Jan 23
i realised that i never fully posted my mrs wheeler piece 🥲🥲 here you go <3
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i realised that i never fully posted my mrs wheeler piece 🥲🥲 here you go <3
Where eyes linger
Karen Wheeler x Female reader
Warnings: (Karen Wheeler age 46) (Female Reader age 26) (Age gap) (Reader is Nancy’s best friend) (Karen and Reader’s mother are friends) (Smut) (Cheating) (Reader discretion has been advised)
Part 1. Part 2.
“Ted, seriously-“ Karen’s voice wavered in a strained manner.
The whole night, Ted and Karen had been going back and forth on a simple matter. Or more so, Karen had been pleading Ted to pay attention while she tried to explain calmly.
The issue?
The couple’s everlasting struggle with showing affection and love to one another.
Karen didn’t want to blame her husband for being the reason she felt disloyal. But with the countless nights she spent alone, wondering if it was best she married a rich man in the hopes of a calm life- she couldn’t deny what she thought deep down.
Initially it had been an amusement of sorts when Karen had come to realise her friend’s daughter took a liking to her. She giggled at first, entertained by the idea of someone liking her, even at such an age.
But it became a problem when Karen’s eyes began to linger where they shouldn’t. At parties, functions, or even outings with other families- her gaze never failed to find its way to you.
Not to make matters worse, you were her oldest daughter’s best friend. Nancy’s eternal best friend who was somehow nothing like Nancy. But it only meant seeing you more often.
About a month ago, you had arrived to the Wheeler’s house with a box of chocolates and flowers at the front door with a nervous look. Nancy’s boyfriend at the time had broken up with her and you were there to console her but god-
When Karen saw you standing there-
Only in your ragged jeans and shirt thrown on in a hurry, she felt herself melt.
For a second that night, she assumed they were for her.
That was the problem.
Had it been anyone else, she would’ve paid it no mind- but no, it was you of all people.
“Agh, let’s talk bout this tomorrow honey.” Ted’s voice rung out loud and uninterested as if he wasn’t affected one bit by the issue. Karen stood there with almost a frown now, wondering if the matter was really that small and if she was the one overreacting.
When she looked to Ted, he had stood up and begun to walk towards the fridge- probably to grab his fifth beer of the night to then rot on the couch.
He wasn’t a bad person. He simply didn’t love his wife the same anymore. It happens with people. They fall out of love simply from their lifestyle, or hormones- he was still loyal after all this time.
His only interests now, were beer and tv.
Another night, another useless conversation.
The next day that came, was a day Karen had been waiting for, because about a week ago- Nancy had mentioned you coming over to help out with painting the walls of the basement. They were doing a remodel of the room- and ofcourse, you offered to help without hesitation.
Karen herself had been planning to hire someone else, or ask Ted to do it- to which he would probably say “later.” And not do anyway. Had she asked Mike? He would’ve agreed and done a sloppy job. Nancy painting walls? That was out of the question.
Plus even now, Ted was with his friends to play golf and drink beer for the day.
So when she heard that you were offering, she felt relieved.
As she pulled the cookie tray out of the oven and set it on the stove top, she heard the doorbell ring once. Her head lifted towards the direction, her attention entirely on the door and who was behind it.
She wasted no time before taking the oven mitts off and walking over to the front door.
You were looking to the side, noticing the flowers that had begun to bloom from the warm temperature. When the door swung open, your gaze met Mrs. Wheeler’s.
The woman’s eyes almost immediately scattered over your choice of clothes. A sleeveless thin sporty shirt, exposing your arms. Which were- muscular. Not to mention the way they had taken a light tan colour.
“Mrs. Wheeler,” your voice rung out, a light polite tone. The corners of your mouth lifted into a small grin, your eyes glistening just a little from the sight of her hair pulled up into a messy bun, and the V-cut shirt she wore- just slightly covered by the apron she wore while cooking.
The woman herself had already been smiling as the door opened, and since then it had only grown.
“Y/n! You’re here.” She smiled, opening the door further for you to come inside. You could smell the chocolate aroma, mixed with her perfume.
You could never distinguish what perfume had what flavours or fruits- but you knew she smelled good. In a way that you never smelt on anyone else.
“Thank you again for offering to do this for us- I was beginning to think I’d have to pay someone to do it.” She added with a light laugh, closing the door behind you as you walked inside casually.
“It’s alright- I had nothing better to do all day anyway,” you responded, looking down at her as you walked. You were taller than the older woman, which honestly worked in your favour.
How?
It was the way she looked up at you at times. When you were stood just a little too close, she would turn to look up at you from under her eyelashes.
The thought of her hungry gaze alone made your heart hammer.
As the two of you made small talk and walked down to the basement, she couldn’t help but feel a little flutter in her stomach from how much attention you were giving her. The way your eyes stayed constant on her, the way you seemed so interested in whatever she was saying-
She smiled just slightly when you two stopped near the wall.
“Well this is it-“ she murmured with a sigh, chuckling at it before turning to face you again. You studied the paint tools that were on the floor, deciding which brush you should use and how much coats of paint you should do.
You decided on using the thick brush for the edges and the paint roller for the centre areas of a single wall.
“I’ll paint 2 coats. The paint is already thick enough but the wood texture might suck up the moisture and the colour might distort. If I do two, then the colour will stick. Is that alright?” You asked, switching your gaze back to her with that innocent yet charming smile.
She had to stop herself from swooning over you when you said that. You sounded so smart and careful, all the while being respectful about it. “Y-yeah! That works, you do you.” She blurted with an embarrassed smile.
Seeing her shy smile, you couldn’t help but grin lightly. What had been a boring day, turned into a fun and exciting one.
Karen then left you to it and went upstairs to plate the cookies. After not even a few solid minutes, she came back down with a plate full of warm chocolatey cookies in hand.
“Sweetheart, would you like some cookies? I made them this morning and I thought you might like it.” She offered as you turned around, looking down at the plate. Your lips parted and you smiled sweetly in gratitude, taking one off the plate and taking a bite into it.
“Mmm,” you groaned, looking at her with amazement. “You’ve got the best cookies in Hawkins, I swear to you.” You promised, laughing lightly before stuffing the rest and chewing gently.
The woman beamed at the praise, her eyes lighting up at the compliment. Not even after the countless bakeries she’d made for Ted, your one compliment alone outshone every other thing Ted didn’t say.
When you complimented, Ted returned to watching tv.
A stark contrast- one that she will seemingly play in her mind over and over as one of the reasons why it was okay for anyone to have a crush on you.
She could easily see why you were Nancy’s best friend. You were smart, respectful, and fun too. All the things Nancy was, and needed. Anyone with eyes and a brain would fall for you, it really wasn’t in question.
You were muscular, appreciative of the small things, and incredibly well mannered. You must’ve known a little respect for women went a long way, because you seemed to charm your way into almost everything.
Karen had seen you at functions, charming and smiling your way into convincing the sweet lunch lady to add just a little more dessert without asking to. And the best part? You weren’t cocky about it- you barely realised people liked you.
In other words, you were oblivious.
“Oh please, you’re just being polite.” Karen grinned back, looking to the side briefly as she lightly bit her lower lips while grinning. She was embarrassed, shy and ultimately a little excited from the difference compared to her usual boring day.
Your eyes tracked her head, trying to follow her gaze even as she turned her head to the side. When that happened, you couldn’t help but look down at her teeth sinking down into her lips.
Your smile widened impossibly from her insistence that you were just being polite. “No really, I wish I could eat your cookies more often… you really make it the best.” You admitted before letting out a sigh.
“Anyway, I’ll get back to work.” You added while crossing your arms, only highlighting your arm muscles which Karen had to stop herself from ogling at. “But uh, you’re a great cook Mrs. Wheeler, Santa is one lucky man.”
She softly rolled her eyes, before they settled on you, staring at the way your lips tugged into a grin before you turned around and began working on the wall.
Did you have to be so frustratingly hot?
The clock on the basement wall read 1:32 P.M which also meant you had been here for the last 2 hours. You had finished painting the first coat for all the walls in the basement. Most of your time was taken from lining the details, but you managed to fit the first coat in quickly.
You sat down on one of the chairs, sweating from the labor. Your arms and hands were now covered in visible veins, not to mention how vascular you got when it got hot outside. Your hair, slightly sweaty from the workout and your hands covered in little smudges of paint.
You wiped the sweat off your forehead until you heard Karen’s footsteps tread down the stairs.
Her eyes flickered over each wall, a small flash of amazement plastering over her face as she sauntered over with a glass of water. The glass with filled with water and ice, definitely cold.
When her gaze landed on you, she was sure you already had a partner. Girl or boy, you just had to have someone, or someone else liked you for sure- there was just no way a girl like you was unwanted.
“Careful honey, it’s cold.” She warned quietly while handing the glass over. Your warm fingers brushed over her’s when you grabbed the glass, your head tilting up to thank the woman for her efforts in making you feel better.
“But aside from that, you got it all done!” She exclaimed smiling brightly, her head tilting as if she was asking if you were okay.
“Well, not quite yet. Sorry to disappoint Mrs Wheeler, but that’s only the first coat, I’ve still got one more, It’ll take another 2 hours I think? Maybe 3 since I need to add final details?” You debated with yourself at the end, thinking carefully.
An idea popped into her mind at your words. “Sweetheart that’s really no problem, how about you stay for lunch? It’ll be just us since the kids are busy and Ted went out with his friends…” she offered placing an innocent hand on your shoulder.
You felt her hand, and you froze.
Unsure of how to react, you simply tried not to overreact.
You felt her touch so sensitively. You could feel her wedding ring sitting on your shoulder, the cold metal pressing through the shirt just enough so it could be distinguished.
It was a harsh reminder of her status and yours.
Karen had desperately tried. She tried not to think about it, and she tried to ignore how she felt. But no matter how hard she forced herself to try, it all seemed to get wrecked the moment you flashed your smile.
And looking at her own hand on your shoulder, she felt defeated in the circumstances and only hoped for your answer.
“For lunch? yes please.” You responded not only a second later. “Thank you- my parents are out of town for a business trip for a few weeks, I was wondering what to eat when I got home..” smiling thankfully before standing up, finding yourself just a little too close to the older woman.
Karen’s hand lifted as you did, and she smiled at you in that motherly, caring, way. A sense of worry filled her when you informed her about your solitude. You were old enough to take care of yourself, but thinking of you all alone made her feel uneasy.
“Sweetie,” she began, unsure of how to deliver the words.
“I could come visit you during these weeks and teach you how to make some food if you’d like…” she offered softly. “I know you’re probably eating garbage for dinner-“ she insisted, laughing lightly.
You on the other hand- you felt yourself growing emotionally attached to her. Did she care so much for you that she was offering to help you learn how to cook?
You blinked once, smiling just a bit from her guess that you ate garbage.
“That’d be great, thank you.” You responded slowly, not in a rush to end such an intimate moment.
The woman’s smiled only widened further, nodding her head as if confirming the plan. “Great I’ll- I’ll get back to making some food okay?” She asked smiling sweetly before disappearing upstairs, smiling to herself.
What could go wrong with staying for lunch though, right?
———————————————————————————
Ty lovelies for reading, I’m making another part soon 😛
Stranger Things season 5 is lacking the charm the other seasons had 😰😓
A Woman Again (Karen Wheeler oneshot, NSFW)
Synopsis: You are a coach at Hawkins High School and noticed Karen Wheeler when she came to cheer on her kids at sports games. You were attracted to her for sure but you knew she was married so you didn't act on your feelings. However when you spot her drinking alone at a bar when you're out with friends you offer to join her. You chat, laugh, flirt and eventually she ends up at your place for much more than a casual drink...
Karen Wheeler x Coach Reader (NSFW) ❤️
(includes: footsie, grinding, f!ngering, cunn!lingus, slight bit of body worship)
(trigger warnings: loneliness, infidelity)
Word count: 2.5K
You were a coach at Hawkins High School, you enjoyed most types of sport but here you trained the girls hockey team and the boys basketball team. You were well-liked and respected by students and teachers alike, you were praising and encouraging but took no crap from slackers or trouble-makers. Your striking features and well-toned physique caught the eye of a number of parents during games, a few even flirted with you afterwards and you humoured them out of politeness. But there was one parent you were secretly hoping would approach you, Karen Wheeler. She was different to the other mothers, undeniably beautiful with a subtle kind of glamour and an air of aloofness that you found quite alluring. Occasionally your eyes would meet across the field or court and there was a look in them that felt like a dare, one that was difficult to ignore.
Karen's daughter Nancy was on the girls hockey team, she wasn't exactly the best but she wasn't the worst either. Any time she had a game Karen would be there, cheering from the sidelines and looking proud of her daughter regardless of the result. You couldn't help but admire the mother's enthusiasm and felt reassured that Nancy had such a supportive figure in her life, like every teenager should.
You knew Karen was married but you never saw her husband, you didn't even know his name. You often wondered what their marriage was actually like. Was he a good husband? Did he shower her with the love and affection she deserved? Or did he just treat her like a typical housewife whose purpose was to cook, clean and raise his kids? You feared it was the latter judging by the hint of sadness that also lay behind her eyes, but it wasn't your business so you left well alone.
Now it was the weekend and you were out at a bar with your friends, drinking and laughing to wind down after another hectic week. You were dressed in a pair of skinny jeans with high heels plus a band t-shirt and a leather jacket, your rock chick aesthetic was a far cry from your usual sporty attire. You and your friends were several drinks in when you noticed a woman sitting in a corner booth drinking alone. You instantly knew her as none other than Karen Wheeler, looking as lovely as ever. She seemed to be waiting for someone as there was a bottle of white wine on the table along with two glasses, but only hers was full. The disappointed look on her face suggested she'd been stood up and you suddenly felt bad for her. Your friends were deep in some animated conversation so you excused yourself and approached her table. "Mrs Wheeler?" She looked up at you and smiled, grateful for the distraction from her own thoughts but also slightly embarrassed that you'd caught her like this. "Oh! Coach Y/L/N, how nice to see you" she greeted you. "Please, call me Y/N. I'm off duty now" you joked lightly. "Right. I almost didn't recognise you" she said as she took in your look. "Yeah I get that a lot" you replied, "are you waiting for someone?" "My husband was meant to be joining me but he got held up at work...again" she said bitterly, chugging another mouthful of wine. "Oh I see. Well, would you like some company?" you offered but Karen looked over your shoulder. "What about your friends?" "Ah they can carry on without me" you said dismissively, "besides we shouldn't let good wine go taste". You took a seat opposite her and she poured you a glass. "Cheers then darling" she toasted and clinked her glass with yours.
The evening passed by in a blur of chatter and laughter. You soon discovered that Mrs Wheeler was actually quite fun and interesting to talk to. But the alcohol was steadily lowering both of your inhibitions and loosening your tongues, soon enough the evening began to take a much more flirtatious turn. You couldn't help but be drawn in by those made up eyes mentally undressing you, those crimson lips and that sultry voice. But every time you felt yourself slipping you had to keep reminding yourself that she was a married woman.
Eventually one of your friends came over to inform you that they were moving onto another bar and invited you to join them. You looked over at Karen but your decision was already made. "I'm gonna stay here. You guys have fun though" you told your friend. "Ok. Suit yourself" they replied and left with the rest of the group. Karen watched them go and turned to you, "you don't have to stay you know. I'm a big girl, I can look after myself". "I know but I'm enjoying this, so I want to stay". She was touched by your answer and quickly saw an opportunity. "Well I'm glad you did darling. I'll be sure to make it worth your while" she murmured and under the table you felt her foot slide up your leg. "She's married. She's married. She's married" you repeated inwardly, but that fact was becoming more and more obscured by the second.
The bottle was empty now and long forgotten, however the effects of the wine had made you both pleasantly tipsy. "You know I've been meaning to tell you, what you do with the kids is wonderful" Karen praised you. "Thanks, I try my best. Some are easier to deal with than others" you said honestly. "I mean it honey. Nancy just loves playing for the team and Mike? Well I'm just pleased to see him get excited about something that doesn't involve dice and silly costumes". You laughed heartily at that and Karen's face lit up at the sound. "You have a great laugh" she said softly, "I could listen to it all night". You blushed a little, "all night? Really?" "Mmhmm" Karen hummed as she traced a perfectly manicured finger around the rim of her empty glass, "all. Night. Long". Her foot glided even higher up your leg and along the outside of your thigh teasingly. She took her red-painted bottom lip between her teeth and the fire in her eyes burned through your already weak defences. Beneath that motherly housewife exterior was a wild spirit screaming to be freed. You were her prey for her to play with, elongating the thrill of the chase to make the victory of the catch even sweeter. "I bet your stamina is pretty impressive Coach Y/L/N" she drawled as her foot parted your knees, "how about we put it to the test?" You could feel her toes brushing against your inner thigh now, getting dangerously close to where you were aching the most. "Um...with all due respect Mrs Wheeler I-" "Don't call me that" she demanded in a sharp tone, "I don't want to be 'Mrs Wheeler' tonight. I want to be me, I want to be Karen". You swallowed then carefully leaned in closer, "and what does 'Karen' want?" She moved in closer too and spoke in a hushed, slightly desperate, tone. "I want to indulge in a fantasy. I want to be kissed, touched, desired. I want someone to take me to the heights of pleasure over and over again until I forget my own name. I want to feel the heat of our sweaty bodies together as we come undone. I want them to moan for me and whisper filth in my ear. I want it hard and rough but I want it slow and passionate too. God...I just want to feel like a woman again". You hung on Karen's every word as she spoke. The air between you felt so powerfully charged now and for a few moments you just stared at each other, your bodies tensed like coiled springs. The aching need in Karen's voice called to you because you knew you could give her every single one of those things and more. "Are you certain that's what you want?" you asked because you had to be sure. Instead of saying yes, Karen simply took off her wedding ring and put it in her purse. That was all the confirmation you needed.
You took a taxi together back to your place and the journey felt agonisingly long, neither of you spoke but Karen had a possessive hold on your knee the whole way. As soon as you stepped through the front door you were on each other, kissing hungrily and tugging at each other's clothes. You eventually made it to the bedroom leaving a trail of discarded garments on the way, when you saw the black lace underwear set she was wearing she took your breath away. "Like what you see?" she said as she twirled for you, looking delectable from every angle. "God yes, you're stunning". "Make the most of it darling, it's not staying on for much longer". With that she pushed you down onto the bed and sat in your lap, her knees either side of your hips. She removed the clips from her hair and shook her wavy blonde locks free. You could feel her heat radiating against yours and your hips bucked causing her to gasp. "Do that again" she ordered and you rolled your hips against her, harder and slower this time. "Mmph...oh god..." she groaned and moved her hips in time with yours, "you feel so good!" Your hands slid around to grip her ass, your hold on her flesh spurring her on faster. You could feel her clit throbbing through her lace panties, but you needed to feel her for real. "Karen..." you breathed. As if she had read your mind she climbed off you and took a step back, her bosom moving slightly as her chest heaved. You watched as she unclasped her bra and the straps fell down her shoulders, she then slid her panties down and stepped out of them. Other than her husband, no one had seen her so exposed for a very long time. Her body had changed through age and childbirth so at first she felt insecure and vulnerable. But the way you looked at her so appreciatively made those worries disappear and she felt sexy in a way she hadn't done in years. You stepped towards her and cupped her face, "you are truly beautiful you know that?" Your words, spoken with such sincerity, brought a tear to her eye. You brushed it away with your thumb and kissed her softly in reassurance.
By now you were both naked with Karen lying on her back as you worshipped every inch of her body. Her knuckles went white in the sheets every time you hit a particularly sensitive spot. She was so lost to the pleasure you were feeding her and you had barely even started. She had been so starved of real intimacy that even the slightest touch sent electricity shooting through her. As you kissed her stomach her legs parted naturally in silent invitation, your lips found her inner thigh and she bolted up when your finger slipped inside her. "Ffffuck!" Your finger was quickly followed by your tongue, earning you a string of curses and moans. "F-fuck...yes...ohhh!" She tasted better than the wine you'd drank earlier and you couldn't get enough of her sweet nectar. Karen was hurtling towards her climax, she didn't usually come this soon even by her own hand but something about the way you worked her was unlocking desires she never knew existed and taking her to dizzying heights of pleasure. When you wrapped your lips around her aching clit she practically screamed, her back arching and she held your hair in a vice-like grip while she used you to ride out her orgasm. Twice in as many minutes.
But Karen did not want to stop there, she was determined to get her fill because who knows when (or even if) she would feel like this again. She hadn't experienced such intense raw passion since she first started dating her husband all those years ago. Since then life had changed them in many ways but Karen was still a woman with needs and Ted had lost sight of that. With you however that wild spirit was finally free and for the rest of the night you continued to please each other until you were both thoroughly wrecked, breathless and spent tangled up in the sheets.
The next morning the bright sunlight peaked through the curtains, signalling it was time to get up and face the day. You turned over expecting to see Karen asleep next to you but your heart sank when you saw her space was empty, apart from a note on the pillow.
Y/N, Thank you so much for last night. It meant more to me than you will ever know. Sorry I had to leave so early, I hope you had sweet dreams of us. See you again very soon, K xx
You weren't angry at her for leaving so early, you kind of expected it, but that didn't stop you missing her. You ran your fingers over the lipstick stain she'd accidentally left on the pillow and smiled to yourself as images flashed in your mind of how it got there.
A few days later it was back to business as usual. You were busy coaching the boys basketball team and the girls hockey team ready for their big game. Nancy was gradually improving and you felt strangely proud, you expected to see Karen among the parents again but for some reason she didn't show. You panicked thinking that she was mad at you for what happened, you didn't regret it but you hoped it wasn't causing her too much distress. At home you read her note over and over again and for a time it would reassure you, but you couldn't stop thinking about her and wondering.
One day after hockey practice you were clearing away the equipment when something unexpected happened. You were picking up the scattered pucks and when you reached out to pick up the last one a high heeled shoe stood on it, you knew those legs anywhere and your eyes trailed up to see Mrs Wheeler smiling down at you. "Hello darling" she cooed. "Hey" you replied standing back up, "fancy seeing you here". "I just came to pick up Nancy...and to see you of course" she said teasingly. "You did? Well it's great to see you again. I was starting to worry to be honest" you admitted "About what?" "About..." you looked around for eavesdroppers, "us. The other night. I thought-" "Oh honey, did you think I was avoiding you?" she chuckled, like the idea of her ignoring you was utterly ridiculous. "I don't know. You just seemed to disappear". "I'm sorry, I've just been so busy lately with work and the kids" she explained. "Oh I see. So you don't regret it happening then?" Karen scoffed and waved a dismissive hand, "oh god no. I don't regret it at all". You felt an invisible weight lift from your shoulders, "phew!" "In fact it's one of the reasons I came to see you" Karen murmured as she stepped closer and looked up at you through her long lashes, "would you...like to do it again sometime? Perhaps tomorrow night?" You didn't have to think about your answer, "of course I would, but are you absolutely sure?" "Oh darling, I've never been more sure about anything" she purred then discreetly handed you a small folded piece of paper, "meet me here at 7pm tomorrow. Don't you dare be late". You watched her saunter away then opened the note, it was the address of a hotel just outside of Hawkins and underneath she'd wrote "bring your stamina, coach".
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Stranger Things: Season 5; Volume 1
The Weirdo on Maple Street
Jonathan Byers x Hopper!fem!reader: Part 3 of my series re-write.
TW: the reader is seriously injured in this one and there's some mention of the reader being tied up like Will. Barb sadly dies as well.
Jonathan was worried. Not just about you or Will, although mostly, but also about his mother. She wasn’t sleeping, she wasn’t eating—all she wanted was the two of you back. But Jonathan felt that she was forgetting he existed at all. But then again, it felt like he wasn’t really existing right now because he’d put all he had into…you.
Right now, though, she was aware that he was real, the photos of Will and you spread out on the table, the same as they had been last night when you had called from wherever you were, when you screamed his name. Neither he nor Joyce had gotten any sleep and so he was still looking through them, the posters done save for the photos.
“What’s in here?” Joyce asks and Jonathan looks up, a brown envelope held in her hands and he shakes his head about to speak, to tell her don’t open it, don’t open it, please don’t open it, but she’s already done it. She’s dumped the photos out onto her lap, the photos of you that he’d taken for his eyes only. Joyce lets out a strangled gasp at the sight, her hands shoving the photos back in the envelope—except for one.
It was the last one he’d taken, after the rest of them when you’d put his The Clash shirt on, the shirt hitting mid-thigh on you and you were laughing like crazy, your face lit up. Joyce held the photo up to Jonathan, her hand shaking.
“You really love her, don’t you?” It’s a simple question but its answer is hard because how does sum up all his feelings into simply that he really loves you—it’s more than love. And so, he says that.
“Whatever our souls are made of…hers and mine are the same,” he says, Joyce’s hand moving, slipping the last photo into the envelope and handing it back to him.
“She’ll come back to you. We’ll find them both,” she says and Jonathan nods, cradling the envelope in his lap. He fears that he’ll never get you back and that all he’ll have left of you are these photos. That it will be like you were just a temporary fixture for a bit when really you were supposed to be permanent because…because he’s hung his whole life on you.
“What about this one?” he asks his mom, holding up a photo of you and Will together—you’re in the front, your hands up, touching Will’s arms as he’s looped them around your neck, his head beside yours and both of you smiling like idiots. It was taken at your birthday just this year and it’s one of Jonathan’s favourites because you look so…happy.
“It’s perfect,” Joyce says, touching his cheek softly with her hand, tapping twice before getting up, surveying the photos scattered everywhere. The photos are evidence, she thinks, evidence that you and Will were real at all.
She can’t stand the thought of losing you or losing Will—her son and her daughter in everything but blood and law (although she figured it wasn’t long before your name was Byers. In fact, she was looking forward to introducing you as her daughter and not being wrong anymore).
She’d known you since you were born, had been caring for you since you were an infant because Diane would just drop you off with her for hours. She’d cared for you and she had really raised you and now you were gone. Taken. And with her baby boy to boot. She’d lost both of you because something had wanted to take you.
And that wasn’t going to stand because if Joyce Byers was good at one thing, it was protecting those she cared about and she may have failed for right now, but she would get the two of you back and then she’d guard you from the world like she should have done right away.
Meanwhile, Jonathan glued the photo of you and Will onto the poster, your names on it in his neatest printing and now he was waiting on the porch for Mrs. Wheeler who was set to take him to the Xerox store.
“Hey honey,” she says to him as he climbs into the station wagon, the interior nice and neat, the smell of sugar permeating through it. “How you holdin’ up?”
“As good as I can,” he whispers and he notices that Mrs. Wheeler’s face is tearstained and splotchy, eyes swollen and he realizes then just how much the loss of you has hurt the town. His brother being missing is sad and it’s devastating for him and his mother but you? You were a permanent fixture in the town from the time you were a little baby.
You were known for having ridden in the passenger seat of the police car whenever your dad went on a call, your own set of handcuffs. You were known for being the only female baseball player on the high school’s team and had held the only female title since your little league days. People knew you as the town’s best babysitter, your typical charges being the Wheelers, Sinclairs, and the Hendersons. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler felt you were like their second child; you and Nancy having been best friends all your lives and the Hollands felt the same way.
You were this fixture in the town and now you were gone.
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You come to, the feeling of your body stuck the first thing you’re aware of. And then you feel the thing inside your mouth. It’s a tube, a vine and feels like slimy sandpaper. And it’s pumping something inside of you. Something dark and thick and icky, something that makes you feel wrong, disgusting.
That’s when the panic kicks in and you begin to buck, but you’re stuck to the wall and your head can’t move and you’re covered in an organic matter, one both soft and hard—a liquid and a solid. That’s when you begin to calm down because this is a science problem, this is something you can solve.
Something you have to solve because you have to get to Will and you have to protect him. You have to make sure he makes it out alive—even if you don’t. In truth, you were surprised you had ever lasted this long. Death used to be something you played around with, the idea of ending it all and reuniting with Sarah in wherever she’d ended up, but it had seemed too Dally Winston so you never did—it was really Jonathan that kept you here, kept you alive.
Because he needed you and so did Will.
And because they needed you, you stayed, but once you got Will home… who knows what would happen.
But right now…right now you were trapped in an organic substance that existed between two states of matter—it was like fire, neither liquid, solid nor gas. And if it retained both properties of liquid and solid depending upon what happened to it…
It was hard when you pressed forward so you began to shimmy sideways, the sticky matter parting around like water in a pool. You stumbled out, your skin covered in the traces of sticky matter—sticky matter that moved on your skin, meaning it was alive—and you place both hands on the vine, pulling, pulling, pulling, gagging as you do so, until the vine is out.
And then you feel your lungs constrict and then you’re coughing over and over and over, black particles coming out, floating up. But up to where? you wonder, looking around the tunnel, you’re stuck in, the entire thing dark and wet and shuddering.
Shuddering with breath. The tunnel is alive—it’s part of the organism. You start to take a step forward when you feel the most excruciating pain rip through you, originating from your leg. You glance down, noting the fact that your ankle is twisted in a way that isn’t natural and the fact that there is white—it’s your bone.
You don’t know how much damage has been done, only that it hurts so so much. What you do know is that it doesn’t matter how much it hurts. You have to keep going. You have to get out and you have to get to Will.
You have to save him. You have to save him like you couldn’t save Sarah.
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Hopper doesn’t like hope, he thinks it’s something that only causes more harm than it does good so now as he sits at Joyce’s kitchen table, her telling him that she heard you on the phone last night, that you yelled for Jonathan…it seems too much. It’s something to hope on and he hates hope.
Yet he still remembers you, his precious baby girl, and how he would do anything to get you back and so he lets that little seed of hope grow inside of him because he needs you to be alive. He needs it like he’s never needed anything before because he can’t lose both of his girls. He just can’t.
You have to be alive otherwise he has nothing left.
Nothing at all.
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Jonathan hates high school, has hated it since you all started a year ago, but he especially hates it now that you’re gone. Normally, he has his hand in yours and the two of you laugh and talk and joke and kiss and you act as a shield, protecting him from the people who call him a freak. From the people who think he doesn’t deserve his place in the world.
He always worried that you’d leave him one day when you started believing the things they said, but you always told him he was crazy. “Jonny,” you’d say, “from where I’m standing, you are far from a freak. It’s those who call you that that are. I love you, Jonathan Byers. More than that…I’m in love you.”
He wants you back so badly. He wants you to whisper those words to him again, but first things first, he thinks, stealing himself as he walks to the bulletin board, MISSING posters under his arm. He can hear King Steve and his lackeys talking about him and it hurts but you taught him how to ignore them. He knows he’s not depressing and he knows he can talk. He just pins the posters up…
“How much you wanna bet he killed ‘em?” He hears Tommy ask, Steve telling him to shut up, but the damage is done. Jonathan’s body is tense and he’s in pain because he would never hurt you or Will. Never. He’d rather kill himself than ever hurt you. And Will? He’d die before he hurt Will and he’d only hurt those who hurt him.
He had to protect Will because their dad never did.
“That’s…that’s the perfect photo,” says Nancy and Jonathan turns, seeing the tears in Nancy’s eyes and the pain in Barb’s, the two of them in front of him. “She…s-she looks so h-happy.”
“That’s why…that’s why we chose it,” he says and Barb steps forward and wraps her arms around him. He’s never been close with Nancy, the two of them never quite getting off on the right foot, but Barb is your best friend—the one who protects you when he can’t. You used to tell him all about the nights you’d spend at the Hollands when your dad was drunk and you couldn’t deal with making sure, he vomited in the toilet and not on himself.
“She’ll be okay—they both will,” Barb whispers, “she’s the strongest of us all and if anyone will make sure your brother comes home, it’s her.”
“I know,” Jonathan whispers and when Nancy joins the hug despite the yelling of Steve, he feels comfortable enough to share his real fear, “but I worry she’ll get Will home at the expense of herself.”
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You are running and swearing and crying, the pain so bad, so bad and all you want to do is stop and curl up in a ball, giving into the pain and despair but you can’t. You can’t because Will is still out there and you need to find him. Fast.
You’re slow right now, but it doesn’t matter, the creatures aren’t following, not yet. They seem to be missing from this tunnel and it’s then that you realize they’re looking for Will. He should be at the cabin and so you keep running, out of the tunnel, out into the inverse print of your world, the police station right in front of you with a police cruiser in the parking lot.
You glance around this inverse world, the vines that make up the ground, the giant living wall, the organism’s body wall that you were just inside and seeing no creatures, you limp-run to the cruiser, knowing that this would be in the negative impression of Officer Callahan’s car (he’s the only one who’s stupid enough to park in the parking lot) and you know him and you know he always leaves his keys in the ignition.
Climbing in hurts, putting all the weight on your left foot hurts so much, the bone twisting out more, cutting through more of your skin at the pressure and you can’t help but let out a scream, the tears still falling, the black on the edges of your vision creeping in, the pain so much. So much, so bad, so strong.
“Snap out of it!” you whisper to yourself, giving your head a shake and sitting down, closing the door and turning the ignition key, the car roaring to life. You slam your right foot down on the ignition pedal, speeding out the station’s lot and down the road towards the forest, towards the cabin. Towards Will.
You don’t know how long you have until the creatures come after you, but you have to keep going. Keep moving.
Will needs you.
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Jonathan didn’t know why he went to his dad. The visit was pointless because you and Will weren’t there—he should have known you wouldn’t be, but he had hope that maybe just maybe you’d be there. When you weren’t, he left, but now…
Now he’s sitting in your bedroom, Hopper still out searching, scouring every inch of Hawkins for you, and he holds your pillow to his stomach, breathing in the scent of you that still lingers here. It’s like sugar and vanilla and the scent of book pages and just a hint of chemicals, your life being the high school science lab after all.
He’s sitting here and crying and missing you and wanting to hold you close to him, having to settle for your pillow.
“I miss you,” he cries, a part of him hoping you can hear him. He hopes you can hear him and that it helps guide you home to him. Helps bring you back to him. “I love you.”
And in the echoing silence, he can almost trick himself into believing that he you say I love you too.
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Nancy didn’t really want to be at Steve’s house, at this party, but what else could she do? She wasn’t allowed to go searching for you and if she stayed at home, all she would do is cry and cry and cry and flip through the scrapbook you two had made last Christmas. At least here she could get drunk and try to forget.
Try to forget that you were missing and that you might never come back.
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“Shit!” you cry, the creatures gaining on you. They’re remarkably fast for something so huge and you glance at the fuel gauge, noting how empty the tank is. And the cabin is still so far away, but what is close is Steve Harrington’s inverse house. It’s a big house and you figure you can hide somewhere in there while you wait for the creatures to leave you alone.
You jerk the wheel all the way to the left, veering to his house and when the cruiser sputters-splutters-stops, you climb out and limp-run as fast as you can, tears burning the skin of your cheeks as they fall faster, faster, faster. You can see the pool, imagining Nancy there right now, happy. You hope she is. You hope she hasn’t brought Barb with her—you know she would be miserable there.
The creatures roar behind you, so close and you open the screen door, running into the house and up the stairs, lyrics of a song Jonathan loves in your head. Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble and if I stay, it will be double. So come on and let me know. You murmur those lyrics over and over, the effort helping distract you ever so slightly from your pain and then you’re upstairs and you run into the nearest room, disappearing inside the closet (Steve’s closet unfortunately), pulling the door behind you, and dropping to your butt, sinking deep into the mass of clothes, hoping, praying that they’ll hide you.
You can hear one of the creatures on the other side and you hold your breath, but then you hear a curse, one that sounds like Barb and the creature runs, glass shatters and you open the door a crack, seeing a hole in the wall and the creature out on the pool deck, a hole opening before it.
You watch it disappear and then…
You watch it pull your best friend, Barb, your Barbie into this hell hole.
And then you watch her die.
TO BE CONTINUED
I miss summer😭
i never understood the casting of mike/nancy and mrs wheeler lookswise until i googled younger pics of the actress cara buono and damn ok duffers you got me this is spot on. shoulda had her dye her hair dark again ya know
