#the way stobin getting tortured was brushed under the rug

[tending-the-hearth]

like not to be annoying but i'm really hoping that the Scoops Troop and their trauma is addressed in some way in s5 because i think the four of them all deserve like a five day nap and some blankets

i'm currently thinking about Scoops Troop-only movie nights and sleepovers, days spent with only the four of them where they're training or practicing with new weapons, ESPECIALLY in the days following everything that happens with Vecna.

Lucas is at Max's bedside 24/7, understandably so, but Erica does not want to be without a big brother, as much as she refuses to admit it, so she all but demands that her parents let her stay at Steve's, because his house definitely becomes the hub for Party Activity when everyone returns, miraculously untouched by earthquakes and open gates.

but in those few days post-Vecna, when everyone's still scrambling, the Scoops Troop stays nestled away in Steve's house, blankets and pillows piled in front of the couch as a mindless animated movie plays on the television.

Dustin's finally cried himself to sleep for the second time, head tucked beneath Steve's as he clings to his brother in all but blood with a grip that rivals the demobats, the memories of Eddie's lifeless body replaced only by the memories of stumbling into the Russian lab and seeing his best friend half-dead, seeing the life leaving the Russian doctor's eyes as Dustin did what he had to do to save Steve.

Erica's wrapped up in a blanket, held close by Robin. Erica, who was just beginning to get over the claustrophobia that had haunted her since crawling through the air ducts at Starcourt, now only made much, much worse by being tackled to the ground in the dark by a boy twice her size who threatened her life, just because she wanted to protect her brother.

Robin, who's running a gentle hand over Erica's back as she hums softly along to the movie, cheek pressed into Steve's hand, once again kept awake and haunted by the sounds of her platonic soulmate's screams, the sight of him limp and bleeding, looking half-alive, and being able to do nothing but beg him to stay alive.

And Steve's got one arm around Dustin, and his other is holding Robin tightly. He's unable to sleep, kept awake by the sounds of his kids sniffling and quietly crying, kept awake by the feeling of his airway being cut off, remembering the oxygen deprivation feeling a little too close to the Russian drugs, trying to keep himself as

Steve, who's already lost one of his kids, one of his little sisters, and who will die before he lets anything happen to the rest of his kids, who keeps his nail bat and Eddie's shield next to their cuddle pile just in case, who answers the door already armed to the teeth, because he'll be damned if someone hurts his family.

Robin, who took Eddie's spear and modifies it to be more comfortable, who is so determined to protect whatever innocence these kids have left has Steve show her how to stand when fighting with it so she won't trip over herself.

Dustin, who knows how it feels to take a life, and as much as he doesn't want to kill anymore, knows that those creatures are still out there, and he knows how to make a homemade blowtorch with hairspray and a lighter, and who starts keeping those supplies in his bag.

Erica, who's still a child, who Steve and Robin are loathe to give a weapon to, even though they know she needs one, who takes Lucas' old slingshot, and starts practicing every day, because her aim needs to be perfect if she wants to protect those who are protecting her.

this little found family within a found family, bonded by trauma that none of the other members of the Party have experienced.

platonic soulmates glued together in a way no one else could ever understand.