#then turned and killed as many other as it could before joyce shut the gate

[pendinganchor]

“we never see billy change his ways in canon”

because he dies saving all their lives?????????

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S1:E5; Chapter Five, The Flea and The Acrobat - [Pt. 2]

A Will Byers x Male!Reader Series

𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘔𝘳. 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.

|| 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

"Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you."

'I can't believe I'm at Will's funeral.'

"Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." The pastor continued.

I spared a glance at the people around me.

I looked to Jonathan, his head bowed, and poor Joyce who was sitting nearby.

I can't imagine what they must be going through.

Joyce was like a second mother to me, and she has always treated as if I was one of her own. I'll always be grateful for that. I lay a hand on her shoulder.

She looks up to me confused like I had pulled her deep out of her thought, upon seeing it was me she smiles thankfully. She put her hand over mine and gave it a few gentle pats and then a small stroke with her thumb to say thank you.

I smiled solemnly at her and let go, listening to the rest of the service.

"It's times like these that our faith is challenged. How, if he is truly benevolent... could God take us from someone so young, so innocent?"

I looked down at my feet.

"It would be easy to turn away from God... but we must remember that nothing, not even tragedy, can separate us from His love."

I felt a nudge on my shoulder and turned to look at Dustin. He wore a sly smirk as he looked to his right, past me and Mike.

Frowning in confusion, I turned my head to see what he was smirking about.

"Just wait till we tell Will that Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral." Dustin said cheekily.

I scoffed under my breath, rolling my eyes.

"Since when has she cared about Will? She couldn't even get his name right, remember that week she called him Bill?" I huffed, crossing my arms in distaste.

The boys smirked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Somebody jealous?" Lucas smirked.

"No-! Not ev- Shut up!" I scowl.

The boys giggle earning more than a few concerned and offended glances making me smile to myself. Mrs. Wheeler leaned down and shushed the boys making me smirk more.

'Serves them right.'

Soon enough, the casket had been lowered into the growd and roses had been thrown on top. I made my way to the very side of the grave, looking down.

"I know you're not dead. But I swear to God, if you don't come back I'm gonna kill you." I muttered to the casket in the ground.

As people began to filter out, we watched as Mike's mom said her condolences to Will's parents.

"I'm so, so sorry."

"Oh, thank you so much for coming." Will's dad said.

I never liked him.

Joyce was just standing by herself quietly, her arms crossed looking down at the grave.

"Yeah, if there's anything we can do..." Mr. Wheeler offered, shaking the man's hand.

"I appreciate it. Thank you so much."

I said goodbye to Lucas who had to follow his parents out, even though we would be seeing him later at the wake. I did the same with Mike, and soon enough Mom was waiting for us so we could get to the car.

"Mom, will you give me a minute?"

"Of course, Pumpkin," She smiled at me with sympathy.

I turned around wove through the crowd that had separated me from Joyce. I tapped her on the shoulder, seeming to jostle her from her thoughts a second time.

Upon seeing it was me, she smiled.

"Hi, Ms. Byers."

"Oh, hi Y/n. Thank you, for coming, sweetheart," She smiled.

I captured her in a bear hug and she gladly reciprocated, giving my several comforting strokes.

"Of course. I'm so, so sorry for your loss." I said, letting her go.

"Oh, thank you, honey. T-Tell me, how have you been holding up?" She asked gently.

My eyes welled up.

"I'm not gonna lie, it's- it's been really hard. I just, I just miss him so much. Your son was such a good person. Always a gentleman." I knew what I was saying.

Even if he is alive for sure, everything I said was true. He always has been nothing but kind to me.

Not to mention, I owe him for so much.

She seemed extremely thankful for hearing that and I was glad I could make her genuinely smile on this sad day.

"Really? Oh sweetie, thank you. That means, just so much to me."

I look back to my mom and brother waiting for me by the car, and I return my gaze back to Ms. Byers.

"Um, I better go. My mom is waiting for me. I guess I'll be seeing you at the wake. Goodbye, Ms. Byers."

"Thank you again, Y/n. I'll see you later, okay?" Her face slightly fell and she smiled at me.

I nod and begin walking backward sending a small wave her way before turning around a breaking out into a small jog to catch up to my mom.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Being at the funeral of your best friend is daunting and quite surreal.

Being at the funeral of your best friend who is quite possibly alive in another dimension and you and only four other people know this is a completely different ballpark.

We had all met up at the wake and regrouped.

The plan was to ask Mr. Clarke if there was anything he could tell us about the theories regarding alternate dimensions. I'm just praying that we don't arouse suspicion given the setting.

"Mr. Clarke?" The tall man turned his attention away from the buffet to look at us.

Mr. Clarke smiled sympathetically. "Oh, hey, there."

The somber look came easily to my face as I looked to Mr. Clarke, Mike, and Lucas on either side of me while Dustin was digging into the buffet.

"How are you kids holding up?"

Lucas speaks up for us, slightly distracted by Dustin's blatant chewing. "We're... in... mourning."

"Man, these aren't real Nilla Wafers," Dustin sighed, shaking his head.

My eyes widen softly, and I look to Mr. Clarke trying to cover for him.

"You'll have to excuse my brother, Mr. Clarke, he's-" I stop midsentence to see him happily munching on more snacks, and look back to Mr. Clarke. "well, he mourns in his own... special way."

"We were wondering if you had time to talk?" Mike asked, wanting to move things along as quickly as possible.

"We have some questions," Lucas added.

I shook my head in agreement. "A lot of questions, actually,"

Mr. Clarke complied and the four of us found ourselves at the nearest table, asking our teacher about other dimensions at our "dead" friends' wake. Not something I ever could have imagined doing.

"So, you know how in Cosmos, Carl Segan talks about other dimensions? Like, beyond our world?"

"Yeah, sure. Theoretically." Mr. Clarke replies, noticeably confused at the subject of our questions.

"Right, theoretically,"

"So, theoretically, how do we travel there?" Lucas asked.

"You guys have been thinking about Hugh Everett's Many-World's Interpretation, haven't you?" A ghost of a smile on our teacher's face.

"Yeah," I chuckled, nodding my head in response.

The boys looked at me, wondering why I had said that.

I gave them a look that said, 'I don't know, just go with it.'

"Well, basically, there are parallel universes. Just like our world, but just infinite variations of it. Which means there's a world out there where none of this tragic stuff ever happened," I found myself nodding along, not for the sake of being believable, but actually lost in the idea.

"Yeah, that's not what we're talking about," Lucas sighed, leaning back.

"Oh."

"We were thinking of more of an evil dimension, like the Vale of Shadows. You know the Vale of Shadows?" Dustin asked, taking another loud bite of his off brand Nilla Wafers.

Not thinking that our science teacher would know anything about Dungeons and Dragons, I was completely taken aback by his next words.

"An echo of the Material Plane, where necrotic and shadow magic–"

"Yeah, exactly." Mike said cutting him off.

I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

"If that did exist - a place like the Vale of Shadows - how would we travel there?"

"Theoretically, of course." I add.

"Well..."

Mr. Clarke grabbed an empty paper plate and pulled out a pen from his jacket pocket. He then drew a straight line across the paper plate as he spoke, creating a visual for us.

"Picture... an acrobat..." He drew a small stick figure on top of the lines. "standing on a tightrope. Now, the tightrope is our dimension. And our dimension has rules."

He began drawing arrows on either side of the acrobat.

"You can move forwards, or backwards. But, what if..." He drew a very small creature under one of the arrows. "right next to our acrobat, there is a flea? Now, the flea can also travel back and forth, just like the acrobat. Right?"

"Right." We all agreed.

"Here's where things get really interesting. The flea can also travel this way... along the side of the rope." He drew arrows indicating the flea's direction around and under the rope, causing me to furrow my brows. "He can even go underneath the rope."

The boys and I all shared the same look before returning our gaze to Mr. Clarke. "Upside Down."

"Exactly."

Mike spoke up. "But we're not the flea, we're the acrobat."

"In this metaphor, yes, we're the acrobat."

"So we can't go upside down?" Lucas asked warily.

"No."

"Well, is there any way for the acrobat to get to the Upside Down?"

"Well," Our teacher furrowed his brows, a thoughtful look coming upon his face. "you'd have to create a massive amount of energy. More than humans are currently capable of creating, mind you, to open up some kind of tear in time and space, and then..."

He folded the paper plate in half, creasing it shut before shoving his pen directly through both sides of the paper plate. "you create a doorway."

"Like a gate?" My brother asked eagerly.

"Sure. Like a gate. But again, this is all–"

"Theoretical." I smile, nodding my head.

"But... but what if this gate already existed?" Mike asked, timidly.

"Well, if it did, I... I think we'd know. It would disrupt gravity, the magnetic field, our environment. Heck, it might even swallow us up whole."

Mike seems to gauge our reactions, and I'm the only one who met his eye with an equally uncertain gaze.

"Science is neat." Mr. Clarke continued. "But I'm afraid it's not very forgiving."

We all lean back, digesting the information.

[inkandpen22]

Shared Minds and Shared Souls (2/?)

Pairing: Spike x Female!Reader

Warnings: Angst, swearing, fighting, mentions of violence

Word Count: ~2.6k

Part Summary: Y/N is starting to get used to her role in the Summers’ house and with the Scoobies in the days following her arrival in Sunnydale. Much to her surprise, she enjoys predictability of her new routine and the normalcy of it. That is until a troublesome figure in Sunnydale makes his acquaintance and knocks Y/N through an unforeseen loop.

Masterlist

Aunt Joyce being surprised to see me is an understatement. It took Buffy and I both pressing her back down on the hospital bed to keep her from leaping up. Then, she thanked me up and down for coming. Which lead to her insisting she’s fine. She’s been covering at the hospital the last few days, but now she’s finally home. Her surgery went well, thank God! With everything going on, Joyce needs to be well. I don’t think Buffy could take another blow and poor Dawnie needs her mom. I know what it’s like to lose a mother, not fun. It’s Buffy and I’s goal to keep life as normal as possible for Dawn. The routine is I drop Dawnie off at school while Buffy plays Slayer. Then, I come back here and take care of Joyce. From there, I pick up Dawnie and prep dinner. In truth, I’m liking the predictable schedule. It’s odd, I thought I’d hate it here. I’ve never been the sort for the mundane lifestyle, but I haven’t been around family in years and it’s nice. 

While I prepare lunch for Joyce, I listen to the rock station through the boombox they keep on the counter. The house has been rather quiet since Buffy and the other Scoobies have been out doing researching Glory. Giles’s Magic-Box shop is their headquarters. Well, here and there, sort of double at meeting spots. Whenever the house is this quiet, I have to have music or the tv playing in the background. Otherwise, everything gets all noisy. Sunnydale has so much pent up energy, both good and evil, that it messes with my head. All I hear are the voices in the silence, so many voices that it starts to sound like static. I have mentioned this Buffy, I wouldn’t want to stress her anymore. 

My peace is abruptly disturbed as the kitchen door swings open and someone flies in hiding under a blanket. I jump, dropping my knife on Joyce’s sandwich. Smoke radiates from the figure like they’re a walking fire pit. Tilting my head, I watch in awe as a bleached haired man struggles to shut the door, knocking around the blinds. Who the hell is he? He dramatically flails his arms around to get the blanket off with a huff. Instantly, I see the green aura glowing around him. His eyes meet mine with a tilt of the head like a confused puppy dog, granted I did it too. 

“Who in the bloody hell are you?” He curses sassily. 

His accent is enough information to tell me who he is, Spike. So, this is the pain in the ass, psychotic vampy who is tangled up in a love-hate relationship with my cousin. She’s all caught up on Riley, Mr. G.I. Joe, when she has this dude pining after her? Boy, Buffy needs my guidance in more than one department. 

“Good afternoon to you too, Spike,” I greet him by name, much to his surprise.

Cautiously, he moves into the kitchen as I continue about my business. “How do you know my name? Where’s Buffy?” He asks, peaking around the house for her. 

“Don’t worry,” I assure him calmly. “Army Barbie is with her team of misfit toys working on Glory stuff.” 

Before I have the chance to blink, Spike is across the room has me pinned against the fridge. His face scrunched and his fangs daunting. While gripping my neck until I can hardly breathe, he leans forward and presses his body to mine to keep in place. I struggle in his grip, clawing as his hands. “You’re Glory, aren’t you?! Hm?! Messing with me?! What did you do to Buffy?!” He shouts. 

“Spike,” I choke. “You have to-” I gasp for air as he squeezes tighter. 

As a psychic, every time I have skin to skin contact with someone I can enter their mind and memories. It’s like watching a montage of someone’s entire existence. The recipient relives the memories too at the same pace as me. This allows them to kick me out if they so wish, all they have to do is realize what’s going on. However, like being in a dream, it’s rare that they do. I have little control when it comes to entering, it’s like falling. If I wish to leave, it takes a kick, like waking up from a dream. I have to be terrified by a memory or experience immense pain, those are the usual triggers. 

The moment Spike touched me, he opened the gate for me to see, feel, and hear everything he ever has in the form of visions. I can feel my mind slipping and images begin to flash before my eyes like bursts of light. Then, my vision goes black... 

A woman in 19th century clothing stands before with big eyes and brown hair. She’s so beautiful.... Suddenly, a pain pierces my neck.

Next thing I know, I’m sat on an old blood soaked sofa with a dead woman in my lap, bleeding from the neck. I feel hungry for more. 

“My wicked, wicked, Willy,” Dru purrs, peering up at me from her position on the floor with longing eyes. I shove the body off of me and crawl to her. God, I love her. 

I jump through time, landing in the middle of a fight with a young Chinese woman who I recognize as the Slayer. I manage to grab her and bite her viciously. She mutters something in Chinese to me. 

“Sorry Love, I don’t speak Chinese,” I state, tossing her to the side. 

Then, on a subway trained with a later slayer. I’m on top of her, gripping her neck as I twist it, killing her. For good measure, I steal her leather coat. I’m quite fond of it. 

I hover over the most recent Slayer, and perhaps the most annoying one, Buffy Summers. I raise the plank of wood in my hands to kill her. Suddenly, I’m hit over the head and fall to the floor. 

With a jolt, I’m back in the present moment. “Jesus and Mary!” I yelp, the back of my head throbbing. What the hell did Joyce wack me with? Or should I say Spike. 

The vampire stands before me wide-eyed, confused by what just happened. Having had enough reminiscing, I press my hands around his that grip my neck and send a powerful shock, causing him to drop me to the floor. I cough as I catch my breath. God, I can see why Buffy doesn’t like him! Spike recovers quickly and picks me up by my hair. I scream at the surge of pain and dig my nails in his hands. Soon, I’m against the wall and I bump my head. 

“Where are they?!” He barks in my face. “Tell me or I’ll kill you!” 

“If I were Glory and I had taken Buffy, how would killing me help you find her?” I question his logic amongst the fighting. For being over a hundred years old, he’s not exactly wise. 

Spike growls, not finding humor in my mockery. I’m not exactly threatened by the big-bad-bleach-crazy ole chap with the winkley-vampy face. I could have him on his undead ass in two seconds if I wanted. 

“Spike!” Joyce’s voice interrupts our altercation. Both of us turn our attention to the archway to see my aunt standing there in horror. She wraps her robe around herself tightly. “Let Y/N down! She’s my niece!” 

“Oh bollocks!” Spike swears, releasing me instantly. 

I fall to the floor on my knees again. Well, this fun- what’s wrong with people in this town?! 

“I… uh…” Spike stumbles over his words as he helps me up by the bicep. He brushes down my shirt and hair nervously. “Sorry about that. I thought-” 

“You thought I was Glory,” I finish for him, slapping his hands off of me. 

“Are you okay, Y/N?!” Joyce checks worriedly, staying cautiously in the archway between here and the living room. 

I hum, reaching up and running my fingers through the back of my head for any bumps or bleeding. Whatever she hit Spike with it fucking hurt! 

“Did I hurt you?” Spike asks, sounding genuinely concerned. 

“Not really,” I admit quietly and look to my aunt who’s the real reason my head is pounding. “If you ever hearing banging like that, never come downstairs! You hide!” I command of her. “Even if it did sound like I was getting murdered,” I grumble, glaring at Spike. 

“Well, as long as you’re alright. I’ll head back up,” she complies quietly. “But only if you’re sure!” She checks. 

“I’m fine, really!” I try to ease her nerves. It’s not good for her to worry. I shove Spike out of the way to approach her. “I’ll bring your food up soon. I might have to remake it,” I tell her as I spot her sandwich on the floor behind Spike. 

“You don’t have to do that,” she insists. 

“It’s okay! If you can wait one moment, I’ll just use some magic,” I announce, holding out my hand toward the counter. I conjure up a turkey sandwich just like I created before. I could’ve whipped one up this way earlier, but I was enjoying the task. “There you go!” I hand the plate over to my aunt. 

Spike blinks rapidly, stepping forward to stand beside my aunt. He stares at me in astonishment, “you’re a witch?!” 

“No, that shock you felt earlier was all in your head,” I sass, looking at him like an idiot. 

“You didn’t tell me there were witches in your family,” he says to Joyce, sounding offended. 

“We didn’t know ourselves until Y/N arrived a few days ago. She’s here to help out until I’m all better and… well…” Joyce shifts on her feet uncomfortably. “That Glory girl is gone.”

On that note, Joyce thanks me one last time and heads back upstairs. I relax once I hear her shuffling upstairs in her room. Taking a scan around the kitchen, there are broken plates and food scattered across the floor. I was so far into Spike’s head that I missed the reality and all the ruckus. Of course, I felt his hands around my neck, but my vision was impaired with his memories. 

“Let me clean up,” Spike requests, already squatting to pick up the bits of broken porcelain on the tile. 

“No need,” I state with a flick of the wrist. Within seconds, all the broken plates and scattered food is gone. The boombox that we’d knocked on the floor and caused to skip is now all fixed neatly on the counter. Soon, Nirvana is coming out of it without a problem. 

Spike rises from his position quietly starring at the perfectly spotless kitchen. I move around him toward the living room, already thinking of the next item on my agenda. I still have a few loads of laundry to go through and there’s cleaning that needs to be done. If I set those going with some magic before I head out everything will be done before Buffy’s birthday party tonight. Except, one issue, in this town, I don’t feel comfortable dividing up my power in case of an emergency. I could be attacked on the way to Dawnie’s school with the track record of this town. Plus, I’m Joyce’s sole bodyguard during the day, I need all my energy. 

“Hey wait,” Spike calls as he jogs to block my path. He holds up his hands as if that’s going to keeping me from walking away.

 With raised brows, I wait for the important reason he must have to be interrupting my to-do list. 

Wait... ew, I hate that! I have a to-do list! What am I, a 1950’s housewife? 

“Are you honestly Buffy and Dawn’s cousin?” He asks, still not convinced that it’s possible for the Summers’ to have family other than each other. 

“No,” I answer calmly, causing him to perk up. “I’m really Dolly Parton in a disguise!” He rolls his eyes, muttering curses under his breath. “You know, the rumor is the blonde hair is a wig,” I ramble to add more spice to the sarcasm. “And she just walks around Tennessee without anyone noticing her!” 

“Yep, you’re definitely related,” he determines unenthused, stepping aside. 

“I’m glad I’ve convinced you. Now if you don’t mind, I have stuff I need to do!” I step around him to head out and pick up Dawn. 

“I’m coming too,” he declares, following on my heels. 

I snicker, stopping in my tracks. “You’re coming with me to pick up Dawn from school? In the daylight... ” I add. 

“Yeah uh… just meet me at the crypt,” he decides, already heading back to the kitchen. 

“Wait, what?” I blurt out as I grab his wrist. “Why would I do that?” 

He glances over his shoulder, “I came to show Buffy something, but you’ll do I guess.” 

“I’m not Buffy though, I’m no Slayer,” I laugh lightly. “If it’s important I’d show it to her.” 

“You’re a witch, aren’t you?” He asks the obvious. 

“Well yeah,” I shrug. 

“Can you fight?” He continues, clearly leading somewhere. 

I stutter, “I mean I know spells and-” 

“Then you’ll do,” he declares. “We can tell Buffy about it later,” he adds, walking away. 

Buffy is made for this, literally! Unsure of myself, I shake my head. “Spike, I-” 

The vampire rolls his head back with a huff of annoyance. “All you God-forsaken women!” He groans under his breath. “I swear, one of these days I’m just going to lose my patience and kill all of you,” he sasses, facing me. “Except Joyce... and maybe Nibblet,” he determines as if that’s generous of him. “But definitely Harmony and that bloody annoying Cordelia if she ever comes back from LA!” He points at me sharply. “And you missy are testing me too!” 

Um, excuse him! He didn’t not just say that to me! “Oh buddy, you’re testing me!” I laugh mockingly. Little vampy here has another thing coming if he thinks he can threaten me. 

Spike chuckles wickedly and his face changes back to vampy style. He growls to reveal his fangs. I step back cautiously. I didn’t mean for him to take me literally! Abruptly, he comes charging at me. Oh great, not again!

_____________________________________________

Masterlist

Tags: @it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream 

[bethhxrmon]

do flowers exist at night? -chapter five

Chapter Five: Steve Harrington and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Night

Pairing: Steve Harrington x OC

Chapter Summary: Once everyone is at the Byers’ household, many issues start to make sense. With everyone working together, the Upside Down may finally be defeated.

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: Swearing, inaccurate dialogue, Billy is the actual worst if you like him then you’re probably not gonna vibe with this chapter, violence

A/N: The only real joke in this chapter is the title. Enough said. Anywho, I hope you’re enjoying the fic and if you are, it would be awesome of you to let me know by leaving feedback for me! You can find the other chapters here.

~*~*~*~

Perhaps the only thing worse than the monsters was realizing that Steve didn't have a chance with Nancy. Obviously, Annie wasn't going to say that out loud. Not when she could tell from Steve's pacing that he already knew. It took a lot to not say anything to Nancy, but there were more important things than this and if she was going to say anything, Annie was sure it could wait.

What they were going to do about all of this was beyond her. She had a million questions, but she didn't ask a single one. Every time she almost did, she was reminded of how her dad was when he got stressed, which was almost all the time. At the time, it seemed like anything she did would annoy him. There was always something on her mind and there was a time when she would have said every single thing that popped in her head. Except, one day the man got so annoyed that he snapped and told her to shut up.

As that circled her mind, she sat off to the side in the kitchen of the Byers' house, trying to process everything on her own. She had been so close to dying. All of them had. What would have happened if she had? Would anyone aside from her mom care? There were so many things she wanted to do, but she hadn't. It could have been too late and there was nothing she could have done.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump, but she relaxed upon realizing it was just Steve, "Sorry... um, how're you holding up?"

"I'm fine," she said, tugging her flannel around herself, "Are you okay?"

He arched an eyebrow, "Also fine."

"Steve-"

"Don't... you don't have to tell me."

"I wasn't gonna say anything about that," she said, though she stopped when she heard Mike starting to talk about Bob Newby.

While she never got a chance to meet the guy, the idea of anyone being eaten alive by those monsters was horrific. It was something straight out of the horror novels she read to pass the time. Something only highlighted when Dustin started to compare all of this to Dungeons and Dragons. The demodogs, as he called them, were all supposed to be part of some sort of hive mind. A Mind Flayer was supposedly the one in control. Annie knew nothing about the game, but she supposed there could be points made.

Those points finally drew the conclusion that they needed to trap Will somewhere he didn't recognize. That way he wouldn't be able to spy and figure out where they were. The shed ended up being the perfect place.

Annie was focused on helping Max tape up pieces of cardboard together. That was easy and menial enough. Besides, she felt like she had to make herself scarce so Steve could talk to Nancy. Well, it was more like she didn't want Nancy thinking any of those dumb rumors were true. It was obviously over between them. Why Nancy didn't say anything about that to Steve was beyond her. There wasn't time to think about that. They needed to get the shed ready before Will woke up.

Soon enough, it was back to just a waiting game. One that made Annie want to crawl out of her skin. It reminded her of when she was waiting to find out which of her parents got full custody not even a month ago. A decision that she didn’t think would ever make her happy regardless of who ended up with her.

She sat on the couch, staring off into space as Steve swung his bat around.

"Your swing is fine, you know. It's checking your blind spots that you'd wanna look out for," she said.

He looked over, "What?"

"Like earlier... you weren't checking your surroundings."

"Why do I need to do that when I've got you saving my ass?"

She smiled a bit despite herself, "Because maybe I'll slip up."

"Hey," he sat next to her, "Don't think like that. We're gonna be fine."

Annie gave him a look, "I'm not one of the kids, Steve, I know this might not end well."

"Well with that thinking it won't," he commented.

She shook her head, "Sorry, um I just didn't expect to almost die like this. I mean, I always expected some weird shit to happen in Seattle or New York. Inter-dimensional monsters in a small town wasn't what I expected to be the wake-up call."

"For what?"

"That death's inevitable and I've spent the last few months just being miserable and alone," she let out a small laugh, "It just- it seriously sucks like you wouldn't believe."

The lights started to flicker like crazy. Annie was quick to grab her pitchfork from the corner of the room. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. For a moment she was so sure that the room was going to turn into the Upside Down. She all but shrank into herself until the lights went normal again. Everyone was fine. Will didn't know where they were.

A few minutes later and they figured out Will was still communicating through Morse Code. Annie watched as the message was written out in front of them.

"Close gate," they all said together, trying to figure out what it could mean.

Suddenly, the phone started ringing and it wouldn't stop until Nancy pulled it out and threw it to the ground. A sense of dread overcame the room.

"Do you think he heard that?" Max asked.

Steve shook his head, "Phone ringing... that could be anywhere."

However, the screeching in the distance was enough to show that Will somehow knew exactly where they were. The demodogs were going to come back and there was no choice but to fight them. Sure, this time there were more people who could fight than Steve and herself, but there was an army of those monsters and they all knew it.

This was futile, but Annie wasn't about to say that and neither was anyone else. Instead they all stood, and she clutched her pitchfork tighter than ever before. The screaming came from all over and Annie kept an eye on the windows she could see.

A demodog burst in through the window, causing all of them to scream. Only, it was dead. Something had to have killed it, which only caused more questions to circle through Annie's head. She was ready to fight whatever came through that front door as it unlocked and opened. Only, she found herself putting down her weapon when she realized it was just a girl. Someone who couldn't have been any older than the kids she was helping to take care of.

Some things started to piece together in Annie's head as Mike rushed up to the girl, he called her Eleven. It seemed that the girl Steve talked about the night before wasn't dead after all. Though, from how Mike was going up to Hopper, she was pretty there was more to what was going on.

For the pair having moved to another room, she could hear Mike yelling pretty well. She stared at the floor, trying to not think about all the times she could hear her parents fight in that small, New York apartment. Instead, she just watched as the other kids reunited with Eleven.

"So, how'd you find out about all this?" Nancy asked, ripping her from her thoughts, "I mean, Steve obviously told you, yeah?"

Annie nodded slowly, "Yep..."

"That's funny, because when I wanted to tell Barb's parents about all this, he wasn't on board," she said, looking her over.

She shrugged, "Well, was their house flip-flopping dimensions as well, or were you just trying to satiate your own guilt?"

"Wait, what're you talking about?"

"I found out about this shit because I ended up telling Steve about how I was seeing things in my house. He got me out, and we were looking for you, actually. He wanted to apologize to you," she sighed, giving a tight-lipped smile, "And it turns out, he wasn't the one who needed to apologize. I'm new, but I'm not blind."

Nancy's eyes widened a bit before she walked outside. Perhaps it was a little bit much for Annie to say, but she wasn't about to play into whatever Nancy was trying to do. How was she supposed to feel sympathy for someone who so clearly hurt her only friend in this town?

Not that any of it mattered because everyone was talking about splitting up. Joyce and Jonathan were going to take Will to get rid of the part of him that was the Mind Flayer. Meanwhile, Hopper and Eleven were going to go back to the lab and close the gate. That left what was supposed to be her, Steve, and Nancy taking care of the kids. Something that was sure to go very well. Still, Annie wasn't about to go with either of the other two groups. She had no interest in putting herself back in danger and having yet another near-death experience. The ones she had already were more than enough.

Annie stayed in the house, knowing that all she and the kids could do was try to clean up the house. There was a broken window, and it did leave the house feeling cold. Before they did that, though, she went out with the kids to watch as they said goodbye to Eleven.

Steve cleared his throat, "So, uh, it's just gonna be us babysitting."

"Oh? What happened?"

"I let her go. She's helping Jonathan and Mrs. Byers," he sighed, "It was never gonna work. You knew that, though. Sorry I dragged you into all this over her."

Annie turned and looked up at him, "Hey, if it wasn't for you, I could be stuck in that Upside Down crap right now and things would be a lot worse. And, for what it's worth, you've been a good friend too."

"Thanks."

Just like that, it was the two of them with the kids. What they were going to do in the meantime was beyond her. Probably just more sitting around and being prepared for the worst. The kids had their walkies, so if anything happened, she was sure they would find out.

Dustin was wrapping the dead demodog in a quilt, "Hey, can I get a little help here?"

"Um, what're you doing?" Annie asked.

He huffed, "We gotta preserve this. One of you needs to hold this so I can get it into the fridge so we can keep the body from decomposing.

Annie looked at Steve, "You know, if you take this, you get to be the best babysitter. I'll just be mediocre at my job."

"Seriously?" Steve sighed, though it didn't take long for him to relent and just pick up the dead demodog.

While they worried about taking care of that, Annie decided to help Max and Lucas clean up the broken glass. A simple task to keep her from thinking about what was going on. Mike kept pacing until Lucas said something. Sure, she could understand where the kid was coming from, but it was so much safer for all of them this way. None of them had powers, Eleven clearly did. 

Steve walked up to them, "Look, the coach makes a play and bottom line, you've gotta do it."

"This isn't a stupid sports game!" Mike snapped, "Anyways, we're not in the game, we're on the bench."

He nodded, "Yeah... right. Right, and the point is, yep, we're on the bench and there's nothing we can do."

"I could offer a cool theater analogy," Annie said, getting ignored.

"Wait, but the demodogs are a hive mind, they were called away earlier," Dustin pointed out.

That was when the kids started to get an idea that quickly spiraled. Annie looked at Steve like they were crazy. Because they were. If they all died, then what?

She shook her head, "Wait, um, you guys?"

"We could go in here and burn it-"

"Yeah, that's a no," Steve said, holding the dish towel "We promised to keep you shitheads safe so we're gonna stay here on the bench and wait for the starting team to do their job, understand?"

Mike scoffed, "This isn't a stupid sports game!"

"I said, does everybody understand that?!" he gestured with the towel, “I need a yes.”

A car engine was heard in the distance and Max ran to see what was going on. All Annie needed to hear was that it was her brother before realizing that perhaps this wasn't the safest option after all. There was a certain look of concern on her face, and Steve looked at her.

"Hey, I'm gonna take care of this, okay? You just need to stay here and make sure the kids don't do anything stupid. And I mean it this time, I don't trust him seeing you involved with all this," Steve insisted.

Annie opened her mouth to argue, but could only bring herself to nod. If she couldn't even defend herself to that guy a day ago, what good would she be now? And maybe Steve really would fix all this. There was a lot he had done already. They were going to be fine. Nothing was going to happen to the kids, especially Max.

So she watched the best she could through the front door window. That meant she wasn't paying attention to the kids like she should have been. It looked like it was getting intense between the two guys. She reached into her pocket for her switchblade. While she was sure Steve could handle this, she wanted to be ready just in case. Then, Billy pointed at the window and she deflated.

She glared at the kids, "What part about keeping your heads down did you dumbasses not get?!"

There wasn't more time for her to yell because she watched Steve get shoved to the ground and kicked. Her eyes widened and she held tightly to the closed knife in her hand. The door swung open and she moved to get in front of him. She couldn't let the kids get hurt.

"Ah, Harrington's bitch," he shoved her into an end table, "And Lucas Sinclair."

It took a lot to not cry out in pain, but she didn't want the kids to worry about her. She could still move, but hitting the corner of the table made her back ache. And for a moment, all she could do was watch as Billy went right for Lucas. Right as she moved to get up, Steve rushed in and was quick to help her up.

A part of Annie wanted to just go up to Billy and punch him until he was a pulp, but she knew she couldn't do that. Steve would have a chance, though. She let him confront Billy and she stood in front of the kids, fumbling to get her knife open. Though, with Steve getting in a few good hits, Annie felt like he could do it. Until she saw Billy pick up the plate.

"Steve, the plate!" she screamed but it was too late and Billy bashed the plate over his head, causing him to stumble back.

It only got worse from there and all Annie could do was watch in horror as Steve fell to the ground, obviously passed out. Billy started to throw more punches. She had no choice, she had to do something. Steve was dead otherwise. If she could take on those demodogs, surely she could take on some asshole who was beating up her best friend.

In a quick move, she ran up behind Billy and pressed the switchblade to Billy's neck, "Get the fuck off of him!"

He got off of Steve but only to thrash against her to fight for the knife. It was happening in such a blur and she wasn't strong enough to get the upper hand again. She first felt something cut into her cheek and then her back was against the floor. All she could do was scream and try to sink into the floor further.

"You know, I've been waiting for something like this for a few days now," Billy murmured, tossing the knife aside.

Annie kept her eyes shut, unable to say anything as she felt his mouth on her neck. If she could just make herself smaller or do something. There was something hard against her thigh and she tried to slide out, but there wasn't any give. She couldn't do anything. For all she knew, Steve was dead and she wasn't any better off. A stench of cigarette smoke and musk was all she could smell and it made her feel like gagging.

Then, Billy made a confused noise and there was suddenly less pressure on top of her. She opened one eye, realizing no one was on top of her. Max was screaming something, but it wasn't registering. All she could hear was a ringing of sorts. What did register was that Steve was only a few feet away and she crawled over to him.

His face was covered in blood and was already swelling. Still caught up in everything, she tried shaking him.

"Steve? Steve, come on, I need you to wake up for me," she whispered, looking for any signs that he was going to wake up, "Please, I can't do this shit alone, I really need you right now."

Dustin slowly approached her, sitting on the other side of Steve, "Annie, he's just passed out. He's still breathing, see?"

Sure enough, she could see his chest rising and falling, "Right... yeah... you're right, sorry."

"It's okay, we just need you to drive us where we tell you to," he said.

Annie's eyes widened, "We're not going anywhere!"

"Do you really wanna stay here where Billy is? Come on, if you stay calm about this, we can bring Steve along," Dustin replied.

That was all the convincing Annie needed in that moment. Getting the kids and Steve as far away from Billy as possible was the goal. Dustin put a few band-aids onto Steve to try and make her feel better. He offered her one for the cut on her cheek, but she didn't take it. Instead, she took the car keys to Billy's Camaro.

No, she had never driven before in her life, but how hard could it be? She watched Steve do enough of it. Surely she could figure this out on the fly. When she turned the key, the engine roared to life. She just needed to go from park to drive. Except the car was moving without her pushing anything.

"What the fuck, why's this thing moving?!" she exclaimed.

Max looked at her, "Have you ever driven before?"

"No."

"Get the brake, put it back in park. I'll do it," Max insisted.

It didn't take more than that for Annie to be in the backseat so she could be right there with Steve. He had been hit so hard and a part of her worried he wasn't going to wake up. How was she supposed to do all this without him? They were supposed to be co-babysitters. She didn't have a clue about taking care of these kids. Hell, she was letting one of them drive. That wasn’t a hallmark of good babysitting.

She held an ice pack to Steve's head and she felt him stir.

"Nancy?" he murmured, looking at Mike.

Annie breathed a sigh of relief, letting Dustin explain everything. All that mattered was that Steve was awake, probably not completely okay, but he was awake nonetheless. 

Then he looked up at her, "Wait. If you're not driving then..."

Steve was soon screaming for Max to stop driving. It didn't help the situation and soon enough they were all screaming and yelling at each other. Though, they somehow made it to the spot in question just fine.

She took the time to help Steve get out of the car, "So uh, I know we said we wouldn't let them go here, but maybe it's better here? Like it's away from... it might not be a bad idea, yeah?"

"You're bleeding," he said before noticing what the kids were doing, "No! We're absolutely not doing this!"

Dustin walked up to them, "Steve, I know you're upset but a party member requires assistance. Now, you told Nance you'd keep us safe, so just do that."

The kid handed Steve his bat and Annie her pitchfork. They were really going to do this. A knot of nausea was in her stomach.

A pair of goggles, some gloves, and a bandanna later; Annie was at the back of the group, making sure none of the kids fell behind while Steve took the front. It was simple. Set the place on fire and get out fast. She could do this. If Steve could handle this, so could she.

They were walking through the tunnels, and Annie was already familiar with the vines and whatever it was floating in the air. Dustin stood back and as she tried to get him to move forward, something sprayed at him. As horrific as it was to watch, the kid was back up and with the group.

Another few minutes and they found the hub that they all needed to drench in gasoline.  That was also the easy part. She still kept an eye out, though. Those demodogs could be anywhere for all she knew.

She was crouched alongside all of them as Steve threw his lighter to the ground. For a moment, she just stared as it was all enveloped in bright flames. It took Dustin tugging her to realize they needed to go and she trailed behind. Meaning she was right there when Mike fell down.

"It's okay, you're fine, kid," she said, using the pitchfork to cut the vines.

That didn't stop a demodog from running up and growling as the group came back for them. She stood in front of all them, but Dustin moved in front. They all cried out in protest until Steve got them to quiet down. Her gloved hand reached for Steve's for just a moment before she focused on holding her pitchfork.

Thankfully, somehow a candy bar was all they needed  to get through. That didn't stop the other demodogs from knowing where to find them. It was a race to get the kids up one by one. The last one up was Dustin who only made it up because she and Steve forced him up. At least the kids made it out.

Deep down, Annie knew that getting out of this was impossible. She was sure Steve knew that too, but they had gone through too much to not fight this last time. Her grip was tight on her pitchfork and her eyes glanced up to him.

"Thanks, for everything," she said as the monsters ran.

What she hadn't prepared for was the stampede to ignore her and Steve. He had to hold onto her so she didn't get thrown into them. The monsters passed and she blinked as hard as she could so she wouldn't cry.

Steve made her go up first and he came out soon after. The car lights started to flash brighter than she thought possible and then they went dark again. Right after that, the hole in the ground closed. All she could do was stand, watching as it all came to an end.

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added!): @dungeons-and-demodogs​ @jxnehxpper​ @ilovebucketbarnes​

[hollowempire]

Common Ground || Alexei x Reader

Request: none

Summary: Reader isn’t very fond of Alexei, but Hopper needs to talk to him and they speak the same language. Alexei is confused about what reader thinks of him and so is everyone else... except for Murray, of course.

Word Count: 2,008

Warning: Swearing

A/N: In a fic I read it said Alexei could speak many languages including Polish and my brain was like “oHOHOHOH O AN I D E A” so I ran with it. I stopped going to Polish school in like 6th grade so my concept of Polish grammar is nonexistent. Oh well... I can speak it well enough. Also this starts on July 3rd instead of 4th for scientific purposes.

“Jim, for the last time I don’t speak Russian!” y/n exclaimed, hands on her hips as she talked to Hopper, who was trying to fix the car.

Hopper backed away from the car and turned around, mimicking y/n’s stance. “Yeah, but you speak Polish!”

“So?”

“It’s very similar to Russian!” Hopper said, gesturing wildly with his hands. Both Alexei and Joyce watched them in confusion.

“Hopper, there’s a few words that are similar or maybe even the same, but that does not mean we’d understand each other!” y/n insisted, now also gesturing wildly with her hands. That’s how arguments between Hopper and y/n often went.

Hopper sighed, about to continue trying to get y/n to speak with Alexei, when the man himself spoke up.

“Mówisz po polsku?” You speak Polish? he asked, pushing his glasses up as he looked at y/n. She whipped her head around upon hearing this, unsure if she imagined it or not. When y/n saw that Alexei had a look on his face that meant he was waiting for an answer, she knew it had actually happened.

Y/n let out a groan, not very happy about the fact that she was able to and actually had to talk to Alexei now. Sending a glare towards Hopper as he grinned triumphantly, y/n stomped over to Alexei, Joyce moving out of the way and stepping into the car so she could see if it worked.

“Po pierwsze,” First of all, y/n started, poking Alexei in the ribs. “Nie lubię cie.” I dont like you.

Alexei raised his eyebrows and nodded, then turned his attention to Hopper. He suddenly grew frantic, shouting something in Russian.

“Stop!” he called multiple times, Hopper ignoring him and just getting angry.

“Shut up, Smirnoff!” Hopper yelled, approaching the pair by the tree. Before he could do anything, though, the car had started smoking and Joyce lept out just before it exploded.

“Stop.” Alexei said in a way that made it mean ‘I told you so’, earning a sigh from Hopper. He and Joyce went to talk about what they would do next, leaving y/n and Alexei alone again.

“Ten gruby stary koleś zawsze się tak zachowuje,” That fat old guy always acts like that, y/n told Alexei. He snickered, trying to hide his laughter behind his hands. “Co?” What?

“Gruby stary koleś,” fat old guy, Alexei repeated, now unable to control his laughter. He got louder and y/n joined in, grabbing the attention of Hopper.

“Hey!” he said, walking towards y/n. It was meant to scare them, but y/n and Alexei only laughed harder. “Hey, what did you say to him?”

“Nothing,” y/n managed to say, still trying to catch her breath and not burst out laughing again.

As Hopper moved towards her and Alexei, y/n became slightly worried he might kill them but relaxed when Hopper undid Alexei’s hand-cuffs and told them to get going.

“Must you two do this now?” y/n complained after Joyce and Hopper began arguing again, this time because Hopper was apparently too stinky to walk next to and then that spiraled into multiple different things.

The argument only stopped when Joyce pointed out that Alexei was running, y/n already hot on his tail. Hopper managed to pass y/n and they all ended up in the same spot, right at the edge of a road with a 7/11 right across the street. Alexei said something in Russian and they all went together.

Inside, after chugging coke and grabbing some stuff, y/n noticed Alexei struggling with the Slurpee machine because of his handcuffs.

“Potrzebujesz pomocy?” You need help? she asked, taking a cup for him.

He nodded. “Wiśnia.” Cherry.

Y/n poured the drink and shoved the cup into his hands. “To nie znaczy, że ja cię lubię.” This doesnt mean I like you.

“No, pewnie.” Sure. he replied sarcastically, smiling as he took a sip of his Slurpee.

“A co to ma znaczyć?” What’s that supposed to mean? she asked accusingly.

“Nic.” Nothing.

“Let’s go, you two!” Hopper called, already walking out of the store. He told Joyce to buy the stuff because apparently he’d spotted something outside.

That something was the car they were now approaching, Hopper telling Alexei and y/n to get in.

“The hell is this?” the owner of the car asked as he put the gas pump back in its respective slot.

“Police business,” Hopper lied, showing something in his wallet. “I’m confiscating this vehicle for criminal transport.”

“What?”

“I know they don’t look like it, but these two are the most dangerous couple in the world. They’ve robbed many banks and killed many people.” he lied again, the guy opening and closing his mouth in shock. “They’re like the new Bonnie and Clyde.” he added.

“What’s going on here?” Joyce asked, walking up to the scene.

“Detective Byers,” Hopper greeted, Joyce visibly trying to get into character. Y/n chuckled at that. “This man was nice enough to lend us his vehicle to transport these very dangerous criminals.”

“Yes... very dangerous forgerers.” she said.

“Yes, they’ve killed many people.”

“Killed?” Joyce asked softly, both of them now in the car. The guy chased after them as Hopper sped off with his car, asking about how he could get it back, but Hopper just told him he was doing the right thing. Y/n waved to the man with a grin.

“So, y/n, the good news is we’re going to see my Russian-speaking friend and you won’t have to talk to Smirnoff here.” Hopper told her, seeing y/n sigh happily in the rear view mirror.

“...and the bad news?”

“You still have to stay with us.”

Y/n groaned and glared at Alexei, who only smiled in return. He didn’t understand what they were saying, but it was clear she was unhappy with his presence.

“Powinnam Cię zabić, Ty pieprzony draniu.”I should kill you, you fucking bastard. y/n muttered. Alexei choked on his drink, Joyce looking back at him in concern and Hopper laughing.

After this exchange, neither of the two were very pleased to wake up hours later in each other’s arms after having pulled into a secluded driveway.

At the door, they were forced to give their names and look into the camera. Alexei was then searched by the man named Murray for a painfully long time.

“Listen,” y/n piped up, smacking Murray’s strange device down. “I don’t like or trust him either, but this is highly unnecessary!”

Murray laughed.

“What?” y/n asked, but Murray just shook his head. She and Alexei look to each other in confusion, shrugging in unison.

“That!” Murray pointed out.

Y/n immediately caught onto what he meant, and frantically shook her head.

“So that wasn’t you sleeping in the car together, then?” Murray asked teasingly. Y/n look to Joyce and Hopper for help, but they were immersed in yet another argument.

“Co ten łysy mówi?” What is this bald guy saying? Alexei asked, moving in close to her ear so she could hear. Y/n snorted.

Murray gave her an accusatory look as she pushed past him and threw herself down on the couch. Alexei followed without any objection from Murray, his search forgotten after his new task of getting y/n and Alexei together.

Alexei plopped down on the couch just as Joyce and Hopper walked into the room. Hopper announced he was going to get food and left after everyone told him what they wanted.

“We’re gonna need to figure out sleeping arrangements,” Murray said. “There’s a bed in there, a pull-out in my study, and someone can take the couch in here.” he explained, then said the same thing to Alexei in Russian.

“I’m sleeping alone,” Joyce said immediately.

“Well, I’m not sleeping in the same bed as Jim,” y/n said after that.

“He’s is definitely not going to share with Alexei, so looks like you two are taking the bed,” Murray said, winking at y/n. She was about to protest but at that moment Alexei interrupted her and asked what they were talking about.

“Ten idiota myśli, że będziemy spać razem w tym samym łóżku,” This idiot thinks that we’re gonna sleep together in the same bed, y/n told Alexei.

“No, Nie mam nic przeciwko,” Well, I don’t mind. Alexei said.

“Fine!” y/n said, throwing her hands up in defeat.

After a very near escape on Alexei’s part because of a disagreement about a cherry vs. strawberry slurpee, Alexei had explained all about the machine and how it was supposed to open the gate, then talked about how to stop it. After that everyone was pretty exhausted and went to bed, deciding that action could be taken the next day.

Y/n and Alexei were directed towards the guest bedroom, passing by Hopper on the living room couch and Joyce on the pull-out as they walked toward the glass door.

“Zostań na twojej strony łóżka i nie dostaniesz ranny,” Stay on your side of the bed and you won’t get hurt. Y/n said in a warning tone as she lay down, pulling the covers over her. They didn’t do much for keeping her warm. Murray’s house was unusually cold, especially for this time of year.

Alexei said nothing as he lay down. About 15 minutes later they were both still awake.

“Jest ci zimno?” Are you cold? He asked, tapping on her shoulder.

“Może...” Perhaps... y/n said, her back still turned to him.

“Widzę, że drżysz,” I see you shivering, he pointed out.

“Zamknij się,” Shut up y/n said, but when Alexei wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his chest she didn’t protest. She actually welcomed it and eventually turned around to face him. Instead of just pressing her face into his neck as she had originally planned, y/n paused when she caught a glimpse of Alexei’s face.

Y/n admired his features. He was actually pretty cute now that they were so close.

Alexei then opened his eyes and they met y/n’s. The two just lay there for a while, waiting for the other to move. It was y/n who eventually launched herself forward to press her lips against Alexei’s after growing tired of just waiting.

Murray really did know how to get people together, which he congratulated himself on after finding y/n and Alexei in a tangle of limbs and blankets that next morning.

“Glad to see you two are finally getting along,” Murray announced as he burst through the door. The only light source in the room was the rising sun seeping in through the slight openings in the curtains, illuminating just enough to show that they were still clinging onto each other trying to savor the warmth.

“Don’t tell Hopper,” y/n mumbled, a hint of concern in her voice as she attempted to get out of bed.

“Too late.”

Y/n immediately sat up and found herself making eye contact with a very angry cop in a pastel-colored shirt.

“Y/n, you’re here to translate, not sleep with our prisoner!”

“Wait, that’s not what we were doing, we were just-”

“I don’t care, y/n! What the hell happened, you started off hating this guy and now here you are.” Hopper interrupted.

“Hey maybe we should all just calm down and let the kids live a little,” Murray said in an attempt to settle the situation. Luckily it worked and Hopper stormed out of the room, leaving Y/n and Alexei alone after Murray shut the door behind him as he followed Hopper out.

“Chyba ten w głupiej koszulce mnie chce zabić...” I think the guy in the ugly shirt wants to kill me.

Y/n chuckled, glad they could still make fun of Hopper together despite being terrified of him. “Nie pozwolę mu,” I won’t let him. y/n said. She pressed a quick kiss to Alexei’s shoulder and lay back down, hoping to spend some more time in the peaceful atmosphere of the bedroom before exiting to be yelled at (and possibly murdered) by Hopper. They made sure to stay there in each other’s arms as long as possible to avoid the wrath of Jim Hopper.

[hartigays]

2 for Harringrove ??

2. “The thought of losing you scares me.”

(these are supposed to be fluff prompts but we going ✈️ end of the world anyway bc i can)

it’s been six months, eight weeks, and four days since their plan at starcourt failed. six months, eight weeks, and four days since the sky turned black and red and the world grew cold. six months, eight weeks, and four days since the gate blew open and effectively ended the world as they knew it.

six months, eight weeks, and four days since billy almost died in a pool of black sludge on the grimy linoleum floors of starcourt mall.

he’s doing better. most of his wounds were shallow, save for the few that went deep enough to nearly take his life. but doc owens had a house full of supplies to suture billy up like frankenstein.

even after owens deemed him fit for travel, they stayed there for a while. billy and the rest of the party. holed up in owens’ house, trying to figure out just how they could possibly ride this out.

two weeks into their stay, they came late at night. the demo-dogs, a whole swarm of them. the group defended the house as best as they could, but it was a lost cause. they were out on the open road by the what used to be considered sunrise.

time has ceased to have any real meaning anymore, if they’re being honest. there’s no morning or night, just darkness and a cold that seeps deep into their bones and refuses to go away.

the line between the two dimensions has been all but erased. the upside down has consumed their world; swarms of demo-dogs prowl the frozen wasteland, the mind flayer takes more and more people for its army each day.

they keep running. from city to city, state to state, just barely escaping the mind flayer’s grasp each time.

the kids don’t smile much these days. el is tired more often than not, weakened and drained from the constant use of her gifts. joyce doesn’t have many soft, kind words to lend out anymore. hopper has distanced himself from everyone, both physically and emotionally. standing guard and pacing around in the night on the fringes of wherever they’ve made camp.

and steve. steve doesn’t smile softly anymore, doesn’t make his goofy jokes or try to cheer the kids up. he just grips onto his bat, wound tight and always at the ready, constantly on high alert.

billy is surprised, given his near-death experience, that he’s actually not the most fucked up person in this broken group. he supposes he was built more for a world like this than most. he’d hardened himself to the world they knew Before. this one just seems to make more sense for someone like him.

violence has run in his blood since he’d exited the womb. fighting monsters and suffering from hunger and exhaustion and living in a world devoid of warmth and happiness apparently just comes naturally to him.

that isn’t to say that billy doesn’t have a lot of regrets. he regrets not telling max that he loved her more, Before. it feels odd to say it now, like maybe he’d only be saying it because they could die at any given moment.

he regrets not going back to california to see his mom when he had the chance. he regrets being cruel to the kids he now spends every waking moment protecting. he regrets convincing himself to waste his time with someone like karen wheeler, something he only did to bury the ugly truth about himself and his desires.

billy certainly regrets not being kinder with steve.

it’d be easier, if he had. it’d be easier to tell steve now that he loves him. it’s another situation where it just seems forced, like he’s only deciding this now when there’s no one left to choose from.

that could never be the case, but billy can’t see steve thinking otherwise. it’s just. billy didn’t let himself feel it for so long. his love for steve crept up on him, from the moment they first met. there was just something about him. and the more his feelings grew, the more afraid he became. the more he lashed out and repressed how he felt.

it feels like a lost cause now. but billy doesn’t quite think things like that carry the weight of any real importance, not anymore. not when they have to fight every day just to stay alive. so, he focuses on that. on finding food, water, shelter. on protecting the party, one day at a time.

billy has had to do a lot of protecting today. they had to pull up stakes at their last camp, another demo-dog pack blowing through. they lost a lot of stuff in the process - food and water, mostly. the demo-dogs seem to learn rather quickly what items to destroy along with the people.

they drove for nearly three days before finding a dilapidated motel in a small nebraskan town. billy, steve, and nancy help hopper do a sweep and clear out any demo-dogs hiding in the shadows. they set up a perimeter not long after.

hopper takes billy and steve on a run into town for supplies. it’s been nearly picked clean by either other survivors, or demo-dogs. they’re still prowling the streets when they arrive.

needless to say, it doesn’t go very well.

billy has to see doc owens immediately upon their return; his arm was nearly shredded by a particularly nasty dog. steve had sprung in at the last moment, beating the ugly bastard off of billy with his bat. now, steve nearly paces a hole in the floor while owens works on stitching billy up.

he doesn’t know why steve is so wound up tonight. they got enough supplies to satiate the whole group, especially the kids. it was a good run.

they’re sharing a room at the motel. no one sleeps alone - it’s one of their cardinal rules. billy heads to it after they eat. steve follows after him and slams the door shut so hard it rattles on its hinges.

“the fuck, harrington?” billy hisses, sitting up in alarm. “you trying to bring a pack of dogs down on us like it’s fuckin’ judgment day?”

“you almost died again.” it’s said with an air of finality. like billy should’ve already known the cause of steve’s upset.

“that’s life now, pretty boy,” billy sighs, rubbing his sleep-deprived eyes. “you really should learn how to get used to that.”

steve cuts him a glare. “you don’t fucking get it, do you?”

there’s obviously something that billy is missing here. he doesn’t quite understand what steve is so bent out of shape about.

“obviously not,” billy says, standing and moving to slip his shirt off before climbing into bed.

he doesn’t quite make it back into the bed. steve marches over and grabs his arm, stopping him before he has the chance.

“i can’t - i can’t lose you too,” steve tells him, his voice breaking. “i can’t watch you die. i won’t. the thought of you not being here, losing you, it just. scares the fuck out of me.”

billy swallows around the lump that has mysteriously formed in his throat. he doesn’t brush steve off when his hand slides down his arm, until it can grasp billy’s and tangle their fingers together. he’s pretty sure he stops breathing, though.

“you won’t,” he says, finally. “who else would keep your pretty ass out of trouble?”

“billy, i’m serious. you can’t keep putting yourself in danger like that. like you did today,” steve begs, squeezing his hand tight.

“that dog would’ve killed you if i hadn’t.”

“yeah, but it almost killed you!” steve cries, releasing billy’s hand to throw his up in exasperation.

“oh, what, so i’m supposed to let you die and just protect myself instead?” billy snaps, his voice raising an octave. “fuck off with that shit. you think you can’t handle a world without me in it? how the fuck do you think i’d feel if i lost you? you ever fuckin’ consider that?”

he’s borderline shouting now, and steve slaps a hand over his mouth, eyes wide with surprise. billy peels his hand off, taking a steady breath. laces their fingers together again.

“there’s never going to be a time where i don’t pick your life over mine,” billy tells him. “better get used to that, too.”

steve takes a deep breath of his own. he searches billy’s eyes, before squeezing his shut and leaning in. he rests his forehead against billy’s, just breathing together for a moment.

“i’m sorry,” steve says quietly, breaking the silence that has fallen between them.

“for what?” billy questions, his brows furrowing.

“for not doing this sooner.”

steve pulls him in and seals their mouths together. billy emits a soft noise of surprise, his eyes flying open. he feels frozen, like he’s not quite sure if this is really happening or not. but when steve starts to pull away, billy’s brain comes back online.

he yanks steve in closer, kissing him with every last bit of energy he has, and then some. steve’s hand leaves his, only for both of them to grasp onto billy’s shirt, fingers curling into the material. billy cradles steve’s face in his hands, holding him like he’s precious.

he kinda is, if billy hasn’t made that abundantly clear yet.

“i’m so fucking in love with you,” steve breathes when they break apart. “god, i can’t believe i haven’t said that until now. you’ve almost died like, five hundred times and i’ve never told you the most important thing that i could ever possibly say to anyone ever and -”

billy cuts him off, giving steve another kiss, this one warm and gentle. “it’s okay. i - yeah. i love you too. didn’t ever say it either.”

“guess that makes us both idiots.”

billy smiles running his fingers through steve’s hair. it’s long beyond reason, which is both sexy and dangerous.

“we need to cut this soon,” billy comments. “god forbid something grabs onto this damn mop while we’re out on a run.”

“i’ll let you cut mine if you let me trim your beard. it’s getting a little mangy,” steve offers, then makes a face. “god. is this what intimacy is in the apocalypse? cutting each other’s hair?”

billy snickers softly. “i think i have a few better ideas.”

“oh yeah? like what?”

taking steve’s hand, billy pulls him towards the bed farthest from the door, smiling softly. “i think it’d be better if i just showed you.”

steve pauses. and then, “oh, you mean right now?”

billy plops down on the mattress, reclining back on his elbows. he arches a brow. “what, you got somewhere to be, pretty boy?”

there’s only a split-second pause before steve is scrambling to straddle billy’s hips. steve smiles down at him, leaning down to kiss the tip of billy’s nose.

“nowhere but here, sweetheart.”

send me a number + a pairing!

[bakudomaster]

Pushing Daisies

Hello again everyone! It’s time for another in-depth analysis of a show that I’ve watched. This time I’ve picked a show that I have recently rediscovered - question: do you guys like pies and corpses...?

[The facts were these]

PREMISE

In the fall of 2007, a quirky little show known as Pushing Daisies premiered on ABC. Taking inspiration from all things kitsch and Wes Anderson, the story centered around Ned (no, not THAT Ned), a self taught baker specializing in pies who has the unique ability to touch dead beings and bring them back to life. As with many superheroes, his powers did not come without restriction: once touched, should Ned touch the “undeaded” once more, they would become dead permanently. Also, once Ned touches the dead, they exist consequence free for only 60 seconds before something living in close proximity has to die to balance out the cosmic scales.

A bundle of anxiety and intimacy issues on a good day, Ned uses his special skills to moonlight as a part time private investigator to help full time investigator Emerson Cod solve various murder cases and collect reward money. One day, it turns out that the case they have to solve is that of Ned’s childhood sweetheart, one Charlotte “Chuck” Charles. Ned takes a risk and resurrects her beyond the 60 second rule, meaning that someone else has to take her place in the great beyond.

Together with Ned’s waitress (and unrequited admirer), the quartet must solve mysteries, keep the secret of Chuck being alive again from her eccentric aunts and come face to face with all of their emotional issues.

Sadly, the show was cancelled before it ever took off, but more on that later on.

CAST & CHARACTERS

Lee Pace as Ned - the man with the magic touch, he owns a restaurant called “The Pie Hole”, where he makes... well, pies; what did you expect? Ned discovered his gift/curse at a young age when he resurrected his dog after being run over and his mother after she suffered a brain aneurysm. He also discovered that his powers did not come without consequence, as the cost of bringing his mother back to life was Chuck’s father dying. Abandoned at boarding school by his father, Ned grew up and opened his restaurant where he also helps Emerson Cod solve many murder mysteries for the rewards of justice and money. Due to his powers and abandonment issues, Ned has trouble opening up to anyone and carries around a great deal of anxiety. Lee Pace was previously unknown before the show, but he rightfully gained much recognition afterwards, going on to make a few bad movies before getting roles in the Hobbit and MCU franchises.

Anna Friel as Charlotte “Chuck” Charles - Ned’s childhood sweetheart and neighbor, Chuck grew up with her father, having believed that her mother died giving birth to her. Once the universe decided to claim her father as payment for Ned’s mother being brought back to life, she was raised by her shut-in aunts and never allowed herself to travel beyond the gates of her house for their sake. Deciding to break that rule, she was killed when she went on a cruise, after which she was revived the socially anxious Pie Maker Jesus. Chuck is a very optimistic and sincere girl who enthusiastically takes to solving cases. She carries around a bit of existential depression in her, what with being previously dead and all, but she cares for her family and friends very deeply. She can never touch her boyfriend again, but she’s very happy to just generally be around him. Anna Friel had a bit of a generic career before the show, but all that changed once it was cancelled. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work here.

Chi McBride as Emerson Cod - a jaded private investigator who believes in nothing but the almighty dollar, Emerson frequently contracts Ned’s skill to revive murder victims, ask them how they died and who killed them, solve their cases and collect easy reward money. He had a romance with one of his PI targets a few years before the series began, resulting in daughter who is now missing. He is the author of a children’s pop-up book, hoping to get it published so that his daughter will use it and come find him instead of the other way around. He does not like the complications that come with having Chuck around nor does he care for Ned’s frequent ethical dilemmas or Olive’s stubborn charms; but he does appreciate all of them in his own way. Chi McBride previously starred in Boston Public and went on to star in short lived shows such as Human Target and Golden Boy before getting a recurring role on the new Hawaii Five-O

Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook - a former jockey turned waitress, Olive works at the Pie Hole, lives next door to her boss and carries a very strong, yet unrequited love for our Ned. She does not take kindly to Chuck suddenly appearing and gaining the affection she had worked so hard without reward. She believes that Chuck faked her death and is locked out of the loop as to what is really going on. After some snooping around of her own, she makes firm friendships with Chuck’s aunts, Chuck herself (they even become roommates) and even Emerson. She also learns to accept that Ned will never see her the way he sees the dead girl and tries to move on. Kristin was a very well established Broadway actress before the show and won an Emmy for her role in the show’s second season. She went on to do more plays and more TV shows, with a few guest starring roles here and there.

Swoosie Kurtz as Lily Charles - a cynical and sarcastic agoraphobe, Lily was once part of a synchronized swimming duo called the Darling Mermaid Darlings with her sister Vivian. They toured all over the world before settling down to raise Chuck once her father died. She’s fond of martinis, guns and does not take kindly to strangers... or anyone for that matter. She also happens to be carrying a few secrets of her own as Olive find out and is devastated when she finds out Chuck dies at the beginning of the show. Ms Kurtz is a very acclaimed actress, having an Emmy and two Tonys to her name. She went on to star as Joyce Flynn on Mike & Molly after the show.

Ellen Greene as Vivian Charles - Chuck’s other agoraphobic aunt, Vivian was the other half of the Darling Mermaid Darlings. She’s much more compassionate and delicate than her older sister, but is lost and sad after her niece’s death. Wanting to explore the world in all senses of the phrase beyond her house, she finds herself frequently held back by Lily’s stubbornness... but is that all that’s keeping her back. She was also once engaged to Chuck’s father. Ms Greene is renowned for her role in Little Shop of Horrors (both musical and film versions).

STRUCTURE, DEVELOPMENT & WRITING

Described as a “forensic fairytale”, Pushing Daisies drew inspiration from all the 20′s right through to the 50′s. For those who haven’t seen the show, have you ever watched the Wes Anderson segment in the Family Guy episode Three Directors? You’d be surprised at how similar the setting is, even though it’s a parody. You could even say it has a very Tim Burton feel to it, and who doesn’t love Tim Burton?

Combining the murder mystery and fantasy show genres was not new at all. Medium started up 2 years before PD; whilst Missing & Tru Calling debuted the year before that. If PD was going to be different, it needed another element to make it a success, critically at least. It found that piece by embracing full on quirkiness and adding equal amounts of emotional gratification instead of the darker themes of the aforementioned predecessors, it could carve a niche for itself in the late 00′s television market. PD didn’t serve up thumping adrenaline in any of Ned’s pies, but it didn’t need to: there were other shows who could do that better. It aimed for something else entirely, making the crime element a portion of itself rather than the whole focus.

In this sense, the show followed through with the more intellectual sarcasm starting to appear more frequently at the time (thank you Tina Fey), but tempered it with sincerity. Characters were allowed to be jaded or anxious, but never at the expense of the lighthearted atmosphere. The show’s scripts were also tightly consistent with character development, often pairing very unlikely characters for humorous or heartwarming moments. Characters also took on very familiar tropes in a very unique way - instead of endlessly pining for the pie maker who could never be hers, Olive attempted many a times to get over him, finally accepting that friends instead of lovers was better than slicing Ned out of her life completely. Emerson was a hard-boiled private eye, who wanted his AWOL daughter to find him instead of the other way around.

As with many shows airing on ABC at the time, PD carried a family secret/scandal that affected almost every character, forcing them to go to great lengths to keep it buried once the truth had been discovered. It fit in well with the general theme as opposed to the other examples who used it for shock value or to prolong viewership.

Sadly, the pie maker and his friends weren’t destined to remain on TV for long. The show was one of the victims of the 2007/8 writers strike, forcing it’s first season to end after only 9 episodes. Production resumed afterwards, however the second season only premiered an entire 10 months after the first one did, with only a quarter of the viewership. ABC pulled the plug through the second season in 2008, leaving the final three episodes unaired in the US until May 2009. Pushing Daisies was... pushing daisies - eh? Eh? Ok, I’ll see myself out.

BULLSEYES & IMPROVEMENTS

What the show gets right:

The general offbeat, yet pleasant mood

Olive Snook - for a relative outsider (she’s not part of Emerson’s PI business nor does she truly know Ned’s secret), she worms her way into all mystery related plot lines, proving herself to be a badass sidekick along the way

Speaking of Olive, she is wonderfully unique. Though she sees herself as a rival to Chuck for Ned’s love, she bonds with the previously dead girl over taking care of Lily and Vivian, even rooming with her. She also doesn’t go down the tsundere route - she’s not afraid to discuss her feelings maturely with Ned and accept her defeat in amore.

Emerson and Olive frequently team up together, even though they’re as different as night and day. Olive proves herself so competent that Emerson offers her a position at his firm should she ever get tired of The Pie Hole

The sets and cinematography contribute to the fairy tale escapism mood. I wish more shows did this nowadays

Olive’s songs, especially her renditions of Eternal Flame and Hello (Lionel Richie’s version, though I’m sure Adele’s one would be equally perfect, if not more so)

Ned coming to terms with his abandonment and intimacy issues by slowly letting people in

Jim Dale as the eloquent narrator. Never have exposition and narration been so quaint

Vivian’s delicate melancholy when she realizes her boyfriend abandoned” her and now she has to take the rose colored glasses off

Digby - enough said

The show doesn’t get much wrong, but then again it couldn’t have considering the extremely short run. Had they received a full season at least once, I’m sure the tension in the various mysteries could have been a bit tiresome. Instead, here is a wishlist of sorts:

Who Dwight Dixon really was and why he was obsessed with the pocket watches

See Ned connect with his twin half brothers a bit more

What did Chuck’s father get up to after he took off

Explore Ned’s dad character, who he was and why he abandoned his two families

A slow burner of Emerson’s missing daughter plot

Emerson’s relationship with his mother (Debra Mooney is a hoot)

Delve into more of Vivian’s anger at her sister in the last episode

CULTURAL IMPACT

PD was a critically acclaimed gem right from it’s very first episode. That continued through the 22 episode run. Unlike its peers, it didn’t chop and change plot elements to see what worked and what didn’t. It chose a direction and it stuck with it.

Many fans have expressed their desire to see the show revived, claiming injustice at the fact that it was gone too soon. I think part of why it was cancelled, apart from the production troubles it faced, was that it was a bit ahead of its time. Considering it as a whole by today’s standards, it seems something better suited to Netflix rather than mainstream TV. It was a very specific show that needed a very specific mindset to watch. It didn’t have the commercial broadband appeal that Desperate Housewives or even Weeds had.

Could it be revived today? I think it’s in a very prime position to at least be considered. Creator Bryan Fuller is currently busy with Star Trek: Discovery, but I’m sure he could find time, at least in a consulting capacity. Streaming services offer a much more diverse set of original productions, something cable and network services are struggling to keep up with - it’s an environment that Pushing Daisies would thrive in. It comes down to the cast - Lee has a quietly booming movie career, but it would be nice to see him on TV again. Both Chi and Anna are busy with other TV shows, but I could see them working this in during their inter-season breaks. Kristin has just come off a cancelled TV show, so she’d probably say yes.

Let’s hold thumbs - after all, these guys are in the business of bringing the dead back to life

WHERE TO WATCH IT

The series is available on Amazon’s Prime Video service

If Amazon hasn’t licensed it in your region, you can find episodes from various channels on Dailymotion (just search for the titles)

[ibemandapanda]

My Billy Hargrove theory

This is less of a theory and more of an idea involving the demodog shoved in Joyces fridge inspired by body snatchers. And if season 4 has a plot twist itll be that Hopper is actually dead, but I think it's pretty obvious by now Hopper is alive and well.

I know season 3 was similar to the body snatcher concept but it was more possession and Exorcist vibes than anything. To make this work, it would involve Billy still being alive as well (or not). Considering the demogorgans can make their own gates (and the demodog in the fridge is still alive), and preserving it in the cold of the fridge actually helped it evolve into a demogorgan (they like it cold). that being said we go all the way back to season two with Billy laying on the Byers floor out cold. said demodog now demogorgan frees itself from the fridge, and because its a hive mind, knows the gate is closing. although it is apart of the hive mind, its shown they can be self aware and possess unilateral thinking capabilities via Dart and how Dart **chose** to not attack Dustin and let Steve and the kids pass by unscathed. So demogorgan from the fridge opens a gate to the upside down in the house, decides to body snatch Billy and throw him in the upside down (or just kill him and throw the body in the upside down) and essentially taking his place in our world to survive. The demogorgan not only steals his image but his memories, mannerisms, and shitty personality. This may or may not help the demogorgan survive with the gate closed (because it has shifted into another creature) or there may already be another gate open via the post credit scene in season 3. either way its depicted that these creatures are still somehow alive with the gate closed.

so now we are in season 3 with the demogorgan shapeshifted as Billy. something that caught my eye was when Billy had a vision in the upside down, he never once questioned where he was or what was going on, he immediately asked "what do you want?" like he knew who he was talking to. maybe the mind flayer sat waiting in the steel works for demo-Billy (hive mind knowing this particular demogorgan was still out there) to come near (or it was an extraordinary coincidence), i find it hard to believe not a single person drove down that road over the x amount of hours from when the gate opened to when billy drove down that road by the steal works.

Billy's head injury. Billy gets a nasty cut on his forehead in the side not covered by hair from the the car accident in episode one. come episode two (the next day) this mark is gone. i didn't think anything of it until i saw Tom Holloway with a pretty noticeable band aid on his forehead from the wine bottle Heather whipped the shit out of him with. considering demo-billy is a shapeshifter, he could've, most likely, just shifted the injury away.

Billy pleading with Max. i think this would be kind of obvious. demo-billy has been blending in for about 8 months now as Billy and possesses Billy's feeling towards his step-sister so i feel like the reaction is genuine. i also find it odd how every time the Mind Flayer takes control, Billy's veins turn black but Will's didn't. could this be because this is the demogorgan and the demogorgan's blood beneath the human like skin?

Billy's picture. El used Billy's school picture to find him sitting in his room on July 4th. since billy has been in the upside down since November (or just dead) of the previous year, that picture may have been one demo-billy took for school hence her locating demo-billy and not billy in the upside down.

Billy's memories. like i said before, this demogorgan took not only billy's image but his personality, mannerisms and memories like they were his own because this is now the creature/person it is and has been for x amount of time now. billys memories held weight for the demogorgan, not because it held emotion for these fleeting moments or memories but because it reminded it of the person it was trying to be helping it pull away from the mind flayers hold.

As for Hopper, if the giant laser key had the power to open the gate, i 100% believe it had the power to transport to the dimension. i think Hopper was transported exactly how El was in season 1. i think Hopper is in the upside down and eventually meets up with Billy (if hes still alive) and they help each other survive (billy faring a bit better since he would have been there for about 8 months already). This is honestly the team up i never knew i needed and would kill to see it come to fruition.

The pale demogorgan at the end of season 3. could this be demo-billy? after 'killed' by the mind flayer the people inside are rushed out, US Calvary rushes in. considering a bunch of russians built an underground lair underneith a mall without anyone noticing i dont think its out of the realm of possibilities to think there are russians spies within the us government under Dr. Owens command that answers the SOS to the starourt mall. say demo-billy, near death, reverts back to its original form. having been in disguise for so long loses its natural skin tone and then abducted by the commies.

the american. i think the american is Brenner. how else did the russians know to go to Hawkins indiana specifically, build a 5 mile walkway from the mall to underneith Hawkins lab and open the gate where the ground was still scarred and healing. it has Brenner written all over it. i dont think Brenner was necessarily helping the red army but more or less using this information as a bargaining chip to spare his life. Or Brenner purposely sought out international funding for his research into the upside down since the american government caught onto him and shut him down. So the brains behind the Russians in Hawkins may have very well been Brenner, the cockroach that he is.

The potential subplot device in season 4. knowing that this demogorgan shapeshifted into Billy, how many more are there? how does the group locate them? and how do they kill them?

So ends my long winded plot idea. I think I just really want Billy to live to I can look at Dacre Montgomery for another 8 episodes.

[themikewheelers]

Hey! Im pretty new to the fandom (since like summer) and i was wondering if there were any crazy fan theories before s2 came out? Like the speculation over s3 has really got me thinking how much people predicted before the show came out last time? I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts so thanks ♥️

Okay so crazy fan theories idk if u mean crazy like, funny, or crazy like INTENSE so I’ll just answer for both lmao. There were a LOT of funny theories before the show came out. I mentioned one of them the other night, which was the El/Mike MORPH theory, but if u didn’t see that post, basically when the first s2 teaser came out there was a shot from the scene of El and Hopper’s fight where El is crying. It was the first look we got of El in s2 so that was the first time we were seeing her curly hair and all that, and also in the shot (which didn’t make the final cut of the show) she was covering her face, so at first we weren’t 100% sure if it was her. Millie and Noah ended up confirming that it was, but a LOT of ppl were still convinced it was Mike, which led to a bunch of ridiculous theories that in s2 El was going to morph into Mike, that they were actually the same person, there would be a body swapping plotline, etc. like there were a lot of variations of it but it can all be p well grouped under the same theory. The main other FUNNY theory coming to mind is my personal favorite, PregNancy. A completely baseless-yet-popular theory that was exactly how it sounds, Pregnant Nancy. It rlly only started bc in the trailer they included the shot of Nancy crying in the Holland’s bathroom, so a lot of people ran with this whole idea that she’s crying cause she just took a pregnancy test and there were a lot of spiraled out theories like whether it was Steve or Jonathan’s baby and all that. Those are the two main comedic theories from s2 that I remember and ppl who were here for them can all remember hauntingly and joke about

As for ACTUAL theories, jeez there were a LOT. There were some rlly good ones too. I remember a rlly popular one was that after someone leaked some set pictures of Millie filming the scene where El gets off the bus in Chicago, a lot of ppl started theorizing that Eleven was hiding out there with some friends Hopper had there or smth (Now we know that “the city” Hop used to live in was New York, but we didn’t know that pre-s2 so ppl figured it might be Chicago and he had an old apartment there or smth). There were also a LOT of theories centered around the tunnels, bc that was some of the only plot hints we had going in to the season. People caught on pretty quickly after the trailer came out that the drawings in the Byers house were a map of the tunnels, and stuff spiraled from there. I remember one theory I personally believed was that the tunnels were what Will used in the Upside Down to get around and hide from the Demogorgon. Another big theory was that the red cloud that the Mind Flayer appeared in in Will’s visions was going to be an actual physical storm coming to Hawkins, which came p much from the few shots of it in trailers alongside the fact that the show originally released some fake episode titles when they announced s2, and one of them was “The Storm”. The old title for “The Lost Sister” was actually “The Lost Brother” and a LOT of theories came from that, ranging from pretty accurate like it being another experiment, to completely off base, like one I remember was it being about a 4th Wheeler sibling (Mike’s twin) who died (p much just came from the fact that Mike has a bunk bed). OH and if you remember the DnD scene at the end of season 1, aka everything with the proud princess, the lost knight, and the weird flowers in the cave? Everyone was CONVINCED those were supposed to be clues for season 2. Literally 99% of s2 theories mentioned those 3 things, and in the end they were complete red herrings. A lot of theories also came from Dragon’s Lair, as the Duffers hinted a lot that there would be symbolism in the game. Now we know that “symbolism” was rlly nothing more than foreshadowing that Lucas would end up with Max and not Dustin (”Princess Daphne is still mine!”) but for a long time we thought it was PLOT foreshadowing. And lemme tell you anon, I personally did SO MUCH research on that game and watched the gameplay so many times making theories. The plot of the game is about a knight rescuing a missing princess from a dragon, and a lot of ppl (me included) thought that was going to foreshadowing for Mike saving El from whatever was the reason she was still missing. For a LONG time ppl thought El was going to be in the Upside Down for a full year. If you read any pre-s2 fics, there’s a good chance that’s going to be referenced, bc for so long we didn’t have ANY clue where she could be so we just assumed she was stuck in the Upside Down as a default. It wasn’t until a year after the show came out that it was confirmed she’d been out of the Upside Down since the beginning. So yeah for a long time there were a LOT of theories about the kids doing a rescue mission to the Upside Down. Another theory that came from Dragon’s Lair was that Dustin was going to die, bc his character dies in Dragon’s Lair and people thought that would be similar foreshadowing to how in s1 Will’s DnD character was taken by the Demogorgon, then that’s what happened in real life. Speaking of character deaths, a LOT of people thought Steve or Hopper were gonna die. There wasn’t rlly explanation behind it, but everyone kinda agreed, their character arcs as of the end of s1 were set up well if the show wanted to kill one of them off. Another big plot theory that I remember was that the Upside Down would be spreading to the real world, bc the tag line for season 2 was “The World Is Turning Upside Down” and people connected it back to Mr Clarke’s line about how the gate could swallow everyone up whole. That theory KINDA became true and the gate was spreading in s2, but it wasn’t the plot of the season or anything, and it wasn’t near as serious in reality as people theorized it to be. There were a also LOT of theories about Will too, and a lot of them were some variation of Will having powers. Oh and since one of the episode titles is “The Spy” there were a lot of theories about who the spy was, the most common ones I remember were Max, Billy, Bob, and Hopper. The first 3 bc they were the newbies (no pun intended on Bob’s end) and Hopper bc we kinda knew he had some connection going on with the lab, but didn’t know the nature or what was going on or anything. OHMYGOD and how could I forget the Thessalhydra. The FREAKING Thessalhydra. Another DnD related theory that I spent HOURS of my life dedicated to researching only for it to amount to NOTHING. The Thessalhydra is another DnD monster, and it was also mentioned in the campaign at the end of season 1, and everyone was convinced that would be the new monster from s2. There weren’t a lot of theories about the Mind Flayer going into season 2 just because we didn’t know enough to even have theories, but almost every theory that did exist assumed that the shadow monster was the Thessalhydra coming to Hawkins following the Demogorgons defeat. Another one I remember is since we got shots of Joyce, Hop, and Bob wearing scrubs in the trailer, people thought they were going undercover in a hospital to either 1) kidnap Will out of it or 2) steal medical files.

As for theories that were accurate, there was a surprising lot. Honestly in reality a LOT of stuff that happened in season 2 was stuff ppl either theorized about, but their theories went WAY more in depth & went beyond what actually happened, or it was smth ppl figured was too obvious to be true. So honestly in the end we definitely OVER-theorized a lot for s2. El and Hop was one of them. Hopper hiding El in a secret cabin in the woods was one of those things that everybody in the fandom thought about, but most of us thought it was too predictable to be true (especially because one of those original episode titles was literally “The Secret Cabin”). Everyone pretty much assumed that Dustin’s pollywog was really the slug Will threw up, and there were even a lot of theories about it being a baby Demogorgon (though I don’t think ANYONE anticipated the demodogs). Or like I mentioned before, a lot of theories about El going to Chicago, but none of them were even CLOSE to what really happened. Kali’s original name in the show was Roman, and they kept her SUPER secretive. When the final trailer of the show came out, they included a shot of the gang wearing masks, and I remember someone was able to figure out that one of them was Roman/Kali, and that’s rlly all we knew about her going in. I actually remember someone sent me an ask back then thinking that the girl next to her might be El in a mask too, and I specifically remember looking at that picture thinking “Nah that’s not her” bc I mean, no one expected anything like episode 7. They had announced there was going to be an independent episode, and I remember our theories ranged everywhere from a musical episode to flashbacks of the year between 1 and 2 to a whole episode dedicated to Terry and MKUltra. But at no point did anyone come even close to figuring out the truth. There’s a lot of smaller details ppl anticipated too, like the Stancy breakup or Bob’s death, and even a good chunk of the plot honestly, even if no one rlly theorized the exacts, the whole kinda premise and concepts we had brought up a lot before and we had loosely figured it out. But there was also so much stuff no one ever thought of before, like the Demodogs or everything with ep7 or the lab shutting down or Will getting possessed.

All in all honestly we did a pretty good job. Everything we COULD figure out based on the information we had we did for the most part, to the point where honestly this time around the show is being WAY more secretive in s3 because they don’t want us to figure stuff out again. Like I said before, honestly we over-theorized, we took all the information we did and definitely overthought everything a LOT and ended up going a lot more intense with it than what ultimately happened in the show lmao

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Hypothetical Stranger Things season 3 premiere plot outline

Just for fun, I thought I’d stretch out my writing muscles and write out my version of the season three premiere. Hopefully, this makes for an entertaining read!

Season 3 is set in 1985 but the opening scene will be a flashback to the moment Eleven opened the gate to the Upside Down. She escapes while most of the staff is killed by the Demogorgon. After the initial wreckage, a man walks through the gate. This is the Crooked Man, a new main character and one of the main antagonists of the season. He serves the Mind Flayer and his goal is to reopen the gate. The Crooked Man walks away from the building and into the night. In my head, I had Edward James Olmos portraying this character.

We then cut to present day. 

Eleven, now going by the name “Jane Hopper”, is at her first day of school. She expects to be picked on for hanging out with Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Max. However, the complete opposite happens. Unintentionally, she makes friends with the popular crowd and Troy the bully develops a crush on her, much to Mike’s chagrin.   

Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve are getting ready for their last year of high school, with Nancy getting an acceptance letter for UC Berkeley (chose that because I went there lol). Jonathan pursues professional photography while Steve is aimless, unsure of his future. We get some backstory and learn that Steve’s father died in the Vietnam War, which leads to him thinking about joining the military in order to honor his father’s name.

Hopper and Joyce have been regularly hanging out, mainly because Joyce feels that Jane needs a maternal figure in her life. Yes, this is the season where they get together. 

Going back to the AV club, Mike and Jane are still going strong, as well as Lucas and Max. Dustin, having been rejected by every girl at the Snow Ball, is a bit down when we first see him mainly due to jealousy. He doesn’t hate Mike and Lucas but he wishes he was in a relationship. This leads to the introduction of one of our new main characters, Quinn Chen.

Quinn’s family moved to Hawkins from New York City. To contrast Jane and Max, Quinn is very much a “popular girl” type. Outgoing, easy to talk to, always has a group of people following and praising her, and always knows what the current trends are. Her family is wealthier than the typical Hawkins family, which is something that Will immediately notices. In my head, I had Lily Chee portraying this character (she played young Elektra in DD season two).

Quinn rejects Dustin at first due to his “nerd” status until two things happen. One, he makes her laugh, which she says she needed. Two, he discovers she’s secretly a huge nerd who has Star Wars and Doctor Who merchandise in her locker. Dustin invites her to join the group, which she accepts. Everyone is initially wary of Quinn since they view her as the “vapid rich popular girl” except for Jane since she’s just happy to make another female friend. 

(This part is past the season premiere: If it’s not obvious, Quinn and Dustin are gonna get together in the season finale. The TWIST though is we find out that Quinn’s family is part of a larger cult that worships the Mind Flayer. Turns out, the Mind Flayer has been trying to reach Earth for centuries and has its own group of followers. Eleven opening the gate was the closest that the Mind Flayer got to succeeding in its goal. Quinn’s family moved to Hawkins when they find out about what happened in seasons one and two. Now, although Quinn’s family worships the monster, Quinn does NOT. In fact, she immediately turns on her family the moment she discovers the truth).

The action begins when we cut to Billy Hargrove, who has toned down his bullying after losing to his sister. Billy, while driving around, encounters the Crooked Man in the middle of the road. The Crooked Man destroys Billy’s car and asks him, “What happened to the gate?”

Billy says, “What the hell are you talking about?” which leads to the Crooked Man breaking one of Billy’s legs. Before the Crooked Man can finish the job, we’re introduced to another new main character, Adam. Adam whips a chain at the Crooked Man, hurting him. The Crooked Man disappears into a puff of smoke and Adam runs over to help Billy. In my head, Adam is portrayed by Steven Yeun. 

Mad Max and the rest of the gang rush over to the hospital when they learn about what happened to Billy. Billy tells them about a strange man who destroyed his car with his mind. Mike pulls Jane to the side and says, “Guy with mind powers, you think he’s one of Brenner’s?”

Jane says, “Could be. I told you about Kali. There’s still nine others that we haven’t met and we’re not even sure I’m the last one!” 

Meanwhile, Hopper confronts Adam. Before Hopper can ask any questions, Adam says, “I know what happened here. The gate to the other world was opened.”

Hopper, stunned, says, “How do you know?”

Adam then says, “Because it’s my job to make sure the portal stays shut.” Without going into too much detail, Adam explains that he’s one of many who oppose the Mind Flayer. The only reason why he didn’t know about what was happening in Hawkins is because Jane opened the gate accidentally. He’s only been focusing on actual attempts to breach the Mind Flayer’s world. 

Adam threatens violence if Jane ever opens the gate again (“I’ll burn this town to the ground if she even attempts to open the gate again”). Before Hopper can say anything, Adam disappears. We’ll see more of him in the rest of the season. 

As the day comes to an end, we cut to Steve Harrington’s home. He’s gotten over his breakup with Nancy and decides that he’ll enlist in the Marines in order to get away from Hawkins. Suddenly, his house is attacked by the Crooked Man! The Crooked Man holds Steve by the neck and demands that he tell him how “they” opened the gate. Steve says he doesn’t know and the Crooked Man tosses Steve out the window, knocking him out. 

Jane is alerted to the commotion when Hopper gets an urgent call to respond to the situation. Hopper heads out but tells Jane to stay put. She disobeys and gets on her bike, following closely behind.

The police have cornered the Crooked Man. In one of the more violent scenes of the show, the Crooked Man proceeds to decimate the officers. Hopper arrives as this is happening and begins firing at the Crooked Man, doing no damage. El then arrives and she blasts the Crooked Man with her mind. The Crooked Man, remembering that El was the one who sealed the gate, grabs her and disappears. Hopper screams into the night when he realizes that El is nowhere to be found.

We then cut to the Byers family home. There is a knock on the door and Joyce answers it. The episode ends with Joyce meeting the last of our new main characters. He introduces himself as Seth Ives, Jane’s biological father, and that he wants his daughter back. In my head, I had David Tennant portraying Seth. 

So for the rest of the season, our main arcs / subplots will be:

1) The whole gang versus the Crooked Man (Jane doesn’t stay kidnapped for too long. I actually pictured her escaping the Crooked Man in the next episode)

2) Dustin and Quinn romance, which will lead to Quinn’s family revealing themselves as followers of the Mind Flayer. Quinn’s family are the secondary main antagonists. 

3) Adam reluctantly working with Team Hawkins when he realizes they have similar goals. Adam is a bit like the Punisher since despite having noble intentions, his attitude and methods make him a threat. Adam frequently butts heads with Hopper and Joyce, who think he is too extreme.

4) Seth Ives vs. Jim Hopper over guardianship of Jane / El. Seth is revealed to be one of Brenner’s former lab partners before they split due to Brenner’s lack of ethics. Seth had gone into hiding after Brenner threatened his life, that’s why he’s been MIA.  

5) Billy recovering in the hospital and somewhat redeeming himself. His quest for vengeance against the Crooked Man leads to him forming a temporary alliance with Team Hawkins. 

6) Steve wondering about his place in Hawkins and if he should stay or go 

7) The AV club recruiting Kali and her gang in the fight against the Crooked Man. 

8) Dr. Brenner’s return. He issues an order for the termination of all of his experiments, namely Kali and El. He also orders Seth’s assassination in order to tie up any remaining loose ends. 

[advocatewrites-blog]

Adventures in Babysitting Part 1

Adventures in Babysitting

Fandom: Stranger Things

Synopsis: The Party decides that the best way for Will to fight his demons is to fight demons. Steve is somehow stuck babysitting. Also known as: Just give Steve Harrington his girlfriend and his boyfriend and his babysitting job already

Characters: Steve H., Eleven/Jane H., Will B., Mike W., Dustin H., Lucas S., Max H., Nancy W., Jonathan B.,

Relationships: Steve/Nancy/Jonathan. Background G-rated Mike/Eleven that could develop into Mike/Will (I make no promises)

Rated: T for swearing and minor violence.

Disclaimer: Stranger Things was created by the Duffer Brothers and owned by Netflix. Any other work mentioned or homaged are property of their respective owners. This is a fan work that only seeks to entertain. Please support the official release.

Additional disclaimer: There may be some historical inaccuracies regarding the time period, as I was not alive in the 80’s. I apologize if I ruffle any feathers.

Part 1: Carrion Crawler

It starts, like most things in Hawkins, with Will Byers.

Joyce had been keeping a close eye on him since the events of last fall, even closer after the events of this fall, but she could only do so much. She and Jonathan had to take up extra hours at work to help cover the cost of repairing everything.

“It won’t be much.” Joyce told him. “Just pick him up and stay with him for a few hours until we can come home. He’s a good kid. Most of the time he stays at the Byers, anyway; you won’t even have to stay with him all the time.”

“He blames himself,” Jonathan said, much later, at school when Joyce was not around to hear them. For Bob’s death, he did not add.  “He can take care of himself, and we know that, but…he needs someone. Someone that’ll treat him like he won’t vanish the next second. Or like he’s dangerous.”

“And why do you think I’m the one to do it?” He asked.

“They all look up to you. Dustin told him about what happened…”

In the tunnels with the demon dogs (Demodogs. Whatever.), he does not add.

But he needed the money. Or, at least, he needed the money if he ever wants to get away from this shithole. He never really questioned why the Byers are willing to spend money on a babysitter when the whole reason they need one is get more money. He figured asking will end with him realizing that it’s not about the money to him, not really.

So Steve was there to pick up Will at school the next day.

“So what do kids like? Chess?”

Will made a face, something like he wanted to laugh but could not tell if Steve was serious.

“Mike’s house. We’re planning a huge campaign for the next weekend.” Will said. “We can roll you up a character?”

“Sounds like nerd shit.” Steve said.

It is nerd shit. He was stuck in the basement of his ex-girlfriend’s house as a bunch of little shits talk hard math and monsters.

He did notice that Will, though just as loud as the rest of them about everything else, shrinked back as they mention the monsters.

He also noticed the girl. The same one that had broken the demodog’s neck with her mind and was taken away by Hopper to ‘close the gate’. Name like some kind of number (the brats alternate calling her Jane and El, so he can’t tell), and wearing a horrible mix-match of leather jacket and slicked back hair, and old overalls and flannel. She sat to the side, not close to the action but not shut out of it either.  She perked up at the mention of monsters, though Steve could not tell if it was interest or caution.

They were at it for another two hours. It was another 20 minutes after that until he was alone in his own car. And he could not get his mind off the damned monsters.

He finds himself at Darmoth. In a few weeks the pumpkin patch will turn itself into a Christmas tree lot, and people will go on pretending that monsters did not emerge from it a few weeks ago. Hargrove keeps telling him to plant his feet, but doesn’t he get it? The earth doesn’t stop moving. He knows what’s under there.

He stood there, he’s not even sure how long, bat in hand and wishing for a cigarette or something to take the edge off, almost daring for the monsters to show back up again.

Instead, he got the girl.

“Monsters.” She said, instead of “hello” or “what the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”

“You’re waiting for them too, huh?” He asked, instead of “hello” or “what the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”

However fucked up he is from all the monster bullshit, she’s probably worse. They expected her to be able to close the Gate. They knew they had to help her. Everything was on her. And where did she even come from? He would ask, but that would admit he gives a shit about what’s going on at the middle school, and that’s a bad look even for him.

“Not waiting.” She said. “Looking.”

She wandered a little bit farther, before she looked back to Steve expectantly.

“Do you have bats?” She asked.

He has more of those bats than he would actually like to admit. He’s actually trying to find more ways to hide them in his car. He grabbed one, flips on his sunglasses (it’s nearing midnight and the moonlight is nonexistent, but they make him feel more confident), and followed after her.

She focused on the ground as she walks around, foot occasionally tapping the ground for openings. She stopped abruptly, and with a jerk of her head, the earth splits open.

It’s not the tunnels of that monster world, like he was expected. It is only a few feet deep, barely up to his hips. There is no blue tint of a sun that provides no warmth or light, nor spores of poison that drift aimlessly in the air. It is just dirt.

He was kind of disappointed, until something leaped out of it.

The first was down before he can even process what it is, as the girl jerks her head and sliced it in half. The other aimed for him, and he swung his bat before he can see what he was aiming for. The skin broke, squirting out some kind of purple goo, and there was a 4 foot tall centipede with no eyes and rows upon rows of teeth impaled on his bat.

“Shit.” He swore under his breath.

“It’s dead.” The girl said.

“I noticed! I wanna know what it is!”

He stopped complaining when he noticed the girl’s nosebleed. It was nothing major, but considering they were in a field with dead bloodthirsty monsters, it made him nervous. He went back to his car to grab the bandana he used so many weeks ago, but by the time he got back, she had already wiped away most of it with her sleeve.

“The book. Mike’s book.” She said. “Maybe it will be in it.”

“Don’t have it. Never read it.” Steve said. “And one of these days, it’s not going to be able to tell us about all the monsters.”

“That’s a Carrion Crawler.” Dustin said, firmly, so sure of himself.

Somehow they all managed to meet up before school together the next morning. Even El, or whatever her name is.

“It’s a bid small to be a Carrion Crawler.” Mike said. “Aren’t they supposed to be like 10 feet?”

“Mike, what else is it supposed to be?” Dustin asked.

“Where did you even find it?” Lucas added.

“I did.” El said. “I was trying to contact Kali. But I found them. In the Mind Place. I don’t know how they got here.”

“But didn’t you close the Gate?” Lucas asked.

El nodded.

“Then how did they get out again?”

“Well, maybe they got out before!” Mike said.

“And we missed them?”

“We were a little busy at the minute! Steve had a concussion and none of us knew how to drive!”

“I did okay!” Max snapped.

“Then why didn’t they run back with all the other demon dogs?” Lucas asked.

“DEMODOGS!” Dustin snapped.

“HEY HEY HEY!” Steve shouted. That got the others to shut up for a few seconds. “Those things didn’t last a second against us. They aren’t the Demodogs, or whatever. We’re stronger than them. And we’re gonna beat every last one of them until Hawkins is safe.”

There was less fighting after that. They have to get to school eventually, and Steve found himself carpooling all the brats to school. Even El, for some reason. It wasn’t like she was going to school (even with a spotless record, which he doubted she had, it would take a while to enroll into a school), and he had no idea where else to drop her off.

“You think there are more out there?” He asked, when it was just the two of them. He didn’t want to have this conversation with Will in the car.

El nodded.

“Anything like that big scary one that almost killed all of us?”

El shook her head.

He wanted to scream. Instead, he slammed his hand against the wheel and took a deep breath.

“Well, what are we supposed to do about it?”

El was silent for a minute.

“You have a bat.” She offered. “I’ll find them. We’re stronger than them.”

Steve resisted the urge to collapse onto the steering wheel.

Author’s Note: This started off as a therapy writing project to get my mind off of how awful everything has been during the last month. Then I got really proud of it. I’m hoping this can be my New Year’s Resolution piece; to write without sticking so much to my outline that I get lost with every change, to post more regularly, and to post without letting a piece sit for weeks on end. 

The next part will come out a bit quicker, since it was supposed to be the Christmas special. Spoilers: it really doesn’t have much to do with Christmas.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S1:E5; Chapter Five, The Flea and The Acrobat - [Pt. 2]

A Will Byers x Gender Neutral!Reader Series

𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘔𝘳. 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.

||𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

"Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you."

'I can't believe I'm at Will's funeral.'

"Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." The pastor continued.

I spared a glance at the people around me.

I looked to Jonathan, his head bowed, and poor Joyce who was sitting nearby.

I can't imagine what they must be going through.

Joyce was like a second mother to me, and she has always treated as if I was one of her own. I'll always be grateful for that. I lay a hand on her shoulder.

She looks up to me confused like I had pulled her deep out of her thought, upon seeing it was me she smiles thankfully. She put her hand over mine and gave it a few gentle pats and then a small stroke with her thumb to say thank you.

I smiled solemnly at her and let go, listening to the rest of the service.

"It's times like these that our faith is challenged. How, if he is truly benevolent... could God take us from someone so young, so innocent?"

I looked down at my feet.

"It would be easy to turn away from God... but we must remember that nothing, not even tragedy, can separate us from His love."

I felt a nudge on my shoulder and turned to look at Dustin. He wore a sly smirk as he looked to his right, past me and Mike.

Frowning in confusion, I turned my head to see what he was smirking about.

"Just wait till we tell Will that Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral." Dustin said cheekily.

I scoffed under my breath, rolling my eyes.

"Since when has she cared about Will? She couldn't even get his name right, remember that week she called him Bill?" I huffed, crossing my arms in distaste.

The boys smirked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Somebody jealous?" Lucas smirked.

"No-! Not ev- Shut up!" I scowl.

The boys giggle earning more than a few concerned and offended glances making me smile to myself. Mrs. Wheeler leaned down and shushed the boys making me smirk more.

'Serves them right.'

Soon enough, the casket had been lowered into the grown and roses had been thrown on top. I made my way to the very side of the grave, looking down.

"I know you're not dead. But I swear to God, if you don't come back I'm gonna kill you." I muttered to the casket in the ground.

As people began to filter out, we watched as Mike's mom said her condolences to Will's parents.

"I'm so, so sorry."

"Oh, thank you so much for coming." Will's dad said.

I never liked him.

Joyce was just standing by herself quietly, her arms crossed looking down at the grave.

"Yeah, if there's anything we can do..." Mr. Wheeler offered, shaking the man's hand.

"I appreciate it. Thank you so much."

I said goodbye to Lucas who had to follow his parents out, even though we would be seeing him later at the wake. I did the same with Mike, and soon enough Mom was waiting for us so we could get to the car.

"Mom, will you give me a minute?"

"Of course, Pumpkin," She smiled at me with sympathy.

I turned around and wove through the crowd that had separated me from Joyce. I tapped her on the shoulder, seeming to jostle her from her thoughts a second time.

Upon seeing it was me, she smiled.

"Hi, Ms. Byers."

"Oh, hi Y/n. Thank you, for coming, sweetheart," She smiled.

I captured her in a bear hug and she gladly reciprocated, giving my several comforting strokes.

"Of course. I'm so, so sorry for your loss." I said, letting her go.

"Oh, thank you, honey. T-Tell me, how have you been holding up?" She asked gently.

My eyes welled up.

"I'm not gonna lie, it's- it's been really hard. I just, I just miss him so much. Your son was such a good person. Always a gentleman." I knew what I was saying.

Even if he is alive for sure, everything I said was true. He always has been nothing but kind to me.

Not to mention, I owe him for so much.

She seemed extremely thankful for hearing that and I was glad I could make her genuinely smile on this sad day.

"Really? Oh sweetie, thank you. That means, just so much to me."

I look back to my mom and brother waiting for me by the car, and I return my gaze back to Ms. Byers.

"Um, I better go. My mom is waiting for me. I guess I'll be seeing you at the wake. Goodbye, Ms. Byers."

"Thank you again, Y/n. I'll see you later, okay?" Her face slightly fell and she smiled at me.

I nod and begin walking backward sending a small wave her way before turning around a breaking out into a small jog to catch up to my mom.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Being at the funeral of your best friend is daunting and quite surreal.

Being at the funeral of your best friend who is quite possibly alive in another dimension and you and only four other people know this is a completely different ballpark.

We had all met up at the wake and regrouped.

The plan was to ask Mr. Clarke if there was anything he could tell us about the theories regarding alternate dimensions. I'm just praying that we don't arouse suspicion given the setting.

"Mr. Clarke?" The tall man turned his attention away from the buffet to look at us.

Mr. Clarke smiled sympathetically. "Oh, hey, there."

The somber look came easily to my face as I looked to Mr. Clarke, Mike, and Lucas on either side of me while Dustin was digging into the buffet.

"How are you kids holding up?"

Lucas speaks up for us, slightly distracted by Dustin's blatant chewing. "We're... in... mourning."

"Man, these aren't real Nilla Wafers," Dustin sighed, shaking his head.

My eyes widen softly, and I look to Mr. Clarke trying to cover for him.

"You'll have to excuse my brother, Mr. Clarke, he's-" I stop midsentence to see him happily munching on more snacks, and look back to Mr. Clarke. "well, he mourns in his own... special way."

"We were wondering if you had time to talk?" Mike asked, wanting to move things along as quickly as possible.

"We have some questions," Lucas added.

I shook my head in agreement. "A lot of questions, actually,"

Mr. Clarke complied and the four of us found ourselves at the nearest table, asking our teacher about other dimensions at our "dead" friends' wake. Not something I ever could have imagined doing.

"So, you know how in Cosmos, Carl Segan talks about other dimensions? Like, beyond our world?"

"Yeah, sure. Theoretically." Mr. Clarke replies, noticeably confused at the subject of our questions.

"Right, theoretically,"

"So, theoretically, how do we travel there?" Lucas asked.

"You guys have been thinking about Hugh Everett's Many-World's Interpretation, haven't you?" A ghost of a smile on our teacher's face.

"Yeah," I chuckled, nodding my head in response.

The boys looked at me, wondering why I had said that.

I gave them a look that said, 'I don't know, just go with it.'

"Well, basically, there are parallel universes. Just like our world, but just infinite variations of it. Which means there's a world out there where none of this tragic stuff ever happened," I found myself nodding along, not for the sake of being believable, but actually lost in the idea.

"Yeah, that's not what we're talking about," Lucas sighed, leaning back.

"Oh."

"We were thinking of more of an evil dimension, like the Vale of Shadows. You know the Vale of Shadows?" Dustin asked, taking another loud bite of his off brand Nilla Wafers.

Not thinking that our science teacher would know anything about Dungeons and Dragons, I was completely taken aback by his next words.

"An echo of the Material Plane, where necrotic and shadow magic–"

"Yeah, exactly." Mike said cutting him off.

I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

"If that did exist - a place like the Vale of Shadows - how would we travel there?"

"Theoretically, of course." I add.

"Well..."

Mr. Clarke grabbed an empty paper plate and pulled out a pen from his jacket pocket. He then drew a straight line across the paper plate as he spoke, creating a visual for us.

"Picture... an acrobat..." He drew a small stick figure on top of the lines. "standing on a tightrope. Now, the tightrope is our dimension. And our dimension has rules."

He began drawing arrows on either side of the acrobat.

"You can move forwards, or backwards. But, what if..." He drew a very small creature under one of the arrows. "right next to our acrobat, there is a flea? Now, the flea can also travel back and forth, just like the acrobat. Right?"

"Right." We all agreed.

"Here's where things get really interesting. The flea can also travel this way... along the side of the rope." He drew arrows indicating the flea's direction around and under the rope, causing me to furrow my brows. "He can even go underneath the rope."

The boys and I all shared the same look before returning our gaze to Mr. Clarke. "Upside Down."

"Exactly."

Mike spoke up. "But we're not the flea, we're the acrobat."

"In this metaphor, yes, we're the acrobat."

"So we can't go upside down?" Lucas asked warily.

"No."

"Well, is there any way for the acrobat to get to the Upside Down?"

"Well," Our teacher furrowed his brows, a thoughtful look coming upon his face. "you'd have to create a massive amount of energy. More than humans are currently capable of creating, mind you, to open up some kind of tear in time and space, and then..."

He folded the paper plate in half, creasing it shut before shoving his pen directly through both sides of the paper plate. "you create a doorway."

"Like a gate?" My brother asked eagerly.

"Sure. Like a gate. But again, this is all–"

"Theoretical." I smile, nodding my head.

"But... but what if this gate already existed?" Mike asked, timidly.

"Well, if it did, I... I think we'd know. It would disrupt gravity, the magnetic field, our environment. Heck, it might even swallow us up whole."

Mike seems to gauge our reactions, and I'm the only one who met his eye with an equally uncertain gaze.

"Science is neat." Mr. Clarke continued. "But I'm afraid it's not very forgiving."

We all lean back, digesting the information.

[emma-writes-stuff]

yah it worked I read the first parts and it’s so good omg💗

Aw thank you! Here’s part two, and then there should only be one or two parts after that depending on how I section them off.

“Is this really necessary?” Steve groaned, holding the deaddemo-dog’s body in his arms with a disgusted look on his face.

         “Seriously,Dusty, I love you and all, but this is—this is absolutely disgusting,” yousaid, standing between the two boys next to the fridge, looking back and forthbetween the pile of Joyce Byers’ food and shelving on the floor and thecreature in Steve’s arms.

         “Yes, it is,okay? This is a groundbreaking scientificdiscovery, we can’t just bury it like a common mammal, okay, it’s not a dog!”Your brother sped through his words, which you weren’t sure were directed atyou or Steve.

         Stevestepped forward towards the fridge, only muttering, “Fine, but you’re explainingthis to Ms. Byers, alright?”

         He tried toawkwardly shove the thing in the fridge, making you cringe as the disgustingslime spread all over, continuously hitting into everything and knocking thefew remaining food products around. “Dustin, door, door, door, door, door,” heyelled, not turning around as Dustin ran up and closed the door, creating adisgusting squelch sound as the thingwas successfully pushed in.

         “Okay,”Steve breathed out, affectionately moving Dustin’s hat around on his head beforewalking into the next room, leaving you smiling at your two favorite boys.

         You took aminute to put the remnants of the Byers’ food back on their table, making sureeverything salvageable was there so they could find it before you walked backinto the room where everyone else was.

         “Right, somy point is—” you walked in to see all the kids staring expectantly at Steveand you leaned against the doorway, smiling at him. “Yeah, we’re on the bench,so there’s nothing we can do.”

         After apause, you heard your brother’s voice. “That’s not entirely true.” Everyone,including you and Steve looked at him. “The demo-dogs, they have a hive mind.When they ran away from the bus, they were called away.”

         The kids allstarted talking over each other with different tidbits of information andthings that you could do before Steve interrupted them, throwing his hands upin the air. “Yeah, and then we all die.”

         “That’s onepoint of view,” your brother said.

         “What? No,that’s not a point of view, that’s a fact!” Steve cried.

         Mike turnedand started walking through the house, pointing out the main location of thehive mind and where the demo-dogs would be called to, as Dustin, Max, Lucas,and him all started yelling over each other. All you could make out wereclippings of words like the Mind-Flayer and the gate, before Steve yelled overthem all, clapping his hands.

         “Hey! Hey!Hey! This is not happening. No, no, no, no, no, no buts. I promised to keep youshitheads safe and that’s exactly what I plan on doing. We’re staying here, onthe bench, and we’re waiting for the starting team to do their job. Okay, doeseverybody understand that?”

         “This isn’ta stupid sports game!” Mike yelled.

         “I said,does everybody understand that? I need a yes.”

         The roomwent quiet for a minute before Max, Lucas, Dustin, and Mike all turned to lookat you.

         “What—whatare you guys all looking at me for?”

         “What do yousay, Y/N?” Mike asked.

         “Yeah, yourword holds just as much power as Steve’s,” Max said.

         “Well, duh,she’s the only one the dipshit’ll listen to,” your brother mumbled, earning asmack on the back of the head from a blushing Steve, which, luckily, you hadn’tnoticed.

         “Guys, I…”you paused, realizing how intensely they were all staring at you, Steve’s eyespleading. “Steve’s right. It’s—it’s too dangerous.” All the kids looked down atthe ground, and a heavy, dead silence filled the room for only a few secondsbefore you spoke again. “But…” Their heads shot up. “We…we’ve all alreadyfought off this many deadly monsters tonight. I mean, we do have a deadDemogorgon shoved in the freaking fridge over there. And…if we have a chance,right here, right now, to save our friends, to save our families, to save thewhole damn world—I say we take it. It’s not smart, in fact, it’s stupid andballsy as hell, Steve’s right about that, but…after all I’ve seen and all youguys have seen, I’m willing to grab my crowbar and go save our friends. I’mready to kill those sons of bitches once and for all.”

         There wassilence for only a second before your brother erupted in applause. “Hear,hear!”

         Steve lookedat you for a second before looking down at the ground, smiling and shaking hishead. “O-okay.” The kids all whipped around, gaping at him. “I still hate this plan, don’t get me wrong, andI’d do anything to stop you all from doing it, but I know for a fact that onceY/N’s set on something, there’s no backing her down. So, I’m with youshitheads.” Your eyes locked and you smiled at him, mouthing a silent thank you.

         A noise likean engine came from outside, and you saw Max turn around and run to the window,fear written across her face.

         “It’s mybrother. He can’t know I’m here, he’ll kill me.” She turned to Lucas. “He’llkill us.”

         “Max…” yousaid quietly. “Your brother, is he—”

         “BillyHargrove.”

You looked up at Steve to seethat he was already looking down at you. Without thinking about it, he quicklykissed you on the forehead and walked out the front door, leaving you staringafter him.

You watched them through thefront door peephole, as Steve slowly approached Billy and they talked. Stevewas loyal to a fault, you had no doubt he was out there sarcastically defendingyou and the kids, doing everything he could to keep Billy’s attention on himand not on who could be inside the house.

You hated Billy Hargrove witha passion. Every day he would grab your ass, or catcall you in the hallways, oroffer you certain “extracurricular activities” you continuously told him youweren’t interested in. And in all honesty, if not for Steve, you’d be afraid ofhim. He wasn’t just some stupid guy hitting on you. He was smart, andcalculating, and evil, and you knew he had no problem with taking whatever hewanted. But, for all the hate you carried for Billy, Steve had quadruple it,and you knew you were fine with him around.

You saw Billy blow a puff ofcigarette smoke into Steve’s face, and you turned to see the kids, only torealize that they were looking through the window in almost unmissable view.

Panicked, you whisper-shouted,“No! Guys, get down!”, but it was too late. Billy had seen them. Both he andSteve turned to face the window, Steve’s mouth clearly saying the words “ohshit”, before he turned around and Billy’s fist connected with his jaw,knocking him to the ground.

You whipped around. “Guys, Ineed you to back up right now, get behind me and go hide—” You were cut off bythe sound of the door being thrown open behind you.

You turned around, eyes wide.

“Damn, L/N, is that you?” hesmirked. “I don’t know what you’re doing here with Harrington and mystepsister, but let me tell you, this skin-tight tank top, hot, action movielook is really working for you.” He stepped closer to you until he was loomingover you, his face only an inch from yours.

You opened your mouth to saysomething when Billy saw Lucas behind you and stepped away from you.

“I thought I told you to stayaway from him,” he said to Max, gesturing to Lucas.

“Billy—”

“You disobeyed me. And youknow what happens when you disobey me. I break stuff.”

Just like that, he picked upLucas, lifted him up, and slammed him against the cabinet as hard as he could.All the kids started screaming over each other as you yelled, “Billy, no!”

Without even thinking aboutit, you turned and picked up the first thing you saw, a frying pan, lifted itbehind your right shoulder, and swung it as hard as you could, right intoBilly’s head.

Disoriented, he dropped Lucasto the ground, before turning around and focusing on you. You were happy to seethat there was blood dripping down his forehead.

He lifted you up by the waistimmediately, forcing your legs around his waist as he shoved you against thewall, holding your wrists so you couldn’t move. He was pressed up against you,you tightly wrapped around him with your tank top riding up and exposing your stomach,against your will, his face right in front of yours as you shrieked for thekids to run.

“DUSTIN, GET THEM OUT OF HERE!GET STEVE AND GO, PLEASE!”

With a smirk, Billy kissedyour neck as you screamed, before harshly pushing his lips against yours, silencingyou.

You heard Dustin start toyell, “LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!” before he was cut off by your hero coming tosave the day.

“GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MYGIRLFRIEND!” Steve yelled, angrier than you had ever heard anyone in your life,before he ripped Billy off of you, punching him in the face as hard as he couldand knocking him to the ground.

Girlfriend?Was that what he just said?

You slid down the wall,hitting the floor, but not before Billy turned around and grinned wickedly atyou one more time, picking a plate up off the ground and smashing it on top ofyour head quicker than Steve had a chance to stop it.

Steve’s cry of “Y/N!” and aloud crunch as Billy’s fist connected with his face again was the last thingyou heard before everything went black.

 ~

 Steve’s eyes opened slowly,everything a blurry mess. His face felt worse than anything he had felt before,it was like he had been run over by a bulldozer a million times over again. Hewas breathing heavily through his mouth—his nose was too bloody, and everybreath seemed to make his head pound even more. His eyes were both half closed,bruised shut, but he still tried his best to look around and figure out wherehe was.

“Y/N?” he muttered, looking tohis left to see that it was not, in fact, Y/N, but Mike, who was giving him themost confused look he had ever seen a kid wear.

Steve groaned, reaching up totouch his face, only to have Dustin’s hand pull his away, speaking in a softvoice. “Hey, hey, don’t touch, okay?” The words echoed through Steve’s ringingears, making it seem like a hallucination. He looked over to see what he wassure was Dustin’s blurry face. “Hey, buddy. Shhh...shhh…” Steve closed his eyesfor a moment. “You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you put up agood fight, buddy, okay, you’re okay.”

“Y/N…Dustin, where’s Y/N…”Steve groaned, trying to make sense of everything.

“God, you’re out of it,”Dustin laughed quietly. “And whipped for my sister. She’s okay, buddy, yousaved her, okay? She’s just unconscious. Trust me when I say she’s in way better shape than you are right now.Like, if she was out of your league before, now—”

“Dustin…where…” Steve tried toget out the words, but mostly just mumbled incoherently.

“Dude, you’re literally layingon top of her right now.”

With all the effort he had,Steve moved his head to look up, realizing that his head was resting on your lap.Your eyes were shut, your mouth slightly open, only a little bit of dried bloodcircling your forehead. But otherwise, you were okay. You were fine. Steve letout a sigh of relief, which sounded more like a desperate gasp for air. Herealized that there was a blood stain across your stomach, staining the grayfabric, and only panicked for a second before realizing it came from himself.

Suddenly, you coughed for air,your eyes slowly fluttering open. You were a little dizzy and everything wasstill sort of spinning, but otherwise everything was okay. You heard yourbrother’s voice from beside you make some joke about being glad Sleeping Beautycould join us, before you looked down and saw Steve’s head in your lap.

For a second, you were justoverjoyed that he was there, that he was okay, but then you saw the shape hewas in and gasped, covering your mouth with your hand.

“Steve…”

He groaned and you winced,knowing the immense pain he must have been in. “...Hen…der…son?” he coughed,choking on his own blood. You had to use every bit of nerve you had in you notto cry. “You…you o-okay?” He winced at the ringing in his own ears, looking upat you with pained eyes.

You nodded at him and smiledsweetly, gently running your fingers through his hair without thinking.“Yeah…I’m okay, Harrington. Thanks to my knight in shining armor.” You paused.“You know, even covered in rainbow band-aids, you have no idea how happy I amto see that pretty face of yours.”

He tried to smile, but endedup groaning at the pain it put his face in. “You…think I’m…pretty?”

You grinned at him, shakingyour head. “Of course that’s what you got from that.” All of a sudden your headstarted pounding and you grimaced, lifting your hand to your forehead. Stevewas still looking at you with groggy concern until he realized that- if youweren’t driving and he wasn’t, someone else was.

He heard Lucas’ voice ringingthrough his head from the passenger seat, giving driving instructions, and withmore alertness than he had had this whole time, he looked forward to see asmall redheaded girl at the wheel.

“Whas…whas going ong…” hisvoice came out. “Oh my god. Oh my god.”

“Steve, what—” you looked up,your eyes getting wide. “Oh my god. Oh mygod.”

“Hey guys, relax, she candrive,” Dustin said.

“Yeah, in a parking lot!” Mikeyelled.

“That counts!” Lucas chimedin.

“Oh my god,” Steve criedagain, clearly panicking, his words slurring together more and more by thesecond. You were gripping onto him, trying not to panic yourself.

“Look, Y/N’s got a really badconcussion, and Steve’s pretty self-explanatory, so what were our options?”your brother cried, waving his hands in the air.

“No. Oh my god. Nooo,” Steveslurred faster, everything sounding like a garbled mess.

“Hey, look, they all wanted toleave you behind and just bring Y/N, but I said you’d be cool.”

“Noooo!” Steve moaned,freaking out.

“Max, what’s going on?” youcried as she slammed on the gas, accelerating the car forward faster than you’dever seen, other than when Billy drove. “Max, what are you doing?”

“Oh my- whoaaaa, stop the car.Slow down,” Steve yelled, sounding slightly more like his regular voice thanbefore. You could see his eyes getting a little sharper.

“I told you he’d freak out!”Mike yelled.

“STOP THE CAR!” he screamed,gripping onto your hand like his life depended on it.

“MAX, PLEASE!” you pleaded,your pounding head stopping you from thinking straight. “Max, stop!”

“EVERYBODY SHUT UP!” sheyelled as the car hit 90 mph. “I’M TRYING TO CONCENTRATE!”

“THAT’S MT. SINAI, MAKE ALEFT!” Lucas yelled.

“WHAT?”

“MAKE A LEFT!”

Max swerved to the left,throwing everyone in the car forward, including you. You were thrown onto thefloor, laying right on top of Steve, your noses almost touching as the carrocketed in the other direction, hitting a sign that went flying over the car,denting the roof, as the car somehow sped up more, whizzing around the corner.

It was chaos: everyone screamingover each other, Lucas’ high and loud enough to break glass as Steve yelledunderneath you, his voice going in and out like crazy. While you screamed hisname, his arms instinctively wrapped around you like a seatbelt, your faceburying itself in the crook of his neck. The car kept flying forward until itcame to an abrupt stop, causing your brother and Mike to collapse to the flooron either sides of you as Steve frantically clutched at the seats, threw hishead back, and yelled something that sounded like an “AHHH HELLOOOOOOO”. Ittook you a minute to realize after the car stopped that they were all lookingat you and Steve, you on top of him as he held you tight against him, your haira mess as you clutched onto him like a life preserver. You blushed, awkwardly tryingto hide your face from Dustin.

“Y/N…” Steve coughed, hisvoice returned to normal, if not a little stuffy from his clogged nose. “Y/N,are you okay?”

“Yeah, Steve, I’m fine. We’refine.”

Everyone quickly piled out ofthe car, and you walked in front of it to see where Max had stopped whileeveryone else walked to the back and started searching through the trunk forsupplies. You were in the middle of one of the disgusting rotten pumpkinfields, only a few feet from a massive hole in the ground. Just looking at itmade your legs feel like lead, a sinking feeling of fear and dread filling youimmediately as the floating particles calmly passed by beneath you.

This was your worst nightmare,the thought of going back there again, the thought of being trapped by thishorrible place that you had no power against. This was the nightmare that wokeyou up almost every night, the nightmare that left you paralyzed until you hadenough courage to pick up the phone and call Steve. He had always promised thatit was over, that you’d never have to see it again, and that one day it wouldjust be a distant memory. Well, here you were, voluntarily walking straightback into it with him by your side.

Steve walked up behind you,your supplies in his hands, ready to pass over to you, when he saw you standingthere completely frozen, staring into the ground like it had some hold on you.You looked paralyzed, your eyes glazed over as you stared into it. Even on yourworst nights, he had never seen you like this. The supplies dropped to theground immediately as he walked up behind you, wrapping his arms around you andturning you around to face him, holding you to him. “We’re gonna be okay,” hewhispered in your ear, and you nodded.

The kids started walking pastyou with full cans of gasoline, but neither of you paid any attention. You juststood there, hugging each other, until your brother’s voice forced you to stepapart.

“Steve,” Dustin said frombehind you. “Look, man, I know you’re still upset about this, and before youyell and scream and throw things or do anything you possibly can to keep usfrom going into that hellhole again, just listen to me. When a party member isin danger, it’s our duty to protect that party member. Now, you promised tokeep us safe. So—” he said, holding the nailed baseball bat forward for Steveto grab. “Keep us safe.”

Steve looked at you and thenback at Dustin before nodding, reaching forward, and taking the bat, givingyour brother a clap on the back.

Before you knew it, all thesupplies were on, and Steve was going down the hole, landing on the ground witha soft thud. You were next, a crowbar in one hand, a gun on your belt, alighter in your pocket, and your face shielded by goggles and a handkerchief.Steve turned around, opening his arms to catch you when you got to the bottomof the rope, knowing you had almost an extra foot more than him to fall becauseof your height. You slid down the rope almost expertly, falling through the airand hitting the ground by yourself gracefully on both feet, swinging thecrowbar around and sticking it on your belt, smirking at Steve’s slightlyshocked expression. Despite your landing, his arms had still naturally ended uparound your waist, and the two of your faces were only an inch apart.

“Well, looks like someone cantake care of herself,” he chuckled through the handkerchief, his voice a littlemuffled.

“Don’t worry, I can still findtime to take care of you, too,” you laughed.

“You know, I’m hurt, Y/N.After all we’ve been through together—” he joked, mockingly covering his heartwith one of his hands, leaving the other on your waist.

You looked down at his handand smiled. “Now, I’m starting to think you’re trying to seduce me here,Harrington,” you joked, gesturing to him holding you. Even in the darkness, youcould see his light blush as he awkwardly stepped away, mumbling an apology.“Steve, hey, I’m just kidding,” you said, reaching a hand up to cup one side ofhis face. Even though his mouth was covered, you saw his eyes crinkle in a grinas he brought both his hands up to your face, pulling you closer, too.

“Hey, lovebirds, a little helpgetting me down here?” your brother’s voice cut through the air, making youjump apart.

“I…I got it,” Steve said,walking over to the rope, looking down.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E9; Chapter Nine, The Gate - [Pt. 2]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

The survivors turn up the heat on the monstrous force that's holding Will hostage, and Y/n's powers are put to the ultimate test in the process. Eleven makes plans to finish what she started.

A/n: **PEAK** Mama Steve here. Don't forget to get him something nice next Mothers day, okay?

||3rd Person POV||

"It's not like it was before," Hopper recounts to the rallied group in the kitchen. "It's grown."

He leans against the counter, everyone is packed inside the kitchen with him. The majority circle the table but everyone is listening intently regardless as Hopper continues.

"A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs."

"Demodogs." Dustin quickly corrects.

Lucas and Y/n meet eyes and shake their heads in matching disbelief. Somewhat dramatically, Y/n rolls her eyes and drops her forehead on top of Lucas's shoulder in exhaustion. She shakes her head and he chuckles weakly and noiselessly down at her before they return their attention to an equally aggravated Hopper.

"I'm sorry," he says flatly. "what?"

"I said, uh, Demodogs. Like Demogorgan and dogs. Like, you put them together, its sounds pretty badass--"

"How is this important right now?" Hopper demands, cutting him off.

"It's not. I'm sorry," Dustin mumbled.

El speaks up, looking directly at Hopper knowing he might resist her statement.

"I can do it."

Hopper and Mike share a brief and subtle look before Hopper shakes his head at her protectively.

"You're not hearing me."

Never blinking, her eyebrows raised in a challenging manner right back at the man.

"I'm hearing you. I can do it."

"Even if El can," Mike cuts in, looking around the room. "there's still another problem. If the brain dies, the body dies."

"I thought that was the whole point," Max asks.

"It is, but if we're really right about this... I mean, if El closes the gate and kills the Mind Flayer's army..."

"Will's apart of that army." Lucas finishes.

Mike nods gravely. "Closing the gate will kill him."

A heavy silence befalls the room, and soon all are wearing the same grave and fearful expression as Mike. All apart from Joyce Byers, who's eyes sit wide and her heart racing.

She had an idea.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Everyone follows her closely into Jonathan's bedroom where Will slept. She looks at his sleeping form. He was completely on top of the blankets, as he had been sleeping the past few nights. The final pieces click into place when her eyes trail to the open window. The curtain dances in the air as a steady stream of chilly autumn air was being pumped into the room.

"He likes it cold." She mutters.

Hopper looks on in confusion between Joyce and Will. "What?"

"That's what Will kept saying to me," Joyce mutters. "He likes it cold."

She marches across the room and shuts the window without hesitation. She turns to the others, agitated.

"We keep giving it what it wants."

Nancy nods in thought.

"If this is a virus, and Will's the host, then..."

"Then we need to make the host uninhabitable," Jonathan confirms.

"So if he likes it cold..."

"We need to burn it out of him." Joyce nods.

Several hearts spiked at the conclusion, but none more so than a certain individual lingering at the edge of the group. Her mind had been racing at inordinate speeds as they developed their theory. Her mouth ran bone dry, and her throat felt like sandpaper. But much like El just minutes ago, she knew that despite the risks, she had to what she had to do.

She steps forward into view, catching everyone's eye, looking to Will sadly. The state he was in was enough to assure her of her decision, to put to rest any lingering unease. She eyes Hopper and Joyce, and with a definitive nod, Y/n speaks.

"I think I can help with that."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The house was now completely abuzz with activity as everyone prepares. Will's sleeping form - now wrapped in the Byers' warmest and thickest blanket - was now being carried outside by an urgent Hopper.

"Take Denfield, then you'll see a large oak tree." He orders to Jonathan quickly.

After a brief, but hefty catchup on Y/n's developed abilities - a conversation that rose many questions, and was news to some - the final details of their plan began to fall into place.

"Sweetie, what are you saying?" Joyce had asked.

Her, Jonathan and Nancy were the last to receive the shocking news of her origins. Hopper only asked one question, and it did not surprise Y/n as to why seeing as he had discovered and previously possessed the Missing Experiment files.

"You're the one they were looking for all those years, aren't you?"

Y/n nodded and pulled out the files from her jacket again. She handed them to him and he examined the folder in surprise. It quickly evaporated before he returned his gaze - and the files - to the girl, nodding.

"I always wondered, but I thought it was too big of a coincidence." He mumbled.

Y/n shrugged weakly, with a hint of a deflated smile. "Guess not."

Now the matter at hand was getting Will somewhere he wouldn't be able to recognize.

Hence their trip to Hopper's cabin.

It was decided fairly quickly they would need to split up. Groups were formed even quicker. Y/n would go with the Byers to Hopper's cabin, where hopefully they would be able to smoke the Mind Flayer out of Will. This group was inappropriately but rather aptly named by Dustin as the MacNeil Team after his favorite horror film, the Exorcist. But not without some hurried scolding from his sister.

Dustin, that is literally the least important thing right now!

Hopper would be escorting El to the gate so she could close it once and for all. Another group coined by Dustin, as the Gatekeepers. Dude! And the rest would remain stationed at the Byers home, on-call should either group need assistance. And much to everyone's great agitation, Dustin declared them the Brady Bunch.

"You're gonna swing a right. That road is gonna dead-end," he continues. "And it's about a five-minute walk from there."

Hopper lowers Will into the now open car, Jonathan gripping the edge of the door tightly as he runs through the checklist in his brain.

"Okay. Denfield to oak tree. Swing a right." He repeats, nodding. "That's it. But it's channel ten, right?"

Jonathan swings the door closed, and Hopper nods, placing his hand on the kid's shoulder.

"It's channel ten. Listen," he pants, still out of breath from the sudden rush of things. "You let me know when that thing is out of him."

Jonathan manages a nod, and Hopper stalks off. He shifts around to face the car, and peered inside he sees his brother. He looked so fragile, but it was also threatening knowing what was inside him. A great sigh escapes Jonathan and he pulls his hand down his face in a nervous manner. Before tearing his gaze away to help the others prepare, he makes a silent promise to his sleeping brother.

'We won't give up, Will. I promise.'

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Two shaky beams of light skitter across the pile of discarded things in the Byers backyard. They grow larger and larger until Nancy and Steve stand at the edge and begin fishing through the storage, flashlights in hand. Crickets and the sound of the wind snaking through the trees nearby fill the silence created by the two. Finally, Steve speaks without meeting her eye.

"You should go with him,"

Nancy looks up at Steve questionably. "What?"

"With Jonathan," Steve replies.

He's now kneeling beside the heap, his eyes are hollow as he holds the bundle of Christmas lights from the previous year. His mind is flooded with chilling memories.

"No, I'm," Nancy scoffs lightly. "I'm not just gonna leave Mike."

Steve dropped the heavy bundle of lights, rises to his feet, and nears Nancy. His eyes spotting a useful contraption among the clutter.

"No one's leaving anyone." He assures simply.

Seeing it too, she pulls a large summer fan by the handle and holds it up, allowing Steve to dig for the heater buried beneath it. He pulls it from the heap and smiles sadly, though a hint of pride in his voice as he thinks of his brief time with the kids.

"I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but..." he laughs weakly, his smile still lingering. "turns out I'm actually a pretty damn good babysitter."

He hands her the heater and she takes it reluctantly, her gaze finds his bittersweet stare. The guilt she had previously shelved in the past few days returns and all she can find herself saying is his name.

"Steve..."

His tone matches his eyes, and he shakes his head softly. "It's okay, Nance."

"It's okay." He reassures her.

She wracks her brain for the words, but by the time she manages a syllable, he's already walking away. Nancy watches sadly, his words bouncing around her mind as she watches him disappear into the house, leaving her with nothing but the heater and her thoughts.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Just be careful, alright?" Mike pleas. "I can't lose you again."

El shakes her head definitively and gazes up into Mike's wide and glassy eyes. The ones that had always made her heart flutter.

"You won't lose me."

The last of the preparations had been made, and everyone had begun to split up, not without plenty of heartfelt goodbyes, Mike and El among the last.

Mike's cheeks are already pink from crying, and she watches sadly as a single glossy tear streaks down his face. She can hear the sadness in his voice, and her grip on his hands tighten in a reassuring and gentle squeeze.

"Do you promise?" He croaks.

El swallows the lump in her throat and puts on a sad smile.

"Promise."

Their eyes lingered on one another and as they both so longed for during their time apart. Slowly, they drew closer, their eyes flickering to one another's lips.

And all too quickly the moment ended at the sound of Hopper's perfectly timed voice.

"El," took a puff from his cigarette, his eyes glazing over Mike's in a warning. "Come on, let's go. It's time."

With a deep and shaky breath, she turns back to look at Mike. They share a sorrowful and understanding nod filled with a thousand promises.

They would see each other again.

Tentatively she backs away, not wanting to part from Mike any more than he did and that's when she spots Y/n on the front porch. She was locked in a bone-crushing hug with Dustin, who didn't seem to want to let her go. His eyes were squeezed shut and his hat was pushed up higher against his head as he tucked himself further into the hug, and she saw his lips moving as he spoke something to her. No doubt words of encouragement and pleas to come back safe.

El smiled sadly.

"El, what is it?" Mike followed her eyes over his shoulder, and his face hardened a bit.

El tore her eyes away from the tearful siblings - feeling quite tearful herself - and back at Mike. Her thumb stroked the back of his palm lightly, bringing his attention back to her.

"Mike..."

His lips were still pressed into a firm line, but he eases immediately when he saw El. "Yeah?"

"Try to understand,"

"Understand what?"

"She was keeping you safe."

Mike searched her eyes, not quite knowing how to react.

"Because I made her promise."

Mike bit his lip in thought, his emotions battling one another. El saw this and squeezed his palms once more before locking her gaze with his to assure her word.

"'Mike needs to know'"

"Huh?"

"That's what she told me. When she saw me. She wanted you to know."

Mike looked taken aback, and timidly he looked over his shoulder once more at his friend. She pulled away from Dustin, a sad and sniveling smile on her face before she sensed eyes on her. She turned her head to find Mike looking at her, and for a moment she didn't know how to react. She just waited to gauge his reaction before offering him a weak smile. He looked back at El before the moment could dwell any longer.

"El," It was Hopper, he was now climbing into the truck. "Come on."

She returns her gaze to Mike one final time and nods before departing. Mike feels the presence of his friends collecting behind him in front of the porch. They all watch with a worried stare as their friends and loved ones pile inside their respective vehicles. Nancy climbs into the front seat with Jonathan, El does the same with Hopper. Y/n, meanwhile, joins Joyce in the backseat of Jonathan's car to be with Will. With sinking hearts, they watch as they disappear down the driveway and into the night. Unable to do anything but hope they will see one another again.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

El's head rests against the seat as she watches the trees fly by her window. Neither her nor Hopper have spoken a word since they left the house, but Hopper quickly changes things.

"So, what? We just not gonna talk about it?"

Without leaving the seat, her head lazily rolls across her shoulders to face Hopper. "About what?"

Hopper shrugs halfheartedly. "Oh, I don't know, just curious why all the sudden you look like some kind of MTV punk."

El looks back at the scenery, not answering and Hopper continues.

"I'm not mad, kid, I just wanna know where you've been... That's all."

Hopper spares a few moments away from the road to look at her, gauging for a reaction then she finally speaks.

"To see Mama."

His head snapped back to the road in shock, his heart plummeting and guilt swept over him. It's quiet for another moment as he processes this, and he speaks again his voice is gentle and listening.

"Okay...?"

Silence.

"How'd you get there?"

"A truck." She answers.

His heart leaps into his throat, and he does a double-take. He tries to suppress his onslaught of emotions, knowing he can't let his worry for her fester into anger again. As best as he can, he tries to remain calm.

"A truck?"

She looks at him. "A big truck."

Jesus, this wouldn't be easy.

"A big truck? Whose truck was it?"

Her answer did not calm him in the slightest.

"A man's."

"A man's?"

"A nice man."

His mouth hangs open in a small gasp as he tries to process the information, his head, all the while whipping back and forth between her and the road.

"Okay. So let me just get this straight in my head, so a nice man in a big truck drove you to see your Mama, and then what? Your Aunt Becky gave you those clothes and that make-up?"

El ponders this for a moment, her mind returning to her interaction with Y/n just days ago. And without tearing her eyes away from the road, she wonders aloud.

"Nobody likes trucks. Why?"

Hopper finds himself bewildered at her comment.

"Wh-? Why does everyone hate trucks? Whatya mean, kid?"

"Y/n. She didn't want to ride with the nice man." She finally looks at Hopper. "She said he might hurt us,"

He eyes her cautiously. He had no previous reason to believe anything had happened to her, and he firmly believed she could have kicked his ass had anything happened. But he had to ask! He still cared about her, and that kind of shit left a lot of baggage.

"Well... he didn't, did he?" He asked gently.

Almost offended, but quite confused as to why no one trusted her or the nice man who helped her, she frowned. She was growing quite agitated, didn't anyone understand the term 'nice man'?

"No." She answered shortly.

"Good," he mumbled, glad that part of the conversation was over. He cleared his throat. "Well, Y/n was still right El, that's very dangerous."

"Why?"

He sighed, taking one hand off the wheel to rake down his face anxiously. It drops into his lap, and he thinks for a moment and glances at her, shaking his head.

"That's a discussion for another time," Another car passes them during their silence, the headlights jumping from Hopper's face to El's and he sighs. "So Y/n came with you to see your Mama?"

No answer. She just stared out of the window.

"'Kay, well those files of hers were at home, so I can only assume you found them and gave them to her? Maybe that's when you two left with the," he sighs deeply. "the 'nice man'?"

Again, no answer.

"Again, kid, I'm... I'm not mad," he tries not to choke on his words. Without his eyes leaving the road, he shrugs, the lump in his throat growing. "I just worry about you... 's all."

He sighs again, and for a few minutes, the car is filled with silence again. The only sounds filling the car is the hum of the engine and the occasional rush as cars zoom by in the other lane. He is surprised when she is the next to speak.

"I..." And then he feels her wide brown eyes on him, her voice is raspy showing she is trying not to cry. "I shouldn't have left."

"Mmm-mmm," he mumbles. "No..."

She feels her gut sink and twist at what she assumes is his agreement with her. He sounds disappointed. And it hurts her. But what she doesn't realize yet is he feels the same. And even though she speaks the words he had been looking for just days ago, they strike daggers into his heart now and all he knows now is regret.

What shocks her is when he continues, he shakes his head in great disappointment, but it is not in her.

"no, this isn't on you kid. I should have been there."

Her lips part slightly in shock, her throat grows sore as she fights back tears but already one is already threatening to spill.

"I should have never lied to you about your Mama... Or about when you could leave."

Her hollow gaze is now fixed on the road as she processes his words as he speaks them.

"There's a lot of things I shouldn't have done."

Her eyes fall to her lap, her heart is pounding faster as the minutes march on, but still, she listens, entranced. His voice is genuine and hoarse.

"Sometimes I feel like..." he stops to fight the tears threatening to spill, years of suppressed heartbreak rushing back to the surface at once. "Like I'm just some kind of black hole, or something."

Her eyes are as foggy as is, but she manages to look at him and speak clearly enough. "Black hole?"

A silent tear breaks through the dam and cascades down her cheek as he answers, unaware.

"Yeah, it's a, you know it's this thing in outer space... it sucks everything towards it and destroys it. Sarah had a picture book about outer space, she loved it." He sniffled.

"Who's Sarah?"

"Sarah?"

He does another double-take, surprised at himself for not sharing that fact of his life sooner with her. Especially since she had reminded him of her all too well and in the nicest ways. He's suddenly aware of the blue band around his wrist again, something of Sarah's he never, ever took off.

A small smile of pride twists his lips, but it's been touched by sadness.

"Sarah's my girl. She's my little girl."

El saw the sadness in his eyes, and as she spoke the words aloud she feared she knew his answer.

"Where is she?"

"Well, that's kind of the thing, kid. She, uh," he says sadly, taking a brief moment to glance up at the stars. The things she loved most. "She left us."

"Gone?" El choked on the word.

"Yeah," he nods. "the black hole... It got her. And somehow... I've just been scared, ya know?"

Another tear escapes her eye, and she feels her head being pulled towards Hopper at what he says next.

"I've just been scared that it would take you too."

He begins to choke up again, and she sees that his eyes are welling with tears.

"And I think that's why I get..." his voice goes away for a moment, and he shakes his head trying to will it back through his tears. "so mad. I'm so sorry. For everything. I can be so... so..."

"Stupid?"

They both crack a smile, and their chuckles break through the air and warm their hearts, melting away the last of the remaining tension and hard feelings. Hopper shakes his head, and on his face sits a wide grin he finds hard to shake.

"Yeah," he laughs. "Stupid. Just really stupid."

Her eyes fall from his smile to the hand that still sits in his lap, and she reaches over to intertwine it with her own small hand. She smiles weakly.

"I've been stupid, too."

"I guess we broke our rule," he chimes, making her smile. "I don't hate it by the way."

His hand gives hers a quick and gentle squeeze before taking it away to gesture to her outfit.

"This whole," he fights a smile. "look."

She looks down at her new outfit and the small sense of pride from before returns. Hopper's hand returns to the wheel, and he smirks at the road, trying not to sound too much like a cheesy dad.

"It's kinda... cool."

The warmth in El's chest spreads, and she finds a grin creeping up on her face at the new word she had taken a liking too.

She nods.

"Bitchin."

The grin on Hopper's face stretched wider, a feat he did not previously think to be possible. He nods, trying hard not chuckle, not wanting her to confuse his happiness as amusement.

"Okay, sure," His grin stretched nearly to his ears. "Bitchin."

No sooner did he speak the word - his eyebrows shooting up in an amused manner now with every intention of being a cheesy and embarrassing dad - did El burst into a quiet fit of laughter. She looked away, wiping the tear away from her cheek but utterly unable to rid herself of her beaming smirk.

El couldn't recall a time she had felt this happy, this hopeful - this at home - in a long time. And neither could Hopper. Even with the frightening and strenuous task before them, they couldn't quite shake the smile off their faces even if they wanted to. And for the first time since he had taken her in all those months ago, they finally felt at home with one another.

Both of them were the missing family they had been looking for.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Alright," Dustin pants, swiping at his nose. "He-It should fit."

Steve stands across the kitchen with a deadpan look on his face and a dead Demodog wrapped in a blanket in his arms. Dustin had just finished dumping the contents of the freezer onto the floor, shelf and all, so they could store the corpse temporarily.

"This really necessary?" Steve asks.

"Yes, it is. Okay, this is a groundbreaking scientific discovery. We can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog!"

Steve's eyes widen briefly, mumbling a 'yeesh' under his breath as he steps towards the fridge.

"Alright, alright," He sends a scornful look at Dustin as the boy steps aside. "But you're explaining this to Mrs. Byers, alright?"

In one swift motion, he swings the dead weight up onto the ledge, but it struggles to fit. It's limp petal-like jowls scrape against the rim of the freezer and when its pulled back, several thick layers of slime remain stitched between it and the fridge. Steve grimaces as he tries to maneuver the Demodog in with little luck, and with disgust still obvious in his voice, he calls out to Dustin over his shoulder.

"Help me out, would ya?!"

After a great deal of shoving, and a whole lot of arguing the boys had managed to close the fridge door with the creature inside. They both sigh, staring at the fridge once again wondering how things had turned out this way. Steve brings up one hand and places it on top of Dustin's head, and ruffles his hat into curls before stalking off.

In the living room, Max knelt before the pile of broken glass where the window had shattered. Using a dustpan and brush she had managed to find lying around, she set to work cleaning up the glass, less no one gets hurt, hoping it would keep her mind somewhat occupied. Lucas had soon joined her with a broom he had remembered being in the kitchen and wasted no time in helping. The silence was much more tolerable in each other's company. Though Mike was no help to their nerves, his footsteps echoed around their skulls non-stop as he paced.

"Mike, would you just stop already?" Lucas breaks.

Mike turned to his friend, his face hard as stone with worry.

"You weren't in there, okay Lucas? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs."

Dustin's voice carries across the house from the kitchen. "Demodogs!"

Mike rolls his eyes, what little patience he had wearing wafer-thin.

"The Chief will take care of her!" Lucas assures.

Max rolls her eyes, muttering under her breath. "Yeah, like she needs protection."

"Listen," Steve said joining the conversation, Dustin lingering by his side as he dries his hands with a rag. "If the coach calls a play, bottom line, you gotta execute it, alright?"

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game," Mike retorts. "And second, we're not even in the game, we're on the bench."

"Ri-uh-we-" Steve stammers. "So my point is,"

The kids all stare at him expectantly, but he just stares off into space as he tries to find the words that never come. Finally, he nods.

"Right, yeah. We're on the bench, so, uh, nothing we can do." He stated, throwing his used dishrag over his shoulder.

"That's not entirely true," Dustin says hopefully, grabbing everyone's attention. "I think these Demodogs, they have a hive mind. And when they ran away from the bus, they were called away."

Lucas spoke up excitedly, latching onto Dustin's thinking.

"So if we get their attention,"

"Maybe we can draw them away from the lab," Max adds.

"And clear a path to the gate!" Mike concluded.

Steve folds his arms, growing more anxious as they grow excited.

"Yeah and we all die!"

"Well, that's one point of view," Dustin argued.

Mike's eyes grew wide as the gears in his brain began to turn, and hurriedly he stalked off passed a bickering Steve and Dustin.

"No, dude, that's not a point of view, that's a fact," he corrected in what was almost a concerned tone.

"I got it!" Mike called, drawing the others after him into the kitchen.

They find him kneeling in front of the fridge, he points feverishly to the large open spot on the map.

"This is where the Chief dug his hole, this is our way into the tunnel!"

Suddenly he jumps back up to his feet and scurries over to where the hall meets the living room.

"Here, right here!" The others catch up and pool around his sides as he points to the large blue spot beneath his feet. "This is like a hub. See where all the tunnels feed into here?"

He drops to his knees, his eyes widen as the plan begins to solidify as he speaks and he gestures around the map excitedly. "Maybe if we set this on fire--"

"Uh, yeah, that's a NO," Steve scolds, completely appalled. And ignored.

"The Mind Flayer would call away his army!" Dustin chimes.

"They'd all come to stop us!"

"Hey!" Steve tries, growing far more worried.

No was listening. Not to him. They all kept feeding into one another's ideas.

"We circle back to the exit-"

"-guys?" Steve chuckles nervously.

"-by the time they realize we're gone..."

"-hEY?"

"El will be at the gate!"

"HEY! HEY!" Steve shouts, even clapping his hands to get their attention.

Finally, though, it works. They all turn around to find him glaring at them with his hands rested on his hips, the dishrag still hung over his shoulder. His eyes are wild with panic and he wags his finger at the map and at them, shaking his head.

"This is not happening."

"But-"

"No, no, no, no!" He rebukes. "No 'buts'! Listen, I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe and that's exactly what I plan on doing,"

Max rolls her head back in annoyance and Lucas sighs as he scolds them.

"We're staying here, on the bench, and we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand that?"

"This isn't a stupid sports game!" Mike whines.

Steve rips the rag off his shoulder and jabs it in Mike's direction, seething. "I said does everybody understand that?"

Nobody answers.

"I need a yes," he demands.

Still, nobody answers. Mike merely glares at the floor, Max stares boredly at the ceiling, Lucas looks at Steve weirdly, and Dustin just gives him the same deadpan and unimpressed stare he gave earlier.

He's about to say something, his fuse dangerously short when suddenly the obnoxious sound of an engine revving in distance pulls everyone's attention to the living room window. Everyone seems confused at first, except for Max whose face immediately drains of all color.

She races to the window, having heard that sound far too many times in her life for it to be a coincidence. She jumps on the couch and has to crouch a bit to look outside the of the window, but it's unmistakable.

She feels the cushions shift beneath her and a presence beside her, it was Lucas who was the next and only other person to catch on as to what it might be. They watch in horror as a bright pair of headlights approach the house at an alarming rate, and Max knows she has no more time to gape.

"It's my brother," she chokes out. "H-He can't know I'm here, he'll kill me!"

Her wide and fearful blue eyes meet Lucas's, and he recognizes at once she worries just as much for him. Sure enough, she speaks confirming his suspicions.

"He'll kill us."

Steve's head shoots up at her words, his heart thumping. He knew exactly who her brother was, the guy who seemed a little too obsessed with "taking his title" at school. Something about him was off-putting to Steve. But what scared him was the fear in the kids' eyes and her words of course. He had no trouble believing her, and he knew with absolute certainty these kids were in danger.

His eyes flew to the door, knowing what he had to do.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · CONTINUE FIGHTING FOR BLACK LIVES. BLACK LIVES MATTER. BLACK LIVES ARE PRECIOUS. BLACK LIVES ARE BEAUTIFUL.

"We've got to make noises in greater amounts! So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!" - Dr. Suess

Helpful links:

NATIONAL ACTION AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY! PROSECUTE POLICE WHO MURDER UNARMED INDIVIDUALS! [petition]

"THEREFORE, PETITION IS MADE BEFORE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES TO NOT ONLY ACT ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, BUT TO FULFILL THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE OFFICE - FOR WHICH HE OR SHE HAS "SWORN AN OATH" TO FULFILL UPON OCCUPANCY!"

[Link]

Pardon Black Woman Imprisoned for Voting

"Crystal hadn’t originally planned to vote in the 2016 presidential elections, but after her mother reminded her how important it was, she decided to do so to set a good example for her children. For that, she is now facing 5 years or more in prison."

[Link]

Black Lives Matter masterlist of links

"I've provided several links to sites you can donate to & sign petitions in regards to BLM + each link provides info on the topic PLEASE VISIT THESE SITES AND DONATE WHAT YOU CAN"

[Link]

+++

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[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

S.T REWRITE -S1:E6; Chapter Six, The Monster - [Pt. 1]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

With Eleven gone, Y/n and Dustin struggle to keep the party together. Elsewhere, Hopper and Joyce uncover the truth about the lab’s many experiments.

||3rd Person POV||

Joyce and Hopper sat opposite one another at the kitchen table of the Byers' home. The house was cold and hardly lit, copies of newspaper clippings scattered all around the house. One of the only light sources was a dusty light that hung from the kitchen ceiling above the table and their heads, illuminating the several papers.

"Look, we gotta go through this again." Joyce insisted.

"I told you everything that I saw."

"Oh, gosh. Tell me again."

"Upstairs or downstairs?" Hopper asked.

"Upstairs."

"There was a laboratory. It was where they must do experiments or something, and then there was... well you see like I said, I got turned around."

Hopper was currently sharing all he had encountered on his rogue mission at Hawkins National Laboratory. Joyce, all the while was hanging on his every word.

"I told you, it was like, I don't know, it wasn't supposed to exist. That whole area, it was abandoned and... forgotten, like it was all some big mistake. Once I found my way back, I saw that... kid's room. That other kid's room, I mean. Like it was actually used, but it didn't even look like a kid's room, neither of them, it looked like a prison."

Hopper sighed and rubbed the bottom of his palms into his eyes tiredly, is fingers held the lit cigarette inches away from his face as he did so. "If that even makes sense,"

"Well," Joyce began, trying to get to the bottom of this never ending mystery. "So why would you think it was a kid's room, then?"

"Because, I told you, the size of the bed, there was a drawing, there was a stuffed animal--"

Joyce interrupted the man quickly. "Y-You didn't say there was a drawing."

"Yeah, there was a drawing of a... an adult and a child. It said 'Eleven' on it."

"Was it good?" Joyce pressed.

"It was a kid's drawing, Joyce. It was stick figures."

Joyce had a knowing look on her face as she stood up with a sigh, retrieving a piece of crinkled line paper and slammed it down on the table for Hopper to see.

She pointed to the detailed drawing as she sat back down.

"Wasn't Will." She stated confidently, shakily bringing the cigarette back up to her lips.

Hopper examined the drawing and everything seemed to click. He returned his gaze to the anxious mother. Hopper quickly put out his cigarette in the ashtray and made a beeline for the coffee table.

"Earl..." he muttered, as he made his way into the living room. Joyce, who had abandoned her cigarette, was right on his heels.

"The night that Benny died, Earl said he saw some kid with a shaved head with Benny," Hopper and Joyce took a seat beside one another on the living room couch, Hopper's eyes fixed on the several news clippings splayed along the wooden coffee table. "Now, I pressed him, he said it might be Will, but maybe..."

The man began sifting through the papers, and Joyce spoke up.

"Wait... Maybe, it wasn't?"

Hopper pulled the article he had been looking for and pointed to the fuzzy photograph of the woman in the article.

"Look... this woman, Terry Ives, she claims to have lost her daughter, Jane. She sued Brenner, she sued the government... Now, the claims came to nothing, but what if... I mean, what if this whole time I've been... I've been looking for Will... I've been chasing after some other kid?"

||Reader's POV||

Everything is a mess.

Will is still missing, the party is falling apart, Mike and Lucas are still angsty messes that won't speak to one another, and now, El left us. She probably thinks I hate her.

'But I don't! I was just scared'

(Ok but like,,,, who else ships El and reader cause damn I've been giving myself feels lately, dang)

'We need to fix this'

I sigh and sit up from my bed and make my way to Dustin's room.

+++

"I just... I can't believe she didn't come back." Mike sighed.

Dustin and I agreed we needed to talk some sense into the boys. So we got our bikes and made our way to Mike's. Dustin was standing opposite Mike while I currently occupied one of the DnD chairs I had pulled up. Mike was worriedly pacing the floor in front of us.

"She's gotta be close." Dustin offered.

"She said it wasn't safe. She just messed up the compasses because she wanted to protect us. She didn't betray us."

"Mike, calm down."

Mike only ignored Dustin and kept talking, more to himself than anybody it seemed.

"I shouldn't have yelled at her. I never should've done that."

"Mike, this isn't your fault." Dustin said.

"Yeah, it's Lucas'."

"It wasn't his fault, either." Dustin replied softly.

For the first time in what felt like ages, Mike stopped in his tracks. He looked at my brother dumbfounded and took a few steps in his direction. "It wasn't his fault?"

"No."

"So you're saying he wasn't way out of line?"

"Totally, but so were you!"

"What?"

"And so was Eleven."

"That's ridiculous! [Y/N], tell him he's being ridiculous!"

Very calmly, I stood up with my arms crossed and stood next to my brother, and sighed, eyes fixed on Mike. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Dustin is absolutely right."

Mike seemed even more furious. "Oh, give me a break!"

Dustin snapped at these words and stormed up to Mike. "No, Mike, you give me a break! All three of you were being a bunch of little assholes! [Y/N] and I were the only reasonable ones! But the bottom line is... you pushed first. And you know the rules. You draw first blood..."

"No! No way! I'm not shaking his hand."

"You're shaking his hand." I press stepping forward.

He was sure to make eye contact with me over Dustin shoulder as he spoke. "No, I'm not."

So I strode toward him and gave him a slight glare.

"This isn't a discussion. This is the rule of law. Obey or be banished from the party. Do you wanna be banished?" I asked firmly.

Mike crossed his arms and pouted before speaking up meekly. "No."

"Good!" I chirp, my face beaming as if we hadn't just been fighting which seem to only terrify him more.

I all but skipped over to the chair grabbing my coat, Dustin following my actions.

"Where are we going?" Mike asked with a hint of frustration.

"Where do you think?" Dustin asked as he put his arms through the sleeves of his coat.

"We're going to get Lucas." I finished straightening my jacket then looked back to Mike.

My face softened and I tilted my head slightly. "And then we're gonna find Eleven."

+++

The three of us stood on Lucas's porch and I rang the doorbell. We stood waiting until the door swung open and Lucas stood there glaring at all three of us, but mostly Mike.

"What do you want?" He spits, resting his hands in his pockets.

There was brief silence which was then interrupted by a muffled smack of Dustin hitting Mike in the arm.

Mike sighed softly and looked to Lucas, clearly hating every second of this.

"I drew first blood, so..." he extended his hand for Lucas to shake but Lucas didn't move.

Somehow I had convinced Lucas to let us all in and now, we all stood in the middle of his living room as he paced silently across the floor considering Mike's offer. He finally stopped and stared at the three of us.

"Okay, I'll shake."

Mike sighed what I barely made out to be a "finally" as he extended his arm out once more. Dustin and I perked up, that was until Lucas continued.

"On one condition. We forget the weirdo and go straight to the gate." He finished, arms crossed defiantly.

"Then the deal's off." Mike barked.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"No, no, not fine! Guys seriously?" Dustin yelled as I threw my head back frustrated.

Dustin forced Mike to face him as he spoke. "Do you even remember what happened on the Bloodstone Pass?"

Lucas and Mike shared a confused glance.

Dustin seemed shocked and offended that they had no recollection and continued.

"We couldn't agree on what path to take, so we all split up the party and those trolls took us out one by one. And it all went to shit. And we were all disabled! So we stick together, no matter what!"

"Yeah, I agree. But this is the party, right here in this room."

"El is one of us now."

"Um, no, she's not. Not even close! Never will be. She's a liar, a traitor--"

"She was just trying to keep us safe! She didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident!"

"An accident?"

"All right, accident or not... admit it, it was a little awesome." Dustin said.

"Awesome?"

"Yeah, she threw you in the air with her mind!"

"I could have been killed!"

"Would everybody just shut up for one second please!" I snap.

Everybody looks to me, a worried and shocked expression on their faces.

I step forward and begin ranting to the boys.

"I am sick of your attitude." I point at Lucas. "I am sick of your whining." I point to Mike. "I am sick of all three of you bickering," I gesture to all of them. "I love you guys and I can't thank you enough for taking me in and including me, know that, but GOD I am getting tired of being stuck listening to you boys argue about every little thing!"

I myself began pacing, my voice continuously rising. "I'm sick of putting up with all your petty arguing when we should be looking for Will only to come home at the end of the day, having found NOTHING and crying my eyes out because the only person who never gave a shit about who started what is missing and probably dead!"

I stopped pacing and looked to the boys who were all silent. I sighed and lowered my voice. "Lucas, you're right. You could have been killed. Which is exactly why we need her. She is more powerful than all of us combined."

"[Y/N]'s right. Do you seriously wanna fight the Demogorgon with your wrist rocket?" Mike said, anger still in his voice. "That's like R2-D2 going to fight Darth Vader. We're no use to Will if we're dead."

Lucas looked torn for a moment, but then he shook his head and pointed at the three of us. There was disappointment in his voice. "If you three wanna waste your time looking for a traitor, go ahead, 'cause I'm not spending my time on her anymore. No way!"

I sighed, putting my face in my hands. Lucas continued.

"I'm going to the gate. I'm going to find Will."

Lucas shoved the boys aside and stormed off, leaving the three of us alone in more ways than one.

+++++

(apologies the tag list was not posted originally. It slipped my mind. Sorry lovelies! <3)

Tag List: @fuckwaad @aimee-lucass

DM me if you want to be added!