#* interactions. » joyce byers

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 91

Part 1 Part 90

Eddie’s not thinking. Observations are floating into his mind too fast for him to categorize them, just snapshots of blinding confusion and color. Click – the explosion of pain when his knuckle impacts strangely against Hargrove’s jaw. Click – pain blooming against his ribs, sending him sprawling atop Hargrove’s chest. Click – he’s on the pavement, Perkins’ crawling atop him, pointy elbow jamming into his throat as she winds back to slap Hargrove hard enough in the face to send his head ricocheting into Eddie’s side. Click – Hargrove’s straddling his screaming ribs as he punches him, once, twice, ramming his head into the concrete hard enough that it bounces, exploding pain on both sides of his skull.

Eddie closes his eyes against the pain, holding his hands above his face in a futile effort to defend his sparking face against more damage.

Nothing else comes. Just for a second, Hagrove’s weight crushes his ribs further. The pressure compresses his lungs, all the air whooshing out in a quiet oomph. And then it’s gone.

Eddie curls into himself, hands around his ribs on instinct, eyes still closed until the screaming starts.

His eye feels swollen, sight fuzzy around the edges as he looks up at his savior.

It's not Perkins, or Mama Byers, or Barb, or even Steve.

Little Red stands over her brother, the nail bat in her hands pointed warningly toward his junk, dirty sneaker close enough that if she kicked forward, there’d never be any little Billy’s running around the world. Her hair’s got dirt in it, the fire in her eyes making her look almost feral.

Her voice is loud enough to ring throughout the neighborhood, but it’s going through his head like it’s underwater, like he’s Charlie Brown, it’s all just muffled, wah wah wah’s.

All he can hear is the ringing in his ears, high pitched and aching through his skull. Hargrove’s hands are raised, and he’s got a mocking sneer on his face, but his eyes tell a different story. They’re wide and afraid, and he’s scooting backward in the driveway, shirt riding up so his skin’s sliding across the pavement in a way that’s got to hurt.

Eddie levers himself to his feet. He wobbles around on sea legs for a second until a hand clamps onto his shoulder, steadying him. It’s Perkins. There’s a bruise already blooming on her cheek, and her hair’s a riot of knots. She slides her hands into his hair, probing around his head until she finds a spot that has him wincing and pulling back.

Her words reach him, muffled but unjumbled. “—need to get you to a hospital,” she says, leaning around him to look at the spot she’d just proved. “You’re bleeding like, a lot.”

Eddie leans into her, eyes closing for just a second. “Steve first,” he replies. The words rumble strangely through his chest.

He opens his eyes just in time to see Perkins eyes roll.

The voices around him unjumble slowly, until he can make out distinct words, unmuffled and blessedly decipherable.  

Clearly, his scrambled egg of a brain just needed to catch up with its new inflamed state.

“Everyone inside,” Mama Byers calls, voice strained. It’s only then that Eddie notices the lights turned on in the houses around them, and the way curtains twitch back like the nosy rich people can’t help themselves.

Hargrove’s still in the ground, but Max hefts the bat up anyway, pointing it toward him with a final edict of, “Go home.” She turns around, sauntering toward the Harrington’s front door in a way the Eddie’d die to be able to emulate. “I’ll be home soon.”

Lucas snorts as he runs to catch up to her, Mike and Dustin right behind him.

Eddie and Perkins don’t start forward until Barb and Will lead Steve out of the van. Barb has his head angled down, clearly trying to obscure the blindfold on his face. Will’s smiling up at him and nodding as if they’re holding a conversation no one else can hear. Eddie hopes it’s enough of a show to stop the nosy neighbors from calling the cops. Hop’s indisposed and everyone else will just get in the way.

Perkins has her arm around his waist, but each of his steps bring more surety, like his brain and his legs are reestablishing their link. Still, she doesn’t let go.

They’re all loitering in front of the front door, arguing about how to get inside. Perkins bullies her way past, digging the hide-a-key out of its place buried in the leaves of the bush planted in the pot beside the front door.

She slides it home, turns it in the lock like she’s used to it. Like she belongs here in a way that Eddie, and the rest of the party, and even Steve himself don’t.

She leads them inside. Eddie wriggles out from her grasp so he can flip the lights on.

Something giddy runs through his veins as he hears the heat click on. He turns, smiling brightly at the rest of the group, just as Dustin closes the door behind them.

There’s something manic, and woozy, and hopeful running through him as he looks at all these people gathered in Steve’s childhood home, willing to do anything to save him.

“Let’s get this party started,” Eddie calls, like they’re at some sort of high school rager instead of a grim group of people about to boil their friend alive if it’ll save his life.

When everyone looks at him, bug-eyed and wary, Eddie just laughs.

Part 92

Taglist: @deany-baby @estrellami-1 @altocumulustranslucidus @evillittleguy @carlprocastinator1000 @hallucinatedjosten @goodolefashionedloverboi @newtstabber @lunabyrd @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @manda-panda-monium @disrespectedgoatman @finntheehumaneater @ive-been-bamboozled @harringrieve @grimmfitzz @is-emily-real @dontstealmycake @angeldreamsoffanfic @a-couchpotato @5ammi90 @mac-attack19 @genderless-spoon @kas-eddie-munson @louismeds @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @pansexuality-activated @ellietheasexylibrarian @nebulainajar @mightbeasleep @neonfruitbowl @beth--b @silenzioperso @best-selling-show @v3lv3tf0x @bookworm0690 @paintsplatteredandimperfect @wonderland-girl143-blog @nerdsconquerall @sharingisntkaren @canmargesimpson @bananahoneycomb @rainwaterapothecary

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #my fic #steddie upsidedown au #will byers #i Briefly considered having an awkward interaction between joyce and a neighbor #but I've been to richer neighborhoods #those ppl aren't leaving their house. they're talking shit to each other later or maybe calling the cops

[share-the-damn-bed]

🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

✨ MANIFESTING ✨

🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

#jonathan byers #joyce byers #byers family #THEM #return them to me #i've decided i'm posting weekly sets of them until the duffers set them free #because they deserve it #making season 1 sets always reminds me of how GOOD season 1 was #like I know it #but then I start to gif it and i'm overcome by just how good it was #this show used to MEAN something #uhg #and they were a very important reason why the show had any substance at all #so let them interact ffs #screaming into the void but idc #but like... could you imagine... if they get a photo together... #i'll pass out on the spot

[morganbritton132]

Eddie posts a Tiktok of Steve standing in the middle of the front yard with his hands on his hips, bouncing impatiently on his feet. Eddie calls out from the porch, “Do you see them yet?”

“Not ye- no, that’s them! I think that’s - yeah. Yes!”

A car pulls into the driveway too soon for Steve to have just noticed whose car it was. While Eddie mutters something about eye doctors, Steve practically picks Joyce up when he hugs her. He hugs Hopper too, though he doesn’t dare try to pick him up.

Steve leads them up to the porch with a smile on his face that means Eddie’s about to get kissed. He does get a kiss as Joyce and Hopper greet him and enter the house.

Steve obscures the camera when he kisses Eddie so all you can see is his shirt when he whispers, “You smell like weed.”

“Oh, yeah,” Eddie says back. “I’m stoned.”

#Eddie’s always just a little high when he interacts with Hopper because he thinks it’s funny #eddie munson tiktok saga #steve harrington #eddie munson #jim hopper #joyce byers

[musicalchaos07]

The Jonathan is going to die theory hurts me personally like why would you want that for him? For Will? FOR JOYCE? You leave this family alone they've been through ENOUGH 😭😭😭😭

#you think our beloved joyce can handle burying her son????? #LIKE PLS #and listen I KNOW they haven't interacted since s1 but she loves that boy #like y'all are having fun but PLS #I know they're shit at showing it but that man has a family #stranger things #jonathan byers #ST 5 #st 5 theories

[lighthouseas]

i can't be the only one who wants hopper and joyce desperately trying to parent 3 teenagers in the middle of an apocalypse with vastly different parenting styles right bc i mean. that's probably happening next season lmao

like. el would be fine. she's so sweet and loves joyce and hop and has spent enough time with each of them that she probably considers both of them her parents and will be happy they're dating now.

however...uh...will and jonathan...i mean, they had to grow up with an extremely shitty father figure...and will only really talked to hopper when he was possessed by the mind flayer....and he's also VERY sassy....and jonathan is....jonathan....

in conclusion: give me chaotic hopper-byers moments where they are Figuring Their Shit Out and realizing oh. we have to be a Family now

#please 🧍‍♀️ #i really want will and hopper interactions in particular bc cmon #theyd be so fucking funny #stranger things #will byers #jonathan byers #el hopper #el hopper byers #jim hopper #joyce byers #st s5 #byler tumblr #< target audience but has nothing to do with byler #phoebe speaks

[jancys-blue-bayou]

I know I’m going on about this but I just can’t let go of the fact that the Duffers had relationships like the Jonathan and Joyce, Joyce and El, Joyce and Will, Will and El, Jonathan and Will, all the Byers family together, Jonathan and Nancy, Nancy and Mike, Will and Mike, all the kids in different combos etc etc to give room to explore even more after the amazing season 1 of Stranger Things and then went you know what? Let’s just lean into Steve babysitter memes and then invent Billy, Robin, Eddie, Jason etc etc and devote the screentime to them instead.

#why is there more scenes of jason the jock and his jock friends talking in s4 than scenes of the byers talking #why is eddie given more room than even characters like mike wheeler now #why trade in the deep nuanced relationships between joyce and her sons and between brothers for lol steve is such a mom #there is more scenes of steve complaining about being a babysitter than there are of jonathan and will interacting as brothers #remember in s1 when nancy and mike promised each other they'd talk more? yeah so once a season they yell at each other that's it? how fun #stranger things

[charliessafespace]

cg! joyce board :33 she gives me very warm, safe vibes

#sfw agere #agedre #agere #sfw age dreamer #sfw agedre #sfw interaction only #age regression community #agere aesthetic #agere caregiver #cglre #joyce byers #cg!joyce byers #stranger things #charliesmoodboards

[gayofthefae]

How is housing gonna work? Cute fanfic trope of Will in Mike’s room is cute and all but they wouldn’t just let Jonathan sleep in Nancy’s every night and where would Joyce sleep?

The cabin has one bedroom, which is El’s, and Hopper slept on the couch. I guess maybe like El and Will could share and both Joyce and Hop could be on the living room chair/couch? But then where is Jonathan? Or maybe the cabin could stay the same and Will and Mike could stay together, Holly go with Nancy and Jonathan take her room?? But then where would Joyce go, Karen takes the main bedroom and Ted sleeps in the La-Z-Boy so on the couch by Ted? Jonathan and Nancy will be 20 after the 3 year jump so I guess they could have their own place (but idk about introducing a new set with everything else already going on??) Oh! And not to mention a) is Argyle staying (and where are his parents) and b) Dmitri Antonov??? Is he...here? They mentioned him moving to Indiana (and if so, where is his son? and if not, how is he not being hunted still?)

OH. BOOM SOLVED IT. Murray literally lives in a fucking BUNKER. And it is now the APOCOLYPSE. Can’t believe I didn’t think of it before, that’s perfect. Also only hilarity can ensue if Murray is harboring the Byers/maybe Hopper-Byers + Antonov and Argyle(who not only left Cali but also stole a pizza truck btw??). We know that Murray has a place to sleep upstairs, a pullout sofa in the study, another bedroom, and a couch in the living room. So he would still be sleeping there, leaving 3 other places (four if there was a second couch/chair I think?) for the remaining Jonathan, Will, and Joyce. Okay, figure it out, Argyle and Dmitry ig. Wait, but why would the Hopper-Byers not live together? 

You know what! We have never seen the extent of Murray’s bunker! Executive decision, everybody move to Murray’s bunker because that is the funniest option and still allows for plenty of same room/same bed etc. or whatever kind of living together tropes you want.

#stranger things #byler #hopper byers #jopper #dmitry antonov #dmitri antonov #murray bauman #holly wheeler #mike wheeler #eleven hopper #jim hopper #joyce hopper #will byers #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #jancy #karen wheeler #ted wheeler #OMG IMAGINE TED AND MURRAY'S INTERACTIONS IF WE GOT THEM #argyle

[thestobingirlie]

some of the shovel talk stuff is so dumb. like ppl really expect me to believe joyce and hopper are giving steve shovel talks on eddie's behalf? really? i don't think joyce knows who eddie is and i can buy hopper giving eddie a shovel talk if it's a fic where they explore the steve/hopper relationship but generally i think hopper would rather gouge his own eyes out than think about teenage relationships.

these are two different asks, but they touch on the same topic, so i’m answering them together!!

yeah, joyce and hopper would never give steve the shovel talk for eddie. they do not know that man. i can’t imagine joyce giving anyone a shovel talk tbh.

i love fatherly hopper and steve, and yeah, i think him attempting to give any kind of talk to either of them would be hilarious, especially considering he’s talking to a drug dealer, and ‘keg king’ steve harrington. but i also totally agree that hopper would hate every second of it. he tried to have one rational convo with mike and el and he ended up threatening mike!

i think he would just want to remain blissfully ignorant. he doesn’t need to know about the drug dealing boyfriend. i think at most he’d just have a convo with steve about how if eddie did something to hurt him, to remember that hopper has a gun. but i don’t think he’d actually give eddie a shovel talk.

#i have a lot of thoughts about hopper and steve. #like. i think steve is the kid that hopper has the most interactions with pre-UD #what with keg king. party boy steve. he was drinking and smoking weed. he’s bound to have run into hopper #i’d just love if we actually got some content in s5. especially because now they’ve both been tortured by russians. let them have a convo! #steve harrington #eddie munson #steveddie #jim hopper #joyce byers #stranger things #asks #anon

[belovdly]

i've always wondered about this,,, but now, in the wake of noah confirming will's sexuality and romantic feelings for mike (!!!!!) the idea that joyce has had knowledge of her son's feelings (or at the very least, a sense that something was special about mike) is not a totally unreasonable assumption,,, and it makes me ahhh so soft.

maybe she notices some subtle changes in will's demeanor before he leaves for mike's house on campaign days. he looks increasingly more flushed each time he slings on his jacket, fingers tightened anxiously around a sheaf of new drawings to show the Party (to mike). she's amused when, one day, he ducks into the bathroom to fix his hair before hopping on his bike. or perhaps, when she's bringing popcorn refills during movie night, she peeks into the living room and finds mike fast asleep on will's arm; from behind the safety of the corner she watches her son, shoulders hunched in quiet tension, looking down at his friend. there's a look on his face that she's see before, the one she identifies as being reserved for mike. but it's.. it's softer, somehow. almost tender. his cheeks are dusted pink. his hands tremble a bit as he pulls the blanket they're sharing further across mike's chest, tucking it around mike's elbow. joyce covers her smile with the back of her hand and decides that the popcorn can wait.

now this is a bit more speculative, but im so in love with the idea that mike has always felt something more for will, even if he doesn't acknowledge it or realize it himself. especially if he doesn't realize it! (he just believes his behavior is normal. it's will! so maybe his voice pitches a little softer when he talks to will, or he finds himself wrapped up in will's space more often than not. it's will.)

but his mom, karen, is always keeping tabs on her children - so she begins to notice, too, that her son treats this particular friend with a little more intimacy than the rest of the Party.

she notices that mike always seems to drift towards will when the whole party is together, brushing pinkies or hooking ankles under the breakfast table - just to let will know he's there. mike's gaze always seem to linger on will, eyes especially bright and pleased if he can get a laught out of will. once, when she had asked about the drawings on the wall of the basement, mike had gone from spaced out to bright-eyed in a split second, explaining that will had given these to him for their new d&d campain and wasn't he the greatest artist in the whole world?!

he cares for all of his friends dearly, karen knows. but it's always been different with will.

im crying this post really got away from me,, but i've been having so much fun entertaining the idea of karen and joyce just. sharing knowing glances when their boys are off in their little world. they have a deadpan expression they've dubbed the "Mike and Will Anomaly", for when the boys get really immersed in each other's space. they joke about it, but there's always been an unspoken understanding that neither of them would ever say or do anything to make their boys feel invalid, or unloved, if their fond gazes or heated cheeks really did mean something. they just want their boys to be happy :)

[p.s. i know there's not a ton of evidence for this in the show but. i remember how i acted as a child, and in my pre-teen years. i thought i was subtle, but in reality i feel that kids are generally not great at concealing their true feelings or motivations behind their actions, especially if they're doing or feeling these things unconsciously. and both joyce and karen know and love their children so much - i just think it would be neat if they were attuned to the singular and affectionate nature of mike and will's relationship.]

#help #this got SO long im so sorry #byler unleashes something carnal within me #i cant take responsibility for the person i become when i turn on full byler delusion mode #also its 2 am so i apologize for these not being the most creative byler interactions 🥲 #i just needed to get this out of my system #anyways we stan supportive mothers! #byeler #byler #will byers #mike wheeler #joyce byers #karen wheeler #stranger things #stranger things 4

[ghostlynimbus]

Billy being the first person to ever really acknowledge how fucked up it is how much responsibility everyone is always pushing on Jonathan. Every adult in his life is always pushing him to be responsible for Will, for his mom, for El too once she becomes his sister.

Jonathan isn't ready to hear it.

So he lashes out at Billy with biting words and cutting observations.

Billy doesn't rise to the confrontation Jonathan is trying to start though, because he recognizes Jonathan's attack for what it really is, defensiveness, fear. It's a survival instinct he's all too familiar with.

Instead Billy just lets Jonathan sit with his thoughts and leaves.

Billy's simple acknowledgement sticks around in Jonathan's head though, until eventually he can admit at least to himself that it's true, that Billy was right.

It is fucked up.

#jonathan byers #billy hargrove #stranger things #sometimes i think people forget about how much parentification Jonathan deals with #and how thats also abuse #like #i love joyce but also she 100% abused jonathan #intentionally or maliciously or whatever probably not #but that doesnt make the abuse less abusive #i honestly cant think of an adult character jonathan seriously interacts with that doesnt #either push him to be a parent to will or even his mom #except murray? iirc? #but they dont interact a ton in canon #and billy also deals with this kind of abuse #but i feel like billys more in a headspace to know that thats fucked up #idk if jonathans there yet #like i think he knows on some level #but also he doesnt really believe it #idk #rambling in tags #abuse m

[steveharringtonsstrugglemeals]

Joyce Byers was one of Steve's nannies when he was a child — it was a side job she picked up when she was still married to Lonnie to help make ends meet. Jonathan doesn't remember it, and Joyce suspects that Steve doesn't either. He had a lot a nannies, after all, and Joyce had only lasted half a year before Mr. Harrington informed her that she had been replaced by a Parisian au pair — five years younger and twice as chic, she was sure. The next time Joyce saw the young Harrington heir out about town, he was wearing a stylish wool scarf around his neck and stumbling over conversational French, while she was shackled to her new post behind the counter at the general store.

(Steve does remember. He remembers every one of the women who raised him piecemeal instead of his parents. They each had something to teach him, some little fragment of personhood that he tucked away and used to build himself into a real boy, whether that lesson was to add a bit of cream to his scrambled eggs or to never trust his father alone with a beautiful young woman. But how does one acknowledge that? How could he properly thank Joyce for granting him that little piece of herself, and apologize for not turning out quite right regardless?)

--

Between her extra shifts at Melvand's and her reputation as a high-strung individual, Joyce has never been particularly close to the other mothers of Hawkins Middle School. But she and Claudia Henderson did have something in common, a mutual understanding between two struggling single mothers. So it shouldn't have come as such a surprise when Claudia confided in her what a big help Steve Harrington has been, picking Dustin up from school and making sure he's not alone when she can't get away from work, fostering the confidence and camaraderie that her motherly doting couldn't provide. And he won't accept more than the occasional hot meal for it, the darling, certainly he would be happy to help out with Will too if Claudia brought it up to him?

But Joyce couldn't take her up on the offer. She wouldn't think of it, trusting her precious Will with Steve Harrington.

She looked at him, and instead of seeing the sweet but spoiled little boy she once knew, she saw his cold, imperious father. Stephen Harrington Sr. was a man carved from stone, all the preeminence and vanity of an emperor's marble bust, and young Steve was his spitting image.

He was the boy who cast a lofty stare from a photograph in the trophy case at Hawkins High. The boy who had never once stepped a Nike-clad foot into Melvand’s, not even for a pack of cigarettes. The boy who regularly sported blackened eyes and bloodied lips, who hefted a nail-studded baseball bat against the beasts of hell.

Maybe he was right for Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Max and their untempered brashness, their bold defiance in the face of danger. But her kind, sensitive Will? Her Will, who had already weathered so much more than any child should have to?

--

[I might continue this...]

#unreliable narrators abound :) #stranger things #steve harrington #joyce byers #stranger things fanfiction #had the idea that joyce could have easily been one of steve's nannies growing up - i can imagine his parents going through a slew of nannie #never quite satisfied with any of them but not caring enough to get more involved than signing a check #and it got me thinking about how her perception of steve might be shaded by 1) her awareness of his family as a lifelong hawkins resident #2) his complicated relationship with jonathan #and 3) her singleminded focus on her own kids especially will during upside-down incidents when steve would be around #we never really see them interact much after all #didn't really mean to throw that chunk of steve angst in there but oop #I imagine this set between s2-3? #shsm writes

[musicalchaos07]

Me, waiting to see how exactly they plan to resolve Jonathan's storyline now that they've reintegrated him back into the Byers family:

#“it's just a him and Nancy problem�� respectfully wtf are you talking about #like I think Will is going to be the one to tell him it's ok to leave #but I don't love that that absolves Joyce of any wrong doing #and before you all jump down my throat that Joyce is doing her best #tell me other than the lipstick cheek/what is wrong with you when was the last time Joyce interacted with her older son? #I'm not saying she's a bad mother she can be a good mother and be neglectful both can be true #anyways #back on topic #ideally I think will and Joyce both need to talk to Jonathan but I don't see it happening bc I don't trust the duffers #so either it's all on nancy (or a third party i.e. Argyle/Murray) OR they just ignore it and leave it unresolved #bc they need to milk more St*ve Memes #and jonathan doesn't get a satisfying ending #don't love that scenario for us #jonathan byers #stranger things #byers family #hopper byers family

[she-is-tim]

August 1987.

Eddie took a deep breath after finally being able to loosen the damn tie Harrington and all the kids insisted him on wearing. It’s not like this was some huge event with fancy people, just all their trauma bonded family and a couple friends. They even invited Wayne, who was now in deep conversation with the groom at the snack tables with a glass of champagne in his hand. He looked so out of place with his secondhand tuxedo and shy expression, but at the same time so fitting as well. Eddie felt a soft smile creep its way on his face.

He tapped his pockets and pulled out a box of cigarettes from inside his suit, hitting it a few times until one came out that he took between his lips. The wedding party was held in a barn somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Eddie thinks it belonged to Murray or his family, he isn’t sure. The kids did a great job decorating it with the lead of Nancy and Robin. He was sure no one will scold him for smoking, so he grabbed his lighter, taking a long drag when his cigarette was lit. His lungs welcoming nicotine like an old friend, making him feel instantly relaxed.

The girls had pulled his hair in such a tight bun it felt like his skin was all stretched out thanks to it. “You can’t go to a wedding with a birds nest of a hair on your head” Max said to him this morning before she and the others ganged up on him. It was pure torture, but at least Buckley agreed to help him put on eyeliner and Wheeler painted his nails black for him. He actually thought even with the scars peeking from under his collar he looked quite exquisite. Steve complimented him too when he came in with the tie, adorable blush spread on those pretty cheeks of his. Eddie felt just a little bit embarrassed as the other stepped up to him, the girls long gone, leaving them alone in the room.

Harrington wrapped the tie around his neck, eyes focusing on tying it properly since Eddie told him he had no idea how to do it. They were silent through it all, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Once Steve was done he let his hands rest on his chest, looking up at Eddie with those pretty eyes of his. Eddie wanted to kiss him so badly, but of course they were disturbed by Dustin bursting into the room. He loved the kid, he really did, but sometimes he could really smack him on the back of the head.

As he kept smoking his eyes found Steve in the crowd, hips slowly swaying to the light jazz playing from speakers installed on the side of the wall. He was talking to Jonathan Byers, clearly enjoying himself. Eddie knew he had no reason to feel jealous, but he couldn’t help himself. Harrington looked incredibly good tonight and he wished to have all his attention to himself. Still just watching him was enough for now.

He was close to finishing his cigarette when someone appeared next to him, laying against the wall. Eddie was ready to give an excuse for smoking inside when he turned and saw the bride herself smiling at him with her gentle, motherly expression. Damn Eddie loved this woman so much.

“Shouldn’t you be dancing with the guests?” Eddie asked in a teasing tone. Him and Joyce had become quite close after the events of last spring when she decided to welcome him in their found family, developing some sort of mother-son relationship while also being able to act like old friends.

“I danced so much I think my legs are about to fall off.” the woman scoffed at him, waving around the white heels in her left hand she was still wearing not long ago. “These things are awful.”

Eddie chuckled. “Well, I never wore one myself, but they do look terribly uncomfortable.” He said, crushing the cigarette on the side of a beer can he had next to him on a table and threw the butt inside of it. “How are you doing?” He asked, while he pulled out his box again, offering a cigarette to the bride, who thankfully accepted it. Eddie lit both of their cigarettes while waiting for her answer.

“Never been happier.” She said with an honest smile. “What about you, sweetheart?” She asked, tilting her head towards Eddie while exhaling a cloud of smoke.

“What about me?” Eddie deadpanned, playing dumb. Joyce rolled her eyes.

“You really gonna let this opportunity slide? You two are perfect for each other.” She said, pointing her right hand towards the way where Steve still stood in deep conversation with her eldest son.

“We talked about this, Joyce.” He sighed, taking another drag from his cigarette. “I can’t give him what he wants. We couldn’t even be able to have a public relationship.” He groaned and let his head hit the wall behind him with a small thud.

“Honey… Steve looks at you like you hung up the moon and the stars. All he wants is to be with you, I’m sure that’s something you can give him easily.” She said with a soft smile and Eddie felt tears trying to spill over his lashes. He took a deep breath and tried to blink them away.

“I really like him Joyce…” he mumbled, voice barely audible over the music, but seemingly she heard him just fine. “I am just so scared because I never felt like this for anyone.”

“Oh, darling…” she put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it softly. “I know it’s scary, believe me.” She was talking to him, but her eyes were now fixed on her husband and Eddie’s uncle at the other side of the barn. “Loving someone is a scary thing, but it’s also a beautiful and wonderful feeling. Don’t take this away from yourself.” She turned back to him with the sweetest, most motherly smile Eddie had ever seen. He gulped, throwing his half smoked cigarette in the beer can and wrapped his arms around the woman next to him. Joyce let out a soft laugh and hugged him back, rubbing her hands up and down the boy’s back.

“Thank you.” He whispered in her ear before letting her go. He took a deep breath and braced himself as he turned to where Steve was standing, surprised to realize the boy was already gazing at him. His eyes were sparkling, lips turned up in a soft smile when he noticed Eddie looking at him.

Eddie smiled back and started walking towards him, determined to confess his feelings for the other boy, because at the end of the day, he couldn’t imagine his future without him. He fucking loved Steve Harrington.

#Steddie drabble #eddie munson #Joyce Byers #steve harrington #Steddie #steveddie #Eddie and Joyce friendship is so important to me #I had to write this #they kissed a lot after that by the way #I just wanted Eddie and Joyce interaction #I love Eddie so much I just want him to be happy #and Joyce wants him to be happy too

[mvndrvke]

@lcvedriven ( continued. )

Joyce is pretty sure this is just what she’s made for-- caring for people. Her sons, El, and now Hopper too. She focuses on carefully cleaning the wound on his arm, as mindful as she can be to not hurt him. But she knows it’ll sting, which is why she warns him. The laugh startles her enough to make her look up, and his words make her smile a little bit. 

“Well you’re going to have to get used to this now,” she tells him, looking back at his arm. “You look like hell, and these are gonna’ need to be cleaned regularly.” She pauses a moment, then, 

“It’ll grow back. Your hair. Just be patient.”

#{ joyce || jim hopper // lcvedriven } #lcvedriven #( interactions || joyce byers ) #st spoilers

[unsurebisexualcore]

Y’all I just had the most awful moment of panic when I deadass could NOT remember Winona Ryders name. Like I thought so hard I felt my brain like physically expand trying to remember I just could not manifest the name in my brain, I thought I was going to have to look it up in absolute shame it was awful.

Anyway can we please have more of Joyce with her children, and like all familial relations in s5? Like it’s not like it wasn’t there in s4, but I miss the like s1/s2 dynamics where familial ties are one of the most major conflicts or impacts. Like I feel like Joyce has barely interacted with Johnathan since s1, but in that season their conflicts and relationship was so interesting because you have Johnathan having to assume the logical head of the household while Joyce maintains the emotional aspect of being the mother of her sons. I need them bonding and that mother/son dynamic back especially because he’s her oldest kid and had to step up and help raise Will after Lonnie left. Now that Hopper’s starting to fill the role of father figure (which again, I’m literally shaking with excitement to see how he learns to step back into those shoes again), I want to see Johnathan realizing he doesn’t have to play multiple roles at once, and him and Joyce slowly healing the wounds Lonnie left and becoming like a mother and son again yk?

And then for me personally I need to see more of Nancy and Mike’s dynamic, I mean we see hints of it throughout the seasons like Nancy saying she was happy Johnathan was there to protect Mike in s4 and such, but like I want more of that. As an older sister to a younger brother if I found out what kind of danger that little shit was getting into, I wouldn’t let him out of my SIGHT, especially if s5 does take on a more apocalyptic setting. Like give me more of them bantering and arguing yet fighting tooth and nail to keep each other safe, hugging and comforting each other when the other breaks down, just having that protective yet familiar bond that siblings have because at the end of the day it’s an important part of their character.

Like the friendships on the show are insanely strong and influential and vulnerable , but family plays an equally important role, and gives the show incredible heart

and it makes me cry

#byler #stranger things #johnathan byers has a special place in my heart #and let’s be for real #his and joyce’s dynamic in season 1 was EXPLOSIVE #like there was so much there every interaction was so impactful and emotional and always hit you where it really hurt #and I need more older sister representation in the show okay #like all throughout s3-s4 I’m like THAT IS YOUR BROTHER/SISTER WHOSE BEEN GOING THROUGH *insert batshit crazy thing they went through in s4 #I think I’m just upset I didn’t see them hug at the end of s4 or really interact at all #my soul needs this to heal it’s what the doctors recommended