#losty headcanons

I also like to imagine that she grew up eating gross bland institutional food in the lab, and not very much of it, and as a result she now loves to eat and will try almost anything. She especially loves sweets, and is a firm believer in midnight snacks (a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with Eggos instead of bread is a particular favorite).

***

“Sorry,” she whispered. “Are you okay?”

Gareth didn’t answer. Instead he reached toward her face— she didn’t flinch— and carefully wiped away the blood that had trickled from her nose with the frayed cuff of his old flannel shirt.

He stared at it for a minute or two, the bright red smear across the faded blue fabric, before finally looking up to meet Jane Hopper’s eyes.

“How?” he managed at last. “How the fuck did you do that?”

“I had to make sure you believed me,” she earnestly explained.

“I didn’t say why. I said how.”

“If you were really watching, you already know how.” Jane delicately touched the skin beneath her nostril, seemingly checking to be sure the bleeding had fully stopped. “I am a freak.”

“Yeah, right,” Gareth muttered. “‘Freak’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Even as the harsh words left his mouth, he regretted them. Jane looked hurt, but also— resigned, almost. Like she’d been expecting him to think badly of her. Hoping he wouldn’t, maybe, but nonetheless sure that he would. Convinced he was just like every other brainless Carver follower in this stupid— cursed— town.

God, he was such an asshole. But how the hell am I supposed to NOT think she’s a freak? he thought defensively.

You saw that it wasn’t her fault, the part of his mind that knew what it felt like to be bullied argued back. She can’t help what they did to her.

“You’re more like a mutant,” he blurted, trying to amend his earlier nastiness. “Way cooler than a boring old freak.”

Jane’s face lit up. “Like X-Men?” she asked eagerly.

Her excited smile did something funny to Gareth’s stomach. To his face, too— he inexplicably felt himself smiling back. “You know about X-Men?”

“Will and Dustin told me. Will says I am like the Phoenix.”

“See, that’s awesome. Much better than ‘freak’. Around here,” Gareth told her, his grin fading, “being a freak just means getting your ass kicked.” He held up his busted hand, immobile in its cast, as proof.

Jane’s eyes narrowed. “Who did that to you?” she demanded. “Do you want me to get them?”

El absolutely loves watching the Emersons’ home movies from when Gareth was really little. Her favorite one is the one where he’s just learned his full name and she hears his mom behind the camera saying “what’s your name honeybun?” and he has trouble saying his R’s so his answer sounds like “Gaweth Alwyn Emahson.” His mom asks him what’s his favorite toy and he proudly says “my twike!” while pointing to a little yellow tricycle. Then she starts to ask him something else but Gareth catches sight of someone off camera and his tiny round face positively lights up with joy as he shouts “GWANNY!” And the camera follows him racing over to his granny, who picks him up and smothers him in kisses while he giggles.

Imagine if all the guys showed up at the basketball game in their matching demon shirts, to cheer for Lucas and ONLY Lucas. Imagine during a quiet tense moment Eddie starts up a chant of “we want Sinclair!” which is quickly taken up not only by the rest of Hellfire, but also Robin and therefore the rest of the band, and Steve over on his side of the bleachers (next to his very embarrassed date).

Oh no! I hope you feel better soon!!! I am resting my cool hands on your fevered cheeks and giving you a little forehead kiss to help you get well. ❤️‍🩹

I think when El gets sick, she just wants to curl up in a little ball and be miserable. Gareth probably has to coax her into taking her medicine and drinking enough fluids (are you drinking enough fluids??? Have some nice warm mint tea!) because otherwise she would just stay in bed. He always brings her one of his big soft sweatshirts she can cuddle up into, and reads to her until she falls asleep. If she’s sick for more than two days, Granny Emerson will knit a pair of thick cozy socks for her!

I think Gareth doesn’t get sick too often, but when he does it hits him like a freight train. He tries not to be a big baby about it, but he definitely loves the way El always wants to drop everything and rush to his side to take care of him. Once she got in trouble for skipping school to take the bus up to his dorm and bring him chicken soup! (Hopper was furious, but Joyce made him let her off the hook as long as she promised not to cut class again.)

Here’s a chapter of Next Time I Fall with El giving a little TLC to her sick Bear. 🍜

Awhile ago I had an idea about Gareth proposing at his college graduation, and there’s artwork to go with it too!

There’s also a very cute fic about him proposing on NYE with all their family and friends around them.

I do like the idea of the entire family and Party being there for the fun, but if Gareth were to propose to El with just the two of them, I think he would want to take her someplace really special to the two of them. Maybe he’d take her to wherever they had their first date. He’d tell her how much he loves her and everything he admires about her— her as a person, not her powers— and finally tell her that he wants them to belong to each other forever, and ask her if she’d please do him the honor of becoming his wife.

I am not getting teary-eyed writing this. I’m not.

Picture it. Hawkins, Indiana; 1984. Eddie has flown away to L.A. and stardom, leaving his former bandmates struggling to go on. Jeff and Gareth are considering giving up entirely, but their bass player convinces them to try again. His friend Mike has written a song he thinks is pretty good, and gotten them a spot in a local talent show.

Then it mostly follows the plot of the movie, with Gareth changing the tempo of Mike’s song from a ballad to a faster and much more catchy tune. They win the talent show, get a steady gig, make their own records to sell, and eventually get a manager and a recording contract, joining the company’s tour of Midwestern state fairs. Mike’s girlfriend Elle, a makeup artist, joins them on the tour.

Let’s deviate a little from canon now. Stardom starts to go to Mike’s head a little, and he dreams of creating some kind of esoteric indie album instead of pop songs. When the band goes to Los Angeles to play one of those Ed Sullivan type variety shows, Mike meets Will, the lead singer of another band, who shares his ideals about music. They fall for each other and discuss forming their own band. Desperate to stop this from happening, the band manager (Murray?) starts a rumor that Mike and Elle are engaged. Mike is angry and blames Elle for it, but she accuses him of loving music and fame and Will more than her anyway, and they break up. Gareth, who has been getting very close to Elle, is furious with Mike.

Back to canon now, mostly. Jeff and the bassist miss their recording session; Jeff has gone to Vegas with his new girlfriend to get hitched, and T.B. Player went to Disneyland. Mike and Gareth are the only ones who show up to the studio with Murray where they’re supposed to be recording their second album. Mike has this superb vision of what he wants it to be, which doesn’t agree with what Murray wants. Murray tries to insist that Mike is being too stubborn, so Mike quits the band to go do his album as an independent project with Will. Gareth realizes the band is done for good. He wonders if he should stay on in L.A. and try to find Eddie, but Elle decides she’s going back home to Hawkins. This prompts them to finally reveal their feelings for each other. Yay!!!