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Helpppp, whose blood is that??!!

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The way this scene was 10x more romantic than any stancy scene

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Can I request Clark Kent x reader where Clark is more confident as Superman so he attempts to ask reader out as him. But reader turns him down and confess that he's a nice guy but reader is in love with Clark Kent. Not knowing Clark is actually Superman

stop, this is so cute 😭

•••

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

pairing. clark kent x reader

summary. you were almost certain the morning headline would read how you rejected superman, all because you can’t get your co-worker, clark kent, out of your head.

warnings. Not edited. slightly awkward (but in a cute way) reader & clark/superman! reader is down bad. clark is a cutie. may do a part 2 if the people would like!

word count. 2.1k

The Daily Planet was always buzzing. The sound of shoes clicking, keyboards tapping, and chatter ranging from serious to quick quips tossed around. You often relished in the noise, finding a sense of peace in the chaos.

However, your senses were on overload after a rather disastrous morning. You woke up late, spilled your coffee leaving your apartment, failed to hail a cab and ended up walking only to be rewarded with blisters on your heels. Your only saving grace from your bosses wrath was that you submitted your latest piece two days before the deadline, cutting you a sliver of slack. Still, you were at your wits end and it wasn’t even lunch time yet.

To make matters even worse, your cross-desk coworker was looking at you with those rounded eyes and pursed lips that you had thought about one too many times for it to be platonic.

Clark Kent was a dream, unfortunately. It would have made your life and crush easier if he were an asshole, even sometimes. But he was too good to be true, which made you sick to your stomach.

Workplace crushes were bound to be a disaster, you had told yourself. No matter how mature and adult you were, the stakes were too high. You worked hard for your job, and the possibility of something going wrong if you pursued a relationship or acted on your crush paralyzed you. Instead, you just glanced longingly at Clark from across your desk and tried not to pounce on the man when he smiled sweetly at you or brought you a coffee, like he knew you needed it. He even made it exactly how you liked it.

"You didn't need to do that," you said, accepting the mug from his hands with a soft smile that always graced your face in his presence.

Clark shrugged you off. "You always say a good cup of coffee can get you through anything," he repeated your philosophy back to you, causing heat to rise to your face. "And you seem a little..." he trailed off, like he didn't want to offend you.

"Like a mess?" you answered for him, rubbing the bridge of your nose.

He was quick to shake his head. "No! No, you're not a-a mess. Not at all. I was going to say tired."

"That too." Even though you had slept late, it was because you were up late, your mind refusing to let you rest. Sipping the hot coffee, you felt it fill you with the warmth you needed, paired with Clark's pretty gaze. "You're too good to me, Kent."

Clark chuckled and shook his head, retreating to his desk across from yours. The two of you fell back into your work, sharing ideas and snarky jokes about your coworkers as the day progressed. Your words had rang true, and that mug of coffee did turn your day around enough to lift your spirits. Before you knew it, it was time to clock out.

You weren't stalking Superman. That you wanted to make abundantly clear. If anything, Superman was stalking you, but not really. You settled for calling it a recurring coincidence that became an odd habit. To be fair, it was your apartment's rooftop, not Superman's. But not many people in your building found the same comfort in it as you did. There was something about standing on the roof, overlooking the city as the breeze painted your skin, that filled you with a sense of ease.

It wasn't a nice rooftop, but it was like your own little sanctuary. Then, one night, as you enjoyed the sounds of the city below, you were joined by a figure clad in red and blue.

You'd never seen Superman up close, only in photographs or flying overhead as he kept the city safe. In person, he was somehow more and less intimidating at the same time. He was tall and broad; his body capable of stopping a moving train or scooping up civilians who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there was a softness to him, too, a gentleness you didn't see until gazing at him up close. The single curl that fell against his forehead, the glint in his eyes that told anyone looking into them that he was there for good.

That carried over in your conversations as well. From that first night that he explained the rooftop was the best vantage point for looking out for some threat that he was looking to take care, and every time he just so happened to come back and join you, you noticed the softness more. How he'd save everyone, from people to squirrels in danger, and believed that goodness was everywhere, you just had to know where to look.

It became routine for you and Superman to spend evenings on the rooftop when there weren't any immediate threats. He'd ask about you, your work, and everything in between. He, of course, was more elusive about his life of superhero-hood. He was a good listener, and you had that journalist habit of grilling him; he'd laugh it off, though, never annoyed as he tried to answer with a certain vagueness you had no choice but to respect.

"You are confounding, Superman," you said, eyeing him as you dangled your legs off the edge of the building.

He sat beside you, chuckling. "Is that so?"

"You don't even care about the credit or recognition." You understood that people sometimes did things for the sake of doing them, not expecting anything in return. But to repeatedly stand for good and expect nothing in return, it was confusing. Not even in a small or subtle way. Superman just saved the day and moved on. You wondered if he understood he had on the impact he had on those he saved.

"That's not what I do it for," he said.

"I know. That's what makes you confounding."

He stood to his feet and offered his hand. You accepted it, allowing him to pull you up effortlessly. "I should get going."

"So soon?" you said with a small frown. You could have spent ages talking to Superman, trying to figure him out. It was an itch you couldn't scratch.

His lips parted for a moment; you thought he was hesitating, which was the last thing you'd expect from Superman. But he pulled himself out of it, clearing his throat and glancing at you with a purpose in his eyes.

"Can I ask you something?" You nodded, curiously rocking forward on your toes. "I like this, talking to you."

You smiled. "That's not really a question."

He playfully rolled his eyes. "Let me finish?" You held your hands up in mock defense, prompting him to continue. "My question is, do you...like it?"

"Talking to you? Of course I do. Why do you think I keep finding myself up here?" It wasn't just because it was a good place to clear your head, not anymore. You enjoyed his presence.

"Good. That's good," he said, more to himself than to you. "In that case, would you let me take you out?"

It took a moment for his words to register in your brain, stilling your body. As heat rose to your face, a chill ran down your spine, the two colliding in an unfortunate mixture in your body.

"Oh, that's not a good face," Superman said, his eyes peering into yours.

"I...you...oh!" Embarrassment and a strange tug festered inside your chest. You were almost certain that you were the only person in Metropolis who wasn't head over heels for Superman. It wasn't that you didn't find him attractive or ridiculously sweet. No, he was the whole package and more. He was most people's dream!

Unfortunately, you were hung up on your soul-crushing crush on your coworker, that you hadn't looked at anyone else romantically, not even the dream that was Superman. It was crazy, if you were being honest.

There you were, on a rooftop with Superman asking you out, and you had to reject him because of the off-chance that your co-worker picked up on your crush, even though you tried not to let it show. If any of your friends had been beside you, they'd push you off the roof for how stupid you were being, but you couldn't help it! Clark Kent took residency in your mind, leaving no room for Superman.

"I'm sorry," you blurted out, covering your face with your hands. "This is...I don't-"

He was quick to cut you off. "There's no need to apologize. I overstepped."

You glanced at him through your fingers before dropping your hands altogether, shoulders sagging with them. "It's not that I don't think you're wonderful. I do! Really, I just...I'm sort of hung up on someone else at the moment."

If he had been like many of the men you knew, he'd throw a fit like a child. You half expected it anyway, despite the charged air that surrounded him. But that thought melted away with his soft smile. It was so genuine, it almost made you want to cry.

"They're lucky," he said. "I hope they know that."

You sighed, turning back to the city skyline. "They don't even know they're all I can think about."

"Why?"

"Because I'm scared to tell them," you admitted. "We're friends, and I don't want to ruin that, but...but I know I have to do something before I lose it, or him."

There was a small crease formed between Superman's brows. "If you don't mind me asking, who is this friend?"

"You know, actually. He's interviewed you a couple of times and works with me at the Daily Planet," you said. "Clark Kent."

The expression on Superman's face was unreadable. He just stared at you for a long moment, like he'd been frozen, before he snapped out of it with a shake of his head.

"Y-Yeah. Clark. Cool dude."

You couldn't help the guilt that rose in your throat. "I'm sorry."

Superman stepped forward and placed his hands on your shoulders. "Don't apologize, please," he said. "But as someone who knows Clark, I think you should just tell him instead of waiting for him to notice. He can be a little clueless, sometimes."

You weren't sure if it was the air that surrounded Superman, or the fact that you finally said your crush aloud to someone other than your journal, but a small tug of confidence befell you right there, on the roof. Maybe it would make things messy and work more complicated, but there was also a chance that it could work out. You just needed a little bit of confidence.

"And if I fall flat on my face?"

Superman shook his head. "I have a hunch he won't let you."

As the work day came to a close, you were jittery, like you had drunk several cups of coffee. You made up your mind after your conversation with Superman; you were going to ask Clark out and pray to whoever would listen that you didn't humiliate yourself.

It wasn't uncommon for him to walk you home when the weather was nice. Sometimes you'd chat about the day behind you, excited about Lois's latest piece, and laughing about Jimmy's latest relationship drama.

That day, however, you two talked in comfortable silence, close enough that your hands occasionally brushed.

It took one block for you to work up the courage.

"Hey, Clark?" He hummed, turning his head to look at you. He pushed up his glasses with his finger, cheeks lightly rosy and eyes sparkling in the street lamp light. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

He didn't think much about it, answering quickly with, "Nothing."

"Me neither," you said, fiddling with your hands in front of you. "Would you, maybe, want to do something with me? Together. Like, you know, a date...?"

Your heart was drumming wildly inside your chest. Once the words were out of your mouth, you couldn't take them back; it was just out there, lingering between you.

Clark stopped walking, and you felt like you wanted to throw up. You were so worried you ruined it, that precious friendship with one simple question. In the short time of Clark's silence, you thought how'd you kill Superman for setting you up to fall on your face.

"A date?" he repeated.

You couldn't help but wince. "Unless you don't want to, which is totally okay. I-"

He cut you off with a swift shake of his head. "No, no. I'd like to. Go on a date, I mean. With you." His words came out choppy, a little awkward, but adorable at the same time.

A smile stretched across your lips as the two of you gazed at each other in the middle of the empty sidewalk. "Cool. Then, it's a date."

Clark mirrored your smile. As you two continued to walk, he gently took your hand, intertwining your fingers.

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I want to push robin and nancy’s heads together like they’re barbie dolls to make them kiss & see what happens

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the duffers better give them a happy ending istg...

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oh, they’ll certainly go somewhere :) … <3

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER SEVENTY → GOD LOVES YOU, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU

summary: steve harrington x oc - read on Ao3

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown.

word count. 6.8k || masterlist

warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.

previous chapter ← → next chapter

tag list: @leptitlu, @sattlersquarry, @adaydreamaway30, @somethingnonenatural

Tamera didn’t necessarily believe in God, even though she had grown up inside the little white church in Hawkins alongside most of her classmates. She felt like an outsider inside the building, like the pictures of Jesus on the stained glass windows knew she didn’t belong in a place that holy. After countless arguments with her mom, she only had to attend on Christmas and Easter, but it still felt like the building itself didn’t want her inside it. 

Since last summer, Tamera felt a deeper disconnect to a lot of things, but especially the church. It felt better, safer not to believe in anything when alternate dimensions existed where monsters lived. If that existed, how could God? 

She kept that to herself, obviously. If her mom knew she didn’t believe, the wrath of a freshly divorced woman down on her luck was not something Tamera wanted to face. That, and she had signed NDA’s after Starcourt that stopped her from spilling any otherworldly and government secrets to anyone not involved. Instead, she kept it all in her chest, swirling with an old wrongness she was scared the wrong person would clock, ruining the thin veil she hid behind. 

Since her dad had moved out, Tamera found herself not fighting her mom on most things, not wanting to add to the grief. As much as she wanted to stay with Robin and the group to help get to the bottom of Hawkins' newest and oldest monster, she had to accompany her mom and siblings to some bullshit town hall meeting the Hawkins P.D. decided to host after it was revealed that morning that another teen was found dead. 

Unfortunately, the cops had finally released the name of who they suspected was behind the string of gruesome murderers, plastering Eddie’s name at the forefront of every resident’s mind. 

Inside the stuffy townhall, Tamera had to bite her lip to keep herself from standing up and screaming the Eddie Munson was innocent and that the real murderer was some horrific monster that crept inside vulnerable teens’ minds, berated them with nightmares, then either broke their bones and gouged out their eyes or promised to do so eventually if they were lucky enough to narrowly escape. 

Not that anyone would believe her if she did say something, but it was driving her up the wall as she sat there. 

Tamera could still hear the screams of Sunshine from yesterday inside the Creel house. She had followed the others into the attic that they deemed to be Vecna’s lair, but the awful cries of Sunshine from the floor below bled through the wooden floorboards. 

There was a sick part of her that wanted to know what Sunshine had seen. She had no intention of asking, but a morbid curiosity ate at her all night as they took turns keeping an eye on Max and Sunshine. What if Vecna started to come after the rest of them? Tamera wanted to know what nightmare to expect being fed just in case. 

“How long have you known Eddie Munson was killing kids?” An older woman stood at a single microphone set up to allow the two officers on stage to field questions from concerned residents. A line formed behind her, all with people bubbling with anger and fear over what was happening, once again, in their town. They all were so clueless, completely unknowing as to what was really going on. 

“It was his trailer where Chrissy was killed,” the woman continued. “You expect us to believe that he was just made a suspect this morning?” 

The newly appointed sheriff, Powell, spoke clearly and confidently into the mic, even though Tamera knew the man had no clue what was happening right under his nose. The only officer who did was Hopper, and that was another open wound Hawkins was trying to heal from. 

“We had been following several leads, and Eddie was one of them. Now, we are doing everything in our power to find him.” The crowd began talking over each other, their voices echoing off the walls like breaking glass in Tamera’s ears. “In the meantime,” he said. “For your safety, we will be enforcing a strict curfew-” 

The people lost it. The woman at the mic was the loudest among them. “That’s your solution? To hide from him?” 

Someone else in the crowd shouted, “We’re already doing that. It’s been days!” 

“Tell us why he’s not behind bars, right now!” another person yelled. 

Sinking down in her plastic chair, Tamera watched the hands on the clock slowly tick by. The only saving grace of the meeting was that nearly everyone concerned with the recent murders was packed into that room and not outside, where they could find Eddie. The whole group was bought a little more time, but people were angry and in desperate want of answers, even if they had to find them themselves. 

Eddie was the object of their fear and anger, which would not bode well for him if anyone managed to find him before they slayed the monster. It was easy to pin it all on him. His trailer was the first murder scene. If it had happened in a nice house, on a nice street, with a nice kid, there would have been more questions and not an immediate pointing to Eddie. But he was a super-senior who lived in a trailer park, wore dark clothes, and smoked weed in the woods. He was what the parents of Hawkins didn’t want their kids to become. That made it all too easy to paint him as some monster, even though he just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

No one seemed to stop and think about how one teenage boy committed multiple crimes so grotesque. Even if Tamera wasn’t in the loop on Vecna, she liked to think she’d have more sense than to not question how Eddie could have done it and why. No one seemed to care, though. They wanted someone to be held responsible. 

“I understand you all are upset,” Powell said in an attempt to hush the crowd. “But I promise you, we will find him.” 

The doors were swung open with enough force to draw everyone’s attention before a voice cut through the crowd. “No.” Basketball captain and boyfriend of Chrissy, Jason, stood in the middle of his basketball cronies. They all were clad in their lettermen's and looked dishelved, or maybe like they hadn’t slept much. 

“You won’t find him,” Jason said. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t keep listening to these lies and excuses.” 

Powell sighed at the podium on stage, mirroring the team’s tiredness in his own way. “That’s enough-” 

“I agree! It is enough. I think we’ve all had enough.” Jason was immediately a clear hit with the crowd. They applauded his words as Tamera cringed, wishing the ground would swallow her whole at that moment. She knew she was gaining valuable information that Eddie and the group would need if they were going to continue to evade the angry residents of Hawkins while they hunted Vecna, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. 

Jason looked around the crowd, and for a split second, Tamera swore he caught her eye before he continued to sweep the rows of people. 

“Last night, I saw things I can’t explain,” he said. A coldness crept down Tamera’s spine as Jason took the mic, not addressing the police but rather the audience. “I saw things the police don’t want to believe, and things I, myself, don’t want to believe. But I know what I saw, and I’ve come to accept an awful truth.” Everyone was quiet as they listened. Tamera swallowed thickly as her heart hammered under the thick fabric of her sweater. “These murders are ritualistic sacrifices!” 

Murmurs erupted as Tamera furrowed her brows, confused. It was like a fire had blown in, spreading and encasing nearly every member of the meeting. The flames licked Tamera’s legs, but she knew better than to buy the heat. 

“We’ve all heard how satanic cults are spreading through the country like some disease, and Eddie Munson, he’s the leader of one of these cults. A cult that operates right here in Hawkins.” 

That was such bullshit, and Tamera wanted to say so right to Jason’s face, but she couldn’t. She was clearly outnumbered. The whole ‘satanic panic’ was bullshit, she thought. It did the same thing nearly everyone in the room was doing, targeting someone who didn’t fit into the conventional. Rock bands and wizards hardly seemed like a threat when their own ex-mayor sold out to the Russian government and their government green-lit experiments on kidnapped children. No one paid attention to the real issues, only fabricated ones that were being used as a distraction. 

Jason continued in his ranting. “The mall fire. All of those unexplained deaths throughout the years. People coming back from the dead,” he listed. “Some people say our town is cursed; they just don’t know why. But now we do.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper before smoothing it out and flashing it to the crowd. 

The paper held a photograph Nancy had taken of the Hellfire Club at the start of the school year, as she had done with all of the clubs for different spreads in the school paper. Eddie stood proudly in the middle of the group, their leader. At his sides were other friends of Calum’s that Tamera had gotten to know over the last four years, and the newest members of the club: Dustin, Lucas, and Mike. 

Instead of keeping the target on Eddie’s back, he made sure the younger boys were involved as well, like they didn’t have enough on their plate. Lucas and Dustin were busy trying to keep the world from ending and their friends from dying. 

The Hellfire Club was a bunch of nerds playing make-believe. Anyone with half a brain should have known that. 

“That’s bullshit!” She turned around in her seat to see Lucas’s little sister, Erica, standing up bravely in the crowd. “Hellfire’s not a cult; it’s s club for nerds!” At her side, her mom pulled her back down into her seat, worry shining in the woman’s eyes as people side-eyed her daughter and passed around a photo of her son. 

As Tamera continued to look around, she found a similar worry on the faces of Mike and Dustin’s moms, as well, as their sons became among the second most wanted people in Hawkins. 

“A club?” Jason scoffed in Erica’s direction. “A harmless club. That’s what they want you to think! But it’s a lie designed to conceal the truth. This cult is now hiding its leader, Eddie, and allowing him to continue his rampage,” he said. “Last night, I became overpowered with this feeling of hopelessness before I remembered Romans 12:21. ‘Do not be overcome by evil. But overcome evil with good.’ And God knows there’s good in this town! There’s so much good, right here in this very room.” 

Tamera watched as everyone fell for his words that led them down a dangerous rabbit hole, using scripture to spin the truth. He stood like a preacher at the front of the room, blabbering on while evil lurked just outside, not in the form of a cult. 

“So, I came here to humbly ask for your help. Join me in this fight and let's cast out this evil. Let’s save Hawkins, together!” 

As if Jason even knew what it meant to save Hawkins. No, but the three kids in the poster he waved around did. And if history continued to repeat itself, they’d do it again with no help from anyone else in town. 

The crowd was quiet for a moment as they soaked in his words, his request. For a second, Tamera thought maybe they’d come to their sense and question what was really going on. That, of course, didn’t happen, though, as a burley man stood up from the crowd and started walking toward the exit. People watched as he paused before the door, turning around to look back at everyone. 

“What are y’all just sittin’ around for? You heard the kid.” He pushed open the door and walked out before others started to follow, their fire of righteousness burning brightly and wrong. They were after the wrong thing, angry at the wrong person. 

Jason had started a witch hunt, giving them the fire to light their torches with; Tamera feared they wouldn’t stop until the whole town was burned to the ground in pursuit of the Hellfire club. 

Snatching her bag from the floor, she threw it over her shoulder and started to weave through the crowd, ignoring the call of her mom for once. She couldn’t just go home; she had to warn the others quickly. If there was an angry mob forming, maybe Tamera could get ahead of it and help the group come up with another game plan or help them speed up their process of killing Vecna and returning Hawkins to semi-normal, at least for a couple more months. 

However, she didn’t even make it past three rows of chairs before a hand caught her elbow, spinning her around. She came face-to-face with Jason, who was a little sweaty and breathless with a wild look in his eyes that was unbecoming of such a Hawkins poster child. 

Tamera stumbled back as he let her elbow go. 

“Your friend, Calum, he was in this cult too,” Jason said, lowly. 

“He was in the club,” she quickly corrected. “Before he moved away last summer.” 

His jaw ticked before he said, “Are you going to help us?” 

She had a white-knuckled grip on her backpack but tried not to let her nervousness show through. “Oh, I’m actually booked with another angry mob this afternoon, but maybe next time.” She tried to leave, but he grabbed her once more, earning a disgruntled sigh from Tamera. His grip wasn’t hard or painful; it was desperate if anything. 

“Chrissy is dead-” 

“And I am sorry.” Tamera had liked the preppy cheerleader, and she did feel for Jason. Chrissy had been way too young to die, especially in such a terrible way. But hunting down Eddie wouldn’t bring her back. “But you’ve got this situation all wrong.” 

Jason took a step back, his pale face flickering with simmering rage and twisted grief. He looked like he wanted to say more, but his friends beckoned him out to the parking lot. He didn’t spare her another glance as he left. Tamera shook off the interaction, only to find another person who had been waiting right behind Jason, looking right at Tamera. 

“You were there last summer,” Erica Sinclair said matter-of-factly. “You stayed with Dustin, Leia, and me at the radio with your weird friend. Is this…” she trailed off, looking side to side as if she was nervous to say more. 

Slowly, Tamera nodded. Erica hummed. “Lucas is in so much trouble. He’s friends with those loser-jocks. They came to our house lookin’ for him, but he’s been staying at the Wheelers, according to my mom. I didn’t tell Jason that, though.” 

“Jason, he’s a problem, but not our biggest one at the moment.” Erica’s expression flickered, and Tamera suddenly remembered she was talking to someone barely in middle school. “But we’re working on taking care of it. Your brother and all of his friends are.” 

Erica rocked back in her polished shoes, lips pursed before steely determination sat in. “I can help.” 

Tamera had a feeling no one in the group wanted to drag in anyone else, especially not Erica, again. “Do you have a walkie?” Erica nodded. “If we need backup, you’ll be the first one we call, okay?” The young girl sighed but nodded before her parents called her over. She bid Tamera goodbye, allowing her to finally bolt from the town hall. 

The parking lot was full of people beginning to rally together, conversing about the best course of action to take to hunt down Eddie. She was surprised they didn’t already have pitchforks in the beds of their pickups for an occasion just like that one. 

The people of Hawkins were ready to burn Eddie Munson at the stake; Tamera just needed to find him before they did. 

→←

Worry ping-ponged between the group as they hiked through the woods on their way to where Eddie and Calum were hiding, Skull Rock. The two had taken off there after Reefer Rick’s place was compromised, just before Eddie’s name was released to the public as the person of interest for the string of murders. 

Steve tried to keep his focus, but it was nearly impossible since what had happened at the Creel House to Sunshine. Since she had snapped out of Vecna’s hold, she hadn’t said a word. She simply went through the motions with a far-off look in her eyes and trembling hands. 

She had always been good at faking that she was all right and putting on a brave face, even if Steve could almost always see through it. That time, however, was different. Whatever Vecna showed her was horrible enough to suspend her in a daze. 

They all felt the weight of her quietness, saw the distance in her bloodshot eyes. Sunshine often acted as the glue that held them together, even when things looked bleak. Steve didn’t realize how strong that feeling was until they were without it. And it wasn’t fair to expect that of her, Steve knew that. He didn’t want that to even be the case, to put that kind of pressure on her to keep them level-headed and optimistic; it was just how Sunshine was and how he always remembered her being.  

Headphones rested on her ears as music hummed through them. He noticed her fingers starting to scratch the tattoo on her wrist, so he gently took her hand, intertwining their fingers as they continued their hike. She was still tense, like every muscle in her body had been pulled like a rubber band, but she sent him a small smile and squeezed his hand. 

Despite Dustin insisting that they were heading in the wrong direction because of his compass, they made it to Skull Rock in record time. Steve didn’t need a compass to know where the odd rock formation was, nor did he need Dustin buzzing in his ear. 

They passed off the food and beer they bought to Eddie and Calum, who sat underneath the rock and started to pig out between the explanation of what happened the night prior when Patrick became Vecna’s next victim. 

Steve somewhat knew the kid; he joined the basketball team during Steve’s last year. He was a good kid and an even better basketball player. It was another terrible, unfair death. No one deserved to die like that, especially not a bunch of seemingly normal kids with their share of problems. 

“Patrick and Jason chased me into the lake. Then it happened, just like Chrissy. Partick was just…just floating there before he…” Eddie trailed off, taking a swing of beer before he hastily wiped his mouth. “Jason was freaked, and I was able to swim back to shore. I tried to call you guys, but my walkie was busted, totally drenched. So I did the thing I do now, apparently. I ran.” 

Calum frowned, his knees pulled up to his chest, and dark circles that matched Eddie’s under his eyes. “Yeah, well, watching someone die has that effect on people, dude,” he said, somewhat reassuringly. “Jason didn’t know I was there; I was looking for something to eat inside the house when they showed up. I tried to call you guys too, but no one at the Wheelers’ picked up. After Eddie swam back, we figured the woods were our best bet to hide until the morning, when we could get a hold of you guys.” 

“Do you know what time this attack was?” asked Nancy. 

“I know exactly what time it was.” Eddie yanked off his wristwatch and tossed it to Nancy. “My walkie wasn’t the only thing that got soaked.” 

“9:27,” she read off the watch. “Sunshine snaps out of Vecna’s trance, then the flashlights lead up to the attic.” 

Peering over Nancy’s shoulder at the watch, Robin nodded. “The lights went kablooey at that time on the dot.” 

“That surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick from the attic of the Creel house, just on the other side, in the Upside Down.” 

“I don’t get it,” Lucas said. He looked tired too, after Max, Sunshine, and then the death of his friend. Steve hated it, seeing any of the kids look too old as worry and grief plagued them. “Vecna goes after Sunshine, but he’s not the attic when he does it. Then, she snaps out of it, and he decides to move to the attic to attack Patrick instead. If he already had Sunshine, why wasn’t he in the attic to begin with, and why did he decide to jump ship so fast?” 

Still holding onto Steve’s hand, Sunshine cleared her throat, having removed her headphones when they arrived at Skull Rock. For the first time that day, she spoke. “I don’t think he wanted to kill me. Not right there, at least. Not yet.” There was still a far-off look in her glassy eyes as she stared at the ground. 

On the other side of Sunshine, Kali stood with her arms over her chest and rigid. “Do you have any idea why?”

In the couple of days Steve had known Kali, she had been closed-off and standoff-ish, like she wasn’t sure what to make of all of them. Yet, since Sunshine was caught by Vecna, Steve noticed a distinct softness that crept into her voice and posture whenever she either talked to or about Sunshine. 

Sunshine trusted her, and after Kali had worked quickly to load up Sunshine’s Walkman while the rest of them stood around confused and sick with worry, Steve began to like the girl, even if she still scared him. 

There was a brief pause before Sunshine replied, “He said he wanted to show me the truth.” 

“What truth?” asked Max. 

Sunshine sucked in a deep breath, like she was preparing herself for whatever explanation she was about to give. She held onto Steve’s hand even tighter, her knuckles turning white. 

“We thought Vecna disappeared after the Creels and didn’t show back up until now. But he was here in between the two. He did this again, after the Creel family.” Each word came out of her mouth like she was talking through broken glass, sharp and painful. 

With a shake of her head, Nancy said, “But we searched through every news report since the Creels. There was no other mention of more murders, even a little similar. Hawkins is small. If something like this happened between then and now, even to one person, someone would have reported it, right?” 

Sunshine winced. “No one is going to report the murders of children they stole.” 

The entire group stilled, understanding falling over them like bricks. 

“The Lab?” Steve’s voice came out soft but surprised. 

With a sniffle, Sunshine nodded. “I thought, for the longest time, that it was all Brenner and…and Miller.” Steve glanced over at Calum, who ducked his head at the mention of his father. “I thought they had pushed the rest of the kids too far that their bodies gave out. For some of them, that was the case, but not all of them. In one night, Vecna attacked them all. Expect El and me. Even soldiers, doctors, and anyone else who was unlucky enough to be there. They were…he showed me the aftermath of it.” 

Tears welled up in Sunshine's eyes, a couple escaping down her cheeks. Steve wrapped her up in his arms, wishing he could do anything to make it hurt less. She held onto him tightly, like the toll of what she’d seen plucked the energy right out of her body. 

“But you didn’t know?” asked Kali. 

Sunshine shook her head as she turned to the side to speak. “That’s what I’d been looking for, the biggest missing piece in my memories. All of the time missing in my head. Things had started coming back after Starcourt, but never what actually happened that night.” 

“What made you and El different?” Nancy pondered, tapping her chin in thought. 

As if the Lab wasn’t already a horror story in itself, the addition of Vecna having been there too solidified the true nightmare that place had been. He wished the building that still stood in the woods would burn to the ground. 

Sunshine continued, “He mentioned the two of us by name when he spoke to Ivy that night. She said she’d never join him. For what, I don’t know. But Ivy told him neither would El nor I.” 

Like a lightbulb going off, Lucas’s head snapped up from where he’d been staring at the ground. “He’s recruiting you.” 

A chill ran down Steve’s spine at the kid’s words, his grip on Sunshine tightening just slightly. 

“I wasn’t there, in the Rainbow Room, when it happened,” she said between sniffles. “I-I don’t know where El was. Vecna thought all of them, all of these little kids, were weak and that they’d never realize what they were fully capable of. Ivy, she used to tell us stories of what life would be like when we eventually got out. She told us about friends and family and all of these things beyond our abilities that we could have and do. That’s why he k-killed her.” Sunshine’s voice flickered between sadness and anger the longer she spoke. “He told me last night that I was infected too, but there was still time.” 

“He really killed them all?” Kali’s fists were clenched at her sides, growing tighter as Sunshine nodded slowly. Since she had joined them, Kali was a brooding force, quiet but a large presence in her stillness and observation. So it was shocking to Steve when she suddenly roared in anger and kicked the nearest thing to her combat boot, which happened to be a fallen pinecone. It launched toward Eddie, who ducked out of the way with wide eyes. 

Sunshine unwrapped her arms from around Steve and moved to her long-lost sister, approaching with slight caution. Before she could say anything, however, Kali said, “I told the police.” Her nostrils flared as she spoke. “I told them, but of course they never believed me. No one ever believed me!" she said, her voice rising. "I-I thought about coming back, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t come back and risk…” Kali trailed off for a moment, her short frame swallowed by her leather jacket, looking smaller. “I never wanted to come back here. I never wanted to end up back there. I wanted to face Brenner and Miller on my terms. After a while, I thought, I-I hoped that everyone else escaped too.” 

The ex-gang member and superpowered young adult didn’t look as intimidating as she had. She started to crack, her dark eyes welling up with tears, and her lips were downturned, not in a scowl but rather in a frown. “I didn’t know…” A cry broke apart her sentence. She covered her mouth with her hand and squeezed her eyes closed, like she was trying to make herself stop crying. 

Sunshine looked as surprised as the rest of them, but that didn’t stop her from placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She curled her fingers around the fabric of Kali’s jacket in comfort, giving Kali what she needed to crash into Sunshine, crying into her sister’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” Kali mumbled. “I never listened to Luke and Leia when they suggested coming back to help the others. I couldn’t do it. I was scared .” 

Steve had just scratched the surface of understanding the kind of guilt Sunshine carried on her shoulders, even though he never believed anything that happened inside the Lab was even remotely her fault. Luke, Leia, and El held it too; you could see it in their eyes and how it sometimes weighed down on their shoulders. Kali had it too. It was all so unfair. None of them deserved to feel like that, like it was their responsibility for what happened. Steve certainly couldn’t blame Kali for not wanting to return to somewhere as awful as the Lab after escaping. She was young and scared, in charge of two younger kids who weren’t her responsibility. 

While Kali couldn’t have picked a worse time to check out Hawkins post-Lab, Steve was glad she and Sunshine were reunited. There were things he could never understand about her, but she had someone who could, and vice versa. 

If she wanted to stick around, their weird little group would certainly welcome her with open arms. Steve could already see Max take an interest in her, and he thought Mike would like Kali’s dark makeup and leather jacket combo. 

Sunshine hugged Kali as she said, “You shouldn’t be sorry. It’s not your fault.” 

The sister stayed like that for a couple more moments before Kali’s cries subsided. She wiped her cheeks and stepped back, trying to regain her composure. 

Sunshine wiped her own few tears, but rolled her shoulders back instead of shrinking back into herself. She gazed around the group, something flickering in her golden eyes. “Vecna may be trying to use what happened to get to me. But it won’t work,” she said, like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone. 

“We know where and how he attacks,” Nancy piped up, breaking the bubble between the group to refocus them. 

“Yeah. We just have to sneak into his lair in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart,” said Max. 

Steve furrowed his brows. “Stake. Like a vamp…is he a vampire?” In all honesty, he was still confused as to what the hell Vecna even was. All he knew was that he and everyone else wanted it dead; everything else was fuzzy. 

Max shot him a look. “It’s a metaphor.” 

“Bullets should work on this thing, right?” asked Eddie. 

Lucas pursed his lips. “I say we chop his head off.” 

Nancy sighed. “All of the above would be great, if we knew how to get into the Upside Down.” 

“We need El and her powers back,” Max said with a huff, missing one of her best friends. 

“Wait, what can you do?” Lucas asked Kali. “Could you open a Gate like El could?” 

“I’m not like Ja…El. I can only make people see things that aren’t there. Illusions.” 

“Yeah, just like this Vecna dude.” Calum once again made the mistake of opening his mouth. It felt wrong not having Tamera there to slap or glare at the boy. She and Calum hadn’t been on speaking terms since he moved at the end of last summer. And she was called away by her mom that morning to attend some town hall meeting the police department was hosting. 

Kali’s jaw ticked at his words, and her eyes narrowed just slightly before Calum let out a startled yelp and fell to the ground. He started to swat at his clothing like something was on him. “Not again!” 

It only lasted a couple more seconds before he stopped flailing his limbs, and Kali wiped a drop of blood from her nose. 

“Not like Vecna,” she snapped. “Not exactly, at least.” 

“Cool,” Lucas said with a nod of approval at her superpowers. “But that’s not gonna help us get into the Upside Down.” 

“As much as I wanna know what the hell just happened,” Eddie started, eyes locked on a pacing Dustin who had been uncharacteristically quiet since they arrived at Skull Rock and Steve proved him wrong. Dustin's attention was on his compass, and he was muttering under his breath. “I’m more worried about Henderson being cursed now.” 

Dustin stopped and looked pointedly at Steve, waving around his compass. “I was right!” 

“About?” 

“Skull Rock was north.” 

Steve groaned loudly. He could not deal with another argument when he was clearly right. “Are you serious right now? This is Skull Rock!” They were looking at the damn thing! “You’re totally, one hundred perfect wrong. Like, right now. You’re wrong!” 

Dustin just grinned, and Steve seriously thought about throwing the nearest thing he could get his hands on at the kid’s head. “Yes. And no.” 

“Oh my god!” 

“Just listen! This compass worked correctly when we left the Wheelers. It was correct in the car on Kerley. But it started to slip the further east we went. Now, it’s way off,” he said. “When I was leading us here, I wasn’t wrong; the compass was.” 

“So, you’re using faulty equipment. You’re still wrong, dude.” 

“Ah,” Dustin held up a finger. “Except it isn’t faulty. Lucas, do you remember what can affect a compass?” 

It only took him a second to answer. “An electromagnetic field.” 

“Exactly! In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect toward that power. So, either there's some super big magnet around here or…” 

“Or there’s a Gate!” Lucas finished Dustin’s sentence, the boys riding the same wavelength as usual. 

“But we’re nowhere near the Lab,” said Nancy. 

Dustin nodded. “Right. But what if, somehow, there’s another Gate? A Gate that we don’t know about. It would have to be smaller and way less powerful, but still a possible way in.” 

“Like when Will and Barb went missing,” Nancy gasped, eyes darting to Sunshine. “There was a small Gate in the woods we found.” 

Running a hand through his hair, Steve held back a sigh. He didn’t love the idea of random Gates popping up around Hawkins. If that was how Vecna was getting through, it stood to reason anything else in the Upside Down could get through as well. The last thing they needed was more monsters to deal with. 

“All I know is that something is causing this disturbance, and the last time we’ve seen anything like it, it was a Gate.” Dustin looked around the group, eagerness coming off of him in waves as he bounced on his feet, ready to follow his compass right to this supposed Gate. “This is how we find Vecna and free Max and Sunshine from his curse!” 

“Hold on,” Steve said, earning immediate slumped shoulders from Dustin. “Eddie is still a wanted man, remember? We can’t just go for a hike in the woods.” 

“This metal capsule may also be our last shot at clearing Eddie’s name. We can save everyone!” Dustin said. “What say you, Eddie the banished?” 

Taking another, long swing of beer, Eddie seemed to think his options over. “I say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor, which, if I’m totally honest with you, sounds like a really bad idea.” He paused, catching Calum’s gaze as the two had a silent exchange. “But the shire is burning so…” Eddie stood up and brushed the dirt from his jeans. “Mordor it is.” 

With that green light, Dustin took off, following his compass in a hurry. They all scrambled to follow him before finding a quick but steady pace through the woods. 

Steve found himself back at Sunshine’s side, drawn to her like a magnet. He held her hand as they stepped over broken tree limbs and weeds still dead from the winter, but that were trying to return in the springtime air. The sun just started to set, sinking slowly as they searched. 

“This is probably a dumb question,” he prefaced. “But are you okay?” 

She managed a small smile and answered, “I’m…tired.” 

Though he was expecting her to say something worse, it still made his chest ache. He lifted her joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “How about, after we kick this creep’s ass, we take a little break from Hawkins?” 

Steve had been thinking about leaving since he got his license at sixteen, before he knew anything about what lurked in and on the other side of Hawkins. The only thing keeping him was the people; they were the only good things about that place, but Steve didn’t want to stay there forever; he wouldn’t be able to stomach it. But the kids had just started high school, and they drew trouble like magnets, too. That, and Sunshine wasn’t ready to leave her mom and dad’s side yet. There was no way Steve would leave without Sunshine, obviously, so he’d wait for her to be ready. 

“Like a vacation?” 

“Sure. You still want to see the ocean?” 

She nodded, her golden eyes catching the sunlight, making them look ablaze. “That sounds nice.” No monsters or end of the world hanging over their head, just the two and them and the ocean. It sounded like a dream. 

Using his free hand, Steve brushed a few strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear. Sunshine gazed up at him through her lashes, making his heart skip a beat like some lovesick kid. Maybe he was entering adulthood, but he’d always be that little boy following Sunshine to the treetops, hand in hand. 

Darkness settled in all too quickly. Being in the woods at night unsettled Steve more than he cared to admit, and he knew he wasn’t alone. They all shifted closer together, walking in a tighter group than broken up in pairs. Luckily, Dustin broke through the thick of the woods not too long after nighttime fell, placing them on the shores of Lover’s Lake. 

“This is confounding,” he said, eyes flickering between the lake and his compass. 

“Here’s a Gate in Lover’s Lake?” asked Steve, scratching the back of his neck. That seemed like an impractical place for a monster to put a Gate, unless Vecna was some kind of great swimmer. 

“I guess that makes sense,” said Nancy, even though it only seemed to make sense to her. “Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it left an opening.” 

Somewhere in the woods nearby, sudden rustling started them. Those who had brought flashlights shone them in the direction of the noise as the rest of them held their breaths. The noise grew louder until a figure broke through the woods, earning a scream from a couple of members of the group. 

It wasn’t Vecna or a Demogorgon; it was just Tamera. Her curly hair looked like it had been through a wind turbine, and she was out of breath, bending over to place her hands on her knees. 

“Shit, Mara!” Calum yelled. 

“Hey,” she wheezed. 

Robin was quick to her side, in the least subtle way possible, placing a hand on Tamera’s back with concern etched on her face. Steve wanted to tease her so bad but refrained since they weren’t alone. He’d put it in his pocket for later, when the world wasn’t on the verge of ending, again. 

“What are you doing?” Nancy asked. “How’d you even find us?” 

“I was looking everywhere, but you assholes kept moving and I’m not as coordinated as I look.” She stood upright, shooting Robin a small smile before a more serious look befell her face. “You guys are in deep shit.” 

Steve sighed. “Yeah, we know-” 

“No, you don’t,” she cut him off quickly. “I’m not talking about this monster/wizard thing. I’m talking about Jason, who showed up to the town meeting and rallied everyone against the Hellfire Club. He and his goons passed out posters with your guys’ faces all over them, claiming you were members of some bullshit, satan-worshipping cult that was behind everything bad that has ever happened in Hawkins.” 

Dustin and Lucas exchanged worried looks, as Calum and Eddie did the same. 

Tamera continued. “Eddie’s supposedly the leader, and everyone else in the club is helping him carry out his sacrifices or some shit. Which means, half of the town is roaming the streets looking for you guys. It’s a goddamn witch hunt, people!” 

If Steve knew anything about the people of Hawkins, it was that they didn’t often get passionate about something, but when they did, they didn’t know when to stop. When you brought God into the mix, it was bound to be a disaster. If only they knew what was really going on, they’d lose their minds for sure. 

“Shit,” Lucas groaned. 

“Yeah, shit,” Dustin mimicked. “But that’s a problem for tomorrow. We’re here now, and there’s a Gate somewhere out there!” He pointed to the dark lake that had never looked more menacing to Steve. 

“Dustin’s right,” said Nancy. “If we don’t stop Vecna, the attacks will keep happening, and it’ll keep getting pinned on Eddie and the rest of Hellfire. If Vecna works the same way the Demogorgon did, then our entrance into the Upside Down is out there…somewhere.”

They all stared out at the dark expanse of Lover's Lake; Steve had a feeling another long night was brewing for them.

[roanofarcc]

BABYDOLL. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: HOMEWARD BOUND

jj maybank x fem!routledge OC -- FIX-IT FIC // read on Ao3

In which a boy with zero self preservation falls in love with a girl clawing at life.

chapter summary. reunited, the pogues head home. a quick pitstop leaves the girls to chat about marriages and crushes, before welcomed by the chateau. it's all fun and games until their homecoming party gets crashed and trashed.

a/n. wanted to an excuse to show baby jj and lottie bc they are so precious to me

word count. 3.6k || masterlist

previous chapter < > next chapter

As Charleston faded and the blue water occupied their surroundings, Lottie rose from her seat and stood beside her brother at the wheel. Despite the sting in her side from Renfield’s boot, she hadn’t stopped smiling. The group felt whole again, as easy as that. 

John B. opened his mouth to speak, but Lottie punched him in the arm before he could. 

“Jesus!” he whined, rubbing the spot on his arm. 

“If you ever disappear like that again, I will kill you.” 

He laughed, nodding his head. “That’s fair. But trust me, I do not plan on that shit again.” 

“So, what the hell have you two been doing, besides getting shot?” asked JJ, nodding his head at Sarah’s bloody shorts. 

“Oh, you know, just hanging out. We didn’t try to commit armed robbery or anything like that,” replied John B. with a casual shrug. 

Lottie blinked, his words processing in her spinning head. “Armed robbery? What, were you two cosplaying as Bonnie and Clyde?” 

“We kind of had to commit a crime to not be turned over to the authorities,” Sarah explained. “A cargo ship picked us up after the storm. But they were smugglers who wanted the reward money for John B., but we broke into my dad’s house in Nassau and showed them the gold. They came up with a plan to steal it back.” 

“But,” John B. picked up the story. “Shit went sideways when Rafe shot Sarah.” 

Kie’s face twisted up in disgust. “Your brother shot you?” Sarah just nodded, casting her eyes down toward her lap. 

“That’s all kinds of fucked up,” JJ muttered, saying what the rest of them were likely thinking, at least Lottie was. As if they needed another reason to hate Rafe Cameron. 

“How’d you make it out on a boat, that I’m assuming you stole, if the authorities, Ward, and Rafe were looking for you?” asked Pope. 

Sarah explained that they met a girl, Cleo, on the ship that picked them up. They ran back in to her after Sarah was patched up, which actually meant John B. had hit the poor girl with a car. Still, she had keys to the very boat they were on and distracted the authorities so the couple could make their escape. 

The group then explained what they had been through to try to clear John B.’s name, including Limbery and some key Pope’s family was supposed to have.

Their troubles were far from over. John B. would still be a wanted man when they arrived home. Sarah’s family was half out of their minds. Mr. Heyward’s truck was abandoned on a side street in Charleston. Kie was over a day late to when her parents told her to be home. And Lottie’s new guardian was not what she signed up for, but the dread of what waited them was overshadowed by the sea spray that dotted their skin and the high of their reunion in their veins. They were back together, which made all of those things a little less daunting because when they returned, they would help each other figure it out. 

They shared stories until the sun set, and their voices lost their animation but not their speed. With the moon high, they lay around the boat, smiling up at the stars. 

A yawn sounded from Lottie. She stretched, but winced as pain filled her ribs. If she moved too much, it ached, so she resorted to resting her head on the shoulder beside her, which happened to be JJ’s, and tried not to think too much about it as the boat bobbed with each wave it hit. 

Lottie drifted off to the sweet sound of her friends’ voices that mingled with the soft splashing of water, the most perfect combination in her book. 

When the run rose, they were all starving. John B. docked the boat at a small, wooden pier that didn’t seem to have anyone around. The boys stayed behind to gas up the boat while the girls went on the hunt for something to eat. 

There was a small cabin in the woods, a ways down a dirt path and nearly buried in the trees. Closer to the water was a garden that they assumed belonged to whoever lived in the cabin. Since no one seemed to be around, they started plucking watermelons, breaking one open for themselves as they took a break to chat, just the three of them. 

“Wait, so let me get this straight, you actually said yes to marrying my brother?” Lottie was in disbelief, not because she didn’t think Sarah and John B. were good together, but because they were only seventeen and her brother was, well, her brother. 

A smile spread across Sarah’s lips as she picked out a piece of the watermelon before handing it off to Kie. “I mean, not legally, obviously. But yeah. He gave me this.” She showed a thin piece from John B.’s bandana tied around Sarah’s neck. 

Lottie made a face. “Wow, yeah, that’s better than a ring for sure.”

Sarah laughed. “Don’t worry, I told him I eventually want a princess cut, something nice but not too flashy.” 

Lottie doubted her brother even knew rings had sizes, but she couldn’t help but smile at the idea of the two of them seriously together. She supposed nearly dying by each other’s side put things into perspective. 

“Does that mean we’re like sisters now?” 

“I think it does,” Sarah replied. 

Lottie, seated on the ground in the middle of the two girls, slung her arms around their shoulders and pulled them closer into her sides. “We’re like one big, fucked up family.” 

The three of them laughed, fingers sticky from the watermelon and cheeks a little sunburnt from the boat. 

“Either of you get married while I was away?” Sarah asked. 

Kie smirked, elbowing Lottie in her non-aching ribs. “Lot here has been window shopping.” 

“And Kie here has been more interested in my dating life than her own!” 

“Because you’ve been kissing boys with Yachats and shit!” 

Sarah gasped. “Kooks?!” 

Lottie was quick to shake her head. “No! Not island Kooks.” Sarah was keyed in, waiting for her to keep going. “I stayed in Charleton, briefly, and went on a couple of dates that didn’t go anywhere. I, uh, I don’t think I really wanted them to go anywhere,” she admitted. It was more than just her dealing with what she thought was the death of brother and friend; there was a weird feeling that accompanied those dates, like her brain was trying to ask what she was even doing, second-guessing how much she wanted to be there in the first place. 

“Why?” asked Sarah. 

The boys were far from what Lottie was used to; their lifestyle was drastically different. Sure, it was nice when they paid for dinner and talked about their future in their family business or at some fancy college they could afford. But the more Lottie thought about that in the long run, the more she disliked it. The clean-cut and polished boys; they weren’t exactly what Lottie had in mind when she looked to the future. Maybe that was dumb, not aiming for a future already set with riches and stability. Lottie had never had that; it didn’t seem in the cards for her. 

Instead of word-vomiting all of that up to her friends, she just shrugged. “Beats me.” 

“Do you have your eye on someone else?” Sarah wondered aloud. “Maybe that’s why the other dates didn’t feel right.” 

“Who else would I have my eye on?” 

Kie outstretched her legs in the overgrown grass, her lips pursed in thought for a moment before she suggested, “Pope?” 

Lottie nearly choked on the bite of watermelon she was chewing. “Pope? As in our Pope?” 

“No, the one in the Vatican,” Kie replied dryly. 

“No way,” Lottie shook her head. “Pope is great, the best, arguably, but he’s like a brother to me. That would be weird.” 

Sarah nodded. “Okay, then what about JJ? Is he like your brother too?” 

Lottie immediately shook her head. “No,” she said quickly, earning eyebrow raises from both girls. “I…no. It’s different with JJ.” 

“You’ve known him since the third grade,” said Kie. “You’re telling me you’ve never thought about it, about him, once?” 

Lottie’s eyes fell to her wrist, where she still wore the waterproof watch JJ had gifted her years ago, and the bracelet she won during their last kegger. “Of course I’ve thought about it,” she admitted. How could she not have? She spent nearly every day with JJ since elementary school, even when she was pretty sure boys had cooties. Hell, she had probably thought about it a hundred times, but as she grew older, it felt more delicate. The whole, ‘I don’t want to ruin our friendship’ and the fact that they seemed on two very different sides of what they wanted in a relationship always came into play in Lottie’s head. So much so that she eventually pushed it out of her mind as a possibility when high school rolled around. 

“Why do you think my brother came up with the ‘No Pogue on Pouge Macking’ rule?” Lottie looked between the girls, who were listening intently. “When I started middle school and everyone was suddenly talking about boyfriends and girlfriends, John caught me writing ‘Charlotte Maybank’ all over a page in my notebook.” 

It was embarrassing, Lottie thought, but Sarah and Kiara were just smiling at her. 

“That’s so fucking cute, what the hell? You never thought to mention that before?” Kiara said. 

Lottie just shook her head. “That was forever ago!" 

“Well,” Sarah said, standing to her feet and collecting another watermelon for the boys. “I think Charlotte Maybank has a cute ring to it.” She and Kie started walking back to the boat. Lottie hesitated, a warmness flushed across her face that wasn’t just from the sunburn. 

When they arrived back at the boat, the boys’ conversation immediately stopped, which was awfully suspicious. 

“What were you guys chatting about?” asked Sarah as she passed off the watermelon to John B. and stepped into the boat, Kie and Lottie following suit. 

“Uh, fishing,” John B. answered, not very convincingly. 

“Yep,” JJ nodded, popping the ‘p’ loudly. “Just about dropin’ lure.” 

As they departed from the rickety dock, snacking on watermelon, Lottie couldn’t help but spare a glance at JJ as he and Pope laughed about something. His blond curls poked out from underneath an old baseball cap John B. had gotten him a couple of birthdays ago, and his eyes shining brightly as he laughed. She felt weird, averting her gaze and shaking her head, focusing on the water and thinking about home. 

The Chateau welcomed them with open arms. Though Lottie hadn’t been away from the island for more than a day and some change, she hadn’t stopped by the Chateau in a good while, unable to stomach it without her brother. That was all behind them, though, as they docked the boat and filed out, back on familiar land.  

“I am not looking forward to a check-in at home,” Kie said with a sigh. “My parents probably already planned my funeral.” 

“I’m expecting unpleasantries at the Heywards as well,” said Pope. They both would be in trouble, no doubt. 

“Wait.” JJ grabbed everyone’s attention, eyes bouncing between the group members. “No one knows we’re here, right? So what’s twelve more hours gonna hurt if you’re already in trouble? Why not have a proper homecoming before y’all are on house arrest or used as fishing bait?” 

For once, no one argued with JJ’s logic. They could have one more night before Pope and Kie faced their parents and before they had to figure out another way to clear John B.’s name before anyone realized he was home. They could celebrate in their own little world before reality crashed down in the morning. 

The only person who seemed unsure if partying was a good idea was Sarah. 

JJ slung an arm around her shoulder and asked, “Do you know my philosophy?” She shook her head. “Stupid things have good outcomes all of the time.” That had been his motto since he was old enough to string those words together. That was his answer to every outrageous decision he made, and the Pogues all knew the philosophy by heart, even if they only agreed to it half of the time. 

After buying beer from the local liquor store that never carded or cared and cleaning themselves up from their adventures, night fell, and they all found themselves relaxing under the string lights hanging from the tree in the backyard. 

They piled in the hot tub, the colorful lights almost magical when mixed with the beers they downed and a joint they passed around. Their laughs pierced the air as they joked like a bunch of stupid teenagers. No gold. No one after them. Just the Pogues enjoying a warm night and each other. 

If Lottie could have lived in that moment forever, she would have. It felt so normal, so nice. 

With their heads fuzzy and fingers pruned, eventually they retreated from the hot tub and gathered around a fire John B. built. Smoke made the air smell like summer time, and provided warm lighting on the boys as they started to wrestle each other. 

Pope challenged JJ, both boys a little tipsy, Pope more so than JJ. They tackled each other, laughing as they did so, until Pope managed to get JJ to the ground and declared victory. He belched and started to wander off toward the boat, where he often retreated when too drunk to pass out. Kie rolled her eyes and stood up from where she sat on the cooler. 

“I’ll go make sure he doesn’t drown,” she said, following Pope as he stumbled across the grass. He had always been the lightweight of the group, which meant the Pogues took turns making sure he didn’t get too sick or fall into the water as he went to sleep on the boat. 

The rest of them continued to drink, giggling as everything became more and more funny. As JJ and Sarah fell into another fit of laughter, Lottie watched as John B. paused in front of the cooler, his hand reaching for another beer but eyes fixed on the tree trunk straight ahead. 

The makeshift headstone they had made for him was illuminated by the tree lights and the fire, a large heart carved into the tree with John B.’s name and the years they thought he had lived at the time burned in the middle of it. Below that was a simple ‘P4L,’ the Pogues' own motto that John B. came up with one night while a little drunk, but it stuck. 

Lottie joined him, noting his red, glassy eyes as he stared at the heart. 

“It’s a cute art project,” he said, sniffling. 

“Yeah,” she said softly. “It definitely killed the tree, though.” 

A couple of tears fell down his cheek, but he wiped them away quickly with the back of his hand. Lottie hugged him, and he squeezed her back impossibly tight. If it had been under normal circumstances, she would have kicked him in the shin and complained about him trying to squeeze the lift out of her, but she had thought she’d never even see him again, let alone hug him. So, she said nothing, just squeezed him back as he buried his head in her shoulder for several moments, until he regained his composure. 

It wasn’t until he pulled away and wiped his eyes once more that she spoke. 

“I really missed you.” 

“I missed you too,” he said. “I didn’t mean to leave without you, you know? Things just…just got out of hand, and I was out of time.” 

Lottie nodded, her eyes stinging. “I know. I got intercepted, screwed up my plan to meet you.” Intercepted was putting it lightly. More like she was attacked by Rafe and his friend, Barry. “If you ever decide to run away again, do me a favor and take all of us with you, okay? We work better as a team. And I had to try to keep these losers in line by myself.” She said the last part loud enough for JJ to hear. He scoffed, nearly tripping over his feet as he tried to stand up. 

With a light laugh, John B. grabbed two beers, one for himself and one for her, and they rejoined around the fire. 

JJ strode up with his own unopened beer can and a lopsided grin he always wore when he was tipsy. “Me and you, shotgun contest. Winner gets five bucks.” 

“I know for a fact you don’t have any cash on you, Jay.” 

He held up his hands like he’d been caught. “Fine! Then we’ll play for…” he trailed off, looking around until his eyes dropped onto the bracelet he had given her last time he challenged her. “For my bracelet back.” 

“You’re on.” 

Sarah counted down from three, and they started chugging their beers from the cut in the side of the can. In the middle of their drinking, John B. hushed the group, brows pinched as he listened intently for something. 

“Did you guys hear that?” he asked. 

Distracted, Lottie stopped drinking, letting beer spill onto the grass as JJ finished his can. He cheered in triumph, but John B. slapped a hand over the blond’s mouth. It sounded like gravel crunching under tires. Someone was there, and since all of the Pogues were accounted for, with the group around the fire and Kie and Pope probably passed out in the boat and oblivious, it couldn’t be anyone good visiting. 

Whoever it was, they were close, meaning their options for hiding here were limited. The closest place was the mess of branches that extended over their heads. It wasn’t the most conventional hiding place, but Lottie thought maybe that was a good thing. Though getting four tipsy teens to climb a tree wasn’t the best idea. One by one, they lifted themselves onto the branches, climbing high enough to hide between the leaves. 

Lottie hoisted herself onto a thick branch and scooted to make room for whoever climbed up next. JJ tried to get a good grip on the branch but was a little unsteady from just chugging a beer. His one hand slipped, but Lottie caught it before he tumbled back to the ground and helped him up onto the same branch. 

Just as everyone was settled into their spots, Rafe Cameron stumbled into the yard while someone else tore through the Chateau, loudly. 

They waited silently, watching Rafe poke around the yard. Lottie held her breath as the screen door was flung open and out came Barry, the drug dealer who tried to rob them for the gold, who JJ robbed, and then harassed Lottie when she was alone. 

The two gathered too close to the tree for comfort. Lottie spotted the gun in Rafe’s hand and felt her hands shaking as they held onto the tree branch for balance. 

“They were obviously just here,” Rafe said, his voice breaking apart the nice night the Pogues were having. “The fire’s still smoking.” John B. had smothered in quickly, but they didn’t have time to do much else. 

“Yeah, great observation, Boy Scout,” said Barry. There was a beat before he laughed. “P4L,” he read off the tree truck. “Well, shit. It looks like your sister really is a Pogue for life, huh?” 

Lottie glanced at Sarah, who sat a little lower in the tree, watching her brother, who had the gull to shoot her. She wanted to reach out to her, but was too far. 

Rafe’s scream of pure anger sounded like glass shattering, causing Lottie to jump. He raised his gun in the air as he stood under the tree and started shooting at what he thought was nothing, but was actually the group. They couldn’t make a noise, only bit their tongues and pray Rafe didn’t end up shooting them in his rampage. 

A couple of bullets whizzed by, causing Lottie to flinch back, bumping into JJ’s chest. His arm encircled her waist, keeping her in place as a bullet struck the limb directly in front of them. Her hand instinctively gripped his arm that held her, eyes wide and scream stuck in her throat as she bit down on her lip so hard it started to bleed. 

Somehow, Barry managed to soothe Rafe’s anger enough to get him to leave. They retreated from the Chateau, causing the group to let out a collective breath of relief.  

“What the shit,” JJ muttered before he glanced at Lottie. “You good?” 

Slowly, she nodded. “No bullet to the brain,” she said, peering around the limb in front of her where a bullet at embedded itself. Somehow, no one was shot, but they were all a little shaken. “You?” 

JJ pulled back his arm and patted his chest before giving her a thumbs-up. 

They all started to climb down. 

“The whole ‘no one knows we’re here’ thing was short-lived, huh?” said JJ as he jumped to the ground beside Lottie. 

“Out of everyone, it had to be those assholes,” Lottie said with a huff. 

Sarah started to climb down, her face scrunched in pain as she did so. “Rafe’s lost it,” she muttered. John B. helped her down, the blonde breathing heavily as she pressed against her bandaged side. 

“Are you okay?” asked Lottie. “I don’t think tree climbing is recommended with a bullet wound. You didn’t, like, reopen it or something, did you?” Sarah shook her head. 

“We can’t stay here.” John B. ran a hand through his hair, his face scrunched up in thought. “I’m gonna grab Kie and Pope, and we gotta go…somewhere. I-” 

Lottie cut him off, pulling a set of keys out of her backpack she had thrown in a brush pile to hide it. “I know a place.” 

[roanofarcc]

Could you do a sasappis x ghost reader fic where the reader is attached to an old dress (or anything object of your choosing, in my mind it was readers fav thing in life and then got attached to it somehow) that’s from an antique store? Like Sam went to an antique store maybe to buy something for the b&b and she saw the reader and talked to her and was like “hey do you wanna come with me to make new friends?” Or something like that (sorry this is so long and specific) and maybe make it a series if you’d be cool with that?

this is such a good idea!! thx for the request!

•••

THREADBARE ATTACHMENTS

pairing. sasappis x ghost!reader

summary. when sam stumbles upon your ghost in a vintage shop, she offers to bring you to a less lonely home.

a/n. would love to make this a series of blurbs like my ghost bride!reader series!

masterlist

The smell of dust stained your nose, a perceptual scent that lingered in the vintage shop for as long as you could remember. The place was always quiet, even when patrons shopped about with curious eyes as they gazed at the past in the form of little trinkets.

You spent your time at the shop, not because you had died there, but because you were one of the few ghosts whose soul was tied to an object rather than a place.

Much to your disappointment, the only ghosts in the shop with you were an old woman who had technically passed away upstairs in what was once an apartment, a ghost cat who spent its days hissing at the cashier, no matter who was on shift, and a grumpy man. The man hated talking to anyone and spent his time sulking and complaining about what had happened to his shop. The old woman spent most of her time upstairs. And the cat was not pleasant company most of the time, but he was someone to talk to when you grew impossibly bored.

Your afterlife was dull. Day after day, you longed for someone to purchase the dress you were tied to, but it was always overlooked due to it being stuck in a corner. You roamed the shop or sat on the curb outside, wishing you could see something, anything new.

Your luck turned one afternoon, when a blonde woman strode into the vintage shop with a man on her arm, smiling sweetly at each other as they pursued the various oddities that held history so thick you could smell it.

As you sat on an old armchair, you watched them with the same curiosity you always did, drinking up the different view to entertain yourself.

The blonde woman passed by the armchair and offered you a polite smile. You furrowed your brows but brushed it off, assuming she had just seen something on the wall behind you that made her smile. You began following her, however, just to see what the couple was looking for in the organized mess.

As you lingered close, the woman suddenly turned around, looking you right in the eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but faltered as her eyes flickered down to the outfit you were wearing. The dress you were tied to was also on your ghostly body, untouched by the years as the physical dress was. Its colors weren't dull or weathered, nor were wrinkles and hand-sewn rips mended. The dress looked as it had when you received it as a gift.

"You're a ghost, aren't you?" the woman said, voice quiet.

You blinked in surprise as the man at her side paused his searching.

"Oh, cool. There's a ghost in here?" he looked past you, as everyone always did, but not the blonde woman.

"Can you see me?" you asked, confused as to how that was possible. She seemed very much alive, unlike yourself.

She nodded. "I'm Sam. I, well, I had a bit of an accident and hit my head. Since then, I've been able to see ghosts, and boy, are you guys everywhere."

That sounded wonderful, being able to go anywhere and see so many different ghosts. You knew you shouldn't complain; technically, you could travel where other ghosts couldn't. But for years, you'd been stuck in the vintage shop and surrounding area, as far as your tether would allow. You long for conversation, for new people and fresh eyes.

You introduced yourself and learned that Sam lived with a group of ghosts at her inherited mansion. She was still learning how to live with ghosts and being able to see them without seeming like she was crazy. Her husband, Jay, couldn't see ghosts, but he acted like he could in his interactions. You found the couple fascinating.

"Your ghosts all died at your house?" you asked.

"Yep, or on the property." She hesitated, and you assumed she wanted to ask about your death but was deciding against it quickly. You could see how it could be a taboo topic for most ghosts, but your death was not tragic, other than the way death itself can be. It was a simple accident.

"I didn't die here, if that's what you want to know," you said, saving Sam from having to ask.

Her eyes widened slightly. "You can travel?"

"Sort of." You led them to your dress and explained how where it went, you did.

"Oh, we had a ghost like that once," Sam said. "Kind of, anyway. She was attached to a car, though." You hummed, intrigued by the kind of life she lived. "How long have you been here?"

You blew some air from your cheeks and slumped back down in the armchair. "Too long. It has terrible company. The only two other ghosts don't talk much, and the cat is an asshole most of the time."

"That sounds lonely," Sam said with a frown.

You shrugged. "I guess it could be worse. I'm just waiting for someone to buy the dress and take me somewhere new. Even if it's shoved in an attic again, at least I can look at something other than these knick-knacks."

A small gasp left Sam's lips, alerting her husband. "What is it?" he wondered.

"Get your wallet! We're buying the dress." Sam pointed at your dress before her eyes fell back onto you. "If that's okay with you, of course."

You jumped up from the air, practically toppling over in pure shock. "You want to buy the dress?"

Sam's face was soft, friendly. You couldn't remember the last time someone looked at you with an expression like that. "I have a house full of ghosts who would love some new company. They can be a lot, but they mean well, most of the time. And I think they'd like you."

You couldn't have agreed quicker if you tried.

Woodstone was beautiful in the way a lot of items at the shop were beautiful. It was a clash of present day and of another time more familiar to you. Oldness crept out from the edges, but it smelled like lavender and baked goods.

You were positively giddy as you stepped inside, eyes darting all around. You only got as far as the front room before a small army of people hurried in, all plucked from different times. Their clothing gave them away, like a rainbow of the past to the present.

“Who’s the new girl?” a man with a severe lack of pants asked, looking you over with curiosity.

“Hi!” you greeted, unable to contain your excitement. The ghosts all flinched, surprised at your acknowledgment of them.

“The newest member of Woodstone!”

Their voices all overlapped with questions, which quickly was overwhelming due to being alone and in the quiet for ages. It must’ve shown on your face because one of the ghosts, in a pretty purple dress rolled her eyes before she said, “Can y’all hush! You’re going to scare her off.”

Once they were settled, they each introduced themselves before it was your turn. You offered the same brief explanation you gave Sam; which only slightly satisfied their curiosity.

Sam showed you to a nice room and hung up your dress before leaving you to get acquainted with the place.

The room had a large window that overlooked the backyard. You could have spent hours just staring at the nature that replaced the view of parking lot in the shop. Birds flew from the trees and the sky started to turn orange as the sun set.

“Knock knock.”

You spun around at the voice, meeting the gaze of one of the ghosts you had just met, who introduced himself at Sasappis.

“Oh, hi.”

He looked nice, from what you could tell. He stood fidgeting with his hands in the doorway, a small smile on his face. You may have spent the last several years in the shop, but you weren’t clueless as to what a cute man looked like, even if they were few and far in between. Sasappis was very cute, with pieces of his hair braided and traditional clothing on his body. His eyes were soft and cheeks slightly pink in the setting sun light.

“I wanted to ask if you, if you weren’t busy, wanted a tour of the place. Not to brag, but I’ve been here the second longest,” he said, a casual shrug of his shoulders. “Which sounds like I’m calling myself old. I mean, I am old, but not physically. Wait, not like- I mean-“

You laughed, cutting off his rambling. “I would love a tour,” you answered sweetly.

He beamed, eyes crinkling as he did so.

You had a feeling a Woodstone was going to be a new adventure for many reasons, and you couldn’t wait.

[roanofarcc]

BABYDOLL. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: HOMEWARD BOUND

jj maybank x fem!routledge OC -- FIX-IT FIC // read on Ao3

In which a boy with zero self preservation falls in love with a girl clawing at life.

chapter summary. reunited, the pogues head home. a quick pitstop leaves the girls to chat about marriages and crushes, before welcomed by the chateau. it's all fun and games until their homecoming party gets crashed and trashed.

a/n. wanted to an excuse to show baby jj and lottie bc they are so precious to me

word count. 3.6k || masterlist

previous chapter < > next chapter

As Charleston faded and the blue water occupied their surroundings, Lottie rose from her seat and stood beside her brother at the wheel. Despite the sting in her side from Renfield’s boot, she hadn’t stopped smiling. The group felt whole again, as easy as that. 

John B. opened his mouth to speak, but Lottie punched him in the arm before he could. 

“Jesus!” he whined, rubbing the spot on his arm. 

“If you ever disappear like that again, I will kill you.” 

He laughed, nodding his head. “That’s fair. But trust me, I do not plan on that shit again.” 

“So, what the hell have you two been doing, besides getting shot?” asked JJ, nodding his head at Sarah’s bloody shorts. 

“Oh, you know, just hanging out. We didn’t try to commit armed robbery or anything like that,” replied John B. with a casual shrug. 

Lottie blinked, his words processing in her spinning head. “Armed robbery? What, were you two cosplaying as Bonnie and Clyde?” 

“We kind of had to commit a crime to not be turned over to the authorities,” Sarah explained. “A cargo ship picked us up after the storm. But they were smugglers who wanted the reward money for John B., but we broke into my dad’s house in Nassau and showed them the gold. They came up with a plan to steal it back.” 

“But,” John B. picked up the story. “Shit went sideways when Rafe shot Sarah.” 

Kie’s face twisted up in disgust. “Your brother shot you?” Sarah just nodded, casting her eyes down toward her lap. 

“That’s all kinds of fucked up,” JJ muttered, saying what the rest of them were likely thinking, at least Lottie was. As if they needed another reason to hate Rafe Cameron. 

“How’d you make it out on a boat, that I’m assuming you stole, if the authorities, Ward, and Rafe were looking for you?” asked Pope. 

Sarah explained that they met a girl, Cleo, on the ship that picked them up. They ran back in to her after Sarah was patched up, which actually meant John B. had hit the poor girl with a car. Still, she had keys to the very boat they were on and distracted the authorities so the couple could make their escape. 

The group then explained what they had been through to try to clear John B.’s name, including Limbery and some key Pope’s family was supposed to have.

Their troubles were far from over. John B. would still be a wanted man when they arrived home. Sarah’s family was half out of their minds. Mr. Heyward’s truck was abandoned on a side street in Charleston. Kie was over a day late to when her parents told her to be home. And Lottie’s new guardian was not what she signed up for, but the dread of what waited them was overshadowed by the sea spray that dotted their skin and the high of their reunion in their veins. They were back together, which made all of those things a little less daunting because when they returned, they would help each other figure it out. 

They shared stories until the sun set, and their voices lost their animation but not their speed. With the moon high, they lay around the boat, smiling up at the stars. 

A yawn sounded from Lottie. She stretched, but winced as pain filled her ribs. If she moved too much, it ached, so she resorted to resting her head on the shoulder beside her, which happened to be JJ’s, and tried not to think too much about it as the boat bobbed with each wave it hit. 

Lottie drifted off to the sweet sound of her friends’ voices that mingled with the soft splashing of water, the most perfect combination in her book. 

When the run rose, they were all starving. John B. docked the boat at a small, wooden pier that didn’t seem to have anyone around. The boys stayed behind to gas up the boat while the girls went on the hunt for something to eat. 

There was a small cabin in the woods, a ways down a dirt path and nearly buried in the trees. Closer to the water was a garden that they assumed belonged to whoever lived in the cabin. Since no one seemed to be around, they started plucking watermelons, breaking one open for themselves as they took a break to chat, just the three of them. 

“Wait, so let me get this straight, you actually said yes to marrying my brother?” Lottie was in disbelief, not because she didn’t think Sarah and John B. were good together, but because they were only seventeen and her brother was, well, her brother. 

A smile spread across Sarah’s lips as she picked out a piece of the watermelon before handing it off to Kie. “I mean, not legally, obviously. But yeah. He gave me this.” She showed a thin piece from John B.’s bandana tied around Sarah’s neck. 

Lottie made a face. “Wow, yeah, that’s better than a ring for sure.”

Sarah laughed. “Don’t worry, I told him I eventually want a princess cut, something nice but not too flashy.” 

Lottie doubted her brother even knew rings had sizes, but she couldn’t help but smile at the idea of the two of them seriously together. She supposed nearly dying by each other’s side put things into perspective. 

“Does that mean we’re like sisters now?” 

“I think it does,” Sarah replied. 

Lottie, seated on the ground in the middle of the two girls, slung her arms around their shoulders and pulled them closer into her sides. “We’re like one big, fucked up family.” 

The three of them laughed, fingers sticky from the watermelon and cheeks a little sunburnt from the boat. 

“Either of you get married while I was away?” Sarah asked. 

Kie smirked, elbowing Lottie in her non-aching ribs. “Lot here has been window shopping.” 

“And Kie here has been more interested in my dating life than her own!” 

“Because you’ve been kissing boys with Yachats and shit!” 

Sarah gasped. “Kooks?!” 

Lottie was quick to shake her head. “No! Not island Kooks.” Sarah was keyed in, waiting for her to keep going. “I stayed in Charleton, briefly, and went on a couple of dates that didn’t go anywhere. I, uh, I don’t think I really wanted them to go anywhere,” she admitted. It was more than just her dealing with what she thought was the death of brother and friend; there was a weird feeling that accompanied those dates, like her brain was trying to ask what she was even doing, second-guessing how much she wanted to be there in the first place. 

“Why?” asked Sarah. 

The boys were far from what Lottie was used to; their lifestyle was drastically different. Sure, it was nice when they paid for dinner and talked about their future in their family business or at some fancy college they could afford. But the more Lottie thought about that in the long run, the more she disliked it. The clean-cut and polished boys; they weren’t exactly what Lottie had in mind when she looked to the future. Maybe that was dumb, not aiming for a future already set with riches and stability. Lottie had never had that; it didn’t seem in the cards for her. 

Instead of word-vomiting all of that up to her friends, she just shrugged. “Beats me.” 

“Do you have your eye on someone else?” Sarah wondered aloud. “Maybe that’s why the other dates didn’t feel right.” 

“Who else would I have my eye on?” 

Kie outstretched her legs in the overgrown grass, her lips pursed in thought for a moment before she suggested, “Pope?” 

Lottie nearly choked on the bite of watermelon she was chewing. “Pope? As in our Pope?” 

“No, the one in the Vatican,” Kie replied dryly. 

“No way,” Lottie shook her head. “Pope is great, the best, arguably, but he’s like a brother to me. That would be weird.” 

Sarah nodded. “Okay, then what about JJ? Is he like your brother too?” 

Lottie immediately shook her head. “No,” she said quickly, earning eyebrow raises from both girls. “I…no. It’s different with JJ.” 

“You’ve known him since the third grade,” said Kie. “You’re telling me you’ve never thought about it, about him, once?” 

Lottie’s eyes fell to her wrist, where she still wore the waterproof watch JJ had gifted her years ago, and the bracelet she won during their last kegger. “Of course I’ve thought about it,” she admitted. How could she not have? She spent nearly every day with JJ since elementary school, even when she was pretty sure boys had cooties. Hell, she had probably thought about it a hundred times, but as she grew older, it felt more delicate. The whole, ‘I don’t want to ruin our friendship’ and the fact that they seemed on two very different sides of what they wanted in a relationship always came into play in Lottie’s head. So much so that she eventually pushed it out of her mind as a possibility when high school rolled around. 

“Why do you think my brother came up with the ‘No Pogue on Pouge Macking’ rule?” Lottie looked between the girls, who were listening intently. “When I started middle school and everyone was suddenly talking about boyfriends and girlfriends, John caught me writing ‘Charlotte Maybank’ all over a page in my notebook.” 

It was embarrassing, Lottie thought, but Sarah and Kiara were just smiling at her. 

“That’s so fucking cute, what the hell? You never thought to mention that before?” Kiara said. 

Lottie just shook her head. “That was forever ago!" 

“Well,” Sarah said, standing to her feet and collecting another watermelon for the boys. “I think Charlotte Maybank has a cute ring to it.” She and Kie started walking back to the boat. Lottie hesitated, a warmness flushed across her face that wasn’t just from the sunburn. 

When they arrived back at the boat, the boys’ conversation immediately stopped, which was awfully suspicious. 

“What were you guys chatting about?” asked Sarah as she passed off the watermelon to John B. and stepped into the boat, Kie and Lottie following suit. 

“Uh, fishing,” John B. answered, not very convincingly. 

“Yep,” JJ nodded, popping the ‘p’ loudly. “Just about dropin’ lure.” 

As they departed from the rickety dock, snacking on watermelon, Lottie couldn’t help but spare a glance at JJ as he and Pope laughed about something. His blond curls poked out from underneath an old baseball cap John B. had gotten him a couple of birthdays ago, and his eyes shining brightly as he laughed. She felt weird, averting her gaze and shaking her head, focusing on the water and thinking about home. 

The Chateau welcomed them with open arms. Though Lottie hadn’t been away from the island for more than a day and some change, she hadn’t stopped by the Chateau in a good while, unable to stomach it without her brother. That was all behind them, though, as they docked the boat and filed out, back on familiar land.  

“I am not looking forward to a check-in at home,” Kie said with a sigh. “My parents probably already planned my funeral.” 

“I’m expecting unpleasantries at the Heywards as well,” said Pope. They both would be in trouble, no doubt. 

“Wait.” JJ grabbed everyone’s attention, eyes bouncing between the group members. “No one knows we’re here, right? So what’s twelve more hours gonna hurt if you’re already in trouble? Why not have a proper homecoming before y’all are on house arrest or used as fishing bait?” 

For once, no one argued with JJ’s logic. They could have one more night before Pope and Kie faced their parents and before they had to figure out another way to clear John B.’s name before anyone realized he was home. They could celebrate in their own little world before reality crashed down in the morning. 

The only person who seemed unsure if partying was a good idea was Sarah. 

JJ slung an arm around her shoulder and asked, “Do you know my philosophy?” She shook her head. “Stupid things have good outcomes all of the time.” That had been his motto since he was old enough to string those words together. That was his answer to every outrageous decision he made, and the Pogues all knew the philosophy by heart, even if they only agreed to it half of the time. 

After buying beer from the local liquor store that never carded or cared and cleaning themselves up from their adventures, night fell, and they all found themselves relaxing under the string lights hanging from the tree in the backyard. 

They piled in the hot tub, the colorful lights almost magical when mixed with the beers they downed and a joint they passed around. Their laughs pierced the air as they joked like a bunch of stupid teenagers. No gold. No one after them. Just the Pogues enjoying a warm night and each other. 

If Lottie could have lived in that moment forever, she would have. It felt so normal, so nice. 

With their heads fuzzy and fingers pruned, eventually they retreated from the hot tub and gathered around a fire John B. built. Smoke made the air smell like summer time, and provided warm lighting on the boys as they started to wrestle each other. 

Pope challenged JJ, both boys a little tipsy, Pope more so than JJ. They tackled each other, laughing as they did so, until Pope managed to get JJ to the ground and declared victory. He belched and started to wander off toward the boat, where he often retreated when too drunk to pass out. Kie rolled her eyes and stood up from where she sat on the cooler. 

“I’ll go make sure he doesn’t drown,” she said, following Pope as he stumbled across the grass. He had always been the lightweight of the group, which meant the Pogues took turns making sure he didn’t get too sick or fall into the water as he went to sleep on the boat. 

The rest of them continued to drink, giggling as everything became more and more funny. As JJ and Sarah fell into another fit of laughter, Lottie watched as John B. paused in front of the cooler, his hand reaching for another beer but eyes fixed on the tree trunk straight ahead. 

The makeshift headstone they had made for him was illuminated by the tree lights and the fire, a large heart carved into the tree with John B.’s name and the years they thought he had lived at the time burned in the middle of it. Below that was a simple ‘P4L,’ the Pogues' own motto that John B. came up with one night while a little drunk, but it stuck. 

Lottie joined him, noting his red, glassy eyes as he stared at the heart. 

“It’s a cute art project,” he said, sniffling. 

“Yeah,” she said softly. “It definitely killed the tree, though.” 

A couple of tears fell down his cheek, but he wiped them away quickly with the back of his hand. Lottie hugged him, and he squeezed her back impossibly tight. If it had been under normal circumstances, she would have kicked him in the shin and complained about him trying to squeeze the lift out of her, but she had thought she’d never even see him again, let alone hug him. So, she said nothing, just squeezed him back as he buried his head in her shoulder for several moments, until he regained his composure. 

It wasn’t until he pulled away and wiped his eyes once more that she spoke. 

“I really missed you.” 

“I missed you too,” he said. “I didn’t mean to leave without you, you know? Things just…just got out of hand, and I was out of time.” 

Lottie nodded, her eyes stinging. “I know. I got intercepted, screwed up my plan to meet you.” Intercepted was putting it lightly. More like she was attacked by Rafe and his friend, Barry. “If you ever decide to run away again, do me a favor and take all of us with you, okay? We work better as a team. And I had to try to keep these losers in line by myself.” She said the last part loud enough for JJ to hear. He scoffed, nearly tripping over his feet as he tried to stand up. 

With a light laugh, John B. grabbed two beers, one for himself and one for her, and they rejoined around the fire. 

JJ strode up with his own unopened beer can and a lopsided grin he always wore when he was tipsy. “Me and you, shotgun contest. Winner gets five bucks.” 

“I know for a fact you don’t have any cash on you, Jay.” 

He held up his hands like he’d been caught. “Fine! Then we’ll play for…” he trailed off, looking around until his eyes dropped onto the bracelet he had given her last time he challenged her. “For my bracelet back.” 

“You’re on.” 

Sarah counted down from three, and they started chugging their beers from the cut in the side of the can. In the middle of their drinking, John B. hushed the group, brows pinched as he listened intently for something. 

“Did you guys hear that?” he asked. 

Distracted, Lottie stopped drinking, letting beer spill onto the grass as JJ finished his can. He cheered in triumph, but John B. slapped a hand over the blond’s mouth. It sounded like gravel crunching under tires. Someone was there, and since all of the Pogues were accounted for, with the group around the fire and Kie and Pope probably passed out in the boat and oblivious, it couldn’t be anyone good visiting. 

Whoever it was, they were close, meaning their options for hiding here were limited. The closest place was the mess of branches that extended over their heads. It wasn’t the most conventional hiding place, but Lottie thought maybe that was a good thing. Though getting four tipsy teens to climb a tree wasn’t the best idea. One by one, they lifted themselves onto the branches, climbing high enough to hide between the leaves. 

Lottie hoisted herself onto a thick branch and scooted to make room for whoever climbed up next. JJ tried to get a good grip on the branch but was a little unsteady from just chugging a beer. His one hand slipped, but Lottie caught it before he tumbled back to the ground and helped him up onto the same branch. 

Just as everyone was settled into their spots, Rafe Cameron stumbled into the yard while someone else tore through the Chateau, loudly. 

They waited silently, watching Rafe poke around the yard. Lottie held her breath as the screen door was flung open and out came Barry, the drug dealer who tried to rob them for the gold, who JJ robbed, and then harassed Lottie when she was alone. 

The two gathered too close to the tree for comfort. Lottie spotted the gun in Rafe’s hand and felt her hands shaking as they held onto the tree branch for balance. 

“They were obviously just here,” Rafe said, his voice breaking apart the nice night the Pogues were having. “The fire’s still smoking.” John B. had smothered in quickly, but they didn’t have time to do much else. 

“Yeah, great observation, Boy Scout,” said Barry. There was a beat before he laughed. “P4L,” he read off the tree truck. “Well, shit. It looks like your sister really is a Pogue for life, huh?” 

Lottie glanced at Sarah, who sat a little lower in the tree, watching her brother, who had the gull to shoot her. She wanted to reach out to her, but was too far. 

Rafe’s scream of pure anger sounded like glass shattering, causing Lottie to jump. He raised his gun in the air as he stood under the tree and started shooting at what he thought was nothing, but was actually the group. They couldn’t make a noise, only bit their tongues and pray Rafe didn’t end up shooting them in his rampage. 

A couple of bullets whizzed by, causing Lottie to flinch back, bumping into JJ’s chest. His arm encircled her waist, keeping her in place as a bullet struck the limb directly in front of them. Her hand instinctively gripped his arm that held her, eyes wide and scream stuck in her throat as she bit down on her lip so hard it started to bleed. 

Somehow, Barry managed to soothe Rafe’s anger enough to get him to leave. They retreated from the Chateau, causing the group to let out a collective breath of relief.  

“What the shit,” JJ muttered before he glanced at Lottie. “You good?” 

Slowly, she nodded. “No bullet to the brain,” she said, peering around the limb in front of her where a bullet at embedded itself. Somehow, no one was shot, but they were all a little shaken. “You?” 

JJ pulled back his arm and patted his chest before giving her a thumbs-up. 

They all started to climb down. 

“The whole ‘no one knows we’re here’ thing was short-lived, huh?” said JJ as he jumped to the ground beside Lottie. 

“Out of everyone, it had to be those assholes,” Lottie said with a huff. 

Sarah started to climb down, her face scrunched in pain as she did so. “Rafe’s lost it,” she muttered. John B. helped her down, the blonde breathing heavily as she pressed against her bandaged side. 

“Are you okay?” asked Lottie. “I don’t think tree climbing is recommended with a bullet wound. You didn’t, like, reopen it or something, did you?” Sarah shook her head. 

“We can’t stay here.” John B. ran a hand through his hair, his face scrunched up in thought. “I’m gonna grab Kie and Pope, and we gotta go…somewhere. I-” 

Lottie cut him off, pulling a set of keys out of her backpack she had thrown in a brush pile to hide it. “I know a place.” 

[roanofarcc]

THE GREAT IMPERSONATOR | STRANGER THINGS

el hopper | only living girls in LA

And I could run away to somewhere on the West Coast | And finally be a real-life girl | They'll take my organs and they'll hang me from a bedpost |Sayin' I was too soft for this world

will byers | dog years

I've seen it all m very weak | I'm not old, but I am tired | I'm not here, I'm somewhere else | I'm not old, but I am tired | I'm one hundred ninety-six in dog years | I have seen enough | I've seen it all

nancy & jonathan | panic attack

And I think you're a danger to my health, or so it seems | Is it love or a panic attack? | Is a heavy heart too much to hold? | I don't know, but it's late, so I'm taking you home

will byers | the end

When I met you, I said I would never die | But the joke was always mine 'cause I'm racing against time | And I know it's not the end of the world, but could you pick me up at 8? | 'Cause my treatment starts today

hopper & el | I believe in magic

That I believe in magic and I believe in sin | I still believe in Heaven, if they'll never let me in | I started to believe in love the day I met my little twin | I think I might start tryin' because I haven't been

max & lucas | I never loved you

They couldn't save her, they couldn't save her | The surgeon said, "She had a hole in her heart | But it wasn't her fault, it was there from the start" | Trying to love you through an open wound | 'Cause everything I put inside there just fell right through | And I hold the parts together with some pressure and glue |And you're running in slow-mo to the hospital room | If you only knew | How bad it hurt me too

will byers | darwinism

If everyone has someone, then the math just isn't right | And I'm the only outlier, the lonely archetype | If everything is by design, well, I might disagree

el hopper | arsonist

You built a small container to keep all of me confined | I am water, I am shapeless, I am fluid, I'm divine | Somebody will love me for the way that I'm designed | Devastation, creation intertwined | You don't love the flames, you just want them for yourself | Douse my head in kerosene, horizon into hell | And you smothered out the glow I grew for you | But it was mine too

nancy wheeler | the great impersonator

I'm lying in a car crash | In a pile of broken glass | It's funny how it looks like glitter from the overpass | I'm in a pick-up truck, the door is stuck, I'm sinking in the water | And the girl inside is waving, but the people just applaud her

max mayfield | alice of the upper class

Where's the fun in doing well? | The good girls never kiss and tell | Not the smart ass, white trash bitches in the first class | Well, that's American dreamin' in a nutshell | You gotta get me off this plane | The flight attendant said my name | The captain said, "You better buckle up | 'Cause you're headed to hell in the fast lane"

[roanofarcc]

THE GREAT IMPERSONATOR | STRANGER THINGS

el hopper | only living girls in LA

And I could run away to somewhere on the West Coast | And finally be a real-life girl | They'll take my organs and they'll hang me from a bedpost |Sayin' I was too soft for this world

will byers | dog years

I've seen it all m very weak | I'm not old, but I am tired | I'm not here, I'm somewhere else | I'm not old, but I am tired | I'm one hundred ninety-six in dog years | I have seen enough | I've seen it all

nancy & jonathan | panic attack

And I think you're a danger to my health, or so it seems | Is it love or a panic attack? | Is a heavy heart too much to hold? | I don't know, but it's late, so I'm taking you home

will byers | the end

When I met you, I said I would never die | But the joke was always mine 'cause I'm racing against time | And I know it's not the end of the world, but could you pick me up at 8? | 'Cause my treatment starts today

hopper & el | I believe in magic

That I believe in magic and I believe in sin | I still believe in Heaven, if they'll never let me in | I started to believe in love the day I met my little twin | I think I might start tryin' because I haven't been

max & lucas | I never loved you

They couldn't save her, they couldn't save her | The surgeon said, "She had a hole in her heart | But it wasn't her fault, it was there from the start" | Trying to love you through an open wound | 'Cause everything I put inside there just fell right through | And I hold the parts together with some pressure and glue |And you're running in slow-mo to the hospital room | If you only knew | How bad it hurt me too

will byers | darwinism

If everyone has someone, then the math just isn't right | And I'm the only outlier, the lonely archetype | If everything is by design, well, I might disagree

el hopper | arsonist

You built a small container to keep all of me confined | I am water, I am shapeless, I am fluid, I'm divine | Somebody will love me for the way that I'm designed | Devastation, creation intertwined | You don't love the flames, you just want them for yourself | Douse my head in kerosene, horizon into hell | And you smothered out the glow I grew for you | But it was mine too

nancy wheeler | the great impersonator

I'm lying in a car crash | In a pile of broken glass | It's funny how it looks like glitter from the overpass | I'm in a pick-up truck, the door is stuck, I'm sinking in the water | And the girl inside is waving, but the people just applaud her

max mayfield | alice of the upper class

Where's the fun in doing well? | The good girls never kiss and tell | Not the smart ass, white trash bitches in the first class | Well, that's American dreamin' in a nutshell | You gotta get me off this plane | The flight attendant said my name | The captain said, "You better buckle up | 'Cause you're headed to hell in the fast lane"

[roanofarcc]

I FUCKING KNEW IT

[roanofarcc]

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER SEVENTY → GOD LOVES YOU, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU

summary: steve harrington x oc - read on Ao3

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown.

word count. 6.8k || masterlist

warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.

previous chapter ← → next chapter

tag list: @leptitlu, @sattlersquarry, @adaydreamaway30, @somethingnonenatural

Tamera didn’t necessarily believe in God, even though she had grown up inside the little white church in Hawkins alongside most of her classmates. She felt like an outsider inside the building, like the pictures of Jesus on the stained glass windows knew she didn’t belong in a place that holy. After countless arguments with her mom, she only had to attend on Christmas and Easter, but it still felt like the building itself didn’t want her inside it. 

Since last summer, Tamera felt a deeper disconnect to a lot of things, but especially the church. It felt better, safer not to believe in anything when alternate dimensions existed where monsters lived. If that existed, how could God? 

She kept that to herself, obviously. If her mom knew she didn’t believe, the wrath of a freshly divorced woman down on her luck was not something Tamera wanted to face. That, and she had signed NDA’s after Starcourt that stopped her from spilling any otherworldly and government secrets to anyone not involved. Instead, she kept it all in her chest, swirling with an old wrongness she was scared the wrong person would clock, ruining the thin veil she hid behind. 

Since her dad had moved out, Tamera found herself not fighting her mom on most things, not wanting to add to the grief. As much as she wanted to stay with Robin and the group to help get to the bottom of Hawkins' newest and oldest monster, she had to accompany her mom and siblings to some bullshit town hall meeting the Hawkins P.D. decided to host after it was revealed that morning that another teen was found dead. 

Unfortunately, the cops had finally released the name of who they suspected was behind the string of gruesome murderers, plastering Eddie’s name at the forefront of every resident’s mind. 

Inside the stuffy townhall, Tamera had to bite her lip to keep herself from standing up and screaming the Eddie Munson was innocent and that the real murderer was some horrific monster that crept inside vulnerable teens’ minds, berated them with nightmares, then either broke their bones and gouged out their eyes or promised to do so eventually if they were lucky enough to narrowly escape. 

Not that anyone would believe her if she did say something, but it was driving her up the wall as she sat there. 

Tamera could still hear the screams of Sunshine from yesterday inside the Creel house. She had followed the others into the attic that they deemed to be Vecna’s lair, but the awful cries of Sunshine from the floor below bled through the wooden floorboards. 

There was a sick part of her that wanted to know what Sunshine had seen. She had no intention of asking, but a morbid curiosity ate at her all night as they took turns keeping an eye on Max and Sunshine. What if Vecna started to come after the rest of them? Tamera wanted to know what nightmare to expect being fed just in case. 

“How long have you known Eddie Munson was killing kids?” An older woman stood at a single microphone set up to allow the two officers on stage to field questions from concerned residents. A line formed behind her, all with people bubbling with anger and fear over what was happening, once again, in their town. They all were so clueless, completely unknowing as to what was really going on. 

“It was his trailer where Chrissy was killed,” the woman continued. “You expect us to believe that he was just made a suspect this morning?” 

The newly appointed sheriff, Powell, spoke clearly and confidently into the mic, even though Tamera knew the man had no clue what was happening right under his nose. The only officer who did was Hopper, and that was another open wound Hawkins was trying to heal from. 

“We had been following several leads, and Eddie was one of them. Now, we are doing everything in our power to find him.” The crowd began talking over each other, their voices echoing off the walls like breaking glass in Tamera’s ears. “In the meantime,” he said. “For your safety, we will be enforcing a strict curfew-” 

The people lost it. The woman at the mic was the loudest among them. “That’s your solution? To hide from him?” 

Someone else in the crowd shouted, “We’re already doing that. It’s been days!” 

“Tell us why he’s not behind bars, right now!” another person yelled. 

Sinking down in her plastic chair, Tamera watched the hands on the clock slowly tick by. The only saving grace of the meeting was that nearly everyone concerned with the recent murders was packed into that room and not outside, where they could find Eddie. The whole group was bought a little more time, but people were angry and in desperate want of answers, even if they had to find them themselves. 

Eddie was the object of their fear and anger, which would not bode well for him if anyone managed to find him before they slayed the monster. It was easy to pin it all on him. His trailer was the first murder scene. If it had happened in a nice house, on a nice street, with a nice kid, there would have been more questions and not an immediate pointing to Eddie. But he was a super-senior who lived in a trailer park, wore dark clothes, and smoked weed in the woods. He was what the parents of Hawkins didn’t want their kids to become. That made it all too easy to paint him as some monster, even though he just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

No one seemed to stop and think about how one teenage boy committed multiple crimes so grotesque. Even if Tamera wasn’t in the loop on Vecna, she liked to think she’d have more sense than to not question how Eddie could have done it and why. No one seemed to care, though. They wanted someone to be held responsible. 

“I understand you all are upset,” Powell said in an attempt to hush the crowd. “But I promise you, we will find him.” 

The doors were swung open with enough force to draw everyone’s attention before a voice cut through the crowd. “No.” Basketball captain and boyfriend of Chrissy, Jason, stood in the middle of his basketball cronies. They all were clad in their lettermen's and looked dishelved, or maybe like they hadn’t slept much. 

“You won’t find him,” Jason said. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t keep listening to these lies and excuses.” 

Powell sighed at the podium on stage, mirroring the team’s tiredness in his own way. “That’s enough-” 

“I agree! It is enough. I think we’ve all had enough.” Jason was immediately a clear hit with the crowd. They applauded his words as Tamera cringed, wishing the ground would swallow her whole at that moment. She knew she was gaining valuable information that Eddie and the group would need if they were going to continue to evade the angry residents of Hawkins while they hunted Vecna, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. 

Jason looked around the crowd, and for a split second, Tamera swore he caught her eye before he continued to sweep the rows of people. 

“Last night, I saw things I can’t explain,” he said. A coldness crept down Tamera’s spine as Jason took the mic, not addressing the police but rather the audience. “I saw things the police don’t want to believe, and things I, myself, don’t want to believe. But I know what I saw, and I’ve come to accept an awful truth.” Everyone was quiet as they listened. Tamera swallowed thickly as her heart hammered under the thick fabric of her sweater. “These murders are ritualistic sacrifices!” 

Murmurs erupted as Tamera furrowed her brows, confused. It was like a fire had blown in, spreading and encasing nearly every member of the meeting. The flames licked Tamera’s legs, but she knew better than to buy the heat. 

“We’ve all heard how satanic cults are spreading through the country like some disease, and Eddie Munson, he’s the leader of one of these cults. A cult that operates right here in Hawkins.” 

That was such bullshit, and Tamera wanted to say so right to Jason’s face, but she couldn’t. She was clearly outnumbered. The whole ‘satanic panic’ was bullshit, she thought. It did the same thing nearly everyone in the room was doing, targeting someone who didn’t fit into the conventional. Rock bands and wizards hardly seemed like a threat when their own ex-mayor sold out to the Russian government and their government green-lit experiments on kidnapped children. No one paid attention to the real issues, only fabricated ones that were being used as a distraction. 

Jason continued in his ranting. “The mall fire. All of those unexplained deaths throughout the years. People coming back from the dead,” he listed. “Some people say our town is cursed; they just don’t know why. But now we do.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper before smoothing it out and flashing it to the crowd. 

The paper held a photograph Nancy had taken of the Hellfire Club at the start of the school year, as she had done with all of the clubs for different spreads in the school paper. Eddie stood proudly in the middle of the group, their leader. At his sides were other friends of Calum’s that Tamera had gotten to know over the last four years, and the newest members of the club: Dustin, Lucas, and Mike. 

Instead of keeping the target on Eddie’s back, he made sure the younger boys were involved as well, like they didn’t have enough on their plate. Lucas and Dustin were busy trying to keep the world from ending and their friends from dying. 

The Hellfire Club was a bunch of nerds playing make-believe. Anyone with half a brain should have known that. 

“That’s bullshit!” She turned around in her seat to see Lucas’s little sister, Erica, standing up bravely in the crowd. “Hellfire’s not a cult; it’s s club for nerds!” At her side, her mom pulled her back down into her seat, worry shining in the woman’s eyes as people side-eyed her daughter and passed around a photo of her son. 

As Tamera continued to look around, she found a similar worry on the faces of Mike and Dustin’s moms, as well, as their sons became among the second most wanted people in Hawkins. 

“A club?” Jason scoffed in Erica’s direction. “A harmless club. That’s what they want you to think! But it’s a lie designed to conceal the truth. This cult is now hiding its leader, Eddie, and allowing him to continue his rampage,” he said. “Last night, I became overpowered with this feeling of hopelessness before I remembered Romans 12:21. ‘Do not be overcome by evil. But overcome evil with good.’ And God knows there’s good in this town! There’s so much good, right here in this very room.” 

Tamera watched as everyone fell for his words that led them down a dangerous rabbit hole, using scripture to spin the truth. He stood like a preacher at the front of the room, blabbering on while evil lurked just outside, not in the form of a cult. 

“So, I came here to humbly ask for your help. Join me in this fight and let's cast out this evil. Let’s save Hawkins, together!” 

As if Jason even knew what it meant to save Hawkins. No, but the three kids in the poster he waved around did. And if history continued to repeat itself, they’d do it again with no help from anyone else in town. 

The crowd was quiet for a moment as they soaked in his words, his request. For a second, Tamera thought maybe they’d come to their sense and question what was really going on. That, of course, didn’t happen, though, as a burley man stood up from the crowd and started walking toward the exit. People watched as he paused before the door, turning around to look back at everyone. 

“What are y’all just sittin’ around for? You heard the kid.” He pushed open the door and walked out before others started to follow, their fire of righteousness burning brightly and wrong. They were after the wrong thing, angry at the wrong person. 

Jason had started a witch hunt, giving them the fire to light their torches with; Tamera feared they wouldn’t stop until the whole town was burned to the ground in pursuit of the Hellfire club. 

Snatching her bag from the floor, she threw it over her shoulder and started to weave through the crowd, ignoring the call of her mom for once. She couldn’t just go home; she had to warn the others quickly. If there was an angry mob forming, maybe Tamera could get ahead of it and help the group come up with another game plan or help them speed up their process of killing Vecna and returning Hawkins to semi-normal, at least for a couple more months. 

However, she didn’t even make it past three rows of chairs before a hand caught her elbow, spinning her around. She came face-to-face with Jason, who was a little sweaty and breathless with a wild look in his eyes that was unbecoming of such a Hawkins poster child. 

Tamera stumbled back as he let her elbow go. 

“Your friend, Calum, he was in this cult too,” Jason said, lowly. 

“He was in the club,” she quickly corrected. “Before he moved away last summer.” 

His jaw ticked before he said, “Are you going to help us?” 

She had a white-knuckled grip on her backpack but tried not to let her nervousness show through. “Oh, I’m actually booked with another angry mob this afternoon, but maybe next time.” She tried to leave, but he grabbed her once more, earning a disgruntled sigh from Tamera. His grip wasn’t hard or painful; it was desperate if anything. 

“Chrissy is dead-” 

“And I am sorry.” Tamera had liked the preppy cheerleader, and she did feel for Jason. Chrissy had been way too young to die, especially in such a terrible way. But hunting down Eddie wouldn’t bring her back. “But you’ve got this situation all wrong.” 

Jason took a step back, his pale face flickering with simmering rage and twisted grief. He looked like he wanted to say more, but his friends beckoned him out to the parking lot. He didn’t spare her another glance as he left. Tamera shook off the interaction, only to find another person who had been waiting right behind Jason, looking right at Tamera. 

“You were there last summer,” Erica Sinclair said matter-of-factly. “You stayed with Dustin, Leia, and me at the radio with your weird friend. Is this…” she trailed off, looking side to side as if she was nervous to say more. 

Slowly, Tamera nodded. Erica hummed. “Lucas is in so much trouble. He’s friends with those loser-jocks. They came to our house lookin’ for him, but he’s been staying at the Wheelers, according to my mom. I didn’t tell Jason that, though.” 

“Jason, he’s a problem, but not our biggest one at the moment.” Erica’s expression flickered, and Tamera suddenly remembered she was talking to someone barely in middle school. “But we’re working on taking care of it. Your brother and all of his friends are.” 

Erica rocked back in her polished shoes, lips pursed before steely determination sat in. “I can help.” 

Tamera had a feeling no one in the group wanted to drag in anyone else, especially not Erica, again. “Do you have a walkie?” Erica nodded. “If we need backup, you’ll be the first one we call, okay?” The young girl sighed but nodded before her parents called her over. She bid Tamera goodbye, allowing her to finally bolt from the town hall. 

The parking lot was full of people beginning to rally together, conversing about the best course of action to take to hunt down Eddie. She was surprised they didn’t already have pitchforks in the beds of their pickups for an occasion just like that one. 

The people of Hawkins were ready to burn Eddie Munson at the stake; Tamera just needed to find him before they did. 

→←

Worry ping-ponged between the group as they hiked through the woods on their way to where Eddie and Calum were hiding, Skull Rock. The two had taken off there after Reefer Rick’s place was compromised, just before Eddie’s name was released to the public as the person of interest for the string of murders. 

Steve tried to keep his focus, but it was nearly impossible since what had happened at the Creel House to Sunshine. Since she had snapped out of Vecna’s hold, she hadn’t said a word. She simply went through the motions with a far-off look in her eyes and trembling hands. 

She had always been good at faking that she was all right and putting on a brave face, even if Steve could almost always see through it. That time, however, was different. Whatever Vecna showed her was horrible enough to suspend her in a daze. 

They all felt the weight of her quietness, saw the distance in her bloodshot eyes. Sunshine often acted as the glue that held them together, even when things looked bleak. Steve didn’t realize how strong that feeling was until they were without it. And it wasn’t fair to expect that of her, Steve knew that. He didn’t want that to even be the case, to put that kind of pressure on her to keep them level-headed and optimistic; it was just how Sunshine was and how he always remembered her being.  

Headphones rested on her ears as music hummed through them. He noticed her fingers starting to scratch the tattoo on her wrist, so he gently took her hand, intertwining their fingers as they continued their hike. She was still tense, like every muscle in her body had been pulled like a rubber band, but she sent him a small smile and squeezed his hand. 

Despite Dustin insisting that they were heading in the wrong direction because of his compass, they made it to Skull Rock in record time. Steve didn’t need a compass to know where the odd rock formation was, nor did he need Dustin buzzing in his ear. 

They passed off the food and beer they bought to Eddie and Calum, who sat underneath the rock and started to pig out between the explanation of what happened the night prior when Patrick became Vecna’s next victim. 

Steve somewhat knew the kid; he joined the basketball team during Steve’s last year. He was a good kid and an even better basketball player. It was another terrible, unfair death. No one deserved to die like that, especially not a bunch of seemingly normal kids with their share of problems. 

“Patrick and Jason chased me into the lake. Then it happened, just like Chrissy. Partick was just…just floating there before he…” Eddie trailed off, taking a swing of beer before he hastily wiped his mouth. “Jason was freaked, and I was able to swim back to shore. I tried to call you guys, but my walkie was busted, totally drenched. So I did the thing I do now, apparently. I ran.” 

Calum frowned, his knees pulled up to his chest, and dark circles that matched Eddie’s under his eyes. “Yeah, well, watching someone die has that effect on people, dude,” he said, somewhat reassuringly. “Jason didn’t know I was there; I was looking for something to eat inside the house when they showed up. I tried to call you guys too, but no one at the Wheelers’ picked up. After Eddie swam back, we figured the woods were our best bet to hide until the morning, when we could get a hold of you guys.” 

“Do you know what time this attack was?” asked Nancy. 

“I know exactly what time it was.” Eddie yanked off his wristwatch and tossed it to Nancy. “My walkie wasn’t the only thing that got soaked.” 

“9:27,” she read off the watch. “Sunshine snaps out of Vecna’s trance, then the flashlights lead up to the attic.” 

Peering over Nancy’s shoulder at the watch, Robin nodded. “The lights went kablooey at that time on the dot.” 

“That surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick from the attic of the Creel house, just on the other side, in the Upside Down.” 

“I don’t get it,” Lucas said. He looked tired too, after Max, Sunshine, and then the death of his friend. Steve hated it, seeing any of the kids look too old as worry and grief plagued them. “Vecna goes after Sunshine, but he’s not the attic when he does it. Then, she snaps out of it, and he decides to move to the attic to attack Patrick instead. If he already had Sunshine, why wasn’t he in the attic to begin with, and why did he decide to jump ship so fast?” 

Still holding onto Steve’s hand, Sunshine cleared her throat, having removed her headphones when they arrived at Skull Rock. For the first time that day, she spoke. “I don’t think he wanted to kill me. Not right there, at least. Not yet.” There was still a far-off look in her glassy eyes as she stared at the ground. 

On the other side of Sunshine, Kali stood with her arms over her chest and rigid. “Do you have any idea why?”

In the couple of days Steve had known Kali, she had been closed-off and standoff-ish, like she wasn’t sure what to make of all of them. Yet, since Sunshine was caught by Vecna, Steve noticed a distinct softness that crept into her voice and posture whenever she either talked to or about Sunshine. 

Sunshine trusted her, and after Kali had worked quickly to load up Sunshine’s Walkman while the rest of them stood around confused and sick with worry, Steve began to like the girl, even if she still scared him. 

There was a brief pause before Sunshine replied, “He said he wanted to show me the truth.” 

“What truth?” asked Max. 

Sunshine sucked in a deep breath, like she was preparing herself for whatever explanation she was about to give. She held onto Steve’s hand even tighter, her knuckles turning white. 

“We thought Vecna disappeared after the Creels and didn’t show back up until now. But he was here in between the two. He did this again, after the Creel family.” Each word came out of her mouth like she was talking through broken glass, sharp and painful. 

With a shake of her head, Nancy said, “But we searched through every news report since the Creels. There was no other mention of more murders, even a little similar. Hawkins is small. If something like this happened between then and now, even to one person, someone would have reported it, right?” 

Sunshine winced. “No one is going to report the murders of children they stole.” 

The entire group stilled, understanding falling over them like bricks. 

“The Lab?” Steve’s voice came out soft but surprised. 

With a sniffle, Sunshine nodded. “I thought, for the longest time, that it was all Brenner and…and Miller.” Steve glanced over at Calum, who ducked his head at the mention of his father. “I thought they had pushed the rest of the kids too far that their bodies gave out. For some of them, that was the case, but not all of them. In one night, Vecna attacked them all. Expect El and me. Even soldiers, doctors, and anyone else who was unlucky enough to be there. They were…he showed me the aftermath of it.” 

Tears welled up in Sunshine's eyes, a couple escaping down her cheeks. Steve wrapped her up in his arms, wishing he could do anything to make it hurt less. She held onto him tightly, like the toll of what she’d seen plucked the energy right out of her body. 

“But you didn’t know?” asked Kali. 

Sunshine shook her head as she turned to the side to speak. “That’s what I’d been looking for, the biggest missing piece in my memories. All of the time missing in my head. Things had started coming back after Starcourt, but never what actually happened that night.” 

“What made you and El different?” Nancy pondered, tapping her chin in thought. 

As if the Lab wasn’t already a horror story in itself, the addition of Vecna having been there too solidified the true nightmare that place had been. He wished the building that still stood in the woods would burn to the ground. 

Sunshine continued, “He mentioned the two of us by name when he spoke to Ivy that night. She said she’d never join him. For what, I don’t know. But Ivy told him neither would El nor I.” 

Like a lightbulb going off, Lucas’s head snapped up from where he’d been staring at the ground. “He’s recruiting you.” 

A chill ran down Steve’s spine at the kid’s words, his grip on Sunshine tightening just slightly. 

“I wasn’t there, in the Rainbow Room, when it happened,” she said between sniffles. “I-I don’t know where El was. Vecna thought all of them, all of these little kids, were weak and that they’d never realize what they were fully capable of. Ivy, she used to tell us stories of what life would be like when we eventually got out. She told us about friends and family and all of these things beyond our abilities that we could have and do. That’s why he k-killed her.” Sunshine’s voice flickered between sadness and anger the longer she spoke. “He told me last night that I was infected too, but there was still time.” 

“He really killed them all?” Kali’s fists were clenched at her sides, growing tighter as Sunshine nodded slowly. Since she had joined them, Kali was a brooding force, quiet but a large presence in her stillness and observation. So it was shocking to Steve when she suddenly roared in anger and kicked the nearest thing to her combat boot, which happened to be a fallen pinecone. It launched toward Eddie, who ducked out of the way with wide eyes. 

Sunshine unwrapped her arms from around Steve and moved to her long-lost sister, approaching with slight caution. Before she could say anything, however, Kali said, “I told the police.” Her nostrils flared as she spoke. “I told them, but of course they never believed me. No one ever believed me!" she said, her voice rising. "I-I thought about coming back, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t come back and risk…” Kali trailed off for a moment, her short frame swallowed by her leather jacket, looking smaller. “I never wanted to come back here. I never wanted to end up back there. I wanted to face Brenner and Miller on my terms. After a while, I thought, I-I hoped that everyone else escaped too.” 

The ex-gang member and superpowered young adult didn’t look as intimidating as she had. She started to crack, her dark eyes welling up with tears, and her lips were downturned, not in a scowl but rather in a frown. “I didn’t know…” A cry broke apart her sentence. She covered her mouth with her hand and squeezed her eyes closed, like she was trying to make herself stop crying. 

Sunshine looked as surprised as the rest of them, but that didn’t stop her from placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She curled her fingers around the fabric of Kali’s jacket in comfort, giving Kali what she needed to crash into Sunshine, crying into her sister’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” Kali mumbled. “I never listened to Luke and Leia when they suggested coming back to help the others. I couldn’t do it. I was scared .” 

Steve had just scratched the surface of understanding the kind of guilt Sunshine carried on her shoulders, even though he never believed anything that happened inside the Lab was even remotely her fault. Luke, Leia, and El held it too; you could see it in their eyes and how it sometimes weighed down on their shoulders. Kali had it too. It was all so unfair. None of them deserved to feel like that, like it was their responsibility for what happened. Steve certainly couldn’t blame Kali for not wanting to return to somewhere as awful as the Lab after escaping. She was young and scared, in charge of two younger kids who weren’t her responsibility. 

While Kali couldn’t have picked a worse time to check out Hawkins post-Lab, Steve was glad she and Sunshine were reunited. There were things he could never understand about her, but she had someone who could, and vice versa. 

If she wanted to stick around, their weird little group would certainly welcome her with open arms. Steve could already see Max take an interest in her, and he thought Mike would like Kali’s dark makeup and leather jacket combo. 

Sunshine hugged Kali as she said, “You shouldn’t be sorry. It’s not your fault.” 

The sister stayed like that for a couple more moments before Kali’s cries subsided. She wiped her cheeks and stepped back, trying to regain her composure. 

Sunshine wiped her own few tears, but rolled her shoulders back instead of shrinking back into herself. She gazed around the group, something flickering in her golden eyes. “Vecna may be trying to use what happened to get to me. But it won’t work,” she said, like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone. 

“We know where and how he attacks,” Nancy piped up, breaking the bubble between the group to refocus them. 

“Yeah. We just have to sneak into his lair in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart,” said Max. 

Steve furrowed his brows. “Stake. Like a vamp…is he a vampire?” In all honesty, he was still confused as to what the hell Vecna even was. All he knew was that he and everyone else wanted it dead; everything else was fuzzy. 

Max shot him a look. “It’s a metaphor.” 

“Bullets should work on this thing, right?” asked Eddie. 

Lucas pursed his lips. “I say we chop his head off.” 

Nancy sighed. “All of the above would be great, if we knew how to get into the Upside Down.” 

“We need El and her powers back,” Max said with a huff, missing one of her best friends. 

“Wait, what can you do?” Lucas asked Kali. “Could you open a Gate like El could?” 

“I’m not like Ja…El. I can only make people see things that aren’t there. Illusions.” 

“Yeah, just like this Vecna dude.” Calum once again made the mistake of opening his mouth. It felt wrong not having Tamera there to slap or glare at the boy. She and Calum hadn’t been on speaking terms since he moved at the end of last summer. And she was called away by her mom that morning to attend some town hall meeting the police department was hosting. 

Kali’s jaw ticked at his words, and her eyes narrowed just slightly before Calum let out a startled yelp and fell to the ground. He started to swat at his clothing like something was on him. “Not again!” 

It only lasted a couple more seconds before he stopped flailing his limbs, and Kali wiped a drop of blood from her nose. 

“Not like Vecna,” she snapped. “Not exactly, at least.” 

“Cool,” Lucas said with a nod of approval at her superpowers. “But that’s not gonna help us get into the Upside Down.” 

“As much as I wanna know what the hell just happened,” Eddie started, eyes locked on a pacing Dustin who had been uncharacteristically quiet since they arrived at Skull Rock and Steve proved him wrong. Dustin's attention was on his compass, and he was muttering under his breath. “I’m more worried about Henderson being cursed now.” 

Dustin stopped and looked pointedly at Steve, waving around his compass. “I was right!” 

“About?” 

“Skull Rock was north.” 

Steve groaned loudly. He could not deal with another argument when he was clearly right. “Are you serious right now? This is Skull Rock!” They were looking at the damn thing! “You’re totally, one hundred perfect wrong. Like, right now. You’re wrong!” 

Dustin just grinned, and Steve seriously thought about throwing the nearest thing he could get his hands on at the kid’s head. “Yes. And no.” 

“Oh my god!” 

“Just listen! This compass worked correctly when we left the Wheelers. It was correct in the car on Kerley. But it started to slip the further east we went. Now, it’s way off,” he said. “When I was leading us here, I wasn’t wrong; the compass was.” 

“So, you’re using faulty equipment. You’re still wrong, dude.” 

“Ah,” Dustin held up a finger. “Except it isn’t faulty. Lucas, do you remember what can affect a compass?” 

It only took him a second to answer. “An electromagnetic field.” 

“Exactly! In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect toward that power. So, either there's some super big magnet around here or…” 

“Or there’s a Gate!” Lucas finished Dustin’s sentence, the boys riding the same wavelength as usual. 

“But we’re nowhere near the Lab,” said Nancy. 

Dustin nodded. “Right. But what if, somehow, there’s another Gate? A Gate that we don’t know about. It would have to be smaller and way less powerful, but still a possible way in.” 

“Like when Will and Barb went missing,” Nancy gasped, eyes darting to Sunshine. “There was a small Gate in the woods we found.” 

Running a hand through his hair, Steve held back a sigh. He didn’t love the idea of random Gates popping up around Hawkins. If that was how Vecna was getting through, it stood to reason anything else in the Upside Down could get through as well. The last thing they needed was more monsters to deal with. 

“All I know is that something is causing this disturbance, and the last time we’ve seen anything like it, it was a Gate.” Dustin looked around the group, eagerness coming off of him in waves as he bounced on his feet, ready to follow his compass right to this supposed Gate. “This is how we find Vecna and free Max and Sunshine from his curse!” 

“Hold on,” Steve said, earning immediate slumped shoulders from Dustin. “Eddie is still a wanted man, remember? We can’t just go for a hike in the woods.” 

“This metal capsule may also be our last shot at clearing Eddie’s name. We can save everyone!” Dustin said. “What say you, Eddie the banished?” 

Taking another, long swing of beer, Eddie seemed to think his options over. “I say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor, which, if I’m totally honest with you, sounds like a really bad idea.” He paused, catching Calum’s gaze as the two had a silent exchange. “But the shire is burning so…” Eddie stood up and brushed the dirt from his jeans. “Mordor it is.” 

With that green light, Dustin took off, following his compass in a hurry. They all scrambled to follow him before finding a quick but steady pace through the woods. 

Steve found himself back at Sunshine’s side, drawn to her like a magnet. He held her hand as they stepped over broken tree limbs and weeds still dead from the winter, but that were trying to return in the springtime air. The sun just started to set, sinking slowly as they searched. 

“This is probably a dumb question,” he prefaced. “But are you okay?” 

She managed a small smile and answered, “I’m…tired.” 

Though he was expecting her to say something worse, it still made his chest ache. He lifted her joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “How about, after we kick this creep’s ass, we take a little break from Hawkins?” 

Steve had been thinking about leaving since he got his license at sixteen, before he knew anything about what lurked in and on the other side of Hawkins. The only thing keeping him was the people; they were the only good things about that place, but Steve didn’t want to stay there forever; he wouldn’t be able to stomach it. But the kids had just started high school, and they drew trouble like magnets, too. That, and Sunshine wasn’t ready to leave her mom and dad’s side yet. There was no way Steve would leave without Sunshine, obviously, so he’d wait for her to be ready. 

“Like a vacation?” 

“Sure. You still want to see the ocean?” 

She nodded, her golden eyes catching the sunlight, making them look ablaze. “That sounds nice.” No monsters or end of the world hanging over their head, just the two and them and the ocean. It sounded like a dream. 

Using his free hand, Steve brushed a few strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear. Sunshine gazed up at him through her lashes, making his heart skip a beat like some lovesick kid. Maybe he was entering adulthood, but he’d always be that little boy following Sunshine to the treetops, hand in hand. 

Darkness settled in all too quickly. Being in the woods at night unsettled Steve more than he cared to admit, and he knew he wasn’t alone. They all shifted closer together, walking in a tighter group than broken up in pairs. Luckily, Dustin broke through the thick of the woods not too long after nighttime fell, placing them on the shores of Lover’s Lake. 

“This is confounding,” he said, eyes flickering between the lake and his compass. 

“Here’s a Gate in Lover’s Lake?” asked Steve, scratching the back of his neck. That seemed like an impractical place for a monster to put a Gate, unless Vecna was some kind of great swimmer. 

“I guess that makes sense,” said Nancy, even though it only seemed to make sense to her. “Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it left an opening.” 

Somewhere in the woods nearby, sudden rustling started them. Those who had brought flashlights shone them in the direction of the noise as the rest of them held their breaths. The noise grew louder until a figure broke through the woods, earning a scream from a couple of members of the group. 

It wasn’t Vecna or a Demogorgon; it was just Tamera. Her curly hair looked like it had been through a wind turbine, and she was out of breath, bending over to place her hands on her knees. 

“Shit, Mara!” Calum yelled. 

“Hey,” she wheezed. 

Robin was quick to her side, in the least subtle way possible, placing a hand on Tamera’s back with concern etched on her face. Steve wanted to tease her so bad but refrained since they weren’t alone. He’d put it in his pocket for later, when the world wasn’t on the verge of ending, again. 

“What are you doing?” Nancy asked. “How’d you even find us?” 

“I was looking everywhere, but you assholes kept moving and I’m not as coordinated as I look.” She stood upright, shooting Robin a small smile before a more serious look befell her face. “You guys are in deep shit.” 

Steve sighed. “Yeah, we know-” 

“No, you don’t,” she cut him off quickly. “I’m not talking about this monster/wizard thing. I’m talking about Jason, who showed up to the town meeting and rallied everyone against the Hellfire Club. He and his goons passed out posters with your guys’ faces all over them, claiming you were members of some bullshit, satan-worshipping cult that was behind everything bad that has ever happened in Hawkins.” 

Dustin and Lucas exchanged worried looks, as Calum and Eddie did the same. 

Tamera continued. “Eddie’s supposedly the leader, and everyone else in the club is helping him carry out his sacrifices or some shit. Which means, half of the town is roaming the streets looking for you guys. It’s a goddamn witch hunt, people!” 

If Steve knew anything about the people of Hawkins, it was that they didn’t often get passionate about something, but when they did, they didn’t know when to stop. When you brought God into the mix, it was bound to be a disaster. If only they knew what was really going on, they’d lose their minds for sure. 

“Shit,” Lucas groaned. 

“Yeah, shit,” Dustin mimicked. “But that’s a problem for tomorrow. We’re here now, and there’s a Gate somewhere out there!” He pointed to the dark lake that had never looked more menacing to Steve. 

“Dustin’s right,” said Nancy. “If we don’t stop Vecna, the attacks will keep happening, and it’ll keep getting pinned on Eddie and the rest of Hellfire. If Vecna works the same way the Demogorgon did, then our entrance into the Upside Down is out there…somewhere.”

They all stared out at the dark expanse of Lover's Lake; Steve had a feeling another long night was brewing for them.

[roanofarcc]

Could you do a sasappis x ghost reader fic where the reader is attached to an old dress (or anything object of your choosing, in my mind it was readers fav thing in life and then got attached to it somehow) that’s from an antique store? Like Sam went to an antique store maybe to buy something for the b&b and she saw the reader and talked to her and was like “hey do you wanna come with me to make new friends?” Or something like that (sorry this is so long and specific) and maybe make it a series if you’d be cool with that?

this is such a good idea!! thx for the request!

•••

THREADBARE ATTACHMENTS

pairing. sasappis x ghost!reader

summary. when sam stumbles upon your ghost in a vintage shop, she offers to bring you to a less lonely home.

a/n. would love to make this a series of blurbs like my ghost bride!reader series!

masterlist

The smell of dust stained your nose, a perceptual scent that lingered in the vintage shop for as long as you could remember. The place was always quiet, even when patrons shopped about with curious eyes as they gazed at the past in the form of little trinkets.

You spent your time at the shop, not because you had died there, but because you were one of the few ghosts whose soul was tied to an object rather than a place.

Much to your disappointment, the only ghosts in the shop with you were an old woman who had technically passed away upstairs in what was once an apartment, a ghost cat who spent its days hissing at the cashier, no matter who was on shift, and a grumpy man. The man hated talking to anyone and spent his time sulking and complaining about what had happened to his shop. The old woman spent most of her time upstairs. And the cat was not pleasant company most of the time, but he was someone to talk to when you grew impossibly bored.

Your afterlife was dull. Day after day, you longed for someone to purchase the dress you were tied to, but it was always overlooked due to it being stuck in a corner. You roamed the shop or sat on the curb outside, wishing you could see something, anything new.

Your luck turned one afternoon, when a blonde woman strode into the vintage shop with a man on her arm, smiling sweetly at each other as they pursued the various oddities that held history so thick you could smell it.

As you sat on an old armchair, you watched them with the same curiosity you always did, drinking up the different view to entertain yourself.

The blonde woman passed by the armchair and offered you a polite smile. You furrowed your brows but brushed it off, assuming she had just seen something on the wall behind you that made her smile. You began following her, however, just to see what the couple was looking for in the organized mess.

As you lingered close, the woman suddenly turned around, looking you right in the eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but faltered as her eyes flickered down to the outfit you were wearing. The dress you were tied to was also on your ghostly body, untouched by the years as the physical dress was. Its colors weren't dull or weathered, nor were wrinkles and hand-sewn rips mended. The dress looked as it had when you received it as a gift.

"You're a ghost, aren't you?" the woman said, voice quiet.

You blinked in surprise as the man at her side paused his searching.

"Oh, cool. There's a ghost in here?" he looked past you, as everyone always did, but not the blonde woman.

"Can you see me?" you asked, confused as to how that was possible. She seemed very much alive, unlike yourself.

She nodded. "I'm Sam. I, well, I had a bit of an accident and hit my head. Since then, I've been able to see ghosts, and boy, are you guys everywhere."

That sounded wonderful, being able to go anywhere and see so many different ghosts. You knew you shouldn't complain; technically, you could travel where other ghosts couldn't. But for years, you'd been stuck in the vintage shop and surrounding area, as far as your tether would allow. You long for conversation, for new people and fresh eyes.

You introduced yourself and learned that Sam lived with a group of ghosts at her inherited mansion. She was still learning how to live with ghosts and being able to see them without seeming like she was crazy. Her husband, Jay, couldn't see ghosts, but he acted like he could in his interactions. You found the couple fascinating.

"Your ghosts all died at your house?" you asked.

"Yep, or on the property." She hesitated, and you assumed she wanted to ask about your death but was deciding against it quickly. You could see how it could be a taboo topic for most ghosts, but your death was not tragic, other than the way death itself can be. It was a simple accident.

"I didn't die here, if that's what you want to know," you said, saving Sam from having to ask.

Her eyes widened slightly. "You can travel?"

"Sort of." You led them to your dress and explained how where it went, you did.

"Oh, we had a ghost like that once," Sam said. "Kind of, anyway. She was attached to a car, though." You hummed, intrigued by the kind of life she lived. "How long have you been here?"

You blew some air from your cheeks and slumped back down in the armchair. "Too long. It has terrible company. The only two other ghosts don't talk much, and the cat is an asshole most of the time."

"That sounds lonely," Sam said with a frown.

You shrugged. "I guess it could be worse. I'm just waiting for someone to buy the dress and take me somewhere new. Even if it's shoved in an attic again, at least I can look at something other than these knick-knacks."

A small gasp left Sam's lips, alerting her husband. "What is it?" he wondered.

"Get your wallet! We're buying the dress." Sam pointed at your dress before her eyes fell back onto you. "If that's okay with you, of course."

You jumped up from the air, practically toppling over in pure shock. "You want to buy the dress?"

Sam's face was soft, friendly. You couldn't remember the last time someone looked at you with an expression like that. "I have a house full of ghosts who would love some new company. They can be a lot, but they mean well, most of the time. And I think they'd like you."

You couldn't have agreed quicker if you tried.

Woodstone was beautiful in the way a lot of items at the shop were beautiful. It was a clash of present day and of another time more familiar to you. Oldness crept out from the edges, but it smelled like lavender and baked goods.

You were positively giddy as you stepped inside, eyes darting all around. You only got as far as the front room before a small army of people hurried in, all plucked from different times. Their clothing gave them away, like a rainbow of the past to the present.

“Who’s the new girl?” a man with a severe lack of pants asked, looking you over with curiosity.

“Hi!” you greeted, unable to contain your excitement. The ghosts all flinched, surprised at your acknowledgment of them.

“The newest member of Woodstone!”

Their voices all overlapped with questions, which quickly was overwhelming due to being alone and in the quiet for ages. It must’ve shown on your face because one of the ghosts, in a pretty purple dress rolled her eyes before she said, “Can y’all hush! You’re going to scare her off.”

Once they were settled, they each introduced themselves before it was your turn. You offered the same brief explanation you gave Sam; which only slightly satisfied their curiosity.

Sam showed you to a nice room and hung up your dress before leaving you to get acquainted with the place.

The room had a large window that overlooked the backyard. You could have spent hours just staring at the nature that replaced the view of parking lot in the shop. Birds flew from the trees and the sky started to turn orange as the sun set.

“Knock knock.”

You spun around at the voice, meeting the gaze of one of the ghosts you had just met, who introduced himself at Sasappis.

“Oh, hi.”

He looked nice, from what you could tell. He stood fidgeting with his hands in the doorway, a small smile on his face. You may have spent the last several years in the shop, but you weren’t clueless as to what a cute man looked like, even if they were few and far in between. Sasappis was very cute, with pieces of his hair braided and traditional clothing on his body. His eyes were soft and cheeks slightly pink in the setting sun light.

“I wanted to ask if you, if you weren’t busy, wanted a tour of the place. Not to brag, but I’ve been here the second longest,” he said, a casual shrug of his shoulders. “Which sounds like I’m calling myself old. I mean, I am old, but not physically. Wait, not like- I mean-“

You laughed, cutting off his rambling. “I would love a tour,” you answered sweetly.

He beamed, eyes crinkling as he did so.

You had a feeling a Woodstone was going to be a new adventure for many reasons, and you couldn’t wait.

[roanofarcc]

just 3 lesbians and a princess bathing in light

[roanofarcc]

anti-bylers are so funny to me bc like why the hell is mike acting like that then??

[roanofarcc]

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER SEVENTY → GOD LOVES YOU, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU

summary: steve harrington x oc - read on Ao3

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown.

word count. 6.8k || masterlist

warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.

previous chapter ← → next chapter

tag list: @leptitlu, @sattlersquarry, @adaydreamaway30, @somethingnonenatural

Tamera didn’t necessarily believe in God, even though she had grown up inside the little white church in Hawkins alongside most of her classmates. She felt like an outsider inside the building, like the pictures of Jesus on the stained glass windows knew she didn’t belong in a place that holy. After countless arguments with her mom, she only had to attend on Christmas and Easter, but it still felt like the building itself didn’t want her inside it. 

Since last summer, Tamera felt a deeper disconnect to a lot of things, but especially the church. It felt better, safer not to believe in anything when alternate dimensions existed where monsters lived. If that existed, how could God? 

She kept that to herself, obviously. If her mom knew she didn’t believe, the wrath of a freshly divorced woman down on her luck was not something Tamera wanted to face. That, and she had signed NDA’s after Starcourt that stopped her from spilling any otherworldly and government secrets to anyone not involved. Instead, she kept it all in her chest, swirling with an old wrongness she was scared the wrong person would clock, ruining the thin veil she hid behind. 

Since her dad had moved out, Tamera found herself not fighting her mom on most things, not wanting to add to the grief. As much as she wanted to stay with Robin and the group to help get to the bottom of Hawkins' newest and oldest monster, she had to accompany her mom and siblings to some bullshit town hall meeting the Hawkins P.D. decided to host after it was revealed that morning that another teen was found dead. 

Unfortunately, the cops had finally released the name of who they suspected was behind the string of gruesome murderers, plastering Eddie’s name at the forefront of every resident’s mind. 

Inside the stuffy townhall, Tamera had to bite her lip to keep herself from standing up and screaming the Eddie Munson was innocent and that the real murderer was some horrific monster that crept inside vulnerable teens’ minds, berated them with nightmares, then either broke their bones and gouged out their eyes or promised to do so eventually if they were lucky enough to narrowly escape. 

Not that anyone would believe her if she did say something, but it was driving her up the wall as she sat there. 

Tamera could still hear the screams of Sunshine from yesterday inside the Creel house. She had followed the others into the attic that they deemed to be Vecna’s lair, but the awful cries of Sunshine from the floor below bled through the wooden floorboards. 

There was a sick part of her that wanted to know what Sunshine had seen. She had no intention of asking, but a morbid curiosity ate at her all night as they took turns keeping an eye on Max and Sunshine. What if Vecna started to come after the rest of them? Tamera wanted to know what nightmare to expect being fed just in case. 

“How long have you known Eddie Munson was killing kids?” An older woman stood at a single microphone set up to allow the two officers on stage to field questions from concerned residents. A line formed behind her, all with people bubbling with anger and fear over what was happening, once again, in their town. They all were so clueless, completely unknowing as to what was really going on. 

“It was his trailer where Chrissy was killed,” the woman continued. “You expect us to believe that he was just made a suspect this morning?” 

The newly appointed sheriff, Powell, spoke clearly and confidently into the mic, even though Tamera knew the man had no clue what was happening right under his nose. The only officer who did was Hopper, and that was another open wound Hawkins was trying to heal from. 

“We had been following several leads, and Eddie was one of them. Now, we are doing everything in our power to find him.” The crowd began talking over each other, their voices echoing off the walls like breaking glass in Tamera’s ears. “In the meantime,” he said. “For your safety, we will be enforcing a strict curfew-” 

The people lost it. The woman at the mic was the loudest among them. “That’s your solution? To hide from him?” 

Someone else in the crowd shouted, “We’re already doing that. It’s been days!” 

“Tell us why he’s not behind bars, right now!” another person yelled. 

Sinking down in her plastic chair, Tamera watched the hands on the clock slowly tick by. The only saving grace of the meeting was that nearly everyone concerned with the recent murders was packed into that room and not outside, where they could find Eddie. The whole group was bought a little more time, but people were angry and in desperate want of answers, even if they had to find them themselves. 

Eddie was the object of their fear and anger, which would not bode well for him if anyone managed to find him before they slayed the monster. It was easy to pin it all on him. His trailer was the first murder scene. If it had happened in a nice house, on a nice street, with a nice kid, there would have been more questions and not an immediate pointing to Eddie. But he was a super-senior who lived in a trailer park, wore dark clothes, and smoked weed in the woods. He was what the parents of Hawkins didn’t want their kids to become. That made it all too easy to paint him as some monster, even though he just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

No one seemed to stop and think about how one teenage boy committed multiple crimes so grotesque. Even if Tamera wasn’t in the loop on Vecna, she liked to think she’d have more sense than to not question how Eddie could have done it and why. No one seemed to care, though. They wanted someone to be held responsible. 

“I understand you all are upset,” Powell said in an attempt to hush the crowd. “But I promise you, we will find him.” 

The doors were swung open with enough force to draw everyone’s attention before a voice cut through the crowd. “No.” Basketball captain and boyfriend of Chrissy, Jason, stood in the middle of his basketball cronies. They all were clad in their lettermen's and looked dishelved, or maybe like they hadn’t slept much. 

“You won’t find him,” Jason said. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t keep listening to these lies and excuses.” 

Powell sighed at the podium on stage, mirroring the team’s tiredness in his own way. “That’s enough-” 

“I agree! It is enough. I think we’ve all had enough.” Jason was immediately a clear hit with the crowd. They applauded his words as Tamera cringed, wishing the ground would swallow her whole at that moment. She knew she was gaining valuable information that Eddie and the group would need if they were going to continue to evade the angry residents of Hawkins while they hunted Vecna, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. 

Jason looked around the crowd, and for a split second, Tamera swore he caught her eye before he continued to sweep the rows of people. 

“Last night, I saw things I can’t explain,” he said. A coldness crept down Tamera’s spine as Jason took the mic, not addressing the police but rather the audience. “I saw things the police don’t want to believe, and things I, myself, don’t want to believe. But I know what I saw, and I’ve come to accept an awful truth.” Everyone was quiet as they listened. Tamera swallowed thickly as her heart hammered under the thick fabric of her sweater. “These murders are ritualistic sacrifices!” 

Murmurs erupted as Tamera furrowed her brows, confused. It was like a fire had blown in, spreading and encasing nearly every member of the meeting. The flames licked Tamera’s legs, but she knew better than to buy the heat. 

“We’ve all heard how satanic cults are spreading through the country like some disease, and Eddie Munson, he’s the leader of one of these cults. A cult that operates right here in Hawkins.” 

That was such bullshit, and Tamera wanted to say so right to Jason’s face, but she couldn’t. She was clearly outnumbered. The whole ‘satanic panic’ was bullshit, she thought. It did the same thing nearly everyone in the room was doing, targeting someone who didn’t fit into the conventional. Rock bands and wizards hardly seemed like a threat when their own ex-mayor sold out to the Russian government and their government green-lit experiments on kidnapped children. No one paid attention to the real issues, only fabricated ones that were being used as a distraction. 

Jason continued in his ranting. “The mall fire. All of those unexplained deaths throughout the years. People coming back from the dead,” he listed. “Some people say our town is cursed; they just don’t know why. But now we do.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper before smoothing it out and flashing it to the crowd. 

The paper held a photograph Nancy had taken of the Hellfire Club at the start of the school year, as she had done with all of the clubs for different spreads in the school paper. Eddie stood proudly in the middle of the group, their leader. At his sides were other friends of Calum’s that Tamera had gotten to know over the last four years, and the newest members of the club: Dustin, Lucas, and Mike. 

Instead of keeping the target on Eddie’s back, he made sure the younger boys were involved as well, like they didn’t have enough on their plate. Lucas and Dustin were busy trying to keep the world from ending and their friends from dying. 

The Hellfire Club was a bunch of nerds playing make-believe. Anyone with half a brain should have known that. 

“That’s bullshit!” She turned around in her seat to see Lucas’s little sister, Erica, standing up bravely in the crowd. “Hellfire’s not a cult; it’s s club for nerds!” At her side, her mom pulled her back down into her seat, worry shining in the woman’s eyes as people side-eyed her daughter and passed around a photo of her son. 

As Tamera continued to look around, she found a similar worry on the faces of Mike and Dustin’s moms, as well, as their sons became among the second most wanted people in Hawkins. 

“A club?” Jason scoffed in Erica’s direction. “A harmless club. That’s what they want you to think! But it’s a lie designed to conceal the truth. This cult is now hiding its leader, Eddie, and allowing him to continue his rampage,” he said. “Last night, I became overpowered with this feeling of hopelessness before I remembered Romans 12:21. ‘Do not be overcome by evil. But overcome evil with good.’ And God knows there’s good in this town! There’s so much good, right here in this very room.” 

Tamera watched as everyone fell for his words that led them down a dangerous rabbit hole, using scripture to spin the truth. He stood like a preacher at the front of the room, blabbering on while evil lurked just outside, not in the form of a cult. 

“So, I came here to humbly ask for your help. Join me in this fight and let's cast out this evil. Let’s save Hawkins, together!” 

As if Jason even knew what it meant to save Hawkins. No, but the three kids in the poster he waved around did. And if history continued to repeat itself, they’d do it again with no help from anyone else in town. 

The crowd was quiet for a moment as they soaked in his words, his request. For a second, Tamera thought maybe they’d come to their sense and question what was really going on. That, of course, didn’t happen, though, as a burley man stood up from the crowd and started walking toward the exit. People watched as he paused before the door, turning around to look back at everyone. 

“What are y’all just sittin’ around for? You heard the kid.” He pushed open the door and walked out before others started to follow, their fire of righteousness burning brightly and wrong. They were after the wrong thing, angry at the wrong person. 

Jason had started a witch hunt, giving them the fire to light their torches with; Tamera feared they wouldn’t stop until the whole town was burned to the ground in pursuit of the Hellfire club. 

Snatching her bag from the floor, she threw it over her shoulder and started to weave through the crowd, ignoring the call of her mom for once. She couldn’t just go home; she had to warn the others quickly. If there was an angry mob forming, maybe Tamera could get ahead of it and help the group come up with another game plan or help them speed up their process of killing Vecna and returning Hawkins to semi-normal, at least for a couple more months. 

However, she didn’t even make it past three rows of chairs before a hand caught her elbow, spinning her around. She came face-to-face with Jason, who was a little sweaty and breathless with a wild look in his eyes that was unbecoming of such a Hawkins poster child. 

Tamera stumbled back as he let her elbow go. 

“Your friend, Calum, he was in this cult too,” Jason said, lowly. 

“He was in the club,” she quickly corrected. “Before he moved away last summer.” 

His jaw ticked before he said, “Are you going to help us?” 

She had a white-knuckled grip on her backpack but tried not to let her nervousness show through. “Oh, I’m actually booked with another angry mob this afternoon, but maybe next time.” She tried to leave, but he grabbed her once more, earning a disgruntled sigh from Tamera. His grip wasn’t hard or painful; it was desperate if anything. 

“Chrissy is dead-” 

“And I am sorry.” Tamera had liked the preppy cheerleader, and she did feel for Jason. Chrissy had been way too young to die, especially in such a terrible way. But hunting down Eddie wouldn’t bring her back. “But you’ve got this situation all wrong.” 

Jason took a step back, his pale face flickering with simmering rage and twisted grief. He looked like he wanted to say more, but his friends beckoned him out to the parking lot. He didn’t spare her another glance as he left. Tamera shook off the interaction, only to find another person who had been waiting right behind Jason, looking right at Tamera. 

“You were there last summer,” Erica Sinclair said matter-of-factly. “You stayed with Dustin, Leia, and me at the radio with your weird friend. Is this…” she trailed off, looking side to side as if she was nervous to say more. 

Slowly, Tamera nodded. Erica hummed. “Lucas is in so much trouble. He’s friends with those loser-jocks. They came to our house lookin’ for him, but he’s been staying at the Wheelers, according to my mom. I didn’t tell Jason that, though.” 

“Jason, he’s a problem, but not our biggest one at the moment.” Erica’s expression flickered, and Tamera suddenly remembered she was talking to someone barely in middle school. “But we’re working on taking care of it. Your brother and all of his friends are.” 

Erica rocked back in her polished shoes, lips pursed before steely determination sat in. “I can help.” 

Tamera had a feeling no one in the group wanted to drag in anyone else, especially not Erica, again. “Do you have a walkie?” Erica nodded. “If we need backup, you’ll be the first one we call, okay?” The young girl sighed but nodded before her parents called her over. She bid Tamera goodbye, allowing her to finally bolt from the town hall. 

The parking lot was full of people beginning to rally together, conversing about the best course of action to take to hunt down Eddie. She was surprised they didn’t already have pitchforks in the beds of their pickups for an occasion just like that one. 

The people of Hawkins were ready to burn Eddie Munson at the stake; Tamera just needed to find him before they did. 

→←

Worry ping-ponged between the group as they hiked through the woods on their way to where Eddie and Calum were hiding, Skull Rock. The two had taken off there after Reefer Rick’s place was compromised, just before Eddie’s name was released to the public as the person of interest for the string of murders. 

Steve tried to keep his focus, but it was nearly impossible since what had happened at the Creel House to Sunshine. Since she had snapped out of Vecna’s hold, she hadn’t said a word. She simply went through the motions with a far-off look in her eyes and trembling hands. 

She had always been good at faking that she was all right and putting on a brave face, even if Steve could almost always see through it. That time, however, was different. Whatever Vecna showed her was horrible enough to suspend her in a daze. 

They all felt the weight of her quietness, saw the distance in her bloodshot eyes. Sunshine often acted as the glue that held them together, even when things looked bleak. Steve didn’t realize how strong that feeling was until they were without it. And it wasn’t fair to expect that of her, Steve knew that. He didn’t want that to even be the case, to put that kind of pressure on her to keep them level-headed and optimistic; it was just how Sunshine was and how he always remembered her being.  

Headphones rested on her ears as music hummed through them. He noticed her fingers starting to scratch the tattoo on her wrist, so he gently took her hand, intertwining their fingers as they continued their hike. She was still tense, like every muscle in her body had been pulled like a rubber band, but she sent him a small smile and squeezed his hand. 

Despite Dustin insisting that they were heading in the wrong direction because of his compass, they made it to Skull Rock in record time. Steve didn’t need a compass to know where the odd rock formation was, nor did he need Dustin buzzing in his ear. 

They passed off the food and beer they bought to Eddie and Calum, who sat underneath the rock and started to pig out between the explanation of what happened the night prior when Patrick became Vecna’s next victim. 

Steve somewhat knew the kid; he joined the basketball team during Steve’s last year. He was a good kid and an even better basketball player. It was another terrible, unfair death. No one deserved to die like that, especially not a bunch of seemingly normal kids with their share of problems. 

“Patrick and Jason chased me into the lake. Then it happened, just like Chrissy. Partick was just…just floating there before he…” Eddie trailed off, taking a swing of beer before he hastily wiped his mouth. “Jason was freaked, and I was able to swim back to shore. I tried to call you guys, but my walkie was busted, totally drenched. So I did the thing I do now, apparently. I ran.” 

Calum frowned, his knees pulled up to his chest, and dark circles that matched Eddie’s under his eyes. “Yeah, well, watching someone die has that effect on people, dude,” he said, somewhat reassuringly. “Jason didn’t know I was there; I was looking for something to eat inside the house when they showed up. I tried to call you guys too, but no one at the Wheelers’ picked up. After Eddie swam back, we figured the woods were our best bet to hide until the morning, when we could get a hold of you guys.” 

“Do you know what time this attack was?” asked Nancy. 

“I know exactly what time it was.” Eddie yanked off his wristwatch and tossed it to Nancy. “My walkie wasn’t the only thing that got soaked.” 

“9:27,” she read off the watch. “Sunshine snaps out of Vecna’s trance, then the flashlights lead up to the attic.” 

Peering over Nancy’s shoulder at the watch, Robin nodded. “The lights went kablooey at that time on the dot.” 

“That surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick from the attic of the Creel house, just on the other side, in the Upside Down.” 

“I don’t get it,” Lucas said. He looked tired too, after Max, Sunshine, and then the death of his friend. Steve hated it, seeing any of the kids look too old as worry and grief plagued them. “Vecna goes after Sunshine, but he’s not the attic when he does it. Then, she snaps out of it, and he decides to move to the attic to attack Patrick instead. If he already had Sunshine, why wasn’t he in the attic to begin with, and why did he decide to jump ship so fast?” 

Still holding onto Steve’s hand, Sunshine cleared her throat, having removed her headphones when they arrived at Skull Rock. For the first time that day, she spoke. “I don’t think he wanted to kill me. Not right there, at least. Not yet.” There was still a far-off look in her glassy eyes as she stared at the ground. 

On the other side of Sunshine, Kali stood with her arms over her chest and rigid. “Do you have any idea why?”

In the couple of days Steve had known Kali, she had been closed-off and standoff-ish, like she wasn’t sure what to make of all of them. Yet, since Sunshine was caught by Vecna, Steve noticed a distinct softness that crept into her voice and posture whenever she either talked to or about Sunshine. 

Sunshine trusted her, and after Kali had worked quickly to load up Sunshine’s Walkman while the rest of them stood around confused and sick with worry, Steve began to like the girl, even if she still scared him. 

There was a brief pause before Sunshine replied, “He said he wanted to show me the truth.” 

“What truth?” asked Max. 

Sunshine sucked in a deep breath, like she was preparing herself for whatever explanation she was about to give. She held onto Steve’s hand even tighter, her knuckles turning white. 

“We thought Vecna disappeared after the Creels and didn’t show back up until now. But he was here in between the two. He did this again, after the Creel family.” Each word came out of her mouth like she was talking through broken glass, sharp and painful. 

With a shake of her head, Nancy said, “But we searched through every news report since the Creels. There was no other mention of more murders, even a little similar. Hawkins is small. If something like this happened between then and now, even to one person, someone would have reported it, right?” 

Sunshine winced. “No one is going to report the murders of children they stole.” 

The entire group stilled, understanding falling over them like bricks. 

“The Lab?” Steve’s voice came out soft but surprised. 

With a sniffle, Sunshine nodded. “I thought, for the longest time, that it was all Brenner and…and Miller.” Steve glanced over at Calum, who ducked his head at the mention of his father. “I thought they had pushed the rest of the kids too far that their bodies gave out. For some of them, that was the case, but not all of them. In one night, Vecna attacked them all. Expect El and me. Even soldiers, doctors, and anyone else who was unlucky enough to be there. They were…he showed me the aftermath of it.” 

Tears welled up in Sunshine's eyes, a couple escaping down her cheeks. Steve wrapped her up in his arms, wishing he could do anything to make it hurt less. She held onto him tightly, like the toll of what she’d seen plucked the energy right out of her body. 

“But you didn’t know?” asked Kali. 

Sunshine shook her head as she turned to the side to speak. “That’s what I’d been looking for, the biggest missing piece in my memories. All of the time missing in my head. Things had started coming back after Starcourt, but never what actually happened that night.” 

“What made you and El different?” Nancy pondered, tapping her chin in thought. 

As if the Lab wasn’t already a horror story in itself, the addition of Vecna having been there too solidified the true nightmare that place had been. He wished the building that still stood in the woods would burn to the ground. 

Sunshine continued, “He mentioned the two of us by name when he spoke to Ivy that night. She said she’d never join him. For what, I don’t know. But Ivy told him neither would El nor I.” 

Like a lightbulb going off, Lucas’s head snapped up from where he’d been staring at the ground. “He’s recruiting you.” 

A chill ran down Steve’s spine at the kid’s words, his grip on Sunshine tightening just slightly. 

“I wasn’t there, in the Rainbow Room, when it happened,” she said between sniffles. “I-I don’t know where El was. Vecna thought all of them, all of these little kids, were weak and that they’d never realize what they were fully capable of. Ivy, she used to tell us stories of what life would be like when we eventually got out. She told us about friends and family and all of these things beyond our abilities that we could have and do. That’s why he k-killed her.” Sunshine’s voice flickered between sadness and anger the longer she spoke. “He told me last night that I was infected too, but there was still time.” 

“He really killed them all?” Kali’s fists were clenched at her sides, growing tighter as Sunshine nodded slowly. Since she had joined them, Kali was a brooding force, quiet but a large presence in her stillness and observation. So it was shocking to Steve when she suddenly roared in anger and kicked the nearest thing to her combat boot, which happened to be a fallen pinecone. It launched toward Eddie, who ducked out of the way with wide eyes. 

Sunshine unwrapped her arms from around Steve and moved to her long-lost sister, approaching with slight caution. Before she could say anything, however, Kali said, “I told the police.” Her nostrils flared as she spoke. “I told them, but of course they never believed me. No one ever believed me!" she said, her voice rising. "I-I thought about coming back, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t come back and risk…” Kali trailed off for a moment, her short frame swallowed by her leather jacket, looking smaller. “I never wanted to come back here. I never wanted to end up back there. I wanted to face Brenner and Miller on my terms. After a while, I thought, I-I hoped that everyone else escaped too.” 

The ex-gang member and superpowered young adult didn’t look as intimidating as she had. She started to crack, her dark eyes welling up with tears, and her lips were downturned, not in a scowl but rather in a frown. “I didn’t know…” A cry broke apart her sentence. She covered her mouth with her hand and squeezed her eyes closed, like she was trying to make herself stop crying. 

Sunshine looked as surprised as the rest of them, but that didn’t stop her from placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She curled her fingers around the fabric of Kali’s jacket in comfort, giving Kali what she needed to crash into Sunshine, crying into her sister’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” Kali mumbled. “I never listened to Luke and Leia when they suggested coming back to help the others. I couldn’t do it. I was scared .” 

Steve had just scratched the surface of understanding the kind of guilt Sunshine carried on her shoulders, even though he never believed anything that happened inside the Lab was even remotely her fault. Luke, Leia, and El held it too; you could see it in their eyes and how it sometimes weighed down on their shoulders. Kali had it too. It was all so unfair. None of them deserved to feel like that, like it was their responsibility for what happened. Steve certainly couldn’t blame Kali for not wanting to return to somewhere as awful as the Lab after escaping. She was young and scared, in charge of two younger kids who weren’t her responsibility. 

While Kali couldn’t have picked a worse time to check out Hawkins post-Lab, Steve was glad she and Sunshine were reunited. There were things he could never understand about her, but she had someone who could, and vice versa. 

If she wanted to stick around, their weird little group would certainly welcome her with open arms. Steve could already see Max take an interest in her, and he thought Mike would like Kali’s dark makeup and leather jacket combo. 

Sunshine hugged Kali as she said, “You shouldn’t be sorry. It’s not your fault.” 

The sister stayed like that for a couple more moments before Kali’s cries subsided. She wiped her cheeks and stepped back, trying to regain her composure. 

Sunshine wiped her own few tears, but rolled her shoulders back instead of shrinking back into herself. She gazed around the group, something flickering in her golden eyes. “Vecna may be trying to use what happened to get to me. But it won’t work,” she said, like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone. 

“We know where and how he attacks,” Nancy piped up, breaking the bubble between the group to refocus them. 

“Yeah. We just have to sneak into his lair in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart,” said Max. 

Steve furrowed his brows. “Stake. Like a vamp…is he a vampire?” In all honesty, he was still confused as to what the hell Vecna even was. All he knew was that he and everyone else wanted it dead; everything else was fuzzy. 

Max shot him a look. “It’s a metaphor.” 

“Bullets should work on this thing, right?” asked Eddie. 

Lucas pursed his lips. “I say we chop his head off.” 

Nancy sighed. “All of the above would be great, if we knew how to get into the Upside Down.” 

“We need El and her powers back,” Max said with a huff, missing one of her best friends. 

“Wait, what can you do?” Lucas asked Kali. “Could you open a Gate like El could?” 

“I’m not like Ja…El. I can only make people see things that aren’t there. Illusions.” 

“Yeah, just like this Vecna dude.” Calum once again made the mistake of opening his mouth. It felt wrong not having Tamera there to slap or glare at the boy. She and Calum hadn’t been on speaking terms since he moved at the end of last summer. And she was called away by her mom that morning to attend some town hall meeting the police department was hosting. 

Kali’s jaw ticked at his words, and her eyes narrowed just slightly before Calum let out a startled yelp and fell to the ground. He started to swat at his clothing like something was on him. “Not again!” 

It only lasted a couple more seconds before he stopped flailing his limbs, and Kali wiped a drop of blood from her nose. 

“Not like Vecna,” she snapped. “Not exactly, at least.” 

“Cool,” Lucas said with a nod of approval at her superpowers. “But that’s not gonna help us get into the Upside Down.” 

“As much as I wanna know what the hell just happened,” Eddie started, eyes locked on a pacing Dustin who had been uncharacteristically quiet since they arrived at Skull Rock and Steve proved him wrong. Dustin's attention was on his compass, and he was muttering under his breath. “I’m more worried about Henderson being cursed now.” 

Dustin stopped and looked pointedly at Steve, waving around his compass. “I was right!” 

“About?” 

“Skull Rock was north.” 

Steve groaned loudly. He could not deal with another argument when he was clearly right. “Are you serious right now? This is Skull Rock!” They were looking at the damn thing! “You’re totally, one hundred perfect wrong. Like, right now. You’re wrong!” 

Dustin just grinned, and Steve seriously thought about throwing the nearest thing he could get his hands on at the kid’s head. “Yes. And no.” 

“Oh my god!” 

“Just listen! This compass worked correctly when we left the Wheelers. It was correct in the car on Kerley. But it started to slip the further east we went. Now, it’s way off,” he said. “When I was leading us here, I wasn’t wrong; the compass was.” 

“So, you’re using faulty equipment. You’re still wrong, dude.” 

“Ah,” Dustin held up a finger. “Except it isn’t faulty. Lucas, do you remember what can affect a compass?” 

It only took him a second to answer. “An electromagnetic field.” 

“Exactly! In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect toward that power. So, either there's some super big magnet around here or…” 

“Or there’s a Gate!” Lucas finished Dustin’s sentence, the boys riding the same wavelength as usual. 

“But we’re nowhere near the Lab,” said Nancy. 

Dustin nodded. “Right. But what if, somehow, there’s another Gate? A Gate that we don’t know about. It would have to be smaller and way less powerful, but still a possible way in.” 

“Like when Will and Barb went missing,” Nancy gasped, eyes darting to Sunshine. “There was a small Gate in the woods we found.” 

Running a hand through his hair, Steve held back a sigh. He didn’t love the idea of random Gates popping up around Hawkins. If that was how Vecna was getting through, it stood to reason anything else in the Upside Down could get through as well. The last thing they needed was more monsters to deal with. 

“All I know is that something is causing this disturbance, and the last time we’ve seen anything like it, it was a Gate.” Dustin looked around the group, eagerness coming off of him in waves as he bounced on his feet, ready to follow his compass right to this supposed Gate. “This is how we find Vecna and free Max and Sunshine from his curse!” 

“Hold on,” Steve said, earning immediate slumped shoulders from Dustin. “Eddie is still a wanted man, remember? We can’t just go for a hike in the woods.” 

“This metal capsule may also be our last shot at clearing Eddie’s name. We can save everyone!” Dustin said. “What say you, Eddie the banished?” 

Taking another, long swing of beer, Eddie seemed to think his options over. “I say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor, which, if I’m totally honest with you, sounds like a really bad idea.” He paused, catching Calum’s gaze as the two had a silent exchange. “But the shire is burning so…” Eddie stood up and brushed the dirt from his jeans. “Mordor it is.” 

With that green light, Dustin took off, following his compass in a hurry. They all scrambled to follow him before finding a quick but steady pace through the woods. 

Steve found himself back at Sunshine’s side, drawn to her like a magnet. He held her hand as they stepped over broken tree limbs and weeds still dead from the winter, but that were trying to return in the springtime air. The sun just started to set, sinking slowly as they searched. 

“This is probably a dumb question,” he prefaced. “But are you okay?” 

She managed a small smile and answered, “I’m…tired.” 

Though he was expecting her to say something worse, it still made his chest ache. He lifted her joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “How about, after we kick this creep’s ass, we take a little break from Hawkins?” 

Steve had been thinking about leaving since he got his license at sixteen, before he knew anything about what lurked in and on the other side of Hawkins. The only thing keeping him was the people; they were the only good things about that place, but Steve didn’t want to stay there forever; he wouldn’t be able to stomach it. But the kids had just started high school, and they drew trouble like magnets, too. That, and Sunshine wasn’t ready to leave her mom and dad’s side yet. There was no way Steve would leave without Sunshine, obviously, so he’d wait for her to be ready. 

“Like a vacation?” 

“Sure. You still want to see the ocean?” 

She nodded, her golden eyes catching the sunlight, making them look ablaze. “That sounds nice.” No monsters or end of the world hanging over their head, just the two and them and the ocean. It sounded like a dream. 

Using his free hand, Steve brushed a few strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear. Sunshine gazed up at him through her lashes, making his heart skip a beat like some lovesick kid. Maybe he was entering adulthood, but he’d always be that little boy following Sunshine to the treetops, hand in hand. 

Darkness settled in all too quickly. Being in the woods at night unsettled Steve more than he cared to admit, and he knew he wasn’t alone. They all shifted closer together, walking in a tighter group than broken up in pairs. Luckily, Dustin broke through the thick of the woods not too long after nighttime fell, placing them on the shores of Lover’s Lake. 

“This is confounding,” he said, eyes flickering between the lake and his compass. 

“Here’s a Gate in Lover’s Lake?” asked Steve, scratching the back of his neck. That seemed like an impractical place for a monster to put a Gate, unless Vecna was some kind of great swimmer. 

“I guess that makes sense,” said Nancy, even though it only seemed to make sense to her. “Whenever the Demogorgon attacked, it left an opening.” 

Somewhere in the woods nearby, sudden rustling started them. Those who had brought flashlights shone them in the direction of the noise as the rest of them held their breaths. The noise grew louder until a figure broke through the woods, earning a scream from a couple of members of the group. 

It wasn’t Vecna or a Demogorgon; it was just Tamera. Her curly hair looked like it had been through a wind turbine, and she was out of breath, bending over to place her hands on her knees. 

“Shit, Mara!” Calum yelled. 

“Hey,” she wheezed. 

Robin was quick to her side, in the least subtle way possible, placing a hand on Tamera’s back with concern etched on her face. Steve wanted to tease her so bad but refrained since they weren’t alone. He’d put it in his pocket for later, when the world wasn’t on the verge of ending, again. 

“What are you doing?” Nancy asked. “How’d you even find us?” 

“I was looking everywhere, but you assholes kept moving and I’m not as coordinated as I look.” She stood upright, shooting Robin a small smile before a more serious look befell her face. “You guys are in deep shit.” 

Steve sighed. “Yeah, we know-” 

“No, you don’t,” she cut him off quickly. “I’m not talking about this monster/wizard thing. I’m talking about Jason, who showed up to the town meeting and rallied everyone against the Hellfire Club. He and his goons passed out posters with your guys’ faces all over them, claiming you were members of some bullshit, satan-worshipping cult that was behind everything bad that has ever happened in Hawkins.” 

Dustin and Lucas exchanged worried looks, as Calum and Eddie did the same. 

Tamera continued. “Eddie’s supposedly the leader, and everyone else in the club is helping him carry out his sacrifices or some shit. Which means, half of the town is roaming the streets looking for you guys. It’s a goddamn witch hunt, people!” 

If Steve knew anything about the people of Hawkins, it was that they didn’t often get passionate about something, but when they did, they didn’t know when to stop. When you brought God into the mix, it was bound to be a disaster. If only they knew what was really going on, they’d lose their minds for sure. 

“Shit,” Lucas groaned. 

“Yeah, shit,” Dustin mimicked. “But that’s a problem for tomorrow. We’re here now, and there’s a Gate somewhere out there!” He pointed to the dark lake that had never looked more menacing to Steve. 

“Dustin’s right,” said Nancy. “If we don’t stop Vecna, the attacks will keep happening, and it’ll keep getting pinned on Eddie and the rest of Hellfire. If Vecna works the same way the Demogorgon did, then our entrance into the Upside Down is out there…somewhere.”

They all stared out at the dark expanse of Lover's Lake; Steve had a feeling another long night was brewing for them.