#hopper kids

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Home Sweet Home

Pairing: Archie Hopper x Nicole Hopper, ft. Hopper kids

A/N: SURPRISE!!! NEW HOUSE!!!

Archie was in the bedroom folding what was left of the laundry, but he could hear the argument down the hall. Ichabod and Bella were once again arguing over who could use the shower first. Nic was doing her best to defuse the situation— she didn’t like yelling or raising her voice at the kids, but in this moment the only way for either of them to hear her over their own shouting was for her to yell. Lily ran into the room, hands over her ears as she headed straight towards her father. Dropping the unfolded shirt on the bed, Archie scooped up his youngest and held her in his arms. He shushed her gently, pressing a kiss to her hairline.

“It’s okay, Lily-bear. Mama’s handling it,” he assured her.

Sure enough, a moment later they heard Nic’s stern voice quiet the fighting kids.

“Ichabod, you can shower in mine and your father’s bathroom. Bella, you shower in yours. Got it?”

There was the quiet sound of the kids grumbling in agreement before the bathroom door down the hall slammed shut, followed by the bathroom door next to their room shut. Lily uncovered her ears and looked at her dad.

“See? Mama took care of it.” He smiled.

Nic appeared in the doorway, tired and frustrated. But a little tension dissipated at the sight of her husband holding their youngest. She walked over to them and took Lily, who had her arms reaching out for her mother. Happily settled in her mother’s hold, the five year old plopped her head down on Nic’s shoulder.

“They’re loud,” Lily said simply.

Nic nodded. “I know, baby, and I’m sorry they got so loud. How about you pick out your pajamas and a book, and I’ll read you to bed?”

“Okay!” Lily beamed. Her mother set her on the ground and Lily looked to the Dalmatian that had been lounging at the foot of the bed. “Come on, Pongo!” She ran out of the room and down the hall, Pongo following her quickly. Once Lily was out of the room, Nic sat on the end of the bed and massaged her temples. Archie moved the pile of unfolded clothes and sat beside her, lifting a hand to rub her back. She did her best to avoid a headache.

“Maybe we should have a rule,” Archie suggested. “Icha can use our bathroom, Bella and Lily use the other one?”

“That’s a good temporary fix; but what happens when Lily and Bella start fighting? They’re going to share a room and a bathroom?” Nic groaned, setting her glasses on the bed and running a hand over her face.

Archie gently raised his hand up to massage at the base of her neck. He frowned at how tense she was and moved his hands onto her shoulders. He gently massaged the knots in her shoulders, and she let out a moan of relief.

“You should stop that,” she told him light-heartedly.

“Why?” Archie teased, continuing the massage.

“Because it’s something like this that resulted in us having Lily—” Nic reminded him, taking a deep breath, “—and I don’t think I can handle another screaming child.” Letting out a sigh of defeat, she stood from the bed. Archie’s hands fell into his lap as he watched her pace the small space in front of the bed. “Something has to change, Archie.”

The arguing had been going on twice daily for almost two weeks. Every morning and evening their oldest two would get into a screaming match over the shower, and they always had to intervene.

He hummed, watching her for a moment. “What do you suggest? Because I have an idea…”

“I hope we’re thinking of the same thing.” Nic paused and looked at him. “I think it’s time we moved. We’ve outgrown the house.”

Archie nodded in agreement. “I know it was our dream house at the time— and for me it still is —but the kids are getting big. We don’t have the room.”

“We had the room before the kids, and even after Icha and Bella were born. I think we should’ve moved when we had Lily, but we were too attached to the house to see it then.” She took her glasses and put them on. “And what happens when Bella is a teenager and Lily is seen as just her annoying little sister? This is definitely more than just a space issue. The kids all deserve their own rooms, their privacy away from each other.”

“We can start looking tomorrow.” Archie reached out to take her hand, and Nic squeezed it. “How does that sound?”

“That sounds good,” she nodded. “I want to talk to the kids, though. This is the only home they’ve ever known.”

“Let’s talk to them over breakfast.”

“Mama! I’m ready!” Lily’s excited voice rang through the hall.

A smile appeared on Nic’s face at the sound of her daughter’s voice. “Sounds like a plan,” she said quietly, lifting his hand to kiss it before she dropped it and headed to the door. “Mama’s coming, Lily-bear!”

The kids were all sitting down at the counters for breakfast, Nic setting a bowl of cereal in front of Lily. Leaning on the counter, Nic looked to her husband who just finished pouring himself a cup of coffee. The look she gave him and a nod from her head signaled she wanted to talk to the kids. He nodded and stepped beside her at the counter.

Nic cleared her throat. “Kids, your dad and I want to talk to you about something important.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Bella asked, nose scrunched up in disapproval at the thought.

“I hope not,” Ichabod added. “We can barely handle Lily.” He gestured to his baby sister who sat there eating her rainbow colored cereal.

“No, I’m not pregnant,” Nic assured the kids who sighed in relief.

“There’s been some… tension in the house the last few weeks,” Archie began, “and while that is normal for families with children entering their teens, fighting to this level is affecting everyone.”

“So your father and I have made the decision that moving— while very difficult —is best for all of us, but especially you three.” Nic watched the kids furrow their brows in thought, except for Lily who was too focused on eating her cereal one color at a time. “And we want you three to be a part of the process of picking a house. It’ll be yours as much as ours, so we want you kids to love it too.”

“We’re hoping to find a house that allows each of you to have your own room, and perhaps even another bathroom.” As Archie said that, Bella and Ichabod perked up. There was a twinkle in their eyes.

“You mean, I won’t have to worry about Bella taking forever in the shower anymore?” Ichabod asked excitedly.

“And I won’t have to deal with Icha leaving his stinky socks on the floor?” Bella added.

Archie nodded. “There’s no guarantee you’ll each get your own rooms, but that’s the goal.”

A wave of anxiety suddenly washed for Bella. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “What about my friends? If we move, will I ever see them again?”

Nic did her best not to laugh and she shook her head. “Bella, Storybrooke only has one school. No matter where you live, you can still see your friends in school.”

The middle Hopper relaxed. “Oh, I forgot.”

“So, are you three on board with moving?” Archie asked.

“If it means I get my own bathroom, yeah,” Ichabod said, and Bella nodded vigorously in agreement.

Archie and Nic looked to the youngest. “Lily,” Nic called to their daughter. “How do you feel about moving?”

She peered up at them past her cereal bowl that she lifted up to drink from. “Can Pongo come with us?”

Chuckling, Archie nodded. “Of course Pongo is coming with us. Perdita too.”

“Okay!” Lily grinned.

“Then it’s settled,” Nic smiled. “We’ll start looking for houses, and when we go to tour the house, you kids can come along.”

They forgot how exhausting house hunting was. Nic and Archie managed to compile a list of five potential houses for them. It was hard to pack all the kids into the car countless times to drive halfway across town to look at new houses. Every time the kids would have some excitement buzzing in them, but by the end at least one was disappointed or unsatisfied with the house.

“The rooms are too small”; “the yard is tiny”; “there’s only two spare bedrooms”; “too many trees”; “the color of the house is ugly”.

By the end, there was only one house. They hoped the kids would like it enough. They hoped they would like it. Or else the search would start all over again.

“This is the house?” Ichabod asked as he got out of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk.

Archie nodded, closing the driver’s side door as Nic helped Lily out of her car seat. “This is the house.”

“It’s the last one on the list,” Nic added.

“Lucky number five,” Archie said amusingly.

“At least the porch is nice,” Nic commented.

“Dr. Hopper!” Called the realtor as she approached, keys to the house in hand. “Good to see you again. Are you and your family ready for another tour?”

“We sure are,” Nic replied, setting Lily on her hip.

“Alrighty. Let’s get started then.” The realtor gestured for them to follow as she stepped onto the porch and unlocked the house, allowing them all inside. “As you can see, it’s very spacious and the perfect size for a growing family.”

“Oh the family is done growing,” Nic laughed. “It’s just the kids now.”

“Can we go upstairs, mom?” Bella asked excitedly, eyeing the staircase at the end of the hall. Archie and their realtor had just stepped into the living area, and Nic knew the kids were excited about this house. It was the only one they looked at so far that had rooms for all of the kids.

Nic nodded. “Just no running–” but her words fell on deaf ears as Ichabod and Elizabella rushed towards the staircase, practically tripping over their own feet. Their energy was contagious as Lily grew restless in her mother’s arms. Nic stayed in the hallway, peering into the living area. The fireplace was very nice and the light fixtures were just high enough that their cat couldn’t jump to.

“Oh, Archie,” Nic spoke up, looking at the window that faced the street. “We could put a cat tree there for Perdy. She loves looking out windows to bird watch.” She pointed to the corner by the window.

“Oh yeah,” he smiled, hands in his jacket pockets. “That would really tie the room together, I think.”

“If you like the living room, wait until you see the kitchen,” the realtor said.

“Mama, can I go up?” Lily asked, pointing in the direction of the staircase her siblings had run up.

“Okay, but be careful.” Lily nodded at her mother’s words and squealed as she was set down. The five year old ran towards the stairs as her parents continued through the house.

The realtor led Archie and Nic across the hall to the kitchen. It was a larger kitchen than what they had currently, and it was connected to the dining room. But Nic gasped excitedly at the site of a counter island. She had always wanted a counter island in the kitchen.

“Oh this is beautiful,” she gaped at the kitchen. Archie smiled, knowing that this room would help her fall in love with the rest of the house.

“And as you can see, lots of storage space,” the realtor told her. “It’s spacious and perfect for cooking big family meals— let me show you the dining room.” She headed into the next room, and Archie gently took his wife’s hand to guide her to follow. If he didn’t she’d spend the entire time in the kitchen. “Perfect for family dinners, and plenty of natural light. And there’s a spare room off to the side that I’m sure you can find use for–”

“Mom! Dad!” Icha ran down the stairs, both sisters on his heels as they rushed into the dining room. “We picked out our rooms!”

“Already?” Archie asked, looking from the realtor to the kids.

Bella nodded excitedly. “Lily wanted to be across from me.”

“We haven’t even gotten a chance to look upstairs,” Nic said lightheartedly.

“We can go check the bedrooms upstairs,” the realtor said, already pushing out of the room to lead them upstairs. “There’s lots of space for the kids. A master bedroom and bath, three additional bedrooms, two bathrooms.”

“Bella, you don’t mind sharing a bathroom with Lily, do you?” Archie asked, picking up Lily and carrying her as they headed upstairs.

Shaking her head, Bella spoke. “It’s better than sharing with Icha.”

“I think we have a winner here, cupcake,” Nic said, reaching the top of the stairs. “This is the first house we’ve looked at that all of the kids like. I’m falling in love with it myself.”

“It is checking off all the boxes,” he commented. “It’s closer to the school and the bakery…”

“There is one flaw that the house has…” the realtor began as she showed them the master bedroom.

“Is it haunted?” Ichabod asked, morbidly excited at the thought.

He’s been playing too many video games, Nic thought to herself.

The realtor laughed and shook her head. “No, it’s not haunted. The gate to the fence is unfortunately broken.”

“Oh that’s no problem.” Archie adjusted Lily in his arms. “I can fix that.”

Nic snorted. “You said that about the gate at the house we have now and we’ve lived there nearly twenty years.”

“I haven’t had the time.”

“You had plenty of time before the kids were born.” She shook her head. “We’ll just ask August and Marco to help.”

“What about the backyard?” Archie asked. “How big is it?”

“You can see for yourself when we go back downstairs,” the realtor assured.

The rest of the tour was pleasant, and Nic and Archie were finding more and more reasons to buy it. The backyard was bigger than their current one, with plenty of room for the kids and Pongo. There was no downside to the house.

“So, what do you think?” The realtor asked, standing on the porch with the couple as the kids played in the yard.

Nic and Archie shared a look before the psychiatrist spoke. “This is it. We’ll take it.”

“Perfect! Glad to hear your search is over. I’ll get the paperwork from the car and we can get the process started.” She stepped down to her car to get the paperwork.

Nic faced Archie, hugging his waist tightly. “We’re doing it. We’re getting a new house.”

“We are.” He hugged her back, watching the kids playing in the yard. “We can figure out all the little details later. But this is really happening.”

“This is it,” she mumbled. “This is the house we’re gonna grow old in.”

Getting the old house sold wasn’t too hard. Packing everything up was. It was a week and a half of packing the kids’ things, the pets’ things, their own stuff. The kitchen and bathroom supplies. There was a conversation about a true new start and getting new furniture, which the kids were excited for. Nic felt glad to have such a huge group of friends as August and Henry were no strangers to heading to the new house and helping Archie and Bella paint the new rooms. Ichabod trusted his sister to paint his room, and Lily made a special request for some drawings from Bella to be on her bedroom door. Moving the boxes took some time, especially with new furniture and Nic and Archie trying to figure how to situate it all. But the large living room had a perfect layout.

After the paint had finished drying upstairs, August and Marco helped Archie with assembling the bed frames and any furniture that needed to be put together. Nic began moving Perdita’s things into rooms throughout and introducing the tuxedo cat to the new home. Perdita and Pongo spent most of their time exploring the house, Perdy rubbing her face against things to mark them as hers. And Pongo spent lots of time in the yards marking his own territory. Granny quickly became used to the evening call from Archie or Nic with an order for dinner. The kids didn’t mind— they loved the food from the diner.

The last night in the old house was restless for everyone. The kids were filled with excitement. Morning couldn’t come soon enough. And once it did, they had one final breakfast at Granny’s before coming home to load the remaining boxes and the mattresses into the cars. The Hoppers said goodbye to their house before heading to their new one.

The day was spent mostly unpacking. The kids’ beds were finally put together and made. Nic and Archie got their room together while their children decorated their own rooms. The laundry room they established left a lot to be desired, but Nic promised to take care of that soon enough.

Before they knew it, night quickly came and cemented their first night in the new house.

“Are you ready for our first night in the house?” Archie asked his wife, already under the covers.

“I’m gonna check on the kids first, then I’ll join you,” she told him before quietly leaving the bedroom. She stepped across the hall and slowly opened the door to Icha’s room. Through the darkness, she was barely able to make out him laying in his bunk bed; sound asleep. Nic stepped down the hall to Bella’s room and opened the door. It took a moment for the sight to register, but she smiled softly when she saw Lily snuggled up beside Bella in bed. The youngest Hopper was nervous about no longer sharing a room with her big sister— it was why she wanted her room to be across from Bella.

Nic closed the door and headed back to the bedroom. When she entered the room and closed the door, Archie heard her sniffle, and he frowned. He watched her movements as she got into bed next to him and curled up beside him.

“Is everything okay?” He asked her.

She nodded, looking up at him. “Lily is sleeping in bed with Bella. I can’t remember the last time they shared a bed.”

At the relief of the news, Archie relaxed and smiled. “I’m sure Lily misses sharing a room with Bella.”

“It’s still sweet.” She smiled. “So… first night in the house?”

Archie nodded. “First night in the house.”

The doorbell rang, causing Nic to jump in her space and Pongo to begin barking from the living room. Nic sat the plates on the kitchen counter and headed to the front door. Archie was attempting to shush Pongo who loudly barked over the evening news. Opening the door, she was pleasantly surprised to see August and Marco standing on the porch.

“Hey, we weren’t expecting you two.” She smiled, stepping back to let them in. “We weren’t, right, Archie?” She called into the living room.

“No,” Archie shook his head as he stepped into the hall. “But a visit from you two is always welcomed.”

“We came to see how things are going,” August told them, reaching down to pet Pongo as the Dalmatian came up to greet them.

“They’re… going.” Nic laughed. “Kids! Marco and August are here!” She called up before gesturing to the kitchen. “As you can tell we’re still unpacking. We’ve been living off of Granny’s take-out for the last week and a half.”

“Granny’s is great and all, but I miss Nic’s home cooked meals,” Archie admitted.

“It’s my fault for packing the kitchenware first and unpacking it last,” Nic added.

“August!” Ichabod exclaimed, running down the stairs. Bella followed quickly, with Lily just behind.

“Not that we don’t enjoy visits from you guys, but, seriously, what are you doing here?” Nic asked.

August and his father shared a knowing look. “We brought you guys something. Archie, do you mind?” August gestured for him to follow. Furrowing his brows, Archie obliged and followed August out the front door to the truck parked in front of the house.

“It’s a housewarming gift,” Marco told Nic happily.

She looked at him in surprise. “You didn’t have to–” Nic gaped when she saw what they pulled from the pack of the truck. It was a beautifully carved dark wood dining table. There were matching dining chairs in the back of the truck as well. “Marco, you two really didn’t have to!” She pulled him in for a hug, blinking back tears.

“We knew you didn’t have one yet and decided you deserved a special one,” Marco informed her. The pair stepped to the side and into the kitchen doorway. The kids backed into the living room doorway as Archie and August carried in the dining table.

“Honey, please be careful and don’t hurt yourself,” Nic called.

“I’ll be fine,” Archie assured her as they set the table down. It fit perfectly, all that was missing were the chairs.

“How did you guys even do this?” She asked.

“We took some measurements when we were here helping Archie build the bed frames,” August explained as he walked through the door into the kitchen. “So, how about we get those chairs in here?”

She nodded and headed outside with Marco to bring in some chairs. August followed, but was cut off by the three Hopper kids running past to help bring in the chairs. Ichabod and Bella each got one chair and followed Nic as she carried of the chairs inside the house. Lily tried to grab a chair herself but she was too small to reach. The chair she was reaching for suddenly was pulled by itself from the truck, and she looked up to see Marco. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Lily held onto the leg of the chair to ‘help’ Marco carry it in. August grabbed two remaining chairs, the spares for guests, he had explained to Archie. Once the chairs were all put in place, Nic stood in the doorway and admired it.

“We can finally host you two for dinners now,” She said excitedly. She hugged August and Marco one last time, Archie doing the same. “You guys have to stay for dinner now.”

“We’d love to,” Marco agreed.

“Oh! August! You gotta check out my room!” Icha ushered for him to follow up the stairs.

“While you’re here, Marco, do you mind checking out the back gate?” Archie asked, leading Marco to the backdoor.

Lily quickly followed after with Pongo. “Pongo has to go potty!”

Nic shook her head and smiled as she headed into the kitchen to start dinner. Bella followed.

“Do you want some help, mom?” She asked.

Nic nodded, leaning to kiss her daughter on the head. “I’d love that, sweetheart.”

Tags: @hyperionshipping @canongf @silverhardt @speedstershipping @thatghoulboi

[shushmal]

tw: for implied past emotional abuse, im in my feels today

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Hopper growls. He's not quite shouting, but he's still loud, raised voice echoing through the living room. "She's not ready to drive yet, I forbade it, and what? You two decided that you knew better?"

Eddie rolls his eyes, but gamely keeps quiet. He knows Hopper's less upset with Ellie taking a spin through the parking lot and more upset about the property damage. Eddie's on her side though, that phone pole came out of nowhere. Must have been pretty rotted out too, to fall over that easily after a little love tap.

Ellie had done a damn good job fixing the huge dent in the bumper.

But if Hopper wants to be dramatic and chew everyone involved out, Eddie's not going to stop him. Whatever gets the guy's blood pressure back down.

"You're supposed to be responsible adults! Especially you, Steve!"

Rolling his eyes again, Eddie glances over, hoping to share a commiserating look with Steve.

Except Steve isn't looking anywhere but down, shoulders and spine ruler straight. Eddie stalls there, stuck on the way Steve's standing, tense from jaw down to his ankles, his hands balled into tight fists flat at his side, knuckles white. Hopper keeps ranting, pacing a wide circle in front of them, but Steve doesn't flinch, doesn't look up, doesn't react. It's like all the color has washed from him.

"Are you even listening?!"

"Yes, sir," Steve says tightly. He doesn't look up. Hopper keeps going.

Eddie watches as Steve's throat works to swallow, like he's choking. Like he can't breathe.

"Hopper," Eddie snaps. "Shut the fuck up."

Hopper whirls on him, livid, but Eddie's not looking at him, fixed on Steve as he reaches out. Tries to take Steve's hand, just holds his wrist when Steve can't unclench his fist, gentle as he touches him. Steve is tightly wound and trembling under his fingers.

When he looks, Eddie finds Hopper with deep regret on his face, struck silent. He doesn't say anything when Eddie leads Steve away, back out onto the porch. They sit on the swing, Eddie's arm around Steve's shoulders, rocking back and forth until the muscles loosen and Steve slumps, strings cut, into Eddie's side. They'll sit like that for a while more, watching the woods as the sun sets and listening to the dusk settle, crickets and cicadas and chats calling the moon up, filling their silence with nighttime music.

Later, Hopper will come out, temper cooled, and sit on Steve's other side. Will ruffle Steve's hair when Steve starts to stiffen. Will apologize when Steve eyes him warily.

Later, Eddie will scowl and glare, but ultimately keep quiet, unwilling to make the whole thing worse for Steve, another fight, another shouting match. Will stiltedly tell Hopper good night and take Steve home, wait patiently until Steve finally speaks, when he finally tells Eddie a little more and a little more, until Eddie's holding him tight.

That's later though. For now, he digs his heel into the porch, rocking them back and forth, and waits for Steve to breathe.

[grandwretch]

i so badly want one of those fic examinations of steve's relationship with joyce and hopper but solely through eddie's pov like hear me out

steve and eddie chat a lot in the upside down (and later in the hospital, when they learn hop is alive). steve has taken charge of filling eddie in on the rest of their of-age crew without the kids butting in. he never mentions his own parents, but he talks about the rest of the party's a lot, especially joyce and hopper. eddie knows what it's like to desperately want someone to be your parent and trying to hide it from his own childhood, when he would try to be cool about wayne dropping him off at his dad's house. steve obviously adores joyce and hopper, thinks the world of them and legitimately looks up to them.

eddie isn't sure what he expects from a cop who came back to life and the world's most determined housewife, but he's excited to meet them as someone steve loves.

cue eddie's horror when he realizes that neither of them really feel much for steve rather than annoyance and vague distrust. that joyce trusts will with eddie, an accused murderer, in a heartbeat and still hesitates to leave him with steve. that hopper brushes off every ounce of steve's hero worship and joy.

he tries to broach the topic with steve, gently, and is heartbroken when steve genuinely has no idea what he's talking about. and not because he's oblivious, but because steve thinks that's what he deserves. he thinks that's the parental love that someone who was an asshole in high school needs, because that's what would make him a good person. he needs people to call him out constantly, obviously, because why else would they keep doing it? why would nancy? at least they're here. at least they're not ignoring him. at least they're not forcing him into a box. they just want him to be better.

like, this is the man who thanked a girl for calling him bullshit and telling him she never loved him. he doesn't Know that's not how you're supposed to handle things. no one ever taught him that.

and now eddie's gotta figure out how he can teach steve how to be loved the right way without outing himself and his huge crush on his love-starved dork of a friend.

[missingexaltation]

Hopper being harsher on Eddie than any of the others post-Vecna because..."hell the kid's a drug dealer Joyce, and he's always around our kids."

The others run rampant, kids and older teens alike, but the second Munson is out of his sight, Hopper gets all itchy and concerned. It's his cop mode, he can't just switch it off around people he knows are bad for his family. He's being cautious.

So he thinks nothing of it when they're all around for a movie night, and Munson's disappeared. Hopper finds him outside, round the back of the house. But he's not smoking pot or snorting cocaine or breaking into anyone's car or anything.

He's got his tongue down the Harrington kid's throat.

The Harrington kid that Hopper hadn't even noticed was also missing from movie night. Because he's a good kid.

And Hopper backs the hell up and retreats back into the house, hopefully before he's noticed. But Eddie definitely saw him, and finds it hilarious.

[ikarakie]

eddies's first impression of steve harrington post-high school comes when hes loitering in family video one day. chief hopper comes in, much to his and his friends' chagrin, carrying a fucking... nail bat?

robin buckley, upon seeing him, darts around the corner and comes back with a dishevelled steve in tow. he looks jittery and worried. he reaches for the bat, but hopper moves it slightly out of reach and says something rather pointed. eddie moves closer, watching as steve takes and cradles the bat before disappearing into the back room of family video.

he hears buckley say: "thank you. he's been insufferable all day."

hopper replies: "im worried about him, using that thing as a crutch. he shouldn't- you're all too young. shouldn't have to do that shit." buckley smiles a little grimly and agrees. thanks the man again before he leaves.

eddie is left with so many burning questions. mainly: why is the chief of police hand delivering a probably illegal weapon to harrington at 11am in the morning?

[xbomboi]

rosabella “i can fix him” beauty.

[emblazons]

MIKE WHEELER + A MEDITATION ON BOUNDARIES

"Back when I thought I was straight I would go on dates with boys. The boys would usually want to kiss me. I disliked kissing, but I thought that their preferences deserved to count as much as mine, and I reasoned that they probably liked kissing more than I disliked kissing. So kissing was a morally good thing to do. I also reasoned that if I told them I disliked the kissing then they’d feel guilty and enjoy it less. So I did not tell them.  I am certain I was making some kind of critical error but it has taken me a long time to figure out what it might be." (x)

[lighthouseas]

i feel like people tend to forget that mike, el, and dustin are 14 (mike is almost 15) and max, lucas, and will are 15. they’re all still just kids.  literally mike is a freshman in high school being pressured to say i love you to a girlfriend he doesn’t love, while also struggling with feelings he doesn’t know how to deal with for his best friend since kindergarten (who is a boy). will and mike are literal TEENAGERS burying a body in the middle of a desert.  dustin, 14, had to watch his older brother figure die in his arms while in an unfamiliar, terrifying alternate dimension.  el had to be subject to reliving her trauma AT 14 and then fight vecna like nothing happened.  lucas had to watch max’s bones snap (and max had to have HER bones snap) at 15.  will is gay in the 80s, in love with his best friend, and canonically feels like a mistake AT 15.

i think we all just needed to be reminded of that.

[bylerisc4non]

Joyce being immensely confused because this is how she sees Mike:

she's probably like are we talking about the same mike??? the mike that befriended my son and told him it was the best decision he'd ever made??? that cute lil boy that was constantly worried about will???

[findafight]

Okay but Joyce doesn't like Steve au that's juxtaposed by Hopper having accidentally adopted Steve but neither of them know the other's strong feelings towards Steve.

Joyce is eyeballing him all suspicious and the like. She doesn't trust him around the kids, is wary when Will talks about how he's actually pretty cool, and that Dustin is totally obsessed with him now. She greatful for his help with...whatever he did with the Upside Down stuff, but still. She knows his reputation. And her opinion doesn't change until post season 4 (despite a very frosty exchange she had with Claudia Henderson about maybe...being careful about letting Steve hang around Dustin pre S3) because suddenly Steve is like. Always at the house she shares with Hopper. She's ticked at first, because why is this random boy in her house? Hanging out and watching baseball with her daughter? And when she mentions why Steve is there all the time, at one of the seemingly rare times Steve isn't eating dinner with them (she thinks a date was mentioned, and she refrained from scoffing at how typical it was for Steve to have a date and probably not call back) El and Hop look at her like she's crazy.

Because Hopper is no longer afraid to admit his fondness for Steve. So much so that Joyce's distain for the kid throws him way off base. The whole time Joyce has been side eying Steve Hopper was sitting there smiling like Steve :) good kid :) he helped El with her hair after Kali. :') Talked about how to accept things you've done that make you feel guilty while working to make up for them and grow to be a better person :) always putting himself on the line to protect those kids :) wrote to El all the time while she was in California so she knew he was still her friend :) glad they have him. Glad El has him :)he called her Ellie last week that's cute :) unfortunate taste in men but apparently that's a family trait so I will deal with it :/ my son :')

So they're both going "why wouldn't he be?"

And Joyce barrels on like "well, he's always here and he and Jon are barely speaking-"

"Woah that not exactly...Steve's fault..."

"and he's closest to Dustin of the kids, not Will."

"not my fault I was dealing with possession when Dustin, Lucas, and Max had their special Steve adventure" (El pats his shoulder in sympathy)

"and now he's missing dinner for a date. just don't get no one else thinks it's weird!"

El frowns "it's their two-month anniversary."

"huh?"

"him and--his date. They have been dating for two months. It's special."

"El, you don't even know her name...I don't think it's that-"

"yes I do! He told me. But asked me not to tell. Right Will?"

Will nods. "They want to keep it quiet. Not ready for everyone to know? I don't know who it is but that's what Steve said when we asked. Robin definitely knows too."

"so why'd he tell El?"

"and me. He told us together."

El rolls her eyes "because he is my brother?"

Hopper's face scrunches in a smile, proud and warm.

"El, we aren't his family..."Joyce is trying, she is! But she isn't fully understanding exactly what's happening or everything in winter/spring 1985.

El looks mortally offended by this. "yes we are. Steve was my brother first."

And Joyce has to reckon with the fact that maybe she's misjudged Steve a little, if El and Hop are getting so defensive over him....

Part 2 part 3

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

I just remembered that Ichabod starts working at the sheriff’s station with Emma and Hook. So I was thinking about one day he’s the only one there while Emma and Killian are out, and Icha is listening to music and singing along and dancing. And when he looks up he notices them standing in the doorway

Emma just grin and says “I didn’t know you, sang”

And Ichabod just “mention this to no one”

[cuepickle]

Stranger Things x Breakfast Club AU (part ?)

[morganbritton132]

Eddie doesn’t post much over Parents weekend. When he does post, it’s a picture to the Official Corroded Coffin twitter account of Wayne rocking a vintage CC sweatshirt (vintage as in Eddie made it for him before the band even existed).

Overly invested fans don’t have to fret though because whereas Eddie isn’t posting, the kids are.

Every year they fill out bingo cards with Very Specific Things that they think will happen over the course of the weekend and play to see who gets bingo first. This all plays out across their TikTok accounts because the rule is: if you don’t get a video, it didn’t happen (the rule was made after the cheating scandal of 2016).

The game is always centered around whoever is hosting so this round is Steddie-centric. So, no one makes it obvious that Steve’s mom clearly didn’t show up, but if you’re invested enough in his mama drama than you’d pick up on everybody’s effort to keep him engaged enough that he doesn’t really have to think about it.

(1) The first to get a piece on the board are El, Mike, and Lucas. They manage to catch on video Claudia Henderson fully lifting Steve off his feet when she hugs him. You get three different angles of Dustin next to them with the most ‘are you shitting me?’ look on his face because she hugged Steve first.  This is a staple of these events. It happens every time. Everybody had it on their bingo cards but the others didn’t get it on camera. 

(2) Will has ‘Karen says something that would’ve gotten Steve’s neighbor burned at the stake’ on his card. He posts a TikTok of Karen referring to Steve and Eddie’s salt and pepper shakers as ‘kitschy.’ Steve smiles and says, “I know! Eddie picked them out.”

(3) ‘Eddie stands on a table’ was banned from being on the card because it has happened at every single event ever. ‘Eddie falling off a table and being caught by Steve’ however? Very specific. Weird it happened. Lucas gets points, but also a little side eye.

(4)It’s not going to win Erica any points, but she posts a video of her mom talking to Robin about finding her a good man. Now, don’t get her wrong. Sue Sinclair’s LGBT+ ally-ship is only rivaled by Joyce Byers, but she never remembers that Robin is a lesbian and Robin is always too awkward to correct her. It’s like watching two robots have a conversation because Sue mentions that Dustin is single and Robin is just like, “And…short?”

Eddie is not in the video but you can hear his wheezy laugh next to her. Erica’s just like, “Would you use your inhaler or die somewhere else?”

(5)Dustin posts a video of Steve standing by the window, clearly lost in thought as he stares out at the road. You can see Eddie sneaking up from a distance but instead of scaring Steve, he takes him by the hand and spins him around so they’re facing one another. Dustin isn’t close enough to hear what they’re saying but you can hear him mutter ‘gross’ when Eddie presses Steve up against the window to kiss him.

Steve’s the one to pull Eddie towards the stairs going to the studio, but they don’t actually make it down them because Hopper pulls Steve away to talk to him. There’s an argument between the party in the comments of the video of if this counts as ‘Steve and Eddie sneak off to make out like teenagers in the studio’ because they don’t actually succeed in sneaking away.

(6) Every single person playing gets a video of Hopper looking at Eddie and asking if he’s on drugs. Eddie says, “I don’t doOoOo drugs, Dad. It’s just marijuana.”

Dustin gets an extra point for catching Steve’s eye roll. Eddie has repeated that phrase at least a hundred times since Dustin told him about the Russian elevator.

(7) Max and Dustin both score a point with ‘Steve and El pull a “prank” on Eddie’ and it’s just Steve very confidently claiming that he can roll a nat 20 easy-peasy just by rolling the dice in a special way. Eddie obviously calls bullshit and then Steve rolls a 20 three times in a row.

After the fourth time, Eddie narrows his eyes at Steve and then spins around until he spots El on the other side of the room and points at her like “YOU!!!” No one watching understands this video. There are fights in the comments about what the hell is even happening here.

(8) Max is the only one with ‘Eddie says ACAB’ on her card. She posts a video of her handwritten card and then pans the camera up to Eddie. They’re all sitting around a bonfire later in the evening. Steve’s practically in Eddie’s lap as Eddie says, “-exactly what I mean, ACAB! All cops are bastards!”

Steve: Not Hopper

Eddie: Especially Hopper! Are you kidding me? Do you know how much weed he stole from me?

(9) Mike catches Steve and Eddie sharing a cigarette on the front porch later that night. It’s only after someone edits the video to remove the sound of the wind that you can kinda hear Steve say ‘It’s just that this is kinda it, right? I opened the door and she slammed it in my face.’

Most of the conversation is inaudible, but Joyce catching them and taking the cigarette from them is not. Neither is her shooing them back inside and finishing the cigarette herself.

(10) The party members all end up staying the night and everybody sleeps in the living room since Hopper and Joyce have Steve and Eddie’s bedroom and Wayne has the guest room. Steve and Eddie sleep on the couch because Eddie’s back can’t handle the floor. Max and Lucas get an air mattress, and Dustin claims the other side of the couch with El since they’re the only single people there. Everybody else is on the floor

Max wins bingo with a one-two punch the following morning with Mike complaining that Steve stepped on him with his big ass sleepwalking feet and Dustin posting a picture to his Instagram of him, Claudia, and Steve with the caption “best moms a guy could have.”

[lucascsinclairs]

@usergif 1 Year Celebration: Shuffle Challenge

day 1: Fade Transition | Multi-Gif Layout | Anger

“Now I know the truth. It is not me. It is you. You are the monster. I am going to open that door, and I’m going to leave. If you try to stop me, I will kill you.”

[bequeerbehappy]

OK you see this scene

well here is what they really look like

My life has never been the same since I realized it (it has became even sadder)

Imagine Max, traumatized after the death of her abusive stepbrother. She experiences nightmares and has suicidal thoughts, distancing herself from all her friends. Meanwhile, her mother is sinking deeper into alcoholism. Max learns that a monster has cursed her, and that she will inevitably die soon. This monster gives her visions that force her to relive her worst traumas and fears. She finds herself on the floor, her eyes bloody, screaming that she doesn’t want to die, while looking like this:

Imagine Lucas trying to fit in to avoid being bullied, which distances him from his best friends. He notices that the girl he loves is struggling and pulling away from him. He ends up hanging out with guys who claim that the game he's played since childhood has a satanic purpose and that they’re trying to kill one of his friends. Later, he learns that the girl he loves is cursed by a monster and will soon die, and there’s nothing he can do about it. He watches her float in the air, powerless, hoping that her favorite music will bring her back down. Ultimately, he finds himself holding her in his arms, half-dead, screaming "Erica, help!" knowing that all he can do is talk to her to keep her alive, while looking like this:

Imagine Eleven finding herself in an entirely unfamiliar city, trying to cope with the grief of losing the man she considers her dad, while struggling to fit in after spending half her life in a lab. She has lost her powers, which were an integral part of her. She realizes that the first person to ever show her real affection is unable to say "I love you." To regain her powers and save her friends from potential death, she must confront the greatest trauma of her life, facing the man who robbed her of her childhood. She learns that one of the most important people in her world might be on the verge of death, and she finds herself battling a monster, partly responsible for her deepest trauma, to save her. In the end, she witnesses the scene where Max is on the brink of death, with Lucas desperately trying to keep her alive. All while looking like this:

[1n-bl0om]

they are best friends your honor