#nancy and murray

[loveinhawkins]

I’m a little obsessed with the fact Nancy didn’t tell Murray she was held at gunpoint but told him enough about Eddie and Steve that he was able to correctly suss out the Thing they’ve got going on.

references the current latest chapter of nothing but the dead and dying

no but i died laughing reading this, i always love hearing your thoughts ❤️

the summary of their phone calls together is pretty much a very stressed Nancy repeatedly asking for updates on Murray’s leaking/cover stories. & Murray is like, “I’m handling it. Please relax. Like. Are you okay?” & Nancy is just “oh I’m fine :)” because if she pushes everything down into a little box & doesn’t address it, then it is fine, honest.

then for some relatively light relief she’s like, “anyway, do you want to hear about Eddie and Steve?”

Murray, who’s been following any little mention of “Steve Harrington” like he’s his favourite minor recurring character in a soap opera, & can absolutely tell some new Character Development is coming: “oh, do tell.” 🍿

[hairmetal666]

Steve has done interviews before. Like, a lot of interviews. YouTube, podcasts, print, TV stuff. Not as a brag, or anything, just. He's been an influencer for a long time, for better or worse, and it's part of the deal.

Usually, he's comfortable in front of the camera. Usually, he's poised and well-spoken. But today, this time, sweat pools under his arms and beads along his hairline, the lights beating down on him in a harsh glare.

"Steve Harrington," Murray Bauman crosses his legs, smiles big for the cameras. "It's been a while."

He smiles too, tries to seem like he's not about to have a panic attack. "I've been a little busy."

Murray laughs and it's then that Steve understands how screwed he really is. Murray's show, it's all glitz and glamour on the surface; mixed drinks and hijinks until the celebrity guests lose their inhibitions, admitting things they probably wanted to keep secret.

It's just that, before, Steve didn't have any salacious rumors to worry about, and now--

"You've had a rough year, Steve, yeah?"

"Not my best, for sure." He leans back, tries to seem calm, unbothered.

"I was sorry to hear about your divorce. I think that announcement really took a lot of people by surprise."

His hands clench, but he manages not to shift or bounce his leg. "Thanks for, uh. Yeah. We were also sorry it didn't work out."

Murray nods, face full of sympathy. "You and Nancy, you'd been together since high school? That's almost--what? 15 years?"

"It's--" he clears his throat. "About that long." Steve takes a sip of the drink next to him, an apple martini that's both too sweet and too strong.

"Am I right to assume that you didn't see it coming?"

And isn't that a question? Sure, now in hindsight, he can see the fractures that lead to the end, but six months ago did he--it's all so--what if all along--

"All marriages have rough patches," is what he says. "We just couldn't come out of ours as a couple."

"Do you know what I've found really remarkable about this phase of your life? The content and tone of your videos in the midst of the maelstrom of rumors and gossip didn't change at all. 'Your kids' as you call them, are still as bright and vibrant as ever. You're laughing, dancing, cooking, having a great time."

"I needed that--that normalcy you know? And the kids, they're such an important part of my life, having them around helped."

"Including Nancy's brother, Mike?"

Steve laughs and it's not fake. "Totally including Mike. My relationship with Nancy has nothing to do with my relationship with him."

"He's kind of an antagonist--would you say?--in your videos, though."

"We have conflict sometimes, but it's never serious. We know how to play it up for laughs."

"So, nothing's changed between you?"

"Not at all."

"The cheating rumors." Murray's smile is soft, but all the air still leaves the room.

"What about them?" It's more combative than he means, but--

"Did Nancy cheat on you with Jonathan Byers?"

He swallows and it hurts. She did cheat, is the thing. It's not public information, still only speculation, but--

"You can't believe everything you read, Murray."

"So, she didn't cheat?" There's a glow to Murray's eyes that tells Steve he already knows the answer.

"Like, I said before, marriages are hard. We spent a lot of time apart because of our jobs. It took a toll."

"And she was traveling with Jonathan, yes? He's been her photographer for the past decade, from what I understand."

"They were co-workers, but we're all close. And those rumors didn't help our relationship, for sure. It's--not easy to hear that a bunch of people think your wife and close friend may be having an affair, that people 'ship' them. Even when it's not true, it creates--"

"Tension? Distrust?"

"Both, probably." He takes another drink as he nods. "After a while you do start to wonder if there's truth to it, and you're too ignorant or too--too trusting to see it."

"And it eroded the relationship."

"It certainly didn't help." He takes another drink.

"And how about your relationship with Jonathan's brother, Will. Has that been impacted?"

"Of course not. Never. Whatever happens between Nancy, Jonathan, and I, it has nothing to do with the kids. They know that.

"You talked about it."

"Yes. Extensively."

"I know there's often speculation on the relationship you have with them; if you're really close or it's all for the cameras."

"Murray." He leans forward. "We've talked about this before. I met Dustin through Mike, and the whole group followed. I've known them all since they were 8 years old. They're--I mean, not to be cliche, but they're my family." He sips the last bit of martini.

"And where does Eddie Munson fit into that family?"

The question shouldn't be a surprise, but he almost does a spit take, has to fight to keep it together.

"Eddie?"

"Yes." Murray's smile is chilling. "Your close friend Eddie Munson. Musician. Plays Dungeons and Dragons on YouTube. You made out with him in a music video. Ringing any bells?"

"I'm familiar with Eddie," his grin is rigid. "I don't know what that has to do with my marriage ending."

"Well, the rumors weren't all about Nancy, were they?"

"Eddie and I have--we became mutuals online years and years ago. I used one of his songs in a video and the kids are obsessed with his dnd stuff, so. We've become close."

"Friends?"

"Isn't that implied?"

"After that music video, I don't think so."

Steve rolls his eyes, lets the irritation show for the first time. "He asked me to be in his video. There's nothing scandalous about it."

"What's your relationship with Eddie right now?"

"Like I said, friends."

"Do you want it to be more than that?"

"Eddie's really important to me."

"Is that all?"

"Not really sure what you want me to say here, Murray."

"You were married to a woman for years, but now there are questions about your sexuality."

He grits his teeth. "My sexuality isn't anyone's business aside my own. People can say shit on Twitter all they want, that doesn't mean they know me. But--the end of my marriage--it definitely gave me the space for self-discovery, I guess? In a way I hadn't had before."

"And is Eddie a part of that self-discovery?"

"Yeah, as one of my closest friends, he is."

"Do you have feelings for him?"

"That's--that's not--I'm going through a divorce. My focus isn't on starting another relationship right now."

"You, famously, tattooed your initials on the inside of his thigh during an Instagram live. That's pretty intimate."

"We were just having a little fun."

"Huh. That seems like more than 'a little fun' to me. So, how's Eddie doing with the increased attention?"

It takes Steve a second to track the change of subject, mind still stuck on the tattoo, on how the ink had looked on Eddie's pale skin.

"It's hard." Steve eventually answers. "Of course he enjoys bringing his music and dnd to a wider audience, but the focus on his personal life is--it's a lot."

"Well, he should have thought about before letting you tattoo him for your 850,000 followers. Does he want a relationship with you?"

His throat is dry, burning, he wishes he had more martini. He wishes he'd never taken a sip. "You'd have to ask him. I'm just taking it day by day, you know? That's what I need right now."

"We're getting to the end of our time, but you know I have to ask. Your best friend, Robin Buckley, she very famously unfollowed both Nancy and Jonathan on all social media when news broke about your divorce. Can you tell us why she unfollowed them?"

"I have no control over Robin's accounts. I didn't even know she followed Jonathan ever, and she and Nancy have a relationship outside of me, you know? I can't say what happened between them."

"She's been in your videos with Eddie. She like him?"

"Very much. It's kind of annoying actually. They keep ganging up on me."

"Much to everyone's delight, I'm sure. So, what can we expect from the newly single Steve Harrington?"

"There are a couple things in the works, but only time will tell."

---

He walks through his front door an hour later, and Eddie's sitting on the couch, playing a soft melody on an acoustic guitar. He stops when he sees Steve, setting the guitar aside, and standing.

"How'd it go, baby?" He asks. His soft smile is so beautiful, Steve gets a lump in his throat.

"As expected." He crosses the space between them, lets Eddie pull him close.

"He ask about us?" Eddie's breath tickles his ear.

"Of course."

"And you--"

"I want--it should be just for us. We should be able to announce when we're ready. Not when Murray-fucking-Bauman asks."

Eddie kisses him, then, sweet and slow, making him lose his breath.

"Whenever you're ready, I'll be right by your side."

"You sure? All my mess--"

"Is mine too. Afraid you're stuck with me for the long haul, Steve Harrington."

[tellthatbrokebitch]

st text posts pt xxv, coming to you live from a pt facility ✌️my knee hurts

[claraoswalds]

STRANGER THINGS LADIES APPRECIATION WEEK ↳ Day 4: Favorite Headcanon

Full of surprises, isn't she?

[hangon-silvergirl]

stranger things + shirts that go hard (+)

[strawberrybyers]

NANCY, JONATHAN, WILL, AND MIKE WERE ALL ON SET TODAY!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS???JANCY AND BYLER SCENES AT THE SAME TIME!! WE GET MIKE AND NANCY INTERACTIONS!! WE GET WILL AND JONATHAN INTERACTIONS!! WE GET MIKE AND JONATHAN INTERACTIONS!! WE GET NANCY AND WILL INTERACTIONS!!

bonus:

MURRAY WAS ALSO ON SET FILMING WITH THEM! MURRAY SET UP JONATHAN AND NANCY! WHAT IF HE CLOCKS THE GAY ENERGY BETWEEN MIKE AND WILL????

[yourelosingains]

if they don’t look like they’re done with everyones shit together then they clearly aren’t endgame

[darcylightninglewis]

@pscentral event 17: vibrance ↳ Stranger Things (S3) + team names for the amazing @freyaswolf

[the-lark-ascending69]

Picture Nancy, Steve and Robin having to go to Murray for some unspecified reason. And while they're sitting on that couch explaining their situation and asking for help, Murray thinks he sees a spark of romance between Steve and Robin, and he tries to talk them into it, to help them realize.

And obviously Steve and Robin are quite uncomfortable and vehemently deny it. Murray thinks it's just awkward young love. And Nancy, who has been trying to push Robin in Steve's direction for the past few weeks, remembers how this same deal worked on Jonathan and her a few years ago.

Part of her feels excited that Murray may succeed where she failed - to show them just how great they'd be together. Part of her suddenly feels... frustrated. Annoyed. Jealous. The idea of Steve and Robin together suddenly seems so much more real to her but it doesn't seem as great as it did before. She realizes she's a little bit scared. Her eyes never leave Robin and she feels her heart crack when, in her nervosness and embarrassment, she offers Steve an awkward smile.

[onstoryladders]

stranger things text posts, prev and next

[delta-piscium]

Murray, after watching Steve and Eddie for all of five seconds, confidently walks up to them and starts his whole spiel about pining blah blah etc etc, and like, Steve will absolutely not have that, there is no way.

So he snorts, looks at Murray down his nose, and with zero hesitation lies, tells him “We’ve been dating for a month, congrats on seeing the obvious... Or not since you couldn’t tell”

He just hopes Eddie will play along. Steve is sending him the strongest signals with his mind right now, and, just, he knows Eddie can be petty like this too (that’s why he likes him so much, and yeah Murray is a little right but fuck him so much more for it)

Eddie ‘lives for the bit and to fuck with people’ Munson does not disappoint. He slings an arm around Steve and is like “Yeaaahhh wow, real clever observation there buddy.” In the driest tone imaginable

And Murray, well he was sure he was right, still kind of is sure he’s right so he just squints at them for a bit and then breaks out in a wide grin, and only sounds a little sarcastic when he says “Congrats on figuring your shit out yourselves.” 

Except he absolutely does not mean it because he wanted to do that, he likes doing that. And now he's sulking and will watch them so closely because something seems off 

Eddie and Steve, so committed to the bit and to not let Murray win, start fake dating. All while Murray tries to catch them in their lie, and they’re all too stubborn to give up

Murray starts to slowly think he maybe was wrong though because they really seem like a couple. And even though there’s still something there he can’t ignore the proof.

When they straight up make out in front of him, and he can tell that they’re so lost in each other they probably don’t know he’s there he's about to concede

But then after that, they act so weird around each other again? It’s like before but worse and how did the pining get worse when they’re actually openly together? Regularly have their tongues down each other's throats and all?

Meanwhile, Steve and Eddie are going through it because they thought they’d be okay but that kiss was so much, and oh god they don’t think they can do this? But they can’t let Murray win?

A week and a half later at their monthly 'we survived the apocalypse, again' get-together at Hoppers and Joyce’s, Murray just gets enough of how twitchy they are. He grabs them both and locks them in a closet and is like “I don’t wanna know anymore, whatever fight you had or didn’t figure it out”

They sort of stand there shuffling from foot to foot not marking eye contact until Eddie is just like “Oh for fucks sake, I like you for real okay? The bastard was right so can we actually just date? Please?” And all Steve's can do is say "Thank god," while he smiles the most blinding smile and grabs Eddie by his collar pulling him in for a kiss

Fifteen minutes later they come out of the closet (the irony and symbolism is not lost on them) all disheveled and a little too satisfied looking and are met with very loud screaming from all the younger teens, ranging from a simple “Ew!” (Mike) to “Dude we are right here what if we'd heard? Or walked in there and seen?” (Dustin)

They’re lucky they’re too distracted by this to see Murray's self-satisfied smirk because if they did they would have pretend broken up and there would have been another month of sneaking around but this time actually dating and pretending they weren’t

[pinnedwords]

Stranger things modern au hcs

-Max and Mike kick each other out of the party's gc constantly but El always adds them back

-Nancy is a pinterest girlie

-Steve and Robin have an ridicoulously long snapchat streak

-Karen is a facebook mom

-Billy makes those cringy y/n thirst povs on tiktok (yk the ones i'm talking abt)

-Dustin is a Minecraft Addict

-Murray is a redditor

-The party did the 'passing the phone to' trend and it went viral on tiktok

-Will is kinda popular on instagram for his art

-Joyce created a gc for everyone in case the ud shit starts again

-Argyle posts the most unhinged shit on tiktok and his videos had like 7 views everytime until one of them blew up and then he became super popular and even verified

[pencilscratchins]

well i think we all saw this one coming!

i’m very excited to be posting my finished Stranger Things zine! i’ve been working on this bad boy for a little while now (if youre a patreon, youve see this take shape!) and i’m finally ready to let her into the wild! this zine contains about 70 illustrations and comic strips, with my cheddar cheese brain ramblings scattered periodically. this is available for purchase on my gumroad for $1+ USD or! a free, 7 pg version that you can find here! also available on itch.io! hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoyed making it, because i made myself giggle, aloud, alone in my apartment, multiple times. it’s cringe but my god is it fun.

patrons, this (and all my zines) is included in your subscription! the full thing and PDF are uploaded there!

ships included: nancy/robin, steve/eddie, robin/chrissy, joyce/hopper, others mentioned briefly

[tellthatbrokebitch]

st text posts pt. xvi possibly my last lmao we’ll see!!!

[thefirstlioveyou]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BOTH BYLERS WERE FILMING TODAY WITH MURRAY ?? THATS LIKE AN INSANE COMBONATION

[rainysofsunshineao3]

No because I can just imagine season 5 and Robin and Nancy crash at Murray's after a long day of investigating and we honest to god all know what would happen...

Robin and Nancy at the breakfast table the morning after

Murray: So...How were the fingers?

Robin: *Dying in corner*

Nancy: *Chokes on tea* I-I'm sorry?

Murray: *Confused* The chicken fingers? I left them for you last night. Figured you'd be hungry after the day you'd had.

Nancy: Oh! Oh yes, of course, they were fine. Great even. Very good.

Robin: Yeah, I snatched them around 1:00 for Nance because-

Nancy: I WOKE UP REALLY HUNGRY, RIGHT ROBIN?!

It is now facts that the only reason Murray was with Joyce was because he would've made Byler and Ronance cannon before the Duffers wanted.