#and El a lot of the time and he's seen the way that Hopper goes along with whatever Joyce wants 99.9% of the time even if they do bicker in

[bigboysteveharrington]

I got distracted working on part of a chapter later than the one I still need to finish and post and

Mike: Everyone’s afraid of Hopper, right?

Will, whose previous father figure was Lonnie and whose first memory of Hopper is him carrying him out of the Upside Down: 🤨

#I can't put Will or El or Jonathan's thoughts on this scene until I get there in the so far unposted fic in the same universe as The Things #in Life That I Can't Find but I *can* make a post making it clear that Will is internally like bitch wtf??? because he hasn't witnessed #Hopper intentionally being ominous to Mike and to Will Hopper was already becoming a dad figure before Hopper and Joyce even got together #Because he didn't even know Hopper when Hopper didn't give up on helping Joyce finding him even after his fake dead body washed up #And Hopper went into the Upside Down back when no one had ever come back out alive to get him and carried him out #And Hopper came along to the check ups Will had to have at Hawkins Lab and Hopper was already there for him more and doing more as a father #figure than Lonnie ever did even before they suddenly became a 5 person Hopper-Byers family unit so Will is one of the only ones that #didn't start off petrified of Hopper before they realized that he was on their side and he's seen the way that El is the boss out of Hopper #and El a lot of the time and he's seen the way that Hopper goes along with whatever Joyce wants 99.9% of the time even if they do bicker in #a more lighthearted way that never has Will hiding in Jonathan's room with loud music on to get away from it so he's like yeah Hopper's #big but he's just Hopper??? He's tough in a good at protecting us way but he gives in all the time to what people he cares about want and #he goes out of the way to do things for people regularly??? #Plus Joyce never looks scared of him and she's happier when he's around and Jonathan and Joyce and El all trust him so Will fully trusts #him and likes having him around too #Oops I didn't mean to go on such a long ramble in the tags but I have a lot of thoughts on that family dynamic #Hence the turning the fic into a series so that I can have a fic that focuses on their dynamics #Mine

[munsonfamilyband]

I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about how much I love the “Hopper accidentally adopting Steve” idea, but I’m talking about it again because I love it.

I don’t care so much when it happens, just that it does, and then Steve starts hanging out with Eddie and Hopper doesn’t really know how to address that because while he knows that Eddie is just a kid who got handed all the shit parts of life and is trying to get by, the parent part of his brain is so angry because Eddie is a drug dealer who failed to graduate high school twice and he’s now hanging around his kid getting him into who knows what. But his relationship with Steve is different than it is with El, Steve is a lot older and had some kind of parenting, lackluster as it was, so he doesn’t need Hop to start giving him lectures. For this reason, Hopper bites his tongue and doesn’t say anything - to Steve at least, he complains regularly to Joyce about it (thankfully she finds it endearing that he cares enough to not want to risk their relationship). That resolves goes away when he finds out that they’re dating.

It’s made worse by the fact that Steve wasn’t the one to tell him. One of the kids mentions Eddie having to cancel Hellfire night because him and Steve had a date that night. The next time everyone is together, and he sees Eddie and Steve pull up in the same car, he stops them from entering the house to talk to them. He starts off strong, mostly going from the hurt angle of finding out second hand, which Steve clearly feels bad about, telling him that they had planned to tell him that day. But then Hopper can’t help himself and he voices his disapproval, practically starts interrogating Eddie, and as a cop his reactions are funny; the kid forces himself to stand perfectly straight and he’s visibly nervous, plus he’s rambling and saying things he definitely shouldn’t be saying to a parental figure let alone a cop. His response to being faced with a familial person to Steve is already weakening his resolve - he is clearly trying to impress him - but it’s the way Steve looks at him that gets him to throw away his concerns because the kid looks at Eddie like he’s the best thing to ever happen to him (thinking about it, the expression is very similar to the way he looks at Robin, like he’s so glad they decided he was worth their time). He manages to stop Eddie’s nervous rambling and tells him that he’s okay with it, but they need to be safe (in more ways that one, which makes Steve turn bright pink) and that if anything happens he is still the police chief and he can hide a murder if he has to.

Later that night he sees them hiding in the back corner of the backyard, sitting together leaned up against the fence, just talking and Hopper is glad he’s giving them a chance because he has never seen Steve quite that happy.

#stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #platonic stobin #hopper accidentally adopts people and he just goes with it #he absolutely knows eddie and is very hesitant about him being around either of his kids #finding out that steve and eddie are dating? its like mike all over again #but eddie isnt mike and he doesn’t argue he actively is trying to get hopper to like him

[messrsbyler]

today i’m thinking about mike’s face when will yelled “FORGET IT, MIKE!” because they’ve never talked to each other like that. they’ve never had to yell at each other, it’s just not them. mike has to yell a lot so other people listen to him; with his parents and sister at dinner when will was lost and they wouldn’t listen to him, with lucas and dustin when they wouldn’t listen about el, with el when she wouldn’t understand how much she hurt him when they pulled will’s fake body out of the water, with hopper when he was being an overprotective asshole (affectionate).

but mike has never had to raise his voice with will to be heard. with will a whisper is enough, sometimes not even that. sometimes a simple look is all it takes for will to just listen and see him. and the same goes for will. quiet and shy will that only shows his true colors when mike is around, that gets loud not because he’s frustrated he’s not being heard but because he feels safe enough to not care who hears and who doesn’t.

will has never had to raise his voice because mike has always listened to him at all times. but this time, he didn’t. he was so preoccupied with the girls he stopped listening to will and made him feel frustrated the way mike feels at the dinner table with his parents, invisible enough and unheard enough, frustrated enough that will felt the need to snap and yell to be heard because mike wouldn’t listen to what he had to say. thinking about how shocked mike was, first at will’s reaction because it had never happened before and then to himself because in which moment did he stop listening to will?

also thinking about how will felt, how for the past few weeks he’s been feeling like mike, the one constant in his life, has been slipping through his fingers and how he put together this campaign in a desperate attempt to get his friends back, but his grip is still to weak and mike keeps slipping away and will panics because this can’t happen. mike is his. mike is his person. mike chose him at the swings he can’t now toss him aside because he found a new person? someone he can make out with and take on dates and do many things he can’t do with will? el can’t come out of nowhere and take mike from him. but the problem here isn’t el, the problem is mike because he keeps letting it happen as if it didn’t matter, as if will didn’t matter anymore because he wasn’t lost anymore he wasn’t possessed either and he wasn’t a girl so what did he have to hold mike’s attention? to make mike listen to him? why won’t mike just listen to him? so will snapped at mike, he yelled and stormed out and… and they’ve never been like this, not with each other. will isn’t the type of person that lets his feelings get the best of him, the one that yells and pushes people out of the way and storms out of a room. that’s what lonnie does. will has seen him do it many times before. it isn’t something will does, especially not with mike.

so what happened? how the hell did they get to this point?

anyway thinking many thoughts

#byler #byler tumblr #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #byler endgame #mike x will #mike wheeler analysis #mike wheeler’s mental health

[byrhop]

Why were California and Russia plots so important

I’ve seen a lot of people complaining last summer about how the Russia and California plots were unnecessary and just a waste of time. I’m here to dive in into the brain of the duffers and tell you exactly why they did this and why it was the exact opposite.

I have 3 main points to make:

1. Developing Vecna’s background

The duffers are smart and probably already had the idea about what s4 and 5 are gonna be about while writing s3 and maybe even earlier. So put yourself in their shoes, they want to introduce this big bad that will end up being the mastermind behind everything and they need time to introduce him properly.

Now imagine this: Will, El, Joyce and Hopper are in Hawkins and the planned story for s5 would have to immediately get into motion. What’s the story? Due to the play, we can guess that Joyce and Hopper knew Henry. The dots would be connected much sooner, leaving no time for us to have a question mark over our heads trying to figure out how the Creels play into all of this.

Another thing is our dear William Byers. We know he’ll be very important in s5 and there is no way Joyce knowing Henry wasn’t connected to his s1 disappearance. Will is connected to Henry, if he were in Hawkins, this plot would start immediately. We’d have to find out more about the connection sooner, Will would again be put through supernatural hell and we’d most likely be introduced to him struggling with his sexuality through vecna which i would hate. Like this we at least got a glimpse into Will already figuring it out on his own and even accepting it.

If El hadn't lost her powers and stayed in Hawkins, she would immediately locate vecna and he would probably remind her of everything that happened… and there goes all of your time to introduce Vecna slowly with a mysterious effect to him, we’d have the same characters in supernatural mess as always and no time for sadie sink to shine. Which brings me to my second point

2. Focus on other characters

What does this mean? For example, Will is an important character who was sidelined for a while, but we know he will return to the center stage next season. In season 4, we saw that he had grown more confident, likely due to a more open-minded environment. The smaller plot that he had will become more significant in season 5.

Mike usually leads the party, but in season 4 he didn’t which led him to voice some of his insecurities. However, when was the last time something significant happened to him? I believe it will in season 5.

But, what about other characters? If we assume that Will, El, Mike, Joyce, Hopper (and probably Nancy and Jonathan) will be the main focus in the next season, when will there be time for the rest? That's why season 4 was important - it gave the Hawkins crew more focus and developed their final stories, so they only need to be finished and given proper closure. If our Cali and Russia crew were in Hawkins, there wouldn't be enough time for other characters because they would be the ones in the middle of a supernatural mess.

3. The relationships

Russia and Cali had a common theme going on when it comes to relationships. Both jopper and byler (no matter if platonic or romantic) experienced having to spend time without the other person to realize how important the relationship is to them.

Mileven struggled with issues that they didn’t even know they had before. It doesn’t matter whether mileven or byler will be endgame, we know that Mike deeply cares about both of them, and the distance definitely made him realize a lot of new things about his relationships with those two.

Jopper was on the verge of getting together last season, but his “death” made them realize there is definitely no time to waste and made their feelings for each other perfectly clear.

Conclusion

Relocating characters was important to make space for forming a background for a probably packed plot that is coming next season. If they hadn't done that, season 4 would most likely be the last season, and it would feel incredibly rushed (they even originally planned to have only 4 seasons). This gave them an opportunity to focus more on the characters and their relationships, and paved a path they're about to follow to their final closure.

Although there's still a lot of stuff left open, particularly with relationships, I feel like most of their problems can be solved with one big and important conversation. Season 5 was definitely tricky to write because there's so much going on, but if you think about it, we already know the big bad and quite a lot behind his motives, giving us 7-10 hours to give the show a proper ending without spending at least 2 hours introducing a new villain or characters. That's precisely why the way season 4 was written was extremely important.

#stranger things s5 #stranger things s4 #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #eleven #dustin henderson #byler #mileven #jopper #lucas sinclair #cali crew #analysis

[marwritesgood]

Change the Ending | S. Harrington

Pairing: Steve x Hopper!Reader

Timeframe: Season 3 - 4

Summary: [Based on Cardigan - Taylor Swift] Despite agreeing to remain friends, Steve and Y/n both felt a lingering suspicion that they'd find their way back to each other.

masterlist - PART ONE - PART TWO

A/N: I initially planned to morph this together with the Hopper storyline I'm planning, but then I rewatched ep 4 (Dear Billy) and felt too inspired to hold out. I think I might like to turn this into a series, but I'll see how it goes haha But there will definitely be at least one more part after this to wrap up the Hopper storyline! xx

May, 1985

Twenty minutes had passed since the ceremony ended and Y/n and Steve met up by his car in the now half-empty parking lot. He had been leaning back against the hood of BMW, only just standing up when he saw her approaching him, alone just as he suspected.

"Your dad?"

He felt the need to ask anyways. They only graduated from High School once. Maybe Jim Hopper had finally came to his senses. For his girlfriend's sake, Steve always hope that would be the case, however unlikely he still thought it was.

"Nope," Y/n answered plainly, shaking her head once. Even after the countless reminders and the note on fridge and on the counter, he still didn't come. She didn't mind too much, though.

At least El still came with her friends, as well as Nancy and Jonathan. And at least she still had Steve and the plans they made for the night. She had a life outside sitting in an empty house and wallowing now. A chosen family outside the one she was stuck with.

"What about your parents?"

Steve shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, a frown appearing for just a split second. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer until the space between them no longer existed.

"Fuck 'em," he whispered to her, smirking as he leaned in closer.

"Yeah," she laughed, interlocking her fingers together behind his neck. She met his determined gaze with one of her own. "Fuck 'em."

Though they spent many nights shit-talking their parents, they came to an understanding that this night would be different. Steve drove them to the little diner over by the post office and got them burgers and shakes to eat by the lookout- something they only ever did on special occasions.

The sun had almost sunk into the horizon when they finished eating and opted to hold hands and watch the sky go dark and streetlights illuminate. It was only a matter of time before Tina's graduation party kicked off. However, Y/n slipped her hand away for a moment and pulled something out from her bag.

"I got you something," she grinned, handing him a folded artcle of clothing wrapped in silver ribbon. Steve undid the bow and held it up to reveal a sweater in his exact size and in almost the same shade of maroon as his car. Y/n added, "- to replace the one I lost."

"The one you stole and lost?"

He couldn't even pretend to be annoyed. Though he really liked that red sweater, he loved seeing her in it so much more, even if it was just for a day. Steve's tone was only ever teasing and playful when it came to her. Even so, she narrowed her eyes and scoffed, hitting his arm softly before slipping her hand back into his.

"The one I borrowed and then lost," she corrected. "C'mon, try it on."

Y/n smiled as she watched him, her eyes flickering in the spit moment his shirt rode up from changing sweaters. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice. She knew he would have teased her for it had he seen.

After fixing his collar, Steve stretched his arms out in front of him before holding his wrist up to his nose. Y/n couldn't quite make out his emotion as he scrunched his brows and smiled.

"What's wrong?"

Steve dropped his hand and shook his head. He reach out and pulled her close to him once more, wherein he realised his suspicions became confirmed. Y/n watched him closely, amused by his weird demeanour. He shook his head, his smile never faltering.

"Nothing," he assured her. "It just... It smells like you."

"Oh, sorry, I think I accidentally sprayed some of my perfume on it when I was getting ready this morning."

"I like it," Steve whispered, his hand pressed against her cheek, pulling her in for a long kiss. He drew in a long breath, only exhaling when they finally parted. He imagined his heaven probably smelling the same. "Vanilla?"

"It's from Avon," Y/n shrugged. "I can't remember the name."

He pecked her lips quickly before reaching into his pocket. The plan was to not do graduation gifts, but Steve knew his girlfriend too well to believe she would pass up the chance to get him something. Her expression made clear that the feeling was mutual.

"I got you something too."

Y/n's wide and excited grin morphed into bewilderment as Steve held up a velvet box and opened it to reveal a silver ring. She always imagined it would be happen, but always thought he was smart. enough not to do it when they were 18 and fresh out of high school. If her dad disapproved of him before, he was going to be livid now.

"Steve," Y/n croaked, her eyes wide open jumping back and fourth between the pretty ring and her even prettier boyfriend. "Baby, I say this with so much love, but are you fucking insane?"

He bursted into a fit of laughter. He contemplated a less misleading way of presenting his gift, but decided he wanted to see how she'd react knowing it would play out exactly as it did.

"Oh, don't get ahead of yourself," Steve teased. He had every intention of popping the question, but a little further down the line when he had a more stable job than scoops ahoy. "I'm not proposing... yet."

His gaze was intense and determined, as if to punctuate just how serious he was. There was no one else for him. He knew that. Even more-so after spending a drunken night in his car with someone else a month ago. There was no one like his Y/n.

"It's a promise ring," Steve clarified.

If any of the guys on the basketball team, particularly Billy Hargrove, caught wind of what he was doing, Steve knew he would get teased until the end of his days. But he could not think of a more perfect gift fir her, especially now that they weren't going to be just goofy high schoolers who enjoyed each others company.

"A promise ring?" Y/n repeated, narrowing her eyes as her smile grew wider. She never considered herself someone who bought into the cheesy couple stuff, but he was constantly challenging that. "Are you making a promise to me?"

"Yeah, here, let me do this properly," he spoke, taking the ring out from the box and holding her left hand up, trying to remember how they did it in that chick flick she made him watch with her. "Y/n Hopper, I promise to love and honour you. I promise to do everything I can to keep you safe and make you happy. And I promise to get you an even nicer ring when I get down on one knee."

After he slipped the ring on her middle finger, she wrapped his arms around him and kissed him gleefully. She was never the best at showing affection, but Steve... Steve was so good at it. She was always happiest when he was with her. Always felt safest when his arms were around her.

"I love you so much, baby," he murmured against her lips.

"I love you too," she responded, with such an ease that never failed to make Steve's heart soar. Everything she did seemed to have that effect on him.

As the sky grew darker, Steve began to dread having to go to Tina's party. Just about every senior was going to be there, drunk of their asses, and the only senior he wanted to spend his Friday night with was the one in his arms.

"Maybe we should just go to mine. Have a movie night instead," he suggested nonchalantly, hoping she would agree. The way she narrowed her eyes said otherwise.

"Steve."

"What, you still wanna go to the party?"

When they first started dating, back when they were sophomores, he was always the one trying to convince her to go to house parties and basketball games with him. Then, at the star of their Senior year, she suddenly decided she wanted to make the most of the high school experience, whilst Steve was just about sick of it all.

"Um, yes! C'mon it's our last high school party," she reasoned. "I wanna dance with you... and kiss you... and get very drunk so I have an excuse to sleep at your place tonight."

"You know you don't need an excuse."

His days at home were typically spent alone, so any opportunity to have company, especially his favourite girl, Steve welcomed eagerly.

"Oh, I don't?" Y/n grinned, her brow raised in amusement.

"You just gotta look me in the eyes and say please."

His tone was teasing. She rolled her eyes playfully, before pressing her temple against his and she could see the specks of green in his eyes. Steve felt his knees weaken.

"Pleaase," she sang.

"How do I say no to a face that pretty?"

Or a girl so perfect, he thought to himself. Though Steve had grown to resent the party scene, he knew he was going to follow her wherever she went, whether gleefully or begrudgingly.

"I need you to do one thing for me before we leave though," he added, turning around and getting into the car briefly. Y/n watched curiously as he put a new tape into the player and rolled both windows down completely before pressing play and stepping out. "Dance with me."

He wrapped one arm firm around her waist and held her right hand up with his left. They swayed silently for just a moment, when a realisation hit Y/n.

"I love this song," she gasped.

Steve chuckled and pulled her closer. It only took a month of dating her for him to realise she loved one specific Bee Gees song more than any other song in existence. Every inch of her lit up when it played.

"There's a light, a certain kind of light," Y/n sang, looking at Steve with the goofy grin she only ever had when she was around him. "... That never shone on me."

"I'm not singing with you," he warned, knowing how easy it was for her to get carried away when she was singing into her fist like it was a microphone. Y/n continued on, neither convinced nor fazed.

"You don't know what it's like," she belted, holding her fist in between them after noticing the smile he was stifling. Steve sighed and leaned in just before the next line played.

"Baby, you don't know what it's like!" They sang in unison, swaying slowly to the beat of the song. "To love somebody. To love somebody. The way I love you."

She couldn't remember when it started or why it was this way, but that one particular song always made her heart soar. For those short three minutes, she felt her worries fade and all the best parts of life only glow brighter.

As they continued to sway under the dimly lit lamppost by the lookout, Y/n realised Steve made her feel the exact same way.

***

March 21, 1986

“Say hi to her for me, ok?... Her and Joyce!”

Mike put Y/n letter to El in his backpack before turning around and heading for the door. It was the last errand he needed to run before his flight to California the next morning.

“I will,” he responded as he waved goodbye and left the video store.

Once he was gone, Y/n turned to the clock hanging above the doorway and sighed before joining Robin behind the counter.

“He’s late again,” Y/n complained.

“Guess which babe it was this time," Robin snickered, flicking through the box of returned films.

“Oh god, I don’t even wanna know," she groaned quietly while she rummaged through her bag. The second Steve showed up, she was going to head straight home and get some rest, hoping by time she wakes up her headache will finally be gone.

“What are you looking for?”

“My aspirin, I think I might’ve dropped the bottle somewhere,” Y/n explained, growing frustrated as she resorted to emptying her bag on the counter. Her head had been pounding for the last hour.

“Oh, I think I have some! I’ll go get it for you.”

“Thanks, Robin."

Y/n let out a grateful sigh and began putting her things back into her bag while Robin went to the back room. Just as she finished clearing the counter, the bell by the door rang and a disheveled Steve bursted in with an apologetic frown.

“Sorry I’m late,” he huffed.

“It’s fine,” Y/n said plainly, granting him only a moment’s glance before turning back to her bag and clocking out.

Steve attributed it to the fact that he was always late to his Saturday shifts. He tried not to take her indifferent demeanour too personally, but it was becoming increasingly hard. Things were so different between them. Maybe he was partly to blame, but how could he ever know if she barely spoke to him?

Robin came out from the back room, the bottle of aspirin in her hand. She resumed her spot next to Y/n behind the counter when the sight of Steve sidetracked her completely.

“Oh, you’re here! How was Kathy G?”

Steve had developed a habit of taking a girl out on Friday night and then showing up to his Saturday shift late. Y/n only knew because Robin kept her in the loop. Hearing about it sent her stomach into knots, but she couldn’t resist finding out more.

“Y-you went out with Kathy last night?”

Y/n hated how her voice trembled, though it gave Steve some semblance of hope. She was finally looking him in the eye.

“Uh, yeah,” he answered, visibly uncomfortable. “I would’ve told you about it… yknow, if I had gotten to see you any other time this week.”

Y/n was not oblivious to the hint of annoyance in his tone. It infuriated her in a way she had never experienced before, much less from him.

“I’m here right now, aren’t I?”

“You want me to tell you about it right now?” Steve asked, slightly intimidated.

“We are friends after all, aren’t we?”

Y/n gritted her teeth. She knew she was doing a terrible job at being friendly, but it was never her idea to begin with. Robin stepped forward in an attempt to mitigate the passive aggression and tension.

“So how’d it go?”

“It was… nice,” Steve answered, his eyes darting between Y/n and Robin. “We had burgers at the outlook.”

His stomach turned. He didn’t enjoy lying to them every Saturday, but it had become a force of habit. He especially hated this specific lie, knowing it was a special tradition he and Y/n had. Even so, Steve still hoped it would provoke some kind of reaction from her.

“I should go now, my bus should be arriving soon,” Y/n announced monotonously, looking only to Robin as she spoke.

“Are you doing something?”

“No I’m just heading home,” she answered as she turned around from the opposite side of the counter.

Steve watched her closely as she waved bye to Robin and then went to turn back around, only to stop halfway when she saw the television.

“Oh my god,” Y/n gasped.

Robin turned the volume up and the three of them witnessed in horror as the news reporter announced a suspicious death in the trailer park not far from where Y/n’s cabin was.

Her hand shook as she reached for the counter and leaned against it to steady her. It had been so long since anything suspicious happened, Y/n had naïvely assumed they were in the clear.

“I can take you home when Robin and I finish,” Steve offered, if not because he could tell how shaken up she was then because he was also scared of what this meant for her safety.

Y/n nodded gratefully, though her eyes remained glued to the screen. Not long after, the doorbell rang and the three of them jumped only to see Dustin and Max rushing in.

“Steve. Y/n,” the young boy huffed, speeding up to the counter with Max closely behind him.

“Did you guys see?” Steve asked, gesturing to the television. Neither of them were fazed, which only confirmed to the other three that they had.

“How many phones do you guys have?” Dustin asked panickedly.

“Uh, three if you count Keith’s at the back,” Y/n answered, glancing over to Robin who nodded.

By the time she turned back to Dustin, he had already tossed his bag of the counter and was jumping over it to get to the computer. Y/n and Max went around and came up on the other side of the computer.

“Woah, what are you doing?!” Steve shrieked, picking up the tapes Dustin had knocked over.

“Setting up base of operations.”

“Base of operations?”

Dustin rolled hiseyes and groaned at Steve’s questioning. He began typing on the computer and going through the rental system, too focused on the task at hand to give a proper explanation himself.

“Max, fill them in while I do this.”

“Fill us in on what?” Y/n asked nervously.

Max spent the next ten minutes giving the three of them a brief summary of everything she and Dustin had pieced together. Afterwards, Steve tended to the customers while Max and Robin grabbed the phones so they and Y/n could start ringing around for Eddie’s whereabouts.

Barely five minutes had passed and Y/n had to give herself a break. The rining in her ear was making it increasingly difficult to focus on who she was supposed to be contacting and the information she was supposed to get out of them.

“Um, Robin, do you have the-“

“Oh yeah, yeah! Here,” Robin held her hand out and gave Y/n the aspirin finally. She took it and went to the fridge to grab a bottle of water, making a mental note to ring it up and pay for it before they closed up shop. By the time she turn around and twisted both caps open, Steve appeared at her side.

“Are you ok?”

Y/n never liked taking pain medication, even over the counter stuff, unless of course she felt it absolutely necessary. It was one of many anxieties she developed after witnessing her dad fall off into the deep end. Steve knew this and worried if she’d be ok to spend the afternoon looking for Eddie with the rest of them.

“I’m fine,” Y/n answered flatly.

“Look about what I said ealier,” he began. It had only been twenty minutes or so since he lied about taking Kathy G out to the lookout, but the guilt was already eating away at him.

“Hey guys, I might have a lead," Max called out.

Y/n didn’t think twice before turning away from Steve and returning to the counter, leaving him out in the could yet again.

***

March 23, 1986

Y/n, Steve, Robin, Nancy, Dustin and Max sat at the secluded picnic table in the trailer park, trying to piece together the story behind Chrissy and now Fred’s mysterious deaths. Y/n rested her elbows on the table and leaned into her hands as she listened in on the discussion, too drained to contribute anything herself.

Max was in the middle of speaking when Steve foundnhis attention divided between what the young girl was saying and why Y/n had her head in her hands. Even in her worst hangovers, she never looked this bad. He knew something was wrong.

"If you saw a monster, you... you wouldn't go to the police,” Max explained. “They'd never believe you. You'd go to your-"

"Your shrink,” Robin chimed.

Everyone stood from the table to find the school counsellor and get what information they could from her. Y/n was the last to stand and leave. As she approached Steve’s car, he pulled her aside.

"Y/n, are you ok?”

His was sterner than it was the millions of times he asked her this question before. He always hated how stubborn she could get, especially when it came to admitting she was less than fine.

"I'm fine, Steve.”

Y/n attempted to push past him, but her grabbed her wrist and kept her from doing so. She spun around. To hell with the delicate approach, Steve though. If something was going on with her he wanted to know. He needed to know.

"You look terrible,” he argued, concerned by how tired she looked. “Did you get any sleep?”

“I’m fine!”

Y/n snatched her hand away and walked to the car, ready to take the backseat just as she did on the way there. While she knew Steve was coming from a place of genuine concern, she didn’t know what was going on with her and didn’t trust herself to vent to him about it without overstepping a boundary.

He groaned quietly as he watched Y/n walk away. Steve wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. She was acting so out of character and had been for a while, but the last few days were particularly noteworthy.

If asking her upfront wasn’t doing the trick, Steve wondered if agigtating Y/n would work. When he saw Nancy continue walking down the road, he saw his opportunity to do just that.

"Nance. Nance, where you going?"

Y/n furrowed her brows as she watched Steve follow after her. Not to mention, something about the way he called her Nance made Y/n feel like she was just punched in the stomach.

"There's just something I wanna check first," Nancy explained.

"Are you out of your mind? Flying solo with Vecna on the loose? It's too dangerous, you need someone to..."

Y/n felt queasy. Someone to protect you, was that what Steve was planning on saying? She needed to know but desperately wanted to remain in oblivion.

"Here, I'll stick with Nance,” he announced, turning back to the rest of them and tossing his keys towards Robin. “You guys take the car and check out the shrink."

"I don't have a license."

"Why?"

"Because I'm poor."

Steve sighed and glanced over to Y/n. Her brows shot up as her eyes widened.

She could tolerate watching him flirt with other girls. She’d witnessed it plenty of times at the video store. However, driving his car and going on a mission to break and enter into a school counselors house all so he could have alone time with Nancy Wheeler? That man had a death wish.

"You want me to drive?"

The offense in her tone was as clear as day, and Steve was at the very least glad to have gotten a reaction from her. Even if it resulted in her glaring right at him. He didn’t realise he missed that.

"Okay, this is stupid. Us ladies will stick together," Robin sighed, handing Steve his keys back and walking over to Nancy, Y/n following after her.

"Y/n, you too?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna go with Robin and Nance,” she muttered, plastering a fake smile through her gritted teeth.

"Wh- Y/n!" Steve reach out for her, but she sped away. He had definitely agitated her, but it all seemed pointless now that he had no way of capitalising off it and getting to the bottom of what was going on.

“Nice going, Steve,” Dustin commented sarcastically, earning a middle finger from him as he begrudgingly unlocked the car.

After getting the key to the basement archives, Nancy, Robin and Y/n spent over an hour scouring through the files and papers for something and anything related to the house fire.

Y/n was shuffling through boxes in a secluded corner of the basement when Nancy came up and stood by her, going through the archives near by. They were silent for a while, until Nancy cleared her throat.

"Hey, I don't know why Steve was acting weird earlier," she began honestly.

"No one does,” Robin added as she passed through to get to the other side of the basement.

"And I know you two are technically not together, but I hope you know I would never make a move-"

“I know,” Y/n answered softly.

Thought they had only become friends through having to uncover and battle interdimensional monsters thrice, Y/n counted their friendship as one she would have for the long run. She knew Nancy would never do something like that.

“Just in case there’s any tension-“

"You didn't do anything wrong, Nancy,” Y/n assured her. “I just... Things are complicated with me and him right now."

Nancy frowned. She knew her and Steve were going through something, but had never seen them act so passive aggressive and distant with each other. Even so, that was the least of her worries.

"But... we're ok, right?"

After Barb, Y/n was probably the closest thing Nancy had to a best friend. Though a good chuck of their friendship could be attributed to trauma bonding, Nancy knew she could count on Y/n for just about anything. She hoped the feeling was mutual.

"Yeah, we are," Y/n smiled warmly, giving Nancy the assurance she needed to go back to flicking through newspaper archives.

Once Robin uncovered an article from the 50s about the house fire, the three of them raced to the high school to meet up with other three who claimed to have made a massive breakthrough.

The second Nancy parked her car outside the school, the three of them raced inside, bursting through the doors and running rapidly towards Miss Kelley’s office.

However, when they passed through a dead-emd corridor, the bottom of Y/n’s shoes squeaked as she stopped dead in her tracks. Though it may have been quite some time since she was last running through those corridors, Y/n was certain there was never a grandfather clock embedded diagonally onto the wall.

"Y/n, c'mon the office is this way," Robin said and she gently pulled on her arm. Y/n didn’t budge, prompting Nancy to backtrack as well and join Robin in trying to get her attention.

"Y/n?"

The grandfather clock was chiming, and Y/n couldn’t peel her eyes off of it. It looked so real. There was something about that was pulling her in, inviting her in, whether or not she wanted to go.

"Y/n!"

She felt someone shake her shoulders and finally blinked. When her eyes opened again, she looked to the end of the corridor and realised the clock had vanished.

"I’m sorry, I…”

She could’ve sworn it was there. It was right there. She saw it ticking and heard it chime.

“Are you ok?” Nancy asked, standing at Y/n’s other side and placing her hand on her shoulder. “You were staring at the wall for like five whole minutes.”

“Yeah, I’m ok… I just thought I saw something.”

Y/n stepped away from Robin and Nancy and continued down the corridor, her thoughts beginning to overwhelm her as she tried not to think about what that was and what it meant for her.

The other caught up to her just as she turned for Miss Kelley’s office, where Max, Steve Dustin were sitting and waiting.

Files were splattered across Miss Kelley’s desk and Max stood behind it all and explained everythin to the rest of them. The first thing she talked about was how both Fred and Chrissy died within 24 hours of their first vision.

Immediately, Y/n felt a growing suspicion her time was running out.

"Fred and Chrissy, they both came to Miss Kelley for help. Both were having headaches, bad headaches that wouldn't go away. And then the nightmares. Trouble sleeping. Cold sweats."

As Max continued to list of their symptoms, Y/n’s fears only grew. She'd had a headache for about 5 days. Trouble sleeping for the past few. Her cold sweats started yesterday. It was a textbook case of Vecna's curse.

"... And then they'd start seeing things. Bad things. From their pasts."

Y/n stood up from her chair and began pacing the room, tears forming in her eyes as she came to realise her fate. Max furrowed her brows, concerned and confused along with the rest of them.

"Y/n, are you ok?"

"It's me,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Her throat tightened as she looked between the rest of them. “…I'm next."

"What're you talking about, Y/n?" Steve asked, rising from his chair and instinctively standing at her side.

"I-I've been having it,” she explained to him and the rest of the group. “All of it. The headaches and the nightmares. I couldn't sleep at all last night. And... and I saw this clock.”

"And you think it was a vision?"

"I know it was," Y/n gulped. "It was... like sinking into the wall and it was ringing and I... I couldn't stop staring at it. Then the ringing got louder and louder and then it just... It just vanished. Like was never there to begin with."

Max exchanged an alarmed look with Dustin. She looked back to Y/n, terrified for her.

"When did you see it?"

Y/n glanced at Robin and Nancy who seemed to have already figured that part out. It was all piecing together now, only in the worst way she could have possibly imagined.

"... On our way in here,” she confessed quietly. She looked up at Steve and then glanced over to the rest of them. "Looks like I'm gonna be dying tomorrow."

***

March 24, 1986 - 2PM

Steve knocked three times on Y/n’s front door and tapped his foot repeatedly against the wodden porch as he waited impatiently, Dustin and and max standing with folded arms behin him.

He should have stayed with her. When Steve drove Y/n home the night before, he offered to stay with her in case anything happened overnight. She insisted that she was fine and Steve grew agitated with hearing those words, he just drove away.

Now, he had counted 53 seconds of waiting for her to get to the door, and with every passing second he felt his heart beat harder. Should’ve stayed with her, he repeated to himself.

When he got up to 70 seconds, Steve swore he was going to break down the door soon. His grudge against her didn't matter anymore. He just wanted to know she was ok. That he still had time. Thankfully, by the time he reached 87, he heard the chain on the door detach.

"You're here."

Y/n swung the door open and smiled, trying to conceal how out of breath she was.

Not only had she spent the last 13 hours going through everything in the cabin and then the last half an hour trying to pull herself together emotionally. If this was her last day of living, she didn't want to waste another hour crying.

Steve sighed in relief. She was still here.

"Yeah, well, we found out last night that you might get attacked by a demon monster-"

"Vecna," Dustin interrupted, only to get completely ignored by Steve.

"-today, so sue me for wanting to get here as early as I could."

"It's the middle of the day, Steve," Y/n commented playfully.

"I had to pick up these shitheads along the way."

"Well, I'm glad you're all here," Y/n chirped, before Dustin could fire a comeback. She held the door open and gestured them inside. "Come in."

While Dustin and Max were taken aback to see how different the cabin was set up, Steve felt nostalgic. He spent most of his free time in the fall helping her clean out the cabin. It looked similar to how he remembered it, only ever so slightly empty.

"Woah, cool lava lamp Y/n!"

Max darted towards the coffee table where Y/n had accumulated a small pile of some of her things from when she was still in middle school.

"You can have it, Max," she said nonchalantly.

"Really?"

Y/n nodded before pulling Steve aside and leading him into her room. He followed her and tried to study her expression closely, but her demeanour was practically unreadable.

"Did you wanna hang out here?" He asked her quietly, glancing at the door to Hopper's room on his way into hers. "Because I thought maybe we could go someplace that's not so..."

He didn't know how to explain it without potentially sounding like a jerk. Steve just knew how much the cabin reminded Y/n of her Dad and of El, even after rearranging things. Considering Vecna was known to zero in on its victim's traumas, he hardly considered this the best place to be while Y/n was being targeted.

"No that sounds good," Y/n agreed, as she kept her back turned and bent down in front of her closet to get something off the ground. "We can leave now, I just wanna give you something first."

When she turned back to face him, she held out a large box filled to the brim with all sorts of things. Steve's brows knitted together as he took it from her and placed it on her desk. He started to go through the box's contents and gasped when he held up his old red sweater.

"Oh my god, I knew you had it!"

Y/n fought back tears as she smiled and watched him continue to go through the box. There were so many things she came across that reminded her of him. She couldn't believe it was ending today. She had always thought they'd be together again someday.

Steve pulled out his old sweater and baseball cap and froze entirely when he saw a piece of silver glimmering from where it lay buried beneath old love notes. He slowly reached in and held it up.

The promise ring.

"I though um-... Didn't you say last year you lost it?"

She lost it only two weeks after being given it. She told Steve how she worried it was an omen, but he laughed it off and assured her they were going to be ok. The week after, she found the lacy bra in the backseat of his car.

"I found it when I cleaned out the cabin last year, after... you know."

Y/n found it beneath her bed and slipped it into her pocket before Steve saw. She knew it was silly to want to keep it, considering they weren't together anymore, but she didn't have it in her to give it up just yet. Not when there was still a chance things could turn around.

Steve put the ring back into the box and fished his hand through everything else that was in there.

The notes he used to pass to her in class. The camera he gifted her for her 17th birthday. Polaroids of them together in his car, in their favourite diner, at a high school party and at prom. Every teddy bear he got her for valentines day.

She had held onto so many remnants of their relationship this whole time. The fact that she was only now giving it up made his stomach drop. She may as well be saying goodbye to him then and there.

"Y/n, why are giving this to me?"

"I don't know," she shrugged and then, after a moment, sighed and met his gaze. Y/n had never seen him look at her like that. "Look, I don't have a will or any close family nearby, so I don't know what's gonna happen to the cabin or everything in here. I wanna at least make sure you get your stuff back."

"Nothing's gonna happen to you," he stated firmly, putting the box down and stepping away from it.

"Steve."

"I'm not letting anything happen to you.”

Y/n furrowed her brows as they stood in silence, their eyes never leaving each other's. She knew he was gonna do everything to keep her safe. That was the one part of his promise Steve never broke. However, Y/n also knew that there was a good enough chance it might not be enough.

When she finally looked away, it was to turn to her bed and the second box she had packed things into. Despite Steve's reaction and the way he was still looking at her, Y/n held out the box to him.

"This one is for El," Y/n explained. In that box, she packed some of her jewellery she though El might like, all of the photos she had of them together, all the letters she wrote to her from California and the keys to Hopper's truck that Y/n never quite gained the courage to start using herself. When Steve didn't take the box, she put it down on her desk, right beside his. "Will you make sure she gets it?"

"Y/n, stop," he shuddered.

Steve couldn't do it. He couldn't just accept that this was going to be his last day with her. He couldn't accept this ending. But then she looked at him the way she did, her eyes glazed over and lips a quivering mess.

"Steve, please," she whimpered.

He took one look at her and sighed.

"... Ok."

Steve stacked both boxes on top of each other before carrying them both out. He hadn't given up on her yet, not even close. But if taking the boxes was what she needed from him in that moment, that's exactly what Steve was going to do.

Y/n sighed in relief before following him out to his car with Dustin and Max following behind her.

As the three of them approached the BMW and Steve opened the back to put the boxes away, he noticed Y/n standing silently and staring back at her home. She wondered if she should even bother to lock it.

Steve strode up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. The night before, he had sworn off asking her if she was ok, having grown tired of getting the same answer. But today, he said to hell with it. He would ask her a million times over if it meant knowing for sure she was alright.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I think I just need a second."

Steve nodded and walked back to the car. She right where he could see her, and he tried to cast his worries away if only for a moment.

"What's that?" Dustin asked, pointing to the boxes Steve had put in the trunk of his car.

"Nothing,” he answered, slamming it shut before anyone else could go through it.

Dustin and Max spent the next few minutes talking to Steve about theories they had for dealing with Vecna. He listened as best he could but found himself looking over at Y/n every few seconds.

When he noticed the sky starting to turn orange, he glanced down at his wristwatch and decided it was time. Steve paced over to Y/n and tapped her shoulder once more.

"Y/n, I think we should leave now. Nancy and Robin are meeting us at the store,” he explained, before getting a good look at her and realising she was unresponsive. He shook her shoulders and panicked as her eyes turned grey. "Y/n!"

Dustin and Max darted over the instant they heard Steve’s shriek. The two of them quickly joined the older boy in shouting Y/n’s name and trying to get her back.

"Y/n, c'mon, don't do this," Steve pleaded as he paced his hands on both her shoulders and shook her profusely. "Y/n! Y/n!"

When the shouting and shaking didn’t make a difference, Dustin ran to the car and grabbed his handheld to call Nancy and Robin for help. Max and Steve continued on with the shouting and shaking and did so for a few minutes until Dustin told the to stop.

The younger boy raced towards them, the phone still gripped in his hand.

"Steve, you need to play her favourite song."

"What? W-Why?"

"There's no time to explain, just play her favourite song!”

Steve’s breathing wuickened as he tried to think straight. What was that song she really liked? How was he going to play it? He glanced between her and his car and saw the answer clear as day.

“Oh! Oh, I know!”

Steve sprinted to his car and rummaged through glove box before he found the right casette. Then, after leaning over to turn his car on, he pressed play then skipped to track three, ‘To Love Somebody’ by the Bee Gees, and finally turned the volume dial until it couldn’t turn any further.

Dustin and Max caught on to his plan and rolled down the windows. By the time the song was playing, they got out of the to return to Y/n, and she began levitating off the ground.

“It’s time, Y/n.”

Vecna had her tangled up in vines and inched close as she struggled against it. The figure lifted its hand up and reached forwards. Y/n closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for her doom. Then, she heard the music.

She opened her eyes and saw the figure step back. This wasn’t part of his torture, she realised. Y/n turned her head as far right as she could and saw a portal opening. She could barely just make out the cabin, her floating mid-air and Steve, Max and Dustin below her.

“They can’t save you, Y/n.”

Vecna held its hand out once more and reach closer and closer to Y/n’s temple. She closed her eyes again, but this time so she muster the energy to break free and run.

As the music picked up and the chorus echoed in her head, she started to remember the better moments off her life. The parts that made her heart soar everytime she recounted it.

She thought of last Christmas in California with El and the Byers. She rembered her and El eating ice cream on her bed and laughing about how stupid boys were. Painting each other’s nails. Eating eggos on the the nights it was just them two. She remembered the first girls night Nancy insisted she and Y/n have, when they dipped into her mom’s good wine.

She remembered her and Steve dancing on the outlook the night of their graduation. Kissing in his car. Dancing under almost every streetlight in Hawkins, despite his initial protests. All the times he made her feel like the most special person in the world, even when she had been convinced she was the opposite.

Her thoughts trailed further back to the days she and Sara played hide and seek in the park. To the night the two of them snuck out of bed and saw their parents slow dancing in the living room. She remembered the way her dad laught when she stood on his feet when they danced while Sara did so with their mother.

Vecna had it all wrong.

Y/n’s eyes shot open as she broke free from Vecna’s grasp. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she was sprinting for dear life, her eyes fixated on the opening. On Steve. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but running towards Steve was always her safest bet. Wherever he was, was always the safest place she could be.

“Y/n!” The three of them screamed.

She landed roughly on the ground, knocking Steve down with her, as she immediately began to shake. Without giving it a second thought, he shuffled forward and hugged Y/n tightly from behind. Only then did her shaking begin to settle.

“Oh my god,” she cried as she looked around, grateful to be back but so incredibly horrified by the bullet she narrowly dodged.

The four of their cries filled the air as Steve held Y/n while Dustin and Max sat on opposite sides and huffed, relieved that they were able to save her.

"I thought you were gone, baby,” Steve whispered shakily.

Tears streamed down his cheecks as he tried to steady his breath, his grip on Y/n remaining as tight as possible. He wasn’t gonna let her again. Not like he did last summer and not like her did in the fall.

"I'm here,” Y/n cried as she reach her hands up and felt his skin against her fingertips. “I’m here.”

She leaned further back into his chest and wept, her brain not yet convinced she was back home. Y/n squeezed her eyes shut and just focused on Steve’s touch and embrace.

She was in his arms. She was ok. Safe, she told herself, in an attempt to slow the rapid beating of her heart. Safe, she repeated. As Steve's embrace around her frame grew tighter, it became easier to believe.

She was safe now.

***

March 24, 1986 - 9PM

Steve carried Y/n’s duffel bag up the stairs and into his bedroom, placing it on the ground in front of his closet doors once he was inside. He turned back to her and huffed, his small smile remaining persistent, grateful she agreed to staying at his place for the night. Y/n did not need much convincing after the close call with Vecna.

“I’d let you have the guest room, but you know how weird my mom is about it-“

“It’s ok.”

Y/n smiled as she sat down cautiously on the edge of his bed. She knew his mom liked to keep the guest room immaculate, which was fine by her. She preferred Steve’s bedroom, anyways.

“Ok, well, I'll call you when the pizza gets here.”

He folded up his comforter and and stacked his pillow on top. Y/n watched him closely, her expression faltered.

“You’re not staying here?”

She assumed he would stay with her for the night. In fact, she hoped he would. Steve’s face softened when he glanced up at her, sensing how nervous she felt. He put his comforter down and sat down beside her.

“I’ll just be on the couch downstairs, don’t worry.”

Y/n held his gaze and felt her heart pound. She wanted to ask him to stay. After everything that happened earlier, she was terrified of going to sleep. But her fear of getting turned down again kept her silent.

She nodded, prompting Steve to stand back up and resume taking his things down.

Y/n turned away and found herself looking around his room. It had been so long since she last spent the night there, but itfelt like she never left. Her eyes scanned nightstand and landed on a small bottle that seemed familiar.

As Steve went to leave, he stopped in his track when he saw her pick it up, her eyes widened and lips perked when she read the label.

“Steve, is this… the same perfume I use?”

Y/n held the nozzle up to her nose and knew immediately she was right. She looked back to Steve who had already placed his bedding back down for a second time.

“I don’t know, is it?” He laughed nervously.

“Steve.”

Y/n’s tone was gentle. She narrowed her eyes and resisted the urge to smile, completely unconvinced that he just happened to have a bottle of her perfume lying around for no reason. She already began to have her suspicions as to why.

Steve sighed, then cleared his throat as he nervously averted his eyes from hers.

“I might’ve bought one last year so my sweaters could always smell a little bit like you,” he confessed sheepishly.

He had spent days trying to find the right one, and when he did he didn’t think twice before ordering a bottle of his own.

“… Is that weird?”

“No, it’s… it’s not,” Y/n smiled, shaking her head as she put the perfume back on the nightstand.

Silently, Steve took slow steps and sat down beside her again. Tension filled the space between them. She watched intently as he moved, wet his lips and then finally meet her gaze.

Nervously, he spoke, “Can I ask you something?”

Y/n nodded hesistantly. Judging from his demeanour and the way his hands were restless, she had an idea of what his question was.

“Why didn’t you tell me? About what you were going through with Vecna’s curse?”

He didn’t speak with passive aggression. Only concern. They had known each other for so long and in ways no one else did. He wasn’t used to being left out of the loop when it came to her.

“I don’t know,” Y/n whispered.

Steve sighed, clearly discontented with her answer. She didn’t know what else to say. In ordinary circumstances, Steve would have been the first person she told. But things were different between them. Y/n couldn’t make any sense of it, then and even now.

“C’mon, Y/n, you do know. Because you’ve been lying to me all week about it.”

“I haven’t been lying to you, Steve,” she argued. “I just didn’t know of it was something we could talk about as friends.”

He scoffed and turned his head away, too annoyed by it all to keep biting his tongue. Y/n furrowed her brows, frustrated by how dismissive he was being.

She muttered something quietly beneath her breath. Steve whipped his head back, not quite catching what it was.

“What was that?”

“I said maybe if you hadn’t been so busy hitting on every 'babe' in Hawkins-“

“That's not fair, Y/n,” he retorted. “You’re saying I've been busy?”

Y/n laughed dryly. If the shoe fits, she thought to herself.

“You go on dates with new girls every Friday night,” she said pointedly. “And the only reason I know is because you always show up late to your Saturday shifts and I have to wait and cover for you.”

Her voice grew louder as did her anger. She didn’t know which part she was more annoyed with- the fact that Steve was dating other girls so frequently, or the fact that she had to bear witness every Saturday like she was an insignificant afterthought.

“So, what, you’re pissed I show up a couple minutes late? That’s why you’ve stopped talking to me for months?”

“First of all,” Y/n scoffed, “you showed up half an hour late last Friday and second of all, I haven’t stopped talking to you…We’ve just stopped having anything to talk about.”

"C’mon, Y/n,” Steve fired back bitterly. “Don’t act like you haven't been avoiding me for... what, the past three months?!"

Y/n kissed her teeth and shook her head. Steve wondered if she was denying it on purpose or if she seriously hadn’t realised how much she had been pushing him away.

"You changed your shifts around so I only ever see you on my way in or my way out, and you've all of a sudden insisted on taking the bus everywhere because I guess my car just isn't good enough for you, and anytime I try and talk to you, about this or about anything, you just brush me off like I'm a stranger."

Steve hated that part more than anything. He hated chasing after her attention and getting nothing but the cold shoulder in return.

"You don't think I noticed, but I have,” his voice quieted. “And it sucks, because... I thought we were friends."

And because I miss you.

"That’s just it, Steve!” Y/n cried, her frustration at an all-time high. “Did you ever think that maybe the reason I've been avoiding you is because... I don't know how to be your friend."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I don't know how to be ok when you talk about going on dates or when girls slip you their number when they come to the store with no intention of even renting a movie."

It was the very reason she changed her shifts.

"So, what... you're jealous?" Steve asked timidly.

“Of course, I’m jealous!”

Anyone who got to spend Friday night, holding his hand and making out with him at the lookout was someone Y/n envied greatly.

"Do you realise how fucking hard it is being around you?”

She felt her chest tighten and eyes sting as she started to choke up. She had been harbouring these feeling for far too long. She drew in a deep breath and then let it go.

“Especially when all I wanna do is hold your hand and ride shotgun in your car again and just be your stupid girlfriend... but I can't, because you wanted to stay friends."

Steve’s heart sank. He finally understood. He only wished he had known sooner. Sheepishly, Steve stared at his hands and then, after a moment, he glanced back up at the girl he still loved like crazy.

"I didn't know you felt this way."

But he wished he had. He wished he could have the last few months back. He wished he could have her back. Steve sighed defeatedly. Y/n shook her head and briefly ran her hands over wet cheeks.

“Would it have even made a difference?”

"Of course it would’ve, Y/n.”

How could she think otherwise, Steve wondered.

"Well then, why did you want to stay friends first place?" Y/n sniffled. "Why… why didn’t you say just yes when I said we should get back together?"

She asked him if he wanted to get back together near the end of September. By the time October rolled by, she was confused and heartbroken but pulled a brave face so he wouldn't know- fearful of losing him entirely if he ever did.

Steve's mouth set in a hard line as his brows rose and then drew together sorrowfully.

"You had just lost your dad, Y/n," he reasoned gently, not wanting to tread too abruptly with such a sore subject. "Not to mention, El had just moved away. It didn't feel right, and I didn't want to take advantage of the situation."

That was not the reason he stood outside her porch light. Steve did not help and comfort Y/n with the expectation of getting back together. He knew she was vulnerable and hurting and only ever wanted to be there for her and make sure she was alright.

“And what I did… cheating on you last summer," he gulped. "I know you said you forgave me, but I didn’t feel like I deserved it yet. I didn’t feel like I deserved you.”

Y/n was quiet for a moment as a short-lived sense of relief washed over her.

"I... I thought you just didn't... you know."

Want to be with me, she thought. In the many sleepless nights Y/n spent recounting that conversation, all she could think of was how he must’ve have fallen out of love. He must have had a change of heart. And it must’ve been because of something she did.

Steve shook his head profusely and shifted closer to her, kicking himself for not being upfront and honest with her from the start. Perhaps it would have saved them both a great deal of heartache.

"I’ve been lying for the last few months,” he confessed, relieved to finally get this off his chest. “Truth is, every date I've been on has been a shitshow. I'm usually home by 9 and then I just… spend the rest of the night thinking about all the ways they weren't you."

They were always nice, always laughed at his stupid jokes and always complimented his hair and his car. However, none of them knew him the way Y/n did. None of them forced him into singing along to the Bee Gees. None of them made his whole world glow bright and glisten the way Y/n did every time she so much as smiled, laughed or moaned his name against his lips.

The corners of Y/n lips quirked as she felt her cheeks grow warmer and warmer. He always did have that effect on her. She cleared her throat and shifted her body to face him, her knees brushing against his as she did so.

"That's... not something a friend would say to another friend."

Steve leaned closer until his forehead was only just pressed against her. When she escaped Vecna and fell back into his arms, he swore to himself he was not going to let her go again. Having her back in his room, mere inches away from him, only made Steve more determined to follow through.

"I really don't want be friends anymore,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving hers. Y/n leaned in further until their noses met. Steve's breath hitched as he watched her move in anticipation. She smiled softly, letting out the quietest laugh beneath her breath.

"Me neither."

Steve lifted his hand and held the side of her face, basking in the feeling of her skin beneath his fingertips. Slowly, they inched closer until their lips closed what was left of the space between them. Y/n closed her eyes and kissed him softly, unable to help herself when she felt the urge to grin. Steve lifted his other hand and held both sides of her face tenderly, wanting the moment to last for as long as it possibly could.

When they finally pulled apart, Y/n laughed breathlessly as she reach out and swiped remnants of her chapstick off the corners of Steve's lips. In that moment, he could have sworn the room was glowing.

NEXT PART

i do not give permission for any of my works to be copied, translated, or reposted onto another site.

#stranger things x reader #stranger things #stranger things imagine #steve x reader #steve #steve harrington #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfictions #imagine #fandom #one shot #x reader #hopper!reader

[thestrangestthing89]

Mike character analysis - Season 2

This is a continuation of my in-depth Mike character analysis. The first season can be found here, here, and here. I am basing this off the theory that Mike started realizing his feelings for Will were different than Lucas and Dustin by the end of season 1. By season 2 I think Mike realizes that he's gay and in love with Will. His behavior honestly makes no sense to me otherwise. This is in 5 Parts.

When season 2 picks up, it has been almost a full year since the end of season 1. We learn 2 key points right away - that Will has been having flashbacks to the upside-down since he got back and goes to the doctor regularly. This seems to frequently interrupt his school days and causes Mike in particular to worry. And the second point is that Mike has undergone some serious behavioral changes. This is understandable considering the trauma the group went through in season 1, but it's important to note here that the trauma isn't over. They are still going through it. And it's because of my first point - Will is back but still not ok. There is no resolution or time to grieve and it's one of the main reasons for the change in Mike.

Mike is getting in trouble at school a lot, his grades aren't good, and he has an attitude problem. A thing his parents are losing their patience with. His punishment is to get rid of his toys and when he suggests they have too much emotional value, he gets mocked by Ted who says they are just toys. Mike not only has to get over his feelings about what happened but he isn't allowed to be attached to things. Something that stands in stark contrast to Karen's behavior toward an 18 year old Nancy in season 4, when she tells her she can keep her stuffed animals. Nancy is allowed to be emotionally attached. Mike isn't. He is being sent a clear message. His emotions are an inconvenience to others. And the reason for this brings me to my next point.

Mike is shown to talk to El on the radio regularly. He's counting days and seems to just be talking about random things i.e. telling her about his day. Now he doesn't know that she's listening. As much as he says he believes she's alive there is no proof he actually believes this. He does absolutely nothing to go look for her. And he has no reason to. He saw her "die". There is no indication that this isn't true. And the most important note that I think I will make in this whole analysis is this - This behavior isn't cute or romantic. It's grief. And we know this for A FACT because we have seen this exact same scene before - with Hopper in season 1. Hopper calls his ex-wife repeatedly. He is often shown popping pills and drinking excessively. He isn't coping with the death of his daughter well. It lead to his divorce. His ex-wife moved on, re-married and had another kid. And Hopper is stuck by himself with his grief. So he calls her sometimes. Just to check in and he tries to reminisce. It's his way of holding on to his daughter and their life together. And no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, interprets Hoppers behavior as cute and romantic. He is clearly struggling and depressed. And the fact that he's an adult here combined with the fact that we know he has substance abuse issues is enough to help the audience realize that Hopper isn't ok. He's not trying to get back together with his ex-wife. He's trying to keep the connection to his daughter alive. EVERYONE WATCHING UNDERSTANDS THIS.

So then WHY is it that when we see this same scene play out with Mike, it's suddenly just adorable. Because of the only thing that is different - Mike is a little boy. Between his parents and the GA, Mikes feelings are once again oversimplified and dismissed. He's a little boy of course he must be in love with El because why else would he call her? He's a teen of course he has an attitude. This way of thinking is seriously problematic and it's a large part of the reason why Mike isn't coping well - because no one notices or understands his pain, and certainly no one is helping him go through it. It is emphasized by the Wheeler parents that Mike needs to just get over his attitude. They've been patient long enough. And while he's at it, he needs to get rid of his toys - parts of his childhood - because it's time to grow up now (the phrase "man up" is heavily implied in these conversations). Because the Wheeler parents have this attitude, the GA does too. We've seen this EXACT THING before, too. Lucas and Dustin suggest in season 1 that Mike has feelings for El, so he must even though there is no indication from his behavior that he does. Mike has a bad attitude, well his parents say it's time to get over it so he must. He calls El all the time - must be because he's in love with her. Couldn't be grief. Doesn't matter that we saw Hopper do it, doesn't matter that we know this is normal behavior for grieving people. People often talk to or write letters to the dead. It can be a coping mechanism, but it can also be unhealthy if the person can't let that go and this is exactly what we see Mike doing.

It's a way to over-simplify Mike's feeling and it's entirely because it makes people uncomfortable. So if the GA (and his parents) don't want to see his grief, it's easy to dismiss it as just a little teen angst. It's easy to dismiss it as him having a crush on El - because why else would he be talking to a girl. I know I say this a lot but it's because it's important. People can't understand why anyone talks to someone of the opposite sex if it's not because of romantic interest and it carries over into their interpretations of Mike and El's relationship. They can't understand why he would be talking to her and the reason he does is this - he feels guilty that she "died" helping him find his friend. This is less palatable than a simple crush. Grief is complex and ugly so we need to hide it away.

It's so much easier to dismiss his feelings as the most simplistic answer, but this not only is the reason why Mike is struggling to process his emotions, it's extremely insulting because it implies that he doesn't have any complex feelings to think about. And people dismiss it because he's a boy. They don't dismiss Hopper - he's an adult and is entitled to his grief. They don't dismiss Nancy's attachment to her stuffed animals - it's cute that she wants to keep them. It's Mike specifically who isn't allowed his feelings. Which is why I will never accept or respect the point of view that Mike loves El because he called her a lot. Because Mike's well-being and what he wants and needs isn't being taken into consideration at all. This is a theme that continues through the rest of the series with every character and the audience - except for Will. Part 2 here.

#byler #mike wheeler #gay mike wheeler #will byers #mike x will

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

What if before the time skip the Byers-Hopper family has to go somewhere (like to a military base to help El get stronger, something like Nina) for the duration of the time skip and the plot picks up right after they get back to Hawkins. So once reunited Mike and El finally have a chance to talk about their relationship.

To elaborate on the above:

I imagine when season 5 starts they would get some control over the UD taking over Hawkins, otherwise they would have to evacuate the town, so maybe before time skip they have a small victory that gives them some time to prepare for what's to come. And maybe Owens (or someone else) would offer a chance to train up El (it could be Will too, if we find out about him having powers pre time skip, although I think they would drag out that plot twist at least until the middle of the season... but who knows? It would be cool if after time skip Will returned with powers, and we could have some cool flashback about him training with El).

If El (and Will?) were to go for training, I imagine their family would stick together. This would also sort of put a pause on the whole love triangle with not only Mike and El not being able to interact, but also Mike and Will being separated (imagine Mike thinking about the painting without being able to ask either of them for almost two years, poor boy).

This way Mike and El would have a chance to talk about their relationship post time skip, and it wouldn't make the viewers feel like they were dragging out their relationship for that period of time.

What do you think?...

There's so much we can speculate on regarding that scene, which is what I think makes this fun. With absolutely no context, we have no idea what may come before or after this scene, though the picture of Mike in his room wearing the same clothes suggests the two scenes are on the same day.

There would be a lot they'd have to explain if El is going off to train with Owens or the military or whatever, though. El and the others have no reason to trust anyone in the military, except maybe Owens. However, Owens was last seen being found by Sullivan's men after he was betrayed by Brenner and handcuffed by his men.

I do like the idea of El (and Will!) going off to train, but Mike would never let either of them go without him. He already goes mental when Will leaves, and the last time El left to train she ended up being in danger of being killed by Sullivan. Though there is still Owens' agent that went to Hawkins, so maybe she could play a role in that. It's an interesting idea, but I just can't see them doing another training arc.

So, maybe not necessarily that idea, but I do think that if there is an extended time skip, which El's hair and Hopper's beard suggest, that there should also be something to set it up. We shouldn't just pick up months and months later, especially considering how season 4 ended. There has to be some kind of Avengers: Endgame scene to set up the "18 Months Later" or however long it ends up being.

As for Mike and El's relationship continuing, I think they could just be going through the motions. After Max "died" and El failed to find her, she may need comfort and normalcy. Mike also now has reason to feel like she needs him, thanks to Will's painting, so he's going to want to be there for her. I think the romance will be gone from their relationship. Maybe Mike keeps trying to "help" because that's what he thinks she loves about him, but she sort of stays away from him like she did in the cabin. Will would have accidentally screwed everything up by trying to help, leading to El and Mike needing to have a conversation.

You do have a point about just how long they'd be dragging out the relationship, but keep in mind how long Karen and Ted have been doing it. Maybe they just really want to drive home how similar their relationships are, allowing Mike and El to avoid the same fate as Mike's parents. Honestly, I think Mike is going to need El to reveal she had nothing to do with the painting because I think that's going to be what's holding them together at this point. Mike is dedicated now because of how much Will's words touched him.

#byler #stranger things 5

[wibble-wobbegong]

listen. listen closely. i need you to understand that el doesn’t hate mike and everything he does. her rejections of him and his interests when they were twelve were not out of disliking what mike was doing but rather it was the first time she was ever out of a lab and she was exploring. she had no fucking clue what mike was talking about. when she stopped him from singing, it wasn’t necessarily because she hated mike singing but she wanted them to continue doing the things she learned from TV were couple-esque, and that didn’t include doing fun things. tv romance was all drama and obsession and el was copying that because she had been envisioning that for her and mike for the entire year she was in hopper’s cabin.

el isn’t perfect, and she does dismiss mike’s experience with bullying and she doesn’t consider his interests when planning their day in california. her planning their day is her attempt at maintaining that normalcy she’s desperate for by having the perfect relationship she believes herself to have with mike and going and doing the things she’s likely seen other couples doing. el dismissing mike’s experience with bullying is charged by a lot of emotional frustration and feeling like mike is rejecting (not as a girlfriend but as a normal person because he was angry with her for hitting angela) her and views her as a monster. neither of those things are okay, but there is an explanation outside of mike himself

i feel like there’s been this viewpoint that’s been built up that el actually doesn’t like mike or his interests and i think that erases the complexity of el’s perspective on this situation. part of the reason we see el enjoying things with max she never did with mike says more about el learning to enjoy things on her own because she doesn’t feel pressured to act heteronormatively than it does about her opinion of mike. el doesn’t hate mike and his talking about things, but her view of what both of them are supposed to act like removes both of their personalities being involved.

when we see el at sbp after coming into a much better understanding of herself and who she wants to be, she says she misses mike. she knows she doesn’t love him romantically but she still wants him in her life. i know i’ve said mike wants to be friends with el, but it goes the other way. el wants to be friends with mike too!! she doesn’t hate him or his interests, we actively see her enjoying those things with max, but she doesn’t think either of them are supposed to express that stuff in their relationship. it’s unfair to say el doesn’t like when mike talks about things and does stuff like singing because it gets rid of the effects heteronormativity has had on her too

#elmike posting because it seems like some people genuinely think she Does Not like mike which isn’t true #neither mike nor el dislike each other even though their current relationship is hurting both of them #they want a better relationship with each other #i hate it when people act like they don’t care about each other and never have when that isn’t true #they don’t have to be in love or be best friends to care about each other #they know each other in the sense that they know who they are in their darkest moments and that they both fight to protect and to love but #they never got the chance to really /know/ each other #but they WANT that #elmike #el hopper

[sleepy-moron]

Why I think Mike has some kind of anxiety disorder that (potentially predates) Will going missing:

- He immediately is worried Will isn’t showing up for school, at that point there are multiple perfectly normal reasons for Will to be missing and Mike is still shown actively being worried about it.

- I know the comics aren’t canon but in one of them Mike mentions that he uses dnd to not be as afraid of things like bullies.

- He routinely expresses concern over El overusing her powers despite everyone else mostly having trust in El to know her own limits. This is controlling behavior that Mike displays throughout the series, and it seems to stem from a desire to keep El safe.

- The show bible talks about Mike using dnd as an escape for his insecurities. Mike having self esteem issues and changing his behavior as a result happens multiple times throughout the show, and is even supposedly his reasoning for not saying ily to El. The show bible describes our characters as they are at the beginning of the show, so the self esteem issues definitely existed prior to s1.

- Mike needs to be in charge of things, which likely stems from a desire to be in control of situations. He doesn’t want Max with them on Halloween for multiple reasons but he does seem upset that nobody told him about this development, which can be read as him not being comfortable with sudden changes.

- Mike’s reaction to the spying thing is to jump to multiple conclusions about how it could have gone wrong and accuses Max of conspiring against him. He is blame shifting, but the way he words it makes it feel like he genuinely thinks his friends are ganging up on him, which combined with his spiraling about when they could have seen seems to be a result of fear just as much as him being annoyed with Max’s influence.

- He has genuine issues about opening up emotionally, which is likely from people discouraging him whenever he does try to open up. This likely predates the show as Karen isn’t angry about Mike going behind her back and skipping school because of the Will situation. It would obviously be stressful for anyone implying that he doesn’t usually open up or tell her when he is upset about something.

- He also gets angry/defensive when people bring up subjects he doesn’t want to talk about. He hits hopper before breaking down because as much as his anger is genuine he’s more so distressed about everything else and only feels comfortable expressing the anger.

- Mike is also weirdly enough usually calm enough during life threatening situations, which is sort of expected for a show like this, but with how worked up he gets over little things it’s interesting. People who do have anxiety are often capable of appearing to function completely normally while very distressed because they have a higher baseline for stress to begin with.

So yeah I also think @aemiron-main has a bunch of stuff that goes into a lot more detail about Mike’s mental health and approach to dealing with trauma so go read his stuff if you like this kind of thing

#byler tumblr #stranger things 4 #stranger things #Give Mike a hug the dude clearly needs one #this might be normal teen behavior but this is based on personal experience and I was diagnosed with anxiety at 12 so I wouldn’t know #Mike needs therapy

[wiseatom]

How do you think Joyce will feel about Will and Mike dating? Like, what kind of mother will she be in this scenario? And how do you think Hopper will deal with their relationship, initially and in the long run?

so the thing is i simply think there is nothing more joyce byers wants in this world than the happiness of her sons, and i think that she has seen mike wheeler treat her son w love and tenderness and care and authenticity the entire time she has known him, so she would be Delighted to see will have something he clearly thought he was never going to have, even if she had any reservations about it. i think joyce definitely has opportunities as a mother, especially where jonathan is concerned, but i do also think that in terms of how she would treat byler, i think she'd make an effort to tease will about it the way she does jonathan with nancy in s3? like the breakfast scene in the first episode. i think she would make it clear that she is comfortable w the relationship through teasing. almost normalize it through sweetly poking fun at him? just to give will that reassurance that yes, she really does love him even if that means loving the boy he brought home in kindergarten in more ways than what everyone else thinks is okay.

the hopper/will relationship is genuinely one of my favorite things to think about, and i know a lot of people have Opinions about hopper, but also like. i simply love a flawed character!! i do!!! i think his good outweighs his bad, and i could go on about s3 characterization, but that's not what you asked, so i'll save it! i think hopper loves will and mike both so much individually that i cannot see a scenario where he doesn't support them together. since he's gotten involved in the byers' lives, he has been a champion for will's safety and will's happiness. even on a surface level, he has gone out of his way to protect him and make sure will knows that he is in will's corner. obviously he's had more of a plot with mike, but i think he has, for the most part (aka ignoring s3), really made an effort to understand mike and has come to accept him by the end of s4. i think this guy just genuinely wants mike to be happy yk. i think it depends on how the mlvn breakup goes, and what cards mike plays, but i also can't fathom a scenario in which el holds resentment towards byler happening, yk? i don't think she's going to be jumping for joy, i think it's going to take time, but i think there's going to be a *finn voice* mutual understanding and acceptance there, and i think that seeing that, coupled with the fact that hop loves both will and mike and wants to see them happy, will make that transition easier.

i do think hop learned his lesson in s3 lol but i think similar to joyce, he'd apply similar rules that he did to mike and el so that they reinforce the idea that mike and will's relationship isn't Wrong yk. so they definitely get the 3 inch rule, and hop def acts exasperated over mike's existence, but i think there's also an undercurrent of, "you let me know if anyone messes with you" and "i've got your backs no matter what." i just lov hop <3

send curious anons (or don't) <3

#asks #sry for liking a c*p :/

[revengeismygender]

Okay I know I bitch about season 4 a lot so here are some things I actually liked:

I like the basketball/dice rolling mash-up. Felt like classic ST. I like that they remind us that the highest stakes in the kids’ lives should be D&D and winning the big game rather than interdimensional war.

I like that the big bad comes directly from the opening campaign like season 1.

I like that Max gets a lot of the spotlight bc she deserves it.

I like that this season gives Lucas more to do and that he’s amazing at it. Ditto Erica.

I like Jonathan having a little buddy since he’s literally had no friends since S1.

Same goes for Nancy. She needs a friend and Ronance friendship is one of the best things ever. Bonus if they fall in love later but honestly having a platonic friend won’t hurt her.

I like that Jonathan joins the Mike Wheeler hate club.

I like that Murray gets to keep his little Russian pal this time #justiceforalexei. I hope they’re very happy together.

I like that they brought back the bikes and added bonus older kids on bikes. I literally squealed at the shot that flipped upside down and mirrored all eight of them on the bikes. More bikes plz.

I like that they found Reefer Rick via video rental archives. Very classic ST, very Scooby Doo. I like that the show points out that these kids figure out mysteries not because they have resources or money or adult help (which they don’t) but bc they’re clever.

I like that it was pretty. For the most part all the shots were really visually stunning. There were def times when cinematography outshone writing by… a lot.

I like that Dustin went from no dad in season one to two dads by season four.

I liked every single moment the actors improvised and honestly all of their performances were top notch. No notes.

I like that one of Hopper’s useless deputies is now the chief. It was a good choice since he is slightly less useless than the other one.

I like that El blows up a helicopter, continuing the grand ST tradition of not being afraid to kill people who suck/are trying to harm children and having no moral back and forth about it. Blowing up a helicopter full of military child killers is morally good.

I like that the writers were like “you’ve seen Steve and Dustin dynamic, now get ready for Steve and Max dynamic!” I like that he fills the role of the big brother she should have had rather than the shitty one she got.

I like that Papa dies and there’s absolutely no question about it this time. He is dead 5sure. I like that El doesn’t forgive him or give him absolution in death. One thing this show really gets right is that one sacrificial act doesn’t erase a lifetime of abuse. The show gets that with Billy and with Brenner. Five stars.

Similarly, I like how complicated Max’s grief is. Of course you feel survivor’s guilt over someone close to you who died for you, but of course you have mixed feelings when that person was a racist and abusive asshole to you, your friends, and your boyfriend. Of course you feel a little relieved that your tormentor is dead, and of course you feel guilty for feeling that way. So many shows are guilty of “redeeming” a character through death without any actual change or accountability and I’m glad we don’t get that here.

I like Robin. She is everything to me.

I like Eddie. See above. I am not immune to white boy of the month especially when he’s like *gestures at him* that.

I like Jopper. I feel it has been extremely well handled from the first hints in season one to the unrequited pining from Hopper in season two (that he never makes her problem, he supports her) to their sexually charged bickering in season three to her saving his fucking life this season… it’s amazing and I’m so glad the parents of the group are finally together.

Aaaaaaaaaand that’s it. But honestly that’s more than I thought there would be when I sat down to write this list.

#stranger things #st4 #st4 spoilers #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #lumax #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #jancy #eddie munson #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #will byers #erica sinclair #jopper

[munsonfamilyband]

I was swarmed by thoughts yesterday, mostly about Steve Harrington learning that Boys can be Pretty too™️. It started as just a little thing and turned into a big thing and i need to get it out.

Main thoughts about this topic though:

After the upside down is gone and everyone moves back to Hawkins, Steve starts getting to know the Hopper-Byers kids better. Will through Eddie and Dustin, El through Max.

Hellfire has two weekly sessions, one with everyone on Saturdays at Steve’s house (the corroded boys are still weirded out by this, but Steve’s cooking/baking has warmed them to him a lot), and one on Thursdays for the kids at Eddie’s place.

Side note: i think Eddie and Wayne decided it was time for him to get his own space after everything that happened (Wayne also sees how his boy looks at the Harrington kid and decides that it’s better for them to have a private space) so they both get their own trailers. They place them right next to each other, with Max’s there too. The three trailers make a sort of u shape, all facing inward.

On Saturdays everyone goes to Steve’s house, even if they aren’t playing. They refuse to miss out on Steve’s cooking, and he gets more company is his big ass house. But on Thursdays, Robin and Nancy have date night so Steve is on his own, until Max calls him and asks him to join her and El for girls night. He immediately says yes and now, when he drops the kids off at Eddie’s for Hellfire, he walks over to Max’s trailer and hangs with Max and El.

They are the ones who introduce him to make up, because they pester him until he lets them practice on him. He gives token arguments at best, but always concedes and as they keep practicing, he finds he likes it more and more. He starts discretely writing down product names and buying them for himself to practice at home, until he suddenly has to drag his mother’s old vanity down from the attic to put in his room for all the make up he’s collected.

He gets pretty organizers and brushes for himself, setting it all out proudly on the vanity in his room. Robin is the only one who ever really goes in there so it’s not a big deal.

He talks to Robin about it, because he knows he’s a boy but he like girly things, and she assures him that it’s okay, they have definitely seen weirder things than a boy who likes make up. After that talk she starts shopping with him, and eventually (after she begs him to loop her in) Nancy joins them and now Steve has two people to help him.

His vanity now has make up and pretty hair clips and bows, necklaces and bracelets on a little tree, clip on earrings in a bowl (he’s still too nervous to get his ears actually pierced). Then, he asks Rob and Nance to help him buy some new clothes. Nancy digs out Steve’s mother’s sewing kit and they measure him, figuring out what sizes he would be, and then drag him out to the stores. When he comes home with some new soft shirts in pretty colors and a couple honest to god skirts, he feels lighter than air.

Of course, because his children have no manners, his secret doesn’t stay secret for long. It’s a lazy day for Steve. It’s a Friday in August and he has no work today, so he decides to indulge himself a bit. He does his make up the way he likes, puts a couple clips in his hair the way Nancy showed him and pulls out one of those skirts. He’s in the kitchen, feeling happy and comfortable in his skin as he dances along to the radio when he hears a crash behind him.

All of his idiot children are there. Max and El are beaming at him, so excited to see their work led to something. Mike looks constipated (not too unusual for him), Lucas looks confused for about 10 seconds before he shrugs and tosses an arm around Max’s shoulders, seemingly deciding that he doesn’t care. Will won’t look Steve in the eye, and he can see on blush under that horrible bowl cut (Steve had figured out Will since they started talking and he’s been meaning to have a chat with him, but that’s a later thought). Dustin looks like Steve is a puzzle, but he’s missing the picture. And then Steve realizes who is with them.

Eddie is standing there, looking like someone slapped him across the face. Suddenly, Steve is twice as nervous because, though he won’t admit it to anyone but Robin and Nancy, he really really likes Eddie. Thankfully though, Eddie snaps out of it pretty quickly and smiles at Steve as he pushes his way through the sea of teens to give Steve a hug. He whispers in his ear as he does this, telling him it’s okay and he looks very pretty.

Eventually the kids stop freaking out so much and, after many many questions, decide that this isn’t the weirdest thing in the world, just like Robin said.

And, if Eddie leaves Steve’s that day and speeds to Robin’s house to beg her for advice on asking Steve out because “i just saw Steve in a skirt, I cannot control myself anymore and I need to do something immediately.” Then that’s his business. But when, a week later at the Saturday Hellfire session, Eddie grabs Steve’s hand on his way back to the kitchen after dropping off snacks, and presses a kiss to the back of it, then it’s everyones business.

#stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie #this got very long too #not nearly as long as the shit I wrote yesterday though #I was possessed yesterday and wrote too much #this was shorter and much much sweeter than what I wrote yesterday #if anyone wants the really long one #let me know I guess

[pinkeoni]

Will is a Christ Figure + Season 5 Predictions

This is probably going to be in multiple parts, but basically a while ago I made a post discussing how Will is a Christ figure, but I was unsatisfied with that post and have since made some new discoveries.

So anyways, my theory goes like this:

A Christ-figure is a popular literary technique where a character is paralled to the biblical Jesus. This is a popular technique that many famous characters fall under, including Neo from The Matrix, Aslan from Narnia, and even a character that Will is heavily paralleled to, Harry Potter.

Here is part of the definition from the Wikipedia article on Christ figures.

The second paragraph discusses qualifications for a character to be a Christ figure. While it is heavily speculated that Will has powers, there are still other aspects of a Christ figure that have already been shown that align with this. “Displaying kindness and forgiveness,” and “sacrificing themselves for larger causes” being two of them.

Of course, we see time and time again how kind Will is. Despite everything he’s gone through, he is still able to remain kind to everyone. In terms of sacrifices, we first see that in season two, when Will urges Hopper to close the gate, despite the fact that he knows it will kill him.

And of course, in season four, Will sacrifices his own feelings for Mike in order to keep Mike and El together.

The most obvious allusion, however, is the “death and ressurection” part. Of course, in season 1, Will dies and then comes back to life. What’s interesting too is that Will’s “body” is put in the ground in episode 5, and he comes back in episode 8, three episodes later. This aligns with Jesus rising from his tomb three days after his death.

(In a lot of ways, El is also a Christ figure, but considering that Will is the focus for next season, I think we are going to see how this plays out for his character specifically.)

Another thing I wanna note is how the Wikipedia article mentions healing as another attribute of a Christ figure. Will is stated in the show to be a cleric, who has healing powers in DnD.

Something about Will that has been pointed out numerous times before is that there usually seems to be surrounded by light. This is not unlike how Jesus is often depicted in pre-renaissance art with a halo of light around his head. Here is a portion of Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel painting that illustrates this. Jesus is the figure who has a gold halo around his head.

Now here are images of Will being surrounded by light.

People have theorized that the number seven in the show has major significance. It’s the number that Will rolls which kills his character in the game from the first episode.

The number seven is also theorized to have significant biblical meaning. There is, of course, the seven days over which the world was created by God. This is from the site Christianity.com

This theory correlates with a theory I’ve seen that Will has powers of creation. In Christianity, Jesus and God are thought of as one in the same. I’m not sure if Will created the Upside Down in it’s entirety, but I would confidently venture that he was the one who made it look like Hawkins and froze time there. There is also Will being an artist that makes him a creator in that way as well.

The number seven also has significance in the crucifixion story, as Jesus proclaimed seven statements as he was dying. Furthermore, the Lord’s prayer contains seven petitions. There are other instances to seven in the bible, but these were the ones that were the most important to this theory.

When it comes to how this fits in with the plot of season five, I wouldn’t be surprised if it followed the crucifixion story. There have been many talks of Will sacrificing himself, and I can see it going this way. I think it will also be in episode seven. It would follow the pattern of seven, but it makes sense storytelling wise that something dramatic like that would happen in the penultimate episode. However! I do think that this will include ressurection. The way I see it, Will will try to sacrifice himself, will die, and will come back to life before his final battle with Vecna. But that’s just how I see it.

Two very important characters in this theory are Vecna and Mike, who I will make seperate posts on discussing their importance. Basically, Vecna opperates as an Antichrist figure, and Mike operates as Judas in the crucifixion story. Don’t worry, this theory is actually pro-Byler endgame! It’s more that their characters have allusions to each other and function similarly in the story, and less that they will have each other’s exact fates.

#byler #will byers #will is god #stranger things 5 #stranger things theory #please do numbers this time #second and third parts coming soon #long post #my theory

[patheticgirlsteve]

After everything finally settles, El gets really into arts and crafts. She’s seen the art that Will makes and knows that she’s probably not going to be capable of that level of artistry, but watching her brother paint and draw makes her want to be creative too.

She didn’t like school in California, but she liked making her diorama for class, painting and cutting and glueing the pieces of it together. She had decorated the box that she kept letters from Mike in with stickers, drawings, and pictures. She liked doing that, she realized. She liked being creative.

She goes to Will for help. Nervously tells him that she wants to make her own kind of art, but that she doesn’t know where to start. Will is extremely enthusiastic with his help, he’s excited that El has decided to explore her creativity and he’s honored that she’s asking him for help.

After brainstorming ideas, they decide to give scrapbooking a try. El likes this idea because it gives her a place to keep all of her memories, a place that she can easily access and flip through. She can fill it with pictures and drawings and newspaper clippings of her family and her friends, the most important people in her life. And she can decorate it however she wants to. It’s perfect.

Joyce and Hopper are more than happy to support and fund this endeavor, Joyce slips El some money for art supplies with a wink that makes El grin, and Hop drives El and Will to the nearest craft store so they can get everything they need.

They come home that day with four bags filled with supplies, running up the stairs to El’s room with excited giggles that make Joyce and Hop share a secret fond smile. It warms both of their hearts to see their kids happy.

Earlier in the week El had asked Jonathan if he had any pictures of their family and friends printed out that he could give her for her scrapbook, and Jonathan had dug through all of his prints to find some for her.

El’s favorite picture, the one she puts front and center on the very first page of her book, is a picture of the Party that Jonathan had taken right before the move to California. In it, there are tears on people’s faces at having to say goodbye, but everyone is smiling and El can see the love etched into everyone’s features.

El falls in love with scrapbooking pretty quickly. She fills her first one with all sorts of mementos of her life; photos, movie ticket stubs, pressed flowers from a bouquet Mike had gifted her. Each item is carefully labeled in El’s painstakingly neat handwriting.

Everyone notices how much she loves her new craft and start contributing to it in whatever ways they can; Will draws pictures of whatever El asks for on the pages, Max finds her some cool stickers to decorate with, Steve buys her some craft scissors to make fun patterns with.

Maybe the biggest contribution comes from Jonathan. Since starting her books, El has developed a new interest in photos and photography, and Jonathan has been showing her how he does a lot of the work he does with his camera. He’s happy to teach her, he likes spending time with her and he’s glad that she’s found something to pour her creativity into.

For her next birthday, Jonathan gifts her her very Polaroid camera. He’s been saving up for it for her for a while now, and he’s nervous when she starts to unwrap it at the birthday party the group decided to throw for her.

El, of course, loves it. She sets the camera down very gently and carefully before launching herself at Jonathan to hug him tightly and whisper a soft and sincere “thank you” to him.

Jonathan wraps his arms around her and gives her squeeze, “You’re welcome.”

#idk what this is #i just am having feelings about el today i guess #and the sibling relationships between el and will and jonathan is so important to me!!!! #they’re a family!!!!!!! #el #will #jonathan #stranger things headcanons #stranger things #stranger things ficlet #my writing #idk if this is a ficlet lol #anya.txt

[lovestuckyhatemarvel]

Okay so, here we are with season 4 episode 1 of Stranger Things. But before I get into the episode, I need to explain something: I’ve never actually watched this season before. I have, however, watched Steddie compilations on YouTube. Regardless, I’m labeling this as a ‘rewatch’ because it’ll keep the series consistent. And parts of it technically are a rewatch. Anyway, these are also going to be way longer than usual because a lot more is just Brand New™️ to me. Although some I haven’t seen but do know because of fanfiction.

1.) I literally can’t remember what made the Texas shooting something that would be necessary to be mentioned at the beginning when America has shootings all the time.

Edit: I have been reminded of the actual case it’s referencing. But I think Texas shooting is going to become less and less of an obvious connection as time goes on, especially for people who aren’t in America. I am in America, and there’s just…too many shootings to keep track of, tbh.

2.) I don’t know why I’m watching this recap. I literally watched season 3 last week or whatever but they really cut out the Russian interrogation/secret base locating stuff entirely from their recap.

3.) season 4 really starts out by being like, “Remember Brenner? Remember that douchebag? Well, guess what. He’s actually super boring in everyday life.”

4.) 010 come on down to get your psychic powers tested and your ability to interpret Brenner’s bad drawings tested. Oh nvm at least now they’re trying to locate people only to witness both Six and Dr. Ellis’ death.

5.) Wait why did Brenner survive this? How did Brenner survive this? Ten is dead. Also, since when does Brenner care about the kids? It’s not like he’s treated them well.

6.) El looking really crazy covered in blood and basically hyperventilating.

7.) El’s got her own room. Also, we’ve gone 185 days since season 3 and now El is painting little figures. And is giving a recap via letter. Joyce is a telemarketer, Will is gay pining, Jonathan has a broken car and is a stoner. Argyle has a pizza van and takes them to school. The bullies in school are cliches.

8.) Nancy drives Mike to school and Karen Wheeler looks great. Also they want Mike home by 9 pm because of his 6:30 flight.

9.) Suzie is editing a D- to an A for Dustin.

10.) I love this conversation about crushes between Robin and Steve. Boobies. Although I don’t like Robin’s hair as much this season.

11.) Max rides the bus and missed a Thursday meeting so needs to go after lunch.

12.) oh there’s Chrissy. And here’s the marching band with Robin playing the TRUMPET. Looks like Vickie’s a clarinet player. Jason and Lucas on the basketball team while Dustin and Mike argue about girlfriends in the crowd.

13.) I know it’s way too early since Jason hasn’t done anything yet, but I already hate him. He just has a punchable face. “Think about all these dead people DID THEY DIE FOR US TO LOSE AT BASKETBALL?” I would have keyed his car in high school. Like oh my god.

14.) Mike and Dustin are nerds and freaks and proud of it. To be fair, Lucas always has been cooler than them. But also Lucas should have gone to Eddie himself.

15.) PACKAGE. FROM. RUSSIA. Man, do not ever send anything delicate to Joyce, she fucking demolishes packages. Oh, that’s an ugly doll. I’ve read about the doll but didn’t know it was that ugly.

16.) El/Jane has to go after a blonde girl talking about Helen Keller for her presentation about Hopper? That’s rough, buddy. Angela is a bitch and I hate her Ariana Grande looking ass. Will is trying and I love that him and El are siblings but yeah, no, that presentation went badly.

17.) Max is doing her loner thing but does get to see Chrissy being upset in the hall as she heads away from the counselor.

18.) C in English and C- in Spanish. It’s not normal for Max but babe, C’s get degrees. You’ll be okay. Max’s mom is drinking, working two jobs, and stepdad is gone. Max is still my favorite even if she is a liar. Lucas’ advice about finding something she cares about is technically good but poor wording and timing. Max isn’t really open for help.

19.) Stranger Things really loves shots of people in bathrooms holding the sides of the sink. Also we get to hear Chrissy vomiting.

20.) Chrissy’s hallucinating. She has issues with her mom being awful about her weight and honestly, mood.

21.) Oh hi, Eddie. You’re a goofy guy. And now Eddie walks across the table. Also honestly, so far the bullying in Hawkins is like, minimal. All that happened in that scene is Eddie got called a freak. Dustin and Mike do try to get the game postponed. I still think Lucas should have asked. Eddie’s got to pass Mrs. O’Donnell’s class and that’s it to pass the class. Eddie really does yank both those dweebs out of their seats with barely any effort.

22.) Murray has karate from 1-3 on Fridays? Good for him. Oh and the doll from Russia has nipples. Teeny tiny nipples. And now needs to be smashed.

23.) Everyone thinks it’s weird that Nancy and Jonathan aren’t spending spring break together. I still think Nancy’s a comphet case. I love that Mike asks Nancy and Dustin asks Steve. Max is sarcastic to Dustin’s request which is very funny. Literally everyone shoots them down. Dustin comes up with an idea nad sprints off faster than I knew was possible.

24.) Oh it’s the picnic table behind the school scene. And we hear and see a clock chiming as she waits for Eddie. I’ve never actually seen the build up to the meeting with Eddie. Did not know the clock breaks and spills spiders.

25.) Eddie is tempted to leave ‘cause Chrissy is acting crazy. Eddie is very dramatic and they were in a talent show together. Eddie used to have buzzed hair and now plays at the Hideout on Tuesdays. I would have loved for Chrissy to live and for these two to be another Steve and Robin. Chrissy asks for something stronger.

26.) El failed a math test, I think? And if that’s the test she failed, it’s extra sad because that’s what she called herself good at in the opening letter. And then Angela tripped her? And her stupid friends stomp on her project. I wanna kick Angela’s ass. El forgets that she doesn’t have powers and it’s so embarrassing. El doesn’t snitch but a teacher takes Angela away anyway.

27.) Will feels so bad and is trying so hard to help.

28.) I feel like it wouldn’t require a paint can from a tree to break a porcelain doll. Oh, Murray thinks it might have an explosive. AND IT’S FILLED WITH A NOTE SAYING HOP IS ALIVE AND IT’S WRITTEN IN CUT OUT LETTERS LIKE IT’S FROM A SERIAL KILLER. WHY DID THEY DO THAT??? LMAO

29.) And now it’s the championship. I feel like fanfics stretch episode 1 into like, 3 chapters. Steve came with his date to see Lucas. And here’s Tammy Thompson. And she’s…bad. this bad performance is worth it for Steve’s sassy expressions.

30.) Oh, hey Erica Sinclair. LMAO WAIT, IS SHE WEARING AN AMERICAN FLAG? GOD, YOU DWEEB. I will say that the rest of hellfire that just kind of chortles in response to everything is so far just background noise that I do not care about. I do love that Erica is way better at insults than Eddie and he kind of adores her.

31.) I still hate Jason.

32.) Technically if we’re going with the lore of we thought Vecna was killed by Kas then technically El/Jane is this show’s Kas.

33.) Okay going back and forth is too hard when they’re going back this fast between basketball and Hellfire so I’ll just summarize at the end. Lucas going in and the gameplay mirror each other very obviously. It’s an old trope but a good one. Eddie’s unhinged.

34.) “There is no shame in running. Don’t be heroes.”

35.) Dustin misses and so does Jason. But Lucas and Erica both win. This slow mo is kind of excessive. Eddie’s fucking thrilled that Erica did a critical success. Although did they actually need a natural 20 to win? That doesn’t really make sense if the guy only has 15 HP left. Presumably they haven’t been critting to attack this fucking thing this entire session. So really it’s a matter of going above his AC. And technically you don’t need a nat 20 to do that, especially if you have enough bonuses. Although they are playing a different version of D&D than I’ve ever played so maybe I’m taking out of my ass.

36.) Aw, Max listened to the game’s result on the radio. I thought she went. Her mom is passed out on the couch. Max takes food to a dog. Eddie lives like, directly across from her. For some reason, from fanfics, I thought they were like, directly next to each other. Still, Max saw Chrissy go into his trailer.

37.) Wayne works nights. Eddie does not know where his ketamine is. Should keep track of that. That is a very cool guitar he has though. Chrissy’s hallucinations are very bad now and she’s no longer responsive. And now the lights are flickering. Vecna’s ugly as hell. There are so many spiders in this vision. Eddie really is trying to wake her up but I’m not sure how he thought I DON’T LIKE THIS, CHRISSY, WAKE UP would help.

38.) did not know we see Vecna in episode 1. “It’s time for your suffering to end.” Don’t be weird, dude. And now Chrissy is floating. Her death is like, both weirdly graphic and also sanitized. Like it looks cartoonish. I didn’t realize how cartoonish it looks. Bones don’t break through the skin. There’s barely any blood. Her skin moves like putty.

#stranger things #stranger things rewatch #season 4 episode 1 #s4e1 #stranger things s4e1 #only kind of a rewatch #I’ve seen steddie compilations and that’s it

[audhd-nightwing]

more of the werewolf!stobin and vampire!edancy au bc they’re rotting my brain

- honestly i love the idea of eddie and nancy being friends

- eddie is actually very smart, he just has ADHD and has trouble focusing and doing schoolwork. nancy is the opposite, she fixates on doing well in school and often ends up overworking herself (also ADHD)

- so they help each other out; nancy helps eddie study and get his work done and eddie helps nancy learn to take breaks and relax

- plus i think nancy would be really grateful to eddie for taking mike under his wing when he needed someone who understood him (after will left) and nancy couldn’t do that for him

- steve being a werewolf is a very closely guarded secret (bc his mom finds it ‘unseemly’ and she has a reputation to uphold) so initially no one else knows

(btw vampires are seen as graceful and beautiful but deadly creatures, most of which are well-mannered and have no chance of attacking humans / while werewolves are seen as violent and aggressive and are often ostracized by humans and vampires alike)

- stancy starts dating, steve falls in love, nancy does not. eventually steve tells nancy he’s a werewolf and she’s like “ok cool but since we’re confessing stuff i’m actually not into you sorry” and he’s a bit heartbroken but he gets over it, they breakup and become good friends

- enter dustin henderson, a young satyr who runs into steve on the night of a full moon and that his wolf takes a liking to (aka that’s his little brother now). steve wakes up at the henderson’s home and dustin explains what happened. mrs henderson (who decided the moment she saw wolfy!steve carrying dustin on his back and beaming that she was going to adopt him) is also there and already has breakfast ready with a plate for steve

- eventually steve meets max lucas el and will (he’s already met mike bc of nancy but they tend to avoid each other) and his wolf decides they’re his little siblings too

(ps mike is a vampire, dustin is a satyr, max is part kitsune, will is half-druid, lucas is a werebear (yes that’s a thing) and el is part fae)

- after a bit of time steve tells them abt being a werewolf and they’re all like “oh cool. anyway” and steve smiles and shakes his head bc he loves these little shits so much

- eventually a rogue werewolf ends up in Hawkins and while steve is patrolling with hopper one night they end up finding a just-bitten robin who passed out from the pain. steve stays with robin while hop goes after the feral wolf

- steve’s wolf instincts are screaming at him “yes, keep this one. we like them. we will protect them” and he’s like yeah okay they’re kinda my responsibility anyway

- so robin wakes up on the couch at hoppers cabin with steve harrington on the floor beside her and promptly freaks out. steve explains everything to her (after she screams at him a bit a lot) and helps her through a panic attack afterwards (bc finding out you’ve been turned into a werewolf is A Lot, okay?)

- anyway, they become best friends like instantly, their wolves are super in sync and at first steve thinks he Likes robin and decides to tell her. she’s like “mmmm explain how you feel abt me” and he does and she just looks at him and gently asks “you’ve never had a genuine best friend before, have you?” and steve’s like “oh” but then robin grins and assures him “i’m proud to be your first- no wait that sounds wrong” and they collapse into giggles

(later they have a talk about Feelings and robin comes out and steve realizes maybe some of the feelings he had about tommy h and jonathan byers weren’t exactly platonic)

- then: eddie waltzes into their lives!!

(eddie was turned a few years back and went to live with wayne, keeping his ID on the downlow bc some humans (for example: his dad) are still shitty to non-humans and he didn’t want to put wayne through that)

- eddie ends up meeting nancy in one of their classes or smth, she notices he’s similar to steve in the way he can’t seem to focus in class and decides to ask if he wants to study together

- eddie’s surprised but agrees and they end up getting along really well

- when eddie realizes she’s a vampire (he knows he’s oblivious shut up) he tells her he’s one too and they become even closer

- eventually nancy decides to introduce eddie to steve and robin (who she’s gotten a lot closer to after jonathan moved) and they all get along super well

(sidenote: jonathan is also half-druid, joyce is fully druid, and hopper is human but fully an ally to non-humans)

(sidenote 2: jancy happened but broke up a while before the byers moved and were still best friends. steve and robin are besties and are friends with nancy but become best friends with her after jonathan moves away. eddie also becomes nancy’s best friend and eventually steve and robin’s too)

(sidenote 3: jargyle!! ronance!! steddie!! byler!! lumax!! jopper!!)

#stranger things #steve harrington #robin buckley #eddie munson #nancy wheeler #werewolf robin buckley #werewolf steve harrington #vampire nancy wheeler #vampire eddie munson #dustin henderson #mrs henderson #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #will byers #mike wheeler #jonathan byers #joyce byers #jim hopper #el hopper #werewolf au #vampire au #the fruity four #the party stranger things #adhd eddie munson #adhd nancy wheeler #werewolf stobin