#tw mention of karen wheeler

[1-800-whatwouldbillydo]

Billy & the Kids

Also on ao3 

Long story short, Steve’s been surviving on zero sleep and five cups of coffee a day, so Billy decides to take a load off by suggesting that he can watch the kids. Steve drops them off at the pool, and Billy learns that the shit birds’ summer break has been... hazardous to say the least. He sees an opportunity to connect with them, recalling the bag of pool toys he saw in the supply room. Plus, the kids get to have some normal fun. No monsters. For Billy, too, because Neil is going to be at a meeting until 10 p.m. Knowing his old man, he’ll be back three hours later. 

He assures Steve they’ll come back in one piece, and Steve gives him a tired but knowing smile. “I know.”

It’s a strange feeling, to hear that someone actually trusts him. Not just anyone; Steve.

The day goes by smoothly, except for Mike refusing to put on sunscreen. Max ends up chasing him and squirting him with the stuff, which solves that problem efficiently. That’s something Billy would do. She’s got the better side of him, too. He’d forgotten there was another, sillier side to him until Steve brought it to the surface.

Dustin brought his mother’s floral shower cap instead of an actual swim cap, a misunderstanding that will live rent-free in Billy’s mind for the rest of his life. Lucas and Will were the only ones who thought to bring goggles. Max goes into the pool first, followed by the boys. To his delight, they walk, not run.

El lags behind, and he approaches her with a friendly albeit concerned smile. “What’s up, Hopper Junior?”

Staring holes into the ground, she replies quietly, “I don’t know how to swim.”

“I can teach you-”

“No! I want to join my friends. I don’t want them to see me differently.”

Billy frowns at that. “They’re your friends. They shouldn’t judge you for shi- stuff. How about floaties? They help you... well... float.”

El turns pale, and she shakes her head so hard he’s worried it’ll snap clean off her neck.

“Uh... alright... what else... Oh! You see that red and white thingy over there?” He points to the other side of the pool, and she follows his finger. “Looks a bit like a big donut?”

She nods.

“Heather! Could ya pass me that lifebuoy?”

“You know what, Billy, the day you use the magic word to ask me for a favor, is the day hell will probably freeze over,” his co-worker yells into her prized megaphone.

If she said to him the only reasons she wanted this job were for that and her “throne”, he’d believe her.

“JUST- get it. Please.”

Heather gasps dramatically, kicking her feet in the air. “Does hell feel any colder?”

“You tell me. You’re way closer,” he says, mock shuddering.

She climbs down with one hand (the other is too busy flipping him the bird). “You suck,” she informs him, tossing the "donut" in his direction.

“And you swallow.” He catches it, flashing her a triumphant grin.

“No, that’s you.”

“Billy?”

Oh fuck. The kid. “Whatever you heard, don’t tell your parents.”

“My dad curses, too.” Her little face grows oddly serious, and she adds, “I won’t tell.”

He ruffles her curls. “C’mon, I’ll show you how to use this donut.”

🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩

Turns out time does fly when you’re having fun. The kids listened to him. No one ever listens to him.

When the sun starts to set, they dry off, and Heather tells him to go ahead, she’ll close up this time.

He drops Lucas off first, then Dustin, then Mike. Nancy’s waiting for her brother when Billy pulls into the Wheelers’ new driveway. She looks happier now that Karen’s out of the picture.

“Hey, Billy. Was Michael well-behaved?”

“Mike! It’s Mike!”

Billy smirks. Since he and Nancy had started to become friends, he’d learned she could be quite mischievous. “Michael wasn’t a total demon.”

“M-I-K-E!”

“Too bad you’re not sleepy enough to shut up,” Nancy says, giggling.

“UGH!” Mike stomps into the house, dripping water all over the floor.

“I’m going to murder you, you little shit stain!”

Billy chuckles to himself as he gets back into his car, where Max is asleep on El’s shoulder, and Will is yawning.

The next stop is the Byers.

Joyce opens the door after the first knock, and the aroma of pie hits him.

Has he eaten since breakfast? Shit.

Will waves to him sleepily, and El hugs him, then whispers something to Joyce before going into the house.

“I can’t thank you enough. El says everyone had a great time. Would you like to come in? I have pie.”

Now, he doesn’t know Joyce much yet, but from what he gathers, she’s not one to take no for an answer. He’s too tired and hungry to turn her offer down, even if his suspicions are still ever-present.

He follows her inside, where she puts a blanket over his shoulders and pulls out a chair for him.

‘’Do you like apple?” Her eyes aren’t anywhere they shouldn’t be.

Billy hates how that only makes him more anxious. He clears his suddenly scratchy throat. “’S fine.” His mother used to bake all the time when she was happy. During those last few months, she stopped smiling, stopped doing what she loved, and she would leave for a couple of hours. But she’d always come back, mostly in the morning. Until she didn’t. That’s just what living with Neil Hargrove did to you. Apple was her favorite. His, too.

“I’ll fix you some tea, too.”

“Mrs. Byers, you don’t have to-”

“Nonsense. I want to.” She sets a big slice in front of him, accompanied by a fork and knife. “Call me Joyce. I insist.”

“Thank you, Mrs- Joyce.”

“Dig in, it’s no good cold,” she says, smiling at him. Her eyes never travel to his chest. No, she maintains eye contact. Like she sees right through him.

He starts eating, all too happy to oblige.

“You’re really good with the kids, you know. Especially with El. You were sweet to her. She doesn’t have... great memories of the water, but you helped her make happy ones.”

Billy swallows convinced some crust is caught in his throat as his eyes begin to tingle. “I... helped?”

“I see why that Harrington boy likes you so much.”

He blushes up to the tips of his ears, stuffing more pie into his mouth.

“Nearly midnight. How about that.”

Fucking fuck. Just like that, his dream bubble deflates. His eyes sting again. I don’t wanna go back there. But worse will be waiting the longer I put it off.

“Billy? You’re welcome here anytime. I mean it. And honey?”

“Yeah?”

“Drive safe.” She sends him off with a long hug, pie, and tea for the road.

“Thank you, Joyce.”

“Good night, Billy.”

Karen had told him the same thing. Drive safe.

Joyce wasn’t Karen. Wasn’t his mother, either.

Both bring an odd comfort to him.

His stomach is full and warm, not leaving much room for doubt. He drives the speed limit this time, thinking about his day. His mother, wherever she was, did she know he was happy?

That he had fun? No tears were shed. He made people laugh.

Today was a good day.

I want more good days.

***

//✍️Tagslist open//

@flashwaves @thebussynotes @shieldofiron @thatgirlwithasquid @jad3w1ngs @usaqaix @hargrove-mayfields @thecrabnebula @talesfrom-theupsidedown @emeraldwitches @robthegoodfellow @magellan-88 @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @spaceboxkitty @ashyyboyy @harringrovsonsworld @martyreasemymind @awkwardgravity1 @fizzigigsimmer @captainrexshusband @atomrose @billyhargr-a-ve @anarcha-queer-horror @skyesayshi @hgrve @angelshiba @jaethecreator @thissortofsorcery @suometar

#billy hargrove #tw mention of karen wheeler #implied child abuse #mention of neil #joyce byers #mike wheeler #will byers #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #el hopper #my writing #ao3 #nancy wheeler #heather holloway #billy & el

[shieldofiron]

Steve who’s convinced that Billy is straight. I mean convinced. He was the only lunatic in the world who would start liking a girl more after she waved a gun in his face… And it turned out that after Billy apologized to Lucas, Steve was next on the list. And he was having some kinds of feelings about it.

Goes through all seven levels of hell because he’s had guy crushes before sure, but it’s never been like this. Not when Billy’s apologizing in the parking lot, spitting fire with a black eye that Steve doesn’t remember putting there. Not when Steve finally stutters out the explanation he came up with Hopper when they all got back, and Billy had cracked, patting a hand on Steve’s shoulder. That shoulder felt warm for the rest of the day.

And then he saw Billy leaning over Aimee Parkinson and his whole body turned to ice for a second. It was probably just a break up thing. Like his feelings were just acting up. After all Steve still likes girls. Still got interested… but then sometimes he would think about that warm shoulder, about hands that never had scrapes on them. Billy just had really nice hands, ok?

He was able to ride that explanation for another few months, hands shaking when they made contact in gym or when he handed him a beer those infrequent nights when he’d go on a drive and find Billy’s car out by the quarry. Just getting over Nancy still, the feelings spilling over. And sometimes guys get man crushes when they want to be friends. Right?

It’s only that day at Starcourt when he sees Billy drive his car into Mrs Wheeler’s station wagon to try to stop her from hitting Nancy that it hits him. This shit isn’t going away. Not that there’s much time to think of it. Between the fireworks and Steve’s throbbing head there was Billy. Billy hustling El away when Mrs Wheeler dragged her to the monster and promptly melted into it, absorbed. Billy, who was the first person to hug Mike Wheeler after, telling him it was going to be ok, that his mom loved him, Billy knew she did.

Between late nights at the hospital, and waking up to one of those nice hands laid over his. They were friends. And it was a level of hell as of yet unimagined.

Friends, as it turned out, got jobs together. Fucking Keith loved Billy. Thought he was a laugh riot because Billy could quote some stupid British movie from memory. Because Billy was a nerd, underneath all the swagger and the unbuttoned shirts. And even that made Steve’s knees weak.

Eventually Robin clues him in. Gives him a word. Turns out liking guys and girls and basically whoever he likes is not the singular suffering of one Steven Alessandro Harrington. And it’s nice to have the word for it, even if he can’t do jack about it.

And then one night they’re shooting the shit after a late shift. Billy’s got his shirt off and his family video vest on, because he’s a demon from the fifth dimension. And Steve’s got extra cologne on because they’re hanging out. And they’re talking about how El wants her powers back and… Billy starts crying.

He starts babbling about Mrs Wheeler, how it’s Billy’s fault, all of it. Because she was driving out on that road to meet him.

Steve turns to ice again. Because he knew Billy was straight but… this…

But Billy keeps crying. Talking about his dad, how his dad always wants him to be a man. That he had to lie he had a date tonight just to be here. And how Billy thought if a rumor started with the moms in town it would finally get back to his dad, and his dad would believe it and lay off him. Believe that Billy is straight.

Steve lays a hand on Billy’s shoulder. And it burns, burns like hell. What did Billy always say. Looks like there’s some fire in him after all?

“What if you weren’t lying to your dad?”

Sniffles. Wiping tears away from blue eyes with his own hands.

“Whad’ya mean, Harrington.”

“This could be a date.”

Billy doesn’t move away. Those hands curl into Steve’s vest collar as their lips meet. Billy makes a noise, a sweet heavenly noise.

“You can call me Stephanie,” Steve whispers when they finally pull apart for a second. “If that makes you feel better.”

Billy snorts. “I could never want a girl like this. Sorry, I’ve only had my eye on one guy in town. Maybe you’ve heard of King Steve?”

Steve runs his hands up Billy’s shoulders, tangles in his hair, slotting their knees together. Billy can be very convincing.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #billy x steve #shieldofiron #my writing #heaven and hell #tw Karen wheeler mention

[starry-eyed-steve]

The streets (twitter) say that Karen is gonna get killed off. I just saw the supposed leaks and wow. Don't get me wrong, I don't really care about the Wheelers, esp the parents, but I think it's some sort of justice after Karen went after a teenage boy to cheat on her husband. Idk what the Duffers were thinking, making her out to be a pedophile, and then never touching on it again or condemning it in the show. Think what you will about Billy. This was extremely wrong and disgusting. It ruined her character for me.

However, I would really hate this to happen for Nancy and Mike. Especially Nancy already suffered so much. First, her best friend, then another friend she worked with, her bosses tried to kill her and then died a gruesome death in front of her. And now they gonna take away her mom (possibly her dad as well) after everything? I mean, if she snaps and goes on a rampage, I wouldn't blame her. Poor girl has suffered enough.

#karen wheeler #nancy wheeler #mike wheeler #stranger things #st5 speculation #st5 leaks #stranger things spoilers #stranger things 5 spoilers #stranger things 5 leaks #tw pedophila mention #sandra says stuff #anti karen wheeler #<< added to make sure

[every-dayiwakeup]

Steve's been on the phone for- it didn't matter!

All Billy wanted to do was cuddle with him, and Steve had the nerve to put up a hand and say, "In a minute, Muffin."

More than a minute later, and Billy's going crazy. He's pacing around in the kitchen, juggling lemons in the air (when he sees an article on snakes he ends up dropping the lemons on his head), huffing and puffing...

He knows he's being unreasonable. Billy is many things, but he's not stupid. He can't be with Steve every minute of every day. His... buddy has a life to live, and friends to see.

Billy didn't have any friends. He told himself he didn't mind, and he was almost starting to believe it.

As cliche as it sounds, his mother had been his first (and best) friend. And then she left.

Things with Steve are weird. They've slept together a few times (actually sleeping, and only hints of the other thing) and they certainly spend a lot of time together. But they haven't put a label on whatever they were yet.

Putting a label on a relationship frightened Billy. It made things all... official. Besides, Steve wouldn't want to be Billy's anything.

Damn intrusive thoughts.

He ignores reason and stomps into the living room, where Steve basically ignores him.

Fine. If all Harrington was in this for was his body, then he would simply have to milk it.

He starts with his wife beater (a weird fucking name for a shirt, and it kind of unnerved him, to be honest), taking it off slowly.

What if Steve doesn't like it?

No, no. There was only one remotely good quality about Billy, and that was his body. The rest was, quite frankly, a dumpster fire.

Next he unbuckles his belt, and begins to take off his jeans. It's a bit of a struggle, but he gets them off.

He stands before Steve in his underwear, and he clears his throat.

"What, Bills? I said- oh my lord." Steve drops the phone, and Billy jumps at the clatter it makes when it hits the floor.

Oh no. He doesn't like it. He's disappointed. He's-

"Sorry, Steve-"

Steve cups his ass cheeks and pulls him close. "This was a nice surprise."

"You were on the phone forever." Billy cringes inwardly at his voice. It sounds so unlike him.

"Sorry, Nance was just checking in. She wanted to know if I was up for going out for a movie-"

Billy is already trying to shimmy his pants up his ass, wishing he had two extra arms so he could plug his ears.

"And I told her I wasn't gonna go. That I was with you."

Billy stops mid-hop, staring at Steve.

"I'm not ashamed of people knowing that you're my boyfriend, babe." Steve's smile fades. "Unless you don't-"

Billy shakes his head immediately; how could Steve even think for a second that he wouldn't want to be in a relationship with Steve Harrington?

They're both idiots.

"I do. I'd like... to be... what you said just now," Billy says awkwardly. If Max were to see him now... she would never let him hear the end of it.

Steve's face illuminates like Joyce Byers' Christmas lights, and he kisses Billy, gripping the part of his hair that's not so close to his skull.

"The little show you put on... any reason for that, Muffin?"

"I... I wanted your attention."

"Well, you certainly have it now." Steve then frowns, and adds, "But Bills, I hope you do know... I'm not in this because I think you're hot."

Ouch.

"I-I mean not that you aren't! You're really, really gorgeous- too gorgeous for a shithole like Hawkins! I just... didn't want you to feel as though I was objectifying you. I wanted you to know I was in it for more than your body."

"What else is there?" Billy finds himself whispering, on the sudden verse of tears. Was he on his period or something? Jesus, get a grip, Hargrove!

Steve has a determined look on his face, and he replies instantly, "You're brave, you're protective, you're smart as a whip, you tell funny jokes, you're resourceful, you have a way of seeing through bullshit, you put on a front but I know you love Max more than anything-"

"Steve-"

"I'm not done! You're a good swimmer, you're good with cats, you don't cut off Robin when she goes on ramblings, you're genuine, you're dependable, you're passionate, you care deeply even if you don't always know how to show it, you stay in that house with that fucking scum because you won't let him break your little sister-"

"Like he broke me?"

Steve cups his face, wiping away the tears he didn't realize had been trickling down his cheeks. "You're not broken, Billy. I have no intention of fixing you. You aren't a fucking house, and you don't need to be fixed. You just deserve to-to have good things, and I wanna be one of those good things."

Billy smiles, sniffling. "You're the first good thing I've had in a while, Steve."

"Not the last, I assure you!" Steve says in his "King Steve" voice, hands on his hips. "So do you wanna... fool around? Or do you wanna cu-"

Billy jumps in Steve's arms, and the brunette oofs, stumbling back a little.

"Am I too-"

"I'm stronger than I look, alright? Chasing after a bunch of children and my favorite person in the world keeps me fit as a fiddle," Steve huffs, booping Billy's nose as he lies on the couch, positioning Billy right on top of him.

"Can you breathe?"

"If I weren't breathing, I would be dead, William."

"Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious."

"I heard that!"

"It's good to know your ears haven't failed you yet."

"You asshole, I'm not even that much older than you!"

"Uh huh. I saw a grey hair this morning. Didn't wanna say anything-"

"The movies are sounding really tempting right about now." Despite Steve's pouting, he grips Billy's hips tighter, letting him know: hey, I'm not going anywhere.

Billy sticks his tongue out at the landline, and snuggles deeper into the forest of hairs on Steve's chest.

Tags:

@emeraldwitches

@hardestgrove

@lovebillyhargrove

@ouizzyharringrove

@harringroveho

@geormenia

@whoringrove

@polaris-ursae

@wixterirox

@suspiciouslackofclowns

@jaethecreator

@thatawkwardlittlefangirl (welcome 🥰🥰)

@steveharringronsupport

#tw mentions of abuse #insecurities #chubby billy has my heart #and hes slowly taking over my posts #so suffer with me #billy hargrove #harringrove #the fact that steve was getting his ass kicked by someone younger than him will never not be funny to me #the objectifying part i added because i fucking hate karen wheeler #anyway! #other than that its pretty soft ig #redssharings #harringrove solos #my writing #it started with an idea #and it turned into this #you be the judge #clingy Billy #billy is a cat in human form #billy 1 #the phone 0 #i love clingy billy

[slowbrunette-archived]

siren!billy in a moden AU, same deal as S3 except he came back to life as this kind of creature. tbh he comes back very fearsome, hotter, prettier, angrier and revenge thirsty as he should.

k*ren is one of his first targets to get for all the obvious reasons. billy luring her with the same facade he put along with his powers. making her fall for it, but this time he murders her in a brutal way as this song plays on.

both his boyfriends jonathan, argyle, and siren!heather have his back to cover him. so do nancy, max (both helped him to get her and plan the whole thing), mike, his ex steve, robin, argyle, barb, el, carol (dating nancy), eden and chrissy

@every-dayiwakeup @billy-byers @onstrangerthighs

#everyone taking care of billy and protecting him just <3 #siren!billy hargrove #THAT SONG MADE ME WRITE THIS OK #IT FITS #karen wheeler tw #billy hargrove antis dni #nancy wheeler antis dni #karen wheeler stans dni #tw karen wheeler #murder mention tw #billy hargrove #Spotify #masha 💛 #red 🍎

[spectrum-spectre]

thinking about unknowingly-related Eddie & Nancy

tw: unplanned pregnancy, abortion mention, emotional abuse/manipulation of a teenage girl

Karen Wheeler (born Karen Childress) had a sister two years older than her, Lisa Ann Childress. When Lisa was 17, she started hanging out with that no-good Munson boy--Albert or something. Karen couldn't be bothered to actually remember his name. She thought his presence was just due to her sister having a little rebellious phase, and that he would disappear once Lisa got her head back on straight. Unfortunately, condoms break sometimes.

Their father gave Lisa an ultimatum: get an abortion and never talk to that trailer park trash again, and she gets to stay in their nice house with her family and meet a (carefully selected) good little Christian boy to settle down with someday. OR, she can slum it up with those heathens, and be disowned.

Lisa chose option number two, and one Shotgun Wedding later, Karen became an only child. Nancy grew up believing that she didn't have any aunts, uncles, or cousins. Imagine her surprise when she flips through her dad's old Hawkins High yearbooks and thinks she spots her mother, only to realize it's a different woman with the same maiden name.

She has a few questions for mommy dearest.

#eddie munson #nancy wheeler #karen wheeler #allen munson #eddie munson headcanons #nancy wheeler headcanon #eddie and nancy #familial edancy #eddie and nancy are cousins #my writing

[munsonfamilyband]

I love nothing more than all the adults just deciding to adopt Steve - add to that the moms all adoring Eddie and you have my favorite shit. (TW mentions of child abuse)

You would think Claudia Henderson was the first mother to fall for Steve Harrington’s charm but it isn’t. It isn’t even Karen Wheeler, who met him while he was dating Nancy. No, it’s Joyce Byers. She met Steve when he was young, still in elementary school, and he had come into Melvald’s to get groceries when his parents had left him home alone. After seeing him come in multiple times without a parent in sight she started slowly taking care of him; she knew that she couldn’t push herself into his life, he was clearly uncomfortable with talking about his home life. Over time she was able to sneak food into his bags of purchases and then she would gift him “hand-me-downs” from “Jonathan” in the winter so he wouldn’t freeze.

Hopper was next. Steve was in 8th grade by the time they met. Steve had been friends with Tommy Hagan for a few years by then, but Tommy had finally convinced him to throw a party and the party very quickly got out of hand. Hop was called to the Harrington house for a noise complaint and he broke up the party. He did notice that Steve got visibly uncomfortable when he said he had to call his parents but procedure was procedure. He threw out procedure when a few days later he saw Steve in town with a black eye and a bruise around his wrist. From then on out he would always answer calls to the Harrington’s and he never called his parents again, he would stick around and make sure Steve was okay and had medicine for the hangover he was sure to have. He couldn’t do much, wouldn’t do much with the pain of Sarah still so raw, but he did what he could.

Karen Wheeler came next, endlessly endeared to Steve when he showed up to take Nancy on a date. Ted hated him, and she could agree that Steve appears self centered but she witnessed small moments that made her realize he wasn’t completely who he tried to appear to be. She would notice him flinch minutely when Ted snapped at the kids, or the well covered bruises when she heard his parents were in town. He was also kind and doting to Nancy which made her like him more. Karen was sad when she heard they broke up but Steve never stopped coming around, just this time he was there for Mike instead.

Claudia Henderson was suspicious of Steve at first. Her Dusty was different than other kids, she never had the money to get him seen by a professional and get a name for what was so different in his brain, but she knew that children were mean to him for it - she hated that he was bullied because he was such a wonderful kid with so much brain it made her head spin. Steve was 5 years older and had a reputation around town but the first time Dustin invited him over for dinner was the day she decided that she had two sons. Steve was polite and kind, he brought flowers to thank her for letting him stay and eat her food, and he and Dustin bickered but Steve so clearly cared about her son. Then Steve showed up at her house with a bloody nose and a split lip and a distinctly hand shaped mark on his cheek and asked to spend the night and he was solidified as one of her kids forever, even if he and Dustin stop being as close as they are.

The Sinclair’s don’t know Steve as well, but they hear about him constantly, first from Lucas and then from Lucas AND Erica. They figure if Erica likes him then he’s an okay kid, and he’s never been anything but kind when they have met him.

Wayne Munson is the last to meet Steve, and it takes him the longest to warm up to Steve. He had spent years listening to Eddie complain about people like Steve, and even Steve himself, so when he started showing up at his trailer all the time, Wayne was suspicious to say the least. Eddie kept telling him that he wasn’t who he was in high school, he even went on a tangent at one point about how Steve was just trying to survive the only way he knew how, but Wayne didn’t buy it; he knew Steve’s parents, and he figured that Steve had to be like them. Even when he saw how kind Steve was to Eddie, to the kids, to that Robin girl he’s always with, he still didn’t trust him. Funny enough, the moment that changed that for him wasn’t in his trailer, where Steve practically lived by then. No, it was at Family Video. Wayne had stopped by to get a movie for he and Eddie while Eddie was at work, and he didn’t see anyone at the desk when he walked in but he heard voices in the back room that he recognized as the Robin girl and Steve. She was clearly upset with him for something but it took him a moment to gather what.

“You can’t hide this stuff from us- from me! You and me, Steve, we do not hide things.”

“I know, Rob, I just- I didn’t want to burden anyone, okay? You weren’t supposed to find out, especially like this- ow, be gentle! My nose was broken a week ago, you could clean it softly, you know.”

“I am so mad at you right now, Steve, do not push me. You’ve been living out of your car for the past week-“ Wayne was definitely surprised at this point because he knows that the Harrington’s have a big house, “-and your dad gave you a concussion. What is this, number 5?”

“Okay, fine, yeah that part was stupid. I should have said something about the concussion. But what was I supposed to do? I don’t even know who told them about me and Eddie-“ He and Eddie? What about them, that they’re friends? It made sense in some way, to Wayne at least, that the Harrington’s would be upset about their son hanging out with Eddie but living in his car seems extreme. “-and the things he was saying…. I couldn’t listen to it, I had to say something. Even if it meant that I got kicked out and disowned.”

“Have you even told Eddie?”

“Absolutely not, he would blame himself and then offer to let me stay and I know Wayne barely tolerates me - not that I blame him, but it still sucks, I want him to like me. Me and Eddie… I feel like forever with him and if Wayne doesn’t even like me now, how would he respond to finding out the rest of it?” Everything seemed to click together for Wayne and he heard a sniff from the backroom like someone was trying not to cry. He himself felt like crying, because this boy had clearly been through a lot and someone had apparently outed him to his parents who beat him and kicked him out. Before Wayne could even recover from that bombshell the backroom door was swinging open and he was making eye contact with Steve Harrington. “Wayne-! I didn’t-Hi, uh, how long have you been in the store?”

“Long enough. Come by the trailer tonight and we’ll figure out where your stuff can go. You should probably call Ed though and let him know.” Wayne nodded his head and started to leave, very uncomfortable with the tension in the store, but he stopped to say one last thing as he was leaving. “As long as you and my boy take care of each other, you and I are gonna get along fine.”

Steve ended up moving into the trailer that night and Wayne gained a new perspective on him. They began watching sports together and he got to see the love his nephew had for Steve and vice versa clearly.

For Eddie, Joyce was also the first (she seemed to just collect sad kids). He had moved to Hawkins to live with Wayne only a few weeks before and he wandered into Melvald’s for some snacks. His hair was just starting to grow again and it was all sitting awkwardly on top of his head, his curls making strange shapes. Joyce took one look at him and was brought back to how Steve had looked all those years ago, how she and her kids were before Lonnie left, and she decided to step in again. She started by giving him some tips for his hair and then, just like with Steve, she started sneaking him little things over time. When she came back from California after Vecna they met again and she was so glad to see him, so happy that he seemed to fit in his own skin.

Claudia came next, unsurprisingly. The loud music and the distinct skunk-like odor that stuck to him (Claudia wasn’t stupid, she knew what that was) made her nervous. But after having known Steve for a couple years by then, she knew better than to judge from appearances and she was correct. Eddie was like another brother for Dustin, but while Steve complimented Dustin’s quirks and nerdy interests, Eddie shared them all and they seemed to feed off of each other’s energy. He was energetic and kind to her Dusty, and that is all she could ask for him to have in life.

The Sinclairs came to like Eddie after that, mostly for the same reasons that they liked Steve, but also because they had been told that Eddie nearly died to protect their kids.

Karen Wheeler always struggled being around Eddie despite how nice he was to her and to her kids - he reminded her of a mistake she once almost made with another boy who liked his music loud and angry. She did appreciate how Eddie managed to calm Mike’s angry outbursts, he pushed Nancy out of her comfort zone, he even let Holly braid his hair a couple times. Her favorite thing about him was how happy he made Steve (her soft spot for Steve hadn’t faded with time and seeing him so happy was a joy).

Hopper was the last to warm up to Eddie, not for lack of trying. Hopper knew that he should be more understanding, but since he had become a father again his paternal instincts had gotten worse. He hadn’t even realized that he saw Steve like that until Joyce made a comment about Steve and Eddie being close and he felt something oddly similar to what he experienced with Mike and El. He knew about Steve’s history with abandonment and alcohol and drugs, he also knew about Eddie’s tendency to run and his “job” in the woods. Hopper tried to remember that Joyce knew the kid, had said that he wouldn’t hurt a fly, but his instincts were telling him that Eddie was a bad influence. That didn’t change completely until he found out that Steve had apparently been kicked out because someone told his parents that he was dating Eddie and he had been living in his car for a week. He then found out that as soon as they found out, the Munsons had taken Steve in without hesitation - and Eddie had even slashed a couple tires at the Harrington house (Hopper pretended that he didn’t know that because he refused to press charges on the Harrington’s behalf). Hearing that Eddie had taken care of Steve when Hop hadn’t even known he needed it settled his nerves and put Eddie into his heart.

#stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #platonic stobin #this is long but oh well #this was in my drafts and i decided to finish it and post it #i just need eddie and steve to have a big parental network

[half-oz-eddie]

I had a thought.

tw for: mentions of grooming, sexual harassment, violence, karen wheeler

What if Karen was the one to get flayed, because Vecna was observing Billy and Karen’s interactions and thought he could use Karen to groom/manipulate Billy (who was the one he actually wanted to use to lead the army) like let’s just say he somehow got Karen while she was in the bathtub or something idk.

Anyway

They actually meet up, and she’s being like—way too aggressive and Billy doesn’t like it and feels uncomfortable so when she starts showing signs that something’s wrong with her, Billy accidentally knocks her out in the pool and thinks he killed her so he runs away.

Anyway the mind flayer is stuck using Karen so flayed Karen starts putting together book clubs or whatever to create little armies of moms and teachers that can seize control of young people.

So while all the moms are acting a little weird (not Joyce because we’re giving her plot armor) The party is investigating the suspicious acting parents and these “book clubs” they’re always having.

All while Max is trying to find Billy practically on her own because nobody, except El, really believes his disappearance is connected to any of this. El tells Max that Billy is “hiding in the woods…and scared” so Max is determined to find him.

Maybe Steve finds Max skating around late at night and listens to her and offers to help. Because finally someone believes it makes sense that Billy would have run off a long time ago if he wasn’t scared of Neil, so something must have spooked him more than Neil did.

Normally she wouldn’t care what Billy’s doing, she’ll admit, but she worries he could be in grave danger.

They drive around for a little bit looking for him and they spot his car by the quarry. He confesses to Max that he “killed Karen” but he didn’t mean to, and he would never do something like that. He’s stammering and crying, pleading with her and explaining that he knows he takes his shitty jokes too far but he’s not a killer and he’s really not like Neil.

Max tries to calm him down and tell him she believes him, but Karen isn’t dead.

“How?“ he questions. “I hit her pretty hard. She was floating in the pool and bleeding when I left.”

“She’s fine, but she’s been acting really weird. A lot of the moms in town have.”

Once Billy’s calmed down and they try to explain some things about Hawkins to Billy, Steve raises a question.

“What were you doing at a motel with Karen?”

“She wanted swimming lessons. I-I dunno what else was gonna happen. But she started acting weird and freaking me out and when I told her to cool it, she kept being pushy and trying to force herself on me and I-I…I panicked.”

“That’s…eww.” Max replies. “Doesn’t she know you’re like…a teenager?”

“The moms have been going to the pool everyday to check Billy out. I guess they don’t care.” Steve would say, begrudgingly.

“Whatever—look, you’re not in any trouble. Karen’s probably not gonna say anything because she doesn’t want her husband to find out that she’s a creep.”

So anyway Steve and Max convince Billy to come back home and Max keeps Susan away from those book clubs something something Neil gets flayed somehow and there’s no reason for Billy to die and he's kissing Steve on the mouth the end bye

#billy hargrove #max mayfield #billy and max #steve harrington #harringrove #ivy.doc #caliscoops.doc

[tastytoecheese]

Mike wheeler's interactions with food

👾sorry for spelling mistakes I'm dyslexic👾

Not only will this be based on what we see in the show (mostly s4) but will also include my experiences as a guy with a diagnosed restrictive eating disorder(EDNOS), how this relates to Mike's potential autism and how eating disorders are more common amongst queer men then cishet men. Obvious tw for eating disorders, disordered eating, selfhate, stereotypes ect...

In s1 we see Mike putting syrup on his scrambled eggs, something Nancy deems 'disgusting' and no one else at the table has done the same thing. These kind of 'wierd' food combinations are very typical for autistic people and are linked to developing eating disorders like ARFID. After this we don't really see Mike interacting with food until season 4, although we do see Mike is decently exited to eat some snacks Will brought to the cinema and his break up with El(keep this in mind).

👾season 4👾

The first interaction with food in s4 is Mike hurrying to school and quickly making some toast to take with him. We don't see him eat this toast nor etempt too like taking a bite or holding it in his mouth while he does something else, we do however see an expression of concern on Karen's face. He did this so his parents would see him taking food to 'eat'.

At lunch we see Mike has food but doesn't eat any and at the hellfire meeting everyone except Mike has mounting dew. Saying we give Mike the benefit of the doubt that he doesn't like that particular pop why wouldn't he have brought another drink?

In the episode were he reunites with El and Will at the airport we see food mentioned a few times. At the mention of getting burritos Mike seems to panic a bit, quickly turning his head to meet her and his voice is slightly higher pitched. The only thing we see him consume the whole episode is a milkshake that we don't even know if he finished, though this does make sense as liquids are easer for most people with a restrictive ED to eat(well, drink haha). Yet again Will is present but so is El, he's trying to keep up a look of normality and being a good boyfriend.

Back at the byers Mike still eats no solid food, instead he only picks at the risotto. Typically there's 2 ways people with eating disorders respond to stress: over eating or restricting. Everyone else is eating despite the stress of the day because their coping mechanisms don't involve food whereas Mike's does, he fall into the second category of restricting when under stress.

The next day Mike still hasn't eaten any solids. I personally find myself doing the same thing so I may be projecting a bit but when under stress to the point I don't eat I will continue to not eat even if I'm no longer too stressed out. This gives me a sense of control over the whole situation and eating would be braking that control and making me stressed again creating a cycle, and it's this very cycle that seems to have a hold on Mike. At breakfast he just picks at his food instead of eating before taking Els egos up to her. This not only allows him to try and apologise but also doesn't make him look strange for not eating infront of Will who looks notably concerned.

When pizza is ordered it's unclear if anyone eats some. In the dessert Mike has some pop and yet again it's unclear how much he drinks.

At the surfer boy pizza Mike still hasn't eaten until Argyle brings out a pineapple pizza, Mike rejects this saying he doesn't like pineapple on pizza (this scene made me laugh because I've done the EXACT same thing to avoid eating before💀) while he may be telling the truth it still doesn't make sense for him to not eat it as he presumably hasn't eaten for 24 hours or at the very least around 8. Unless he has a major aversion to pineapple on pizza like sensory issues, he's hiding his hunger.

👾why would Mike have an eating disorder/other👾

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way shape or form think you need to be thin or unweight to have a restrictive ED. I have,in the 3 years I've had EDs,fluctuated between anorexia, BED, bulimia and EDNOS and have only been underweight once in my honeymoon phase. Your ED is valid no matter your size💖

The media uses stereotypes as they are the easiest for the general public to understand, this is especially common with eating disorders. To the bone, my skinny sister, starving in suburbia, girl intrupted are all popular media staring people with restrictive eating disorders, and a common factor all these characters have is being skinny white girls. Mike (obviously) isn't a girl so that alone would make his ED harder for the general public to understand or sympathise with so they really need to show the key factor of his thinness. The team chose to put Mike in clothes that would show his body like shorts and short sleeve Tees. Even his jeans are made to accentuate the fact Mike is under weight as they clearly aren't made to be baggy yet still sag. The directors/script writers even go as far as to have Angela refer to Mike as a twig.

Expectations for alt and queer men overlap and always have. While there's obvious differences a more common then not factor is thinness and flamboyance, Mike clearly isn't willing to be flamboyant (mostly likely due to his parents political vues and potential internlisedhomophobia) but the physical look is something he can achieve. This links into...

Mike doesn't like himself. Even in s1 we see him being bullied for his appearance and his dad's, Ted wheeler, indirect criticism of him. We also see Mike attempts to emulate Eddie munson -who is bold in style and visibly queer- someone who Mike isn't like especially visually. When he goes to california he wears what he thinks will make him fit in and (presumably) be more what El and Will are used to. In both situations he's changing himself.

Mike is obviously traumatised. He's watched his best friend be possessed, be in excruciating pain screaming out for him and almost die. He's watched Bob get ripped to shreads by demo dogs, seen literal monsters made of human flash, been knocked out by another possessed person and SO much more. His eating is really the only thing he can control.

Will is there almost every time Mike eats/drinks something. This suggests he's either trying to be 'normal' infront of Will and to not worry him or Will is a safe person that makes him feel comfortable enough to do so, probably a mix of both.

👾EDs presenting differently in AMAB people, Mike's potential eating disorder👾

EDs typically start young, even still amab people tend to develop them in their teens to early adults. This is due to the physical expectations we are exposed to, slender yet muscler men who are so tall they could touch a ceiling with no effort who sport angular jaw lines and get equally as 'perfect' girls in abundance. Amab people (specifically guys) tend to develop EDs like orthorexia, EDNOS, bigorexia and bulimia (which is the most common ED among gay men). Eating disorders aren't as talked about in guys let alone in the 80s so Mike's efforts at hiding his ED would be different compared to a girls, while his parents may be concerned about him I doubt an eating disorder comes to mind. Lifting/exercise culture also influences us, the fact its almost expected of guys to be bulking or cutting food at any given time is basically the equivalent of girls expected to be on a diet, guys are also expected to have that 'teen boy metabolism/thinness' and if you don't fit into this it really messes you up.

Mike isn't sporty and this is made VERY clear, he's built like a string bean, he's the stereotype of a nerd, and he's shown no interest in sports. This imo is enough evidence to rule out bigorexia(and disorders like it) and orthorexia as we don't see him once etempt to be healthy with food or exercise. There's also no signs that Mike purges (no puffy cheeks, blisters on nuckles, no laxatives seen and ofc no exercise) so I'll also take bulimia of the potential ED list. This leaves us with the 2 most likely candidates of EDNOS and anorexia . We see him heavily restrict food and not eating under stress except this isn't constant, in s3 after his brake up with El ,Mike is eating a can of crisps to himself (maby the start of a binge) and he presumably eats in the cinema. S3 may have shown a period of normal eating or it may be that his eating disorder didn't start until the byers and El left Hawkins. With this information I personally think Mike could be anorexic!

If you struggle with an ED and would like someone to talk to feel free to contact me! You are not alone in this illness and if talking will make you feel better or you just want to ask questions please do so💖

#stranger things #byler #mike wheeler is autistic #mike wheeler #ed #education #autistic headcanon #sad headcanon #disordered eating mention #mental illness #will byers supremacy #will byers #stranger things 4 #stranger things 3 #stranger things 1 #nancy wheeler #queer #eating disorders in men

[gabigabigabby]

out before midnight | steddie

dads!steddie x st(eddie) daughter!reader

synopsis: you and mike wheeler recently celebrated your one year of dating. knowing your dads steve and eddie, they don't really... approve of you dating. mike wheeler, especially.

category: father-daughter angst???

wc: 1.3k

tw: cussing

a/n: thanks to this tiktok for inspiring this blurb. basically in this timeline, mike and el never fell in love. i decided to use mike bc of THE WAY HE LOOKS UP TO EDDIE SM AND DRESSES LIKE HIM IT KILLS ME ACTUALLY. enjoy <3

++

you and mike have been laughing with each other the whole night. he came over at 9, an hour and a half after you and your dads had dinner together.

"kiddo, we're gonna go catch a movie together after dinner, okay. just me and your dad," steve had reminded. "if you're inviting mike or... any of the rats over, they've gotta go before midnight."

"swear to god if it's that wheeler boy..." eddie grunted.

"steve, that's too early!" you whined. "what if they want to stay the night?"

"hons, you have school at 8 tomorrow." steve advised calmly.

"listen to your dad, sweetheart," eddie's brown eyes pierced through your soul, they always do. "take the pick-up and send 'em home before midnight. we'll be back around then."

you groaned, taking the last bite of the steak steve cooked earlier. "yeah yeah." fifteen minutes later, after painfully watching your dads flirting, they decided it's your turn on dishwashing duty tonight. clearing all the plates and stacking them by your side on the sink, they went to their bedroom, probably to get changed and... i dunno, make out some more.

when eddie walked out, he was wearing steve's yellow sweatshirt with his regular black ripped jeans and usual white reeboks.

his hair was also in a low messy bun that you once mentioned looked "so rad" on him. "gee thanks sweetheart," eddie blushed. "you're the greatest daughter, you know that?"

on the other hand, steve wore a polo shirt, because when is he not? you once told him to stop wearing sweatpants when going out, and he said that you didn't have any business telling him what to do and what to wear. you always wondered why he gets triggered when someone comments on his fashion sense.

steve sat by the front door, slipping his feet into a pair of vans that once belonged to eddie at one point. eddie saw steve wear them all the time and eventually thought he should have them.

"who's driving tonight?" you had asked your dads, drying your hands with a cloth, leaning on the counter. steve and eddie locked eyes, before pointing at each other at the same time.

"oh c'mon steve, you promised you'd drive tonight!"

"eddie i didn't promise anything!"

you chuckled. "why don't you guys make out 'til you decide?" you shrugged. eddie and steve looked at you, brows furrowed, and then back at each other. they shrugged and before you knew it, you looked up and they were already closing the gap between each other. "oh my god, you guys, i was kidding!"

your dads shared a laugh. "we know, sweetie! just fuckin' with ya." eddie smiled.

"have fun, my pretty dads." you waved with a smirk on your face.

"you're such a kind karen today," eddie waved his hand forward. that analogy made you cringe. who the hell says kind karen? "do you want takeout, sweetheart?"

"we're getting takeout?" steve questioned, puzzled.

you scoffed in surprise. "takeout? yeah sure."

"okay we'll get you that 24-hour chinese you like, and we can have that as breakfast, i dunno." eddie smiled, asking you to toss his car key over.

"alright, well... thanks, pops," you chuckled, tossing the key over as you watch steve open the door. mike then appeared in front of them. "mikey? you're really early."

"excuse me- mikey?" steve said.

"really, kid? you invited him over already?" eddie threw his hands up, letting them land harshly on the side of his legs. "out of this trailer before midnight, wheeler. or... or you're out of hellfire."

"babe..." steve huffed, so done with eddie's dramatics.

"what?"

"c'mon, let's go," steve ushered eddie towards his car. "out before midnight, mike." mike only nodded before letting you walk around the counter so he could give you a kiss.

"swear to god if you guys are—"

"edward, let's go." steve pulled him back towards the car.

"what?! don't wanna catch them doin' it when we get home, babe!" you had heard your dad complain.

you watched your dads get into eddie's car, pulling out of the parking space. "miss you already! don't do anything eddie would do!" steve waved you and mike goodbye.

once you both were alone, mike slowly wrapped his arms through yours and around your waist. "soooo," he drags. "what are we doing tonight?"

"baby, i've got homework," you said, your hands running up and down mike's shoulders. you noticed his outfit. he looks and dresses just like eddie. the longer hair, the raglan tee, the black ripped jeans, the black converses?! god you could faint just by the sight of that. "god, the resemblance is uncanny."

"what is?"

"god mike, you look like my father." you giggled.

mike's eyes crinkled. "do you like it?"

"i dunno. should i?"

++

it's midnight. you totally forgot you had to get your boyfriend out of the trailer. you hear your dads come home. the sound of eddie's car engine turning off outside. the sound of steve's footsteps up the front porch. you figured eddie would have a smoke first before entering the trailer. just as you and mike were about to get up off the bed, you hear steve calling for you.

"sweetheart? we're home!" steve calls out. "mike better be out." his voice gets closer and closer with every word. before mike could even reach for the doorknob, steve swings the door open.

"jesus christ!" steve shouts, startling you and mike. "you're not out yet. i thought i told you—"

"midnight, yeah," mike nods in defeat. "sorry, lost track of time." footsteps were heard behind your dad, eddie appearing behind steve.

"baby, you oka— ah, wheeler," eddie's tone changes from worried to menacing in a split second seeing mike next to you. he didn't even get to kill his cig. "i thought i told you to leave by midnight or i'll boot you off hellfire."

"dad..." you tense.

"babe, he's leaving," steve puts his hand on eddie's shoulder. "i'll drive him, love, it's too late." steve nods at you. "c'mon mike."

mike smiles. "i'll see you tomorrow, y/n." he bends to your height to give you a kiss on the cheek before steve gently leads him out of your room.

"thanks, pops." you smile at steve.

steve's face lights up as he stops in his tracks and turns to face his boyfriend. "i'm pops now, babe," steve giggles to himself, sighing. "pops."

eddie waits until steve and mike are out the door before glaring at you. "about to boot your pretty little boyfriend off hellfire and suddenly i'm not pops anymore, huh, y/n? you and i are 'bout to have problems, young lady."

"yeah most definitely," you tease your dad. "steve is cooler than you. or should i say... pops?" you scoff and chuckle at your dad's change of expression from mad to grouchy.

"why don't you ask your pops to drive you to school tomorrow?" eddie glares dramatically, crossing his arms.

"bull. you'd never let steve drive me to school," you quip. "you want the whole school to know i'm eddie munson's daughter. you said that the first day."

eddie almost couldn't counter that comeback. "damn right you're eddie munson's daughter. and if mike wheeler or anyone dare lay a hand on my daughter, they're 'bout to get an ass whoopin' from the freak himself, you hear me?"

"loud and clear, sir." you grin, sitting up straight.

"goodnight kiddo." eddie was about to shut your door and leave you alone. until you call for him.

"dad, wait."

"yeah?"

"you know you're always gonna be my pops, right?" you smile at your dad, looking him in the eye. "fuck steve."

eddie chuckles, thinking to himself how lucky he is to have a baby girl like you. "yeah. fuck steve. i love you, sweetheart."

"love you more, pops."

#steddie #steddie angst #dad!steve harrington #dad!eddie munson #eddie munson #steve x eddie #steve harrington #stranger things 4 #stranger things angst

[1-800-whatwouldbillydo]

When I was SA’d, I died. Not literally, but it felt like I wasn’t alive. The metaphor of Billy’s flaying paralleling sexual assault... and he actually died. 

Also, I’ll never ever get over the fact that he was going to meet Karen on the night he was flayed. He got possessed because of her. 

Two factors brought him there- Neil and Karen. 

And a bigger monster was waiting for him. 

#billy hargrove #sa mention #neil hargrove #tw karen wheeler #tw sa mention

[wclkmans]

[ alva bratt | cis female | she/her | twenty-five ] —— it’s just another typical week in hawkins i guess — isn’t that right, nancy wheeler? huh, guess they can’t hear me over vienna by billy joel playing on their walkman, but it looks like they’re headed to work at the hawkin’s post. did you know nance has been in hawkins for her entire life? yeah, they’ve been described as a bit domineering, but i suppose them also being dependable outweighs the negative. i’ve also heard people say they remind them of a manicured finger twirling the cord of the landline, the duality of preferring skirts and not being afraid to get dirty, the ache of always losing a friend, a faded scar on the palm of your hand that throbs at the worst moments, and the smell of gunpowder residue haunting a striped jumper… however, that could just be this weeks newest rumor.

character inspirations — bonnie bennett (the vampire diaries), lexi howard (euphoria), amelia bones (harry potter), hermione granger (harry potter), padme amidala naberrie (star wars), natasha romanov (marvel), betty cooper (archie comics), rachel zane (suits), claire beauchamp randall fraser (outlander).

full name — nancy wheeler nickname(s) — nance, wheeler name meaning — grace age — twenty-five date of birth — november 13th, 1961 place of birth — hawkins, indiana current location — hawkins, indiana gender — cis female pronouns — she / her sexual orientation — bisexual religion — agnostic, wore a cross necklace in grade school to fit in before trading it for her ballet slipper necklace occupation — (investigative) journalist at the hawkin’s post education level — bachelors in journalism from emerson college residence — wheeler family home family — ted wheeler, father. karen wheeler, mother. mike wheeler, little brother. holly wheeler, little sister. finances — upper middle class spoken languages — english faceclaim — alva bratt

tw: parental neglect mention, death & grief

the first born child to ted and karen wheeler, nancy was officially the start of the nuclear family that karen wanted and ted played along with. she was a quiet kid, never one to put herself out there and had a difficult time making any friends. thankfully, ted and karen gave nancy a younger sibling and she finally grew out of her shell a bit more.

she used to be the cool older sister who played dress up and tried to follow along whenever mike would play dnd. but then she met her new best friend, barbara, in middle school and she grew this desire to be wanted. barb became the quiet one while nancy ventured out a bit more. begging karen to let her pre-teen self wear a little makeup or buy a new outfit.

having been the quiet kid with no friends growing up in the same small town, nancy wanted to finally make something of herself. she grew colder to her parents, especially when they grew colder to each other, and at the same time she grew colder to mike. she was too cool for his childhood antics, especially when his friends would crowd the basement of the wheeler household. 

along came holly and nancy never had much of a relationship with her. it was obvious that holly was supposed to be some glue to the marriage between karen and ted, thus resulting in her being the favorite. nancy didn’t mind, though, for some reason. maybe she was used to it.

and even as nancy’s interests changed over time, she was still a straightforward girl. she had her priorities in check ( most of the time ) and focused on school, her grades, her future. nancy was aware that if she wanted to leave hawkins, she’d have to make her own way. a bit naive as someone who comes from a good amount of money, but she was headstrong nonetheless. she was kind, but stubborn — something that could only be a wheeler gene. 

she attended emerson college, and even as she felt accomplished as a professor’s favorite student and a good community member or friendly face, there was still something always missing for nancy. it wasn’t love that nancy was seeking, but she couldn’t help being a hopeless romantic. the fictional books she collected or the actors she’d grow massive crushes on helped, but nancy would always be interested in having a partner of her own. 

and then when she was able to catch the eye of steve harrington on fall break of her senior year of college, nancy felt like she was on a high, even if she always played everything cool. she was sure barb was sick of nancy constantly talking about steve, but she didn’t care. her first real crush and everything moved so quickly. 

nancy learned who she was really like when she was crushing, and it was someone overly affectionate and rebellious. steve made her want to kick her goody-two-shoes off and do the things she missed out on in high school. someone who lied to her parents and allowed a boy to sneak into her room even if she was considered a grown up. what she never thought about was how this was due to the lack of affection and lust her parents had, and maybe being affectionate and allowing yourself to sleep with a boy who likes you will make him never want to leave.

when barb went missing that same night, nancy felt like she had a permanent lump in her throat. she played it cool while investigating her whereabouts, but there’s only so much a young girl can do. another disappearance in town and nancy was too selfish to realize that she was only now feeling exactly what mike had been with will’s disappearance. she never talked to him about it, too stuck in her own head about barb and how looking at steve only reminded her of it all.

what helped was jonathan byers who had something more for nancy to work off of. the realization the two would face would not only be traumatizing for the both of them, but also result in steve’s involvement. when nancy wanted to feel wanted, this wasn’t what she had meant. their fight made her sick to her stomach — a feeling that eventually became permanent. 

nancy became even more horrified when barb’s death was confirmed knowing no justice could come from a young girl who had special powers that you could tell your little brother cared for. and since she’s stubborn, she was not going to give up no matter what it took. killing a demogorgon wasn’t going to be enough for her, and even when she tried to put barb’s death behind her and focus on really being with steve, she would always be haunted.

and nancy will never fully forgive herself for barb’s death, nor will she forgive herself for the way she treated steve towards the end of their relationship. her struggle with her grief kept putting a rift between her feelings for steve, and the realization that she would never be able to tell him that she loved him. she’s embarrassed over the way things ended, but she knew it wasn’t right to not give someone something they deserve.

after somehow managing graduation, nancy took time off. partnering again with jonathan felt natural. the lab had done terrible things to both of them and they were trauma bonded. they didn’t have to speak in order to understand, and because of that, they grew closer. she was thankful it was jonathan who was her right hand. 

she’s not quite sure how her and jonathan started, whether it was understanding too much or a feeling that was missing between the two of them. it felt nice, though. jonathan was different from steve. but even after getting justice for barb’s death and shutting down the lab, jonathan only reminded nancy of barb, too.

working at the hawkins post became something good for nancy, a step in the direction she wanted. but she was never respected and never understood how jonathan couldn’t see that. they humbled each other that summer: nancy needing to realize the family and money she comes from and jonathan needing to realize how discriminative women felt in any male dominated workforce. nancy became even more stubborn and relentless, and could still never follow up any conversation with ‘i love you’.

then when the byers skipped town, nancy was left to herself. she had tarnished her relationship with steve, almost too scared to see what could be repaired. she realized she had no relationship with mike who had suddenly grown up without her realizing it, and she was too afraid to ask. but, she was able to make a friend in fred who shared similar interests as her. 

that is, until he became the second friend of hers to die while under her watch. 

nancy is still stuck with her life feeling like a broken record. she doesn’t know who she is without a significant other, but still has yet to ever utter the words ‘i love you’ to anyone in her life. she has yet to allow herself to have a real friend in case she is cursed, closing herself off to anyone interested in a role ( even robin who she will never forgive herself for in case she also gets taken from steve ). she’s colder, more distant. but, she’s trying to do her best.

nancy isn’t a stranger to these things [insert glock]

#╰ * 𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐘. : intro. ⧽ don't you know that only fools are satisfied . #hawkinstm.intro

[cherrydreamer]

(TW: The Billy/Karen thing, implied domestic violence) Billy doesn't know why he says it. Why he even mentioned it. Why he couldn't keep it in any longer. All he knows is that Karen Wheeler had made some passive aggressive remark to Joyce earlier that day, something about Jonathan being a 'quirky' choice for Nancy after Steve, and that Joyce hasn't stopped grumbling about it since.

“Quirky? I’ll show her quirky! Jonathan’s smart, and he’s kind and he’s got so much potential. That’s what she means. And that’s what Nancy likes.” and "How dare she say that about my boy? Jonathan's a good kid. He treats Nancy well. She should be happy they found each other!" and “Quirky? I can’t...I know exactly what she was trying to say. She thinks he’s not good enough. Well he’ll show her. My boy’s going to do such amazing things.”

And Billy's gets it. Kind of. He can see why Joyce is upset. But it still grates on him, the way she's so protective over Jonathan when he isn't even here to appreciate it; how she just won't shut up about it, even though Jonathan didn't even hear the comment and he probably wouldn't even be bothered by it if he did, and it's not like he can deny it, 'cause any idiot with eyes can see that of course Steve is the better choice- with that hair and those eyes and those chocolate chip moles everywhere and those jeans that fit just right and that smile that's like sunshine and a laugh that makes Billy want to laugh along too. How would anyone not choose him? Who would be dumb enough to ever trade that away? Who wouldn't want Steve?

Billy's not gonna think too hard on that. Not right now.

But Joyce keeps on bringing it up. She just won't stop ranting on about her perfect son and how wonderful he is and how proud she is of him and how she's so angry- actually, legitimately driven to fury- just because someone dared to say a bad word about her kid. Just words.  Words Jonathan didn't even hear. Words he'll never hear, because Joyce is dead set on protecting him from any tiny, little, insignificant thing that might hurt his fucking feelings. Because he's her boy.

And it all builds and builds. All of it bubbling up inside of Billy, all the frustration and longing and petty jealousy churning inside him until it all comes out, sour and acidic on his tongue,   "Yeah, well, least you don't have to worry about her wanting to fuck him."

He doesn't shout it. Doesn't even raise his voice. He just mutters it under his breath, more of a hiss than anything, but somehow it's enough that Joyce freezes at the sink, arms still submerged in the soapy water, and then turns to look at him, eyes wide with shock.

"What do you mean?" Joyce asks, "Billy?"

She grimaces, "What…huh…why? Why would you say that? That's not funny."

"No." Billy suddenly feels small. The churning in his gut is still there, but now it's mixing with a prickly surge of shame, "No, I know…I don't…I shouldn't have said-"

He's shaking. His voice is weird. Watery. Thick. And the words feel sticky and heavy as they push past the lump in his throat.

"Billy?" Joyce is coming over now, wiping her sudsy hands on her jeans, "Honey? What's wrong?" 

"Nothing. It was…bad joke. Just a really bad joke. I'm sorry."

"No," Joyce shakes her head, kneeling down beside Billy's chair, "No, honey, it's OK. But is there… Billy? Is there something you want to tell me?" 

No. 

The answer comes without thinking. Billy doesn't want to say anything, not really.  But, then again, he knows Joyce. He's told her things before, things he never told anyone. And she helped with those. Made him feel better. Less alone. Less wrong.

So maybe. Yes. 

"Mrs. Wheeler," he manages, "She, uh, before everything…" Billy ducks his head, feeling almost sick with the revelation,  "We were, uh…she wanted…" He can't think of any other way to say it. There's no point trying to dress it up in anything it isn't. "I was going to…to sleep with her."

And if he wasn't feeling so panicked, Billy might've laughed at the look of horror on Joyce's face, the way her eyes go wide and her jaw drops. The way she gasps, hands flying up to her face like some shitty actress in a terrible soap opera before turning to Hopper to gauge his reaction, "Hopper?" 

"Karen Wheeler, huh?" Hop lets out a wry chuckle, raising his can of beer in Billy's direction, "Nice work, son." He hums appreciatively but his smile drops as soon as he sees the fury on Joyce's face. 

"What?" He tries to argue, holding up his hands, "She's a good looking woman, Joyce. I've got eyes, OK? The kid did good. You don't have to be-"

"She's a grown woman," Joyce's voice is low. Dangerous. It's the angriest Billy's heard her and it puts him on edge, "An adult. And Billy’s a kid. It's like if you started sniffing around after Nancy. Or if Ted got his hands all over Jane."

Hopper flinches at that, then his face goes hard, "Don't say that," he hisses. 

"Why not?” Joyce stands up and gives an exaggerated shrug, “It's the same thing, isn’t it? Or would you be happier if he waited until after her senior prom?"

"That's enough, Joyce," Hopper warns, and Billy can see the set of his jaw. The red flush working its way up his face.  He hears the sound of the beer can crumpling underneath Hopper's fingers.  Billy stops breathing. He silently wills Joyce to stop talking. To listen. To finally shut up. 

But he knows Joyce, so he isn't surprised when she doesn't. 

"What about her eighteenth birthday?" Joyce says casually, waving a hand in the air, "Would that be better? It's legal, that's all that matters, right? And he's a good guy with a good job, after all." Her tone turns bitter again. "Would you say 'nice work' to Jane too?"

"I said that's enough!"

Hopper's hand thumps on the table, sending the beer can flying, and Billy flies up from his seat, knocking his chair back in his haste to round the table and put himself directly in between Jim and Joyce. He's alert now, tracking Hopper's every movement, eyes flicking between his expression and his clenched fist.

He widens his stance, feet planted firmly. His own hands curl tightly, 

"No," Billy growls. His heart is hammering fit to burst, and he knows he's shaking like a leaf, but he stares Hopper down regardless, "No. No. You don't touch her. You won't hurt her. I started this, it's my fault."  

Behind him, Joyce is saying something, but Billy doesn't turn around. He doesn’t even move when he feels Joyce’s hand on his arm, gently trying to pull him back. "Oh, Billy, oh no." Joyce whispers. She sounds pained and then her voice turns quiet and gentle, lacking any trace of the venom from before, “You don’t have to do that, honey. That’s not what's happening. I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m sorry.” 

“Yeah,” Hopper mutters gruffly, “Sorry, kid. I wasn't thinking. And I get it now. Karen, she, uh, she shouldn't have done that. Gone along with it or whatever. It wasn't right." 

The tension hasn't exactly diffused, but Hopper's hand is unclenched now, so Billy walks past him, keeping his distance, and goes to finish washing the dishes that Joyce left soaking in the sink.

He hears Hopper mumbling something, an excuse, and then he hears him leave, and a moment later Joyce appears back by Billy's side, wringing a damp dish towel in her hands. For a while neither of them say anything. They work together, Billy washes and Joyce dries, stacking the plates haphazardly on the side, and there's no sound but the splash of water and the clack of crockery to fill the air.  And then Billy starts to talk.  And he tells Joyce everything. 

  ***  Billy should've known it would happen eventually. He knows Karen has started coming around more, wheedling Joyce about Jonathan and his future plans and whether there's been any hint of wedding bells and whether he knows that it's customary to ask Nancy's father before he proposes and how would Joyce feel about a church wedding, because of the divorce and- 

That's normally when Joyce changes the subject. But Billy knew that  this time would be different. That Joyce wouldn't play along with all the small talk with a fake smile on her face and an equally fake little laugh. He knows Joyce. He knows she's going to say something about…it. About him. And he also knows that he shouldn't be listening. But he can't help it. 

Because Joyce's voice is low, but the fury in it carries through the walls, and if Billy had thought that Joyce sounded dangerous before, it's nothing compared to this. He can't quite catch all she's saying, but he picks up a few things, key phrases ringing in his ear like,

"You're old enough to be his mother."  and "He's practically a kid, Karen. He's Nancy's age." and "It doesn't matter what he did. Or what he said. You should know better." and "You were wrong."

Despite what he's expecting, Billy doesn't hear Joyce say a single bad word about him. All of her fury, her disgust, her condemnation is aimed squarely at Karen, and Billy creeps out of his room in time to see Karen seemingly wilting with the force of it, backing away from Joyce until she's standing in the doorway. And then Joyce delivers her final blow.

"You stay away from my boy, Karen Wheeler." 

Karen opens her mouth to reply, but Joyce slams the door in her face, startling a little when she turns and spots Billy standing awkwardly in the hall. 

"Oh, hey there," she smiles, but Billy can see the way her hands are trembling, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. You OK? Should I make a start on lunch? Or maybe coffee? Coffee would be good, right? I should make some-"

"I'm your…?" Billy steps forward, trying to cut her off, stop her rambling, but his voice gives out. He almost daren't say it. But he wants to know. To be sure. He swallows and tries once more. "I'm your boy?" 

His voice cracks on the last word and it takes Joyce a moment to understand what he means, but Billy sees the moment it dawns on her. The very second she remembers her words to Karen. Her strained smile grows into a big, bright one, so warm and full of love, and Billy finds himself being wrapped in her arms and surrounded by her love, 

"Of course, sweetie. Yes of course you are. My boy. And I always look out for my boys."

#not harringrove #it's mentioned #ish #like pre Harringrove cause Billy's got a crush #but yeah this is pretty much all about billy #also i don't think hopper is a bad person #that's not meant to be in question at all #he never would've hurt joyce and she knows it #she knows his temper #and her words hit him hard #(as they were meant to) #but she was never in any danger #but of course billy didn't know that #cherrywrites

[memes-saved-me]

Billy Hargrove and implied Queerness

First off this is focusing on his scenes without Steve because we've all seen those and....they're pretty homoerotic to say the least so I will be bringing your attention to the other factors which lead people to believe Billy is gay or interested in men and not so much women. This isn't very indepth but more surface level observations I've made and seen others make.

(TW: Homophobia and slurs discussed)

Season 2

The first scene we get of Billy he is instantly sexualised by those around him. Tina and Vicki taking interest in him based on his looks while Carol watches on rather unamused. This sets a trend for his character and his relationship with his looks and body, but more importantly how he uses it to his own advantage. Of course this was done to play into the 80s bad boy who all the high school girls fall for but what I'll explain later makes it much more interesting.

The next we see of Billy is with Max on their way home. During this scene he insults the looks of the high school girls, referring to them as cows. We then get a very interesting line "Yeah, we're stuck here and who's fault is that?" Which Max replies to with "Yours."

A response that instantly angers Billy to the point he demands she take responsibility for moving to Hawkins. A topic that has clearly been discussed before because Max's reaction implies this has happened before if not multiple times.

In Runaway Max, which isn't confirmed canon and contradicts a lot of stuff but, we are told that the reason they moved was because Billy was completely off the rails to the point he broke her friends arm. Now. Does that make sense in blaming who's fault the move was? If this is the case it is obviously Billy's fault so why does he keep saying it was her who caused this? She clearly liked being in California so why would she do something to make them move. Unless it was unintentional...

This heavily implies that there is an unspoken incident which involves them both. An incident which triggers such anger and recklessness in Billy to the point he almost runs over Mike, Lucas and Dustin because Max wouldn't say it was her fault. Many have then filled in this gap with Max accidentally telling either Neil or Susan about Billy and another boy, which would make sense with the information or lack of information we are given in canon about the reason they moved.

While at Tina's Halloween party we do not see Billy interact with a single girl. He is seen with Tommy and another boy who then approach Steve with him. It would make sense for girls to be drooling over him in this moment, trying to dance with him or following him inside but no. He makes a beeline for Steve and we do not see him for the rest of the party.

Now, I don't know about you but have you ever seen a teenage boy look less interested in his date? Not only is he not interacting with verbally but also physically. He then gets angry when she calls Max his sister and they drive off without a word. It's implied he is taking her home as he they were waiting for Max, meaning he was probably going to hook up with her but if he was wouldn't he act just a little nicer towards her?

I mentioned before that he is the archetype for 80s bad boy and the girls sure are falling, he just isn't catching them. This is the only time we see him interact with a women his age in a romantic way. If you could call this romantic at all.

When in trouble for letting Max run off while watching her, his response is that he doesn't have the time to go looking for her because he has a date, a date we never see or get the name of, this prompts his father to say the line "So that's why you've been staring at yourself in the mirror like some faggot..."

A line that then prompts Billy to snap and argue back after clearly wanting to get out of this situation as fast and smoothly as possible. Where else have we seen anger brought on by a topic? That's right in the car with Max. There is a trend of Billy reacting with anger to conversations or comments he finds personal or as some sort of attack. This is also when Neil becomes fully angry with Billy as seen in his rather shocked reaction at his response to that line.

This also continues the trend of Billy caring about his looks and using them as a shield of sorts, a shield that doesn't work against his father but everyone else he encounters.

Something to keep in mind, Billy is the only character to be called a homophobic slur by a parental figure other than Will. The character he mirrors in multiple ways including having the same full name William, as well as Will being heavily implied as gay or queer. Both of their father's use homophobic language against them, unlike any of the other characters in the show.

The next we see of him after the incident with Neil is also when we see him interacting with another women in a romantic sense. Karen. This is where his use of his looks and body fully come into play. He uses these assets to get information and affection out of Karen to make his father happy and avoid further punishment.

Now this is my own interpretation but Billy is used to using his body for positive attention and doesn't get that any other way. At no point in the series is he treated like a person other than in S3 by Max and Max only. Everyone else views him in an objectified manner or as a bad guy to avoid.

There is a clear resemblance between Karen and Billy's mother which I'll further discuss in the season 3 section but this leads me to believe he is subconsciously or even consciously wanting positive attention from a motherly figure, he just doesn't know any other way to achieve that.

However, it is very clear that flirting with Karen was an act as seen by the quite jarring juxtaposition of these two frames. The mask fully gone once by himself again. Meaning the only time we see him flirt with a women it isn't genuine at all.

Season 3

Now, continuing off the last point, there is countless girls practically drooling over Billy at the pool but he only accepts this attention from Karen. This exemplifies my theory that he doesn't know how to gain positive affection other than through flirting and well sex, but he only wants this attention from an older women who resembles his mother. Except, again he doesn't know any other way of gaining it. He hasn't had a strong positive female influence in his life since he was 10 years old and by the looks of it every motherly figure has treated him as eye candy and not a teenager crying for help.

He has Heather who is very much his age and flirts with him. Yet, he acts as if she isn't even there and goes straight over to Karen to flirt. The way he acts with Karen should be the way he would act with girls his age, flirting and making advances but we do not see a single example of this.

This part I find extremely interesting because it perfectly mirrors his interaction with Karen in season 2, except instead of dropping the mask he puts it on. The way he looks to his right as if she is sitting there as he practices what he is going to say to her is a clear example of his act coming into play as he prepares to meet up with her. His expression very similar to when he leaves the Wheeler home but it shifts to practice the way he is planning on talking to Karen. A complete reversal from their scene in season 2.

A rather reaching piece of symbolism could be that this also mirrors the way Neil cuts off Billy's date in season 2 as the Mindflayer is a literal representation of him being controlled by his father.

I also find it very interesting that he chooses to flirt with Karen very publicly and this might be reading a little too into it but it comes off as trying to uphold some sort of image. Another example of this is Max saying she hears Billy with girls in his room, something that sure is something he would do but when you put this with everything in this post it also comes off as him trying to prove something.

Another thing I find interesting is the way he acts around Karen, all smiles and friendly is very similar to that of the way he acts at dinner with Heather's parents. An act put on by the Mindflayer, just as he does when flirting with Karen. A mask used for underlying means and not what it shows on the surface.

Conclusion

This is all just my observation and he is not canonically gay or queer but the way he acts around women compared to Steve is a very interesting aspect to his character. If they truly intended for him to be this bad boy ladies man then they failed at presenting that.

One final thing, which I have posted about before is the fact Billy does not use homophobic language towards anyone. Even Steve does in season 1 so it would make sense for a teenage boy trying to upstage another teenage boy to use slurs and such to belittle and bully him. Except he doesn't.

I could write a full dissertation on Billy's implied queerness but a unorganised Tumblr post will have to do. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

#billy hargrove #harringrove #theory #not tagging anything else because I cba with antis #this is not canon #so don't attack me #it is just a theory analysis #thank you

[demogordon]

long post under the cut; anti b*lly h*rgr*ve. TW: abuse mentions, SA mentions, racism mentions (basically just his canon behavior)

i think the thing that makes me angriest about the whole max/b*lly thing is that i was a victim of abuse and my abuser is still kicking it but i have so many complicated feelings surrounding the grief i feel for the lost relationship, for losing him and for the person i was before we met and sometimes all i want is to be back with him even though i hate him. and i think if s4 explored that avenue, it would be awesome. recovery after abuse is hard and complicated and nothing is ever really black and white.

but i’m so worried there aren’t going to be any nuances for this storyline and it’s just going to be everyone collectively deciding that he’s redeemed now because he managed to do one (1) good thing in the show. he literally didn’t do a single other good thing for another person in his two season run.

he bullied children, abused children, attempted to attack children, was racist, beat the absolute snot out of steve, and then tried to fuck karen wheeler (don’t get me started on that mess oml). and that’s not even mentioning heather holloway and the horrible visual correspondences in her flayed transformation. if you can watch that scene and tell me it isn’t analogous with SA, i honestly don’t know. maybe that’s just my interpretation of the scene. and i don’t think billy actually SA heather, i just think that scene was intentionally written and performed to be perceived as eerily similar.

but ok fine he let himself die protecting max after two seasons of nothing but terrorizing everyone and now he’s a hero? give me a break.

[ourpaladin]

GENERAL

name:  micheal james wheeler.

alias(es):  mike, mikey ( if you want to die ), leader, paladin, sir mike.

gender:   trans male ; he / him.

age:   12 - 15 ( verse dependent ).

date of birth:   april 7th, 1971.

place of birth:  hawkins, Indiana.

hometown:   hawkins, Indiana.

spoken languages: english.

sexual preference:   closeted bisexual / closeted biromantic.

occupation:   student ; monster destroyer ( writer / author later on in life ).

APPEARANCE

eye color:   brown.

hair color:   dark brown.

height:   5′7″ ( verse dependent ).

scars:   small dent on his chin ; several small white lines across his body.

burns: none.

over weight:   no.

under weight:   a little.

FAVOURITE

color:   red.

hair color:   no preference.

eye color:   brown.

song:   take on my - a ha!

movie:  star wars.

tv show: any sunday morning cartoons ; mike doesn’t watch much tv.

food:   mom’s cooking ; potato chips.

drink:  old coke.

book:  he prefers comics.

HAVE THEY

passed university: eventually, yes.

had sex:   no.

had sex in public:   No.

gotten pregnant:   No.

kissed a boy:   not yet.

kissed a girl:   yes.

gotten tattoos:   no.

gotten piercings:  no.

been in love:   yes.

stayed up for more than 24 hours:   absolutely, all the time.

ARE THEY

a virgin:   No.

a cuddler:   depends.

a kisser:   depends.

scared easily:   no.

jealous easily:   yes.

trustworthy:   yes.

dominant:   yes.

submissive:   no.

in love:   yes.

single:   no ( verse dependent ).

RANDOM QUESTIONS (tw for self harm/suicide mention)

have they harmed themselves:  yes.

thought of suicide:   yes, but not seriously.

attempted suicide:   no.

wanted to kill someone:  yes.

have/had a job:   no.

have any fears:   losing his friends and family / feeling hopeless.

FAMILY

sibling(s): nancy and holly.

parent(s): ted and karen.

children:   no.

pets:  ted’s probably allergic to pets, so none.

tagged by: @suchbllshit​ & @neverscored​. tagging: do it and say i tagged you <3

#mike. headcanon.