Okay, so my experience with Stranger Things is a weird one.

I didn't care when it first came out, started to watch it out of "might as well" in 2020, wasn't interested in it enough to make it past S2, forgot about it outside of going "oh, hey, cool, there's a lesbian in it now, I guess," in S3, got really annoyed when "Running Up That Hill" got popular from it because it was a song I listened to on fucking loop after one of my best friends died in high school and I fully expected its appearance in the show to ignore the whole survivor's guilt theme of the song (and was very happy to learn later that it did the exact opposite of ignoring the lyrics), saw people drawing Eddie, suddenly got a lot more interested, watched just the fourth season like a fucking psychopath because I was seriously only there for Eddie, then got interested enough to start the show over properly, having mostly forgotten what I did watch of the show before.

And let me tell you something from the perspective of someone who started with the complete fourth season, who wasn't there from the start, who wasn't tainted by ship goggles or this internal battle of hope and despair, who wasn't theorizing about what the painting could be or expecting Mike and Will to kiss when Volume 2 happened or rooting for Mike and Eleven's relationship to go down in flames or whatever the fuck. Just someone who went blind into Season 4.

It's really fucking obvious that Will and Mike are gonna be endgame.

Like holy fuck. It's so fucking blatant I don't even know why people are nervous.

No sane fucking person would shoot this scene this way if they wanted the audience to care about El and Mike as a couple. Despite being all blurry in the background, Will's reaction to what's happening here is smackdab in the fucking middle, clearly showing that the important part is what's going through his head here. What he's feeling. It's like the opposite of that scene from Kingdom Hearts II where Sora and Riku reunite and Kairi just fucking vanishes into the aether while it's happening because, despite the fact that she was standing between them when the scene began, she doesn't matter to the scene, so she's just kind of gone when the camera angle changes. Will could have been behind one of their heads, or so far in the distance he blends in with the background, but he's not. He's so obvious that despite being massively blurred out, he's still the first goddamn thing you look at. What, you think that's an accident? You think he's in the middle of this dramatic fucking scene because of a mistake? He basically has a big flashing neon arrow pointing at him with "THIS IS THE POINT" being screamed through a megaphone.

And then this?

They're paired up like they're taking fucking prom pictures. Each one of these pairs is so fucking close to one another and so fucking far from everyone else. It's not, "Oh, they're standing vaguely near each other in a group shot," it's fucking Noah's Ark out here. Again, there's no way to take this as an accident. It's not just a framing issue. If they wanted to make the shot look balanced while still not hiding anyone else behind El, they would have scattered people around much more naturally. Even if they wanted to keep Nancy with Jonathan and Hopper with Joyce, there's so much room on that hill for three people to stand on El's left and three on her right. But they didn't do that. They put Mike and Will together on purpose in the most obvious way possible.

Like I get that coming up with crackpot theories is fun in and of itself and I'm not blaming anyone for having fun. I totally get the appeal of arguing a point and reaching for every stupid little thing to pull into it because it's like a game, okay? I've done that. But if you're trying to actually convince someone (whether it's someone who wants to believe or someone who's pissed at the very idea that Mike and Will could be in love), stay away from blue and yellow lights, stay away from costume design, stay away from the existence of closets in backgrounds. And don't worry about whether Mike's gay or bi when he's in love with Will either way. I'll give you a little tip about persuasion: You're only as strong as your weakest argument. Even if you've got strong stuff in there, too, the person you're trying to convince is going to dismiss anything you say as complete insanity the second you start going on an entire tangent about the shape of a character's fucking pocket.

Sometimes, clothes are just clothes. Sometimes, there's a closet in the background because it helps establish that a character is in a bedroom. Sometimes, blue and yellow are just a couple of colors that look nice together. And sure, it might be set designers and costume designers and cinematographers smirking and winking at the audience from behind the camera. But if the show was just those things, instead of those things in the context of everything else, they wouldn't be saying anything of note.

But this?

This tells a story all on its own. Someone with no context can look at this and automatically assume that each paired person is standing with someone they care about deeply, seeking comfort as they watch some sort of disaster unfold. And yeah, romantic couples usually come in twos, and we live in an amatonormative society, so that's going to be the first association anyone makes seeing a bunch of people paired off.

It's the same reason you look at this

And go, "Oh..."

"Those two are probably a couple."

And I genuinely don't understand how people could have watched S4 Vol. 2 and gotten scared. Because as someone who went in with no investment whatsoever, I just looked at these two--

--and went, "Oh, those two are a couple. Good for them." And I moved on. Shut up about the trees for five seconds and just see the forest for what it is.

Oh, and if you're still nervous? Little thing from a storyteller here: You don't leave a hanging thread like "Will confessed his romantic feelings for Mike by projecting them onto El, but Mike either didn't understand or at least didn't say he understood," without coming back to that later. That's Chekov's gun hanging on the wall, babes. It's gonna fire at some point. If Mike was going to reject Will's feelings, if they weren't relevant, they would have had that discussion in Argyle's van. There'd be no reason to leave you in suspense.

"Rebel robin" easterggs

- Robin's friend is a horror movie fan whos fav movie is evil dead (jonathan has a poster of it in his room)

- Robin's parent's car is the " dodge dart" a ref to Dustin's demodog-dart

-robin and her friends make analogies to zombies (like Will- the zombie boy).

- robin faints. And her friend milton says "blink once for yes twice for no". A ref to what Joyce said to Will in s1.

- robin's other friend has a little sister named el-ie who pretends to be a squirrel. A ref to el killing a squirrel in s2. This is also reminiscent of a scene from the st prequel novel ' suspicious minds' where young-kali pretended to be a tiger (the Hawkins school mascot) & a rabbit (Jonathan's hunting story).

- robin reminds me alot of the byers: she is into photography and rock like jonathan and even worked at the movie theatre like jonathan did in the og pilot. They both like David bowie and cook for their families. She also is poor and wears hand-me down clothes from relatives (like Will). She also is into existential philosophers. Which is also similar to jonathan who had a poster of the poet rimbaud in his room.

- robin is almost run over by a car by a bully while riding her bike: similar to Mike, Dustin, and Lucas in s2

- robin says the best accessory for a girl is her middle finger. Cue max giving the middle finger to billy in s2 XD

- robin (before Will dissapears) sees the quarry and gets uncomfortable and thinks of metaphorical monsters

- similar to how billy had baseball references (along with Will). Robin wears a baseball shirt

- her fav flavor of pie is cherry (like alexi and cherry slurpies). She also gets pissed at a guy sipping a cherry flavored drink- similar to hopper in s3 with alexi

- she cuts her hair and she describes it as looking like a lion. El and Will owned lion plushies in s1.

- robin refs Chicago (kali lives there) and NYC (hopper used to live there), and California (where max and billy used to live).

-tammy's fav song is total eclipse of the heart: the song Robin and Steve sang in s3. Tammy would often sing the song in robin and Steve's class.

- they make references to the hellfire club: she describes a time where she dresses like a cross between a nerd and a rebel. And a mom yells at her appearance saying she looks "goddless' . And another of Robin's friend (kate) is told ' what demon is possessing you, kate?" (hinting at the satanic panic). Meanwhile someone describes Mike and his friends as "hellions' as another hint to this. We also see how alot of parents got paranoid and a bit crazy when Will and barb dissappeared- prob foreshadowing the chaos that will happen if more kids dissappear in s4. Along with the satanic panic

-Robin is visiting her friend Kate at her house. Kate wanted to listen to Madonna together. Max and el listened to Madonna at el's.

- Robin's friend (kate) says "I dumped his ass" in reference to her cheating bf. A little nod to the m*leven breakup

- robin (like Will) felt excluded during the summer cause her friends kate and dash (Kate's now ex bf) were always making out . Sound familiar- cough m*leven

- robin annoyed says " makeouts, breakups and declarations of love all in the span of a week". Wow if that ain't a diss to certain pairing we know in s3 XD

- kate (like mike) says to Robin dating the opposite sex is a part of growing up . Which scares Robin (and Will in s3).

- robin has a nightmare of running down the school hallway with short hair (like el in s2 via the upsidedown)

- robin contemplates shaving her head (like el)

- robin says she likes to sometimes dress androgynous . And found a cool suit. Which we saw in s4 bts pics I assume.

- robin watches a music video where there are duplicate indianna joneses (could be a ref to all the billy duplicates in s3?)

- robin says " I stare at the ceiling. The ceiling stares back. I'm stuck and don't know what to do" a ref to the s3 song with robin called "the ceiling is beautiful"

- a character named Sheena reminds me a bit of Will or el . She is very quiet, queercoded, and is often bullied. And she finds mean notes and other things in her locker- placed there by bullies. A bit like how Will found the zombieboy note in his locker. But sheena can be another name for Jane so ...maybe foreshadowing of el/jane being bullied in highscool?

- when robin hears a hom*phobic comment on tv- she describes the anxiety like a ' thundercloud in a big open sky' and a "chill". Which reminds me of the mf being associated with clouds, thunder, and lightning. And the mf liking it cold.

- robin constantly describes the monster or shadow in her life- whether it be her talking about conformity or the problems of consumerism while she is poor (themes of s3).

- robin before realizing she was gay/crushing on tammy just says " I don't get crushes' which reminds me a bit of Will saying " I'm not going to fall in love" (as the lyrics are " love thats new to you, you open up the door')

-robin on her bike hears something (demogorgan) and runs back to her house , locks the door, and calls her friend- and the phone gets electrocuted. The next day Will is said to be missing. (Another Will paralllel).

- i was right about robin being in theatre. So we most likely will see robin in theatre in s4 (she also auditioned with a friend in the book). So for s4 my guess is she may be in the drama club with dustin- cause in s1 he had a drama shirt

- one of her friends is named milton. Since the documentary 'paradise lost' was on the s4 movie list. Its prob a ref to John milton who wrote the fictional 'paradise lost'. The character Sheena may be a ref to the 80s film/movies *where sheena (jane) was psychic

-Robin's gal pal (kate) and Robin eat m&ms and candies together. Kate jokes m&ms and candy bars are 'foods of the gods'. El ate m&ms in s3. They joke how talking about plural gods (instead of 1) would get them in trouble. In case you are unaware- kali (is the name of a Hindu goddess) and el (is the name of a cannanite god) .

-Robin also mentions hopper's car smells like eggos.

- robin tries running away (like el in s2, max in her novel, and jonathan also wrongfully assumed Will ranaway in s1 too).

-robin tries to get a job at Joyce's, than Bob's, and later gets a job where jonathan used to work

-bob newby describes the byers family as his "home" . Similar to how El describes the Hawkins gang as "home".

- robin says she was friends with barb before nancy. Suspiciously right after she says this- barb grabs Robin's hallpass that says ' glitch in the time space continuim. " the teacher who wrote this called robin a "glitch". Which makes me wonder if my did theory is right- but ...that certain powers at be may also alter memories or things so people assume said people have always been around.Mentioning it cause it seemed suspicious.

-not an eastegg but robin can't believe how nice Bob is. And Bob says the byers filled a hole in his life 😭 . She also felt an instant connection with Will and saw alot of herself in him.And asked if Joyce ever thought of moving like everyone suggested . One of the reasons Robin didn't like steve was because Steve never mentioned how Jonathan took innapropriate photos of Nancy. So everyone at school just knew jonathan as the quiet kid who takes pictures. So to everyone it just seemed like- wow you're bullying the quiet kid who's brother is missing and take away the one thing still left in his life that makes him happy. Which is why everyone assumes jonathan beat up steve later. Interesting to know how general Hawkins (not in the loop) viewed things

- the book referenced alot of previously mentioned movies on the s4 list or from prior duffer interviews...along with a few NEW movies ,books, plays, singers, and songs that I have to analyze for another day ...

A Silent Vow

Where Steve reflects on what has happened and what’s to come.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader

Steve laid back down beside you and let out a sigh. Although he was ridiculously tired, he just couldn’t fall asleep.

The lamp on your bedside table flickered a few times beside him, indicating its need for a new light bulb sooner rather than later, while Sting’s soothing voice played quietly from the record player that sat on top of your dresser. He lost count of how many times he’d gotten up to restart your vinyl copy of Synchronicity by that point but didn’t really care as he mindlessly tapped along to the rhythm and stared at the ceiling.

He was pretty sure that he was the only one awake in the house, seeing how late it was. Ms. Henderson had gone to bed fairly early that night while you and he were cuddled up on the couch watching Grease with Dustin. It was your turn to pick the movie so neither he or Dustin really had a choice in the matter, but your little brother still made sure to express his annoyance in not being able to watch A New Hope again as he flopped into the lazy-boy recliner and grumpily stuffed his mouth full of popcorn.

Once the movie concluded, Steve was reluctant about not waking you from the peaceful slumber you had dozed off into so that the two of you could go up to bed. Dustin, on the other hand, was less considerate and wasted no time in throwing a pillow at your head so that you’d get up.

“We’re helping the Byers’ and El move tomorrow, and I don’t want to listen to you complain about how sore you are because you slept on the couch all night,” your little brother grumbled as he climbed out of the chair. Steve was about to scold him for being a dickhead, but didn’t get the chance to before Dustin muttered a quick goodnight to the two of you and made his way upstairs to his bedroom because she was tired; even though you all knew he was really just calling his girlfriend, Suzie.

You and Steve, however, followed suit and made the trek up to your bedroom as well, deciding to call it a night with just how exhausted the two of you were.

It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep with how drainingly busy you had been. It was your last year at Hawkins High School along with Nancy, and you had been up to your ears in homework and extracurriculars. However, even with all the time you spent studying and doing other things, you never let Steve or any of your friends fall under the radar. You helped him create a new resume that he was to use to apply to jobs with Robin the following day, drove Dustin and the rest of the party to and from school almost every day, and insisted that you’d help with whatever the Byers’ would need as they prepped for their departure from Hawkins in the upcoming weeks.

Although you tried to hide it, Steve (and everyone else) was able to see right through your facade of not being too upset over the Byers’ and Eleven moving away. Jonathan was one of your oldest friends, Will and Eleven were two more little siblings you never had; as were the rest of the party, and Joyce was very much a motherly figure to you and always had been. It was only natural that you’d see them off despite how tired and worn out you truly were.

As the next song started playing from the record player, you unconsciously snuggled closer to your boyfriend, and he couldn’t help but grin warmly. You looked so peaceful. However, Steve couldn’t help but think about how that was a completely different story leading up to the events that occurred three months earlier. Soon leading him to let his thoughts begin swarming.

To say that you and Steve had been through a lot would be an understatement. In fact, the two of you had basically been dragged through hell and back, but still managed to function as if nothing had happened. Well, almost. A lot occurred since the two of you started dating around Christmastime the year prior, not to mention everything that happened before that too.

Soon enough, Steve was overcome with the fresh memories of his entire relationship with you.

The two of you always knew each other, Hawkins was incredibly small after all, but you were never really close. However, that all changed in the fall of 1983 when Will and your friend Barb were sucked into the Upside Down, and the first Demogorgon wreaked havoc on your beloved town... The stupid thing almost got you too, but Steve came out of nowhere with that nail-filled bat of his during that fight.

After that, things were quiet, and life resumed as regularly as it possibly could. Steve started seeing you a lot more, thanks to the budding friendship you formed with Nancy after losing Barb, Dustin’s friendship with her younger brother Mike and fighting the monster from the Upside Down together. You, her, and Jonathan grew insanely close after everything, which naturally led to Steve being around much more often as well since he and Nancy were still dating.

After what Nancy said to Steve at the party, he was crushed, but you were there. You went out of your way to try to cheer him up because you refused to pick sides when it came to him and Nancy. He appreciated it more than he could explain, and couldn’t help but notice a warm fuzzy feeling that formed whenever he was around you after that.

He never acted on those feelings, though. Instead, he tried to bury them deep down in hopes they would never surface; but, things changed once Dustin unknowingly brought home a cat-eating, future Demogorgon called Dart.

Steve soon got a firsthand look at just how badass you were when the two of you fought off the demodogs in the old junkyard after you demanded that the Dustin stayed on the bus with Max and Lucas. You naturally had each other’s backs during the whole thing and him fighting with his bat, and you with your trusty crowbar sure put a dent in those bastards from the Upside Down.

Billy showing up at the Wheeler’s house after the junkyard was probably one of Steve’s least favourite memories that you were involved in. It wasn’t because of how he got royally beat up, even though that sucked, but because of how helpless he knew, he made you feel. The sounds of you sobbing and screaming at Billy to stop as Dustin, Mike, and Lucas held you back was on a sickening loop in his mind for days after that, but he really couldn’t think about it at the time seeing he was only barely conscious.

The rest of that night happened in a blur. Steve woke up in the back of Billy’s car while Max was driving, and you nowhere to be found. He soon figured out that Dustin and Mike somehow locked you in the trunk because they knew you’d try to put a stop to their plan, and although they could all hear you yelling and thrashing in the back, none of the kids answered when Steve asked where you were.

“She’s fine, we’re almost there anyway,” Dustin assured while Steve just shook his head, that was until it dawned on him that Max was driving the car and he started freaking out.

He remembered how livid you were as soon as the car came to a stop, and kids opened the trunk again. But, even that anger was short-lived when you looked over to see him awake and basically falling out of the car. You were by his side in an instant, helping him stay upright, and joining him in telling the kids that they were not going down into those tunnels. Brave of both of you to assume any of them would actually listen.

Down in the tunnels, Steve led the group, and you went to follow at the end of it. However, Dustin said he’d go last; and despite your protesting, your baby brother was firm and did not take no for an answer.

“As the man of the family, it’s up to me to make sure you’re safe,” he argued.

“But Dusty-.”

“No buts, Y/N. Follow along.”

Steve watched as you smiled before reaching over to take of Dustin’s hat so you could ruffle his curls, even though you knew he hated when you did that.

“My hero.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled as he snatched his hat back before following behind you and Max.

Once the group was further into the caves and the six of you were a bit more spaced out from one another, Steve was still able to notice your distressed reaction to Dustin yelling from somewhere further behind. The commotion instantly caught his attention, and when he quickly whipped back around, he was able to see, from was what was visible, of your face go pale before you took off in the direction of your brother while he and the rest of the kids followed. When you all reached Dustin, and he started coughing and claiming he was ok, you immediately thumped him in the head and gave him shit for scaring you like that, something Steve couldn’t help but smile at before continuing on again.

As soon as the hub was on fire and everyone was running back to the entrance, you were so focused on getting the kids out first and making sure that they were ok. When a tentacle type thing wrapped itself around Mike’s ankle, you ripped Steve’s bat from his hands and used it to free the youngest Wheeler, and almost started swinging again at Dart once it showed up; but Steve held you back as Dustin took control of the situation. You instinctively gripped onto his hand as you watched your brother interact with the demodog out of fear, which Steve would tease you about after the fact, although the gesture secretly made him a little flustered.

Your little group passed Dart and started bolting back towards where you entered the tunnels originally, you were all aware of how fast you’d have to move based off the screeching of more demodogs approaching. Once everyone reached the rope used to get down there, you helped Max, Lucas, and Mike get out as soon as you could. Just as you were about to help Dustin up, Steve’s arms wrapped around you and started lifting you up so you could climb out.

“You’re next,” he muttered as a surprised yelp left your mouth, but you were quick in recovering as you grabbed ahold of the rope and climbed the rest of the way.

As soon as you were above ground again, you immediately went back to the hole and looked down to help the other two, but much to your dismay, they were frozen as a massive pack of demodogs came rushing at them.

“No!” You yelled as the other kids called for Dustin to come on before watching in horror as Steve stepped in front of your brother to keep him protected from the oncoming heard, but then, the demodogs started running past them without attacking. Steve pulled Dustin close just in case one did attack, but you all knew they wouldn’t because they were too focused on something else. Eleven was closing the gate.

Steve and Dustin were quick in getting out of the tunnels after that, and you wasted no time in pulling Dustin into a bone-crushing hug and repeating the same thing over and over again.

“Thank god you’re ok.”

As soon as Dustin assured that he was indeed ok, you let him go and stepped back so his friends could take over.

Steve lingered nearby, watching the exchange happen between you and Dustin with a small smile as he patiently waited for the next step. But before he knew it, a pair of arms wrapped around his middle, and he was met by you crashing into his chest in a tight embrace.

“I’m so glad you’re ok too,” you stated, shaking your head as Steve instinctively put his arms around your waist, pulling you closer. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if something happened.”

“Hey, it’s alright,” he soothed as he started rubbing small circles on your back, his heart clenching when a choked sob left your mouth. “You’re ok, no one got hurt. We’re safe.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” you replied as you started pulling away. Steve could tell you were embarrassed about breaking down like that as you reached away to wipe away the tears spilling from your eyes, and that made him feel even worse. “God, I’m such a mess.”

“No, you aren’t, Y/N. You are one hell of a badass, though.”

A small gasp left your mouth as Steve gently placed his hand under your chin so that you’d be facing him. He didn’t say anything else as he used his thumb to wipe away a few of your stray tears before eventually meeting your gaze, and feeling himself soften. An unfamiliar feeling started swarming in his stomach as you two stood there, staring at each other. Although he had yet to admit it, you caused him to feel massive amounts of butterflies whenever you were around, and that little predicament was no exception.

Slowly, his gaze moved to your lips before fluttering back to lock eye contact with you and letting out a sigh.

“I might regret this,” he started. “But fuck it.”

His grip on your waist tightened as he started leaning down towards you, and you gulped. There was no denying that you had feelings for Steve by that point, but was he really about to kiss you? Your brain screamed at you to move away. He was your brother's best friend and mentor, not to mention one of your best friends exes, but still, as you watched his eyes flutter shut again while he moved to brush his lips against yours slightly, there was no way you were going to stop him.

However, something else did.

The headlights from the car parked only a few feet away grew extremely bright, causing you and Steve to move away from one another just so you could shield your eyes from the beam. You both stepped closer to the kids, confused as to what was going on as the brightness increased, but then it all clicked once the headlights shut off on their own. Eleven closed the gate.

After that, life went on to somewhat resume normally, well, as normally as it could in Hawkins.

Will ended up being ok for the time being after El took care of the Mind Flayer, and before anyone knew it, a month had passed.

During that month, Barb’s funeral happened, which was tough, but you all powered through it. Eleven officially became Jane ‘El’ Hopper, and you continued life as a high school junior. Fall soon turned into winter, and although it was hard to just forget about everything that happened, everyone tried their best to do just that. And to top it all off, you and Steve had barely spoken.

It was awkward as hell. You’d see each other in the hallways at school, and just avoid each other. Neither of you was sure how to even initiate a conversation after the almost kiss you shared, and it was obviously eating away at the both of you.

Jonathan, Nancy, and Dustin were the ones to pick up on how weird you and Steve had gotten to be around each other, not that it was tough for them to tell either. Dustin approached Steve about it (even though he wasn’t too keen on the fact that the girl his friend was fawning over was his sister at first) and told him to man the hell up (even though he didn’t), while subtly trying to get you to hang out with them; to which you consistently declined. You felt really bad about it all and continued avoiding Steve until Jonathan and Nancy called you out on it.

The first thing you did was apologize to Nancy for being a shitty friend, but much to your surprise, she just chuckled. She explained that it was ok if you liked Steve, but what wasn’t ok was how mopy you were because you hadn’t talked to him. Jonathan backed up her on her statements and explained how they were pretty sure Steve felt the same way, but still, neither of you spoke to the other.

When it came time for the snowball, Steve dropped Dustin off at Hawkins Middle School and was completely not expecting to see you all dressed up and helping out Nancy at the punch bowl. Sure he knew you were going to be there. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been needed to drive Dustin, but still, just the sight of you allowed the familiar feeling of a weight being placed on his chest form, and he just simply could not look away. As he watched you, he couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his lips as you smiled at whoever came up to get some punch, or how you stuck your tongue out at Dustin once he entered the gym. He became entranced. So focused on you, that he actually jumped when you moved your head to the side and ended up locking eye contact with him through the window.

He froze instantly, as did you, but once Nancy noticed what you were gawking at, she smiled a little and nudged you to snap you back to reality. Steve watched as Nancy said something to you before you nodded in response and started walking towards him, almost as if you were on a mission. He remained parked in his spot as you pushed through doors and right up to his car.

“Uh, hi.” Was all he was able to blurt out as he got a better view of how good you looked in your dress.  

“Hey,” you replied back and crouched down so you could be eye to eye with him. “We need to talk.”

Slowly, he nodded, not having it in him to avoid the situation any longer. “Yeah, hop in.”

You did as he said and climbed into the passenger seat, not saying anything else as he pulled away from the door and into a parking space on the other side of the building.

Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time started blaring from the gym as you and Steve got out of his car and moved to sit on the hood. Neither of you spoke up, but the silence was deafening, and you knew you’d lose your mind if you didn’t speak up sooner or later.

“So…”

“We almost kissed,” Steve finished, and glanced over at you. Your cheeks instantly flushed red, and you were extremely thankful it was a bit chilly out because it helped mask your blush a bit better.

“We did,” you replied, unsure of what to say next.

“I’m not sorry about it,” he blurted out and caused your gaze to snap to him.

“What?”

“I said, I’m not sorry about it,” he repeated, as you shook your head.

“Steve-.”

“I like you, Henderson. A lot. I’m not going to apologize for wanting to kiss you, regardless of how shitty that makes me seem for doing such a thing to Nancy…”

He trailed off on the last part of his sentence and slowly dropped his gaze to the ground. You blinked twice, wanting to make sure you processed the fact that he actually said those things before speaking up again.

“Is that why you were avoiding me?”

“Yeah,” he answered with a nod. “And I wasn’t too sure how Dustin would feel about the whole thing at first.”

“What do you mean, at first?” You questioned while furrowing your eyebrows.

“Pretty sure he’s been spending the last couple of weeks trying to set us up,” Steve laughed and looked back to you. “But I was still too nervous to actually talk to you.”

“Well, you had no need to be.”

“What?”

“Cause I feel the same, Harrington,” you explained and could’ve sworn you saw his eyes light up. “I was chicken too. I didn’t want to hurt Dusty or Nancy, but in actuality, they were the ones pushing me to not be such a coward and just speak to you.”

“Oh, wow,” he replied with wide eyes and let out a breath. “So, what now?”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind if you actually kissed me this time.”

He smiled at that before facing you again and shaking his head. “Don’t need to tell me twice.”

You didn’t have time to react before Steve was leaning in and crashing his lips against yours. Although you always expected to like the feeling of kissing him, you didn’t think you’d miss the sensation so quickly when he moved away. The two of you stared at one another before immediately reaching out and pulling the other closer than you already were. His arms wrapped around your waist, and your hands tangled into his hair as your mouths collided once again.

The two of you made out for a minute or so before the song in the gym changed and was replaced with the familiar riff of Every Breath You Take, causing you to moan slightly before slightly breaking away from the kiss.

“I love this song,” you mumbled against his lips with a smirk.

He let out a laugh before kissing you again and slowly leaning you back onto the hood of his car. “Sure sets the mood, alright.”

Before things could get any steamier, a deep voice called out and caused the two of you to instantly move away from one another.

“Is that you over there, Harrington?”

Of all people that could have noticed the two of you, it just had to be Hopper. Turned out, he was only a few feet away talking to Joyce, who was giggling as she realized what had just happened. “Oh, leave them, be, would you?”

Hop just shook once he saw you slowly stood up beside Steve and tried not to laugh. Steve could tell the sheriff wanted to say something but didn’t as he looked to Joyce and started walking in the other direction.

“Just stay out of trouble, you two.”

“And have a good night!” Joyce chimed in before following after Hopper.

Once they were out of sight, you and Steve glanced at each other and burst out laughing. After a few minutes of trying to catch your breath from laughing so hard, the two of you agreed to go get some food at the diner before having to come back and pick Dustin up.

And that was how it all began. As Steve looked down at your still sleeping figure, he smiled as he thought about just how hard and how fast he fell for you. It’d been a year since then, and he didn’t even have words to describe how happy he was just with you, even on top of what happened during the summer months.

It was supposed to be an uneventful summer. Steve started working at Scoops Ahoy, and you were working at a clothing shop on the upper level of Starcourt. Seeing as there wasn’t anything ever really going on in Hawkins anymore, and Dustin was away at camp, you and Steve tried to make the most of it, and spent what free time the two had together; even planning to save up and take a little weekend trip together before you started school again up to Chicago or Detroit, you guys hadn’t decided yet. However, that never happened.

Instead, your summer was filled with Russians, the return of the Mind Flayer, lots of death, and just overall a ton of traumatic experiences. You were kidnapped, and had to witness Steve get beat up, again; although he did win one fight, which you did give him credit for. The two of you, along with Robin, were injected with a truth serum that just created a mess of things when your boyfriend told your captors your brother's full name and resulted in you almost taking matters into your own hands by murdering him yourself.

Along with all that, many people you knew actually did die. Whether it had been because of the Mind Flayer and his army made up of people you knew (like Billy and Heather), the fall of Starcourt itself, having to fight off the Mind Flayer and face the possibility of losing any of the people you cared for most, or how everyone had to accept the loss of Hopper after he closed the gate to the Upside Down once again to prevent anything like that to happen again. It was sure one bitch of a summer, but still, somehow, you and Steve managed to survive.

It truly amazed Steve what the two of you had been through together when he thought about it. It’s been a shit show of a ride, but the two of you, Nancy, Jonathan, Robin, Erica, and the party, all ended up being ok, which is all either of you could have really asked for.

The sound of the record coming to an end once again brought Steve back to reality from his thoughts, and he let out a sigh. He glanced over at the alarm clock to see that it was almost three in the morning and let out a groan. With a roll of his eyes at himself for staying up so late, he sat up so he could reach over to turn off the lamp and call it a night, but froze when you started whimpering and moving around beside him.

You were having a nightmare. Steve had them too. He knew first hand how terrifying they were, filled with images and memories of all the things he’s had to face, and he absolutely hated the thought of you going through that.  

Your whimpers turned into pleas. You were begging for your boyfriend, Dustin, and the others to be left alone so that they could be safe, but with the way, your movements got more aggressive, and your breathing came more sporadic; Steve knew he couldn’t let you suffer through that.

“Y/N,” he whispered and started shaking your shoulders gently, not wanting to scare you even more. You began thrashing by that point, and his heart broke. “Y/N, I need you to wake up. Please babe, just open your eyes for me.”

After a brief moment, you gasped loudly and finally woke from your dream. Steve watched as you took a few deep breaths to calm yourself and blinked as your eyes adjusted to the light-filled room. Once your heart rate steadied, you finally looked to him and sent him a small smile.

“Hey,” he said softly and reached out to hold onto your hand.

“Hey,” you replied with one more deep breath and squeezed his hand. “Did I wake you up?”

“No, I couldn’t sleep as it was,” he explained before moving to brush some hair away from your face. “Nightmare?”

You nodded tiredly, tears welling up in your eyes. “The Mind Flayer almost got you in that one.”

“Hey, it’s alright,” Steve soothed as he shifted his position so that he could lay back down beside you and pull you into his chest. “I’m right here. Not going anywhere, ok?”

You nodded again.

“But what if something happens again, Steve? What if it’s worse next time?”

Your voice was barely a whisper as it was drowned out by a few sobs, killing him just a little bit more inside as he thought about what you said.

“You can’t think like that,” he told you firmly before placing a kiss to the top of your head. “We’re going to be just fine with whatever life throws at us. You know this.”

“I do,” you replied softly. “As long as we’re together.”

“Exactly. Now try to go back to sleep, you need rest.”

“Aye aye captain,” you chuckled before cuddling up even closer to him. He just smiled in response and reached over to turn the lamp off. Once he was done, he returned to his spot next to you and wrapped his arms protectively around your waist again.

It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep again, Steve even stayed up a little while longer just to make sure you didn’t have another nightmare. As soon as he was sure you were resting peacefully, he let himself drift off into sleep, but not without mumbling a quick ‘I love you’ while making a silent promise to himself to keep you safe from what life could possibly throw next at the two of you. 

Hawkins’ Charm (Part 6/?)

Synopsys: They had gotten out of Hawkins. After all the shit that had happened, all the heartache and pain, Billy and the Reader had gotten away from that hellhole, building their life in California as he had dreamed. But when Max’s graduation rolls around and they go to celebrate, it’s as if the Upside Down was just waiting for all of them to return. And it has a bone to pick.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x f!Reader; platonic!Steve Harrington x f!Reader

Genre: angst, lil bit of fluff

Warnings: blood, mentions of injuries and death, fighting, swearing, implied stuff, smoking

Word count: 3319

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CONDONE BILLY’S ACTIONS AND THE THINGS HE’S DONE! THIS IS BASICALLY AN AU, WHEN REALLY LOOKING AT IT! SPOILERS FOR S3! READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!

Billy’s grip was crushing as he held onto Y/N’s limp body who'd been sedated by Joyce and Hopper with a tranquillizer. It had been against every word of his, but he could only glare at them as he maneuvered her out of the house and towards the Camaro. Next to it stood a big van, it sides a rust-covered white and there were no license plates.        “Place her in the trunk,” Hopper motioned with his head.        Billy had to scoff, unconsciously hugging Y/N tighter. “I’m not placing her in the trunk, are you fucking insane?”        “Just put her in the trunk, we don’t have time for this!”        “She’s a human! She’s Y/N, not some roadkill!” Alex argued for his brother-in-law.        “She’s that thing's slave right now!” Hopper raised his voice with each spoken word. “And we don’t want it to know where we’re going."        A tense silence settled between the three men. In the back of Alex’s and Billy’s minds, they understood that Hopper cared for her, and he wanted the best, which would be not letting her sit in the car next to them and give away their position to the Mind Flayer, but they wouldn’t budge.        “I’m not placing her in the trunk.” There was no room for a discussion. Billy had put his foot down.        Hopper looked like he might burst, as he ran a hand through his thinning hair. Only then did everyone notice what he was wearing.    Jim was adorned by what looked like a prison suit. It was dark grey, had tears and holes pretty much everywhere and didn’t smell too great. He’d gone through hell, and for a second, Billy’s heart twinged. But then he remembered him choking the life out of Y/N (even though he was doing it to save him and the rest), he still didn’t appreciate it.        “Let’s put her in my car,” Nancy came as the savior, holding the brake cables in her hand. “I have an open trunk, so you can sit next to her and watch over.”        “Fine,” Hopper replied earning a scowl from Billy. “But we need to put something over her head, so if she wakes up, the Mind Flayer doesn’t find out where we’re going.”        Small grunts of agreement erupted around them, and even Billy couldn’t find anything to counter it, so with gritted teeth, he nodded, watching as Nancy opened the back of her car. Johnathan quickly rushed and slid underneath it to hook the cables back into place, and Joyce came out of the house with a large white piece of cloth and El’s black blindfold.        “That is so not helping,” Alex mumbled, as Hopper put the pillowcase over Y/N’s head and tied the other piece of fabric around it as well. “Now it looks like we’ve kidnapped her.” Her blood-soaked shirt was not helping one bit.        “Look, kid-“        “I’m eighteen.”        “Look, kid,” Hopper gritted, losing his cool. “I know it’s your sister, and I know you care about her, we all do. But right now her comfort’s the least of our problems while the Mind Flayer is inside. Now, if you want, you can be my guest and announce to the Demogorgon and his little doggo army where we’re going, but if you want to keep your head on your shoulders, and save Y/N, this is what we have to do.”        Alex and Billy had never wanted to punch someone more for being right.

       “She’s gonna be okay. We’ve done this before,” Joyce gave the Californian a tight-lipped smile and patted his shoulder.        “That does not make me feel any better,” Y/N’s brother mumbled but didn’t say anything else.        He wanted to sit at the back with his sister, but when Billy laid her body down, it made him think she looked too much like a dead body, so he opted for driving with Joyce, Hopper, Robin, Lucas and Dustin in the van the ex-Chief had stolen when he had escaped. The rest consisting of Max, Billy, Johnathan, Mike, Will and El hopped into Nancy’s restored vehicle.        “Hop, you said the Russians are back,” Joyce asked after he’d told them to drive to the local store. “What do they want… again?        “I don’t know, world domination? It’s not like they talked about their big evil plan while torturing me.”        She gulped, sharing a look with Lucas and Dustin, but didn’t say anything.        “The Gate’s open,” Dustin announced. “Do you have any clue what they could want with the Upside Down? What did they want in the first place?”        Hopper shook his head, turning down a hard left. “Whatever they think they can do with it, they’re wrong… it’ll kill them first and then us.” The next sentence threw everyone for a loop, as he stopped by where Joyce used to work at the convenience store. “We need a bunch of foil.”        Mike’s eyebrows scrunched up as they all jumped out of their cars, El and Billy standing guard to keep an eye on Y/N and to deter anyone that might wanna know what’s up. “Why?”        “Cause we wanna cook that bastard out of her.”        Billy hadn’t smoked in years and now despised the smell and taste of the cancer sticks, but he hoped Y/N wouldn’t mind much if he did it just this once given as to what they were preparing to do.        He looked through the back window and watched how Y/N’s chest rhythmically rose and fell.        “It’s gonna be okay,” El’s voice made him turn around and look at the teenager. Billy’s mind played the memories of him trying to feed her to the monster four years ago in vivid detail. He remembered how gentle her touch on his cheek had been. How she had talked about the one time before Y/N that he’d been happy. She had helped him break out from the spell.    “We’ll get her back. I promise.”        Billy smiled. Somehow, he didn’t doubt her words. “Thanks.”        El just shrugged. “She’s my friend too. I care about her. Besides,” she let out a small chuckle, “I miss Clara.”        She’d met his gremlin only once, but the little blond-haired girl had taken a huge liking to El. Especially when she had made her dolls dance with her powers. Y/N and Billy had been very much so against her showing her telekinesis, but, later on, understood there’d be no harm in letting the two-year-old witness a little bit of magic.        The sight as everyone exited the store with handfuls of tinfoil would’ve been almost comical, if not for the fact everyone knew what it was for.        “Were to?”        Before Joyce had left Hawkins with her sons and El, she had cleaned up Hopper’s old place a bit. Fixed the roof as best as she could and covered the furniture with some sheets, so that it didn’t seem like they’d left it without a care. It had been El’s home. Jim’s home. She couldn’t do that to them.        Y/N didn’t stir once throughout the whole silent ride, and from time to time Billy had to doublecheck underneath the pillowcase if she was breathing. When her soft warm exhales greeted the back of his palm, he sighed in relief.        The car stopped with a jolt, and everyone was up and running. Billy didn’t even heave a breath, so used to Y/N’s weight whether she wanted to have a piggyback ride or acted dramatically and made him carry her to their bed.        Nancy, Johnathan and Will were carrying every heater they could find into the bedroom and given how the cabin was in the middle of the nowhere, and winters in Hawkins were not the kindest, there was quite a lot of them.        “Is it gonna be enough?” Billy asked, placing Y/N down on what used to be El’s bed, and smoothed some hair out of his wife’s face. She looked so peaceful like that, he almost forgot what had transpired in the last twelve hours or so.        “I don’t know, but it will have to be,” Hopper said and gave instructions to the rest of the Party as they laid out the foil along the walls and ground.    “Cover the rest with sheets and everything you can find. Block out any markings she could see to identify where we’re at.”        “We had less when Will…” Joyce started but didn’t finish the sentence, though everyone knew what she meant. “It worked then.”         "It's just gonna have to work," Hopper said. They didn’t want to think about what they’d have to do if it didn’t.        Billy and Steve were left to tie Y/N up on the bed, belts and ropes at their disposal.        “When you think it’s tight enough, tighten it more,” Hopper stated and nailed a piece of sheet to the wall.        “Yeah, I’d like for her to retain all her limbs, thank you very fucking much,” Billy snapped at the older man but did as he was told. The Mind Flayer was strong, and he remembered how much power he himself had. Granted, he’d been possessed for different reasons, but there was no doubt in his mind, once that thing figured out what they were doing, it would fight tooth and nail to remain in its current host.        Hopper rolled his eyes and huffed, making sure that not even a sliver of light from the setting sun peaked through the fabric. “I think she’d much rather lose a hand than her life.”        Together they brought every possible heater around the bed and plugged them in. It became almost unbearably hot in the span of a second, and Billy was happy for his open shirt and that he’d left his jacket in the car.        Robin had helped Steve stoke a fire in the flimsy-looking fireplace and the flames that licked upwards added to the growing temperature.        Y/N’s chest started heaving, and she stirred on the bed. A soft whimper escaped her mouth, and Billy saw how her clothes stuck to her chest. Her lashes fluttered open but quickly closed when a bright light above shone directly into her eyes.        “Billy please, it hurts,” she begged tears slowly running down her cheeks. Or maybe it was sweat. Either way, he wasn’t happy seeing her face scrunched up in agony. “Billy,” she panted looking into his eyes. “Please.”    He had to turn away from the sight before him. He couldn’t stand watching as she arched up from the bed, and the rope dragged across Y/N’s skin, burning a bright red line across her collarbones. The only marks he ever wished to see were from his fervent kisses, and this was so not it.    “It’s not her talking,” Joyce reminded everyone, as she pushed one of the heaters closer.        Their clothes were already clinging to their bodies, beads of sweat rolling down their skins, accompanied by the perspiration of stress. The foil had helped. A lot. It felt like they were stuck under the direct heat of the blazing sun, combined with an open fire. Which it kinda was.    “Honey, please,” Y/N whined, trashing on the bed and lifting against the ropes. He saw her muscles flex and unflex and thought to himself it was a miracle they were holding her in place.    "Bil-" she started, but he wasn't going to listen.        Two hands slammed on each side of her head, and their eyes met. For a second, Billy was lost in her Y/E/C gaze, but then he looked at the black veins in her orbs. “Get out of my wife.”        That was not the right thing to say, as it would seem he’d just pissed the Mind Flayer off.        “You’re a shit husband, let alone a father!” Y/N sneered and then groaned as Max shoved a portable heater closer. “I’ve thought about leaving you so many times, it’s ridiculous.” Every word was laced with so much venom, it was like acid was being poured over his head.        Alex grunted as Y/N tried to break free from the binds and had to hold her down. “Don’t listen to her!”        “But every time I stayed,” she continued her verbal assault. “Out of pity. Because I knew no one else would. Not even your fucking mother wanted to stay around a piece of shit like you.”        It took everything in Billy not to rip her out of that bed and slam her against the wall. He was just about to crack, when his eyes saw her veins turn completely black to the point the color could block out the moon in the sky at night. It wasn’t Y/N speaking, he reminded himself, it was the Mind Flayer.        “You can’t take care of me or Clara; you don’t deserve us,” even in so much pain she was delivering a blow after blow to Billy’s heart. All of his self-control was now turned to not breaking apart as Y/N spewed his worst fears at him. No, not her! He reminded himself. It’s the Mind Flayer. “And I certainly won’t let you taint the three of us with y-“        She didn’t get to finish the sentence. Y/N’s back arched up from the bed, the belts digging into her skin leaving angry marks. Billy shut his eyes to block out what was happening. Instead, he thought of the times her back had lifted from the mattress while his head had been between her legs, or their hips had met one another’s in harsh thrusts. Not when a scream of pain tore through her throat as El used her powers to pull out the piece of Mind Flayer possessing her body, seeing as the heat alone wasn’t helping.        Y/N was struggling back as if she didn’t want to let go of the demon in her body. For a moment El lost her balance. She had fought bigger things, worse things, but for some reason, this was the hardest battle yet. Maybe because she was trying to save her friend, yet, it seemed like she was doing more harm than good.            Nancy had been hugging Johnathan from the moment Y/N had started screaming, but it wouldn’t stop. It just wouldn’t stop. His shirt was soaked not only from his sweat but her tears.    She couldn’t lose another friend.        “What are you doing?!” Billy yelled at her as she rushed to the open fire and pulled out a brightly glowing piece of metal.        “I won’t let it win!” Nancy bellowed and thrust the burning hot poker in Y/N’s side.        It was the last nail in the coffin. Black plumbing smoke propelled itself out of her from every possible place, making everyone who was near stagger back and away, as if being just in the proximity of it would infect them as well. But El didn’t let it escape.        Her hand was outstretched, and a little stream of blood trickled down her nose, mouth and then chin.        “Burn it,” she sneered as she held it in an invisible grip.        Mike was right there with a can of old hairspray he’d found in El’s old room and a lighter Hopper had tossed him.        Even in its separated form, the second bright red flames touched it, the Mind Flayer released a shriek, that made everyone else close their ears.    Both Mike’s and El’s faces were scrunched up at the piercing sound, but they had to get the job done. And in two minutes there was nothing, but black flakes left that drifted to the floor like ash from the sky.        The whole place turned completely silent; it was like the woods outside were holding their breath as well, not believing what had transpired in the old, half-broken cabin they were hiding from the rest of the town.        “Benny’s,” a hoarse voice from behind them said.        Billy whipped around and saw Y/N’s head lol to the side, eyes blinking and trying to adjust to her surroundings. “Dollface?”        “Benny’s,” she mouthed again.        “Are you-” he was beyond confused as he pushed the matted locks away from her sweaty skin but couldn’t help the astonished chuckle that escaped his mouth. “Are you hungry? Really?”        “No, you idiot,” a horrendous cough rattled through her body as she tried to sit up but couldn’t because of her binds. “It’s where the Mind Flayer is. I don’t think it thought I’d make it, so it didn’t bother with hiding… there’s a whole tunnel system down there. I think they used it as storage and had products delivered that way… it’s a pretty cold place… and leads right to the lab…”        A small voice from the very back of the room spoke up.        “Y/N?”        She smiled as Billy removed each rope and tie, and she opened up her arms as Alex barreled towards her and crushed her in a hug.    “Hey shitbag, ya’ miss me?” Y/N whispered, her throat still very much so sore.        “No,” he sniffled pushing his face in the crook of her neck. “Just didn’t want to be the one to tell mom you’ve been possessed.”        “Sure,” she drawled out. “Just admit you fucking missed me.”        “Why would I do that? I was so close to getting your car…”        Y/N pulled back with her eyebrows scrunched up. “You do realize I’d rather have it chucked into the ocean than let you have it?”        “What a great big sister you are,” Alex scoffed, but when he pulled away, there was an undeniable smile on his face.        “Uh, I’m the best,” Y/N mimicked his tone, as she slowly sat up on the bed, Billy’s palm resting on the small of her back, as she did so.            “I’m uh,” Hopper scratched at his neck making her look at him. Now when he was face to face with Y/N, instead of the Mind Flayer, the bruises on her neck were harder to swallow, especially since it was his handiwork. “I’m sorry about, you know… choking you and stuff…”        “ ‘S okay,” she lifted her shoulders and dropped them as if it was an everyday thing she had to go through. “You had to do what you had to do… I’m glad you’re back, by the way. You know, just as a side note.”        Hopper grunted and put his hand on El’s head, as the girl leaned into his side breathing heavily; a small smile played on her face as she looked at the other girl.    “Yeah," Jim said. "I’m glad I’m back too.”        Y/N looked around the room giving everyone shy grins and snorted when Steve and Robin waved at her, but when she saw Max pacing around the room, her lips turned down a bit.        “You okay there, Maxine?”        The redhead didn’t even react to being called by her first name, even though she despised it will all her being.        “It’s just that… I don’t get it,” Max was biting her nails, and Lucas gently slapped her hand down. She’d already bitten them down to the skin during the whole ordeal, he didn’t want to see her rip them apart so hard they started to bleed.        “Don’t get what?” Nancy asked, offering Y/N a towel to wipe the sweat and dirt and blood away from her face and arms.        “Why would it want to kill you, apart from punishing Billy? Wouldn’t that, you know,” Max nodded vaguely, “kill the Mind Flayer? It made sense when he tried to kill Billy, seeing as he was the only one strong enough to go against it.”        Everyone was looking at Y/N whose eyes had dropped to the floor. She couldn’t look at them. She knew why, it just wasn’t something she wanted to say out loud.    “Because I wasn’t the main host…” Y/N finally sighed out after a moment. But when Billy asked who was, there was no way she’d meet the blue orbs that were like the ocean. She kept her gaze on where his wedding ring used to sit, only now realizing it was missing.        “It’s your dad, Billy. Neil's the main host.”

Tags (crossed out wouldn’t take): 

Hawkins’ Charm tag list: @genius2050 @aiifandomsunite @ashleymarieriffle @littlefool-smalljester @infinitelycharmed23 @llcalumllhoodll @benevolentgemini @rxmanovbby @euphoniumpets @krazykatykat456 @believerofall @ccidk @babechief @meganmj @blackhood5sos @fml9603 @noodlenerd101 @universefinds @kuroidesuchloe @im-a-stranger-thing @grxxn-gardxns @springholland @beforethebraces @robinisourlesbianmom @queeneliza108 @neenaw-neenaw @lexisntthatweird @choicesismylife @mckenzie2020 @kcd15 @snuggleducky @reckless-sofia @didyouseetheflair @silver-winter-wolf @jay-ta-blog @hopeless-lovex0 @anyasthoughts @robinismyqueen @yeah-butyourenot-dacremontgomery @mcrganstarks @psychoticobsession @cutehipstergirl25 @sbfandom @mickmoon @jackyfrost01 @txhmine @dark-princess99 @morgangrice18 @graveyard--baby--666 @changingmylifestyle367 @sweetdayme4427 @alowexpectation @sexyvixen7 @golddvstwoman @evelynfreakinaddams @sunfucked @sataninsatin @queenbbarnes @venomavocado @rangotangomango @psychosupernatural @sereiins @frickin-bats @bandsruinedmylife @thee-brunette-princess @queenskyster @aspiring-fangirls-world @gracethegeek9902

Forever tags: @lumelgy @palaiasaurus64​ @supernaturalbaesduh​ @breezy1415​ @crazy--me​ @thatawkwardlittlefangirl​ @sea040561​ @staryeyedgirl @deathbyarabbit @s-c-a-r-e-d-po-t-t-e-r @reblogger-not-a-blogger @m-a-t-91 @dalilx @i-need-a-hero-i-need-a-loki @maladaptive-ninja-returns @averyrogers83 @in-the-end-im-still-trash @gallifreyansass @dewy-biitch @avxgers @unlikelygalaxygiver @sweet-ladyy @magicwithaknife @ollyoxenfrees @bnhvrdy @tvwhoresblog @celebsimagines @thatkindofgurl @sj-thefan @teenwolflover28

A/N: my tags are always open :)

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader

Summary: The love story between Dustin’s sister and his favourite mentor/best friend. Acquaintances to Friends to lovers. Slow burn I guess?

A/N: First Steve Harrington x reader fic but I definitely won’t mind writing more. I wanted to try something different with my writing. Hope this turns out okay. Also, part two coming soon

Part 1 of Part 2

—————————

Season 1

Boy oh boy

Okay! My first hc

OG babysitter of course

The kids LOVE you

Will’s your baby

And he knows it

Boasts about to the others

The rest get a little jealous

Especially Dustin.

“I’m your brother, (Y/N)! You’re suppose to love me more!”

“I do Dustin, don’t worry.”

He didn’t reply

“How about I’ll drive you anywhere you want to go for two months?”

He agrees with his aborably smile of his

Getting roped into playing DND

You’re okay with it cuz it’s fun

Being the healer of the party

Because you want to become a nurse and it was only fitting

Finding out about your crush on Steve

Still not sure how they knew but they did

You were going to kill Dustin

Would tease you relentlessly about it

“Ooh, Steve please kiss me!”

“I wanna have your babies”

Them making kissing faces

Threatening them until they stop

Won’t take them long until they start again

Pushing the crush away when Steve started to become an asshole

Dustin will still tease you about it

“You can’t date an asshole, (Y/N).”

“I’m not dating an asshole Dust.”

ANYWAYS

Best friends with Jonathan

Both artsy

Him with his camera

You with your drawings

Both knowing who you like

Teases each other a lot (but it’s all fun and games)

Is absolutely heartbroken about Will

Being there for Jonathan when Will went missing.

Being there for Nancy when Barb went missing

Just being a supportive friend in general

When Jonathan and Nancy started doing their own thing after the whole Steve issue

You somehow found yourself babysitting the party

Wishing you didn’t bribe him about giving him a ride

Then you met El

And man did your sisterly ways kicked in

“Friend?” El would say and it would break your heart

Somehow knowing she went through shit, so you waited until she trusted you

Following them on their quest to find Will

Having no idea what the hell is a demogorgon is or what the Upside Down is

But knowing it’s bad if El is scared of it

Helping everyone

Being there at the school when El destroys the thing

Heartbroken that El’s gone

Will is back and man you missed your baby

Is worried about him

Acting like everything’s normal around him

He’s thankful for that

Season 2

New year new you

But not really

You still get nightmares about everything

It’s not as bad as it was at the beginning but still

Still can’t watch horror anymore

Still best friends with Jonathan

And now Nancy and Steve are in the mix

The weirdest group of friends but you don’t mind

Jonathan told you what happened and vice versa

Your crush on Steve comes back ten fold

He’s not an asshole anymore

But he’s dating Nancy so you hide it

Getting teased by the party started to be a normal thing now

Watching Will closely but not bothering him

If he wants to talk, you want him to come to you willingly

Halloween comes

Nancy tries her best to convince you and Jonathan to go to the party

Knowing full well you aren’t, you smile and nod

Dropping Dustin off and going home

You didn’t get very far into your reading when Jonathan came and dragged you out of the house

Lots of protesting

“Come on, it’ll be fun (Y/N)!”

Staring at him as if he grew two heads

But since this is Hawkins and knowing what you know

It could be a possibility

But going nevertheless

At the party you just kinda stay to yourself not having fun

Watch Nancy and Steve from a distance

Feeling your heart break a little

Then they left after Nancy spilt juice? on herself

Then watch as Steve stormed out a few minutes later

Wondering if you should go check on Steve

Deciding against it

Jonathan going to where Nancy is and then coming back saying he was going to bring her home

Now you don’t have a ride

With nothing else to, you left and started walking home

The next day the whole school knows about Steve and Nancy break up

Which resulted you sitting by yourself now

Not sure what the hell happened but whatever

You started to notice Jonathan and Nancy and Dustin being all secretive and Will being weird

But you just didn’t have the heart to be curious

And when Nancy and Jonathan ditched school for a couple of days

You found yourself hanging out with Steve more

You probably would enjoy more if he didn’t talk about Nancy a lot

But you still enjoyed it nonetheless

One day you came home with the intention of sleep and found your mom looking for Mews

But you didn’t get any sleep

Hearing a noise from the other end of the room you nearly screamed

But you didn’t

You didn’t know what was eating your cat

But you did know you’d be next

So you left the room and slammed it shut

“Are you okay, dear?”

“Yeah! Just um, cleaning my room!”

There was no way you were going to let your mom in your room

You walked into your brothers room without knocking

“Knock will you!”

Not saying anything, you grabbed his hand and dragged him into yours

“What the hell, (Y/N)?!”

You didn’t answer

Just opened the door and pointed at the thing

“Dart?!”

Of course he named the thing

Coming up with a plan to get your mom out of the house

Executing the plan

“This is what you’re going to do. You’re going to trap Dart, clean my room and bury the cat.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Going to Steve’s and getting his bat.”

Steve wasn’t at home.

Huffing you went back home to find Steve and Dustin at the door to the root cellar

Finding out the Dart molted

“If you guys want to chase the thing, go ahead be my guest. I’m staying home.”

They did and you stayed home

Didn’t last long before Lucas and Max came and banged on your door

“We need a ride to the old junkyard.”

Hanging your head, you grabbed the keys and ushered them to your car

“When this is all over, I’m going to kill someone.”

Getting there and helping Steve get the bus ready and whatnot.

Ignoring everyone, because you were mad

Night came, the things came but didn’t come any closer

“Why aren’t they moving?”

“Maybe they were tired of cow?”

You and Steve shared a look and sighed

If he was going out there, so were you

You wanted to protect the kids

“Guys! What are you doing?”

Not answering, you picked up the crowbar you got from your car and walked off the bus with Steve

“What are you doing?”

“Same thing as you, Steve. Same thing.”

“Your nightmares are going to come back.”

Both swinging at the demo-dogs that are coming towards you

“How-” whack. “Do you-” whack “know-” whack. “about my nightmares?” Whack

“Dustin.”

For the second time in your life, you were going to kill Dustin.

Briefly wondered if you were going to become a serial killer instead of a nurse

“Abort! Abort! Guys, there’s too many of them!”

Running back towards the bus and getting in in time

Fighting off the demo-dogs until they ran off

“Did we scare them off.”

“No, they went somewhere.”

Walking along the train track

Ignoring Dustin and Lucas’s fight

Though you were a bit upset that Lucas brought Max in this

Swore you were going to protect Max

Following the sound until your get to the lab

Running on Nancy and Jonathan after a few minutes

“Nancy?”

“Steve?”

“Jonathan?”

“(Y/N)?”

Driving in Hoppers car to the Byers house

Now everyone’s in the loop, coming up with a plan for what comes next

Huddling in a group as a demo-dog comes to the house

Heart bursting as El walks into the house

Letting Mike and El have their reunion until Hop brings Mike to a different room

Running and hugging El

Grabbing her face to see if you can find any wounds

Glad you didn’t find any

“I like the new look.”

El beaming at you

Staying at the house with the kids and Steve

Watching Billy beat the shit out of Steve

“(Y/N)! Do something!”

Snapping out of it, you take Steve’s bat and flipping it around so the nails are pointed at you

You didn’t want to kill him

And swung the bat hitting him on the head

Max took the sryinge and stuck it in Billy’s neck

Getting into Billy’s car and driving to the field with Dustin telling you where to go

Steve wasn’t to happy about the plan

You convinced him to come and help

Wanting to kill your brother yet again

Lighting the thing on fire and quickly running to the opening

Getting stuck in the tunnel with Steve as a bunch of demo-dogs come running

Sighing in relief that you’re still alive

Being proud of El when you realize she closed the gate

Hanging out with Steve when Dustin’s at his snow ball

Falling asleep watching movies together

It’s the best nights sleep you’ve gotten since the whole thing started

El and the Bunny Ears Method

Headcanon: When she was little, they’d given her buckled shoes and plain pinafores. When she was old enough, all she was given was a medical gown and a pair of underwear. Never in that time was she given a pair of lace-up shoes, much less taught how to actually tie shoelaces. Once he discovers this, Mike can't help but take it upon himself to teach her.  [AO3] [Based on this post]

Words: 1466 | Characters: Mike & Eleven | Rating: General | Tags: Canon compliant, Headcanon, Fluff

He’s pretty sure he hasn’t done this in months; tied someone’s shoelaces for them. The last time had probably been with Holly a few weeks ago, when his mom was too busy talking on the phone to help the youngest Wheeler with her pumps.

Mike had sat his sister down on the bottom step, told her to hold the spare shoe while he tied the first one. Holly hadn’t really paid him much mind, hadn’t really listened to his instructions, but she was just a toddler so it’s not like he could blame her anyway.

This is different though. It’s different because El isn’t some kindergartner, and she isn’t at an age where kids just haven’t learnt that yet.

“Okay, so,” Mike’s brows dip, and he lets out the smallest of sighs in readiness, “I’ll do one to show you, and then you can do the other.” He dares to look down at the girl then, finds her already observing him from her spot on the couch, “Sound good?”

El just shrugs, keeping her gaze locked onto his face as Mike kneels down in front of her. He slides his legs beneath him, resting his palms flat on the carpet as his clothed kneecaps dig into the hard ground. He casually picks up the closest pair of sneakers, randomly thrown atop a stack of jigsaws. They’re blue with beige soles and they’re far from being his favorite’s.

He plops the unlaced shoes down beside him, eyes on the sweatpants she’s wearing. Reaching a tentative hand out, Mike looks up at the girl with caution, suddenly less confident in his movements.

El offers him a simple nod of her head with a twitch of her eyebrow, watching as he wraps his palm around her left ankle, slipping her socked foot into one of the sneakers. She wiggles her toes around inside the shoe for a moment, having grown unfamiliar with the feeling.

(When she was little, they’d given her buckled shoes and plain pinafores. When she was old enough, all she was given was a medical gown and a pair of underwear.)

“Does it fit?” Mike asks, hand still around her ankle. He retracts it away as soon as she nods again, ushering a soft ‘yes’. He nods, and proceeds to slide the other sneaker onto her other foot. With both shoes on, El presses her elbows into her knees, leaning over just so to observe him, watch as his hands move around.

Mike picks up the first lace of the left shoe, and he clears his throat, “Uh, so,” he pauses, glancing up at her in slight trepidation, “Bunny ears?” He ties his own laces the regular, standard way, but he remembers how Nancy had once taught Holly about the bunny ears method. It’s easier for kids, right? And, while El’s not a little kid, she’s also-

“Bunny ears?”

“Yeah.” Mike grins, cheeks flaming up at the gentle way she says the word ‘bunny’, “You make two hoops instead of one, it’s-“ He shrugs, casual as he collects himself, “Just trust me.” He says.

El draws her lips tight, but she doesn’t say anything as he proceeds to tie a simple knot with both shoelaces. He makes a loop with the first lace then, keeping the point where the lace crosses held between two fingers, and he does the same with the other shoelace, making a loop and crossing it in the middle.

She watches in deep concentration as he — after glancing up at her for approval, for the go-ahead— places one of the loops behind the other and tucks it under, pulling the longest loop out again until they both knot together.

“Okay?” He plops the tied laces back down, and then his gaze shifts to her other foot, “You try.” He picks up the first lace, waits until she plucks it from his fingers before moving backwards just an inch.

El considers the string for a moment, eyes focusing in on the lace as though it’s some task that she’ll never accomplish. But before Mike can offer any further words of encouragement to comfort her, she’s tying a simple knot with both shoestrings, yanking on the ends to make sure it’s tight enough. She smooths her fingertips over the left string then, the material rubbing against the pad of her thumb, “Around.”

Mike raises both eyebrows when she makes her first loop, the ends of the lace stretched out into a much-too-big hoop.

“Not so big.” He places a hand over hers then, letting out a small chuckle at the sheer size of the loops. He pulls on the strings once she loosens her hold, and he makes smaller loops to show her once again.

“Oh.” El nods, blinking rapidly, “Smaller.”

“Yeah. Smaller.” Mike smiles, letting go of the laces when she moves to take over, practically snatching the strings from his hand. He rests his hands on his thighs, watching as she makes her first loop, smaller and together this time. “See?”

The girl grins, sheepish and childlike, and the corner of her mouth curls up as she makes her second loop. She holds the two loops tight between her fingers, eyes narrowing as she goes to pull them into a knot.

She wraps the right loop behind the left, pulling out through the front until they slide against one another, forming a knot against the top of her shoe.

The loops hang loose by the sides of her sneaker, and she wiggles her toes again.

“Like... this?”

“Yeah.” Mike confirms with a nod, and his eyes brighten, “Exactly like that.”

(A few hours from now, she’ll tie these same laces. And, while it’ll be a sloppy job that leaves a drop of blood slipping from her nose, she’s almost proud of herself.)

(A few days from now, Mike will give her a nicer pair of shoes that better suit the pink dress she’ll borrow from his sister. They’ll be white, scuffed and scratched, and her smile will light up the room when she successfully ties them herself, without needing any of the boys’ help.)

(A few weeks from now, when she’s isolated in the middle of the woods with no one around to help her, her laces will come undone. She’ll try to tie them herself, and she’ll try just tucking and knotting the laces together with her powers. But it won’t work, and she’ll momentarily forget how to tie her laces. But this doesn’t mean she’ll give up.)

(And a few months from then, a police chief will take her in and teach her all sorts of basic life skills. He’ll teach her, in his own way, how to tie shoelaces — after he’s cleaned off the dirt and muck and grass from her first, favorite, and forever pair of shoes. There won’t be any bunny ears, and he’ll wait until she’s got it down pat before moving on to something else.)

(Eventually, she’ll master the art of tying her shoelaces with a simple flick of her head; the knots won’t be messy and the laces won’t just gather into huge chunks of tangled string. Eventually, she’ll master the art of tying her shoelaces with a simple look, but they’ll be bunny eared and bigger than Mike would make.)

“Bunny ears.” El repeats with a subtle nod then, wide and curious eyes focused on Mike’s face as a soft, almost absent smile starts to spread across her face.

“Yeah.” Mike smiles, beams really, “Bunny ears.” He says, looking up at her on the couch, awed and intrigued, “You did it, El.”

“Thank you.” She stares down at him, and her hand reaches out as though she’s going to touch him, to grasp his shoulder. She doesn’t though, and Mike isn’t disappointed when she instead runs her hand over the laces, admiring her handiwork.

From his space on the floor, Mike just takes her in; watching as she bounces her legs up and down to see if the ties fall, watching as her cheeks seem to flush when she catches him staring.

He’s in awe of her, he realises then. He’s entranced by her every move, captivated by every little shift of her shoulder, every little flicker of emotion that crosses her face. And, while he’s young and romantic love might not be something he’s mature enough to understand, he’s almost positive that this will be the moment he’ll refer back to when asked ‘so when did you first fall for her?’ — or, at the very least, it will be the moment he knew she was something remarkable that he wouldn’t be able to live without.

(And, some years from now, if Mike gets down on one knee in front of her... it won’t be to tie her shoelaces.)

I feel like you’ll want this, @fatechica @puzzlingsnark @maplestreet83 @moodyandmoonyeyed @serendipitous-rambles @janeswheeler @dancingskygreen @formerlyjannafaye @mad-maxxy @janes-mike 

Fic idea: It's Christmas time and everyone is over at the Wheelers. People figure out that Jancy is a thing now, but in a really awkward way

“Wait!” Jonathan freezes at the loud order. He looks over at El who points upwards, “Mistletoe. You have to wait,” she says emphatically.

Jonathan is used to eccentric kids and he’s reasonably good at differentiating between the serious and the not as much. He can tell this falls into the former and raises his hands up in surrender, earning a quick smile from the girl whose more than capable of physically making sure he stands still. Barely a moment later, Nancy is in the middle of arguing with her mother and walking backwards, bumping into him. She jumps in surprise, turning quickly.

“Jonathan, sorry!” She gasps, “I didn’t see you.”

“It’s ok,” he says quickly, offering no explanation as to why he’s standing in the middle of the doorway.

“Kiss!”

Nancy turns to look at Eleven whose edging a lot closer to the like of outright deviance with the smile on her face. She points upwards and Nancy swears under her breath at the sprig that is tacked up there. Her eyes drag towards him and Jonathan smiles weakly. What’s happening between them is something they’re keeping to themselves. It’s no secret that Jonathan’s been in love with her for a long time. Nor is it a secret that she just broke up with Steve. The memory of being called a slut digs deeper than it should, but there’s very little Jonathan wouldn’t do for her. Including helping her keep her reputation.

Long story short, they haven’t told anyone. Well, actually, that’s not true. He’s told Will and from the delight on her face, he has a feeling that she’s told El. He glances over at Will whose days with the haunted look in his eyes have grown fewer and fewer as time has gone on. He told him one night when he had been inconsolable about what the past year had cost everyone. Not himself, of course, because Will is somehow still the best person Jonathan knows. But Jonathan had told him the first good thing he could think of. No-one else knows though. He looks at Nancy who meets his eyes through her lashes.

“Sweetheart,” Joyce begins, quickly moving to protect her oldest child, “not everyone who goes under the mistletoe wants to kiss,” she explains quickly.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Byers,” Nancy says quickly and stands up on her toes, pecking Jonathan’s cheek, “there,” she says, her hand lingering on his arm.

Mrs. Byers frowns and Jonathan knows immediately why. It’s not that he doesn’t like the cheek kiss, it’s sweet and really he’s on board with like any kind of physical constant Nancy wants. But it’s hard to be reduced to a stammering mess over a cheek kiss when you were almost late to the party because you had your head between someone’s legs. The frown goes away and Mrs. Byers smiles at Nancy but Jonathan can see the wheels turning in his mothers head. He smiles at Nancy who squeezes his bicep in silent thanks and moves.

They mistletoe follows her.

She doesn’t realize it at first, but she knows there was one sprig that she tacked up. Just one. Not one on every doorframe which is what seems to be happening. Also people seem to not want to enter the doorframe she’s in. Like some invisible force is steering them away. The only time she sees Eleven is when Jonathan comes through the doorframe. They’ve been exchanging pecks on the cheek all night. They’re always conscious of touching each other with their scarred hands. It means something to both of them and Nancy is sometimes not sure how she made it the past year without the brush of raised skin against her arm or the back of her hand.

“Sweetheart,” Mrs. Byers says seriously after the fourth time it happens, “it’s enough. What you’re doing is nice, but they’ve kissed enough.”

“But—“ El begins.

“Listen to me, okay? Sometimes when you like someone, they don’t like you back. It’s not a bad thing, but if that happens it’s not fair to either of them to force it.”

Nancy feels her face go red as Jonathan looks at the ground hard. He’s been nothing but understanding since she asked if they could keep what was between them quiet. But when she think about the past month she realizes just how much pity his mom has laid on both of them. A part of her is kind of amazed but then again she knows that Mrs. Byers has always had her hands more than full with Will. Jonathan is sometimes treated like an adult rather than a kid.

“It’s ok, Mrs. Byers,” she says after El huffs loudly, “I don’t mind.”

“You’re sweet to say that, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Mrs. Byers says.

“I’m not,” Nancy assures her, “excuse me a second.”

Hiding in the bathroom is something she’s becoming a pro at. She doesn’t avoid the mirror though. She looks nice, she thinks. Her dress is dark green velvet and for the first time in a while she’s got her hair tied behind a ribbon. She took her first tentative trip to the mall in what feels like forever and her lips taste like peppermint. She runs her thumb along the bottom one and feels neglect from the chastity of the last hour or so. It’s not a moment too soon before Jonathan slips inside and she pins him to the door.

He’s already leaning to kiss her when she kisses him, their lips colliding and Nancy wants to cry with how good it feels. He’s in a pair of corduroys and when he presses his leg between hers she thinks she actually does. Being greedy like this is something that is coming naturally to her. It still is hard to fathom what it’s like to have someone there, someone who catches her when she needs to be caught and falls with her when she needs to fall. She feels like a coward for worrying about her reputation in something as stupid as high school, but the old taunts still chafe. And maybe she is that selfish that she wants this just for them, for as long as they can keep it.

“I’m going to burn every piece of mistletoe,” he swears against her skin as she rakes her fingers down his back.

“It’s just one,” she says and he makes a noise that she swallows with her lips, “Jonathan,” she whines his name softly as he maneuvers her the counter, easily putting her on top of it. She hooks her leg behind his back and pulls him closer, her heel digging into his ass. He hisses through his teeth before nipping at her lower lip, pressing closer to her, “John—Jonathan the door!”

Any other day Nancy would say she likes Jim Hopper and the feeling is mutual.

Right now she hates him though.

He’s standing there with his arms locked around his adopted daughter, both of his hands clapped over her eyes. His jaw is on the floor and Nancy is torn between snapping into babysitter mode and yelling at him to close it. It’s just really hard to think with the position she’s in. As if to add to the cosmic joke of the situation, with no regard to secrecy that same sprig of mistletoe comes looping through the air to hover above their heads, earning a whoop of laughter from Will.

“Mistletoe,” El explains looking up at Hopper even though his hands are covering her eyes, “they have to kiss.”

“Cut that out,” He scolds, recovering himself enough to scowl, “put it back in the doorway.”

“For me and Mike!”

“Never mind, leave it there,” he says, “and close the door.”

The door shuts and she leans her head back against the mirror. She can feel Jonathan trying not to smile and her own rises to meet it. When he looks up and sees her not looking too devastated, he smiles tentatively at her. Irrationally she wants to grab him back when he shifts away slightly and digs into his back pocket.

“I guess now might be the time to give you this,” he says, holding out a pouch, like the kind you put jewelry in. Nancy takes it and is immediately struck by the weight of it. She tips it out into her hand and stares at it. This isn’t a childish gift “you did a lot, not just for me but for my mom, Will,” he explains at the look on her face.

“Jonathan,” she whispers his name differently and he feels his face getting hot. He’s still braced for her saying that she can’t accept it but she presses her lips together and looks at it closer, “this is beautiful.”

Some knot he didn’t know he had relaxes as she turns it over. He knows she has one already, but it’s one of those ones you get in the mall. All the girls were wearing them a few years ago and he used to watch her twist it around her finger. The weight of this one is much heavier. It’s older, actual metal and not plastic. There’s no stone but he polished it, the rosy gold is cleaner than it has been in a long time. He has no idea if it’s going to fit, or even if she wants to wear it. Before he can say that though she slips it onto her right finger, heart pointing towards her wrist and meets his eyes.

He thinks his heart is going to beat out of his chest.

He reaches up and grabs the still hovering mistletoe, pulling a laugh from his girlfriend, and tucks it into his back pocket. Nancy tugs his clothes back to place and adjusts her dress. She grabs his hand as they exit out of the bathroom. The room immediately erupts into chatter but they both know it was silent a moment ago. Nancy rolls her eyes and pulls him with her over to the coat closet, daring anyone to make a comment before she grabs her present for him out of his coat pocket where she’d slipped it earlier.

“I couldn’t think of a good lie in front of everyone,” she explains.

“That’s a first,” he says and she smacks his shoulder lightly. He takes the present from her and goes still at the contours of it. The stab of nerves in her eyes suddenly makes sense. He opens the wrapping paper, even though he’s pretty sure he knows what’s inside, “Nancy—“

“I know you have your music,” she says, snatching it out of his hands and showing him the back, “some of them are on there. And there’s ones from the road trip and some others I thought you might like,” she finishes with a rush, “but you don’t—“

Thank god he’s got the mistletoe in his back pocket so he can justify kissing her. He’s never had someone make him a mix tape before, he knows what goes into making one. It means more to him than he can say, especially in front of an audience, so he tries to put it all into kissing her. Which he gets away with for a bit before she pulls back.

“I told you not to interrupt me like that,” she says.

“Mistletoe?” He tries and it sounds weak. Even to him. She glares, though the effect is ruined by her swollen lips, “sorry,” he apologizes wisely, “thank you,” he adds, “I love it.”

“You haven’t even listened,” She points out and he chuckles.

“I know but I love that you made it for me,” he says, “no-ones ever made me a mixtape before.”

She blushes and he takes it from her hands, putting it into his pocket where he can feel it. It’s stupid how he wants to know it’s there, but he’s maybe okay with a little stupid when it comes to this. When they go back to the living room there’s no swell of chatter this time, thankfully. Nancy feels a tug on her sleeve and looks at Eleven, smiling to let her know that she’s not upset about being caught.

“She needs the mistletoe,” Nancy says to Jonathan.

“Who do you need it for?” He asks.

“Your Mom and Hop,” she says.

Jonathan hands it over.

El skips away happily before Nancy can wipe the smudge of blue from behind her ear and Jonathan finds himself being nudged over to Will whose trying to look innocent and not exactly pulling it off. Nancy clears her throat and he snaps his head over to them so fast it’s nearly like whiplash. Immediately his eyes go to her ring and he grins. Nancy’s known him for so long but after the last year it surprises her when he hugs her tightly.

“I told him not to freak out about it,” Will says.

“Thank you for talking him down,” Nancy replies, smiling as Jonathan’s hand finds her hip again.

“Want to go get food?” Jonathan asks, “both of you,” He elaborates quickly when they look at him.

“Yeah, but you two should probably wash your hands first.”

“Makes three of us,” Jonathan points out. Will’s fingers are still covered in food color from the cookies. Going into the kitchen Nancy isn’t surprised to find her brother taking them out, but the smudge of green on his jaw makes her look at the youngest Byers, “hands,” Jonathan orders.

“You too,” Nancy says dragging Mike over to the sink, “go get El,” she orders her boyfriend as Will points to his jaw and Mike starts scrubbing and all Nancy can think is that she’s never going to be able to look at a Christmas sweater the same way again.