#the fucking family video probably doesn't even have tape

[grandwretch]

where is the fake dating au where like Steve is like well Eddie couldn't have killed Chrissy because he was with me that night. we were together :) until he had to go home and find the body :) and everyone is like uh and he's like having sex btw :) and the cops are like yeah man. I fucking guess he was? bc who is going to fucking lie about being gay in hawkins indiana 1986

like just imagine fake dating to establish an alibi and also eddie was not consulted on this beforehand suddenly steve is in the interrogation room like its going to be okay baby I love you so much and eddie is like YEAH. COOL. what is happening rn

[lighteyed]

like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me / steve harrington

— steve's not used to people throwing punches for him, you'er not used to throwing them. anything for him, though. always, anything for him. (little short fic moment, fem reader, 1.4k words)

"Dude, your girlfriend is such a badass!" Robin skips into Family Video grinning like a madwoman. Steve, shuffling through the tapes he needs to place back onto the shelves, lifts his head and scrunches his brows together.

"I mean, yeah, but-"

Robin doesn't let him finish, she's already telling him the story. "She was all, wham bam thank you ma'am," she throws multiple air punches and Steve drops the tapes on the floor, "and Jason Carver was all, 'my nose you broke my nose-" she puts on a fake-whiney voice and Steve grips the shelf in front of him, feeling faint.

"I'm sorry, she did what-"

"And she was all, fuck you Carver, and she was totally gonna pummel him again until his friend like dragged her off him and her face hit the pavement, but like, still, she kicked ass-"

"Robin!" Steve shouts, waving his hands in front of her face. She stops, finally registering the disbelief on his face. She covers her mouth. She probably shouldn't have said anything. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"She, um, she didn't tell you?" She squeaks out, she takes a step backwards. "Forget I said anything! I'm sure she'll call you-" She trips over the cart Steve was using to stock the tapes and dashes behind the counter to avoid him, knowing you were going to kill her for saying anything and Steve was going to kill her if she didn't say anything else.

"Hey! Robin!" But she's already clocking herself in and beginning her closing shift duties, refusing to say another word on the topic because she's already said too much without meaning to. He completes the rest of his shift in silence, snapping at customers whenever they ask him a question and losing his mind when he looks at the clock and realizes only ten minutes has passed. He tries to call your house with the store phone but you don't pick up, which makes him even more worried and causes him to snap at people even worse, so Keith cuts him early with a disappointed lecture that Steve only half listens to, and he runs out of there once Keith finally shuts up, pulling out of the parking lot and on his way to your house without a second thought.

When you answer the door for him, you brace yourself for his scolding, 'cause the way he's looking at you, at your scratched face and bloody knuckles, with his soft gaze roaming all over you for any other signs of injury, you can tell he wants to. He wants to scold and lecture and fret. He wants to be mad that you got into a fist fight, let alone a fist fight with a guy who, if he had wanted to, probably could've hit you ten times harder.

He can't really be mad, though. "I didn't know Rocky Balboa was visiting Hawkins," he says, sarcastic but not mean, closing the front door behind him before coming to touch your face with his gentle hands, tilting your head to the side so he can take a good look at your cheek. It's a not a deep scratch, but you're bleeding all the same. He runs his fingers over it lightly and rests his hand there. "What'd you do, sweet girl?" You groan, retreating away from him to grab your bag of frozen peas from the counter and setting them flat across your bruise. He follows behind in earnest.

"Jason Carver can go fuck himself," you grumble. "S'all he does now, anyway, since Chrissy dumped his ass. And no wonder why. I can't stand him." You stare at where you're soaking your cheer uniform in the sink, the white fabric staining pink the more you tried to scrub Jason's blood out. You're opting to soak it out now, hoping you won't have to go buy a new one.

"Okay, what'd he do," Steve corrects, tucking your hair behind your ear.

You hesitate. You don't really want to tell Steve. It wasn't nice, what Carver had said, and in particular, it hadn't been nice to Steve. You weren't sure what had prompted Carver to start going in on your boyfriend, about how Steve was a loser, a deadbeat, pathetic, wasn't going anywhere in life, but it why he'd said it hadn't mattered to you. He'd said that you and you'd seen red, burning blistering red, and you'd punched him in the face before you could really think about whether or not that was a good idea. And you'd gotten him good, too, a nice big wallop to his smug face when he hadn't suspected it in the slightest, and you'd gotten on top of him going for more when his friend had yanked you off him by your ponytail and sent you spinning down to the asphalt. Your face had been gotten good, too. But not as good as Jason's. You were defensive when it came to Steve. You couldn't help it. He was Steve. He'd do anything for the people he loved, he was loyal and defensive and smart (as much as he'd deny that), he was sweet and had never been anything but perfect to you, perfect for you, and if someone had something to say about him, you'd make sure they'd have to answer to you. You'd never let him feel like he didn't have someone in his corner.

"Nothin'," you mutter, not looking at him, looking anywhere but him. "Just usual asshole Carver stuff."

"No, no, you don't get this worked up over nothin', baby." He wets a paper towel at your sink with rubbing alcohol and raises it to your face. "S'gonna sting, okay? Stay still," he puts it against you as soft as he can but you still hiss and draw back in pain. "You can tell me what he did. Need to know so I don't worry about you all night long." Had he put his hands on you? On one of your friends on the team? Something worse? The thought of something worse made Steve's blood run cold. He'd kill Jason himself, consequences be damned, if he'd touched you any type of way.

You scowl. "I don't wanna talk about it, Steve, seriously."

"You can't just not talk about it with me," he frowns right back at you. "If it's that bad you need to tell me. What happened? Please," he pouts his lip at you and you can't resist, you're melting in his hands, you're giving him whatever he wants the second that plush lower lip juts out at you and his pretty brown eyes go heavy-lidded and tragic-looking. You lean forward and kiss his protruding lip, wrapping your arms around his waist.

You press your face into his shoulder and murmur against his shirt, "He was talkin' bad about you, okay?" He pulls away, brow furrowed.

"Talkin' bad about me?" He places his hands on your shoulders. "Baby, you don't haveta get worked up over me, okay? And don't go throwing punches for me, Christ, you can't do that." He runs a hand through his hair, and there he goes, hands on hips, like he always does when he's worked up and stressed over something you or the kids are doing. "I don't care what he said, okay?" His hands go back to your shoulders, he's looking in your eyes, deep and distraught. "I don't care you. You don't go throwing punches for me. 'M not worth all that."

You push him off you. "Don't say that! That's not true, you're worth it! You'd do it for me, why can't I do it for you? You deserve it, too." Steve goes quiet. "You're worth it, okay? Don't be stupid." You press the frozen peas harder to your hand.

"I still don't like you fighting," he relents, and you know you've got him in the palm of your hand, he could never stay mad at you, not really, but his brows still knit together with worry. You smooth out the crease in them with your good hand and he softens exponentially with a sigh, leaning into your touch.

"As long as no one talks shit about you, I won't be," you pinch his cheek and he laughs. You'd die for that sound.

"Yeah, yeah, cool it, Rocky," he teases.

"Shut up!" You hit him with your bag of peas.

He grins, and he can't help it, he's a little proud, thinking about you punching someone in the face for him. Knuckles bloody for him. Making sure he knows he's worth fighting for. His heart swells at the thought.

[wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart]

Yet another average day in Family Video:

"Hey. Remember when you said that you'd totally fuck Jonathan."

"When...? Oh, yeah. What the fuck that was literally a month ago why are you mentioning that now?"

"Because that was the same conversation we decided to get the matching tramp stamps. And trying to hide those from my parents is a literal pain in the ass. Pun fully intended. I can't even sit straight and-"

"I'd say you can't do anything straight"

"Not like I can do anything str- fuck you"

Steve swaggers to the back and takes out the whiteboard they purchased together - on ROBIN'S SUGGESTION may he add.

"Can't believe you're losing in your own game. About bad jokes. And being gay. Which are basically your two only personality traits."

Robin's side is embarrassingly empty. He sees it as cosmic karma for her you-suck-game during their scoops ahoy era.

"Alright mister little bitch"

"And yet, this little bitch is beating you in your own game"

Robin shows him the finger. Steve bites the finger because he is a little shit and things like boundaries and personal space have already lost all meaning between the two of them.

In this moment the front doors open. The elderly man takes one look at the scene before him and leaves without a word.

"Where did the Jonathan thing come from?"

"Dunno. I was bored. Thought it'd be funny to see you go through a gay crisis."

"Not much of a crisis if I already admitted to it."

"You're no fun."

"Really? That was not what my dad said three months ago. According to him I am a fucking joke."

"Coming from Harrington Senior that's honestly a compliment"

"Please remind me of that the next time I radio you at 3 am. Who is on tape duty?"

"I did it last time."

"Alright" Steve nods towards the small pile of romcoms they have pointedly not been reshelving for the last half an hour. "Enjoy your alone time in the romance section."

"Do you think it would be an invasion of privacy if we checked who returned all that? It was either an epic girls night of an awful breakup." Her voice gets fainter as she moves to the back of the store.

"Nah. We're in the land of the free or whatever. Wait, let me do it"

"You're only saying that so you can procrastinate asshole"

"Does that mean you don't want to know who took them? Because I promise you, you really really do."

"Don't ask if you already know the answer dingus"

"Guess"

"Ummm....power bottom."

"What?"

"Like with Jonathan. Would you rather he call the shots or the other way around?"

She makes a series of incomprehensible movements that are probably supposed to represent intercourse between two men.

"This is the reason god made you a lesbian"

"And thank him for that. Amen."

"Why are you so obsessed with Jonathan anyway."

"You're deflecting"

"Yeah sure, I am deflecting. C'mon, Buckley. Resume or later?"

"Who was the one who took all the romcoms?"

"If I tell you, will you tell me what's really going on?"

"Depends on your answer."

"I thought you weren't interested in my sex life? Every time-"

In this moment the door opens again. Two girls come in, arm in arm. One is wearing a look that can only be described as disgust, the other is clearly trying to hold in laughter with moderate success.

Over the course of many painful months of customer service (plus surviving an interrogation by the actual Russian secret service) Steve and Robin have developed the ability to hold entire conversations without speaking a single word. It is a very neat talent to have when they want to make fun of someone right in front of them. It is less neat when he is the target.

Robin raises her brows. C'mon dingus, tell these random ass girls about your sex life since you're so proud of it.

Steve frowns in response. Yeah, sure Mrs. Never Even Had A First Kiss.

Robin narrows her eyes. I did have a first kiss. Even if it was absolutely horrible.

Steve puts on his most insufferable expression. You yourself said that it doesn't count. No need to be so jealous Buckley.

Robin rolls her eyes. Alright, I want to see you trying to find a-

"Do you have ET?", Robin doesn't say because, oh yeah, they've got actual customers.

Steve solemnly informs them that ET is current out of stock, but that it should be returned in two days. Robin somehow manages to force her last two movies upon them. They leave with a dazed look on their face that Steve can relate to. Sometimes Robin will start talking and the next thing you know you have a tramp stamp.

"Tommy Hagan"

Robin looks absolutely disgusted. "Tommy Hagan?! You would kiss Tommy Hagan? And then you have the audacity to make fun of my taste in women?!"

"First of all: me and Hagan? Been there done that." Robin looks as if her entire worldview was just flipped upside down. "Second: probably not, he uses a bit too much tongue for my liking. I mean that Tommy Hagan was the one who rented all the romcoms"

Robin takes a moment to process this information. Then she dramatically falls to the floor and squirms around in laughter like a bug on its back trying to get up again. Truly a drama kid through and through.

"And thirdly: for your information, I super could make out with Jonathan Byers. Unlike you, I've got game"

"You don't mean gay-me?"

Steve rolls his eyes and takes out the whiteboard again. He is still in the lead.

"And also, excuse you, I totally could make out with Nancy if I wanted to, okay?! I'm just not a homewrecker unlike some other people"

"Excuse me? I was the one who was cheated on?!"

"I'm insulting your taste, dingus"

"Rich coming from you, since we apparently share the same one"

For a moment she looks confused. Then she thinks back to what she said. Steve can pinpoint the exact moment she realizes it.

"Is this the reason you want me to be into Jonathan so bad? Because you're into Nancy?" Steve feels like a smug cat when her entire upper body grows red.

"Shut up she's just pretty okay?!"

"And badass. Don't forget badass."

"Oh my god I know. Ever since I saw her shooting I haven't been able to get her out of my mind."

"Right?! And as if that isn't enough, she has to go and be smart too! Like, c'mon, she has to have some faults. Some downsides. Nobody is that prefect!"

"Oh my god I know! And-"

They continue like that for a while. Time runs away from them and suddenly Hellfire Club is over and Steve's kids (minus Max, he notes with a heavy heart) are barging into the place as if they own it, for no reason other than to be absolute menaces.

"And like. Robin. She was so hot in that moment. I swear to-"

"Who are you talking about?". Steve is used to Dustin being a rude little shit and automatically answers without even thinking about it. "Nancy."

He realizes his mistake too late. He looks up. Mike's eyes are wide in horror. "I hate you so fucking much" he says before turning around and leaving.

Robin sighs. "I guess that is the downside."

-> the tramp stamp conversation

-> gatekeeping 101

-> breaking out of a heteronormative mindset

[scoops-stevie-archive]

this was written for @thefreakandthehair's spicy six spring fanworks challenge, for the prompt, "come lie down with me, i'll read it to you"! thank you so much for letting me participate, lex!

April showers bring May flowers, but March comes in like a lion. Winds up to fifty miles an hour with rain and thunderstorms following close behind. Most people would hunker down with preparations to ride it out for however long the weatherman on TV decides, but most people haven't fought an inter-dimensional war for four years in a row and don't equate the rain pelting down on the roof to the sound of beating bat wings, or the violent winds to their devilish screeching. They get pushed around in a gust and don't think about being pinned down and feasted upon by razor sharp teeth.

Most people aren't Steve Harrington.

Unsurprisingly, Family Video stays open during one of these storms. Also unsurprisingly, they haven’t had a single customer since they opened that morning. Steve watches from behind the counter as it rains sideways across the parking lot. The trees are bending in ways that make him nervous and he's imagined a branch snapping off and going through his car one too many times. He taps an erratic rhythm on the counter, his jaw clenched tight, his eyes locked forward.

"If it gets any worse, we're closing early," Robin says from somewhere in the rows of tapes, probably sprawled across the floor. "It's supposed to go on until tomorrow afternoon, and I'm not risking being stranded here."

Steve would argue that it’s already worse, but a particularly harsh gale that sounds like a moaning monster from a D&D session makes his blood freeze in his veins. He nods, his jaw clenched. “Agreed.”

Worse comes when the power starts flickering. It was just once and for barely a second but it was enough for Steve and Robin to shut all the computers and lights off and make a beeline for the breakroom. He's already made his check-in calls with the Party; they're all safe and sound at home with promises to not step foot outside until this all passes.

“Be careful, alright?” Robin says when Steve drops her off at home. The wind is whipping her hair around her face and she’s struggling to hold the door open with the force of it. He waits until she’s safely inside before he pulls away.

There was a lull in the rain during the drive, but now it’s back with a vengeance. His wipers are barely doing anything and he can’t even see five feet in front of him. He pulls over somewhere on the side of the road to wait until it hopefully dies down. There’s thunder in the distance now, and all Steve can think of is Kate fucking Bush and Max lying comatose in a hospital bed. He watches the rain cascade in waves down the windshield and suddenly he’s back on the roof of Starcourt, his Members Only jacket doing absolutely fuck-all to keep him dry in the downpour.

Steve grips the steering wheel and can barely hear the next clap of thunder over the gust of wind that's shaking the car, or the blood rushing through his ears, his head filled with screams – his, Robin's, Dustin's, Eddie's–

Eddie.

Blind panic blooms in his chest and it takes a few tries to get the car started because of how bad his hands are shaking. Finally, the ignition turns and he's speeding off. He doesn't bother to follow traffic laws.

Gotta get to Eddie. Gotta get there before the bats do, he and Dustin can't hold them off on their own, shouldn't have left them behind–

Steve doesn’t remember haphazardly parking the car next to Eddie's van, or throwing the front door open with a strangled shout of his boyfriend’s name.

"Eddie!"

There's a thump coming from the back bedroom and Eddie comes tripping over his own feet in his rush to get to him. Steve wants to cry at the sight of him, but instead his breath gets caught in his throat with another wave of panic as his vision blurs and all he can see is Eddie’s bloodied smile as Nancy desperately tries to stop the bleeding from his torso.

Eddie takes a cautious step forward. "Baby?" His hands are lifted in front of him as if Steve is a frightened animal.

"You - you're-" Steve tries to get out but making words feels like gargling pebbles, deep down in his throat. His hands clench and unclench at his sides, shaking along with the rest of him.

"Where are you right now, Stevie?" Eddie asks gently. He doesn't touch him but he's close enough now that he could.

Steve shakes his head. "I-I don't -" He swallows. "The bats - had to come back, couldn't leave you and Dustin-"

"Can I touch you?"

Steve nods.

Eddie doesn’t pull him in immediately. He curls a steady hand around the knob of his shoulder, his thumb rubbing his collarbone in soothing circles. His other hand goes to his right elbow and then he slowly drags him to his chest in a bear hug. Steve goes limp like a rag doll and lets Eddie hold him tight.

"There we go," Eddie whispers into his hair, arms wrapped around his shoulders and waist. Steve pants raggedly against his neck. “Shh, I gotcha, sweetheart.” Fingers slide up the back of his neck and thread through his hair, gently tugging and scratching at his scalp in a way that makes Steve shiver and press closer. His own hands come up and grab fistfuls of the back of Eddie’s shirt. Eddie kisses his temple. “You don’t have to tell me what made you freak out if you don’t want to, but I don’t think you want the neighbors seein’ you like this.”

Slowly, without pulling away, Eddie kicks the front door shut and walks them back to his room where he undresses Steve slowly and methodically, not like he usually would when he’s trying to get his boy out of his clothes, and replaces them with a worn t-shirt and sweatpants. Steve buries his nose in the collar of the shirt and breathes in the scene of home. There’s a tiredness always present after a panic attack that leaves him weary and aching all the way down to his bones. He kicks his jeans to the side and sends a paperback with them. It isn’t one he’s seen Eddie read before; the dragon on the green cover and the yellow letters are enough to draw Steve’s attention and he flips through the pages after reading the summary on the back.

“Come lie down with me,” Eddie says with a gentle hand on Steve’s hip, “I’ll read it to you.”

Eddie shuffles him toward the bed and Steve all but falls onto the mattress, burying his face in the pillow on Eddie’s side of the bed (because he’s slept here enough times that they have respective sides, now) and inhaling the intoxicating smell that’s pure Eddie – cigarette smoke and the strawberry shampoo he uses. He’s maneuvered until he’s tucked into his boyfriend’s side.

The storm is all but forgotten outside. He can’t hear the harsh winds or the rain pounding on the trailer’s tin roof. Eddie’s bedroom is a bubble of safety and love and warmth. Steve has no nightmares in this place. Here, all he knows is adept fingers running through his hair and the way he slowly starts to drift off at the soothing sound of Eddie’s voice rumbling in his ear as he reads to him, picking up where he left off.

“The Librarian slept on, lulled by the whispering of the rain…”

[charmac]

Hi! Do you have any thoughts on Mac and Mrs. Mac’s relationship? I find the whole McDonald family dynamic so interesting, but especially after season 16/frank shoots every member of the gang I’ve been fascinated by those two. You always have such impressive, well thought out answers!

Thank you!

I do have a lot of of thoughts regarding Mac's upbringing, especially in terms of his relationships with his family and how they clearly affect his current-day relationships and misconceptions of love, but I'm not sure I've really fleshed that out so, great question.

First of all, I have a gripe with Frank Shoots Every Member of the Gang, as it really insanely retcons Luther's age. Mac Kills His Dad established that he was 59 at the time, which would have made him a teen when he had Mac. Shoots establishes that Luther's dad served in WWII and wrote him letters during that time, which means he had to have been born before 1945, and would have been at youngest in his 30s when Mac was born. It's not like it's a huge issue, but it does change some previously-thought dynamics. (Though, the fact that they weren't younger-cast in A Sunny Christmas does better-align with the idea that they were in their 30s when they had Mac.)

There was/is always kind of the vibe that when they were together, pre-Luther going to jail, Ms. Mac did really love Luther and vice-versa, and Mac was more kind of like a by-product of unprotected sex more than he was a part of the family. (I mean, they named him after the Hamburger Clown). Luther clearly love(d) him as the idea of having a son, someone who could carry on his bidding and his name, but doesn't love him as the child he actually has. I think Ms. Mac didn't love him as the idea of a son and doesn't love him as the child she has, and never did. BUT she did love Luther, and Mac observed that as a young kid, his parents loving each other but neglecting him. Looking at Christmas, we can kind of assume the order of anything in Mac's childhood home was Ms. Mac > Luther > Mac. So for his early development he was kind of sidelined, saw no love from his parents toward him, but did see love between his parents (in a definitely not healthy way, as it goes).

We know in the deleted scenes of Sunny Christmas that Mac's dad is going to prison probably right after the events of the video tape... I honestly think it's reasonable to assume that Mac's screaming that woke up the residents of the house they were robbing might have been probably was what led to Luther being arrested (with whatever warrants he had hanging over him catching up with him once he had been detained). So, does Ms. Mac blame her son for her husband being locked up for the next 25 years? Probably. She didn't even want him, didn't care for him, and then his obnoxious behaviour was their downfall.

Back to Shoots, I did really like it for what it gave us in terms of (Char)Mac childhood lore. I think it definitely wasn't a shock for them to drop the cigarette lighter line, but it was a hit to the chest for me. Everything I kind of assumed before, re: didn't want or care about having a child equated to strictly-neglectful, Mac clawing for the love he saw his mom give his dad, now with his dad gone even more-so, and being brushed off, now escalated to retaliation in response to Mac failing to be brushed off. Sometimes the dismissive, grunting and not moving from your chair approach just doesn't work on a hyperactive little bastard like Mac, sometimes you have to make him shut up by giving him something else to fuss over. I think Ms. Mac probably hoped that would be what breaks through his skin, makes him realise she doesn't love him, but Mac only sees it as a warning, a pause, a try-again-later, mom's just in a bad mood.

Presently, what we see of Ms. Mac is almost always the same: completely indifferent. Shrug, cough, I don't care at all about you. Mac's a serial killer? Yeah. Mac's dead? Ok. You're gay? Meh. She'll fuck with him though, sure: your dad is actually Dutch. You wanted these letters that meant something to your father? I needed toilet paper. Who cares. She doesn't love him, never has, never will, and Mac has no ability to understand that.

Based on his upbringing and the past 20 years, I think he has a complete misunderstanding (and at this point inability) to recognise and understand what love is, mostly because of his mother. Because she just, doesn't love him, never did, but Mac thinks that parents have to love their children, that's a fact in his mind. If he has a mom and a dad they do love him, they have to, especially when he was a little boy, right? His dad loves him, he's just in jail so he can't show it, but his mom is here. And mom did love dad, he remembers that, he saw it, so he just has to make himself known, she can love him too because she's capable of it and she's his mom. He loves her, he says it over and over, she never says it, but she just doesn't see him because she's busy, working, or making a home for him, or just for some reason she's not paying attention... So love for Mac is fighting neglect, love is refusing to be ignored, love is pestering over and over because if you can get away with your bombardment without a finger being raised, without being scored by a cigarette lighter, they must really want you to continue... they must be waiting for you to really prove yourself before they show or admit their love for you. There are people in his life who have to love him, it's like a law, so they'll admit it as long as you keep asking, keep making yourself known, keep trying to prove yourself... and if it comes to the point where you're getting burned, stop for a minute, take a step back, and reevaluate how (or when) you can try again...

[lovebillyhargrove]

Billy's Camaro fic: Fucking finally.

***

It's January 11th.

More than two weeks of absolutely nothing.

Steve called El after New Year but she sounded just as miserable as he was, and had no news for him. Unfortunately or fortunately.

Steve doesn't know anything.

It's killing him.

Robin is in on the whole thing about Hargrove and his trip to Russia with Joyce, and she listens and tells Steve everything is going to be okay, but Steve understands it's just words and this is in no-one's power to make it okay. Robin is trying to help, and he's grateful, he is, but it's not helping.

It's more than two weeks of worrying his heart out. It's like you are aware you can't really do anything or change anything, so why worry? But that's the thing - you worry anyway. Even when you're not showing it. Even when you're telling yourself it's pointless. Fear gnaws at your bones, nibbles at your brain, every second. Eats you from the inside, always lurking, always present, doing its ugly job.

What if right now when Steve's talking to a customer Billy's getting shot at?

What if right now when Steve's sorting the tapes Billy's is being locked in a cell, interrogated, tortured ..?

What if right now when Steve's listening to Robin telling him about her .. - he's losing the thread of the story because he's thinking about Billy - it all has become white noise for him - what if right this moment there is no Billy Hargrove in this world anymore?

Steve's exhausted. He can't sleep and the only crumbs of questionable comfort that he can have, he finds when he's driving the camaro. Like it understands him. Like it's as wretched as him.

At times when it gets too much, Steve thinks about their only kiss, that magical tender touch of their lips. The timing was probably not the best one, Billy being all fucked up about his dad's death and all, Steve understands that now, but at least he's got this kiss as a memory. When he recalls how El called Billy "a lovesick loser", it brings a smile to his lips. Billy must've told El about them, or maybe she just knew because of their connection now.

When it gets too dark Steve remembers Billy's voice on the phone and his words "I like you, pretty boy. More than just like you. Do not doubt that." and Steve's heart is shredded in pieces over and over again.

When he can't stand anything anymore, Steve takes out Billy's note - the one that he left on the kitchen table before driving away - and reads it. He knows every word by heart.

If he doesn't get any news in the next couple of days, he's gonna .. call Owens, drive to California, fly to Russia, he's gonna do something because that's it, he can't take it, he's on the verge of insanity.

Waiting is the worst.

Not knowing is the absolute fucking worst.

Steve smokes a cigarette for lunch sitting in the camaro, parked outside Family Video. Looks at the picture of the ocean that's still in the glove box and misses Billy more.

If it is even possible.

***

The bell above the door jingles, announcing a new customer.

It's five in the afternoon, still one hour till Steve can go home. He's never in a hurry to leave work these days though. He's lonely as fuck here, but at least not physically alone.

Someone's heading towards the cash desk where Steve is sorting out the receipts.

Steve feels a shift in the air surrounding him and hears Robin's quiet "Oh my god" coming from behind.

He's raising his eyes and sees Billy in front of him.

.

Billy is alive.

.

He is back.

.

He looks so good.

.

"Hey, Harrington."

Did his heart just stop beating, or what?

All casual. Like they saw each other only yesterday. Like he didn't come back from another country, breaking someone from prison.

Like Steve didn't die inside every single second for the last fucking month.

Just the eyes. Hargrove's eyes are piercing Steve. Billy's looking at Steve like he hasn't seen him for a lifetime.

At the same time Keith, who has come out of his room right this moment, is staring at Billy like he's seeing a ghost.

Billy Hargrove is still dead in the town of Hawkins. Everyone knows about Starcourt, everyone has read the newspapers.

Billy's smile is light and bright, and he's addressing Keith, in that languid drawl that only he does.

"Relax, dude. I'm the dead guy's twin brother, straight from California. Name's Billy. Billy Hargrove."

Stretches his hand out for a handshake. Keith is holding a packet of chips in his left hand, and a chip in his right hand, halfway to his mouth.

Billy's smacking him on the shoulder instead of the handshake then.

"Yeah, it's the same name, don't ask. Parents were fucked up. Hi, Buckley."

It's a sight, Keith's and Robin's shocked faces.

Too bad Steve can't see his own face. He probably looks as dumb as they do.

Keith keeps staring at Hargrove with his mouth open still holding a chip in his hand when Billy says

"Oh and Keith ? I'm sure you won't mind if Harrington here finished his work for today? See I've been driving like a madman for the last 33 hours and I'd really appreciate it if you let him get off early? Got something to discuss."

Before Keith answers anything, Billy's gesturing towards the door

"Shall we?"

Oh, we shall.

We motherfucking shall.

Steve can't feel his legs when he's walking out of the door. His whole body is tingling, there are waves of electroshocks running through it. He doesn't fully realise how, but he finds himself in the driver's seat of the camaro, and Billy's sitting to his right. Steve thinks he sees his beamer parked across the street, but he's not sure.

Steve wants to ask so many questions. But he's not asking them. He was taken by surprise and left speechless.

He starts the car, and it roars. Like it's happy to see Billy.

Is Billy not mad at the camaro any more?

Steve wants to know. He still hasn't asked a single question.

Hargrove opens the glove box and takes out a cigarette from the packet of Marlboros. Lights it up, inhales, eyelashes fluttering. Doesn't say a word either.

What the fuck is wrong with them both?

Believe it or not, buy they drive to Harrington's house in complete silence. Only the car is the one that's actually rumbling excitedly, but Steve ..? Very focused on the road. No, he's not, it's a lie. The camaro is basically driving by itself. Steve would be in a ditch by now, if he were in control.

Billy? .. chain smoking that Marlboro pack, fingers shaking slightly.

They stop in the driveway, get out of the car. Steve's body is still tingling and most things that he does right now, are done on autopilot. They go to the door, Steve's jingling the keys, they get inside.

Billy first, then Steve, and when he closes the door behind him, he's leaning on it with his back and waits, still silent. Thoughts all fuzzy.

Hargrove turns around and moves closer to Steve.

Closer, just like Steve did, a month ago, when their lips brushed like feather on feather.

Steve grabs Hargrove's jacket, pulls him in a hug, and their bodies collide, and he's hugging him tighter, tighter, impossibly tight

Never leave

Steve's arms are on Billy's shoulders and he hides his face in Billy's neck and inhales his smell, cigarettes, sweat, cologne, exhaustion, the guy has been on the road for the last 33 hours, and holds his breath

No, he actually can't breathe, they are holding each other too tight

And Steve's feeling his eyes burn like there are tears about to spill, like he's about to cry

Instead, he places his hands on Hargrove's chest and pushes him away

And then Steve swings, blindly, but aiming for Hargrove's pretty face, and next thing he knows Hargrove is looking at him with wild eyes, incredulously, pressing fingers to his lips because the lower lip is bleeding

"Sonuvabitch .. You fucking hit me, Harrington ??"

"Well you fucking left me!!"

"I had to!!"

"I know! You could've explained everything instead of just running, you fucking asshole !!"

Both are breathing heavy. Both are staring at each other with frenzied eyes

Billy takes the volume down a notch.

"Steeve .. "

There it is again, the Steeve that makes Harrington wobbly in the knees, makes him lose his heartbeat

"Okay, I admit, I can be a bit of a drama queen. The way I left .. I should've told you the whole story .. but I didn't think about it at the time. Also, there was no story to tell, it was just something .. vague at that point."

Steve's still standing with his back pressed to the door, and Billy's again getting closer

"Okay. You're right. I am an asshole. What are you gonna do about it, Harrington?"

Voice hoarse and dangerous.

Steve does the only thing that seems right.

He yanks Billy by the jacket again, pulls him close, forcefully, and presses his lips to Billy's. It's teeth clashing to the point of blood on both of their lips

It's also something else

"Ow my nose! Fuck !! .."

The collision was a bit too intense

"Slow down, Hargrove !! You head butted my nose!"

"YOU grabbed me! You set the pace!"

"Yeah and I'm telling you to slow down now!"

Billy's hands are cupping Steve's cheeks

"Is your nose okay?"

There's probably blood

"It just hurts .. a little. I'm fine."

"Then stop whining and shut up already."

"No, you shut up."

"No, I need you to shut up right now."

Billy's putting his lips on Steve's mouth but Steve's still talking

"You're such an asshole, Hargrove, it's unbelievable. You should just leave me alone."

"I'm an asshole, Harrington. But I'm working on that."

"No, you're not."

Is Billy smiling?

"No, I'm not."

Their foreheads are pressed together

Billy's eyelashes are too much. Steve can't cope

"Close your stupid mouth or I'll hit you again."

"Okay, hit me again."

"Stop repeating everything I say."

"I will repeat if I want to. Unless you make me stop."

Steve puts his arms around Billy's waist but, apparently, touches him in the wrong place because

"Ow. Shit. Easy."

Billy's suddenly wincing with pain and grabbing his side

"I uh .. I got shot. Lucky though, the bullet went right through, but it still .. uughhh .. shit .."

Oh god, he did actually get shot ..

"Oh my god, why .. are you wounded ?? I hit a wounded guy, oh god, I'm so sorry, are you in pain, should we go to hospital? I'm so sorry! Billy?"

"Harrington, I'm fine. Stop fucking saying sorry, just let me kiss you already."

Billy firmly holds the back of Steve's neck with one hand and finally finally kisses him in a way that feels like a proper kiss, no pushing or pulling, no teeth clanging, no headbutting. No talking. Billy's mouth is so hot, he's licking into Steve's with his hot wet tongue, insistent and urgent but so so tender.

He also places his other hand on Steve's crotch and squeezes gently.

The sensation that jolts like lightning through every cell of Steve's body is unparalleled.

He's probably dead now.

So if you happen to find a pile of ashes on this very spot instead of Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove is the one to blame.

***

Next chapter. Tying loose ends.

[love-toxin]

a/n: so sorry i deleted your ask, anon, but i had your request written so here it is! ♡

ellie's sentence starter prompts

xxv - "Don't just say you love me, prove it."

xii - "I've been waiting for this all day."

xxxi - "You're mine."

(cws: fem reader, fingering, foreplay, semi-public, mild arguing + the slightest hints of angst but it's fluffy)

"Rob, I didn't mean to say it. It just slipped out."

It's pretty difficult to have a heart-to-heart when you're following your girlfriend around the store, and she's picking up and putting away VHS tapes like it's some kind of extreme sport. But this is how Robin likes to cope with stress--by keeping busy.

And unluckily for you, you've put a lot of stress on her shoulders with what happened this afternoon.

"Oh, it just slipped out? You just accidentally told someone you're dating Hawkins' favourite pretty boy?"

"I panicked! I'm sorry, okay?" In truth, it was really a slip of the tongue. You've practiced what you would say if anyone ever questioned you on your relationship, whether it be parents or teachers or strangers on the street--but you didn't actually think it would happen like it did today. One of the girls in your chem class, who you had been getting notes from, asked who it was you were dating completely out of the blue. Knowing people like her, she probably was curious about whether you were lying or not, since you and Robin tend to keep things on the down low for obvious reasons. Small towns aren't exactly the most welcoming places for a pair of weirdos also doubling as lesbians.

But instead of coming up with something on the spot, an elaborate half-truth to get out of outing yourself and your girlfriend to her and by extension all of Hawkins, you'd blurted out the first thing that came to mind. And oh, did Robin have quite the earful for you after a very silent ride in Steve's car to get all three of you to Family Video for their shift.

"No, it's fine. Totally fine." She mutters, and trails off as she finishes stacking a set of New Release tapes on the return rack. "I'll just tell Steve about his new girlfriend. Bet he'll be psyched."

The last one hits the top with a thwack that resonates through the entire store, you're sure even Steve could hear it around the front as he swept the leaves off the curb outside. And Robin turns to face you finally, her eyes big and glimmery with hurt but her brow set like she's trying to make it seem like she doesn't give a fuck. She's been testy lately for a variety of reasons, but it's always cute...until she's mad at you, of course. Then, it stings.

"You could've picked anyone, and you picked him. And if that ever happened, like, really happened, I would just....die."

You want to say something so badly, to comfort her, to take the hand of the woman you love and tell her all the reasons why you want to be with her forever. But for the second time, you can't get out what you really want to say--and instead of saying the wrong thing, the worst thing, this time you say nothing at all. Your mouth parts, hung half-open only to close back again when your voice refuses to come out, and her eyes dart down to your lips before she huffs and stalks away from you, hands outstretched to push through the door to the back and maybe, hopefully, get away from you for awhile.

Not so. If you can't say anything, you're gonna do something. Company policy be damned, your foot catches the door before it falls closed all the way, and you catch her by the wrist before she can get more than an arm's reach away. She's already not the most athletic, nor has the best constitution--so it's relatively easy to shove her around and pin her back to the door, her breath fleeing in a sudden gasp when you do so.

"I love you."

There's no way for it not to echo here, in the small space in the back of Family Video. But you can't bring yourself to care--you want it to seep into the walls, for someone's ears to catch your voice as you say it. For someone, anyone, to know that you love Robin Buckley with all your heart.

"Don't just say you love me. Prove it." It comes out in a whisper, her lips cinching tight after it does only for her eyes to drop to yours. Your brow quirks up, to her it must say "prove it?" and she nods, already void of the air she needs to stay standing. As evident by the way her knees buckle immediately when you press your lips to her shoulder, on that small window of space where her vest's left a precious slice of skin exposed.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

"Proving it." You mouth at the soft spot of her neck, hands descending down her sides with your fingers outstretched to catch the loose threads of her uniform, remind her that you've trimmed your nails recently. Very recently. Like this morning, when you anticipated a fun night and some sacred alone time with your girl.

The bite that comes after isn't meant to hurt, but you're sure it does a little bit since you know she's so sensitive there. It draws a whine from her throat and it takes everything within you not to chuckle, because she's so fucking cute it's unfair. Unfair that she can go around looking so dorky and clumsy and awkward and fuckable. Your hand slips under the belt of her pants, an "oops" making its way off your smirking mouth because there's no one on earth that would believe it's accidental. And Robin can do nothing but clasp at your wrist, blunt nails painlessly digging into your skin as she cups her other hand over her mouth and smothers her shaky, soft moans as you noiselessly slide her panties to the side and dip a finger inside her. Slowly, quietly because she's already a little damp from getting a hickey, you watch that doubt leak away as you push deeper inside her, listening for any of those trembling gasps of your name. They're always the sweetest when they're involuntary, when she just can't hold them back because it feels too damn good.

"Robin, why's the door locked?"

But she jumps at the clacking sound of the door handle being grabbed and turned, Steve's voice laced with concern on the other side as he calls out, completely unknowing.

"Beat it, Harrington!"

She pulses, clenches around you when you speak so aggressively, the hand that's been covering her face closing into a tight fist as she silently begs for him to go away.

"What are you-"

"Busy!" She cries back, frustration coming out in the edge of her voice as the back of her head hits the door. "G-Getting boxes! Just a minute!"

"I...okay, I guess."

Sweet, completely oblivious Steve, it won't dawn on him what's happening until much later, you're sure. Shame you're gonna have to leave Robin to deal with the fallout when it happens, but yet again you've had to cover in a haste and you didn't have much choice. You stir your lonely digit inside her, get a feel for how she's tensing and squeezing around you like she's trying to milk the feeling as much as she can--but before long those eyes that were screwed shut in pleasure have opened again, and she taps hurriedly on your arm as a sign for you to extract your hand from her at once. It's a gentle process and a slow one, you hook your pinky into her panties to slide them back and pull on the waist of her pants to pull your hand out without catching it on anything--and when you raise your hand to your mouth, the words flutter out as easily as if you had practiced them.

"I've been waiting for this all day."

With that, you let your tongue loll out of your mouth and press your wet finger into it, a shudder immediately running through your body when you taste it, and hers when she watches you suck her slick off your hand as if it's some kind of honey-sweet nectar. It really could be, she tastes so divine--and when it's gone, it's like the stockroom doesn't exist and you just want more.

"O-Okay.." Only when she manages to catch that fleeting breath is she able to speak coherently, although in barely a whisper out of fear of Steve overhearing. "Okay, you proved it. Jesus. You're crazy."

You love that she says it with a smile. A breathless, rosy-cheeked one, that you want so badly to kiss but she does it first--she practically dives in for it, her hands on her belt first to readjust it before they come up to cup your cheeks.

"I...I've got a whole shift to get through, and I'm just gonna be thinking about you." The flutter of her lashes as she looks at you, the myriad of other thoughts she swallows down to save herself from riling you up further, the love in her sigh as she basks in the glow of your touch...it's all just perfect.

"Good. It'll keep your eyes off any pretty girls. You're mine." You can afford to be cheeky, another kiss stolen off her lips that she melts into without any hesitation. And another, and another, and another still, until she's pulling away to put herself back into place and dust herself off of your influence.

"Phew....you gotta leave out the back, or Steve'll know-"

"-Know that I tried to finger his coworker in your stockroom?" She pushes on your arm, nose adorably crinkled as you giggle at your own dirty joke. But you sober up as the laughter dies down, and twirl a strand of her hair around your finger.

"I love you, baby. And I'm sorry, really. I didn't mean it."

"It's okay. I know you didn't, and I forgive you. And I love you. Too." She pecks you on the nose, her hands itching to get more of you but her good sense getting the better of her. Steve's probably already pacing around the counter, wondering what's taking you and her so long--maybe he thinks you're having a fight. How wrong he would be. "I can't wait to finish. I'll miss you."

"Oh, and I'll finish you when you get to my place. Smell ya later, Buckley." You flash her a wink and a grin, and with that you're stepping back and getting on your way towards the back door while she tries to shake that blush and the big, giddy smile off her face.

[crispy-bonnie]

Hi hi!!! Hopefully requests are open!!

I was wondering if you could write for a platonic!payday gang with an adopted teen!reader??

I was thinking that bain ended up adopting teen!reader and now the gang just coddles them. You can write for whoever for this request!! :DD

- have a nice day/night!!!

yeah no problem ! i'm not too experienced with writing platonic things , let alone teenage/child reader situations , but i can most definitely try !

You're adopted by the Payday gang

The gang literally has no fucking clue what to do with you when they find you in front of the safe house

You were dropped off by Twitch at the safe house and Duke was the one to meet with you first

Litearally has no clue what's going on, and the rest of the crew ends up gathering as well to see what was happening

Dallas eventually got a call from Bain, explaining the entire situation

You were adopted by Bain for reasons unknown, and now you kinda just live there

It takes a bit of time for the gang to warm up to you, but once they do, it's pure fun from then on out

Jiro is like the calm parental figure that teaches you coping mechanisms for things like anxiety, depression, or other issues

He's the first one to notice if something's wrong, and he would be the first one you would go to

Duke is like that really cool relative that can and will blabber on about ancient shit

He'll offer to take you to a museum of your choice on his days off, and if you take a real interest in something you see, then he'll probably steal it during a heist just to make you happpy

Sydney, Joy, and Wolf are basically your chaotic family

Joy will teach you the ropes on tech and hacking, Sydney would let you go ham on designing masks, and Wolf would help you try to make your own contraption in his workshop

These situations typically get you and the gang in some trouble [Making a mess with paint, making the most dangerous fucking contraption in humanity, accidentally hacking into some really dangerous/important database, etc]

That's where Aldsotne, Dallas, and Hoxton come in

They're like the calm and tired parents of the gang like oml give them a fucking break

If chaos ensues and it involves you, Dallas will be the first one to hear about it and immediately try to diffuse the situation

Hoxton would be the one to give you a good scolding about it, and Aldstone would be the one cleaning and teen-proofing the place where it happened

Sokol and Bonnie are the more chill ones and often like to teach you how to play games

Sokol will teach you how to play hockey, and he might even take you to an ice skating rink to teach you how to skate [if you don't know how to that is]

Bonnie would teach you the tricks behind gambling. Obviously she won't use real money when playing with you, but she'll use fake chips to demonstrate the stakes that are put on the table when in such situation

Jacket is like that weird and quiet relative that you are a little uncomfortable with but manage to get along with him after a few hours

He'll let you record your own lines for his tape recorder and might even use them during heists

Jacket also likes to offer to play video games with you, and you often beat him in them. Of course, he doesn't complain or anything because if he did, he knew he'd probably be mauled

Ethan and Hila like to invite you to record videos with them

Whether it be a vlog about daily life, a YouTube challenge, or a talent showoff, they always wanna make sure you feel included

Hell, when they post their vlogs, they'll often brag about how epic you are and make sure that you get a nice amount of attention on social media. If you're okay with it that is

All in all, the Payday gang is a pretty good family considering your whole orphan situation

You honestly wouldn't trade them for a different family

[ckret2]

omg how do you seem to pull all the niche things i love out of my brain and put them in your au?? when i was a kid growing up in the early 2000s i was unhealthily obsessed with rainbow brite even though literally no one else my own age had ever heard of it and that was my first in a line of many socially isolating media interests. this is the second time you've pulled this for me as i am also one-eyed anon, henceforth signed as 👁️🕳️.

keep up the great stories ow-

Eyyy a repeat anon, hello!

When I was a kid we lived walking distance from a video rental store (honest-to-god VIDEO rental, with VCR tapes) and they had several 80s Rainbow Brite videos I'd pester my family to check out over and over. We managed to record the movie off of TV and somehow i got ONE Rainbow Brite children's book. And that's what I had access to! I loved it. I was in love with rainbows; I was fascinated by the unexpectedly (to me) grimdark dystopian origin story they gave Wisp; and I was a unicorn kid and wholly embraced Starlite as an honorary unicorn, like he doesn't need the horn to qualify, he's THAT magnificent. I believe his hype.

One of my long term life goals is to make a Rainbow Brite cosplay, but like, one that looks like real clothing made out of quality materials rather than a costume. I'm talking "hand dying the leather for the belt," "rainbow ombré Marie sleeves," QUALITY looking. The kind of thing that makes anyone who hasn't seen the show go "what avant-garde fashion designer did you steal this next gen runway look from" and anyone who HAS seen the show go "excuse me are you literally the actual rainbow brite?" This is my dream.

I was inspired to make the post a few days ago because I've been rewatching the series on youtube this week to get into the What Kinds Of Shows Would Mabel Watch mindset. I look at Shimmery Twinkleheart and go "okay so the vibes we're shooting for here are like, Rainbow Brite, Care Bears, and G1 My Little Pony, got it." (And I've been seeing some episodes I'd never seen before! I guess the video store didn't have many season 2 episodes. Couple nights ago I was sitting on my couch, an entire adult with a job and a mortgage, going "what do you mean Murky only hates colors because of childhood trauma... what the fuck... my mind is blown... this changes everything." The seven-year-old in me who thought Rainbow & Murky should make up and be friends feels vindicated.) Probably gonna watch Star Stealer tonight and then my Rainbow Brite rewatch will be complete.

[tobiasdrake]

We have a lot to work with. We've figured out much of the structure of this murder but the fine details remain elusive.

Did we fucking leave!? Why? Why did we leave!? Did we at least check out the rain gutter before we left!?

Oh, we left so that Yakou could flex his capacity for performing rigorous background checks. That is a well-established character trait. He (unknowingly) uncovered a chief contradiction in Fake Yuma's identity that could have unraveled the entire impersonation.

Lots of financial debt + huge inheritance = one hell of a motive. Also, the family dog never liked him either.

But is it waterproof?

Jeryn doesn't have an alibi before 8. There's a one-hour window of time between Pops leaving dinner and Jeryn taking dinner, during which things could have been arranged.

If he left Pops unconscious in the fish room and then let the rain do the dirty work, he could then spend the next four hours with Tetra forging his alibi.

Which is why we probably should have taken a look at the fucking rain gutters. But don't mind me.

Okay, I suppose we're going for the hard bluff, then. Halara's an incredible gambler. We even saw as much in Chapter Fubuki. I trust their instincts on when to hold and when to fold. If our Ace Detective thinks they can wring Jeryn's secrets out of his neck with a bit of applied pressure, I'll back that play.

We've cracked everything. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I mean, not to a Mystery Labyrinth standard but please do not look at the enby behind the curtain. I assure you that it's all uncovered. Trust me.

Halara's doing the thing. The big Whodunit thing, where the detective gathers everyone into a room to walk them through all the pieces of the case.

That's appropriate. They are the only character in this agency who would actually be the star of a detective novel.

Not looking good for you, Jeryn. If the point was to falsify an alibi then that should naturally bring suspicion down on people who have alibis.

See, that's why I wanted to check out the rain gutters. This is the exact piece of information we needed to clinch the murder weapon.

We could assume that they something something with the rain gutter, but the fact that there's a hole drilled there is extremely condemning.

Yakou confidently exclaims "What!? No!" while the floodline is so clearly visible behind him.

I. Genuinely can't tell if he's failing to follow Halara's logic, or if he's playing his part. Halara's unpacking the crime for Tetra, so Yakou may be playing the fool to give them prompts.

Hold up, that would implicate the servant, wouldn't it? The one who prepared dinner? But they left at 7. Also, they weren't the one messing around with the rain gutter.

I guess it could still have been Jeryn if he was crafty about it.

Which is how they knocked him out. Also makes sense how they were able to be confident he'd stay out for hours, if the drug was powerful enough. Okay, I'm with you on that point.

As we suspected, the duct tape was meant to waterproof. They could then leave through the unlocked veranda door.

Okay, so that's why no one heard the breaking glass. Since this was being done surgically, rather than in a fit of rage, it could have been done quietly.

We never got to check the veranda, to find the tape marks on the exterior or the hole in the gutter. Seems like we should have done that.

And that's the whole trick. It's super overcomplicated but a guy like Jeryn who does nothing but watch handyman videos all day had plenty of time to concoct it.

[allthefakepeople]

For the writing prompts: I would love a conversation between Wille and his mom. Something along the lines of Your my family, too and/or I would have needed my mom nlt the fucking Queen of Sweden. But, also feel free to do what you want with these prompts.

hi lovely

i'm excited for this one. it's definitely different than the others, as simon doesn't star in it at all (although he is mentioned) and, as you wanted, mainly focuses on the dynamic between Kristina and Wille. it's on the shorter side (tho still over 1.4K lol, maybe i don't know what shorter side means lol)) but i still hope that it's everything you wanted and more

sorry it took me a few days. 

i hope you all like it! :)))

-Miels 💜✨

Writing Prompts

“You’re my family too. I needed my mom not the fucking Queen of Sweden”

The last thing he expected when he was called into a meeting with his mother over winter break was to come face to face with August, who didn’t seem to know if he should look guilty or smug. That expression alone caused anger to shoot through Wille faster than anything else. August hadn’t even opened his mouth and Wille already wanted him gone from his presence.

Instead of giving August his attention for any longer, knowing it’s what August probably wanted,  he turned his furious face towards his mother, whose face was calm.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Wille was proud of how level his voice came out. Wille hated the tut that came from Kristina’s mouth at this.

“Wilhelm, please. There’s no need to be childish. I called you here so we could all have a conversation like adults,” That made Wille’s mouth drop open, both in shock and even more anger. 

“Childish. Childish? You think I’m being childish?” Wille doesn’t think he’s ever been more mad in his entire life. He hated that his mother’s face didn’t change. “Let’s review shall we? August hid outside my window and filmed me having sex,” Wille doesn’t miss the flinch that crosses Kristina’s face when the word leaves his mouth and opens her mouth to interrupt, but he doesn’t let her, “Then he took that video and published it online for the entire world to see. Not only putting a video of me having sex on the internet but also outing me as well. And he’s never even explained to me why he did it. So no mother, I don’t think I’m the one that’s being childish here. In fact, I think given the circumstances my reaction is well warranted.” He’s practically panting when he gets all of that out, but the Queen’s face barely changes. 

“Wilhelm I didn’t ask you to come here so you could yell at me,” Wille interrupted her before she could continue.

“No. Instead you asked me to come here to bombard me with the person that released a sex-tape of your son” Wille watched as his mother just barely flinched again at the word “sex”. “Yes, a sex-tape mother. That’s what he released. So don’t expect us to be holding hands around a campfire any time soon,” Wille hoped that by repeating that word enough times he would finally break through to his mom about how fucked up this whole situation was. When she opened her mouth again, he braced for some kind of understanding. Instead.

“Please, Wilhelm. August is family,” Yet again Wille didn’t let her get further than that.

“You’re my family too. I needed my mom not the fucking Queen of Sweden” This time there seemed to be a crack in the Queen’s armour. “Family doesn’t do this to each other. Family doesn’t betray each other. Family doesn’t brush off their children’s concerns and wants and needs. Family doesn’t keep important information to themselves. And family definitely doesn’t leak a sex-tape of their other family members.” Wille can hear his voice getting louder and louder as he continues to lay his heart at the feet of two people who never deserved it in the first place  “So no mother, August is no family of mine. In fact, you’re barely family anymore either,” This is one it finally seems to break through to Kristina. Wille sees the first crack in her mask at these words.

“Wilhelm I was trying to protect you,” He’s heard this all before. He doesn’t want to hear these excuses again.

“No mamma. You were trying to protect you. You’re trying to protect all of this,” Wille gestures at the large room surrounding them, though he knows his mother knows that Wille means being royalty as a whole. “You’re trying to make me Erik,” Kristina flinches again at Erik’s name leaving Wille’s mouth. “Well guess what mamma, I’m not Erik. I will never be Erik. The sooner you figure that out the better.” He didn’t really want to be having this conversation in front of August after everything, but he wasn’t going to hold back his words now. He knew that this is something his mother needed to hear. “I know that you’d prefer if Erik was still in my place. I know that, as hard as I try, I will never be the crowd prince that you want me to be. But Erik is gone, Mamma” Now tears are starting to gather in the corners of Wille’s eyes, he’s pretty sure his Kristina’s eyes are wet too. “He’s gone and I’m what’s left. And I’m right here. I’m right in front of you. So you need to take a long look in the mirror and have a long moment with yourself because you’re losing me too. I’m right here and you’re still losing me.” The tears are no longer being held back, spilling over much like the words leaving his mouth. His next words are so vulnerable he can’t keep eye contact “but I need you mamma,” 

He keeps his eyes to the floor so he doesn’t realize his mother is moving until she’s right in front of him, pulling him into her arms. He freezes before melting all the way into her. He doesn’t remember the last time his mom hugged him. Even though she was shorter than him, he bent into her and hid his face in her neck at this display of emotion. It was only then that his mom started speaking to him, quietly so that August couldn’t hear.

“I’m so sorry darling, I’m so sorry.” She kept repeating apologies into his ear. She pulls away from him and cups his face with her hands, wiping away the tears that are still falling from Wille’s eyes. “I don’t want to lose you Wilhelm. I only wanted to protect you but I see now that I might have gone about it the wrong way” Yeah, no shit. Wille doesn’t voice this particular thought, not when his mom is opening up to him for the first time. “You are everything to me Wilhelm and I’m sorry I’ve done such a bad job of showing that lately.” 

Wille doesn’t say that it’s okay because it isn’t and it might not be for a while. But a weight is lifted off his shoulders. 

“So, what do you want to do? It’s a question I should’ve asked to begin with,” 

“I want you to start to support me. If he’ll take me back, I want to be able to keep seeing Simon,” At this, Kristina starts to open her mouth but he interrupts “I won’t make it all public, but I won’t hide him. He doesn’t deserve to be a secret. We’ll keep it as just among the people we trust and care about until we’re ready,” Kristina nods at this. “Also” He flicks his eyes to where August is still standing in the corner, watching all of this. “I want to never have to see August again” August starts to protest, Wille doesn’t let him. “We don’t have to do anything publicly and I’m too tired to bring this to court, but I want him away and out of my life,” His mother’s eyes scan his face, probably looking for the truth behind his words or to double check that this is actually what he wants. She nods.

“Very well,” August’s protest becomes much more vocal.

“Kristina please,” Kristina turns to August then, looking vaguely pitying but mostly like the Queen that she is.

“I’m sorry, August, there’s nothing more I can do. You will be starting at a school in Switzerland after the holidays and are hereby banned from any future royal events. If you approach Wilhelm again, further actions will be taken,” Wille is reminded of just how good a Queen his mother can be. August looks like he wants to protest even more but there’s nothing more to say. August spares Wille one more glance, who just continues to stare him down, before leaving the room. Wille assumes a guard will be taking him where he needs to go. August takes the final bits of tension with him, leaving Wille to breathe normally for the first time since he entered the office. He glances back at his mother. She looks at him, a love that he hasn’t seen in a while shines in her eyes.

“Well,” She starts, “Isn’t there someone you should be calling?” At this, Wille dashes up to his mom and leaves a brief kiss on her cheek with a quick “Thank you, Mamma” before speed-walking out of the office. He barely even hears his mom’s “Wilhelm don’t run,”. He has a phone call to make after all. 

[wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart]

And another average day at Family Video:

"No you literally can't"

"Of course you can, dingus! Some are just classics!"

"Well, and some go to Family Video to browse and randomly choose movies they know nothing about!"

"But doesn't that further prove my point?! Why would someone choose a movie solely by the cover if the cover is just a hot person?!"

"Well you said that Rocky Horror is also a queer classic and me and Tommy chose that one at random back when we were both assholes. If you'd flirted with Carol then you probably would have been hate-crimed."

"That is not a word"

"Well good thing I don't work in a fucking library then"

They glare at each other. If this was another genre, this story would end in a fight to the death. As things are, they are just two best friends getting unnecessarily heated while fighting about nothing. To be fair, it's more entertaining than watching the same two questionable movies over and over again.

Robin crosses her arms. "Okay. So just, let me repeat. To make sure I understood. You - who have admitted that you would sleep with Jonathan and Eddie if the chance arose and made out with Tommy multiple times - watched Rocky Horror Picture Show with Tommy, who may I remind you - you made out with multiple times, which once again, fucking ew-"

"Hey! He was the one who suggested it first!"

"And then you have the audacity to say that Rocky Horror Picture Show isn't gay?!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M FUCKING SAYING. If one were to see the cover with no context and decided to rent it just to see what it is about-"

"You mean the cover of Tim Curry in drag?!"

"Yeah well, Tommy was the one who chose the movie, and he is straight. So."

"Didn't you just say that Tommy was the one who wanted to kiss you first?!?"

Steve rolls his eyes so hard it's a wonder they stay safely inside their socket. "Yeah, but that's just the normal amount of same-sex attraction every straight dude has. That was just boys being boys. If that made someone gay, the whole basketball team would be full of queers"

"First of all, I will be coming back to that last bit later-"

"You? Coming for the all-male basketball team? Never thought I'd see the day"

He can admit that he probably deserves the kick against his shin.

"Focus, dingus! Let me just repeat what you just said. And I want you to think about it carefully, okay?! So in your words, a boy kissing another boy is not gay, unless one of the boys acknowledges that that is gay?"

"Uhm, duh?"

"So you and Tommy kissing was... straight?"

"I mean. No. Because I have now realized that I am not straight which retroactively makes the making out sessions gay"

Robin thumps her head against the counter. She takes a deep breath and does it again for good measure.

"I- oh my god. Okay. Just. Think about what you just said, okay? Think about it carefully. Think about it while you rewind that stack of tapes."

"Hey isn't it your turn?"

"Wrong thing to think about! You do that while I clean this...already clean counter. Again."

He gives her the stink eye but does as he is told.

They change topics. Robin tells him about the newest gossip in band. It is surprisingly intense. Just like Robin is also intense. Maybe only intense people go to band. Or maybe playing an instrument makes you intense? Well, he has a band member right here, so he asks, and they spend the next half an hour making fun of various instruments. The gay-jokes-whiteboard gains a lot of new points.

Both are laughing so hard they don't even realize they have a customer until the girl is standing in front of the counter, "The Wizard of Oz" in her hands. Steve raises a brow. Do you think this one is gay too? Robin nods to the snap hook hooked to her trousers holding her keys. Duh. He rolls his eyes. I also do this all the fucking time. It's convenient, okay?! It means nothing. Robin only looks at him with a deadpan look. You are literally further proving my point.

It is then that it clicks. "Oh my god it was gay! What the fuck?!"

Robin's face falls. He hears a gasp from somewhere behind him. Oh yeah. They were not alone in the shop right now. Fuck.

Steve thinks he vaguely recognizes her. He never talked to her, but it is hard to miss her bright red hair. Her name was....Vinnie? Or something? Right??

She looks down to her snap hook. It seems like she is going to run out of the shop at any moment. But then she takes a deep breath and looks up again, determination in her eyes. "Are you...are you also a friend of Dorothy?"

Robin's eyes shine. Steve goes to the back to have his mental breakdown in peace.

Steve isn't sure how much time passes before he dares to come out again. Vanessa (?) is gone and Robin looks incredibly smug.

He sighs. A true man knows when to admit defeat. "Okay. Maybe you had a point. With Tommy."

Her smile widens even more. "Only Tommy?"

"And the basketball team. And Valerie."

She frowns. "Who the fuck is Valerie."

"The girl who just left? Red hair? Also in band I think? Friend of Dorothy or whatever?"

"Her name is Vicky."

"Hey, I got the first letter right. If you expect much more from me you are seriously deluding yourself."

Robin rolls her eyes. They continue working in silence, but there is a tension in the air that hasn't been there since Robin first came out to him. Steve is not a very patient dude, but he can wait as long as it takes when it regards someone he cares about. And so he does.

"...Hey Steve?"

"Yes Robin?"

"I- I know we talk about it relatively openly here because it's always deserted when we have a shift together for some reason. But for the love of god, you need to be more careful. Okay?! The thing with Vicky was a lucky shot-"

"You mean your future girlfriend?~"

She pinches his lower back. Everybody looks at them weird when they do that, but it is very effective. The skin is still tender where they got their matching tramp stamps and it hurts like a bitch.

"I'm serious."

He looks at her. Sees the fear in her eyes. And he nods. I know. I promise. I'm sorry. He doesn't have to say it out loud for Robin to understand him. She knows that he means it, that he will probably be overly careful for a few weeks before they find a comfortable middle ground again. That he would never betray her trust. That is the reason they are soulmates, after all.

He isn't angry when she still asks him for reassurance anyway. "I promise", he says, more serious than he has been all day. They are both getting better at that, asking for verbal affirmation.

Another customer comes in. It's a cute girl. She rents the new Tom Cruise movie and Robin finally gets to take out the you-suck-board again.

"Okay, but did you really never realize that making out with other boys is kind of fruity?! Did I literally have to spell it out for you?"

"Hey! You yourself said that it's hard to 'break out of a heteronormative mindset' and shit. Plus, this is actually my second shift. And I used my break to drive you from school to work. So like, cut me some slack"

"Steve! I told you to stop taking double shifts all the time! No wonder you look so exhausted dingus"

"Well, Buckley, I would. But as I am sure you are fully aware Dustin's birthday is in two weeks and I need money to buy him that stupid nerd-thingie he's obsessing about-"

(more average days)

[mxmasters]

who do u consider closer friends out of the GAW?

ahh, well, "close" is relative. GAW is a lot like family, in that there's lots of people in the mix and you don't really know all of them as much (or as little) as you might want to.

mind you, they're also comrades, so I'd step up and fight for any of 'em. Especially the kids. it's a fucked-up world and they need someone in their corner.

last thing: I have, uh. problems. sharing past events. so I'm scared of getting too close to certain people. you know how it is.

aside from that... wait, am I allowed to be specific?

I don't see a problem with it, so long as we make one thing clear: only a few of these characters are original to the MxTape. Everything else is based on my interpretations of existing works, and the original authors always have the final say.

MxTape Originals, aka Steal These OCs

Doreen Gray (alwaysbpositive): Met her because of my delivery work. She needed some ethically-sourced B+, and I knew some queer people with units to spare. Not like Canadian Blood Services wants it! Homophobes. Anyway we've been friendly ever since. She's got two moods: energetic and depressed. I can relate.

meatgerm: I've crashed on this man's couch twice and still don't know his name. Do NOT eat his cooking! He WILL prank you. Really good fiddle player, though.

Tanya Miller (twilight_tone): Extremely close! We are partners! Sometimes we even dream together.

Louis (WHEREISMYHOG): never met IRL but he's got some wild stories and a solid understanding of magical theory.

Penelope Gore (whistl_stahp): yo we've talked about this.

MxTape Guests, aka Upcoming Attractions

Desmond Callaghan (gothicalfallacy): really, really cool! Hand member. Fellow Jojo appreciator. Probably the only person I know who understands theory better than WHEREISMYHOG. Go-to-guy for questions. Too bad he's only available, like, half the time.

Judith Feingold (thisisstupid12345): Desmond's sister; also a Hand member. Barely involved with GAW, but she kept logging into her brother's account and bones said that was against the rules, so here we are. Not magical, but very, very keen on guns, so she mostly talks with _FuddruckeR_.

GAW Members, aka "Janitors call us PoIs"

bones: we got to talking after the whole "terrestrial years" thing, and as it turns out... it's not doing a bit! an actual alien satellite. That sorta blew my mind. bones is a bit short and perfunctory sometimes but I think it's just doing the absolute best it can with people it doesn't entirely understand, which... same, tbh?

acuterobot: adorable. following her tumblr blog got me in some trouble, but I don't hold that against her.

polaricecraps: ehhh complicated. I see a lot of myself in PIC, but he's smarter than I was at his age and that cuts both ways. He's in it for the right reasons but speaking from experience, that's a great way to shoot yourself in the foot. He also lost my fucking TAPE but I puked in his van a while back so we're calling it even.

Andressa (gaycopmp4) and Dahlia (hetcopogg): literally the cutest couple I've ever seen. Fierce, passionate, committed to justice... and, uh, their kid? pretty sure Heather (Ms. Mad About Video Games) counts as their daughter. I send them tons of care packages with how-to books and chill retro games.

Armand (harmpit): extremely funny, lots of cool tricks, really difficult to understand in conversation. Marginally easier in text.

kkrule and kektagon: drive me ABSOLUTELY FUCKING INSANE. They're basking in the low-grade background radiation of the Internet and they're going to get emotional cancer. I've been there and I desperately want to help steer them out of it but GOD DAMN they are insufferable.

opossum: even worse. Probably the single most abrasive person I've ever met. Always arguing. Banned multiple times but never perma'd.

FreakyGhostBed: doesn't get out much, so I installed a media server in his family's basement so he can keep busy while they're asleep. we've hung out a few times since then. we mostly talk about movies.

_FuddruckeR_ and orbhorse: live and work on a ranch in the Southern States. Fantastic hosts, so long as you can tolerate Fudd plinking at targets all day.

CommunismAnarchismNihilism: incredible source for zines and materiel, a decent percentage of which have some kind of juice to them. We trade stuff. we also argue a lot (politics) but that's all in good fun (I think?)

fallout_meta.txt: escaped some real nasty characters to become a better person. I respect that, and I respect their top-tier opsec, because I don't know a single thing about them besides what's necessary.

FunkoPopFan1: not very active in the chat (super shy), but extremely resourceful, good at manipulating plastics, and passionate about her hobbies. Sadly one of those hobbies is collecting funko pops.

tabris, hybridRainbow, starspark, chokerless and bluefootedboobies: I would ride or die for all these kids.

And finally, The Big Three.

Esther Kogan (lesbian_gengar): friendly in the chat but we haven't met in person, bc she has deep ties in Three Ports and maybe she heard something about my fuckup back in 2008. On the other hand... remember what I said about having a type? The type who could kick my ass? Well, LG could definitely do that. In fact she could probably fry my brain. Yow!

JJ (jockjamsvol6): this dude defies description. I mean yes, he's hot, and he's chill, but the second he walks into a room... you know you're in for some shit. JJ is always EXACTLY where he's supposed to be, and as a genre-savvy person, that is TERRIFYING, because the narrative flows AROUND HIM. It's like watching someone waltz through a hurricane; it's cool, but not super safe for whoever stands around gawking.

And lastly... Jude Kriyot (bluntfiend). The man, the myth, the legend. The guy who walked away from AWCY and lived to tell the tale. (Or lie about it, at least.)

This is where things get really difficult for me, cuz... well, I'm an anarchist. The idea of following any one guy doesn't appeal to me. BUT! there is no GAW without Jude, and once you meet him, you can understand why. He's got something special. Not confidence or charisma or whatever (he's actually a clumsy dork), but heart and integrity, for sure. He believes in humanity. He believes in something good, and when you're hanging out, you want to believe in it too.

That said, he's also a fucking mess. I'm not judging (I'm a mess too), but on some level, I like to think I'm getting my shit together. Jude is more like... uh, a shonen protagonist between story arcs. You know? He just sorta stews in his own funk. Depressed. Off in his own little world. Like Johnny Joestar, before meeting Gyro. There's only one person who can reliably shake him out of it, and... well, it's not me.

I admire Jude. I really do. I want to trust him with my secrets, but I can't, because he doesn't trust me with his. That's... fair. Trust is hard to earn. It's easier to lie. But when the chips are down, I've got Jude's back. I hope he'd do the same for me.

[leoalvarez-clowncarcommittee]

Ok I am going to write an actual FULL essay with sources and citations for my Leo-Apologist essay BUT I wanted to make a post going over my main points in the meantime. (The full essay with be sorted and cited like an actual essay lmao)

Leo in TJ's Route: during TJ's Route, the interference of Mirror Man prevents the Hysteria from taking place in 2015. Leo is completely and utterly normal in that route. He doesn't harass Chase, doesn't even call out of work, and asks Chase for another chance to reconnect, just the two of them another time. He isn't obsessive, controlling, or dangerous without the affect of the Hysteria.

Leo in Carl's Route: Leo is mostly absent in this route and we don't know how he reacts during the full on hysteria itself. However we do see him on Friday sit down and actually talk with Chase. The two talk for two hours and work out a lot of their issues, catch up, and even decide to try with the group activity on Saturday (which only goes into flames by Sydney some malevolent force holding Chase at the bottom of the lake, reigniting everyone's trauma in the most literal sense.) When Leo and Chase actually get to talk and discuss ANYTHING they work out a lot of their shit. It only takes them working together for even a second to start to move on.

Leo's intensity in Jenna and Flynn's Routes: Leo is far and away his "worse" in these two routes. With the incident at the family plex and barging into Flynn's house. Chases' text explain Leo's decision in Jenna's route to grope him, and their previous relationship dynamic made that a "normal" event. he probably should have asked, especially after the conversation outside the hotel, but it's within the realm of reason even before the supernatural. Leo's aggression in Flynn's route is much harder to justify, but Leo's previous relationship with Flynn and their problems could understandably set him on edge. If you talk to Leo during the route he also is able to move on and admit his mistakes and negative emotions which required banishing his Tulpa in Jenna's route to accomplish the same goal.

The Micha of it all: Seriously shut the fuck up lmfao. Micha was 14, and Leo 17. It's not fucking great, but they're both in highschool. They're gay and VERY stupid so like what fucking options did they have. Also Micha is almost the exact same age as Carl, and Carl and Chase are within the same school age group, so Micha and Chase are only off be a few months at most in age. The video taping isn't great but they didn't distribute it and THEYRE TEENAGERS AND STUPID. This is the Tumblr sjw/zoomer problematique-ization of everything argument and I don't listen to it because if you read the novel and remember the dates and ages and live in remotely the real world it's a moot point.

[lovebillyhargrove]

Wake me up when July is around

Chapter 13/?

***

Steve might not fully realise it, but the vacation, forced on him by his parents, isn't actually that bad.

At first he doesn't expect anything good to come out of the whole idea, cursing it on the morning of December 27th when he's being dragged out of his warm bed, made to pack and subjected to a 9-hour drive, only to arrive at their lake house, lost in winter wilderness, in complete darkness. The house is warm though - apparently, dad called the guy who keeps an eye on their estate during the year and told him they'd be coming, asked to turn the heating on. The way leading up to the house has been cleared of snow, and when the lights are turned on, and Steve together with his father start a fire in the fireplace while mom is warming up some food to eat, it makes Steve feel .. like a kid again. In a good way. Like there's something new ahead of him, different surroundings, new experiences. It makes excitement bubble in his chest. Of course, he'd never admit it, "I'm suffering" and "Why?" and "I'd rather have stayed home" written all over his face.

He even catches a moment alone with mom to hiss at her

"If dad is going to start lecturing me, I swear I'll take the car and drive back alone!"

"No-one wants to lecture you, Steve, we just want to spend some time together, as family."

Mom has probably discussed it with his father and specifically asked him not to nag cause, that's true, parents do not say a single word about uhm .. certain issues. All of them have more important stuff to tackle now, like bringing warm blankets from the car to the house and making beds, and generally making sure the house is liveable enough for this and for the following eleven nights.

When morning comes and the bright sun shines in his window, the air and the smells are so different from what he's used to waking up to back in Hawkins, Steve again doesn't hate the idea. He's stretching his body, long and slow, and falls back asleep.

Maybe mom's right. A change of scenery might do him good.

The place where their house is located, is beautiful. Steve knows it well, he's spent some time here almost every summer since he was little. However, now when he's visiting Lake Michigan’s beaches and trails in winter, he sees them in a whole new light.

They spend their days driving around the nearby towns. Turns out, it's not a bad way at all to start a winter’s day in the South Haven area with a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate from a local cafe and then head down to South Beach to see the frozen lighthouse and lakeshore. If it's a sunny day, it's dazzling and Steve has to put his Ray-bans on.

On New Year Day the whole family set off fireworks near the lake and drink champagne by the fireplace, watching TV.

During their time here Steve goes snow hiking and cross-country skiing on quiet trails, sometimes together with both mom and dad, sometimes only with dad. When Mr. Harrington has to go to Indianapolis for two days in the middle of their vacation - which makes mom unhappy, Steve can see it - they go hiking just with mom.

Normally Steve would whine about having to spend so much time with parents fucking hiking, but he right now he feels like he needs it.

When dad comes back, he takes Steve snowmobiling and downhill skiing. The speed and the risk get Steve's heart pumping, though mom worries too much about them doing it cause it's all "too extreme and dangerous."

They also get to see most breathtaking sunsets, and spend the dark evenings burning wood in the fireplace, watching movies and eating popcorn, mom has brought a lot of video tapes along, and although Steve has to watch some classics like "It's a wonderful life", the usual one around Christmas and New Year, he is also pleasantly surprised to see both of "Indiana Jones" movies among the tapes, "Never say never", "The outsiders", "Footloose" as well as "The Terminator" and many more, even "Gremlins."

Wow, mom has come prepared. Who knew his parents actually watched stuff like that.

One day, at the end of their holiday, they drive to Saint Joseph, the place that is famous for having some of the largest waves on Lake Michigan. They get to watch the mighty waves crash against the two old St.Joseph lighthouses creating a quaint formation of ice along the pier. It is windy and slippery as fuck, but the views are unusual and kinda cool.

For some reason the image and the sensation of Hargrove crowding him during basketball comes to Steve's mind.

Like those waves, feral and unrelenting. Like Billy has no control over it himself, subduing to the powers of nature that never asks or conforms

Or, Hargrove's still just a regular douchebag. Who does look good, but in a flashy irritating way. Whose attitude is the worst. Who's just the stupidest, and the sooner he fucks off from Hawkins, the better.

During all these days Hargrove's existence doesn't bother Steve at all. He's not on Steve's mind that much. Just one time he has a fuzzy dream featuring Billy's hot lips. Steve doesn't remember the details - his sleep is so deep and untroubled here - but he recalls the overall feeling when he wakes up in the morning, hard and on the verge of coming.

The feeling of want and .. fervour and something forbidden and ..

Steve's always liked girls, alright? This asshole is messing up his game.

He does come though, sleepily humping the bed, relishing the bits of the dream, powerless against primal urges, which he's not gonna fight when he's alone in the room.

Harrington's not even in a relationship anymore. He's free. He can do the fuck he wants.

***

All in all, Steve's having a great time these holidays. Who would've thought.

He might not realise it, but he thinks a lot during the winter break. It is quiet up here, cold and serene. The nippy fresh air and the whiteness of the untouched snow have cleared his mind, have helped him see certain things differently

Looking at the vast spaces and listening to the silence have made him take a look back.

Okay, he got his heart broken, he did. Steve doesn't deserve it, he tried to be the best boyfriend he could be. He was a good boyfriend. Wanted to give Nancy the world, had so much to offer, to share. To enjoy together.

The only thing that he couldn't help Nancy with was coping with Barb's vanishing. Apparently, Byers who went through a probably similar story with his brother was able to find the way to .. to understand her better? comfort her? say the right words at the right moment? Steve thinks it's unfair, he still hates the freak. He's still not over it, he doesn't know when he will be. If ever.

The pure whiteness shines bright under luminous sun rays, it hurts Steve's eyes, it's blinding him

He reaches for the sunglasses to shield his eyes.

Little by little he understands

He shouldn't have said and done some things. He went too far in his desire to hurt back.

He shouldn't have brought up Byers' family during that fight with him. Byers is a creep and a stalker, but the stuff Steve said about his family and especially his brother was just vile.

Steve's not above admitting his own mistakes.

He shouldn't have listened to Tommy and sprayed Nancy is a slut, black and ugly across the school wall.

Yes, she cheated on him and never explained anything, and it's fucking dishonest and humiliating, but Steve had to keep it private. He shouldn't have made it public, brought it into the open, let the crowd have their cheap fun.

Tommy is right though. The original idea belonged to Hagan, but Steve said yes and went along with it.

He could've said

Nah dude, seems too harsh

But he didn't.

Something is changing inside Steve.

The realisation that maybe everything is for the better is beginning to slowly settle in his heart.

Their relationship was doomed from the start, Steve can see it so clearly now. From that first night they spent together. The first time they made love. Nancy didn't and doesn't even care about it anymore, that night is the night her friend went missing, not their first night -

Her first time with a guy -

to remember, the gentle passion, the sweet tenderness. Steve gets it, but understanding doesn't ease the pain.

That unfortunate night defined their whole relationship, and all that time Steve was just chasing something impossible, something that had already been broken.

He couldn't repair it.

It's also .. you can't make someone love you back. It's either there, or not.

Steve should let himself ache.

And then

It's time to grow up and let go.

***

On the night when they return to Hawkins from the vacation the whole family immensely enjoyed, Steve's thinking about having to go back to school tomorrow, and among other stuff, a little thing emerges from Steve's memory and sets off a slight concern.

What did Hargrove mean that night when he said that "Steve might have a pretty face but that's not enough..?" What were the exact words .. "Not enough to make him .. not enough to give him any ideas?"

What the fuck was that? Sounded like utter disrespect. Like underestimation. Like Steve's not the most good-looking guy at Hawkins High. Cause he definitely is.

The nerve ! .. Not pretty enough, uh-huh.

You sure about that, California?

Since he's back to Hawkins and his usual life, Steve might get himself something to be busy with.

He's not just a random pretty face.

Steve accepts what seems to be like a challenge.

On the first morning of school after the break, Steve wakes up earlier than usual not to be in a rush.

He turns on the music in his room, 84' hottest hits, and the day starts with

I want to break free

I want to break freeeee

God knows

God knows I want to break free

Steve styles his hair with even more precision than usual. Chooses his clothes more carefully, the colours that bring out the best in his appearance. Probably the forest green sweater that goes so well with the dark brown of his hair and eyes .. or the mustard yellow one .. light coral? one of his pastel polos maybe and a gray cardigan on top?

Hmmm ..

Steve makes his choice in favour of a warm-red sweater, the colour's not too bright, it's deep and exquisite, and it looks terrific on him. Also red will make him stand out.

Honestly, all his clothes look dope, he'll just wear something new every day.

But I have to be sure

When I walk out that door

Oh how I want to be free

Beige pants that hug his ass just right. He looks fucking good.

Let's apply some perfume.

Now he smells divine, too.

Steve winks at his own reflection in the mirror and smiles

Got to make it on my own

So baby can't you see

I've got to break free

His face is even a bit tanned from all the sunshine he was lucky to enjoy at Lake Michigan, and it makes him look even better, rested, fresh.

Mmm yeah. Who's not pretty enough now.

Oh, that's a nice one as well, Steve hasn't heard it in a while

I lose my cool when she steps in the room

And I get so excited just from her perfume

Electric eyes that you can't ignore

And passion burns you like never before

Steve finally unglues himself from the mirror and takes his letterman jacket out of the closet, he should totally take it to the dry cleaners on the way to school.

Nancy didn't like it but he looks too good in the jacket not to wear it.

He's not captain anymore, but he's still in the team and he's kept the number, so the jacket is still relevant.

He'll wear it tomorrow.

And our hearts they beat as one

No more love on the run

Steve gets in the car

Tunes onto the same radio station, turns up the volume to the maximum.

I was in search of a good time

Just running my game

Love was the furthest

Furthest from my mind

He looks great, feels fantastic, got his head straight.

Oohhh that's the new song, he heard it a couple of times in December last year, and hey, it's a catchy one. He likes it.

Taaaaaake ooooon meeeee

Take on me

Steve's singing along, loud, he can, he's alone in the car and no-one's gonna judge him

Taaaaaakeee meeeee oooon

Yeah so, Hargrove.

Back to Hawkins, back to its realities. Everything can actually align quite well with his initial plan. Remember the plan? Cause Steve does, but it's kinda vague now.

What was it even? To make Hargrove a lesser pain in the ass, show him who is who, make him humble? Honestly, so many things have happened since then. It's not the first item on the agenda.

Steve barely remembers the guy's name.

Har-grope? .. Har-drove?

Harr-asshole? Heheehe, that's a funny one

Anyways

I'll beeee goooone

In a day or twooooo

He knows Hargrove's secret now - but it's not a secret, really. It's not like Billy is gonna beg him not to tell anyone they've kissed.

Might be interesting to see the big bad Billy actually begging. On his knees

Harrington can end up compromising himself, if anything. He still doesn't know how he feels about the whole drunk smoochies incident.

The incident that has occurred twice.

Everything that has happened - not much, nothing meaningful, just drunken moments - should stay between the two of them, that's for sure.

So needless to say

Of odds and ends

I'll be stumbling away

Slowly learning that life is okay

Really like .. why the hell not? Steve can keep Hargrove merely as a way of distraction while he's going through serious stuff.

A little harmless game that gives him adrenaline rush.

It's even .. it's kinda good for him, you know? Keeps him on his toes.

The music is perfect this morning.

I'll be coming for you anyway ..

Taaaaake oooon meeeee

Take on me

Upon arriving at school, Steve can feel it -

Eyes are on him.

He opens the car door wide, music blasting another 1984 charts favourite

She's an easy lover

She'll get a hold on you, believe it

Steve isn't in a hurry to get inside the school. Takes out a white Parliament, smokes lazily, ass on the still warm hood if the beamer

She's like no other

Before you know it you'll be on your knees

Whose car does Steve see slowly rolling into the parking lot

The blue Camaro

She's an easy lover

She'll take your heart but you won't feel it

The driver's door opens and the messy mullet is back in Steve's peripheral vision. New year, same fucking stupid haircut.

There's screaming music coming from Billy's car too, but Steve can't make out what the song is.

Ah, like fuck he cares. The dude's got no style. Not with anything.

Harrington has a feeling that Hargrove's turning his head and staring in his direction

But maybe not

Steve's not gonna check

He can ignore the prick for now

"Steve, my man! How you been?"

"Hey, Harrington, someone told me you quit school? Went to Massachusetts?"

Whaaat kind of gossip is that, jesus

She'll take your heart but you won't feel it

She's like no other

Girls are looking. Guys high five him. Tommy is by his side. They are walking towards the school, him and his pack. Carol is smiling. Nicole is staring like she wants to lick him from head to toe. Katie, the girl he used to date ages ago, looks very much interested again. Roy keeps asking dumb questions.

It's a fucking excellent morning. It's good to be back.

Steve again catches Hargrove out of the corner of his eye, standing near the locker now. Steve laughs at Nicole's joke just a little too loud, and that gets the job done - it gets the other boy's attention, he's definitely watching the King, again

Billy's stare lingers, and Steve smiles at Nicole, flashing his dazzling white, slides a hand through his hair and casually puts it on his hip.

Hargrove can't help himself, it's so obvious.

Wipe the drool, sweetheart

Cause it's dripping

You're making a mess

During the day - shared classes, hallways and lunch break - he sneaks a peek, more often than earlier, and Steve keeps a loose track.

Not pretty enough huh?

Don't look then.

Oh, but you are.

Looking.

Get fucked, asshole.

***

***

Billy's mouth runs dry - that's definitely the cigarette

and his heart skips a beat - no explanation

when he notices Harrington in the parking lot. He hasn't seen him for about two weeks, since Andy's party. The rich boy looks too good on the first day of school. The vacay with mommy and daddy must've been awesome.

It's like he's a different person - the mopey bitch that Harrington was for the most of November and December, is gone, and here is King Steve again, shining in all his royal glory.

He looks even better than in the early fall, no joyless girlfriend hanging on his arm, sucking the life out of him, it definitely makes him sparkle bright like a medieval queen's precious jewellery

Classy.

Expensive.

Billy shouldn't be staring

It's rude

Hargrove's never rude without a reason.

So he looks the other way.

When later Billy's digging in his locker, three minutes before the first period

He catches the sound of Harrington's laughter - why is the fucker laughing so loud

Too fucking loud, shut up

Billy throws a glance.

Did someone finally get over his broken heart lame crap? Or is that a part of some kind of show?

Hargrove notices how pretty Harrington looks when he smiles so wide, so careless

Outright beautiful.

Hey, it's rude to stare, dammit

Billy finally forces himself to avert his eyes, and they fall on the box

Behind the stacked books

Shit, he almost forgot about someone's - definitely Harrington's - welcome gift that's still lying in his locker.

The fucking dildo.

It's so stupid. He should probably just throw it away.

Yeah, he should. Why the fuck is he still keeping it? Honestly, he kinda forgot about it lying there

Suddenly

Out of the blue

Billy's face feels hot

He's blushing like a fucking virgin, getting caught imagining stuff

Fucking shit

Billy slams the locker shut banging his fist on it, loudly. People are turning their heads in his direction. He just walks to class

Harrington's annoying laughter still ringing in his ears.

Fucking rich mama's golden baby going on vacation and coming back looking like that

Who does he think he is.

Billy liked it more when Steve just ghosted through the school hallways not causing any trouble.

Cause now it's trouble.

What comes next, is two fucking weeks of trying not to look too much. Two weeks of this maddening smell of the sweetest perfume in the gym locker room, during practice and around the whole school.

Billy is grateful for the weekends cause he, at least, doesn't have to smell this damn scent everywhere he goes.

Harrington even plays differently. More graciously

More in control

More like .. fucking baiting Billy.

Like a fucking long-legged gazelle

Hopping around and kicking those legs in front of him

Hargrove's got a feeling a couple of times like he is that big angry clumsy bull coming at Harrington but Steve dances a waltz around him and even takes the ball from Billy, without applying much effort because he gets too distracted for a split second and finds it hard to follow ..

The fuck, the fuck is happening?

Billy jerks off thinking about Harrington almost daily.

No, that's not the right way to put it. He jerks off to Harrington every time he actually slides his hand into his boxers lying under the blanket, or grabs his dick in the shower, all his skin magazines collecting dust under the bed

He recalls how exceptionally delicious Steve looked on that particular day

Fuck, every day now

That wave of his hair, so meticulously styled, Billy wants to put his paws on it, break the wave, tug it, pull it, mess it all up.

Thinks about Steve's smile. His cool. Like he doesn't care. Like he's that catchy tune that's on everyone's mind and everybody is in love with him. Billy sees the way girls are following Steve with their dreamy eyes in school hallways, the endless flirting, and it's .. frustrating?

Somehow, it is.

Billy remembers the kisses. He doesn't want to admit it, but he wishes for .. more?

When?

When the fuck is the next high school party?

***

***

Alright, the whole break up and everything and Steve almost sliding into being depressed and shit sucks one big motherfucking hairy ass.

However, he's feeling much better now, and it's time to make amends. He can still be civil about the whole thing. A little bit civil, not too much though.

Jonathan is still a creep who took dubious pictures of them searching for clues .. okay, look, Steve has never been in a situation where someone from his family went missing and, he gets it, it can really screw you up, but like .. my guy, don't stalk people. Steve will die on that hill, he's filled with indignation when he recalls Nancy asking him to buy a new camera for Byers. Fuck no, he's glad he didn't buy shit.

What's more, Byers hit on a girl who was taken. But Steve can actually overlook it - all is fair in love and war, or something like that

Harrington sees the couple at school, they seem happy together. Always looking so serious, but hey, Nancy has never been much of a fun girl, so.

He feels that his ex-girlfriend still owes him an explanation though. Why did she dump him? When did this thing between her and Byers start? Steve needs clarity, once and for all, a clean slate.

The thing is, he's been thinking of inviting Nicole on a date, and uh .. Steve just needs to turn the Wheeler page over and start afresh.

He also wants to say sorry about the "slut" graffiti.

It wasn't his best moment.

Let's take some responsibility, shall we?

When Harrington gets to the Wheelers and rings the bell, Nancy's dad opens the door and says in a bored voice

"She's at her new boyfriend's place."

With the usual undeterred expression on his face.

How insensitive.

It's the realisation though that hits Steve. He's officially not her boyfriend anymore. Everyone knows and all are fine with that.

"Do you happen to know his address?"

Mr. Wheeler looks as if he just wants to get back to his recliner and not have any kind of conversation with literally anyone.

"It's Kerley Road. Last house, right near the woods."

"Thank you, Mr. Wheeler."

The door is slammed in his face.

Wasn't my dream to be your son-in-law, thank you very much.

Steve drives to the Byers. It gets dark so quickly these days, Steve never liked that about winter.

He'll be civil. He'll apologize but he'll also tell Nancy the way she handled the breakup, sucked.

Jesus Christ, Byers lives in a creepy house .. Like it's okay, it's run down, not everyone gets lucky with loaded parents, but the whole atmosphere around this place? Straight out of a horror movie.

Steve knocks on the door

"Nancy?"

Silence.

Steve knocks again.

"Nancy??"

He hears her hesitant voice

"Yes?"

"It's Steve. Nancy, listen, I just want to talk for a second."

The door opens, and it's her, but she's holding the door not letting him inside

"Steve, listen to me."

She is pale and looks ..

"Nancy, what .."

"You need to leave."

"Hey, I’m not trying to start anything, okay? I came to apologize."

"I don’t care about that."

Wow, really ??

"You need to leave."

Wait, what .. why is there a bandage on her hand?

"Nancy? What happened to your hand? .. Is that blood? Are you .."

"Nothing. It's nothing, Steve."

Nancy talks quietly and Steve can she that she's scared.

She's so scared.

"It was an accident."

She's lying. Over and over again, it's all fucking lies with her!

"Are you sure? What’s going on?"

Steve peeks inside the house.

Why is she not letting him in?

"Nothing."

"Wait a sec. Did he do this to you?"

Is this a .. cult or something? Is this a cult ??

"No."

"Nancy, let me in!"

They might be broken up, but .. he still cares for her, alright? The whole situation looks shady as fuck.

Steve pushes the door and his ex-girlfriend out of the way.

"No! No, Steve!"

What on earth .. the place looks messy and creepy as hell, there are .. there are weird lights all over it, like it's still Christmas time, and ..

Oh my god, Byers is standing by the couch looking spooked as fuck, holding .. holding a bat ??

With nails ?? ..

What is ..

What the ..

Well, that is certainly not what Steve expected to see. He just wanted to have a normal conversation.

Nothing looks normal in this house

"You need to get out of here."

Why does she keep telling him to get out ?? .. there's a can of .. gasoline on the floor?

"Whoa. What is all .."

Byers suddenly comes up to Steve, shoving his shoulder. Is he trying to push him out from the house? The goddamn fuck??

"Listen to me. I’m not asking you, I’m telling you, get out of here!" The freak can speak when he wants to.

Not so quick, buddy.

Steve has to find out what's going on, what kind of sick shit is that, has Byers roped Nancy into something .. dangerous?

"What is that smell? Is that... is that gasoline?"

"Steve, get out!" Nancy's raising her voice

The whole situation .. jesus fuck, it's giving him the heebie jeebies. Something is very, very wrong here

"Nancy!? What is going on?"

"You have five seconds to get out of here."

Nance is holding .. a fucking gun??

She's pointing a gun at him?

"Alright, is this a joke? Stop. Put the gun down."

"I’m doing this for you."

Is she out of her fucking mind? Byers is looking around like prey, and .. and the lights ..they start flickering

"Nancy." It's like Byers is telling her to get ready

"Wait. Is this a... What is this?"

Why is no-one listening to Steve? Answering his questions?

"Nancy!" Byers is gripping the bat tighter

"Three. Two."

His ex-girlfriend wants to shoot him so bad??

What in the fucking hell is happening ??

"Nancy! The lights! It’s here!"

Nancy is finally putting the gun down and looking around

"Wait, what’s here?"

Can somebody maybe answer his question?

"I don't know. I don't see it."

"Hello?? Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going .."

Okay.

Steve has seen his fair share of horror movies. He's seen vampires, aliens, zombies, monsters ..

On screen.

What happens in the next ten seconds is uh .. life-changing?

Yeah, most definitely.

It changes Steve's vision of the world completely and forever.

Because a real fucking monstrosity crawls its way down from the ceiling and

It's a blur.

Everything is one smudge of a horrifying blur.

The screeching and roaring sounds, coming from the monster, are deafening.

They run, jumping over .. oh my god, a fucking bear trap?

Hide in a room. Steve's shaking all over.

"Jesus! Jesus! What the hell was that? What the hell was that?"

Both Nancy and Jonathan yell at him

"Shut up!"

and then

It's quiet.

Awfully quiet, and when they creak the door open, there's no more monster in the hallway.

***

The three of them are back in the living room.

Steve's pacing back and forth

"This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy."

Fucking hell. The monster. There was a fucking real monster right here.

Why aren't they running?

"This is crazy! This is crazy! This is crazy!"

"Steve, stop!"

Why are they so calm ??

911. They should definitely call 911, or .. or Hawkins police, or somebody! Please, help ! We need help !!

Steve's grabbing the phone receiver hanging on the wall

Before he dials even two numbers Nancy snatches the phone away from him

"What are you do .. What are you doing? Are you insane?"

Yeah, both of you and everything here is insane!!

"It’s going to come back!" She sounds angry - she's angry at him for interfering with .. whatever's happening?

"So you need to leave, Steve. Right now."

Nancy's voice is made of iron, and Steve thinks - to hell with this shit. If she wants him to leave so bad, he will. He's outta here.

He's too young to die.

He'll drive to the police, tell them what's going on here on Kerley Road.

The lights start flashing again, and Steve turns his back and fucking runs.

The car keys are falling out of his trembling fingers when he's trying to open the door of the beamer. He picks them up from the frozen ground

And sees the house glowing

The screeching is back, and he hears screams and gunshots

Nancy and Byers are gonna die in there.

Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god

Just get in the fucking car, Steve!

Go get help.

Come on, Harrington !! Fucking drive already!

Something - like recklessness ? ..

Is standing in his way, is not letting him run.

Steve's swallowing convulsively, his fingers twitch, grasping the door of the car

They are going to fucking die.

If Steve leaves them there right now, he'll blame himself for the rest of his life.

You can't really live easy with something like that on your conscience

Oh god, please

Oh god

Make him brave

That's it. He's doing it.

Oh god

Shit. Shit !!

Steve rushes back inside the illuminated house

Jonathan is on the floor with the monster looming over him

Nancy is pointlessly firing the gun.

The nail bat. Where .. ?

Okay

Steve grabs it from the floor, twirls it and feels blood rushing through his veins

He can hear Nancy yelling

"Steve!"

He's fucking terrified and maybe he and they are really all gonna die right now, but to hell with that, at least he'll die .. not a coward

He hits the monster once, twice, the third time

Disgusting squelching sounds fill the room

The creature lets go of Byers and moves in the direction of the hallway.

The trap snaps and there is a metallic noise of a chain being dragged around. Jonathan lights up a Zippo and

"Go to hell, you son of a bitch!"

Hot flames are reaching for the ceiling

The stench of burning flesh is nauseating

The screeching and growling roars become unbearable, it's like their ear-drums are gonna burst right this second

As well as all the light bulbs that are pulsating so intensely, the whole place is about to explode

Everything is like a scene out of the scariest nightmare

Only, it's fucking real

The loud noises finally stop and low grunting faints away in the distance

All three are breathing heavily, trying to see through the smoke

"Do you hear that?" Nancy's whispering

She steps forward to take a closer look, but Byers grabs her arm and yanks her

"Get back!"

He's panting and all of them are coughing

Wait, where is the monster ??

"Where did it go?" Nancy says and Steve echoes

"Where is .. the corpse? Is .. is it still alive?"

Jonathan is shaking his head as if trying to assure himself in the first place.

"No. It has to be dead."

"It has to be." He adds firmer.

However, not firm enough.

[c1tyhaunts]

SEXY ABCs. @lotuskissed: R O C ( terrah & ivy )

Recording. Have they ever filmed themselves having sex ?  Did they watch it together afterwards ?  Has anyone else seen their videos ? 

IVY DEFINITELY HAS NOT─ they're a big believer of the idea of "no face, no case," and given they're a well-known figure out in the archeological field, Ivy is not trying to give anyone a leg up on her just because a sex tape has been leaked out with her face attached. Now, if they have a long-time partner that was into that kind of thing, Ivy could bend... but only on their rules. Meaning: they record on THEIR devices, they keep the footage, and they watch it on their terms.

NOW TERRAH... HAS EXPERIMENTED A BIT. Earlier when she was dating Vincent they definitely made a video or two. Her face was obscured as it was mostly Vincent recording himself and what he was doing via cellphone (self-centered, much...). Those videos mostly stayed between the two of them, however. If anything, Terrah has more videos of Vincent recording himself when they were long-distance a couple of times during their first year of dating... all while she was getting dick elsewhere, whoops.

O’clock. What time do they usually have sex  ( mornings, late at night, during lunch break, etc… ) ?  Are they usually in a rush, or do they take their time ? How about on weekends / holidays ?  

IVY IS A LATE NIGHT PERSON─ it's the best way for them to close out her busy day. Plus, there was something exciting about a late-night rendezvous; sensual touches in the dead of night, shared breaths between heavy kisses, the high of the feeling; magical. Late-night hookups are the more impulsive sex Ivy participates in. When partnered, Ivy is more calculated to what their partner wants and will take the pace of her partner. Usually, though, Ivy does want to take her time.

TERRAH'S A BIT MORE FREE-FLOWING; if the vibe is there and her partner's feeling it, she could do it whenever. Early mornings are preferred, but she'd be lying if she claims to have 'never' had sex in the most obscure times. In fact, the first time she lost her virginity was with Max on Christmas Night, AFTER having dinner with their collective families, IN HIS CHILDHOOD BEDROOM while everyone else was celebrating below them. After that, she grew rather unabashed on when and where.

Condoms. Do they use them ?  Do they have a preference ( color, flavour, etc… ) ? Have they ever had an accident ?  Would they continue anyway, if they’ve forgotten/run out of them ?

IVY DEFINITELY; again, they don't want any loose ends. Ivy would NEVER fuck without condoms on hand, and I'm talking the whole nine yards─ vaginal condoms, dental dams, penis condoms? Ivy probably has one of each on hand. Ivy, again, doesn't fuck with their health. So far, no accidents, and if they didn't have anything on hand or their partner tries to sneak them into fucking without protection, Ivy will dip. The rare occasion would be with partners with vaginas if they are in a long-term relationship, and even then Ivy would be hesitant.

TERRAH TYPICALLY DOESN'T; now, unlike Ivy who does participate in hookups, Terrah's pool of partners has been rather slim in comparison. So, if she's partnered, Terrah typically foregoes condoms and honestly prefers the feeling without them... Now, that's not given the fact that her daughter Teryn was an accident. But, clearly, that didn't stop Terrah. She is on birth control pretty consistently, however.