#barb should have let her bean him in the face with the baseball

[gatalentan]

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY S02E19 (Festival)

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Should I Stay or Should I Go? (The Eighties Blasts Collection, Part 11.)

Description: Jim Hopper died as a hero. But with that, one certain problem rises up - who will now lead the cops of Hawkins? Hopper thought of that - he decided to write a letter, naming his niece, nineteen-year-old student of Indianapolis police academy, Y/N Hopper as a sheriff deputy in a letter. But anybody in the town doesn’t have a clue that being a cop in Hawkins is way more dangerous than it might seem.

Part Summary: Hopper Jr. is now going through a slight life crisis - she is hunted down by a Shapeshifter, he cabin is out of use and to plan something with the dinguses around is basically impossible.

A/N: I just wanted to have a few minutes to catch a breath and to let Hopper have a bit of fun with the boys. Chapter inspired by You're a Fighter along with Boys and Girls from the Stranger Things 3 original score by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein.

Word Count: 5.6 K

Tagging: @charmed-asylum​ @nemodoren​

Master list: The Eighties Blast Collection

The following morning was stressful and crazy, to say the least. Steve might have a day off from the video shop, but he still had to pretend that you're not in his room and that everything is just right and as it's supposed to be. He almost accidentally told his mom a few times. That was like walking on thin ice. He let you borrow some more of his clothes, making a promise that he'll stop in your cabin with you to take some of your clothes. 

He unlocked the door to his bedroom once his parents left the house - you were just sitting on his bed in his sweats and an old t-shirt, reading through one of his magazines. You already sneaked through the whole room, looked at the photos of him and the kids, your personal favorites were the ones with Dustin, one with Robin where they were... Extremely close, you looked at his books that were just covered up in dust and his collection of movies. You even found a small photo album, clearly as old as the time, hidden under his pillow.

There were mainly photos of small boy Steve where he was just incredibly cute - messy hair, always dirty from the mud that was outside, in his baseball outfit. Then there was little Stevie walking his bike... And a picture of him and Nancy hugging, which wasn't that old. Were they... Dating before? But on the same page, there was a picture of you, hugging Steve with a big, toothless smile - that was the fourth of July and you were making yourself apples in caramel. You could remember that he was much taller than you when you were both just kids. His mom took you both there since Hopper had to stay at the station until eleven in night. 

That night, the thing at Barb's treehouse happened. That memory made you chuckle as well.

But when Steve opened up the door, you were just casually laid down on the bed you've tidied up and you slowly turned your head to look at Harrington. 

“Well, the house is empty, come out and do as you please. Brush your teeth, have a shower, have some breakfast, just like if you were at your place.” - Steve invited you into the house with a warm smile. When you walked into the hall, you were surprised. The inside of the house hasn't changed a bit since you were little. There was still a ton of photos of small Steve - there was still even the one where you, Nance, Johnathan and Steve were trick or treating for the first time ever. It was so embarrassing that it actually made you chuckle a bit.

"Eggs, bagels, Eggos?" - Steve yelled at you from the kitchen, making you jump a bit as you freaked out. - "Triple-Decker Eggos Extravaganza?" - You snorted and reminded Steve of the tower of unhealthy sweets put into one mash-up. Hopper never bought you a cake for your birthday - but he always made a tower of Eggo waffles, whipped cream, jelly beans bought on the gas station, Hershey's kisses and Reese's pieces. You loved it. And usually, you invited friends and he made Extravaganza for each of them to celebrate your big day.

"I don't think I can cook you such a masterpiece." - Steve said with a chuckle, leaning into the fridge to look what's in store.

"I had exactly this suspicion since you told me that you'll cook me something. Who's a chief who doesn't know how to cook a good Extravaganza?" - You said jokingly, pouring yourself a glass of milk. - "Eggs and some bagel will do, then."

"Right. Hop into the shower, do you want some fresh clothes?" - Steve asked and leaned into the fridge to get some eggs. You shook your head, leaving him all alone in the kitchen. You could remember that Steve was less than a bad cook back in your day - you just hoped that he finally learned how to cook. When you got out of the shower, the house smelled... Nice. It didn't smell like the whole house is on fire.

And when you got down to the table, you were rather pleasantly surprised - Steve was already eating and watching the news. There was a second plate which was surely for you. Mashed eggs were formed into a smiling face along with a few strips of bacon, two fresh bagels were leaned into the plate and a cup of fresh coffee was served along with your glass of milk.

"I didn't know how you like your coffee, so it's basically just colored water." - Steve smiled at you. He was clothed as well - having a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. He was looking like a million bucks and you, sitting there with your hair not combed, dressed in a t-shirt that was saying Go-Hawkins-Go!, clearly supporting local baseball team, and your jeans muddy from the yesterday's incidents, looked like a horrendous monster, to say the least.

"This is too nice of you. Thank you so, so much." - You smiled and Steve just smiled back before turning back to the TV once again.

"They already informed about Mrs. Duffer. They said that there's a killer set loose and it awaits their next victim. Poor people." - Steve said a bit ironically, looking right into his plate. You nodded and furrowed. - "We'll catch up with Dustin and Mike today. Lucas and Max went on a trip, Nance is at university and Robin is on her shift. I already told Dustin via radio, he said he'll tell Mike. But first, before we start to plan an ambush, we need to see the people who went missing in the last... Month."

"An ambush? You're calling it an ambush?" - You asked unbelievably whole you shoved some eggs down your throat. You were almost grinning. You were hunting down a Shapeshifter. And they were calling the whole plan an ambush? They were such children.

"We obviously need to lay out a trap, because I and other dinguses can't beat it on our own." - Steve said and you started to laugh since it was getting more and more ridiculous.

"Sure, Harrington, sure." - You stopped after a while and took a sip of your milk. - "I think that I'm afraid for my whole life, but I'm trying to hide all of under the surface and then I look mentally ill."

"Hopper was more and more aggressive and ironic - the closer the Demogorgon got close, the rougher he was. Or, that's what I always thought. Everyone has their tactics to stand against dangers and threats. Or Demogorgons for that matter." - The boy on the opposite side of the table said and then, he got up to wash the plate. Hopper. The typical American tough guy who tried to act the toughest he could.

In reality, you hadn't met anyone more loveable who would've had a bigger heart than he had. He was the typical family guy - man dressed up in denim jeans, flannel shirt with a beard. The man from your local family ad. But yeah, you knew that he could be short with his temper, like when he was helping you to build your first kite (he broke it four times) or when someone was laughing at you just because you didn't have such nice dresses and played baseball in your fifth grade. Or when you had your first argument over boys when you got to puberty. Yeah, he was short with his temper, but he calmed down rather quickly and tried to win you over with ice cream and chocolate.

But to see him stand up against a monster? You knew for sure that you didn't have a chance to get to know this Hopper. But you somehow got the feeling that you'll be the same person when it comes to action.

You left the Harrington residence before it was nine o'clock - Steve insisted on taking you in his car since it was newer, fresher and not so far. He also was making sure that you won't leave him standing somewhere in the city. First, you drove to your cabin to pack some clothes, including a few t-shirts, jeans, sweats and a lot of sweatshirts and underwear.

You and Steve still had to think through how will he tell his mom why woman underwear can be found in his dirty clothes, but he just said that you shouldn't be worrying about that since you had bigger problems. Thank God, Shapeshifter couldn't be seen - it wasn't watching you, it wasn't hiding in the cabin, you were alone and safe.

Then, Steve drove you to the police station and parked on the small parking lot. He bought himself a cup of coffee from Dunkin' Donuts and listened to the songs on the radio, watching the surroundings.

You were in a completely different position - you walked inside the station, but you were visibly nervous. To cover the bruise on your forearm, you put on a long-sleeved turtleneck, covering it in Steve's Go-Hawkins-Go! t-shirt. Flo almost instantly noticed that you're pale and trembling the hell out.

"You look awful, darling. What are you doing here?" - She stood up and smoothed your face lightly. You smiled at her, pouring yourself a glass of water.

"I'm... I'm good. I need to speak with Stanford and to... Search through some cases." - You looked at her and then sat on the opposite side of the table, looking at her in the eyes. - "I think I found out something that links all the missing persons."

"So you want to copy the folds?" - Flo rose her eyebrows and you completely stiffed for a few seconds, thinking about everything. - "You're so much alike, darling. Hopper was just like you when he was younger - copying folds and cases, photos and notes, sitting at home in the evening and thinking about it. He fell in love with his job since the day he started here. I won't tell Stanford if you promise me that you won't show anyone else."

"I promise I won't, Flo. Please, bring me copies of the missing person from last month and Mrs. Duffer's case. I will talk to Stanford in the meantime." - You smiled at the old lady, exhaling out loud. You were lucky that Flo knew both you and Hopper. She was there when Jim started his job as a normal police officer until the moment he became the chief. And she was there even when you started there as well.

Then, when Flo disappeared in the back for the files, you knocked on your boss's door. Before you disappeared inside, Anderson gave you a begging look. You knew what was going on - he sent you to the site, he gave you the case, he was the cop responsible for what happened to you.

But you rose your fingers holding the glass and gave him a slight smile along with a small nod - he could be sure that he's safe. You didn't plan to tell Stanford that he sent you there.

"Good morning, chief." - You stuck your head inside when Stanford invited you. One look at you and immediately, Stanford could say that you're sick.

"Good morning Miss Hopper. I will immediately say that you're here to take a few days off?" - Stanford stood up and moved a chair so you could sit on it. - "I mean it, Hop. You look awful."

"Oh, yeah, that's why I'm here, definitely." - You said almost immediately in response, nodded and took another sip from the glass. - "I think I caught some cold, I almost didn't get up from bed, my muscles hurt... I need to visit the doctor's."

"You don't look good at all, Hopper. Take a week or two off. You were doing so well, it's alright to occasionally take a few days off. You're a good cop." - Stanford stood up and leaned his ass into his desk, watching you. You slowly nodded, giving him a slight smile. - "That's a deal, then. Give me a call once you feel fine. We'll miss you. What about your tests? How does that go?"

"First grades of this year were straight As, so I'm hoping to keep the score, sir. I hope you write me a good review." - You joked around and laughed. You sat in the office for a few minutes, so Flo should have the papers copied already. So slowly, you got up and smiled at Stanford, who was still watching as you were leaving.

"You can be sure, Hopper. You're a great addition to our team, so why would I do you any harm? See you when you'll feel good." - He waved at you lightly and turned around to look at the paperwork on his desk. Two weeks. Fourteen days. That was enough to catch the Shapeshifter in your opinion.

Flo secretly passed you a fold full of freshly copied papers that were still warm. So Hopper was doing the same things? He was taking the work home?

Sure, sometimes you saw him thinking over a case while he smoked a cigarette at home in the evening when he couldn't fall asleep, but this must've happened way often. What was Hopper's life like without you? Were you really that much like your uncle?

It took you ten minutes - to get the files and to talk out a holiday with Stanford. Steve was surprised since he parked literally a few seconds ago since he took you a coffee and a few donuts at Dunkin' Donuts.

"You're done already? I thought that they'll be having you there at least for twenty minutes." - Steve told you when you sat beside him. You furrowed and looked at him. - "Cops are so serious all the time, so I'd say that they are doing the administrative a seriously long time. That was an attempt to be funny." - Steve protected his ass with this excuse while he gave you his cup of coffee and started the engine again.

"You're joking about my profession, Steven. Don't forget that I can still kick you goddamn ass in an instance. I'm only playing sick for fourteen days." - You took a sip from your cup, unbelievably gazing out of the window. He was playing on thin ice.

"I was joking, Hopper, I was joking. Calm down. Don't forget where you're living now." - Steve looked at you while you were waiting on the green light, while Queen were playing in the car.

"Oh, I can live at Mike Wheeler's basement, can't I?" - You answered ironically, taking another sip. Jesus, that coffee was delicious. Steve knew what he was buying. He mumbled something like You totally can live with Mike, I dare you to. - "But really, is fourteen days enough?"

"Sure, more than enough. It took only a week to find the Mindflayer and to discover a super-secret Russian base underneath the mall in the summer and most of the time, I was wearing that Scoops Ahoy uniform. And I was looking like a million bucks." - Steve answered from his focused gaze watching the street in front of the car. He leaned his head towards you, motioning you to give him a sip.

"This is extremely dangerous and as a cop, I don't like this whole situation at all." - You need to say that you giggled, while Steve tried to drive straight but drink coffee at the same time. You just liked that boy, he could be funny at times.

"But it's hilarious. My favorite trick. Ladies are going crazy from this." - Steve gave you a big smile and you just rolled your eyes, taking a sip of your coffee. 

The car stopped in front of Wheeler's residence ten minutes before ten o'clock. But you weren't getting out of his car - instead, he took his donuts and coffee and looked at you. - “Well, take the radio from under your seat and call Dustybun.” 

“You can't do that on your own, Harrington?” - You mumbled and almost threw your cup of coffee at Steve, almost spilling out his. You found the radio, which was pretty messy - there were pieces of food stuck on it, a clear stain from coffee and... Oh, Lord, what was the last thing? Did you want to know? - “This is just fucking disgusting.” 

“Shut up and call Dustin before I let go of at least one of the cups.” - Steve mumbled, barely holding everything in his hands. You slowly exhaled and pushed the buttons on the radio. 

“Dustin? Hopper here. Do you copy?” - You asked, watching Mike's house, but then you turned your head to look at Steve and it was way more interesting. His balancing was on point, you needed to admit.

“Yeah. Why do you have Steves radio?” - Dustin asked with a true interest in his voice, but you just turned the radio again and chuckled. - “Don't worry about that douche, he's here and he's trying to impress me.”

“Is he?” - Dustin asked back, but it didn't sound like a joke at all. But Steve just panicked, leaned to the radio and gave you a short look. You rather turned the radio and put it to Steve's lips. - “You tell another word and your ass is grass, you're dead Handerson, do you copy?” - Steve hissed into the radio. Dustin just hummed in response. - “Now tell little Wheeler to move his little tush and open up the door, or I'll let go of two cups of coffee which weren't exactly the cheapest. Copy, over and kill.” 

After that, you sat there with your lips parted, having a daring smile on your lips. - “All right, okay. What was that, Harrington? Are you threatening a small kid?”

“No, I just politely told him to mind his own damn business. Will, you be so nice and take your things already?” - Steve almost threw your pack at you and you were just laughing when you got off the car. Mike stood there already, waving at both of you. 

“You have everything?” - Mike asked, leading you to his basement. At that moment, Karen came to look at what's happening. She was rather surprised to see both of you standing in the hall of your room.

“Hopper? Steve? What you're doing here?” - She went to hug you in a mother-like way, smiling at the both of you. Mike just widened his eyes and he was about to protest, but you knew your way with parents. Your parents, Mike's parents, Hopper - you knew your way. 

“We would like to go camping for a weekend with the kids. Since anyone else is in the town, Nancy is at school and Robin isn't available, we just have an early meeting, to sketch our schedules, like when I should have a weekend off, and these, you know, it is a lot to plan.” - You chuckled. You spoke so calmly and everyone in the room just bought you the story. Even these two who knew you're just blatantly lying were buying it.

“Yeah, yeah.” - Mike nodded, being overly dramatic. - “We want to go camping with Steve, Hopper, Robin, and Nance. Maybe having Jonathan and Will would be really nice, so, we really have to go and... Talk.”

“Yeah. It was my idea originally.” - Steve said proudly while Mike continued on his way to the basement door. You just grabbed his jacket and dragged him behind Mike. - “You wish to come up with an idea like this.” - Karen only grinned and walked back to the kitchen.

“Dustin, you should've seen it. Y/N just thought a lie on the spot and it was so good that my mom believed all of it.” - Mike said to Dustin and sat down on an old couch. It was messy and smelled funny, but you didn't say a word. - “I didn't know that cops can lie as you do.” 

“It was good, all honor to you, Hopper.” - Steve showed you a thumb up and took a bite of a chocolate donut. You sat next to Dustin, saying hi to him. 

“You think of me as of a cop, but you all forget that Jim Hopper was my uncle and almost something like a dad.” - You grinned at Steve. - “I had to come up with sorts of crazy apologies and lies. But I think that Hopper knew about each one of them.”

Then you actually got to the unpacking of the fold Flo printed out for you. There were six people gone missing in the spawn of the last month - old Mrs. Duffer and that boy Alex. You put those ones away since you thought that Shapeshifter won't take their looks again.

There were two men from the nearby factory who got lost on the same day, but really, you found it improbable that the Shapeshifter would take out two men at once. The last two people was a girl around Mike and Dustin's age and a man, who looked like he will climb out of the picture and will eat you alive.

Just when you establish on who did you thought could be really killed by the Shapeshifter and who just got lost or decided to leave. You were left with the young girl, killed Mrs. Duffer and Alex, the small boy.

But everyone was still a suspect.

Karen brought you lunch down to the basement when you were sitting there for two hours already. It was a plate of grilled chicken breasts with vegetables and potatoes. And it was totally delicious.

While you were eating, there was time to finally discuss the ambush as Steve called it. Mike Wheeler had surprised you with an amount of knowledge about ambushes and Demogorgons in general.

"We have to take it somewhere where we know it and where we're sure about what we're going to do. We can't let it take play the surprise card." - Mike said with his mouth full. Your gaze wandered around as you chewed grilled meat. To be honest, you kinda didn't know what they were talking about at all. You've never hunted down a Demogorgon, you've never seen it in action, you've never fought against it.

"He means that we have to know our surroundings - it would be truly a dumbass move to take it to the woods or somewhere out there, where our hands are tied and we're practically blind. Knowing your surroundings does a lot." - Dustin explained what Mike had said to you and you hummed back in response. That made sense.

"What if we take it somewhere where we've already fought it?" - Steve tried to say something meaningful to the subject.

"Hopper wouldn't be glad if we would break her cabin like we did in the summer, we've already rampaged the public pool, we've fought it in Will's house, in the wood, the car graveyard and who can forget Starcourt?" - Mike started to list on his fingers, looking Steve in the eyes.

"You mean school?" - Dustin asked Steve. Steve clearly didn't mean school, but it made him appear smart, so he slowly nodded, testing the waters. - "Mike, that's actually a good idea. I knew you were smart sometimes, Steve!" - Dustin stood up and Steve truly didn't know if he should be offended or complimented. - "It's not too hard to get into the school in the evening, we'll just beg mister Clarke to borrow us his keys to the radio room. Hopper will act as the responsible adult who will promise to stay there with us after closing hours. She's a cop, so no-one will question it."

"And I'm not a responsible adult?" - Steve asked offendedly, looking at Dustin, who just giggled right into Steve's face.

"Steve, you're everything but adult and responsible. On the other hand, you're the best babysitter that Hawkins's basketball team has ever seen." - Dustin patted Steve's shoulder in a friendly way, but you furrowed as a new wave of insecurity rose inside of you. Your silent voice practically muted down the bickering between Steve and Dustin.

"What if it won't work along?" - You asked silently, but even if the question didn't sound like it had too much sense in it. Everyone just questioned it while you straightened up. - "What if it's not after me? What if I and Mr. Mom here wrong and it was just a coincidence that it found me. It maybe isn't out to hunt me down. Maybe it's just hunting down literally anyone that crosses their path."

Everyone shut up for a moment and looked somewhere in the distance. That was a valid question and an argument that had an actual point.

"We need to test the theory out, I guess." - Dustin said quietly and Mike looked at him.

"No. No. No. No. I know that look, dickheads and yeah, that's a no." - Steve said loudly, standing up, laughing almost unbelievably. No-one else was laughing though. You didn't know what was going on and even if the boys did know what was going on, they weren't laughing at all.

Steve stood up, put his palms on his lips and swiftly licked his lips, looking at every one of you. - "And there's too little of us to stand against that. No. Don't ever bring that up again."

"Calm down, Harrington, she doesn't even know that we talked about her." - Mike looked at you and you just rose your eyebrows. You truly didn't have a clue that the boys were talking about you.

"What does that have something to do with me? Why are you standing? Sit the hell down, babysitter." - Your palm tugged Steve's denim jacket to sit down, while you let Mike and Dustin speak their minds.

"There was the first Demogorgon two years ago. It dragged Will to the Upside Down and it had eaten Barb. But Nancy and Jonathan figured out that the Demogorgon is something like a shark. It senses blood from miles away - they cut their palms to attract it. It worked the last time at least..." - Mike told you quietly and you just looked at your palm, opening and closing it once or twice.

"So you want me to cut my palm so we could to lure the monster inside the school?" - You asked worriedly. - "What if it doesn't work? What will we do then?"

"That's why we need to test it out, Hopper. That's when the old car graveyard can come on handy. We can use the bus as a barricade again." - Dustin mumbled, visibly surprised by the brightness of his plan.

"The Shapeshifter is smart. Perhaps even intelligent. It uses tactics, and not just hunting ones. It tried to scare me when I was in my cabin, it tapped on the windows, scratched it." - You looked at the boys and licked your lips. - "What I'm trying to say is that it probably won't just fall for the trap that easily."

"We'll be prepared. There will be Lucas, Max, I and Dustin, you and Steve. Maybe even Nance and Robin. And that's eight people against one Shapeshifter - at both school and the car graveyard. We stand a fair chance." - Mike said and you actually believed him that he believes that you can really make it. - "And if it's smart, just like you're saying, Hopper, it will run away from the graveyard. It will definitely know that it's in danger."

You looked at Steve without pretty much nothing in your face. Steve didn't agree, not a bit, but at least he sat back on his damn ass. - "It's a good idea, Harrington. You've been there with me, maybe the Shapeshifter is after both of us?"

"Nice try, but I'll gladly stay out of your trouble. But, if you want to test it out, I guess we're testing it out." - Steve agreed with you, but you could say it doesn't bring him any happiness.

"Yeah. Let's plan this whole thing out, shall we?" - You asked the boys and took a small notebook and a pen which was Mike giving you.

Both you and Steve alongside Dustin were leaving the Wheeler's residence just half an hour before five o'clock and half an hour before Steve's parents came home and you had to be locked in his room. Two pictures were hanging just above the driver's seat, so you always saw the faces of the two lost persons.

Slowly, you drove Dustin home and after that, Steve drove you both to his home. He helped you with the bag to your room, you hid the file in your room and he locked you inside as he went to greet his parents.

In Mike Wheeler's house, there was everyone already sitting at the table, including Nancy and Ted. Karen was looking at Mike, her eyes constantly running back to him and then to Holly. Until Mike asked her what's up with her.

"I was thinking about Jim's goddaughter and Steve." - Karen tried to think about how to slowly lean into the subject she was interested in.

"What about them?" - Mike asked back annoyedly, playing with his food, looking at Nance. She was truly surprised that her mom has seen you together. Mike told her that you were there to have a small meeting, talking about the Demogorgon, but what the hell did your mom see?

"I just think they're looking really nice together, that's all. Are they dating?" - Karen casually asked from serving the fresh salad on her plate, having a contented smile on her face. Nancy and Mike looked at each other, prepared to defend your name if they found it necessary.

"I'm sure they aren't." - Nancy said and took a sip of her lemonade. - "If they were dating, Steve wouldn't be able to shut his mouth about it."

"Yeah, I think so." - Mike agreed with his older sister immediately - they were able to be a great team when the situation demanded them to be one.

You, at the same time, were sitting on the floor of Steve's floor when the lock suddenly unlocked. You hoped that it's Steve with some food, but instead, Mrs. Harrington walked in first followed by Steve. At least, she was holding a plate of food, putting it on Steve's desk.

You immediately stood up and your cheeks reddened when you thought about what you're going to say to Mrs. Harrington. But she just smiled at you, waving you off.

"Steve already told me what happened. I didn't know that deers can have rabies or that they're so aggressive during it. I heard it broke your door in the early morning?" - She stood up and looked at you. The worst thing about all of this was that she was deadly serious.

So, Steve thought that deers could catch rabies. And he obviously told his mom that deer which caught rabies is why you're practically living in their house. And she believed it. That boy was either a total genius or a complete, utter idiot.

"Oh, yes. It suddenly just speeded into my door and broke the wood in half, so... I need to buy another door." - You nodded and fidgeted your fingers on your belly. Mrs. Harrington looked at Steve for a while and then she waved him off and shut the door.

"Or, if it is because you feel alone there, honey, you can talk to me." - She hummed, gently soothed your cheek and caught your palms in hers. - "I know it's been a lot and that living on your own isn't funny. You have anyone to talk to, you woke up and it's empty and when you go to sleep, it's also empty." - That was true. It was awfully empty at the times you were just coming home from work. You sat down on the armchair, took the leftovers from lunch and subconsciously waited on Hopper. You usually slept in the armchair, waiting for your godfather to open the door and come in.

"No, it's just rabies. I'll just get the window repaired and buy a new door and then I'll come back to my cabin. I'll be here for a week if I can." - You smiled back and she nodded. - "Thank you for your hospitality. It means so much to me."

"As for that... Dean still doesn't know you're here and it would probably be better if it stays this way until you move back. It's silly, I know, but Dean would not understand as I and Steve do.” - She told you and hugged your shoulders with one arm and you let her. - “And if anything happens, if you need something, just call me Catherine, alright?” 

After that, she left you in the room and Steve walked in with the glass of lemonade which Mrs. Harrington served you. 

“I need to tell at least my mom since she does the laundry and she would notice that the food would disappear.” - Was one of the last things Steve had told you that night.

[scaryscarecrows]

Harley Quinn

Oh, you wanted to be happy today? TOO DAMN BAD.

Jason’s asleep.

Or. He was asleep, in that blessed blacked-out place where nothing hurts.

But then the fire alarm went off.

At least, that was his initial thought when he was startled back to consciousness, jerking and being reminded that DON’T PUT WEIGHT ON THAT ANKLE and GIVE YOUR SHOULDERS A BREAK. He can’t do either and he ends up slumped forward, trying to keep his balance on his good ankle and barely able to care, anymore, that his shoulders are screaming.

Plik. Plik. Plik.

Blood, half-watered down with sweat, drips off his hair and onto the tiles below. And then it clicks that hey, he can see the tiles. And that’s not a fire alarm, that’s…

Oh.

It’s one of those days, the ones where Harley’s…in a good mood. She never feels bad enough for him to help him, not really, but sometimes, usually when Joker’s been a real dick to her, she comes down here and sends the guards away and gets him cleaned up. Well, as best she can, anyway.

He hates these days.

“Good mornin’, sunshine!” Yeah, no amount of makeup can cover that bruise on her cheek, but she’s tried her best. And he hates himself for it, because of what she’s done and what she continues to do,

(“YOU’RE TAKIN’ MISTAH J AWAY FROM ME!”)

but he feels sorry for her anyway.

Not sorry enough to play along, though.

“Fuck off.”

He regrets his timing if nothing else-she’s stripping off her gloves and the black one snaps across his cheek, reopening a cut there and falling away with blood dripping off the fingertips.

“Don’t you take that tone with Mama.” She tosses the glove away and sets the unsullied red one down gently on the cart. “Drop ‘im, boys.”

Dumb and Dumber appear out of nowhere and one of ‘em-Dumb, feels like-gets up behind him. There’s a clinking noise and then he’s falling, landing hard on the tiles and jarring ribs that haven’t healed right. His wrists are still zip-tied and honestly, it doesn’t matter anyway-he can barely move, let alone make an escape attempt.

He tries to straighten himself out, at least, and Dumber looms over him, baseball bat in hand-

“Beat it, boys.”

“But-”

“I’ll call ya if I need ya!” Harley skips over to give Dumber a kiss on the cheek. “Pinky promise.”

They leave, tantalizing ray of light vanishing as they slam the door, and he’s still here, with the single bulb shining down and everything hurts.

Now that they’re gone, Harley’s smile drops like a melting snowman and she crouches down, pulling a bucket of suds over. He doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want this, it only keeps him alive longer and he wants this all to stop.

“No-”

“I’m just gonna clean ya up!” she says, and she’s not smiling but she still sounds…happy…and it’s wrong, it’s all so wrong. “Hold still, baby bird.”

No. No, no, no, he can’t do this, he doesn’t want to do this anymore-

He scrambles backwards, or tries to-with one leg out of commission and his shoulders barely working, he gets maybe six inches before he drops. Harley shakes her head, drags the bucket closer, and fishes a sponge out of it. He barely has time to squeeze his eyes shut before it squelches against his hair, soap creeping down his face and catching in stinging cuts. One, a gash across his nose, burns like fire and he clenches his teeth and tries to scrunch his face up to get some relief.

“Aww, this doesn’t hurt! Hold still.”

She’s too close. She’s too close, she’s touching him and everything hurts. His nerves are sanded down to the point that air hurts, sometimes, and he doesn’t want this, he just wants this all to stop.

It does not stop. Once his hair’s sopping wet, she tosses the sponge back in the bucket with a heavy SPLOP! and digs her fingers against his scalp. They’re cold and sharp and he tries, once more, to pull away. All that gets him is a flick behind the ear.

“Stop that. Doncha wanna be less of a mess for when Mistah J comes back?”

‘No.”

“Aww, yeah, ya do, you just don’t know it yet!” She hums a few bars of some children’s song (‘Wheels on the Bus’, maybe?) and keeps rubbing her fingers around his head. The soap suds, or at least the ones that drip by his eyes, are reddish-black and speckled with who knows what. Grime. Bits of scabs. Both, probably.

He doesn’t realize how fast he’s breathing until Harley says, unexpectedly gentle, “In on seven, hold for five, out for six.”

He doesn’t want to. He wants to just stop breathing altogether, but now that she’s put the words in his head he can’t not do it.

He hates her for this. She won’t help him, she says she’s sorry, but then she turns back around and tries to force a bleach smoothie down his throat for takin’ Joker’s attention from her an’-

“Hush, hush, baby, don’t you cry, Mama’s gonna sing you a lullabye,” she croons, and then there’s a lukewarm washcloth scrubbing gently across his face. He realizes a minute later that he’s crying, sort of-tears are slipping under swollen lids and joining the suds in their journey down his face.

Alfred.

Alfred used to do this. He remembers, hazy as a dream, comin’ out of a brutal beating from some freak called Crazy Quilt, and Alfred had been there, fingers rubbing little circles through the terrycloth, and it’d felt so good.

If he keeps his eyes closed and doesn’t breathe, he can think, for a minute, that that’s the case here. That the last few months have been an awful dream and that he’s home, safe and cared for and going to be all right.

And then Harley ruins it.

“Now I can see your smilin’ face!” she says brightly, voice just this side of strained. “But you’re not smilin’! C’mon, Robin, you’re s’posed ta. Batsy don’t smile ever, so you gotta do it for him.”

No.

There’s a different kind of pain at the mention of Bruce. Bruce, who should have come by now, unless-no. No, he’ll come. He’ll come, somebody’ll crack and spill the beans or he’ll find his way down here.

He has to. He does it for everyone else, he’ll come for Jason.

Won’t he?

The washcloth digs into the barbed wire marks at his neck and he whines, tries to lift his arms in defense. They stay stubbornly against his stomach, muscles twitching when he tries to get them to move.

“Shh, baby birdie. I gotta getcha cleaned up so’s ya don’t die! You don’t wanna die, do ya?”

Better than this.

Unfortunately, Harley takes his non-response as the yes that it was and the washcloth gets flung into the bucket. Before he can…do anything, really…, she’s dragged him up

OWOWOWOWOWPLEASE

and shaken him hard enough to make his teeth rattle in his skull.

“You don’t get ta die!” she shrieks, sudden and angry, and when he forces his eyes open, she’s clearly distraught. “You don’t get ta die just ‘cause you wanna! Robins don’t die!”

She’s working herself up to something, he can tell, and he’s struck with the sudden mental picture of her slamming his head against the floor until it cracks open like a coconut.

And right then, he realizes that he doesn’t want to die. Not yet, not down here, not like this.

He tries to jerk away from her and succeeds, only to promptly collapse back to the tiles. Then she’s on him, hauling him back up and-

-into a. A hug?

A hug. His arms are now pinned against his torso and her fingers are digging into tears in the suit and pressing into cuts ‘n bruises. Struggling only makes her hold on tighter and he settles for staying as still and silent as possible.

“Ya gotta keep smilin’ for Mistah J, Robin,” she whispers, greasy lipstick smearing against his ear. “Ya gotta. He don’t like frowny faces unless it’s B-man.”

She lets him go, props him against the nearest wall, and brings the bucket over. When she plunks it down, water sloshes out of the sides. It’s already red.

He closes his eyes so he doesn’t have to see anything anymore and this time, Harley doesn’t try to chit-chat. Just crouches in front of him and continues scrubbing him off. When he risks peeking, she’s got tears running down her cheeks too, smudging her makeup and revealing how purple that bruise really is.

And he hates himself for feeling sorry for her.

THE END