiniquis]

inspired by this post by @ruelogy

ao3

Eddie knows he got to Hawkins a little later than everyone else. He wasn't born and raised in the six miles of town with the same eight people his whole life. There was a whole social services kerfuffle that meant he didn't land in this small town hell hole until he was the ancient age of thirteen. He knows he's destined to forever be the freaky new kid with the shaved head and the group home eyes who joined in the eighth grade. But even without all that he is fucking positive that there was no Henderson in any of his three graduating classes.

Yet here Henderson the supposed younger sits painting him a mystery week after week. Steve said this, Steve did that, Steve may very well be a delusion if the way the others giggle and sigh every time he gets brought up is any indication. Cause it goes like this: Henderson comma Dustin is a fellow Hawkins transplant. Son of a single mother -- divorced or widowed, Eddie knows enough now to be sure that fueled the Hawkins gossip mill for weeks -- who brought her young son with her. Son, singular. Dustin joined the first grade class of Michael Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, and William Byers and that is as they say history. If there had been sons, plural, this mysterious older brother should have by all of Eddie's figurings joined Hawkins junior high right around the same time as a miserable Eddie. There should have been whispers about two new kids, there should have been someone for him to commiserate with, befriend.

Yet week after week young Dustin sits at Hellfire spinning yarns of a brother who was, what, homeschooled? Sent to a private military academy? Boarding school? Stayed at home with the mysterious father that Dustin doesn't mention -- and Eddie knows enough about fathers that go unmentioned not to break the silence -- but suddenly decided after he graduated to come join his mother and brother in Hawkins? Cause the thing is, Hawkins isn't that big. If pressed he's pretty sure he could name at least 90% of both of the classes he was supposed to graduate with and at least 75% of the group he's stuck with this year. He'd at the very least recognize them on sight, and not just cause he's dealt to the greater portion of the high school. Eddie pays attention, there are only like 400 students at the high school at any time, he should by all accounts be able to say, "Oh yeah that scrawny, bespectacled loser is Steve Henderson."

Except maybe there is no Steve Henderson, he's already faintly sure there's no Suzie so what's one more fictional friend from Dustin Henderson. Maybe this Steve is just the product of a fractured mind brought on by too much hands on parenting. Eddie knows people think all of his bad behavior is the product of underparenting, but if the opposite causes imaginary siblings he'll take the hand he got thank you very much.

Cause, sure he's doing his best to be third time lucky with this whole high school thing. He does know that compared to the should be starry eyed, but actually unsettlingly wary freshmen he is an ancient being of chaos. Yes, he feels every ounce of the five year gap between 19 and 14 when he speaks to them. But beyond all of that, he is still young. Still capable of swooning now and then; and the now is when Dustin describes his big brother and the then was all the other times Henderson the older has been detailed.

"Well that's cause I'm not really sorry, Mike," Henderson is on a tear already when he makes it to Hellfire, "I told you I have plans already."

"It's not that big a deal," Lucas placates, "we can do it another day."

"My parents won't be out of town another day," Mike sneers, "Will, you wouldn't ditch out on an all night Nintendo marathon for a date with Steve would you?" He says it like Will is the voice of the populace or something.

Maybe he is, and going by the way Will flushes a bright pink up to his bowlcut the voice of the people would in fact rather go out with Steve Henderson than hang out in a basement playing video games.

"It's not a date, he's my brother, and yeah dude I'm gonna skip out on watching you scream at Mario to go to an all night Stephen King movie marathon." Dustin says.

And swoon. That sounds like a dream.

"Like Steve would ever do something that cool, you can just say your mom won't let you come over cause my parents aren't gonna be home." Mike is surlier than usual, a trait he has noticed happens a lot when Henderson the elder gets broached. Eddie's theories range from misplaced sibling jealousy to repressed queer crush on Steve.

"C'mon kiddies save the tantrums for your mommies," he doesn't have a taste for it regardless of the answer, puberty is a bitch he's glad to be seeing the back of and Wheeler can go from being an angel to the kind of brat you do want to narc on just a little. "The rest of us have hoards to slay, maidens to save, things that don't involve listening to your play date fall apart."

He desperately wants to ask Henderson where they're movie night is taking place, because it sounds amazing and not at all because he wants to finally see this mysterious brother.

“It wasn’t even mine!” Henderson is moaning by the time Eddie makes it from O’Donnells to the cafeteria. He wasn’t that late, five minutes to plead his case for his grade at most, but Henderson could monologue with the best of them and it took about as much to get the kid going as it did Eddie, which was saying something.

“And you and Erica made fun of what was under my bed.” Lucas says with a smirk and a roll of his eyes.

“What was under your bed?” Will asks.

“We are not going to let Dustin get out of the fact that his Mom found his Star Trek porn that easily,” Mike shrieks, he sounds like he’s trying to mind his volume but it’s still too loud for a public venue, “You gave me shit for weeks about that Penthouse you found under my bed.”

“We gave you shit because you stole it from your dad,” Lucas corrects, not that anyone but Eddie hears it.

Cause as Lucas speaks Dustin is shouting, “It wasn’t fucking mine! It has to be Steve’s but try telling my mom anything about her favorite son.”

Three sets of disbeliving eyes look over at Dustin, but it’s Mike who says, “There’s no fucking way anyone is gonna believe it was Steve’s dude, just give it up.”

“I don’t even like Star Trek that much!”

Eddie has been having dreams of a mystery boy with a gorgeous head of hair and Dustin’s sweet smile. He likes horror but will pretend to get scared so he has a reason to hide his face in Eddie’s neck, and when he gets there he’s a biter. “Now, now Henderson, what kind of self-respecting nerd doesn’t enjoy the dulcet tones of Mr. Spock.”

Henderson wrinkles his little nose, what a twerp or maybe he’s thinking of his brother’s zine again, “It’s okay, but who goes to sci-fi for philosophy when you could watch space battles and deathstars.”

Eddie spares a prayer for Dustin’s English grade. “Well at least one Henderson has taste.”

He’s never had a younger sibling in Hellfire before, Gareth and Joey are only children and Jeff is way older than his miracle baby sister, so it is a treat to watch the way Henderson goes red, white, and then green as he cycles through a series of emotions surrounding his brother so fast it gives Eddie a headache.

“Dude, he probably bought it for you not knowing what it was,” Mike says, “it’s not like Steve is watching Star Trek.”

"You didn't see it."

"Maybe it was a prank?"

Eddie tunes them out, returning to the Steve in his imagination. They're slipping out of the movie they just finished, the one they bought tickets for, Steve giggles -- Eddie thinks he'd have a nice laugh, thinks he makes his brother laugh a lot -- and tugs him into The Voyage Home. "You gonna think of your favorite captain while we hide in the back row, Stevie?"

"Kirk is an Admiral now, he has been for three movies. Some fan you are."

He wonders if it’s creepy, this mental file he’s compiling on Henderson’s brother. It’s not like he knows the guy, truly a backwards fucking miracle in this two stoplight nothing of a town, but Eddies’ always liked something that he can sink his teeth into and pull apart. That’s what Steve Henderson feels like to him, like if a rubix cube was also a steak. He’s lost track of the metaphor in his own head, it’s whatever.

Cause Steve Henderson loves horror movies, but watches sappy romance flicks with his mom when they both have the same day off. Steve Henderson’s favorite color is yellow, but he only wears it on days that he can barely get out of bed; Dustin says that like it’s a warning sign for the others “Steve has his yellow sweater on today,” explaining away his absence at the arcade that afternoon. Steve Henderson could have any girl he wants -- this factoid Eddie takes with a salt, lime, and tequila -- but he never goes on dates anymore and only hangs out with his best friend and coworker. Steve Henderson baked a brownie so good Jeff moaned in the middle of Hellfire but can only over or undercook pasta when he tries.

Dustin loves his brother. Dustin thinks he’s the worst person to ever grace this side of the planet.

That Eddie thinks is at least typical for siblings, barring the Byers who seem to be so close knit they’d put the Bradys to shame.

“Henderson, my man, why the long face? We’re about to begin the most dangerous leg of your quest yet!” Hellfire was getting a delayed start -- the drama club was actually using their prop closet, go figure -- it was just him and Henderson lurking outside so Eddie did have to find his fun where he could get it.

“Steve and Robin went up to Indianapolis and they’re gonna be gone the whole weekend.” And yeah, he probably could have guessed it was about big brother Henderson. Dusty has the cutest case of hero worship when he wasn’t wishing big brother dead. “They say they aren’t dating, and it’s just for her birthday, but a weekend trip seriously it screams romance.”

“And you’re mad they didn’t bring you?”

“I could have been out of the way! Do you know the kind of specialty tech shops they have up there? I need some things you can't get in Hawkins to improve Cerebro and it's twice as much to get them mail order. I could make myself scarce for a couple hours so they can get it on.

He smacks the bill of Dustin’s cap, knocking it down over his eyes, but nobly refrains from giving him a noogie, “Dusty if you ever want to pop your little Mormon girl’s cherry, maybe don’t say shit like ‘get it on.’”

“Suzie is an angel, don’t be crude, man.” Dustin’s hands are quick as they smack him away, that must be another little brother trait.

“An angel, huh, another point in the ‘girlfriend isn’t real’ category. How many imaginary friends do you have, kid? A girlfriend in Utah and a brother that no one but your party has seen.”

The rest of Hellfire starts to trickle in, having used their time waiting for their table more wisely than Eddie has. Dustin’s comment is delayed only momentarily as he says hi to the rest of the freshmen that he definitely saw only a few minutes ago. “For the record, Suzie is very real. And you…” It’s the way he trails off that makes Eddie nervous, the way a light goes on in his eyes that sets the hair at the back of his neck on end. His danger instincts are finely honed and that's the same, 'I'm smarter than you look' Henderson was wearing when he managed to sniff out half the traps Eddie had laid out last session. "You should meet Steve, I bet I could get him to pick us up next week instead of Nancy."

He thinks this must be what the raccoons behind the trailer park feel like. The obvious trap of the shiny silver cage that's been baited so sweet it's hard to resist walking in anyway. "Sure, Henderson, tell the mysterious brother to stop by. Have him bring one of those zines that definitely belongs to him."

Dustin is especially vicious as dispatches with every creature that Eddie throws at him that day. It’s hard to be that upset, he’s feeling pretty fat and happy sitting in whatever animal control rodent trap Henderson thinks he’s got him in.

The next week’s session comes in a haze of vague daydreams and intense session prep. He’s had Steve Henderson on the brain for so long that he all but forgot about his little tête-à-tête with Dustin the week before. Forgot if not for the way that Baby Henderson is vibrating at the Hellfire lunch table when Eddie arrives.

“Steve is coming to get us from Hellfire today!” Eddie personally thinks this doesn’t quite deserve the level of reaction that it’s getting, but Henderson is so worked up no one even needs to prompt him to keep him going. “He had to leave right after his weekend trip to go deal with lawyers and shit.”

“Are they still..?” Lucas trails off, he’s clearly concerned but for all that Eddie hates that the kid is looking down the barrel of jock life he is extremely emotionally adept.

“Mom and Steve both said it was handled now. They won’t answer me when I ask any questions.”

Ominous, everything about Steve Henderson was so fucking weird. A kid who didn’t exist all through high school, that he’s never seen in town, who has lawyers now?

“Maybe Hop could,” the kid started to ask, hopeful.

“Mom says that it’s Steve’s business and we should all stay out of it unless he asks for our help.” Will responds by rote, something he’s clearly already tried before.

“So the infamous Steve Henderson is going to grace us with his presence today?” Eddie knows the answer already, but like most of his vices he can't resist indulging.

"He's taking us all out for ice cream after," Dustin agrees, "you could come too Eddie, I'm sure Steve wouldn't mind!"

"Steve minds everything," Mike grouses.

"Steve always buys your triple scoop sundae."

Eddie thinks Steve Henderson would have elegant fingers. He thinks about how they might toy with the straw of his milkshake while he smiles, coy and teasing, at Eddie, who he's charmed by. This Steve lets Eddie snatch the cherry from his drink, blushes when he gets his stem returned tied in a knot by Eddie's tongue.

"Well if Steve is buying, who am I to refuse an invitation?"

He does not end Hellfire early because Steve Henderson is coming. 

He does, by pure coincidence, need to piss 15 minutes before things are set to wrap up. If that gives him enough time to clean himself up a bit that's just luck. This isn't for Steve Henderson.

His bathroom break, and definitely not pre-date primp session, puts him at the back of the pack when Steve Harrington's maroon beemer pulls into the lot. It feels a little bit like sophomore year again. When his hair was in another awkward stage of growing out and curled around his ears, he didn't have his mom to help him with the curls anymore and he didn't know what to do with them now that they seemed to twist and turn in new directions post-buzz. He caught the sweetest looking boy with puppy dog eyes staring and he'd been so embarrassed about getting caught he'd touched his own locks. Hairsprayed into oblivion and locked firmly into place the touch was ripped away and a shy, 'what can you do' smile was shared between the two of them. It feels a bit like junior year when Steve Harrington broke the keg stand record as a sophomore. Rounding the corner from tipsy into drunk or maybe bypassing it altogether for blackout, he wandered over into Eddie's domain. He had that same shy little wave, but a stronger confidence. He sidled up to Eddie and wrapped a curl around a finger. He tugged, just a bit, the way kids do when they want to see if it'll bounce back. "Yknow you'd be pretty if you were a girl." The slip slide of his definitely drunk tone didn't take Eddie out at the knees any less.

The car curves up closer to the front steps and Henderson is shaking like a rocket leaving Canaveral. He actually starts to take a step toward the still moving car when four hands clamp down on him saving Steve last-name-to-be-determined from a vehicular manslaughter charge. Eddie is the last to release him when he hears that car slide into park. The engine has barely had time to rumble to a stop before Steve Harrington is out of it. A toothy smile splits his face and, hidden behind Byers and Wheeler, Eddie watches as Steve Harrington proceeds to engage in the nerdiest fucking handshake he's ever seen. Steve Harrington finishes dying by what seems to be lethal lightsaber disembowelment and waves at the other three teens. 

"Alright let's rock n roll if you twerps want ice cream before I drop you off. Joyce will kill me if you're late."

"Steve, can Eddie come with us?"

As Henderson asks Eddie now sees the exact size and shape of the trap he is in. The actually dweeby, dungeon master and drug dealer forced to watch the hot, once cool older brother bow to the obligation of Midwestern courtesy now that he's been ambushed with Eddie's existence. Or worse he'll have to stand there and pretend to be unbothered while King Steve shoots both Hendersons hopes and Eddie's dreams in the face with one curled lip.

He never could have imagined the furrow of confusion between his brows. The way lips wrap themselves around his name, tasting it. He hadn't, in his many fantasies, pictured golden brown eyes though he often thought of them snapping up to him like they were now.

A rosy blush blooms across Steve's face. He has the same shy finger wave he did as a freshman. "Depends, Dust, are you gonna give up your shotgun dibs or are you gonna make your troop leader sit in the back with the rest of the Party.” 

He watches as if in slow motion as Henderson lunges for Steve, the elder is laughing as the younger wraps his arms around his neck. There is something very intensely attractive about the lingering jock of it all. How Steve is still upright even as his teenage brother dangles from his neck. “You know it’s Dungeon Master, you get it right with Erica!”

“I have a lot of respect for Erica, the things she does with goblins and kobolds is masterful. You asked me about the lead up to a trap so obvious it felt like an eagle scout showing his little cubbies poison ivy." It's bitchy and nerdy in all the best ways, and then Steve H- Steve looks up at him and winks, "No offense, Munson."

"None taken, Stevie." That seems to catch them both by surprise, the lack of a certain last name to fall back to -- and weeks of imagining what it might be like to interact with the guy who is and isn't right in front of him -- has Eddie overly familiar. "I drove here though." His van stands like a monolith alone in the middle of an empty parking lot.

"Oh."

"But I could meet you there? Are you going to the Dairy Queen by the library or the haunted one?"

"It's not actually haunted," Byers pipes in with frightening sincerity.

"But yeah, the haunted one," Steve says with a boy next door grin.

"Then I will meet you and your charges there Sir Henderson." He bows and only immediately regrets it, now that the once Harrington lord of the school is out of his line of sight. His brain feels like it could short out, faulty wires sparking against memories and daydreams and general hormones.

A sheepie he saved from the slaughter snorts, another - probably Mike - whispers "Gross." There's a grunt that Eddie hopes is the traitor catching an elbow from one of the others. 

But it doesn't. fucking. matter because Steve Whatever laughs, practically giggles at Eddie and his antics.

And Dustin's rocket has come in for a rough landing, "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

Steve's hand envelopes the top of Dustin's head, he nearly palms it. It's not quite a noogie, more like he shakes his head for him. "Dusty-bun, why would you regret introducing me to your Dork Mother?"

"I'm gonna tell Ma you're being a bitch again."

"She won't believe you, I'm her favorite." He shoots another wink toward Eddie, a joke he's being allowed in on.

Level headed Dustin Henderson, who explained to him, in depth, how getting overly emotional impairs higher level critical thinking, stomps his foot. "You're so full of shit."

"I am. She chose me, she got stuck with you."

"Steve!"

He laughs at the despair he's caused, ruffling cap covered hair again until Dustin stomps out of reaching distance to climb in the Beemer with the other boys. Brown eyes are bright with mischief when he looks to Eddie, and he's struck by a thought. He was right, he hadn't ever met Steve Henderson before today. This is not the same boy who sat in the cafeteria with a closed mouth smile listening to Tommy H. and Carol. "Let me walk you to your car?" He asks.

"It's right there, Stevie, and do you really want to leave that band of miscreants alone with your car?" He's playing with fire, but the fear of getting burned has never stopped him before. He leans in close, whispers, "They might steal it."

Steve pales, a haunted look in his eye. He shakes it off, squeezing his eyes shut tight,  and that soft smile slips across his face again. "Let me watch you leave then." That smile slides into a smirk, as he looks Eddie up and down.

He was right about getting burned, his face feels like it's on fire as he flees the scene. His tail is definitely not tucked between his legs because Steve is absolutely staring at his ass right now. He doesn't remember how walking is supposed to feel, but it's probably not like this. It would be embarrassing, the fact that he probably looks like a baby deer discovering he has knees for the first time, if it weren't more important that he makes sure each foot is planted so he doesn't acquaint himself with the ground below him. Safely encased in the van, he chances a look through the windshield and confirms that Steve is watching him.

He waves, and yeah it is gratifying to see the guy who at one point had half the girls in school fawning over him duck his head like he's embarrassed at getting caught staring. Sinclair leans up from the back seat, Eddie watches him clap Steve on the shoulder and make a comment on… something, probably him. It makes the rest of the car laugh and Steve thunk his head down on the steering wheel. The horn sounds, an echoing burst of noise that cuts off just as quickly as it starts when Steve jumps in his seat. The seat belt stops his jump short, and he sends another flustered wave Eddie's way when he notices him still watching.

Maybe he'll mention this to Little Red, his new neighbor has mentioned stealing young Henderson's brother and making him a Mayfield instead. A joke that makes a little more sense now. Sinclair has been making moon eyes at her and baby Hopper at lunch for the last week. That will be a better punishment than anything Eddie could do to him at the table.

He waves back at Steve, gives him his most winning smile -- the one he practiced in the mirror for charming pretty boys if he ever got out of the armpit of Indiana. Mimes driving like he's in a bad movie. Across twenty feet and two windows, he can't hear Steve laugh, needs to get to somewhere where he can. He can see the smile though, the dorky thumbs up.

He lets the Beemer pull out in front of him, watches it for just a moment as reality sets in. Reality. He's going to meet Steve Henderson for soft serve. It's a dream come true.

Arwen shifts into gear, and he slides out behind Steve and the sheepies. A whole new world of daydreaming unlocked.

Maybe next week Steve Henderson will let Nancy pick the kids up next week. He'll slip in the back doors of the school, unnoticed by everyone. Stealth bonus obscene for a fighter class. Eddie is moving slow as he moves minis and graph paper maps into the tackle box Wayne gave him, back to the door he misses his rogue slip through the door until he's already grappled.

"Was it a good game, Munson? You win?"

"It's not like one of your sports, Henderson, the wins aren't as clear cut."

Hands start to wander, "Isn't any time you pull one over on the Party kind of a victory?"

"In which case I do stand victorious, your sweet baby brother lost his brand new axe to a mimic."

"Hmm, you know what we used to do after a victory in my 'sports?'"

A hand has migrated to an especially interesting place. "What?"

"We'd hit the showers."

Eddie shakes himself out of the daydream, easing just the smallest bit harder onto the accelerator. He needs something to cool himself off with. He also really wants to see Steve again, to make up for lost time.

[libraryofgage]

PJO Steddie Part Three

Part One | Part Two

I hope y'all are ready for some backstory in this bitch hfdjsk

Anyway, we learn some more godly parents, but one remains a mystery for now.

Also, if you like my writing, maybe consider commissioning me! I have, like, student loans hitting harder than I'd like, so I've opened commissions on ko-fi. You can read more about prices and such in this post.

Anyway, hope you have fun reading! And, as always, if you see any typos no you didn't ;)

---

Getting to Athens, Tennessee, had required a mix of bus rides, a single divine taxi ride, and a pair of knock-off winged shoes that Eddie should probably put out of their misery before they get him killed. Getting back to camp, thankfully, only requires the van Steve and the kids use to get around.

Said van, at first glance, looks like a hunk of junk. It seems to have stepped right out of the 80s, its paint is faded and scratched with dents in more than a few spots, and the wheels look about two tiny potholes from popping. As they get closer, Steve pulls a key ring from his pocket, and Eddie notices that it's a physical key and not one of the wireless fobs.

When they get inside, though, the whole van is transformed. The seats are made of the softest leather Eddie has ever felt, there are seven in the back for all the kids to be comfortable without arguing about space, and the sheer number of cup holders is enough to bring Eddie near tears. "This is fucking metal," Eddie says, practically melting into the passenger seat as the kids buckle up in the back and Steve starts the van.

"I got it after we outgrew my BMW," Steve says, shrugging as he checks on the kids and Eddie before pulling out of the parking lot.

"Steve says it's a surprise gift from our father," El pipes up from the back.

"Yeah," Dustin says, his voice excited as he leans forward and pokes his head between Steve and Eddie, "Cuz he doesn't know he bought it!"

Steve snorts and pushes down the bill of Dustin's cap as he heads towards the highway.

"So, is Zeus your dad, too?" Eddie asks, twisting around to look at El.

"No. Steve and I share a human father," El explains.

Even without looking, Steve can feel Eddie's confusion. "I try not to think about how I came into being," he says. "Just know our father seems to be a bit of a slut for Greek mythological figures."

"Wait," Eddie says, waving his hand, "does that mean Zeus was, like, a woman? Is Zeus your mother?"

"No clue. Like I said, I prefer not to think about it," Steve says again, shooting Eddie a look.

And Eddie drops it despite his growing questions. When a gorgeous boy tells you to stop asking about the impossibility of his birth, you shut up and listen.

A while later, as Steve is about to drive over the Tennessee state line and the kids doze off in the back, Eddie glances at Steve and shifts in his seat. His leg starts to bounce, his fingers drumming against his knee, as he tries to figure out which question to ask first. Eventually, he ends up blurting out, "So how did you manage to not die?"

Steve blinks and snorts, stifling the rest of his laughter so he doesn't wake the kids. He glances at Eddie, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "Well, how much of the story do you want to hear?" he asks.

"All of it." Eddie wants to know everything about Steve. How has he kept all these kids alive and for how long? When did they start traveling the country like this? When did he learn about his heritage? What does he like? What does he hate? Does he believe in fated love and love at first sight?

Okay, that last one can probably wait a little longer. Like, two more days, at least.

Steve hums softly, tapping his thumb against the steering wheel as though he's trying to decide where to start. "I didn't know about Zeus until I was eleven," he finally says. "I only learned then because my dad couldn't figure out any other explanation for how lightning struck on clear days whenever I was angry at other kids."

"Didn't you have to deal with monsters?" Eddie asks.

"Yes. And no." Steve frowns, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know how in all those stories Zeus will change his form to get with all those women? Like, he'll become whatever he needs to get what he wants."

"I'm familiar, yeah."

"It's a little like that, but I don't change my form. I guess I change my vibe? I can make monsters think I'm the son of a lesser deity. It got even easier when El came along because monsters don't target her."

"Why not?" Eddie asks, perking up some. If El has somehow figured out how to make herself invisible to monsters, maybe other campers can learn, too.

Steve grimaces, and Eddie immediately pushes back the urge to push for more information when he says, "It's...complicated. Let's not get into it right now."

"Okay," Eddie says, flashing Steve what he hopes is a reassuring smile when Steve glances at him. "When did you meet El, then?"

"Five years ago now, when I was fifteen. El's mother showed up, dropped her off with me, threatened me with death if she ever got hurt, and then left. El was, like, just eleven at the time, and our dad was no help. He just shrugged it off and gave me a bigger allowance to care for her."

"Was he not around?"

"No. He...travels. We haven't spoken to him in four years. He hasn't tried speaking to us, either. Despite me literally being Zeus's kid, he can't exactly show me off or anything. And El...well, he can't take her to any functions, either."

Eddie nods, pushing down the urge to ask why. But Steve said he doesn't want to talk about it, so Eddie instead asks, "And what about the rest?"

Steve hums, merging into another lane. "Well, El and I stayed in place for about a year. Then we saw some weird snake monster dragging Will around like a road snack. We saved him, but I almost died. It was my first fight, you know? But I lived, obviously, and El and I agreed to take Will back to his hometown. School was one break anyway, so we just did a road trip in my BMW. We ran into Dustin and Mike along the way. Dustin had made these, like, mechanical wings, and Mike was goading him on to give them a try. We got to the cliff right as Dustin jumped off."

"Wait," Eddie says, holding his hand up to pause Steve's story. "Are you telling me the kid just...decided to recreate Icarus?" he asks.

"Yeah, pretty much. He thought he could actually succeed since he's so much smarter," Steve explains, getting an amused grin as he thinks of it. "Anyway, didn't work, obviously. Dustin fell but managed to catch himself on the cliffside, Mike was yelling his head off but not actually doing anything, and El just took off running toward them. Which meant I had to run toward them, too. So, Will is trying to calm Mike down, El is practically dangling herself over the cliff, and Dustin is lamenting the loss of his wings."

"How'd you rescue him?"

"I just climbed down myself," Steve says, shrugging like it's no big deal. "I had him get on my back and climbed up, chewed both kids out for doing something so dangerous, and then asked if they needed a ride home, which is how I found out they'd run away and were just wandering."

"Half-bloods running away is pretty common," Eddie says, sinking down in his seat as he watches the trees rush by in the darkness. "A lot of us don't feel understood by our human families, or we don't want to endanger them when monsters track us down."

Steve nods, gripping the steering wheel a little harder. "Yeah, that's what Dustin and Mike said, too. I couldn't just leave them alone, so I invited them to come with us. Mike and Will get along really well, and Dustin is a little shit, and it's good for El to have friends her own age, so it all worked out."

"That still leaves out three whole kiddos," Eddie says.

"Well, Lucas and Erica we met in Will's hometown. Their dad and Will's mom had found each other and, like, bonded over having demigod kids. When we brought Will back, we met Lucas and Erica at this, like, barbeque thing to celebrate him being safe. And their parents ended up suggesting that we continue the road trip so the kids could be around others like them before school started again."

"Usually," Eddie says, fiddling with one of his rings, "parents go two ways. They either get really obsessed with keeping their kids safe to the point they're never let out of the house, or they completely ignore and reject the godly influence. But it sounds like their parents weren't doing either of those."

"Having each other helped. There was someone they could turn to when they felt doubt or just wanted to complain. When you're isolated, though, you just do whatever you think will keep you going, even if it might hurt the people you care about."

"You put that...really well."

"I've had a lotta time to think about it," Steve admits, frowning slightly before sighing and continuing with the story. "Anyway, we met Max and her brother a few towns over. It's...not a great story, actually. Her brother was a dick, like, massively horrible. He had a lot of problems and took way too much after his godly father in terms of anger. We ended up fighting because of how he treated Max and it didn't end great, but Max joined us and that's when I realized we needed a new car because the kids were piled on top of each other in the back. We got this conversion van in the next town with my dad's credit card, and we've been traveling ever since."

It's a lot to take in, and Eddie can tell there's a lot that Steve is leaving unsaid, but he doesn't call him out for it. "Okay, so, the whole not dying thing?" he asks.

Steve snorts. "Well, when you're chaperoning a gaggle of demigods, you get good at fighting off monsters. We've also had some...help along the way from a few goddesses, though."

Eddie perks up, looking at Steve like he's an alien. "You got help from goddesses? Which ones?"

"Sometimes, I'll pray to Hestia and she'll direct us to a motel with vacancies that'll be safe for the night. Or, uh, Demeter. I'll pray to her and fruit will grow on some trees or something. Hecate treated us to lunch once, said she found us amusing, and thanked me for the entertainment. Nike, Lucas, Max, and I have all played basketball together. I mean, she smoked us, no question, but she's part of the reason this van can run a few more miles without any gas. Hera helped once, sorta."

"Hera helped you? Hera? The goddess notoriously known for hating children of Zeus? That Hera?"

"Yeah, kinda surprised me, too. But, I mean, she's also the goddess of motherhood or something, right? And all she really ever wants is Zeus to be faithful. I don't think it's too much to ask, and I can't imagine the bullshit she goes through because of him. Anyway, we were getting attacked by this hydra, and I was really struggling to protect the kids. I mean, those heads were practically tearing me apart. And then she just, like, walks up and flicks her hand and the thing is gone. She told me to do better and then, like, disappeared. Not the weirdest thing that's happened, but it's up there."

And Eddie is starting to understand how they're not dead. It's just Steve. Like the prophecy was just Steve. Somehow, he's managed to get himself into the good graces of several goddesses and get their help. It's not entirely unheard of to get a god's favor, but having so many just be genuinely interested in you is unthinkable.

Eddie gets it, though. Steve fascinates him. He's like a magnet that Eddie doesn't want to fight. "So, uh, the kids," Eddie says, trying to keep his mind from lingering on Steve and just how incredible he is, "Who are their parents?"

"Lucas and Erica are kids of Aphrodite."

"Oh, does she like you, too?" Eddie asks.

Steve frowns, looking like he's just been reminded of something sour and gross. "No, we're not on good terms," he says, his voice a little frosty, and Eddie's mouth is suddenly dry.

"Good to know," he manages, his voice a little strained.

"Anyway, Dustin is a child of Athena. Max's mom is Nemesis. Will's dad is Morpheus, and Mike's dad is Plutus. Which has worked out well for us, actually. He keeps finding money on the street whenever we really need it."

"What about El?"

"El's mother...is complicated. We don't really talk about her," Steve says, his words soft and pleading, and Eddie immediately zips his mouth shut, winking conspiratorially at Steve when he glances over.

Then he unzips his mouth and says, "You know, you're pretty metal, Stevie."

Steve laughs, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth and glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure the kids are still sleeping. When he sees that they are, he relaxes a little. "I've never been called metal before," he says, glancing at Eddie.

"Well, that's a shame. I'll be sure to tell you whenever you're being particularly metal, big boy."

"Big boy?" Steve asks, amusement clear in his voice, and Eddie suddenly worries that Steve doesn't actually like the nickname but it trying to play it off.

Unfortunately, the problem is that Eddie has never been one to filter himself. So when Steve calls him out for the nickname and he panics, Eddie's knee-jerk reaction is to say, "Oh, would you prefer something else? How about pretty boy? Sweetheart? Gorgeous? Handsome?"

Even though it's dark out, Eddie can still see the blush that spreads across Steve's cheeks, the way his fingers tighten on the wheel until his knuckles turn white. He's getting flustered, and Eddie feels himself getting flustered, too, at the idea that it's because of him. He suddenly wants to see what else he can say or do to make that blush spread, and he wants to know just how far it spreads beneath the collar of Steve's shirt.

"Just, uh, whatever you prefer, I guess," Steve mumbles, keeping his eyes resolutely focused on the road and missing Eddie's surprised expression. He does, however, sneak a glance just in time to see the surprise morph into an unbridled grin.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," Eddie says, leaning back in his seat and looking forward to spending the rest of this road trip discovering what makes his Stevie tick.

----

Tag List! There is still room, I think lol

@mugloversonly, @mentallyundone, @hairdryerducks-blog, @carriethesaint, @lunabyrd, @weekend-dreamer7, @farfaras, @littlelady03, @my-tears-are-becoming-a-sea20, @mogami13, @a-little-unsteddie, @itsall-taken, @queenie-ofthe-void, @tinyplanet95, @littlebluejane, @hangoversandhandgrenades, @rabbitwhoeatsstars, @bisexualdisastersworld, @steddieinthesun,

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[wisdomssdaughterr]

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER THIRTY → THE RETURN OF THE LOST GIRLS AND BOY

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. 4.4k || masterlist

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

previous chapter ← → next chapter

All there was left to do was wait, and Steve hated waiting. 

The anticipation left him feeling jittery and he couldn’t sit still. He had no clue what to do while they waited, not when the only person he could have a non-awkward conversation with was fast asleep on the couch. 

Granted, Steve knew that Sunshine needed the rest for a multitude of reasons. She was their best line of defense if Will figured out he was in his backyard and sent the monsters after them. That, and she needed the rest. It was clear that she was exhausted between their ambush at the junkyard and their detour to the Hawkins Lab. 

Steve saw Sunshine scared before. When she stood wide-eyed and bloodied in the middle of his kitchen the night she escaped, he knew that there was pure terror in her eyes. But kneeling in front of her outside the Lab, trying to stop her fingers from clawing the tattoo out of her arm, Steve started to realize how deep her terror ran. He knew very little about what had happened to her over the ten years she was missing, besides her acquirement of superpowers, but that look in her eyes both the night she ran away and when she found herself back at the front gate told Steve enough.

Whatever went on inside that place was nothing short of a nightmare, he was sure. If it could make someone like Sunshine, someone who could face down monsters without flinching, no wonder she was so scared to end up back there. But Steve meant it when he said he and everyone else in their odd little group wouldn’t let that happen. If those people ever came back, they’d have to go through all of them to get to her; Steve was sure the kids' pure determination and sass would be enough to deter any bad guys. 

Bad guys. Monsters. Superpowers. It was insane to think that if Steve had stayed home that November night last year if he had quit his pursuit of Nancy, he’d probably have no idea what was going on in his hometown. Hell, Steve would probably be at home, drinking his father’s beers with Tommy and Carol with no clue to the fact that monsters lurked under their feet. But Steve’s entire life had changed in one week. 

He had taken up residency in the living room, a couple of feet away from where Sunshine slept on the couch, covered with a quilt that Hopper had placed over her before he snapped back into his tough guy mode and stomped his way out of the house and into the backyard with a couple of the kids trailing behind him with a plan. 

Steve swung his bat half-heartedly and was tempted to sink further into his head, but his thoughts were cut off by the sound of the back door slamming shut. Peering into the kitchen, he saw Hopper rejoin the group from the shed. Steve joined the crowd at the table and awaited the latest news about Will. 

“What happened?” Dustin asked. 

“I think he’s talkin’, just not with words,” said Hopper as he wrote down a series of dots and dashes on the sheet of paper. 

Steve furrowed his brows. “What’s that?” 

His question was answered in unison by Dustin and Lucas. “Morse code.” 

“H-E-R-E.” Hopper read his translation of the dashes and dots. “Will’s still in there. He’s talking to us.”

The group sprang into action, ready to decipher Will’s message before whatever possessed him took complete control of the kid. 

Hopper rejoined the group in the shed and relayed Will’s code through the walkie-talkie. Lucas listened closely to the series of clicks and repeated them to Dustin, who copied them down on a sheet of paper. Then, it was Steve and Max’s job to find the corresponding letter to each dash and dot to figure out what letters they stood for. They’d shout out the letter and Nancy wrote down the message on a sheet of paper. 

They all worked quickly, unsure of how long they had. Within a couple of minutes, they managed to gather the two-word message. Nancy held up the paper with furrowed brows as they all gathered around her, eager to see what Will had said. 

C-L-O-S-E-G-A-T-E. 

Close gate. The message was confusing and somewhat underwhelming to Steve, but he assumed the group of scary smart children knew exactly what their friend was talking about. Steve didn’t get a chance to ask any questions, though, because the phone rang with a shrill scream, startling everyone. 

Dustin was the first to feet. He ran to the phone and hung it up quickly. A tense moment of silence passed, and they thought they were in the clear. But the phone rang again. Dustin moved to hang it up again, but Nancy pushed the kid aside and ripped the entire receiver from the wall. It crashed against the ground and stopped ringing.

“Do you think he heard?” Dustin asked. 

Steve shook his head. “It’s just a phone ringing. That could’ve been anywhere, right?” It was a common ringtone, nothing unique, Steve wanted to believe. 

→←

Alarms blared through a smoke-filled corridor. Seven stumbled over her bare feet as she raced down the hall. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand in an attempt to keep herself from inhaling the smoke, but she couldn’t stop it from stinging her eyes. The world before her blurred as unwelcome tears formed. The alarms mixed with booming voices that came from all directions, disorienting her further as she ran deeper into the maze that was Hawkins Laboratory. 

Rounding the corner, she was met with a thick cloud of smoke and flashing emergency lights. The fire and burst lights were no doubt the doing of one little girl. And Seven needed to find her. 

Large, shadowy figures of soldiers came into view, and in between them and she stood Dr. Brenner with his hands clasped in front of him. The familiar, stoic, and remorseless expression on his face she had come to resent with every bone in her body. He nodded, a signal, and the soldiers dropped their weapons before they advanced toward her. 

Seven stood her ground and tried to shield the fear that knotted in her chest. “Where are they?” she screamed. Brenner didn’t answer, but he walked closer as the soldiers grabbed her shoulders with harsh fingers that dug into her skin. “What did you do?” 

Standing in front of her, he towered over her small frame. He looked down at her like she was lesser, a child but hardly one at that. 

The soldiers tugged harshly on her arms, holding them in an awkward position behind her back in an attempt to stop her from using her abilities. Seven struggled under their steely grip, but she didn’t break eye contact with Brenner. His eyes were nearly lifeless and rimmed red from the smoke. He was like a void, dark and cold and unforgiving. His eyes gave himself away; they reminded her that he’d burn the entire world to the ground to get what he wanted, and he didn’t care about the casualties caused.

“I’m afraid there was nothing else we could do,” he said with a simple shrug of his shoulders. “Actions have consequences, Seven. They knew what would happen if they tried to escape, and they paid the price for it.” 

Any sadness that lingered in Seven’s body was replaced by a fiery rage that ignited in her chest and pumped through her veins. A scream tore from her throat, and she thrashed against the men holding her like she was some wild animal. Her mind was much too scrambled to get a proper hold of her abilities, so she fought like the animal they treated her like. Seven twisted her body, bared her teeth, and kicked her legs for everything she was worth, but it still wasn’t enough. 

“This is your fault! This is all your fault!” she wailed, lungs burning from the smoke and her own fire. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” 

Oh, there was so much hate. She hated him for everything he was worth. She hated what he had done to her and to every single child who had met the cruel fate of entering the Lab. She hated how she had been conditioned to believe love was something only to be received if she shut up and did what she was told. She hated trying so hard to listen, to be good, to be quiet, to be violent only when asked. She hated that every single death that haunted the building had never been for the greater good, but only for the benefit of a madman. 

A void had been carved out of her chest and it bled senselessly on the tiled floor. The number of children had dwindled to two. Two out of too many to count. Only she and Eleven remained, and what was to come of them?

The ringing of a telephone tore Sunshine from her nightmare. She sat up with a strangled gasp as the image of a smoke-filled hall was replaced by a warmly lit living room. A rush of voices followed, accompanied by a slamming door and loud footsteps. Sunshine slid off the couch but paused as she stood. The world around her swayed and her vision blurred for a moment before it corrected itself. Her head still throbbed, and her bones still ached, but she tried to fight it off. She rubbed her eyes and winced as the fresh bruises settled into her skin. 

Everyone flooded into the living room, looking frantic and moving in a whirlwind that made her even dizzier. “What’s going on?” she asked.

All of the kids, minus Will, jumped onto the couch and looked out the window. Dustin flickered his gaze between the outside and Sunshine, his face drained of blood. “Will figured out where we are and sent the Demo-dogs after us.” 

A chill ran down her spine and her lungs ached as if they were still filled with smoke and screams. 

Hopper entered the living room with two guns in his hands. He yelled at the kids to get away from the window, which they immediately did before he looked pointedly at Jonathan. “Do you know how to use this?” Jonathan sputtered in response. “Can you use this?” His voice rose with authority and panic as he waved the gun around in his hand. 

“I can,” Nancy said. The weapon was tossed to her, and she immediately readied her grip in the center of the living room. Nancy and Hopper had their guns, Steve had his baseball bat, and Sunshine tried to jumpstart her abilities. 

Light sparked in her palms, but it fizzled out like a wet match before she could get a proper hold of it. She cursed under her breath as blood began to flow freely from her nose, quicker than normal due to her body being unable to fight off the side effects of her abilities. 

As she kept trying, she felt Hopper watching her. “Kid, maybe you shouldn’t-” 

Sunshine cut him off with a stubborn huff. “No. I can do this,” she insisted. Hopper looked ready to protest, but something stopped him.

She focused all of her energy on her hands and silently begged her mind and body to work with her one last time that night. She had to save her friends and the group of kids all huddled behind them, scared out of their minds. 

The growls and howls of the monsters grew closer and the tension inside the home was suffocating. They were grossly outnumbered, and Sunshine couldn’t get another spark. There was no telling how far two guns and a baseball bat would get them. She was the one with abilities; she was supposed to protect them.

“Where are they?” Max asked fearfully from behind the shoulder of Lucas. No one had an answer for her. It sounded like the creatures were all around them. 

A loud screech startled everyone, and they all shifted to point their weapons at the window where the noise had come from. The monster made a strangled sort of cry before silence fell. The only noise was a light rustling from outside and the labored breathing of everyone inside. Somehow, the silence seemed worse to Sunshine; she didn’t know what waited on the other side of it. 

Sweat beaded across her forehead and light refused to catch in her hands. 

The silence was broken abruptly by the shattering of glass. Through the living room window flew a monster. A mixture of screams and gasps followed. The monster slid across the floor over the blanket of broken glass until its body was stopped by the bookshelf in the far corner. Sunshine expected the monster to jump up, ready to attack, but it remained motionless. 

Hopper slowly approached it with his gun aimed and finger on the trigger, but when he tapped the monster with his boot, nothing happened. 

“Holy shit,” Mike breathed out from somewhere behind Sunshine. “Is it dead?” 

Before Hopper could answer, a click came from the front door. Everyone’s attention was pulled away from the seemingly dead monster. They watched with bated breath as the latch on the door moved on its own, unlocking without any assistance. The chain fell, as if pulled by the hand of a ghost, and swung down before the doorknob was slowly twisted. 

No one in the room muttered so much as a breath as they waited. None of them were prepared for what stood on the other side of the door. 

No monster awaited them. Three pairs of scuffed tennis shoes stepped across the threshold of the home, and the energy in the room shifted dramatically with the unexpected arrival of three familiar faces. 

Sunshine’s hands dropped to her side as if they suddenly were attached to weights. She was sure her heart stopped for a moment, and her legs threatened to collapse under her from sheer disbelief. 

Three children stood in front of them; two children with bloodied noses and one with his hands carefully tucked in the pockets of his coat. They stood right there, right in front of Sunshine as they had time and time again in her dreams, but they were always out of reach inside her head. Maybe she was still dreaming. 

While she tried to figure out if what she was seeing was real Mike stepped forward toward the group of three. 

“El,” he whispered. He saw her too. Maybe it was real. 

El was there, alive and breathing. Her arms wrapped around Mike and the two kids hid their faces in each other shoulders, covering their sniffles in the fabric of each other’s jackets.

The two kids who flanked El’s sides stepped around the reunion and headed toward Sunshine. Their hair was just as blonde as she remembered, and their eyes were still little pools of bright blue. They looked almost the same; their noses were still pointed and their cheeks full. But they stood a couple of heads taller and with a could faded yet scars across their pale skin. 

Neither the twins nor Sunshine said a word for a long moment; they simply stared at each other until Sunshine broke from her daze. “Are you really here?” she whispered, scared of the answer. After all of the tricks and lies she had endured, it was hard to know. That was until the young girl crossed the short distance between them and curled her lips up in a smile. 

“Yes.” 

Before Sunshine could say anything else, a set of bony arms were wrapped around her torso with so much force and both of them fell to the ground in a fit of happy tears and unreal laughter. Sunshine hugged her back tightly and buried her face in the mess of blonde curls that tickled her chin. 

El pulled away from Mike and wiped her happy tears before she fell to her knees and joined the girls on the ground. The three sisters embraced, each with similar tattoos on their wrists and enough power between them to bring the world to its knees. 

They were back and they were alive; Sunshine couldn’t believe it. She brushed her trembling fingers against the flushed cheeks of Eleven and Ten to ensure that they were indeed really in front of her. 

“How…” Sunshine rasped out with a shake of her head. “How is this possible?” 

“It’s a long story,” Nine said, standing beside the three girls with a small smile of his own. 

“Why didn’t you tell us you were okay?” Mike asked El, his glossy eyes not moving away from her until another voice spoke up. 

“Because I wouldn’t let her,” Hopper said. El sighed and stood to her feet before she approached Hopper, earning a series of confused gazes. “What the hell is this? Where have you been?” 

“Where have you been?” El bit back. Hopper pressed his lips into a thin line and pulled El into a hug, much to the shock of the group gathered in the living room. Sunshine kept one hand in Ten’s as they both stood up and watched the interaction with confusion. 

Mike was the one to figure it out first. “You’ve been hiding her.” His words were bitter. Rage flashed across his freckled-covered face as he raised an accusatory finger in Hopper’s direction. “You’ve been hiding her this whole time!” he yelled. 

It felt like someone struck Sunshine in the gut. She nearly doubled over, but Ten squeezed her hand and kept her grounded. 

Hopper knew El was alive the whole time? Why didn’t he tell her? Hiding El from the party was one thing; they were just kids, and she understood the dangers their knowing could have put them in. But Sunshine was El’s sister. El was the only family Sunshine had for years. While Sunshine was mourning the death of her sister, it had been a lie, and Hopper never said a word. 

“Let’s talk. Alone.” Hopper ushered Mike down the hall, sparing Sunshine a quick look of mixed emotions before he disappeared into a bedroom with the raging pre-teen. Sunshine almost followed, but her hand was tugged on, and she was brought back to the fact that two more children from the Lab, who she also thought had been dead for years, were very much alive and standing before her. 

“Who are they?” Dustin asked, pulling away from the group hug between him, Lucas, and El. His gaze was pointed at the twins, who stood close to Sunshine’s side. 

El’s lips quirked upwards in a smile as she said, “Sister and brother.” Family, not Sunshine’s blood but a family bound by something else. 

“No way!” Dustin gasped. “You guys are like El and Sunshine?!”

With a quick nod, Nine replied, “I’m Luke and that’s Leia.” 

“Like from Star Wars?” Steve asked, earning a series of looks, mostly from Dustin and Lucas. 

A million questions raced across Sunshine’s mind. She didn’t understand how the twins and El were all alive and seemingly unscathed. 

For years she believed the twins had died in a Lab escape gone horribly wrong. And El, sweet El, freed from the Demogorgon that they all believed killed her the night at the middle school. 

“How are you here?” 

“Kali,” El said, earning a questioning gaze from Sunshine. “Eight. I found her. They were with her.”

Eight. Eight was another child of the Lab with abilities that Sunshine never understood. From what she remembered, Eight was a lot like Ivy. Both of them were angry, but Eight never showed any softness like Ivy had. Maybe it was because Sunshine hadn’t spent as much time with Eight, but it wasn’t unreasonable for anyone from the Lab to lack softness under the circumstances. 

Sunshine believed Eight had died alongside Nine and Ten that fateful night, but they all had been alive the entire time. 

“Jane said you were alive,” Ten, Leia, said. Her hand was still gripped tightly in Sunshine’s. “We missed you. We missed you so much and we had to see you for ourselves. 

Nine, Luke, sighed and looked down at his shoes. The scared little boy Sunshine knew all those years ago still lingered in his eyes and the way he stood almost folded into himself. But he was taller and there was a matureness carved out in the circles under his eyes and the frown of his chapped lips. Inside his head was a storm Sunshine could only pretend to understand. 

“We tried to come back for you and Jane. We really did. But…” he trailed off. 

Sunshine felt anger bubble up inside her chest. “Brenner lied.” Of course he had. He had told her that the twins and Kali were punished for their escape attempt. He didn’t want her to know they made it out, probably because he was worried that she would try to do the same. But it didn’t matter whether she knew or not, she still broke out with El regardless and made his worst fears come to fruition. 

“This whole time I thought you guys were gone,” said Sunshine. 

Tears gathered in Leia’s big eyes as she whispered, “We’re so sorry.” 

With a careful hand, Sunshine wiped the tears from Leia’s face before she cupped the girl’s cheeks. “Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t your fault.” They were so small when they left; she couldn’t imagine how scared they must have been. At least they were alone, they had Kali. “And none of that matters anymore. You’re all here. That’s what matters.”

“Family.” El smiled brightly, despite the dark makeup smeared around her eyes. 

Despite the horrors the night had held, Sunshine couldn’t shake the relief that rushed into her chest. Each loss carved a piece out of her heart, but some of those pieces had returned. She felt hopeful for the first time that night. 

From behind the four of them, Dustin cleared his throat and tapped on Sunshine’s shoulder, shooting her and expecting look. “Oh, right. Luke, Leia, this is Dustin and Lucas.” The kids waved as they were introduced, with a newfound excitement lighting their eyes. 

“We know,” Leia quipped. “Jane told us all about you guys on our trip here.” 

Moving from Lucas’s side, Max held out her hand to the closest kid to her, which was El, and introduced herself. El looked between the outstretched hand and Max’s face before she stepped around the redhead and went straight for Joyce. Max’s smile deflated, but before she could drop her hand, it was grasped by Leia, who shook it with enthusiasm. 

“Hi Max.” Both girls giggled. 

Sunshine worked to introduce the rest of the group. “This is Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve.” 

A sudden, sharp gasp startled the group, who was still on edge from their nearly missed, second monster attack of the night. Nancy, who still had a gun gripped tightly in her hands, snapped her head toward Dustin and asked, “What?” 

“We have our own team of X-Men.” The look on Dustin's face was one of pure amazement. To his defense, he wasn’t too far off. There were four Lab kids with their unique share of abilities. To a couple of kids who grew up reading comic books, they found themselves living inside of one. 

Mike and Hopper concluded their conversation and seemed to be at somewhat of an understanding, for the time being. Everyone regrouped around the kitchen table that held Will’s message. 

“You opened this Gate before, right?” Joyce asked, earning a nod from El. “Do you think if we got you back there, you could close it?” 

“It’s not like it was before,” Hopper cut in. “It’s grown. And I mean, that’s considering we can even get in there. That place is crawling with those dogs-” 

“Demo-dogs,” Dustin blurted out. 

Hopper glared in the kid’s direction. “What?” 

“Demo-dogs. You know, like Demogorgon dogs…” Dustin cut himself off with a shake of his head. “Never mind. Not important.” 

El ignored all of them and looked at Joyce with pure determination shining in her eyes. “I can do it.” 

“You’re not hearing me,” stressed Hopper, but El was too stubborn. 

“I am hearing you. I. Can. Do. It.” 

At El’s side, Leia spoke up. “I can clear a path.” Everyone shifted their attention onto her, making her cheeks redden at the attention. “The, um, Demo-dogs. I can fend ‘em off and keep a clear path for El to reach the Gate without having her waste energy.” 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Hopper tried to reason with the determined kids. “No. Listen to me-” They didn’t. Leia fixed her eyes on the light fixture that hung above the table and upturned her palm. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath as the light flickered and sparked before it cut out. It only lasted a second, and when the lights returned, little waves of what could only be described as lightning danced between Leia’s fingers in a flashy display of her powers. 

“I can do it,” Leia said, extinguishing her hands with a shake. “We can do it.” 

“Even if they can, there’s still another problem,” added Mike. “If the brain dies, the body dies.” 

Max asked, “I thought that was the whole point?”

“It is, but if we’re really right about it, if El closes the Gate and kills the Mind Flayer’s army, Will is a part of that army. Closing the Gate will kill him.”

Something shifted in Joyce’s expression. She stood up straighter before she bee-lined to Will’s room. Everyone had no choice but to follow. Will lay motionless on his bed, his skin slick with sweat and deathly pale. The window was open and filled the room with cold November air that brought goosebumps to Sunshine’s arms but didn’t seem to be doing the same to Will. 

“He likes it cold,” Joyce said. She hurried over to the window and slammed it shut with a small grunt. “That’s what Will kept saying to me. He likes it cold. We keep giving it what it wants.” 

“If this is like a virus and Will’s the host, then we need to make the host uninhabitable.” Nancy stood at Will’s bedside, beside Jonathan. “If he likes it cold…” 

Jonathan finished her thought, “Then we need to burn it out of him.”

“We have to do it somewhere he doesn’t know this time,” said Mike. 

There was a beat of silence as they all thought of somewhere they could take Will. After a moment, Hopper grumbled something under his breath before he said, “I know a place.” And the next step of their plan was set in motion.

Tagged (let me know if you'd like to be on the list!): @sattlersquarry , @leptitlu , @echoing-oursong

[apomaro-mellow]

Part One of Steve Disappearing

Eddie still remembers the last kiss he gave his husband. It was a soft thing. A promise. 

“I’ll be back for more later”, Steve had said, grinning. Cheeky. Eddie had appreciated it at the time. Steve was more experienced with this sort of stuff. If he was being this easy-going, then surely the job had to be an easy one, right? Just a quick in and out.

Eddie wishes he had gone too. Maybe if he did...

Sometimes he wished Steve didn’t go. There were plenty of resourceful and strong folks on their team. Sometimes Eddie would peek into Lucy’s room. He’d imagine what her life would’ve been like if neither father had returned. 

What if Eddie alone was the one that disappeared? Steve was like a professional dad. Even now, Eddie felt like he wasn’t doing enough. Like he wasn’t enough. Like Lucy would’ve been better off with someone else.

But those days she beamed at him when he made her favorite chocolate chip pancakes, or came home from school with a test she did well on, or pulled him excitedly to sit down for movie night....It was in those moments that he heard Steve’s voice, telling him he was more than enough.

Eddie had never ever EVER thought he’d have to tell his little girl about the real monsters of the world. But Steve had been gone for three years. And if they were going to hold a funeral, she deserved to know the real reason. She was about the same age as Dustin when he first found out about all of this. And his kid was way more badass than Dustin.

Lucy was about to rush out the door when he caught her.

“Hey, can we talk?”

“Can it be later dad? I really need to go see Noah.”

Eddie let out a sigh but he figured this could wait for a couple more hours. “Go on then. You know the drill.”

“Back before dark, call if I’m gonna be late, don’t talk to suits!”, she called out as she left the house.

Eddie smiled to himself. All the typical things a parent would tell their child. But he knew what lurked in the dark. He knew what a missed call could be and he knew even the nicest looking suits would shoot a kid if it meant covering up a failed telekinesis project. Well, failed in they never fully militarized El. She was very clearly a success in every other way.

Lucy went to Noah’s house, picture in her bookbag, and showed it to him.

“These are your dads?”

“Yeah, I think they were in a gang. Anyway, I think that’s what happened to my dad. Someone from a rival gang killed him.”

“They could just be in costume”, Noah said, pushing up his glasses. They sat in his living room, tv put on to something to make it look like they were watching while his mom did work in the kitchen.

Lucy looked uncertain now. “You think?”

“Why would they have gang photos? Wouldn’t you destroy the evidence?”

It didn’t make entire sense that they would have it. Or that they’d be looking at it where Lucy could find it on their own.

“Well, they were drinking. And you know what alcohol does. Anyway, this is officially a mystery. And we’ve gotta solve it.”

“Your....your dad’s murder?”

She stiffened when he said it like that, even though it had been exactly what she was envisioning. “Let’s call it his disappearance. I haven’t proven anything yet.”

“Did you ask your other dad?”

“He’s not gonna tell me anything.”

“Anyone else in your family?”

Lucy thought about her family. It wasn’t entirely traditional. Most people had a mom, dad, and then all the extras related by blood. Lucy didn’t know either of her grandparents. All of her aunts and uncles were family friends. And seeing as none of them talked about it, she knew she couldn’t get any answers from them.

There was one though. One who was removed enough that he might not tell her everything but he wouldn’t hide away either.

“I gotta call my Uncle Wayne.”

Eddie’s in the middle of deciding if they should get takeout or if he should cook, perusing delivery menus when the phone rings.

“Yup?”

“Eddie, it’s Wayne.”

“And to what do I owe the honor?”, Eddie asked, trying to think of any special events coming up that he might’ve forgotten. They had just talked last week about the possibility of a fishing trip, maybe he was trying to finalize that?

“Just got off the phone with Lucy, wanted to get to you before she got home.”

“What’d she call for?”

“She was askin’ about Steve.”

Eddie felt his stomach drop. Just hearing that name still did things to him but for the wrong reasons now. In the time since Vecna, Eddie had given his uncle an abridged story. His bat bites were all the proof he needed but he also had the alibis of everyone else. So when Steve disappeared, Wayne got the rundown so it didn’t seem like Eddie was deluding himself.

“Sounds like she’s getting curious. I’m telling her today Wayne.”

“You sure she can handle it?”

Eddie thought about the time Lucy took a hard fall of her tricycle, got a gravel-filled gash on her arm and immediately got back onto her trike; the time she got into a fight with not one but two girls for picking on her; the time she decided at 5 that she was too old for stuffed animals and gave one each to her fathers so that they could sleep at night.

“That girl can handle anything.”

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

Trick or Treat 🎃

Hello lovely, first can I just say I adore your writing and was wondering if I could request a Halloween one for Eddie?

You and Eddie take your twins out trick or treating for the first time. Maybe a family Halloween costume too?

Request by anon ♥️

Don't copy, repost, translate or reuse my work.

Fluffy family based fic ♥️

♥️

Meeting and marrying you was the best thing that had ever happened to Eddie and life got even better when you fell pregnant with twins, two adorable little girls.

Eddie loved being a daddy, loved his little family and doted on his three girls. It was safe to say you, Alice and Evie had Eddie wrapped around your little fingers.

Not that he minded one bit even if it was a source of good natured teasing from the Hellfire boys, who he still met up with once a week for a D&D session.

Eddie was an amazing father, at first he was nervous when you announced you were pregnant. Of course he was happy but he hadn't been brought up in the most stable household. Uncle Wayne was the only parental figure he had who was always there for him.

Despite his worries he eased into the role and doted on his girls, was very protective and the most amazing storyteller.

His stories were the highlight of for you and the girls, he told them nightly and he regularly acted them out with you. Alice and Evie hung on his every word.

He would read to them as well or join you when you were reading to the girls but he grew bored and embellished or told his own stories instead.

The twins were Eddie in miniature, all big brown eyes, dimples and curly brown hair. Like their father they also had a penchant for mischief and we're honorary Hellfire members as soon as they were born.

Eddie delighted in making them tiny Hellfire shirts.

Halloween was tonight and it was the first time you all were going trick or treating.

Eddie was a little emotional that his baby girls were growing up and you instantly comforted him, both of you wondering how time had flown by so quickly.

How were your girls already three years old? You couldn't believe it and didn't want to miss any moment of them growing up as it went so quick.

It was Eddie's idea to do a family costume. The girls were obsessed with Scooby Doo and Alice was determined to dress up in the Scooby Doo outfit she had seen at the store.

"Princess, we could go as Mystery inc. What do you think?" you nod excited by this.

"Alice and Evie would love it. Evie loves Velma and they have the cutest outfits at the mall.

"You wanna be the Daphne to my Fred? Eddie beams and wraps his arms around you, kissing you tenderly.

"Always but I think for this occasion you're definely Shaggy. The girls love your impression of him" he beams proudly loving making Alice and Evie laugh with his Shaggy voice.

"I'll rope Steve into playing Fred and we can meet up with him later in the night. He owes us for babysitting the six gremlins" you giggle and swat him playfully.

"Eddie, for the last time you can't call them Gremlins" he pouts and you hide your smile privaty agreeing with his assessment. You adored Steve's kids but they were a handful.

Now that it was Halloween you had been having a lovely day with the girls baking cookies and watching Scooby Doo and Winnie the Pooh all day.

Then it was time to dress up in your outfits and get ready for trick or treating. The girls looked so adorable in their costumes and are anxious to get out and enjoy the night.

"Daddy will we go to see Uncle Dustin, Uncle Steve and Aunty Robin?" Alice asks and Eddie nods as he helps her and Evie into their coats.

"Of course princess. Now come on spooky adventures await"

♥️

The four of you set out on Halloween night excited for what was to come. Alice and Evie are already hyper and hold their pumpkin baskets giggling and pointing to the different Halloween decorations on your street.

"Daddy look at the bats" Alice points them out to him and Eddie plays up his excitement but you see the slight fear in his eyes.

Even years after surviving the demobat attack, the upside down and the horrors of the past long gone and life peaceful there was still those rare times that Eddie wakes in a sweat and panicking.

That night was the worst of your life. You really thought you had lost Eddie and the grief was overwhelming. Thankfully, he oues through but it still haunted you at times.

Squeezing his hand you distract the twins and point to a witch on the roof of one of your neighbours house, she's on a broomstick, black cat in tow.

"Can we get a black cat mama?" Evie asks her big brown eyes pleading and you look to Eddie who's already melting at her puppy eyes.

He could never resist any of your puppy eyes or pouts and always gave in.

"Maybe Santa might bring you and Alice a kitty for Christmas?" you tease and the girls cheer at this.

The four of you go door to door and your neighbours are lovely, it's not long before the girls have full baskets of candy and their eyes light up as they show you and Eddie the sweets.

Eventually you end go to Steve's, the kids all play together before you all settle down to watch a cute and only slightly spooky film.

The kids eat a little of their candy as you and Eddie relax while talking to the gang.

🎃

Eventually the night winds down and you, Eddie and the girls head home.

Both of them are exhausted and Eddie carries both of them to bed while you get their pj's ready and have them all tucked up on bed.

"What about a story?" Evie mumbles sleepily and Eddie softens.

"Not tonight baby but I promise an epic story tomorrow" she nods letting out a little yawn and then she's fast asleep like Alice.

You cuddle into Eddie and he kisses your forehead.

"Uh sweetheart, I'm not very tired are you?" he raises his eyebrows and you grin catching on to what he's hinting at.

"Not a bit, why don't we go have a little Halloween party of our own?" quietly you lead him out of the twins room and to your bedroom stifling a giggle as Eddie kisses your neck.

🎃♥️

[steveharringtonsstrugglemeals]

speaking of venom!steve (@findafight), I have a related pitch:

Science nerd supreme Dustin Henderson becomes spider man, and is subsequently forcibly adopted by Venom!Steve(+ Robin) and Deadpool!Eddie

Lonely jock Steve Harrington can't please his father, loses his job/girlfriend, accidentally fuses with symbiote!Robin. They're more than soulmates, they're two halves of the same whole. Together they're more than a little deranged and chocolate-obsessed, full of love and eager to bash assholes in the head with limbs shaped like spiked clubs.

Eddie can bounce back from a knife in his gut, a bullet in his brain, or, on one memorably unpleasant occasion, being literally eaten alive by mutant bats. But the one thing he can never manage is to fit in with the other heroes — so why try? He is a freak, and he's not going to hide it.

Dustin & his little superfriends think Venom is a monster when they first read Nancy's article about them in the Hawkins Post. But every time he encounters them, Venom seems more determined to manhandle Dustin out of harm's way than to fight with him. Before long, Dustin is pestering Venom to be his 'backup' whenever he's up against a powerful villain. Meanwhile, Dustin somehow finds himself helping Nancy's weirdo ex get back on his feet. Steve is a sweet guy despite everything, and Dustin hates to see him hurting.

The new mercenary on the block tells Dustin to call him Eddie about 5 minutes after they meet — if, by "meet," you mean "Eddie tracked him down, told him he thought dressing up like a giant spider was brave, then followed him around the city for an hour talking nonstop the whole time" (Dustin was suddenly intimately aware of what it was like for other people to be around him when he was caught up in one of his 'nerd rants,' as Steve called them). It turns out that Eddie is exactly Dustin's brand of crazy, and the two get along like a house on fire.

Now, if only Dustin could get his two favorite antiheroes to get along as well...

Eddie has no secret identity, but it takes Dustin a little while to figure out Steve's (there's a period where he thinks Steve has a secret girlfriend named Robin). At one point in that period, Dustin introduces Steve to Eddie as civilians (under duress — Eddie is being hunted down, and Steve's apartment is a safe place to lay low), and the resulting situation is... awkward.

Steve&Robin don't trust Eddie with Dustin. They don't know him well but they know he's reckless and likes to tempt danger — just like Dustin, but supercharged. But they're not going to turn him away when he needs help, not when they know what he means to Dustin. And besides, it would be hypocritical of them to judge him for being alleged murderer, when they definitely bit the heads off a few bad guys back when they were still figuring things out.

Eddie is a storyteller by nature, of course he knows he's living a superhero comic. But that doesn't mean he knows everything. Eddie thinks Venom is boring, too serious, another alien monster just like all the others that visit Earth to brawl with its defenders seemingly every other Tuesday. Where's the complexity, the intrigue, the motive?? Steve on the other hand... Steve is a mystery, a truly bizarre character underneath his plain, archetypal exterior, and Eddie is determined to figure him out.

[allthingsfangirl101]

Seeing Colors–Steve Harrington

I never truly believed in soulmates. At least not as much as everyone else. Then again, everyone else didn't graduate high school still seeing in black and white. To give myself some distance from my overbearing father and overly concerned mother, I'm spending the summer with my cousin. I haven't seen him much and I wanted to spend time with them before going away for college.

I drove into Hawkins, the small town already suffocating me. I was raised in a big city. Small towns just seemed too. . . small.

I parked in front of their house, grabbed my suitcase, and headed inside. I rang the doorbell and patiently waited.

"Y/N!"

I laughed as Dustin practically tackled me in a hug as soon as he opened the door.

"Good to see you too," I chuckled. "Let's go inside. I'm starving."

"Did I hear my niece is hungry?"

I looked up and smiled as my aunt walked over to us. She pulled me away from Dustin and wrapped me in a tight hug.

"It's so good to see you, sweetie."

"It's good to see you too," I smiled.

"Let's get you something to eat."

She pulled me inside and led me into the kitchen. Of course, she had a three-course meal waiting for me. As we ate, she asked me all of the cliché questions: how was graduation, how were my parents, was I nervous about college, was I planning on working this summer? And then she asked the one question I always hated answering.

"So," my aunt elongated, "any colors yet?"

"Nope," I sighed. "Not yet."

"Well, that's okay," she cleared her throat, sending a glance toward Dustin. "Dusty, I wonder if any of your older friends could be Y/N's soulmate. What about that one boy you've been spending more time with?"

"I appreciate your concern," I interrupted, "but I am more than capable of finding my soulmate."

I stood up and started clearing the table. I could barely hear my aunt and cousin talking about Dustin's mysterious friend. I shook my head and stopped trying. The rest of the night, my aunt looked at me with soft eyes.

After watching their favorite game show, we retired for the night. I placed my suitcase on the spare bed and sat next to it. I looked down at my hands, not entirely sure what color my nail polish was.

Everyone wants to find their soulmate, the person who is a perfect match for them. And as much as I hate to admit it, I wanted that too. I wanted to have that one person who was perfect for me and was destined to make me happy. I was just getting tired waiting to see colors.

                                * * * * *

"Why don't you come in?" Dustin offered.

"To an amateur basketball game between a bunch of graduates?" I scoffed.

"Like you have anything better to do," Dustin laughed.

"I hate that you're right," I sighed as I pulled into a nearby parking spot. We got out and headed into the gym. Dustin stopped in the doorway, nervously fiddling with his fingers.

"Son of a. . ." I mumbled when I figured it out. I turned toward him and crossed my arms over my chest. "The boy your mom was talking about the other night is playing, isn't he?"

The guilty look on Dustin's face was all I needed. I started to leave but he grabbed my hand.

"Please, Y/N," he sighed. "Just meet him."

"You mean look at him," I said, pulling my hand out of his hold. "Dustin, I can't believe you did this to me. Your mother? That's understandable. But you?"

"I'm sorry," he stuttered. "It's just. . . Look, he doesn't have a soulmate either and I just thought that maybe. . ."

"And I thought out of everyone in my life, you'd have my back."

I turned around, heading right towards the door.

"I do have your back," Dustin said, making me stop. "That's why I asked you to bring me here. There's a small chance that he might be your soulmate. What's the harm?"

"Disappointment," I whispered. I hesitated before turning back toward him. "Dustin, I have been constantly disappointed. Do you know how many of my friends wanted me to just look at a guy? Do you know how many times it hasn't worked out? Do you know how many guys have ignored me because I wasn't the one to help them see colors?"

"This guy isn't like that," Dustin jumped in. "He would never ignore you just because you weren't his soulmate. I mean, he dated a girl and still hangs out with her even after she met her soulmate."

"That's great and all," I sighed, "but. . ."

"Please, Y/N," Dustin said, his voice softening. "I just want you guys to be happy. And the fact that there is a small chance you could be happy together? I don't want to hurt you more, Y/N. I just want you to be happy."

I crossed my arms over my chest, glancing at the different guys playing. I looked back over at Dustin to see him eagerly waiting for my answer.

"Who is he?" I sighed.

"His name's Steve," Dustin chuckled pointing at one of the players on the court. I followed his finger, my stomach doing this weird flip.

"Come on," he said, struggling to hide how excited he was. He grabbed my hand and led me over to the bleachers.

As the game started, I wrapped my arms around myself. Throughout the entire game, I couldn't take my eyes off Steve. He was pretty talented. Not to mention attractive.

During half-time, Steve finally looked over at us. I quickly looked away. I saw Dustin raise his hand and wave at him, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"He looked at you," Dustin smiled.

"What?" I stuttered, looking up from my feet.

"When he looked at me, he instantly noticed you," Dustin explained. "And when he noticed you, he smiled."

"Just because he smiled, doesn't mean anything," I mumbled as I looked back down at my nails.

"I know," Dustin shrugged. "But it could also mean that he thought you were pretty."

The second half started, and I couldn't bring myself to look at Steve. I wasn't ready for that disappointment again. Instead, I paid attention to the other players. Every once in a while, out of the corner of my eye (or Dustin would tell me if he thought I hadn't noticed) Steve would look at me.

At the end of the game, the players went into the locker room. I didn't bother getting up. Dustin didn't bring me here to watch the game. He brought me to introduce me to Steve.

"Dustin!" Someone called. I quickly looked away when I noticed Steve jogging towards us. "I didn't think you had a ride," he said as he got to us.

"I didn't," Dustin said, glancing at me. "Until I remembered my cousin was spending the summer with us."

"This must be your cousin," Steve chuckled.

I took a shaky breath before finally looking at him. The second our eyes met, colors slowly started coming into focus.

"Whoa," Steve said under his breath. "So you're my. . ."

"I guess so," I whispered. "Which means you're my. . ."

"I knew it!"

We were torn out of our intense staring contest when Dustin yelled. We looked at him before slowly looking back at each other.

"Steve, this is my cousin, A.K.A. your soulmate, Y/N," Dustin introduced us as he bounced on his toes. "Y/N, this is your soulmate, Steve. I knew you guys would be. . ."

"Dustin," Steve cut off my overly-excited cousin. He sent him a look before turning his attention to me.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Y/N." When he smiled at me it made me have butterflies for the first time in my life.

"It's nice to finally meet you as well, Steve," I said, clearing my throat.

"How would you like to go get dinner tonight?" Steve asked. He looked at a smirking Dustin before adding, "Alone."

Part 2

[ornii]

Numbers Don’t Lie.

Jane/ Eleven X Male Brother Reader.

Summary: You express the want to see your presumed dead sister. Being another one of Brenners experiments, you were luckily able to escape years before it, growing up in Ohio, when you turned 18 you headed to Indiana, to find her.

December 23rd, 1984

It's been a few days or perhaps a week or two since the Snow Ball Dance and it's festivities, while it was a different experience for the kids, you felt the same in Indian High School in Ohio. It all felt so, nostalgic, but the addition of all the horrific and mostly insane things made a twist on it. But, out of all the horrific and Almost unbelievable things that occur in this town, there was one thing that made it worth it all.

Eleven.

After helping Dustin and his Prolific father figure, Steve, find his "Pet." It lead you on a journey to finding about the Upside Down, Demagorgons, and the truth behind Dr Brenners experiments, and most importantly was Eleven, still alive and very much kicking. After closing the gate for the last time you had time to get to know her just a bit more, about her journey the first time she met Dustin, Lucas, Will and Mike. Those times you were able to talk to her were heartwarming. After your spat and fight with the gate, and her Dress at the Snow Ball Dance, you ruffled her curly but small hair and finally felt somewhat at peace.

Giving you some semblance of a normal life with your little Sister, but unfortunately, not everyone was so accommodating about it. There was one person who didn't share your declaration of peace. Jim Hopper.

"Coffee, Two sugars, Spoon-full of creamer."

"Just Black for me."

"Got it chief." The waitress at the Diner walks off, leaving (Y/n) and Hopper at the table, across each other as the tension is a bit, high. The gruff and more experienced hopper glares at the younger and hauntingly mysterious (Y/n).

"So, what did you want?" (Y/n) asks, he leans back into the leather seating of the diner, calmly but smugly folding his arms, hopper looks more annoyed than most in this place.

"It's about Jane." He says, which causes (Y/n) to raise an eyebrow.

"Jane?" He says, Hopper reaches into his chest pocket and shows him a birth certificate, with the words "Jane Hopper" printed. (Y/n)'s eyes narrow to the name and he looks back up to Hopper.

"Eleven.. that's her name." (Y/n) says, but Hopper ignores that.

"Sure Pal, it's obvious that.. you know more about her, situation than I do. I don't know what those doctors did to her but it's obvious she isn't the most sociable kid." Hopper says and (Y/n)'s eyes look more sullen.

"Yeah. The, Test.. Experiments, shock therapy, we didn't go outside, we didn't get to have any contact with the outside world, we never even saw sunlight. I got lucky when my mom was able to pull me out of there, who knows how I would have ended up... but why are you asking? You don't seem like the type of guy to care." He says, and Jim shrugs.

"Who knows I might surprise you.."

"I Highly doubly it, so.. what do you want?" He asks, the waitress returns witu their coffee and places it, they give her a small nod of Thanks and she walks off, (Y/n) sips his sweet coffee and Jim spills it.

"Jane needs someone to help her control her powers, so you're going to help.. In Exchange, you can see her."

(Y/n) stops drinking his coffee, and slowly places the cup down and turns his cold eyes to Jim.

" "In exchange?" This isn't some trade of goods, and regardless I am going to see my sister." (Y/n) clenched the cup handle a bit tightly.

"Yes, in exchange, as much as you want to act like It, you aren't all of a sudden everyone's friend. You just popped up randomly with powers."

"Just Like her, Right?" He says back.

"I can trust her."

"And why not me?"

"She's a 11 year old girl, they're not good at lying, barely legal adults on the other hand."

"Well aren't you funny? I'm not going to play by some dumb rule to see my sister. You aren't going to stop me."

"This 41 Magnum says otherwise." He replies, (Y/n) could probably assume the handgun is under the table in his holster.

"You really want to try this Jim?" (Y/n) and Jim stare at each other. There was silence between them but the tension was so heavy, an intensity fills the diner, as their aggression whispers were promises of destruction.

"I've lost most of my family, I won't lose her too." He says, Jim sees the desperation and Sorrow In his eyes when he spoke, Hopper relents just for a moment and sighs.

"God Dammit... okay, it's true I don't trust you, but Jane.. she wants you to come over for Christmas."

"Christmas? Huh.." (Y/n) says, and Jim nods.

"Yeah, told me she wants it with her Family, with her "Papa and Brother.", and, if that's what the kid wants.." Jim says, and trails on. (Y/n) felt his heart skip a beat, a depressing warmness fills his heart and he nods. Holding back a few tears Jim can see him look down and sniffle.

"...I'd like that." He says. Jim's attitude softens, and stands up.

"Yeah... come over, I'm sure she'd like to see you." He says, and (Y/n) nods once more, wiping a single tear.

December 24th.

The Cabin was renovated to fit the lifestyle of a Preteen girl with powers and a rugged Old cop. A medium sized Christmas tree was planted on a big pot and (Y/n) and Eleven are setting it up.

"Okay, now, place the star on the top."

"Okay."

Eleven, using her powers lifts the star up, and places the plastic model on the top. He gives her a small pat on the back.

"There you go." (Y/n) gives her a smile, and Jane couldn't help but crack a smile. The two look at the fully decorated Tree adorned with Christmas foil and ornaments.

"Well, I guess that's that, you want some Cocoa?"

"Cocoa?" Jane asks, obviously confused by the term. (Y/n) raises an eyebrow.

"Cocoa? You've never heard of it? Jim's never given you any?" (Y/n) asks and Jane just shakes her head confused. He scoffs and walks to grabs his keys.

"Cmon." He says, Jane looks hesitant and fiddles with her fingers.

"We're not supposed to go outside." She says, and he stops.

"Jane, you've been cooped up in this place, Jim's out on some investigation, and who knows when he's coming back and I'm not leaving you here alone, Cmon.. I promise you'll have fun." He says, A bit convinced, Jane follows and they head to his car and out of the woods and into the city, he keeps Jane close as he shows her the snow, the cool winds and the festivities of Christmas. After shopping for the food for Christmas, and getting Jane a Santa hat, they return as she has a glow about her. Jim is still away, but that doesn't stop them or (Y/n), boiling milk in a pot on a stove he shows Jane the brown powder.

"Now. This is Cocoa." He says and she looks at it, obviously a bit confused.

"It's.. Dirt."

"It's Not Dirt."

"It looks like dirt."

"I know what it looks like—"

"I bet it tastes like dirt."

"No it's..anyway.. it's made from Cocoa beans, they grind them down and refine them into a powder. And you mix that powder into hot milk or water, and it turns it into Cocoa." He explains, as the milk comes to a small boil, he pours it into the pot and begins to stir, Jane watches with intensity and curiosity, as he finishes the brew, he can see the intensity that Jane is watching and finds nothing but amusement. He pours a hot up into a mug for him and another for her. Sitting down at the couch he hands it to her, and she cautiously takes it with both hands.

"Now, it's hot.. be careful and just take a sip." He says, and She does as told, she takes a cautionary sip, the rich flavor and scent of warm chocolate hits her sensory and goes overload, she stops for a second, her eyes going wide.

"Good, isn't it." He says, and she begins to chug it down and his face quickly turns to concern. She finishes and a deep brown mustache is above her upper lip and hands him the cup (Y/n) tries to stiffen down his laugh, Jane looks at his quizzically.

"What?" She says, "Do you want another cup?" He asks, snickering and she nods eagerly. He refills the cup and she continues to eagerly consume the cocoa. She finishes again with the same mustache and he tries not keep his composure again. This time she looks more frustrated.

"What's so funny?" She asks and he obliged.

"Okay, let me show you." He drinks a portion of his and forms his own mustache, he points which causes Eleven to giggle at it, he smiled so genuinely at her. She drops her cup on accident and it plummets to the ground, before it can shatter on the ground, it stops mid air, and slowly floats upward via (Y/n), who then takes the handle of the mug.

"Cmon, I got a few movies we can watch." He puts in a VHS of the classic "Gremlins." And sits next to Jane, who is a bit oblivious.

"What's a, Gremlin?" She asks and he elaborates.

"They're annoying little monsters that you can't feed after midnight. Trust me I think you'll really like it." He says, halfway into the film, Jane is asleep, most l due to the literal gallon of Cocoa she consumed. Resting her head on his shoulder, she sleeps so soundly, he looks over to her resting so calmly and he smiles.

"Lightweight."

Five minutes later, he's also asleep, his head cocked back and open. The door Jingles and opens to a grumbling Jim.

"I leave for one day and you two.." he says before seeing them sleeping so, soundly and calmly. His attitude lightens up a bit and he just puts a blanket on them, he checks his watch and raises an eyebrow, he looks at them sleeping so warmly.

"Huh, Midnight.. Merry Christmas."

[skyfallslayer]

Character Sheet For My Fanfic

Here's my character design for my rewrite of Stranger Things, Feat. Henderson!OC x Steve Harrington - ("Should We Stay or Should We Go?")

|| Background Information -

Stephanie Henderson is one of the main characters in Stranger Things, older sister to one of the boys in The Party, and an ex-best friends with a teenager her age, Steve Harrington. The truth around their broken friendship is a mystery that will soon take some time to unravel in the story, but despite her brother constantly telling her to let him go, she still wears the necklace he'd gifted her. She's a good role model to The Party, which includes her brother, Dustin, that she cherishes will all her love. The story follows her becoming really close, to everyone's surprise, to Will Byers, the boy she has to protect in a world that looks like their own but is filled with horror.

|| Biographical Information -

DOB: January 21st, 1967 (Aquarius)

Age: Sixteen

Alias: Steph (By Most); Phanie (Pronounced "Fan-nee") (By Dustin); The Ranger (By Will); Nerd - Nerdy Girl (Fun/Insult); Grunge Chick (Fun/Insult)

Residence: Henderson House, Hawkins, Indiana

Family: Dustin (Younger Brother); Claudia (Mother); Unnamed Father

Other Relations: Steve Harrington (Ex-Best Friend/Friend/Crush); Will Byers (Brother Figure); The Party (Friends)

Occupation: Student at Hawkins High School; Unnamed Burger Joint; Will's Guardian In The Upside Down

|| Physical Information -

Height: 5'4" (162cm)

Eye Color: Sky Blue

Hair Color: Dark Brown

|| Trivia -

Stephanie is describe to be very sweet and caring, extremely witty and temperamental - Which might come in handy for her sense of danger, but not when it comes to a broken promise. The loneliness when she felt after Steve left made her over think a lot a things about herself, wondering if being the "tom-boy/grunge girl" she is messed with his vibe. But rest assure, Dustin always knows how to make her feel better.

Favorite song to sing is "Separate Ways" By Journey (*Release January 5th, 1983)

Journey, Metallica and Nirvana are her top picks for bands

Despite having a guitar pick necklace, she's never once played guitar nor any instrument

Her favorite color is Sea Foam Green

Steph's only unique trait, minus the freckles on her nose, is a scar on her shoulder from "the incident" (*Hint*Hint* This might have to do with a certain someone 👀)

[thefourchimes]

the potential of gravity falls and stranger things together...

for the stranger weirder au, imagine the chaos of the group that is the party+co and the mystery crew

from the kids to the teens to the adults, all the groupings just have the potential to be so much

imagine.

here be the some thoughts for them because yes:

star twins immediately vibe with the party <3

more girls' night!!

more dnd campaigns!!

dustin and dipper smart cap buddies

party drifting apart fuels the fear and conflict even more in dipper and mabel vs the future

will and dipper "knows the feeling of being possessed" buddies

mabel and max being essentially taken hostage by the big bads AND are put through illusions bullshit

el would be persuaded by mabel to use her powers for arcade games

dipper would be fascinated and mabel would be in awe of el's powers

el learns so much of the world through the star twins as well <33

lots more competition with arcade games in general with the kids

the kids riding their bikes together!!

still unsure about gideon in general but imagine erica putting him in his place

will hangs around in the shack a lot because jonathan works there, and he's really fascinated by the attractions in the mystery shack

dustin would likely get attached to ford

post redemption pacifica will deck angela in the face <3

max, argyle, and the star twins talking about cali related things with the rest being unable to relate

soos loves hanging out with all his dudes

soos, max, and dustin knowing what it feels like without a father

the teens learn that college isn't the end all be all from the stan twins

jonathan and soos talk a lot as coworkers—and the latter is always able to help the former relax

steve gets a crush on wendy—this is gonna be a deja vu moment for him considering yknow

nancy and stan talk about guilt of past and stupid mistakes

nancy is taught and given advice on how to do illegal things and get away with it (plus gun usage) by stan

robin and wendy bonding over being queer in small towns in unspecified time of late 20th century

robbie gets punched and slightly beat up by one of the st teens (likely nancy or steve) for picking on the kids

robin and robbie is gonna be confusing when said aloud and they both hate it

argyle and soos besties heck yes

joyce and stan having an understanding with one another about protecting their loved ones no matter what

joyce mayhaps putting ford in his place since his head is still up his ass for a while ASHFIUASHf

joyce is always nice to mcgucket and tries to talk to him, but it's a hit or a miss at times

hopper is tired of seeing stan's face (usually to try and arrest him)

also when it gets to that point, hopper and stan have a silent rivalry for being jonathan's father figure (but they work together to beat lonnie up)

once they can kind of put their disagreements aside, stan teaches hopper how to bond with the kids

hopper is also tired of trying to wrangle mcgucket

hopper doesn't know what to think of ford, especially with the fact that stan had so easily slipped in and pretended to be the man for years

murray and stan making deals mayhaps??

mcgucket murray duo omg HAFSUIHAISF

murray's suspicious of ford the first time he meets him ("kgb? government??")

and that's only a few of what our little grp who's building this au has discovered and explored omg 😭

if you wanna know more...don't be shy, go and ask away AHSFUIAHSF 👀

tagging @sunflowersand-bees @itsanotheridiot because they helped me compile and add more in this list, ty guys <3

along with @laurienotteddy @lovefrom-theother-side @willelfanpage @she-wont-miss who are always sending me their thoughts and/or watching me go insane in that thread

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen Review

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my reviews for other Stranger Things tie-ins. Like, reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Synopsis: It's January 1985, two months after the group's battle with the Mind Flayer. Still reeling from the death of Bob Newby, Will becomes intrigued one day when he and Mr. Clarke discover a map containing clues from Bob to an ancient Viking treasure buried in Hawkins. Against the wishes of his friends, Will ventures into Mirkwood to look for the treasure just as a blizzard hits. Fearing for his safety, Will's friends go after him as they also begin to wonder if the treasure is real..........

Observations:

I said this before in my Halloween Special Review, but this is a personal favorite. Comics and tie-ins that focus on the Party hanging out, being friends, and having adventures (even if said adventures aren't tied to the Upside Down) are fun to read. This comic in particular takes heavily after The Goonies, a 1985 movie (which is exactly the same year this comic takes place in) written by Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus, centering around a group of misfits who discover a map leading to a 17th century pirate treasure. It also stars a younger Sean Astin 30+ years before he played the role of Bob Newby on Stranger Things. Even the artwork for this comic pays homage to that movie:

The big differences between the movie and this comic are:

1.) The Party isn't getting chased around by a greedy family who wants the treasure for themselves. The only threat the group encounters is a nasty blizzard that leaves them trapped in the cold, forcing Mr. Clarke to come looking for them midway through.

2.) Unlike the movie, the treasure isn't given as much as importance as the reason for why Will wants to find it.

One of the things I've appreciated about the comics and tie-in materials is how they've given more focus to Will and enhanced aspects of his character that the show briefly touched upon. The Other Side did a great job demonstrating what Will's time was like in the Upside Down and what he had to do to survive. Zombie Boys helped illustrate the trauma and PTSD Will went through following the events of season 1, as well as his friends attempts to help him recover from it. This comic by comparison puts more focus on how Will reacted to Bob's death in season 2 and how he's coming to terms with that.

Will didn't just see Bob as a friend, but as a father-figure. Someone he could look up to and get advice from. Someone who could have been a part of his family had he not died. Now that Bob's gone, there's a mix of both grief and anger in Will, as well as the idea that locating this treasure could give him closure.

I don't want to spoil what the treasure is, but if you remember what Bob was like on the show, with his love of puzzles and mysteries, then you can probably guess that the treasure hunt he left clues for was more about the journey for him than about the destination.

And I would argue that's what Will learns by the end of it. He's initially bitter about the reveal regarding the treasure, but deep down, it was never really about the treasure. It was about him getting to know Bob better and connecting with him one last time through the treasure hunt Bob set up 20 years ago. It was about Will getting to say a final goodbye to someone he cared about.

It's nice seeing the other characters in this comic supporting Will through this. Mr. Clarke introduces Will to the history of how Bob formed the AV Club, and even gives him the map that kickstarts the plot. Mike, Dustin, and Lucas struggle with how to best approach Will's situation (sometimes they handle it with tact, other times they don't) and even join him on his quest despite how bad the weather gets because they recognize this is important to Will.

There's also Dustin who (despite having gotten his feet wet in the blizzard) becomes intrigued by the treasure when he sees the X on the tree and starts digging for it because he realizes there are actual clues pointing in a certain direction.

Furthermore, while the comic borrows heavily from The Goonies, it also contains a lot of references to Lord of the Rings: Will going into Mirkwood to find the treasure. The Party climbing a wintry hill just like the Fellowship climbs Caradhras in the books. Them arriving at an actual mine where the treasure is located, which Dustin is quick to name The Mines of Moria:

On a slightly related note, since Stranger Things heavily borrows references from LOTR, I have started looking at the books as one means of predicting the direction the Duffer Brothers might go in season 5. I also see many of the characters on the show paralleling characters from The Fellowship of the Ring:

Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas for instance all have characteristics that resemble Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. If I were to say which ones are a direct parallel to whom, I'd probably argue that Dustin has a lot of Pippin's qualities, with his natural curiosity and fun-loving nature. Lucas is Merry with his pragmatism and being the more sensible one in the group. People might disagree with me on this, but I see Mike resembling Sam with his unwavering loyalty to those he cares about while Will resembles Frodo with his kind nature and being the one established as having a connection to the main villain of the series (Sauron/Vecna). Even the comic itself has Lucas referring to Will as Frodo.

There are other parallels as well, which I may do a separate post about later if I choose to. Hopper's fake death in season 3 and battle with the Demogorgon in season 4 reminds me of Gandalf's supposed death at Khazad-Dum and the fight he and the Balrog have later on a snow-covered peak.

Back in June, I made a prediction about the possibility of the show killing off Mike, and even drew parallels between that and the way Boromir's death broke the Fellowship, and how Frodo's decision to sail to the Grey Havens at the end of the series was officially the end for the core four (Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin). Regardless of what fans have said, I could see a scenario where the Duffer Brothers kill off one of the main characters if they think it'll either drive the plot forward or impact the other characters in a way that affects future decisions for them moving forward. Since Mike is described on the show as being "The Heart" of the Party, and since both Will and El (two characters who have personal history with Vecna) are closest to Mike, I could see Vecna targeting Mike as a way of hurting both of them and demoralizing the group.

Finally, this is something I discussed with @spaghettificationandpretzels in one of my reviews, but since they've established on the show that the hive mind in the Upside Down connects all the way to Vecna, killing him once and for all would be similar to Sauron's downfall in the books where his defeat would decimate whatever armies he controls and the land he inhabits.

But I digress.

Some final aspects to note from this comic:

Scott Clarke is still dating Jen Woo from season 1, and they seem to have a happy relationship. I hope they both appear in the final season. I wouldn't even mind if the next comic or graphic novel centers around Mr. Clarke. People have joked online about how they wish they could know more about his personal life, and I would fully support a story focusing on that.

Also, Dustin briefly talks with Will at the beginning about signing up for Camp Know Where over the Summer. The events surrounding his time there (and how he meets Suzie) are covered in the comic Stranger Things Science Camp.

Overall, this is a fun comic and a must-read. I want to be careful about saying what is or isn't canon, especially when it comes to supplementary tie-ins, but this particular story is something I could see being part of the canon, especially because it doesn't contradict anything from the show and it helps build on a meaningful relationship from the show (Will and Bob). Check it out when you get the chance! :)

[giurochedadomani]

You know what? I'm not done with this. A Billy + Eddie friendship would have been so good. Billy in S4 would have been so good. So bittersweet. Billy being very angry and at the same time very protective of Max and in general not being able to explain why he's feeling the Messiest Most Complicated Feelings cause she's a fucking a child, but at the same time he's so sick and tired of taking care of her, but at the same time being possesed by an otherworldly creature is terrifying, but at the same time no one did root for him when he was possessed by the Mindflayer, now, did they? So what? Is he really going to do like his asshole of a father and behave like a jackass to the weaker person next to him because he feels sad and shit? It would have been an amazing redemption arc. But also the image of Billy and Lucas instantly going to grab the Kate Bush tape when Vecna attacks Max consumes me.

Billy pretending to be buddies with Jason long enough to throw him off Eddie's chase. Perhaps he even kickstarts the violence when the jocks confront the rest of Corroded Coffin-- and how that would culminate in Billy using all his brashness to goad Jason into a fight at the Creel house (and away from Max and Lucas). Just. Imagine who would have been the most unhinged between Jason and Billy.

The party finding Eddie through Billy. Cause even if Billy has the best poker face when it comes to lying to authority figures, Max senses something is off when cops come to talk to them at the trailer park and Max has seen them together!  Eddie lives almost next to them, she knows they hang out! And Billy's being so weirdly calm about all this. That's his bestie being acused of a horrible murder and doesn't he want to defend him!? (and perhaps she's projecting a bit and sounding a bit guilty). And perhaps she pesters enough to make him confess where Eddie's hiding, or perhaps he was already waiting for any excuse to ask for a little help without openly asking for a little help, you know?

(Talking about sounding guilty on both of their accounts. Does Max still write a good bye letter to Billy? Do they talk about her nightmares?! My god, imagine Billy's thoughts when he finds out that he haunts Max' dreams. There could have been such a strong theme of Billy activily reforming himself cause he doesn't want to end like Neil!!!!)

And Billy doesn't feel confortable at all with the whole getting the party involved. Cause now he's loudly arguing with Steve in Eddie's favor because of course they're loudly arguing and he doesn't want to explain to fucking Harrington of all people why he knows that Eddie's innocent. He knows, ok? He just knows. (Billy strikes me as someone strongly private with an equally strong tendency to get on the defensive cause. Well. Trauma) But it's kind of hard to give weight to his argument that Eddie's a little unhinged ball of sunshine dressed up as a metalhead when at the most Billy is vaguely okay with admitting to Steve that they hang out sometimes??? He buys him weed. They have listened to albums together, once or twice. God, stop snooping Harrington.

(Max thinks that he doesn't want to admit that he hangs out with nerds. Max, needless to say, is wrong)

And anyway this gets absolutely ruined when Eddie, true to form, goes to threaten Steve with a fucking broken bottle at the house. Billy wants to kill them both and then himself.

I don't know if I like more the platonic vibe or the romantic vibe between Billy and Eddie, but either Dustin sees all of this, pieces everything together, looks utterly flabbergasted, and (internally) goes: eddie wasn't doing a bit, you're friends!!!!!!

Or,

Oh no you're the mysterious crush he won't shut up about.

Just. Billy in S4. 

[gooretrait]

Meet the Brokes of Newcrest

Brandi Broke

Traits - Outgoing, Family Oriented, Clumsy

Aspiration - Successful Lineage

After the untimely demise of her husband, Skip, Brandi found herself pregnant, barely earning enough to make rent, and at loggerheads with her eldest son. And if that weren't enough, it turned out that she was pregnant with Skip's twins! Now, with four mouths to feed and struggling to hold her family together and Dustin planning on leaving as soon as he ages up, will she manage to hold her family together?

Dustin Broke

Traits - Goofball, Hot-Headed

Aspiration - Fabulously Wealthy

Troublemaker, or just troubled? Dustin's had suspicions for a while about what really happened to his dad as well as Brandi's involvement in his fate. Add in on top of that high school, his relationship with Angela Pleasant, and having to step in as a father figure for his younger siblings and it's no wonder Dustin's already started making plans for when he finally ages up. The question is, will he figure out Brandi's big secret? And if he does, what will he do?

Beau Broke

Traits - Cheerful

Aspiration - Rambunctious Scamp

Oblivious to the sickening secret his mother harbours and his big brother's escape plans, Beau lives a fairly carefree life. He adores his younger twin sisters, and his friendship with Lucy Burb has been growing each day. Will his cheery disposition be changed by the metaphorical skeleton in Brandi's closet? Or will Dustin shelter him from the sinister truth?

Amy Broke

Traits - Calm

Betty Broke

Traits - Wiggly

Can a family rocked by death and mystery push through their hardships and grow into successful sims? Or will Brandi never realise her wish for her kids to have all the money and riches they could ever want in life?

Broke rotation 1: START!

Previous | Next

[basilbutt]

Rainbow In The Dark- My Steddie Manifesto

-Basilface 🤡🌱

Prologue

Ever since they lost to Vecna, the party’s lives have become literal hell on earth. Everyone save for their little group of resistance fled town the second shit hit the fan, and then the government had quickly swept in, boarding them in with miles upon miles of barricades.

The party split up into three headquarter stations so they could keep a better eye on activity in the town.

Group 1, stationed at Hopper’s cabin, consists of Nancy, Jonathan, Will, Mike and Murray. Group 2 is boarded up in Steve’s house: including himself, Robin, Dustin, Lucas, and, as far as the kids are concerned, some weird Russian dude Murray and Joyce apparently befriended in their mission to rescue Hop and escape back to America.

Yuri seems content to just sort of hang around, cackling to himself and eating sugary, overly processed snacks, vaguely claiming that it’s better than the alternative for him.

Group 3 is in Hawkin’s lab, supporting their superhuman friend in her quest to train and bulk up her powers before she inevitably faces her nemesis again.

This time, she promises, she will not lose.

Joyce and Hopper, the group’s adopted parental figures, are there to make sure no one takes advantage of Eleven and to keep an eye on Max, who’s still recovering from multiple broken bones and adjusting to having lost her eyesight in her recent brush with death.

Like bristling guard dogs, they all protect her from the coldly smiling lab rats that can’t seem to wait to get their hands on her, and see just how much of El’s psychic ability imprinted on her when the other girl was able to enter her mindscape and resuscitate her with her powers.

Each station also has a team of armed guards posted outside at all times, just for good measure. Nothing has happened yet, the town eerily still and quiet as Vecna regains his strength, preparing for the endgame.

Will has said that he can feel him resting, healing, plotting, his big brown eyes swimming with dread and fear.

Chapter 1- A Rainbow In The Dark

Henry Creel flies over the inter-dimensional wasteland that he now calls home; his prison and his salvation, the only thing that’s ever truly understood him.

Empty, cruel, and full of limitless potential, this unholy place and the mysterious power inside of it has become something like his friend over their years together. His true family, better than those frail humans that once tried to dupe and suppress him. The ones that used him, and tortured him, controlled him.

The girl was like him too. She could have been his friend, his family, but she was too weak. Too much like them. He tried to help her, to make her see, and instead she just looked at him the way that his mother and father once did. With fear, and disappointment. And then, worse than any of them, she cast him away into nothingness, into this purgatory, and unknowingly set him free.

He was so close to destroying her. Her, and all of the children surrounding her like a living shield, fueling her power much the way the Mist fuels his. He did not anticipate these small, extremely annoying humans to be so difficult to exterminate. Worse than cockroaches, the little pests never give up, and they’re only growing smarter and more powerful as time goes on.

They did bring him some of his favorite toys, though, including the little beauty they’d left here like trash the last time they’d invaded his sanctum and very nearly destroyed him. This one, Eddie, he was called, was the only one he was able to kill. The poor fool had gone off on his own, sacrificing himself to allow the torch bearers to scurry to safety while Henry claimed the boy for himself.

With his new enhancements, Eddie is by far his finest creation. He’s the perfect vessel: strong, susceptible, sustainable. He’s graceful; beautiful, even, with his long, sable curls and his wide eyes, his slender stature. His pale skin is decorated with inky symbols, creatures, just like Henry’s. His very favorite, the spider, adorns the boy’s chest like a beacon; the mark of their connection. Prey become predator.

His distracted musing is interrupted as apprehension prickles over the back of his neck, drawing his attention to something below. Down by one of his gates, buried in the wreckage of the dilapidated trailer park where he’d found his new body, something metallic catches the light in a strange way; fascinating him. Immediately suspicious, he flies down to investigate.

The thing is long, weapon-like, fit with wiry strings and gleaming knobs. Ugly, really, yet for some reason, Henry feels something deep inside himself stirring at the sight of it.

As soon as his fingers brush across the strings, recognition that does not belong to him floods through his borrowed body like a tidal wave, consuming him. Eddie, the boy he’d thought was long since silenced, bobs to the surface, gasping for air and thrashing for purchase, pulling Henry under.

He doesn’t have time to wonder how it happened, or to be excited. He can barely think, it’s so hard just to hold on to himself. Nails scratch at the inside of his skull as the monster screams, fighting for control back over his body.

Wracked with feverish anxiety and desperate to keep him out, Eddie does the first thing he can think of and scrambles through the debris to find his tape player, shakily throwing on a pair of headphones and shoving in the first tape he can get his hands on.

“Rainbow In The Dark” by Dio plays, and he laughs at the perfect irony for a moment before hurrying toward the gate that had opened up in what was once his home, egged on by the driving bass and fantastical, oscillating sound of synths blasting in his ears.

“When there’s lightning,

You know it always brings me down,

‘Cause its free,

and I see that it’s me,

Who’s lost and never found”

Monsters converge on him, surrounding him, and he smirks as he shreds them to pieces, knowing he’s by far the most lethal thing in this place beside his master. Once he gets an opportunity, he charges for the gate, only to be knocked flat on his ass as if he’d hit a thick pane of glass.

“I cry out for magic,

I feel it dancing in the light,

It was cold, I lost my hold

To the shadows of the night,

No sign of the morning coming,

You've been left on your own,

Like a rainbow in the dark,

A rainbow in the dark”

Panic wells inside of him as he desperately tries to break through, yelling his head off in case there’s someone, anyone, on the other side who can hear him. Come on, this can’t be it.

“Do your demons,

do they ever let you go?

When you've tried,

do they hide, deep inside?

Is it someone that you know?

You're just a picture,

you're an image caught in time,

We're a lie, you and I,

We're words without a rhyme”

His screams unfortunately only attract more of the creatures, and soon he’s up to his ears in snarling, snapping beasts. Icy waves of despair douse him and seep into his heart, extinguishing the little flame of hope that had only just began to glow.

“There's no sign of the morning coming,

You've been left on your own,

Like a rainbow in the dark,

Just a rainbow in the dark, yeah”

He’s trapped. He’ll never get out, and no one will ever have even known he was here. And then Vecna will use him to kill them.

His loved ones' faces flash through his mind, and he agonizes over each one, already mourning them, disgusted with himself for what he’ll have no choice but to do. His poor, lost little sheep, he laments, tears pouring down his face as he fights for his life, as the monsters slowly overtake him.

“When I see lightning,

you know it always brings me down,

'Cause it's free, and I see that it's me,

Who's lost and never found,

Feel the magic,

I feel it floating in the air,

But it's fear, and you'll hear,

It calling you beware,

Look out!”

Mike, Lucas, Max… and Dustin. He winces at the thought of hurting the younger boy, who’s become something like a little brother to him. Nancy, and Robin, both so kind and brave. Steve. He sighs, a sharp, wistful dagger of pain twisting in his aching heart.

“There's no sight of the morning coming,

There's no sight of the day,

You've been left on your own,

Like a rainbow,

Like a rainbow in the dark, yeah”

Especially Steve, he thinks, grieving the missed opportunity there. The other man’s warm, honey brown eyes are the last thing he sees before one of the monsters crush his tape player and darkness swallows him whole.

“You're a rainbow in the dark,

Just a rainbow in the dark,

No sign of the morning,

You're a rainbow in the-”