pebblesnstones

Virgo, 20, Stranger Things, The Princess Bride, and much more. Good vibes only. They/Them. Nobody under 18, please - you'll be blocked if you aren't 18+.

[rigginsstreet]

like we’re so used to the “tragic beauty” trope being told about a woman that i dont think it would even cross most peoples minds to apply it to a male. but billy very much embodies this concept of beautiful people not being allowed to suffer, because of his looks no one takes into account the pain he faces.

we see it in the fandom ALL THE GODDAMN TIME. because he looks a certain way, he should be able to stand up to his abusive father. he’s welcoming the sexualization of the moms of hawkins. every girl in his grade wants him. hes got it made. he deserves every bad thing coming to him

in the show hes emotionally abused by his father for daring to take interest in his appearance. his interactions with the moms of hawkins are treated as a joke for the audience. the writers have no interest in unpacking the fact that a 17/18 year old is being sexually harassed. because he’s a “man”. hes hot. so of course he’s the aggressor. it all falls on his shoulders. karens just a hapless victim to his wiles. 

he’s quite literally punished for being a sexual being. he gets possessed on his way to a hook up. theres also something to be said for the fact that the other older teens are allowed to have sex because they were in relationships/being set up to be in one. billy? he doesnt reserve sex for a committed relationship. hopper and joyce dont get to hook up until its gonna become a full fledged thing between them. the younger kids are all in committed relationships despite being like 12. billys the only one who breaks this mold. and it leads to his death.

i joke around all the time about how the duffers hate pretty people and how billy was punished for being hot but like… actually…. he was. and thats fucking sad. and weird. and oddly fits all the 80s slasher tropes of characters dying after they have sex and the virgins surviving but like you know damn well the duffers arent trying to make a commentary on that they just live like this 

[pebblesnstones123]

THIS ^^^^^^

[pebblesnstones123]

New Fic Up On Ao3 - Domestic Steddie where Eddie starts an art project- Eddie's Christmas Village and Other Phases

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43702792

Throughout the years, Eddie was a collector. He had a special liking for certain textures, they just scratched an itch he didn’t know he had. Until he felt them ; buttery soft fabrics that were soft but not scratchy.   It  was how his closet ended  up half-full with  sweaters he never wore out.  Or his phase with fluffy scarves,  that Wayne never understood his draw to. Both of them were too warm for him wear out. His partner, Steve, always said he ran hot and Eddie complained about how cold Steve’s icy fingers and toes were in bed.  Steve ended up wearing the sweaters and scarves when the weather turned cold. 

 One time, Steve had told Eddie he reminded him of the moon. Steve was the biggger romantic of the two, and it’d made Eddie expect a deep, sappy reason for why. When Eddie asked for why, Steve had explained it simply. “It’s because you have phases, Eddie. You never know quite what to expect. I like the surprise,” Steve had said, over a cup of his morning coffee. Eddie has sputtered, and gone through the dramatics of being faux offended to make him chuckle. But Steve hadn’t been wrong about him changing interests.

 A few years ago, he went through a phase of enjoying squishy things.  Steve laughed when Eddie asked him to bring home plato, when he stopped at the store. He still brought home   modeling clay  and Eddie made the ugliest little sculptures known to man. According to the kids when they’d visit, that is. The little sculptures looked vaguely human, and made Steve laugh. It was the biggest reason he kept making them.

    Then, that same year, he’d loved baking. The  preset mixes and all he had to add was eggs and milk or water. He enjoyed making the little circles for cookies in his hands and placing them on the tray before he baked them.  Steve complained about how much sweets were in the house when he had to go up a size in jeans, his other pair stopped zipping up. Not that Eddie minded. A little more to love didn’t bother him, but if it bothered Steve, he would’ve hit the gym as moral support in a heartbeat.

If you’ve read down this far, and enjoy, let me know what you think on ao3 -    https://archiveofourown.org/works/43702792 

[pebblesnstones123]

New Fic Up On Ao3 -  Small Business Owner! Robin with Steve and Eddie helping -  We Tease Him A lot ('Cause We Got Him On The Spot)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43701384

 Working at his friend’s shop had it’s ups and downs. It’d began when Robin wanted to start her business, they’d nicknamed it Robin’s Egg, and eventually it gained the proper name of ‘Robin’s Nest’. The sign was crooked outside, though ; Steve had helped set it in place, and tested  how secure it was by shaking the sign. One end wouldn’t go back in place, and now their sign always head to be read by crooking one’s head just so. The part-timers Robin hired on, a gaggle of high-schoolers, still gave Steve hell for it. Tonight, Robin had talked Steve into coming by to sort out the new shipment she’d received.  

      “Are you still sure you want me to do inventory, Rob?” Steve asked, straining his neck to take her in. Robin was up on that same ladder he’d mde her sign crooked on,  and was struggling to reach a box she’d placed on the very  top shelf.  He tried to pick at his shirt, one damp spot making it stick to his chest. He’d spilled water on it after Robin surprised him by being especially loud, he jumped with his open water bottle at the noise.

  Robin’s comments about him winning the wet t-shirt contest didn’t help. He crossed his arms, stared at the damp spot on his chest, and shook his head.  They’d been unloading a new shipment  for three hours and counting. Robin was forced to bulk order  more supplies after a viral TikTok. 

 “Are you kidding? Between you and me,” Robin called,  dramatically glancing about as if someone would pop up to interrupt them. She shook her head to get her bangs away from her face. Every time she did it, it reminded Steve of a long eared dog shaking off water or mud. Not that he’d voice that - pissing off Robin was the last thing he needed for the holidays.  “You’re the only one I trust to unload in time. Those kids would get distracted.”  

   She hefted the box onto her shoulder, and climbed down with hand gripping the ladder. His stomach clenched as he watched and walked over so she could easily pass it down.  One day they’d  get  hurt from not being careful.He knew for a fact Robin didn’t have savings for just in case of an injury. 

 Steve helping didn’t take away his right to give her shit.“Sure, Rob. Butter me up to make me  a better work horse,” he remarked with a snort. He set the box down on the floor, and waited for her to pass down the next one. They’d recently added  body scrubs and dish soap to their product line up. He probably was  wearing a few ingredients on his top.

If you’ve read down this far, and liked it, let me know what you think on ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/43701384

[pebblesnstones123]

New Fic Posted on AO3- Domestic AU With Joyce and Hopper-   You Look So Good In Love (The Kitchen Dancing Scene)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43236447

   When Jon, El, and  Will came back for visits, they’d tease the Hoppers for still using CDs and the radio  for music. Jim’d argue where else could someone find some half-decent songs nowadays. He and technology never got on well. He still struggled to navigate his new  phone. Joyce talked him into upgrading from his fliphone a few anniversaries  ago. 

    When he’d get frustrated with using his iphone,  he’d blame her. His fingers were too big for the tiny keyboard. Even the Blackberry Joyce had in the past  was easier to navigate than his phone. He’d started to mark time with changes, rather than years ; it made him feel a little less old. And if he was old, that meant his wife was getting up in age too.

         When Joyce was  having a bad day, she’d blow the dust off her country albums and drop the needle on bittersweet songs.  It’d been awhile since they played albums regularly. Jim sighed when he heard George Strait go on about how if his partner wanted a stranger, then he’d change enough to be a good man. She must’ve had a bad day at work. There wasn’t as much of a need to work now. 

   They saved the payouts still from the old Hawkins incidents ; ‘quakes, freak accidents, and whatever else history would like to remember them as. There’d been a handful of documentaries made around the town, and Jim was proud to say he’d only been featured in one or two. Their NDAs they’d signed were still ironclad. Whenever their interviewers asked him or Joyce questions, they’d gotten good at being vague but saying something that mattered. 

   They were both creatures of habit.  Hell, Jim felt wrong staying home all day when he could be working. It was why he worked part time at the auto supply shop, having retired from being the chief a few years ago. Joyce worked as a children’s librarian, alongside an old flame of Jim’s that had left Hawkins after a freak accident too many. 

    He toed off his work shoes and pulled on his house slippers, humming to himself. It’d take facing another monster to admit it, but  he had a soft spot for country. 

       “Joy, babe, what’s on your mind?” He asked, raising his voice to be heard above the music.  

     He pressed a kiss to her head after she turned to face him, looking unimpressed. She’d been washing dishes. The record player sat on the middle of the kitchen counter. She must’ve moved it from the dresser in their room to here earlier. 

      Joyce dried her hands off on a towel, and set it on her shoulder.. There was a rubber pair of gloves sat on the counter meant for dish washing that  she refused to use. Jim only pulled them on to make her laugh, the flowery gloves not suiting him like it would her. 

If you’ve read down this far, and liked it, the link for the full fic on ao3 is https://archiveofourown.org/works/43236447  

[pebblesnstones123]

New Fic Posted On Ao3 - Domestic Modern AU With Steddie -No More Late Nights, Comin' In At Midnight (For Tonight)

   A talk. They’d  had the strained sort, where neither of them knew where to start and when to begin tying up loose ends. Wayne had always impressed upon Eddie one thing.  If his Uncle  enforced no other standard, then it was this ; to have a healthy relationship at any level was to have compromise. Eddie would’ve rather relived the Upside Down than sit down on that squeaky leather couch they’d inherited from Steve’s folks, and talk. He’d be damned if he didn’t do it for his partner’s sake.

   It’d let to them establishing healthier boundaries and re-assigning their ground rules. Steve wanted three things, one date night a week no matter what their work hours were, for chores to be better divvied up between them, and for Eddie to step up how clean he kept his spaces at home. Steve claimed he wasn’t Eddie’s maid nor Uncle Wayne, and he hoped he wasn’t expected to always clean up after him as if  he was Eddie’s parent. Realizing you’d let down a partner hit heavy, and Eddie tried to be better. He ordered chore charts off Amazon, wrote in them with erasable marker, and made a genuine effort to keep his areas and their shared spaces tidy.

    Eddie had also asked for a few things in response, his knee bouncing up and down against that leather couch as he spoke his piece. He chewed the words thoughtfully, not just spitting them out. It was another bit of Wayne wisdom, that when you’ve got something worth listening to, cook the words up just so in your head and mouth, son. He wanted to take more responsibility with helping Steve prep for work. His partner worked  hard enough on lesson plans as it was. They settled on Eddie packing the pair of them lunches, prepping some dinners, and that he could help load up Steve’s car in the mornings. Eddie also suggested them both taking some couples classes, maybe a baking class or two for the hell of it.

      It was less attainable with their current budget, but Steve was open to following online cooking tutorials every now and then. Whatever could help them to learn more and grow together, not apart as they had been recently. Eddie had tried to gently point it out, ruminating on easier words to swallow, but ended up blurting how frustrated he was. Steve was good at putting up fronts to keep people’s worry at bay. If he had a problem, or issue weighing on his mind,  they could try working on it together. The ultimate goal was to make  healthier coping mechanisms that weren’t destructive to each other.

   Now, their plans weren’t perfect. The best laid plans of mice and men had been put asunder by greater forces than being tired or schedules not lining up to communicate properly. But they did their best the last two months to shape up. It was what brought Eddie to this point, after getting changed while locking up the music shop. He’d thrown on a button down Steve bought for him, and hoped it’d be decent enough with his work jeans and boots. It’d gotten a little wrinkled from hanging up in the breakroom all day.  Compared to how put together Steve was, Eddie had realized he’d never be on equal footing there.

If you’ve read down this far, and liked it, check it out on my ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/43165789

[aroace-boyfriend]

mechanic eddie this, mechanic eddie that

what about mechanic steve???

i love mechanic eddie don’t get me wrong, but he never shows any interest in cars- unlike steve

some of steve’s sole decoration in his bedroom is a picture of a car, he’s protective of the Beemer, you see his excitement at seeing/being able to drive a cool car in s3 (with the stolen car), plus it just seems like something he’d be interested in

(and it’s a “masculine” interest that’s accepted by society and he obviously cares a lot about what people think of him so it makes sense)

give me self-taught mechanic steve who fixes the Beemer himself, who thinks he’s stupid but knows practically everything there is to know about cars, who has a special interest in mechanics (and cars in general)

give me steve who loves going to car shows and seeing gorgeous vintage automobiles, who teaches robin a bit of car knowledge (bc she’s the kind of person who wants to know a little about everything)

give me steve working on the Beemer in a skin-tight tank top, coveralls tied around his waist, wearing work gloves, and covered in sweat and motor oil

give me eddie seeing this and tripping over his own feet, falling and looking up to see steve standing above him and holding out his hand with a grin

give me eddie yearning over mechanic steve and being adorably lovesick !!

[stranger-rants]

I was thinking about the fact that Billy teaches kids to swim at the community pool, again. Teaching requires a lot of patience that many would assume he doesn’t have. You have to manage your emotions. Be calm. Know when to be tough and when to be kind. All things he tends to struggle with, yet there’s no indication that he’s not good at his job. So…

There’s something weird that happens when you’ve got childhood trauma with no good parental role models but you’re suddenly put in a position to teach children because you have no real basis on what’s normal but you have to find a way to help them regardless. Children are small people with big emotions and it can be overwhelming because no one told you it was okay to be that full of feelings at that age.

So instead of relying on the adults in your life to show you how it’s done, you have to ask yourself how you wanted to be treated as a child even if you didn’t get it and sometimes you mess up but other times they look at you and tell you that you’re the best and pick dandelions for you from the grass and you cry and you cry and you cry privately because you wish the child version of you had you as a parent.

[sonneillonv]

As a mom and a former lifeguard, I just want to add to this. Sometimes you can teach through intimidation. It’s never really healthy, but it does produce results, which is why some teachers are utter jackasses who are determined to get into power struggles with children like their self-image depends on it.

You cannot teach swimming through intimidation.

There is something about getting children into water that causes them to shut the fuck down if you try to bully them into swimming. They will always be more afraid of drowning than they are of you. And if they don’t trust you, then they don’t trust that you won’t let them drown, so they sure as fuck are not getting into that water no matter how much you yell. You can call them cowardly pieces of shit while they curl up against the wall, thanks, at least there the only water is coming out of their eyes. Kids know this in their bones.

I have watched parents and other lifeguards make this mistake in real time. I love to swim (swam competitively for 8 years) so I have feelings about watching people burn the love of water out of others.

If Billy is successfully teaching swimming lessons, then he’s successfully interacting with children and earning their trust. There’s no way around it, because there’s no other way that it works. If he treated them like Neil treats him, they’d never get in the damn water and he’d get yanked off that job before too many parents could complain.

So there’s no other conclusion we can reach than this: Billy’s good with kids. It may be that LITTLE kids are his area of expertise, and he starts getting frustrated about the time they get old enough to start talking back.  Or it may be that he has deeper issues with Max and that one other kid has a long and exasperating history of running around the pool that’s got Billy at the limit of his patience so they’re exceptions to a general rule. It could also just be bad writing, because the Duffers probably never personally tried to teach a child to swim in their lives. But they wrote it, and now it’s canon, so suck it, haters. Billy’s good with children.

[pebblesnstones123]

New Fic Posted on AO3 - Teacher AU with Eddie and Steve  -  He just smiled, I was in the seventh heaven

Eddie put his finger over his lips in the universal gesture to shush. He’d learned more about classroom management through experience than in college classes. His high school kids had been peppering him with questions about music, and bands, after he answered one question about KISS early into the class period.

“If you have a question, guys, it should be about our clay project. If,” and he paused, emphasizing the if and making sure to meet some of the students' eyes.

A few were still chatting in the back. They finally quieted down after they realized Eddie was waiting on them to continue. He’d prided himself on earning their respect earlier in the school year. “If your question is about music, the answer can be Googled in your free time outside of class. Or ask the band teacher. ”

His announcement was meant with disappointment; a few of them booed, there were many frowning faces, and one bolder kid in the back tried flipping him the bird. He gave the latter a warning look, and their face turned sheepish, knowing Mr. Munson followed through on threats to talk to adults about classroom misbehavior. Then, the chatter began again, with a handful of them starting to ask why. It was his least favorite word today. He mimicked what he’d done before, being quiet and signaling for them to shush.

The class period dredged on, and he quietly cursed whoever chose to schedule this sculpting class after lunch. There were still good moments. He’d helped a few students with their projects, he always wanted students to feel free to seek out help. If a kid didn’t want advice or help, it wasn’t his job to force them to listen.

If you’ve read down this far, and liked it, here’s the link for it on ao3 -  https://archiveofourown.org/works/42996834  

[pebblesnstones123]

Drabble - Morning Coffee Chats, Nancy and Joyce -  Under 2,000 Words - Stranger Things

    Joyce frowned, taking in the sorry state of her makeup drawer.  It was the second drawer down on her dresser.  There was bits of powder, eyeshadows had broken lids, lipsticks without a cap, and she wasn’t sure how long it’d been since she’d bought new makeup. When Jon and Will were younger she’d had a makeup bag, sure, but there wasn’t time to use it with taking care of them. She’d only dipped into it consistently dating again, for Bob and now Jim. Even though she had a sneaking suspicion he’d still look at her like the sun rose and set with her smile with or without it on.

    The move back to Hawkins made them all lose and forget some things. It’d been for the best at the time, with them staying in an apartment for now.  Their old house had too many haunting memories for them to want to live there again. She  pushed aside the compacts and lipstick, frowning. She grumbled to herself when she couldn’t find any mascara, eyeliner, or the tweezers she used to like for shaping her brows. 

   Then there was a knock at the door. She forced the drawer shut and rushed to get the door.   Hopefully everything was alright. It’d taken awhile to accept each visitor didn’t have to be frantic, or need help because shit hit the fan again. Sometimes people liked to be neighborly, even in Hawkins. 

 “ I’m coming,” she called, hurrying  to open it. She checked through the peephole to be safe and opened it, smiling as she took Nancy in.

    The girl waved with a smile, hefting her purse  higher up on her shoulder. “Thanks, Joyce. It’s always good to see you,” she yawned mid-sentence, looking a bit embarrassed. Joyce gave her a sympathetic smile. Shed been nursing her own cup of coffee as she cleaned her bedroom earlier. She toed off her heels  at the door.

   “How’re you doing? Want me to get you a cup of coffee?” She offered, stepping aside to let her come in.  “Seems like you could use it. “

    Nancy was a familiar visitor, and she  claimed her usual spot on the couch. Her bag was set on the side table.  She was bundled up in her winter coat  and Joyce stopped her from taking it off and putting it on the couch.

  “Now, let me take that this time. You’re a guest, dear - besides, Jim’s been complaining about us all being messy,” she shrugged. He’d gone a bit stir crazy staying home as he recovered, and from  how tired he’d been after physical therapy sessions.  

   There was a dozen or so new projects he’d done to fill the time,  him getting re-acquainted with his toolbox. One example was the standing coat hanger near the entry.  She set Nancy’s  coat on an open hook and went to get her a mug to pour coffee from. “Do you want it black, with sugar, or milk this time? Will hasn’t had time to talk me into one of those sugared up creamers this week.” He’d been on a kick with flavored creamers, after trying some at Steve’s after a sleepover with the party. 

   “You really don’t have to, I can do it myself. Thank you for hanging up my coat, too.  But since you’re up - how about just sugar? Is it already brewed at least?” Nancy asked, turning to face Joyce and getting up from the couch to see if she could help at all.  

    Joyce held up the brewed pot of coffee as her answer with a wink, waving off her thanks..  She poured her  a cup and passed it to her, Nancy gripping the mug tightly for warmth. It was starting to get chilly in Hawkins. “You always make the best coffee, you know, "Nancy said, reaching up and getting some sugar for herself, stirring it in with a spoon. “Anything I can help you do around here?”

   Joyce shrugged, getting down a mug for herself and taking the last dregs of the pot to fill it. She hummed as she thought. “The secret to making it good is brewing it with a pinch of spice. Today’s was cinnamon, a little kick helps everyone wake up. And really - all I’m doing is cleaning up, nothing you’d want to get pulled into.” She let the remark about her still being a guest go unsaid, having being a good hostess being ingrained. 

    Nancy sipped at it again, tilting her head as she took the older woman in. “It’s no problem, I came here to see Jon. But it doesn’t seem like he’s around today, I’ve got no other plans.” She let the offer rest, shifting to hold her mug in one hand and push away a few annoying strands of hair from her face with the other.  

    Jon joked Nancy should move in with how often she came around their place.  It earned him a none so gentle elbow hit to the ribs from Will. The boys were out for the morning, Hopper convincing them to try fishing.  He’d known she’d been stressed with settling in and he’d complained about feeling particularly cooped up this week. 

  “You’re not wrong,” Joyce gestured with her mug towards Nancy as she spoke, for emphasis. “They’re already out fishing at the lake. Hop wanted to go a few towns offer, spice things up.” Nancy met her eyes with an understanding look, everyone having dealt with or heard about how cagey Hopper had gotten while confined to rest at home. “All I’ve got on the docket is cleaning out my room, trying to see how I can make more space. Don’t get clutter like me when you’re old.”

    Nancy snorted and shook her head, standing up a bit straighter.  She hardly would label Joyce as old. She was more energetic than Steve, Jon, and herself most days. “Then lead the way. I’ll finish up my coffee, and we can make a game plan.”   She held up her mug in a faux cheer, following after Joyce to her bedroom down the hall. 

    Cleaning was something the younger girl always liked, using it as a distraction in the aftermath of rough moments. Her Mother had complained to Joyce about how quickly Nancy stopped using items and re-organized things around the house.  Joyce elected not to bring it up, not wanting to touch a sore spot. “Whatever you want, Nancy. Just don’t blame me if you get bored.”

[rylandsgrace]

That's literally their dynamic

[pebblesnstones123]

New Fic Up on Ao3 ‘Did We Nail It Or What?’

  Flex, squeeze, flex, squeeze, and repeat.  He watched how the blue veins in his hands smoothed out and expanded each time.  Steve got his mother’s hands, long and nimble. The sort his Grandmother marked him as destined to be a piano player. Maybe he was destined to be drawn to music, and not play it, because he got the nervous shaky fingers his father did. Or at least that’s what his mother blamed his lack of skill with instruments on.  

               “I don’t know, Rob, I mean - it just feels weird,” he said, gesturing with the false nails she’d suckered him into trying out. The black appendages caught the light and he hummed as he took in the white polka dots on the middle one; Rob said it was so he could flip people off with pizzaz. “How long do I have to keep these on for, again?”

      He’d thought something was off when she came home late from work. His stomach should’ve started churning when he saw the Ulta bag in her hand, and how big her smile was. Robin had that dazed look in her eye she got when a girl her type came around, she’d be chipper and on edge at all the same time. She got him back for all the teasing he gave her when she was in this mode whenever he paused at a cute person their age catching his eye.  

   Robin eyed him over her mug, her hands clasping both sides of it. There was some Tiktok on her phone she’d let loop on repeat, zoning out when he piped up.

If you read this far, and liked it, please let me know what you think  of the work on ao3 -  https://archiveofourown.org/works/42957510 

[stevesbipanic]

If Steve dies next season, how long do you think it will take his parents to find out?

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Ok, first of all, how dare you break my heart in the morning. Second, imagine.

When they finallly get back to Hawkins, it's much later. They just assume Steve's fine, I mean, he always is, right? They never assumed their son could just be gone one day, but then they see the girl their son had been dating for a year and another weird girl who was his co-worker and they go to them to find out what happened. They are not unaffected, especially Steve's mom is fighting back tears through her alcoholic daze. What they don't expect is for Robin to start shouting at them, shrieking, full hysteria, and Nancy calming her down by placing hands on her shoulders. "I apologize for my friend," she says, "we're all on edge. Where were we? Oh, right." And she punches Steve's father right in the face, breaking his nose and walking away with Robin. Not a single word.

They later find out there is no body to claim. It shouldn't have been possible, but Hawkins has been a mess since the earthquake and with the recent death toll, the local morgue just wasn't enough. They find out their son has been cremated, he has a headstone in the cemetery, next to Eddie and Chrissy, but no body underneath. His ashes were scattered. And they are enraged, but there is nothing they can do now.

What they don't know that Steve begged Robin and Nancy in his last moments to ensure they wouldn't be able to take him away, "Don't let them take me somewhere else, don't let them, I want to stay, I'm right where I want to be" and while Robin sobbed and babbled how he can't leave, Nancy's face hardened, she grabbed Steve's hand and made the promise. She and Robin spent a good chunk of the money they saved for college and got Steve what he wanted. A headstone saying "a beloved brother and friend". The Harringtons are confused, ask for an explanation, but the only one who talks to them is Robin and she says a single sentence, nothing else.

"You don't deserve to know."

[stevesbipanic]

How dare I? How dare you! I'm sobbing 😭

The Harringtons are enraged because "he's our son we should've gotten to choose what to do with him!" They had screamed at Hopper who had been reinstated as Chief, "Why weren't we contacted!?"

Hopper just closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he'd buried one child and he was still shaken from having to bury another one of his children, "You were contacted, we left you messages for two weeks." The Harringtons don't have much to say about that, what could you even say to defend that.

They tried to get the headstone changed, the town had refused. Many of the town actually came to visit him, old teachers, teammates, regulars at Scoops and Family Video, the kids, the adults, even Hellfire/Corroded Coffin members talk to him sometimes when they visit Eddie. He had touched so many people, more than he knew. They didn't see him as King Steve, they saw the real him, the caring him, which is what he wanted.

The Harringtons were no longer welcome in Hawkins, and they never returned.

Steve could finally rest in peace.

[undreaming-fanfiction]

*cracks fingers* Well in that case HOW DARE WE BECAUSE-!

Hawkins lost so many residents in the events of 1986 that burials became way too common. There were lines of newly dug graves, side by side, and groups of mourning friends and family members would come and go, bring flowers, cry before leaving Hawkins and the memories of their loved ones behind. The time would heal, but it would take years, maybe decades. Not everyone chose to stay and no one blamed them. 

In the uniform lines of headstones, one row kept sticking out like a sore thumb. There was a grave dedicated to young man, Steve Harrington, that was always covered in flowers. It seemed someone was visiting it nearly every day, sometimes two girls, Buckley and Wheeler, the Byers brothers, the chief of police, a group of local highschoolers, a blind ginger girl, Mrs. Henderson and her son, the whole Wheeler family, the list went on and on. They sat there for hours, chatting, talking to the headstone about their problems, developments in their lives, the young Henderson even brought his girlfriend to the grave for some reason. But that wasn’t the strangest thing. 

Even though the space in the graveyard was now scarce, there was an empty spot next to the grave, as if someone skipped one burial plot. People would look at it, confused, wondering why. When there was another large gathering at Steve’s grave, a visitor approached them and asked if they knew what happened, why it was empty. That he was wondering if it was available because his grandmother wasn’t doing too well and-

One of the young women rose and turned to him, fire in her eyes. “Don’t you even dare think about it,” she warned him in a hoarse voice. “That plot is not free. It is mine.” She was young, not even thirty, but there was something about her words that left no room for argument. 

The burial plot stayed empty for decades, even though the amount of flowers never diminished. But eventually, its time came too, shortly after the retired local high school music teacher, Ms. Buckley, came to the grave, her steps painful and slow, her cane digging into the grass. She wasn’t carying flowers this time, the first time of all her visits. 

“Hey Dingus,” she said fondly, looking at the headstone. “Thanks for saving me a spot. I’ll be home soon.”

[stevesbipanic]

Literally sobbing 😭

One final bittersweet addition.

You'd think after all the trauma they experienced there, the party would move on from Hawkins when it was all over. Some of them did, kind of. The Byers moved back with Hopper in tow taking root once more, everyone grew up as those that don't die often do. Years would pass, Nancy and Robin went off to college only to return a few years later as if tethered to their hometown. The kids grew up but were never far from Hawkins no matter what they pursued. Nancy took up post as editor in chief of the Hawkins Post and Robin became the high schools music teacher in the hopes to make band cool.

They moved in together since after four years as dormmates it only seemed natural, drawn to each other like magnets, never straying far from the other. Tuesdays were Robin's days with Steve, the day of the week they were always rostered together without fail, Thursdays were for Nancy as she wanted to get his opinion on her Editor's letter before Friday's Paper. Sundays they went together, flowers in tow, they visited everyone but always ended with Steve.

Nancy had introduced Robin to Barb one of those visits.

One Tuesday Robin told Steve she thinks she's in love with someone. Thursday Nancy asks Steve if he ever liked boys the way he liked girls. Sunday they told Steve about their first date.

Steve was there for it all, the dates, the fights, when Nancy proposed the first time, when Robin proposed the second time legally.

Nancy died first. Buried one plot apart from Steve. The empty space waiting for the day Robin would return to her two soulmates.

[pebblesnstones123]

New WIP for a possible Holiday Stranger Things Fic

  “Look, man, all I’m saying is you can put a positive spin on things,” Steve gestured towards Robin with a towel, mid-way through wiping the counter. It’d been a slow shift and this made it the third cleaning attempt ; there’d still be sticky spots from spilled syrup and God knows what left behind. Last time they’d been caught on their phones in a lull, they’d been thoroughly chewed out by Keith.  “Think of all the extra tips you’ll make by working through the holidays.”  The nod of his head made the bells on the reindeer ears he wore jingle obnoxiously, Robin rolling her eyes at the sight.

    “It’s not even Thanksgiving yet. Say what you will about the bad history of it, there’s a virtue in patience.” Robin pointed at him, and then gestured vaguely at the shop around them. They’d put in extra hours on November 1st to deck it out for Christmas. There was strung up banners wishing the customers ‘ Happy Holidays’, glittery little trees atop most surfaces, and their tip box now had a little Santa hat pasted onto it’s front. “Don’t try to make it out like you aren’t already tired of seeing all this up.” 

   Steve’d been tired of seeing it as of three years ago, give or take. Admitting it would prove her right. He’d be damned if he did that. Robin was a newer hire,  the novelty of the job wore off quicker for some than others. “Sounds like somebody wants to do bathroom clean up tonight. Remember our rule - they who bitch the most, cleans the most.” Maybe it was a low blow, and it earned him a heated look from a customer, shielding her kid’s ears from his potty mouth. He mouthed a ‘sorry’ before turning back to Robin.   

If you’ve read down this far, check out my current completed fics at https://archiveofourown.org/users/pebblesnstones123/pseuds/pebblesnstones123   ;)