#steve's parents are lavender married

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

I'm suddenly imagining Steve’s parents as James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter.

"Have you ever played the Floor is Lava game?" Eddie asked Steve.

They were lounging at Steve's house, watching TV when Eddie suggested the game. They had flipped through the channels, but they found nothing they wanted to watch at the moment.

"No," Steve scoffed. "What's that?"

"Oh, right. You're an only child with boring parents. My mom used to play it with me when I was little. The concept of the game is that you have to avoid touching the floor because it's made of Lava," Eddie grinned. "You wanna play?"

"Sure."

An hour later, pillows were rearranged on the floor as well as the furniture. They had been hopping around on them for a while now, Eddie telling an outlandish tale of Lava Pirates. Steve had made it safely to the couch, but Eddie was still on the coffee table. The pillows in between them had been knocked aside, and now Eddie had to make it from the coffee table to the couch. There was a huge gap.

"I don't think I'm going to make it. Tell everyone that I love them," Eddie said dramatically. "Go on without me!"

"Oh, for fu - just jump, Eddie!" Steve exclaimed.

Eddie jumped, his feet barely making it to the edge of the couch, and he almost stumbled into the Lava if it hadn't been for Steve grabbing the front of his shirt. Steve pulled him onto the couch and into his arms, wrapping one arm around his waist to stable him.

"My hero!" Eddie said, batting his eyelashes.

Eddie pressed his hands to Steve’s chest, breathing heavily as he stared into his eyes. They were both breathing heavily. Steve pulled him closer until their bodies were pressed together. He took the opportunity to kiss Eddie, pressing his lips gently against his. He smiled when he felt Eddie kiss him back. It was brief, though, because Eddie was suddenly pulling back.

"I'm sorry," Eddie said quickly. "I'm not like that. I mean, it's okay if you are, but I'm not - I'm not like that."

"Okay," Steve said, his voice filled with emotion, and he tried not to look at Eddie, his face red from embarrassment.

Eddie stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do as he watched his friend's eyes fill up with tears. He jumped down from the couch and started putting on his shoes.

"I'm going to go now," Eddie said, but Steve didn't say anything. "Uh, see you later."

Eddie started walking towards the door, and as he left, the last thing he heard was the sound of a sob coming from Steve. He hated that sound. Eddie's chest fluttered with this heavy weight, and he found it hard to breathe. He wasn't like that, was he? Shit, he needed to call Ronnie.

A couple of days later. . .

Steve thought he had been hiding his emotions all day at work, but apparently, he was wrong.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Robin asked as soon as they sat down for their break.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked with a sigh.

"I mean. You've been in a mood all day. You were even rude to the customers," Robin said. "So, rude that they gave you looks, they made complaints to me. You even snapped at me earlier."

"I did?" Steve asked in surprise.

"What's going on?" Robin asked softly.

"I, uh, kissed Eddie," Steve revealed, fiddling with his lunch.

"Okay, so it didn't go well. What happened?" She asked.

He told her all about the game they played and how Steve had saved him. He trailed off near the end.

"We were wrong about him, Robin," he said.

"What?"

"He's not like us," Steve said, shrugging. "He told me. I just need some time to move on, get over him, and then we can go back to being friends. I just want him to be a part of my life, and I'll take whatever he can give me."

"No! No! He is like us! There's no way my radar is off about this," Robin frowned.

"It's okay, Robin. I'll be okay," Steve said.

"Are you sure he didn't kiss you back?" Robin asked.

"I didn't say that he didn't," he said.

"So, he did kiss you?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I'm sure it was like a reflex," Steve said.

"Okay. What did he say exactly after that?" Robin asked.

"He said that he wasn't like that, but it was okay if I was, but he just wasn't like that," Steve replied.

"Wait, so he said it twice?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, why?"

Robin frowned thoughtfully as she tapped her chin. She placed her hands on the table in front of him.

"Okay, I don't want to give you false hope, but maybe it was us who's the problem. We kind of assumed that Eddie's the kind of guy who always knew about himself like we did," Robin said. "But maybe that's not the case."

"Are you saying that I awakened something in him?" Steve said.

"It's a possibility," Robin said softly. "Maybe he just needs time."

Steve smiled, feeling a little more hopeful than he had in days. Yeah, he could give Eddie all of the time in the world.

A few days later. . .

Steve was sitting on the couch, pouting as he stared at the blank TV screen. Every so often, he would glance at the direction of the kitchen, where the phone was, and hoped it would ring. Maggie Harrington plopped onto the coffee table in front of her son and placed his feet in her lap.

"Whatcha doing, Bebie?" Maggie asked.

"Wishing that the phone would ring," Steve said.

"Well, you know what they say about a watched pot," Maggie chuckled, but Steve didn't laugh. "Honey, you have to give him more time than this. Not everyone is like us."

"I know," Steve frowned. "I just don't want to lose him."

"No matter what happens, he'd be an idiot not to be a part of your life," Maggie said.

Thunder clapped loudly outside, and suddenly, there came the sound of hard rain beating against the roof. Steve jumped, and Maggie squeezed his feet to calm him down. A few moments later, the front door opened and closed.

"Mags, do you know anything about this wet metalhead loitering about outside? I don't think he belongs to anyone. I don't see any tags. Do you think Steve might like him?" John asked.

He and Eddie appeared in the door, a wide grin on his face. Meanwhile, Eddie's eyes were wide as he looked at Steve, his hair dripping wet.

"Dad!" Steve exclaimed, blushing.

Eddie pulled crushed, wet flowers out of his vest and held them out for Steve.

"These are for you," Eddie said, and Steve took them with a smile.

"Aw, he got him flowers," Maggie said, cooing.

"Mom, Dad, can you give us a minute?" Steve asked.

"You're right, Steve, he is cute," Maggie said, flipping up her thumbs at him.

"Mom!" Steve yelled.

"Come on, Mags," John said, pulling her out of the room.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't even think about if your parents even know about you," Eddie blushed.

"Oh, we know, and we were so proud of Bebie when he came out to us!" Maggie yelled from the hallway. "Besides, we're both lavender married. I'm a lesbian and John's gay!"

"Mom!"

"Sorry, son, she got away from me!" John called. "Slippery little witch."

"Bebie?" Eddie asked in amusement.

"When I was little, I had this lisp, and I would pronounce my name like Stebe," Steve rolled his eyes. "Then mom kind of ran with the name."

"And it was the cutest little lisp," Maggie said, popping her head in. "You should have seen him when he was little. He was such a mama's boy. You know, I have a picture of him, trying to walk around in my heels. It's so - "

"Mom! Please!" Steve yelled, torn between laughing and crying.

"Mrs. Harrington - " Eddie started to say.

"Maggie," she corrected with a grin.

"Maggie, you know, if you wanted to talk about how cute Steve is, then we can have lunch, and you can tell me all the embarrassing stories about him then?" Eddie asked with a grin. "Okay?"

"Okay!" Maggie exclaimed and left the room.

"Sorry about them," Steve said, shaking his head.

"So, if they're, uh, lavender married, how did - " Eddie started to say.

"I'm adopted," Steve said.

"Ah," Eddie said, and suddenly, he pulled a rock out of his pocket. "I also found this because it reminded me of your eyes."

"Thanks," Steve said, grinning, clutching it to his chest.

"Look, when I said I wasn't like that, I thought that I wasn't like that, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really am like that. It wasn't just because so many people assume that about me. I always scoffed at them because I'm a freak, so that must mean I must be like that too, right? You came into my life and woke me up. I've always been like that, I just didn't want to recognize it because I'm already different enough, even though I know that there's nothing wrong with being different," Eddie said. "I want to be with you, but I'm still sort of figuring things out."

"We can take things as slow as you want," Steve said.

"A little kiss wouldn't be too fast, though," Eddie grinned as he took Steve’s hands in his.

Steve leaned forward and kissed him gently, pulling him close. He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Eddie's.

"I think we can tell your parents to come back in now," Eddie laugh.

"Mom, Dad!" Steve called out.

Maggie came in with a pile of clothes and a towel.

"I brought you some clothes and something to dry off with," Maggie said.

"Thanks, I had completely forgotten that I was dripping on your carpet," Eddie said cheerfully.

When he came back, dressed in Steve's sweats, he plopped down next to Steve on the couch and snuggled into his arms.

"So, Steve always complained about how you guys are away a lot and how much he misses you," Eddie said. "Like an idiot, I assumed the worst. I think that's because of my own shitty dad, so I apologize because you guys are awesome."

"Well, the last few years have kind of been difficult," John replied. "We've been trying to retire my dad's insurance company for a while now so we can spend more time with Steve, but my partner of 15 years who has occasionally been my partner on and off as well, revealed to me that he's been embezzling from the company over the last few years so we have been trying to clean that mess up. We were supposed to hand over the company over to him, and now that's all fucked up. So, we have also been looking for a suitable and trustworthy replacement to take over the company that my dad built from the ground up, a company my dad built to be inclusive for everyone."

"Shit, that fucking sucks," Eddie said with wide eyes.

"It does fucking suck," John sighed. "But Steve and Mags here have been my rock. Couldn't get through this without them."

There was silence for a while and then Eddie leaned forward with a smirk.

"So, Maggie, where is this picture of Steve in your heels that you spoke of?" Eddie asked, and John laughed while Maggie shrieked.

"I'm going to get the photo album," she said and jumped up.

"You're in for it now, son," John said.

"Mom! Please!"

[megxplryxb]

Dance with me Forever

Pairings - Steve Harrington x Fem!HopperReader

Warnings: None. Absolute fluff, Idiots in love, Mutual Pining, Friends to lovers, Jopper Wedding

The hot summer sun had finally set on a beautiful Saturday evening in the middle of July. The sound of champagne glasses clinking echoed throughout the romantic lake house ballroom, lit up in pinks and purples as guests celebrated the marriage of Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers. The couple had finally decided to tie the knot and unite their families once Vecna had been defeated, ending the nightmare of the Upside Down once and for all. It had been a long four years, continuously battling monsters from another dimension, always wondering when evil would rear it’s ugly head again but this time felt different, like there was finally peace in the mystical little town of Hawkins, Indiana.

The last few years had changed no one more than Steve Harrington. Long gone was the arrogant, rich boy you’d known in High School, having been cut off by his parents and left heartbroken by Nancy Wheeler, he had become somewhat of an outcast. Never in a million years did he imagine his life turning out quite like it had. Steve always thought he’d end up like his Father, marrying some girl for convenience instead of love, being nothing more than a suit for some company and have a mistress in every city he traveled to. Steve was more than grateful he hadn’t gone down the same path and he knew he had you, Robin and the kids to thank for that.

He was sat at a table with Robin, Vickie, Eddie, Chrissy and Nancy, all of whom were engrossed in conversation about how sweet Hopper’s speech had been and how emotional it was when the Chief of Police shed a few tears while gushing about his new Wife, your new Stepmom. Steve couldn’t exactly say he had heard much of Jim’s speech himself, too busy gazing at you sitting at the top table with your family, holding back your own tears, laughing with your siblings, El, Will and Jonathan. He hadn’t seen you all day as you were too busy doing bridesmaid duties, making sure everything was perfect for the ceremony but when you walked down the aisle, holding your bouquet of flowers, smelling like lavender, he swore his heart stopped when you looked his way and smiled at him. You were breathtaking, literally and figuratively, the girl of his dreams. Eddie had teased his friend for how red his cheeks had gotten, knowing that the former King of Hawkins was head over heels for you and that you felt the same about Steve. Chrissy had intervened, telling her boyfriend to lay off with the teasing but she too secretly wondered why Steve didn’t just tell you how he felt. It was obvious to everyone that you loved each other.

It’s not that Steve didn’t want to tell you, he’d almost told you twice before on the brink of death. The first time being when you were stuck in the Russian base under the Starcourt mall, the second time being when you were all preparing to battle Vecna for the final time. But he’d made a promise to your Dad two years prior, after that night in the Junkyard when you first became friends that friendship was all it was ever going to be between you. Steve didn’t blame Hopper for wanting better for his daughter, didn’t blame Jim for thinking he was exactly like his Dad back then. But he wished the Chief of Hawkins could see him for who he was now and not the asshole he was four years ago.

After dinner was done and all the pictures had been taken, you took yourself out to the garden with a glass of champagne in hand, glancing at Steve before you made your escape outside. He looked so handsome in his tux, the tux you’d helped him pick out several weeks ago when he asked you to go shopping with him. You hadn’t spoken to him all day, having been avoiding him like the plague for the better part of a week when he mentioned that he was planning to bring a date to the wedding. You had tried your best to not let it bother you, the thought of Steve with some pretty girl on his arm while you were all alone and you’d be lying if you said you weren't just a tiny bit relieved when he'd shown up all by himself.

You knew your Father had spoken to Steve about you, warned him against asking you out on several occasions and even though you were angry that Steve obeyed him, it kind of made you love him even more, because the Steve you'd known in High School wouldn't have been so respectful. Sometimes though, late at night when you couldn’t sleep, you wished he’d climb through your bedroom window so you both could give in to your feelings just one time.

As Joyce danced with her new Husband, she couldn't help but frown at Steve who was standing talking to Murray at the bar. He'd left his table to get another drink after the meal, not wanting to be surrounded by all the happy couples while he not so secretly pinned for you. Joyce had always liked Steve, saw the goodness in him that her Husband couldn't and she knew how the both of you felt about each other.

"Hop, are you ever going to give that poor kid a break?" She asks as Hopper let out a heavy sigh, knowing exactly who she was referring to.

"Joyce, please not tonight, it's our wedding for Christ sake." He begs as his new wife nodded in agreement. It wasn't the first time they'd discussed this matter.

"Exactly! It's a day full of love and happiness and your daughter is out there miserable and alone because she's terrified to talk to the boy she's crazy about in case she upsets you!" She huffs, frustrated at the Chief's stubbornness.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad!" He defends as Joyce rolls her eyes. "What about the crap you pulled on Mike when he and El got together? The kid thought you were going to murder him Jim.”

"But I didn't! See, he's alive and well, having a great time!" Jim points to his younger daughter and her boyfriend dancing with their friends.

"And what about Steve, huh? When are you going to admit that you were wrong about him?" The bride asks, raising her brows.

"Joyce...."

"Jim Hopper, that boy has helped save our children's lives more times than I care to count. He would do anything for OUR daughter, he’s shown it time and time again. You know he’s nothing like his Father. They love each other, Jim. So quit being a god damn pain in everyone's ass and go talk to him, please?" Joyce begs, giving her new Husband a small, hopeful smile as he closes his eyes and sighs defeatedly.

"Fine, alright. I'm going."

Steve is nursing a glass of champagne, trying to look somewhat interested in Murray's ramblings when he see's Hopper approaching him at the bar. Jim lets out a small cough, before giving Murray a nod to give them a minute alone and Steve nervously waits for Jim to speak.

"Oh shit, what'd you do?" Murray mutters to Steve before downing his glass of whiskey, giving him a hopeful pat on the back before going to talk to the new Mrs. Hopper.

Jim leans back against the bar, fixing his suit jacket as he tries to think about what to say the boy beside him. He knows he should apologise for being an asshole to him but it's his wedding day and he wasn't apologising to anyone. Not today at least.

"Harrington, why is my daughter out there by herself?" He asks, pointing to you, still strolling through the garden alone.

"I uh, I don't know Sir, I haven't talked to her all day." Steve replies, wondering if this was some kind of trick.

"Well, maybe you should be a gentleman and go keep her company, huh?" The Chief suggests and Steve is really suspicious now.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell if you're being serious or not?" Steve questions honestly, not trying to offend your Dad in any way.

"When am I ever not serious about anything that has to do with my daughters?" He asks, looking straight at Steve. "Never, sir." He answers back.

There's silence for a moment as the two most important men in your life pause to look at you. You stare back at them, astounded that they seem to be having a conversation without your father looking like he was going to kill Steve.

"Do you love my daughter, Steve?" Jim asks, both of them still watching you in the distance. Hopper already knows the answer, he’s known it for quite sometime. He saw how Steve protected you during the battle in Starcourt, heard about how he looked after you and El when everyone thought he was dead. He’d have to thank him for that one day but not now. This was hard enough.

Steve didn’t have to think twice before answering the question, even if it meant getting choked out or knocked on conscious by Jim Hopper.

"More than anything in this world." Steve admits, smiling brightly as his heart swells with adoration for you. Hopper nods then, placing an approving hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Then go make her happy." He says, giving the boy the smallest of smiles as Steve begins to cross the ballroom floor.

"Hey, Harrington!" Jim yells, as Steve looks back at him, hoping it wasn't really a trick all this time. "You're a good kid." He admits, as the boy nods an appreciative thank you, finally making his way to the garden to find you.

Joyce smiles at Steve as she walks towards her Husband, wrapping her arms around him tightly, before kissing him. "You're a good man, Jim Hopper."

He sighs heavily before he begins to laugh. "Happy wife, happy life."

Steve can hear his heart beating out of his chest as he slowly approaches you, watching you in awe as the moonlit sky makes your skin glow. You haven't noticed him yet, too busy gazing at the stars above, wishing for your own fairytale ending. Your hair which had been in an up-style all day was now hanging below your shoulders and Steve thought you had never looked more beautiful than right now.

"You could catch a cold out here you know?" Steve whispers from behind you, already removing his suit jacket to cover your shoulders before you even turn to face him.

"Hey stranger, I feel like I haven't talked to you all day." You smile, turning to greet him, embracing him in a warm hug as you both stay that way for what seems like several minutes.

"Yeah, I know. I missed you, Hopper." He admits, as you blush. "I missed you too, Harrington."

The song inside changes to Take My Breath Away by Berlin and Steve knows it's one of your favourites, he bought you the album for your birthday and it's still the most played tape in your car. You both watch as everyone begins to fill the dance floor back inside the lake house and Steve swallows hard before extending his hand to you.

"Will you dance with me, out here?" He asks as you nod your head, happily reaching for his hand as he pulls you in closer to him. You nervously wrap an arm around Steve's neck, inhaling his cologne and shampoo all at once. He always smelled so good. He places his other hand gently on the small of your back, intertwining your fingers together as you begin to dance slowly to the music playing inside. There was silence for a few moments before Steve cleared his throat to speak again.

"You know, I really could’ve used you at our table earlier. Nancy ditched us to sit with Jonathan the minute the speeches were over, so I got stuck with all the loved up couples, it was totally awful.” He jokes, referring to Eddie, Chrissy, Robin and Vickie.

"I thought you were going to bring a date?" You question, trying to hide the jealousy in your voice when you ask.

"Oh yeah, I was thinking about asking someone but I didn't in the end." He frowns and you bite your lip, wanting to know more.

"Why not?"

"Cause her Dad would've kicked my ass." He replies, as you let out a small giggle. Stomach filling with butterflies as he gazes at you.

“That’s too bad, I have a feeling she would’ve said yes anyway.” You whisper in his ear, leaning your head on his shoulder as he mumbles “Oh really? Well in that case, the ass kicking would’ve been worth it.”

"I saw him talking to you, thought you were a goner for sure." You tease as Steve shakes his head.

"I knew I'd be ok, too many witnesses around." He jokes, as you both laugh.

"I'd have come to your rescue eventually, if i thought it looked like you were in trouble, you know?" You admit and he nods his head gratefully.

"I know, honey." Honey. Was he trying to kill you?

"Seriously though, he didn't upset you, did he?" You ask as you continue to dance to the music.

"No actually, the total opposite." Steve smirks as you scrunch your nose.

"What do you mean?"

"He asked me why you were out here alone, told me to come and keep you company." He reveals as your eyes widened in surprise.

“Really?”

"I know, I was shocked too but I think Joyce said something to him because she was giving him the death stare the whole time he was talking to me." Steve chuckles and you remind yourself to thank your Stepmom later.

"He asked me something else too." Steve states, swinging you around.

"Oh god, what was it?" You ask, still spinning.

"He wanted to know if I was in love with his daughter." He says, as you fall back in to him in shock, placing your hands on his chest as he wraps his arms around your waist. You feel sick with excitement, like a kid at Christmas about to unwrap her presents under the tree.

“And…what did you tell him?”

"That he had nothing to worry about, El is way too young for me." He jokes as you smack him playfully on the chest.

"Steve! I'm being serious, what did you really say to him?"

“I told him that I do, more than I’ve ever loved anybody.” Steve admits as your eyes begin to water.

“I love you too, Steve.” You reveal, trying to hold back your tears as Steve cups your face gently, placing his forehead lightly against yours.

“You looked so beautiful today honey. When I saw you walk down that aisle, I thought, Christ, I could just marry her right now.” He smirks as you bump your nose with his.

“Careful Harrington, a few more compliments like that and I might just have to kiss you.” You whisper, wrapping your arms around his neck as he hovers his lips over yours.

“Yeah, I’m sort of counting on it.” Steve says, finally crashing his lips with yours, not giving a damn who sees. You were finally all his.

[dreamofbecoming]

more stobin nonsense from your resident trash goblin. feat. shitty harrington parents, lavender marriage, full party found family shenanigans, steddie flirting, steve&will bonding, and a severe lack of dialogue tags

rating: t wc: 5k ao3

“I knew it!”

Steve sighs. Listen, he knew the minute he opened his mouth that this was coming. There was always a zero percent chance Dustin was ever gonna let him get out the whole thing before bursting in with this exact interruption, but that doesn’t make it less annoying. If the little shithead would just let him finish--

"I knew you were perfect together, I can't believe you didn't tell us you were dating! How long have you been a thing? I have money to collect! Can I be your best man? Never mind, obviously I'm gonna be your best man. You so owe me for not telling me sooner! I cannot believe-"

"Henderson!"

"What?"

"We're not together like that."

In fairness, Dustin is not the only one to give them an incredulous look for that one.

"Steve. You literally just announced you and Robin are getting married. What is even the point of pretending you're not in love anymore? What are you still trying to prove? Just admit I was right the whole time!"

Steve pinches the bridge of his nose and forces himself to take a deep breath, instead of wringing Dustin's weird little boneless neck. It's not his fault, he reminds himself. They haven't gotten to the second part of the announcement, so his assumptions are natural.

Now, it is Henderson's fault that they haven't managed to say the rest of what they came here to say, so maybe he can keep blaming him after all.

"Do you remember when we sat down and we asked you guys to let us say everything we were gonna say without interrupting?"

"Uh, yeah dude, it was like ten minutes ago. We're not stupid."

"Has it occurred to you that maybe we weren't done saying everything we were gonna say, considering I was halfway through a sentence when you jumped in?"

"I mean, I guess, but like, it's pretty obvious where you're going with this, Steve. You're not a complicated guy, no offense. Now, where did we land on the best man issue?"

Nancy must see the offense very much taken on his face, because before he can open his mouth and say something probably horrifically rude that would feel amazing in the moment and which he would immediately regret, she jumps to his rescue.

"Dustin, you're being very rude. Steve and Robin came here to talk to us, and we promised to listen. Let them finish."

It's nice of her to back Steve up, considering how weird this conversation must be for her. Hopefully it gets less awkward soon.

Henderson grumbles mutinously, but years of dealing with first Mike and then the rest of the little dickheads have left Nancy's control ironclad, and he waves sarcastically for Steve to continue.

This kid is spending too much time with Eddie, the attitude is getting out of hand.

"Right. Thanks, Nance. As I was saying, Robin and I are getting married, yes. But not because we're in love. I mean, I love her, obviously, but as a friend. Only a friend. Or, well, I guess a friend and soon a...friend...wife? Frife? Wend? You guys get it."

"We very much don't." Alright, well, fine, add Max to the shitlist.

He looks over at Robin, hoping for help, but she's stiff as a board and trembling all over.

He doesn't want to be the one to say the words for her. They agreed together to tell everyone the truth, it was her idea even, but the last thing he wants to do is steal that moment from her.

Maybe he can just…talk around it, until she feels up to it. And if not, he’ll just tell them his part of it and call it good.

“We’re getting lavender married.”

Okay, so that’s probably not like. A normal way to say that or whatever. Robin just used that term like fifty times last night, alright? She was really excited about the article she just read about it, something about how it was a thing in, like, olden times or whatever, and now it’s coming back because Reagan is a fucking tool, Steve’s not sure, he was only kind of listening. Regardless, now it’s stuck in his head. Sue him or whatever, geez.

Anyway, he isn’t sure how many people in this room will actually understand what that means, but Nancy’s mouth drops open in a perfect little O the way it only does when she’s genuinely surprised by something, and there’s a tiny gasp from over by the table that he thinks might have come from Will, and Max mutters to herself “Oh shit, that explains so much,” so it’s not none of them, which helps. No pitchforks yet, at least.

Jonathan is eyeing him speculatively, and Argyle is offering him an enthusiastic thumbs up, which is nice.

Unfortunately, the other boys and El are giving him blank, expectant stares, and Erica is eyeing him with both confusion and annoyance, so it looks like he still has some explaining to do.

“What the hell does your color scheme have to do with this? I’m not helping plan the wedding, dude, I don’t care that much.”

Steve mumbles a “Language,” on reflex, but his heart isn’t in it. This is somehow more nerve-wracking than evil Russians.

“Mike, that’s not what it means. Now shut up and listen, or I’ll tell Mom how that red sock ended up in her load of white delicates.”

“Oh come on, she’ll kill me!” When all he gets in return is a single raised eyebrow, he groans and slumps further into his seat, glaring at Steve.

“Right. Okay. So basically, last night, my parents--”

“I’m a lesbian!”

There’s a beat of dead silence, which in this group is more unsettling than just about anything else.

Steve keeps his eyes on Robin, who looks just about as shocked at her own outburst as everyone else in the room. He takes her hand, squeezing gently until she unfreezes a little and looks back over at him. She looks terrified, and it breaks his heart a little.

“You okay, babe?” He keeps his voice low, murmuring just loud enough for her to hear. He knows this moment is the opposite of private, but she needs him to pretend for a second, so that’s what he’s gonna do.

She nods, a little jerkily, but she grips his hand back and intentionally evens out her breathing. She’s so fucking brave. He would burn the world down for Robin Buckley, and he doesn’t care who knows it.

He can’t believe she’s willing to do this for him, but he’s so grateful he feels like he’s choking on it.

“Henderdork will literally never shut up and let you live it down if we do this and he doesn’t know the truth. Not even for a single second for the rest of forever, and I, for one, am not putting up with that shit until death or legal marriage reforms do us part, Dingus.”

It was a solid point last night when they came up with the plan, curled on her bed while she stroked his hair and generously pretended he hadn’t soaked the shoulder of her shirt with his sobs, all his worldly possessions packed into a duffel on her bedroom floor, but he knows her insistence was more about knowing how much he hates lying to the kids than it was about protecting herself from irritating teenagers.

He doesn’t think there’s enough room on the whole planet to hold all the love he feels for her, even if you count the Upside Down and any other weirdo dimensions floating around out there waiting to ruin his day.

“I’m okay, bubba. Don’t let go?” Her hand is shaking in his, but he just squeezes harder.

“Never.” He turns back to the room, eyes hard as he scans the faces of their family for any hostility. He wouldn’t have agreed to this part of the plan if he thought any of them would be a problem, but he’s not taking anything for granted with Robbie’s safety. Not now, not ever. "Everyone's gonna be cool about that, right?"

"Of course we are, right, guys?" From the pained grunt that follows her words, Steve assumes Max has dug her elbow into Mike's ribs.

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

"I suppose this makes you slightly less lame, Buckley. It's definitely better than when I thought you liked this loser." Wow, okay, thank you Erica.

"Yeah totally! Thanks for trusting us, Robin." Lucas is a sweetheart, he really is. He's also glancing surreptitiously at Will while he nods enthusiastically, who is still staring open-mouthed at Robin with wide, shiny eyes.

"Yes, thank you for trusting us, Robin." Nancy is smiling kindly, but she's got that glint in her eye that Steve knows means she just came up with more questions and is waiting for the right moment to strike. Fair enough, at least she's letting Robs have her moment first.

He finally drags his eyes back to Dustin, who he doesn't really want to admit, even to himself, he's a little worried about. Not that he'll be shitty about it, necessarily, but there's nothing that brings out Henderson's bitchy side like being wrong, and he's been so fucking wrong this entire time. It's bound to upset him.

And maybe Steve will never say this out loud where the other kids might hear, but the truth is that Dustin's opinion matters to him more than just about everyone else's. Dustin was the first person in the whole world who saw Steve, the real Steve, and decided he was worth keeping around. If Henderson can't accept this part of Robin, it means he can't accept this part of Steve, and if that happens...if that happens Steve isn't sure he'll be able to come back from it.

So he's...not worried, okay? Worried is not the right word. Anxious, maybe. Concerned.

Okay fine fuck off he's worried.

Dustin...looks like he's about to cry. Shit.

"Did you think you couldn't trust me?" His voice is so small. Steve doesn't think he's ever heard it so small. It feels wrong. Henderson's voice should fill every room he's in, always. "You didn't have to lie. You could have told me the truth."

Aw, fuck.

"Buddy,--"

"It's not that simple, little man."

Steve whips back around to look at Robin. Are you sure you’re up for this? She purses her lips and narrows her eyes. Yeah, Dingus, this is my mess. Let me clean it up. Put the lance down, White Knight. Well, alright then. He waves for her to continue, ignoring the looks the others always shoot them when they do their silent conversation thing. Not his fault they can’t read each other as well, it’s not like it’s hard.

"Before today, Steve was the only person in the world who knew about me. And honestly, I don't know if I would have told him if we weren't both coming off torture and truth serum. I've worked hard to hide it my whole life, baby Dingus, that's not an easy thing to stop doing. It's scary."

"But we're your friends. We're your family! We saved the world together! You should trust your family, right?"

Aw, jeez. Steve forgets, sometimes, how young they are. They've been through horrific supernatural trauma, but they're still the kind of kids who think life is a story with a happy ending, like their little dragon game.

"Yeah, bud, you should, but it's not always that easy. There can be really serious consequences for telling the wrong person. Like, last night my parents found out I'm bisexual by accident and now I...well. Now I don't have parents anymore." Oof, okay, little blunter than he meant to be, but Robbie's getting anxious again so he has to take the focus back.

There's an eruption of sound, as every voice in the Party starts shouting all at once, turning the Wheeler's basement into Steve's own personal migraine generator.

"Did they kick you out?"

"You're bisexual?!"

"What's bisexual?"

"They can't just do that!"

"Does this mean we have to find somewhere else for Hellfire nights?"

That last one earns Erica several Looks, but she doesn't flinch. "What? I'm just being practical."

He wishes Eddie was here. The gremlins actually listen to him, unlike Steve, on account of as their Hellfire DM, he has leverage they care about to threaten them with. Well, most of them, but it's definitely a help when he's around.

Sadly he and Wayne are at some kind of Munson family reunion down in West Virginia this week, so Steve is gonna have to do this whole spiel over again when he gets back. He and Robin thought about waiting until he got back and the whole Party could be together, but the kids would definitely notice him not living in Loch Nora anymore pretty much immediately. And Steve hates the idea of telling him over the phone, so double coming out/engagement announcement it is.

"Alright, Jesus Christ, enough! One at a goddamn time, you animals."

He looks back at Dustin, who's definitely crying now. "Yeah, buddy, they kicked me out, but I'm okay. I'm staying with the Buckleys for now, and Rob and I have been saving up to move in together soon anyway, so all this did is move up our timeline. I'm safe and I'm fine, okay? I promise."

Dustin plasters himself to Steve's front, squeezing like he's worried Steve is going to shatter into pieces and he can hold him together by sheer force of will. It's very sweet, even if it's crushing his lungs a little.

"I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't tell me." The words are muffled in Steve's chest, he's not sure anyone else heard him.

"Aw, kid, it's okay. I trust you, alright? Always. You die, I die, remember? I was just...figuring my shit out, that's all."

"Your parents are mouthbreathers." Steve chuckles a little at the mutinous glare on El's face, not pausing his hand where he's stroking Dustin's hair.

"You're not wrong, Supergirl. But it's fine, honestly. They've always been dicks, I've been planning to move out for a long time. They just...gave me the final push, is all." He's definitely leaving out the part where he broke down sobbing in Robbie's bed last night, asking her over and over why he was so broken that his own parents couldn't love him, but the kids don't need to hear that part of the story.

"Does this have something to do with your whirlwind engagement?" There she is, ace reporter Nancy Wheeler. Observant as always.

"Yeah, pretty much. They disinherited me, but they're still legally my next of kin."

"And Dingus has had far too much head trauma for me to trust he's not gonna end up back in the hospital for something at some point, and the last thing we need is Mr. and Mrs. von Child Neglect getting that call. And I was just reading about gay men and women who are marrying each other so they can have someone allowed in to see in them in the hospital, because of the virus, you know? And I thought, hey that's not a half bad idea! We're gonna be living together anyway, and it's not like I'm marrying anyone else, and it'll be good for both of us to have someone who knows about, y'know, monsters and all that jazz, to do our power of attorney stuff, so, voila! Mr. and Mrs. Bucklington!"

"We are not changing our name to Bucklington."

"Well Harringley is worse, so suck it up, buttercup."

"I'm not interested in keeping the Harrington name, Bobs, I'd rather just be a Buckley."

"Aw, bubba, you're gonna make me cry!"

"You should both become Hendersons! Then we'd really be brothers!"

Steve erupts into laughter, the tension effectively broken by Dustin's wide, toothy grin. "What d'ya say, Bobbie? Steve and Robin Henderson?"

"Would we get access to Claudia's lasagna recipe? Because if so, I'm behind this plan one hundred percent.”

"By 'we' you do mean me, right? Because I love you more than life, Bobs, but I'm not letting you anywhere near a casserole dish. I've learned that lesson."

"It was one time!"

"It took me three days to get all the cheese off the ceiling! There's still a stain!"

"Well good! Ceiling grease stains can be the Harrington's problem now, anyway. They deserve it!"

Argyle is nodding sagely from on top of the incredibly deflated bean bag he's sharing with Jonathan. "I do like Bucklington, it makes you sound like a fancy butler. But family is important, brochachos, and so is lasagna. I vote Henderson."

This spurs impassioned arguments from all corners, which Steve is more than happy to relax into the couch cushions and let wash over him.

There's a light, bubbly feeling in his chest. For the first time since his dad walked in unannounced yesterday, interrupting his phone call with Robin at the worst possible moment, the knot of fear and grief in his stomach starts to loosen.

Robin smiles at him, and he grins helplessly back. Who needs parents when he's got a soulmate? They're together, they're safe, they're surrounded by their family. Steve holds Dustin tighter to his side and lets himself feel loved.

He takes advantage of a lull in the Last Name Wars to get out the last of the speech he'd planned. "Anyway, we decided to tell all of you the truth when we came up with this plan last night, because we do trust you and we didn't want to lie to you, and also because we knew you shitheads would never shut up about us being in love if we didn't and that sounded awful."

He laughs delightedly at the chorus of indignant outbursts this gets him before continuing.

"It's really important that you don't tell anyone outside the Party the truth, alright? We're gonna tell Eddie when he gets back, and we might tell Joyce and Hop eventually, but that needs to be our choice to do. You can't do it for us, and you absolutely can't tell anyone else. The whole point of this is to keep us safe by keeping people from finding out the truth, okay?"

El looks vaguely uncomfortable, but not upset. "Will you tell my Dad soon?"

Steve glances at Robbie, who's looking anxious again, and then over at Will. His shoulders are tense, hunched up around his ears, and he's staring intently at the table in front of him.

Steve isn't sure if anyone else knows what he thinks he knows about Will, but he's pretty sure he recognizes the specific flavor of isolation he can see Will struggling with sometimes, and he's definitely sure he recognizes the looks Will shoots at Mike whenever Wheeler isn't looking. Tommy used to look at him like that.

Either way, he knows the kind of fear the kid must be suffering, just like he knows how terrifying today was for Robin. For Steve, the worst case scenario has already happened, so he has a lot less left to lose. He can afford to smooth the way a little, to test the waters and make sure they're safe for everyone else.

It's not that different from his normal role in this group anyway, just a different kind of monster. He's always been good at taking hits so the others don't have to-- this is just another threat to step in front of.

"Tell you what, Ellie, I'll talk to Hop and Joyce this weekend, that way you won't have to keep secrets from him for too long. I'll just tell him about me, though, at first, okay? That way we'll know if it's safe for Robbie." Or anyone else, he doesn't say.

Jonathan hears it, at the very least, and shoots him a look that's equal parts surprised and grateful. Maybe Will has someone else in his corner after all, then.

El nods happily, satisfied with that.

Before anyone else can jump in, there's a clattering on the basement stairs. None of them have time to tense up too badly before the door bursts open and Eddie comes tumbling through it in a flurry of dark curls and frayed denim.

"Fear not, my wayward wastrels, for I have returned from far off lands, bearing tidings and the promise of libations!"

Steve only recognizes, like, four of those words, but seeing Eddie gives him the same happy, fizzy feeling in his gut that it always does these days, so he grins.

"You're back early, Eds, everything ok?"

Eddie blinks at him, then around the room, looking surprised to see it so packed.

"Yeah, my cousin Clarence accidentally broke my MeeMaw's pasture fencing and set all the goats loose in the hills, and if we stuck around we were gonna have to help round them back up, so Wayne and I snuck out early. I was coming to invite the gremlins out for pizza to tell you all about it, but this is more people than I was expecting. Y'all having a family meeting? Without little old moi?"

Steve valiantly suppresses the shiver that the twang in Eddie's voice triggers. Steve's not sure if Eddie notices the way his accent gets stronger when he's been talking to family, but he's had to work very hard to make sure he doesn't notice the way it affects Steve.

Steve has barely tested the flirting waters with Eddie since admitting his crush to Robin, he's definitely not jumping right in with 'It makes me tingly all over when you start talking with a drawl, wanna call me darlin' and see what happens?'

Luckily Bobbie notices his inner struggle and comes to his rescue.

"It was kind of a time sensitive issue- not a life or death one! Or like. Not a monster one, anyway. But shit went down last night and we needed to brief everyone before the geek squad figured out something was funky and came beating down the door. Steve wanted to tell you in person so we were gonna wait til you got back, but here you are!"

Eddie's looking at Robin with an amused smile on his face, one eyebrow raised and his lips quirked in a lopsided grin that is, frankly, unreasonably attractive. "Here I am indeed, my fair Lady of Feathers. So what's the scoop?"

He plops down next to Jonathan and Argyle on the beanbags, nearly sending them all toppling before Argyle hooks both of them around the waists and drags them practically into his lap.

Steve is not seething with jealousy. He's not.

A half a dozen voices chime out all at once.

"Robin's gay!"

"Steve's homeless."

"Robin and Steve are getting married!"

“Purple married.”

“It’s lavender, dummy.”

“Lavender’s a kind of purple!”

"They're gonna be Hendersons!"

"No they aren't, weirdo, they're gonna be Buckleys."

"Bucklington is clearly the superior choice, even if Argyle was right about the butler thing."

“Bucklington my ass, y’all dumb as hell if you think Mom and Dad aren’t gonna try and make him a Sinclair after this.”

"Mama and Papa Harrington didn't like that Stevie boy has double the love to give. Totally bogus. Bi bros for life, man."

"I still call Steve's best man!"

Eddie blinks a little when everyone quiets down, looking vaguely shellshocked. "That was. A lot of information to get in thirty seconds."

And, listen, Steve is like, 97% sure Eddie's cool. More than cool, even. He moves that bandana to the same pocket every time he changes his jeans, no matter what outfit he's wearing. There's no way that's an accident. But if Steve is being totally honest, which he's trying to do more these days, at least inside his own brain, this is maybe not the way he'd have chosen to come out to his crush. It's somehow way more nerve-wracking when he didn't even get to say it himself.

Oh well, it's out there now. It's fine, probably.

Still, there’s a definite feeling of relief when Eddie turns that megawatt grin on him again.

"Man, I wish I'd known there were other queers in Hawkins, I might have listened sooner when Henderson told me how cool you guys were!"

Steve laughs, only a little hysterically. "Dude, if you thought you were the only one, what the hell have you been wearing that hanky for? Who are you hoping will see it?"

It's a little gratifying to see Eddie go flaming tomato red in seconds. "I am not talking about that in mixed company, Steven. There are children here!"

"Ugh, we're literally teenagers."

"Tiny baby infants! If you're so curious, you can ask me again later."

"Promise?" Steve can't stop himself from grinning wolfishly.

Eddie tugs his hair in front of his face to hide, and the frantic little giggle and the quiet "Oh my god," he lets out both sound more than a little strangled. Steve's having the time of his life right now.

"Gross." Ugh, rude. He glares at Robin for ruining his fun. She sticks her tongue out at him.

Before they can devolve into the inevitable slapfight, Nancy cuts in again.

"Alright, unless anyone else has anything to share in private, I think we should take Eddie's suggestion and get something to eat." Good thinking, Nance. "To celebrate the happy couple, of course," she adds with a smirk. Yeah, that makes more sense.

"Onward then, my noble companions, to pizza and to paradise!" Eddie vaults off the beanbag, sending Jonathan and Argyle tumbling. Argyle laughs and accepts Eddie's hand up, while Jonathan just rolls his eyes good-naturedly.

Eddie slings an arm around Robin's shoulders as they head for the basement door. "So, Birdie, what's this I hear about a wedding? I need context."

As the kids go thundering up the stairs, arguing about who gets to drive in which car, Steve lingers. He noticed Will hanging back from the others, and now they're the last ones left, Will still slowly packing up the pens and notebooks he seems to carry around with him everywhere. Jonathan is hovering anxiously in the doorway, so Steve sends him a nod and waves him off. He's got this.

"You ready to go, kid?"

Will fidgets with the zipper on his bag for another few seconds before looking up at Steve through his, frankly tragic, fringe. "I'm sorry your parents suck."

"Yeah, man, me too." Steve shoots him a wry little smile. "It's alright though, sometimes we're better off without them. I've got plenty of family here that love me, I'll survive without Richard and Diane."

Will studies him for a minute. Steve's not sure what he's looking for, but he hopes he finds it.

"That's what Jonathan says about Lonnie." Steve nods, trying not to wince at the memory of the things he spat at Jonathan that day in '83 when everything changed. "I used to think it was my fault he left, but Jonathan says he was just a bastard, and it's better he's gone anyway."

"I didn't know Lonnie," he's careful not to say your dad, "but from what I've heard, Jonathan's probably right. And he's definitely right that it's not your fault."

"Like it's not your fault your parents kicked you out?"

"Yeah, exactly like that. If it was my fault, that would mean I did something wrong. The only thing I did was exist, and be different than they thought I would be. If they can't love the kid they had, then they shouldn't have had a kid at all. That's their problem, not mine. There's nothing wrong with me."

It doesn't matter if he heard all of these things from Robin first, if he's still trying to learn to believe them. Will needs to hear them like they're true, the same way Steve does.

"Are you sure?" Will's voice is trembling now. He's looking at the floor, but Steve can tell there are tears coming. "How can you be sure this is how you're supposed to be? Wouldn't you rather be normal?"

Oh, kid. "I mean, yeah, maybe it would be easier if I only liked girls, but I don't. I tried for a long time to pretend that I did, but it didn't make it true. And yeah, part of me wants to hate myself, because that's what they taught me to think, and I still kinda wish doing that would make them love me, but it won't. But honestly, you wanna know the biggest thing?" Will nods.

"I can't hate that part of myself without hating Robin, and there's no universe where I could hate Robin. Robin's perfect. She's the best person in the world, and she's gay, so being gay can't be bad. It's impossible. So whenever that voice in my head starts saying shitty things to me, I just think about how much I love Robin and tell it to shut up."

There's a beat where Will seems to be absorbing this.

"How did you know it would be safe? To tell us the truth?"

"I didn't."

Will stares at him in shock.

"Not a hundred percent, anyway. I was pretty sure, but it's never a guarantee with stuff like this, you know? But the other option was never telling anyone, and that...it gets tiring, you know? Always having to hide. Always having to check yourself. Lying when people ask the wrong questions. It wears you down. And I've fought monsters with you guys. I've been tortured by spies with you guys. If I can't trust this group to have my back, I can't trust anyone, can I? And I didn't want to live a life of not trusting anyone. I didn't want Bobbie to live a life like that. So, we took a chance. And it paid off, because all of you are the people we thought you were, and we were right to trust you. But it was a leap of faith, dude. It always is."

"What if I'm not ready?" Fucking shit, this kid. He's been through more than any of them, except maybe El, and he's still so goddamn brave. Steve would have crumpled like a tin can in his place.

"Then you're not ready. It's not a test, Will. There's no right or wrong answers. But I will say that every single person out there loves you, and they'll keep loving you no matter what you do. They're not like my parents, or Lonnie. Our friends aren't broken inside the way they are. Their love isn't conditional. You won't chase them away. You couldn't if you tried."

Will lets out a shaky breath, clearly fighting back tears. Steve leans against the table and keeps his head down, offering the kid the illusion of privacy while he pulls himself together. After a few minutes he speaks up again.

"You ready to go, you think?"

Will nods. He goes to walk past Steve to the stairs before hesitating and, to Steve's surprise, wrapping his gangly arms around him in an awkward hug.

"Thanks, Steve," he mumbles into Steve's shoulder.

Steve runs a hand down his back uncertainly. "Anytime, kid."

He keeps his arm around Will's shoulders tentative, but when the kid doesn't shrug him off or move away, he lets it settle more firmly, tugging him closer.

“Come on Baby Byers, let's go get some pizza. You think I can milk the disownment thing to get Eddie to pay for extra toppings?"

Will snorts. "I think Eddie would pay for as many toppings as you want as long as you do that little eyelash thing at him again."

Steve throws his head back and laughs, long and loud from his belly. Yeah, it's gonna be a good night.

my head hurts too much to keep writing this but please know that the pizza parlor engagement party involves plenty of arguing about roles in the wedding party, resulting in MOH erica/best man dustin (scoops troop babeyy), flower girl team lumax (max demanded the role bc her wheelchair means she can carry extra baskets of petals, and lucas will be pushing the chair so her hands are free. he's just excited to be there.) nancy/el bridesmaids and byler groomsmen (mike grumbles and groans but he's secretly thrilled). jonathan does the pictures and it turns out argyle got ordained back in cali as a joke so he officiates. eddie plays crimson and clover for robin’s wedding march. there’s a bit of a kerfuffle when claudia and the sinclairs both try to claim steve as their son, but after someone makes the argument that charles and sue have two kids to carry their name while claudia only has one, they end up hyphenating and becoming the buckley-hendersons. yes, claudia cries. yes, they get the lasagna recipe.

(at the pizza place, eddie asks what his role will be and steve says he doesn't know yet, but he'll save him a dance regardless. eddie has to hide in the bathroom to stop blushing.)

[theysherobinbuckley]

ugh stobin arranged marriage au........

The Harringtons are a wealthy family and they only have one son, Steve, whose terrible luck with ladies is talked about far and wide. He's a charming, good-looking, athletic boy, so many people think the reason he can't keep a suitor for more than a week must be some terrible awful secret, some insurmountable personal failing.

The ladies assure everyone they meet that no, Steve is quite pleasant to be around. He's attentive, diplomatic, polite, and always respectful. But... that's all he is. There's interest but no passion, friendliness without warmth, smiles that don't touch his eyes. He's not much more than a puppet pretending to be a real boy. And while that may please the fathers of potential suitors (and Mr. Harrington), all of Steve's failed arrangements felt they deserved a little more from their spouse. And Steve, ever so pleasant, normally agreed.

The Buckleys are really their last resort. Word has it that their daughter has been struggling to keep an arrangement herself; it probably has something to do with that nasty independent streak they'd heard so much about, not to mention the number of political incidents she'd almost caused by forgetting basic court etiquette.

The Harringtons are desperate enough to reach out, and the Buckleys, more than a little strapped for cash, are desperate enough to agree.

Steve, terrified of what his parents might do if this thing doesn't work out, is determined to make this relationship the one that sticks. Robin, on the other hand, swears that the ever-pleasant Steve Harrington must be hiding something, something big enough to scare off nearly a dozen women from a life of luxury.

And she's going to be the one who finally exposes him.

Obviously they become best friends and get lavender married etc. etc.

[scoopstomyahoy]

i’ve seen a couple lavender marriage stobin posts, but what about lavender dating stobin?

they’re both way too young to get married — robin’s parents especially would be shocked, and, well, steve’s parents would just be shocked by his choice. but maybe when robin goes back to school after summer ‘85, all the girls in her grade are asking how she possibly landed steve the hair harrington.

and she’s soooo sick of it. she’s sick of telling someone that they aren’t dating and getting asked the same question by another girl the very next period. she’s sick of the way they treat steve like a prize to be won and not a human being and let’s be honest, a dingus. and she’s sick of the way everyone is scandalized by the thought of him dating HER because at some point, it kind of just hurts her feelings!

and she goes on a rant one day in front of a whole group of people about how basically, none of them ever stood a chance with steve, because they didn’t see who he really was and they didn’t treat him the way he deserved to be treated and she could totally land a hottie like him if she actually wanted to, for the record, and that she’s sick of everyone harassing her over it and making her (and steve) feel like zoo animals behind thick glass.

and everyone is staring at her, and oops, she didn’t say they were dating, but these normies wouldn’t understand the concept of platonic soulmates even if she tried to explain it. so they all think she’s dating steve.

“everyone thinks we’re dating, steve,” she grumbles when he picks her up from school that day. and, well, she wonders what could possibly have given them the impression that they were dating, when he picks her up from school like he does every day, and tosses her a little candy bar, the kind she likes, probably because he saw it at the gas station and thought she’d want it and just. bought it. because he loves her.

steve looks at her. “uh, yeah?”

because this is not actually news. dustin has been convinced they’re dating for months, and she’s been complaining about the kids at school for weeks.

“no, like, they really believe we’re dating now.” she cringes. “uhh. i might have said something that implied we were.”

steve snorts.

“not on purpose!” she cries.

steve snorts again. “doofus.”

“shut up, dingus. it’s a problem! i was, you know, defending your honor—” a third snort “—and i just didn’t deny our relationship like i normally do, and everyone took that as— admission.” her hands fly around her as she talks.

steve is silent. she looks at him. he’s thinking. hard.

“well,” he says, “that wouldn’t be… the worst thing. right?”

“what.”

“i just mean, if we were dating—”

“LESBIAN, steve!” robin points to herself.

“i know! i know, jeez-us. if everyone thought we were dating, like, actually, that could solve some of our problems.”

“explain.”

“like, i keep striking out, but that’s ‘cause i’m not really interested in hooking up with girls who aren’t looking for anything serious anymore. and you said i should try to be single for a while, ‘be comfortable with my own company’ or whatever—”

“it’s healthy!”

“sure! yeah, whatever! so i could be single with you, and you, you could, you know, you’d be a little safer. i could be your… goatee.”

“beard.”

“that.”

“although, i don’t know, maybe for lesbians it is a goatee.”

“rob, we’re getting off topic. my point is, we could… we could be dating.”

robin considers it. “you want to fake date.”

“not like, actually fake date. like, i’m not taking you to the diner and sharing a milkshake with two straws after we see the latest john hughes.”

“steve, we have literally done exactly that.”

“oh. right.”

“wait,” robin says, “wait wait wait. we have literally done exactly that.”

“right,” steve says.

“steve, are we…. are we already fake dating?”

it’s steve’s turn to consider it. “wait, are you the reason i keep striking out?”

“hey!”

“kidding!”

anyway. they talk it out a bit more, and robin warms up to the idea. because steve isn’t wrong, she would be safer if people thought she had a boyfriend. she had never dated a boy before. and dustin might lay off of steve for a little bit if steve admits he was right. (steve groans, loudly, at the idea of ever admitting to the little genius that he’s right.) and they don’t have to make some huge announcement to the world, posting it on the school’s bulletin board for everyone to see.

but maybe robin would stop getting weird looks in the locker room if she had a boyfriend to prove people wrong.

[biboomerangboi]

​I’m writing a stobin platonic soulmates au so I thought I’d share some headcannons I came up with for things I believe Steve and Robin did pre season four to cement their friendship.

Steve cut Robins hair because she was going through a mental freak out about how she felt like an entirely different person now and she wanted to reflect that before school started, so she tried to do it herself cause shes broke and Steve who cuts his own did it for her.

Decided to watch all the horror movies in family video to see if their was any survival tips they could glean from watching and ended up comforting each other through triggering parts and laughing at other things together because a lot of this looks fake now in comparison.

Took the kids to the arcade and went in cause it was to cold to sit in the car and they hadn’t got their jobs at family video yet. They ended up getting into a really long and really competitive game of air hockey that gathered a crowd because they both were to competitive to give up. Robin used the angles strategy, Steve used jock reflexes. He won the first game, now they go after work some nights and have rematches. They are currently tied.

Speaking of family video, I feel like they did the applications together and Robin corrected Steve a lot on things I forgot to put down, or fixed his wording to sell himself more because he has things like: played basketball, and not “was captain and therefore have leadership skills cmon Steve.” They also broke into Steve’s dads office to write them and used a lot of his fancy paper.

Came up with a joint backstory for Ericas Dnd campaign where they are twins. Robin is really good at the roleplay and Steve gets really good roles. When Robins character died and she gave a speech both Dustin and Steve cried and since then he’s tried to convince her to run off to Hollywood to be an actress so he can be her trophy husband and Robin rolls her eyes at him.

Got one of those two ring joint floaties and sat in Steve’s pool to help him with his fear of his backyard. They started talking about their biggest fears together and it helps.

Robin gets Steve to come to hippy Christmas but he’s to scared to show up empty handed so they both try to make a bunch of Christmas cookies but they keep getting distracted and some of them are burnt. Robin hides it with icing. Her parents love Steve after that.

Steve comes out to Robin when they both go to a party together, get wasted and end up hungover and puking together in the bathroom. He said it was cause it brought back memories.

Robin doesn’t have a lot of money come Christmas so she goes thrifting and upgrades an old bomber to make Steve something like a letterman since she’s noticed he’s uncomfortable wearing his own. He cries because it’s the first time someone has ever made him a present before.

Steve accidentally overhears people talking about queer stuff and spur of the moment drives himself to Indy and finds the bookstore they were talking about and buys Robin any book the cashier recommends. She hides them in Steve’s house and reads them religiously.

They have a plan to go to a gay bar during Spring Break. They would have went before then but Robin didn’t have a fake ID and Steve had to get in contact with his old crowd to get her one.

They legit have a plan to get Married once Robin graduates, but she wants to come out to the kids first so there’s no misunderstandings, they both just want the security and the safety what a lavender marriage could do for them and have very detailed plans on how to arrange elaborate affairs while doing this. In contrast their wedding plan is either a courthouse or if Will gets to them Vegas.

Robin encourages Steve’s inner mean girl. She also is mean and they both have a very cutting commentary on half of the family video clientele. When Erica comes by she joins in. She is also holding them to the free ice cream bet so they both have a swear jar they both contribute to as an Erica ice cream fund. It was Robins idea.

Robin actually can drive and she does drive at night on backroads in Steve’s car when the kids aren’t there. Steve thinks it’s a cool little chilling out ritual, he’s literally horrified to hear she doesn’t have a license and that’s why she doesn’t drive in the day or with the kids.

Steve brings Robin to babysit the kids a lot and she complains for a bit until Mike says she’s like the cool dad and Steve’s the weird overbearing mom. Steve makes a joke about Karen that is so cutting Robin chokes on her drink but she doesn’t complain after that.

Half of the marching band, Kieth and the some of the kids (Dustin, Mike and Will) think they are legit dating, when they are asked they both make gross sounds and pretend to puke but five minutes later they will be sitting on top of each other.

They are banned from being on the same team during charades because the second Steve stood up and made a single gesture Robin got the answer. The kids thought it was a fluke at first then Robin stood up and Steve did the same damn thing. Dustin is convinced the Russians gave them mind powers.

They have a lot of sleepovers. At Steve’s, Robin sneaks in around the back and uses a key she copied and never told Steve about, he genuinely believes she’s breaking in and is impressed by it. Steve climbs in her window and hides under her bed when her parents come in.

So much more but that’s about the gist of it. They just love each other dearly and mean a lot to me!!! They are best friends forever I swear!!

[thestobingirlie]

I’ve seen you talk lots about Steve’s parents and i was wondering if you had any thoughts on Robins parents and how her and her parents dynamic as well as Steve and his parents dynamic could play into their friendship.

I am aware how they’re portrayed in Rebel Robin, but the books are not canon and was wondering if you had any further thoughts?

robin’s parents are also very fun to me!! i don’t have proper decided upon names for them like i do for the harrington’s. but i think in the book mrs b is called melissa? and mr b is called richard, which i think is funny lmao. so i kinda subscribe to those being their names.

now, i love the buckley’s being hippies. like they’re vegetarian, they spent robin’s childhood living in a van, she calls them by their names instead of mom and dad.

i think they accidentally joined a cult at one point, after which they moved to hawkins. for a bit more of a stable childhood for robin. i think they’re judged a lot around the neighbourhood, which makes it harder for them, but they love robin, and they want her to get as many advantages in life as she can. and robin is so bright. they know they can’t homeschool her if they want her to reach her full potential.

i think they’re very loving and affectionate, kinda the opposite of the harrington’s in that way lmao. and i think they’re very loving to robin. maybe she almost feels stifled a bit. i don’t think robin’s ever really had any best friends before steve, so she hung out with her parents a lot growing up. doing puzzles and helping in the garden. they would absolutely be supportive of robin being a lesbian (homophobic buckley’s my beloathed), but she still doesn’t tell them till she’s ready, once they’ve all gotten out of hawkins.

i think because of her parents, she really dislikes steve’s parents lmao. she can see from outside the affect their dynamic had on steve, whereas steve is more stuck in it. she jokes that steve’s dad is far more of the “dick” than robin’s is (because both are named richard lol).

robin will always be a dick harrington hater. number one!!! it takes steve a few more years to catch up to her in that regard. because he hates his dad, but he’s also his dad, you know? and i think steve’s parents are actually a source of strife within stobin. at least in the early years of their friendship. robin wishes steve would just cut and run, and steve sticks up for his parents when robin gets a little too into shit talking them, which can bubble up into arguments. not big ones, but they definitely have to take a bit of space after.

neither of them have stereotypical parents, but i think robin’s parents go against the grain almost in the same way that stobin’s friendship does. most people don’t get it, but it’s healthy and they love each other. so robin’s friendship with steve, it’s everything she’s ever wanted. it’s the kind of relationship she dreamed about as a lonely kid. whereas steve had a lot more of an unhealthy dynamic to look up to, so i do think he kinda romanticised a future with a partner where they never argued and they were always happy etc. and obviously real life isn’t like that. but i do think steve interacting with robin’s parents and seeing them interact with each other, it, like, heals something within him.

anyway, when stobin get lavender married the buckley’s are beside themselves with joy. they love steve. and they’re so excited to become parental figures for him (it’s a position they have to battle for with claudia. it gets bloody (they decide to split christmases)). they know it’s just a lavender marriage, but hey, they’re not very fucking conventional either!

[lady-lostmind]

Proposal

for Stobin Month prompt: Lavender

Thank you @oh-stars for betaing this!

WC: 414 | Rating: G CW: Lavender marriage (proposal), Referenced homophobia

ao3 link

Steve reaches over and wipes the tears from under Robin’s eyes with his thumb. He hates seeing her like this. He brushes a piece of wispy hair off her forehead. 

“We should just get married.” 

Robin snorts and lets out a ragged laugh, grin pulling at the side of her mouth as she looks up at him, taking in the very serious look on his face. She scoffs. “You’re kidding.” 

Steve shakes his head and watches Robin’s face drop as he takes her hand. “It would just…make things easier.” 

Robin’s staring at him like he’s insane. 

“Just–” he sighs, “I don’t know, Robs. I hate seeing you struggle like this. I hate that everytime you come home from your parents you’re so defeated. I know you love them. But if you really don’t want to tell them and you want to keep seeing them, and the rest of your family, they aren’t just going to stop asking about your love life. Plus there was that job last month that you were pretty sure let you go because they were suspicious.” He rubs his thumb along her hand. “I hate that you have to hide away. I just– if we were married, then you wouldn’t have to worry about it as much.” 

Robin shakes her head. “Steve– I can’t do that to you. What if you meet the love of your life tomorrow? This wouldn’t just change everything for me. It would make things very complicated for you, too.” 

Steve shrugs. “I don’t care about that. And…maybe it’ll help me, too. I mean–” Steve sucks in a deep breath. “I might have my eye on someone already, actually.” 

Robin huffs out a laugh, nudging her knee against his. “You’re really going to tell me about your massive crush on Eddie two seconds after proposing to me, Steven?” 

Steve’s mouth drops open. “How did you know?” 

Robin rolls her eyes. “Please. I know how you flirt. And Eddie is not subtle.” 

An offended squawk leaves Steve’s throat. “I can’t believe you didn’t say anything to me!”

Robin squeezes his hand. “I knew you’d bring it up when you were ready to talk about it.” 

Steve grins at her and nods. They’re quiet for a while, playing with each other’s fingers before Robin looks up at him with big, questioning eyes. “But what would I wear to the wedding?” 

A big smile pulls across Steve’s face and he tugs her forward to squeeze her against his chest.

Stobin month prompt list by @lavenderstobins

[florallylly]

stobin lady whistledown au:

well-bred and highly attractive (as a marriage prospect but also like. whatever, you know) steve harrington. nosy wallflower debutante robin buckley.

OKAY NOTE: personally, i feel like lady whistledown has a distinct voice that could only be mirrored by a former or current debutante. so i feel that steve and robin could get both sides of the story, with steve chatting with the suitors and robin listening in on debutante gossip. HOWEVER, another option is (sigh i say despite it being my guilty pleasure) omegaverse... omega debutantes stobin fr....

in my head, i'm picturing everyone THINKING they have a polin relationship, but in reality they're lavender married and thriving with their shared society papers.

steve harrington, former rake suddenly uninterested in fooling around and disillusioned when it comes to the inane chatter of the ton. news gets out of his newfound restraint, and they collectively come to the conclusion that he's ready to marry. which means every ball/gala/gathering sees steve swarmed with debutantes dropping their fans in front of him and batting their eyelashes.

truly though, he's always been somewhat put off by marriage despite being a hardcore romantic. he loves being in love, but he's never been ready to commit to anything. maybe seeing his parents, locked into a loveless marriage, shattered his hopes of marriage. he's sort of resigned to marrying whoever they choose for him, but he's been stalling for as long as he can. this season however, they're determined to match him with a suitable debutante now that it seems like he's ready to shed his playboy image.

the buckleys and the harringtons have been neighbors and friends since childhood, and whenever steve wants to escape the attention, he always finds himself in a dark corner trading barbs with robin.

maybe lady whistledown is initially a robin-only venture, but steve catches her writing her vicious little thoughts down one day. he peeks over her shoulder and is like ? oh did xyz say hargrove was in love with her? funny she should say that considering he was just griping about how all the women of the ton are vapid cows. i doubt he's going to propose, especially since he's leaving to travel at the end of the season. or some shit like that. I CAN NOT THINK OF ANYTHING JUICY RN i just woke up spare me

steve is the one who connects them with a publisher and distributor, and their empire is established. in my heart, steve plays the role of a lovesick suitor and convinces his parents to let him marry robin because it's literally true love.

i think once they get married, they continue on publishing lady whistledown until all of their friends are off the marriage mart for two reasons: they do NOT care about anyone else, and lady whistledown has become a tool for protection when it comes to the marriage mart. alternatively, they stop once they get married bc now they have access to each other 24/7 and they're distracted with their happy little life together.

[stevesbipanic]

Lavendar Haze

Cross posted on ao3

Part 1 of my Midnights Collection, more to come to subscribe for updates on ao3 or just check here regularly! :))

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet me at midnight

Robin sees the familiar headlights pass behind her house, parking behind the big oak tree. She’s told Steve a hundred times that he could just come through the front door, but he says it’s more fun this way. She knew he was coming; he had called ahead, as he always does. Another nightmare, a year on from Starcourt and they can’t escape the horrors they witnessed there.

Steve climbs inside with the grace of a dork that’s done this before. He didn’t even change out of his sweatpants before coming over. Wordlessly, she lifts the blankets allowing him to slip in beside her, wrapping their arms around each other, relaxing in the knowledge that they were both safe.

Staring at the ceiling with you

Oh, you don't ever say too much

And you don't really read into

My melancholia

She knew Steve could tell she had had one too, he’s good at reading her these days. Neither of them wants to talk about it though, they’re awake and safe now. They’ve shared plenty of nights going over what happened, bringing it up doesn’t help anymore. Steve runs his fingers through her hair, soothing both of them. Comforting her without words is what he’s best at. He knows and that’s what matters.

I've been under scrutiny (yeah, oh yeah)

You handle it beautifully (yeah, oh yeah)

All this shit is new to me (yeah, oh yeah)

“I wish I could tell my parents what happened to us. I swear they look right through my mask some days, they know something is wrong and I’ll never be able to tell them.”

“I know Robbie, I guess that’s the one good thing about absent parents. Since 1983 all the people that have needed to know what happened to me were right beside me.”

Robin gives a sad smile at that, curling closer into Steve’s chest. She knew the Buckleys would adopt Steve if they could.

“We should talk about happier things, cheer ourselves up. How’s Eddie?” Robin said smirking at the now blushing boy.

“Eddie is fine, him and Wayne are all set up in the new house, we hung up his shiny new diploma this morning.”

“You two are so cute it’s gross, when are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know if I should Robs, all this liking boys stuff is new to me and I don’t want him to think he’s an experiment or something.”

I feel a lavender haze creeping up on me

So real, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say

No deal, the 1950s shit they want from me

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

Helping Steve with his sexuality crisis a few months ago had been an experience. Robin only knew about gays and lesbians, the two of them had had to go to a hole-in-the-wall bookshop in Indianapolis to find a zine that would explain what Steve had been feeling. Robin didn’t know you could like both, since she never had.

Life was different than what her parents had grown up in. The world was changing, and there were new words to help young people like Steve come to terms with their identities. It had taken some explaining to Eddie, showing him the zine and other things, they’d collected. He seemed to understand, but she could also see how it might bring up some old trauma with Eddie who had been an “experiment” before.

All they keep asking me (all they keep asking me)

Is if I'm gonna be your bride

“Mom still thinks you’re my boyfriend. She wants to know if we’re getting married now that I’ve graduated. Her and Dad got hitched right out of high school, so I think they want the same for me, which is gross.”

The only kind of girl they see (the only kind of girl they see)

Is a one night or a wife

“My parents did the same. When I graduated they told me if I wasn’t going to go to college I might as well be useful and marry into a good family. Said I need to stop being childish with all the girls around town and grow up. I hadn’t even been going on many dates, King Steve was the dating kind, not me.”

I find it dizzying (yeah, oh yeah)

They're bringing up my history (yeah, oh yeah)

But you aren't even listening (yeah, oh yeah)

It all felt so overwhelming the expectations of society and parents and the world. For a moment though it did feel good that their biggest problem was parents and not flesh-eating monsters. Steve was still talking but Robin’s mind had started forming a plan to solve both of their problems.

I feel a lavender haze creeping up on me

So real, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say

No deal, the 1950s shit they want from me

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze (ooh, ooh, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa)

That lavender haze

“What if we get married?”

“What?”

“I love you, you love me. Let’s get married. No more stupid questions from my parents, you can say a big fuck you to yours since I doubt they see my family as a ‘good family’ and more importantly no more getting separated.”

It’s the one thing they hadn’t brought up since Spring. After carrying Eddie’s bleeding body out of the Upside Down and to the hospital, Steve had collapsed from blood loss. With no legal guardians or spouse around, no one was allowed to see him until he was stable, they weren’t even told what was going on. It had been the worst 24 hours of Robin’s life knowing nothing about what was happening with Steve, her best friend, her platonic soulmate.

“Fuck it, let’s get married.”

Talk your talk and go viral

I just need this love spiral

Get it off your chest

Get it off my desk (get it off my desk)

Talk your talk and go viral

I just need this love spiral

Get it off your chest

Get it off my desk

They started with telling the Buckley’s, Steve had slipped out the next morning to steal a good enough ring from his mother, she wouldn’t miss it anyway. Robin’s parents were thrilled of course. Next was telling Eddie and Nancy, which was interesting.

“You’re getting what?”

“Married Eds.”

“Why?”

“Cause we love each other and society sucks so.”

“Fair point but you’re definitely not together right?”

“No Eds, still platonic with a capital P, I haven’t become a girl over night and Robs is still very much a lesbian.”

“Ok I guess I can get behind this then, need a date to the wedding?”

“Are you asking me to my own wedding?”

“Sure am.”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

Nancy had been similar, wanting to make sure this is what they wanted and weren’t just being stupid.

“Oh no we’re very stupid still, Nance.”

“Yeah, this is just low on our stupid scale. Want to be my maid of honour since dingus can’t be?”

The kids were ecstatic.

“I knew you were together!”

“Dustin, you know Robin is a lesbian.”

“Oh right. Well can I be your best man?”

“Of course, kid, wouldn’t want anyone other than my brother.”

Hopper and Joyce had been happy at the news, claiming it would give everyone something good to celebrate.

I feel (I feel) a lavender haze creeping up on me

So real, I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say

No deal (no deal), the 1950s shit they want from me

I just wanna stay in that lavender haze

(Ooh, ooh, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa)

The wedding was small and perfect. They held it in the woods behind Hopper’s cabin, just their small group of friends who were more like family. Robin wore a dark brown suit which had used to be Jonathan’s and Steve worse a white button down and let the girls put flowers in his hair. The wedding was very them, dumb vows like “you’ll always be my dingus,” and “I want to be your schmuck forever.” A perfect day.

Get it off your chest

Get it off my desk

That lavender haze

I just wanna stay

Years later when it was legal for them to marry their romantic partners, Steve and Robin stayed married. Their partners understood, Robin and Steve were soulmates and should never be apart. Brought together in trauma and staying together through love; there would be no more days when they didn’t know if the other were ok. As the world kept growing there would be new words for them but they didn’t need more labels, they knew what they were to each other and that’s all that mattered.

I just wanna stay

In that lavender haze

[lavenderstobins]

MY OTHER AUS

Steddie Ghost (1990) AU

Steve finds himself as a ghost in a mugging gone wrong. After learning his attack wasn’t an accident, he’s desperate to warn Robin of the danger she might be in. Enter Eddie, a not-so-con psychic, who can hear Steve. [tag]

Ronance Life is Strange AU

Steve Harrington is missing, Chrissy Cunningham is acting weird, and Nancy Wheeler discovers she can rewind time after seeing Robin Buckley get shot in the school bathroom.  Or: Nancy Wheeler falling for a dead girl. [tag]

Until Dawn AU

Four years prior, Barbara Holland disappeared on the mountain at Steve Harrington’s parents’ winter lodge. After the whole ordeal with Vecna, Nancy starts looking into the mountain, suspecting Barb’s disappearance might’ve been related to the Upside Down. When she learns that several others have gone missing in recent years, she convinces Steve to bring them all to the lodge to investigate. [tag]

Modern Josieverse

Basically what it says on the tin. Single parent Robin but in modern day. [tag]

Missing Kid AU

Some years after everything, Holly Wheeler finds a baby in the boathouse. When the baby leviatates something in front of her, she takes her to Wayne Munson, who takes her in. Kat Munson grows up with no idea who her birth parents are or why she was dumped in the boathouse. When she turns twelve, she sets out to find her birth mom. Or: 11 years after believing her daughter to be dead, Robin Buckley comes face to face with her missing daughter. [tag]

Ronance Atonement AU

When some of the Wheelers’ valuables are stolen, Mike points the finger at Robin, who he had seen with Nancy in the library prior. This is something he regrets for the rest of his life.  [tag]

Ronance One Night Stand + Accidental Pregnancy AU

Nancy Wheeler and Robin Buckley meet for the first time in a club in California. They have a one night stand and don’t exchange their information. A month later, Robin discovers she’s pregnant. She knows it has to be Nancy’s but she can’t find her to tell her, no matter how hard she tries. Three years later, Nancy and Mike move to Hawkins and Nancy discovers she has a two year old son.  An AU where Robin and Nancy coparent their kid and slowly fall in love along the way. Featuring transfem Nancy, transfem Stevie, transmasc Eddie and (briefly) single mom Robin. [tag]

QPR Stobin raising their kid AU

Steve and Robin are platonic life partners, lavender-married and raising their kid together. When their daughter comes out as a trans girl in her teens, they do their best to be the most supportive they can be. [tag]

Ronance She-Ra AU

Robin as Adora, Nancy as Catra. Sometimes flipped around for fun. [tag]

Ronance Transistor AU

Nancy comes to and finds that her voice has been stolen and her girlfriend killed. Robin’s consciousness has been absorbed into the Transistor, the weapon that killed her, so Nancy takes it and embarks on a journey to avenge her, putting an end to Brenner’s plan for good. [tag] [art]

Ronance Stobin The X-Files AU

Agent Wheeler finds herself assigned to work with Agent Buckley, who is well-known for cracking after her old partner’s disappearance. Adjacent to novakiart’s AU. [tag]

Stobin Ghost Files AU

Steve and Robin as Ryan and Shane. [tag]

Stobin Russian Doll AU

The day of his 24th birthday, Steve Harrington dies. This seems to an event that keeps occurring. AKA Steve (and Robin) stuck in a time loop, based off the show Russian Doll. [tag]

Ronance Good Omens AU

Nancy’s an angel. Robin’s a demon. Follows seasons 1&2 of Good Omens. [tag] [art]

Murder Suspect Nancy AU

November of 1983, Nancy goes home with Barb, and everything changes. A plot rewrite in a universe where Nancy is accused of murder in 1986 instead of Eddie. [tag]

AUs I haven’t posted about yet

Ronance Wizards of Waverly Place AU

The Wheelers are wizards. Steve and Jonathan, Nancy’s best friends, know. Robin, who Nancy is nursing a huge crush on, apparently doesn’t, and isn’t meant to. How do you woo a girl without accidentally revealing your family secret? Nancy’s determined to find out.

Ronance mermaid AU

Nancy’s a mermaid. Robin’s the best friend of the kingdom’s prince. When Robin almost drowns sailing with Prince Steve during a storm, Nancy saves her, piquing her curiousity about the human kingdom. She makes a deal with Henry Creel to trade her tail for human legs. The condition is that Creel gets her voice… and some other conditions she doesn’t hear about until after she signs. Mermaid Nancy falling for human Robin, vaguely following the plot of The Little Mermaid.

The Hunger Games AU (ronance, stonathan, platonic stancy)

Nancy Wheeler is reaped for the Hunger Games. To her horror, so is her little brother–until Steve Harrington volunteers in his place. Everything is centred on getting home to Mike. She plays up a romance with Steve, thinking it’s fake to him, too. They survive, only to be thrust back into things. That’s where they meet Robin Buckley, a previous victor from another district. Steve begins to fall for their mentor, Jonathan Byers, and against her better judgement, Nancy finds herself falling for Robin.

ST Yellowjackets AU

The Hawkins Tigresses find themselves stranded in the wilderness when their plane crashes on the way to nationals. Centred on Nancy, Robin and Eddie.

Ronance Dishonoured AU

Nancy as Corvo Attano, Robin as Jessamine Kaldwin.

Evil Josieverse

An AU of Josieverse where Robin died when Josie was three and Steve is left to raise her.

Bucklair apocalypse AU

An Upside Down-related Zombie Apocalypse breaks out in Hawkins. Robin saves Lucas and Erica, managing to get them out of town, but they find themselves pushed further and further out. They have no idea that the rest of the group managed to set up a settlement. An AU of the three of them navigating a zombie apocalypse.

Lumax Ghosts AU

Max inherits an old estate while she and Lucas are house-hunting. They move in with Dustin, only for Max to discover that the house is haunted.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

I just really like headcanoning that Steve has good parents even though he probably doesn't. Anyway. . .

Writing prompt: John and Maggie Harrington met when they were young. They slept together. Afterward, they realized that John preferred men, and Maggie preferred women. Maggie had already fallen pregnant with their son, Steve. It was easy to get married because they were still pledging to love each other. . .just platonically. The arrangement was simple. They were best friends who were married. They had a son. Every so often, when they could get a babysitter, Maggie and John would find themselves partners. For a while, it was great, but some people couldn't handle the arrangement, especially when they met Steve. They fought for sure they had met their matches until they found out crazy their partners were, that they knew each other, and that they worked for a mysterious place called "the Lab." After that, it was all about protecting Steve, protecting their family, even if it meant leaving him for a while to go away on business. They never left him truly alone. They always left him with one of Maggie's ex-girlfriends, a relationship that ended with them being friends. Eventually, Steve does find out.

[withacapitalp]

Hello beloved mutual...I'd like to hear about your lavender marriage fic (great minds think alike) and/or Steve's mom dies fic!!

Ahhhhhh the lavender marriage fic.... this one is actually kind of sad? Well bittersweet. Anyways post season four Steve and Robin are both struggling in their own ways. Steve is having this weird 'I almost had something with a guy who is now dead' emotion and Robin is having a 'this is the second time my best friend almost died right in front of me' emotion. So one night while they're drunk she shares that and she's like Steve if they put you in the hospital, I wouldn't even get to see you. And Steve suggests they get married

It's a joke, and then it isn't. It actually makes so much sense to both of them. So at graduation in the parking lot after the ceremony, Steve proposes. Robin knew this was going to happen, the rest didn't. Cue everyone inserting their opinions, getting mad, disagreements, and eventually, understanding. But TLDR Robin and Steve are kind of codependent, Steve is grieving a three day love affair that never got to become anything real, and they decide the best way to heal each other is with a marriage

I'm also going to talk about the Steve's Mom dies fic, because it hurts me so good. It's in my A New Perspective series, but not for a while. Basically Steve's parents get into a car accident because his dad was driving drunk, his mom dies but his dad lives, and Steve has to navigate planning her funeral while also trying to figure out how he feels about it all given that he and his mom used to be really close and it feels like one day she just randomly stopped caring. Everyone is trying to help him in their own ways, and eventually by the end of the fic he's moving in with the Byers, so up till this fic he's still at home.

I will state point blank that this fic is literally just self therapy for me having to do something incredibly incredibly similar LMAO

TY for the ask!! I have snippets of both of these if anyone is interested :OOOO

[formosusiniquis]

i am so predictable but i always want to hear more abt fake dating 💕

So the most important thing to know is that once upon a time there was this post going around on tumblr.com about how the scene in a fake dating au where the couple spends an extremely intimate time role playing how they got together and every date they've ever had is completely unnecessary because most people will hear someone say hey this is my partner and ask max 2 more questions and it diverged into jokes about breaking up couples that don't know anything about the other.

The second most important thing to know is that Steve's parents are lavender married and while he doesn't know it know it but he's pretty sure. So he's gonna pretend to date Eddie about it, because in his ultimate wisdom he figures if his parents see someone being queer and happy in the 80's they'll get a divorce and stop being so miserable all the time.

The third most important thing to know is I personally think Steve's dad looks like if you bulked out David Duchovny and his mom is a soft butch who goes by Lu when she isn't being Mrs. Lucinda Harrington.

And here is some Steve and Robin vs Eddie dialogue that I don't think I've shared before?

“Wait,” she throws her hands up in front of her, turning to Eddie with her eyes open wide, “did you wear your bandana! Is that why she liked you so fast?” Steve reacts first, better at following the strings backward in Robin’s train of thought. “He wasn't flagging when he met my parents! Christ, Robin, give him some credit.” “I wore a button down for Christ's sake,” “He looked like Johnny Cash,” Steve says that like a secret meant just for Robin, but he can’t whisper worth a damn. When he leans over, much too far into Robin’s space Eddie knows the next bit is for them both, “And I would have taken it anyway, that would have really made it look fake. Bringing home a boy is one thing, a metal head is pushing it, but flagging as a sado top looking like that?”

[stregoniconiconii]

LAVENDER MARRIAGE! God. How insane would they look to their friends and family though. Like oh they’re married but they’re also going out and hooking up with other people and then coming home and probably sleeping in the same bed and the (non-sexual) intimacy between them is off the charts and what the fuck is going on and why does their marriage seem happier than my parents marriage? (Granted their friends and family wouldn’t actually know all that but it’s funny to me)

lmaooo yeah Steve and robin would have a lavender marriage <3 but I think it's kinda funnier that they do emphasise that it's a friendship ceremony or a goodbye party for their Europe trip or even just like Steve and robin deciding to host a crazy fancy party for whatever reason. and its everyone else assuming oh this is a wedding. mostly bc I think it would be funny <3

the key to a good marriage is for one of them to be bisexual and the other to be gay. just facts

[toburnup]

if you’re still taking prompts i’d like to see what you could do with lavender or rings :)

these are both beautiful suggestions and i love you for it.

lavender

the smell of lavender reminds steve of home.

he doesn't say it outright, but eddie picks up on it over the days, weeks, months. years. when they linger outside a house on a walk, steve brushes the purple flowers with his hand and gives almost a wistful sigh.

"my mom always had lavender in the house."

eddie, personally, doesn't love the smell, finds it too strong and makes his nose sting. but steve loves it, rubs a flower between his fingers so the smell sticks to him. unconsciously rubs the side of his neck after so it stays.

eddie isn't a flowers guy, doesn't really know what to look for. but he goes to the florist anyway, asks if they have any lavender and if he can just buy a few sprigs on its own. the clerk doesn't seem surprised at his request, more-so that it's him who's asking - long hair, his clothes, him - but they wrap the purple flowers loosely in brown paper and hand it over.

eddie is no good at this part, they don't own a vase or anything. he sticks it in a tall jar instead and leaves it in the middle of the table. it slips his mind until later, when steve gets home, drops his bag on the dining room chair and leans over the table. brushes the purple blossoms with the back of his hand with a surprised smile.

"i always liked these."

eddie wants to say, i know, like he knows everything about steve, but steve isn't someone who wants to be told i know so eddie just shrugs. "found it on the way home."

steve finally pulls away. when they're in bed later, eddie kisses the back of his neck, smells lavender.

rings

"would you ever want to get married?" eddie asks one day. he's reading a magazine and there's an ostentatious ad for engagement rings taking up half the page. a smiling couple, a woman's hand.

"no." steve's answer is almost immediate. he looks up quickly, gauges eddie's expression. "not - i mean, i saw my parents marriage fall apart. i don't see the point."

steve's looking at him like his answer should sting, but eddie doesn't find that he minds. he never really got the idea of marriage either. but he also never really got the idea of commitment until they moved in together, until steve became his emergency contact on every form.

"would you?" steve finally nudges.

eddie shrugs. "probably not. the guy i like doesn't seem all that interested." but he smiles over the top of his magazine so steve knows he's joking, and steve looks relieved.

steve brings this conversation up again nearly three years later. eddie wears fewer rings now, traded in the bulky ones for rings with smooth metal that lay flatter against his skin. kept the ones on his index and middle fingers, left his ring finger bare.

they're driving, and eddie's in the passenger seat, his left hand on his thigh. steve reaches over, rubs at the back of his knuckles with his thumb. "remember how you asked if i wanted to get married?"

"that makes it sound like i proposed." eddie responds, "if memory serves, i asked if you'd ever want to get married."

"remember how you asked if i would ever want to get married?" steve tacks on immediately, glances over at him from the road. "i've been thinking more about that."

"yeah?"

"yeah." steve's gaze returns to the road ahead of them. "a lot, actually."

"is that supposed to be a hint?" eddie laughs. "subtle, steve. very subtle."

steve shrugs, flexes his bare hand where it sits on the steering wheel. "just something for you to keep in mind."