#El is not getting that silent judgment/surprise from Steve

[noisy-little-raccoon]

Steve: so, how was your mission? How did it go for the three of you? What did you do?

Lucas: Normal stuff. Exploring the building, fighting with First's monsters, making out with each other, stuff like that.

Steve:

Eleven: They are very good at making out.

[starboygrove]

Surviving Eddie Munson - Chapter 11

“We’re going to need an extra set of hands to pull this off,” Robin says while locking up the front doors to Family Video on Tuesday night. “Maybe even two, if I’m gonna be completely be honest.”

Steve groans inwardly, because he knows she’s right. He’s come to the conclusion that the safest course of action is to get as many of his belongings from his parents house that he can in one sitting. The less time spent doing so, the less of a chance his neighbors will spot them and call the cops. He knows his father too well; he’s certain his parents have told their neighbors to be on the look out for him. It would technically be trespassing, he thinks bitterly.

He quickly runs down the mental list of contacts he has in his head, realizing he trusts very few of them for this task. It’s not like he doesn’t trust the kids with his life, but he simply doesn’t believe that they can be sneaky enough about something like this. Not with their propensity toward sudden, obnoxious arguments. He would ask El for her help, but they’ve all collectively decided to leave her out of any activities that could risk her livelihood. She deserves to have a stress free life after everything that has happened to her.

Left with just a couple of options, he picks the safest two: Nancy and Eddie. They’re both caught up to speed on the situation, reliably covert, and there is the added bonus of being able to use their vehicles if need be.

“Okay, you’re right, but we still need to figure out when we can do this.” He says gruffly, sliding into the driver’s seat of his car with a heavy slump.

“Leave that to me and Nance,” She smiles warmly at him. “We can scope out your folks’ place periodically until it seems like they’re gone for good, risk free.”

He huffs, not because she’s right once again, but because he doesn’t like it one bit. His parents know Nancy’s car well enough that they might get suspicious if they see it too many times in a row.

“Hey,” Robin says softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I can practically hear the gears grinding in your head. There is an appropriate level of worrying about this, and I think you’re over your limit right now. You can trust us, we’ll be safe.”

Once again reminded of why she is his best friend, Steve pats her hand and nods in confirmation. “I do trust you guys,” he says, the unsaid ‘but’ hanging in the air.

“No buts, it will be fine.”

The drive to Robin’s is eerily silent, both deep in thought about how they are going to go about getting Steve’s things back to him in one piece. She doesn’t exit the car immediately, clearly working her way up to saying something. He lets her take her time, knowing that rushing her will just make it worse.

“I think you should talk to Nancy,” she says finally, and it’s a little confusing. He’s already talked to Nancy, that’s the whole reason why he picked her to help him out.

“About the other thing?” Robin squeaks out when he takes too long to reply.

Yeah, that makes more sense. He’s considered it, too, recalling their late night talks from when they were still together. Back then, it felt like he could tell her practically anything without judgment.

“I dunno, Rob…” he says finally, rubbing at the back of his neck. The last thing he wants to do is make anyone uncomfortable, especially one of his close friends.

“You might be pleasantly surprised,” she says with a shrug.

“Or, I could lose one of my closest friends,” he replies, mocking her shrug.

“Steve,” Robin growls, narrowing her eyes and shaking her head in disappointment. “Do you really think Nance would think any less of you? Think about who we are talking about.”

“Have you told her?” He challenges.

“I have, actually. That’s why I’m suggesting it. She said it’s chill.”

“Maybe it’s different, maybe she’s just chill with it because its you, but thinks its disgusting when it’s a guy.”

“Or maybe you’re making excuses because you don’t want to get hurt.”

“Can you really blame me?”

Robin sighs and slumps back in her seat, covering her face with her hands. She sits like that for a few moments before picking up her bag and moving to leave his car. She pauses halfway through the motion, looking at him with a pretty intense expression.

“Would you consider it, at least? Like really consider it.” She’s staring down at him, one leg still in the vehicle, and a commanding hand on her hip. She kind of looks like a pirate, he thinks briefly, and almost says as much. “I can’t tell you why, but I can promise you she would be fine with it if you told her.”

“I’ll consider it,” he agrees, mostly to placate her, but a seed of curiosity has been planted; clearly there is more to the story that Robin isn’t sharing here.

*

“Steve?” Nancy questions her sanity for a brief moment, but it really is him. His car is next to hers in the parking lot of The Hawkins Post and he’s leaning against it, legs and arms crossed, with a pinched facial expression.

He’s still got that charming boy-next-door look to him, but it looks a little out of place in contrast with the dark clothes he’s wearing, particularly the black jeans with holes in the knees he has on.

“Well this is a nice surprise, I thought you always worked Wednesdays. Is everything okay?” She sets her bag down in the passenger seat of her car before mimicking his stance, leaning against her own vehicle.

“Relatively speaking, yes. No one’s dead or on fire,” he jokes weakly, immediately wincing at the choice of words. She offers up a dry chuckle, attempting to ease the tension.

Steve runs a hand through his hair, a classic nervous habit of his. She’s still got all of his mannerisms catalogued in the back of her brain, only useful for friendship purposes these days.

“I wanted to talk to you about something, something important.” He says after a pregnant pause.

Nancy shifts her weight between feet, wondering what he could possibly have to say. They don’t have feelings for each other anymore, something they discussed pretty quickly after what happened in March, so that couldn’t be it. He already mentioned that everyone is fine, nothing catastrophic has happened. What could possibly be making the usually charismatic Steve Harrington so nervous?

“So, like,” he starts, pausing to laugh awkwardly, averting his gaze. “Robin?”

A jolt of fear shoots down her spine. She hadn’t considered the possibility of him having a crush on their friend. Her throat closes up, trying to prepare herself for his next inevitable sentence.

“She told you about her, right?” He’s still not looking her in the eyes, squinting off into the distance.

Nancy wracks her brain to try to figure out what he means. It doesn’t take long before she realizes he’s talking about her sexuality. She starts to feel really dumb, recalling the heart-to-heart she had with the other woman back in April. Robin mentioned that Steve already knows, that Nancy didn’t have to worry about keeping it a secret from him. But if he already knows, why would he go and do something so pointless as getting a crush on her?

“Yeah, about who she…prefers?” She says, glancing around the parking lot. They’re alone, but it still pays to be careful.

“Right, that. Well, I wanted to tell you this in person, so…here it goes.” He rubs his hands on his jeans, another nervous habit, seemingly forcing himself to make eye contact with her.

“I’m kinda like Robin, Nance. Well I don’t know how to really explain it, yet? I’m trying to figure it out still. I guess what I’m trying to say is I don’t think I only like women.” He leans in closely to deliver the news, clearly also paranoid about eavesdroppers.

She goes stiff momentarily and has to make a conscious effort to relax, so she doesn’t send the wrong message. Nodding quickly in acknowledgement, she simply throws her arms around Steve, giving him a tight hug.

Nancy will have to process on her own time why she felt so sick at the idea of Steve having a crush on Robin; right now, Steve is the focus.

“Thank you for telling me, it means a lot. I’m glad you could trust me with this,” she whispers warmly into his ear, giving him a small peck on the cheek as she pulls away.

He’s got a wide grin on his face when she looks back up at him, looking far more relaxed and pleased than he did a couple of minutes ago. Time to ruin that.

“This is about Eddie, isn’t it?” She goes right for the jugular, and hits her target with deadly precision. Steve loses his composure immediately, sputtering and flushing bright red, stumbling all over his words.

Nancy can’t help but giggle at his dismay, grabbing hold of his shoulders to try to get him to calm down a bit.

“It’s okay, take a deep breath. Why don’t you tell me about it over dinner, my treat?”

*

“And you absolutely sure this is going to work Erica?” Dustin asks skeptically, eyes roaming over their plans for what feels like the hundredth time.

“Yes I’m sure, just who do you think I am?” She scoffs in indignation, hands on her hips.

“Is this even allowed? Like, does this make us bad friends if we go through with this?” Lucas questions from his spot on his bed, peering over Dustin’s shoulders at the several pages of paper spread across his bedroom floor.

“I think it would make us bad friends if we didn’t,” Dustin mutters with a chuckle, turning to give his friend a patented toothy grin. He scratches his forehead under his ball cap, trying to reorganize their meticulous plans in chronological order.

“My thoughts exactly,” Erica agrees, and that’s a scary thought. This might be the one thing that brings them together for a mutual cause that isn’t saving the world.

“Why exactly is it that we can’t get the adults involved?” Lucas asks them, brows furrowed in confusion.

“One, please never call them adults again, they are over-sized children at best. Two, because they don’t have the finesse that we do to be able to pull off this type of scheming. And three, most importantly, I want to be able to rub it in their faces.” He replies, stating the points as if they were obvious.

“I don’t really see how getting Mike and Will together is gloat-worthy, but okay man, whatever you say.”

“Trust me, this is very braggable. Imagine being responsible for getting Leia and Han together, it’s basically like that.”

Lucas laughs appropriately at his joke, but Erica just looks at him with her usual look of contempt.

“Nerds,” she scolds under her breath before picking up all the pieces of notebook paper. “Remember your additional roles tomorrow during the campaign, there is no way you two can pull off improv smoothly enough.” With that, she saunters out of the room with an air of superiority.

“Is it just me, or is she getting worse with each passing year?” Dustin asks rhetorically once she’s out of earshot.

“Don’t even start dude, I’m the one that has to live with her!” Lucas complains, rolling onto his back to stretch out.

“I don’t know how you do it,” he sighs, shaking his head. He’s so grateful he’s an only child. “Alright, well! Starting tomorrow, operation MAWLEO is a go. Let’s fuckin’ do this!”

Lucas sputters a laugh, shaking so hard he almost falls off of his bed.

“Operation MAWLEO? Please, you have to come up with something better than that. What does it even stand for?”

“Uh, duh? Mike and Will love each other.” Dustin scoffs. He can never understand how no one else seems to appreciate his superior word play abilities.

“Sure dude, whatever you say,” Lucas replies, patting him on the shoulder, still laughing lightly.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E6; Chapter Six, The Spy - [Pt. 3]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

Will’s connection to a shadowy evil grows stronger, but no one’s quite sure how to stop it. Elsewhere, Dustin and Steve forge an unlikely bond.

||3rd Person POV||

The cubes of meat hit the wooden boards with a wet slap. Traveling along the abandoned tracks is Dustin and Steve, each carrying a bucket of butchered meat. Their bait.

"All right, so let me get this straight," Steve sighs, looking at the boy just paces ahead of him. "You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who... who you just met?"

Dustin rolls his eyes, sighing irritably as he throws more bait on the track.

"All right, that's grossly oversimplifying things."

Steve shakes his head.

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?"

"An interdimensional slug?" Dustin smirks. "Because it's awesome."

Steve picked up his pace, making his way to Dustin's side.

"Well, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I... I just..." he shrugs, his lips forming a tight-lipped smile. "I don't know. I just feel like you're trying way too hard."

"Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, alright?"

"It's not about the hair, man," Steve says, shrugging once more as he lazily kicks a stray pinecone from his path. "The key to girls is just... just acting like you don't care."

Dustin looks at him curiously, not expecting the insight.

"Even if you do?"

Steve nods. "Yeah, exactly m. If drives them nuts."

"Then what?"

"You just wait until, uh..." he pauses to throw another chuckle of bait behind him. "until you feel it."

"Feel what?"

"It's like before it's gonna storm, you know? You can't see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh... electricity, you know?"

A spark of recognition flickers across Dustin's face, and he nods eagerly.

"Oh, like the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere--"

Steve shakes his head, an unimpressed look on his face. He head flicks to the side, sweeping away a stray lock of hair tickling his forehead.

"No, no, no, no, no. Like a... Like a sexual electricity."

A look of surprise crosses Dustin's face.

"Oh,"

The longer the day stretched on, the more Steve is bewildered at the ever-changing events he could never have foreseen. Nevertheless, he gestures to Dustin as he continues.

"You feel that and then you make your move."

There is a brief pause before Dustin asks simply.

"So that's when you kiss her?"

Steve's eyes widen, and he can't decide whether he should roll his eyes or laugh.

"No, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Romeo."

"Sorry." He mumbles.

"Sure, okay, some girls, yeah, they want you to he aggressive. You know, strong, hot and heavy, like a..." He shrugs once more, looking back at the boy who had begun to lag shyly behind. "I don't know, like a lion."

Dustin hums thoughtfully, his gloved hand reaching inside the white steel bucket as he listens.

"But others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a..."

His mind travels back in time for the briefest of moments, his heartwarming at the memory of sneaking innocent moments with Nancy Wheeler. He finds himself smiling.

"Like a ninja."

"What type is Nancy?"

And just like that, his smile falters.

"Nancy's different. She's different than the other girls."

"Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess."

"Yeah. Yeah, she is."

"But this girl's special, too, you know. It's just, like, something about her."

"Woah, woah, woah. Hey, hey, hey" Steve says, stopping them in their tracks and he turns to face Dustin.

"What?"

Steve studies the boy's body language, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?"

It is clear to Steve that Dustin has grown shocked and slightly uncomfortable.

"Uh, no. No."

His suspicious stare lingers, but he continues them down the tracks.

"Okay, good. Don't."

"I won't."

His attention returns to the tracks and laying the bait but his thoughts continue to spill from his lips.

"She's only going to break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit."

A thick silence settles between the duo once more, a common theme so far. His thoughts now louder than ever, amplified in the silent autumn air and Steve feels his pity for the boy growing. The kid's got heart, he can tell, and despite his better judgment, he feels a soft spot growing for him.

"Fabergé."

It's Dustin's turn to give a quizzical look, his brow quickly quirks.

"What?"

Steve gestures to his full head of hair, failing to meet Dustin's eye.

"It's Faberegé Organics. Use the shampoo and conditioner, and when your hair's damp... It's not wet, okay? When's its damp..."

"-Damp."

"You do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray."

Steve doesn't have to see the look on Dustin's face to know the kid is grinning madly. He can hear the smirk in his voice, Dustin is clearly holding back a snicker and already Steve is beginning to regret his decision.

"Farrah Fawcett spray?"

"Yeah, Farrah Fawcet." Steve halts once more, making sure he towers over the boy as he jabs a finger in his face. "You tell anyone I just told you that and your ass is grass. You're dead, Henderson. Do you understand?"

Dustin nods, suppressing his smile as he avoids Steve's gaze.

"Yup."

A new silence blankets the air, with it a new sense of commonality, and understanding. It's comfortable. Another smirk tugs at Dustin's lips as they continue their journey, laying slabs of meat.

"Farrah Fawcett, really?"

Steve shrugs.

"I mean, she's hot."

The tension melts away in the wake of their forming bonds of friendship, they share a smile and an occasional nod. They are each surprised by the unexpected comfort each other’s company brought. Unbeknownst to the pair, the farther they ventured, the closer they got to the decaying tunnels beneath their feet. And to their right, a bright yellow flag planted in the dirt, a marking made earlier by Hopper and his team that signaled rotting earth and decay.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Hopper's fingers release the button as he lets out a defeated sigh. He sits in his truck, radio in hand and he has sent their secret code to El, letting her know it was him. But his shoulders sag, he knows what he has to say needs to be spoken aloud, no translated. Guilt has been a heavyweight on his shoulders since their fight, his inability to mend their mistakes and all the things left unsaid. His time in the tunnels crosses his mind, and how fearful he was when he believed he wouldn't make it.

Not by death, so much. Of course, it was frightening, but what really bothered him - scared him - is what would happen to her if he never saw her again. Not only the way they had left things but what would become of her? How would she stay safe and who could truly know how to take care of her, nurture her. The last thing he wanted was to leave her on her own, and he certainly didn't want to risk going inside and dealing with the problem at hand, without talking to her.

Or least letting her know he was sorry.

So here he sat, his body hunched forward as he lay against the wheel, the radio grasped tightly in his hand. His voice shakey and his heartbreaking. He took a deep breath, and let the words spill out.

"Hey, it's, uh... It's me. I know that I've been gone too long, and uh... It's-- I just, I want you to know that it's not about you and it's not about our fight. Okay?"

His garbled voice rings out in the empty cabin, no one around to hear him but the several boxes are strewn around the room.

"Something came up, and I will... I will explain it all when I see you. I just... I just want you to know that I'm not mad."

His grip on the radio and his own hand grows tighter, he clutches it tightly like a lifeline. He can no longer fight the tears that threaten to spill, and his eyes go red and puffy.

"I'm just sorry. About everything."

The hot tears sting his eyes, he has to stop to collect himself as best he can but it is almost no use at all. His heart lurches, but for the first time in a long time, it is alive. He wishes with all his might that he can be there with her, comfort her. But he knows he can't. He continues to battle the enormous lump in his throat but it is winning.

"I don't want you to get hurt at all. And I don't want to lose you."

He chokes on his tears, but he feels the soft rumble deep within his chest where a weak chuckle forms. He sniffles and speaks once more into the machine.

"Just make sure you heat up some real food. Not just Eggos. And I want you to eat all the peas, even if they're mushy and gross. And..."

He sighs, knowing more than anything he intends to and will keep his next promise. He would move mountains to keep it, and has every intention of showing her, and himself, that he will be there for her.

"I will be home soon."

The monitor clicks off, and the car and the empty cabin go silent.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"This is him last week."

The photo on the projector slides into place and shifts into focus. A map of Will's brain, for the most part normal, but sprinkled across the grayscale map is several flurries of activity. Patches of red.

"And there are the hippocampal abnormalities we had discussed. Nothing out of line with what we've seen from others suffering from post-traumatic. But..."

The medical team is gathered in one of several conference rooms as one member of the staff tasked to the Byers case reviews with the team, including Dr. Sam Owens. The man sighs in worry, his elbow is propped up on the wooden conference table and he massages his temples worriedly as the slide changes. It's another map of Will's brain, but there is an extra flurry of activity that frightens them all.

"this is Will from last night. And as you can see, there are now abnormalities I'm the limbic and paralimbic areas. And this..."

The man grows increasingly unsettled, and with great reluctance he advances the slide. Aside from a few select spots on the brain, the picture is enveloped in red. The Brian is drowning in the virus and there is more red than black.

"is from an hour ago."

Not a soul in room remains still, every lab coat shuffles uncomfortably. And suddenly the papers in their hands have become overwhelming captivating. Attempting to hide his own discomfort, Owens turns to his team and gestures around the table.

"I don't hear any suggestions."

A colleague of his looks up from his papers, though his fingers still nervously fiddle with the edges of the files.

"We have bigger problems than the boy."

"Do we?" The man snaps.

"We can't keep delaying the burn." Another adds.

Agitated, Owens leans forward, his palm smacking the table.

"You're talking about putting... putting a Band-Aid on this." He stutters.

The first man speaks up.

"Right now, a Band-Aid is the best option."

"It's our only option."

Owens looks around the room aghast at his colleagues. They merely stared back, silently taking a stance.

"And if it kills the boy?" Owens spits.

"Then quite frankly, Sam, it kills him."

Owens stills in anger and disgust and jabs a finger in the man's direction.

"Say that to me again." He threatens.

The doctor that stands by the projector reluctantly speaks up.

"The rate this is spreading, he'll be lost by the end of the day. What we do or don't do won't change the outcome."

"We have to start the burn." The other states.

Owens takes one last look at his team, his eyes hold nothing but disgust. Huffing, he grabs his things from the table and jumps to his feet and storms for the door.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to think." He spits.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"What the hell is taking so long?" Joyce sighs.

She and Bob sit side by side to the right of Will's bedside. Her leg bounces up and down at an almost unnatural rate and she nervously wrings her hands.

"Hey," Bob assures. "doctors take forever, always. Just try and relax. Just be patient."

He reaches forward, briefly rubbing her knee in an attempt to soothe her nerves however he can. Taking his words to heart, Joyce takes a lingering breath and she tries to calm the storm of nerves in her stomach. But with every passing second, her nerves return. With every beep of the monitor is a harsh reminder than another second has passed.

Finally, she sighs as she shrugs the blanket off her shoulders.

"You know, I just..."

She slips through the door and marches to the end of the hall. The two guards stationed in from of the closed double doors tense as she approaches with no intention of stopping.

"Let me through. Let me through!" She orders, struggling against their arms.

"You know we can't do that."

"I need to talk to--"

"He'll be with you shortly."

"You said that an hour ago!"

Bob soon joins her side and attempts to calm her, and across the hall staring through the door is Will. He lays perfectly still on the bed, and the heart monitor starts to race beside him. With every beep of the monitor, his vision fluctuates. He is seeing but not with his own eyes, he is a passenger in his own body and yet all he can focus on is the gun holstered in the guard's belt.

《•••》

The figure, who had been properly equipped, aimed his device and a violent spurt of fire erupted from the end.

《•••》

Anger. That's all he can feel.

《•••》

The vines writhed and shrieked violently as they shriveled up.

《•••》

Will.

《•••》

Will convulsed uncontrollably, his limbs on fire, spreading as rapidly as the flames in the hub below.

《•••》

Will.

《•••》

He saw the visions. Like he was navigating the dark and cold tunnels, they never stopped moving and he knew they were out to kill.

•••

Will was panting heavily, but he slowly turned around coming face to face with the monster. It towered over the school, looking directly at Will.

《•••》

"Will?"

A warm hand touches his arm and he falls back to earth. The spike in his heart echoes in the room with the speedy beeps of the heart monitor. He hadn't registered that Mike had been speaking to him, trying to reach him. He looks to the boy who is watching him concerned.

"What's wrong? Are you hurting again?" Mike asks.

"Uh..."

Will tries desperately to speak but the things he wants to say don't come. Instead, he feels the undeniable urge to sit up. He does so, and more words come to his brain but they are not what he truly wants to say. There is a wild, demanding itch in his brain that he must extinguish.

"I saw something."

The itch subsides.

Unsuspecting, Mike listens intently with worry.

"In your now-memories?"

Against his better judgment - the small, dying voice in the corner of his brain that grows small and smaller yet - he continues to scratch the itch and he nods and leans closer.

"The shadow monster." He whispers. "I think I know how to stop him.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The sun has reached it's highest point when Dustin arrives at the familiar landscape of the old scrapyard, Steve by his side. He wears a proud grin as Steve gazes across the yard, nodding in agreement.

"Oh yeah. Yeah, this will do." Steve begins his descend down the small hill, shedding his sunglasses. "This will do just fine. Good call, dude."

His grin widens significantly, his chest welling in pride before he falls ik line with Steve. The two continue to sprinkle their bate trail behind them to the center of the yard. They dump the remanents of meat in a pile when they hear an approaching voice call out to them from the hill.

"I said medium-well!"

Dustin is relieved to see Lucas, he is beaming down at them as he sends them a wave. But his stomach plummets when he sees Max standing at his side. The two begin their descent down the hill and Steve wonders aloud.

"Who's that?"

He looks to Dustin when he doesn't answer, he sees the concerned and disbelieving glance he wears at the redhead. Suddenly, his mind clicks.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"You told her?" Dustin hisses.

Lucas and Dustin are huddled behind one of several abandoned vehicles exchanging hushed words. After proper introductions, Max and Steve have set to work and begun to build their base.

"So what?" Lucas says.

"'So what?'" Dustin laughs dryly.

"You wanted to tell her, too."

"But I didn't, all right? You know why?"

"You're chicken?" Lucas retorts.

Dustin rolls his eyes at Lucas's weak jab, and his anger only grows.

"Because not only does that put us, and Max for that matter, in danger, but Y/n especially! You know, my sister, the escaped experiment that the government lab could snatch up on any old whim? That sister?"

"They agreed to leave her alone, remember?"

"Like their word means shit! They faked Will's death to cover their own asses for fuck's sake. They don't exactly strike me as the caring, honorable type. Who's to say they won't ever change their minds and decide they want her back!"

Lucas shrinks back, regret flashes across his face as he takes in his words. He sighs.

"Look, I'm sorry about that, alright? I didn't think about it like that, but it's already done. And for what it's worth, I don't think she's gonna tell anyone."

"You don't know she won't tell, we just met her! What if she slips up? What if she's cornered and the information is forced out of her?"

It's Lucas's turn to roll his eyes, and he scoffs.

"Dude, you're spiraling. None of that's gonna happen."

Dustin sighs and shrugs his shoulders apathetically.

"Maybe I am and maybe it won't. The point is, we all agreed not to tell her and to look for Dart."

"Who you conveniently found."

"Are you suggesting that I'm lying?"

"I'm saying you have a creepy little bond with him."

"Yeah, that was before he turned into a Demogorgan."

"And you haven't heard from Y/n?"

Dustin's face scrunches up in anger at Lucas's mention of his sister.

"No."

"Or Mike?"

"No."

"Will?"

"No."

"Hopper?"

"No! No one is around. Why do you think I'm with Steve Harrington? Something's-"

"Wrong." Lucas finishes, sighing. "I agree. Which is why need as much help as we can get."

They both hear a soft grunt from across the yard and they rise to their feet and peek through the vacant window of the car. Max is piling several sheets of metal against the bus closing off weak spots underneath.

"She didn't believe me, anyway." Lucas says.

A small smirk forms on Dustin's face.

"You probably didn't tell it right."

They share a weak laugh and rise to face each other and Lucas extends his hand.

"So, we good?"

Dustin's eyes fall to his friend's hand and he smiles weakly.

"Hey!" A loud crash behind Dustin startles them and they turn to find Steve glaring at them."Dickheads! How come the only one helping me out is this random girl? We lose light in fourth minutes. Let's go."

They only stare at him as he retreats to the bus, reluctantly following. Steve gestures for them to move, his voice increasingly rising in anger.

"Let's go, I said!"

They pick up speed and each grumble a response.

"Alright, asshole!" Dustin snaps with a whine. "God!"

"Okay! Stupid."

+++

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[rainbowwritesthings]

Calm Before the Storm

No one, not even Dustin knew how or when Steve and Billy stopped being enemies and became odd friends after That Night, much less when they started dating. AO3

Billy wasn’t apart of the party and all the kids could agree on that, just because he was dating Steve and was nicer to Max didn’t mean the kids forgave him. Granted in his own way he had apologized to Max, Steve and Lucas. Not with words but with subtle actions, though not so subtly in the case of Tommy who got his face beaten in after he called Lucas a slur while Billy was in earshot.

No one, not even Dustin knew how or when Steve and Billy stopped being enemies and became odd friends after That Night, much less when they started dating. Max figured it out first and a few months before the others, she had watched as Billy’s eyes light slightly when Steve was mentioned and her step brother stared at him for too long to be considered just friendly looking.

Steve was the give away however, his poker face was terrible and one day she noticed that when Billy made a flirtatious comment that instead of shooting him a glare that Steve now looked away with a hidden smile.

Billy was better at hiding it but she had spent enough time with him to recognize that his smile looked real now, not just a way for him to bare his teeth in warning or pick up some random chick for the night.

He was still aggressive and quick to anger, of course, but it was never directed at her or the party now. The harsh comments and back talking remained consistent, but there was no venom in the words now.

Their rooms shared a wall, so Max heard when Billy would slip out of his window into the night to go see Steve. Max never mentioned any of this to anyone, least of all Billy. She liked Steve well enough and liked this new Billy more. At times he even felt like an actual brother to her instead of the oppressive force he had been before.

Dustin ruined that of course, it wasn’t exactly his fault that he caught the two making out behind the bleachers. He had been looking for Steve to show him his newest project when he saw his pseudo older brother pinned against the wall by Hargrove.

It didn’t look like a fight but Dustin didn’t hesitate before ramming himself against Billy with a shriek to ‘get off’. Billy had pulled away from Steve not because the kid could actually move him, but out of hasty shock to silence whoever found out. When he saw Henderson and made of move to grab him Steve was there, placing himself between the two.

“If you say anything about this Henderson, I’ll gut you like-”

“I’d like to see you try!”

“Both of you stop!”

Steve’s ‘if you say one more thing you’re in big trouble’ tone cut through and instantly Dustin stood down, more surprising was that Billy did as well. After he was sure the two weren’t about to start back up again Steve turned to Dustin.

“What are you doing here, Henderson? I thought you had some club that doesn’t end for another twenty minutes.”

Steve ran a hand through disheveled hair and looked suddenly older than 18.

“Club was boring, we aren’t doing anything in it really. So I went to find you, ‘cause your always just waiting in your car to pick us up and you always come super early just to hang out. Then I found him about to bust your face again and saved you, you’re welcome by the way.”

Billy snorted behind Steve and Dustin turned the full power of his glare on the older boy, Steve rubbed his face and wondered how someone so smart could be so stupid at the same time.

“We weren’t fighting.”

Dustin reeled back confused at such a bold lie. “You can’t lie to me, you were pinned down and his hands were all over you!”

Billy snorted louder and muttered something to the effects of ‘damn straight’, Steve almost turned around to shoot him a look but instead looked at Dustin with a sigh.

“Dustin. We weren’t fighting.”

Both the use of his actual name and the quite, pained way that Steve said it shut the boy down. Billy could practically see the gears turning in the boys head, if this went the way he knew it would Billy had ways of making sure the kid kept quiet.

That wasn’t the problem though, the problem was that Steve had practically adopted the boy and if Henderson rejected him it would break something in the brunette. Dustin finally seemed to understand as a look of pure confusion washed over him, “really?”

The judgment in the boys tone had Billy ready to smack him, Steve's reaction be damned. How dare he say that to Steve? To the man that didn’t hide how proud he was of Dustin every time the kid did anything ever. To perhaps the most selfless person Billy had ever met. He heard Steve take in a sharp breath and rage coursed through him.

“You had to pick Billy? Out of all the guys in Hawkins you went with him?”

This had Billy freeze and he watched as Steve did as well, “what?”

Dustin seemed to gain momentum after his initial reaction, “yeah, he beat you up!”

Steve’s entire posture slumped and he let out a shaky laugh, “that’s what got you?”

The relief was palpable and Dustin finally seemed to realize why they were so on edge.

“My uncle Mark’s gay, and Will doesn’t like girls at all so I've had time to adjust. That and we’ve seen some actually messed up shit, two guys kissing isn’t even on the radar anymore.” Steve gave a clearer laugh and ruffled the hat on Dustin’s head, earning Steve a look as the boy fixed the hat again.

Billy had to hand it to the kid, he took in the fact Steve was sucking face with a guy in stride and got pissed about who it was with instead. He had a feeling there was a reason that Dustin was Steve’s favorite kid, but he also had a feeling the kid would blab at the first moment.

Dustin had resumed glaring at Billy though now it was accompanied by a scrutinizing look, as if trying to see something deeper in Billy than was actually there. The glare caused Steve to turn back to Billy, they exchanged a series of looks that ended with Billy raising his eyebrows in question.

“I’ll explain stuff to him, he won’t tell.”

Billy examined the younger boy, he didn’t believe for a second that Dustin was capable of keeping a secret this big without cracking. Steve didn’t look positive either, most likely thinking about all the times Dustin blurted out sensitive things when he couldn’t handle it anymore.

However Steve didn’t want Billy threatening the kid even if he knew Billy wouldn’t act on it, he still wanted the two to at least pretend to play nice. With a bit of difficulty, and the promise of quarters for the arcade, Steve was able to send Dustin to wait in the car.

When the pair were alone once again Steve gave a half smile, “thanks for keeping cool. Dustin’s a good kid, he won’t say anything about-this.”

Steve vaguely gestured between them and Billy crossed his arms, “just make sure it doesn’t get out. If I hear so much as a rumor about this whole thing, then I won’t hold back on the kid.”

Assuming that Neil didn’t kill him first if the man heard about it. Steve made a face at the ground and Billy brushed his shoulder passing by, “see you round ten, pretty boy?” Billy could practically feel the smile Steve was giving to his back, one far to innocent for what they would do that later that night. - To Dustin’s credit, he made it over two weeks before accidently complaining that he just couldn’t see what Steve liked about Billy. Max was up in an instant and was looking around frantically to make sure no one but the party heard, she also made sure the others kept their loud yells of confusion down.

Though honestly the ones making the most fuss were Mike and Lucas. Will and Eleven seemed to take the news in stride, with Will only asking a simple question.

“Are they happy together?”

Max answered immediately about how Billy was practically a new person, still an asshole of course but a bearable one. After a little bit of fidgeting Dustin revealed that Steve was happier to, humming to the songs and smiling brighter than he had before.

Will nodded at this with a smile, Eleven however was a bit more confused.

“Why are they keeping it a secret? If their happy together, then why lie?”

Max crossed her arms, “ because Neil would flip and Steve would probably get disowned. Not to mention it would paint a huge target on their backs.”

El frowned hard at that but Max wasn’t about to discuss homophobia to her now, maybe later when they were alone and had more time to go through it. The others fell into silence until Mike broke it, “then we keep it a secret. We’re not lying, we’re protecting them.”

Dustin hadn’t really considered the fallout for Steve if it came out he liked men as well, but now that it was in his mind he understood Steve’s need for secrecy. “Yeah. What’s said in the basement, stays in the basement.”

One by one they made similar pledges. While the boys, mostly Dustin, made silent vows to watch Billy carefully.

[crewhonk]

.breathe.

What if Nancy’s sister did answer the door? What if Billy had shown up an hour earlier? 

A/N; This is my first lil fic in years tbh. and its bad, and the writing is rough and dirty, but I needed to do something because I’m off for winter break and I have literally nothing to do. 

Warnings: Swearing, bad writing structure, the usual. 

Masterlist

~

Y/N Wheeler hated Hawkins. 

After the events last year transpired with the Party she had to get out of there, the small town suffocating her until she couldn’t breathe. The news of the small town festered and boiled until she wasn’t able to go to the store around the corner without a child pointing or eighth graders whispering together. So, she did what all young, hot, smart independent girls did in 1983— traveled to Africa and volunteered at least once in every country. Five days per country, hundreds of polaroids and minimal sleep made a girl a woman and she was finally home in Indiana now, and holy Jesus, she forgot how fucking cold it was in the Northern Hemisphere. It was a Friday night, and Y/N had a date with three wool blankets, two long sleeved sweaters, thick wool sweatpants, and three pairs of fuzzy socks. Her dad was passed out on the Lay-Z-Boy across from her, his hand resting in the popcorn bowl on his lap, and the music from her mom’s bathroom crooned softly through the house. 

Y/N was ripped out of her thoughts when the sharp tone of the doorbell caught her attention, followed swiftly by her mother shrieking for her father to get the door, probably assuming Y/N was sleeping off her jetlag. When her mother called out for the fourth time, Y/N growled and threw the blankets off of her, throwing a glare at her sleeping father and storming up the stairs and swinging the door open. Standing in front of her was a Greek God. Maybe even one of the actual models that inspired the romance novel covers that littered every shelf and table in the house. 

“Hi, can I uh— Can I help you with… something?” She rasped, eyes trained on his beautiful, smooth chest and focusing on his Virgin Mary pendant. 

“I didn’t realize Nancy had a sister.” He murmured, smirking and leaning against the door frame. Y/N looked up at him through her lashes and blushed when his tongue slid out and licked his teeth—almost predatorily. His eyes scanned the length of her body and she blushed when she realized she wasn’t quite dressed for some beautiful company.

Y/N went to tuck her hair behind her ear but realized it was totally useless as she had her hair tied in a bun on the top of her head. “Yeah, I um… I’m from Africa. I mean, I’m not from Africa but I was there for a while um- Volunteering. With kids. And el-elephants.”

“Elephants?” He asked, leaning in. She could smell cologne and nicotine on his clothes and she breathed in the scent, not realizing its been so long since she was even near a boy. He was so tall and so close that Y/N had to angle her chin up to see his eyes (which, by the way, were disgustingly blue and were thickly rimmed with hateful black lashes). 

“Yeah, elephants,” she said, wrapping her arms around her torso. “You’re here for Nance?” 

“No, uh. Not my type. I’m looking for my sister, and Mrs. Sinclair told me that this was the designated hangout place.” 

“Wait.” Y/N stopped him, losing her breath for an entirely different reason. Not again. Ahe thought, her heart rate increasing an even greater amount. “Have you been to any of the other kids’ houses?”

“All except for the Zombie Kids’. Byers.. Right?” He pondered, reaching out to hold her wrist.

At this, her eyes frosted over and her posture became rigid. Y/N tore her hand away from his reach and had to consciously tell herself to not bring her palm across his face.

 “That entire group has been through hell this past year. And unless you know exactly what happened, you have no right to make any judgments about those kids or anyone they associate with.” She growled stepping on the ridge of the door. Her sudden closeness forced him to take a step back in shock at the hard change in mood. “I’ll drive you to Jonathan’s house.” She grumbled shoving her feet into her boots and storming past the Adonis-Asshole. The drive to the ratty house was silent, and Y/N had her foot pressed to the floor. If her suspicions were correct, she didn’t need to worry about the Chief of Police pulling her over. 

“Hey, Doll, I don’t even drive this fast can you please—“ He was cut off by the sound of Madonna being blasted louder through the shitty speakers. Soon enough, they tore down the gravel driveway and skidded to a stop. Hoppers car was parked next to Steve Harrington’s and Jonathan’s. 

Without even glancing at the boy next to her, she opened the door and sprinted to the front door of the house and barged in. 

“Holy Jesus, what are you people doing?!” Y/N screamed when she noticed the collection of gun nozzles and slingshots pointed towards her. The Party immediately lowered their guns and Mike and Nancy rushed forward. “Again?” In response, they both nodded. Their big sister was the strongest person they knew, and during the War of the Demogorgon (as Dustin had later called it), Y/N had pushed both kids behind her and protected them for those few days until she was literally punched in the face by an other-worldly demon. 

“Billy?!” A tiny red-head yelled protectively blocking Lucas from the older boys eyesight. 

“Hargrove. You need to leave.” Steve Harrington said, a gleaming nail ridden bat swinging at his side. He came toe-to-toe with the Alpha male and pushed him away with his pointer finger.  

“When was the last time I listened to you, Harrington.” Billy glowered, pushing Steve back about two feet.

“Hey!” Hopper came forward and shoved the teen boys apart. “Not now.” 

Just as the chief grumbled his last word, a scream, unlike any other animal, was heard from the forest surrounding the Byers’ house. When Y/N was in Africa, the hyenas laughing throughout the night sent chills down her spine. The growling of the 13-foot crocodiles that followed her canoe down the Nile river raised goosebumps on her skin. But this— this feeling was completely different. This sound made ice slide down her spine and her limbs catch on fire. Without her realizing it, she and Billy were handed a rifle and a knife consecutively and were pushed into the circle.  

“What the fuck is going on?!” Billy yelled, knife trembling in his hand.  “Buddy,” Y/N whispered. “When there’s a lion stalking you. You shut up.” ‘There’s a lion?” “It’s a metaphor.” She replied “Analogy,” Lucas mumbled. “What did you say?” Billy said, whipping around to face him.

“It’s an analogy.” Dustin persisted, pushing Lucas behind his person.

“Shut up!” Nancy yelled, just as a figure was thrown through the front window. Billy fell back in surprise and shouted when his tailbone came into contact with the corner of the couch. The Thing that flew through the window wasn’t moving. 

“Is it dead?” someone whispered. Y/N’s senses seemed to stop functioning and her sight narrowed into tunnel vision. The slick skin of the creature seemed to glow softly as if it were apart of a Bowie music video Y/N would switch past on the TV. Just as Y/N thought she was going to vomit, a click from the door pulled the Party’s attention away from The Thing. 

The lock on the door was moving. The lock on the door was moving. On its own. “Woah.  Wait. That’s not how things are supposed to work. THAT IS NOT HOW THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK” Billy screamed, dropping his knife on the floor and putting his hands on his knees, brows furrowed in fear and confusion. 

“Dude. Calm. Down.” Y/N said, gripping Billy’s wrist tightly enough to leave bruises. His eyes flicked to the traveler, pupils dilated nearly the size of his iris. There was sweat on his upper lip, and his chin was wobbling slightly. “Breathe. Please. I can’t have you panicking what That Thing comes through the door. You need to not drop knives on peoples feet. Your life is about to change.” She murmured to him. “But right now, you need to breathe, man.” And with that, Billy’s breathing slowed down, the lock dropped, and life changed. 

[nancykali]

March Winds and April Showers: Nancy Meets Kali

ao3 link

It was spring. Nancy always remembered because the trees had been blooming in the woods around Hopper’s cabin that day. The young woman had walked up, alone. It had just been Nancy and El there. It was a Thursday afternoon, and the boys and Max were at the library finding books for El, using Nancy’s, Joyce’s, Steve’s, and Jonathan’s library cards on top of their own so they could get as much as they could for her.

Nancy was in the living room with El, going through a pile of her old clothes for the younger girl, appropriate for the warming weather. The curtains were open. Because Nancy was there. Because Hopper trusted her to keep a look out for trouble. The shotgun Hopper had given her that fateful night was propped up by the front door.

Nancy caught the movement out of the corner of her eye first, and went for the shotgun even as she got a direct look at the girl outside. El came up beside her.

“Wait,” El said, putting a hand on Nancy’s arm as she lifted the shotgun. Her voice was soft, calm. Nancy looked at her, finding El’s eyes transfixed on the approaching girl.

“She’s my sister,” El said, and went to open the front door.

Nancy set the shotgun back down, her heart still pounding. Her sister. Kali.

Nancy had only heard of her, when Hopper had talked about taking El to Chicago around Christmastime, three months ago. Kali had never come to Hawkins. Hopper had forbidden it, and Kali had agreed. That’s all Nancy knew.

El opened the door and a beat later the two girls were in each other’s arms, hugging tightly. Nancy watched, a few feet away, wary. When the sisters stepped apart, Kali’s eyes moved immediately to Nancy, and Nancy knew she was being sized up.

Getting a closer look at Kali, Nancy realized they had to be close in age—Kali couldn’t be older than 18 or 19, but it was hard to tell. Her eyes were ancient, but in a different way than El’s. Where El’s eyes were quiet in their wisdom, always holding something back, Kali’s stare held a barely suppressed power that she projected without any sort of barrier. It felt what Nancy imagined a knife to one’s throat felt like.

Before either spoke, Kali turned and looked at the shotgun Nancy had leaned back up against the wall, before turning back to Nancy. “Is she like Mick?” Kali said, speaking to El without looking from Nancy’s face.

El nodded, “Yes.” The sisters stood shoulder to shoulder, and it occurred to Nancy how natural it was to see them as such. There was no physical similarity, obviously, but it was something else that linked them. Like the shadow behind their eyes, but deeper.

“And like Funshine, too,” El added, turning to smile at Nancy. Kali raised her brows.

Nancy shifted from foot to foot, looked Kali in the eye, and held out her hand. “I’m Nancy,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as jittery as she felt. Kali hesitated a second, then took Nancy’s hand. Kali’s grip was as strong as Nancy thought it would be. She tried to equal it. They shook once, before letting go.

El immediately reclaimed Kali’s hand and pulled her toward the couch where Nancy’s old clothes were piled. The two girls sat down next to each other, and El looked up at Nancy expectantly.

Nancy realized she was still standing by the window, her eyes following Kali and nothing else. She moved to sit down in a chair adjacent to the couch, folding her hands tightly in her lap.

El had never talked about her sister around Nancy. Mike had said something about the girl having been kidnapped just like El, tortured by the lab because of her powers, just like El. It was more than unnerving, being around someone you knew had been through so much, but not knowing them at all, not knowing how much they knew about you.

“I need to speak to your policeman, Jane,” Kali said, her hand still clasping El’s. There was a heaviness to her voice, but Nancy wasn’t sure if it was concern, or simply the way she spoke.

“Hopper,” El said, looking at Kali, barely blinking. Nancy had long noticed El had a way of looking at people directly, often for a long time, without any change in expression. The way Kali looked back at El, Nancy could tell Kali did the same thing, but more purposefully.

“Yes. I have no safe way of contacting him, or you. I had to meet him in person. This cabin isn’t within the Hawkins city limits, I understand,” Kali said, glancing at Nancy.

“No, it isn’t. It’s about ten miles out,” Nancy said, forcing herself to unclasp her hands. “Hopper won’t be here for another couple hours. But I can get a hold of him now, try to make him come earlier…?”

Kali was already shaking her head. “No, I will wait.”

“You’ll be able to meet my friends,” El said, smiling at Kali, leaning closer to her. “I told them about you, about how you helped me,” she said. It was an open-ended statement, not there for passing judgment. El was only telling the truth.

Kali tilted her head, her face softening almost imperceptibly. “You trust your friends very much,” she said, and El nodded silently.

“We’re good at keeping secrets around here,” Nancy found herself saying, and Kali’s eyes cut to her. Nancy smiled wryly. “I don’t know how much El has told you, but there’s a lot we’re not used to talking about, except amongst ourselves.”

“El?” Kali said, raising her brows again. “Is that what you go by here, Jane?”

El nodded once. “I didn’t know my birth name until right before I found you. My friends, they first knew me as Eleven. Or El,” she explained, her words measured, her expression becoming closed off for the briefest of moments. Nancy wasn’t sure Kali had caught it.

“And do you want to still be called by the name the bad men chose for you?” Kali asked, her eyes becoming sharper, if that was possible.

“It means…something different to me. The bad men…they didn’t call me El,” El said, her eyes moving to some distant point past Kali, unfocused. Nancy couldn’t read El’s expression, which worried her even more.

Nancy sprang to her feet. “I’ll get us something to drink,” she said, her voice a little too loud. She shouldn’t be here. She didn’t want to be here. Barely looking at Kali, Nancy turned and headed for the kitchen.

While filling the second cup with water from the tap, Nancy heard footsteps approaching. Nancy turned off the tap, squared her shoulders, and turned.

It was Barb.

The plastic cup fell harmlessly to the kitchen floor, splashing Nancy’s jeans with water. The counter jabbed into her back, a scream caught in her throat, breath suddenly unable to escape her lungs.

Barb was walking toward her, a sad smile frozen on her face.

Nancy blinked, and in Barb’s place was Kali. She stopped to stand barely two feet from Nancy, her face now just as unreadable as El’s had been.

“Reminders of the past aren’t usually welcome,” Kali said, her stare unwavering.

Nancy blinked again, and only then realized tears were running down her face. She wiped at them, pressing her hand hard against her eyes. “Why did you do that?” she said, her voice coming out hollow.

Kali shook her head, her eyes never leaving Nancy’s face. “I didn’t. You did.”

“What?”

“It’s something I learned, before the lab. Those with certain pain inside them, they didn’t need me to go into their mind. They saw what they wanted to see.” Kali took another step toward her, close enough Nancy could see the layers of makeup around her eyes. The counter pressed harder into her back.

“My mother was the first one. She looked at me one day and saw someone she had lost.” Kali’s voice had become distant, her eyes focused inward on the memory.

But then the shadow in her eyes shifted, and she held Nancy’s gaze. “Who was she?”

The question came out soft, not without emotion. Whether it was sympathy or mockery, Nancy didn’t take the time to distinguish. Her pulse was barely slowing down, her breaths coming out unsteadily through her nose.

“Let El choose her own name. No one here is choosing it for her. Neither should you,” Nancy said. Her face heated as she heard the anger in her voice.

To her surprise, Kali smiled. Nancy only then noticed her nails digging into her palms. Peripherally she saw Kali’s arm move toward one of her hands.

A familiar sequence of knocks sounded at the front door. Kali tore her eyes from Nancy’s and took a step back.