#jonathan really just goes THROUGH IT with this boy and they don't even talk | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sidekick-hero · 3 months

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(steddie | gen | 1.2k | tags: feelings realization (not his own), Kas!Eddie (flashback), smoking weed together, boys in love | @steddielovemonth prompt: Love is what makes you brave | AO3)

Eddie never claimed to be smart. It was not for nothing that it took him three tries and a very lenient high school administration - thanks to Hawkins' very own apocalypse - to graduate from high school.

It's not that he's dumb. It's more that he has what his uncle calls a scatterbrain. It's hard for him to focus on anything outside of the things he's really passionate about, like DnD or metal or fantasy. So it's not really surprising that he realizes that Steve is in love with him weeks after he's fallen for the boy himself.

And oh boy, did he fall for Steve Harrington. Hook, line and sinker.

It's new and exciting and scary. It takes up all the space in his head, and just as he read Lord of the Rings so many times that he can recite Aragorn's battle speech at the Black Gate, Eddie now spends all his time and energy learning everything there is to know about Steve Harrington.

He begins to pay attention to what people say about Steve and even more to what's said between the lines. He learns a lot by finally listening to all the times Dustin talks about Steve, which is often, singing his praises in his own, unique Dustin way.

Eddie focuses on what he can learn about Steve from the stories the others tell about a time when Eddie wasn't part of this weird little group of misfits and heroes, and collects all the clues like he's Sherlock fucking Holmes and Steve is his Moriarty.

Like how Robin and Steve have all these jokes from their Scoops days, even though they only really became friends later, during their run-in with the Russians. Yet Steve was willing to bait them into beating him instead of Robin, sacrificing himself so she could be spared before they ever established their platonic soul mateship.

It fits with the story Jonathan told him once, when they were smoking pot with Argyle, about Steve running back into a house with an honest-to-God monster in it to help Nancy and him fight it. And that was after Steve had come to Jonathan to apologize for their fight, even though he had reason to suspect that his girlfriend was cheating on him with Jonathan.

It's like puzzle pieces clicking together in Eddie's head.

At first, they don't fit with the things Steve tells him while they're out by the pool, sharing a joint and just talking. Steve goes on about all the times he was a coward, how he never stood up to his father or the bullies at school, even when he thought they were going too far.

But the things he says start to make sense to Eddie when Steve starts talking about how he only ditched Tommy and his other asshole friends because of Nancy. Because she made him realize how shitty he had become for fear of falling out of line and losing his status and his so-called friends.

Steve would never say he was brave.

But Eddie knows the truth.

Eddie knows that Steve is brave for the people he loves.

Love makes Steve brave.

And Steve loves fast and hard.

Once those two things become a certainty in Eddie's mind, other things fall into place.

Vecna sent him back to his friends as a spy, but they saw right through him, so he attacked them. He was faster and stronger now, thanks to whatever spell he was under, and he was vicious. They weren't his friends, they were the enemy. If he didn't kill them, they would kill him.

It makes him remember something he mostly tries to forget because it still hurts. It still fills him with shame and guilt. But now he thinks back to those weeks when he was under Vecna's control, a puppet dancing to his master's will.

Vecna had saved Eddie's body from dying when Dustin and the others thought he was already dead, but it came at a price.

Steve, the self-sacrificing idiot, managed to trap himself and Eddie in a room away from the others, his trusty nail bat at the ready. They faced each other, both ready to attack, to fight until one or both were dead.

And then Steve dropped the goddamn bat.

"I'm not going to fight you, Eddie. This isn't you. This isn't the guy who gave the outcasts and the nerds and the geeks a safe haven in the middle of the hell that is high school for them. This isn't the guy who decided to fight for a town that abandoned him and hunted him because he was different."

Steve took a step closer, so close that Eddie could see the flecks of green and gold in his hazel eyes.

"This isn't the guy who gave his life to save Dustin and buy us more time."

Warm hands closed around his own, clenched into fists and ready to strike, and cradled them gently.

"You saved us, Eddie. Because you are good. Because no matter how cruel the world was to you, you never stopped being kind." Another step towards the monster with his friend's face, but Steve never faltered, never hesitated.

"Please come back to us. Dustin needs you. Mike and Lucas need you."

Steve's arms wrapped around him, pulling him into their warm embrace, holding him tight as Steve said directly into his ear, "We need you, Eddie."

It hit Eddie right then and there, lying on the grass in Steve's yard with the pungent smell of the finished joint still in the air and the warmth of Steve's body seeping into his own where they touched from head to toe.

He never thought about it before because it couldn't have been. Steve had only known him a few days before the bats got him. And besides, he had been mooning over Nancy at the time, hadn't he?

But Steve risked his own life to get Eddie back. He could have killed Eddie, probably should have. Instead, Steve bravely stood his ground and reminded Eddie of his own humanity. Of all the love in his life and in his heart.

Steve falls hard and fast.

Love makes Steve brave.

Steve had only known Eddie, really known him outside of high school gossip, for a few days, but he risked his life to save Eddie.

Clumsy with the lingering effects of the weed in his body, Eddie turns his head to look at Steve, who's still staring up at the starry night sky. He takes in his profile, the sharp jaw line, the strong nose, the full lower lip. Steve is beautiful. He's good and kind and bitchy and secretly a giant dork. And he...

"You love me."

Eddie doesn't mean to just blurt it out, a thought that only formed a few minutes ago, but he's never been known for his brain to mouth filter and holy shit, Steve Harrington loves him.

Startled, Steve tears his eyes away from the stars to look at Eddie instead, his lovely hazel eyes wide as they search and hold Eddie's.

"I know," he finally says, leaning in even closer as if they were sharing a secret. "What gave it away?"

Instead of answering right away, Eddie bridges the infinitesimal gap between them and kisses Steve.

"I make you brave." At Steve's questioning look, Eddie adds, "Don't worry, you make me brave, too."

Before Steve can ask any more questions that Eddie's weed-addled brain couldn't answer anyway, he captures Steve's lips in another kiss before bravely rolling on top of him and showing him just how much Eddie loves him, too.

#steddie #steddie fanfiction #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddielovemonth #day 7 #love is what makes you brave #my writing

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cult-of-the-eye · 6 months

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MAG 83 woop woop!!

JONNY BOY

ooh first proper statement in a while

Wait he took some statements with him??

Georgie is actually so right. I love her so much. He really needed some good fucking advice in his life from someone he hasn't thought might've killed someone before

I COULD BE ON DRUGS HAHAAAAAA NO YOU SMALL LOSER BOY

Why did he even jump to that conclusion?? I wasn't thinking ah yes drugs and I don't think a normal person reacting to this situation would immediately jump to drugs maybe insanity yes but not drugs

Universal autistic experience, having someone you're close to say that they know you "get obsessive about stuff"

YES GEORGIE!!!!! SHES THE ONLY ONE NOT FUCKING ENABLING HIM!!! HE DOESNT NEED THE STATEMENTS

oh shit is this the start of him depending on the statements??

Oh shit I guess not being able to go back to his flat makes him homeless

Oh right someone dropped the statement through the letter box

SHIT SOMEONE DROPPED IT THROUGH THE LETTER BOX

SOMEONE KNOWS WHERE HE IS

AND IS GIVING HIM STATEMENTS???

Fucking Elias I bet, who else would it be??? he was like yah I know where Jon is but I'm not gonna tell you to daisy and he's creepy enough to fucking send statements through the mail so there

Ok I'm sorry what was my man doing in those four days??? Sitting there rocking and muttering to himself staring at a fucking piece of paper?? Hmm?? Not fucking sleeping???

Investigating MY ASS what INVESTIGATION do you plan to do holed up in your ex gfs house???

Ah fuck he needs it

When does it stop becoming paranoia and start becoming an addiction?

YEAH GEORGIE YOU SHOULDNT BE KEEN ON WEIRD STALKERS KNOWING YOUR ADDRESS YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT AND THE ONLY SANE PERSON IN THIS WHOLE PODCAST (apart from Joshua Gillespie and Karolina gorka my loves)

AHHH HE DIDNT EVEN GET THROUGH HEAD HES JUST GOOD OLD JONATHAN SIMS NOW

He doesn't have any of that pomp and fancy pants titles anymore, it's just the fucking paranoia and realisation that it's not just a normal job, he can't ignore it anymore

It's funny how it finally sinks in how it's not just a normal job when he gets fired from it

Ok just did a quick google fanton isn't a real department store that's a good start

Haha yeah customer service people deserve medals

Omg of course the tma transcripts write Halloween as Hallowe'en that's so tma of them

Oh fuck stranger alert

Oh shit is that Nikola??? As in everyone on Tumblr talks about her Nikola???

Her condition?? Why does it sound like they're describing her as a fucking werewolf??

Ok this is fucking creepy I actually fucking despise mannequins I don't think I'm gonna enjoy these stranger statements

FUCK I HATE CLOWNS

AHHHHHHHHH

Ooh she's smart she goes in with 999 dialled love that for her

oh FUCK that shhh was terrifying

Oh god Lana was killed???

Blood in a single neat line across her lips???

Uckinf SHITBALLS

Jesus fucking christ

I BET HIS ASS MISSES THOSE "EXPERT" ASSISTANTS

FUCKING BREEKON AND HOPE???

Circuses, skin, not quite real - the STRANGER

It seems like now he sort of knows what's going on, he's catching on really quickly, he's categorising things and using what he knows which is good it's steps in a positive direction

I guess he doesn't want another axe table fiasco

The taxidermy shop oh yeah the guy who was like yeah this is paranormal and creepy as fuck but he's not committing tax fraud so it's fine loved that guy

Elias probably sent it

Oh shit he doesn't know Elias knows where he is

SHIT IT WAS HAND DELIVERED

God poor Georgie, she's housing his pitiful ex boyfriend who lost his weirdo job and is going insane and bringing the weirdness to her life

What was he looking into??? Like Not-Them stuff??

"I've got work to do." Fucking famous last words

Jonathon "workaholic" Sims strikes again

Although I guess it's not workaholic when it's threatening your whole life

I guess it's just...surviving

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mrs-steve-harrington · 2 months

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Throwing some fic recs into the mix since I keep seeing the posts from others and wanting to join in. Below, you'll find 10 fics that I'm excited to recommend, in no particular order!

get a clue! by @monsterhunting [Stranger Things, Stoncy]

This is a delightful Valentine's Day fic featuring oblivious Steve, which is one of my favorite kinds of Steve! The pining is real, but the fic is lighthearted, not lingering on the angst of it all, but rather focusing on the positives. Steve's friendship and back and forth with Robin is great, but his interactions with Nancy and Jonathan are even better. It's a great time!

Don't Make Me by @idridian [Halloween Ends, Corey/Allyson/Michael]

You do not understand how badly I needed a fic like this after finally seeing Halloween Ends for the first time. That movie took over my whole brain for a hot minute and I was worried there would be nothing out there to sink my teeth into afterwards. But this fic. This fic was there to give me everything that I needed after the movie. "Allyson Corruption Arc" might be my favorite tag ever. It goes without saying, but there's a darkness to this fic that wraps around you while reading it. The relationship with Allyson and Corey is EVERYTHING! I just. This fic is beautiful and I love it!

To Run The Dog by @pterawaters [Stranger Things, Stoncy]

I love me some fic where Stancy crush hard on Jonathan and want to date him together. This is a really lovely AU where Steve and Nancy are married and keep seeing Jonathan running by their house with his dog. The way they want so badly to interact with him, and the friendship that ends up developing once they get the chance, is wonderful. The characters still feel like themselves despite not having gone through the same things as they do in the show, and it's just. Really enjoyable to read!

my body's aching and my time is at hand by whateverislovely [Criminal Minds, Reid-centric]

Gosh, this fic hits me right in the feels. There's something about sitting with a character who is feeling so low and feels like they can't talk to anyone (even though they know deep down that they could but it FEELS like they can't). Spencer desperately needs someone to see that he's struggling, but it's hard when there's so much going on at the same time. I don't even know what all to say, this fic just really gave me the angst and hurt/comfort (emotional and physical) that I revel in.

The Babysitter by @stevethehousewife [Stranger Things, Stancy, Dusteve, uhh... more]

A fic inspired by my favorite horror comedy movie ever? With Steve as the titular babysitter? But not evil? AND it's A/B/O?? Yeah there are many, many reasons I love this fic. The descriptions of Steve feel like they came right out of the movie in a way that made them so easy to see in my head. But it changes enough about the story that it doesn't feel at all like a straight up rehash of what you've already seen. AND it combines some of my favorite ships, with a Steve who is just the best ever. I freaking LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH!!

close my fist around something delicate by inlovewithnight [Ted Lasso, Keeley/Roy/Jamie]

All that I wanted for these three was for them to realize that they have feelings for each other. That they can make a relationship work, if they just try. And dammit, this fic delivers! While also adding in some great angst and hurt/comfort (physical and emotional). I didn't realize quite how much I wanted to see Jamie hurting and being stood up for/protected by the people who care about him, but boy did I! This fic is really lovely, it sucked me in and didn't let me go until I finished reading.

Both Hands Holding on to the Wire by @stevethehousewife [Stranger Things, Stobin]

This was one hell of a gift to get in a smut exchange, holy moly! It focuses really well on Robin's confusion over the thoughts she starts having about Steve after accidentally walking in on him changing. The whole concept is handled respectfully, taking the weight of it all very seriously. Robin and Steve's friendship is so good, the way they can just BE with each other. It's got the angst I adore, a Steve who is an absolute sweetheart, and a Robin who is so much more like her season 4 self than season 3 (which is a huge plus for me personally).

The Hourglass by @pterawaters [Fargo s5, Dot & Gator, Dot/Wayne/Gator]

A shorter fic here, but no less wonderful! It's exactly what I needed after finishing the latest season of Fargo. Getting to see where their lives might have gone, if Dot had been able to take Gator with her when she ran away. If he had wanted to go. It gets me emotional every time I think about it. I love love love this fic!

Wednesday by @stevethehousewife [Stranger Things, Stoncy]

I will recommend this fic forever and for always. It has everything: hurt Steve! Time loops! Season 3 Steve being thrown back to the worst day of his life and forced to relive it over and over until he gets it right (hint, it's the Halloween party in s2). I fucking love this fic! I've lost count of how many times I've reread it, but it might rival the number of time loops Steve lives through (okay maybe not quite that many, but you get my point). It shows Steve a side of Jonathan he didn't get to see the first time around. It gives him the closure he probably didn't realize he needed. I just. Adore this story!!

An Oath Broken, An Oath Kept by @urisarang [Love Between Fairy and Devil, Chang Heng/Dongfang Qingcang]

This fic is so mean in the best way! Both of them are so hurt, physically and emotionally. And then Chang Heng is forced to hurt DFQC even more, which only makes it that much BETTER. It was the perfect gift to receive for the Flash Made Them Do It exchange. I laugh every time I see the a/n (the word count minimum was 300 words. The word count on this fic is... a lot more than that). And it's just as fun to reread now as it was to read it the first time around. I want to draw hearts around it!

#IFD2024 #fic rec list #stranger things #halloween ends #criminal minds #fargo #love between fairy and devil #fanfiction #feedback fest #feedback fest 2024 #i maybe spent a long time on the gif banner #pretty proud of it #made it myself ;-;#but spent way more time deciding on which fics to rec #and what to say about them

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patchesnpins · 2 years

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ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛʟʏ

ᴀɴᴏɴ ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ: Hello! Could I please request the stranger things boys dating fem!reader who is touch starved please and thank you (The stranger things boys, Steve, Jonathan, Eddie and Billy :) I really hope this isn't to much to ask! I asked for 4 characters so if that is to much please just choose your favorite!

☾⋆*:｡ a/n: hello hello!! I don't mind doing so many, as long as I have ideas for them I'm not bothered <3 I made the reader gender neutral bc I like to keep fluff inclusive for everyone as often as possible

☾⋆*:｡ details: SFW//w.c: 1k//ft: Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers, Eddie Munson & Billy Hargrove (gn!reader)

ᴇᴅᴅɪᴇ ᴍᴜɴꜱᴏɴ

Eddie is all about physical contact, even if he doesn’t mean it he’s touching his partner in some way. His legs thrown over yours as you watch a movie together, leaning into your side so he can look out the car window with you or how his hands can’t just stay by his side, brushing against yours as you walk

With you being touch starved, it can be a bit much with how hands on Eddie tends to be but it’s all in good intentions. It’s his way of showing love and each little show of affection through hand holding or cuddles makes your heart melt, his solid weight against you is a welcome comfort

When he learns this about you, he almost becomes an oversized lap dog to you. Falling into your embrace at a moment’s notice because “you just looked like you needed it” and you know he’s right. Even when you can’t put it in words he just knows

Loves loves loves letting you play with his hair, it’s such a small form of physical intimacy but it means so much. His hair is soft and you take your time threading it through your fingers as to not catch on any knots, he likes when he can lay his head in your lap and watch you

He wears his feelings on his sleeve around you, making extra sure you feel comfortable asking him to hug you or hold your hand. He’ll never deny you unless the moment won’t allow for it, but you’ll always get a fleeting reassurance or touch until the moment is right

Trust me you won’t be touch starved when he’s around

ꜱᴛᴇᴠᴇ ʜᴀʀʀɪɴɢᴛᴏɴ

Steve takes a silent note of the look on your face when he’d pull you closer to his side or offer to hold your hand, a distant glimmer of excitement that never goes away. It’s like an endless childlike amazement that you have that he adores, you treat all his touches like a blessing

Yet you never seem to ask for him to hug or touch you more which puzzles him, so he brings it up and learns about you being touch starved. It struck a chord in him, finally being able to place a word on his own feelings sometimes. Falling out of popularity also took away his time around others

Steve isn’t one to ever deny you physical contact, more times than not he’s excitedly initiating it in whatever way he can. Even when you’re both just stand around he’s pressed against your side or has his chin tucked in the crook of your neck, entirely more interested in how nice you look vs anything else going on

It all comes so natural to him, you don’t even need to express your feelings before he’s scooping you into a hug. It’s like he can sense it in the air, but he’ll brush it off and instead admit that he wanted a hug too

Will lend you his clothes if he won’t be around, it smells like all his hair products and are just as warm as him. It’s a good temporary fix but he’ll always make it up to you with cuddles later

ᴊᴏɴᴀᴛʜᴀɴ ʙʏᴇʀꜱ

Jonathan is in the same boat as you, he’s never really talked about it or spared it much thought. It would only make him more upset to spend his time dwelling on how little physical affection he’s shown but when you come around his heart could practically burst at how grateful he is for you

There’s a mutual understanding between the two of you about your feelings toward touch and physical affection, you both need it just as much as the other. Jonathan loves hand holding, it’s so simple yet it’s the reassurance he needs that you’re there (and he’s there for you too)

Half of the time when one of you is craving the other’s touch, they already know it. Your hands sneaking over the dashboard and the burst of happiness in your chest when you feel his, or how smooth it feels when you both wrap around each other in a hug, lips slotting together without any hesitance or struggle

When he’s stressed sometimes it can slip his mind to give you attention, his brain is already crowded enough with worries. But all you have to do is ask and he’ll perk up immediately, his mouth in a soft little ‘o’ before it splits into a smile. You both need it as much as the other

Always asks where or how you want him to touch you, sometimes you’re feeling hugs, maybe a kiss or just simple hand holding. Sometimes you even just want to lay down, wrapped up in each other’s limbs and the presence of him. His warmth, his shaggy hair that tickles your face and the soft sound of his breathing is all perfect

ʙɪʟʟʏ ʜᴀʀɢʀᴏᴠᴇ

Billy is not one to get into anything like physical intimacy often. Sure he’s dated and gotten in plenty of people’s pants but it takes some vulnerability for him to be laying in the backseat of his car with you like this, doing nothing but curling up beside each other

You’re both scared, you're scared to ask for it and he’s scared to crave it. But upon seeing how you just melt in his embrace like all your worries have slipped away into nothingness all over a little bit of cuddling has him rethinking things. He wouldn’t trade these moments for anything

In the comfort behind closed doors or late night drives you both can abandon your worries and constant overthinking about things, just seeking solace in each other’s touch. Billy cherishes these moments like precious jewels, he loves how happy you get and how you both fit together like a puzzle piece

He loves having you lay down on his chest, whether you’re both chatting with each other as you stare up at him with those cute eyes or if you're both silent and just enjoying the moment. With a cigarette hanging from his lips and you against him he could stay in the moment for hours

You being touch starved was something Billy worried about at first but he found that it wasn’t so bad, he loved all the touches and kisses you both shared even if they were under the guise of just cheering you up. He found he needed it just as much as you

tag list: @adamgetawaydriver @workaholicwitch @awfulmuse

#stranger things #stranger things x reader #stranger things headcanons #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #jonathan byers #jonathan byers x reader

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magniloquent-raven · 1 year

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everybody's saving grace

(cw the karen and billy thing. but this is mostly about joyce finding out and getting protective of billy, so)

(read on ao3)

Jane didn't speak for seven days after they lost Hop.

Joyce made space for her in their home, accommodated as best she could. Will offered her his room and promised he didn't mind sharing with Jon, they used to bunk together on the rare weekends when Lonnie remembered he had kids anyways. More often than not though, Jane would sneak into Joyce's room in the middle of the night, awkwardly hovering in the doorway until Joyce patted the empty space next to her and Jane would crawl into the covers silently, cheeks wet with tears.

That first night Joyce tried to talk to her about it, with soft words and a story or two about the trouble she and Hop used to get up to as teens, hoping to coax a smile out of her, or at the very least a story of her own in response. Something. Anything. She tried to tell herself it was only because she was trying to help, but there was a selfish part of her deep down that just wanted someone to share her grief. Jane was the only other person in the world who felt his loss as much as she did, and she needed help shouldering the burden.

But Jane would only listen. Curled on her side and squeezing Joyce's hand, blinking up at her with red-rimmed eyes.

Joyce would wait until Jane fell asleep to shed her own tears. She's up at all hours nowadays, watching every shadow, listening in the dark, a cigarette between her shaking fingers. Her boys have noticed, she knows it. Jon's picking up more slack than usual, cooking meals and cleaning house and making sure Will is always accounted for. And Will. Will has barely said more than Jane has. He's always been a quiet boy, but…well.

Even his friends spending all their time around the house hasn't brightened his mood. Mike has been glued to Jane's side, getting more and more drawn and frustrated the longer she goes without speaking. Dustin and Lucas have been the loudest of the group, trying desperately to fill the silence, and Joyce can't say she isn't grateful for it. The house feels more full when they're here. It's easier to keep busy and not let her mind wander.

On the seventh day after the mall fire, Max Mayfield asks her if she can spend the night. She's been paler than usual. Withdrawn, but only when no one is looking.

Joyce puts a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Of course."

She gives the girls her room, and says she'll sleep on the couch. No one believes her, but they don't bring it up. She sits at the kitchen table alone, fiddling with the ashtray Jon made her when he was eight. There's a chip in it from when Will, young and clumsy, dropped it while trying to present it to her with all the puffed-chest pride of a toddler given a task.

He cried for twenty minutes after that. No amount of hugs and forehead kisses would get him to calm down until Jon told him, his dark brown eyes big and solemn, that he hadn't broken it, he'd given it some character.

Things were so much simpler back then.

Not easier, not really, just…less complicated.

At two am she decides to brush the stale coffee taste out of her mouth, but stops dead in her tracks on the way to the bathroom.

"I hate him," Max's quiet sniffling filters muffled through the closed door.

She shouldn't be eavesdropping. But she can't…not. The walls are thin, and the floor creaks, and she can't move without everyone in the house knowing she's frozen awkwardly in her own hallway.

Well. She toes at the carpet with socked feet. She might be able to sneak away. Maybe. But…

She's concerned.

God, she's becoming her mother. Nosy to a fault.

"I'm just…I'm just so angry, you know? He—he saved your life, and I'm grateful for that, but," she pauses, and there's rustling, a sigh, "Stupid asshole up and left me. Everything we've been through and he…he's gone, just like that, it's not fucking fair."

Joyce had heard about Billy Hargrove from Jonathan. Just a little bit, vague details. "There's some new guy at school," with a scrunched up face, nose wrinkled with distaste. And a week later, "He got into it with Steve, knocked him around pretty bad." It made Joyce nervous, whenever she saw him around town, picking up cigarettes from the store on the corner, driving that loud car of his up main street. She'd always think of the Harrington boy's face, bruised and swollen, the worst-case-scenario that used to haunt her thoughts after Lonnie gave Jon a black eye when he was ten.

Then, "Max's brother, he, uh…" Solemn brown eyes. It's not broken it has character. "He got…possessed, I guess." Standing in the Starcourt parking lot with a shock blanket around his shoulders, sweat matted in his hair, Jonathan pieced together what he knew. It wasn't much, and she couldn't stop thinking about Hop's teary nod, the white light that burned her eyes even though she closed them, the empty space where he'd been standing seconds before.

She feels horrible now, for only half-listening. For not giving much thought to the boy who died saving Jane.

He was just a kid. Only a few years older than Will.

"How did he even get caught up in this bullshit?" Max's voice breaks, despite the force of her anger, cracks under the strain of her grief. "Did…did you see? When you looked into his memories."

The silence is heavy. Strained. Joyce chews the inside of her cheek. She doesn't expect Jane to reply, and figuring she's heard enough she goes to tiptoe away.

"Yes."

Joyce freezes. Jane's voice is barely more than a crackly whisper, but unmistakable. There's a pang in her chest at the sound of it, emotion welling up, thick in the back of her throat.

"What happened?"

She can't help leaning in a little, stopping just shy of pressing her ear directly to the door.

"It was…nighttime. He was driving." There's a pause. "Mrs. Wheeler wanted to see him."

…What?

"What?" Max echoes, breathlessly scandalized. She can't think it was like that. Was it?

No, there's got to be an innocent explanation. She struggles to come up with one, but it must exist. Karen is her friend. Sort of. They went to school together. They've known each other their whole lives. Back when they were teenagers Karen had a bit of a reputation, sure, she was a ditz with lofty romantic notions and a string of boyfriends willing to play along, but she's settled since she got married, and she isn't a predator.

"He was going to. A mo-tel," Jane sounds out the syllables carefully, a child repeating an unfamiliar word.

Joyce's heart drops.

Her first, and worst, thought is about how that boy used to parade around town, drawing as much attention as possible. She'd never seen him with the same girl twice, and she'd never seen him in modest, weather-appropriate clothes. Karen was always weak for a flirty guy, she was easy to take in with a few flattering words, and by the time she realized they didn't mean any of it they'd already gotten what they wanted from her.

She assumes Billy must have laid it on thick, as he was prone to do, and Karen fell for it, like she always did.

But that was when she was a teenager too. When she was a silly, impressionable girl, not a married woman with three children of her own.

Her children, Christ. Joyce's stomach turns. Billy was in Nancy's year. He was Jonathan's age.

Bile burns the back of her throat.

She'd been hearing gossip about Karen and half her book club spending every day at the pool all summer and she hadn't thought anything of it. Not a goddamn thing. How long had it been going on? Was she sleeping with him when he was still in school?

Joyce puts her head in her hands and lets out a slow, silent breath. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. She doesn't feel any calmer but she feels less like throwing up. Confused, directionless anger prickles under her skin. It's easier to be angry. At Karen for taking advantage. At herself for not caring soon enough. At everyone for not seeing it before it got him killed.

She hears Max swearing, ranting, none of it makes sense and she can only make out every other word. She's not sure Max even knows what she's saying.

There's this…itch. In her brain. That little buzz at the base of her skull, when she needs to get up and do something, when she can't sit still, stay quiet, but. But there's nothing she can do. There's nothing to be done.

Her fingers clench in her hair, hands trembling as she aimlessly pushes her bangs back.

She can't do a goddamn thing.

It takes Joyce three weeks to lose her shit.

She's been trying to get Jane settled in—with a few new things and a lot of hand-me-downs, she's tall enough to fit into a lot of Joyce's old clothes—but it's been…challenging. She still barely speaks. Joyce isn't sure if that's normal for her, and that's part of the problem. As much as she wants to take care of this child she barely knows her, and the universe doesn't seem to be that keen on giving her the time to change that.

Because she has…a lot on her mind. Looking into places to move, for one. Sunny places. With minimal suspicious deaths. And work has been much busier now that the mall has burned down. And people all over town are still talking about it, people who have no idea. Who don't know. They still pat her hand and tell her Hop was a hero, like that will make her feel better about pulling the switch that got him killed.

And then there's…the Billy issue.

Max comes around the house a lot. Always wearing a denim jacket that smells like Marlboro Reds. Snapping at Mike more and more often. And Joyce has no clue what to say to her.

If there's even anything she could say.

She keeps…failing. She failed Will. She failed Bob. Hop. Twice over, when she couldn't get him out of that base alive. And now. His daughter is struggling. Her friends are struggling. Joyce is doing everything she can but it's not enough, and it's driving her crazy.

She can't scratch that itch in her brain, no matter what she does. No matter how much often she rents Jane's favourite movies to watch as a family, or sits with her after dinner and goes over the writing and grammar worksheets they got from the library, or insists on cooking dinner and pretends Jonathan isn't hovering over her shoulder the whole time expecting her to burn their grilled cheeses.

Because every time Max stays over they all act like they can't tell she's been crying, like they don't see her eyes go vacant whenever someone lights up a cigarette or a car engine rumbles in the background or any number of tiny things Joyce doesn't catch that must be tearing Max up inside. Joyce lets her stay and puts food on her plate and a comforting hand on her shoulder but none of it helps.

And four weeks after Billy died, Karen Wheeler walks into Melvalds General, her hair perfectly curled, a tiny, sad smile pulling at her lips when she spots Joyce in her employee vest. She's coming over, hands folded to her chest, freshly manicured nails sparkling, the picture of grace and sympathy, with her soft eyes and pouting lips.

The whole routine has never rung so hollow before. Discomfort tugs at Joyce's insides, writhing in her guts.

"Joyce," Karen calls, stepping delicately around the half-unpacked box of mouthwash on the ground. Stocking shelves has never been Joyce's favourite part of her job, but she'd rather keep doing that than have this conversation. Karen reaches out, grasping Joyce's elbow. "I'm so sorry. I should have come to see you sooner…I know you and Chief Hopper were close."

Joyce shakes her hand off. "Sort of busy here, Karen. Work. You know how…it…" She pauses, and shrugs awkwardly, gesturing to the bare shelf behind her. "I'm in the middle of something."

That earns her a frown, a pitying look, sympathy to the point of condescension. "Did you take any time off? After…you know."

Like she can afford that. Jonathan's making less at his new job than he did working for the Post and she's got another mouth to feed now. Two if she's counting Max, which she might as well.

Max, who's a ticking timebomb nowadays. A raw nerve trying to pretend she isn't. A shell of the vibrant girl Joyce met last November.

Because her brother is gone, and it's Karen Wheeler's goddamn fault.

The itch returns with a vengeance. Crawling up her spine, a thousand tiny needlepoint fingers prodding her back. Her stomach feels like dropped jello, jittering fragments smashed on the ground.

She hasn't been told, in so many words, what life in the Hargrove household was like—is like—but Max says just enough that Joyce can put the pieces together. It's not a pretty picture.

And Karen got to go back to her cushy little life, getting her nails done and making casseroles like there's nothing wrong in the world, like her children haven't been fighting monsters right under her nose for years. Doling out advice like she knows a single thing about what any of them have gone through. Walking around with her head in the clouds because she can still pretend she's living in a normal town with normal problems.

Something bitter an angry takes ahold, all spite and thorns and a gnarled lump in her throat.

"What about you, Karen?" Joyce manages to keep her voice steady, calm on the surface and cold underneath.

Karen blinks at her, tilting her head in confusion. "Me?"

"Well, you knew someone who died in the fire too."

"I…a few of them, yeah." She folds her arms around herself. "It's a small town. But I didn't know any of them that well."

"No?" Joyce grits her teeth, venom sour on her tongue. "What about Billy Hargrove?"

He died saving Hop's daughter, and no one will ever know. As much as Joyce hates that everyone has an opinion about Hopper's death, she's starting to hate even more that Max will never once be told her brother was a hero.

Calling Karen out won't change anything, Joyce is just tired of being angry in secret.

It's almost satisfying to watch the colour drain from her cheeks. Less so to see her eyes start to shine with tears. "He…taught Holly a lot. She used to be terrified of the water, you know."

There's guilt colouring her grief. If Joyce didn't know to look for it she wouldn't have been able to tell, but it's there. It's also not enough. It's the vague regret of a woman carrying one tiny little secret, a woman who carries her past but isn't haunted by it. The rest of them have ghosts that following them every waking hour but Karen doesn't seem to be aware of hers.

"I know what you were doing!" Her voice cracks this time, strains under the weight of everything she has to hold back. "Don't act dumb, I know you aren't," she snaps when Karen opens her mouth.

"I—I didn't do anything—"

"Bullshit! Half the town saw you at the pool every day, drooling all over that boy, treating him like a piece of meat." That's all he was to anyone, wasn't he. Eye candy. Cannon fodder. A body for the Mind Flayer to take and use up. Joyce's eyes sting, and she jabs a finger into Karen's shoulder. "He was a child! How do you justify—"

"He was eighteen!"

"Exactly!" Joyce throws up her hands, the rage thrumming through her flares, all motion and energy and flushed cheeks. She doesn't care that her voice is getting shrill, her hands are shaking, Karen is glancing around the store nervously. "You took advantage of him, and you should have known better!"

"Joyce—Joyce, I swear I never—I have a husband for god's sake! I was just, I was just—he was just so nice, and, and I was lonely, but I never…" She breaks into tears, shoulders shaking, she presses a hand over her mouth when a sob tries to escape her. "It was a mistake," she says, voice wet and muffled by her palm.

Joyce clenches her jaw, and grinds her teeth, swallowing some of the bile crawling up her throat. "It never should have happened in the first place. None of it."

"I know."

"He was far too young for you."

"But—"

"A teenager, Karen! He was a teenager! In high school! He should have been worrying about zits and homework and goddamn prom, not middle aged women preying on him because they're trapped in failing marriages and trying to relive their youth."

Karen's eyebrows shoot up, and she mouths wordlessly, tears still dripping down her cheeks. "That's…" she sputters. "At least I still have a husband." She winces as she says it, with an immediate look of regret.

"That's what you're going with? Really?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"I don't give a damn what you think of me and my life. And I'm not the one you owe an apology to."

"I'm trying to do better, okay," Karen sighs, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. She looks tired. "I'm working on my marriage. And the kids…things have been so strained lately, but…I'm trying. I really am. It's not like I ever made a habit of going around flirting with random men!"

"What about boys."

"No—listen, it wasn't like that! He was—"

"Oh please don't say 'mature for his age'."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, is there a problem here?" Joyce's manager appears around the corner of a shelf. She'd almost forgotten there are other people in the store, but suddenly she'll aware of every eye turned in their direction. The nosy old church lady in the next isle, peering through the stacks. The pair of teenagers gaping at them from over by the watch display.

It's not the first time she's been a spectacle, but it seems like Karen isn't as acclimatized. She pales, and her eyes go wide. "N—no," she pastes on an unconvincing smile.

"Joyce, that shelf is still bare."

"Yeah, yeah," she mutters, and mock-salutes. "On it."

Karen scurries out of the store, whispers following her the whole way out.

It doesn't feel like a victory. It might just make everything worse, who knows. There's petty satisfaction in seeing Karen embarrassed, but Joyce is sure she didn't get through to her, not really. She doesn't understand the depth of her mistake, and she probably never will.

Joyce scratches the back of her neck. And gets back to work.

A week later Steve Harrington shows up on her doorstep with Billy Hargrove, bloody, bruised, and half conscious, plastered to his side.

"I didn't know where else to go," he says all in a panicked rush. He wipes his forearm across his face and leaves a smudge of dirt over one eyebrow. Billy blinks at her, bleary, unfocused, seemingly unaware of Steve's vice grip on his waist, and the tiny, gentle stroke of his thumb against the arm he's swung firmly over his shoulders.

Joyce's heart is in her mouth. She swallows, and tries to stay calm. There's an open, anxious plea all over Steve's face and she needs to get him through this somehow.

"You did good, honey, bring him inside."

Will's asleep, and Jon is at work, but the door of her bedroom creaks and Jane pops her head out as Steve is hauling Billy into the living room.

She goes wide-eyed. Then teary. "Max," she says after a beat, and slips back into Joyce's room, presumably to make a phone call.

"You stay with him, okay?" Joyce pats Steve's shoulder. He's tense. Joyce wonders where exactly he found Billy, and what he had to do to get him here.

Steve nods jerkily, an perches on the coffee table across from the couch he laid Billy down on, bouncing his leg. Staring. Flexing his fingers over and over again, fists pressed to his thighs.

There's something there and Joyce doesn't have time to unpack it.

She grabs a bowl from the kitchen. Fills it with warm water. Watches the water swirl, splash, droplets clinging to the plastic sides. Her vision is a little fuzzy. She's a little light-headed.

Billy is alive.

Somehow.

It's odd, seeing him in person again. He used to scare her. She can vaguely remember it. What it was like before. When he was an unknown, a new kid projecting danger as far as he could. It's like seeing behind an optical illusion. Figuring out how a magic trick works. Realizing that he was just a moth with a flashy pattern, hoping not to get eaten.

But wherever he's been, he's lost weight, lost that mask he used to wear everywhere. He's cracked open and bleeding on her couch, looking every bit the scared kid he always was.

Her heart aches.

Steve hastily folds his arms across his chest when she walks back into the room, a first aid kit tucked under her arm and a clean cloth floating in her bowl of water.

"Is he doing alright?" Joyce asks softly, glancing between the two of them. Billy startles at the sound of her voice, and Steve folds his lips between his teeth, looking pained.

"He…um." He doesn't even glance in Joyce's direction. Not for a second. She was under the impression these two weren't friends, but maybe she was wrong. "I'm not sure."

"Okay." She plonks the bowl down next to Steve, and sits on the couch, keeping a careful distance between her and Billy. He's shaking like a leaf and she doesn't want to spook him even more. "Help me get him cleaned up a little? It'll be easier to tell if he needs medical attention."

God, she needs a cigarette. Her nerves are fried and it's taking everything she's got not to just collapse right now. She's been awake for nineteen hours and the real estate agent that was supposed to contact her today flaked, and none of that even matters right now because she just wants to do something stupid like wrap both these boys up in soft blankets and mother the hell out of them.

Steve takes the cloth, pinching it between two fingers and eyeing it like it's a bug crawling in his lunch. His movements are stilted, unsure, but Billy lets him wipe the mud from his face without incident while Joyce roots through her kit. She keeps it better stocked than she used to. And thank god for that.

Though Billy's injuries don't seem too severe, Joyce notes as Steve continues to clean him up. The way he's moving his hands might mean trouble, he winced his way through Steve's ministrations and now he's keeping them curled in his lap, stiff and shaky, bruises darkening his knuckles. But other than that they seem to mostly uncover scars.

"I, um. This water is…" Steve gestures at the bowl of murky water. His gaze flicks over Billy, jumping from his hands to his eyes to the scars crisscrossing out from under his shirt. He jumps up, suddenly, water sloshing onto the carpet as he picks up the bowl. "I'll be right back," he announces, voice high and strained.

Joyce blinks at his retreating back. Then turns to Billy, whose gaze is lingering on the doorway Steve disappeared through. "So, you two are close, huh?"

He startles, and recoils, and shakes his head. "Not really." His voice is croaky, low and dry. She should've gotten him water to drink too.

He's fidgeting, anxious, unable to meet her eye, like a kid caught doing something they shouldn't.

"Well, he seems to care about you."

She doesn't expect the tears that well up in his eyes, spilling over without warning. He ducks his head like he's trying to hide it, but she's already seen. And there's no hiding the way his shoulders shake as he tries to steady his breathing.

Her heart breaks for him. Like it has been, again and again, for weeks now.

"Oh, honey," she says quietly, sadly, and he finally looks up at her, eyes shiny, cheeks wet. They look nothing alike, not really, but she's struck by an image of Will, three years old and bawling his eyes out over a chipped ashtray. The same feeling wells up in her chest, the same overpowering need to scoop him up in her arms and keep him away from anything that's ever hurt him.

She slides over and pulls him into a hug.

"You're okay now, it's okay."

He's tense, and trembling, and she thinks maybe she did the wrong thing here, but then he shatters, with a tiny, wounded noise, collapses against her, tucked into the crook of her neck like Jonathan used to when he was having trouble sleeping and she'd have to carry him for hours while he dozed.

He's okay. She'll make sure of it.

~tag list @spreckle @growup-thatbeautiful @prettyboy-like-you @suddenlyinlove

#stranger things #joyce byers #billy hargrove #harringrove #(implied harringrove)#i didn't mean to finish this fic on mothers day but here we are lmao #joyce is a mess but she's doing her best #a raven's writing desk

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nowmemoriees · 11 months

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VAN SCENE SCRIPT ANALYSIS | 4×08 (byler)

Full Script 👇 (Provided by @strangerwriters official twitter account)

Now, we start.

First, we get an introduction to the scene, as Argyle is talking about another pizza store called Domino's, and he says this interesting phrase before the focus goes to Will and Mike -> "Your dominos gonna fall"👀

Then, the focus goes to Mike and Will. They're having the Vegas conversation, where Will jokes about El making them super rich.

- [...] We could just -- retire and play DND and Nintendo for the rest of our lives. (This phrase is so important to the byler plot, because it reassures what Will already said in season 3: He wants to be with Mike his entire life <3)

But, he notices that Mike is not in a great mood by the moment, so, instead, he comforts him.

Mike says how he feels, he's afraid of the idea of El not needing him anymore. He says this interesting phrase when Will reassures him that El will always need him:

- [...] That's what I keep telling myself, but the truth is -- I don't believe it. Not really.

It's like, a part of him already assumed that El will no longer need him. We confirm this when he mentions that meeting El was not fate, it was just dumb luck. It was not a choice.

He says that he started to understand that El doesn't need him. He saw it, he saw it in her eyes. -> WHY WAS THIS PART DELETED FROM THE VAN SCENE??? THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT MENTION.

If we connect the "I saw it. I saw it in her eyes" line with the "I don't believe it. Not really" one, we can see that the writers intention was to show us that Mike already knows that El doesn't need him, so it turns his monologue from 4×09 to be even more contradictory 👀

This moment was like the perfect excuse for Will to finally show Mike his painting. He's not sure at first, but then, he doesn't even care about anything anymore. -> Screw it.

When Mike first sees the painting, his breath catches. That was his first reaction, and this is so interesting, because this expression has been used before in ST scripts, with other couples👀

I also want to point out the way how Mike and Will are apart from the rest of the group, when the script says -> Mike, Will and the others.

Mike thinks the painting is amazing, he can't even believe what he's seeing. But Will messed it up, saying that it was commisioned by El -> He lied.

and every lie has consequences in ST.

Jonathan clocks the lie, he knows what Will is going through. Will makes it even more obvious to him when he starts talking about being different and how scary it is. -> Will was definitely not talking about El.

Will also explains Mike why he added a heart to his shield, making a whole speech about Mike being the heart of the group. (I wonder if that was his plan from the beginning, or if he just made up that whole speech in his head right in that moment.)

When Will keeps talking about his feelings (covered up using El's name), he also says that losing Mike hurts, as he gets emotional.

- [...] Losing you -- It just hurts -- It hurts too much.

That line was deleted from the scene (And I'm glad it was, because it's so painful)

When Will finally reassures Mike and tells him that El will always need him, Mike is supposed to ask "You really think so?" And Will should have said "I know so", confidently.

But instead, it was replaced with a simple but emotional:

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

It goes back to the part of 4×04 where, instead of the "Cool - Cool" exchange, Mike and Will should have said those previous lines (Yeah? - Yeah.)

Finally, we see that Will turns and looks out the window, giving way to melancholy. But he wasn't supposed to cry, it was all a part of Noah's acting. Such a talented boy <3.

#stranger things #byler #st4 #byler tumblr #script analysis #byler is real

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ronweasleysleftnut · 1 year

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angst prompt 9 with jonathan pls 🥺

Prompt:

I need to be with someone who actually wants me. And I know that's not you.

Jonathan byers x female!reader.

Jonathan likes someone else, and y/n can tell.

Liar Liar

It was 3am in the middle of winter. Y/n had her window open, looking out at the now falling snow. She hadn't been able to sleep, so instead she sat up in bed and read. When she saw the snow fall however, she wanted to watch.

Her elebows rested on the windowsill as she looked out past her neighborhood. It was cold enough for the snow to stick to the ground, and so in no time outside stayed to turn white. She had been up restless that night due to Jonathan. They had been together for 2 years now, since their Freshman year, but lately he's been acting different.

He's been distant, and he's been hanging around Nancy Wheeler, a lot. Y/n didn't think anything of it at first, Jonathan was allowed to have his own friends, but as time went on, she started to worry he liked her more than just friends.

She hadn't confronted him about this, she was too scared. She didn't want to be wrong, and end up jeopardizing their relationship even more, but at the same time this feeling gnawed at the pit of her stomach.

She took a deep breath before shutting the window in front of her and turning to her bed where she climbed back in and tucked the covers around herself. She closed her eyes, willing her body to finally fall asleep, to turn off these thoughts that went in an endless circle and just sleep. And eventually, it did.

She woke up the next morning at 6am to her mother calling from downstairs. She got up groggily from bed and slipped on some warm clothes for the now 2 inches worth of snow that accumulated while she slept.

School wasn't called off, it almost never is. And so when she went downstairs her mother had breakfast made, and after she finished, she heard Jonathan's car horn signaling his arrival outside.

He drove her to school every morning, despite anything else that may have been happening between them that always stayed consistent. "Morning", he says quietly, and Y/n can tell he's been experiencing his own insomnia. "Good morning" she says with a small smile and leans over to kiss him. He turns his head however, and she kisses his cheek instead.

"Let's go" he says with an awkwardly and Y/n nods, buckling her seat belt before Jonathan drives down the road slowly.

She sits through school as usual, her and Jonathan only had their last class of the day together, social studies. Despite that however, she can't help but have thoughts of him all day. She tries to confide in her best friend Robin during lunch, but it doesn't go to plan. "I don't know how mens minds work!" Robin said, her shoulders scrunching up as they do when she talks about this type of stuff. "I like women, I don't bother understanding the opposite gender" and with that, Y/n was left hopeless.

And to top it all off, when she went to history, Jonathan was no where to be seen.

After school she went out to the parking lot to Jonathan's car, ready to confront him about his absence, but when she got there she saw that Jonathan wasn't alone.

Nancy was standing with Jonathan by the back of his car, and before they could see her, Y/n went to the car over and listened in on their conversation. "Thank you for today, Jonathan" she hears Nancy say, and she can see the reflection of her smile in the glass. "It was no problem, really" he replied flustered, that smile Y/n loved so much flashing across his face. "So... I'll see you tomorrow?" She asks, and the boy nods.

Just as Y/n thinks she's about to leave however, Nancy goes on her tip toes and plants a kiss on Jonathan's cheek, causing his face to burn a shade of bright red.

Y/n feels tears come to her eyes, but she holds them back. As soon as Nancy is gone, she walks over to where Jonathan stands. He's still so awed by the kiss that he didn't even realize she came from the wrong direction. "Y/n" he said, smiling down at her, although she knew it wasn't a smile for her, it was from Nancy.

"Hey" she replied quietly, and Jonathan took her hands in his own. "Wanna come back to mine tonight?" He asked, and she looked up at him. Maybe she was wrong, maybe Jonathan did still love her? "I'd love to" she says with a smile, and Jonathan bends down and kisses her lightly on the lips before moving to the passenger door and opening it for her.

She gets in and watches as he goes around to the front of the car where he enters the driver's side. He starts the car and turns on the radio, tapping along to the beat on his steering wheel as they exit the parking lot.

Y/n still has hope as they pull into his driveway, however her dreams are crushed soon after.

They get into the house normally, Jonathan taking her coat at the door and telling her to sit while he gets them food. She takes her normal seat on his couch and turns on the TV, waiting for the boy to come back.

When he does, he's holding 2 sodas and a bag of chips. When he sits down, he places the bag of chips between them.

They switch through the channels until they land on some random game show, and Jonathan sits back ready to watch. Y/n however, turns to face him "So, what did you do today? You weren't in History..." she finally brings it up, and he looks over "Oh, uh.. I had other stuff to do" but Y/n isn't going to let go of it that easily.

"Oh" she says, "Like what?" And Jonathan takes a moment before turning his head towards her again, clearing his throat before speaking "Uh... I went out with Nance" he says. Nance. Y/n bites her lip to prevent the tears from forming in her eyes "Oh, so you and Nancy are good friends? Thats nice" She asks as casually as she can, but it seemed as though those were the magic words to make Jonathan open up.

Apparently he took it as an opening, that y/n was okay with it, because he opens up like a book and starts talking about Nancy like it's a middle school crush. "Yeah I mean she's just... she's really cool. And she knows what she wants, and she's determined and so thoughtful of the people around her, and when she's concentrating she does this cute thing where she bites her thumb" he imitates the motion and laughs, however when he looks over at Y/n, tears are openly coming down her face now.

"Y/n" he starts, moving immediately to comfort her. "Are you okay?" But she pulls away, wrapping her arms around herself. "You like her, don't you" she says, and Jonathan hesitates for a moment before responding "what, I no" he says, trying to touch her again but she pulls away and gets off the couch.

"Jonathan I saw you two together earlier!" She says, and his mouth drops "I saw her kiss you, and I saw the way you looked at her and I know that look Jonthan that's how you used to look at me" the tears are coming more than ever now, and Jonathan recollects himself, however he doesn't move to comfort her this time.

"Y/n, this is crazy" he says, motioning towards her "You're not denying it though, Jonathan! Because you know it's true" she responds, wiping the tears from her eyes as she recollects herself. "I love you" she says sincerely, walking towards him and looking him in the eye "But I need to be with someone who actually wants me. And I know that's not you."

Jonathan is left speechless as she moves away from him and towards the door, but at this he finally gets up to follow "Y/n, this is insane just come back we can talk about this" he tries but she shakes her head, pulling on her coat "There's nothing to talk about" she says with a sad smile, "I hope you're happy with her, Jon" and she exits the house, making new steps in the snow as she goes.

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hoffmannwrites · 1 year

Text

On My List

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 + 1 Masterlist

Author’s Note: OMG this is the last part. I can't believe I actually finished a fic?? who am I??? anywho, this part gets a little hot and heavy, so just a warning there. Nothing super explicit, but like dicks are mentioned. Thank you for reading alone and indulging me!!

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson

Description: 5 Times Steve and Eddie kiss as friends, and one time they don't.

Warnings/Tags: Everyone lives, Nobody dies, 5+1, Kissing, Fluff, Idiots to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, heavy petting, brief sex talk, gay stereotypes, brief mention of Upside Down induced PTSD and panic attacks, uhhh they're gay your honor, no beta we die like Barb, let me know if I missed anything?

I Think We're Alone Now

+ 1

There’s only so many platonic kisses from a super hot jock that a single-braincelled gay man can take. And 5 is the limit. Eddie has been absolutely losing it since he high tailed it out of the last sticky situation he was in with Steve, still trying to wrap his brain around what the fuck was happening. He’s gone back and forth between a bunch of different theories, but usually ends up ping-ponging between “Steve is just a very affectionate friend who is comfortable in his heterosexuality” and “Steve keeps kissing me for a reason”. Eddie refuses to acknowledge the fact that this reason is because Steve actually likes kissing other boys in a very gay, very homosexual way, refuses to even toy with the idea that Steve likes him in that kind of way. But even though he fully believes it is actually impossible, Eddie has been mildly avoiding Steve for the past few weeks. Not totally! But anytime that Eddie isn’t sure if Robin is also working, he waits to return his tapes until he’s sure she is. And anytime Steve calls to invite Eddie over for movie night or to do something with the kids or anything, Eddie makes sure he leaves early enough that he’s not the last one standing. Makes sure he only goes into the kitchen for a snack when someone else is already in there. It’s just safer this way, he thinks. He doesn’t have to deal with the issue if it’s never really an issue, right? Doesn’t have to answer or ask any questions if he and Steve aren’t alone together for them to come up.

However, Steve isn’t a complete fucking idiot and notices something is up. It takes him a little while, assuming Eddie is just busy with the band or D&D for a couple weeks before he really starts to notice the pattern. But once he does, he’s worried. Worried because he knows what Eddie’s been through in the past year, knows from personal experience how hard it is to live in "the after" of that. He knows that sometimes it can take a long time to really process and show any signs of PTSD, knows it can get even worse around the anniversary of the event (which is right about…now actually). And above all of it, he knows how fucking lonely it is, how hard it is to try to do it by yourself. I mean, hell, Steve didn’t really have anyone to talk to until Robin came around, because it was just too weird with Jonathan and Nancy, and the kids were just kids. And even after he had Robin, he still had to go home sometimes. Usually to an empty house. And even if it wasn’t empty, it’s not like he could tell his parents what was going on, just had to put on a brave face and blame his weird mood on a failed algebra test or a bad day at work. So yeah, he’s no stranger to having to go through all this shit alone and trying to just deal with the impossible- with the way his scars itch and he always feels like there’s something just around the corner and the ringing in his ears sometimes and the migraines and the way his chest starts to tighten when he thinks about any of it too hard. And Steve is determined to make sure Eddie doesn’t have to go through that alone, not like he did.

So they have a movie night. It’s supposed to be Eddie’s turn to pick, but he’s waiting for the new Evil Dead to get in at Family Video, so they let El pick and she chooses The Goonies (after some helpful suggestions from Robin), which no one is opposed to because it’s fricking The Goonies. And they're at the point where Chunk is telling the Fratellis about everything bad he’s ever done when Steve gets up and goes to the kitchen to make more popcorn. He hates yelling during the movie, but knows it’ll actually be less distracting in the long run. “Eddie can you come here and help me with something?” He knows Eddie is about to complain, ask why someone else can’t do it, he can feel it in his bones like a sixth sense, so he continues. “I need someone tall.” He knows Argyle is actually the tallest out of the group, but he’s been passed out in the recliner since the Truffle Shuffle. He also knows Eddie will never resist an opportunity to remind everyone that he is exactly one inch taller than Steve and yes it matters.

Eddie hops up from his spot on the floor, too blinded by his own ego to see this is obviously a trap. Steve would never ask him for help to reach something, his pride would prevent him. But Eddie is in the kitchen now, and Steve is pointing to the cabinet above the fridge “there’s more popcorn in there, I just can’t reach it.”

“Aw, too short down there in under 6-foot land? Don’t worry, I’ll get it for you, seeing that I’m the tallest man in the world,” Eddie says, patting Steve on the head patronizingly.

“In the world?” Steve just repeats, in disbelief at how Eddie’s ego knows no bounds.

“Ever, actually,” he casually replies, handing Steve the box of Pop Secret with a smug smile.

He turns on his heel to return to the living room, but Steve grabs his wrist before he can.

“Uh, actually I wanted to talk to you for a minute.” Steve says, voice softer and eyes kinder than they were a minute ago.

Oh no. Oh no oh fuck oh shit. He was about to tell Eddie that he thought this had all gone too far and he knew Eddie had a big fat gay crush on him and that Steve was flattered but just Straight with a capital S. And that was fine! Eddie could live with that, it was honestly probably the best let down he could hope for. But it was so nice living in this delusion where every kiss with Steve didn’t have an overcast cloud of “he rejected you!” over it yet. But Eddie realizes that he’s going to have to have this conversation sooner or later. And he wants to run, oh god does he want to high tail it the fuck outta dodge, but he can’t. No more running, right?

“Ohkayyyy,” Eddie says, feigning oblivion. He decided to stay, not to face it like a man. Baby steps.

“I just uh.. I just noticed that you’ve been ya know kinda off the past few weeks." (Eddie starts to sweat) "You haven’t been around as much-" (his eyes are looking everywhere except Steve) "-and you pretty much always leave while it’s still light out-" (oh god was it that obvious that he didn’t want to be alone with Steve at night?) "- and you’re just keeping to yourself a little more.” (God he’s so fucking transparent) “I just wanted to let you know that, I get it." (Here is comes) "It’s been a year since everything and it’s never easy on the anniversary and I know it’s fucking scary but you don’t have to do this alone." (Steve is still holding his wrist) “You know, you have me and Robin and everyone else to talk to or to stay with and we get it. And I know it’s hard to talk about this shit, but you went through literal hell and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. " (Wait he’s confused) "We’re all still processing and dealing with that trauma and PTSD is super complicated, so like we’re here to talk. It helps a lot more than you think, and I just don’t want you to have to deal with all your Upside Down shit alone, okay?" (He’s still confused but putting the pieces together.)

And Eddie just stairs at Steve for a minute, computing everything Steve just said. Just stares for too long then is appropriate, probably. And Steve looks so concerned, so sincere. And Eddie can’t help but laugh. Fucking fully toothygrincan’tbreathe LAUGH. And now Steve’s a little pissed because, hey man-we all went through shit and people died and we almost died it’s not fucking funny. But before he can chastise Eddie, the taller man is apologizing. “Oh fuck I’m sorry. I’m not—that was really sweet. And I appreciate the fuck outta you. That’s just so not where I thought this conversation was going.”

Steve’s relieved. “Oh.”

Eddie’s relieved “Yeah.”

“So where did you think it was going? “

Eddie is no longer relieved. “Oh it’s nothing.”

“Because something is definitely up with you.”

Fuck. Damn Harrington and his spider sense for always knowing what’s wrong.

Eddie has a couple options. He can keep walking on eggshells, ignoring his friends, and flaking early and pretend like nothing is happening forever. (Or until his crush on Steve goes away. Which it won’t. So forever). He can stop doing that, but still avoid this conversation, and just act like nothing ever happened. (Which notably will be impossible, with the way he can’t ever take his eyes off Steve when they’re together.) Or he can face this. Right here, right now. He can tell Steve what’s going on and they can both get the fuck over it. And hell, the man saved the entire world with a guitar solo, he can face a straight boy not liking him back.

“I like you”

“Yeah I’d hope so. You’re in my home and we’ve been hanging out for like a year.”

“No like… I have, uh, romantic feelings for you. And I know you don’t feel the same and you’re straight and that’s fine, I just couldn’t keep dealing with being around you all the time and you flirting back and kissing me because even though I know it never meant anything to you, it meant something to me and was really confusing so I just had to put some distance there. And I know that you’re probably gonna be pretty upset with me for, like, being gay and letting you joke with me or whatever and that’s fine, I just, uh. Yeah. That’s why I’m being weird. The Upside Down stuff is like, completely secondary to everything else going on in my head right now.”

Steve just lets Eddie ramble. Lets him get it all out while he listens with his arms folded across his chest and eyebrows raised. Once Eddie finally finishes, finally meets Steve’s eyes, Steve can’t help but quirk his brows into the bitchiest expression he can muster.

“First of all, you gotta sort out your priorities. The anniversary of our group shadow dimension almost-death should definitely come before worrying about boys. Second of all, who told you that?”

Eddie’s a little taken aback at Steve’s nonchalance. And confused again. “Told me what?”

“Like. Half of that shit. That I’d be mad at you for flirting with me? That it was a joke? That I’m straight?”

Now that last one really catches Eddie off-guard. “Well. No one. But like. You are. Right? Straight I mean.”

Steve’s face is just getting more contorted as this conversation goes on. “Eddie!” He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Who’s my favorite singer?”

“What?”

“Answer the question”

“Springsteen. Or Madonna.”

"And what’s my favorite movie?"

“You tell everyone its Animal House but its Rocky Horror.”

It’s like Eddie doesn’t even hear the words that are coming out of his own mouth. And Steve is looking at him wide eyed with an eerily similar expression to the one Robin gave him in that Star Court bathroom stall in the summer of ‘85. “Eddie…” he takes a step closer and Eddie move his eyes to meet Steve’s, brow still furrowed, ass now pressed against the countertop. Steve boxes him in, puts both hands on the counter on either side of Eddie. He wants to kiss Eddie, wants to kiss him and shut him up and drown in those stupid big eyes so fucking bad, but apparently that hasn’t worked yet! Apparently kissing 5 times is just too vague for the metal head. So Steve does what he does best, he flirts relentlessly. His mouth is inches away from Eddie’s and Eddie looks almost drunk off it, trying to follow around Steve’s eyes and lips at the same time. “Remember what you called me in the RV when you were hotwiring it last spring break?” Steve is whispering into Eddie’s blushed skin.

Eddie swallows heavily trying to focus on the meaning behind the words and not just the fact that he can feel them on his skin. “Uh…big boy?” He says, voice almost squeaking, completely void of all previous bravado or sex appeal.

“Mhm,” Steve nods slightly. “I always knew I was into guys. But you calling me that, while hot wiring a fucking trailer. It wasn’t just Johnny Depp in Nightmare on Elm Street in a crop top or Tim Curry in those fishnets anymore. It wasn’t a hypothetical anymore. It was right in front of me. It was you. A little dirty and in leather and me in your fucking vest and you grinning up at me like you didn’t know exactly what you were doing to me.” The whole time he’s making this confession, he’s whispering it straight into Eddie’s skin. He’s getting impossibly closer and ghosting over ever where Eddie needs him. But they’re crotch to crotch at this point and Eddie can feel Steve getting half hard against him at the thought of the memory and Eddie is quick to follow in his footsteps. Eddie is silent, eyes half closed and just relishing at Steve being all over him. “Eds..” Steve practically licks up Eddie’s neck, getting only a hum that sounds like a question back. He removes his right hand from its place on the counter and brings it to Eddie’s chin, gripping it just enough to shock him into opening his eyes and really looking at Steve. “Kiss me.”

Eddie doesn’t need to be told twice. His hands are in Steve’s hair, his shoulders his waist, his ass, just moving trying to feel all of him. Steve is pressing him into the counter so hard now Eddie thinks there might be a bruise across the backs of his thighs, but he doesn’t fucking care because the way the front of their bodies press together is worth everything. Steve’s hands are in Eddie’s hair now, tugging just right and Eddie’s mouth opens enough to let Steve bite his bottom lip and tug. And Eddie almost moans out loud, but catches himself just in time. “Steve.” Now it’s his turn to return a noncommittal hum. “Steve-“ Eddie says more pointedly this time, pulijng him back just slightly by his pockets. Before Steve can protest, before he can let out the whine he's on the verge of, Eddie reminds him of their current situation. “There are kids in the other room. And if you keep going, I’m going to cream my jeans in your kitchen.” Steve loves the idea of Eddie cumming in his pants for him, if he’s being honest, but understands the issue. “Stay the night?” He asks with a few more kisses to Eddie’s neck. “You’ll be lucky if you ever get rid of me again” and Eddie has to practically drag Steve back to the living room, where they’re now sitting almost on top of each other on the floor against the couch. It takes about 10 minutes before the kids realize they never brought back popcorn and Nancy decides to go do it her damn self.

A/N:

The Goonies came out in June of 1985. It’s a banger. I think that El would really like it because it’s got adventure and friendship and bad guys who get what’s coming to them and has a happy ending. It remind her of her friends and she has a crush on Mikey (also rip Bob)

Popcorn was like huge in the 80s? Act 11 and Pop Secret both came out in the early 80s as microwave popcorn and so did a bunch of other brands. I didn’t know it came out so late??? Wtf??? I forget microwaves didn’t exist.

I named each of these chapters after a song from the 80s and they've all been period accurate accept for this one, which came out in August of '87 ( this would take place around March/April of '87), but it's fucking TIFFANY so I made an exception. Anywhore, here's a list of the songs in case you wanna check them out.

You Spin Me Round by Dead or Alive

Every Breath You Take by The Police

Happy New Year by Abba

Suddenly, Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors

Drive by The Cars

I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany

Thank you for reading my little fic, gay people in my phone! Feel free to follow my fandom Twitter @ hauntedvaginas , check me out on Ao3 @ hoffmannwrites or shoot me DM here if you ever wanna be my friend. I love you and I'm kissing you on the forehead.

#fluff #stranger things #eddie munson #steddie #stranger things au #rattwrites #steve harrington #5 + 1 #5 + 1 fic #steddie fanfic #smut if you squint #idiots to lovers

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storiesbyrhi · 1 year

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I just re-watched season 2 of Stranger Things and here's the takeaway for me - stop me if you've heard this one before ;) - whoever I was when I watched it in 2017 is not the girl you see before you. I have a wayyyy different interpretation of the characters and the show.

(Season 1 thoughts here.)

'MADMAX' was the coolest way to introduce Max. She is absolutely as rad as I remember. I'm not entirely sure they knew why they wrote Max into the show... Was it to give Lucas something to do (which is shitty for his character); was it to add another girl (yay tokenism); was it a setup for later seasons (I might accept that because not all new characters have to be the star of the show)? Who knows! What I do know is that Sadie Sink really gave Max teeth in an otherwise... eh storyline.

I forgot Nancy and Steve went to Barb's parents for dinners. Makes me so fucking sad. The entire Barb situation is tragic. Idk if it was a reaction to the 'Justice for Barb' movement but regardless, having some follow-up around that was so important. Nancy's trauma being (somewhat) explored was great too.

Jesus H. Christ Noah Schnapp can fucking act. Like yeah, Sadie Sink killed season 4 but Noah Schnapp season 2 is incredible. And he's thirteen! And the intensity and nuance in his performance are wild! !!! !!!

I remember being so charmed by the Dustin and Steve pair-up. Still am. Still am.

"He likes it cold." Yikes. Like I said about season 1, it's cool watching this through a Vecna lens. It feels plausible he was the plan for the show all along.

My memory of Dart was a nice one. Turns out that I forgot he killed Mews. Fuck that guy Dart. He is not my homie. RIP Mews. You deserved better.

I remember the demodogs being more dog-like. They truly be serving Silent Hill, huh?

Unpopular opinion but I don't hate the Kali storyline. I can see how I thought it sucked in 2017; waiting all that time for season 2 to finally come out, then getting that. I probably wanted more action and group bonding. However, I like that we got to see a) an alternative outcome for El had she not found Mike and Hopper, and b) El gain some autonomy in her search for history and home. It makes her choice to be Hopper's daughter more meaningful. The storyline also broadened the danger and cruelty of Brenner and co., and gave a legit setting for El to learn more about her powers.

RIP Bob. My memory of you was correct and you truly are a hero. Casting was A+ because nobody thought they'd violently kill a LOTR/Goonies star in the 80s themed show.

Watching the entire gang in the Byers house in episode 8 was so cool. That sweeping shot of all of them poised ready for the demodog attack... chefs kiss. I am now even angrier that they were all separated in season 4.

There's so much talk about cool television dads. Din Djarin this. Bandit Heeler that. Joel Miller who. Bob Belcher why. Where is the hype for Joyce Byers, who once again proves to be parent of the motherfucking year?! Are you kidding me?!

Knowing that the show goes on to call Mike the heart of the party is a real kick in the teeth. Will is so utterly the heart of this family and found family.

So, I never fell in love with Steve. Not a Stevie girlie. But, ah, this rewatch has me feeling all kinds of things. The fucking character development on this boy?! Might have to branch out into some Steeeeeedie x Reader fics. Shiiiit.

I. Love. Nancy. She. Is. So. Smart. Give. Her. More. Guns. And the scene with Dustin at the dance still breaks my heart. I love her, your honor.

Murray was exactly how I remembered.

Hopper was wayyyy better this season. The "sometimes I think I'm a black hole" speech was fantastic. Him telling El about Sarah, finally, is so healing for them both.

My opinions about Jonathan and Steve changed so much between 2016 and 2023, so I went into this with an open mind re: Billy. However, here's the thing. He's racist. Racists just aren't babes. No matter how else his behaviour and personality are contextualised, he will always be a racist so it's a hard no for me. Yes, Billy is the victim of an abusive parent, but that can only be used to explain some of his behaviour. Not all of it. Nor can it be used to excuse some of his behaviour. Nothing that has happened to Billy can justify the way Max is terrified when she hears his car. She is terrified of him. I'm not saying they don't love each other in a very complicated messy way, but when I try 'redeem' (for lack of a better word) season 2 Billy, I can't. Billy deserved a safe and good home, deserved better than what life gave him, but he'll continue to be a blocked tag for me. I do wanna say that I think he's an important character for a lot of people, and that is so valid. That's why I don't go around posting shit about him 24/7. I'll probably have a lot to say about him in season 3 too, because hey guess what, sexualising a teenager is weird as hell @ grown up adult women living in Hawkins.

At the end of season 2 I am so keen for some more El/Will friendship, Max development, and Jopper.

And I'm onto season 3. (Edit: here's the link!)

This has been a Stranger Things Rhi-Watch.

#Stranger Things #ST RhiWatch #Stanger Things 2 #Rhi Talks #steve harrington #joyce byers #jonathan byers #will byres #nancy wheeler #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #billy harringrove #jim hopper #jane hopper #el hopper #eleven hopper

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madmaxinealt · 1 year

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Platonic with a capital P! (Eddie x Reader) [17+]

-Before anyone says practically anything yes I'm aware that the name of the post is technically a Robin and Steve kinda thing but I don't ever see enough of eddie being just best friends with the reader.-

Summary: You had a rough time babysitting and went over your childhood best friend's house to unwind and relax.

Warnings: !Underage smoking! (The reader is 16 and eddie is 18), !Explicit language!, Talk about past relationships/situationships, !talk of death of a relative! Other than that this is just a simple fluff. Completely PLatonic with a capital P!, If i missed anything please let me know!

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I'd be lying if I said I hated babysitting these nerds, but sometimes they can be so incredibly difficult to manage. Things were a lot easier when jonathan would pitch in from time to time at the Wheelers residence. But that was a while ago, now that he is with Nancy a lot of things are different now. I never had anything against Nancy, personally that is we were never close though after finding out what happened to Barb..I guess we decided to try and build a bond.

Things have been pretty rough here in Hawkins, It's like the town never sleeps. Being Hopper's daughter it was already hard enough to try and have a calm and quiet life, more now than ever. I have a little sister again...who has insanely cool super powers.

Speaking of which.-

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY MIKE-" A small brown haired girl came running into the room soon followed by a taller boy with black chin length hair. "OH come on el it's just a soggy eggo! Does it really bother you that badly!?' He yells continuing to chase her.

Mike wheeler and my sister Eleven have been dating for what feels like ever now but he's been a bit distant so I snuck her over while I watched him before I have to take her back home and figure out any plans from there.

I stand up and grab a pillow from behind me and whack the boy beside his head, "What the hell have I told you about tormenting her, you're lucky she cares so much about you otherwise she'd make you fly across the damn room!" He lets out a huff and goes upstairs with El clearly learning nothing and following close after him giggling like a mad man. I roll my eyes and spin over to the phone and tap it slightly with my fingernail. There are a few people in mind that I could call, one of them being Jonathan but then again he is probably working with nancy at that little newspaper place Nancy had been non stop talking about. So that's a no go. There's Robin Buckley who has been my best friend since the middle of 7th grade, we met in art class and honestly since then we just clicked and sometimes we drift but it's no biggie I'll end up seeing her tomorrow at work anyways let's just hope I have a shift with her and not the infamous King Steve. Oh well I'll find it out later besides she was gonna come over to my house to watch The Dark Crystal. Even though it's a little too nerdy for Robin she still gives into that side of me-. Holy shit! I completely forgot.

I take the phone off the receiver and dial the numbers.

-brrinnngh....bbbbbrrinnghhh...-

I start to dance in place anxiously waiting for him to pick up.

-BBRRIIIIINGUHHH....BBRIINGGUH- -

Finally someone picked up and a tired grumble came through, "What do you want wheeler?" I smile happily, Eddie mother fucking Munson. My best friend. My best mate if you will.

"Wrong not a wheeler. Just youuu know pshhh the only cool person you talk to." I wasn't that much more popular than eddie being called "The freak Munson." Which genuinely made my blood boil. Suddenly I hear a quick shuffle.

"Oh damn sorry (Y/N), what time is it? Why are you calling aren't you supposed to be third wheeling the wheeler." I roll my eyes at his comment. "oh har har god I hate you." He gives a sleepy chuckle causing me to laugh too. "Anyways I'm gonna head out soon since it's almost 8:30 and my sister's curfew is 9, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me coming over and you know..chilling out..for a bit..? I'll pick up a movie too and maybe a pizza your choice."

The line went silent for a few minutes, so he was obviously thinking about it. "Hm..fine come over at 10:30 that's enough time for "the maid" to do her cleaning rounds."

I laugh ending the call, smoothly cleaning up after the two and driving Eleven back to the cabin and getting her settled in. I ended up making her dinner and saving some for Hopper putting it into the oven for it to stay warm by time he comes in and I wouldn't get yelled at two badly for leaving El' to hang out with Munson. I gave Eleven a quick kiss on the head. "You remember where the notepad is with all the numbers are right? If you need anything I'll be at eddie's so call there first if I don't answer call joyce okay? hmm...OH yeah and don't forget-" she interrupts my rambling, "And don't forget to only open the door to the special knock and give you a status report, I got this." I smile down at her and ruffle her hair and grab my bike lock key and run out the door and unlock my bike riding over to the trailer park where Eddie stayed with his Uncle Wayne.

After a while I finally make it, I quickly pull out my inhaler taking a few puffs regretting not taking my drivers test when I was supposed to instead of picking up an extra shift at scoops.

I ran up to the door and did my own little knock so eddie would know that it was me and not some rando. I anxiously tap my feet doing a shaky little dance humming some metallic song to ease my nerves, I was terrified of the dark more so after the fall of '83 seeing hints of the upside down and the demogorgen. If you really wanted to go back into my roots it started right before my sister Sara had passed. We were convinced that there was a goblin that lived under our house and scratched at the walls and bed frames as our parents slept and they were gonna steal our toes and eat our candy. Of course after she got sick it was just me in our old room dealing with the "little goblins" in the dark as I would always hide under the blanket holding my secret bag of candy and my feet safely in a pair of mismatched socks. When I met eddie he showed me metallica and a bunch of different sick rock music some of them I already knew about but metallica really stuck between us, that and Ozzy.

The screen door soon swings open and eddie is standing there and a woosh of the sweet scent of chocolate chip cookies smacked me in the face. "Oh munson you shouldn't have." I squeezed past him setting down the pizza box and taking the movies out of my jacket and placing them on the table before rushing to the cookie tray taking in the aroma. "Well hello to you too I guess." He chuckles and makes his way to the counter hopping up onto it watching my facial features. I turned over to look at him happily, he didn't get too dressed up just a shredded/cropped Dio tank, with a pair of very loose grey sweatpants with miss-matched grey and black socks and lastly had his hair in a messy low bun his bangs still being able to cover his eyes by the smallest amount.

"Oh sorry master Munson, I acquired our dinner and entertainment for the evening." I smile after giggling through my words at my nonsense accent I had put on. It made him laugh too, two times in one night god I'm on a roll! I spin around and open the pizza box, I got the pie split into three halves because I know how indecisive he is. One side is plain cheese, The second is Cheese and sausage and lastly my personal favorite hawaiian pizza. I grab a paper plate and put a cheese pizza and a sausage pizza on it and hand it to him, "Oh Hopper! You do love me" I place the back of his hand on his forehead and swoons almost falling off the counter. I burst out laughing holding onto the chair right next to me.

As the night slowly moved on it started to rain which means I had to call back home and let Hopper know I was spending the night at Robin's house since she owed me a get out of jail free card and cover for me. It was about 11;45pm Neither of us could stop talking even after I put on the movies I had brought over, so he pulled out "The magic bag" from in his pillow case and in which thank go already had some pre rolls in it. I pulled out my lighter and tossed it at eddie which he had smoothly caught it, he placed the joint gently on his pretty pink lips. Then lighting it and tossing my lighter back at me, he laid back crossing his arms behind his head relaxing. He took a long drag from the bud pulling it away from his mouth."So..." he began to speak handing it to me. "You never gave me an update on harrington, are you guys dating? Kissing partners? Or what? What's the scoop cap'in."

I scrunch my nose at his question. "Uhm well we are nothing just two people who used to go to school with each other and now unfortunately work together.." I hesitate before bringing the bud to my lips and taking the longest drag I could handle trying not to cough my brains out. "Yeah just two people who totally co parent a group of little kids around hawkins and had steamy and you know what veryyy detailed makeout sessions according to-" I cut him off and whack his arm causing him to burst out laughing. I mean sure yeah maybe me and Steve have a little something but it was kinda clear that he didn't want anything serious seeing he was still in love with Nancy. And we both exchanged some very not so nice things to each other.

I feel his rough hand rub my back, "Hey we don't have to talk about it, just curious is all. Hm.. How about we try and get some sleep and go fuck around at the Hideout or something Garreth missed seeing you around actually they all have, considering you aren't into the whole DND game thing soo." I think for a moment before nodding setting the joint down in the ashtray on his bedside table. "You're right I'm getting kinda tired anyways." I say after stretching back onto the bed cuddling in my spot on his bed closest to the wall. He chuckled slightly as he got up to turn off the lights and layed back down on the bed.

We used to split whenever I'd sleep over, like taking turns on whoever would sleep on the couch or bed but id make him clean his nasty ass sheets before hand. But after the upside down I refused to sleep alone whenever I wasn't home, even though he knew nothing about the upside down or anything about what I went through he didn't ask any questions and was right here and lay with me and waited until I fell asleep first.

I don't really know where I'd be without Eddie. He is definitely a big brother I've always begged for on every birthday wish. And I could definitely count on him with my life and soul, I just pray he knows I'd do the same for him.

"Goodnight Ed's..Thank you for.." I sigh sleepily. "..everything." Though I couldn't see him I could tell he was smiling, I felt his hand pull up the sheets and move the hair from my face. "Of course weirdo..now get some rest." And with that I soon drift off to a comfortable slumber.

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And that's it! I hope you enjoyed reading this little blurb I really loved writing this and if there's any requests please let me know!Maybe a [art two?:0 It doesn't have to be with just Eddie or platonic though this is my first time posting something like this lol. I might end up posting my Masterlist soon with a small plan I have with some characters :P

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #shifting #desired reality #reality shifting #eddie munson #eddiemunson x reader #stranger things #fanfic #eddie munson fluff #best friend

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slow-burn-sally · 11 months

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Ok, yeah, so I think I'm autistic, and through studying up on autism traits, I've started looking at the world around me very differently. Which in turn, led me to reevaluate why I like my favorite characters, and so here's a list of my favorite characters that I believe are autistic, and why. This is just my interpretation, and my headcanons, so please don't assume I'm trying to state this as unassailable fact.

ps. I'll totally do an ADHD version of this next.

1 - My precious bean, Thomas Jopson - The Terror AMC

I mean, just look at him. He's so well organized and dedicated to his job. He's riddled with childhood trauma, and this results in him doubling down and trying really really hard to keep history from repeating itself (losing a parental figure or someone deeply important to him to illness and death). He only really makes eye contact comfortably with Crozier, and he's very single minded. Being a steward is his special interest, and he is EXTREMELY INTO IT. He's uncomfortable talking about himself, and once his order and routines are taken away, he pretty much goes off the deep end. My poor bean. Very autistic.

2 - Gilbert Norrell - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Probably the most cut and dry example of an autistic character in entertainment media history. He loathes socializing, hates parties, and just wants to be left alone with his books and his magic (his special interests). He's also ace, so he finds most human beings, with their obsession with sex, and their need to gather and talk loudly together, completely incomprehensible. He's always felt like an alien, and a loner, and struggles to make social connections. When he does, he hangs onto them (namely Childermass). My grumpy, socially inept baby. Ily Gilly, and now I know why I identify so strongly with you.

3 - Sherlock Holmes - All Media Types (but for the purposes of this post, I'll focus on BBC Sherlock).

I almost don't have to say anything else. The whole fandom knows this bad boy is neurodivergent. He's got insane sensory issues, will disappear into his special interests (criminology and deduction) until he literally keels over from lack of food and sleep. He's socially inept, blunt, uncomfortable with touch, and doesn't like anyone but Mrs. Hudson, John, and Detective Inspector Gary Lestrade. He's probably a virgin, and could be ace, depending on how you see him, but as I've written a lot of Johnlock smut, I don't see him that way all the time. He's incredibly intelligent, and knows a lot about the world, but with strange gaps in his knowledge that can only be explained by not at all being able to drag his focus away from his special interests to learn things like basic astronomy, or what to say to people at a party.

4 - Tintin - The Adventures Of Tintin

This boy is very autistic to me. I'm not honestly sure why I feel this about Tintin. Based on the 2011 movie, which I'm the most familiar with, he seems both driven, goal oriented, and socially naive. He stumbles into danger by not reading the situation, and he lives alone with his dog. His best friend is a hyperactive-type ADHD alcoholic, and he strikes me as queer and autistic. If you feel the same way, let me know what you think.

5 - Fitzwilliam Darcey - Pride and Prejudice

I saw this hc in a recent youtube video by Yo Samdy Sam, and I cannot unsee it. Look at this autistic boy. He's grumpy, anti-social, and really into reading, but he also cares deeply about his loved ones, and strives to do what's morally right. He is so socially unaware, that he can't understand why Elizabeth would have rejected his proposal, even though he just totally ripped on her whole family. To be fair, Elizabeth's family are an autistic person's nightmare. All the wild cackling and gossiping, and obsession with who's marrying whom. Four sisters in law, two of whom are inordinately obsessed with ribbons and giggling, and only one of which is also autistic (*cough*Mary*cough*)

6. Bunty Windermere - Father Brown

She has zero filter, and often does not understand why the things she says are hurtful or inappropriate. She's obsessed with fashion, and she's got a keen mind. She could sit around in some posh mansion somewhere, but she chooses to spend all her time with an old priest, and a grumpy church lady, solving crimes and putting herself in danger. She likes fast cars, (and can get under the hood to fix them too) handsome men, and really cute handbags, but is also perpetually single. She doesn't fit in in the world of cocktail parties and society events that surround her, because she's just too blunt, and bucks convention by being independent, unmarried, and slutty).

8. I know this is turning out to be a list of grumpy introverts, and I don't want it to seem like that's all there is to autism, but JUST LOOK AT THIS AUTISTIC BOY - Hermann Gottlieb - Pacific Rim

Hermann is pretty classically autistic. Obsessed with math and numbers. Needs order to feel safe. Is very frustrated with other people's messy, inexact opinions. He only really warms up and comes out of his shell when he falls head over heels for his ADHD-as-fuck cannon boyfriend Newton Geiszler.

9. Last but not least (for this list anyway) DI Richard Poole - Death In Paradise.

Another clear cut case. Tons of sensory issues to light, heat and crowds. Everything must be in its own special place. He's rumored to have never had a girlfriend, and can't understand people's obsession with frivolous things like friendly greetings, small talk, or anything that's not crime solving. He falls madly in love with Camille Bordey, and pretty much flubs any chance he has with her, before dying because he's bad at facial recognition. I love you so much Richard. Never change.

Again, just my opinions. This is helping me figure out my own internal world. There are definitely more than one way to read these characters, but to me, they feel autistic.

#autism #neurodivergence #neurodivergent #autism spectrum #autistic characters #headcanons

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orangesunsets12 · 1 year

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This is a small snippet from my Stranger Things fanfic story It Takes Two to Survive, a snippet that I was going to include in previous chapters but never got around to it. I don't think that it'll fit into the story anymore, so I figured that I would share it here, if anyone is interested! A little bit of bonus content, if you will!

If anyone wants to read this but hasn't read my story, all that you need to really know is that Steve and Robin were taken by Brenner, given powers, and this scene occurs once they are back home, and everyone knows that they have powers. It does contain some spoilers for the story, though.

Enjoy!

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“So, how often have you been shot?” Jonathan asked, watching Steve with a bit of worry.

Steve loosely shrugged at the question as he held a mug of coffee in his hands. “Too often to count. When we escaped I was pummeled with bullets. Robin was shot once, too.”

Jonathan’s eyes widened. “But you managed to save her, right?”

“Yeah, thankfully. I don’t know what I would do without her.”

Jonathan nodded. Both of the boys were sitting in the Byers’ dining room as the kids played D&D in the living room. Max and El were just watching, talking in hushed whispers, giggling as the boys played. Mrs. Byers’, knowing that everyone was still a bit on edge, had begun allowing the group to hang out a lot more. Nancy usually joined them, but today she was busy shopping with Robin. Steve didn’t really mind, he was glad to have a bit of time away from Nancy.

Things were awkward between them. Nancy only asked him light, easy questions, he answered them, and she would go back to Jonathan. Steve didn’t really know how to react to that. Did she hate him? Did he change too much for them to still be friends? Were things just different now?

Steve tried not to focus on it too much. She would talk to him when she was ready, and he would, too.

“Did it hurt?” Jonathan asked, cutting through the silence, and Steve nodded. “Getting shot?”

“At first. Then the pain just faded away. It’s like that with everything I endure. Fire. Water. Electricity. Emotions.”

The other boy eyed him with concern, yet Steve kept on talking.

“But, it’s not like it’s a big deal, the pain goes away as soon as it comes. Bruises don’t stay for long, blood stops nearly instantly, and I’m totally fine to keep on going. I’ve only collapsed like, twice, and one of the times was because I forgot to eat for a while.” Steve gestured to the bowl of popcorn in front of him wildly, “Which, obviously, is a problem that I’ve fixed.”

“Steve, that’s not the point.” Jonathan urged, making his voice softer yet still more serious at the same time. “The point is that you keep on getting hurt, even if it’s temporary. And it doesn’t matter if you have powers or not, you have to stop.”

“Stop? Stop what?” Steve lowered his voice down to a hiss, pointing to the kids in the living room. “Stop doing what I can to protect them? Stop putting my life on the line to make sure that they live to see the next day? If I hadn’t done what I did, if I stopped doing what I can, people would’ve died. Robin would’ve died. The kids, even your brother, would’ve died. I won’t stop. I'll never stop, no matter what.”

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve stranger things #it takes two to survive #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #steve harrington has powers

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wh0lemilk0vich · 10 months

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Maybe someone would like to expand on this idea I had? Eddie goes on tour for a few months and comes back to Steve considerably heavier. Steve’s way of comforting himself when Eddie isn’t there is overeating so he feels nice and sated; grounded. He holds/rubs his belly and imagines it’s Eddie because that’s what they do after Steve has a big meal, and it’s comforting. Eddie is pent up from being on tour for so long and just ravishes Steve. They have sex like 5 times that night and Steve probably cums about 10 times. Eddie brings back all these fun snacks from different states and they have a great time hehehe🥰🥵

As tubby boy with ADHD who eats when they're understimulated I can totally see this for Steve. He needs the dopamine hit of tasty food and the comfort of a full belly to get through the agonizing boredom of Eddie not being there. Like let's say this is the beginning of Eddie's career with corroded coffin and they're touring as the opening band for God I don't know Black Sabbath or Metallica or something (it's not my music genre of choice so I'm kind of useless here), and Steve knows he can't go with. He knows as fun and life changing as this is, Eddie and the boys are going to be really stressed and busy, and the van is going to be absolutely stuffed, and they have to focus on doing a good job. So he knows he can't go with, but fuck if isn't going to miss Eddie HARD. He tooootally pines for Eddie and misses the little things that he didn't know he would miss, like the bed feels so empty and it's a little cold, and he had to make himself coffee. So he tries to fill all the time with the kids and Robin and Nancy and Jonathan etc. But it always ends up being for food, or something with food available/food adjacent. He orders in because cooking feels like too much of a chore when Eddie's not there to help him get through the boring prep bits and DO NOT get him started on doing dishes, his absolute burden, his hell. But being full makes him feel dopey and happy and drowsy. Maybe he even starts indulging in a bit of Eddie's leftover weed just to change states of consciousness and get that rush.

And so former star athlete Stevie who realizes he doesn't have to be that guy anymore leans into it. There's a surprising amount of really good food around Hawkins. The first 15-30 lbs settle on him and everyone just thinks, 'awe, Steve's finally filling out a bit. Settling down.' and then it turns to 35, 40, 50. He's definitely had to update his wardrobe, though he had a pair of roomy Levi's that put up a tremendous fight, but when you start getting peae shaped with beautiful thick thighs, the the chub rub really eats away at the denim. He still has a few rugby jumpers that fit "fine," they just outline the belly and little breasts that have sprouted on him, but at least Robin helped him pick out new jeans that would best show off the beast of an ass that he's grown that even she appreciates. He just looks substantial, his face looks softer and more boyish, but importantly he looks happy and it's like a switch flips for everybody like 'oh yeah, this is how Steve should look. This makes sense. He looks really good.' And so nobody is worried like they were when Eddie left because they can tell Steve is grounded, and happy. He and Eddie talk whenever they get the chance, when Eddie can call from a pay phone or a motel.

It's been months, maybe even almost a year (I guess this is kind of silly, who tours for that long 😂 but still) when Eddie finally gets home from touring, and be bursts through the door like "Steven Middle name Harrington, you better get out here and give daddy some sugar!" And Steve pops out happy but looking bashful, lopsided smile and worried eyebrows telling two different stories. Eddie's face reveals his surprise, but he immediately leaps to give Steve the biggest hug and deepest kiss, sandwiching his face between his big, ring wearing hands. Steve's cheeks go pink and heat up because he can feel Eddie's hard-on pressing into the softness at his hip.

He pulls off and he's like

"Damn, Stevie, I missed you something fierce, but fuck me this time really seemed to agree with you," he punctuates with a chesty giggle slapping his hands to Steve's ass, feeling him up, and fixing him with a mischievous grin.

"I know, I missed you...Everyone kept taking me out to cheer me up, and the company helped, but then so did smoking your weed, and then stuffing my face. Guess I was kinda eating my feelings."

"And then some!" Eddie gently and lovingly rubs Steve's belly, still unconsciously grinding against him, unable to help himself, "It looks good. I mean really fucking good. Trying not to cream my pants right now." He's getting growly, kissing and nipping at Steve's neck, nuzzling that spot behind his ear that makes his knees weak.

"Well I guess-oh! I guess that settles that" Steve is getting hard in his jeans, and his breath hitches when he feels Eddie grab hold of and shave his belly, making Steve jump and he's just hypnotized by the jiggling.

"Damn fucking straight. But for now I need you naked so bad it hurts, Baby. I'm going to fuck you until I'm spent, feed you til you can't take anymore, then we're going to start all over again. So tell me what kind of food to order while we're at it so it's ready when we need it."

#misha speaks #chubby steve harrington #chaser eddie munson #chubby kink #Steddie #stranger things au

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sonneillonv · 2 years

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Why do you think Steve is bad at fighting normal people?

Note: Okay, this got LONG because you brought this question to a fight nerd. Hopefully that's what you wanted!

Honestly? I think he lacks motivation (and training, but that part's not his fault).

One of the things we find out in Season 1 is that Steve's 'King Steve', jock/asshole vibe is a false front... he doesn't actually WANT to be like that, and a lot of the reason he's been doing it is external pressure/expectation. In S02-3, Billy walks in and starts dismantling Steve's crown a prong at a time, and Steve barely resists. Hell, he doesn't even seem to care; Billy's trash-talking him in front of his team, breaking his keg record, showing him up, and all Steve says is, "Man, do you ever stop talking?" He doesn't feel threatened, he's not scared. He's annoyed.

I think when he got into the fight with Jonathan Byers, Steve wasn't as much angry as he was deeply hurt. We hear from him later about how Nancy was the first girl he really loved, and he alludes a little bit to how badly she broke his heart. Hell, Steve didn't even do the spray-painting of the marquee - when Nancy finds him, Tommy, and Carol in the alley, Carol's telling Tommy he writes like a three-year-old and she didn't know he could spell, indicating he was the one who did the spray-paint - he's the one with the can when Nancy gets there, scrawling, "Byers is a Perv" on some particle board.

When Nancy confronts them, Steve looks about a half-second away from tears. To me, this says that Steve's reaction to seeing Nancy with Jonathan wasn't to get mad, it was to be crushed. Tommy's the one who took his buddy's pain personally and got aggressive about it. The first words out of Steve's mouth are, "I was worried about you!" This isn't anger he's expressing. Then, he tries to get an explanation out of Nancy and she refuses to offer one, so Steve falls back on the jackass persona he's spent years cultivating. I'm actually pretty convinced the person he wants to lash out at here is Nancy, but he goes after Jonathan instead because he's a more acceptable target - you'll notice Steve's generally pretty careful about limiting his aggression toward women. Problem is, Steve's fighting a battle he's already lost. If Nancy wants Jonathan, there's nothing he can DO about it. Beating the guy up might salve his reputation a little bit, but Steve knows, I think, that Nancy is a person not a prize. He can't 'win her back' or something equally juvenile just by knocking Byers around.

So Steve goes into this pointless fight already hurting, doing it mostly because it's expected (if a dude steals his girl and he does nothing, how does that make him look?) and because he DOES honestly kind of want to hit Byers in the face, whether it fixes anything or not.

But Jonathan goes into it FURIOUS, full of directionless anger about his brother that Steve triggered. He's been helpless to do anything about all the fuckery he's been experiencing for weeks, and Steve just offered him an outlet by calling Will names and accusing him of murdering his baby brother. And in a contest between those two emotions, the fury is gonna win every time. I can personally tell you that when you're that mad, 'seeing red' mad, and somebody hits you? You don't even feel it.

So Steve was kind of doomed, especially when Tommy tried to step in and Steve waved him off. RIP baby boy.

Moving on to the fight with Billy, Steve very obviously didn't want to be doing that. He gives Billy EVERY opportunity to get out of it and back off, even after the punching starts. (Side note, I can't help feeling like Steve's lack of regard through the whole season must have driven Billy kind of crazy, because he's clearly trying to get himself an Epic Rivalry and Steve's just like "wevs", and of all the reactions he provokes, Billy's not used to being IGNORED.) Steve has bigger things on his mind at the time, and dealing with the guy who's been an annoyance to him all season just doesn't rate on his priority list. Which is a mistake, because he clearly doesn't take Billy seriously even after they start swinging... and then Billy smashes a plate over his head, which is a dirty move and a disabling one.

Basically, my opinion is that his lack of conviction dooms him in both these fights. He's not focused on what he's DOING, and he's not committed to winning - with Byers, I think he honestly just wants to exchange some blows so he gets a nice inside pain/outside pain synchronicity going. It's a feeling I'm really familiar with, personally. Sometimes when you're hurting that bad inside, the fact that nothing hurts outside feels wrong to you, like it makes the pain invalid, and you just want your wounds to SHOW. With Billy, he's trying to protect the kids, but there's stuff out there that's so much WORSE than Billy that he's really having a problem taking Billy seriously. So he doesn't fully commit, keeps trying to get Billy to just leave. And Billy, who's already been smacked around by his father today, who's already driven all over Hawkins trying to find his little sister, and who legitimately has every reason to think her presence in the Byers house is sus af, is just ready to take his fury out on anyone who makes themselves an acceptable target. And Steve just offered. We see HIS conviction in the fact that, had Max not intervened, he very likely would have beaten Steve to DEATH - his rage is a bottomless well, and Steve (who, signs indicate, is a neglected kid, not an abused kid) just cannot match it.

We can talk about his other very bad fighting habits - the truth is, Steve's not that good with his fists. Hell, Billy tells him, what, three times(?) that he needs to PLANT HIS DAMN FEET and quit shuffling around because it ruins his stability. Plus, he sticks his tongue between his teeth every time he's about to hit something, and that's a great way to get your tongue bitten off. I don't blame Steve for any of this because I don't think he has any kind of fight-training at all. Of all the sports he does we never even hear wrestling mentioned, we see no indication that Hawkins has a gym or anywhere boxing would be taught, he definitely hasn't taken any karate. His dad's an absentee, and he doesn't seem to have any other dudes in his life who would have taught him how to throw a punch. While he definitely has natural athletic ability, he's winging it, and he ALWAYS does better when he has some kind of weapon in his hand. That's why he succeeds with the bat (and the microphone) where fists repeatedly fail him... He has more practice swinging objects (for sports) than he does swinging his fists.

This is why it's a little unfair of Dustin to be like, "You did it! You actually won a fight!" when Steve takes out the guy in the Russian base. Steve doing better with a weapon than empty-handed is a pattern through the whole series, and a valid one IMO, where it concerns his relevant experience and skill set. Steve can swing a bat with force and accuracy because Steve played baseball. Considering his family's wealth and the fact they seem to gravitate toward the urban upper class, it's entirely likely he has some tennis chops as well, but that's just speculation. When he grabs that microphone and lays the Russian out, part of it is luck (hitting his head on the table), but part of it is that you can SEE Steve's competence increase the minute he's using something to hit something else - his entire form changes. His stance is different.

Look at this lead-in^. Look at how he hops into position, hips set, leading foot forward, weight on his back leg. As soon as the bat's in his hand, he knows what he's doing.

For more good clips of this, and a generally awesome edit, check out Grable424's amazing vid, which I've queued to the relevant segment:

youtube

He has the same stance when he whips that microphone across the Russian's face, the baseball/tennis stance.

So in conclusion, Steve Harrington just needs to pick up a weapon of some sort every time he's in a fight, and once he's in that fight he needs to block out the rest of the world (and his own inner monologue) and focus on what he's doing. He needs to stop picking fights with people who are nursing massive amounts of internal rage. Also it helps to give a shit about winning it. That's my opinion, thank you and goodnight 😅

(Here's a funny analysis video that goes over a lot of these points)

youtube

#stranger things #steve harrington #fight analysis

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tirednerd2012 · 2 years

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I think in a way, Jonathan having to plan Will's funeral alone was kind of Joyce letting him down. She was determined that Will was alive which I don't blame her. But everything is left to a 16 year old kid who doesn't want his brother's body to be in the freezer for longer than it needs to be. A 16 year old who is blaming himself and misses his brother. Who doesn't want to get his hopes of Will being alive. Because if that isn't true, he probably can't handle it. Who just wants his mother to listen to him and be a parent. He does everything with no help or support of his mother. It's just him, a kid who is forced to grow up faster than he should.

This isn't anything on Joyce nor her as a mother. I think she is the best mom on the entire show and she loves her boys and accepted El as one of her own without any hesitation. She would do absolutely anything in the world for them and the kids know she loves them. That being said, in a way, she did let Jonathan down with the funeral. Neither of them were necessarily wrong. Joyce was right about Will still being alive, but Jonathan isn't wrong for seeing his little brother's body and believing him to be dead. Especially if Joyce had a history of mental health issues (which is implied), it's reasonable for Jonathan to think she's having a breakdown because she just lost her son. And he does the only thing he knows to do, he handles it. He handles the funeral because someone has to do it.

I think the fight between them is the first time both of them argue with each other. It's also not an argument a mom would have with her son, but rather two parental roles would have with each other. Jonathan has been parentified a majority of his life. This isn't necessarily Joyce's fault, this is the situation they are in and no one really has much choice in the matter. But that argument was Jonathan essentially begging Joyce not to shut down, to face the facts, and when she kept insisting Will was alive, he knew he had to handle it himself. He didn't want Will to sit in a freezer. He wanted to put his brother at peace because Will didn't deserve to sit somewhere, cold and alone, even in death.

Jonathan lost his best friend when Will died. Will was his only constant in life and the person that meant the most to him. His entire motivation in season 1 (and other seasons) is protecting Will and doing right by him. He loved his brother more than anything else in the world. Jonathan had no one besides Will and, on top of that, he blamed himself for Will's disappearance. He literally cried to Joyce (who in the previous episode told him he needed to be home when Will was and they kind of got into it then) "I should have been there for him." And when Will's death was announced, Jonathan locked himself in his room, put headphones in and hugged himself while crying.

Joyce wasn't wrong either. She lost a child. Her motherly instinct and gut reaction that Will was alive was the only thing that really saved Will before the demogorgon made it's appearance. But she didn't go into Jonathan's room when he cried and hugged himself when Will died. He was in his room, only a few feet from her, feeling like his entire world was crashing down and no one comforted him. No one even hugged him (minus him hugging her when she was in the road), he hugged himself.

Then he planned the funeral alone. At 16 years-old, Jonathan planned the funeral of his baby brother while feeling the guilt of leaving Will alone. It's something no child should ever go through. He was the one to decide what his headstone would say. What Will would be buried in, where he would be buried. He picked out a casket for the kid he loved more than life itself and Nancy brought him the photos and talked to him about what Joyce brought up, he realizes his mistake of dismissing his mom. Again, no one can blame him, but when he goes to talk to her about it, Lonnie is there. Joyce let Lonnie in during a vulnerable moment. The person Jonathan arguably hates most and he decides to take matters into his own hands and fight to see if Will's still out there. Or at the very least, find out the truth.

I was so glad to see them come together in the end with what they knew, but it had to hurt to first think your mom is going crazy so you plan the funeral alone, realize she might not have been crazy, only to find your abuser in the room. Someone who Jonathan felt the need to check the trunk of when searching for Will. What Lonnie is capable of, or what Jonathan believes him to be, terrifies me. There's a reason Jonathan acts like he's alone.

Mind you, Jonathan disobeyed all orders when it came to Will. He went to his abuser's house, alone, where no one knew where he was, to try and find him and then he faced an actual monster just to give his mom a few extra minutes to find Will and bring him home. And he waited by Will's side until he woke up and cried the moment he did. Both of them were driven by their love for Will, but honestly, in the sense of the funeral, Joyce let Jonathan down. He's a kid himself. He needed comfort and she couldn't provide it. It's not necessarily her fault, but Jonathan needed her, too. And unfortunately, when it comes to Will, Joyce tends to push Jonathan to the side a lot, which could be another reason he's so quick to push his needs aside for Will.

But Joyce loves Jonathan, too. If anyone ever tried to hurt him, she would kill them. He just requires more work to get him to open up. She wasn't surprised when Jonathan went monster hunting with Nancy and put himself in danger over Will, she was upset he didn't tell her and that he acts like he's alone. It's circumstance that caused this, but I'd like to see them interact more about it. I want Joyce to tell Jonathan he doesn't have to be a parent, he can just be a brother. He doesn't have to worry about his family. I want to see Joyce actively being there for Jonathan, too.

#stranger things #jonathan byers #will byers #joyce byers

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