Story Raise The Candles High - UDC IX (Stranger Things)

Just what life near a beach is. A great set

 

@earlybird-obi-wan Beach life is the best! I don't actually live near a beach but I love them so much. Especially ocean beaches. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, and I'm so happy you enjoyed this set!

*****

Week 13

*****

Characters: #61. Nancy, Dustin; #62. Hopper, El, Sara; #63. Max/Lucas; #64. Nancy, Steve; #65. Joyce, Will
Genre: Peace, love, and soft happy fluff
Notes: There's a canon scene in this week's set! I KNOW, I was shocked too!

I absolutely love Nancy dancing with Dustin at the Snow Ball, and I was planning on using that for "Forge" anyway. Then I heard Just Dance by Lady Gaga and I got the idea to make this another "5 things/times" set. So have "5 times our heroes dance"!

#61 is a scene from Season 2, Chapter 9: The Gate.

#62 is set between Seasons 1 and 2, when El's living in Hopper's cabin.

In my head, if anybody cares, the kids are maybe 16 or 17 and attending a high school dance in #63.

#64 and #65 take place back in my own happy little world where everybody is alive and living happily ever after. I envision "Precious" taking place spring 1986, or maybe even fall 1985, because Joyce and Hopper realize "why wait any longer?" and "Undoing" a few years later, when Mike and El are done college and probably about 22 or 23. I put entirely too much thought into that, and I promise I'm not actually that shallow of a person in real life because I do think and talk and care about more important things. This is just my escape from those real life things.

Thank you to everyone who's read, liked, commented, or peeked in here! I hope you continue to enjoy, and I hope these have brightened your day at least a little.

*****

61. Forge

Scanning the dance floor, Nancy catches sight of Dustin standing all alone and looking stricken.

For a moment she thinks of leaving Barb behind, of the look on Steve's face when he realized - when she realized - she wasn't in love with him.

She makes up her mind and goes to find Dustin.

She pretends she doesn't see him wiping away tears. She just smiles. "Wanna dance?"

Dustin looks shocked, but he hurries to take her outstretched hand.

She forges a path onto the dance floor, Dustin's hand firmly in hers, and her smile matches his as they begin to dance.

62. Wraith

Sometimes he still thinks he can see Sara. Not just memories, but glimpses of how she would look now, images so vivid they almost seem real although he knows that's impossible.

Tonight he and El had kept busy playing board games, drinking hot cocoa, and dancing around the cabin to some of his records. All evening he kept imagining flashes of pale blonde hair and hearing two little girls laughing instead of just one.

El's fallen asleep on the couch in front of the TV. He covers her with a blanket, and quietly says goodnight to both of his daughters.

63. Greed

No one has ever accused Max of being shy.

Watching her dance a fast dance with El, both of them laughing and shaking their hips and pretending to be pop stars, Lucas admires her boldness. She doesn't care if anyone is watching, she's just having fun.

When the music changes to a slow song, El goes back to Mike and Max makes her way towards Lucas, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling.

They meet halfway and Lucas takes her into his arms.

He's not shy either. He kisses her and she presses closer as if she'll never get enough of him.

64. Undoing

"Hi," Nancy says.

"Hi." Steve gestures at the hall. "Nice wedding."

"Yeah." Nancy smiles. "My mom wanted to go all out since Mike's the first one of us to get married."

"Yeah, I guess she would," Steve says.

Nancy bites her lip. Billy's dancing with El, and Jonathan's talking to Joyce and Hopper.

"Steve," she says softly. He looks at her. She takes a deep breath. "Want to dance?"

"Yeah, sure," he says.

It's awkward until Steve lifts his hand to twirl Nancy under his arm. She laughs. When she's facing him again she's glad to see he's smiling too.

65. Precious

Joyce sighs.

"Mom?" Will asks. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good, sweetie," she says. "Just happy. Really happy."

"Good." Will smiles.

They dance in contented silence, their feet trampling over the grass as music pours out of the stereo. Neither Hopper or Joyce wanted a big ceremony, so they got married at city hall and threw a party in Joyce's yard for all their family and friends.

The song ends, but Will keeps his arms around his mother.

"I'm happy for you, Mom," he says. "You deserve this. Both of you."

"Thanks, sweetie," Joyce whispers, eyes glistening as she hugs back.

 

Great set, Amidalachick! I'm sorry I haven't been around here as much. My muse is just starting to wake up. This line below from Wraith made the hair on my arms stand up. What a powerful drabble and a magnificent sentence.

I also enjoyed the weddings, and the twist on Nancy not being the one getting married.

 

a sweet set with melty moments

 

Lovely with Max and Lucas and Will and Joyce basking in the post-wedding happiness.

 

@brodiew So glad to see you back as both a writer and reader! My muse has kind of gone the opposite way. Real life's such a mess I've just been churning out crap these past few months to try and make myself feel better.

Thank you so much for reading, anyway, and I'm so glad "Wraith" was so powerful for you. And I'm happy you enjoyed the weddings too! The visual of grown-up Nancy and Steve sharing a dance at someone else's wedding years later has been in my head for a while, and I was finally able to use it, so it was fun to write. Thank you again for reading and for your kind comments!

@earlybird-obi-wan Sweet and melty was exactly what I was going for! Thank you so much for reading and your lovely comments!

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha I'm so glad you enjoyed those ones! Especially "Precious", I've been wanting to write Will and Joyce for a while and I was so happy that one worked out for them. Thank you always for reading and commenting!

Thank you again to all readers, likers, commenters, and anyone who's peeked in at these! It means so much to me, and I hope these silly things have made you smile.

*****

Week 14

*****

Characters: #66. Hopper/Joyce; #67. Max/Lucas, Mike/El, Dustin, Will; #68. El; #69. Max, Billy; #70. Steve/Billy
Genre: All the fluffy fluff!
Notes: When I saw the prompts - specifically "Whip" and "Leather" - only one thing came to mind. Horseback riding, of course! The one thing that I was considering taking up again this summer after being away from it for years. I sure picked a good year to try and have a life again! And that really has nothing to do with anything, I'm just bitter because the prompts made me really want to go riding.

Anyway! This set really stumped me at first, but then I just started writing and this was the result. I feel like it's even worse than usual but I want to actually finish this challenge for the first time ever and so I'm running with whatever foolishness pops into my head.

#68 is based on canon, when El visits her mom in Season 2, and the rest is absolutely not canon because canon is too sad and I just can't.

Thank you for reading, and hope this at least brings some smiles!

*****

66. Fedora

"Joyce?" he calls.

"In here!"

He follows the sound of her voice to the kitchen. She's standing in the middle of the room, looking around as if checking to make sure she hasn't forgotten something. He holds up the bottle of wine he brought and shakes it.

Her posture relaxes and she smiles. "Ooh, is this a special occasion?"

"Well, the kids are all away tonight," he says. "We've got the place to ourselves. I'd say that's pretty special."

She closes the distance between them and reaches up to take his hat off as he moves in for a kiss.

67. Whip

Lucas picks up the can of whipped cream and squirts it into his mouth.

"Gross!" Max throws a piece of pie crust at him.

"It's good, try it," Lucas says.

"I'll have some!" Dustin says eagerly.

Max rolls her eyes at El, and El giggles.

"Ice cream is better with pie," Mike says, taking a big scoop from the tub.

"Whipped cream is good with everything," Dustin says.

"But ice cream is better," Mike insists.

"What about ice cream with whipped cream on it?" Will asks. "Sundaes and stuff."

"I like ice cream," El says. "But Eggos are the best."

68. Satchel

She sets her satchel down and looks around the room.

Jane's room.

Jane Ives.

She is Jane Ives. She has a mother. She has a family.

Mama.

She ties on her blindfold and reaches out. She talks to Mama the best that she can. Mama shows her the lab, the bad men, Papa, her sister.

She has a sister.

She's got to find her sister. She needs to find her. Her sister is the only other person who understands.

She won't go back to Hopper. He already lied once.

She takes her satchel from the room, Jane's room, and leaves.

69. Leather

"Here."

Max looks up as Billy throws something at her. It lands on the bed and she sees it's his old leather jacket.

"Thought you might want this," he says. "Since it's so cold here and all."

Max picks it up, tries to sound annoyed to hide the lump in her throat.

"Have you ever even cleaned this thing?"

"Just take the damn jacket," Billy says.

She gets off her bed and throws her arms around him.

"You'd better write," she says. "And call. Or I swear I'll kick your ass. And Steve's."

"I'll miss you too, Max," Billy says.

70. Tweed

He doesn't wear tweed or tailored suits. He doesn't play golf, belong to a country club, or have a fancy office with a gold nameplate on the desk. His dinner conversations don't consist of investments and stocks and quarterly earnings or accusations or frosty silences.

Instead he swims and he quickly picked up surfing. He and Billy talk about everything and nothing, or make stupid jokes and laugh, or just sit in a silence born of contentment.

Almost every night they fall asleep in each other's arms, in a bedroom smaller than his childhood bedroom, and he couldn't be happier.

 

Fedora: SQUEE! Just.
Whip: I like Eggos too, with Nutella I never thought of putting whipped cream on ice cream.
Leather: Sweet sibling moment.

 

fun and sweet in again a nice set

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Ooh, Nutella on Eggos sounds delicious! I'll have to try that! And I'm not a big fan of whipped cream, but I make an exception for hot fudge brownie sundaes from a local ice cream place. Tons of whipped cream and hot fudge and brownie pieces... oh, it's heaven. Back on topic, I'm so glad you liked those particular drabbles, and thank you so much for reading and commenting!

@earlybird-obi-wan I'm so glad you enjoyed this set! Thank you so much for reading and your sweet comments!

Thank you to anyone else who's peeked in at these! Hope you've enjoyed!

*****

Week 15

*****

Characters: #71. Max/Lucas; #72. Hopper, El; #73. Billy; #74. Steve/Billy; #75. Mike/El
Genre: Soft, sappy, syrupy fluff!
Notes: This set was really tricky! Literally all I could think of at first was a scene from The Simpsons. I had a day off yesterday so I just started writing and these happened and I'm posting them because I really want to actually finish the challenge this time, damn it!

I don't think there's anything too important to note, just the usual 'me pretending canon/real life doesn't exist and making my own happy little world where everyone is happy'!

#74 was basically my actual morning today (because I forgot my brother drove my car yesterday) and it felt kind of REALLY weird since I wrote most of the drabble yesterday.

Okay, I think that's it. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

*****

71. Scarlet

To Lucas, California feels as different from Hawkins as the Upside Down. But it's sunshine and light instead of darkness and decay.

"Come on." Max tugs on Lucas's hand. "Quit gawking like some tourist."

Lucas grins. "Technically I am a tourist."

"Well, don't be obvious," Max says. "It's so not cool."

"Me? Uncool?" Lucas pretends to look shocked. "I'm, like, totally tubular."

"Oh my god!" Max knocks her shoulder against his. "I told you before, nobody has ever talked like that."

Her laughter is as vivid as her scarlet sunglasses. Lucas smiles at how happy she looks to be home.

72. Mirage

She's falling through the darkness. Her screams ring in her ears and echo through the void. She's alone.

"Hey! Kid!"

A hand, heavy on her shoulder.

"Kid! El! It's me, it's okay, you're just having a nightmare."

Her eyes fly open. It takes her a minute to realize she's not trapped in the void, she's in her bed in Hopper's cabin and Hopper is at the bedside.

She's shaking as she reaches blindly for him, and after a minute he returns her hug, patting her back awkwardly.

"Nightmare," he says. "Not real. I'm here. You're safe."

"Safe," she repeats, sniffling.

73. Armor

He looks in the mirror, readjusts a lock of hair so it falls just right over his forehead, and adds a final squirt of hairspray.

He turns his head a bit and puts on the smile that girls can't seem to resist. It's practiced and as meticulously adjusted as his hair.

He can't remember the last time he smiled for real.

He takes another look in the mirror, satisfied that everything is in place and his appearance matches his reputation.

He collects his backpack and books and gets in his car, prepared to face another day in this backwoods town.

74. Warpath

Steve's so tired he almost drops the key when he tries to put it in the ignition.

He finally starts the car and a blast of noise hits his ears. He'd completely forgotten Billy had picked the music last time they were both in his car.

Screeching guitars and shouted lyrics at a loud volume are not what he wants to hear in the morning when he's already running late.

He turns the music off and thinks that next time they go for a drive, he might just happen to feel like listening to the sappiest ballads he can find.

75. Mastermind

"Not much farther," Mike says.

"Okay." El squeezes his hand.

She's got her eyes shut tightly, trusting him to lead. He picks their path carefully, holding her hand tightly to guide her.

"You can look now," he says.

El opens her eyes and he waits for her reaction. He's never done something this overtly romantic. He went all out - roses, candles, even borrowed some of his mom's fine china. The dishes hold assorted toppings to make El's favorite Eggo concoctions.

A delighted smile crosses her face. She turns to throw her arms around him. Mike holds her close and smiles.

 

Scarlet: Love the teasing and affection. Yay for actually being able to be a tourist
Mirage: Sweet that Hopper was there and reassuring.

Mastermind: SQUEE!

 

love the teasing words in scarlet, the soothing in mirage, the hair in armor, the screeching music in warpath and the surprise in mastermind

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha I know, I miss being an obvious tourist! "Scarlet" in particular was fun to write, and so was "Mastermind", so I'm so happy you liked them! Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

@earlybird-obi-wan I'm so glad you enjoyed these! Thank you so much for reading and your lovely comments!

Thank you both again, and thank you to anyone else who's read these! I hope they've brightened your day a bit!

*****

Week 16

*****

Characters: #76. Hopper/Joyce; #77. Mike/El; #78. Max/Lucas, Billy; #79. Nancy/Jonathan; #80. Steve/Billy
Genre: As fluffy as clouds on a clear summer day!
Notes: So I kind of went a little overboard with this set, but I just couldn't resist. Real life continues to be a dumpster fire of epic proportions so I figure at least some people should get to be happy! Even if they are fictional characters.

As always these are set during various times and places in my own happy little post-S3 world.

I used Google Maps to get a general idea of driving time and route for "Epoch". Fun fact: it always amazes me how many US states you can drive to within a day or so!

And I have to say, overall, this was one of my favorite sets to write. Three of them popped into my head immediately - the visual for "Ephemeral", the stylistic experiment for "Lasting", and, finally, "Descendant."

I've had the visual for "Descendant" in my head since "Temple" back in Week 5 (and no worries if you haven't read that one or you don't remember it, "Descendant" will still make sense on its own. I hope so anyway! ). I hadn't found a place for it, but as soon as I saw the prompt, I knew I could finally use it and I was so excited. The only difference was that, originally, it was from Max's POV.

Anyway! Thank you for reading and sharing in my silly fluffy little world, and I hope you enjoy this set too!

*****

76. Ancient

The world has changed around them.

Hawkins has sprawled out, all suburbs and shiny new stores and people commuting elsewhere.

They've renovated the house over the years. The old appliances are updated to newer versions. They've painted and redecorated and rearranged all the rooms. But when Will and Jonathan and El and their spouses and friends come back to visit, the love and warmth that greets them is the same.

And even though they're both older and grayer, Joyce still snuggles against Hopper's side every night, and he still holds her close and murmurs I love you into her hair.

77. Lasting

They've been each other's firsts since they were twelve years old.

Mike's first crush, El's first friend.

First heartbreaks, first fights, first break-ups.

First kisses, first dates, first times.

First I love you's, first I do's, first dances.

First blushes and giggles the first time their friends call them Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler.

First trips out of the country on their honeymoon.

First nights back, when Mike carries El across the threshold in the house that is their first home together.

First mornings after, waking up to each other.

They've been each other's firsts and they'll be each other's forever.

78. Descendant

Lucas smirks. "She was scared the first time, too."

"You cried!" Max retorts. Steve, at the other end of the couch, smothers a laugh.

Max turns back to her stepbrother. "Here. Put your hand under her head, like this."

Billy's still nervous, but he carefully takes the baby, his niece, from Max.

He wants to tell her she'll be free to live however she wants. She'll never be abandoned or smacked around, never face life's terrors alone. She's got a family, by blood and by love, surrounding her.

Her tiny face is peaceful, and he thinks maybe she already knows.

79. Epoch

Nancy and Jonathan left for New York in Jonathan's old car, loaded down with memories and boxes of their most important possessions.

They stretched the drive out, turning it from a chore into a chance to spend time together.

At a motel in Pennsylvania, they held each other close and talked softly of the past and the future, long into the night.

When they got their first glimpse of towering skyscrapers and the glittering promise of dreams both old and new, Nancy's eyes glistened with unshed tears but her smile was bright as Jonathan squeezed her hand across the console.

80. Ephemeral

Steve's tracing something in the sand next to their picnic blanket.

"What are you doing?" Billy says.

"Doodling," Steve says.

Billy leans over him to get a better look. Steve's drawn a heart with their initials inside. It's so sweet Billy has to tease him about it.

"That's all you could come up with, S.H.?"

Steve puts an arm around him. "Think you can do better, B.H.?"

Billy reaches up to take the hand Steve's resting on his shoulder. Even in the fading light he can clearly see the warmth of Steve's gaze.

"Never," he says. "I love you, S.H."

 

Perfect set with the memories and sweet loving care

 

Ancient: "They've renovated the house over the years. The old appliances are updated to newer versions. They've painted and redecorated and rearranged all the rooms. But when Will and Jonathan and El and their spouses and friends come back to visit, the love and warmth that greets them is the same."
I love the sense of permanence and of homeyness.

"And even though they're both older and grayer, Joyce still snuggles against Hopper's side every night, and he still holds her close and murmurs I love you into her hair."
Delicious!

Lasting: "They've been each other's firsts and they'll be each other's forever."

Perfect summation of a first and last true love.

Descendant: AWW! Baby-moments are always the sweetest!

 

Great sets, 15 and 16. Amaidalachick!

Scarlet and Armor stood out in 15. Armor really nailed Billy and it was excellent related to prompt. He's gotta be hard so the soft don't show.

Ancient and Lasting were great in 16. I loved the idea of the Byers home being retained and being Joyce and Hoppers home. The idea of the kids as adults returning there is great. With Lasting, I really enjoyed all the firsts and enjoyed a trip through their relationship through marriage.

 

@earlybird-obi-wan I'm so glad you enjoyed all the sweetness! Thank you so much for reading and for your lovely comments.

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha I'm so glad you liked those ones! "Lasting" just kind of popped into my head, because Mike and El really are the only ones for each other. And with "Descendant" I'm not even big on kids in real life, but there really is something about babies that is just so sweet and I just couldn't resist. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

@brodiew Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked those drabbles, especially "Ancient". I just love the idea of Joyce staying in Hawkins (with Hop, of course!) and reclaiming her home from all the bad things and it becoming a sanctuary for her kids and her whole extended family, so I'm so glad it worked for you too. Thank you so much for reading and for your wonderful comments!

Thank you again to everyone who's read, liked, commented, or just peeked in! It means a lot to me!

*****

Week 17

*****

Characters: #81. Billy, Max, El, Steve; #82. El, Hopper/Joyce; #83. Will, Jonathan; #84. Max/Lucas; #85. Joyce
Genre: Soft fluffy softness of course!
Notes: I was stuck on a couple of these again ("Adventure" and "Booby-trap"), so they don't really have much to do with the prompts but they're what I came up with. And "Hero" started out as "Love-interest" but I think it worked out better this way. Also, can you tell what I was eating while I was working on these?

As always, if you're looking for gripping plot or proper characterization or anything actually related to the show, this isn't the fic you want! This is just me pretending the real world doesn't exist for a few minutes.

In all seriousness, though, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy! And be sure to check out all the other amazing drabble threads going on!

*****

81. Adventure

"What are you doing here?" Billy tries to sneer, but the words just sound tired.

Max and El take their usual chairs while Steve tries to set down the pizza boxes and bags he's carrying without dropping anything.

"We brought food," Max says.

"They promised me pizza if I drove them here," Steve says. "Sounded like a good deal to me."

"Let me guess, you bought the pizza too," Billy says.

"Nope." Steve looks proud as he gestures at the spread. "This was all your sister and El."

"Can we just eat?" Max says.

El beams. Finally Billy smiles too.

82. Booby-trap

When El asks, eyes sparkling and smile hopeful, he feels like he's walking straight into a trap.

He doesn't want to say no.

Both girls can take care of themselves, and it's not like they'll be roaming around completely unsupervised.

But he can't help worrying.

Joyce understands, still gets anxious when Will is out of her sight for too long, but she tells him he has to learn to let go.

She's standing next to him when he tells El she can go to California with Max, and when they watch the girls' plane take off she squeezes his hand.

83. Sidekick

Jonathan taps on the doorframe. "Hey."

"Hey," Will says.

"What are you up to today?" Jonathan says.

Will shrugs. "I don't know. Everyone's busy. I'll just read or something."

Jonathan nods and leaves, returning a few minutes later.

"Want to go for a drive? I've got a new tape and we can grab junk food for dinner and not tell Mom."

"Aren't you going out with Nancy?" Will asks.

"I'll see her tomorrow," Jonathan says. "It's not every day I get to hang out with you. I mean, unless you're too cool for me now."

Will grins and stands up.

84. Love-interest

Max curses as she tries to untangle a knot in her long red hair.

She's never been the type to fuss over her appearance, but she wanted to put in a little effort tonight. She's even wearing a dress.

She throws her brush at the wall just as Lucas comes into the bedroom.

He wraps his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"You look beautiful."

"Shut up," Max says.

Lucas laughs. "What? You do."

His smile is irresistible as he gazes at her in the mirror, and Max lets herself smile back as she leans into him.

85. Hero

She was never the pretty, popular one.

She didn't come from the right kind of family, didn't have anything special to make her stand out. She married young and had her boys and tried to make things work.

But her boys' safety came first so she kicked Lonnie out and worked even harder to keep her family together. Working at Melvald's wasn't glamorous, and it didn't pay a lot, but she was there for every shift and did extra when she could, and she managed.

And when she looks at Will and Jonathan she's proud of all that she's accomplished.

 

Sidekick: This is wonderful, just hanging out together. Jonathan can go on a date tomorrow

Love-interest: Loved every single word of this one. Max wants Lucas to think she's not tickled but he knows better.

Hero: The best kind.

 

adventure with the pizza
booby trap and a smile
Sidekick with Jonathan and Will
Loveinterest and the unruly hair
Hero. keep them safe
Loved them all

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha I'm so glad you enjoyed those!

Exactly! I just love ALL the siblings, and I'm so happy this one worked for you too!

"Love-interest" was so much fun to write, and yes, Max totally appreciates Lucas' appreciation whether she wants to admit it or not. And I'm so glad you liked "Hero" too. I totally agree those are the best kind, and Joyce would be a hero even without all the supernatural stuff! Thank you so much for reading and your lovely comments!

@earlybird-obi-wan Pizza is the best food (well, in the top 10 for sure)! I'm so happy you enjoyed these. Thank you so much for reading and for your lovely comments! It means a lot.

Thank you both so much again, and thank you to any other likers/readers out there! Even if you've just peeked in, I hope you've gotten a smile or two.

*****

Week 18

*****

Characters: Billy, El, Steve
Genre: Angst, introspection, but we end up with soft sweet fluff because I just CAN'T leave things on a depressing note
Notes: So as soon as I saw these prompts I couldn't think of any character except Billy. This was a really hard set to write, even though it's still AU. And I do want to add, as much as canon hurts, I still love the show and I'm so grateful to the creators and the actors and everyone involved for making this world and these characters that I care so much about.

Just a few notes. First, a WARNING that "Death" references suicidal thoughts.

"Days" was inspired by "I'm Eighteen" by Alice Cooper, because it's such a Billy song. I'm not sure if it's canon or fanon but I used the character ages listed on the Stranger Things wiki.

I'm not entirely happy with how "Past" turned out, but I'm just going with it. There was supposed to be a lot more of Max in these, and of course Billy still has A LOT to make up for (especially with Lucas and Steve). But these are just glimpses and I just wanted to finish these so just pretend all that's happening 'offscreen'. And "Resurrection" was inspired by the scene where El sees Billy's memories and is just a soft fluffy Steve/Billy moment to end the set.

Finally, this was my soundtrack for writing these:
I'm Eighteen by Alice Cooper
Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin
The Promised Land by Bruce Springsteen

I think that's everything. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

*****

86. Days

When he turned seventeen he started to count the days until his eighteenth birthday.

Birthdays hadn't meant much since he was a little kid, since a few years before his mother left. But eighteen was different.

Eighteen meant not living in fear anymore. Eighteen meant escape, freedom, a new life away from his father.

Eighteen had to be better than seventeen.

But his eighteenth birthday came and went, and he was still afraid, still trapped, hating himself and the person he was becoming more every day.

Eighteen was just another broken promise.

Eighteen turned out to be worse than seventeen.

87. Future

Max couldn't come to the hospital today.

She'd been so concerned he wasn't entirely surprised when Steve showed up instead.

"You lost, Harrington? I don't need a babysitter."

"Thought you might want some company," Steve said.

Billy tried to glare at him. "I don't need your pity either."

"It's not - I don't - " Steve huffed a sigh and crossed his arms. "Look. If you really don't want me here, say so. I'll turn around and leave right now and I won't bother you again."

The silence stretched out.

Steve stayed.

He came back the next day, and he kept coming back.

88. Past

"I've killed."

"What?" he says.

"I've killed," she repeats. "I've done bad things."

She tells him slowly, quietly.

"That's different," he says. "You didn't - you didn't know better."

"I learned," she says. "You learned too."

He huffs a bitter laugh. It makes his chest hurt. "I tried to kill you."

"Not you," she says. "The monster. You fought. You saved us."

He wants to argue that he didn't fight hard enough, that she saved him. But he's getting tired, and she's looking at him with the same compassion he saw at Starcourt.

"Friends don't lie," she says softly. "You'll learn."

89. Death

He picks up the pill bottle.

It's almost full.

He'd always assumed he would die at his father's hands or his own. Surviving didn't seem like an option.

He thinks of the people who died because of him. People who were kind and good and had reasons to live.

People like Heather.

His scars feel tight, as if the skin's stretched to its limits and ready to break, as if he's finally ready to join the rest of them.

He thinks of Max, El, and Steve.

He thinks he's hurt enough people.

He sets the bottle back on the nightstand.

90. Resurrection

Seagulls' cries echo through the morning air.

The sun's glistening on the water as Billy wades through the surf with his board under his arm.

Steve's standing on the beach holding his own surfboard, patiently waiting while Billy surfed one more wave.

After all these years his smile still warms Billy even more than the sun on his skin.

"Ready?" he asks.

"Yeah." Billy grins and licks his lips. "I'm starving, pretty boy."

Steve grins back and leans in for a quick kiss that turns into a lingering kiss.

Billy takes his hand as they walk back to the car.

 

Very intense and poignant use of the prompts.

 

great songs to use for intense feelings

 

Week 17

Love interest: I like this one as a simple moment between Max and Lucas. She is wanting to to put some extra effort into her appearance and Lucas recognized it. She is still insecure about it. Pretty cute.

Hero: Wonderful character summary for Joyce. Excellent. Your tone and style have excellent impact.

Week 18

Days: Again, like, Hero, this one has great emotional impact. It is heavier and sad, but well written.

Death: I love the self reflection here and Billy's choice to decide to live despite the death he has caused. He now has reason to live and hopefully, he can forgive himself and realize that though he was a nasty person, he was not killer the Flayer made him to be.

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha It was hard to write, but I'm so glad the emotions came across! Thank you so much for reading and your lovely comments!

@earlybird-obi-wan I love all of those songs, and they really fit with what I was trying to say, so I'm glad they worked for you too! Thank you so much for reading and for your sweet words!

@brodiew Thank you! "Love-interest" was a fun one to write, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I'm really happy you liked "Hero". I love Joyce, and she really is a hero in every sense of the word.

"Days" was heavily inspired by Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen", and I could not have written it without the song! I'm glad that one and "Death" had such an impact on you though. Thank you so much for reading and for your thoughtful comments! I really appreciate it.

Thank you all again, and thank you to any other readers or lurkers out there!

*****

Week 19

*****

Characters: #91. Joyce, Will, Jonathan; #92. Hopper/Joyce; #93. Max/Lucas, El; #94. Steve, Billy, Robin; #95. Steve/Billy
Genre: We now return to our regularly scheduled program of soft fluffy fluff!
Notes: When I saw these prompts I was so excited, because they are lovely prompts and I was like, oh this set'll be easy.

Spoiler alert: It wasn't.

At first I had NOTHING for the first three, a single sentence for "Home", and... well, "Hereafter" went through four different versions and each one was LONGER than the last, which would have been AWESOME when I was trying to write for the Fanfic Olympics, muse. Anyway I'm not entirely happy with these and I feel like some of them are really repetitive but this is what I finally got down so here they are.

#91, "Haven", is set in Season 1 and I think the rest are after Season 3 but in my world.

Finally, I was listening to "I Will Play A Rhapsody" by Burton Cummings and "Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton while I was writing, so I'm sure they've influenced this set.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

*****

91. Haven

Will has a nightmare the night he returns home.

In her haste to reach him, Joyce almost collides with Jonathan, stumbling out of his own room, fear and sleepiness making him appear almost as young as Will.

Joyce cradles Will in her arms and strokes his hair until his sobs have quieted to sniffles.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," Will mumbles against her T-shirt.

"Don't be sorry, sweetie," Joyce says. "You wake me up anytime you need me, okay? I'm here."

She holds out her arm to Jonathan to bring him into her embrace too.

"I'm here," she repeats.

92. Helper

"Hello?" Joyce calls.

"Hi, Joyce," Hopper calls back. "I let myself in. Hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" Joyce reaches the kitchen and giggles as she hugs him, feeling a sudden surge of energy despite being on her feet all day. "Of course I don't mind." She pulls back a bit to smile mischievously up at him. "Especially when you're cooking for me."

"It's nothing fancy," he says, looking a little embarrassed. "I just thought, you know, I was here so I might as well get dinner started."

Joyce presses closer to him again.

"It's perfect," she says, and kisses him.

93. Heal

Lucas' hand is still curled loosely in hers, even though he's sleeping. She's exhausted too, but she's determined to stay awake until she knows.

She lets him sleep though. He's got no reason to care whether her stepbrother lives or dies, no reason to be here except for her.

She'd told him earlier to go home with his family, that El and Mrs. Byers were still there, with Hopper, that she'd be fine.

But he insisted on staying with her.

El sits down beside her again and takes her other hand, her own face tear-stained and weary.

Together they wait.

94. Home

The kids are loud.

Billy looks almost impressed. "Henderson gives Max a run for her money."

Steve bumps his shoulder. "Dustin's a good kid. Besides, Max probably learned it from you."

"Nah, she's always had a mouth on her," Billy says.

Steve bites back a smile at the fondness in his voice.

Robin comes into the kitchen holding an empty bowl.

"They're ravenous. I hope you stocked up, dingus."

Steve gives Robin more chips and shoves a bowl of popcorn into Billy's hands.

He follows them to the living room and starts the movie, basking in the noise and warmth.

95. Hereafter

They'd gone for a drive through the countryside, stopping a few towns over to get dinner.

They found an empty parking lot and parked facing west while they ate.

In the warm glow of the setting sun, Steve reached for Billy's hand.

"I can't wait to see the sunsets out there," he said softly.

"I can't wait to show you," Billy said. "Even if you hate it."

"I won't hate it," Steve said.

Steve's kiss felt like a promise. Billy knew wherever they ended up, Indiana or California or somewhere else, he'd already found more happiness than he'd ever imagined.

 

lovely interactions
haven; sweet comfort
helper; nice he has done the cooking
heal; just being there
home; great fun
herafter; happy together

 

Sweet warm fuzzies. You really are marvelous at that. Like oxygen in these days. Thank you.