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starman-jpg · 10 months

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You Gotta Let It Out Soon

slight tw: verbal abuse and attempted assault. Overall, it's just Steve's dad being a terrible father.

Please be kind to yourself if you choose to read this.

Title from "Daddy Issues" by the Neighborhood (Seemed fitting)

Steve was late.

Dustin is going to give him so much shit.

He didn’t mean to take a nap, honest.

He had to lay down because he felt a headache coming on, and he really didn’t want to deal with it.

Were his eyes closed? Yes.

Did he feel himself nodding off? Well… yeah.

But that’s not the point! He didn’t mean to.

He rushes down the stairs, his keys in his mouth as he awkwardly hops on one foot getting on one shoe before doing the same with the other one. It wasn’t until he looked up that he found he was being watched.

He stands up straight, taking his keys and shoving them in his pocket, keeping a tight grip on them.

“Dad…”

“Steven.”

“W-what are — When did-”

“For God’s sake Steven, stop being an idiot and finish your sentence.” His dad was already done with him.

“What are you doing here?” That’s a safe question.

“It’s my house, Steven. Why wouldn’t I be here?”

Steve shrugs, “You haven’t been here for months. Haven’t seen you since February, it's November now. ”

His dad scoffs, rolling his eyes, “I’m a very-”

“Very busy man, yeah.” Steve finishes that same lame excuse his dad gives him every time, “You mentioned that once or twice.”

“Don’t talk back to me Steven.” His voice went stern, “You have the nerve to act out when the house isn’t even cleaned and the fridge is empty. How are you living Steve, like a goddamn barn animal?” His dad may have a point, the house could use some cleaning, and he definitely needed to go to the store, but honestly, he wasn’t expecting him to be home.

“My bad, I’ve been busy.”

“Do not make excuses Steven-”

“I’m not making excuses!” He talks over his dad, “I work 10-hour shifts and when I’m not working, I’m helping some of the kids I look after.”

“Like a babysitter?” The tone of his dad’s voice is condescending.

“Yeah, like a babysitter, sure.”

“You’re a grown man, Steven. You can’t even take care of yourself.”

“Well, I did though, didn’t I?” Steve crosses his arms, shrugging, “You and Mom weren’t around. Took good care of myself then.”

“Your Mother and I were around enough.”

Steve can’t help but laugh, “Seriously? You’re serious right now?”

“Stop laughing Steven! We are your parents. We raised you to be better.”

Now that caught his attention. “You raised me? Seriously?”

“Of course we did. We gave you a roof over your head and kept you fed-” His dad kept listing things, but Steve just heard white noise.

“You didn’t raise me.” Steve mutters, keeping his eyes down. His father stopped, clearly hearing him.

“Say that again?” He was clearly taunting Steve, and Steve fell for it.

“You didn’t raise me.”

“Steven Richard Harrington, do not talk to your father like that.” Steve cringes at his full name. Especially his middle name. A reminder he’ll always be connected to his father, even without his last name.

“I did though you left when-”

“I did not ‘leave’ Steven. I had work to do, and it was important.” “More important than your son?”

“You were old enough to take care of yourself.”

“I was NINE!” He screams, a tear falling down his cheek as he points his finger at his father, “You left me to fend for myself when I was nine!”

“Oh boo-hoo, grow up Steven-”

“I have!” He screams again, finally letting out all his pent-up anger, “And you would have noticed if you were around. But you weren’t.”

He gets into his father’s face, “While you were off screwing every woman you laid eyes on and mom was drowning her sorrows at the hotel bar about her pathetic excuse of a husband, I was here. Growing up. I taught myself how to use the stove and how to buy groceries. I taught myself how to fix things around the house. I even taught myself how to drive. You did none of that.”

“I have paid for this life you are living. This house! That car! Those tutors, even though they were useless.” His dad runs a frustrated hand through his hair. It physically makes Steve ill. “God, I raised an insolent, unappreciative son.”

“You didn’t fucking raise me!” He yells, his throat already getting raw from the explosion of emotions.

His father stopped, staring daggers at Steve.

He senses it before it happens. He sees the anger on his father’s face and just knows. As his father’s hand flies up to slap him, he catches it. His nails digging into his father’s wrist, his knuckles turning white. The shock on his father’s face makes him smile.

He leans in close, taunting him, “You can’t fucking hurt me, I have fought worse things than you, and I have always won.”

Steve knows he has to look crazy, he can see it in his dad’s eyes. He’s scared of Steve. Good.

He shoves his father’s arm down to his side and walks by, heading up the stairs. He’s done and he means it. He grabs his duffle bag and shoves a bunch of his clothes and toiletries into it. He grabs his unused backpack and takes down all the pictures everyone hung up, carefully putting them in his bag. He grabs some other miscellaneous items that mean the world to him: like the rock Eddie gave him because it was pretty, the walkie Dustin gave him so he would always know everyone was safe, the little notes Robin would write on post-it notes and slap onto his wall. He took all of it.

With his backpack on and his duffle thrown over his shoulder he grabs his keys from his pocket and goes back downstairs. He sees that his father moved to the living room, so he tries to sneak out quietly.

Of course the Gods didn’t think he deserved a break.

“Where do you think you are going, Steven.”

Steve’s shoulders drop, and he turns to his dad.

“I’m leaving.”

“If you leave this house, I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” He challenges. “No, seriously. What will you do?”

His dad looks him straight in the eyes, “I’ll sell this house, and you’ll be on the street. Your mother and I will never come back to Hawkins.”

“Good fucking riddance.”

Steve opens the door and walks out, he knows his dad is yelling at him. Probably calling him all sorts of names, but he was done.

He throws his bags into the passenger seat, gets in his Beemer and drives off. His shoulders relax as he watches the Harrington house get small in his rearview mirror.

---

Steve didn’t have a plan when he left. Just knew he had to leave.

He continued to drive aimlessly around Hawkins before pulling into a familiar trailer park. He parks next to the van and gets out, jumping the stairs and knocking, rather impatiently, at the door.

He hears Eddie mumbling to himself, most likely annoyed he had to get out of bed, before the door swings open.

“Stevie!” Eddie’s once annoyed face instantly lit up, but slowly it fell, “What happened?”

“Huh?” Steve can feel the lump in his throat, and he feels the tears on his cheeks. Shit, how long had he been crying. “Shit.” He furiously wipes away his tears.

Eddie ushers him inside and moves him to the couch. He envelops Steve in his arms, letting him rest his head on his chest, hearing the rhythmic beating of his heart.

“Sweetheart, what happened?” Eddie coos.

Steve cries again as he explains what went down with his dad. Eddie comforts him the whole time, letting Steve take his time. When he was done, Eddie was furious.

“He kicked you out!” He softly yells.

“Technically no, I left.”

“But he just allowed you! And he almost hit you!”

“But he didn’t. I just was… overreacting or something.” He shrugs it off, but he knows Eddie won’t.

“Stevie, look at me.” Steve does what he is told and was a little shocked as Eddie gently took his face in his hands. “No parent should ever, ever hit you or even attempt to hit you.”

Steve slowly nods, “Yeah, but-”

“No buts. Steve, you can’t keep sticking up for your dad. He’s an asshole. You know it. I know it. Most of fucking Hawkins knows it. Why do you still protect him?”

“He’s my dad, Eds.” He says like that's an explanation. And it is, in some ways, but not the way Eddie is looking for. “We had good times, before the bad. Before he left. And I know he’s capable of that good. He has to be.” He feels himself choking up again, “He was a good dad.”

Eddie pulls him into his chest, letting Steve cry it out.

Steve sometimes forgets that there was good within his dad. That he actually had good memories with him. But that was before the Harrington business picked up.

His dad would take him to play catch in the yard. And shoot hoops with him. As a family they would go on drives and on picnics. They’d watch movies and listen to music and dance around. When Steve had a nightmare his dad would come in and read him stories as he fell asleep. They would get up early and make breakfast for his mom in bed on Mother’s Day, softly laughing as they brought up waffles and coffee for her. There was a time his dad would go to his little league games and cheer him on as loud as possible.

But then his business picked up, and it was like all those good times disappeared.

“Stevie, I’m sorry. I know he’s your dad-”

“You’re right though,” He croaks, “He’s a terrible father now. He’s a completely different man now than he was then. It’s- it’s just… hard to let go.”

Eddie nods, running his fingers through Steve’s hair. “I know, baby. I know.”

They stay on the couch, Eddie comforting him until Wayne gets home. Eddie briefly explains what happened with Steve’s dad.

“You stay here as long as you need to, boy. You got that? This is your home now. And you're safe here.”

Steve nods, another round of tears falling down his face as Wayne hugs him tightly.

Steve slowly puts his stuff around the trailer, not too much though. Just hangs his clothes with Eddie’s and puts his toothbrush in the holder.

He finally feels like he’s in a home.

And when he and Eddie drive past the Harrington house and see a “For Sale” sign in front, it feels like weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

#steve harrington #steve harrington's dad is a bad dad #downright terrible #steve harrington has daddy issues #steve does not have a good relationship with his father #established steddie #steddie #eddie munson #steve x eddie #eddie x steve #stranger things #wayne munson being the best man alive #i love wayne munson #seriously 10/10 #wayne munson supremacy #okay i am done #drops this and runs away peaking through a bush

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theosconfessions · 5 months

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if youd like to read the stephens from the beginning you can over here:)

if youd like to read the stephens continued you can over here:)

@ohsosims

dustin- im just trying to make you aware that these guys..they dont change

river- you dont think daddy changed

dustin- daddy is...yeah he did . but hes in his sixties now riv. it took many years for him to become decent. im trying to save you the heartache riv.

river- then why are you still with him if he was so bad?

dustin- weve made right what weve needed to make right,river.hes..given me reasons to trust him again. weve been together for a very very very long time. daddy is..older.he needs me. i need him.

river- what does that even mean?

dustin- meaning..he is having a lot of memory issues now. well for years but its been getting worse. i dont know how much of it is related to what he got from that piece of shit or its just getting old. i dont know . hes denying it so he doesnt scare you guys or himself but i see it. im with him all of the time now. and even though he has his shit mainly together ..and probably because of you guys... its getting more apparent as time goes on. its a lot. add the babies on top of that i just...

river- i can help with the babies

dustin- i know you would..but its not your responsibility riv.what im trying to say to you baby.thoe and i . our relatoinship is really good now finally. but thats after nearly twenty years of me being kind of..sad..and now that its good? daddys minds checking out. i just ..times so fleeting riv. not only do i not want my son to go through life being fucking sad.i dont want you to waste your time. its so fucking important baby.

river- do you feel like you wasted your time with daddy?

dustin- i think we did. and we've spoken about it. he wishes he never took me for granted.

river- he says that all of the time.

dustin- because he realizes jsut how much time we wasted fucking eachother up. i dont know. i love him. and id make the same choices to be with him. but i want different for you,riv. blake cant be making the same mistakes theo did

river- he wont

dustin- you dont know that,baby. listen youre 18. and although id love to. i cant tell you what to do anymore. just think about everything we spoke about okay? and if you choose blake..just stop moving so fast. let him prove to you hes worth your time.

river- okay.

#needless to say dusty is going THROUGH IT RIGHT NOW #the things he does for his ole man #and being honest with riv here is so important #the stephens continued #dustin stephens #river stephens #the sims 4 #ts4 #the sims #ts4 gameplay #sims 4 #simblr #ts4 simblr #ts4 story #the sims stories

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vvvrrroooomm · 1 year

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MORE STRANGER THINGS STUFF THAT BREAKS ME

- Dustin befriended and (pretty much) raised an extremely dangerous inter-dimensional creature and no one talks about it?????

- 90% of the characters on the show have daddy issues one way or another

- Kate Bush never allowed shows or movies to use her songs with Stranger Things being her only exception

- Millie saying the day she shaved her head was “the most empowering day of my life.”

- Gaten carrying everyone

- Elevens hair in season 4 mirrors Joyce’s hair

- The ENTIRETY of the Halloween scenes with the party

- Dustin making a whole radio that can reach North to South Pole and NO ONE CARED

- Benny Hammond

- Joyce kicking Mayor Kline in the balls

- “Do you know Dustin Henderson?” “Know him? I’ve bled with him.”

- Technically this isn’t directly a Stranger Things thing but how on Ao3 ‘Soccer mom Steve Harrington’ is an official tag

- Dustin and Erica’s friendship

- Platonic Stobin

- Alexei and his cherry slushees 😭😭😭

And,

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schlattsdoll · 2 years

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Can you pls do anything steve harrington I don't care I just need a new steve fic maybe y/n comforting him when he's upset. Something angst/ fluffy please and thank you!

trophy child- s. harrington

:paring: steve harrington x fem!reader

:warnings: minors dni, we gonna dive into steve’s obvious daddy issues so strap in, mentions of neglect & depression, stancy slander, steve having the emotional backbone of a chocolate eclair, you’re responsible for your own media consumption!!

being with steve wasn’t as glamorous as everyone thought. the once king of hawkins high was deep down a broken and scared kid. no one saw him for who he really was, even his parents.

constantly away from home for important events, steve felt like he was just something for his parents to brag about, but not care about. despite not being a star at much, he was a trophy child.

at one point he gave up even saying when he had his house to himself, the parties no longer filling the void. there was no use anyways, he didn’t like many of the people from high school anymore and his kids actual friends were all underage.

it got so bad that one day he just didn’t show up to work. he told robin he was sick but she had a feeling he just had enough of being used. he felt used by nancy, thinking she actually loved him, used by his parents to show off to their friends, even used by dustin at times for his car.

when you pulled up to his house, you saw his car in the driveway but all the lights were off. you sighed and pounded on the door. “stevie!! lemme in!!” you were the one person he actually wanted to see, and even your voice wasn’t enough to cheer him up.

he pulled himself out of his bed, fluffy hair messed up and old sweater scrunched up. “didn’t know you were comin’. didn’t feel good today.” he pulled open the door, his voice still raspy as if he was asleep or crying. his nose was red and eyes puffy, leaving your heart to drop a little. “you know i’m here for you, dingus.” you bring a hand up to wipe a stray tear he hoped you wouldn’t see.

“don’t wanna get you sick.” he mumbled into his sleeve and you rolled your eyes at the tall brunette. “i know you’re not actually sick stevie, talk to me. please?” steve sighed deeply and let you inside. you followed him to his bedroom where he closed the door and pulled you close to him. bags of snacks and things you brought for him falling to the floor as you went towards his bed.

you heard a muffled “am i good enough?” in your shoulder as you ran your nails through his hair. “steve, of course you are. you are more than enough. you are the best boy ive ever met.” he sits up and pulls you away enough to see you. “you may be the only one who thinks that angel.” he let out a small pitiful laugh.

“stevie, i mean it. i’ve been in love with you for as long as i can remember. longer than we’ve even been together. you’re so kind, sweet and caring. you’re a great role model for dustin and mike, you make me laugh and smile even when i feel the worst. i’m sorry that your parents ignore you and i’m sorry that nancy broke you down even more. i love you steve harrington, let me help you see how amazing you really are.” you held his face in your hands, looking deep into his sad brown eyes. his fingers played with the rings on your hand as you spoke. you kissed him gently and he hugged you tighter than ever before.

“thank you y/n.” is all he said as you slowly wiggled out of his grip and got up to change into one of his shirts and out of your jeans. “what’re you found baby?” he tilted his head like a confused puppy when he saw you walk to his closet and shimmy out of your tight pants. “i’m not leaving until we get you to see how amazing you really are so i might as well get comfortable.”

the night was spent wrapped up in his arms, watching movies he took from work and pampering him. “you are the best thing that’s happened to me angel. thank you baby.”

“anything for my best boy.”

#steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington angst #steve harrington x plus sized reader #joe keery x reader #joe keery #stranger things smut #stranger things fluff #stranger things x reader

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joshlmbrt · 5 months

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NOW PLAYING (FROM THE VAULT);

♫ TRACK 11; You’re On Your Own, Kid. (dad!steve harrington version)

. 1:03 ──⚬──── 3:45 .

. ⇆ ◃◃ ıı ▹▹ ↻ .

warnings; growing up, talks about deep issues; sh, toxic relationships, and mental health. r is a female! this one is just kind of sad but bittersweet as well.

an; this wasn’t a request by anyone, but i really felt like maybe this would fit steve/dad!steve! lowkey kind of cried myself but that’s okay. but i hope you all enjoy because i really really like this one. i promise that im working on the other request, ive just really been wanting to write this one!

special tag!; @hollandweather

to request, click here!

‘SUMMER WENT AWAY. . .’

NEW JASPER, MAINE. 2008

The first time you had ever heard your baby girl, Violet, cry was when she was born.

The second time the cry was as loud as it was the first time, was when she found out she was having a baby bother - she had wanted a sister to dress up, but menacingly, she had talked Matthew into dressing up.

The third time was when she had her heart broken by some boy, who Steve had disliked from the very beginning. Those tears only lasted a week, seemingly over it very quickly.

But now. . . Now it was different.

The crying, although loud, it had you crying too.

Steve wasn’t there at the moment to calm either one of you down. But if he had been there, he would’ve been crying himself, although later on in the day, silently to himself so you wouldn’t start crying as well.

“I just want to stop, Mom.” Her sobs had made her voice raw, small.

Her hands shake in your own as you sit on her floor, staring at her as you nod. “I know, baby,” Your voice cracks and you are quick to reach out and hold her face. She’s still here. She’s okay. She’ll be okay. “I know. . . I’ll help you. In any way I can. I’ll help. I promise.”

“Please don’t tell daddy. I don’t want-” Her breath shudders as she greedily sucks breath back into her lungs. “I don’t want him to worry.”

You nod, pull her closer to rest her head against your chest, pushing back the sweaty hairs against her forehead. “I wont. I promise,” You rock her softly. “I promise.” You press your lips against her forehead.

Her hand grips onto your arm tightly, your eyes land on the small welts on her arm.

Your heart breaks all over for her.

The feeling of not feeling as if she was enough - that she didn’t have anyone to come too - it makes your heart shatter into a million pieces.

Your body starts to rock side to side with her as her sobs turn into small hiccups. You start humming her a small song as you did when she used to cry in your arms.

‘I DREAM OF GETTING OUT, THERE’S JUST ONE WHO COULD MAKE ME STAY.’

🕊️

2010.

She’s been happy for a while.

The only hurt on her arms is bruises this time, seemingly appearing every so often.

“This is Michael,” Violet had a big smile on her face, teeth an all. It was a special occasion, the new boyfriend of 5 months finally meeting her family at a cookout.

Eddie and Robin had glance at the boy, smiling and nodding in kind, introducing themselves.

Nancy and Jonathan were on a trip, not being able to make it. But they give their best wishes and hopes to the couple.

Dustin had introduced himself, hand shaking the boys who only seemed as if he was uninterested.

Steve, being the total dad he was, he had made a joke of some sort, causing you to slap his arm, quick to reassure Michael he was not capable of causing harm.

He couldn’t even hurt a fly.

Making a quick excuse to show him to the family room to watch a movie, Michael had gripped ahold of her hand.

Matthew watches quietly, deciding to stay with Uncle Dustin and Eddie, and Auntie Robin. “Baby, could you go get your sister and Michael? Tell them the foods ready.” You had asked.

Soon you’d regret sending him downstairs.

He nods. You press quick kiss to the top of his head before setting out paper plates.

He had stepped inside quietly, making his way towards the door that was cracked.

The first thing he had heard was begging - a female begging stop.

His brother duties are immediately heightened, pushing the door open, careful, knowing it creaks.

On light footing, he makes his way down the steps. He stops, eyes widening at the sight.

He watches as the boys hands get a tighter grip on his sister - a person he loved, cherished, and looked up too because she was the strongest person he knew - before slinging her down on the couch, arm raised.

He doesn’t stick around to watch the rest, but the sound of what did happen makes him glad he didn’t witness it and was quick to run out.

Steve was a blur once Matthew had told him, Eddie hot on his heels. You check over Matthew before glancing over at Robin whose face was contorted in worry.

Steve was lucky Eddie had followed him, otherwise he would’ve missed out on everything that was to come in the near future.

Although, Eddie was not gentle pushing the boy out of the front door while Steve tried to hold Violet, to check on her.

Matthew had followed you and Robin down the steps, Dustin quickly following after the boy. “Matt-" He tries to grab his hand to pull him back.

Violet has her sights immediately on the boy. “This is your fault! We were fine!” Steve had a hold - a gentler hold - on her arms.

“Violet May!” Your brows raised in surprise.

“It was fine! Everything was fine!” She cries out. “Then Matthew had to ruin everything!” She had an angered expression.

Matthew’s lips were parted as he watched the look of anger. . . hatred on her face. “I’m. . . I’m sorry. It looked like-”

“I hate you,” She seethes, pushing past everyone. “I wished mom never had you!” She runs up the stairs before making her way to her room in a haste.

Matthew watches, lip quivering at the words. He turns to look at you and Steve. “I’m sorry, mama. I thought she was. . . I thought she was getting hurt.”

You toss a look to Steve who nods, making his way upstairs as you kneel in front of Matthew, holding your arms out. He quickly makes his way over, wrapping his arms around your neck. “Shhh, it’s okay. You did the right thing, sweet boy. She didn’t mean any of it,” You pull away and wipe away his tears. “You’re very brave.” You whisper, nodding.

He smiles shakily at that, before leaning in and giving you a tighter hug. You rub his back softly, eyes peeking up at everyone else who stands there in silence.

That night, Matthew had woken up. He couldn’t get that vision out of his head.

He slips out of bed, making his way to the bathroom. He stops quickly though, ears perking up at the sound of sniffling.

He quietly makes his way towards the door that had one of his drawings taped to it of him and his sister. He knocks softly, waiting for her voice. It never comes.

Still, worried about the person he loved the most, he pushes the door open quietly, leaving it open a crack before making his way towards her bed.

He slides down onto the floor, pulling his legs up and resting his chin on his knees.

He didn’t want her to kick him out so fast, so he stayed silent. She knew he was there and if she really wanted to be alone, she would definitely tell him.

He just wanted her to know that someone cares for her - he still cares for her.

She knew.

‘I LOOKED AROUND IN A BLOOD-SOAKED GOWN AND SAW SOMETHING THEY CAN’T TAKE AWAY.’

🕊️

2013.

“I’m going to college!” Violet jumps up and down, the white acceptance letter in her hand, crinkled from her fist.

You shout with her, pulling her into a tight hug. Steve is quick to join. Matthew stares, mouth turned in a frown.

Steve picks his head up, watching as the boy moves the cereal in the bowl. “Did you hear her, champ? Vi is going to college!”

“Yeah. In Chicago.” He says, monotonously. He’s impressed, really. If anyone could do it, he knew his sister could.

He was proud, but didn’t want it to show. He was angry that she was growing up and leaving him alone. Even if he never really was alone.

The group hug breaks and you share a small glance with Steve. “Aw, bud. She’ll come back.”

“Whatever,” He lifts his shoulder. “Woo, or whatever,” whatever had been the choice word he had been using lately. “I don’t care. Good for her. She’s going to forget about us and never look back.”

“Matt, no I won’t. I could never-” “I don’t care!” He drops the spoon against the bowl, causing you to flinch at the sound. He stands from the chair. “I don’t care that you’re going to college! I’m glad you’re leaving!”

He’s then walking away, slamming the door and stopping on the porch.

He didn’t mean that. He wanted to hide the letter before she had even saw it, but it was too late. She had plucked it from his grasp, gasping as she ran inside.

He would’ve been in big trouble for trashing it anyway.

He plops on the porch swing, staring out at the yard as he picks at the loose skin around his nails.

Steve had given him a few moments to himself before stepping out and placing himself next to him. Now and days, Matthew really looked like Steve.

It almost was scary to Steve how much he really looked like him.

“You okay, Matt?”

“Excellent.”

Steve sighs and nods a bit as he stares out into the yard. He smiles a bit. “Remember that one time when Violet made you dress up with her and do a little fashion runway in the driveway?”

Matthew feels his lip curve a bit, nodding as he drops his head. “Yeah.”

“She wanted a sister really bad,” Steve nods. “But once you came into the world, she was so excited. She couldn’t wait to get home from pre-school everyday,” He chuckles. “She kept kicking her dirty little sparkly shoes against my seat.” Steve’s word didn’t have any malice.

Matthew smiles a bit, turning his palm over and picking at the callous on his hand.

“She loves you, Matt,” Steve nods, looking over at the boy. “Very much. She loves us all even when we don’t see eye to eye on something. So don’t. . . let her leave making her think you aren’t happy for her.”

Steve’s hand lands on his son’s shoulder, gripping softly, comfortingly. “Growing up is scary. It only gets scarier from here. And it sucks. . . But it’s not so bad when you know you have family who loves and cares for you deeply.”

Matthew was sobbing now, leaning into Steve’s side as he presses his lip into his chestnut locks, his own eyes growing watery.

William, Steve’s father, had never let him express feelings or showed affection - fearing it would make him weak - so Steve, even if he was scared each time you became pregnant, made a promise with himself.

He would never, ever, allow his children to feel alone or unloved, would never let them feel like it was weak to show emotion or affection by laughing in their face.

He would never tell them what their dream should be, what they should be doing, they could figure that out on their own during life.

He knew that he would fail on somethings in parenthood. But one thing he never wanted to fail on was exactly that.

And he didn’t fail.

‘TAKE THE MOMENT AND TASTE IT, YOU’VE GOT NO REASON TO BE AFRAID.’

🕊️

The trunk slams close and Violet huffs, her hands on her hips - something she had copied from Steve since she was old enough to walk - turning towards everyone.

Nancy is quick to take a photo - your hands are too busy shaking - and Nelly, Nancy’s youngest, quickly barrels towards her legs and wraps her arms around her. “Don’t go.”

Violet smiles sadly, kneeling down to the girl with tight curls and a cute, pert nose. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“My birthday?”

Violet smiles sneakily. “Maybe.” She whispers. Nelly smiles, a small gap in the front from where she had just lost the tooth, she’s quick to wrap her arms around her.

Violet smiles and closes her eyes as she tilts her head down. She always smelled like strawberries.

Nelly parts from her and she stands sighing. Violet hugs Nancy and Jonathan next, before Eddie and Robin, Dustin, Max and Lucas are next. “Take care of them,” She points towards Steve and you. “Please.” She laughs, it’s a bit airy.

She’s about to cry.

“We know.” Max nods.

“No promises.” Eddie holds his hands up. Robin slaps his arm, Violet laughs softly. She steps back and glances at Steve.

“You’ll call when you get there?” He lifts his brows.

She rolls her eyes, nodding. “Yes.”

He nods. “If, uh, if you ever need somewhere to stay if this doesn’t work out-”

“Wow, thanks.” She knew he meant well, but she had the jitters all day.

“You know what I mean,” He shakes his head. She nods, scratching at her arm. “But, if you need somewhere to go. . . You can always come back home.”

She nods, smiling as she quickly wraps her arms around his sides, face buried in his chest. His hand lands on her shoulder, the other land on the top of her head. “I love you, nugget.”

She laughs softly, a tear leaving her eye. “I love you, daddy.”

She pulls away, wiping a tear before wrapping her arms around you. You waste no time to wrap your own around her.

You curse time in your head, want to beg her to stay, but instead you whisper, “Don’t forget us, please.”

She’s quick to shake her head. “Never. I could never forget where I came from.”

You pull away, wiping her tears from her cheeks. She does the same to you.

You smile softly at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you, mama. I’ll call you as soon as I make it.”

You nod, pulling away. Although, you want to reach out for her again, you stand next to Steve who wraps his arm around you.

Matthew is standing next to the car, hands in his pocket. She steps up towards him, smiling softly.

“Well, I guess this is it, huh?”

“Yeah. I guess.” He shrugs.

She hums a bit, staring at him. He stares at her quietly. He feels the burn before launching himself towards her, arms wrapping around her neck.

She lets out a breath of relief, more tears falling from her face. “I love you, Matt. You’re the best little brother any sister could ask for.”

“And you’re the best big sister any little brother could ask for,” He nods. He pulls away, quickly wiping away his tears. “And. . . I know I haven’t said it yet, but I am proud of you. I was just scared.”

“Of what?”

“You forgetting me.”

“I could never forget you. Unless you forget about me.” She squints her eyes at him.

He laughs a bit, although it sounds rough around the edges. “Never.”

She smiles and wipes a stray tear away from his cheek. “I love you.” She says again.

“And I love you. Don’t be a stranger, alright?”

“Of course. I’m gonna bother you guys with calls.”

He smiles at that, nodding.

“You’re on your own, kid.”

She smirks at him, patting his cheek as she steps off the curb. Sliding into the car, she pushes some glasses up on her nose before starting the car.

“Don’t forget your seatbelt!” Steve yells out. She laughs quietly in the car, buckling up. She rolls down all the windows before throwing her arm out, waving to everyone gathered on the curb.

They all wave back, growing smaller in the distance.

🕊️

‘YEAH, YOU CAN FACE THIS. YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN, KID. YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.’

thank you all for reading! likes, comments, feedbacks, and reblogs are encouraged and deeply appreciated! 🧸

#dad!steve harrington x mom!reader #dad!steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington angst #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fanfic

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stevie-petey · 3 months

Text

episode three: the pollywog

Steve looks over at you, not necessarily amused, but flattered nonetheless. “You know my class schedule?” A blush spreads across your face as you look away from him, but Steve still sees it and something flutters in his chest. He’s always thought you were pretty when you blushed, but you’re even prettier when he’s the reason why. “I pay attention,” you dodge.

Summary: you lecture jonathan about daddy issues and then have an intellectual debate about healthy relationships, you play Mr. Love Dr with Steve, nancy and jonathan go on a sick side quest (and actually inform you this time !), meanwhile: you're about to put a leash on your damn brother.

Rating: general, some curing

Warnings: use of y/n, fem!reader, cursing, slight reference to billy being mean and trauma

Words: 6.7k

Before you swing in: hello ! my first day of spring semester is tomorrow, so here's a quick lil chapter for yall :) i wont have a lot of time to update as frequently anymore, but i promise i will continue to update as much as i can <3 in the meantime, enjoy this chapter n have a lovely day my dears !!

Like most mornings, you’re up and ready before Dustin has even woken up.

“Dustin! C’mon, wake up! Jonathan will be here soon and–” You try to open your brother’s door, but it’s locked. “What the–? Dustin! Hello?”

You begin pounding on his door, trying and failing to get in, and right as you’re about to break the door down, your mom comes in from the kitchen. “Y/N, Dusty has already left.”

“Left? Like, he went to school already?” No way in hell that kid has just decided to get up and ready for school any earlier than he needed to. That kid could sleep thirty hours if given the chance.

“Yup! He left pretty early this morning, said he had a test to study for.” Your mom says as she wanders back towards the kitchen to make her usual cup of coffee.

“Huh,” you’re starting to worry that maybe Dustin is hiding something. First he blocked the door from you last night, now he’s supposedly leaving early for some test? He’s hiding something, you know he is. What worries you, though, is that Dustin hasn’t felt the need to hide anything from you since the whole El fiasco.

Which hadn’t ended well.

As you’re lost in thought, mentally going through Dustin’s actions these last few days, Jonathan walks through your front door, keys in hand.

“Hey, bug. Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” you shake your head to clear any more thoughts. You’ll interrogate Dustin later. “Let me grab my bag, one sec.”

Jonathan nods before he’s attacked by your mom, who pulls him into a hug squeals. “Jonathan!”

“You saw me last night, Mrs. Henderson.” He pats her back awkwardly, mouthing “help me” towards you, but you only laugh and grab your bag from your room.

As soon as you have your stuff, you and Jonathan head out. You sneak some glances at him while he drives, memories from last night crashing back. The party… Well, who could’ve seen any of that coming? Considering how shitty the night turned out, Jonathan looks better at least. However, the bruises on his knuckles make you frown.

“I’m sorry about Billy,” you say, grabbing the bruised hand. His skin is rough against yours, but familiar all the same.

Jonathan gives you an incredulous look. “You’re sorry?”

“Yes…?”

“Bug, no. We aren’t doing this.” He shakes his head, pulling his hand away to run it through his hair. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Billy was being a piece of shit, you needed my help, so I did what any sane person would do.”

You’re silent, not used to having such aggression from Jonathan aimed at you. He’s not necessarily mad at you, but you and him have had some issues in the past about stuff like this. You’ve always apologized for other people’s actions, as if you getting hurt is somehow always your fault. He hates that you do it.

You hate that you always do it. But you can’t help it, it’s almost second nature at this point.

Jonathan, reading your mind, sighs. His anger dissipates and he grabs your hand now, kissing your knuckles softly. “I’m sorry for yelling. I just… You mean the world to me, Y/N. I love you, I will always be there for you. I’d punch Billy a million more times if I needed to, without you ever having to ask me.”

“I know, but–”

“If you feel guilty I will pull this car over and shake your pretty little head until I finally knock some sense into it.”

Finally, you laugh. “Now that’s just dramatic.”

“Do I need to pull over?”

“No,” you raise your hands up in surrender. “I’ll shut up now.”

Jonathan nods his head. “Good, just the way I like it.”

You smack his chest, and he fake screams in pain. He makes a show of it, hunching himself over while he drives and clutches at his chest, which you giggle at. He’s laughing as well, and it’s one of your “normal” moments that have become so few and far between. Just you and Jonathan, giggling in his car early in the morning as you drive to school, your laughter is just enough to keep the two of you warm.

Jonathan’s ladybug ring catches the morning light and the bee wrapped around your neck buzzes against your skin.

But “normal” never lasts long anymore, and you remember Nancy’s drunken eyes from last night and Steve’s loneliness in his voice when he asked you why everyone keeps leaving him. The memories cause your giggles to fade off, the small moment of joy now gone.

Jonathan sees your mood change and, because he’s always on the same page as you, purses his lips. “So… It’s now tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, remembering telling him last you’d talk about Steve and Nancy tomorrow. “It’s now tomorrow.”

“Why’d you insist on driving Steve home?”

The question is innocent enough, but you sense that how you answer it could change things. “He was upset.”

“Sure, but you almost bit my head off when I last asked about that guy. Then you wanted to drive him home?” Jonathan keeps his eyes on the road ahead of him, though he clenches his jaw ever so slightly. But you see it. You always see it.

“Bee… I had to, okay? Please, can we just leave it at that?” You don’t want to talk about your fucking feelings with the first boy you’ve ever loved, the boy who doesn’t love you back.

Jonathan swallows, takes another deep breath, and then nods. “I took Nancy home, like Steve asked. She was… Very drunk. Had to carry her into bed.”

“I’m sorry about that, too.”

“You didn’t shove alcohol down her throat.”

“No, but I did encourage her to go to that stupid party while she was fighting with Steve.”

“Steve and Nancy have been fighting?”

Shit. You forgot that Jonathan didn’t know.

“Okay, yes” you say, but right as Jonathan’s eyes light up, you’re quick to backtrack. “But if I tell you anything else, you have to swear to keep it between us. Got it?”

“I won’t say a word.”

You sigh, really hoping you aren’t breaking Nancy’s trust. Technically, she hadn’t asked you to keep your conversation from yesterday private, but… It feels wrong telling Jonathan about it. “Nancy and Steve have been fighting, yes, but not in the way you’d think.”

You’ve arrived at school, so Jonathan quickly parks the car before motioning for you to keep talking. “Go on, I’m curious now.”

“God, you’re a worse gossip than I am. Anyways, she’s mad at Steve for brushing off Barb’s death, in a sense. But also, like… Steve isn’t really brushing off Barb’s death? I think he just wants to help Nancy, those are his intentions, but he doesn’t know how. He thinks dinner dates, going to parties, and spending a lot of time together will get her mind off of things.”

Jonathan scoffs. “Well, babying Nancy won’t help.”

“I know, and you’re right, but Nancy should have expressed this to Steve better, don’t you think? I mean, we don’t know what happened last night, but it seems like she tried drinking away her anger towards him rather than actually talking to him.”

“And how can we know Steve wouldn’t just run away or something? Actually be up for it, be proactive rather than retroactive. It seems like Nancy needs to do something about Barb’s death.”

Frustration builds within you. “And what good does assuming something actually do? Assuming that Steve wouldn’t listen is wholly unfair and honestly, a bit rude. He’s her boyfriend, she can’t just assume he wouldn’t care. Steve has done everything he can to show he cares, that he loves her, so I think Nancy should be the one to voice her feelings and let him know what she needs. What she wants.”

Jonathan looks away. “And what should Nancy want, bug?”

You’re silent.

Somehow, you and Jonathan aren’t fighting about Steve and Nancy anymore.

“I… I don’t know.” You look out the window, watching as students pass by.

After a tense silence, Jonathan tries to crack a joke. “Oh, you’ll laugh at this! Caught Bob sneaking out the house like some shameful teenage boy this morning.”

You turn towards him now. “Why would I laugh at that? I think it’s sweet, your mom seems happy.”

“Sure, but…” Jonathan’s smile falters, not expecting you to be so stoic as a reaction. “He’s kinda a loser, you gotta admit.”

“Jonathan Byers, I literally had to save you from bullies, five times my size, as a girl, when we were twelve.”

“Okay, I didn’t mean it like that–”

“You should be nicer about Bob. He’s a good guy, he actually cares about you, Will, and your mom. After the hell you guys went through with Lonnie, you should be appreciative of Bob.” You’re so angry now, your fists shake with rage. “You have a healthy father figure in your life now, which I would kill to give Dustin, and even if you don’t like him, you’re luckier for it.”

Jonathan is quiet. He’s staring down at his steering wheel in shame, and you feel bad for snapping so suddenly. You aren’t sorry for your anger towards him, his attitude towards Bob has been bothering you for a while. However, it doesn’t mean you have to be a bitch about it just because of your own issues surrounding shitty dads.

“I’m sorry, bee. You have a right to feel uncomfortable about the change, but I just think you should give Bob a chance. I like the guy.” You offer, looking over at your friend tentatively.

“No, you’re right. I know you are, it just takes some getting used to, I guess.” He grabs your hand, gives it a squeeze as if to tell you it’s all good now, and you squeeze his hand back.

“Great drive to school today,” you quip.

Jonathan laughs. “God, I think I had about five heart attacks during those conversations.”

The tension leaves the car. Then, slowly, the warmth creeps back in as you and Jonathan once again start laughing. You’re not sure why you’re even laughing, but you’re happy that you are.

–

Jonathan walks you to your locker, as he always does, and before he turns to head to his, you notice how quiet it is in the hallway. You look over at Nancy’s locker, which somehow always manages to be near yours every year, and frown when you don’t see her.

“There’s a suspicious lack of Nancy and Steve making out against her locker this morning.” You tell Jonathan.

He looks around and notices you’re right. The two of you share a concerned glance, knowing that their absence can’t mean anything good for the couple.

“Should we go look for them?” He asks, but you’re already heading towards the parking lot to find Steve. “Y/N!”

“Go find Nancy!” You call behind you, speeding up. “I’ll meet you at first period!”

Steve’s car is hard to miss in the parking lot. Hawkins isn’t necessarily a flashy town. No one else besides the Harringtons owns a fancy BMW. You approach the car and spot Steve sitting in the front, his head ducked down as if no one can see his massive red car and easily identify him.

Idiot.

Steve is having a rough week, so he’s spent the last five minutes in his car debating on whether or not he can afford to skip his first class. Reasonably speaking, his dad would kill him. He already has shit grades and he’s missed three college application deadlines. All he has left is Tech. However, his girlfriend told him last night she doesn’t love him and Billy embarrassed him in front of everyone last night.

Plus Nancy left with Jonathan, which everyone saw.

He told him to take her, but still.

Pretty embarrassing.

Yup. Alright. He’s going home.

Steve reaches over for his keys to turn the car on, but before he can, a knock on his window stops him. He looks up, scared Billy will be there, but instead he sees you and he’s not sure if his day just got better or worse.

“Let me in, dingus.” Your voice is light, but still stern, and yeah. Steve’s day just got better.

He unlocks the door and you silently get into the passenger seat. As you get settled in, he thinks about the first time he ever had you in his car. It feels like a lifetime ago, Steve’s heart had been beating wildly taking the risk of offering you a ride.

It had been the start of something, he could feel it.

But then you left him that summer without another word, as if nothing had happened between the two of you. As if Steve hadn’t slowly come to find himself opening up to someone, trusting that you’d let him be whoever he wanted; he could just be Steve around you, not King Steve or even perfect boyfriend Steve.

Now Steve’s hiding out in his car, no longer King Steve or even good fucking boyfriend Steve, and instead of his girlfriend seeking him out to comfort him, it’s you. Because of course it’s you.

“Hey,” you say.

“Hi.”

“You know that senior study hall is inside the school, right?”

Steve looks over at you, not necessarily amused, but flattered nonetheless. “You know my class schedule?”

A blush spreads across your face as you look away from him, but Steve still sees it and something flutters in his chest. He’s always thought you were pretty when you blushed, but you’re even prettier when he’s the reason why.

“I pay attention,” you dodge.

Steve wants to tease you some more, play into the banter he missed the most when the two of you weren’t talking, but his heart isn’t in it. Nancy’s words kept him up all night. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could hear was her telling him that she didn’t love him. After he did everything he possibly could’ve done right, it still hadn’t been enough.

“Did Nancy get home okay?”

You give him a small smile. “Yeah, I just talked to Jonathan about it.”

Relief floods through Steve. At least that’s one thing he hadn’t fucked up last night. “Good… I’m glad then.”

He awkwardly clears his throat and looks away again. He doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore. He feels lost, floating through his morning. Nothing has felt real since yesterday in the library with Nancy, when she had been looking up at him with those eyes he’s always been weak for.

“Any particular reason you’re hiding out in your car?”

Steve lets out a bitter laugh. “You were there last night. You know what happened.”

“Actually, I don’t.” You see the disbelief on Steve’s face and quickly correct yourself. “I mean, I remember you saying something about Nancy but… I don’t want to assume, so…”

Now you’re the one looking away in shame, and Steve watches as you nervously fiddle with your fingers and bite your lip. You’re trying. Though Steve still isn’t sure how to feel about you, how much to test this new compromise between you two, this “friendship”, Steve knows he has to at least try as well.

He takes a deep breath. “Nancy… She isn’t in love with me.”

A beat of silence passes.

“Steve, I mean, are you sure–”

“Pretty fucking sure, Y/N. Unless you think someone telling their boyfriend ‘like we’re in love’ means she’s madly in love with him.”

Another beat of silence passes. Steve can see the pity in your eyes, and he hates it. He fucking hates this, feeling so pathetic and small.

Then, your hand slowly intertwines with his and the anger in Steve’s chest lessens a bit. “I know my words don’t mean anything, but… Nancy not being in love with you has nothing to do with you as a person.”

Something untangles in Steve’s chest; you’ve reassured him of something he hadn’t even known had been his fear. How do you always seem to decipher what he’s feeling before he can?

“How do you know?” Steve has never felt so small before.

You shrug, but there’s a calculated nonchalance to it that he can easily see. “Because I know you. You’re frustratingly charming, Harrington.”

Steve laughs, something he didn’t even know he was able to do anymore. “That’s your takeaway here?”

“Mhm,” you squeeze his hand and Steve has never felt this grounded before by such a small action. “I say you need to talk to Nancy, I mean really talk to her. No more half truths and appeasements. I think she does love you, in her own way, but the circumstances aren’t on your guys’ side. I mean, she went through hell and back last year, Barb’s death anniversary is soon.”

You pause for a moment and frown, which Steve has come to learn means you’re carefully choosing which words to say next. “I want you to know, no, I need you to know, that this has nothing to do with you. Okay?”

Steve wants to believe you, god he really wants to, but even he can see the blaring irony of you telling him that Nancy’s lack of love for him has nothing to do with him personally. You, the girl he came to trust more than anyone else in this awful town, ditched him in the same manner. Steve’s the common denominator there. He’s always the one left behind.

“Look, I appreciate what you’re saying, but the words don’t mean a whole lot coming from you right now,” Steve tells you, and he hates the way your eyes darken, as if guarding yourself from him. “I know we agreed on being friends again, but I just… I need some time.”

You nod, as if you expected something like that from Steve, and he almost wants to just drive away with you in the car and pretend that nothing else exists. Instead, he clears his throat, his tongue feels heavy and his throat threatens to close up, but he forces himself to get the words out. “I want to be alone, please.”

He really doesn’t want to be alone, but his brain is swimming in confusion and you’re still holding his hand and Steve just needs a moment to himself to just breathe.

“Of course,” you tell him, because of course you listen and understand. “You know where to find me, yeah?”

Steve nods. He does.

“Bye, Y/N.”

You give him a small wave in response, close the car door, and then make your way back to the high school.

Steve watches you fade into the distance.

He’s alone again.

–

Jonathan makes it to first period with only seconds to spare. He throws himself into his seat next to you with panting breaths. Your history teacher, Mrs. Kent, drones through attendance without having noticed anything.

“I couldn’t find Nancy.” Jonathan whispers, before his name is called and he quickly raises his hand and says, “Here.”

You glance at the chalkboard and then flip your textbook to the page scrawled on it. “I found Steve wallowing in his car, alone. Guess he didn’t drive Nancy to school?”

“Seems a bit harsh.”

“May I remind you of the time you threw a jacket at my face and then screamed at me that we aren’t family? All because you felt guilty about taking naked photos of Nancy?”

Jonathan drops his head onto the desk, letting out a groan. “I’m never living that down, am I?”

You keep your eyes on the board, taking a few notes. “Nope.”

Class starts up now, so the topic is left alone. The school day passes on, you and Jonathan separating for your own classes after history is done. The day drags on for a while, though you hear a few whispers in the hall about how Jonathan had taken home a drunk Nancy.

“God, it’s like she loves the attention.” One girl giggles with her friend while you’re at your locker.

Her friend rolls her eyes. “Please, as if anyone would choose Byers over Steve Harrington.”

“I’m more of a Wheeler fan myself,” you tell the girls, not even sparing them a glance. “Now, why don’t we all just shut up and move away from my locker?”

The girls scurry away, fear in their eyes, and you simply shake your head at them. Why is Nancy always the one those girls gossip about? Objectively speaking, Steve has done much more heinous things than getting a ride home from a friend while drunk.

Jonathan kisses your cheek as he walks up from behind you, breaking you from your thoughts. “Hey, bug. Lunch at my car today?”

“Ugh, it’s such a nice day today, I’d love to.” You grab your lunch from your locker. Once you have it, you link your arm through Jonathan’s. “Guide the way, good sir.”

“Yes ma’am.”

–

Nancy is leaning against Jonathan’s car when you walk outside.

Her shoulders are slouched and you can see the unease on her face. She looks tired, too. A few people walk by her and stare, whispering as they go, and you really hate high schoolers sometimes.

When you make it to Jonathan’s car, Nancy holds her lunch bag up awkwardly. “Can I join you guys?”

“I’m sure we can make some room.” You tell her, which she smiles at.

It takes some adjusting, but eventually the three of you manage to fit on the front of the car. You sit on the roof, your legs dangling off of the side, while Nancy and Jonathan take the front. The early November sun beats down on you three, but the cool breeze makes the sting less painful. It’s a lovely day, all things considered.

You’re nibbling on your sandwich when Nancy exhales deeply and turns to you. “Y/N, you’d always tell me the truth, right?”

“Depends,” you take another bite out of your food. “What is this in reference to?”

“Last night… I don’t remember what I did.”

There’s a certain shame in her eyes that tells you she encountered Steve before retreating to Jonathan’s car. “You spoke to Steve this morning, I take it?”

She looks at you, surprised. “How did you–”

“We talked to him last night.” Jonathan cuts her off, looking between you and Nancy nervously. He’s not sure where you, her, and Steve all fall in regards to each other.

“So, he asked you to take me home?” Nancy faces him now, and you go back to eating.

“Yeah. Yeah, I mean he was upset…” He glances at you briefly before looking back at Nancy. “I mean, he was really upset.”

“I don’t blame him.” You cut in, mouth full of chips you stole from Jonathan.

He sends you glare and keeps talking. “But he was still worried about you, Nance.”

Nancy drops her head down and a part of you feels bad for the quip. She really does look ashamed, but you distinctly remember warning her about this exact thing last year in the school’s shed. She had tried telling you there wasn’t anything between her and Jonathan, and all you could tell her was that Steve didn’t deserve to be lied to or cheated on.

Guess she only kept one end of that bargain.

Jonathan sees that she’s upset and he softens his voice, scooting closer to her. “Hey, you need to cut yourself some slack, okay? People say stupid things when they’re wasted. Things they don’t mean.”

You bite your tongue. Hard. If you allow yourself to speak, you won’t be able to guarantee it’ll be anything nice. Sure, being drunk can influence some words to slip out, but cruelly telling your boyfriend of over a year that you don’t love him is something you can’t defend. Not when Nancy had other chances to tell Steve.

Nancy whips her head up. “Yeah, but that’s the thing. What if I did mean it? All this time, I’ve been trying so hard to pretend like everything’s fine, but it’s not.”

You and Jonathan share a look. He seems more curious, you can feel the anger burning through your eyes.

“No offense, Nance.” You wipe your hands on a napkin and force the girl to look at you. “But this is really something that you should be talking to Steve about. Remember our conversation from last year?”

Nancy looks down again in shame. “You’re right, I know you are, but… I don’t know. I feel like there’s this…” She pauses, trying to figure out how to explain her thoughts, but Jonathan finishes for her.

“Like there’s this weight you’re carrying around with you. All the time. I feel it, too.” He says, then he flicks your leg. “Y/N does as well. She tries to hide it, but I know she feels it as much as I do.”

Now it’s you who turns away, embarrassed and ashamed. Clearly you haven’t been so good at hiding your neverending guilt over Will.

“Yeah, but it’s different for you guys. Will came home.” Nancy says.

You open your mouth to speak, to correct the girl’s horrible viewpoint, but Jonathan surprises you by correcting her himself. “Yeah, he did. But he’s not the same. I try to be there for him, you know, to help him, but… I don’t know.”

“Dustin still has nightmares.” You admit, which Jonathan hadn’t known.

“I thought those went away, bug.”

You shake your head at him. “No… If anything, they’ve only gotten worse. Some nights he sleeps in my bed, says I calm him down, but I just… I feel horrible, knowing I left them alone that night at the middle school. The things he saw… god.”

Nancy and Jonathan sigh, understanding how painful the weight of guilt can feel.

A silence follows your confession.

Then, because you hate when there’s silence, you try to go back to the previous topic. “Anyways, Nancy, what we’re trying to say is that we understand. And I’m sure Steve will, too. He was also there that night, at Jonathan’s. You should talk to him, explain the weight within you. Steve, he…”

You find yourself pausing, unsure if what you’re about to tell Nancy is something Steve would want you to keep between you two, but he misses her. He loves her, so you try to fix whatever you can between them. “He thinks he did something wrong, that he’s unlovable. It isn’t fair to make someone feel that way.”

Nancy sighs. “I didn’t know that.”

“I know, but now that you do, you should probably do something about it. You guys can still go back to how things were.”

Jonathan frowns. “What if things can’t go back to the way they were? I mean, Will still thinks he’s in the Upside Down sometimes. I’ve seen the way Dustin gets scared when he hears a loud noise.”

A phantom pain shoots through your ankle. It’s long since healed, but sometimes memories from last year still sting. As you’re absentmindedly rubbing at it, Nancy notices and starts to get upset.

“Doesn’t that make you mad?”

“Mad?” You and Jonathan ask at the same time.

Nancy seems to almost come back to life, her anger now bringing energy back into her. “Yeah, that those… Those people who did this, who ruined so many lives, they just get away with it.”

“The people responsible for this, they’re dead.” Jonathan gently reminds her.

Nancy leans in close, bitterness in her voice as she narrows her eyes. “Do you really believe that?”

Jonathan frowns again and you do the same. If you’re being honest, you were also pretty skeptical about the whole evil scientists at Hawkin’s Lab all dying. Seemed like a pretty convenient thing to happen. But what else are you supposed to believe?

Nancy looks between you and Jonathan and sighs again. You know she’s upset by your unwillingness to look further, to question everything, but then you watch as her eyes drift towards some kid with his headphones and his walkman. Something shifts in her gaze and you know immediately that she’s thought of something.

You scoot closer in a hurry. “Nancy, whatever it is–”

“Your mom’s boyfriend,” she looks over at Jonathan. “He works at RadioShack, right?”

“Yeah… Why?” Jonathan looks over at you as if you have any possible explanation, and you just shrug at him. “What are you thinking?”

“Do you wanna skip fourth period?”

Immediately you hop down from the car. “No. Nope. Not happening. We aren’t doing this again.”

Nancy groans at you. “Y/N, I haven’t even explained my plan to you yet.”

“Okay, go on. Explain it, so I can then say no.”

Nancy does as she’s told, and it’s a fucking brilliant plan. You know it’ll work, and that’s why you can’t do it. Buying a tape recorder, planting a fake meetup with Barb’s mom to con the Hawkin’s Lab people into taking them in, and then recording whatever they confess to take it to the detective Barb’s parents hired.

It’s a genius plan, but you can’t leave the kids behind for that long.

“I can’t go.”

Jonathan looks disappointed. “Bug, don’t you want to make those assholes pay?”

“I do,” you reassure him. “But I can’t afford to leave the kids behind for two whole days. I mean, last time I did they opened a portal to another dimension. And Dustin has been acting weird lately, and Will’s been having those episodes more and more and I just… What if it’s happening again?”

Your voice shakes a bit with fear, and Jonathan pulls you into him. “We don’t know that.”

“But what if it is? Who would be there for them? We can’t just leave them to suffer the consequences alone while we’re trying to avenge them.”

While you’re still wrapped in Jonathan’s arms, Nancy rests her own hand against your shoulder. “I would feel better knowing the kids are in good hands. You’ve always been their biggest advocate.”

You thank the girl, but Jonathan still seems unsure about leaving you behind. “What about you? Who’s gonna be there for you if something happens?”

There, hidden underneath his words, you know he’s really asking how can I protect you if you aren’t within arm’s reach?

You bury your face into his chest, and Nancy seems to get the message and looks away. When you have some privacy, you look up at Jonathan. “I’ll be okay, bee. I promise. We can call every day you’re away, nothing will go uncommunicated this time. No secrets. You’ll be home in no time and I’ll be right here, safe and sound.”

He kisses your head. “Promise me you’ll be safe.”

“I should be telling you that.”

“Y/N…” he isn’t laughing, and you can hear how fast his heart is pounding. He’s terrified to leave you behind, but you know that this is what you have to do.

“I love you, and I’ll be right here. Come home to me, alright?”

“I will.” He promises, and you look into his eyes and see all the warmth and sincerity that you’ve come to love so much, and you believe him.

After a few moments, you finally pull away from him. You clear your throat and turn towards Nancy. “Okay, now that we’ve got that settled, I’m assuming I’m covering for y’all?”

She nods. “If you wouldn’t mind, can I tell my mom I’m at your place?”

“Duh, and Jonathan,” you flick his forehead, breaking the remaining tension away. “I’ll tell your mom you’ll be at my place as well. Sound good?”

He nods as well, though his eyes linger on you longer than they should.

“Well!” You clap your hands and stand between Nancy and Jonathan. “Great team meeting, gang. Let’s reconvene in two day’s time.”

Nancy laughs and pulls you into her own hug.

“I’ll keep him safe,” she whispers into your ear, and you exhale shakily. The weight of everything has finally settled in. You can’t believe you’re doing this. A part of you feels like you’ve just solidified something horrible, not agreeing to come along, but the other part of you, maybe even the larger part, is secretly relieved.

You’re not sure what to make of it.

“Thank you.” You whisper back, squeezing her tightly.

When you break apart, you pull Jonathan into yet another hug. “Stay safe, bee.”

“I will.”

“Good,” you pull away and give the two teens a thumbs up. “Break a leg, go expose some weird government agency!”

–

True to your word, you cover for Jonathan and Nancy the rest of the day. Teachers ask where they are and you simply tell them they both had a family emergency. Thankfully, due to living in such a small and rundown town, they don’t question it.

After school, you head over across the street to the middle school to go pick up Will and Dustin. Since Jonathan drove you to school and took his car with Nancy, you’ll have to hitch a ride on your brother’s bike pegs to work.

When you reach the school you walk towards the bike rack, expecting to see the boys all standing there about to leave, but you stop when you realize that they aren’t.

Huh. Odd.

You wander around. It’s been years since you’ve been inside the middle school, and the hallways are filled with memories. You walk towards the AV room, figuring they’re probably there to discuss whatever new project they’re working on. As you round the corner, you hear pounding and a girl’s voice demanding to be let in.

Speeding up, you spot Max with her angry fists. “Guys! What’s going on? C’mon!”

You watch for a moment, curious as to who this girl is. Dustin spoke highly of her, yet her brother is the worst person you’ve met in your life. She has an anger in her, that much is obvious, but then she grabs something from her bag and begins to pick at the lock.

Hm, she’s smart.

“Need some help?” You ask her.

She looks up at you and frowns. “And who are you?”

“Y/N Henderson. Unfortunately, the idiot that I’m assuming is locked inside the room is my brother.”

“You know how to pick a lock?” Max asks, eyeing you up and down.

Shrugging, you say, “can’t be too hard.”

Max seems to accept that as an answer and slides over, making room for you to crouch down next to her. You help her jimmy the paperclip into the door. Then, you hear some muffled yelling from the other side. What the fuck has your brother gotten up to this time?

“I’m gonna put a leash on that kid,” you mumble, and Max laughs.

“Do they do this a lot?”

You blow a piece of hair out of your face. “Yeah. They’re weird, honestly–”

The lock clicks, the door flings open, and suddenly a tiny, slimy creature comes scampering out the room. You hear the boys curse and before you can get up and out of their way, they come crashing into you and Max on the ground.

“Shit!” Dustin knees your forearm and you groan.

“Y/N!” His eyes widen when he sees you. He’s been caught.

Max gets up. “What was that?”

Lucas ignores her. “He’s getting away!”

“Who is getting away?” You’re finally up as well, watching as the boys start to scramble around in a panic.

Mike, seemingly unsurprised by your sudden appearance, turns to you. “Dart!” Then, in annoyance, he turns towards Max. “You let him escape!”

“What the fuck is a Dart?” You’re freaking out now. Lucas, hearing your confusion, can only shrug his shoulders at you.

Then, Dustin angrily advances towards Mike and starts yelling in his face. “Why did you attack him?”

Mike doesn’t say a word, he just starts to run down the hall. Dustin, even more in a panic, screams at him, “Don’t hurt him! Don’t you hurt him!”

You grab at your brother’s jacket and fling him back, now incredibly fucking angry. “Dustin Henderson, you have three seconds to explain what the fuck is happening.”

Lucas, Max, and Will stand back, frightened by your anger. Dustin, the only one who ever seems to face this anger, gulps. “I can explain.”

“Start. Talking.”

And he does. He explains how he had found Dart last night, thinking it had been some new lizard breed previously undiscovered. That’s why he hadn’t let you into his room. Then, to prove he was some scientific prodigy and, which he doesn’t tell you but you suspect, to impress Max.

“I was about to show Mr. Clark before Mike came in and took Dart. According to Will…” Dustin looks over at Max, lowers his voice, and whispers to you, “he’s from the Upside Down.”

And there it is.

There, the dread that has been creeping up on you ever since you saved Will, comes crawling up. You knew this would happen eventually. It’s happening again. You were right.

God, it’s happening again.

Thank fuck you stayed behind with the kids.

You want to throw up, crawl into a ball and pretend nothing else exists anymore, but Dustin is looking at you with fear in his eyes and you know you have to be strong for him. For all the kids, now. “Okay, let’s split up and find Dart.”

Dustin nods and sends Will southbound, Lucas westbound, and Max towards the gymnasium. You go with him, both because he’s your brother and because you have a few choice words you’d like to say to him. Everyone takes a walkie and splits up.

Mike is already long gone, which you’re not surprised by.

After everyone leaves, you snap at Dustin. “Thanks so much for telling me about Dart, by the way.”

“Y/N…”

“What exactly did you think you’d do with that thing hidden in our house?”

“Continue to hide it from you–ow!” Dustin rubs the back of his head.

You continue to walk. “You deserved that.”

“I did.”

You laugh, but then you feel a sense of static behind you. You turn around, but there’s no one there. But the static had felt like the same electricity that had accompanied El’s powers last year, but… No. She’s gone. You know she is.

Brushing it off as paranoia, you continue to keep an eye out for Dart. “So, what does Max think about all this?”

“Mike won’t let us tell her.” Dustin says, annoyance in his voice.

This doesn’t shock you. “I get why. I mean, we all almost died last year.”

“Yeah, but she’s different. She’s cool, I think she could be good for the party.”

Dustin seems so eager, and you feel bad for denying the boy. “She’s too young. You’re all too young for this. We can’t rope her any further into the Upside Down. It wouldn’t be fair to her.”

Your brother sighs. “I mean, I guess… but–”

Will’s voice suddenly comes through the walkie. “Guys, I found him.”

“Where?” Dustin fumbles with the walkie, almost dropping it in his frantic rush to answer.

“In the bathroom by Mr. Salerno’s.”

“Copy that.” Mike says.

You look over at Dustin. “Race you to the bathroom?”

“You’re on.”

The two of you start to run, and at first you’re winning. But then you forget that you haven’t been in the school for at least three years now and you take a wrong turn, misremembering where Mr. Salerno’s room is. “Shit!”

You backtrack, but Dustin is long gone now.

By the time you get your bearings back, Lucas, Mike, and Max have all run down the hallway towards the bathroom. You join them as you all run inside. Dustin is standing in the middle of the bathroom, which you find strange.

Mike looks around. “Where’s Dart?”

“I don’t know. Not here.” You eye your brother, but he averts your gaze.

“Will said he was here.” You remind him, but Dustin doesn’t respond.

Mike curses and starts checking all the stalls.

“Maybe Will has him?” Dustin says, but you keep an eye on him. Something isn’t right.

You’re about to call Dustin’s bluff, accuse him of lying, when Mike suddenly freezes. He looks around, then turns to you. “Where’s Will?”

You turn around and finally notice that yeah, Will isn’t here. But he had just radioed from the bathroom.

“I… I don’t know.” Fear settles in you now, and you have an awful feeling that something bad is about to happen. After his episode from the night before…

You run out the bathroom, the first to start looking for Will.

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dwobbitfromtheshire · 1 year

Text

Inside Connection

18+ Minors DNI

Warning: smut, inappropriate older woman with younger Steve (past mention), asshole fathers, mention of an abusive relationship, not sure what this is

In which, Eddie and Steve are trying to see if they're connected via the bat bites by staring into each other's eyes all the time, and concentrating would be hilarious. They would drop what they were doing and try to do it even when they had a hangout. Like, maybe the Spicy Six are hanging out at Steve's when they start to do it.

"What the hell are they doing?" Nancy asked Robin.

Steve and Eddie were sitting on the couch, quietly staring into each other's eyes.

"They're trying to see if the bat bites have connected them telepathically," Robin replied.

"What gave them that idea?" Nancy asked.

"I may have suggested an idea or two," Robin said. "Now they're trying to do it so that they can complain about Dustin while he's still in the room."

"All you guys gotta do is concentrate, focus. Breathe in. Breathe out. Let everything else fade away, brochocos. Focus only on each other," Argyle said, calmly cheering them on.

It was the longest that Eddie had ever been quiet for, besides that time he was in a coma. It was almost unnerving how quiet he was, how quiet Steve was. He did what Argyle suggested and focused only on Steve, letting everything else fade away. It was a little hard to do with two women giggling obnoxiously in the corner.

"Excuse me?!" Steve exclaimed. "We are trying to invade each other's minds over here!"

God, he was hot when he was bitchy. Yeah, he definitely had to lock that thought away if they ever succeeded.

"Maybe you guys need to be high for this?" Argyle asked. "How about we partake in some Purple Palm Dream Delight?"

"I'm up for it if Stevie is," Eddie said as he clapped his hands. "I could definitely relax."

A little while later, Eddie and Steve found themselves locked in the basement. They were both properly high now and very giggly.

"I think maybe we start by letting each other in, you know?" Eddie asked.

"You want to be. . .inside of me?" Steve asked.

"You make it sound like a sex thing!" He giggled.

"It's not?" He pouted.

"Do you want it to be?" Eddie asked.

"Kind of. . .you're pretty," Steve said softly and crawled his way into his lap.

"No, what I meant is that. . .shit, what did I mean? Oh! Yeah, I meant like emotionally," Eddie said, hands now on Steve’s hips.

"Oh, you mean like our dirty secrets and our deepest fears. . .like that?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, big boy, I do," he said softly.

"I'm scared," he said.

"I trust you, Stevie. Do you trust me?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah."

Eddie went first and began to talk about his father. It turns out that they both had daddy issues, but Steve had the misfortune to have both mommy and daddy issues. Eddie explained how he ended up in a relationship with an older man who ended up being abusive. Steve told him about how his first time had been with a divorced mom of one of his friends on his baseball team. He hadn't been much older than the kids were now, and sometimes he regretted it. They had both cried into each other's arms as they told each other of their deepest, darkest secrets.

"Sometimes I look at guys the same way I look at girls, and that scares me because I know what my dad thinks of people like that," Steve said. "I don't know why I even care."

"Because he's your dad, and you want him to care as much about you as you do about him because that's what the relationship is supposed to be like," Eddie said. "It just means you're better than him."

They were starting to get sober now, more aware of how intimate they were. Steve and Eddie stared into each other's eyes, a buzz of electricity forged between them as their fingertips dragged across their skin, caressing each other's forearms and palms. Steve entertwined their fingers and met Eddie in the middle in a soft, sweet kiss. It soon turned passionate as they tore at each other's clothes. They were completely bare before each other, all clothes gone, and they moved quickly. They rocked against the other, and Steve broke the kiss, moving his lips to his neck as he began to gently suck.

Steve stopped suddenly and moved towards the basement's bathroom, returning with lube. Eddie couldn't question it as Steve spread Eddie's legs. Steve’s raised his eyebrow, and Eddie nodded, barely able to speak. He tucked a pillow underneath him and began to open him up. He replaced his fingers, and soon Steve was moving inside of him. He attached his lips to Eddie's neck, biting down hard as he drew blood. . .marking him. Eddie had to think about a lot of messed up shit to make sure he didn't come yet, and when they time came, when Steve had spilled inside him, Eddie had flipped him onto his back. As Eddie came inside Steve, Eddie bit him and drew blood the same way that Steve did with him. Once they had licked each other's wounds, they collapsed and fell asleep in each other's arms.

"Fuck."

Robin woke up on the couch, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she looked over at Nancy, who was curled up between Jonathan and Argyle. Robin snorted at the sight of Nancy big spooning Argyle. Robin felt like she was forgetting something. She got up off the couch and stretched. She should find Steve and see if he wanted to make them breakfast. Steve!

"Oh shit! Nance, wake up! We totally forgot that we locked Eddie and Steve in the basement!" Robin exclaimed.

"Shit!" Nancy exclaimed, sitting up, her nest of curls all over the place.

"Oh man, they're going to be pissed," Argyle said and rubbed his eyes.

The four of them headed towards the basement and unlocked it. They crept down the carpeted stairs and gasped at the sight before them. Steve and Eddie were sprawled out on the floor in each other's arms. They were both completely naked.

"Oh, fuck, they got so hungry they tried eating each other!" Argyle exclaimed pointing to their necks.

"Judging by the stains on the floor, Argyle, I'm pretty sure that they had sex," Jonathan said. "Those are hickeys."

"Is that your deduction, Detective Byers, or are you going to need some more evidence?" Nancy asked sarcastically.

"Quick question, why the hell are we still staring at them?" Robin asked.

It was at that moment that they both startled by what Robin thought was a whisper.

"Oh fuck!" Eddie exclaimed and grabbed the blanket off of the couch to cover them both. "Were you just leering at us? I mean, I know we're hot and all. . ."

"Eddie," Steve chided.

They looked at each other and began having a conversation with their eyes. Robin stared at them, waiting for their mouths to move.

"You guys do know that you aren't saying anything, right?" Robin asked.

"We weren't?" Eddie asked, and she shook her head.

They shared a look with each other, their eyes wide.

"Oh, shit!"

#stranger things #eddie munson #joseph quinn #stranger things s4 #eddie stranger things #eddie munson lives #steve harrington #steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington x eddie munson #steddie fanfiction #fanfiction #steddie oneshot #oneshot #another oneshot bites the dust

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