#el hopper fanfic

[autistic-robin]

dysfunctional, angsty el-mike-will fic because i really wanted to write from a byler-aware el’s pov

PART I : EL

The first time she killed the demogorgon, all the way back in ‘83, El thought it was over. The flashing lights sending shadows rippling over Mike’s face, the fear in his eyes as she turned toward the monster, the sound of its screech unfolding around her like Papa calling her name. 

She thought she was gone. But there wasn’t any fear in her, not like there was when she was alone in the lab, not like there was when she hurt Lucas, sent him flying across the junkyard. She was not the monster; she was the sacrifice. She was the protector. Enough, she’d said. No more. She wonders now, three years later in the cold white-walled hospital, how different everything would be if she really had died. Would Max still be alive? Would Mike still be cold to Will? Would Hopper be okay, with just Joyce? She knows it is morbid, but with Max asleep and Mike angry and Will far-away in his head, El feels alone. A small part of her wonders if that is how it was always supposed to be.

She shifts in the waiting room chair, cold leather sticking to her legs. She is waiting for Steve, who is on his way to pick her up. He told her he would be here at four-one-five. Four fifteen. El has been watching the clock on the wall, watching the minute hand tick past three, then four, then five. He is late. 

“Those chairs suck, don’t they?” 

El looks up at the sound of his voice, sees him rushing over to her, looking frazzled. 

|  frazzled: adjective. showing the effects of exhaustion or strain.  | 

“They are not that bad,” El lies, but she still takes Steve’s hand when he offers to help her up. “Where were you?”

He rubs a hand along the back of his neck, apologetic. Guilty. Before Max, El only knew how guilty felt. Now she knows how it looks: shifting eyes, strained smile, weighed-down shoulders. She sees it in Lucas and she sees it in the mirror, every day. 

And now, in Steve.

“Sorry, I was…” he shakes his head, like he’s clearing a thought away. Meets her eyes. “I was helping Little Wheeler with something. He needed some advice.”

El quirks an eyebrow at him. “About Will?”

Steve blanches, blinking a little like he’s Dustin working out a physics problem. “Uh— What do you mean, kiddo?”

He sounds cautious. Careful. El rolls her eyes, feels a small smile tug at her lips. Steve is so oblivious. 

“You really think I haven’t figured it out? I am not stupid. I have seen them together, the way Mike looks at him. I—,”

Steve’s eyes go wide-wide, and El wishes she had Jonathan’s camera. 

“Listen, kid, I swore an oath. Of secrecy.” He shakes his head like he’s clearing a fog. “Doesn’t matter. C’mon, it’s late. I told the others I’d have you back by six today. The Chief’ll kill me if we’re a second later, we both know that.”

He means the cabin. Where El and  Hopper and the rest of the Party have been staying on a “rotational basis,” ever since the rifts opened. That means Mike and Nancy stay over on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Dustin and Lucas stay over on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Weekends are spent at the hospital or Hawkins Middle, volunteering. Hopper and Joyce meet up with Murray to strategize every Sunday night, which means El needs to be picked up from the hospital by someone else— sometimes Jonathan, sometimes Nancy, but mostly Steve. He has a car and the most free time out of all of them with everything that is going on.

El did not know Steve very well before all of this— the apocalypse, the Party is calling it, even though Hopper and Joyce don’t like it when they do. Anyway, whatever it is has changed everything, because now El and Steve are friends. Kind of. 

When they get on the road, Steve pulls a mixtape out of the backpack he carries everywhere. It is a Cyndi Lauper mix that he stole from Robin, and El is not allowed, under any circumstances, to tell her or anyone— Dustin included— that he has it, or her ass is grass. They listen to it every time Steve drives her home. 

“Hurry up, Steve!” El says as he shoves it in the tape-player, and he laughs. The opening synth lines of ‘When You Were Mine’ shake through the car, and Steve rolls down the windows and whoops into the night air, and for a split-second the hot pain lodged behind El’s ribs melts. 

“I know, that you're goin' with another guy; I don't care, 'cause I love you baby that's no lie,” Cyndi croons, and El giggles out the words with her as Steve pitches his voice up comically. He sounds like a dying goose. 

“Steve, eyes on the road!” El shrieks when he closes his eyes to belt the chorus. He snaps to attention, turning the music down against her protests. 

“Sorry, sorry,” he says, laughing. “Got carried away.”

El rolls her eyes, grinning. Things settle down then, the car going quiet and still as the sky darkens outside. Hawkins is pretty at night, El thinks, no matter what Jonathan says. The sky goes all gray-purple, like Will’s watercolors, and sometimes if she’s lucky, the moon follows them home. Tonight, though, it’s hidden behind the clouds— they are looming and dark, worse than the day the gates opened up. 

El turns away from the window.

By the time they make it back to the cabin, the sky is ink-black outside. Nancy’s car is parked on the dirt path a ways away. Steve rolls up beside it and parks just as the front door of the cabin swings open and El’s dad steps out onto the porch.

“You’re late,” Hopper says gruffly to Steve, shading his eyes against their headlights. 

El hops out of the passenger’s seat and bounds across the space between them, pulling him into a one-armed hug. He smells like coffee and pine needles. There is a permanent furrow in his brow. 

“We were listening to music,” El says by way of greeting. “Got carried away.”

Steve runs a hand through his hair, a gesture El has come to understand is a nervous tic. “Sorry, Chief. You know how the kid gets about Cyndi Lauper. Not that I— I don’t listen to that crap, but… anyway. It won’t happen again.”

Hopper raises his eyebrows. Steve smiles sheepishly. El looks between them. 

“What’s for dinner?” she asks. 

Inside, Joyce is making burrito bowls for everyone— canned beans and tomatoes, pre-packaged rice, things they stocked up on the week after everything went off the rails. They scavenged enough to last them a solid five months, at least according to Jonathan. The Byers family knows how to ration; El learned when they first moved to California. Even though Joyce had a nice new job, they were very careful about saving food. Back then, though, the food was less bland. Now it is an endless rotation of canned vegetables, rice, and “non-perishable” fruit in jars. Pantry staples, Will called them when they explored the remnants of the Quick-Mart on this side of town. 

|  remnants: plural noun. a small remaining quantity of something; a surviving trace.  |

Now, El looks around at the remnants of the people of Hawkins: Joyce, handing dinner plates to Will and Mike; Jonathan, pulling out a chair at the table for Nancy; Hopper and Steve, trailing into the kitchen. Robin and Argyle and Murray will be here soon with the rest of the Party— they’ve been volunteering all day. A calm spills over her as she looks at her friends. Her family. The surviving trace. 

“El, hey,” Will says over the chatter, waving her over. He and Mike are seated at the kitchen table across from Jonathan and Nancy. “Mom’s got a plate for you in the kitchen. How was— how are you?”

There. It’s there again, behind her ribs: the ache. Max’s absence is punching a hole through her, and it’s growing every day. 

El swallows. “The hospital was fine. It was the same. Max is still asleep.”

Mike isn’t looking at her. He pushes his rice around his plate, and the fork makes a screeching sound. El’s hands twitch to cover her ears, but she keeps them at her sides. 

“Well, she will soon,” Will says, his voice quiet but firm. El meets his eyes and is surprised at the fire in them. “I promise, we’re going to fix this, El.”

El feels her expression soften. She knows Will is just trying to help, trying to “boost morale” like Hopper wants them to do, but things have never been this bad before, this broken. And it’s all because of her. 

“Will… we don’t know anything for certain anymore,” she says. 

He sighs, blinking fast, and Mike clears his throat and looks up at El for the first time since she got home. 

“Well, would it hurt to at least try for some optimism? Moping around isn’t going to change anything, El.”

His voice is flat. El steps back, feels her power wake up like a cat arching its back. 

Before she can respond, though, Jonathan slams his glass down on the table beside her. “Don’t start, Mike.”

“Why are you pissed at me? I’m just trying to help!” Mike says incredulously, swinging a hand out in outrage. He knocks Will’s glass over, and water floods the table. “Shit!”

“I’ll get the napkins,” Nancy sighs, and Jonathan shakes his head and follows her. El can hear Joyce and Hopper talking in tense whispers in the kitchen, oblivious.

“Jesus, I’m sorry, Will,” Mike is saying, trying to mop up the water on his shirt. Will is sitting rigidly, like if he breathes the wrong way Mike will run from the table. 

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,” Will says, his voice tight. Mike recoils like he’s been slapped, dropping his hands from Will’s shirt, and there’s a beat of heavy silence. El stares hard at the water spreading over the placemats on the table. 

“I… El, look at me.”

El meets Mike’s eyes and wishes she hadn’t. He looks the same as he always has, so genuine. Earnest. His face is wide-open with guilt. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…” He breathes in, shakes his head at himself. “I just hate seeing you so defeated. I guess I just got angry about it, for a second. But that was no excuse to lash out. And I’m sorry.”

They broke up three weeks ago in the hospital parking lot. It was anticlimactic. El guesses that for Mike, though, the wound has not scabbed over yet. He is looking at her like she is a broken toy, and it makes something in her snap. 

“I don’t care, Mike,” El tells him, even as his eyes widen in shock and a hot flash of guilt grips her. “I don’t have the time to care about your feelings right now.”

It’s the first true thing she has said to him since they ended things. Her voice is not her own, though. It is heavy and hardened by malice. 

|  malice: noun. the intention or desire to cause harm; ill will. |

Mike’s eyes are wet with frustration. Beside him, Will has tensed up; he is staring at El like she is a bomb that’s about to go off. 

Well, she is not. El is not a weapon, not anymore. If she was, Max would be awake right now.  “Enjoy your dinner. I am going to bed early.”

She turns to leave.

“We didn’t kill her, El,” Mike says in a hard voice, and she stops in her tracks as the full weight of the guilt hits her— Max lying cold and still like a broken doll, Lucas’s shoulders shaking with the grief of it, I’m not ready I’m not ready I’m not ready—

Mike keeps talking. 

“I know you think that’s what happened, but it’s not true. There’s nothing either of us could have done—,” 

“Hey,” Hopper cuts in, heading towards them with a wary expression. Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, and Steve follow him, identical worried expressions on their faces. “Everybody just needs to take a breath.”

“It’s fine,” Mike tells Hopper, still staring at her. “El. It’s not our fault.”

“But we did kill her, Mike,” El says, because he needs to hear it. The rest of the group has fallen scarily silent, but she doesn’t care— can’t. She needs him to hear her, for once. 

“You distracted me. With a lie. You don’t love me, because you never have.”

Mike opens his mouth to retort, but El rolls her shoulders back and says, “No. Let me finish.”

It’s wrong, she knows it is, but El is tired and wounded and wants Mike to feel it. Wants him to understand; this is their punishment. 

“You have never loved me,” El says, her voice a hard, cutting thing, “because you can’t. No matter how hard you try, you can not do it.”

Mike’s chair scrapes hard against the kitchen floor when he stands. He’s breathing wrong, too short and fast like he’s run a mile. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

El risks a glance at Will. His eyes are wide and confused, glued on Mike. 

“I said take a breath,” Hop presses, holding his hands out like one of the hostage negotiators in El’s old movies. Mike flips him off, even though he’s shaking, and that does it.

El glares at him, and it takes everything in her to tamp down the twist of power in her chest, crackling like a hungry fire. 

“It means exactly what you think it means. Come apologize to me when you are done lying.”

El pushes past a wide-eyed Nancy, ignoring the feeling of Will’s stare boring into her. She heads down the hall to her old room, throwing a hand out to shut the door. It slams satisfyingly, rattling the frame. Her breath is coming in short, ragged pants, Max’s bloody face bright on the backs of her eyelids. The room tilts. 

Someone is knocking on the door, frenzied. “El! El, come on, open the door,” Will pleads. “I’m sorry. We’re sorry.”

“You didn’t—,” El starts, but she can’t breathe right and it comes out shallow. She reaches a hand out and grasps at nothing, sinking down onto her bed. Max in the hospital bed like a broken baby bird, the sound of Lucas’s screams, the whole of Hawkins swallowed up all because she couldn’t concentrate. “You didn’t do anything.”

“El, the door’s locked,” Will says. He sounds like he is crying, El realizes dimly. “Please let me in.” 

El breathes in deep, tries to hold it— Joyce taught her this on the cold bathroom counter their first night in Lenora Hills. She’d had a nightmare. Hopper, torn apart in the mall. In for four, hold for four, out for six. 

In, hold, out. In, hold, out. 

The knocking stops, and El hears Will slide down to sit on the floor outside her room. A beat of quiet stretches before he speaks again.

“I’m not leaving you. Mom and Hopper are talking to Mike. You’re not in trouble, nobody is.”

El lets out a shaky breath. When she opens her eyes, the room is still and quiet. 

“I need to be alone, Will.”

He sighs, a sound she knows too well. 

“Well, I don’t want you to be.”

El gets up and moves towards the door, but instead of opening it, she sits down with her back against it like Will has on the other side. She can hear him sniffling, and a pang of guilt courses through her. 

“I am sorry I ruined the night,” El says quietly. 

“No, no, you didn’t ruin anything,” Will rushes out, sounding painfully sad. “You have nothing to apologize for, okay? We’re all struggling, El. All of us. You’re not alone.”

She sticks a finger under the crack in the door. Will pokes it with his thumb, and El smiles to herself. Back in Lenora Hills, they spent more than one sleepless night in El’s room, coloring with Will’s best set of pastels and “shooting the shit.” She has missed him horribly, ever since the lab. Part of her is hurt that he didn’t feel important enough to talk to her in her trance, but she figures it all happened so fast he didn’t have time to think much about it. 

Nobody did.

“Mike’s trying his best, y’know,” Will says softly. There’s a warmth in his voice that El does not hear often. Some of her hurt loosens, but the image of Max’s glassy eyes flashes in her mind, and she knows she can not forgive him. Not yet. 

“I know,” she says back. “But arguing with me won’t bring her back. He is wasting his time. Our time.”

“El,” Will sighs, at a loss. He has never been able to accept disharmony in their group. 

| disharmony: adjective. a lack of agreement; conflict; division. |

“I will forgive him when we bring Max back,” El says. “But until then, try to get him to give me space. I don’t want to hurt him, Will, but I… can not be around him without doing it.”

“Okay,” Will says. His voice is quiet, scratchy like his throat hurts. “And El?”

“Yes?”

He clears his throat. El pictures him blinking fast, like he does when he’s nervous after he gets called on in class. 

“What did you mean, earlier? When you said… Mike ‘can’t’ love you?”

El sighs. She can not tell Will the truth, as much as she wants to. She heard things in Lenora, bad things about Stacy Ellis and Maria Davenport— that they’d been caught kissing beneath the bleachers and been suspended. That they were ‘sick’ for it. She thinks it must be the same for boys— that love between them is seen as wrong, somehow. El doesn’t understand why, but she knows it’s supposed to be secret if you feel that way. Sometimes, she guesses, lying can protect you.

And as mad as she is at Mike, she has to protect him. She knows Will wouldn’t care— quite the opposite, if her suspicions about them are true— but it would be like… if Will told Mike that El still wets the bed sometimes. Just mean, wrong. Not her place. 

“I was… lashing out,” she says carefully. “I just meant that I am not… the right person for him. I am not who he really wants.”

Will seems to go still. El hears his breath hitch.

“How could you—? El, of course you are,” he says, sounding pained. “What have the last three years meant, then, if you’re not… if you’re not each others’ soulmates?”

“Will,” El says, “I was confused. We both were. Mike has said the same thing to you, hasn’t he?”

A pause. 

“Yeah,” Will sighs, suddenly sounding very tired. “Yeah, but… he was just insecure. You guys will work it out.”

He does not understand. Something deep in El’s chest twists painfully, and she leans her head back against the door.

“Maybe,” El says. “But maybe not.”

She taps on the door, their secret code for when one of them has had a nightmare and cannot sleep in their room alone: short-short-long-short. Will echoes it back to her, and for a moment, everything feels half-normal again.

“I gotta go find him,” Will says. He clears his throat again. “Call me if you need anything, though, okay? I mean it.”

El feels a ghost of a smile float across her face. Her sweet brother. She hopes they make it out of this so she can see him happy. So they can all be happy. Will and El and Max and Lucas and Dustin and Mike, all together where they belong. “Alright. Love you, Will.”

“Love you, too.”

And then the floorboards creak with the sound of Will leaving, and El is alone. 

[imkittyjustkitty]

🍦 — Fluffuly #2

— prompt : brotherly/sisterly love @fluffuly2022

— pairings : Platonic Steve Harrington & The Hawkins Gang

♡ kinda canon divergent because of el being with the gang at starcourt but i think it's a cute idea so i'm going with it ♡

"Seriously?"

Steve rubs his forehead as he stares at the six kids standing patiently in front of him.

He really shouldn't have expected this to be a one-time thing, it's honestly his own fault for not realising the kids would totally use this to their advantage as soon as they found out they could. So really, he's ready to just give in and let them through the back. But the other half of him is all 'moral compass!' and 'what if they get caught!?'

"Well, yeah! We wouldn't come here, waste our timing waiting for you, all just to say, 'Surprise, we're kidding, bye!'" Max answers matter-of-factly, which causes El to giggle behind her hand, drawing Steve's attention to her.

"Hey, and shouldn't you, like, not be out here??" Steve frowns questioningly at her, as Max steps slightly in front of her, shrugging, before answering with a grin, "What're you, our dad?"

This causes Dustin to break out a grin. Steve lightly hits Dustin on the shoulder as the rest of the group suppresses laughs at Max's words, who grins as El continues to giggle beside her.

Sighing, Steve runs his hand down his face exasperatedly. An onlooker would probably see the predicament Steve is in and see a dad struggling with his six-too-many kids, and honestly, Steve thinks that's a pretty accurate way to describe it.

Steve's eyes flicker over all the kids, Dustin grinning at him, Max with her eyebrows raised and a small smile dancing across her lips, who glances at a hopeful El when she sees Steve look at her, as if to say, 'Come on, she'd be so happy if you let us'. Steve scoffs at Max, seeing right through her manipulative gaze. He then looks over at the hopeful faces of Lucas, Mike, and Will, and he can tell that he's already lost this battle.

Closing his eyes in defeat, he sighs and steps to the side. He extends an arm in a welcoming manner, "Okay, fine, but this is the last time."

The kids cheer and high five, all sharing excitable grins, as they file past Steve and through the back of Scoops Ahoy.

"Thanks Steve," Dustin grins lightheartedly at him, "But I think we both know this'll happen again."

Steve rolls his eyes fondly at Dustin.

"Yeah yeah whatever, just don't get caught" he smiles as he ushers the younger boy through the back door, following behind his friends, "And have fun!"

Dustin stops briefly from where he is halfway down the corridor, "Aye aye, Captain!" he jokingly calls out, and salutes Steve farewell.

[elya-doodles]

🥞 That one scene at Denny’s in ACSWY 🥞

@campbyler @astrobei @wiseatom @andiwriteordie

[artiststarme]

The Gift of Not Dying Part 14

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13

It's been awhile but hopefully this will get me back in the groove of things. I hope you like it and please leave your thoughts in the comments!

~*~*~*~ Steve watched as the dazzling smile on Eddie’s face dropped to reveal absolute, unadulterated horror. He clearly wasn’t expecting his best friend/tomorrow’s date/future boyfriend to show up at fuck past two in the morning with a bruised face and blood covered sailor’s uniform. Steve could only imagine how he would respond if Eddie had shown up to Hopper's cabin looking like death the way Steve must right now.

“Oh my god, Steve?! What the fuck happened? Are you alright?” Eddie ushered him into the trailer and gently pushed him to a seat on the couch. 

Steve didn't know how to respond to him. On the one hand, he didn't want Eddie to worry. On the other hand, nothing would ever be alright again. Hop was dead, his body still stuck in the Russian base under Starcourt where he himself had died multiple times. Steve could feel the throbbing of his broken heart's beats pulsating in his face still. He definitely had a concussion if the double vision and underwater hearing were indicative of anything. Worst of all, it was all Steve's fault. This entire situation never would have happened had he not tempted the universe. He was too happy, he knew everything would fall into catastrophe eventually and he hadn't warned anyone.

So instead of answering his best friend, he pulled at Eddie's shoulders until the man got the message and wrapped him in a warm embrace that smelled of Honeybunches, motor oil, and marijuana. All of Steve's favorite smells that usually calmed him down. But not this time.

He sobbed into Eddie's chest, tears and blood mixing together on his face and soaking into the thin black fabric of Eddie's shirt. Steve just couldn't stop. He cried for the pain he'd gone through in the Russian base and the incessant battery he'd endured at the hands of sadists. He cried for the loss of Robin's normal life and the fact that she would probably hate him now since he'd dragged her into the absolute shit-show that was his life. Most of all though, he cried for Hopper. He cried for his dad that adopted him into his little family and gave him a little sister, the dad that dropped everything to help Steve whenever he needed it.

Poor Eddie just hugged him through it all. He didn't know why Steve had woken him up from a dead sleep at an ungodly hour in the morning only to unveil a face more recognizable as ground beef. He didn't know who had beaten him up or why Hopper wasn't behind him in his truck ready to drag him back to the overprotected cabin in the woods. He didn't need to understand because his best friend was in need of help and a good hug which Eddie could provide.

After what felt like hours of crying, Steve rasped, “Eds, Hop is gone. He died tonight.”

Eddie’s hands stopped their soothing circles on his back and he pulled back to look him in the eyes. There was no joking there, just complete and utter dread and hopelessness in the eye that wasn't swollen shut.

“Chief Hopper died tonight? Are you okay, where are you going to go?” He backtracked for a moment and pulled Steve’s battered body to his gently once more. “I’m sorry for your loss, man. I know the Chief was like a father to you. What’s going to happen now?”

Steve wanted to cry, to scream at the world for being so unfair as to take one of the only people that had ever cared for him. But his eyes were dry and his heart was bone tired after such an arduous night. So instead of sobbing some more or breaking down, Steve shrugged. “I’m going to have to go back to my parent’s house. I can’t stay in Hop’s cabin without him there. And El is going to live with Mrs. Byers. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Eddie shook his head and placed a weary hand on Steve's face. He wanted to give him comfort but with all the blood and bruises on his face, he didn't know where to touch without causing more pain. “You can stay here. Wayne won’t mind as long as we don’t mess with his mug or cap collections. He’s got a habit for taking in strays. Hell, just look at me. You’ll always have a place here.”

Steve couldn’t move in though. Everywhere he went, misfortune followed. He was like a plague, sucking the life out of everything he touched. It started with his parents and he sucked the joy right out of their lives leaving nothing but bitterness and sorrow, certainly not enough love for the disappointment he became. It broke Nancy by killing her best friend and tainting their relationship. Steve should’ve kept his distance from Hop and El but his selfishness won out in the end. And now Hopper was gone. Steve’s plague had struck once again and had stolen his happiness with it. He couldn’t do that to Eddie and Wayne, they’d been through far too much already. They didn’t deserve to deal with him on top of it all. 

“Thanks but I don’t want you guys to get sick of me. I’ll just stay at my parent’s house and crash here when they come home. If that’s okay with you and Wayne.”

Eddie shook his head before entwining his fingers with Steve’s. “Of course it is. We’ll worry about that tomorrow. For now, let’s deal with your face. Did you go to the hospital? I can literally see the bruises swelling in front of my eyes. There’s no way you don’t have a concussion right now, why would they let you drive like this?”

“They didn’t, I walked,” Steve corrected distractedly. His mind was reeling over grief and pain, too distracted to abide by the story he was supposed to use. 

“Walked from where?”

“Starcourt,” his mouth just kept talking despite his eyes seeing the alarm on Eddie’s face. “The Russians stole my car keys so I couldn’t drive. It’s fine though, I have an extra set in the kitchen of my parent’s house. It was only four miles or so, not too bad in the grand scheme of things. I’ve had worse.”

Eddie just looked at him blankly, too indecisive to decide on concern, horror, or anger at whoever had done this to his friend. He was pretty positive he loved this weirdo, who the fuck had the audacity to keep beating him to a pulp? Couldn't these monsters see how lovable he was?!

“Um, I don’t know how to respond to that. I’m getting my keys and we’re going to the hospital. I don’t need to know what happened, especially since I’m pretty positive that you’re concussed and not making sense. I just need to know you’re okay so we’re going to the ER. Let me just call Wayne and we can go.” Eddie motioned with both hands for Steve to stay still and he did. Even when he heard crashing in Eddie’s room while he looked for his keys and panicked whispers when he finally reached Wayne on the phone, Steve remained in his seat on the old couch.  

He knew he didn’t have to go to the hospital, the worst that could happen already had, but he couldn’t reveal that to Eddie. So, he’d bite his tongue and go through the motions. That was his specialty after all. For now, he’d let Eddie take care of him. He would ignore the grief that blackened his soul and the pain that accompanied the thought of his found family breaking apart. He'd deal with the trauma of loss and pain and death sometime later when he could handle a breakdown alone. At this very moment, Steve would hold himself together and lie to his friend and the doctors he was forced to see to keep the Party's secret. He had already dragged Robin into this mess and had probably lost her in the process, he didn't think he could survive losing Eddie too.

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[astreinomane]

Reblog if you want to see more Ronance and Elmax centric fics.

Bonus points if they include all four girls bonding like they deserve to do.

[munson-blurbs]

Okay but Eddie would absolutely, 100 percent take El under his wing.

A shy little weird girl unsure of her place in Hawkins (and in life) who hangs around Mike and Will, not saying more than two words? The definition of a lost little sheep. Eddie invites her to sit in on a campaign, and when Dustin accidentally rolls the dice off the table, El instinctively uses her powers to make them levitate before they hit the floor.

"Um, Small Hops?" Eddie says, eyes widening, "what was that?"

"...nothing?"

So once he finds out she has these insane superpowers, he's constantly picking her brain to make his campaigns even more sadistic. And for the first time, El feels like she belongs not in spite of her powers, but because of them.

[gay4elliew]

There’s no way that there’s Joel and Ellie variants-

Oh wait.

Hunter and Omega - Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Hopper and Eleven - Stranger Things

[elmax-week2023]

Hello, nerds! Welcome to Elmax week! 💜❤️

DATE: from the 28th of August to the 3rd of September but we’ll be accepting submissions up to 3 weeks after the event

RULES

Every work you submit must be tagged as #elmaxweek2023 so that we can see it and reblog it!

Any type of work can be part of the event! Submit everything and anything as long it has to do with our girls! Ofc

This is a romantic Elmax week not platonic. Also try to avoid Elumax, please. Your works can have minor or background relationships but the main pair must be Elmax.

Also please try to keep this SFW but if it isn’t, please tag the post as NSFW and hide it under the cut so that we know!

Avoid smut but if there is, again tag the work as such!

FANFIC PROMPTS:

Roomates AU

Rink-O’-Mania fix it (Max goes to Cali instead of Mike or both go to Cali together)

1930s AU

Hanahaki AU

Post comatose Max

Second Chances

Self discovery journey and coming out

MOODBOARD AND FANART PROMPTS:

Summer days

Sleep overs and night time activities

Shopping and Music

Sports AU

Flowers and nature

Historical AU

Vacation and First Date

PROMPTS FOR EDITS AND GIFS:

First meeting

Spiderman AU

Girl In Red theme

Mileven break up

Will’s monologue played over Elmax scene

Favorite Outfits

Free day

AO3 COLLECTION

El’s Tumblr acc and Arian’s Tumblr acc

We’ll be posting some moodboards to set the mood!

And remember, we make our own rules! 💜❤️

[inklessletter]

All I can say is it was enchanting (to meet you)

Read it on AO3

Eddie was exhausted from spending years touring, stage after stage, studio after studio. He wasn’t planning on abandoning his career just yet, but after eight years on the road, he needed to rest for a while. So, a couple of months ago, he moved into that tiny, residential neighborhood, with white picket fence houses, wide green lawns, families, and golden retrievers. That’s why he bought this three storey house that needed some hours and dollars to fix it up, and a backyard that used to be a beautiful garden at some point.

He wanted to fix it himself. He wanted to plant flowers, paint the walls, and turn off the goddamn phone for weeks.

Eddie was thinking about maybe getting a dog or something. Or a turtle.

Or his neighbor from the house across the street.

Eddie would be a dirty liar if he said that the first time he saw him playing with his twins in his front yard, he didn’t forget about his own name for a moment.

Two four year old girls, one of them with hair and soul made of fire, and the other one quieter, with a big, gentle smile and a head full of auburn curls. 

Two lovely tiny munchkins having a tea party with his father, sitting at the cutest teeny-tiniest Frozen themed plastic set of table and chairs Eddie had ever seen. The dad was pouring imaginary tea into their plastic cups, the curly haired one graciously gesturing with her hands while she sing-sang how much fun she was having and how delicious the tea was. 

He saw the red-haired girl pulling an annoyed face, rolling her eyes, and telling them she wanted to go skating already, that this was dumb (and Eddie loved her instantly), also gesturing. 

It was only when the dad gestured back to the red haired girl, and she huffed when Eddie realized that they were talking in sign language.

When the dad spotted Eddie, standing in his front yard, fully staring, Eddie’s face became so red so fast, that even from many feet away, he was sure that the whole family could notice. 

The dad smiled and waved. 

The kids turned to look at him. The curly haired one stood and made a deep bow, that Eddie returned.

The red haired one flipped him the bird, with a wicked smile.

Eddie faked being hurt by that and threw himself back in his garden, behind a bush.

Even from there he could hear the honest, high pitched, uncontrollable laughter of the kid.

They didn’t really interact much directly after that.

They spotted each other and waved every time, sharing smiles. Eddie didn’t want to get his hopes high because there was an ash blonde girl that was constantly coming in and out of the house, but he soon relaxed when he heard the kids (El and Max, short from Elena and Maxine, he got to learn eventually) referring to her as aunt Robin.

Robin also saluted him every time they crossed paths, and then turned quickly to the neighbor (Steve was the name) to gesture something. Always the same signs. Steve always granted her with an eyeroll and a blush.

And Eddie always hid a smile.

The smiles, the furtive looks, the rush of blood to the head anytime they run into each other became the greatest part of Eddie’s days. And even though Eddie had his fair share of action back on the road, and he was anything but timid, there was a shyness, borderline cowardice when it came to be bold enough to engage with Steve.

And then one day, it was clear that Steve was the boldest of the pair. He approached him, notepad in hand when he was fixing the garden.

“need any help?” Steve scribbled.

Eddie gifted him his brightest smile, and made space for Steve, who kneeled next to him, and started fixing the daisies. 

After an hour of stolen smiles and a thousand untold stories after every mole of Steve’s skin that Eddie needed to put in his next song, Eddie saw El and Max standing in the pavement, looking curiously at them. He patted Steve, who turned and gestured to them to get closer. The kids approached to say hi and kiss his dad, and it was Steve’s cue to leave to make dinner.

Eddie gave them both a daisy. El’s eyes were brighter than the sun. Max’ cheeks were brighter than her hair.

And Steve’s look was the fondest, earnest, sweetest Eddie had ever seen.

And after the daisies, the kids invited him to their birthday party the following Saturday.

Eddie got Max a tiny skateboard, and a plushie snowman for El.

He finally met Robin, who was the funniest woman he’d ever met, mainly because she wasn’t trying to be funny at all. Her witty comebacks, and the way he had teasing the kids, who absolutely adored her, was quite a show to see.

And Eddie didn’t know them enough to be engaging too much. Without being asked, Eddie helped Steve as much as he could, entertaining kids when needed, taking away wrapping paper scraps, or even keeping the kitchen free of sugar rushed mini humans. 

So much to do, yet both of them spent all afternoon stealing glances and smiles from each other. At some point, he saw Robin signing fast to Steve, hidden in the kitchen, and poor guy, his cheeks were flushing red.

After the cake, kids started to go, until only Robin and him were at Steve’s. Eddie wanted to help with the cleaning, but Max and El took him to a thousand family pictures infested living room to play with him. El was gentle and quiet, Max was more demanding. They were trying to teach Eddie some words in sign language, and he gave them his full attention, until eventually El fell asleep on the couch, and Max on Eddie’s lap.

Steve entered the room, and gestured Eddie to take Max upstairs, while he held El, who instantly wrapped her arms around his dad’s neck.

They left the kids on their beds (that bedroom needed some tidying up, Eddie had never seen so many toys).

When they went down to the kitchen, Robin had already left. Steve scribbled on the notepad on the counter.

“stay for dinner? leftovers it is”

Eddie huffed a laugh and nodded. They ended up eating sandwiches (and chocolate cake with a picture on top of a half eaten Elsa face) in the kitchen.

Eddie took the pen.

“ELSA’S LEFT EYE IS DELICIOUS”

Steve almost spat what was eating.

“shit i just got her braid”

“MAX IS GONNA BE SO MAD AT YOU”

“max is always mad at me”

“MAD MAX” he scribbled, and proceeded to draw a poorly braided kid skateboarding with spikes in her helmet.

At first it was accidental, but then their hands started touching, lingering, when they were passing the pen. Steve dared to give a soft, brief caress with the back of his finger.

When they intertwined their hands, pen and notepad forgotten, Eddie lifted his gaze and locked it with Steve, and all the air was sucked out of the room.

Steve cupped Eddie’s cheek, softly, a question in his pupils and his half open mouth, that Eddie wordlessly replied with a soft nod and a hand on his waist. Steve kissed him and it was the sweetest thing Eddie had ever experienced.

After that first kiss came another. And another. And another one. It was only when Eddie was between Steve’s lips and the kitchen door that Steve seemed to think twice about what was happening there. He broke the kiss with a troubled expression. He closed his eyes, sighing, and pointed at the draw of Max. 

Eddie needed no notepad, no signs, no words to understand that it was time to leave. He smiled at Steve, cupping his cheek with both hands, and resting his forehead against Steve’s.

“We can figure this out,” Eddie whispered. Steve, who was looking at Eddie’s lips while he spoke, looked at Eddie’s eyes, and smiled. Nodding.

Steve walked Eddie to the door.

He was about to leave, when he turned to Steve, and slowly, he signed “thank you, daddy.”

Steve opened his eyes, holding back a smile. Grabbed quickly the notepad, and wrote really fast.

“you must’ve picked up the ‘daddy’ sign because that’s how my kids call me. I’ll show you Steve.”

Steve left the notepad aside and started gesturing, but froze when he saw Eddie gesturing fluently at him.

“I know how to say Steve. Look, I am a musician. Heavy metal and rock. I’ve been on the road for years. I took a break because I’m losing my hearing, too. I learnt sign language a couple of years ago.”

Steve gestured back almost furiously.

“Why didn’t you say anything before? Wait, so you know what Robin and I were talking about all the time?”

Eddie laughed. “I’m glad you think I’m cute.”

They were both blushing, and biting shy smiles.

“I’m gonna go.”

“Bye, rock star.”

“Bye, daddy.”

[aloneinthehellfire]

RAINING HELLFIRE: MASTERLIST

a collection of all my Raining Hellfire works, an episode-by-episode fem!reader insert.

RAINING HELLFIRE: THE COMPLETE SERIES... FOR NOW

the series

SEASON ONE Completed: 9 Chapters, 59.7k

SEASON TWO Completed: 13 Chapters, 58.9k

SEASON THREE Completed: 15 Chapters, 45.1k

SEASON FOUR Completed: 24 Chapters, 96.2k

SEASON FIVE to be continued...

spin-offs

RH: THE PREQUEL coming soon...

RAINING HELLFIRE (EDDIE'S VERSION) On hiatus: 4 Chapters, 16.3k

add-ons

RAINING HELLFIRE (READER'S VERSION) Ongoing: 2 Chapters, 5.4k

other

EVERY STORY... HAS A BEGINNING RH: The Prequel video teaser

[alvivaarts]

He protecc- he rather not attack though. Just some art for my fic, Don't be a Stranger, since it's been on my mind with my writer's block lately. I can't tell who's protecting who! Steve or El!

And here's a nonshaded version with my favorite details!

[lonesome-witching]

Happy For You

This prompt features both ronance and elmax. Both coming out to each other. It's not what I typically write, but I hope you enjoy.

Do you have any prompts yourself? Or do you want to dive into what I wrote before? You can read my previous prompts or send me some new ones.

Max seemed tense. She had her hands pushed in between her legs and she avoided eye contact with both Nancy and Robin. El, on the other hand, was staring both of them down. One wrong word and she’d lash out. Nancy had never before been scared of El, but she nearly was now.

“I’m very happy for both of you,” Nancy started.

“And I’m not at all surprised,” Robin joked. She was leaning back on the couch. Just as relaxed as she always was. She might have been the only relaxed person in this room.

It had a positive effect on Max who finally looked up and smiled at them. “You weren’t surprised?” she asked.

“Nope, I saw it coming. You two were far too close.”

“Kinda like you and Nance?” Max teased.

Robin glanced over at Nancy. She nodded. “Yeah, exactly like me and Nance actually.” There was a bright smile on her face.

“What are you saying? Are you and Nance…” Max wiggled her finger between them.

“Yes, we are,” Nancy confirmed. It was still new. They had only been together for a few weeks. Nancy had hoped to keep it quiet a little bit longer. But she was fine with this. With El and Max knowing. It was only fair after they came out themselves.

“I’m very happy for you,” El said with a smile. Nearly mimicking what Nancy had said to them mere minutes ago.

“I think this calls for a group hug!” Robin jumped up.

El was nothing short of excited as she flew into Robin’s arms, quickly followed by both Max and Nancy.

“Robin, be careful where that hand goes,” Nancy warned as she could feel Robin’s hand sliding down her back.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see this before,” Max exclaimed, pulling away from the hug. “You guys are so obvious.”

“Well, so are you and El,” Robin shot back.

“No, we’re not.”

“Oh, you so are.”

“El, tell her we’re not obvious.”

El raised her shoulders. “I don’t mind being obvious.”

“That is so adorable, El. I bet you are a wonderful girlfriend,” Robin said.

“I agree with that,” Max joined in. “You’re a wonderful girlfriend.”

“Oh wow, I have one of those too.” Nancy pulled her girlfriend closer, kissing her cheek.

“From now on we should totally go on double dates. You guys can chaperone us and it’ll just look as if we’re hanging out with a group.” Max was the first to sit back down.

“Sure, we can do that.”

“I can’t say I expected it to go this well,” Max confessed.

“Well, me and Nance are full of surprises.”

[artiststarme]

Steve’s No Good, Very Bad Day

This is something a little different from what I usually do so I hope you guys like it! Please leave your thoughts and title ideas in the comments!

~*~*~*~

Steve was just wrapping up at work one day, getting ready to run some errands when the kids stampeded through the door. He hardly even had time to sigh before Dustin was trying to negotiate for him to give them a ride to the community pool. 

“Steve, it’s eighty four degrees outside right now and the community pool is a mile away. If we bike there in these conditions, we could get heat stroke and die. What kind of friend would you be if you let us die when you could’ve prevented it? Since we all know you’re my best friend, you should give us a ride.”

“Dude, no. I have errands to run and I’m really not in the mood to babysit,” Steve said, shaking his head. He had better things to do than drive them around town all day. Like buying himself groceries and toilet paper, interesting stuff. 

“Please, Steve? We’re counting on you! Just give us a ride and we’ll leave you alone for the rest of the weekend!” Lucas bartered. 

“I’m hosting DnD at my house tomorrow,” Steve said, completely deadpan. 

“And we’ll leave you alone until then!” Dustin jumped in. “Please?”

“Son of a bitch, fine! Go wait by my car. Jesus Christ, you’re truly annoying. You know that, right?”

“Thanks Steve!” Dustin called and ran to wait by his car. 

Steve just sighed and shook his head. He didn’t sign up for this. He loves those kids but goddamn, he just wanted one day to himself after working customer service and faking smiles all morning. Nevertheless, he climbed into his car and cranked the AC before heading towards the pool. 

“So where’s Will, Max, and El? Are you guys hanging out with them today too?”

“Of course we are,” Dustin answered snootily. “They’re our friends.”

“They’re meeting us at the pool,” Lucas added. 

“Well, thank you Lucas for answering my question,” he turned to look at Dustin in the passenger seat. “You need to lose the ‘tude, Henderson. I’m doing you shitheads a favor. Tone it down.”

“Sorry,” Dustin muttered. 

They traveled the rest of the way in silence with only the soft tones of Simon and Garfunkel playing softly through the radio. When they turned into the pool’s parking lot, something felt off. Steve couldn’t put his finger on it. Nothing looked out of the blue but something was wrong, he was certain. 

“Stay in the car, I’ll be right back.” He opened his door and Henderson opened his as well. “Dustin, please. Just stay in the car for a minute.”

“Wha- but…”

“Dustin!” He gave him a confused look but shut the door regardless. 

Steve saw Max, Will, and El rounding the corner and ran up to them. They looked fine too but something still felt off. His stomach was twisting in warning and he didn’t know why. 

“Hey guys-”

“Steve? I didn’t know you’d be coming. We could’ve used the ride,” Max snarked.

“Listen, something feels off. Get in my car,” Steve told them. His heart started beating faster and he could feel sweat dripping on his forehead. His adrenaline was going crazy and he didn’t know why. 

“Steve, there isn’t enough room. We won’t fit-” Will tried to explain but he was cut off by the sound of gunfire. El threw up her hands to telekinetically redirect the bullets and Steve tackled Max and El to the ground. 

He lightly smacked his head on the cement but he picked himself up soon enough. When he looked around the parking lot, there were dozens of government agents facing El with their guns drawn. 

“Eleven. We are with a secret department of the United States government. If you come with us peacefully, we’ll let your friends live.” As the woman in charge was talking, Steve noticed a man standing behind El raise his gun to her head. 

“El!” He jumped up from the ground the pushed her away from the path of the gun as it fired. He felt a sharp, searing pain in his shoulder and then he was back on the ground. 

“Steve!” She looked over at him but he just shook his head with his teeth clenched. 

“Kill them!” He felt bad about ordering a kid to kill the fifteen agents, not for them but for her. She didn’t deserve to carry their deaths on her conscience. But as he saw all of their necks snap in unison, he couldn’t help but feel a little relieved. 

All of the kids surrounded him worriedly. The boys looked slightly nauseous while Max and El were looking at his shoulder in concern.

“Steve? Are you okay, buddy? I’m pretty sure you got shot.” Dustin told him gently, just as he had in Billy’s Camaro all those years ago. 

“El… you okay?” Steve asked her quietly. It was getting harder for him to speak. It felt like there was a fog over him that was pulling him under.

“Of course I am okay, Steve. You were the one that was shot,” she told him matter-of-factly. 

“Hmm, yeah makes sense. Fucking... figures,” and then he lost consciousness. 

~*~*~*~

When he woke up, it was to a bland hospital room. His head ached, his shoulder throbbed, and his throat was dry. As annoyed as he was with the situation, Steve was glad that he had been there for the kids. Who knew what would’ve happened if he hadn’t gotten there when he did. Would El have that man’s bullet in her head? Would Max and Will be dead due to a slew of bullets? He’s glad he would never have to find out. 

He was so lost in his thoughts of what could have happened that he didn’t notice Hopper stepping in until he spoke. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Hopper hissed angrily. 

“What do you mean?” Steve asked in confusion. It almost seemed like Hopper was mad at him but he was pretty positive that he had no reason to be. 

“Why the hell were you taking the kids to the pool? You know that people are after her and you just took her out into the open? How could you do something so stupid?!”

Steve’s entire body flinched at his comment. “Hop, the kids were going anyway. The only reason I was there was to give Dustin, Lucas, and Mike a ride. The other kids were meeting them there. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You’re the adult, Harrington! You should’ve told them no and then none of us would be in this situation!” 

“Hop, I’m sorry. Next time I’ll be more careful. I know it must’ve been scary to see your kids like that…”

“You’re not my son!” He screamed at him in fury.

Steve’s blood turned cold. “Wh-what?”

“El is my daughter and your actions almost got her killed! And you put all the other kids in danger too. I don’t know if Joyce and I can forgive you for this, Harrington.”

Hopper shook his head derisively one last time and stalked out of the hospital room. Steve just laid there in shock. He didn’t know why Hopper was so mad at him or why he decided that Steve wasn’t worth any effort anymore. He didn’t know why he always pushed away his parental figures but this was three people now that he managed to disappoint so it had to be an issue with him. All he could do was close his eyes and cry at the unfairness of it all.

~*~*~*~

Between visits from Eddie and Robin, Steve was alone. The kids were banned from seeing him due to what Hopper had coined ‘reckless endangerment’ and it wasn’t like he had anyone else interested in visiting him. So it was a surprise when a chastened Hopper entered his room. 

“Hey kid, how are you doing?” He asked him softly. 

Steve just stared at him. He wasn’t sure where he and Hop stood after he screamed at him just a few days prior. 

“Look Steve, I want to apologize. I uh, I didn’t have all of the information and I blamed you when it wasn’t your fault. I know now that you were there to protect the kids and you did a great job other than getting shot and getting another concussion. I’m sorry.”

“I meant Will. When I said you were worried about your kids. I meant Will and El. I know you don’t consider me your son, why would you? Literally no one wants to be my parent so I get it-”

“Steve, I do consider you my kid. I shouldn’t have said that and I only did out of anger. You didn’t deserve that and I’ll make it up to you. You’re going to move into the house with us until you get better,” he promised him. 

Steve just shook his head though, “don’t worry about it. Eddie is going to stay at my house until I can use my arm. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Harrington, I don’t care if I have to kidnap your sorry ass. You’re staying with me, Joyce, and the kids until you’re better.”

“This is part of your apology, threats of kidnapping? What the fuck, Hop?” Steve exclaimed, absolutely perplexed. 

“Yeah, did it work?”

Steve huffed, “get me some orange Jello and I’ll consider it.”

They had a ways to go until they were back to where they were but they’d get there. Steve would forgive him in time and Hopper would forgive himself eventually too.

Permanent Tag List: @doubleb11 @nburkhardt @zerokrox-blog @newtstabber @i-less-than-three-you @carlyv @pyrohonk @straight4joekeery @trippypancakes @conversesweetheart @estrellami-1 @suddenlyinlove @yikes-a-bee @swimmingbirdrunningrock @perseus-notjackson @anaibis @merricatty @maya-custodios-dionach @grtwdsmwhr @manda-panda-monium @lumoschild @goodolefashionedloverboi @mentallyundone @awkwardgravity1 @anzelsilver @jestyzesty @gregre369 @mysticcrownshipper @disasterlia @lillys-weird-world @messrs-weasley @gay-stranger-things @pnk-lemonades @coolestjoy30 @strangerthingfanfic

[londondziban]

Guess who wrote a oneshot for Mike’s birthday :)

Of course the first time I post a fic in months it’s for Mike Wheeler. Who’s surprised? (no one)

Summary:

In an instant, Will is throwing himself against Mike, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing the life out of him.

“Happy almost birthday!” Will exclaims. Will’s face is shoved into the crook between Mike’s shoulder and neck, and his words hit Mike’s skin in a breath of warm air. Mike fights back a shiver, slowly bringing his arms up to hug Will back. Will is warm and Mike is still very, very sleepy, so his brain is acting at half its usual speed. “Less than twenty-four hours until you’re eighteen!”

Or

Mike Wheeler is turning 18 and he has some thoughts about it.

[plussizefantasia]

What More?

Flufftober Day 8: Rainy Days

Jim Hopper x reader, El Hopper & Reader

Word Count: 0.9k

AN: I really like how this one turned out! I love it when I'm able to kind of switch POVs like I did in this one. If you enjoyed reading this or any of the other flufftober fics I've put out, please support me by reblogging! Anyway, See y'all tomorrow.

divider credit @royallaesthetics

When you woke up this morning it was to the sound of rain pattering against the roof of Hop’s cabin and the man himself gone from the bed you shared. You treasure the rain, Hop thinks it's kind of ridiculous how much you love the rain. When it was storming you would stop whatever you were doing and sit at the window with a blanket while you watched the downpour.

 Today is no different, when you hear the shower outside you drag yourself out of bed. Taking the covers with you and walking into the bigger room of the cabin that held Hopper's big laz-y-boy chair and your own plush chair that you brought when you moved into his place. When you walked into the living room you were pleasantly surprised to see Jim already there. Holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hands and leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Mornin’” He called, sipping from his own mug and lifting the one next to him on the counter. “When I heard the rain I figured that you’d want to sit and watch it come down. Made you some coffee.” You took the mug from his hand and took a sip. It was exactly the way you liked it and your heart swelled with affection for the gruff man that you loved.

“Thanks, Hop,” you pushed yourself up on your toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Is Jane up yet?” You asked. 

“No, figured I’d let her sleep in. Don’t have much to do today.” 

“Well if you don’t have anything to do, would you want to sit and watch the rain with me?” You made your eyes bigger in the way you knew he couldn’t say no to and pushed your bottom lip out. “We could cuddle. And I could play with your hair the way you always say you don’t like but I know you really do?” Your offer was becoming even more difficult to refuse. 

The sigh that your man let out was both defeated and adoring and you did a little happy dance in the kitchen when you realized you had won.

“Could you pull your chair over here so we can look out the window?” you asked pulling out the pouty look again. 

Jim grumbled but acquiesced. When the large recliner was in the perfect position you grabbed him arm and pushed him down into the seat. Swiftly gripping your blanket and softly launching yourself into his lap.

Almost instantly his arms wrapped around you and you rested your head on the shoulder. 

The silence between you and Jim was always comfortable. He had said that he was too old for mindless chatter and you didn’t like speaking unless you had something that needed to be said.

It could have been minutes or hours you have no idea, but eventually, you were joined in the chair by a curly-headed teenager still in her pjs. The chair wasn’t necessarily big enough for the three of you, but you would actually die before marking her get up and switch chairs.

Instead, you just pulled her closer to you and made sure she was comfortable with you both.

“I like the rain” she had softly whispered. And Jim let out an almost silent groan, mumbling into your neck about how you “corrupted his daughter”. You could only softly smile and try to stop yourself from imagining all of the future rain showers you’ll get to watch with your girl. 

El never thought she would want another mom, she had really only met hers once but it seemed like it was enough. At least until you came into her life. She admired your strength, how you didn’t seem to care what others said, and how you yelled at Billy Hargrove for a full hour when you’d heard about how he had tormented her friends three years ago.

She didn’t think she would want another mom until she got one and now she never wanted to let you go.

Eventually though, after the third or fourth time, her stomach growled Hop made all of you move yourselves to the kitchen for a late breakfast which consisted of some buttermilk eggos for each of you. El topped hers with chocolate syrup, Hop topped his with some peanut butter and you added applesauce and honey. 

Slowly the three of you ate and discussed plans for the upcoming week, who would drive El where. When Hop had the late shifts and what you’d need to pick up for groceries that week. 

It was completely mundane and Jim couldn’t help but wonder if this is what his life would be like now. Now that there weren’t monsters to kill, Russians to defeat, or a little girl that needed to be kept hidden.

He wanted his life to be like this until he died. Lazy mornings with the girls he loves, talking about nothing and everything at the same time. Watching the way your eyes lit up when you watched the rain fall.

It was all worth it, he thinks. Because now he gets rainy days like this, and really, what more could he ask for?

[strawberriesinmoominvalley]

“They’re not coming back, are they?” Robin’s voice was quiet enough that Steve almost missed it over the ringing in his ears.

“I don't know,” he replied, and Robin gave him a look. “I don’t want to say it - but they should be back. They love their kids too much.”

OR

a post season three rewrite where hopper and joyce never returned from the russian base. what started as a joke of being babysitters becomes reality as steve, robin, nancy and jonathan suddenly find themselves thrust into looking after all the kids as they navigate the grief from all the people lost.

it doesn't help that everything seems to be getting worse again, that the upside down may not be fully gone. it doesn't help that they can barely afford to look after anyone, let alone make sure the law doesn't get involved. it doesn't help that feelings between people in the group may be more complex than first thought.

they can't change the past but they can change the future. and hey, maybe this year is their year, right?

chapter seventeen: “The game over the summer is such a great starting point!” Will could feel his hands shaking. Everything was too hot and loud and God he couldn’t do this anymore. “But how about ‘it’s not my fault you don’t like girls’? How about that, Mike? How about you admit to everyone in this house you’re no better than everyone who bullied me? Because everyone can hear this conversation, I guarantee it!”