Imagine you're several millennia years old and learning that the Legendary Sword That Seals The Darkness not only breaks like a toothpick but is also wielded by a twink
okay where's all the fics with Steve just blatantly flirting with Eddie all the way through highschool, with Eddie being adamant that Steve couldnt possibly be flirting anytime someone asks, like he always has an excuse, a reason, some way to waft it all away like noooo couldnt be flirting with me i'm a dude.
but he is. he has been. always. every interaction he has with Eddie he flirts with him.
the only reason he didnt wanna join the nerd game was cause:
A: Lucas's game, cant miss that fuck you guys who missed it what the fuck
and
B: he'd have flirted and the kids dont need to see how over the top he gets. the band has already seen it and are over it, the kids dont need to.
my favorite ship dynamic is betrayal. not when they betray each other but when one or both of them turn against their cause, their principles and/or loved ones for the other. bonus points if the person they're abandoning everything for didn't remotely expect it. ultimate declaration of love. "you mean more to me than everything i ever believed in. i am more loyal to you than my conscience. i love you more than the thing i would die for."