#poor joyce all concerned about her baby

[zipzapzopzoop]

There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

Chapter 27: Hide and Seek

“Again, Franny?”

A teenage Art scolded the girl as he drove the battered pizza delivery car. It smelled like pizza inside. He only just got it back from the police station after it was stolen. It nearly cost him his job, so he wasn’t exactly in the best mood. “We’ve been over this! You can’t kiss the frogs!”

Franny crossed her arms with a pout. Her brother wasn’t thrilled about having to pick her up early because she was ill. Only a bit! She was doing better now!

“If they weren’t meant to be kissed, why do they look so cute and dumb and kissable!” She exclaimed, holding Frankie up to emphasize her point. “See him? Look at him. Look at him, Art… Art, you’re not looking-” “I see him, Fran. You know he’s supposed to stay at home-”

“STOP!” 

Art slammed down on the breaks and held his arm in front of his sister. The car skidded to an abrupt halt, the poor frog flying from the girl’s hands and plopping into the windshield with a ‘slap!’

“What!? What is it?!”

“Lewis lives that way!” She pointed. “He hasn’t come to school in a few days and I want to make sure he’s okay!”

“Fran, I’m certain he’s fine-”

“Please!” “It would be rude to stop by unannounced-”

“Please! We’ll just knock and ask!”

She gave her brother the biggest puppy dog eyes she could. “Please? For me?”

Art only looked unimpressed. “That’s not going to work this time.”

She leaned in and gave him a big hug, somehow making her eyes even bigger.

“For your favorite baby sister?” Art scowled and looked away. She responded by holding Frankie up next to his face. Even as he tried to look away, she moved Frankie to follow. “Pwease? Fow Fwankie?”

Art threw up his arms in defeat. “Fine! Just leave the frog at home tomorrow.”

Franny leaned into Frankie and chuckled. “Not gonna happen.”

“What?”

She held Frankie up again. “Frankie was just telling me that you’re the best brother ever!”

Art breathed a heavy sigh and put on his turn signal. 

“What am I going to do with you?”

——————

While Wilbur tuned everything out, Lewis did all he could to listen in.

“My biggest concern is that these people know who we are and are trying to get ahold of us,” rather than his usual expressive and broad tone, Art spoke low and quiet, as if they weren’t the only people in the house.

“That’s ridiculous. This bozo here and I were arrested and they let us go!”

“Please calm down, honey. The important thing is that you’re with us. We don’t know these people or their motives just yet. We may have just gotten lucky.”

Franny put a hand on Laszlo’s shoulder, making a mental note to ask about getting arrested later. “How are the maps coming along?” Laszlo brightened a bit, seemingly eager to change the topic and escape being the center of attention. “Good. Here, they’re all done.” He handed them to Franny.

“Alright!” Franny spoke up, quieting the rest of the room. She placed the maps on the center of the table. “Role call. What are some points of interest? Where did everyone start out?”

Everyone pointed to different spots around the Midtown map. Wilbur pointed to Joyce Williams Elementary. “There. They wouldn’t let me leave.”

Fritz pointed to downtown. Petunia pointed to an alleyway behind a toy store. Laszlo pointed to a church. Art to a bowling alley. Lefty to a bookstore. Finally, Franny to a car demolition site. Lewis took a pen and marked where each person pointed.

“Who are we missing?” Fritz put on a pair of reading glasses and got another piece of paper. Lefty meanwhile decided to clean up the kitchen.

“Our damn daughter for starters?” Petunia squawked. Fritz nervously wrote down names as the others suggested. 

“Alright, so that’s Tallulah, Billie, Gaston, Joe, Bud, and Lucille.. God, I hope they’re okay…” he put his head in his hand. 

Laszlo suddenly went still and took on a worried expression.

“What if… Those people who went after me… What if they have Tallulah?”

They all looked up, nobody having the heart to confirm the likelihood of the possibility.

A knock at the door suddenly brought them into the abrupt present.

Lewis turned to his family in a panic. “Hide! Now!” He whispered as loud as he could without being heard outside.

“Hello! It’s Franny! Are you home? Can I come in? Your door’s unlocked!”

Suddenly the kitchen became a mad scramble for everyone to hide. 

Franny slowly pushed the front door open. She turned and gave a grin and thumbs up to her brother sitting in the car. He looked puzzled. They let her in? Huh.

“Lewis!” Franny called out as she stepped into the empty home. “It’s just me! I’m here to make sure you’re not dead!” She stepped into the kitchen, not noticing the rapid shuffling by the figures hidden just out of sight. The house smelled like bacon and eggs, so someone was just here. Franny didn’t see the two pairs of eyes (one of which were fake) watching from the pantry. Petunia opened her mouth but Fritz quickly covered it and shook his head.

“Lewis! Are you having a breakfast party?” Franny turned to look at the table while a camouflaged Lefty slowly moved from his spot on the wall up to the ceiling, changing his color to match his surroundings. There was an open iBook on the table. Cool! She and Lewis would play games on it sometimes when she’d visit. To her confusion, there were no games, just pictures of the city. Just out of her sight, Wilbur stood balanced on a door, holding Buster under an arm. He silently shushed the dog. Suddenly, his foot slipped but he was snatched up by a long tentacle arm.

Some drawn maps with crosses on them caught her eye, next to it a list of names. “‘Tallulah, Billie, Gaston…’” she read aloud. “Hey, I know a Gaston,” Franny spoke to nobody in particular.

The girl jumped up when she thought she saw the curtains move slightly. She didn’t see the figure flinch and huddle back behind the curtain. “Hey! Who’s there? I know karate!” 

Franny snuck up to the curtain, her arms raised. She yanked the curtain back and jumped into position. “Hiya!” 

…There was nobody there.

Franny stood for a moment. Huh… She went back to the pictures on the table, failing to notice Laszlo, now on top of the curtain rail, breathing a sigh of relief. That was close.

She looked over the papers again, trying to figure them out. A pen fell and rolled under the table, stopping right next to the girl’s older counterpart, who had been using the table as a hiding place. “Dang it.” She felt the ground with her arm, but couldn’t seem to find the pen. Mrs.Robinson held her breath when the girl moved to look underneath the table-

“WAIT!” Lewis ran in and Franny jumped up. Mrs.Robinson took the time to crawl away.

“There you are, Lewis! Where have you been? Are you okay?” Lewis hurried over and ushered Franny another way so that she wouldn’t see Uncle Art huddled behind one of the counters. “Yeah, I’m good! Just some… family in town! Been spending some time catching up.” 

“Neat! Oh my gosh I totally forgot! I found a robot! At school!” Lewis froze. “What?” “Yeah! He’s in the janitor’s closet and he’s made of gold! And he’s got an ‘R’ for robot on his chest!”

Lewis grabbed Franny’s shoulders. “You have to show me! ASAP!”

A bright grin spread across Franny’s face. “Way ahead of ya!”

The two went running out the front door, Franny unaware of her friend’s panic, mistaking it for curiosity. “You should fix him up so he can be our friend!” “That’s the plan!”

The moment the door shut, the entire family fell from their hiding spots, breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Way. Too. Close.

------

[roanofarcc]

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT → THE DEATH OF A SUPERHERO

summary: steve harrington x oc

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

word count. 3.9k || masterlist

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

previous chapter ← → next chapter

The Byers house was once again the meeting place of tired children, confused teens, and adults who were trying their damnest to keep everything and everyone under control. 

An unconscious and pale Will lay on the couch while his body was supposedly possessed by something dark and sinister that had attached to his mind during his time in the Upside Down. Jonathan kneeled at his side and gently stroked Will’s hair while he murmured to the kid. He was joined by Nancy, who kept one hand firmly placed on Jonathan’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him while he tried to comfort his baby brother. 

Ms. Byers wept alone in her bedroom, out of the eyes of the company that invaded her home, for the lost life of Bob Newby. Sunshine hadn’t known him well. She only caught glimpses of him walking hand in hand with Joyce during their lunch breaks in downtown Hawkins. Will had mentioned him a few times to her mostly about how he wasn’t too fond of someone new coming into their lives, but by the little he described of Bob, it sounded like he and Will had a lot alike. The poor man had no idea what Hawkins was before he ventured into the Lab in a heroic attempt to help the Byers, but the awful building had other plans for him and ended up claiming yet another life that night. 

Hopper was posted on the phone trying to get ahold of someone to help them. Sunshine wasn’t too sure anyone would come to their aid or believe them. 

All of the kids gathered at the kitchen table, slumped in their seats with tired eyes. Lucas toyed with his water bottle and stared intensely at nothing. Max sat beside him with her chin propped up with her hand and tapped her foot anxiously against the floor. Mike’s face was pinched with a look of both anger and sadness, and his eyes were rimmed red. Dustin busied himself by digging through a bin of medical supplies he had found in the bathroom for something to cure a drained Sunshine. 

Seated on top of the kitchen counter, she leaned her back against the top row of cabins. Her whole head throbbed in pain. It felt as if her skull had taken several hits with a hammer. The pain caused the world in front of her to blur slightly. The overuse of her powers and her breakdown at the Lab left her feeling void of any energy, but she wanted to help. She had tried to convince everyone she was fine, but once they arrived at the Byers, Hopper, and Steve dragged her into the kitchen and forced her to sit and recoup before she did anything. 

Steve stood in front of her with his brows furrowed in concentration as he tended to the wound on her tattooed wrist. When she had her flashback in the front yard of the Lab, she subconsciously clawed at her tattoo to the point where blood was drawn, and open wounds were left behind. He carefully wrapped her wrist with gauze, covering the deep fingernail marks, after he had cleaned up the dried blood. Once the bandage was secured, he met her gaze with the same gentle concern he had carried since they left the junkyard. 

“Is that any better?” Steve asked. 

Sunshine nodded weakly and muttered a grateful, “Thank you.” 

Steve shot her a small yet tired smile, which fit the somber mood that had a chokehold of the household. He leaned his back against the counter at her side and turned his attention to the shuffling movements of the other occupants of the house. 

On her other side, Dustin appeared with two pills in his hand and a refilled glass of water. Sunshine wasn’t sure a couple of painkillers would be enough to ease the pain that cut her deeper than a simple headache and scratched-up wrist, but she took them regardless and hoped they would do something. 

They all listened to the phone call Hopper was on. 

“I don’t know how many people are there! I don’t know how many are left alive.” His voice was brash and laced with a kind of worry Sunshine hadn’t heard from him. Her nerves were already fried from revisiting the Lab, but his words only made that ache inside her chest worsen. 

Death was painted all across the Lab, in different, horrifying ways. That night there became even more names to add to the list of lost souls. She wondered if it would ever end, or if the building would continue catching ghosts forever. 

“I am the police. Chief Jim Hopper,” he said, leaning his forehead against the wall with a disgruntled sigh. Hopper recited the Byers phone number to whoever was on the other end and then hung the phone back on the receiver. 

“They didn’t believe you, did they?” Dustin asked, being the first of the kids to finally speak. 

The chief fished around in his pockets, probably in search of his pack of cigarettes to ease his nerves. “We’ll see.” 

A scoff sounded from Mike. “We’ll see? We can’t just sit here while those things are on the loose!” 

“We stay here, and we wait for help,” Hopper instructed, leaving no room for argument as he left the kitchen and disappeared from the kitchen. 

The group continued their sulking in silence for a few more moments, before it became too much for one kid in particular to handle. Mike pushed himself up from the table and ventured into the living room, looking around before he settled on a stack of board games and brain teasers left on the coffee table that had been pushed against the wall to make room for the map Will had drawn that was taped to nearly every wall and floor of the home. 

Mike sat the mundane pile of kid games in the middle of the kitchen table and stared at them solemnly as he said, “Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?” 

“Really?” Lucas asked. 

“He petitioned the school to start and everything. Then he had a fundraiser for equipment. Mr. Clark learned everything from him. It’s pretty awesome, right?” Dustin and Lucas nodded sadly. Mike’s expression shifted into something different, something hard-set and determined. “We can’t let him die for nothing.”

Dustin sighed. “What do you want to do Mike? We can’t fight these things on our own, not with Sunshine out of commission and without…” he trailed off for a moment before he swallowed thickly and said, “El.” Both Mike and Sunshine winced at the name, but neither one of them said anything. 

Dustin continued. “I think the Chief’s right about this. We need more help to stop these Demo-Dogs.” 

“Demo-Dogs?” Max questioned. 

“Demogorgon dogs. Demo-Dogs. It’s like a compound or a play on words-” Dustin overexplained before he was cut off by Max with a wide-eyed ‘okay!' 

“I mean, when it was just Dart, we maybe stood a chance, but there’s an army now,” Lucas said. 

His words struck something within Mike. He snapped his head over his shoulder and glanced over at Will’s sleeping figure. “His army.” 

Steve, with his arms crossed and brows furrowed, said, “What do you mean?” 

Without answering Steve’s question, Mike started to follow the series of taped-together pieces of paper from the kitchen into the hallway. The kids all exchanged a look before they followed him. Sunshine went to do so as well, but when she jumped down from the counter, a wave of dizziness crashed into her, causing her vision to blur even more for a moment. Steve was quick to grasp her arm and steady her. 

Sunshine squeezed her eyes closed for a moment before the feeling subsided slightly and ignored the screams of protest from her aching muscles. She gave Steve a slight nod before following after the kids who all gathered around the map on the floor in the hall. 

“His army,” Mike repeated, kneeling on the ground. “If we can stop him, we can stop his army too.” 

In his hands was a drawing of a black creature that looked vaguely spider-like, scribbled with a heavy and frantic hand. “The Shadow Monster got Will that day in the field. The doctors said it was like a virus that infected him,” Mike explained.

Slowly, the kids all began to understand, even Max. She kneeled beside Mike to get a better look at the drawing and asked, “And so this virus thing, it’s connecting Will to the tunnels?” 

Mike nodded. “To the tunnels, the monsters, the Upside Down, to everything.” 

“Whoa. Slow down,” said Steve. 

With a sigh, Mike elaborated. “The Shadow Monster is inside of everything. If the vines feel something like pain, so does Will.” 

“And so does Dart,” Dustin added. 

Lucas’s eyes widened in understanding. “It’s like what Mr. Clark taught us. It’s a hive mind.” 

In unison, Sunshine and Steve said, “Hive mind?” 

Dustin explained it as a collective consciousness. What Sunshine gathered from that, and from the further explanation the rest of the kids pitched in on, everything was connected through the Shadow Monster; it controlled everything, including Will, which sounded even worse than she believed their situation already was. 

As they continued to explain, Dustin gasped loudly and looked as if he had struck gold. “It’s just like the Mind Flayer!” Mike and Lucas knew what Dustin was talking about, but everyone else was confused. 

His discovery led to them gathering back around the kitchen table with some book of Will’s that was full of monsters and words Sunshine vaguely recalled the boys using when they talked about the little game they played. 

After a minute of flipping through the book’s pages, Dustin found what he was looking for. “The Mind Flayer.”

“What the hell is this?” Hopper returned to the kitchen as well. 

“It’s a monster from an unknown dimension,” Dustin began to explain. “It’s so ancient that it doesn’t know its true home. It enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brain by using its highly developed psionic powers.”

A series of confused faces blinked back at Dustin while Hopper groaned loudly. “None of this is real. This is a kid's game.” 

A semi-offended look crossed the face of all three young boys who gathered around the book on the table. Dustin placed his hands on his hips and a challenging look flashed in his wide eyes. “No, it’s a manual, and it’s not for kids. Unless you know something we don’t, this is the best metaphor-” 

“Analogy,” Lucas cut in, earning a glare from Dustin. 

“Fine. It’s the best analogy for understanding whatever hell we’re up against.” 

Nancy had joined them in the dining room, and as Dustin argued with Hopper, she grabbed the manual and stared at it intently. “Okay, so what does this Mind Flamer thing want?” 

“Flayer. Mind Flayer,” Dustin corrected. “And it wants to conquer us, basically. It believes it’s the master race.” 

Chiming in, Steve asked, “Like the Germans?” which earned him a series of looks from everyone around the table. His cheeks heated up in what Sunshine assumed was embarrassment and he ducked his head to focus back on the manual. 

“You mean the Nazis?” Dustin peered at Steve, who nodded in response. “Uh, yeah. If the Nazis were from another dimension, totally.” He patted Steve’s arm before he refocused on the issue at hand, making all of the older teens and adults understand what he and the rest of the party knew like the back of their hand. Their game of D&D was like second nature to the boys; it was how they made sense of all of the terrible things they had faced the year prior, and what they were currently facing. 

“The Mind Flayer views other races, like us, as inferior to itself. It wants to spread and take over other dimensions. We’re talking about the destruction of our world as we know it,” Dustin said. 

A chill ran down Sunshine’s spine. Her mind spun with memories of one little boy with eyes that glowed an electric blue and the echo of his startled voice that repeated the very phrase that had haunted her for years. The end of everything. 

The visions that Nine had, no one truly understood. Last year, she was sure that the events that occurred were what he had warned her about all those years ago. The Demogorgon had been a nightmare. The disappearance of Will and the death of Eleven only added to the horrors Hawkins had faced, but the world had not ended. Sunshine was still there and the world still turned. 

Will’s drawing of the shadow monster left a sour taste in Sunshine’s mouth. Perhaps Nine’s vision was only beginning to become true and they were only at the beginning of the end. 

“The end of everything,” Sunshine muttered just loud enough for all eyes to turn onto her. 

“What?” asked Nancy. 

Swallowing thickly, Sunshine turned her gaze onto the bandage wrapped around her wrist, rubbing her thumb softly over where her tattoo rested. “Nine,” she croaked out; the name hurt as she forced it from her lips, but she continued knowing how important it was that they got to the bottom of whatever was happening in Hawkins. “Nine could see the future. He had a vision a few years back, a vision of something coming. He said whatever that something was, it would be the end of us, of…of everything. Maybe this Mind Flayer thing is what he saw?” 

Everyone held varying looks of fear and anxiety. The only person who spoke was Steve, who uttered a slightly frantic, “Oh, that’s great. Jesus…” 

The only person who sprang into action was Nancy. She returned her gaze to the manual and dragged her finger along the words on the page. “If this thing is like a brain that’s controlling everything, then, if we kill it, we kill everything it controls.” 

The party members nodded. “Then we win, theoretically,” said Lucas. 

“Great,” Hopper muttered. “So how do we kill this thing? Shoot it with fireballs or something?” 

A laugh slipped past Dustin’s lips, but he caught himself and shook his head. “No fireballs. You have to summon an undead army because, uh, because zombies…you know, they don’t have brains and the Mind Flayer l-likes brains…” The more he spoke, it was clear that any sound plan that they could follow through with slipped out of reach and back into a game of make-believe. Dustin’s shoulders slumped and he dropped his gaze onto the manual before he said, sheepishly, “It’s just a game.” 

Sunshine reached out and squeezed Dustin’s arm in reassurance, but it was not enough to lift the somber mood that nearly suffocated the Byers household. Everyone was terrified and frustrated with no real resolution in sight. 

Hopper let out a groan. “What the hell are we doing here?” 

Anger flared within the curly-headed boy, and he bit back at the chief. “I thought we were waiting for your military backup?” 

“We are!” 

“How are they going to stop this?” Mike chimed in, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes at Hopper. “You can’t just shoot this thing with guns.” 

“You don’t know that. We don’t know anything!”

“We know it’s already killed everyone inside the Lab. We know the monsters are going to molt again. And we know that it’s only a matter of time before those tunnels reach town,” Mike reminded everyone, leaving them all dejected. 

Before Hopper had the chance to rebuttal, a new voice joined the conversation. 

“They’re right.” Joyce had emerged from her room, still in a pair of scrubs and with a blanket pulled tightly around her shoulders. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying, but there was a devastating kind of determination upon her face. 

Sunshine’s heart ached for the woman. She was back to fearing for the life of her son not even a year after she almost lost him. She had been forced to watch a man she loved die in one of the worst possible ways while trying to help them save Will and Hawkins. Yet, there Joyce stood, still ready for a fight to make things right in their cursed little town. Joyce deserved more than that; they all deserved more than what they’ve been given. 

“We have to kill it,” Joyce said. “I want to kill it.” 

The gruff expression Hopper wore melted into something kinder and sadder as he moved around the group of battered and terrified kids to meet Joyce. “Me too. But how do we do that? We don’t know what we’re dealing with.” 

“No. We don’t, but he does,” Mike said, gazing back at Will’s sleeping figure. “If anyone knows how to destroy this thing, it’s Will. He’ll know its weaknesses.” 

Max asked, “I thought we couldn’t trust him anymore. Isn’t he a spy for the Mind Flyer now?”

With a nod, Mike didn’t tear his eyes away from Will. Sunshine could see the wheels spinning in his head, a plan formulating quickly behind his brown eyes. “He can’t spy if he doesn’t know where he is.”  

→←

With a plan drawn up, everyone quickly got to work. Half of the group split up to clear out to the outside shed to use as a place where Will wouldn’t recognize that they could wake him up and attempt to learn the weaknesses of the Mind Flyer. 

Nancy made herself busy inside collecting anything she thought would be useful to disguise the shed. She also lingered inside with Sunshine, who tried to keep up a brave face and a painless facade, but everyone saw through her. 

“Hey,” Nancy said, grabbing duct tape from a drawer in the kitchen.

Sunshine, with bloodshot eyes and a stained bandage around her wrist, looked up from cleaning off the scattered papers and maps from the kitchen table. “Yeah?” 

Nancy rocked back on her heels, unsure of exactly what to say. There they were, placed in another impossible situation. A certain tension began to grow between the older teens, or Nancy felt like there was. It didn’t help that she’d been paranoid for nearly a year, but monsters and teenage drama were different battles Nancy was facing. 

“A-Are you okay?” she asked, even though the answer was pretty clear on Sunshine’s face. She looked similar to how she did last year, with a face covered in blooming bruises and red stains under her nose. But Sunshine’s hair was longer, her build less skeletal, and she did look a little less scared but just as tired. 

Sunshine forced a small smile and a shrug. “I will be,” she answered. “Are you?” 

Nancy didn’t know. Her gut was twisted up with so many emotions that it made her head fuzzy. There had been no time to mull over anything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. She had spilled the truth to Murray about the Hawkins Lab in hopes that the Hollands would get closure and she thought it would make her feel better, but the second she and Jonathan pulled into the Lab with the echo of monsters and their brothers trapped inside, she felt terrible all over again. Then Steve, Sunshine, and the rest of the kids stumbled out of the woods and that guilt threatened to drown Nancy again. She had been suffocated by guilt for what felt like forever, even if it was technically only less than a year since everything had happened. 

Nancy knew she shouldn’t have left Mike when things became strange again. She knew she should have broken up with Steve officially before she slept with Jonathan. She knew she should have done something, anything differently to prevent the mess they were in, again. A nauseating feeling of guilt and regret ate away at her brain, and she didn’t know how to fix it.

Then there was Sunshine and another emotion that made her feel even worse- if that was possible- clawed at her chest when she watched Steve linger close to her side all night. It was unfair; it was so unfair for her to feel jealous when she had run off with Jonathan and when she couldn’t find it in her to tell Steve that she loved him. But she couldn’t help the feeling, and she hated it. Out of everyone, she was jealous of Sunshine and held that awful, teenage girl curse of resentment. It wasn’t fair to Sunshine and Nancy had already lost a friend because she put her feelings for a boy first. She didn’t want to lose a friend, not again.

There were more important things afoot anyway. They had to save Will and stop the Mind Flayer first, and the rest could wait. 

“Ask me tomorrow,” Nancy said with a heavy sigh. Her gaze drifted over to where Will lay on the couch. He was so pale and dressed in a hospital gown. She couldn’t help but think about what she’d do if Mike was in Will’s position. The two of them didn’t speak as often as she wished, which she knew was her own fault, but she did love him so dearly. Nancy couldn’t fathom almost losing him not once, but twice. 

“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Nancy asked softly, fearfully. 

There was a pause and Nancy watched as Sunshine pressed her lips in a thin line, eyes on Will before they shifted onto Nancy. “I hope so. He’s tough, all of the kids are.” 

“Yeah, they are.” Nancy swallowed down the guilt that rose in her throat. “It was nice what you and Steve did, helping the kids and all. We…I should have been there. I just wanted to do something about Barb’s parents and I-” 

Cold fingers grabbed a hold of Nancy’s hand and squeezed it lightly. She wasn’t sure if the gesture made her feel better or worse. Something about the way Sunshine’s gold-tinted eyes looked at her with such a careful understanding filled Nancy with even more grief and confusion. The mix of guilt and jealousy knotted inside her gut painfully. 

“Nancy, it’s okay,” said Sunshine. “I know what it’s like to lose a friend, and I’m sorry.” 

A lump formed in Nancy’s throat as she squeezed Sunshine’s hand back. “I’m sorry too.” She let go and took a step back. If she stayed with Sunshine a moment longer all of her feelings would spill from her mouth and that was the last thing they needed. She needed to focus on the task at hand and worry about everything else if the sun rose for them in the morning. “I’m going to see if they need help outside. 

“I’ll come too-” Sunshine started, but Nancy cut her off with a tilt of her head. 

“Sunshine…” She was in no shape to do much of anything. That, and everyone knew if something happened or went wrong, Sunshine was their best defense against the monsters invading Hawkins. “You should take a break and let the rest of us handle it.” 

For a moment, Sunshine looked like she wanted to protest, but her exhaustion outweighed any fight left in her body. Instead, the golden-eyed girl nodded and retired to the couch while Nancy headed toward the backdoor where everyone else set in their plan in motion. 

Tagged. @sattlersquarry , @leptitlu , @echoing-oursong

[sidious]

STRANGER THINGS 2x02

[artxyra]

Damian Acting Like A Teenager? Impossible.

When Damian entered the halls of Gotham Academy, the first thing he notices was the change in the dark atmosphere. It felt oddly kinder and more lighthearted. Everywhere he turns, there are whispers focus around the new girl. At first, he didn’t care about the gossip, well, that was until he met her.

It was an unusual encounter, something that he would look down on.

It was the passing period, and she was running down the halls in a hurry as he was walking to his next class, one that he didn’t particularly care for; they bump into each other, causing a standstill in the halls. Everyone wondered how the dark prince would react to their newly dubbed princess of sunshine. They expected a yelling match, which, of course, occurred, but what they didn’t expect was an eventual best of the worst of alliance ever made.

Several months passed since the two had met and several weeks since the blooming of Damian and Marinette’s friendship, and not a single student could say that there weren’t surprised.

The moment Marinette had broken down any (and all) walls that the boy had placed, she was able to make the stoic teen become his age. It started small with a joke here and there; then it progressed into card games followed by video games. To this day, Damian swears that he’ll beat her at a shooting game at one point, to which Marinette would respond with a laugh and an over-the-shoulder wink. The young Wayne swears that he has never blush a day in his life, but the photographic proof on Marinette’s phone says otherwise.

The school soon became accustomed to being Daminette’s playground. At first, the teachers were opposed to the idea, but after seeing how slightly more open Damian has become, they slowly agreed to the concept of allowing the duo to have less strict rules. That and they didn't want to be sued by the Wayne family.

Which now brings us to this moment: Marinette swings on a swing set while Damian practices his form with a katana; don’t ask how he managed to get it past security-- cause there is no answer.

“You know, maybe we should do something wild?” Marinette thinks aloud, looking up to the sky with a mischief smirk on her lips.

Damian doesn’t turn to her; he only sets the blade down to his side. “What mayhem do you have in mind?”

Marinette giggles uncontrollably.

Let’s assume that whatever Marinette had in mind would rule the yearbooks for years to come.

~☾★☽~

Since his partnership with Marinette, Damian has been hiding his characteristic change at home. Surprisingly, it was simple. A few death threats here and there, maybe sneaking out moments every so often. No one at the Wayne cared enough to pay any attention to it. It only then became a shock when Damian left for school along the lines of being late. Alfred had offered to take him to school to which Damian declined and got onto his “normal” motorcycle and speeds off.

“Does anyone else seem to think that Damian is acting strange?” Dick asks, pipping his head down from the ceiling. He’s on the chandelier again. Poor Alfred, maybe Dick should dust the chandelier for him as an apology.

Tim walks in with a large, filled to the brim, coffee mug in hand, “Which one?” He absently wonders, taking a long sip. The dark circles and bags around his eyes explain it all.

“I do concur with Master Richard; the young master has been acting somewhat strange for quite some time now.” Alfred appears out of nowhere, thus starting an array of concerns.

It wasn’t long before Jason came in shouting demands with the head of the household trailing behind him. Alfred reprimands Jason for the yelling as he hands Bruce a cup of coffee.

Not caring enough about the conversation and looking like a madman, Jason shouts, “Look, I can’t explain it, but we’re going to need Demon Spawn for something huge.”

“Uh, why would we need Baby Bird?” Dick asks, dropping onto the floor and twisting his body. “Not that I don’t mind getting Damian involved.”

“Look, there’s no time to explain,” Jason facepalms and begins to push everyone towards the door despite the lack of proper wear they have on.

After several protests and one change of clothes, the Wayne household now stands in front of the gates of Gotham Academy.

“Is it me, or does this place look less you know Gotham-y and full of life?” Tim ponders, narrowing his eyes, as he takes a long sip from a to-go coffee cup with Red Robin’s emblem.

“No, no, Timmy, I see it too.” Dick whispers as Jason struts past the gates and onto the school’s property like a man on a mission.

Bruce sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Come on, let’s go get your brother so Jason can stop being Jason.”

Tim shrugs before passing the gates himself, with Dick following him.

Upon entering the school, they could immediately see that it was either a passing period or free time from the number of students in the halls. Some student dared to pull out their phones while other whispers amongst themselves.

Bruce makes his way to the attendance office, where the attendance assistant, Joyce, resides sitting at the desk.

“Hello Joyce, I’m here to pick up Damian. He has a, uh, dentist appointment this evening.” Bruce speaks, hoping that she wouldn’t catch the lie.

“Well Mr. Wayne, Damian is, uh…” After lingering in her thoughts, Joyce turns to someone besides her. “Do you know where Damian Wayne would be at today?”

“Try the art room.” A feminine voice answers, followed by a series of typing noises.

Joyce turns back to the Wayne family and smiles, “He should be in the art room; it’s down the hall to your right, you should not miss it, as it’s in the only hallway that has a series of artwork posted on the walls. Before you go, please sign here."

Joyce hands Bruce a sign-out sheet, to which the man signs and ushers his wards to search for his youngest.

“They’re so screwed.” The same feminine voice speaks, causing Joyce to break out laughing.

It took a total of four different locations for the men to find the youngest Wayne.

First, they went to the art room like Joyce’s co-worker told them to do.

When they got there, Damian wasn't there, but the teacher did show Bruce a couple of Damian's artworks. Bruce couldn't help but feel proud.

While looking around the room, one of the art students told them they last saw Damian playing Pokémon Go near the gym; he was trying to catch a legendary Pokémon that spawned there.

So, of course, after an awkward eye contact with one another, they walk to the gym. Once again, Damian wasn’t there but a different student in his stead. He tells them that Damian was making ice sculptures out of ice cream at the cafeteria. The student then goes on to explain that Damian had some wicked skills with a knife.

Jason, with wide eyes, practically shouted at the student that he was crazy and that Damian would never, and he means NEVER would do something that stupid. The student shrugs it off like it was an everyday occurrence. It was Dick that had to hold Jason back from thrashing the teen. Bruce then apologizes to the instructor for their disturbance, as Tim walks casually behind Dick carrying Jason.

By the time they got to the cafeteria, it was damn near empty aside from a few students still eating. There were no signs of ice cream or the tools that would go into making an ice sculpture. Tim had to ask a few students to see if Damian was in here at some point in time. One of the workers overheard the question and answered him. Evidently, Damian was there earlier making sculptures out of ice cream before handing it out to students.

When they asked the question that has been slowly driving the four insane, the worker replies with: “Upstairs racing on these old colorful scooter board down the halls."

After three locations and no Damian, Tim wanted nothing more but to have a mental breakdown, and he would have if it wasn’t for Bruce holding him up and taking his coffee away.

So, they quickly found themselves on the second level of the school. There was no sight of Damian Wayne, though there were wheel tracks smudged into the flooring.

“Are you kidding me?” Jason shouts out into the ceiling. Thankfully, there were no students in the halls to hear it. Well, that might have been the case if it wasn’t for a teacher to open their door and shh the male. It took every bone in Jason's body not to show the teacher his middle finger.

After a beat of silence and walking down the hall, they overhear a familiar voice.

“Angel, you are desperately in the wrong here. The bear only wears one color, so it has to the color red.” Jason stops dead in his tracks and turns to railings.

The voice was too good to be true.

Looking over the staircase, they find an alcove, and sitting in it is none other than Damian Wayne himself, but he’s not alone.

“I’m telling you, Wayne. Pooh’s favorite color is yellow.” The female answers before taping her fingers as she makes her points, “He loves honey, which is by default a yellow color. He's never seen with a yellow background, and if yellow didn't clash with his fur, he would definitely be wearing it.”

“I disagree. Winnie the Pooh has been drawn on numerous of occasions with red items, not yellow. Case in point, the red balloon, his shirt." He counters. The conversation continues with banters and statements; whether it was true or false is up to debate.

This was not happening.

Tim.exe has stopped working.

Jason.exe has stopped working.

Jaws dropped, a low groaning sound.

They cannot be witnessing this. The most deadliest of the Wayne’s is currently arguing about Winnie, the motherfucking, Pooh’s favorite color.

Bruce has no words. He's practically in the same stance as his middle children. Dick, on the other hand, pulls out his phone and begins to record what remains of the conversation.

No one dares to move or utter out words. This version of Damian is the apocalypse. Nothing in the world is okay.

Slowly, the four Waynes exit the school; no one saw them leave.

Legend has it that Damian never went home that day despite being excused from his classes. When he had returned home, his family didn't utter a word to him. He was meet with either a profusely blinking, unwanted hug or laughter, as they were still in shock at what they just encountered. It wasn’t until a couple of months later that all hell breaks loose. Damian had introduced the family to Marinette.

----

A retouch version of Request #2

[spikesdru]

my rewatch of anne btvs 3x01:

LOL the scoobies are so bad at fighting vamps

LMAOO Oz tossing that stake

“Past tense rule” good detail at the effects of Buffy’s disappearance

OH THE BANGEL DREAM THE FUCKING ANGST

Buffy is so beautiful

“If I was blind I would see you” THEY HAVE SUCH AMAZING LINES JFC

My FAVOURITE btvs intro of all the seasons

Why couldn’t those truckers be the ones in that hell dimension

What I find interesting is Lily and Ricky. They seem to be in their honeymoon with matching tattoos, imo they’re the kind of couple you may think wouldn’t last. But then we find out their love really was real, I really like that subversion

“Forever, that’s the whole point” the PARALLEL of Buffy’s dream and Lily/Ricky? Screaming vomiting sobbing etc

Aww Cordelia is so nervous to see Xander. It’s cute

LMFAO Oz explaining to Willow he’s back in school is hilarious

Xandelia is so concerned about their hair I can’t

Larry’s line is gold. The show doesn’t take itself too serious and I love that

Cordelia is so outraged about Xander’s attitude, so teenage girl

Buffy is so down and passive and numb, my poor baby

Awww Giles trying to chase down leads about Buffy!! Such a good dad

Willow misses Buffy so much and it’s adorable

I do not enjoy Joyce blaming Giles but I respect the fact that it’s a very human reaction, regardless of right or wrong

I can feel Buffy’s pain bleeding through in this conversation with Lily

Ugh, Lily blaming Buffy is ANNOYING, and Buffy is right to defend herself

This ep involves characters saying a lot of things that we as the audience don’t like, but the things they say are realistic and human. The show doesn’t shy away from that and I think it’s good writing

Buffy ripping the phone off the wall was hot asf

LOL Willow is so done with Xandelia’s arguing

LMFAOO Buffy talking to about sin is so funny, SMG, your comedic timing is so great

Aw Xandelia reconciled. Their “theme” is always kinda funny to me tho

“He remembered your name years after he forgot his own” that is so adorable and the fact that it’s paralleled in 3x04 is too good

I love that you can see the exact moment Buffy chooses to accept who she is, take back her identity and she just lights up from the inside

LOL Lily apologizing

THIS FIGHT SEQUENCE IS SO BADASS

How does Buffy make grandma shoes look so good?

I love how Buffy ends up changing Lily’s life and inspiring her to help people. To quote Angel: “if nothing we do matters all that matters is what we do”

Ngl the Buffy and Joyce reunion was really sweet

[allaboardtheussharringrove]

So @billy-baby mentioned That 70’s Show and Harringrove, and it reminded me of a *whole ass* set of hc’s about a 70’s/Stranger Things AU that has been sitting in my notes for literal years collecting dust, so here it is:

-Billy & Hyde would be besties, probably neighbours in the same shitty neighbourhood

-They headbang to hard rock and metal, jam to 60’s & 70’s rock while drinking TONS of beer and hotboxing the Camaro and El Camino, respectively

-Bands they’d have in common: AC/DC, Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, KISS, Judas Priest, Van Halen, and Led Zeppelin just to name a couple

-Hyde always gives Billy shit for like, never wearing a shirt, Billy gives Hyde shit for his ever-present sunglasses & sideburns

-They know each other’s parental problems, and take refuge in the Forman’s basement/the empty Harrington house (yes, we’re talkin’ a Hawkins, Indiana/Point Place, Wisconsin mashup here)

-Billy still has a major crush on Steve (Harrington that is, Steven Hyde will only be referred to as Hyde [and that possible name mix-up could cause some hilarity whenever anyone calls out “Steven”, and some embarrassing rumour drama for Billy, Steve, & Hyde (or omg a block party at the Formans where Kitty calls out “William! Steven! Michael!” And she turns around and has Billy, Will, Hyde, Steve, Mike, and Kelso starting at her expectantly)])

-Billy probably also thinks Eric and Kelso are kinda cute, but total dumbasses, they both definitely annoy him

-Fez would have a totally awkward and hilarious crush on Billy, and you just know Billy would flirt with him on purpose just to make him nervous (this might make Steve a lil jealous and annoy him to no end)

-Jackie would have the BIGGEST crush on Steve, after Kelso, and drag him around to go shopping and shit, he would tolerate it but Billy would absolutely hate her as a “bitchy rich entitled snot-nosed brat” cause she would be vocal about him being poor and he’d have to be calmed down by Hyde and Steve all the time

-Billy would give Hyde an unimaginable amount of shit for going out with Jackie, hooo boy!

-Steve would get a kick outta Kelso, but I think he and Eric would be pretty close friends, with Steve always pushing to hang around at the Forman’s cause Eric’s parents are always present, as opposed to his empty house (he adores Kitty Forman for SURE as the mother he never had)

-But the gang would surely hold parties at the Harrington’s....and only sometimes get away with it (both these groups are known for their KEGS! and the 70’s teens would lose their damn minds over Keg Kings Billy & Steve)

-Billy would put the charm on for Kitty sometimes just to see her blush, and Red would get annoyed and just a little threatening saying something like “Like to see how charming you are with my foot up your ass” and Billy being the abused kid that he is automatically takes it a little too seriously- probably flinches, goes a little pale, stutters out a “Yes sir, sorry sir”

-This would make Kitty and Red a bit concerned, pay a visit to the Hargrove household- I wouldn’t be surprised if they experience Neil putting Billy down or catch a glimpse of a smack or something and they would for sure take action with Red intimidating Neil cause you know he could

-Anyway! Girls. Robin and Donna would be THE BEST FRIENDS EVER, cause Donna had no other cool girl friend to hang out with and you just KNOW Robin might have an “itsy bitsy” (huge) crush on Donna, cause she’s Hot Donna, also they’re both super into female empowerment (and honestly, when Donna/Eric break up I could see her maybe falling for Robin too)

-Donna and Billy would be buds, she might like him for a hot minute but be cool with him being gay (Out of everyone in the 70’s gang, I think he’d most likely share this with her - cause she’d probably figure it out - even if it’s just to gush about their dumb, brave, pretty brunette boys to each other)

-Max would LOVE Donna, not just because of the hair (but also redhead solidarity is important), but because they’re both badasses and would totally vibe together- Max, Billy, and Donna would be an unexpectedly fun trio (and Billy would complain about having to drive the “GingeTwins” around all the time or something to that effect)

-And Jackie having to babysit Erica (because Donna does it sometimes, but she’s out for the night) would be the best thing ever good lord, Erica would put Jackie in her place, but they’d probably make up some schemes together too

-Also Erica would be absolutely appalled at having a similar name to Eric, she’d probably call him something along the lines of “Supreme Nerd” or “King of the Nerds” and have an endless supply of unimpressed looks for him during their debates of whose name is better

-Eric would totally join Mike, Will, Lucas & Dustin in their nerd exploits (STAR WARS!) And he and Dustin would get into loooong nerd debates

-I think Kelso would join Dustin & Lucas (and maybe the other boys too) in doing mischievous experiments including but not limited to: pyrotechnics, wrist rockets, radios and electronics... He’d begrudgingly listen to the scientific explanations of the boys (which would all fly right over his head) and they would have a moderate success rate, but also have to run away from the trouble they’d get in

-Lucas and Hyde would always be cool, but after finding out about Hyde’s biological dad they could become closer (Hyde’s dad and Lucas would have the best banter)

-Will and Eric would geek out over comics, and I think Eric would be super nice/supportive about seeing Will’s drawings

-Jonathan would be pretty quiet at first, but might talk to Fez since they’re both kinda the odd man out in each group (and he��d be genuinely NICE to Fez, *side eyes 70’s teens*)- then he’d be roped into doing random/stupid/mildly illegal stuff with the gang

-And despite Billy & Hyde being besties, I think Jonathan would bond with Hyde over shitty dads (plus I think Hyde would love Joyce, and she’d be another offer of refuge for him & Billy) and WEED WEED WEED

-Actually that might definitely be a sub-trio: Jonathan, Billy, & Hyde- they’d all have each other’s backs when it came to family drama (and later on when Hyde gets his record store, he’d offer them both jobs and Jonathan would be over the fuckin’ moon and work there)

-Billy would for sure work for Red in his muffler shop, and Red would take him under his wing, probably unwittingly become the father figure Billy never had.

-Nancy, hmmm, well she’s on the richer side of town so her and Jackie might be friends? but she’d for sure get annoyed with Jackie’s shallow bullshit

-OH and Robin would also hate Jackie I think, ‘cause of her entitlement and relentless obsession with boys (poor Jackie, I’m not setting her up for anything great here huh)

-So that’d be why Steve is friends with her, if only ‘cause he feels bad when she alienates herself from the rest of the teens, they (and I hate to say this) *could possibly* date for like 5 minutes, it’d be a REALLY hard time for Billy...and Kelso. And those two would probably come up with some hairbrained scheme to break them up (and succeed, but each get ripped a new one because of it)

-But at least the group of teen girls would be bigger if Donna, Robin, Jackie, and Nancy all hung out together sometimes (and if they tried to have a sleepover or something there would be toooo many idiot boys trying to creep on them, I think Billy would be the voice of reason and tell them they’re all being dickheads)

-And he’d give Fez a fuck ton of shit for being such a voyeuristic creep, probably make him stop hiding in people closets (wait what? Fez is like constantly coming out of closets in that show?! hello?? is that a thing??? Oh ho-ho they’d have a whole talk about that)

-Steve would get a kick outta Fez, probably think he was the funniest dude on the planet, as I’d say they’re the goofballs of the group (and yes, I am mostly excluding the King Steve narrative from this and using only cool mom Steve, cool? cool.)

-Steve might also have a lil crush on Donna, (‘cause a strong personality and blue eyes is like his kink, we all know this) but Eric would throw a fit about that and then they’d be all buddy-buddy discussing Donna & Billy (I think Eric being kind of a dumbass about his own gay kiss might put Steve off for a bit [and make Billy super hesitant and real pissed], but I also think Eric would be cool with hearing Steve out about his big bisexuality-discovery-adventure)

-Donna and Eric trying set Steve and Billy up by saying they’re all gonna hang out, and then like locking Billy/Steve in a room together or something and leaving😈

-When Billy/Steve’s relationship comes out, Hyde’s reaction is probably “That’s cool, man” Kelso would make some corny statement about how hot *he* is, Fez would probably fangirl over it with big ole heart eyes, Jackie would be like “weird, whatever”, Kitty would get flustered and then overly excited about it after a while, Red would be uncomfortable but okay with it saying something like “I better not catch you two dumbasses doing anything in my house”

-Ohmygod, Red as a father figure to Billy, Kitty as a mother figure to Steve, and they end up being so supportive of the boys ‘cause they have to put up with so much parental shit (say what you want, but the Formans have compassion) and they convert their house/backyard into a little private prom for the whole gang just so Billy/Steve can dance together and be themselves

-Billy, Steve, and Robin would die laughing every time they saw/talked to Leo. And I feel like Robin would talk her way into a job at the Photo Hut and then just end up being the manager and hires Jonathan herself to do the developments

-And you know how Hyde is always punching Kelso in the arm? Well he’d always get one, and Billy would punch the other arm as he’d classify Kelso a special kind of idiot, they’d always be teasing Kelso together, but Billy (and Steve I’m sure) would have some wicked BURNS that Kelso would love

-Steve and Kelso as friends? Sure, pretty boys gotta stick together~ especially when Steve gets called that by Billy, and then Kelso insists he’s a prettier boy, and Billy either rolls his eyes or flirts aggressively cause Kelso doesn’t understand WHY that’s Steve’s nickname, and it’s a whole can of worms you guys

-(And I didn’t forget about El, I’m just not quite sure where she fits in this AU... she probably doesn’t have powers and is the new kid who moves into town cause of a bad home life, she’d befriend Max in school and then I think Donna would take her under wing, then she’d be a hit with the teen gang cause she’d break her quietness with witty comments/one-liners, and since she’s very intuitive still, she gravitates towards Billy & Hyde and there would be some touching heart-to-hearts about shitty parental situations followed immediately after by inappropriate offers of beer to which she responds with a firm “gross”)

-And finally, *the Circle* would be so much bigger and funnier with the Stranger Teens in it

[darkshrimpemotions]

Stranger Things S4 Ep 8 Thoughts

Nancy really almost fucking died because Eddie doesn't have any pop music lmao.

The Hopper and Joyce wound tending chat was sweet, okay, it got to me.

Is it just me or did Hop look more disturbed than anything else when he killed that demodog that was strapped down and cut open still alive? Felt like a mercy kill more than anything.

What is scary sand creature? I really need to read up on DND monsters.

Really cannot fathom that Millie is wearing a wig this whole time. I s2g some shots are just meant to show off how good it is though.

She's baaaaaaaaack. My girl has powers again!

Poor Mike having a full-on Crisis over here.

Will is 100% talking about himself just as much as El. My poor sweet baby, hiding his own feelings trying to make his best friend feel better and make sure his sister is happy.

I think he lied about that painting btw. El didn't commission shit. That was 100% Will and how he sees Mike.

Jonathan knowwwwwwws. His little brother is in pain his spidey sense is tingling.

These two old scientists I swear. They bicker like a married couple.

Four gates, four chimes, four kills. Really hammering the number of death home.

Dustin is the best honestly. The BEST. Trust him to know a friend's weaknesses as well as their strengths. Important information!

Murray you fucking chaotic bitch I love you.

"If we're trying to avoid angry hicks maybe we shouldn't go to some store called 'The War Zone'." Eric continues to be iconic.

The FUCKING Michael Myers mask I CAN'T.

"Doncha big boy" and that grin?! Duffer brothers don't fucking PLAY WITH ME like this!!

I am deeply worried Brenner is not gonna respect El's decision.

Awwwww. Steve is such a good babysitter because he's training to be a dad!

Everybody's in a goddamn bus right now except El. Somebody put El on a bus!

Katinka. Looks like a death trap.

Oh Jason is coming unhinged.

Goddammit Brenner. Fucking piece of shit motherfucker. I was rooting for you!

Love a girl that knows her way around a sawed off!

You tell him, Eleven! Fucking piece of shit fuck why won't you just DIE already!

Could have lived forever without that sudden flash of Bob Newby, Superhero's death. 😔

Eddie is such a little nerd I love him. And he ADORES these kids. Bet he wouldn't mind taking six of 'em on a road trip. 👀

Awww Erica. Just the facts. 🥺

Okay I'm deeply concerned about all these tender moments. I feel like we're about to lose someone.

If stupid fucking BRENNER hadn't betrayed Owens and Eleven they would've been well away by now! Stupid fuck.

That's his SISTER!

YES. I LOVE that El didn't give Brenner that valiation. She didn't owe it to him. And she's read the last words of a real father who truly did everything for her. And those last words were about comforting HER, not about absolving him. Hopper showed her what a dad is supposed to be, and now she knows that whatever "Papa" told himself, he was only ever doing what HE wanted.

I am so terrified for everyone. There's no one I would be okay with losing.

[okaybutlikeimagine]

What about him asking billy if he would want to changed his last name to hopper

Oh my GOD hun this is killing me i love this bc you fuckin BET he tries to ask multiple times and fails multiple times

Like??? Hop takes Billy in bc he’s intensely concerned for the boy bc he’ll speed through the streets w/ bruises on his face and fear in his eyes and Hop just has so much worry over it. But Hop also just Does. Not. Like. People. It’s just… it’s canon. Hop is a caring man who protects his town and worries over children (esp now that there’s fucking monsters) and also does fucking Not want to have to deal w/ more people than he has to. The man lives in the woods, he likes his solitude, but he takes El in and makes his cabin warm for her and i just am obsessed w/ the idea of him doing that for Billy too. And I like to think that maybe Hop can relate to Billy even more bc Billy is just a scared young kid who thinks he needs to play tough to save himself and someone tell me Hop wasn’t totally that way as a kid too. As a kid who probably had a tough as nails father. As a teen watching the war and being forced into it. As a man, now, who has lost his biological daughter and, let’s be real, probably still has nightmares about it, as well as about the horrors that face this town.

So i say all of that to offer the idea that Hop really connects w/ Billy and tries so fucking hard for Billy. and also to say I think it would take about a MONTH of Billy living w/ him before he asks if he wants to change his name. And the only reason it even takes that long is bc Billy had specifically said he didn’t want his last name changed when he got adopted. He didn’t provide a reason, he even looked a little shaken up about it, and he just refused to change his name. But after a month Billy is joking around with Hop and teaching El how to read and is helping Hop cook dinners and Hop thinks he’s family now, right?

He sleeps on it and can’t shake it and tries to ask in the morning and ohmygod guys he’s a mess.

Billy is pouring coffee into a mug, adding so much milk it almost looks like cream, and Hop knows Billy does this now, knows he has to buy extra milk for him, and that hits him bc it’s just that this boy is his son now and why does he want his last name to be the same as that dickheaded man? And-

“Hey kid?”

Billy turns to look at Hop, leaning himself back against the counter and crossing an ankle over the other.

“I told you, stop calling me kid.” Billy says into his mug.

“Yeah yeah uh… do you- uhm. Do you-? Do… do you? Do you?”

That’s it.

And Billy has just woken up, has just got his coffee in his hand, has just been blinded by the sun when he opened the curtains and he’s just?? So lost? He tries to blink himself awake more, as if that’s going to fix the question.

“Do… what?”

Hopper feels like an absolute idiot but he just... doesn’t want to freak the boy out bc he still barely lets Hop hug him. He gets tense when Hop even gets close like??? Fuck he’s gonna scare the poor boy.

“Do you... want more coffee?”

Billy looks down at his full mug.

“Uh, unless you can fit more in this mug, I think I’m good for now.” and he’s got a confused and smarmy grin on his face that Hop just kind of grunts at and grabs his hat off the counter and leaves w/ a mumbled bye to Billy and El before heading out to the station.

And you fuckin bet he’s at Melvald’s in about an hour to see Joyce who is looking at Hop fondly as he basically loses his mind over what to do.

“I was thinking maybe I could ask Billy if he wants to change his last name.”

“But didn’t-”

“I know he wanted to keep his own last name.”

“Yeah-”

“I just don’t like that he still shares it with that asshole.”

Joyce eyes the mother carrying her toddler around the store.

“Hop-”

“I’m gonna ask him.”

“Alright.”

There’s a pause.

“He barely lets me get near him.”

Joyce gives him a tired smile. “Just be gentle about it. Don’t make it seem like you’re making the choice for him. And don’t be offended if he says no.”

And Hop tries to take that advice w/ him, but wow he keeps trying and he just keeps failing. Like, over dinner when Billy helps El cut her meat and Hop tries but just ends up asking if Billy wants some salt. Or when they go to the store and Billy picks up his favorite jam and peanut butter and starts to explain why they’re his favorite like Hopper would be interested and the thing is, he is and he tries to ask but ends up asking if Billy wants to pick up some pickles. Or when Billy is sitting down watching Miami Vice w/ Hop and El and he’s letting El brush out his hair and try to braid it and Hop tries to ask but he asks if he wants some milk.

And Hop just keeps failing until the first time Billy calls him “Dad”.

Billy is making toast for himself after making some for El, who’s crunching away happily on her toast w/ raspberry jam, when Hop wakes up and stumbles into the kitchen and Billy is chuckling at Hop’s bed head.

“Mornin’.” He says w/ a smile.

Hop grunts in response, going to the coffee pot.

And Billy’s spreading his favorite jam over a piece of toast as he asks: “Want some toast, dad?”

Hop nearly drops the coffee pot. The only sound is the crunching of El’s toast as she watches them innocently.

Now now now now now now now now

“Billy, do you want to change your last name?”

Billy takes a second before he  turns and crosses his arms and it looks like he’s trying to put on a real tough facade but Hop sees through it- the boy is terrified. Hell, so is he. He loves this boy like he’s his actual, biological son but no one can deny he’s also a firecracker w/ a short fuse. He’s still so worried about freaking him out but he just called him dad and that’s like, a sign, right??

Billy’s chewing the inside of his lip, twisting his mouth around like El does when she’s confused and frustrated.

“To Hopper?”

Hop can’t help but let out a laugh.

“No, to Bond.” He says with a nervous laugh over his coffee. He takes some heavy gulps, trying to wake himself up.

Billy stands there, reaching behind himself for his toast and taking a few bites but his eyes are on the ground and they look confused and stressed.

“It’s not too far away from your name now. Not that it really matters, I guess. I mean, you can keep your initials. If that’s even something you’re worried about? I mean, not as cool as Bond, I guess. And I know you wanted to keep your name before I just… I don’t want you to have that asshole’s last name anymore-unless you want it! I mean- fu-uh? Goddamnit. I’m not trying to make the decision for you I was just… wondering because you’re like a son to me. I mean, you are my son, I tell people you’re my son so if you want-”

“Billy Hopper.” Billy cuts in; says it like he’s chewing on it instead of his toast. Hop shuts up.

There’s a pause.

“Sounds like a bunny rabbit.” Billy says over another bite of toast.

“A… a what?”

“A bunny rabbit. Jim Hopper, El Hopper, and Billy Hopper. Like a big family of bunny rabbits.”

Hop wasn’t expecting this.

“Uhm-? Okay?”

“Yes.”

Hopper’s brain is basically fried.

“Wait, like… yes you want to change your name?”

“Yeah, sure.” Billy says like Hopper hasn’t been agonizing over this for months. “Billy Hopper. We can be a big family of bunny rabbits.”

Hop is nearly speechless.

“Uh okay. Yeah, okay. Great. I mean… great!”

Billy laughs, and reaches out to pat Hop’s shoulder.

“Good talk, dad.” He says w/ amusement but nope Hop is fucking elated and Billy just isn’t getting away w/o a great big bear hug and so he puts his mug down and hugs Billy hard and Billy is tense as fuck, esp when Hop picks him up a bit but Hop can’t help it bc he has a son and he’s just always wanted a son.

And the next time Steve calls Billy “Hargrove” all amusingly irritated (bc they’ve been flirting for weeks now but they’re not dating yet), Billy’s heart stops for a sec before he laughs.

“Actually…. It’s Hopper now.”

Steve can’t process it for a second.

“Wait what?”

“Yeah I uh… i just changed it..”

Steve tries to do the nonexistent math in his head.

“Wait wait wait, am I gonna have to call you Hopper from now on? That’s so fucking weird, man.”

“I mean, you could call me other things. Like, my name for one. Or King, since I’ve officially taken your crown. Maybe even babe or baby, if you wanna be real sweet to me.”

“How ‘bout asshole?” Steve asks through his blush.

Billy guffaws.

“Yeah, guess that works too.”

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E5; Chapter Five, Dig Dug - [Pt. 2]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

After a run-in with Will, a troubled Y/n teams up with an unlikely ally in her search for answers. “Bob the Brain” tackles a difficult problem.

||3rd Person POV||

El opens her eyes, finding herself in the familiar dark and damp setting. In the distance, she sees a bed. The covers are hanging off the mattress and grazing the water only she can see. She walks forward towards the bed cautiously, unsure if the figure lying in it is awake. As she approaches the bed she can make out more details.

The comforter is dotted with leaves and vines, intricate flowers in various hues sprinkle the vines and there a few embroidered pillows that look older and handed down. The figure on the mattress is lost in sleep, her limbs splayed out in many different directions. The figure is still dressed, clothes El has seen at least once before. The girl wearing them is hugging her pillow, a small frown etched on her face as she is troubled and tired.

El is in front of her now, just at her bedside and she can't help but take note of the drying circles on her pillow where the girl had been crying.

What could have happened? And would she be making it worse if she were to wake her and share with her what she had to share? El couldn't help but wonder.

But she also knew she would want to know. And she did miss her friend terribly. After all, they were from the same place and Y/n had every right to know about her own past as much as El did.

Not waiting any longer, she reached out and laid a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. Nothing happened and so she gently shook her. Much to her delight Y/n moved slightly, which meant it was working. She shook again and only then did she allow herself to speak.

"Y/n? Y/n!"

Her eyes fluttered open and she caught sight of El. She peered up at her through her lashes, a groggy and confused look on her face.

"El?"

She nodded, a weak smile on her face.

"What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?"

She shook her head no.

"No. But I am real."

"I-I don't understand."

"I found my Mama."

"Wait, what? You found your mom? That's great," Y/n mumbled, fighting consciousness.

She was trying desperately to maintain conversation but the truth was she was very tired and she couldn't be sure what she was seeing or hearing was real.

"There's something else."

Y/n applied all the strength she could muster to keep her eyes open, they felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds. She hummed a 'what' in response, indicating for El to continue.

"Proof."

"I don't understand. What proof, El?"

"Where you come from."

×××

Will bolts up straight in a cold sweat, gasping for air. His bangs cling to his forehead and he is gasping for breath.

"Will?"

Mike sits up startled from his nest on the floor, looking up worriedly at his best friend. He is still dressed in his clothes from the previous day, his hood perched on his head.

"What's wrong?"

Will looks to Mike, fear in his eyes.

Joyce sits in the middle of her living room, lost in a trance as she gazes at the maze of paper tunnels. The small calls for her from Will are lost to her, and it is not until she feels a light touch on her shoulders that she is pulled from this trance.

"Mom?"

Joyce gasped in surprise but readjusts quickly for her son.

"Yeah?"

Will was crouching down, concern etched in his features and Mike stands just a few feet away.

"I saw him," Will says gravely.

"You saw who, baby?"

"Hopper," Joyce frowns slightly, and she can feel her blood run cold at her son's words. "I think he's in trouble. I think he's going to die."

×××

Hopper gasps for air as he is ripped from unconsciousness. He looks around, the memories of what had happened come flooding back. Collecting himself to the best of his ability, he scrambles to his feet. The man knows he can't last long without fresh air and the particles floating amongst the smog would do him no good. His senses overwhelm him and already his body is rejecting the environment and toxic air. He doubles over as his body ejects the contents of his stomach.

Hopper grunts in disgust, the bile burning his throat and tongue. Though he doesn't allow himself any more time to waste, knowing he had to find the exit. He grabs his hat, returning it to his head and finds the flashlight beside him as he climbs to his feet. Hopper runs his free hand along the ceiling of the slimy dank tunnels as he speeds down the familiar path. Just as he had feared, he found no breaks, the hole he had dug had in fact closed up and he now stands at a dead end.

"Shit!"

Hopper reminds himself to steady his breathing. He knows now he has no immediate way out. No source of fresh oxygen and he knew he must save his breath. He is able to subdue the sporadic thoughts of panic racing in his mind, and he all he allows himself to think about is his oxygen intake. Even if he slowed his breathing he was still at risk for the toxic spores hanging in the air.

A little light bulb goes off in his head and he takes out his pocket knife, opening it up and raising it to his shoulder. He has to place the flashlight between his teeth in order to make a clean cut, but he is able to create a rip in the fabric. With one swift movement, Hopper tears the left sleeve off his uniform. Removing the flashlight from his mouth, he ties the sleeve over his face crafting a crude air filtration, somewhat safe from the deadly spores around him.

Calming his racing heart he treads on in the direction he had come. But he comes to a reluctant stop, the beam from his flashlight shifting uncertainly between a fork in the tunnel. He could not remember where he had come from. Hopper does not know why but his mind takes him to El. The familiar feeling of warmth and joy she brought to his dull life sparks in his chest and a terrible thought strikes him.

What if I never see her again?

Their last interaction would be the terrible words exchanged and the mess left behind. And worst of all, she would be alone and in danger. He couldn't let that happen, and he promised himself he would get himself out. And apologize, work things out like he should have the prior morning. They would play games together again, do puzzles and even fix up the TV and continue their western marathons. He would read to her again every night, hell maybe he could find some more of Sarah's old books and-

Hansel and Gretel. He chuckles lightly under his breath. Half in relief and a half in disbelief for not thinking of it before. Hopper reaches into his left breast pocket and retrieves the stash of cigarettes. He's thankful he had grabbed a fresh pack. He took a single stick in his fingers and broke it in half, discarding the piece on the path, beginning his trail.

×××

Mrs. Henderson shivers as she steps into her front room. She had spent all morning looking for Mews, she even shook brought the felines favorite toy, shaking the bell attached knowing she usually came running. Her spirits perked when she saw Dustin on the phone.

"Dusty, baby, you're sure she's not in your room."

Dustin gulped, thankful his back was to his mother and she could not see his widened eyes. He holds a finger out for a pause, mindlessly mumbling an 'uh-huh'.

He does his best to ignore the operator on the line as he pretends to be taking a phone call. He hoped it was enough to fool his mother.

"Thank you so much, Mr. McCorkle. Thank you so much. You are a true life-saver. Thank you... All right. Have a good one. Bye-bye, now... All right... you too."

Mrs. Henderson felt a wave of relief wash over her hearing her son's words.

"Alright, great news," Dustin said, turning to her and hanging up the phone.

"They found her?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

"No," he said gently, stepping towards her mother. "But they saw her, wandering Loch Nora,"

Even her breath was trembling as she fought back sobs of relief.

"How did the poor baby get all the way over there?"

"I don't know, lost I guess," Dustin cooed. "But they're gonna look for her and I'll stay here, just in case they call again. And you're gonna go help look? Yeah?"

He tried to ignore the clenching feeling of guilt around his heart, giving his mother false hope like this. She smiled through her sobs and nodded eagerly.

"Give me a hug, give me a hug," She gratefully hugged her son, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "You're gonna find her, alright?"

Mrs. Henderson backed away eagerly, nodding her head trying to convince herself that would find her beloved cat.

"We can find her." He said reassuringly.

"We can find her." She repeated eagerly.

Mrs. Henderson grabbed her keys off the counter and headed towards the door.

She looked to her only son and sniffled, her voice was still slightly shaky.

"Dusty," another sniffle. "Honey, check on your sister, sweetie. She came home awfully upset again, and-and let you let her know where I'm going okay?"

"Of course, yeah, uh-huh."

"C-cause, I'm sure she'll be glad to hear they saw Mews. You let her know, okay baby?"

"Of course. I will go check on her right now. Okay. Hey,"

She paused in the front door, looking back at her son.

"I love you." Dustin blew a kiss at his mother, a fake smile plastered on her face.

She reciprocated, unknowingly the only genuine.

"I love you,"

"I love you"

"I love you,"

"Alright go, alright," He eased her out the door with encouragement and a thumbs up.

His smile did not falter until she had closed the front door.

Now to get Y/n out of the house.

||Reader's POV||

I nearly lost my balance as I slip the left shoe over my foot. I grabbed my bag and rifled through it once more making sure I had everything I needed.

I still can't believe I'm doing this. I just hope it really was real, and I'm not just doing this for nothing. But it had to be real, it had to be.

"Meet me at nine four five. Outside Mirk-wood."

"El?"

"Don't tell. Anyone."

She vanished before I could say anything else. I vaguely remember seeing her in my room, but at the same time, she wasn't completely real. She almost looks transparent. The only thing convincing about all this was what she had said to me at the school. She had a way of contacting me. This must be it.

Everything was in my bag, by now I have triple checked my bag but I still don't feel quite ready. Then again, I don't know if I'll ever be prepared to find out what happened to me, but I don't want to let that stop me.

I took a deep breath, willing away the nerves bubbling in my stomach to the best of my ability. My bag over my shoulder, I turned the doorknob and the door swung open. I flinched when I saw Dustin on the other side. His first hung in the air, ready to knock and he seemed surprised.

My eyes dropped to my bag nervously before fleeting back to his. I gulped.

"I'm going to Will's. Mike and I are gonna stay the night with him, and make sure he's alright."

Dustin seemed to process this but he blinked soon enough, shaking himself from shock. I could have sworn he seemed relieved, and I could feel relief myself.

"That's great, you should do that. He really needs you."

As if this morning wasn't already perfectly strange, Dustin was talking in a weird soothing voice and he walked me to the door. I didn't linger on it too much before I started worrying about what I was about to do. I was so excited at the possibility of seeing El again, but where are we going and how long would I be gone?

I realized we were nearing the door and I hadn't even registered that he had been talking to me.

"...at Loch Nora, looking. And don't worry, I'll man the phones. You just worry about Will, alright?"

I mindlessly mumbled an "uh-huh" and I turned to home when I reach the door.

"Dustin?"

He blinked lightly and continued in that weird soothing voice. His mannerisms reminded me of something you'd see from a spa worker. I shrugged it off, too wracked with guilt that I was basically leaving my family, who loved and cared for me to find someone I didn't even know.

I looked him in the eye, and I felt something rare. Rare for the two of us at least. Genuine admiration. I thought of all the fun and harmless little pranks we'd pull on Mom together. Or the times he looked out for me, and how much he genuinely cared about me.

"I love you,"

Before I could acknowledge any odd looks from him I wrapped him in a hug and he reciprocated.

"I love you too. Don't worry, we'll find her."

My eyes opened, still locked in an embrace with my brother and I frowned.

What?

"What? Find who?"

We both pulled away and it was his turn to look confused.

"Mews."

"Mews is missing? When?"

"I just- I just told you." He blinked several times but shook his head, slowly gesturing me out the door once more. "It's no big deal. Mews got out the other night and long story short, someone saw her wandering around in Loch Nora and Mom is headed there now. Don't even worry about it, okay?"

I nodded, my mind still racing. My eyes and hand fell to the doorknob and I gave my brother one last glance before I disappear out the front door.

||3rd Person POV||

Unbeknownst to the two of them, the Henderson children stood on either side of the door, simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief.

Y/n tightens the grip on her bag and began walking towards the garage out of habit until she saw her bike laying in the grass where she had left it last night. She sighed and grabbed her bike only to realize the rubber around handlebars were melted down in the center. A rough and messy shape of where her hands had been was clear, underneath it all was the metal core of the bike's structure. She gasped, examining the odd sight until her mind wandered to the previous night.

Was that why they seemed wet? Holy crap, I melted my bike.

Y/n shook her head in disbelief before she checked the time. Nine twenty, she had to get moving. Mounting her bike, she cast one last longing glance at her home, reassuring herself that what she was doing was right. Not a moment longer she disappeared around the corner and into a path amongst the trees.

Dustin lay on his hands and knees below the front window. He winced at the slight prickling feeling of rug burn that had managed to get to him through his jeans. As Y/n had retrieved her bike from the grass, he sped to the window, waiting for confirmation that she had finally left.

Unfortunately for him, she turned and looked back at the house, and he cursed himself for allowing himself the vulnerability. He had to drop down onto the floor to avoid being seen by his sister, but luckily she had just missed him. Moments passed and when he heard her soft but identifiable footsteps nearing the porch he knew it was safe to peek. Sure enough, he saw her disappear around the corner down the road, a small cluster of autumn leaves flying off the ground at her climbing speed.

He jumped to his feet and ran outside through the back door. He ripped open the cellar doors and retreated back into the house. He didn't stop running until he reached the hall closet and ripped them open. He turned on the light, the metal chain swinging back and forth, even hitting him as he bent down to retrieve his gear.

He was grateful he kept his and Y/n's old baseball stuff. He remembered the day him and Y/n saw a program on TV and the kids were playing baseball. That same day, the pair begged and pleaded their mother for the gear and when she finally caved, Y/n and Dustin spent all of summer break out in their backyard. Granted they were new to it and barely managed to hit the ball more than five times between the two of them but they had a blast. Of course, they usually played with the rest of the party, and Dustin was almost always the umpire, given he had gear for it. As for Y/n, she had a pretty decent arm, she made the best pitcher out of the group. Naturally though, school rolled around again and the following summer was when they officially formed the party for their very first campaign.

Dustin was thankful him and his sister had been so damn stubborn and he was certainly very thankful his mother had gotten them what they had so desperately wanted. Now he had protection from Dart.

He tossed everything in the living room and went to the kitchen. Ripping open the fridge door he grabbed every variety of meat he could find. His confident urgency waved only slightly when he approached his closed door. He began the trail of meat outside his room and all the way out to the cellar. He closed every other door in the house as a precaution and suites up. His usual hat lay discarded on the living room chair in exchange for his umpire helmet. To top it all off he adorned his mother's pair of oven mitts. Not ideal for the situation but was the best he could find.

Now completely geared up, he grabbed his hockey stick just for short measure. He stood outside his room, careful not to step on the trail of bologna and got ready to run.

"Alright, Dart," He called. "Breakfast time,"

Not allowing himself to think about it any longer he ripped open the door and starting running. A mantra slipped from his mouth as he wobbled through the house, his gear restricting his speed.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."

He was outside now, and he had already heard light thumps of wet feet behind him. He did his best to speed up and before he knew it he was safe in the shed.

Panting heavily and still trying to calm his racing heart, Dustin stepped towards the shed door. He peered through a slit in the boards and waited for the slimy figure to emerge from the open door.

"Come on, I know you're hungry" he mumbled.

Dustin gasped when he saw Dart trudge down the steps. Just as he had predicted, Dart was happily gobbling up every slice of bologna and ham in the trail Dustin laid out.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," he mumbled.

He had to move around the shed in order to see Dart approach the open cellar doors. Everything had been going so smoothly. Up until Dart whipped around and faced Dustin.

His eyes widened and he gasped in fear, hoping Dart hadn't seen him. Like with Y/n, he waited a moment. There was no sign of movement and he stepped forward. Only to find Dart just outside the shed. He jumped back, his own back to the wall of the shed and he gripped the hockey stick closer to his chest.

Dustin could now hear the pitter-patter of Dart's small webbed feet and he knew it was now or never. It was his fault for bringing Dart into the house, and it was his fault for ignoring the other's logic and lying about Dart's whereabouts. And it was time to fix it. Taking several deep breaths, Dustin ripped open the shed door, startling Dart in the process and charged after his once pet.

Dart retreated frightfully, an image that instilled more guilt in Dustin's heart. Nevertheless, with a scream tearing from his throat, Dustin swung at the creature. He felt the hockey stick strike Dart and he went flying, miraculously Dart hit the open cellar door and tumbled inside.

He himself ran to the cellar, and just as he began closing the doors, an angry and betrayed Dart charged up the stairs after him. Feeling guilty, frightened and exhausted, Dustin collapsed on the closed cellar doors. He could feel his body jerk and move as Dart attempted to break the doors down but it was no use. Dustin was grateful he wearing leg padding, he could feel his shins digging into the steel edge of the cellar entrance.

"I'm sorry," he said, ignoring the chitters from the cellar. "But you ate my cat."

||Reader's POV||

My eyes scan the trees as I breeze down Mirkwood. I feel a chill run down my spine but I can't tell if it's from the cold autumn air or what's to come. I almost miss it, but I break on my bike quickly when I see a small figure standing amongst the trees. Its El. She's dressed in brown and grays and her dark hair blends in with the bark of the trees.

My bike makes an awful screech as the tires skid across the pavement and I cringe. So does El, I notice. She steps forward out of the trees and I dismount the bike, propping it up on its kickstand.

We meet in an embrace and I smile at the contact. She hugs me tightly and we separate.

"I'm so glad you're really here. I was worried I dreamt it all. How are you? Is everything okay?"

She nodded, and the smallest of excited smiles tugged at her lips.

"I found Mama."

"So you really did find your mom, huh?" I ask hopefully.

El's smile grew only slightly and she nodded once more.

"I also found something else."

I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"The 'Missing Experiment'."

A silence hung in the air and I gulped.

"Is that... ?" I felt the words die on my tongue and  I try again. "So, I really am...?"

El looked at me, sympathy in her eyes and she nodded again.

"Yes," she croaked.

I ran a hand down my face, not realizing I had teared up until I felt my hand grow wet. The small droplets on my palm magnified the harsh sting of the cold air and I wiped my hands on my pants, sniffling.

"I think," she continued. "Mama might be able to tell us more. Maybe."

"Well," I said, taking a breath to collect myself. "We better go then, huh?"

||3rd Person POV||

El nodded, and Y/n returned to her bike, El following noiselessly behind. Y/n perked up at the memory and she looked back to El, patting her bike.

"After I lost my bike in the chase last year, my mom got me a new one for Christmas! I have an extra seat, just like Mike's!"

El smiled and stepped forward, and Y/n turned her bike around so it was facing the road. She looked at El once more.

"So, where are we headed?"

"Five-On-Five, Larrabe"

"Um," Timid confusion crossed Y/n's features. "Do you by any chance know what part of town that is?"

El thought about it for a moment but shook her head. Y/n pressed her lips into a firm line as she thought about it aloud.

"Well, we could always ask for directions, I mean I would, so you could stay hidden. I think there's a-"

"Hitch-hike!" El said suddenly as the idea came to her.

"What?"

"Hitch-hike! Like TV,"

Y/n blinked several times, searching her brain for one of millions to begin as to why that was such a bad idea. All she could do was shake her head, sputtering.

"El, we can't-"

But El was too focused on her mission, and much to her delight - and Y/n's chagrin - she heard the deep rumbles of an engine growing louder. She walked past Y/n and stood on the edge of the concrete and stuck her thumb out.

"El, what are you doing? They'll see you, never mind that, do you know how dangerous that is for us?"

Her thumb still out, El turned to look at her friend, a confused look on her face.

"Why us?"

Once again, Y/n was at a loss for words. Without a response, she returned her attention back to the road, where a large truck came to slow. Y/n's heart began to pound faster and in a desperate attempt to save her friend and herself, she dropped her bike and stepped forward to stop El. But El was one step ahead and Y/n's eyes widened when she stopped abruptly, her feet rooted to the ground.

She looked to her feet in fear, and back to El, gaping.

"El! What the hell?" Y/n tried to remain calm, but it was a challenging feat seeing the truck grow closer, words tumbled out of her in a hurry. "El, I promise you we can find another way but this is not a good idea, trust me. He could hurt us,"

El turned back to look at Y/n and gave her an incredulous smile.

"Y/n," she eased. "We can defend ourselves, remember?"

Y/n felt the invisible hold on her legs release and she tied her best not to stumble forward in an awkward fashion. Before she could get another word in, the truck pulled to a stop in front of El and the passenger window rolled down. It was a man with a beard and trucker hat. He looked at the pair with genuine worry for them, which put Y/n's mind at ease in just the slightest.

"You ladies alright?"

El was quick to answer before Y/n could protest.

"We need a ride home. Five-one-five Larrabee"

The man seemed taken aback, and he gave a look around for any sign of the girls' parents.

"Well, uh, sure I guess. You guys a long way from home?"

El nodded and stepped forward. She felt a hand on her wrist and she looked to Y/n gave her one last pleading look.

El lowered her voice and spoke to her friend gently.

"It will be okay, we can protect ourselves. But I'm going Y/n, you can come if you want."

With that, she stepped forward and stood on the tips of her toes to open the passenger door. Y/n felt the surge of anxiety in her stomach, everything warning her against this. But El was getting into a big truck with a strange man, she knew she couldn't stop her, but she had to make sure she was okay. Y/n kicked herself for what she was about to do, never more angered by any decision she has ever made.

And against her better judgment, Y/n climbed into the truck after El.

+++

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[ottorocket808]

Chapter Eight: The Upside Down

Joyce sees through your bullshit creepy man.

I hate interrogation scenes no matter what they say the interrogator is just gonna keep beating them.

How does El know they went looking for the Demogorgon?

I don’t think I can forgive Hop for selling out El it doesn’t sit right with me she has a mom too a mom whose brain was sautéed for trying to get her back selling her out and calling her a science experiment nah Pill Popping Hop is a shitty person for doing that to her Karma will bite him in the ass for this. Notice Hop didn’t tell Joyce that he sold out El he knew it was fucked up and did it anyway. El is the only reason why you know where Will is this is unforgivable.

And then show me a flashback of Hop and his family trying to make him seem like less of an ass my feelings are not a yo-yo Duffers.

Sidenote cutting across your palm like that is stupid if you plan on gripping anything like a nail bat or a .38 just sayin it would essentially make that hand useless.

Why is Lunch Lady Phyllis hoarding pudding?

Here comes Mama Steve to the rescue and if Nancy had clued him in from the start it might’ve made a difference. In what world was pointing a loaded gun at Steve a good idea? He was just concerned and then panicky I know they’re waiting for the Demogorgon but he doesn’t know anything about it because Nancy trusted him with her virginity but not with The Demogorgon...

I wonder what came out of that big ass egg Hop was poking the Demo-Dogs are live birthed so what’s that?

The lion Hop was stroking reminded me of the one from El’s room and the one we saw in Castle Byers.

Bruh did Nancy break Joyce’s phone? That’s the 3rd one this season.

Cmon Steve you can’t leave the girl you like to fight the Demogorgon alone while you run away. It’s head looks like an overboiled cabbage I’m pretty sure it’s a blood sucker maybe Nancy should shoot it in its throat hole instead of whatever she’s aiming for. Yes!!! Let’s go Mama Steve! I love me some nail bat wielding Mama Steve!

Their voices cracking also makes me giggle. Describing pudding as chocolate goo that you eat with a spoon is probably the worst way to phrase it if you want them to actually try it. Awww look at the babies. LANDO!!!!! Run babies!!! Ruuuunnnnn!!!!! They deserve what they get for pointing guns at children. 7 at one time?! El is one hell of a BAMF. They were more than ready to fight to keep their newest Party member safe and I love them for it. I hate dr manipulation get your nasty hands off El’s face pretending like you care about her instead of what she means for your stupid research. El dropped 7 assholes hell yeah the Demogorgon is comin for the easy meal. Quick question how the hell did Will end up in the school with a tentacle rammed down his throat? So there were a total of 14 people in that hallway not including the kids the Demogorgon is greedy as shit coming after the kids when it had 8 dead adults and 6 live ones to choose from. I thought maybe you should hit the Demogorgon in its throat hole like maybe it’s armor plated or something and for a minute I thought Lucas had it until El popped up in the bacground so I’m pretty sure that was all her but she looks like a serious threat while bleeding from her ears nose and the busted vessels in her eyes. That ‘Goodbye Mike’ hit different especially after she tossed him bac to keep him safe and poor Will his ribs are all jacked up from that round of CPR. Mike looks heartbroken when he looks up and El is gone just blac particulates floating where she was.

You can tell the kids are excited to have Will bac even though El is gone she can live on through their stories.

How does Dustin call it every time first the Demogorgon and now the Thessalhydra how does he know? 10 hrs again? What’s up with the binders do you need a binder to play? What’s in the binders? Poor Mike his first girlfriend and she dies* after they have their first kiss and there’s constant reminders of her every where.

Little kids love opening gifts yours mine and their own.

..... Why did Hop randomly drop off some cookies and some Eggos in a stash box? How long has he been doing this?

Why are Joyce’s potatoes soupy?

Ewwww the tentacle got Will pregnant with a Demo-Dog why didn’t he puke it up into the toilet so gross. True Sight is disorienting as all get out that’d scare the bejeezus outta me i probably freak out a little just tryna understand how I was back there.

[stillusesapencil]

Pencil watches Stranger Things s3: episode one

This is ominous

wtf are you doing

this is going to end badly

told you so

“watch this: he’s gonna say, ‘you have twenty-four hours!’”

I heard the theme and realized I haven’t breathed since 2017

she has the baby face mask on the wall!

Mileven my babies!

Dad Hopper! Dad Hopper!

the whole mall intro is gold

Erica!!! Good sibling content!!!

“YOUR CHILDREN ARE HERE” !!!!!!

“We’re dead” lololol

Lumax in jorts!

let Will live 

Aw Mike still knows when he’s not okay

Domestic Jancy! Jonathan on the floor! Supportive mom Joyce!

Aw Bob on the fridge

the Hendersons have a cat bobblehead on their dash

Gold leader is from Star wArs

poor Dustin is always so concerned he’ll be forgotten #headcanon confirmed

the toys would freak me out too

OH MY GOD I LOVE THEM

good Party vibes

These women are disgusting and I hate this scene and also Billy

I want to vomit

why is Hopper so grumpy

surely you and Joyce spent time glued to each other’s faces

Parent Jopper! The fic is writing itself today!

Winona is so cute

I’m digging the soundtrack

ugh these men are gross too

WHY

FUCK THOSE GUYS

oh Lucas honey you have a lot to learn

Will likes the toys. Will really is the sweetest.

Sadie looks so good in yellow

Dustin baby you are so smart I’m so proud of you

Oh Steve you awkward child.

Robin is a good bro

All my ships are getting good content thank you Duffers

I teared up at that Jopper scene

SHE’S GOT YOU

ARE YOU KIDDING ME

anyway

Dustin and Max are literary nerds

And it’s a nope on the rats

Ew. to the rats and Billy

I could not care less about this pairing

I threw up in my mouth a little bit

How is her makeup this good after swimming?

I hate infidelity plots

Lucas. Bless your heart, honey

I’m so proud of Dustin and his radio.

The lighting in this scene is super good. Golden hour ftw

Musical transitions are on point.

Mike still has some issues we need to work on that

so does Hopper

Will really has the sweetest heart. I’ve always headcanoned him ravenclaw, but now I”m thinking hufflepuff?

oh hey Holly

Crash and die Billy

KILL HIM

bye Felicia

i know he’ll be back but a girl can dream

[possiblyawritingblog]

Saturday in the Park

So normal stuff, not my pictrue (off of google)

Had a cute idea and thought why not

Feedback is appreciated 😁

~~~

Fourth of July for Billy was once a pleasant time. Americas birthday wasn't always an excuse for Billy to get shit face drunk. No. Once made his heart sore and his smile shine like the fireworks his grandad brought down to the beach. He would watch with wide eyes as his grandad lit the firework and let it fly high above their heads, telling his mother how pretty it looked. Billy loved fourth of July as a kid because it was, what felt like, another life for him. His mother was alive and his father wasn't around enough to do anything to him. Days like that were spent in the loving embrace of his mothers family and their annual Fourth of July party.

Billy remembers when he was six years old out back in his grandparent's yard playing ball with his aunt Mary's fiance Jim well his granddad grilled bbq that just thinking about makes his mouth water to this day. Off to the side in stripped beach chairs his mother, nana, and aunt Maggie would drink lemonade and talk.

He remembers how it was one of the only days where he could stay up past his bedtime and go down to the beach with his family. How he would sit in the back of his granddad's 1960 ford f100 in his mothers lap with Maggie and Jim next to them with nana and Mary in the front next to grandad. He remembers how his mother and he sang along to the radio well the fireworks exploded above them.

He remembers them all piling out of the car and stepping on the cool sand, his tiny feet sinking into the cold sand. He remembers the song that played on the car radio as they sat near the back of the car as the fireworks went off, some set off by his grandad. The song he still occasionally listen to when things get too hard or he just needs to calm down. A song his mother sang along with her sister, smiles breaking out on their faces when they messed up the lyrics on a song that was so new at the time. A song that was playing on the radio causing Billy to stop in his trakes, standing in his small rented apartment shell-shocked by the touching memories of something so dear to his heart that came rushing back.

"Bill?"

Shaking his head out of the trance he turned to see the confused and concerned look of his loving wife y/n along with their baby girl Maddy, named after his mother, on her hip playing with a small stuffed toy. "You okay?"

Moving towards them he shut off the radio. "Ya fine" he answered to which y/n shot him an unconvinced look.

Grasping her upper arm he looked her in the eyes "Babe really, I'm fine" briefly stroking it before stopping only to look at his loving daughter who was his little mini-me with the same eyes and curly locks.

"Hey sweetheart," he smiled at her love radiating off his features "you going out with mama?" he asked the young girl, shockingly the infant did not understand him and only looked up at her father with a wet, toothless, adorable smile, waving her saliva covered toy. "Ya we're headed off to the store arent we Maddy?" she said also looking at the adorable child.

Turning her attention back to Billy she corrected herself "Actually, correction, only I'm going to the store. I was gonna drop Maddy off at my moms since Noah is already there and then I'm swinging by Jerry's Deli and picking up some fresh meat for tonight, wait you didn't forget did you?"

Rolling his eyes Billy huffed "Common you think I could forget spending most of my first time back in Hawkings with my wife's family?"

"Billy" Y/n groaned causing Billy to chuckle. "Babe I'm just messing with you, Joyce is like a mother to me and Will is a great kid, Jonathan on hand..." Billy trailed off only to have y/n wack him in the arm.

"Billy tell me you did not forget to swing by my mom's house, because if you did then-" Billy understood that it was their first holiday back in Hawkings since they left for California in 1984 and well he knew y/n wanted everything to go smoothly but he couldn't listen to her explain what could go wrong, for the thirtieth time, so he cut her off.

"y/n, y/n, y/n," he stepped back touching his hand to his shirtless chest "have you no faith in me woman? I swung by your moms yesterday and dropped off the bbq plus I picked up some stuff from the store. Everything is fine the only thing you need to worry about is picking up some nachos from the store."

"Hmm ya, okay, I do love me some nachos. Okay, then I'm gonna head off anything else you want me to get well I'm out?" Billy shook his head no well they both walked to the door. "Alright well see you later then" with a kiss goodbye the two left and Billy was left standing in the cozy little living room.

Later that day Billy sat behind the old Byers home watching his son roam around the grass. Little Noah was still trying to walk on his own. After seeing Will and Mike go with mama Steve to get some firecrackers for tonight Billy had just managed to drop down into the rundown lawn chair for a few minutes before something caught his attention. Turning towards the sound of his daughter's giggles Billy was met by y/n bright smile as she carried Maddy towards him. Already reaching out to him, Billy met them halfway taking Maddy in his arms just as Y/N caught sight of Noah.

Watching her go towards Noah, Billy swayed in place a bit ruffling his daughter's curls. Laughing when she seemed to shush him, stopping him from continuing with his, poor, baby talk voice. Billy to distracted in his own world with Maddy hadn't seen Hopper had arrived till he happened to see him and y/n helping Noah with his literal baby steps. Nor had Billy noticed Hopper had turned on the radio till a familiar song began to play. With every beat and every note, Billy rocked him and his daughter to the melody of the song. By now Mike, Will, and Steve were back and helping Joyce with setting up the tables well Jonathan and Nancy had seemingly just gotten there and were emptying out grocery bags on the tables in the yard. Billy watched the somewhat chaotic scene unfolding in front of him and something snagged on his heartstrings. Something hit home for him. It may have been the song or the site of y/n and their son, or maybe baby Maddy chewing on his neckless, he wasn't sure. The only thing Billy was sure about was that well this may not be the family he had when he was a kid or the one he had gotten used to over the years, it was the one he had now.

Leaning his head towards where Maddy's head was resting on his shoulder he began to quietly sing the words that his mother once sang on a long time ago.

Saturday in the park,

I think it was the Fourth of July

People dancing, people laughing

£ñđ

@dacremontgomerylover @myscxllanxous @gutterdreams @lovesweetpeaa @letmeletmetrashyourlove @stevesharrlngtons

[brielleinstitutehq]

CECILY ADAMS is a 6 year old PATIENT in the MEDICAL WARD. He has been diagnosed with SENSORY PROCESSING ISSUES and SCHIZOPHRENIA and looks a lot like Emmi Butler.

MAYBE THEY’RE HIDING

Cecily & Elias Adams, as alike each other as two new pins, born from the same womb on the very same day, barely four minutes between them. To a mother who was only fifteen at the time and a father who was high at the time of the birth. It was clear their story would not be an easy one. Poor, Lazy, and still children themselves, Joyce & Jimmy were more concerned with keeping up with the social crowds than looking after the two lives they had brought into the world. It would have been hard with one baby, but with two it seemed impossible, especially with two whom seemed to be so in tune with each other, they woke up at the same second, cried at the same From only a few months old, Cecily & Elias would be left alone for hours on end. Neighbors raised alarm bells on numerous occasions and social services often came to the home to inspect the situation, but Joyce and Jimmy were good actors, they knew how to put on a show and social workers missed the signs. Until one day they conducted a surprise inspection when the children were barely 18 months old. Both twins were removed from the home and placed with a foster family. Things got messy here, complicated. Joyce refused to stick to supervised visits, paperwork went missing, the foster home was overcrowded, Several court hearings were arranged and then changed. There was a glitch in the system. Elias was put up for adoption but Joyce was given Cecily back.

WE HOPE THEY ARE PLAYING A GAME

Joyce did try to make herself a better person when she got her daughter back, mostly because she was worried about what the neighbors would be saying when the found out she had been deemed unfit to parent for a period of time. She never discussed the other twin, told the neighbors that he was staying with his grandmother or his aunt. Never the truth. Never the truth. But as Cecily began to grow out of the baby phase, Joyce found it harder and harder to parent her. Cecily was different from the other children on her street. She was difficult, her mother would say. On some days she wouldn’t like to be touched at all, not by her mother, not by her friends, and even the slightest nudge would cause upset, but others, she’d refuse to let go of her mother. They wouldn’t be able to go to restaurants or playgroups with other mothers, because Cecily would end up sobbing under the table because of the noise, or the lights, or the contrast of colors. Clothes shopping was almost impossible, as Cecily would refuse to wear a large number of clothes because of how they would feel against her skin. Food had to be prepared in certain ways; not too hot, not too cold, nothing with a ‘crunchy’ texture, nothing ‘slimy.’ It was frustrating, and on more than one occasion Joyce would end up lashing out and hitting the small girl in an attempt to shut her up. After an especially frustrating night of Cecily refusing to sleep because of the new mattress, her mother took her to the doctors, where she was diagnosed with sensory processing issues. The diagnosis was hard on Joyce, but she found ways of dealing with it. She learned that if she found a dress Cecily was comfortable in, to buy ten versions of it in different colors and sizes, to give her full warning before washing her hair, or taking her to the supermarket. It was hard, but she found herself growing to like spending time with her daughter for once, rather than despising every moment. But for Cecily, there was always something; something missing; a part of her missing. She couldn’t tell WHAT, Joyce and Jimmy never discussed her missing twin, never talked about it, they attempted to erase him from existence. But he was always there, the memories would rise to the surface during sleep especially, Cecily would see him. She would talk to him, know there was some sort of connection, some sort of link between her and the dreams boy.

BUT THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING

When life seemed to be working out for Cecily and Joyce, when they seemed to have fallen into a routine that worked, when Joyce seemed to have curved her anger. it all went downhill. It was when Cecily was four that her mother started noticing her behavior changing once again, Cecily would talk to herself, which she didn’t think was totally uncommon, that was until she started drawing images of her ‘imaginary friends’. Dark, twisted images. Cecily would wake up screaming in the middle of the night, claiming someone was hanging from her bedroom window, or throw items across the room because she was told to. When she pulled Cecily down from a window ledge four months later, Joyce knew she had to take her to a therapist. After a short examination, she was diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia. Joyce couldn’t cope with the diagnoses and Jimmy didn’t understand it. Jimmy would get angry, tell the child to shut the FUCK up, to stop being a FREAK. Joyce would get frustrated, not know how to deal with it and simply lock the child away during an episode. If she couldn’t SEE it, if she couldn’t HEAR it, it wasn’t happening. However, after one particularly dark episode that resulted in Cecily needing to be restrained and nearly clawing her own eyes out, Joyce made the decision to take her to Brielle, an institution recommended by an A&E nurse she has spoken to. She dropped her off and left, freeing herself from the ties of a child.

Connections: Twin to Elias Adams-Scott

Unfortunately, Cecily is TAKEN!

[dreamdollxbreezy]

Stage Five

Chase

Tying the apron around her waist I lay a gentle and innocent kiss on her cheek. Turning her lips meet my cheek.

"Daddy help me please." Hope comes over with her small chefs hat undone.

"Mommy what are we making?" Gabby asked.

"Pizza babe remember. Since you girls both did good on the test you had at school this is a personal pizza slumber party for just us."

Our beautiful smarty pants here both got a 100% in a test they individually got in school so I put up this idea. They can't seems to get enough of each other always calling after school. I just love seeing how happy she is with her new best friend. And...spending all this time with Tammy has been great as well.

Things with us are steadily moving in a friendly pace. I decided with Gabe being an ass she needs all the support she can get. He has yet to make any effort with that threat he made which I'm not surprised about. It was just an emotional thing to say since he knows how much gabby means to her. I know personally if Hope's mother ever threaten to take my love away from me it would be war.

"Ok girls let's check everything off. First things first....pajamas?"

"Check!" They had matching Disney princess onesies.

"Pizza ingredients?" Tammy said picking up the pack of pizza dough.

"Check!"

"How about dessert do we have the cake and ice cream?"

"Yes!" They both jumped laughing. It was a beautiful sight.

"Alright let's get started. Tammy if you would cue some cooking music for us please."

She does a courtesy giggling picking up her phone that is connected to the wireless speaker I have. Her hips swing as the music from a movie the girls are familiar with starts up. She dances back over to us bumping my hip on the way.

"Under the sea Under the sea Darling it's better Down where it's wetter Take it from me Up on the shore they work all day Out in the sun they slave away While we devotin' Full time to floatin' Under the sea"

The girls held hands dancing. "You guys are suppose to help us."

"Oh sorry hope daddy. I wanna put the sauce on with lots and lots of cheese." Hope smiled.

I prepared the dough with gabby while Tammy and Hope cut up toppings. Every other second I'd look up at them laughing.

"Mr Chase why do you keep looking at my mommy?" Gabby asked rolling the dough around.

"Well um...your mommy is very pretty." Might as well be honest. Children are way smarter than us adults are willing to admit.

"I know she's says I'm pretty to all the time." She smiles up at me.

"Of course both you and your mommy are beautiful young ladies." I poke her nose making her blush and giggle.

"I like you Mr Chase."

We start pressing out the dough and Tammy bring over the toppings. We let the girls put what they want on one pizza leaving the second for us.

"I saw you over here making my daughter blush." Tammy nudged me smirking. "What were you guys talking about?"

"She caught me taking regular glances at you and I let her know I think both you and your daughter are very beautiful young ladies as is my daughter." Honesty is my thing as you can see.

"Oh thank you. I happen to think you sir are very handsome." She bites her lip putting down a few green peppers.

Stepping behind her I grab the bowl of mixed cheeses. She turns her head watching as I spread it around our pizza. Our hands collide making us both laugh. Turning together our noses rub. The girls laughing catches our attention seeing them watching us.

"Are you gonna kiss her daddy?" They giggled more.

Before I could answer my door bell rings. I wasn't expecting anyone so this is very random. I'm not a fan of in the moment visit from guest.

"Mother....did you call me or something?"

She let herself in along with her plus one. "No just thought I drop by to see my grand baby. Where is my  sweetie?"

"In the kitchen we ourselves have guest." As I'm walking off April makes her presents known. "Yes?"

"Hi?"

"Hello Hope is in the kitchen like I said."

"You don't want to know why I'm with your mother?"

"Not at all. That information does not include anything about our daughter. Why should I be concerned about what you do in your time not with Hope?"

She rolls her eyes walking ahead of me stopping suddenly. "Who are you?"

"Tammy hi. Oh this is my daughter Gabby." She smiled gesturing to themselves.

Both my mother and April looked at me.

"Are you sleeping with my son?"

Tammy(Dream)

"Is that your business?"

His mother made a look of surprise. I know she doesn't think I was gonna shrink back from her. Those pearls and diamonds expensive shit don't mean a damn thing to me. Respect is earned always how many dollars signs you doesn't and shouldn't be a instant respect magnet. I could get all that my damn self.

"Excuse me don't talk to her like that. You don't know who you are messing with." This other chick says stepping.

"I give back what is given to me. What I do with her son is between us it doesn't matter who is asking. Why is it either of you his mother and sister concern what we do?"

"I am not his sister I'm her mother. If you are around my daughter then I have every right to know who you are."

"Oh ok but I told you who I was you didn't even think to introduce yourself honey. You just right on me so again why is it your concern what I do with your daughter father since you two clearly are not together."

These two already getting on my nerves. It's been a great day I've spent with my daughter and now chase and Hope. They not about to come around ruining shit. Mother, baby mamma I don't care no one talks to me as if I'm a nobody.

"Chase why is this woman here with you?"

His mother approaches him. She seems like the overprotective controlling type. Poor Chase.

"She is accompanying Hope and I in celebrating our daughters getting amazing grades in school."

"What happen with Penny she was a lovely girl."

"She also was just another gold digger mother." I saw him look over at Hopes mother.

"And this one isn't? Why haven't I met her until now?"

"I didn't know I was obligated to let you meet everyone I know mother. This is Tammy my friend...this is my mother Joyce and this is my daughters mother April."

Both women look over at me. I could just tell they were judging me.

The smirk couldn't be hidden even if I tried while I wave my fingers. "Girls lets go pick out the movie we're gonna watch."

They both run pass me. In Hopes room I go to close the door as a heel stops it. "Hi mommy!"

She walks in bumping my shoulder. Why oh why must people try me so hard. "Hi baby. You didn't introduce me to your new friend."

"This is Gabby and that's her mommy Ms Tammy." She smiled at me. "She's really nice mommy daddy likes her."

I chuckled shaking my head. Kids are such a hoot.

"More than daddy likes mommy?" This bitch.

"Maybe they almost kissed earlier." Hope tried whispering.

"Ok so what are we watching girlies!? Moana....little mermaid....princess and the frog or Pocahontas?"

"Frozen mommy we wanna watch frozen."

"Ok you guys start watching and I'll go check on our pizzas." After putting in the movie I walk out. The mother took it upon herself to get my attention. "You need something from me?"

"Stay away from my daughter and my man."

"Girl bye. That child is just as much his as she is yours if he wants me around I'll be around. From what I understand he is not your man and never will be again since someone messed up...isn't that right sticky fingers?"

I smirk at her widen eyes. Chase told me all about this one. She damn near tried ruining a family self made business all for a couple of bucks. Now she got the nerve to be all in my face?

"You don't know shit about me. I meant what I said and if I have to say it again we will have a problem."

Walking up I make it known I'm not scared of this bitch. Clearly the money is getting into her head.

"We already have a problem honey. One being your breath...garlic really? And two you are no one to me you put no type of fear in my heart. I've been through hell and back so dealing with a babymomma who doesn't know her place is nothing."

It was a slight stare down but like I said she's no threat.

"April your ride is leaving." Chase came up behind me. His hand rest on my waist. "Is she bothering you?" He whispered.

"No just talking. The girls are watching a movie I was on my way to check on the pizzas."

He nods letting me go I walk off smiling.

"This is what you do Chase? Do I mean anything to you."

Uh...poor Chase.

[spikesdru]

my rewatch of becoming part 2 btvs 2x22 + s2 thoughts:

Sunnydale police can get swallowed by a giant snake (see what I did there?) 

Buffy really had time for an outfit change to the hospital? Lol

Poor baby Willow. The music makes it so sad too 

Xandelia’s hug was really cute. And it’s nice that Cordy is genuinely concerned for Willow 

Wow, Whistler, u really had NO idea what would happen? Lol k

“I want to save the world” shut up man 

I find it odd how some people claim this ep had the first sign of Spike’s “soulless heroicism” when part of the reason why he wants to stop Angelus is to keep eating the “happy meals with legs” (and to keep creating chaos with Dru, wow so noble!)

For all Xander’s flaws, he really does care and love Willow deeply

Poor Giles man. He’s so strong

Spike being a proud bf of Dru killing Kendra <3 we love a supportive man 

Another great moment where Buffy and Joyce are fighting. Great acting (SARAH WHERE WAS UR EMMY) amazing writing, ends on a bad note but really sets the finale 

Joyce….girl….u can tell she regrets her words as soon as she says it but WHY

Another tidbit about the mayor!!!! Love these tiny seeds being planted 

Oh god this just shows how badly Giles misses Jenny

LMAOOO DRU IS GOING AT IT WITH GILES

Soft Spangelus moment! My fav killers <3

“Er, Drusilla…” “honey” LOL SPANGELUS BEING LIKE OK U CAN STOP THE MAKEOUT

So. Xander not telling Buffy abt the spell. I’m annoyed he didn’t say anything but if he had, Buffy would’ve held back. Things could’ve gone differently, maybe worse for her so I see his reasoning 

Spike is letting out ALL his aggression by beating Angelus lmao

“Why would they make you see me?” LMAO Giles/Xander is an underrated comedic duo

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN LET’S GO

“God he’s gonna kill her” *shrugs and leave* best version of Spike idc idc

“Take that away and what’s left?” “Me” BADASS QUEEN I LOVE U 

I’ve watched this scene DOZENS of times and it never gets old

Angel looking up in wonder, already crying….DB played this well, we automatically see that shift where the soul returns

Buffy’s face going from confusion to deep relief to fear to acceptance. SMG, one day I will avenge u and your awards snub

“Close your eyes” MOST HEARTBREAKING WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

And the fact that Angel doesn’t seem betrayed, just confused and reaches for her help. Then her face crumpling as the realization of what she’s done sets in is so beautifully gut-wrenching 

Such a sad but wonderful ending to a fantastic season 

season 2 thoughts

Rewatching this reminded me of why I love this season: the plots, the characters, the villains, the writing, the romantic pairings are all perfection to me. Some of the eps aren’t perfect, I think the second half has a better consistency but it produces some of the best eps in the series. I’ll give this season an A grade

favourite eps: 2x03, 2x06, 2x13, 2x14, 2x16, 2x17, 2x19, 2x22

honourable mentions: 2x01, 2x07, 2x09, 2x10, 2x20, 2x21

[whatliesabove-blog1]

small, quiet room

Chapter sixteen | ao3

Joyce, in a move that's nearly unprecedented for her, leaves work early. She tells Donald she has some family issues to deal with, which is a half-truth so she doesn’t feel bad about the half-lie, and leaves to pick Will up from school.

When he's called into the office and sees his mother standing by the front desk, his eyes widen. He looks around the room, gaze darting subtly from one person to the next as if to figure out what’s going on. 

He hesitates only for a second longer before making a beeline for her.

"Mom, what's wrong?" 

The fear is evident on his face, reflecting back at her in those eyes.

She smiles and rubs his shoulder, shakes her head. "No, honey, nothing's wrong," she promises. With one last nod to the woman at the front desk, a polite farewell, she gently guides Will towards the door. "Come on, let's go."

He waits until they're outside to halt their movements, to tug on her arm. "What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on."

"You're taking me out of school early," he retorts as if that’s cause enough to be alarmed. Which, okay, it’s true; she rarely takes the boys out of school early. This is probably the second time in so many years. "You never take me out of school early."

Joyce sighs. "Let's talk in the car, okay?"

Will looks like he’s about to object but, after a moment of thought, he nods. There's not much else he can do, really, and he follows his mother to the tiny green pinto. She opens the door for him, palm brushing his back as she ushers him inside. Once he's buckled and settled in, she rounds the car and slides into the driver's seat.

Quiet as he may be, she can still feel the heat of his gaze on her from the second she’s beside him in the car. He’s still looking at her when she finally turns towards him. 

The expression on his face breaks a laugh from her throat, a real laugh, because he just looks so grave. It's as if the entire world must have ended because she's taken him out of school a few hours early.

"Will, sweetie, nothing's wrong," she assures him again, a smile on her face.

"So you're not letting me out early to tell me something's happened to Jonathan?"

“Of course not; Jonathan’s fine. He’s still in school.”

“And you’re not here to tell me you’re sick or... or dying, or—” 

Joyce shakes her head immediately. “I’m not sick, and I’m certainly not dying.”

His expression falters a little, but his mouth twists uneasily to the side. “Are you sure, Mom? Because... if you’re sick, or something, you can tell me, and we’ll—”

"Hey, stop," she cuts him off, grabbing his small hand in hers. 

She swears there are traces of tears welling up in his eyes and she’s about to climb over the center console and wrap him in her arms. This poor kid has been through so much he can’t even accept the fact that nothing earth-shattering has happened. 

"Baby, I’m fine. I promise, okay?" Tipping his chin in her direction, she coaxes him to look at her. “I’m no less healthy than I was yesterday or the day before. Nothing to worry about.”

Sure, she’s still a little frazzled. She’s absolutely not looking forward to the conversation she has to have with Will or the inevitable union of Hopper and Jonathan with their new knowledge of their relation, but physically... she's fine. 

The last thing she needs is to add something else for her boy to stress about.

"Okay..."

Joyce puts the car in drive and takes off, the two of them making their way towards Benny's diner instead of home. She snorts at the shock on Will's face when it occurs to him that they’re going in the opposite direction, but it soon gives way to a grin when he realizes they're actually going out for food.

Like getting out of school early, eating out is not something they do often. They don't have the money to treat themselves to restaurants and fast food places more than on occasion, but she'd classify this as an occasion that deserves a diner meal.

After Benny's death, a few of his friends, other classmates that have stayed around Hawkins and sometimes worked at the diner in their teen years, decided to continue working there with the blessing of Benny’s living family. She doesn't know who's dealing with the business side of things—that was Benny's forte—but that it's still open and serving his signature burgers is heartwarming. It's what his legacy deserves.

"We're going to Benny's?"

Joyce nods. "We are."

"Okay, Mom, seriously, you can just tell me if you're sick or something..."

Huffing, she gives a good-natured roll of her eyes and glances over. "What, a mother can’t treat her son to a nice spur of the moment lunch anymore?"

Will ignores the rhetorical question. "We're going to have a weird talk, aren't we?"

"You could say that," she breathes, pulling into the parking lot. Best to just be honest; she has a lot of time to make up for in that arena. "You know how there was something I had to talk to Jonathan about? That I said would affect you, but I couldn't talk about it yet?"

Will nods. "Yeah."

"Well, I've talked to Jonathan already, and I thought it would be nice to have an afternoon just the two of us. So I could tell you, too, and you can ask any questions that you have about it."

"Okay."

Will runs ahead of her and practically swings the door back into the wall, but he doesn’t go any farther. He stands there and waits for her to catch up, holding the door open for her. After greeting her former classmates with a polite smile, she and Will take a seat at one of the tables and get their orders ready. 

A burger and fries are put in for the two of them and Joyce even nudges Will's knees under the table, encourages him to choose a milkshake instead of the water he’s accustomed to ordering because it’s free.

She may be going over the top, just a little, but she doesn't want Will to have to hear this in their kitchen over leftovers. Maybe it's a little strategic; in the house, he can get up and lock himself in his room if he wants to. Here, he can't exactly run away.

Truthfully, she doesn't think that’ll be anything close to his reaction. He's more subdued than Jonathan; more pensive, sensitive. More quiet. But she still wants to have some kind of insurance policy, something that allows her confidence that he won’t take off.

When their food comes, she spends a few minutes chatting normally, asking him about the day he’s had so far and what's going on with the party. Will launches into a whole explanation of this new game they've played, using animated gestures and words she doesn't understand. She has no idea what he's talking about but she smiles along anyway, genuinely interested despite her limited knowledge. The light in his eyes is enough to have her hanging onto every word, desperately trying to get some of it.

Halfway through the meal when the conversation experiences a lull, Joyce wipes at her mouth and chews on her nail.

"You can tell me, Mom." When she looks up, Will's regarding her with those soft eyes of his. So much like hers. "I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle it."

Joyce laughs, nods. "You're right, you're not a little kid anymore."

His chest puffs out with the confirmation. Proud.

"Okay," she exhales, wringing her hands in front of her to get the feeling back. She's a little numb, a lot nervous. "When I was in high school, I was friends with Hopper. You know Hopper."

Smooth, Joyce. Of course he knows Hopper.

"Yeah, Mom," Will laughs, "I know Hopper."

"Good, good." She could smack herself. Be normal, she chastises herself, but this is so far from normal. "Well... after graduation something happened between the two of us, and I got pregnant."

Quick, like a band-aid. 

Will's eyes widen. "You... have a kid with Hopper?" Something lights on his face, and his mouth opens. "Wait, is that what this is? Do I have another brother or sister? Where are they?" When she's silent, mouth flapping because she doesn't know what to say, he continues in a whisper, "Are they dead?"

"No," she says immediately, shaking her head. "No, they're... they're not dead. But Hopper and I... do have a child, yeah."

"Okay.” His forehead creases as he plucks a fry from his plate and tosses it into his mouth. “So, where are they? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It’s a boy," Joyce manages, taking a second to breathe through her nose and exhale through her mouth. 

Giving a slow nod, Will takes it in. “I have another brother,” he says. It’s a statement, not a question, and she can tell he’s trying to wrap his head around the information. To figure it out. 

She wishes it was as easy as just saying he has another brother. 

“Well,” she starts, her heart kicking into high gear. Unsure of how to continue, she just blurts out, "It's Jonathan."

But that doesn’t work because now Will’s looking at her again, all concerned eyes and innocent face and she wants to scream.

"What's Jonathan? You said nothing was wrong with him."

She shakes her head, eyes falling shut. She wonders if it’d be possible to be any more frustrated with herself, but she doubts it. This was supposed to be the easy conversation, and the thought alone now makes her want to burst into hysterics. She’s already told Jonathan that his father’s not the man he thought, she’s already had a blowout with Hopper over the same piece of news, so telling Will should be a walk in a park. 

For some reason it’s not, not at all, and maybe it was naive of her to think otherwise. 

Thinking about it now, she’s almost positive it’s because of how he looks at her. He may be growing up, a teenager now who should start resenting her for her hovering and excessive mothering, but he doesn’t. Not yet. He still looks at her with such adoration, such sweet, kid-like love, and she doesn’t want it tainted. 

She doesn’t want him to look at her differently. 

"Nothing's wrong. He's—it's him, Will. Jonathan is my child with Hopper."

Will's silent for a moment, his face painfully blank. For such a sensitive kid he has one hell of a poker face when he wants to, but usually she can read his tells. She can generally tell when something’s off, but right now she can't read anything. He looks down at the table, blinking, his mouth twisted a little to the side while he thinks.

The lack of response is driving her just a little insane, but finally, finally, after what seems like an hour but is likely five minutes, he breaks the silence.

"Hopper is Jonathan's dad."

Joyce nods. "Yes, he is."

"Is Hopper... my dad?" Will asks, his voice quiet and oh, bless him, filled with a little hope. 

A part of her wishes she could say yes. He already idolizes the man—she knows it makes Hopper uncomfortable, but she finds it sweet—and looks up to him more than he’s ever really been able to look up to Lonnie. 

She wishes she could tell him that his father isn't really a deadbeat, a no-show who didn’t even care enough to call when they thought their boy was dead.

"No, sweetie," Joyce says softly. "Your dad is still your dad."

"Oh," he says with a little nod. "Okay."

When he doesn’t say anything else, just continues to pick at the last of his burger, she reaches over and wraps his free hand in hers.

"Do you have any questions?"

Will shrugs. "I don't know, I mean... it's kind of weird," he admits, looking anywhere but at her. "Did you just find out or something? How come we never knew before?"

It's a valid question, but it still tears at her. No. Because I can be a coward sometimes.

"Because I didn't tell them. I lied for reasons that seemed to make sense at the time, and I never told Hopper about Jonathan, so I never told Jonathan about Hopper."

"How come?"

"It's complicated, baby," she says, offering a small smile. "I'll explain it sometime, but right now I just need you to know that I made a mistake back then and I'm trying to fix it, okay?"

Her boy nods, accepts her answer even though she can tell he wants more details, wants to know why she chose to withhold the information. She told Jonathan, and she told Hopper, but she doesn't feel Will needs to know all of it right now. 

As long as he has the gist of what's happened and what's going on, it's okay for now. That’s all he really needs. 

"So, is the Chief moving in with us?"

Joyce laughs. "No, no. Nothing like that is going to happen right now," she promises, squeezing his fingers. "The only thing that's changing is Jonathan and Hopper's relationship, maybe. They'll have to decide how they want to move forward."

"But you said it'd affect me," he points out, shoving another one of the fries into his mouth.

"I—I wasn't sure how Hopper would take the news, and I was worried that he might decide he didn't want to talk to me,” she tells him honestly. “If that happened, I was concerned that might affect your friendship with El, but we've talked it over and he's—well, he's upset, but it won't reach that level. You have nothing to worry about."

"Oh," Will says. "I'm glad that's not happening. I like El, and it'd really suck to have to stop talking."

"I'm glad too, baby." She takes a moment to pick at a few of her own fries, left neglected for most of the conversation. Her appetite seems to be slowly returning now that everything appears to be going all right with Will. "I know this is a lot to take in, and it's going to be really weird for a while, but I want you to know you can come to me with anything you feel about it. Deal?"

Nodding, he takes a breath. "Yeah, deal.” 

“Promise?”

“I promise."

"Good. Now, what do you say we finish our food and head home? Maybe we can put in a movie."

It's a quick change of topic, but she can tell he has nothing else to say right now. Nothing he's willing to part with, anyway, and she doesn't want to sit through the remainder of their meal in an awkward, tense cloud. He'll come to her if and when he has anything else to ask, and so right now her main concern is putting that vibrant smile she loves so much back on his face.

Her son perks up, the smile a little smaller but there as he gives an enthusiastic nod. "Yeah! Can we watch ET?"

She laughs. Should’ve known. Oddly enough, ever since he saw it for the first time a few months ago and then asked her to record it onto a VHS tape for him, he’s been practically begging her or Jonathan to watch it with him again. She hasn’t had the energy or time lately and she may not be bursting with energy now, either, but this is something she can do.

"Sure, ET it is," she agrees, beaming at the excitement on his face.

The knots in her chest continue to loosen.