the fridge that is not your grave

There is also another oneshot from this author before this one.

This is one of the few stories where I feel like Jonathan and Steve's friendship is earned, like they are on even ground.

Ooh, I've been meaning to rec this one myself! Thank you.

a haunted house, with a picket fence (9798 words) by bartonbones (@bartonbones)

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Jonathan Byers & Steve Harrington Characters: Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Aftermath of Torture, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Background Jonathan/Nancy, incorrect fighting techniques, Incorrect first aid, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, furthering the stonathan friendship pothead trauma bonding extravaganza with very much more of the same, Steve Harrington-centric, Jonathan Byers-centric Series: Part 2 of yeah, i guess, the end is here

Summary: “Steven,” he says, slurs, maybe, a little at the end, “I am so deeply apologetic for the way I kicked your ass when we fought five years ago.” Steve is close enough in his beanbag that he can swat Jonathan’s outstretched hand away. “I’m seriously not mad about it. Or like, not at you. I just mean like—you, Billy, the demobats, the—” Steve’s voice trails off, distant for a second, like he was going to say something else and then decided not to. “All I’m saying is, it’s a long line of people who have beaten my ass. I have a jaded interest in trying not to add to it.” Jonathan rolls his head over—feels how heavy it is, enjoys it, the looseness of it all—and narrows his eyes at Steve, who is looking at him plaintively. He has a sense of where this was going, and no real desire to follow it there, but he’s too damn tired and too grateful for Steve’s quiet home and good pot and newfound friendship to fully dig his heels in about it. “Teach me,” Steve pleads, hands clasped for effect. “Jonathan Byers, teach me how to not get my ass kicked anymore.” OR: Jonathan teaches Steve how to take a punch, and it goes very poorly, for both involved.

“A sense of enchantment returned, of dizzying pleasure -- Magnus holding me, connected to me, my blood flowing into him.” tvl