#looks sternly at dustin

[lesservillain]

baby daddy!eddie x mom!reader

cw: smut, non established relationship, best friend!eddie as well, idiots in love

wc: 3.8k

Closing the door as gently as he could, Eddie tip toed down the hall of the trailer and rounded into the kitchen to get himself a beer. He’d played hard enough with Autumn that she could barely keep her eyes open through her bath, but that also meant he wore himself out in the process. So after cracking open a can, he plops his ass down and turns on the TV, ready to chill until he passes out on the couch.

Well, that was the plan. Just as he got comfortable, there was a small knock on the trailer door. With a frustrated sigh, Eddie jumps back up, mumbling something about people coming to his house so late at night.

“Listen, I’ve told you all I don’t fucking deal anymore—Woah!”

Instead of some annoying kids looking for weed, Eddie was met with your sniffling nose and tear stained cheeks. He immediately went into best friend mode, wrapping you in a big hug and letting you get those emotions out.

After some crying and a soaked shoulder later, you finally peel yourself away from Eddie and attempted to talk, but only babbling came out.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Eddie says, thumbs rubbing the tops of your shoulders. “Just calm down and tell me what happened? Did someone hurt you?”

You shook your head, doing your best to compose yourself.

“He-he-he g-got mar-married,” you hiccup out.

Eddie blinks at you. He knows exactly what you were talking about. Dustin told him back when that Harrington met a girl about 6 months ago and apparently they hit it off right away. The last thing he wanted to do was tell you about her considering your long time pining for him Especially considering he’s the reason Harrington would never ask you out. But you ended up finding out on your own, and devastated couldn’t even begin to describe how you felt.

It seemed soon in Eddie’s opinion, granted he would marry you tomorrow if you would say yes. When Dustin told him that he was going to be the best man that the wedding, Eddie had mixed feelings. He knew that it would kill you when you found out. That you’d react exactly as you were now.

Actually, you’re doing a little better than he anticipated.

“He came into the store and,” you blew your nose into the toilet paper he grabbed for you, “and I saw the ring on his finger when he was getting his money out of his wallet.”

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Eddie says, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you close.

“They haven’t even known each other that long! He’s such an idiot…”

“I’ve been trying to tell you that,” Eddie jokes, rolling his eyes.

“Oh god, what if--do you think it’s because she’s pregnant?”

Eddie’s pretty sure Dustin would have told him if that was the reason why, but it’s not an unreasonable guess.

“I don’t know, could be? Or maybe Steve Harrington is just an idiot like you said. And maybe they’ll be divorced by this time next year. Who knows, right?”

You sighed, leaning into Eddie and resting your head against him. “I don’t even know why I’m so upset. He was never going to ask me out anyway. No one wants a young single mom. Steve has his whole life to do what he wants, why would he be with someone who has so much baggage?”

“Hey, don’t say that about Audy,” Eddie scolds.

“No, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant,” you correct, “I was talking about myself. I’d never be with someone who didn’t accept Autumn. Even Steve Harrington. I just…I’m damaged goods, Eddie.”

Eddie could feel himself getting upset but didn’t want to make things worse right now, so he took a few breathes to steady himself. He said your name sternly, pulling your full attention to him.

“I don’t like it when you say things like that. It makes me feel like it’s my fault--”

“Eddie,” you stop him before he can get another word out, “You know that you didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve told you before that if I was going to get pregnant right out of high school with anyone that I wouldn’t want it to be with anyone else but you.”

Eddie knows this, and he feels the same. But it’s not what he wants.

Even though it was all a total accident, he hoped that night the two of you spent together was going to be the next step for both of you. And even though he was scared after you told him with tears in your eyes then that he had gotten you pregnant, he wished with all his might that it would bring the two of you closer together.

Which it did in a way. Obviously the two of you would be bound together for the rest of your lives, but it wasn’t in the way he wanted. You still were head over heels for Steve, and there was no way Eddie could even compare to the king.

“Yeah…I know.” He says somberly. Your brows pinch, making him worried he should have said something else.

Then your expression changed. You looked at him intensely for a moment, before your eyes became lidded and…were you leaning in?

Eddie thought fast, making a quick decision to put his hand over your mouth, stopping you in your tracks. Your eyes go wide as dinner plates, tears perching on your waterline as what hot embarrassment washes over you.

“I’m sorry,” Eddie says, suddenly regretting everything. This could have been his chance and he was an idiot.

You pull his hand from his mouth, sitting in silence for a moment before you begin to laugh. It catches Eddie off guard and he freezes.

“Eddie, I should be the one apologizing,” you say with giggles. “I’m the one who was stupid enough to try and kiss her best friend for a second time. We both know what happened the first time and the last thing we need is history to repeat itself.”

Eddie still felt conflicted. Your tone wasn’t sitting right with him, like there was some level of self depreciation in your words.

After a moment you stop laughing. Your face warps into worry as you stand from the couch.

“I-I need to go—“

“No, wait!” Eddie stands to grab your wrist before you could run away. He pulls you into him and hugs you tightly to him. You stand still before slowly wrapping your arms around him, gripping his shirt in your hands.

“Listen, I know you’re going through a lot emotionally right now, but…I’m here for whatever you need. Even if…” He trails off for a moment, knowing that he’s just going to hurt himself if he lets you use him. But he can’t turn you away when you need him. He’d rather you take advantage of his feelings than run off to someone else who would hook up with you without second thought.

“Even if it means crossing a boundary that we’ve already crossed before.”

Eddie feels you press into him harder, face buried in his chest. And when you look up at him, Eddie thinks he could melt into a puddle and let you mold him to however you’d like.

“I don’t think I should make any rash decisions right now,” you say with a sniffle. “I think I just need to clear my head. Let myself rot in my own misery instead of dumping it all on you.”

“Or,” Eddie says with a smile, “you could rot with me. I rented some movies and some beers in the fridge that have your name on them. I think we have some leftover pizza still, too.”

Your smile was so bright it was comparable to the sun rising. There was nothing in the world that could keep him down as long as you were happy. Eddie probably would have dropped out of school after his second failure if you hadn’t simply smiled at him and told him that he would graduate next year, for sure. He probably only did because you smiled at him every time he got a good grade.

The way you hugged him for a long time after a report card with no F’s on it kept Eddie’s head in the zone that last school year. And, well, the way your body felt under his when he finally graduated…

Eddie shook his head, wracking his brain for anything to keep his mind from thinking about that night right now. There’s no way him getting a boner while you were still holding on to him so tight would be good.

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” you finally say after staring up at him for several beats. But Eddie caught the somber look in your eyes. It was going to take a lot of distracting to get you in a good head space.

“You know, I think we might still have some popcorn, too.”

After a few drinks, some weed, and a movie and a half later, Eddie finds himself waking up on his couch at some point after falling asleep. The bright, staticy screen causes him to squint his eyes, turning his head enough to bump his chin against the top of your head.

Eddie looks down at where you’re leaning into his side. He vaguely remembers wrapping an arm around you before the two of you had succumbed to sleep. It pains him to possibly wake you but the urge to pee is what startled him awake in the first place, so he does his best to untangle himself from you and sneaks to the bathroom.

On the way back to the couch, Eddie decided to stop in his room and grab a blanket for the two of you. But when he returns, he finds you sitting up and rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

“Hey,” you croak out, looking at him with squinted eyes.

“Hey,” he whispers back. “I brought us a blanket.”

You stretch before standing up from the couch. “I should probably head home, Eddie.”

“Sweetheart its,” he leans to check the time on the microwave, “3 in the morning.”

Your eyes go wide, hands running over your face. “It is? Fuuuuck.”

“Just stay,” Eddie says, walking over to you and wrapping you up in the blanket. You groan, feeling conflicted on if you should stay and sleep on Eddie’s couch or if you should brave the drive home.

“Hey, if you stay, you don’t have to drive all the way over here to get Fae in the morning.”

“Ugh, okay you got me,” you say, giving in. You sit back down on the couch and start to make yourself comfortable.

“Wait, you can sleep in my bed. Promise I don’t bite.”

That took less convincing as you pop back up, dragging the blankets behind you as you wobble to Eddie’s room. Eddie laughs as you plop into his bed, stealing one of his pillows to make yourself comfortable.

“Hey save some room for me,” he says, walking around to the other side to climb in. He lays next to you, adjusting in an obnoxious manner that has you giggling. You turn to face him and he does the same.

“I love you,” you say at the tail end of a giggle. It’s something said frequently between the two of you. Genuine as it’s spoken after years of friendship.

“Love you, too,” Eddie says with a sigh. Sleep soon takes you both over again. The only sounds that can be heard is the sound of the a/c doing its best to cool down the trailer.

Eddie felt himself waking once again, this time much more comfortably in his own bed. He yawned, shaking a bit as the feeling of waking overcame his body.

The sun peaking through the cracks of his curtains gave the room just enough light that he could see the room with a slight glow. Turning his head, he chanced to see if you were still laying with him. He had a dream that you’d left with Autumn and ran away with Steve that left a sick feeling in his stomach.

Much to his delight you were indeed still occupying the bed with him. Smiling wide as you looked at him, already awake where you lay.

“Mornin’,” he says in his morning voice, and your eyes flicker.

“Morning,” you squeak back. As Eddie turns to face you, your hand finds its way out from under the covers and reaches out towards him. Your fingers gently glide across his cheek, rubbing against the stubble as you push his hair out of his face.

The way you’re looking at him has Eddie’s tummy feeling funny, but in a different way from his dream. You’re looking at him the same way he looks at you.

Suddenly, you push yourself up on your arm, hand still on his cheek as you start to lean in once again. Eddie’s heart beats hard against his chest as you close the distance between the two of you, your lips meeting his in a soft kiss.

It lasts a few moments, and Eddie melts into it. It was a kiss like none he’s ever had before. Not even compared to the last time the two of you kissed before Autumn was born. This kiss felt like a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter morning, the warmth spreading to every part of his body as he drank you in.

When you pulled away, Eddie chased after you, not wanting it to end so soon unknowing if it would ever happen again. When you don’t kiss him again, his eyes finally open to meet yours. They’re bouncing everywhere, scanning his face as if looking for an answer written on his skin.

“Eddie…”

But Eddie doesn’t let you ponder much longer, hand snaking around your head to pull you into him once more. This time more feverishly, the heat palpable between the two of you.

You shift so that you can bury your hands in his hair, and Eddie takes advantage of this to move himself above you. Eddie kisses you into the pillow beneath you, long kisses turning into passionate smacking, poking the fire that was burning between you.

“Tell me to stop,” Eddie says as his lips begin to move down your cheek and to your neck. He says your name breathily, “Tell me now, because I won't be able to stop once this starts.”

“I-I can’t. I won’t,” you stutter, hands grabbing at his waist as he kisses and nips at your neck. Eddie breathes against you, body alight knowing that you wanted this as much as him.

“But,” you say, stopping him in his tracks. You give him a coy smile, nodding towards the door. “You better make it quick. You know she’ll wake up at any moment.”

Eddie huffs out a laugh, “Don’t gotta tell me twice. Better get to work then.”

Eddie suddenly lifts the blanket above the both of you and disappears underneath it. Soft kisses leave a trail from your knees to the apex between them. Eddie slips his fingers in the hem of the sleep pants he let you borrow, pulling them down with your panties in one quick motion. There was barely any light to see, so he decided to just dive in tongue first.

He ate you out like a man starved. Your thighs try hard to wrap around him as he works you up on his tongue, but his strong arms hold you open for him. Eddie groans at the way your fingers grip his hair, tugging just enough to burn so good against his scalp.

Once he added fingers, you had to cover your mouth with your hand to keep yourself quiet. It was like Eddie knew exactly what you liked, because not long after you were coming undone, riding his face as you did.

Eddie crawls up your body, head resting between your breasts as he pokes out from under the covers.

“Jesus, Eddie,” you pant, looking at him in awe.

“And that’s not even the best part,” he teases, making you roll your eyes at him. You grab his face and bring him closer to you, tasting yourself on his lips as you kiss him again.

Eddie rolls his hips subconsciously, and you can feel how hard he is as he grinds against you. You want to say you also forgot how big he was, but it’s something you didn’t want to admit you thought about often.

Your hand travels between you, fingers trailing against his skin as you reach the hem of his boxers. Slipping under it, you feel your way to his hard cock, taking it in your hand to pump him. He whines against your lips, hips moving faster in your grip. You watch with awe struck eyes as his beautiful face contorts in pleasure above you.

“Please,” he pants out as he fucks your hand, “Wanna be inside you. Can I?”

You nod silently, unbelievably turned on by your best friend for the second time now.

He works fast pulling his boxers off quickly, a loud thwaping coming from his cock smacking against his stomach after getting caught on the waistband. Your eyes go wide as you take in his size.

After almost 2 years you’re still shocked at what Eddie Munson is packing. Those dumb ass cheerleaders that picked the bone head jocks over him have no idea what they missed out on.

Eddie settled himself between your legs, spitting on his own cock to get it good and wet before rubbing it in your soaked folds. You had a moment of clarity, realizing that Eddie wasn’t wearing a condom. You opened your mouth to speak, but your words got caught up in a moan as Eddie pushed his way inside of you.

The stretch took your breath away. Eddie seesawed his way into your tight cunt, opening you up on his cock until he was balls deep inside of you. He placed his hands on either hip and started moving, holding you tight as he worked up his pace.

Every thrust felt like too much and not enough at the same time. The constant knocking against your sweet spot had you seeing stars quickly, still worked up from him eating you out. The pretty sounds that Eddie was making wasn’t helping either, but you still had enough mind to shush him so that he wouldn’t wake your daughter.

Eddie’s pace quickens, and he makes the fatal mistake of adding his thumb to the mix. It only throttles you to the edge for a second time this morning. It’s not much longer before your vision goes white, toes curling as your orgasm takes over. It's probably the hardest you’ve cum in a long time.

“Oh, fuck.”

You barely registered Eddie’s words, but you definitely felt the reason behind his curses. Eddie was cumming deep inside you, balls emptying into your pussy as you were still riding out your own orgasm.

In the moment it felt amazing, but the post orgasm bliss left you crashing as you realized the very real situation you were both in.

Eddie felt himself being pushed by you, taking him out of his own high as he stumbled back on his ass. As you open your mouth to speak, Eddie is hit with a wave of deja vu with every word.

“Did you fucking cum in me?” The words came out in slow motion and Eddie’s body broke out in cold sweat.

“I-I’m sorry. I was going to pull out, I just—“

“What? You forgot? Are you kidding me Eddie? Do you not remember what happened the last time?”

Right on cue, your daughter's whines could be heard from across the hall. You sigh, kicking the covers completely away from you and grabbing the pajama pants you had back on.

“Listen, I really am sorry,” Eddie says, looking at you with big, sad eyes. You groan, unable to stay mad at him when he looks at you like that.

“What are we going to do then, Eddie?” You ask him, walking out of his bedroom to get your daughter.

Eddie sits on the bed for a moment and thinks. He knows that you getting pregnant again while Autumn’s only and a half isn't ideal. Not that you being pregnant is ideal anyway, but honestly Eddie wouldn’t be mad about it.

He was so head over heels for both you and Autumn that he doesn’t hate the idea of another person to love is the worst thing. But he’s also not the one doing all the hard work. And if it wasn’t obvious the first time that having a kid wouldn’t fix any problems, then having a second would probably not make much of a difference in your feelings towards him.

The door opens again and Eddie watches as you enter with a squealing toddler on your hip, clearly happy to see both mommy and daddy.

“Morning, sweet girl,” Eddie cooes, scooping his baby up and smothering her with kisses, sending Autumn into a fit of giggles.

“I went ahead and changed her. If you want to dress her I’ll make breakfast.”

Eddie gave you a quick salute as you went to the kitchen, leaving him and your mini me to get ready for the day. It took a lot of wrestling but he was able to get the little one dressed, including hair done, and looking presentable for the day.

Fixing her up in her highchair, Eddie sat at the small kitchen table and breathed a sigh of relief. You shook your head at his theatrics, setting breakfast down for the both of them.

“Hey, I was thinking,” Eddie said, spooning some applesauce into Autumn’s mouth. “After we eat, why don’t I follow you to the pharmacy and we can pick you up a Plan B?”

You quirk an eyebrow in amusement. “You have Plan B money this time?”

“Ha ha,” Eddie laughs dryly at your reference to the last time you had sex, the both of you freaking out over having no money. Thankfully Eddie was able to get a good job at Hawkins Auto Body when you got pregnant. He makes pretty good money now considering he was able to get his own trailer. Money is still tight, but he can manage.

“Fine, better eat up then, or else you’re gonna have two mouths to feed instead of one.”

Eddie looks at your daughter, spitting image of him, besides your nose, and smiles. Maybe now isn’t the right time, but…maybe one day.

[wynnyfryd]

Trailer park Steve AU part 16

part 1 | part 15 | ao3

cw: unsympathetic religious discussion, mentions of oral sex (istg if you’re under 18 i will send such a sternly worded letter to your legal guardian, go aWAY)

“So just, to recap…” Eddie says dully, digging a thumb into his brow bone like he’s got a headache coming on. He’s sitting on the floor with his back against a work bench — one knee drawn to his chest, the other stretched out long, nearly tripping Steve where he's pacing a hole into the concrete. He lets his head fall against the bench with a thunk, looks up at Steve and continues, “we just got abducted by two asthmatic freshmen—”

“Pretty sure Dustin's the only one with asthma.”

"Okay, and I’m pretty sure that doesn't fucking matter when we've just been kidnapped and forced to play the world’s shittiest version of Seven Minutes in Heaven!"

Eddie takes a shuddering breath, brings his voice back down an octave. "Sorry,” he says, then sighs morosely to himself. “Imprisoned by my own sheepies…”

What a goddamned drama queen.

“Sheepies?” Steve asks.

"Never mind,” Eddie huffs. “Just... I mean, Jesus Christ, is this really what's happening? This? This is really where my life's at right now?”

Steve’s been wondering that himself.

“It's an intervention!" Dustin screeches. "It's for your own good!” “I’m gonna intervene your head from your body!” “That doesn’t even make sense!” Steve gives the metal above him one final, fruitless shove, then sinks down on the steps and puts his head in his hands. Pinches the end of his nose. His voice is hoarse from yelling, his temples starting to throb. Eddie’s shaking beside him like a cat that fell in an ice bath. “Seriously,” he pleads, lowering his voice. “Let us out; this isn’t cool.” “We will, okay? We promise. Just talk to each other first. Please? Just fifteen minutes.” Aaand he's yelling again. "Fifteen— are you out of your mind??" He's about to say 'hell no,' or maybe 'go fuck yourself,' but then Dustin yelps, “U.S.S. Butterscotch!” 'U.S.S. Butterscotch.' It’s basically the Scoops Troop's 'Olly olly oxen free.' “Goddammit, dude, FINE!”

“....Yeah, that about sums it up." Steve runs a hand through his hair, sweeping his bangs back off his forehead.

Eddie gives him a worn-out stare. “Well, shit.”

“Yep.” He goes back to his pacing — back and forth, back and forth, like it's actually doing anything to calm him down. (It isn’t really. If anything it’s just making his lower back damp with sweat.)

On the floor, Eddie shivers and draws his other leg to his chest, chin resting on bony knees, arms wrapped around his legs. "Christ, it's freezing," he complains, rubbing a hand over his shins. "If we die of exposure before I get to exact my revenge on those little assholes I'm gonna be so pissed."

"Here—" Steve starts to shrug off his jacket to give it to Eddie, but then he remembers the pills he still has stashed in the left pocket and abruptly changes course. He turns to the storage shelves, scanning for anything that might be useful, and— "There we go."

He makes his way to a messy pile of old camping supplies, scoops up an armful of whatever he can find: sleeping bags, flashlights, a lantern, some old citronella candles. They won't do much for warmth, but they'll make the place a bit less Russian torture chamber, at least.

Eddie eyes him a little warily as he sets up a spot right beside him on the floor. He spreads one sleeping bag out for them to sit on like a picnic blanket; offers the other one to Eddie, who drapes it over his shoulders like a cloak, his long, dark curls spilling over the edge.

"You got a light?" he asks, arranging the candles and the lantern in a half-circle around them.

"Sure do,” Eddie says. His face lights up when he slips a hand inside his pocket. "Oh, hell yeah, baby! Look what else I got."

He pulls out a silver flask, flashing it at Steve, and Steve ignores the way the words 'hell yeah, baby' bounce around his skull like an echo through an empty cavern.

"A little insurance policy in case the dinner party was a bore." Eddie unscrews the lid; takes a wincing swig. "Would have taken boring over this, though. Think I might’ve gotten a little more excitement than I bargained for." "Yeah,” Steve laughs under his breath. "You think?"

Eddie passes him the flask, sets to lighting all the wicks while Steve takes a shot. The whiskey is cheap, and it stings on the way down, but it's nice. Warm. Liquid amber in his chest, glowing like the candlelight Eddie sparks to life.

Eddie settles down beside him. With the workbench at their backs and the warm tint to the room, it's almost cozy. Reminds him of backyard sleepovers with Tommy; a little fortress built for two.

“Do you think they’re still listening?” Eddie's eyes flit to the stairs.

“Probably." Steve takes another swig, gesturing to the shadows beyond their makeshift camp. "He probably got Suzie to help him bug this whole place."

"Ah, yes. The crazy hot, crazy smart summer camp girlfriend who totally exists."

"She does, actually,” Steve laughs, “if you can believe it."

"No shit?"

"I know, right? I mean, like..." He scratches the side of his nose. "She's Mormon and lives all the way out in Utah, so it's not exactly like... but, whatever. He's super into her, so—"

"Hold up. Dustin's dating a Mormon?" Eddie says it like he’s spitting sunflower hulls. "That's almost worse than her being fake."

“What, you got some kinda history with Mormons?”

“Oh, yeah," Eddie snorts derisively. "The Mormons and I go waaay back."

"Wait, for real?" Was Eddie in a cult? Because that would actually explain so much.

"Dude. No. Hell no. Those fuckers love to solicit the downtrodden, though. They show up at the park all the time.”

“Great,” Steve deadpans. Another wonderful amenity of the Forest Hills experience.

“Don’t worry. Wayne usually just crosses himself at them until they go away.” He makes the sign of the cross, his rings glinting in the light. “Catholic middle-aged men and LDS teens, now there’s some quality petty drama.”

“So you’re Catholic, then?” Steve asks.

“Jesus, Harrington. We’re supposed to be kissing and making up and you want to start a religious debate?”

No, he absolutely does not. He wants to make fun of Eddie, because, "That’s the second time you’ve mentioned kissing." Eddie’s cheeks go horribly pink; peach tint in the deep orange glow. “First you wanna suck my blood at dinner, now you’re talking about making out. What next?” Steve teases. “You gonna offer to suck my dick?”

He means it as a joke — a slightly rude one, sure; insinuating, but still. He expects Eddie to get it, to roll his eyes and play along. Ha ha, Harrington.

When he used to say shit like this to Tommy, Tommy would always just laugh and shove him off, tell him to go suck it yourself.

Only Eddie doesn’t laugh.

Eddie goes quiet. Runs his tongue over his teeth. He fixes Steve with one of those looks; the kind that make him feel like a burglar caught in a flood light’s beam. “Why?" he teases back. "Did you want me to or something?”

—

part 17

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[fromasgardandback]

a day at the mall

•

masterlist | stranger things summer

Eddie and you decided to take on helping Steve again watching  after the rugrats in the summer. today they collectively wanted to go walking around the mall. 

the boys were looking for a new comic book and  video game, but the girls were looking for an outfit for the first day of school. 

Erica was entering her second year of middle school and her style changed, so her mom gave Y/N enough money to get her an outfit. Max saved enough to get a nice outfit since her and Lucas got back together

“We can either go together or Eddie takes the boys while I take the girls.” Y/N suggested

“I am not clothes shopping. Girls take forever.” Mike rolled his eyes while Max came back at him “That’s because you put anything into how you look. Mommy always sets your clothes out for you.” Eddie and Y/N had to hold back their laugh

ultimately they walked around the mall together and whichever came first they went their separate ways

“Ok, we have three hours before we meet back up with them in the food court. Let’s go have some fun.” Y/N took them through five stores until Erica and Max got something they both loved

“Look, you’re looking for a comic and video game. We find both we’re leaving.” Eddie said sternly before getting too invested in a new edition of Marvel Comics

once they met for lunch, ate, and got back to Dustin’s house the kids were wiped out. They all took an afternoon nap which Eddie and Y/N appreciated

“Finally a moment alone. You look too hot to not be kissed.” Eddie said grabbing her face and kissing her deeply as she giggled

[fandoms-in-law]

Name Games

Summary: Steve and Robin decided using actual names was unneccessary so long as they knew who was being spoken to and use how they call each other as an indication of how they're doing. Hearing Steve say her name is something Robin hates.

Author's Note: I have thoughts on how names are used, specifically it's interesting how rarely I actually get addressed by name directly or do the same to anyone else. This was a way to play with it in other ways.

My idea for today: Names are overrated so when they're happy Steve & Robin call each other by random words. If a name is used they check what's wrong. If their name is used everything is dropped to help.

/\/\

"Steve, it's a movie night and you have the best house for it." Dustin tried to convince him but getting nowhere since he'd come in."Chair? Is the film you wanted to watch okay for the kids or difficult to follow?" Steve called over his shoulder.

"It's French, Coffee pot. Doubt even you'd get it but should be good for them." Robin called back.

Dustin groaned at Steve's nod. "No we know what we want to watch already."

"My house and it's Flags choice this week. If you want it at my house hers is played from the start." he stated, sternly.

"Come on Robin. Don't make us watch something nobody understands." Dustin complained but met resolute expressions from both of them.

/\

"Ice cream, your kids are upset." Robin muttered.

"They always are when I don't let them do everything they want." Steve replied. "As if I do that very often."

She gave him a side glance. "But why are they glaring at me? "

"Not a clue, Cushion. They're just bitchy" Neither mentioned the videos the kids had brought and tried to convince them to put on. This was meant to be their movie night and the kids could deal with what they wanted for once.

/\

"Oliver?" Steve asked curiously. "How do you know you're attracted to someone?"

Robin looked him over while he resolutely looked away from her. "Easily. I look at a girl and go I want to kiss her. What's up, Laura?"

"So if I thought that looking at a guy, but still do to girls as well, is that allowed?" He asked, fear mixing with confusion in his voice and Robin had to double check the store was as empty as it had been for the last half hour.

"Course it is. You can do anything you want." she replied soothingly.

Steve turned to her, eyes still worried, "Do other people do that?"

"Esther, if they do or don't doesn't invalidate whether you do." Robin said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now who is this boy? I've got muppet singing to pay back."

/\

"Robin." The call to the phone wasn't unusual, even if it was earlier in the night and her mother sounded worried. "Your friend seems to need help."

"I've got it." she agreed, already taking the phone. "Hello?"

"R-Robin?" Dread shot through her and she started trying to figure out the best way to Steve's house. She hadn't heard her name from him in months since they'd decided names were useful only for knowing who was spoken to and any word could do that.

"Steve? What's happened?" She asked, stretching so she could shove shoes on without leaving the phone. "I'll come to you. Just tell me what you need."

"He he died, Robbie. He died and it's all I can see and-" the shake in his voice had her pausing, still set on rushing to him but certain she couldn't cut the call until Steve was at least a little calmer.

"Eddie survived Stevie. You saved him and got him home. Did you have a nightmare?" she asked softly.

"So many this week. I wanted to sleep early, try and feel rested for once but he's dead and I can't." His voice got smaller as he spoke.

Robin looked around hoping the radio she'd finally received was downstairs and not in her room. "Eddie didn't die or if he did it was barely a few seconds before your CPR saved him. I'll come over, get Eddie to as well. We can have a sleepover so you can rest and know he's alive." She comforted seeing her mum still stood nearby.

"Mum, can you fetch my radio please?" she hissed out covering the receiver so she could still hear Steve's mutters that Eddie was dead without him hearing.

Steve was convinced she was bringing a ghost or zombie over but sounded like he agreed to the idea. "I'll pick you up, you and dead Eddie. You can't drive."

Taking the radio as her mum returned with it Robin didn't bother covering anything as she pressed the button on speak to both the phone and radio at once. "But Eddie can and he'll pick me up. He's alive, Steve. We're coming, just unlock the door and curl up on the couch. We're coming."

"Shit, is he okay? I'm going to my van now." Eddie's voice replied while Steve sniffled a little.

“Just try to breathe slowly for me, Steve. I’ll help you calm down until Eddie picks me up and then it’ll be only a few minutes before we’re with you.” Robin didn’t respond. Out of all their friends Eddie seemed to be the only one who’d picked up on how they spoke to each other, most of the kids still trying to understand why neither used nicer names than tree or pizza and convinced it was a weird type of flirting.

Steve stumbled out a reply, voice strained and denying he needed it, but didn’t argue as Robin started counting.

/\

“Robert.” Steve whined from his couch as soon as the door was open, arms stretched towards it. The name was still too close to Robin for her to think he was feeling any better, and the sob a moment later agreed even as Steve sprung over to cling to Eddie instead of her. “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.”

“Okay we don’t need to repeat my name,” Eddie calmingly said, “I’m alive and here. Nothing will take me away if you stop saying my name.”

Robin nudged the pair so everyone could pile on the couch and on top of each other. “We’re here Stevie. You’re okay.”

“I’m so tired, Robbie. It’s always nightmares.” Steve complained, still curled into Eddie more than her, twisted enough his head was resting over Eddie’s heart.

“Then let’s get you comfortable, sweetheart.” Eddie suggested, being met by two shaking heads and Robin tugging blankets over from under a side table.

Steve used the grip he wasn’t releasing to move them into laying along the couch. “No lonely room please, please no.”

“We stay here for sleepovers, Eds.” Robin gave a little more explanation. “His room isn’t good.”

He nodded, letting the pair get them set up and just being comforting and soothing when he could.

/\

“Jack, I’m making pancakes.” Robin heard whispered before the slow movements of Steve trying to escape their pile began.

“Lucy, stay and cuddle. It’s too early for you to cook.” She tensed hearing the words, knowing she hadn’t said them and uncertain how Steve would react.

He chuckled, “You joining in our name game or calling me satan? I need to pee anyway, might as well make pancakes so we can eat then nap through the day.”

“You’re better this morning.” Robin mumbled. “Do we need to drag Eddie into all our sleepovers and cuddle piles to prevent your nightmares?”

“Yes please. I’ve been waking Wayne up cause of them.” Eddie was the one to reply and she cracked her eyes open to see Steve had finished separating from them and left the room.

She sighed, “Only cause Alice likes you.”

“She means as a crush before you overthink.” Steve called through, revealing that he was only in the kitchen. “But that can wait for another day.”

[bingbongsupremacy]

Camp Hawkins AU Pt. 2

pairing: Steve Harrington x plus sized reader

Warnings: Use of Y/N.

The story doesn't mention a lot about being plus sized but it is there.

Summary Overall: It's your third year being a camp counselor at Camp Hawkins and your 7th year knowing Steve. Every year your crush seems to grow stronger and stronger.

Pt. 2 Summary: You've been avoiding Steve ever since you caught him and and Nancy making out at the Lake. Unfortunately, you can't avoid him forever. While helping him clean up after a messy s'more night, he approaches you.

*Not Proof Read*

ABC List Part 1 Stranger Things Masterlist

*****

It's been two weeks.

I've done my best to avoid Steve and Nancy as much as possible, which is proving to be a very hard thing to do.

Morning meetings are the worst. Every morning at 5 am, the counselors are expected to meet at the dining hall for a brief run down of the day. Usually everyone is still in their PJ's, hoping the meeting will be short enough for everyone to catch a few more minutes of sleep before the kids get up.

The mornings are usually pretty cold. Almost everyone shows up in some sort of jacket or sweat shirt. Not Steve. Every morning he comes dressed in a nice fitting T, perfectly showing off his arms.

Stop staring at Steve.

Stupid crush. Stupid fucking crush.

I force myself to look away from Steve. Instead of his usual spot by Nancy, he's decided to take a seat next to Robin and Vickie, one of the other camp cooks.

" If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a crush on Harrington. " Eddie's voice is teasing but quiet.

I snap my head towards him. " Do not. " I state sternly, fear running through my veins. He can't find out.

Eddie chuckles. " You sure do stare a lot for someone without a crush. " Eddie's elbows rest comfortably against the table. His legs are sprawled out, not bothering how much room they take up. His hair is tossed up into a sleepy bun, a rare sight for the man who always has his hair down. " Don't worry, I won't tell. " He raises a finger to his lips, indicating my secret is safe with him. He winks, sending a flurry of embarrassment running through me.

I've never liked Eddie like that, but he sure does know how to fluster someone.

" I don't like him. " I insist. " So you don't have anything to keep secret. "

Eddie nods mockingly. " That's not what Henderson told me...but if you insist..." He holds his hands up in surrender.

I let out a small groan. Of course Dustin blabbed to Eddie. Dustin tells Eddie everything. Nothing even happened, I don't understand why Dustin spinned it to sound like we made out.

" Is everything alright over there? " Hopper asks, looking over at me and Eddie. " Are you feeling alright? "

" Yeah, perfectly fine. Just a little headache. " I lie.

" Well, if you're alright, we'll get back to today's agenda..."

My eyes scan across the table. Across the way, Steve's eyes meet mine. On his face is a small look of...confusion?

This is going to be a tough morning.

-------

The loud chatter of happy campers slowly fades away as the large oak dining hall doors close. Soon, Steve and I are left alone in the echoing room.

I begin picking up various chocolate wrappers on the floor the tables. They'd somehow managed to completely trash the dining hall in a single hour.

" So..." Steve begins, cutting through the silence. " are you and Eddie...a thing? " He asks calmly, glancing over at me from the table he's wiping down.

I let out a small laugh. " Me and Eddie? No. No way. He's...not my type. " The constant smell of weed is headache inducing. Frankly, it's confusing how Hopper hasn't fired him for drugs. He doesn't sell to kids but that definitely doesn't mean he doesn't sell to other of age counselors.

Plus he's not really into relationships. He's more of a hit it and quit it type.

" What is your type? " Steve asks. I feel his gaze on me as I start scrubbing one of the tables with a wet rag.

" Not Eddie, that's for sure. " I scrub a little harder at a hardened drop of melted marshmallow. " I like guys who...I don't know, like the same things as me. Why do you ask? " I don't understand why he gives a shit about my love life.

Steve shrugs, his gaze finally moving away. " I saw you and him this morning and I thought maybe you were dating or something. It's stupid, it doesn't matter. "

" Still single. " I mumble.

A thick silence settles in the room. Once again, Steve is the one to break it.

" Are you mad at me? " His voice is soft, like he's worried or something.

I look over at the brunette. " No. " I reply honestly. " Why would you think that? "

We both pause where we are, instead occupying ourselves by looking at each other. We're both trying to read each other.

Steve shrugs, folding his arms over his chest. " You just seem...distant. I don't know, ever since you caught Nance and I at the lake we don't talk anymore. Did I do something? "

I shake my head. " You...you didn't do anything. "

" Then why are you avoiding me? "

If I tell him he'll probably get weirded out. I mean, how awkward is it to be around someone who has a massive crush on you when you don't reciprocate the feeling?

But it might help me get over him if he stops actively trying to talk to me.

I'm going to do it. I need to. Fuck, but what about Nancy?

Fuck Nancy. I need to get over this man. This handsome, kind man.

" I have a crush on you, okay? " I blurt out. " It's stupid, I know. You're with Nancy, I understand that. "

His eyes widen in surprise. " What? "

" I don't want to make things awkward. I'm trying to get over you, that's why I'm avoiding you. Fuck, can you please just stop asking questions now? You got your answer. "

I feel a blush creep onto my cheeks. I did it. I told him.

" I like you to. " Steve pushes himself away from the table he's leaned against. He walks towards me.

My eyes go wide. " What? "

He's joking. Right? He has to be joking.

No this has to be a dream, some weird fucking dream. In no universe would Steve Fucking Harrington like me back.

" I like you too. " Steve finally makes it to me. He stands a close, leaving only a few inches of space between us. His eyes stare into mine, a small smile resting on his lips. " I have liked you for the past couple of years. "

I shake my head, stepping back to put some distance between us. " You're with Nancy. You can't like me. That's fucked up. I don't want to be a homewrecker-I can't be. You-you and Nancy are good together. "

Steve shakes his head. " We're not together, Y/N. I broke up with her. For good this time. " He sighs, running a hand through his hair. " Just because we're good together doesn't mean we're meant to be together. "

I'm the reason they broke up. Robin was right. I'm the fucking worst. Who ruins a relationship? I mean, I didn't know I was ruining it, but Steve's crush on me ruined everything for them. Nancy probably hates me.

" Nancy has known about my crush for a while. " Steve admits nervously. " That's why we've broken up so much. I-no matter what I do I can't get you out of my fucking head. " He lets out a frustrated sigh. " Your smile, your eyes, fuck it's all I see at night. I sound insane, I know, but I don't know what to do. I can't just be in a relationship with someone else when all I think about is you. "

I continue to create space between us. " So I'm the reason you guys broke up? " Guilt begins to build up in my stomach.

" No! " Steve shakes his head. " You-you didn't do anything. There were plenty of other problems involved with our break up. This wasn't your fault. Honestly, this has been building up for years. Even if I didn't have a crush on you, Nancy and I probably would've split for good anyways. "

I still feel horrible. Like I contributed to their break up.

" Please, Y/N. You have to believe me. This wasn't your fault. "

I search Steve's eyes for any sign of lying. His expression is desperate, like he's scared I'm going to leave.

I stop.

Relief floods Steve's face.

" You really like me? " I ask quietly, scared he's going to laugh and make fun of me for believing him. He did have a mean streak in high school. I thought he grew out of it though.

" I swear on my life, I like you. " Steve's expression is sincere. " I like you so much sometimes I feel like my heart is going to explode. "

I smile at the man. I never would have imagined this would happen. " I like you too. "

Steve begins to walk towards me again. This time, I don't run away. Once he's a few inches from me, he gently takes my hand. " Will you go on date with me, Y/N. "

" I would love to, Steve. "

[cherubharrington]

Steve looks at the cut that’s running from the top of your shin down towards where your foot is. He looks at it and frowns.

“Baby, you hurt yourself. What happened?” He says, he’s running his finger down your leg. Making sure to avoid touching the cut.

“It’s okay, Stevie. It doesn’t hurt that much.” He looks up at you, his mouth parted. He looks beyond upset, his big brown eyes staring at you with pain. He can also tell you’re lying, because you’re wincing every time he presses around the wound.

“Baby, what happened?” He says more sternly, your face heats up. Not being able to look at him in the eye.

“Uh, I was trying to climb a tree.”

“What? A tree? Why were you climbing a tree, princess?”

“Dustin, his cat was stuck.”

Steve eyebrows raises, his face pulling into his thinking face. The one where he runs his tongue on the bottom of his lips.

“Dustin’s cat got stuck up a tree? And he called you?” He asked, that didn’t seem right to him from the looks of it.

“Not exactly, I was there when his cat ran up the tree. I tried to get her down but I ended up… with this.”

Steve shakes his head, placing your leg back on the bed and getting up. He leaves the room and a few minutes later comes back with a first aid kit.

“Why didn’t you guys call me?”

“Dustin knew you would get upset.” You said sheepishly but now knowing how silly it sounded.

“While—.” He says, stretching out the bandages, ripping it at a certain length with his mouth. “—You guys have to call me. if something happens to you. I don’t know how I’ll live with myself.”

“Probably sadly and with 20 cats.” You said, giving him a toothy smile

“Exactly and we don’t want that, huh?” He was busy wrapping the bandage around your leg before waiting for your answer.

“Nope.” Once he was done, he gave your leg a kiss. “Steve-uh, you didn’t have to kiss it.”

“You’re my girl, of course I have to. Plus I love your legs.” You let out a soft giggle and his face lights up just by the sound of it.

You plant a kiss on his cheek. “I’m better now, thank you my love.”

His eyes look at you with so much softness, you’re practically melting like ice cream over it.

[reallyromealone]

Do you think you could write Alpha Steve x Pregnant Omega Reader, I love your omegaverse content so much

🩷☁️🩷☁️🩷☁️🩷☁️🩷☁️🩷☁️🩷☁️🩷☁️🩷☁️🩷

"welcome to family video--""Stevie" Steve looked up at the sound of his very pregnant mate, (name) looking at the snacks almost drooling "what's going on? Did your water break?!" Steve fretted and like magic Robins head popped out "is my god kid coming?!" She said panicked and (name) shook his head "no no, I am basically a messenger" (name) said with a small laugh "the pups and Eddie would like to know if they could host a session at our house"

God damn it Munson was all Steve could think, knowing the brown haired alpha used his brother to convince Steve "that sneaky bastard" Steve grumbled and robin snickered "what are your thoughts?" Steve asked his Omega who pursed his lips "they offered me (snack)" he said softly and Steve looked at his mate bemused before sighing "they bring their own snacks"

"I'll go tell Eds" (name) said happily but Steve halted him "I'll drive you, not letting my mate wander by himself"

Robin waved them off as Steve started his break, the Alpha leading his mate to the car only to see Eddie and the pups "I didn't have to go far" (name) said happily with the smile that he shared with his brother "he said yes!" (Name) informed his brother who in turn gave him his beloved snacks.

(Name) fed his mate a bit as Steve looked at his brother in law unamused "you used your pregnant brother to ask me a question" Steve huffed and Eddie shrugged "it was effective"

"Steve! Can we watch a movie before!" Dustin asked excitedly and (name) hummed at this but Steve shut it down "no, you shitlings already got dnd" he said sternly "maybe next time ducklings" (name) said fondly before grunting "are you ok?!"

"Yeah he's just using my bladder for sports" (name) said "I'll drive you home" Steve ushered his mate to their car, Eddie watching carefully.

It was hard for Eddie to move past 'king Steve' but he saw how loving and careful he was with (name)... It's why he gave Steve his blessing to begin with.

"Can we get pizza tonight?" (Name) asked and Steve smiled "sure babe"

[yournowheregirl]

remember when i said this was gonna be 5 parts? psych! it’s gonna be six parts of the secret-dolly-parton-fan eddie munson saga (thanks again for all the love on this fic & a special thanks to @gothbat99 and @legitcookie for listening to my rambling about this part 🥰)

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 5] [part 6 + complete on ao3]

part 4: i will always love you

Eddie never thought himself to be an overthinker. 

In fact, during the majority of his life a lot of people assumed he didn't think at all considering the way he flunked senior year twice (He got there in the end, though). But lately - well, actually ever since Pat swore up and down Steve isn’t as straight as Eddie originally thought - Eddie’s brain has been running at a hundred miles an hour.

More specifically, Pat’s words have been echoing through his mind, haunting him, torturing him, every time he hangs out with Steve.

“Hey man, that shirt looks really great on you.” Steve says one day when Eddie shows up at Family Video wearing a red henley. It’s an old shirt he found earlier that week when Wayne forced him to clean out his closet, a little tight but it still fit so Eddie decided to keep it.

“What, this old thing?” Eddie scoffs, playing with the frayed hem of the shirt.

“Yeah, it’s… it suits you. Looks nice.” Steve smiles. 

“Thanks.” Eddie replies. His smile is tight, in the hopes that he doesn’t give away the swarm of butterflies currently residing in his stomach.

But are ya sure that boy’s straight?

“Wait, what’s happening again?” Steve asks one night during Will’s latest Hellfire campaign. 

It’s the first time in literal years that Eddie’s been playing a character instead of DM’ing and so far, he’s been very impressed with Will replacing him. Though his story lines can be a little too detailed at times, which makes it hard for Steve - who hasn’t been there during every D&D night - to keep up. 

So, Eddie explains it to him. He’s patient, keeping his voice low so the others won’t overhear and carefully watches Steve connect the dots. Watches how that cute little frown in between his eyebrows slowly fades away and is replaced with a soft smile. 

“Which brings us here, to the Rotting Grove and now we gotta wait until Dustin’s character makes a decision.” Eddie says finally, but Steve stays quiet. He’s still looking at Eddie, eyes wide with wonder, maybe he still doesn’t understand the plot just yet. “Sorry, did I go too fast? You want me to start again?”

“No, no, I got it.” Steve shakes his head, smiling. “Thanks for explaining it, though. You’re a great story teller, Eddie.” He says, bumping their shoulders together but never pulling away.

Steve stays glued to Eddie’s side throughout the rest of the night, whispering the occasional question or snarky comment in his ear, sending a chill down Eddie’s spine every time he feels Steve’s lips brush against his skin.

But are ya sure that boy’s straight?

“You really gotta be more careful.” Steve says sternly one afternoon, after Eddie has fallen face-first onto the ground during one of Max’ skateboarding lessons, leaving him with a nasty graze on his cheek. 

“I was being- fucking Christ, Steve.” Eddie hisses as Steve dabs a washcloth against Eddie’s bloodied cheek. “Will you stop that? That hurts like hell.”

Steve ignores his protests, rolling his eyes. “An infection hurts even more, so just stay still, will you?”

His hand, big and warm, finds Eddie’s hip, holding him still against the bathroom counter, as Eddie tries to think of literally anything that’ll stop his blood from going south because this not the place or time to pop a boner right now. Which somehow results in him being particularly mopey to Steve.

“I can take care of myself y’know? Been doin’ it all my life.” He grunts when Steve slowly removes the washcloth. 

“I know you can.” Steve replies softly. “But sometimes it’s nice to have someone taking care of you for a change.”

He runs his thumb over Eddie’s cheek, wiping away the last of the blood before placing his his hand on Eddie’s jaw, turning his face to see if there are any wounds to be taken care of. When Steve nods, obviously proud of his work, Eddie almost wants to go out there and trip another time, just to feel Steve’s hands on his skin again. 

“Besides, you need someone around here who actually knows first aid. God forbid something happens to that pretty face of yours.” Steve smirks, before patting Eddie’s chest and walking out of the bathroom, leaving Eddie speechless for the first time in his life.

But are ya sure that boy’s straight?

Pat’s words keep getting louder and louder in his mind to the point that it’s the only thing Eddie can think about. He overanalyzes every single one of Steve’s movements, every word that rolls off his tongue, every glance sent his way, to the point that he swears he’s going insane.

Because the more he starts thinking about it, the more Pat might actually be right and isn’t that the most terrifying thing in the wold?

-xxx-

“Dude, will you stop that?”

Eddie looks up from where he was mindlessly staring out the window and glares at Dustin, who glares right back at him. “What?”

“Your leg.” Dustin pokes him in said leg, the one that’s been bouncing uncontrollably for the past few minutes. “It’s fucking annoying.”

Dustin’s been at the Munson trailer since early afternoon, figuring out the perfect songs to  put on the mixtape he’s mailing Suzie for their anniversary. Eddie had felt honored that Dustin came to him, rather than the so-called leading expert on romance (Steve) but now his patience is wearing thin. 

Don’t get him wrong, he loves the squirt with all his heart, but Dustin’s been contemplating between two very similar songs for thirty minutes now and his indecisiveness is starting to get on Eddie’s nerves.

“Maybe if you hurried the fuck up, my leg wouldn’t be shakin’ Henderson.” Eddie retorts. “C’mon, hurry up, will ya? I got places to go, people to meet.”

Dustin snorts. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“You know, going out to the woods to deal doesn’t exactly count as Friday evening plans.” Dustin says.

“Hey!” Eddie protests. “You know I don’t do that shit anymore, not with those shady government assholes watching my every move.” He sighs, fiddling with the rings on his fingers. “But if you must know, me and Steve are having a movie night at his place and you know how huffy he gets when I’m late.”

That’s not entirely true. Sure, Eddie’s going over to the Harrington house tonight and sure they’re gonna watch a movie, but it’s also the night that Eddie decided to finally make a move on Steve. And maybe, if everything goes right, tonight will be the night that he finds the guts to Steve how he feels.

Which is why Dustin needs to get a move on because he really needs those extra few hours to contemplate his existence, have a panic attack, talk himself down from said panic attack and figure out what he’s going to wear.

“Okay, now I know you’re lying.” Dustin says, looking anything but impressed with Eddie.

“What? I ain’t lying, Henderson.” Eddie frowns. He grabs the VHS tape from the coffee table and waves it in Dustin’s face. “See, I got the movie and everything.”

“Yeah, well, you must have gotten the days mixed up.” Dustin shrugs. “Steve’s got a date tonight.”

“Yeah, right.” Eddie says, rolling his eyes at Dustin and ignoring the way his heart is starting to beat a little faster out of sheer panic. “Steve hasn’t been on a date since he broke up with Emily. And even if he has a date, I doubt he would’ve planned it at the same time as our movie night.”

“Well sorry to burst your bubble, but I know for a fact that Steve’s got a date tonight because he told me.” Dustin’s tone is bordering on condescending but Eddie doesn’t even have energy to tell him off right now because what the fuck? What does Dustin mean by that? And maybe more importantly, why did Steve leave Eddie in the dark about all this?

A heavy feeling settles down in his stomach, but he can’t let Dustin see his inner turmoil so he goes with indifference instead. “Pff, sure he did.”

“I saw him buy roses, Eddie! They were red too and that’s like, a dead giveaway for romance!” Dustin declares. “And when I talked to him about it he got this… weird, mushy look in his eye, which by the way gross, and said something about making tonight special and shit. Which again, gross, but if that doesn’t scream romantic evening to me, then I don’t know what is!”

Slowly, as Dustin’s words are starting to sink in, the heavy feeling grows stronger and stronger until Eddie feels his stomach drop.

Steve’s going on a date. 

Steve’s going on a date and just ditches Eddie without saying a word.

Steve’s going on a date with someone who isn’t Eddie.

Steve’s going on a date which means Pat was wrong.

“Get out.” Eddie says, voice on edge.

“Geez, didn’t know you’d get so upset. It’s just a cancelled movie night, I’m sure Steve-”

“Out!” Eddie exclaims, his tone way harsher than it needs to be. It obviously affects Dustin, who flinches at his words, but Eddie doesn’t care. Well, he does but he’ll apologize to Dustin later, once he starts to feel normal about all of this. 

Dustin quietly packs his stuff, mumbling something under his breath as Eddie just stands there, frozen. Eyes glued to the coffee stain on the carpet, mind reeling with thoughts of Steve ditching him for some date he didn’t even tell him about. 

He hears Dustin say a quiet goodbye but he stays there for a good few minutes before he finally snaps out of his trance and grabs the keys to the van from the kitchen counter. He doesn’t even see the dark clouds forming in the sky, he just gets in the van and drives. 

-xxx-

Rain is still pouring down when Eddie arrives at the Off-Road. Not that he really cares about the weather right now, he’s got other things on his mind. He pulls his leather jacket over his head and jogs over to the entrance, only to find the door closed and the lights off.

Great. Like his day couldn’t get any worse.

Eddie slumps down on the porch in front of the bar, not caring that he’s sitting on wet wood or that the wind is blowing the raindrops right in his face. The rain is actually pretty nice right now, hiding the tears that are slowly rolling down his cheek.

Crying over Steve motherfuckin’ Harrington. That’s a new low, even for him.

And the thing is, any other time Eddie could’ve dealt with Steve getting another date. Yeah, it’d probably hurt like a bitch and Eddie would’ve been sulking for a day or two, but he would’ve been fine. It would’ve been just another Emily situation, just another reminder that Steve would never been his.

But Steve keeping him in the dark about his date, Steve just flat-out cancelling their movie night without even telling him, after weeks of, let’s be honest, low-key flirting? That somehow hurts even more. It just feels like Steve doesn’t really care about him, like Steve’s using him like a fucking Kleenex - use once, then throw away when it’s no longer useful.

The thoughts in his head are so loud, so overwhelming, that he doesn’t even hear a pick-up truck stopping a few steps from him. Doesn’t hear the hushed voices or the wet sounds of footsteps through the mud.

“Ed? Whatcha doin’ here kid?”

Eddie looks up from where he had been staring at his feet, only to find Pat and Tish standing in front of him, huddled together underneath an umbrella. The worried looks on both their faces makes Eddie just cry even harder.

“Oh honey.” Tish says softly. “Let’s get you inside, okay?”

Pat and Tish lead him inside and up the stairs that lead to the apartment above the bar. It’s small, but cozy and feels like a home, with little trinkets and old photos scattered just about everywhere. Pat firmly plants Eddie down at the kitchen table and hands him a couple of towels as his tears slowly start to fade. He hadn’t even realized how cold he was until Pat throws a woolen blanket over his shoulders and Tish puts down a pot of hot chamomile tea.

“So…” Pat says as she sits down across from him at the kitchen table. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Eddie sniffs, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “It’s stupid.”

“We’ll be the judge of that.” Pat says sternly, though her eyes are soft. “Now tell us what happened.”

And Eddie just spills everything. How Pat’s advice has been haunting him, how he’s been overanalyzing every of Steve’s moves, how he was so sure that Steve liked him back, only to be tossed aside without a care. He tears up again a few times and it’s so embarrassing he wants to be buried alive, even with Pat and Tish just listening and telling him it’s okay.

Once he’s done, he just feels empty - no more tears to cry, no more words to say, just an empty, hollow feeling where his heart used to be. 

“Eddie, I’m so sorry, honey.” Tish sighs as she pours him another cup of tea. He’s not usually a tea drinker but he’s had two cups already - he swears Tish put some kind of crack in it, rather than sugar cubes. “For what it’s worth, he doesn’t deserve you. Not if he treats like you like, pardon my French, dogshit.”

Hearing Tish swear, while she’s generally so prim and proper, makes Eddie laugh, even through his dried-up tears. “Thanks, Tish.” He sighs, slouches down in his chair and looks up at the wooden ceiling. “But I guess this was good, in some twisted, fucked up way. Just the slap in the face I needed.”

“What’d you mean?” Pat frowns.

“It’s just… I been running after him like some lovesick puppy even though I know he’ll never feel the same.” Eddie says. “And it’s not doing me any good, now is it? Guess this is a sign that it’s time for me to move on.”

He knows he said that before, back when Steve started dating Emily, and even though it clearly didn’t work out the way he wanted to, Eddie has to make it work now. He has to say goodbye to Steve because he’s not so sure his poor heart’ll survive if he doesn’t.

And he knows exactly how he’s going to do just that.

Eddie jumps up from the table and races downstairs, ignoring Pat and Tish’s confused noises as they follow him. He fumbles with the lights for a moment but as soon as the lights are partially on, Eddie walks up to the podium, grabs the guitar off the wall and sits down on the stool that has become so familiar to him.

The bar is silent because of course it is and for a second Eddie just wants to laugh at how weird this whole situation - singing in a bar just to process his dumb feelings, even with no audience around (well, there’s an audience if you count Pat, Tish and the wind howling outside). But he has to do this, needs to do this, audience be damned. 

His hands are shaking, hesitating to play the first few chords. It’s not like he doesn’t know the song, in fact he knows it by heart and played it plenty of times, But he never actually sang the words, too scared what’ll mean if he’ll say them out loud. 

“If I, should stay… I would only be in your way. So, I’ll go but I’ll know, I’ll think of you each step of the way.” Eddie sing softly, voice already wavering because he was right for not singing this song before - it fucking hurts. “And I… will always love you.”

Eddie’s voice echoes through the empty bar, causing to sound more hollow than it already is. A shiver runs up his spine when he feels a cool breeze of wind - the wind must’ve flung the door open. Eddie doesn’t look up, closes his eyes instead and lets the music take him.

“Bittersweet memories, that’s all I’m taking with me.” He hears Pat and Tish whispering to another, can’t really see them from where they’re standing in the dark but their hushed voices sound tense. Not that Eddie’s really listening, it’s all background noise as he continues strumming his guitar. 

“Goodbye, please don’t cry. We both know…” Eddie chokes on his on voice, the words hitting a little too close to home. He takes a deep breath and tries again, refusing to shed anymore tears. “We both know that I’m not what you need.”

“Eddie?”

Someone’s calling out his name. A familiar voice. A way too familiar voice. 

Steve’s voice.

But that can’t be. Steve’s doesn’t knows he’s here. Steve’s too busy wooing his goddamn date with those goddamn roses.

It’s just in his head. It’s just his mind playing tricks on him. He just needs to finish this song and then this fake Steve will disappear and-

“And I… will always love you. I will always-” 

“Eddie, please.”

Eddie stops playing as a shadow washes over him, a figure blocking the spotlight. He squints, trying to identify whether it’s Pat or Tish who interrupted him, only to find that it’s neither of them

Because there, with floppy wet hair plastered to his face and a thoroughly soaked pink button-down and blue jeans, stands the one person Eddie had run away from in the first place.

Steve.

tag list (there are so many of you now omg ily):

@cheatghost @henderdads @unclewaynemunson @goblin-eddie @trikigirl271 @alienace @fandomcartographer @stevethehairington @blank1eboi @this-earlobe-is-naked @fruitandbubbles @courtjestermunson @steveisabicon @stereoteleversion @wrenisflying @spectrum-spectre @hotluncheddie @punkharringtxn @remislupinsthevoiceofgod @panicatthediaz @thegingervulcan @sharkruption @goodolefashionedloverboi @thelastwalkingsoul @undreamingscatworld @starrystevie @magipemuseum @mightbeasleep @corrodedcoughin @linkydinky06 @hardboiledeggs @gamerdano @limpingpenguin @blackpanzy @piningapple @teelagurl558 @theokatz @moonlightmirrorball @milf-harrington @raisedbylibrarians @eddiemunsonswife @catateme9 @stranger-poets-society

[anarcoqueer1994]

Dustin does not expect to see Steve sitting on his couch, shirtless, covered in blood and shaking when he got home from Hellfire. He was supposed to be spending the night at Mike's with the other guys but he forgot his bag, so he was going to stop home and grab it, Eddie waiting outside, offering to drop him off. He wasn't expecting Hopper, in uniform talking to his mother. He wasn't expecting Joyce Byers to be sitting next to the almost canatonic Steve, fussing over him, wrapping bandages over large gashes on his arm and shoulder. There were bruises everywhere, arms, stomach, face.

No one noticed him yet. And he was freaking out. He needed to tell Eddie, he needed to understand what was happening. Most of all, he needed Steve to be okay. Steve looked different. These weren't battle wounds from the upside down or Russians. This was something worse.

Without thinking, he runs back out the door to Eddie’s car, everyone but Steve looking up as the door slammed shut. Eddie immediately saw the panic in Dustin's face. He gets out of the car.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Eddie asks

"It's Steve...." and for the first time since Eddie knew Dustin, it looked like this was to much for him. Unfortunately, Eddie wasn't much help, panic filling him at the sound of his boyfriend's name being spoken like that. Steve can’t be hurt, Steve was supposed to be waiting for him at his trailer."What do you mean? Dustin...What is happening?"

~~

They came home unexpectedly. Steve was just stopping by his seldom lived in home to grab some clothes and a few VHS tapes he wanted to show Eddie. But they came home. His father called him into the kitchen. He looked angry. His mother sat silently by, not even looking at him.

"Had a conversation with Mr. Hagan. He said Tommy told him you were hanging out with that murderer, Eddie Munson." His dad says.

"He's not a murderer and he's my friend." Steve says plainly, hoping they don't know more.

"Cut the bullshit, Steven. Tommy saw you two kissing behind the movie theater like a couple of faggots." Mr Harrington says sternly, the cruel word leaving his lips.

"Tommy doesn't know what he's talking about." Steve tries to brush him off.

Suddenly Mr Harrington is on his feet grabbing Steve’s shoulder hard enough to bruise. From this distance Steve can smell the alcohol on his father’s breath. "I don’t like liars, Steven. " he crushes his grip further into Steve’s shoulder making Steve wince at the pain. "You are to stopping seeing Eddie. Even you deserve better than trash like that. And no son of mine will be a faggot."

The toxic words hurt Steve more than his father’s grip. "No? Then I'm not your son. Eddie is a better person than you will ever be and I fucking love him." He spits.

With that Steve is on the floor, when he tries to get back up his father pushes him back down landing painful punches through out his body, the trauma leaving bruises and open wounds. He grabbed a beer bottle from near by when Steve tried to fight back, busting it over his head and digging the jagged end of the bottle into his shoulder. When Mr Harrington finally stands up, he lands one more painful kick to Steve's stomach. "Get out! Get the fuck out here now. You are going to fucking die you know? All you fags eventually die of AIDs. Good riddance And don't take the car, it's in my name." His mother sat quietly doing nothing.

Steve can barely make out what his dad said, just knowing he had to leave. He struggles to get himself up, limping painfully to the door, holding his torso. He is vaguely aware of the blood trailing down his body.

He makes it outside. He doesn’t have a plan on where to go. He just starts walking, but eventually 3 blocks later walking gets hard, and he collapses cradling his stomach. He throws up, it's too much. But then a car drove by, headlights hitting him. It's Claudia.

"Oh my God, Steve!" She says getting out of the car. He can't even respond. He lets her usher him into her car, taking him back to her house. He knows she calls the ambulance(and the Sherriff, Hopper.) She asks him what happened but he can't talk. Everything is too much.

Joyce shows up with Hopper, delicately pulling him into a hug. He doesn't fight it. He is aware Claudia is talking to Hopper, aware of Joyce, but he just wants to die. This wasn't supposed a burden. He wasn't supposed to make this there problem.

But he hurts. His body is on fire. And the thoughts of his parents finally confirming what he already knew, that they do not love him, is destroying him. His father thinks he'll die of AIDS.

A thought crosses his mind. Oh no, he was supposed to meet Eddie. Eddie is going to worry. He tries to speak but finds that no words come out. Then he hears the door slam but he can't acknowledge it. Moments later he loses consciousness.

~~

As Dustin stands at Eddie’s car trying to explain what he saw, they both see an ambulance pull up. Thier worry gets worse, both instinctively follow the paramedics inside. There they see it. Steve unconscious on the couch, Claudia, Joyce and even Hopper panicking. They all watch helplessly as Steve is loaded on a bed and rushed out of the house.

They all crowd into Claudia's car except Hoper, giving them a police escort to avoid the lights. It's a long night of waiting in the ER, as doctors try to stabilize blood loss and the concussion. The waiting room gets fuller as Dustin and Eddie get ahold of thier friends. Around 4am, the doctor comes out, says he's stable but sleeping. Tells them they could go home. Of course, none if them do.

When the hospital tries to say that it's family only for staying over, Hopper flashes his badge. All of them crowd into a tiny hospital room.

~~

Steve wakes up around 8am. His head is killing him and the rest of his body doesn't feel much better. He's bandaged up covering the wounds from the glass. He feels tight bandages against what he is sure is broken ribs. Memories from last night flash into his head, guilt and shame flooding in.

He feels a weight against him. He turns his head gently to see Eddie laying next to him in the small hospital bed. Eddie is careful to lay against but not aggravate any of Steve's wounds. He carefully looks around, and he wants to cry, not sure out of happiness or guilt.

All his frineds were there...his family, asleep. Joyce and Hopper were crowded onto a hospital pull out cot. Robin took the chair near his bed, Nancy on the floor with her head in her lap. Claudia sleeps in a chair in the corner. The kids, Dustin, Max, Lucas, Mike, Will, El, and even Erica were sleeping against the wall on the floor. Jonathan and Argyle were even there, sleeping against the other wall.

His movements must have been enough to wake Eddie, who admittedly could barely sleep anyways. When he sees Steve is up, he whispers "Thank God..."

This is enough for Steve to look at him. Yellow and brown bruises staining his beautiful features, and Eddie, afraid to touch him, carefully puts his hand against Steve's cheek. "Baby..." He whimpers, on the edge of tears " I am so glad you are awake. I was so fucking scared, Stevie."

Steve tries to flash a smile but it falters when he sees the fear in Eddie's eyes. "I'm sorry...I didn't want to worry you."

"Oh sweetheart" Eddie coos, heartbroken that Steve is apologizing. "You have nothing to say sorry for. That bastard who did will be fucking sorry though." Eddie’s voice goes uncharacteristically dark, hatred boiling up for who ever did this.

"No Eds..." He whispers. "He isn't worth it.. "

"Who was it?" Eddie asks, fully intending on going after them.

"My dad..." He says softly. "And if you go after him, " his voice starts to shake "He's got the money to lock you up a long time....and then I'll lose you too. " A stray tear rolls down his face, causing Eddie to pull him in gently, whispering "Okay baby...I won't....you won't lose me."

Robin is the next to wake up, hearing Steve and Eddie talking. She immediately stands up, walking closer to the bed, waking up Nancy. "Steve..." her voice sounds hoarce, like she was actually crying.

Steve looks at her, and smiles "In the flesh..."

And just like that, she is ducking down hugging Steve. "You had me so worried, dingus." Steve wraps his arms as tight as he can given the circumstances, not wanting to let go.

After they finally pull apart, Nancy is squeezing his hand saying. "I'm so glad you are okay..."

One by one they all wake up, relief covering their faces seen Steve awake. Claudia immediately offers her home, knowing about the Harringtons and taking an educated guess on what happened, suspicions confirmed when Steve has to give his statement to Hopper.

Dustin's eyes were blood shot when he woke up, obviously having cried. He see came up to Steve, smiling but a little tear still in his eyes, seeing Steve like this. Steve flashes him a smile "Going soft on me, Henderson." He jokes.

"Shut up." He laughs before leaning down and hugging Steve. "I am so glad you are alive. Who else is going to drive me around?" He laughs but hugs Steve like his life depended on it.

The other teenagers all hug Steve, so happy he is alive. Everytime Steve tries to apologize for making them worry, they brush them off.

Over the next week, Steve stays at the hospital to recover. They all pop in to visit, with Robin, Eddie and Dustin practically living there. Unfortunately, due to money and lawyers, his dad is going to get away with it.

But it's okay, he has his real family. He comes home to Claudia's house, guest bedroom set up for him. Eddie and Robin are there everyday helping him recover. Eddie even spends the night, just holding him, drowning away the nightmares he has replaying that night.

But overall he's happy. He has people that love him, he has "parents" that love him. He does not need Mr. and Mrs. Harrington. He has all the love he needs right here.

[ashwhowrites]

Could you write something for Eddie x reader along the lines of “please I’ll be quiet” and then it’s like so good reader is like “i can’t be quiet”

Like a desperate, hot and sweet/smutty masterpiece like you do <3

I was getting Dom Eddie vibes so I gave that a go

Small blurb

Never proofread

~~

"I can be quiet, I promise" Y/N whined, trying to desperately grind herself against Eddie's thigh. The couple sat in the living room of Steve's house. The rest of the gang outside, a late night swim. But once Eddie took off his shirt to jump in the water, she needed him more than ever.

"no you can't" Eddie laughed, she was never ever quiet. Learned that the hard way when she screamed as he pounded into her with Wayne in the next room. Quickly covering her mouth with fear in his eyes. The conversation with Wayne the next morning is still in his head.

Eddie tried to freeze her hips, knowing if she kept going he'd get turned on and be harder to say no.

"yes I can! I'll be so good. Just touch me a little" she whined into his ear. She was being as quiet as she could. Hearing Steve and Dustin arguing in the backyard. She faked being sick, asking Eddie to stay with her and watch a movie with her. Eddie being a sweet boyfriend of course said yes, no idea of her little plan to get them alone.

"no baby. You are never quiet and I don't need Harrington killing me for fucking my girlfriend on his couch" Eddie mocked, a teasing smirk on his face.

She rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand and placing it on her right boob, using his hand to squeeze it. Letting out a small whine as she finally felt his touch

"so not fair" Eddie groaned. He can say no if he wasn't touching her but now she made it way too hard

"I know you want to. Look at that hard cock in your shorts baby. Come on, just fuck me" she moaned, throwing herself on his lap, forcing herself down on his covered cock

Eddie moaned and threw his head back, allowing her lips to easily suck on the skin

"fine. Fuck. But just humping, I'm not going in you" he demanded. She accepted the small compromise and yanked off her top. Leaving her in her bra and small summer shorts

"Jesus" Eddie groaned. Lips attaching to the skin on her breasts in seconds

She tried to hold it back when he began to rock her hips into his

But it slipped out

"EDDIE"

"stop!" He snapped, freezing her hips on him

She panted and tried to rock herself against

"what did I fucking say?" He growled, hand squeezing her neck as she whimpered out

"be quiet" she whimpered out in his grip

"listen then" a hard smack to her ass that had her biting her lip. She nodded weakly, sighing when he started to move her hips again

He wasn't making it easy either. Lips sucking on her skin as his large hand and rough grip moved against his lap. Making sure to make her hips roll fast and hard. Forcing her to feel his hard cock. His quiet groans and moans had her dripping

"Eddie fuck fuck" she moaned, begining to bounce a little on his lap but Eddie forced her down.

"you wanted this, doing it my way. Sit here and be a good slut" another smack to her ass had her gripping the couch behind his head

Eyes looking to the backyard, Steve, Dustin and Robin all busy playing in the water. Thank god the living room was dark, otherwise they would totally see into the room.

"I'm sorry. It's too good" she cried, her moans going louder and louder

"Y/N!" He said sternly, his lips removed from her skin. Now leaning against the couch and glaring at her

But the glare just turned her on

"I can't be quiet" she whimpered

She was embarrassed by how fast she needed to cum. She begged and begged and now is only going to last like five minutes

"you better or we are stopping" he demanded, a harsh grip to her boobs as she shivered against him

"I CAN'T. JESUS FUCK" she screamed, throwing her head back. Her shorts were rubbing her clit in the perfect way. Eddie had her rocking at the perfect angle and it was rough.

Eddie panicked and shoved his hand over her mouth

She screamed louder as she came. Screams barely muffled by his hand

"God damnit!" Eddie groaned, trying to desperately shove his hand harder against her mouth but her screams were breaking through

Eddie released her mouth fast, a loud scream cutting through the air before he could shove his fingers into her mouth fast enough

Three fingers in her mouth as she shivered against his lap. Feeling her underwear soaked as she came. Her fucked out eyes closing as she panted.

Eddie panicked more and looked over his shoulder, the pool was fucking empty

"baby you brat" Eddie growled, throwing her off his lap, quickly grabbing her shirt and throwing it on her

Eddie shared a scared look as he looked at the pool again, no sign of anyone

"are you done? I kinda left my goggles in here" Dustin's voice peaked out from behind the wall

Eddie blushed in embarrassment, covering his face as he pounded his foot into the floor

Glaring hard at his girl next to him

"oops?" She shrugged, a smile on her lips. No hint of embarrassment at all.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @slightlyvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergent @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Fake Dating, Real Feelings - Steve Harrington X Female Reader

Title: Fake Dating, Real Feelings

Steve Harrington X Female Reader

Additional Characters: Reader's mother (Mary), Reader's father (Frank), Jeanna (OC) (Mentioned), Dustin (Mentioned), the other kids (Mentioned), Tommy (Mentioned), Carol (Mentioned), Robin, and Jeanna's son (OC) (Mentioned)

WC: 10,220

Warnings: Reader has a mother and father, nervousness, fake-dating, anxiety, embarrassment, cursing (two words), fighting (verbal), family drama, Upside Down mentioned, crying, bullying mentioned, during Season 4/5, StarCourt mentioned, teasing, taunting, Blondie mentioned, Queen mentioned, movie references, failing tests mentioned, break-ups mentioned, insecurity, PTSD mentioned (Steve), ST reference, awkwardness, scars mentioned, one nickname, shade thrown, confessions, a hint of suggestiveness, slight angst, and fluff

This was the most uncomfortable dinner yet, and you've sat and eaten through some uncomfortable dinners. It was silent, tension was high in the air, your mother and father across from you eating as you pushed your spaghetti around with your fork. You glanced at your parents, your father was chewing on his food, a newspaper in one hand, reading the sports section. On the other hand, your mother eats, back straight, eyes solely focused on you, like always. You accidentally make eye contact, quickly looking back down at your plate, maybe she didn’t notice. Your mother speaks from just that slight interaction; you inwardly sigh. You’re in for it now.

"Y/N, dear," She began, before taking another bite, chewing, and swallowing before speaking; anticipation was her strong suit, "Have you met anyone recently?" She asked innocently, yet it was practically the same question she asked you almost every night during dinner. If she were one of those pull-string dolls, that would be one of her lines. 

Now, she wasn’t asking if you went out and had a conversation with anyone or even if you made a new friend. No, she was highly invested in your love life and it was stressful.

It seemed that your mother was adamant that you find someone to settle down with, and you were tired of it. She'd ask about your love life constantly, every day; even if it was only a full-on conversation or just a little remark. It really annoyed you, and honestly, it broke you down. As a kid she’d do the same thing, as if befriending a boy in Kindergarten was a sign that you were soulmates. 

Even when you tried to voice that you wanted her to stop meddling in your life, she'd come up with some sort of excuse, 'I just want what's best for you,' and, 'I won't be here forever, you need someone to take care of you,' and, sadly, 'I just want you to be happy, don't you want me to be happy too?' She always tried to guilt-trip you, and you were getting tired of it. You wanted her to stop for good.

"No, Mom," You muttered, poking at your food, "Can we please drop this?"

She quickly dropped her fork on her plate, interlacing her fingers together as she rested her elbows on the table, staring at you, she gave you a stern look. "Y/N," She said calmly, but sternly, "I'm trying my hardest to understand you..." You felt your face flush at the statement, confused as you waited almost patiently at what she was going to say. "But you must find someone, you're not getting any younger. You know, you shouldn't be so selfish. You should go out there, find a man, and give me grandkids."

Well, that struck a nerve.

You clenched your hand, the edges of the fork's handle cutting into your palm lightly, "Mom, I told you, my main objective in life is not to just have kids." You were growing more and more frustrated.

"Well, it should!" Your mother snapped, glaring down at the table, before digging back into her food angrily, "We raised you better than this." You couldn't help but frown at her words. "Right, Frank?" Your mother then turned to her husband, who hummed and nodded, taking a sip of his beer.

"Yes, dear." He numbly responded, making you roll your eyes; unfortunately, your mother noticed, pointing her fork at you.

"Don't give me that attitude, you are an adult; act like one. Once you turned eighteen, I should've pushed you out of that front door! But, yet here you are, a year later, in my house, under my roof, without someone financially stable enough to help and take care of you and your future children!" You began to tone her out, poking at your food once more. You didn't understand her. What was her problem with you having kids anyway? "When are you going to grow up!?" She continued to rant, continuing to jab at her meal angrily. The rest of the dinner was silent, aside from a few angry whispers and huffs, all of which you pretended not to notice. You didn't want to deal with this right now. You wanted to go to sleep and forget the whole thing. "Why do you keep doing this to me?! I've fed you, clothed you, taken care of you, given you a proper education, and yet you still won't go out and find yourself a decent husband." Her voice quieted down slightly, though she was still upset, angrily stabbing the meatball on her plate.

She always made everything about herself.

You tried to convince yourself not to cry from frustration as you swallowed thickly, "Why do you have to keep bringing this up?" You asked, trying not to sound weak as you cleared your throat, "At this time, I don't want a boyfriend. I am happy on my own." You tried to sound assertive and confident, but you were starting to break down again. Your stomach tightened, and suddenly, you weren't feeling very hungry anymore, well, you weren't to begin with. You didn't realize you had been holding your breath until you let it out, letting it fill your lungs. "Please," You added, hoping she would just shut up.

She stared at you, her knuckles turning white before she let out a forceful and seemingly irritated exhale from her nose, "Y/N," She began, "Dear," She then gritted her teeth, "I just want you to go out and get a boyfriend."

Groaning loudly, your brain felt like it was going to explode as you slammed your hands on the table, startling your mother and father, who both stared at you with wide, shocked eyes as you spoke, "I have a boyfriend!"

Your mother, slowly overcoming the shock, smiled, "You do?" She was practically glowing as her smile went from ear to ear; a Joker-like smile, "Really?" Her voice was soft, like a mouse, but held so much excitement.

You sat down, your hands shaking. God... What have you done? 

"Yes," You swallowed thickly, "I do." You continued to lie, looking at your mother as your mind was begging you to stop. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, her excitement obviously showing, practically bouncing in her seat.

"Well," You began, glancing around the room, trying to come up with a story, "I just... I wanted to wait and see if the relationship was going to work out, is all." You shrugged a shoulder, looking back at your mother. "I, uh, wanted to make sure he was the right guy... For you, Mom." You eased her ego, as she stared at you with her bright eyes and wide smile, listening intently.

"What's his name? What does he do for a living? Is he successful? Are his parents well-known? Do I know them? Is it Jeanna's son, oh, he's just lovely-!" She gushed, talking like a child.

You sighed deeply, rubbing your forehead, getting a headache, "Mom, please stop, it's not Jeanna's son." You pleaded, exasperated, "I don't think I can-"

"I must meet him! Bring him to family dinner Sunday. Oh, I'll make my meatloaf!" She almost squealed, turning to Frank, "What do you think, Frank, dear?" She asked, only to get a hum in response, but she took it; Frank's lack of response wasn't going to ruin her mood.

At her words, you froze. Everything was in slow-motion as her mouth moved, the words coming out in a low tone that made you feel like you were in a cartoon. You gulped, your heart hammering inside your chest, pounding against your ribs as you tried to figure out what to do. This was bad, this was very, very bad; you knew that this wasn't going to end well, and you just wanted to scream. However, you stayed quiet, not wanting to upset your mother again. If she found out that you lied... She'd be upset, no, heartbroken. She'd really kick you out of the house this time.

"Well!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together, "I'm going to get the ice cream, this is a celebratory moment!" She stood up, and you mirrored her, grabbing your plate, scrambling. 

Your mother watched you, her grin slipping for a moment. You tried to keep eye contact as you stood, "I'm going to head to my room. I'm a bit full from dinner. Thank you, Mom." You spoke, as your mother just nodded her head.

"Oh, well, that's alright. You probably have to call that boyfriend of yours about Sunday. I understand. Don't stay up too late!" She cheered teasingly, as you gave her an awkward grin after putting away your dirty dish and heading upstairs to your room.

Shutting your door, you let out a groan, running your hands down your face before you plopped face-first onto your comfy bed. You let out another groan, becoming frustrated with yourself as you slowly rolled over, staring at the popcorn ceiling. You hated your ceiling. You glanced around your room, looking from your posters to the bookshelves, to your desk, closet, tv, and so on. Wondering how you could have messed this one up so badly. Why did you always have to be such an idiot?

You pulled yourself off the bed, sat upright, and looked outside, watching as a light breeze blew through your open window, the sheer curtains flowing slightly as you took a deep breath; your lungs filling with the night air. Everything was so peaceful here, you could pretend that nothing happened in the dining room only minutes ago. You could pretend that your mother didn't badger you about relationships. You could pretend that you didn't just tell her you had a boyfriend.

Just then, you got an idea. 'Yes,' you had thought, 'It might work.' What if, by Sunday, you broke up with your imaginary boyfriend? Then you wouldn't have to deal with the mess of telling the truth to your mother. Yes, but then she'd go back to her fighting ways, trying to fight you into finding another boyfriend. You scoffed out a laugh, she'd probably say something along the lines of, 'Better luck next time! Why don't I invite Jeanna's son over?' But, really, that plan to break up with your imaginary boyfriend wouldn't work... Sunday was three days away.

You felt defeated, slumping your shoulders, you laid back on your bed, falling deep within the pillows and soft blankets of soft greens and blue. Your mind raced as you tried to calm down and figure out what to do. Until you had one more idea. You saw it in a movie once, where the lead girl and boy began fake dating in high school. They were both in it for different benefits. The girl wanted help with homework, while the boy just wanted to get another girl jealous. In the end, they both fell in love. You laughed a little, shaking your head. Yeah, that wouldn't happen if you did it. But, as ridiculous as the idea sounded, it was something you could try.

Once again, your smile dropped. You didn't have anyone you could ask to help you. You didn't have any friends really. You had Robin and that was sort of it. After high school, people did their own thing and moved on, getting jobs and moving away to different cities, towns, or states. What were you going to do? You were just full of bad ideas today, weren’t you?

'Call Robin?’ You asked yourself, and then nodded, ‘Yeah, call Robin,’ before you got into bed and turned off your lamp light. You'd call her tomorrow.

~~~

You twirled the curled line of the phone with your finger, tapping your foot impatiently as you waited for Robin to pick it up. When you heard her voice, you let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Thank you for calling Family Video, my name is Robin. How may I help you?" 

"Robin, hey. It's me." You let out a sigh, as you glanced around you briefly.

It was silent on the other line for a moment, "Y/N? What- Why are you calling me? Are you alright?" She asked, sounding worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Uh, I really need to talk to you. I really need your help and advice or anything… Really." You spoke, a bit desperate as you continued to tap your foot.

“That’s a lot of ‘really’s.”Robin sighed on the other line, "What is it?" She asked, sounding concerned. “And where are you calling me from?”

"A phone booth,” You glanced around, feeling a bit cramped, “Okay, anyway, so I kind of..." You paused, cringing slightly, "... Told my mom that I had a boyfriend..."

"And you don't," Robin answered, before continuing, "Unless you do, and you just didn't tell me... Your best friend." She spoke in an accusatory voice only for you to shake your head as if she'd see you do that.

You ran a hand through your hair, "No, I don't, and that's the thing. She wants me to bring my imaginary made-up totally real boyfriend to dinner. Sunday!"

You heard a soft hissing, Robin was definitely cringing, "Oh, that's bad... Really bad. Why would you lie about that? I mean, I know that your mom's a bit... Eh." 

"I just wanted her to stop badgering me about getting into a relationship, getting married, and having babies," You spoke in a mocking tone, "I've had enough of it." 

"Well," Robin spoke, and you could tell through the phone that her gears were turning, "I could maybe help you. Depending on how desperate you are."

You let out another sigh, rolling your eyes slightly, "Robbie, I'd do anything. What's your idea?"

You heard shuffling on the other side of the phone, "Anything?” She asked, and you sighed, nodding.

“Yes, anything!”

“I know someone who could help. I'll ask him." Robin answered and your eyes widened.

"Wait," You paused, your eyebrows furrowing, "What do you mean, 'I know someone who could help'?" You began to panic.

"I mean fake dating, Y/N/N!" She laughed a bit, and you hummed, realizing you had that same idea the night before. Great minds think alike. "It'll work, just go to dinner and wait a couple of weeks before telling your mom that you and your boyfriend broke up."

Your mind raced, thinking it over, "I mean, that'll work... But then she'll get on my case again." 

"She won't for the time that you're with your fake boyfriend," Robin added, making a point.

You pursed your lips, staring at the yellow phonebook on the small table below the payphone. "Fine, I'll do it. Now, who's this someone you know?" It was silent on the other end for a moment, worrying you, "Robin..?" You called out, hearing no reply. Did the call end? Did you need to add another quarter?

"I'm here. Sorry, uh, it's Harrington."

Your eyes widened, "Steve? King Steve?" You asked, closing your eyes as you let out a breath from your nose, becoming frustrated. "You know that he used to bully me in high school."

"Yeah, I know… And, I am not saying that what he did is okay, but " Robin tried as you groaned.

"He called me baby, and not the good kind of ‘baby’. I only cried that one time! And he was a jerk, the biggest jerk! And you know I tried to confront him about it, but he just brushed it off." 

Robin sighed, "I know… He's changed, Y/N. He's not the 'King Steve' you used to know. Thankfully, he’s become a loser. Hasn’t scored with a girl in a long time," She laughed at the end, and you remembered the story she told you about the time at StarCourt Mall, the whiteboard she had for him, and what she and Steve had gone through. “I bet he’d agree to it. Pretending to have a girlfriend might be good for him. Might flip a switch in his brain and turn him from mister doofus to mister casanova once more.” She teased, as you bit your lip.

You glanced around the phone booth rapidly, before sighing, "I know. You’ve told me. I’ll do it, only if he wants to, not because you force him. Even though he’s a jerk, I’m a nice person.” You hear her laugh on the other line, “And thank you, Robin. You're the best."

You could tell that Robin was smiling on the other side, "I know. Now let me get back to work!"

You couldn't help but laugh too.

~~~

Flipping through your magazine, you kicked your legs in the air behind you, laying on your stomach as you listened to your radio playing the latest hits; Blondie, Queen, and so on. Robin sat on the bed with you, her legs propped up, bent at the knees as she leaned her back against your headboard; she was also looking through a magazine. You and Robin had planned to watch something, maybe The Breakfast Club or Back To The Future, but you both ended up just reading some magazines Robin had brought over. They were the typical magazine, fashion, gossip, and even a National Geographic which Robin loved to read when she wasn’t invested in a book. Sometimes, though, Robin and you would bake chocolate chip caramel scotchies cookies together, and rarely you’d get Robin to draw with you. She said that she wasn’t much of an artist.

This was usually how your Fridays went, spending time with Robin after her shift at Family Video. You also had a job, so you didn’t see Robin as often as you used to, but on Fridays and sometimes the weekends, she’d come over. You always had a great time, she had been your friend for years, ever since third grade. Speaking of her job though, you had almost forgotten about your unfortunate predicament. 

You closed your magazine, getting bored of the gossip, sighing softly as you leaned your palm on your cheek, resting your elbow on the bed below. "Have you spoken to Steve?" You abruptly asked, tearing the bandaid as Robin glanced up from the magazine at you and back down.

"He'll do it," Robin answered simply, making you raise an eyebrow.

"Really?" You asked, slightly skeptical, observing Robin's face for any signs of deception, but Robin was the master of the Poker face, though you always beat her at Poker. "How did you convince him to do this?"

Robin shrugged, flipping to another page, "He owes me."

"He's okay with it?" You asked, continuing to worry, "If he isn't, I don't want to force him. I told you I don’t want to force him into this at all."

"Y/N, Steve said it was fine. He said he wanted to help," Robin said, smiling at you as you let out a small groan, rolling your eyes. “Plus, I thought you liked him or something?” Robin added teasingly, making you glare at her. 

You decided to ignore her, placing your arm over your eyes, "This is stressing me out. You’re stressing me out."

"Don't stress too much," Robin spoke, leaning forward, placing the magazine on the side table beside the bed, and reaching out, placing her hand on top of yours, giving it a squeeze before going back to grab another of her magazines. "You'll still be coming to FV to talk to him, plan everything out, right?" She asked as you nodded, sitting up.

"Yeah..." You swallowed, licking your lips, "You told him that I was coming by during lunch to plan it with him, right?" You asked as Robin gave you a nod.

"Sure did." She smiled, giving you a thumbs up.

You hummed softly, plopping back down on your bed, and landing on your back, you watched your fan spin round and round above you. You looked around your room, turning your head to the side to look at the clock on the wall. You let out another sigh, knowing the next couple of days were going to be pretty stressful.

~~~

Walking down the sidewalk the next sunny day, you took a deep breath, letting out an exhale as you took in the world around you. The sun was shining brightly down upon you, which was not usual for Hawkins, Indiana. Normally the sky was gray and there were constant gloomy clouds in the sky, but today, the sun was high in the sky and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. Everything seemed so alive today, birds chirping, people driving down the road off to shop, work, or return to their families, children playing roller hockey in the streets near their houses, and even the trees seemed healthy and bright green today. 

As you walked, you looked up at the sky, watching as tiny white flocks of birds flew between the leaves, landing on branches. It brought a smile to your face as you finally turned the corner and found yourself in front of Family Video. You paused, unstuffing your hands from your jeans pockets before giving yourself a moment to think and prepare yourself; giving yourself a pep-talk. You hadn't seen Steve since you both graduated, and you haven't even been in the shop after Robin told you that both she and Steve got the job. You didn't want to deal with the awkwardness and whatnot when being in the presence of Steve, or having to talk to him. That's why Robin always got your movies for you. You got a discount too.

Now you didn't want to say you felt rude or petty for holding a grudge against Steve for about two years, but what he did to you really hurt your feelings. It started in your Junior year when you failed your science test. You had spent weeks and stayed up late into the night to study for that test, and you were devastated. You cried until you couldn't cry any longer. You were mentally out of it. You had lost so many points and probably dropped your GPA. And Steve did not make that any better. You were at your locker, putting away your books after the third period, Science, when you just snapped, covering your face with your hands as you cried. You could hear their snickering, Tommy and Carol, before Steve had called out to you, calling you baby. But with his tone, and the way Tommy, Carol, and some other students all laughed, you knew it wasn't good. Steve's face was adorned with a smirk, his arms crossed as he leaned against some lockers across from you. You were embarrassed, mortified! You speed-walked to class that day and avoided Steve at all costs since then. But that didn't stop him from calling out to you with your new terrible nickname.

Aside from being incredibly upset with Steve, you were disappointed with yourself; for ever even having feelings for the guy in the first place. Yes, feelings, for King Steve. You didn’t know why you liked the guy in the first place. He was mean, a jerk, rude, but… He had great hair, a cute face, pretty eyes… Minus his popular bad boy persona, he was perfect. Thankfully, after that bullying and torment, you were able to push those feelings away, seeing an ugly side of Steve, the ruthless and uncaring side. But, from what Robin had said, Steve seemed to have changed. You didn't know for sure, though it was a small town, you avoided him as much as possible. But Robin was your best friend, and you would believe anything she told you, to an extent. You planned to just have a nice, peaceful conversation with Steve, and get all this over with. Let bygones be bygones. So, with your head held high, you entered the store.

As you entered the video store, you noticed no one was at the counter, so you slowly walked over, noticing the cardboard cut-out in the corner or the room before ringing the small bell upon it. It rang, the sound echoing throughout the store as you waited for a few seconds until a voice echoed from the back, and the sound of steps heading to the counter.

Steve entered, freezing when he spotted you, his eyes widening slightly before he cleared his throat, making his way around the counter. Pretending everything was hunky-dory and that he wasn’t a bit nervous. He stopped a good few feet from you, which you were thankful for. You crossed your arms, looking away from him as tension soon filled the space between the both of you.

"Hi." Steve finally spoke, clearing his throat. You nodded in response.

"Uh… Hi." You muttered back, keeping your gaze averted from him as you dropped your arms and fiddled with your fingers slightly.

It was silent again, and you were dying. You just wanted the world to open up below you and swallow you up. 

"Uh," Steve spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck as he gave you an awkward smile, "Buckley told me you needed help."

You finally met his gaze, albeit reluctantly, "She told you the whole story?" You asked, wanting to make sure Steve knew what he was getting into.

He nodded, seemingly nervous or embarrassed, or something, "Yeah, and I'm willing to help. I know I might not be your first choice of a fake boyfriend, but I'll do my best to help you with your situation." He spoke, very professionally, surprising you. 

You shifted your weight from side to side, "Well… Thank you." You muttered before Steve spoke up again.

"I'd also like to apologize for the way I treated you back in school. I didn't have good friends and had bad influences, and I know that isn't a fair excuse, but I still would like to say that I'm sorry. I was insensitive and an immature kid, and I shouldn't have done what I did. You know, trying to be ‘King Steve’ and all that." Steve spoke sincerely, looking at you seriously as you stared back at him for several moments. You weren't expecting such a sincere apology, and you weren't quite sure how to respond. 

You bit your lip briefly, "Uh," You swallowed thickly, "Thank you, Steve. I appreciate that." Steve watched as you fiddled with your fingers, your hands clasped before you as you continued, "I'd like to apologize for this situation. I know what I'm asking you to do is a bit... Weird. You don't have to do it if you don't want to. And if don’t have to if robin is making you."

Steve gave you a smile, waving his hand, dismissing your thoughts, "No no, it's fine. I'd like to make up for what I put you through." He said, and you nodded, taking in mind Steve's very obvious personality change. Maybe Robin was right. "So..." He began, "How do you want to do this?" He asked and you glanced around the large store, nervous.

"Well, uh, could we talk more in private? Is there a break room?" You asked, and Steve nodded rapidly, before leading you to the back of the store, opening the door for you as you both entered the roomy break room. Shutting the door, Steve gestured to the chair at the table, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms as you sat down. You cleared his throat, glancing down at the table, trying to find the words to say. "My mom is having Sunday dinner, uh, Sunday, and she believes that I'm bringing my supposed boyfriend to meet her and my dad. It's just for that Sunday, in two days, after that we fake break up and that's that."

Steve nodded, staring down at the ground briefly. It was sort of an odd situation, something that could be in a movie or a book, but Steve didn’t really mind. He dealt with the Upside Down multiple times. If he could survive that, he could survive an uncomfortable dinner. Steve cleared his throat before looking back over at you. "Alright." He mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. "No offense, but is your mom really that bad? You can’t just tell her the truth?" He asked, and you nodded, letting out a small mirthless laugh.

"Yes, she is. And if she wasn’t, I would not have had to lie in the first place. She’s practically wicked." You ran a hand through your hair, "Sadly, you'll deal with her first hand." Soon, it was silent once more, and you stared down at the table before you, drawing shapes with your finger on the surface, "Uh," You began, looking up at Steve, "Do you have paper and a pencil or pen?"

Steve nodded with furrowed eyebrows, pushing off the wall and heading to his locker on the opposite wall, opening it, he pulled out a pad of paper and a #2 pencil. He walked over, handing them to you in which you thank him softly, before writing down a list. Steve watched, tilting his head confused before he sat in the chair across from you. He watched as you wrote in big letters, 'Rules' on the top of the page. 

"What are you doing?" Steve asked as you looked up.

"Making the rules. We have to have rules for this so that both of us are comfortable and won't step over each other’s boundaries." You explained, before turning the pad of paper to the side.

Steve raised his eyebrows, "That's smart," He confessed, impressed.

One by one, the two of you added rules for each other to follow, and then, when everything had been completed on two separate sheets of paper, you signed your name at the bottom of the lists, before turning the pencil towards Steve; he took the pencil and signed his name below yours on both papers. You looked up at Steve as he did so, your eyes looking over his features, admiring his beauty; he brown eyes, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, the soft swoop of his hair, but you quickly looked away, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. You cursed at yourself mentally, feeling your heart begin to race; your feelings were coming back, and they were stronger than ever. Double-checking it between yourselves, you glanced at the clock on the wall, grabbing your copy of the rules before abruptly standing up from your seat; the metal of the chair scraping oddly against the floor. 

"I- I have to get home. Thanks for helping me again, Steve. Uh, dinner's at six." You began as Steve turned around in his seat, accidentally cracking his back slightly as you quickly wandered to the door.

“Wait, Y/N,” He spoke up, making you pause mid-step, looking over at him, “Do you want to meet tomorrow at that diner on Millberry Road? Say three? Do some planning or whatever?” He asked, rendering you silent as you thought, making Steve speak up again, “I’ll buy you a milkshake..?” He offered and you bit your lip, looking at the ground before looking back over at him, nodding with a slight hint of a smile. 

“Yeah, that sounds good. See you tomorrow.” You spoke before you rushed out of the break room and out of the store. 

Steve watched as you left, before turning back around to stare at the table, he mentally noted that dinner was at six, and to ask Robin for your address. Steve let out a sigh, his brown eyes looking over at the pad of paper, reaching over to slide it over to him. He re-read it, his thumb brushing over the lines and strokes of your signature; slightly smudging the lead. Steve sighed deeply once again, both of his hands going into his hair, shutting his eyes as he pursed his lips. Glancing at the clock, he reluctantly got up, getting back into work after clocking back in. Walking to the front of the store, Steve rubbed his chest, taking note of how fast his heart was beating.

~~~

You stared down at the paper in front of you, re-reading the rules over and over. You didn't put it on the list, but you mentally added, 'Don't fall in love'. That was definitely a given. You collapsed on your bed, your head falling back into your plush pillow. You couldn't stop thinking about Steve. His bright honey-brown eyes, his soft-looking, brown hair, the way he talked to you, the look of absolute determination in his eyes as he signed the contracts. When he apologized to you, you slowly realized that maybe Robin was right. Steve definitely seemed nicer, he was polite and kind, and most importantly, he was kind enough to help you with this whole 'fake dating' lie to your mother. 

Your mind began to wonder, wondering how things could go horribly wrong.. You weren't sure you could keep things under control if they did. What if something happened? What if you both weren’t believable enough and your mother saw right through you? What if she got suspicious enough that you had to prove to her that you were dating? You wouldn't know what to do. If your mom found out about the lie, she'd kill you, or worse, kick you out of the house.

You closed your eyes, your mind was blank until immediately picturing Steve, which made you groan, grabbing your other pillow and smashing it in your face. Why did he have to be so cute? Why did he have to have such nice hair? Why did he have to make your heart race and butterflies erupt in your stomach? And why did he have to be nice to you? It was easy to hate him when he was mean to you. But he was so understanding and sincere when he apologized to you. Opening the door for you… So gentlemanly and charming... You were really questioning things tonight. You shook your head, refusing to think about these things any longer. Somehow, you were able to get to sleep, anxious for the next two days.

Steve, on his end, was feeling more or less the same. Staring up at his ceiling as he repeated his interaction with you earlier in the afternoon. Steve still felt terrible about his actions towards you years prior, and he hoped that you'd forgive him. He then thought back to when Robin came to him about your dilemma, about your lie, how unbearable your mother was, and that he owed her and needed to help her best friend. Steve was a bit hesitant, more confused than anything, but he wanted to help you; as said before, he wanted to make up for the things he had said to you.

Steve tried to sleep, but it was hard. Turning to his bedside table, he reached over and grabbed the notepad, re-reading the rules. Flipping the paper up to re-read your address that he got from Robin, and next to it in red ink from his favorite pen were the words, 'six pm'. What was he going to wear? Is this going to be a fancy dinner, or should he just wear jeans and a T-shirt? Button-up? Should he bring you and your mom flowers, so it was believable? You and he didn't really talk about how to really act in front of your parents, except to act like 'we like each other.' You even gave rom-com movies as an example. Steve understood this was going to be acting, pretending to like each other, to love each other. And Steve knew that this was going to be awkward, but he also knew that you weren't asking for much. He could tell you were serious, dead serious, and you probably would've done anything to keep your lie a reality. Steve chuckled lightly to himself, thinking back to the making of the rules, it felt like a school project. Shutting his eyes, Steve fell asleep, preparing himself for his diner meet-up with you the next day.

~~~

Steve let out a shaky breath, fiddling with the two bouquets of flowers in his hands; one of Lilies for your mother, and one of the roses for you. He didn’t know what flowers were your favorite, so he chose roses, and he hoped you’d like them. Steve then double-checked his outfit, making sure his nice blue button-up was wrinkle-free, along with his dark jeans. Steve made sure while he was planning his outfit that the shirt wasn’t the hue ‘true blue,’ the color haunted him and reminded him way too much of his old Scoops Ahoy outfit. He only hoped he could play it cool and make everything believable for you. Staring down at his shoes, he went through your conversation with him yesterday. 

"I just want to warn you, my mom is really overbearing. She'll probably ask us a lot of questions about our relationship, so we have to be sure we are on the same page here." You spoke, swirling your straw around in your milkshake as you sat across from Steve at a small diner. 

Steve gave you a small awkward smile, "So, what did you have in mind?" He asked and you shrugged.

"Well, let me know if you want to change anything. But, I had told her that we had been together for a while, so let's just tell her we've been together for like six months. That's believable."

Steve nodded, agreeing, "Sounds good, where'd we meet?"

You shrugged, "I don't know, where do you want us to meet?"

Steve paused, thinking before he did his one shrug, "The arcade? I mean, I bring Henderson and his friends there sometimes when I babysit them." He suggested and you hummed, pursing your lips as you thought before nodding.

You furrowed your eyebrows, taking in his sentence, “Babysit? You babysit that Henderson kid and his friends? When did that happen?” You asked, taking a bite of your fries.

“It started a few years ago. I just sort of fell into the job really. You know, driving them places and then driving them back. Giving them life advice…” Steve took a bite of his burger, “I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but… Turns out I’m a pretty damn good babysitter.” He laughed awkwardly, as he ate, making you let out a chuckle. Steve paused briefly, rolling his eyes, “Yeah, I’d laugh too. Great with kids, but terrible with the ladies.”

You waved your hand, shaking your hand, “No, no! I’m not laughing at that… It’s just… Life advice? You? No offense, but I just don’t think that ends well.” If anything, Steve knew how to make you laugh.

Steve couldn’t help but smile, stirring his melting chocolate milkshake with his red straw, “Yeah, I see what you mean. But, I give great hair advice!” He exclaimed proudly, making you chuckle once more.

“I’m sure you do.” You spoke up, your laughter dying down as the two of you just stared at each other, until Steve cleared his throat and you looked down at your milkshake. Glancing at Steve one more time, you thought you saw the softest pink shade appear on his cheeks. You shook her head, wishful thinking.

“So…” Steve began, “The arcade...” Steve prompted and you nodded, getting back on topic.

"Y- Yeah," You took a sip of your milkshake, "I like the arcade. Been there before. My mom would believe it." You agreed, "I- I don't know what else she's going to ask. We might have to make stuff up while we go."

Steve nodded, taking a sip of his own milkshake, "That's fine. I'm good at making things up. You know, from my partying days."

"You don't party anymore?" You asked, tilting your head to the side, as Steve nodded.

"Yeah, don't really have time for that anymore. I spend most of my time at work, or watching Henderson, or..." Steve paused, glancing down at the table as you stared at him confused, and slightly worried. "Just trying to survive life, I guess." He tried to joke, giving you a nervous smile before running a hand through his hair. You watched him run his fingers through his soft brown hair, almost in slow-motion, wishing you could just reach out and touch it. But, you had other important things to pay attention to, like this fake dating scheme.

You cleared your throat, having a slight inkling of what Steve was talking about, Robin had mentioned it to you before. It reminded you of a fairy tale, something not possible in this world; magic and whatnot. But you had seen the scar on Robin's calf, and Robin would never lie to you. "Robin told me about that." You spoke up softly, causing Steve to glance over at you, "She said you had gone through a lot over the past few years. Dealing with the... Side Down or something... I forgot the name." You finished, as Steve's eyes widened.

"She told you?" His voice was filled with shock.

You nodded, "Yeah... She tells me everything." You explained and Steve nodded, biting his lip as he looked away from you, a sad look in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I- I shouldn’t have brought that up.” You apologized, but Steve shook his head.

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry.” It was silent, tension high in the air, almost suffocating you as you regretted bringing up something so traumatic. Steve, however, broke the silence, clearing his throat nervously before speaking up again, "So... Is there anything I should bring to dinner?” He asked you, looking back at you, as he took another bite of his burger.

You thought for a second, glancing around the room before shrugging, "I don't know. You've dated before. What do you usually bring to family dinners?" You asked, before finishing your milkshake completely.

"Well," Steve began, clearing his throat again, as he felt slightly embarrassed, "I've only had one, and I’ve brought flowers, candy, a bear once, you know, those romantic, sappy types of things."

You nodded, dabbing your lips with a napkin, "Well, you don't have to bring anything if you don't want to, but my mom loves Lilies. She thinks their scent can rejuvenate her skin or something…" You rolled your eyes.

Steve couldn't help but chuckle a little, feeling a bit more comfortable as he smiled slightly, "That's- That's good to know."

Letting out a breath, Steve raised his hand up and knocked on the door. Looking down at the cobble steps of the open porch, the door opened, revealing your mother. Your mom's smile widened at the sight of Steve, immediately stepped aside to let him in. Steve smiled awkwardly as your mom shut the door, turning to him. 

"You must be Steve! It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Y/N's mom, Mary, but you can just call me 'mom'." She exclaimed happily as Steve gave her a polite smile, realizing that you were right and that your mom was a bit overwhelming. Your mom then noticed the flowers in his hand, placing her hands on her chest as she gasped. "Are those for me?" She asked and Steve nodded, handing them to her. "They are my favorite!"

"Your daughter told me you liked them," Steve mentioned as your mom sighed after sniffing the lilies, subconsciously petting the white petals. 

"Speaking of my daughter..." She then turned towards the stairs. "Y/N! Your boyfriend is here!" She yelled up the stairs, her tone sharp, but still holding that excitement, causing you to quickly walk out onto the landing, a blush spreading on your face.

Steve froze. There you stood, wearing a very nice outfit, a little bit nicer than what you usually wore, and you even did your hair. You looked very pretty and Steve's heart skipped a beat as your eyes met his, and you gave him a gentle smile. "Hi," You whispered quietly, shyly, and Steve returned the gesture, clearing his throat before speaking as he felt his mouth dry up slightly.

"Hey, Y/N." He greeted you before handing you a bouquet of roses from behind his back. "These are for you." 

You couldn't help but let your smile widen, taking the flowers in your hands, staring down at the perfect twelve roses as you felt your heart begin to race, your stomach twisting anxiously. After taking in the familiar scent of the roses, you looked up at Steve and he smiled down at you, "Thank you, Steve. They're beautiful." Your cheeks flushed, and you couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed by the whole thing. 

Steve rubbed the back of his neck, "No problem, sweetheart." 

'Man,' You thought, as your face began to flush wildly from his nickname for you, 'He's a good actor.'

Your mother then ruined whatever moment you were both having, snatching your bouquet from you and giving Steve a smile. "Well, dinner isn't ready yet, so we can get settled down at the table until it is. I'm going to put these in some water." You both followed your mom to the dining room, where Steve pulled out your chair for you, waiting until you were situated before pushing you in and sitting down next to you. He gave you a small smile and you smiled back, hoping that the night would go smoothly. "I hope you're hungry because I made your favorite; fried chicken."

Your jaw dropped in surprise, "Oh wow, thank you, Mom." You said, pretty shocked and Steve chuckled at your reaction. "I thought you were going to make your meatloaf?"

She gave you a shrug, "I changed my mind, this is a special occasion after all." She smirked, giving you and Steve a wink as you groaned slightly after she left for the kitchen.

Your dad then entered the room, took his usual seat, opening his newspaper. Steve went to stand up to greet him but your father stopped him. "Don't need to stand up, son." He spoke gruffly, nudging his thick-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose, "You have my blessing."

Steve's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he sat back down. You covered your face with your hands, your face feeling hot as your embarrassment flowed over you in giant waves. Steve noticed this, his small, embarrassed smile turning into a frown as he looked at you. He hoped the night would move swiftly, for your sake. Wanting to comfort you, he reached out and placed a hand on your back, gaining your attention. You sat up, dropping your hands from your face and looking over at Steve, reveling in the way his hand gave off a soothing warmth. He then gave you a reassuring smile and you managed to give him one back. 

Taking a bit of a risk, Steve reached over to grab the bottom of your chair, giving you a grin and wink and with a small tug, he drew the chair closer to him. You gave Steve a look, smiling at his ridiculousness just before your mom came back into the dining room, holding a giant plate of homemade fried chicken; wearing pink oven mitts with little red hearts on them. Bringing back some sides, and placing them on the table as well, she sat down across from you before looking at both you and Steve expectantly. 

"So," She trailed off, "Tell me about yourself, Steve." 

"Me?" He questioned, as your mom nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, tell us about yourself. What you do for a living, and so on," Your mom exclaimed as she began to put food on her plate, scooping mashed potatoes on her plate; next to a fried chicken thigh. "I want to know more about the young man who is dating my daughter."

"Alright," He said, putting chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes on his own plate, you following beside him. "Well, I was born and raised here, graduated high school, work at the Family Video down the block, and occasionally babysit a few kids." He listed off casually, as your mom's brows furrowed slowly the more she listened to his sentence.

"You work at Family Video?" She questioned suspiciously, almost as if she was judging him, and you knew she was. Many times your mother wanted you to marry a rich man. It was irritating.

Steve nodded, swallowing a bite of food as you chewed slowly beside him, "Uh, yes. I work there." He answered simply, and your mother frowned, before getting back to her food. 

"Well, I can only hope that you'll find another better-paying job once you marry my daughter?" She hinted, throwing some shade, as Steve took his turn to frown slightly, but did well hiding his true feelings; as you turned to stare down at your food. The four of you ate in an awkward silence, as you tried to think of something to say. Finally, after several minutes of silence, your mom decided that it was time to speak up again. "Well, Steve," She swallowed her food, "What do your parents do for work?" She asked, and Steve looked up from his food, pausing his eating to answer.

"My father's a business owner, and my mother and him travel for work." He answered simply, trying to get past the subject of his parents as your mother seemed pleased with the answer.

You felt terrible. You didn't mean to upset him or to make him uncomfortable. You began to regret asking Steve to do this. You should've just told your mother the truth. It would have been the right thing to do. Glancing over at Steve, he slowly ate his food, though he seemed alright, his eyes told a different story. Those brown eyes stared sadly down at his plate, upset and probably embarrassed that he had to explain himself to your mother. Slowly reaching over, you placed your hand over Steve's on his leg, giving his hand a slight squeeze. Steve glanced up at you, his eyes softening at the sight, as he gave your hand a light squeeze in return.

After dinner, your mom led you and Steve to the living room where the three of you sat on the couch, and your father sat in his recliner. Your mother then reached over to grab your baby photos, making you groan as your mother handed the book to Steve. “Mom, please, no-”

"This is Y/N when she took her first steps, oh, and this is her when she lost her first tooth!" Your mother exclaimed, interrupting you as Steve smiled, looking at the pictures of you as a young kid. You felt your cheeks flush once more as your mother continued to show Steve picture after picture of you. Steve glanced over at you, before taking your hand in his placing both his and your intertwined hands in his lap. 

You began to pay attention to Steve's hand in yours rather than your mother’s ramblings on how you used to have a baby blanket named ‘Blakie,’ but focusing on how small your hand was in his. His palm was warm and calloused, fitting perfectly into yours. It calmed your nerves slightly as you listen to your mom describe every single photo, your eyes never leaving Steve's hand in yours. 

"So, Steve," Your mother then spoke up, gaining your attention along with Steve's as she shut the photobook. "How many kids are you thinking of having?"

You felt like your heart dropped to the pit of your stomach, completely notified as Steve almost choked on his own spit, clearing his throat as his own cheeks turned pink; his grip on your hand tightening slightly. "Uh, well, I think we're a bit too young to plan that out right now." He came up with an excuse on the spot.

Your mom let out a small sigh, disappointed, "Well, if you ever decide to have children, you better start planning soon. But not before getting married. I don't want any grandkids out of wedlock."

He nodded, still unsure of what to do or say. "Will do, ma’am..."

Your mother gave Steve a smile and nodded happily, letting out a sigh as your mother stood from the couch, "Well, I'm going to get dessert ready. How about you two love birds go upstairs for a while?" She asked, but it seemed more like a command as you quickly stood, pulling Steve off the couch with a slight tug. You didn’t care what she was insinuating, you just wanted to get away from her. You quickly made it out of the living room, making it halfway up the stairs before your mom called out to you and Steve again, "Behave yourselves, you two." She teased, as you ducked your head and led Steve to your room. 

Shutting the door, you ran a hand through your hair, before pacing your room as Steve stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets, taking in your room before looking over at you. "I can't believe her." You exclaimed, "She is so... Upsetting!"

Steve laughed softly, shaking his head. "Yeah, she really is." He agreed with you, watching you pace around your room. "You really weren't kidding when you said that she was overbearing."

You stopped, letting out a sigh, and turning to Steve, your shoulders dropped, "I'm sorry about her. I'm sorry in general. I mean, I should've just told her the truth. Instead, I’ve put you in this awful situation.” You crossed your arms around yourself.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it," Steve replied, walking over to you. "I agreed to do this."

You only shook your head, moving past him and sitting down on the edge of your bed. "Yeah, but I wasn't expecting her to be so pushy." You mumbled, looking down at your hands in your lap.

Steve sat next to you, grabbing your hand in his own. "Y/N, hey, look at me." You didn’t really want to, but you looked up at Steve, meeting his eyes as he held your hand gently in his, his thumb rubbing softly over your knuckles. "It's going to be fine. If anything, I should be thanking you for asking me to do this."

You looked at Steve, furrowing your eyebrows, "What? Why?"

"Well, because now I know that you like Bon Jovi." He said as if it was a common fact, pointing at your large poster of the band. “And that you like Return Of The Jedi,” Steve then pointed to the wall beside him, the wall adorned with a giant poster of the movie, featuring R2D2, C3PO, and the Ewoks. “I just love those teddy bears.”

You couldn't help but laugh, covering your mouth with your free hand as you did so. "Teddy bears? That is so random!" You laughed out as Steve chuckled lightly too.

Steve then looked over at you, his eyes widening slightly as he watched you laugh. Steve's mind went blank, as he only focused on you; your sweet laugh, the smile on your face, everything about you just seemed so perfect to him. God, you were beautiful. As your laughter subsided, his eyes traveled down to your lips before looking back up at your bright eyes. You were still smiling as you looked over at Steve, pausing slightly as you tilted your head to the side.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You asked, noticing Steve's expression, so gentle; soft.

You watched as his lips parted slightly as if hesitating to tell you the reason behind his behavior. After a few seconds of hesitation, Steve opened his mouth. "Because..."

"Because... What?" You asked curiously, albeit worried.

"Because..." He paused and took a deep breath, staring down at his hand in yours in his lap, "Because I think I might have feelings for you." He finally managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.

You blinked, your smile faltering as your eyes widened slightly. "Oh." Was all you could manage to say as Steve's eyes drifted away from yours, feeling as if someone was just squeezing his heart, squeezing it until it burst in his chest.

"I'm sorry, it was stupid, I shouldn't have said-" He started apologizing, but you cut him off, reaching forward and placing your free hand on his arm briefly.

"No, no," You interrupted, "Don't apologize. Please." You pleaded. "Please don't apologize, Steve." You then looked down at your hand in his, "I really like you too, Steve."

"But..." He trailed off, having a feeling that there was something more, but you quickly looked up at Steve and shook your head.

"No, Steve. There are no 'buts'." You insisted firmly, giving him a reassuring smile as you saw the hurt flash across his eyes. "I like you too. I... Uh, I have since high school."

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, "But I bullied you..." He said sadly.

You nodded, "Yeah, I liked you before you did that." You glanced up at him, "And I still like you now. I was a bit nervous about you helping me because of the huge crush that I have on you." You confessed, looking back down. 

Steve let out a deep breath of relief, becoming overwhelmingly happy, relaxing slightly under your touch as you squeezed his hand gently, "Well, that's a relief, believe it or not, I've had terrible luck in the ladies department for the past couple of years." He tried to joke, making you laugh lightly as you felt your cheeks become pretty warm.

"Yeah, I know. Robin's told me." And Steve sighed dramatically, letting his forehead fall on your shoulder, mentally noting to talk to Robin later, "She told me all about how much of a loser you are." You couldn't stop giggling.

Steve couldn't help but start to laugh too, lifting his head, "The whiteboard?" He asked, and you nodded, covering your mouth with your free hand again, as you nodded.

"The whiteboard." You confirmed, as Steve just shook his head, gazing down at you with a smile.

"Can I kiss you?" Steve then asked, making your eyes widen slightly as your laughing died down again, causing Steve to panic for a second. "Unless you don't want to. Sorry if that was a little forward, I guess I didn't even think about-"

You placed a finger against his lips, his lips becoming smushed against your finger, effectively shushing him. "Steve, I would love for you to kiss me." You said, a shy smile creeping onto your face.

Steve smiled at you, leaning in closer to you, his nose brushing lightly against yours. "You know," He began, his voice low as you stared into his hypnotizing brown eyes, "We're breaking a lot of our rules." He finished as you shuffled slightly.

You bit your lip nervously, "Are we?" You asked, glancing down at his lips.

He simply smirked, and suddenly closed his eyes, slowly bringing his lips down to meet yours. Your body tingled as he pressed his lips to yours, one arm wrapped tightly around your waist as the other rested on your cheek, holding you close to him as your hands wrapped around his neck, your fingers tangling themselves into his thick brown hair.

After what seemed like hours, Steve pulled away, resting his forehead against yours as he exhaled heavily. "That was... Wow." He breathed. His breath ghosted against your skin, making goosebumps run along your body, "God, okay, one more time." He practically begged quietly, running his thumb over your cheek before you pressed your lips to his once more. You melted into his embrace, you let out a little giggle as he kissed you repeatedly, pressing peck after peck to your lips, cheeks, forehead, and nose. Pulling away, you couldn’t help but smile, Steve mimicking you. "I don't think I will ever get tired of kissing you," Steve admitted, a soft grin forming on his face. 

"Me neither." You whispered, smiling softly as he grinned at you. 

"We should probably go see if dessert is ready," Steve muttered and you rolled your eyes, not really wanting to go back downstairs.

"I was thinking we should skip dessert, and watch a movie..." You suggested with a shrug, as Steve couldn't help but grin. “I’ve got Return Of The Jedi on tape.”

"Marry Me." Steve sighed out, before tackling you back onto the bed, making you erupt into a fit of laughter.

By the end of the month, you had a happy mother, a lie that never had to be revealed, and a real boyfriend that made your heart soar. Now, Steve didn't immediately become your boyfriend. After the dinner with your parents, Steve wanted to go on a proper date with you; taking you to a diner and getting to know each other better. By the end of the month, you moved out of your mom's house and moved into Steve's parent's house, looking for an apartment out of Hawkins. And moving there wasn’t really a problem, seeing as Steve’s parents were never there. You never thought that your fake dating would turn into such an amazing relationship, but as you gazed up at Steve's sleeping form beside you as you curled into his arms, you knew that you wouldn't trade any of it for anything in the world.

_______________________________

Taglist: @nix-rose-q

[myersmaniac]

~ Can I stay here?~

Parings- Billy Hargrove x Henderson! reader

TW: bullying

___

Alone, at night, in the cold rain. Sure it’s dangerous to be walking tonight but I needed some fresh air and I never minded the rain. I figured I’d pick a bag of chips or something like that up from the gas station then head back home.

____

I finally made it to the gas station and walked inside, there stood Jason Carver as soon as I opened the door. Usually he taunts me at school but thankfully no words were spoken, I grabbed some chips and a coke, went to check out then walked out the door but when I turned the corner he was still there. “ Henderson” Jason called out “ what you doing out so late?” All I could think to myself is why does he care and why is he talking to me, I rolled my eyes “ I asked you a question Henderson.” Jason said as he stepped closer.

“ and I never gave an answer Jason so back off.” I said very sternly. Jason just scoffed “ you know you really are a bitch.” He nudged at my shoulder, I’m not sure if he meant for me to fall or not but the ground was wet and he is much stronger than me. I scraped my elbow on the way down and it bled. “ fuck you dude.” I said getting off the ground. He finally left.

After that dreadful encounter I felt like I needed even more time to myself, time to ponder why assholes like him are the popular kids, time to think about how unnecessarily mean some people can be. As I walked around thinking about anything but the time I realized it was darker than before and definitely much later. When I left my house it was around 9:30 I thought to myself by now it has to be at least 11:00. I tend to get lost in my own mind so it doesn’t surprise me that I’ve been walking around for that long. I check my surroundings and I can see that I’m in a very familiar place, Max’s house. I’ve dropped her off and picked her up here many times, I’m so glad her and Dustin are friends. Since they’ve met she’s become like the little sister I never had.

Well it’s to late to walk all the way back home and I know max said her parents are out of town this week so I might as well crash here. I walk up to the door step and knock; I really hate to bother anyone this late but seriously the walk home would take forever and I’m already getting tired. I knock again this time calling out “ hellooo” I hear footsteps walking towards the door and I step back. Max’s brother Billy opens the door.

I’ve spoke to Billy a few times before, he knows our siblings are friends. He’s always been kind to me despite what other people might say about him. I really feel sorry for Billy, I know him and max both deal with a lot at home and I just don’t think people understand.

“ Henderson? What’s going on?” Billy questions looking like he just woke up, rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes. “ Billy I hate to intrude but can I stay here for the night? I’ll leave if you want but I just went out to clear my head a while ago and I just don’t feel to safe walking back this late.” I said to the boy in front of me. “ you’re bleeding.” Billy pointed out the scrape on my arm. “ it’s nothing really I just had a run in with Jason Carver.” Billy’s expression changed very quickly. “ come in and tell me what happened” he said. I came in and closed the door behind me, I tried to be as quiet as possible to avoid waking up Max.

I followed Billy down the hall and went into his room, we both sat on the bed. “ Well” I began “ I was at the gas station up the road and I was about to leave there and he’s outside just blabbing on about something then he pushed me and left. Nothing to it just Jason being Jason but I scrapped my elbow on the ground.” I could tell something was off with Billy as I told him what happened. “ you really could’ve gotten hurt you know, you don’t need to be out this late anyways.” Billy said standing up and going over to his dresser he pulled out a t-shirt and some boxers and reached them out towards me. I looked at him with a confused expression. “ the bathrooms down the hall and to the left, you’re soaked” he said. “Grab you a bandaid and some neosporin while your in there, it’s above the sink.” I got up, nodded and smiled “ thanks” i went to go get changed then came back to his room. “ you didn’t put on a bandaid.” He said, he was definitely still tired. I could tell by his short and straight responses. “ oh yeah it’s fine don’t worry about it.” I responded. He looked at me with an expression that read “ are you serious.” He left the room and came back with a bandaid. He squatted down underneath me as I sat on the edge of his bed and lifted up my elbow, he put on the neosporin and then the bandaid very carefully. “ Billy really it was fine, you didn’t have to do that.” I told him. “I did it for the nursing experience” he said jokingly, I let out a small laugh. “ you know you kind of woke me up and I’m still confused as to why your here no offense. What do you say you lay down on my bed and let’s both get some sleep and we’ll talk in the morning” billy said. “ your bed? Oh no billy I’ll sleep in the living room or in the floor.” I responded to him. “ That’s no way to treat my guest, get in the bed Henderson. I’ll sleep in the living room.” Billy said. He was so kind to me even when he didn’t have to be.

“ Fine. I’ll sleep in the bed. But just so you know I do feel bad about you sleeping in the living room.” I said to Billy as I laid under his blanket. His bed smelled like him. A musk of strong cologne and cigarettes. I could get used to that. It was comforting in its own way.

About ten minutes passed and I tossed and turned, I just couldn’t sleep maybe it was because I was in an unfamiliar area or because I kept thinking of Mine and Billy’s interaction tonight. I also didn’t like sleeping alone, normally I sleep with a teddy bear or hugging my pillow tight. I finally gave in and walked to the living room where I found Billy still awake. “ you okay?” He questioned. “ I just can’t sleep, can you come stay in there with me please?” He breathed a heavy Breath then made his way back into his room. “ listen billy I’m really sorry for all of this, barging in, taking your clothes, you having to patch me up-” he cut me off quickly. “ it was my pleasure, I don’t mind it one bit so don’t think that you’re bothering me.” He said, I smiled. He cut out the light then crawled up on the bed beside me. “ Night Henderson.” He said. “ Goodnight Hargrove.” I said back.

[mytheoristavenue]

ST Kas!Eddie Munson x Reader 🍋- Pulling your Strings {Kinktober #3}

Summary: After awakening alone in the Upside Down, and learning to thrive there, Eddie returns to Hawkins in search of you, aiming to make you pay for abandoning him.

Warnings: Vampire!Eddie, smut, MDNI, yandere!Eddie, very slight noncon at the beginning, blood, cum eating, mentions of depression, oral (f receiving), shower sex, not my best work tbh 😅

The world in which you stood was cold, too much so for human inhabitation, but one could have easily been fooled by the rusty hue of the air, in which hellish creature flourished as they took wing. You could faintly hear distorted music from the distance, heavy metal, if you hadn't known any better. Curiously, you drew closer to the sound, being able to just barely make out a figure standing atop a some type of portable structure, a tornado of organisms surrounding him. The noise was most certainly emanating from whoever it was, but as you walked, you began to notice that, no matter how much ground you covered, you were unable to make any progress toward the scene.

You began to feel as if the were strings attached to your limbs, and that you weren't actually running, but floating, and lacking any grace at that. Glancing up, befuddled, you found yourself attached to wire that ended at a cross brace, with a ringed hand controlling your movements.

"Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings." bellowed a voice, and almost a sing-song tone.

"Let me go!" you protested, struggling to sever your binds, finding it impossible, and only burning your fingers in the process. "Whoever you are, just please, leave me alone!"

"(Y/N)..." the stranger chuckled, dribbling their hand and making you tumble to the cracked and irritated ground, before harshly hoisting you back up. "(Y/N)." It called again, this time sternly, before doing so once more, with panic and urgency. The final toll also sounded less matured, your name being punctuated with a cracked, pubescent flare.

Your eyes snapped wide, accompanied by a painful gasp as sharp air invaded your lungs. "Dustin?" you realized, pale in the face. The boy sat beside you, Steve standing behind him, and you found yourself laying on a couch, most likely in the home of the former.

"Nightmares again?" the later asked, concerned, with calming hand on your shoulder. You nodded tiredly, sitting up more on the furniture, and pressing a hand to your temple.

"Here," Dustin said knowingly with knitted brows, holding out his hands to offer a few dusty white pills and a glass of water. "For the headache." You thanked him, before taking both and consuming the medicine with a sigh. "It's getting late," he mentioned, flashing you a glance of his digital watch. "Maybe you should just stay the night again, I bet my mom won't mind." he suggested, but you politely declined.

"No thank you, I can't keep putting you guys out. I can sleep on my own." you responded, still rubbing your temple, occasionally stretching your tired arms. "Steve, would you mind giving me a lift?" The man nodded wordlessly, grabbing his keys and cocking his head toward the door. You bid the Hendersons farewell and promised the young to return the next day.

The road home was filled with stolen glances on Steve's end and you pretended not to notice, simply keeping your gaze on the passing trees. "Look, (Y/N), I think it's time we talk about-"

"I'm fine." you interjected. "I don't need to talk about it."

The truth was, nearly a month had gone by since Eddie's passing and everyone seemed to be healing, everyone apart from you. Robin was busy with her new girlfriend, Nancy was busy with enrolling herself and Jonathan in her their dream college, Steve had been able to even go on a few successful dates. Hell, even the Hopper-Byers family was beginning to move on. The city was mending the cracks in the foundation, and life was beginning anew. But for you, every time you closed your eyes, you were back in that hell, the wrong side of Hawkins, being tormented by your guilt.

You were looking for someone to blame, someone to be angry with, someone to forgive. No matter how you looked at it, you couldn't rationalize leaving Eddie there to rot. The others should have passed him by was they were coming back through the trailer, they could have carried him. Nancy shouldn't have left you in charge of Max and the Sinclairs. Then you could have been there to fight off the bats. Eddie shouldn't have gone back, he should have just run.

Reaching your home, you nonverbally exited the car, ignoring Steve's attempts to get your attention. You just wanted to go back to sleep, even if it meant suffering through nightmares. You had long since lost the energy or will power to do anything else.

------

You thrashed among stale bed sheets, stuck somewhere between cognizance and a bad dream. Erecting with a frustrated grunt, you reached over to your bedside table to rummage for a well used bottle of sleep aid and a half empty water bottle. After throwing the pills back, you scanned your darkened room, allowing the mess and clutter to seep into your consciousness. You noted that you should clean tomorrow, though, part of you knew that wouldn't happen.

Sighing, you laid back down on your left side, facing the wall, and closed your eyes, begging to drift off, and at some point you must have.

"Why did you leave me there?" You shot out of your position, eyes straining to search the abyss for signs of life. Did you really just hear that, or was it the beginning of a dream? You noticed a dreadful stench wafting in the air, like rot, and promised yourself to tidy up in the morning, before laying your head back down. "(Y/N)..." the siren called again, making you freeze. Before you had a moment to react, a mass hovering over you, chilling breath hitting your face in an angry pattern as it screamed in a distorted manner. "ANSWER ME."

This had to be a dream, or a hallucination, maybe a side effect of the medication. "You're not real," you breathed, terror eating you up. "Y-You're just a figment of my imagination. A result of my t-trauma." you reasoned. The school counselor told you that this could happen, and that if you could convince yourself that you were in control, you would be, and it would go away.

"Your trauma...?" the entity croaked. Suddenly, you felt a strong grip around your throat, claws threatening to sink into your supple skin, yet you persisted.

"It's just a dream," you told yourself, eyes screwed shut. "Just a fucked up memory of something that never happened." You were beginning to feel a bit dizzy, as if you if you were actually starting to suffocate, and instinctually, your raised your hands to try and defend against your attacker. As you skin reached their wrist, your blood ran cold. You weren't supposed to be able to to touch a hallucination. You cautiously ran your fingers up the void's arm, feeling a stiff fabric beneath, possible a sleeve cuffed with...chains. You became much more in tune with the scene unfolding around you as your vision darkened that much more. You could feel what you presumed to be hair tickling your face and adornments on the hand that strangled you.

"E-Eddie?" you suddenly asked, more in a beg, and the entity's grip loosened substantially. "Eddie is it really you...?" You felt the weight he held onto your lighten slightly as he allowed your hand to shakily travel to your nightstand to find the switch to your lamp. Flicking it on, you fell still at the sight before you; Eddie Munson, disfigured and battle torn, bleeding all over your sheets. His eyes no longer held that milk chocolate warmth you once adored, and in fact, had no color at all, simply a pair of onyx marbles following your every movement. You could see that his wounds from the previous month's events, the ones Dustin had informed you of were still wet and untended to.

"It's me," he finally said carefully, before feeling anger bubble in his chest again. "Now, answer my question. Why didn't you come back for me?"

You felt tears slip down your cheeks. "Eddie, I tried! The gate was closed, I didn't even know what happened until the others came back without you, I'm so sorry!" you sobbed, desperately grabbing for his jacket, to which he harshly pushed you away.

His cold eyes bored into yours as he looked you over. "You left me to die, (Y/N). I thought you cared about me."

"I do, Eddie, you have to believe me!" you plead. "I hate Nancy for sending me with Max instead of you, I hate myself for listening to her stupid plan!" you raved. "I hate everyone! I hate Robin for not letting me go back for you, and I hate Steve for refusing to bring you with them on their way out! I hate Dustin for hurting himself to try to get to you instead of running for help, and I hate Mike for not being there at all!" you paused to take in a shaky breath, engulfed in this raw emotion, before continuing, wiping tears from your eyes. "I hate Max and Lucas and Erica for needing me more than you did, but most of all..." You wept into his chest as he hesitantly closed his arms around you. "Most of all, I hate you..."

"Me...?" he mumbled, dumbfounded. All this time, he'd carried such distain for you, but he never thought you'd hold it for him too.

"I hate you for not running." you sniffled. "You didn't need to be a hero, everything would have gone fine if you did. And it didn't matter anyways, we still lost. Vecna still got to Max, and now she's in a coma she may never wake up from. Dustin broke his his leg trying to save you, and it's your fault." you rambled coldly, before gazing up at him. "You're death meant nothing, and all you did was hurt us."

As your adrenaline began to wear off, you realized you never thought you'd get the chance to say the words you just did. It felt nice to have closure, to be able to stop worshipping the idea of having Eddie back, and instead, make him understand the consequences of his actions. "So yeah," you muttered, pushing away from him. "I guess we did leave you there to die, but you put yourself there, and that was pretty selfish of you."

For the first time in a month, Eddie felt something that wasn't resentment. He felt...ashamed? But why? He died a hero, didn't he? It was at that moment, he became aware of his surroundings. Your bedroom was littered with dirty clothes, molded food and drink that you'd long since neglected to take to the kitchen. There was a vase of dead flowers on your dresser, ones that he'd recognized as the ones he'd given you before spring break, and now that the lamp illuminated you, he could see that your clothes with stained and worn many times over, and that your hair was coated in a layer of grease. That didn't make any sense, you had always been so tidy, why were you living in such filth? Was this...his fault?

"(Y/N)...when was the last time you showered?" he asked suddenly, making you fluster angrily.

"Why the hell does that matter, weren't you going to kill me anyways?" you barked back. "Besides, at least I don't have month long abrasions on my body."

-----

"Just take off your shirt so I can get you cleaned up." you huffed at him as he sat on the closed lid of your toilet. Reluctantly, Eddie began pulling various articles off himself, starting with the bandana that he'd once tied around his head to prepare for combat, following with his shirt. You timidly looked away as he pulled his shredded club shirt over his head, mess of coffee curls falling over his skin as he did.

You gingerly dabbed a few scrapes with a damp rag, preparing for him to wince, but to your surprise, he kept still. "Does that hurt?" you asked quietly, as not to alert your parents sleeping a few walls away.

"Nothing hurts anymore," he answered cryptically, staring ahead at nothing in particular. "'Cept the mental stuff." A beat of silence passed between you as to processed what he'd said.

"If that's the case, I think you should just shower. It'll be quicker that way, and I can wash your clothes during." you suggested, resisting studying his physique.

He nodded in agreeance. "Okay, but you gotta shower too, You smell like shit." he smiled a bit.

"And you smell like a busted freezer full of meat." you quipped, reaching on your toes for a few towels from the high cabinet. "Just..." you began, feeling that familiar, awkward feeling you always shared grow between you once again. "Drop your clothes outside the door, and I'll toss them in the wash. I think I've got something for you to change into in the meantime."

With that, you carefully closed the door, leaving Eddie alone with his thoughts. This was not how he planned this to go. He thought he'd have his Black Sabbath - Iron Man moment, where he'd crawl out of hell and slay everyone who ever did him wrong. He'd never considered that the people that left him behind were feeling the same abandonment that he was. As he stepped into the shower and turned the hot knob, he was almost startled by the heat of the water. It boiled against his injured skin, it would've hurt if he could feel pain. That was odd, he always enjoyed hot showers before; maybe he had been cold for so long he'd forgotten what warmth was, what it felt like to be comfortable.

Eddie surveyed your selection of washes, recalling the times he'd belittled you for using so many. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, moisturizer, face wash- what was it all for again? He and Wayne always shared a 2-in-1, how was he supposed to use all this? Suddenly, his thoughts turned to his uncle and his brows furrowed. The one person who always believed in him, defended him, and he probably had no idea what actually happened. And what about Dustin? Was he really going to kill him, even after he'd hurt himself in an effort to save him? Why was he so intent to hurt the people who cared for him. It then dawned on him that perhaps, his mindset was a product of environment, or maybe he was given new life for a reason- a more heinous one at that.

While Eddie pondered the meaning of his existence in your bathroom, you busied yourself with collecting his clothes, as well as a few of your own, and tossing them into the washer, before cleaning up your room as best you could in the time you had. A part of you was deeply embarrassed to have someone you'd thought so highly of see you in such a state of depression. Halting for a moment, you picked your shirt from against your sweaty chest, before sniffing it and instantly regretting it. You did smell bad.

Just as you were about to go back about your task, you found yourself pivoting too sharply, knocking a glass of old water to the floor, shuddering at the sound it made as it shattered. Kneeling down, you carefully collected the pieces and disposed of them, deciding you'd slip into the bathroom, just to grab a towel to toss over the spill.

Gently, you rapped on the bathroom door, perhaps a bit too much so. "Eddie? I'm just gonna get a towel real quick, I won't look." you reassured before cracking open the door. You swiftly did as you promised not to, without purpose of course, but you were awestricken to find him just facing the shower head, back to you, just basking in the warmth of the droplets hitting his skin. You blushed and turned away, quickly rummaging through the cabinet to find what you needed, planning to exit without being noticed.

"(Y/N)?" Shit. You turned back to him, trying to avoid his gaze, finding him glancing at you over his shoulder.

"Y-Yeah?" you stuttered, still doing your best not to look at him.

"Do you wanna shower with me?" he asked softly. "I don't wanna be alone." You felt your heart skip a beat. This was definitely a dream.

-----

You faced his back as he faced the head of the faucet, luffa in hand, gingerly scrubbing grime from his flesh as he seemingly took inventory of his wounds. Neither of you spoke as you moved on to pouring shampoo into your palm and massaging it into his scalp, making sure to sort out any knots with your fingers. As he turned toward you to rinse it out, you turned away to lather your own hair. This went on until you'd cycled through all of your typical routine. "I'm sorry." he whispered suddenly.

"For what?" you asked, your words reverberating against the shower wall.

"Leaving you." he answered, shame laced in his voice.

"I forgive you." you smiled, neglecting to give him room to think there was a possibility that he hadn't done any wrong. "But you have to stay in Hawkins,"

"I can't." he stressed, his shoulders slumping against yours. "I have to go back, I wish I had a choice."

"Why?" you wondered aloud. "Are you afraid that nobody will accept you, or that you'll still be in danger?"

"Neither," he sighed. "Everyone will be in danger if I stay. I'll hurt people." he worried.

"That's ridiculous, Eddie, you're kind." you reassured him, instinctively turning to face him, only to find him doing the same. There could no longer be any secrets kept between the pair of you. You were both naked and on display for one another. "I know you could never hurt me, Eddie."

"That's not true," he argued. Things have changed, I've changed." his hands found homes on your shoulders, gripping them in hopes that you'd understand, before letting his stare fall downcast. "I'm a monster, (Y/N)."

"You are not a monster!" you scolded. "Why would you think that?"

"I wish I could show you..." he lamented, resting his head against your shoulder as warm water dripped from his hair and slid down your bare body.

"Then show me..." you whispered, desperate to understand. That awkward silence fell on you again, but this time more comfortable, like a wool blanket on a hot day, suffocating, but soft. Slowly, Eddie began to stand straight again, his hands finding your cheeks as he pressed the gentlest kiss you could ever imagine to your lips, inviting you to do the same. When you did, you instantly withdrew, finding him sharp as a goat head sticker. "W-What was that, did you bite me?" He shyly shook his head, looking anywhere but you as his fingers hooked into his cheeks and revealed two rows of jagged and yellowed pearls, punctuated by a pair of very prominent canines. "Your teeth are...different." you thought out loud, waiting for him to explain.

"You won't believe me if I tell you why." he stated flatly, removing his hands from his face and letting his lips fall back over his jaws.

"Tell me anyways." you insisted reaching up to touch where he just had.

Hesitantly, Eddie explained what had happened after he awoke, how Vecna had come to him and given him new life. He explained that ever since, he'd had an insatiable hunger, unfathomable strength and speed, and that the bats that once took his life, were now at his command. He had learned to not only live in the Upside Down, but thrive. For you, the last month was beginning to fall into place, and you were starting to piece together what had been happening to you.

"Have...you been haunting me?" the question shot out of your lips and into his flesh like a hollow point bullet. The answer was no, but it also wasn't as cut and dry as he would have liked it to be.

"Not exactly," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "But...I was aware."

"What do you mean ' aware'?" you pressured suspiciously.

"He's been tormenting you...but I was in on it. I'm so sorry, (Y/N)." Eddie confessed, knowing that he was the one who chose you to be targeted, and that it was the visage of himself being used against you. "I was angry, and he amplified that..."

"Master of Puppets...It was you! You were the one controlling me in my dream!" you discovered. "I can't believe I didn't realize sooner!" You began to shout, panicking him that your parents may hear, to which he slapped a damp hand over your mouth.

"I know, I know you're mad, but I can protect you now!" he whispered, unknowingly pressing you against the tile. He sighed tiredly, leaning against you and resting his head on your shoulder again. "I swear to God, I'll keep you safe."

Despite your anger with him, you felt desire brewing in your stomach, desire to have him as you always fantasized you would. Cautiously, you pushed him away, before tilting your head to catch his lips again, an action that he received well.

-----

Eddie buried himself into you as deeply as he possibly could, one of your legs hiked up over his shoulder, and his face in the crook of your neck, teeth crazing the supple flesh on your shoulder. Meanwhile, you held a pair of his fingers against your tongue, slurping on them to somewhat quiet. He steadily rocked into you, having no destination, or plan, just needing your warmth as close to him as possible, and reveling in the small sounds you made around his appendages. Occasionally, he'd whisper sweet nothings into your ear of how much he needed and missed you or how good you felt wrapped around him.

You found yourself in unadulterated bliss, having the man you'd pined over for years finally inside you, making love to you gently, his fangs threatening to sink into you. Primal and still unfamiliar urges tempted him to feed on your delicate throat but he resisted, the thought of potentially hurting or worse, killing you fending him off. As he thought, he failed to notice his pattern of thrusting slowing to a near stop, something you felt the need to comment on.

"You okay?" you asked breathlessly, chest heaving as you pulled your head from the wall. He nodded wordlessly, face hidden in your shoulder.

"I just don't want to hurt you." he whispered, panting a little from lack of energy. "I've been gone too long, just tired is all."

"Don't vampires get energy from food?" you asked, coming up with a terrible idea.

"I don't like being called that...but more or less." he confirmed, taking a second to rest.

"Sorry..." you trailed, feeling embarrassed about classifying him the way you had. "Well, um, maybe...I could-"

"No." he immediately pretested. "I'm not going to bite you. I'll just find something on the way home."

"But..." you insisted. "You don't have to take it all, right? You could just take a little bit..."

"I don't want to hurt you, babe." he reminded you, to your disappointment. "I-I couldn't forgive myself..."

You slyly tilted your head to the side and looked away, exposing delectable veins for him to fight with himself over. "What if I want you to hurt me...?" Eddie's breath caught in his throat before returning, this time heavier than before. It was obvious that he was starving for you, but was still holding himself back.

"I'm telling you, it's not a good idea," he pushed away slightly, eyes still locked on your throat. "I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself."

"Then I'll stop you." you reassured. "I promise I won't let anything bad happen."

With that assurance, and Eddie's lack of willpower, he slowly drew back into you, his nose gently nuzzling your shoulder as he held you carefully. He'd never bitten a human before, only bats and other small animals he came across in the Upside Down.

You couldn't deny that it was agonizing. The pain of the puncture seared to the fiber of your very being, but to some end, it was ecstasy. You could feel the vacuum of his mouth slurping your warm blood, and beyond that, it felt amazing to be so needed. Past the hurt, you felt something else happening within your body. Eddie's member, still within you began to pulse and slowly thrust, gaining momentum with each passing second.

Inside of him, he could feel energy restoring itself, his own blood flow increasing, and his arousal maximizing exponentially. He couldn't help but fuck into you while he still was able, clinging to you and using you, stealing your life away in all forms. Before long his pace and intensity became maxed out by human standards, and you felt a gargled moan bubble out of your chest at the swift progression.

You were ensnared within his arms, his jaw still locked on the side of your neck, and cunt still desecrated by his will, serving out his desires. You clenched yourself around him, purely out of instinct as your vision began to fade, a sign of his feed having begun to take too much of a toll on your body. You felt unable to bring yourself to stop him however, fearing that doing so would end his revenging your body.

His strained groans filled the bathroom, elevating in volume and guttural need, signaling his untimely and incoming climax. "Please, just hold out for me a bit longer..." you plead, dreading the ending of this pleasure, to no avail.

"Cumming, (Y/N), fuck, I'm cumming!" Eddie whined, withdrawing his fangs from your throat as he felt his essence overfill you. "I'm sorry," he sighed exhaustedly. "I'll make it up, I swear." he promised, using you as support once again.

"It's okay, baby," you cooed, dizzier than ever now. "I'm just glad your satisfied." Your head slumped against his, before you noticed his body sliding down yours. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna make you cum all over my face, pretty girl." he replied, sitting on his knees and delving into you, once again hiking your leg over his shoulder. He plunged a pair of fingers inside you before you could have time to protest, pumping into your sex, his fingers becoming sticky with what he left behind. To accompany this sensation, he flattened his tongue over your coated mound to find what area soothed you the most, before zeroing in on it.

One of your hands rested against the wall beside you, and the other tangled itself into his hair, forcing him to stay put, not that he minded. Shortly, your own orgasm crashed against you, having not had long to go before. You were brought to a shuddering, loud, and messy end by him, the man you'd longed for for so long. With all of your adrenaline draining from your body, you began to slide town the tile, to which he laughed and held you up as your vision finally darkened, for good this time.

-----

You awoke some time later, how much by, you couldn't be sure. Memories cam flooding back to you, and for a moment, you could have mistaken it for a wild lucid dream, if not for the stinging soreness still present in your shoulder. Reaching up to graze your fingers across it, you found soft, clean gauze when your impacted skin should have been. Just out of your peripheral, you could make out a lump in your sheets, matching up with the pattern of breathing you noticed hitting the back of your neck. Rolling over as much as you could without upsetting your injury, you found Eddie, sleeping soundly behind you, still lacking clothes. Upon realizing this, you frisked yourself, finding that you were enveloped in comfortably loose clothes. Did he dress you?

Regardless, you were simply glad to have him back, and in love with you, none the less. You felt sanguine as you drifted off, nestled in his arms, feeling as if everything now was still and alright, and what ever was left could be handled in the morning, just like your messy bedroom.

[xirayn]

A continuation of the merEddie AU based on the amazing art done by @maikaartwork. The ficlet for the kiss they drew is coming, Steve just needs to get some help first.

This is the first year Dustin is old enough to be a summer intern at Hawkins Aquarium and Institute of Marine Research. He spends his days educating guests on the animals and conservation efforts with weekly professional development and environmental advocacy courses. The position is also paid, which is nice, and he gets the aquarium practically to himself as he waits for Steve to finish up and give him a ride home.

He's watching the eastern rat snake climb her fake branch in search of a resting spot when Steve finds him an hour before he is usually done.

"I need to get into the restricted area of the aquarium," Steve states much to Dustin's surprise.

"Why?"

"The voice in my head needs help."

Dustin's eyes narrow. "Have you been talking to the lampreys again?"

"Yes, but they have nothing to do with this," Steve responds with an annoyed huff. Dustin is unconvinced.

"I think they might," he states plainly. "When was the last time you went on a date or talked with, I don't know, an actual human rather than a bunch of fish?"

"I talk to Robin all the time."

"Yet you won't date her."

"Boys and girls can be friends without -" Steve cuts himself off mid sentence. He sets his hands sternly on his hips. "You know what, this is getting us off-topic. Restricted area. Voice in my head. Plan. Go."

Dustin rolls his eyes. "That voice is called conscious thought, Steve."

"Ha ha. No. This was... something else. There is something - someone - who is hurt and alone, and I need to get them out."

"So we aren't just getting into the restricted area," Dustin observes, "we are getting whatever creature you think is calling you out?"

Steve hesitates for only a moment. That does sound pretty outlandish, but the call for help is still echoing in his mind. "Essentially. Yeah."

Dustin tilts his head in consideration. "How big is it?"

"What?"

"The creature," Dustin clarifies, "how big is it?"

"I don't know."

"Is it a siren trying to lure you onto the rocks or eat you?" An obvious question to Dustin, but a new one to Steve based on his look of surprise.

"A what? No. It doesn't want to eat me."

Sirens don't exist, for one. Except they might since there is something psychically communicating with Steve and they've run into things that supposedly didn't exist before.

"How do you know?" Dustin asks because if sirens do exist, it is a perfectly valid question.

"Because I felt it!" Steve throws his hands up. The snakes and other reptiles in the exhibits around them are as indifferent to the gesture as Dustin is. "It just needs help."

"Angler fish lure their prey in with a light on their-"

"I'm not prey!" Steve insists.

"Prey doesn't always know it's prey," Dustin counters.

"Then I get eaten, I guess, but I can't just ignore this. What they shared with me…" The mounting irritation drains from Steve's shoulder. Sorrow replaces it as he remembers the pain of captivity he was shown and the longing for home. "They just want to be free."

Dustin folds his arms across his chest. "That could, arguably, be a really bad idea."

Freeing non-native creatures was never a good idea. There was a whole workshop on invasive species that included how animals in captivity might suffer if released without the proper skills to survive. Media was also full of good intentions leading to the release of monsters.

"Which is why I came to the king of bad ideas," Steve says far too casually.

"Are you insulting me?" Dustin scoffs. "You're asking for my help and then insulting me. Seriously?"

"Do I need to bring up the coyote with mange you trapped in your cellar because you thought it was a chupacabra?"

Dustin frowns. "Considering you just brought it up- no."

"Voice in my head," Steve states to get them back on track. "Restricted area. Plan. Go.

Dustin sighs. "Fine. Do you think I can fit through the vents?"

Steve shakes his head. "They had to put grates in those because the octopus kept using them for midnight snack runs."

"Really?" Dustin feels like he should have heard about that, but he's only been an intern for a little over a month now.

"Yeah," Steve says dismissively, "It was a thing. Robin is a bit obsessed with her now."

"Like you're obsessed with the lampreys?"

Steve is clearly insulted by the accusation. He takes a moment to gape. "I am not obsessed with the lampreys. I am the opposite of obsessed."

"Sure." The one syllable is pure sarcasm. "Okay, so the other plan is we steal the badge of someone who has access."

"What do you mean we?"

"You aren't doing this alone."

"It's too dangerous." Steve's hands are back on his hips, but Dustin doesn't back down.

"If you get eaten, I get eaten," he states firmly. They have a silent standoff that Dustin eventually wins.

"Okay," Steve relents. He's learned in the few years he has known Dustin to not fight his loyalty. It was either agree now or be surprised when Dustin tailed him later. "Any idea who's badge we are going to steal?"

Dustin presses his lips together as he thinks. "There has to be people who do maintenance -"

"Maybe like the head aquarist?"

They both swing around to see Robin standing with a lanyard hanging from her finger. At the end is the badge of someone Steve doesn't recognize. He wonders how long she has been there and how much she heard.

"He left it in the food prep room," she explains as she holds it out to Steve.

He takes it, not bothering to ask questions even if there are quite a few that came to mind. The picture is of an older man with a receding hairline and white goatee. The text underneath reads: Wayne Munson.

New memories are sent to him. The sound of a kind drawl. Sweet and salty and tangy flavors masking the taste of decayed fish. Different textures. Something to look forward to.

Hope.

Steve looks at Robin. He smiles. She smiles back.

"Commence operation we're all getting fired."

[swiss-mrs]

Party Girls

(Word Count: 4.5k)

Ratings: PG-13. Language and Adult Themes. All Characters are 19+.

Reader/OC Description: Reader is/mixed with African American with dark curly hair and brown eyes. Body type/shape is not detailed. No Use of Y/N.

Synopsis: Eddie is talked into going to a party for the first time in almost two years, the first time in forever that he’s not going as a dealer, and upon arrival, he finds this is also the first time he stands out for something other than just rockstar style.

Warnings(?): Mentions/Depictions of Anxiety and Panic Attacks, Mentions of Depression and Self Doubt, Adult Language, Coming to Terms with Growing Up, Race Is a Factor but Is Not Overbearing, No In-Depth Depictions or Mentions Racism or Racist Acts.

This is pretty Eddie focused and doesn't contain too much 'Y/N'. It's written in third person but narrated more from Eddie's POV. Idk if I'm gonna make this into a mini series/ make a part two or just leave it as is. Either way, it comes to a good conclusion.

Preface: Summer of 1986. Eddie is 19, going on 20, and still a high schooler. ‘84 was supposed to be it, one and done, but no. He lived in denial until the day came when all his classmates walked the stage, and he didn’t. He was angry. There is no way this could be happening. Then ‘85 hit. He tried making every deal he could. He’d sell his soul to the devil if it meant he could get out of Hawkins High, but no. ‘86 was going to be his year. This was it, but, again, no. He was left more bruised and scarred than any year prior. One coma later, he was left in a hospital bed with nothing but 2 months of healing and mental degradation.

He was a failure. 1986 was almost over, and here he was in the same position, but worse. He spent the last 6 months of that year locked away in his room, feeling empty. In December of ‘86, Wayne couldn’t take it anymore. He could not and would not allow his nephew to waste away. He would not allow him to give up. He raised him better than that.

With the new year and quite the ‘dad talk’, Eddie decided to make a change. With the help of Wayne and his younger friend Dustin, Eddie’s life course differed for the better. The decision was made that he wouldn’t go back to Hawkins High. Instead, he would start his life as an adult.

He dived into the workforce, working a minimum wage job at a record store. The original thought was to go into a trade, but Dustin, with the backing of Wayne, talked Eddie into continuing his studies and getting his GED. “Maybe the toxic shit environment of high school was never for you.” Dustin would say, and maybe, he was right. Eddie thought he was just one of those who would peak in high school, but in fact, it was just holding him back.

Working in a record store allowed him the necessary time and environment he needed to simultaneously focus on his studies. Reading textbooks was lame, but with soft music playing in the background and the few and far between customers, he could at least focus and actually retain what he learned, for the most part.

He spent many of his shifts over the next 4 months with Dustin and several stack flashcards, and it worked! He had never felt more accomplished in his life. Wayne even went out to a second hand store and found a cap and gown for his boy. With the small group made up of the OG hellfire, a few coworkers, and the old lady who lived a few trailers down and who always brought Wayne and Eddie food when she managed to cook extra portions (always.)

Dustin played the role of announcer, naturally, and, fittingly so, would be the one to hand Eddie the thick certificate paper. Everyone cheered for the young man. Everything was looking up. Finally.

“Come on, man! You have to! It's a celebration!” Eddie shakes his head at his pleading coworker, not sparing him a glance as he continues to search the piles of boxes in the back room.

“Nope.” Eddie replies, popping the ‘p’ in the word.

“Bro.” The taller, dark skinned man starts sternly. “Booze. Good music. LOUD music. Hot chicks. Good vibes. What is there to say no to? Give me one good reason why you can’t go.” He crosses his arms and shifts his weight to one hip.

“Cam. I already gave you my reasoning. I’m not going.” Eddie replies, still rummaging through tapes. “Ah, there you are.” He states, lifting the tape he was searching for out of the box. Eddie starts to head back to the front of house, his coworker following suit.

“I’m not accepting it.-”

“I was actually able to find a copy for you.” Eddie interrupts once reaching his awaiting customer, ignoring his coworker.

The lady looks down at the tape relieved then back up at Eddie with grateful eyes. “You are a lifesaver. I can’t gift my daughter a portable tape player without any tapes,” she laughs slightly. “Thank you so much.” They make their way to the register, all three.

“Not a problem at all.” Eddie replies, ringing her up. “Your daughter has good taste, and I'll do anything to help out a young fellow metal head.” He smiles brightly, taking the money from the lady’s outstretched hand. The pale, redhead rolls her eyes playfully, chuckling.

“Well, I’m not a big fan, but I remember being a rebellious teen once,” she shakes her head, “I figured I may have a better time supporting my daughter, and maybe she’ll stay out of a lot more trouble than I did.” They all share a friendly laugh.

“Well, wish her a happy birthday from us, and hopefully, all goes well.” Eddie smiles nicely. The lady thanks him again, and as soon as the door closes behind her, their original conversation starts back up again.

“Seriously, you can’t possibly be skipping out on me for some movie you are going to see… Alone." Eddie turns towards his coworker with a dramatic scoff, lifting one finger.

"It is not 'some movie'." Eddie states, obnoxiously mocking his coworker's voice with air quotes, "It's Hellraiser. You know I've been waiting for this movie since we saw the trailer for it when we watched Predator for movie night earlier this year."

"Bro. I remember." He started. "I also remember how bad the trailer alone freaked the fuck out of Lex. She was so scared by it that she cringed when you brought it back up on the way out the theater." He shook his head, Eddie chuckling a little at the memory. "Come on, dude-"

"Camden. Listen-" Eddie interrupts.

"No. You, Edward." He grimaces, mockingly. "Listen, you finally got that cert you've worked so hard for. You have a cool job with awesome coworkers." Camden points to himself. "You said it yourself. You are finally happy, ready to finally move forward, and you know what? I think the next step is a girl." He says, raising his dark brows. Eddie rolls his eyes, his body following their direction, turning to walk away from his coworker.

"I don't think so." Eddie calls back, but his coworker doesn't let up, following a few steps behind.

"And why not?!" Eddie turns a corner avoiding his coworker, trying to lose him in the maze of aisles.

"Because!" He throws his hands up.

"Cause what, man? You can’t possibly be chickening out on me, right now.” Cam says, with a smirk. Eddie stops in his tracks, whipping around to point a finger in the taller man’s smug face

“I never chicken out.” Cam smirks, lifting his hands under his arms, flapping his elbows like wings as he bobs his head.

“Ba- ba- bacAWK.” He clucks loudly in Eddie’s face. Eddie rolls his eyes. Cam continues with his chicken impression, getting more and more obnoxious as he closes in on Eddie's face.

“Ooooh my gOD. FINE! Fine!” Eddie yells, raising his hands to push his coworker away. Cam laughs triumphantly, fist pumping the air.

“Ha HAA! Yes!” The taller celebrates, causing another eye roll from Eddie. Eddie turns from his friend and begins to walk away, busying himself with scanning through records, ‘organizing.’ His somber change in attitude, queues up a question. “Come on, man.” Cam starts, genuinely concerned and confused. “What is the big deal? It’s one party. I’ll be there, so will Lex, so will Marcus.” He puts a hand on his friend’s shoulder, finally getting Eddie’s gaze. “You got nothing to worry about. Plus, we’re still young! You gotta at least enjoy some of your time outside of the shop.” He gestures to the store around them. Eddie shakes his head.

“You don’t get it, man. You won’t understand.” He says, walking around Cam, trying to retreat towards the back, but his friend is relentless in his following.

“Well, you gotta help me, man.” He jogs up to cut Eddie off right in front of the door to the back of house. He looks into Eddie’s eyes, trying to convince him to open up. Eddie avoids eye contact but inevitably caves, pushing Cam backward through the swinging door and into the back to ensure privacy. Once in the back, Eddie moves passed Cam and sits on one of few ‘breakroom’ chairs. He sighs and rubs his hands down his face, Cam standing next to him. “What’s up, Ed?”

“It’s just that-... I just-...” Eddie sighs, pausing in search of the right words, “I’m-...” Eddie frowns, a saddened expression painting his features. “Ever since last year, ever since I started over, I just haven’t felt myself?” He pauses, questioning if those words matched, “Or maybe I just haven’t felt the same?.. I don’t know how to describe what it is, but… I just feel… off, like an imposter,... like I can’t be who I once was, you know? ... I really liked who I was, at least I think I do, did?”

Cam sighs, walking over to a stack of folded chairs and picks one up, unfolding it and setting it down next to Eddie, taking a seat. “You know, man? You’ve had a lot of change happen to you recently. I know it’s a touchy subject, and I won’t ever press hard for information you've already set a clear boundary around but just knowing the short version is enough for me to know,” Cam leans forward resting his elbow on his knees, clasping his hands together. “you were stuck, stuck in one place for a long time, so much so that you adapted to it. Life moved on without you for so long, but it’s not going to do that anymore.” He glances over at Eddie who had focused his eyes on the shelving across the room. Cam sighs, “Everything’s changed, so” he pauses, “you feel like you need to change, too.” Eddie looks over at his friend, listening. “You don’t need to completely change who you are,” Cam pokes a finger where Eddie’s heart lays in his chest, “but changing, growing, is just another part of growing up, maturing.” Eddie nods, letting his friend’s words sink in. “You are a great dude, Eds. You’ve grown, and you will continue to grow." Cam places a comforting hand on Eddie’s shoulder, “It’s not a bad thing. You’re still you. I am lucky to know you, all of us are,” he smiles gently, “and I’m sure the person you find to spend the rest of your life with will see what they have and think the same.” Eddie looks down, smiling sheepishly. He nods.

“Thanks, man.”

“I got your back. You’re my brother, man!” Cam boasts, squeezing Eddie’s shoulder a bit. They share a soft laugh.

“Who knew you held such intelligence.” Eddie teased.

“Nah, I just had a good roll.” Cam wiggled his brows and grinned wide, earning an honest laugh from his friend. Eddie stands, Cam following suit. Eddie plops a hand on his coworkers shoulder, gripping it tight and looking him in his eyes.

“You are the best.” Eddie declares proudly, earning a dramatic bow from Cam before they head back out to the floor.

“Boy, I don’t even take this long to get ready!”

“Seriously, dude. Are you takin’ a shit or somethin’? Come on!”

"Eddie! Let's go!" Cam bangs on the bathroom door. Seconds later the door swings open, revealing Eddie. He was dressed in an all black ensemble, a nice button down shirt and a pair of dark black jeans held up by a black leather belt. The only color in his outfit were the dingy white soles of his well loved black converse.

"All right! All right. I'm out!" He yells, holding both hands palms out in defense as he walks passed the trio.

"Ooo, I see you finally listened to me and put something in that hair of yours." A teasing voice called out behind him.

"I'm ignoring you, Lex." Eddie says, as he continues to walk towards the door, grabbing his wallet and old faithful leather jacket from the table at the entrance of the apartment.

"Whaaat, I'm trying to be nice. You look cute." Her warm, deep toned hand reaches to pinch his cheek, but he swats it away the second it comes into contact with his face, gaining a chuckle from the shorter woman.

"Adorable, in fact." Another tease came up.

"Alright, alright. Lex, get in the car. Marcus, don't start shit." Camden interrupts.

"What, I can't get in the car, too?" The tan, curly haired boy responds.

"No, you're waking." Cam shoots at Mark. His mouth drops open as he rolls his eyes, following Lex out the door.

"Ruuuude." Marcus replies, trailing behind a giggling Lex.

Eddie takes one last look at himself in the mirror hanging on the wall in front of him, lost. He even looked different. His hair was longer, bangs grown out. He had a beard growing in, mainly because he couldn't be bothered to shave. It was weird. He looked… healthy, happy even, despite the unsure expression on his face. Since his talk with Camden in the shop yesterday, he couldn't stop analyzing. He rarely ever really looked at himself, let alone really see him, see how he'd changed. Cam was right. He's grown.

A large hand comes down on his back with a smack, snapping Eddie out of his trance with a jump. "You look great, brother." Eddie glances at his friend's reflection. Camden smiles wide, showcasing his perfect, straight teeth, a beautiful contrast to his deep brown skin. The sight of his friend's glowing smile brings a small one to Eddie’s lips. Camden moves behind Eddie, putting both hands on his shoulders. "Let's go knock 'em dead." Eddie nods, accepting his fate, as Cam pushes him out the door.

Just as Cam puts the car in park, Lex and Marcus jump out the backseat, slamming their respective doors shut, and start running to the entrance of the rundown building. "AYO! What did I tell y'all about slamming my goddamn doors! " The eldest yells, halfway out the car. They both throw meaningless 'sorry's behind them back at their driver. He rolls his eyes, he and Eddie closing their doors at the same time. Eddie laughs at the pair's antics. "Dude, not funny! They're gonna break my fucking car one day, and we both know they have about six dollars between the two of them." He glares, but Eddie's grin is unwavering.

The two begin making their way to the old building. Eddie looks up at it, loud music blaring from inside, lights flashing, groups of people huddled outside the building, smoking, drinking, talking, or some combination. Before He can even make it inside the building, Eddie is already getting loads of eyes falling upon him. The rush of getting so much unreadable attention hits him straight in the chest. He starts to unconsciously slow his steps as his chest tightens and it becomes harder to breathe. What the fuck was wrong with him? He used to be able to handle crowds and parties with ease, taking every stare and whisper in pride, but now he's about to go into a full blown panic attack?

"Hey, " Camden stops, turning to Eddie when he notices his friends falling behind, "you alright, bro?" He walks up to him and places a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder. Eddie looks away from the people and the building to stare into his friend's confused and concerned eyes. "Breathe, man." Eddie takes in a deep breath, following Camden's lead, before exhaling it. They repeat this in unison twice more, before Camden pats Eddie's upper arms. "You're gonna be just fine, brother. Like I said, I got you." Camden swings one of his muscular arms over Eddie's shoulders, and they continue walking in together, most eyes leaving Eddie once they see the relaxed yet intimidating form of his friend beside him.

Once inside, Eddie is immediately taken by the sight. The inside of this old building managed to look even bigger despite the sea of dancing bodies. Colorful dancing lights flicker over glistening skin, everyone's tanned and deep skin tones coming together like a painting. He'd never seen anything quite like this. It was almost ethereal. He could feel the positive atmosphere wash over him like a wave over sand. "So," a deep voice starts, yelling over the music, "how you feelin'? You ready to head home?" Eddie whipped his head towards his friend. Cam's face held a knowing smirk. Eddie scoffs, rolling his eyes at his friend.

"I think I'll stay for a bit. Check it out. Give it a chance, you know?" Eddie says, playing coy. It's now Camden's turn to scoff and roll his eyes. Eddie grins mischievously up at his friend. His arm drops from Eddie's shoulders.

"Okay, hot shot. Let's see you walk the walk." He teases, raising a brow and tilting his head toward the crowd. Cam leads the way as Eddie follows behind him.

Mostly everyone in the crowd is way too focused on their dancing, lost in the music, to even notice Eddie and his stark differences, but those who just so happened to open their eyes as he passed through them look at him as if they've seen a ghost, confused and a little weary. Nothing Eddie wasn't used to, but for multiple reasons, it felt different this time. 1) Eddie had never been so unsure of himself, ever. Not even in middle school. Looking back, he may not like what he remembers, but even then, he owned his differences without issue. Now, though, he was not really feeling himself, so these looks seemed to pierce right through him, as if everyone around him could see his vulnerability. 2) These stares he was getting weren't the same, not really. Though he could read unease, it wasn't necessarily judgemental, not for his personal tastes, not for his wild hair, not for his 'reputation.' No, they were cautious for much different reasons, ones he wasn't sure he could fully comprehend.

"There's my favorite, white boy!" Lex, in the middle of a mini clearing she and Marcus made, shouts over the music as she spots Eddie come through the crowd. Eddie grins, running his fingertips down his front, showcasing himself with fake confidence. Lex, as if pulling an invisible rope, gestures for Eddie to get closer to them and complete their friend circle. Eddie shakes his head at her actions with a smile, complying nonetheless. Camden found a dance partner with ease, but Eddie, Lex, and Mark stayed in a trio.

Eddie is, in all honesty, not much of a dancer, never really has been, but that didn't mean he couldn't fake it. He was a musician for God's sake, so he naturally knew how to catch a beat and keep in rhythm. He had to overcome the slight nervousness he still carried, but it didn't take long for the music to take over, especially since Lex was hyping him up. Eventually, his eyes fell closed, and he let go. No cares. No worries. No doubts. He was numb, but free. To Eddie, there was no passage of time. He didn't know how many songs passed, but eventually, an unfamiliar voice brought him back down to earth. "Hey."

Eddie opened his eyes, body still moving to the rhythm of whatever song was playing. It took a second for his eyes to readjust to the brightness of the dancing strobe lights. The first thing he sees is a silhouette, a soft pink light coming from behind the person. He blinked to refocus his sight, looking around and finding he was no longer in his protective friend bubble. His body slowly starts to cease its movements. "Hey!" The voice calls out again, a little louder just to be heard more clearly over the music. Eddie looks back to the person in shock.

"Uh, hi." He replies. The girl standing in front of him was beautiful, to say the least. She had beautiful skin that looked like it had been caressed by the sun. Half of her hair was slicked back into a ponytail, the loose hair boasting its natural curl, big and fluffy, but well defined. Her eyes were lined with black and there were a few gems glued to the tops of her cheekbones, just under her Cleopatra-esq eye lines. The color of her eyes reminded him of the earth's richness, deep and endless. He could have easily gotten lost in them if his eyes didn't continue to wonder. The striking color of her short, strapless party dress brought out the best qualities of her skin tone, and the tights she's wore adorned her legs with detailed lace designs, but the part of her outfit that caught Eddie's eye the most were the black leather boots with yellow stitching on her feet, obviously well-loved. "Nice Docs." He says, pointing at her shoes. When his eyes make their way back to hers, he finds her smiling at him with a spark in her eye.

"Wanna dance?" She asks over the music. Eddie raises his brows at her forwardness.

He blinked a few times, "I, uh, yeah." Her smile brightens as she reaches forward and takes Eddie's hands. He could've sworn he would die on the spot the way this girl was making his heart race.

For the first few seconds, they dance while holding hands, getting into each other's rhythm. Soon thereafter, the girl closes the gap between her and Eddie, guiding his hands to her waist. Eddie wasn't sure if it was showing, but God, was he on fire. He was thankful, for even if it was showing, his newfound partner was quick to close her lovely eyes and get lost in the music. Eddie was trying so hard to keep his mind blank, to stay in that blissful emptiness he'd found, but he couldn't. His eyes were too busy feeding his brain.

He swayed and moved in sync with the girl in front of him, mesmerized by her. She was breathtaking. He wasn't sure she knew how stunning it was to witness her get lost in the moment. He wished he could take this moment and loop it in his brain forever.

At first it seemed like he got what he wanted, because soon enough he was back losing track of time but for a very different reason. He didn't feel numb this time. He felt alive. He felt everything, the blood rushing through his veins, the rapid beating of his heart, the internal push and pull of the air in his lungs. He felt it all, and he burned with desire.

It wasn't lust, at least not completely. He didn't know what, but he knew he desired so much more with this girl. He wanted to know her. He wanted her to know him. He needed to know her. At this point, he was no longer a wall to dance on. They were partners, switching between who would follow and who would lead.

She would sway to one side, and he would follow. He would spin her around and guide her hips to move in sync with his, and she would follow. Their dancing was close and intimate. It erased all thoughts from his brain. His only focus was her.

They danced together for the entire night, not once leaving each other's sight. By now, the crowd had begun to disburse, and the DJ started playing slower, instrumental songs. It became a lot more sensual as the night was dying down.

Eddie couldn't feel his legs. They were aching, and he knew he'd be sore tomorrow, but it didn't matter. His mystery girl had her back pressed into his front, flush against him. His arms were wrapped around her loosely, one hand resting on her hip and the other ghosting the top of her thigh. He wasn't going anywhere, and he'd be damned if he stopped because he was tired.

Her head was leaning back on his shoulder, eyes closed. Eddie's eyes remain open, though half covered with heavy eyelids. The side of his chin and the corner of his lips was against her temple. Each breath he took danced across her forehead.

Even with her back to him, Eddie still found a way to stare at her, taking in every facial feature, the soft curve of her nose bridge that led into a rounded tip, her full, two toned lips. The curls around her neck were damp with sweat and now sticking to her skin. Any time he would think of it, his blood began to run wild at the feeling of her hair against the skin of his now exposed chest. The lights were no longer dancing. They were now on a low, warm setting. Eddie's mind flooded with the idea of laying next to his mystery girl in his room. This is what she would look like illuminated by nothing but the warm, dim light of his bedside table lamp. Maybe they could talk, maybe he'd reread his favorite books to her, maybe they would just lay side by side, and he could admire her beauty while she slept.

His thoughts were cut short by the feeling of her turning around to face him. His hands fell to rest at the small of her back, her hands finding their way to the sides of his neck. He could feel fire where her thumbs caressed his jaw. She pulls him closer so their foreheads rest against one another. "The DJ is trying to kick us out."

He stares at her lips. Her voice cuts through him, like every word she says is for him and him only. "I think he can wait." Eddie replies, this causes the girl to smile. The sight of her warm smile causes a grin to slip onto Eddie's lips. "I don't want to go." He states honestly. She leans back just enough to look him in the eyes. His eyes widened, pleading with her. She pulls his body impossibly closer, their noses nearly touching. Eddie swore he could melt into a puddle on the spot from the wide eyed, innocent look she gave him. He could kiss her.

"What's your name?" She asks, finally, now that the music is no longer deafening.

"Eddie. Eddie Munson." It was a strange feeling every time he had to introduce himself. It happened for the first time with his coworkers. No one in his new circle already knew him by rumors or word of mouth. He could start anew.

"Well, Eddie. Eddie Munson. You are possibly the best dance partner I could've ever asked for." This causes Eddie to smile wide and toothy. "I hope you'll come back around some time." The DJ faces out the music and turns the lights up a little, causing the girl to stop their swaying movements. Eddie would've stayed there in silence, swaying with his mystery girl until the end of time.

She began to lead him to the parking lot, hand in hand. Once completely outside, the lot was less packed than when he and his friends arrived, but there were still plenty of people chatting it up by their cars. He looked out and could see Lex and Cam perched up on the hood of his ride. Lex was staring up at the night sky. Cam was cross armed and people watching.

Once outside, there were a few gazes that would catch him, but then they would go back to talking with their friends. Eddie's full attention was brought back to his girl as he felt her hand slowly slip out of his. He went to grip it, stopping her from slipping away further. He turned to her fully, her doing the same to him. He grabbed her other hand in his, giving her a puppy eyed stare. "Will I see you again?" he asks. She smiles, brightly, her face lighting up. Eddie wouldn't mind if he were to go blind from the glow she was emitting.

"Maybe," she looks down shyly and swings their clasped hands.

"I know this place." He starts, not wanting to let her leave. "My friend Lex showed it to me. Barley's. We should go together sometime. They have the best food." Eddie rambles. The smiling girl nods. "It's on the corner of 112 and 19th Ave. Meet me there tomorrow afternoon?"

"Okay." She beams. Eddie smiles wide. The girl starts to walk backwards and slowly slips out of his hands. "It's a date." She continues to walk backwards a few steps before turning and walking to her car alone. Eddie watches her the entire way, catching her shy glance back at him, until she disappears into her vehicle. A high pitched scream can be heard from behind him, making Eddie jump just before he feels a pat on his back. He turns his head to find Lex jumping up and down clapping and Cam smiling at him.

"My baby has got himself a date!" Lex shouts like a proud mother. Cam laughs.

"Who knew? White boy got game." Cam teases and wiggles his brows. Eddie rolls his eyes, and they all begin waking back to Cam's car.

"Where's Marcus?"

"Passed out, drunk in the back seat." Lex replies, rolling her eyes. She's first to reach the car, getting in quickly to protect her exposed skin from the chilly, night air. Just as Cam opens his door and Eddie reaches for the handle of the passenger door, Cam speaks.

"Soooo," Cam draws out, leaning on the roof of the car, "What's the lucky girl's name?"

Eddie freezes with wide eyes. His hand finds its way to his forehead with a loud smack.

"Your stupid ass didn't ask for her name?!" Lex's voice could be heard coming from inside the car, a bit muffled but still clear as day. Cam shakes his head and chuckles, slipping into the driver's seat.

Eddie groans loudly the entire way into the car, Lex reaching around the seat to hit the back of his head. He slams his door closed behind him and leans forward, smacking his head on the dashboard.

"Bro, I tOLD YOU ABOUT SLAMMING MY DOORS!"

I've posted a "moodboard" of sorts for this fic on my page under #party girls swiss fic. It has a photo of what I imagined the reader as in this fic, soooo if you don't want the illusion broken, don't look LOL

[thetargaryenbride]

Nail To The Coffin - S3 - Chapter 8

Warnings: canon-violence, blood, gore, angst, death

Pairing: Steve Harrington x f!Byers!Reader

Word Count: 7662

𝐀𝐍: 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰, 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵, 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵. 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐎𝐎𝐂 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵! 🖤 🥀

Masterlist || Chapter 7 || Chapter 9

“Hey, kid.”

Your attention was grabbed by Hopper who was approaching you with a gun in hand and seemed to be ready to depart. You and Steve straightened up with the intention of standing on your feet so you could properly send him off.

“No, don’t get up,” he lifted a hand, motioning you to sit still as he sat down next to you instead and looked at you, visibly hesitating and mulling over the words he wanted to say to you. “Listen, I want you to take it easy, okay? Don’t do anything reckless or stupid and just rest while we go fix this... And when I come back, we’re gonna talk about everything, hm?” he asked, giving you a knowing look, and you nodded, managing a smile through the physical and emotional pain you were trying to keep at bay.

Hopper was probably the only person who understood you when it came to the whole substance abuse issue and you were honestly glad you found a kindred spirit in him. He could relate and he was the one person who knew best how to help you get over this.

“Come here,” he beckoned you over and you didn’t hesitate to leave Steve’s embrace and fall into Hopper’s, hugging the man tightly and closing your eyes, trying to savor the feeling because for some reason you felt like you weren’t going to do that for a long time.

“Be careful…old man,” you muttered and he rubbed your back, placing a kiss on the crown of your head, before pulling away and looking at Steve sternly but also fondly.

“Hey…you take care of my kid, ok?”

“Yes, sir,” spoke out the boy with a firm tone and Hopper’s lip curled up in a sort of a proud smirk.

In the meantime, your attention was grabbed by one of your best friends and you looked at him with worry, body tensing as you remembered that he had to set off away from here soon.

“And you? Are you sure you’ll be fine?” you asked Eddie and he lifted a brow.

“Excuse me, are you questioning my ability to look after two stupid kids and drive to a hill?”

“Pardon,” you lifted your hands in surrender and he laughed.

“It’s gonna be ok. Me and, uh…Robin?” he asked and Steve nodded. “We’ll take care of those two. And after that, all of us should grab an ice cream to celebrate. And it’s gonna be on the house. Right, big boy?” he grinned foxily at Steve and the boy rolled his eyes but smiled either way. “You worry about yourself, m’kay? ‘Cause the withdrawal symptoms are only gonna get stronger from now on,” his eyes softened at the sight of your form slumped tiredly in your boyfriend’s arms.

“I’ll be fine. You better go, though. We have no time to waste,” you reminded him and he almost jumped, eyes widening as he turned to look at Robin, Dustin, and Erika who were glaring at him with discontent, the former tapping her foot in annoyance.

“Shit! Yeah, uh, I gotta go. See you guys later!” were his last words before he bolted towards the trio and they headed out of the mall.

“Well…that’s that,” sighed Steve. “It’s our turn to leave now,” he said as he and Hopper carefully helped you stand up and held you steadily as you began walking.

“Hey, hold on. I need to see Mom,” you let go and approached Will and your mom who were in the middle of a conversation. Steve wanted to follow you but Hopper put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, telling him to let you have your moment.

“You just stick close to your brother and sister and-and do what they say. You three take care of each other,” said Joyce as she rubbed Will’s arms up and down.

“I’m not worried about me, Mom, I’m worried about you.”

“Oh, honey, I’m gonna be fine.”

“Mom?” you interrupted them which got their attention and the two immediately grabbed you by each arm to bring you in for a hug.

“I’m gonna be fine. Everything will get better. You’ll see,” she spoke reassuringly to you as she hugged you both tightly and you allowed yourself to feel a bit more at ease.

“Ok, Mom. That’s enough. I can’t breathe,” choked out Will and she chuckled lightly, letting you go.

“Y/N/N, Will…c’mon. Time to go,” Steve reminded and you nodded, taking him by the hand.

You threw your mother and Hopper one last look over your shoulder and a part of you couldn’t help but fill with worry and unease. But at the same time, you knew that the two of them were more than capable of handling any situation. They have proven it over the years. So besides the worry, there was also hope. Besides, you trusted Murray. He was very smart so he was definitely going to be of help. You were going to survive this. Maybe not without some damage points but you were going to come out alive.

Anything else could be overcome.

Your group moved slowly because you and Eleven were injured and needed help from the others, but eventually, you made your way out of the mall where Nancy’s car was waiting for you. Murray had given you the keys to his home and you were supposed to drive all the way there. It wasn’t far but it wasn’t near either.

You were in for a trip.

It kind of unsettled you that you had to leave Hawkins altogether.

But maybe you weren’t going to leave Hawkins after all.

Because the car was damaged and didn’t want to start.

“What’s wrong?” asked Jonathan and Nancy shook her head in confusion.

“I don’t know,” she twisted the key over and over but the engine didn’t roar to life. “You can’t be serious. Come on!”

You tuned out the kids asking Nancy a dozen questions about the car as you focused your gaze outside the window, while Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve went to open the hood to check what the problem was, and your eyes widened when you saw a familiar car in the distance.

“Guys, he’s-“ before you could warn them that Billy was here, he gained everyone’s attention by revving his engine and their heads snapped to look at him, faces distorting in fear.

“Shit. We should get back inside. Now!” yelled Steve as he tapped the kids’ shoulders and made them rush out of the car.

He didn’t even allow you to walk this time as he just lifted you in his arms and all of you dashed inside the building.

“What do we do now?” asked Steve frantically as he sat you back down on the bench and sat next to you, having you lean on him and wrapping an arm around your shoulders.  

“I say we call Eddie and the others. I mean, they can leave Dustin and Erica at the hill and come back for us,” offered Lucas and the others nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” said Mike as he quickly grabbed a walkie-talkie and began calling for the other group to answer.

“Steve, I don’t like this,” you stuttered out and his grip tightened. “If Billy is here that means the monster is coming,” you buried yourself in his chest and placed a kiss on the crown of your head.

“We’re going to be okay.”

“I’m scared,” you admitted and he closed his eyes, kissing you again and stroking your cheek gently.

“I’m going to protect you this time,” he murmured. “I promise I will.”

“Do you copy!? We are trapped in the mall and in need of emergency transportation!” shouted Mike for the nth time and the despair in the atmosphere only grew.

It was pure chaos when Jonathan and some of the others tried to turn around the fallen car because he had figured out that the only thing they needed to get was the ignition cable, only to fail miserably.

“Guys!” you drew their attention and they stopped what they were doing to look at you. “Don’t do it like that. You gotta combine all your strength,” you reminded them and Lucas snapped his fingers in realization.

“Exactly! And we need levers!”

“Go help them,” you told Steve and he looked like he wanted to argue but relented nonetheless, letting go of you begrudgingly and joining the rest.

Just when they had succeeded in turning the car around and taking the cable, just when you had thought things were finally going to work out for you all, another catastrophe happened – the one you had been the most afraid of.  

You and Will barely had the time to alert the others of the familiar, gnarly feeling you would get every time the Mind Flayer was near, before a part of the ceiling got shattered to pieces under the weight of the monster, raining glass shards on top of you, Max, and Will.

“Hide!” yelled Mike as he grabbed Eleven by the hand and ran away, the others not hesitating to follow his warning.    

Steve quickly ran to you and pulled you into his arms, dashing towards Scoops Ahoy, and ducking behind the corner just when the monster landed down, cracking up the place you had just been standing on as it let out a terrifying screech, followed by a threatening, guttural snarl. Your heartbeat increased as your anxiety levels spiked drastically and you found it difficult to breathe as your brain got overloaded by traumatic memories. Your whole body began trembling and Steve squeezed your hand with his while the other went to clutch your face.

“Hey, hey, look at me,” he locked eyes with yours and you choked out a whimper as tears gathered in your eyes and began rolling down your bruised cheeks. “It’s going to be okay. We just have to keep quiet and it won’t find us. It’s not going to find us,” he whispered firmly and you nodded, managing to gain some control of your breathing as you buried your head in his shoulder and shut your eyes, trying to imagine something nice instead.

You imagined the end of it all.

You imagined that you defeated the Mind Flayer once and for all and you were back home with everyone else, safe and sound.

The creature let out another loud snarl which sent another harsh tremor through you, shaking you up to the core, and you clasped your hands over your ears while Steve’s hold on you tightened even more as he rocked you back and forth.

Will wasn’t faring much better either.

He was on the other side, hiding behind the wrecked car, with his knees tucked to his chest, arms wrapped around them as he tried to contain his shaky breathing. Everything inside him was screaming and traumatic memories, much similar to yours, were making their return, flooding him with anguish, panic, and anxiety.

Jonathan took a firm hold of his hand and the boy turned to look at his older brother, eyes glistening and full of fear.

“It’s gonna be okay,” silently mouthed Jonathan and Will gulped, his tense body relaxing just a tad bit.

Suddenly, the sound of metal hitting the tiled floor resonated through the air alongside a small girlish yelp. The clang sounded much louder in the deathly silence than it would have done otherwise, and everyone, including the monster, heard it loud and clear.

“Fuck,” whispered Steve and you pulled away so you could peek over the counter to see what was happening, trying to suppress your fear of the alien, and he mirrored you.

The monster let out an angry screech as it went in the direction of ‘The Gap’ and it dawned on you that someone from the group must have gone that way and had probably accidentally toppled something on the ground.

“We have to draw its attention away from them,” muttered Steve and your head snapped to look at him as if he was crazy.

“Are you mad?” you whisper shouted through grit teeth and he tilted his head, opening and closing his mouth as if he battled against the words he wanted to spill. “You literally can’t do anything! You’ll only end up drawing it to yourself and die. Don’t you dare do anything stupid, Steve, or I swear to the gods, I will shave your head while you’re sleeping,” you threatened with narrowed eyes and his widened in shock and horror.

“N-not the hair,” he groaned lowly as his hand went to touch and smooth out his hair. “You went too far,” he looked at you with the eyes of a kicked puppy and you clicked your tongue, face scrunching up in regret.

“You’re right…I’m sorry.”

Just then, you saw Lucas stand up and both of your faces morphed into fear as you watched him pull his string and shoot in the opposite direction. He managed to hit a balloon and it popped loudly, successfully getting the attention of the creature. Thankfully, Lucas ducked down and hid in time, making you and Steve let out relieved breaths.  

“Okay, let’s go, go, go,” rambled the boy as he quickly lifted you in his arms and went to Scoop Ahoy’s backroom from where he easily, and without the threat of a looming monster, accessed the staff corridors.

He ran down the narrow hallways and staircases as if the devil himself was chasing him and to both your surprise, you ended up meeting the rest of your party in a place where the corridors met.

“Oh, thank God you managed to get away!” exclaimed Jonathan once he saw you and Steve, and soon after, everyone found their way out of the mall.

Steve set you on the ground so he could take a breath and you rubbed his back soothingly as he bent down and wheezed. He had just run a marathon with you in his arms. You couldn’t blame him for being winded even if he was a good athlete. Not to mention he already went through the grinder for the past day or so, both physically and mentally. It was a wonder he was still able to stand on his feet after everything the Russians did to him.

“You’re my hero, Steve,” you whispered after you also bent a little, one hand still rubbing his back while the other gripped his arm, and he let out a breathy chuckle before he straightened up and wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer and resting his chin on top of your head.

The short moment of peace was ruined when a familiar revving of an engine almost busted your eardrums and you gulped, turning around to see Billy’s car in the distance.

“Shit,” let out Jonathan and Steve at the same time.

“Get the car started. Go!” ordered Nancy as she circled the vehicle and took out her gun.

“Nancy,” you let out as you wrenched yourself off Steve’s grip and marched her way. “Nancy, wait!” you shouted as you grasped her wrist and lowered the gun she was preparing to fire at Billy with, making her face you with confusion plastered on her face.

“Y/N what are you doing?”

“You can’t just shoot at him. What if you kill him!?” you countered and she folded her lips.

“It’s him or us.”

“And why do we have to choose? Why can’t we save him too?” you asked with a mixture of desperation and hope.

“Because you can’t save everyone!” she raised her voice and you deflated, biting your tongue, not knowing what else to say because she had a point.

Just then, Billy’s car roared into life and he began driving towards you, increasing the speed more and more.

“Get inside!” yelled Jonathan and Steve’s eyes widened as he rushed to your and Nancy’s side.

“Y/N, Nancy, get away!”

Just as all of you prepared to face death head-on, and Steve wrapped his arms around you and Nancy as if he’d be able to somehow protect you from the power of a speeding car, a familiar van entered everyone’s periphery vision, and before anyone could process what was going on, the two vehicles crashed.

The van, being larger and heavier than the Chevy, managed to send the other car hurtling away from you all. It spun a couple of times before it hit one of the massive columns which instantly knocked Billy out and seconds later, a fire began spreading from inside the broken vehicle.

“I hope y’all saw this,” wheezed Eddie as he and Robin exited the van and approached the group with heavy steps. “Because I’m not doing it again.”

“Dude, that was insane!” exclaimed Steve with a smile as Eddie dragged his feet to the boy and the two fist-bumped one another.

“You okay?” Eddie turned to ask Robin who was trying to calm her breathing and she shrugged slowly, shaking her head.

“Ask me tomorrow?”

“It’s going to explode,” you muttered and everyone looked at you questioningly. “The car is going to explode,” you raised your voice slightly as panic began creeping up on you, and before your boyfriend or anyone else could take hold of you, you stumbled forward as fast as your body allowed you to.

“Hey, hey!” called out Steve as he ran after you, accompanied by Eddie, Robin, and Nancy, and tried to grab your arm. “What are you doing? Do you have a death wish?”

“Steve, let go! We can’t waste time now!”

“No.”

“So we just leave him to burn to death then?”

“I say good riddance,” joined Eddie. “Did you forget? He’s the enemy.”

“What is wrong with all of you!?” you yelled angrily as you yanked your arm out of Steve’s iron hold and their eyes widened. They did not remember ever seeing you this mad before. The disappointment and the rage in your eyes nailed them to the spot. “How can you say that!? How can you so easily doom someone to die!?”

When they couldn’t answer you, you let out a huff through your nose and whirled on your heel, heading towards the burning car.

“Billy,” you called out once you reached it and saw him leaning against the window, unconscious. “Billy, c’mon,” you sniffed as tears of helplessness blurred your vision. “C’mon, don’t do this to me,” you whimpered as you opened the door and your shaky hands fumbled with the belt, trying to release the boy from the contraption. It clicked and slithered back inside, finally allowing Billy’s body to be moved. You took hold of his arms and began pulling when you felt a hand on your lower back and your head shifted so you could take a look at the person behind you.

“It’s okay, I’ve got him,” muttered Steve a bit grumpily and you stepped aside to give him access.

Eddie joined the boy and the two managed to lift Billy with a grunt and drag him out of the car while Nancy and Robbed took hold of each of your arms and helped steady you as you walked, the three of you making your way back to Nancy’s car while Steve and Eddie were busy dragging Billy somewhere away from everyone else and away from the possible explosion range.

“C’mon, guys! Hurry up!” shouted Robin urgently as her eyes darted between the boys and the growing fire and you could see them dump Billy’s body at a random place and run to you.

“Oh, shit!” snapped Eddie and everyone looked up, blanching at the sight of the monster that had crawled on top of the roof.

“Wait, where are Eleven and the others!?” you asked worriedly and everyone looked around, finally noticing the absence of El, Max, and Mike.

“They’re probably still hiding inside.”

“W-what do we do!?” raised her voice Robin as her hands flew to her head. “Do we go back inside?”

“Oh, hell no! I think they’ll be plenty safe because we are drawing this motherfucker’s attention!” screeched Eddie.

“Get in! Quick!” yelled Jonathan and everyone rushed inside the car.

Nancy took the passenger seat, Eddie squeezed in the backseat alongside Will and Lucas, and Steve, Robin, and you got at the very back.

Jonathan didn’t waste time and sped up, successfully avoiding all of you being smashed by the monster that landed on the exact same spot you had been standing on just seconds ago, driving away just as Billy’s car exploded.

“Y/N, are you crazy!?” exclaimed Steve in disbelief now that he had the opportunity to properly pour out everything that’s been weighing on him since the moment you decided to go after Billy. “Why did you put yourself at risk for him!? What if something had happened to you?” his eyes darted across your face, full of worry, and Will, Eddie, and Lucas turned around to look at you, horror still gripping their hearts after witnessing everything.

“Because I was him!” you snapped, your anger from earlier not forgotten and not having gone away, making everyone flinch. “But I got another chance at life! And I had people who risked it all to save me! You weren’t there to see,” your raised voice lowered into firm talking as you made sure to remind him that he wasn’t there to see you and the others struggle in a battle of life and death against the alien and its army at the sauna, after the sauna, at the hospital, at Hopper’s cabin – your battle especially had been one of the hardest to deal with.  

And it’s like this reminder hit him harder than a lightning bolt and sent another wave of guilt and regret in him.

“Nobody is trying to help him,” your voice cracked. “Nobody is trying to lend him a hand,” you stuttered out pitifully. “Why do I get to live and he gets abandoned?” you asked and everyone faced away, not being able to look you in the eyes because they had no answer to your question and they were ashamed to admit it. They were ashamed to admit how easily they would’ve abandoned the boy in that burning car, just because they didn’t know him well enough and because he wasn’t a part of the group. “If he ends up dying, rotting in the ground all alone, I don’t know about you but I will surely, never forgive myself,” you bit out wobbly.

“Alright, and what happens if we do try to help him and fail?” inquired Steve and your nose and eyebrows scrunched up angrily once again.  

“Then at least we would’ve tried! And it won’t weigh that heavily on your conscious,” you bit out poisonously and he and the others did a double-take, feeling as if someone splashed them with cold water.

Yet for some reason, Steve felt as if you singled him, and probably Eddie, out. Because it was the two of them who had been quick to oppose you going to save Billy. Your words cut deep like a dagger and your seething anger and desperation were wounding him, but he had to remind himself that this was not the real you talking. You were not attacking him or the others. You were just heavily stressed, panicked, guilty, on edge, just to name a few, not to mention that the withdrawal symptoms must have kicked in and were probably making you more irritable, snappy, overly sensitive to anything, and more prone to anger outbursts.

As if realizing what you had just said and how you had said it, your thundering face melted into one of regret, wrinkles, and angry lines smoothing out as you tilted your head and opened your mouth, wanting to say something but the words simply got stuck in your throat.

“No, it’s okay,” Steve was quick to calm you down as he placed a hand on your cheek and you shut your eyes, not being able to look at him. “I understand. And oddly enough…I agree,” he conceded and your eyes fluttered open to study his face.

“What?”

“I’m saying that you’re right…We were quick to discard Billy just because he’s not part of our group. We were actually going to let him burn to death when… he’s not the real enemy we should be getting rid of,” admitted the boy with heavy heart and guilt and you sighed.

“It’s okay…people can do crazy things when on edge and when they’re desperate to protect their loved ones,” you whispered and his lip twitched.

Suddenly, a nauseous feeling overtook you, making you gag. The whole moving, running, jumping jerking around, the stress, the panic, had taken a toll on you and it was showing.

“I don’t feel too well,” you groaned and Steve let you lean on him and rest.

Just then, you heard Dustin’s voice through the walkie-talkies but he wasn’t talking to any of you. He was talking to a girl.

“Suzie,” exclaimed Steve and Robin simultaneously.

You found it ridiculous when Suzie pretty much forced Dustin’s hand and they began singing but oddly enough, their singing sort of soothed you. It was like a breath of fresh air amid the chaos, like a beautiful flower blooming amongst bloodshed on a worn-out battlefield.

“Guys, it’s turning around!” announced Steve and everyone turned to see what he was talking about.

“What?”

“The monster. It’s turning around!”

“Maybe we wore it out?” offered Lucas.

“I don’t think so,” countered Jonathan as he took a sharp turn, making everyone yelp at the sudden movement.

You gagged, body lurching, nausea returning full force, and you clamped a hand over your mouth.

“Jonathan, stop!” yelled Steve and the boy hit the brakes, the sound of screeching invading your eardrums painfully.

Steve quickly opened the backdoor and you stumbled out clumsily, your knees hitting the asphalt, as you threw up whatever little contents your stomach held. Steve had thankfully reacted quickly and had pulled your hair away, rubbing your back soothingly, while the others scrunched up their faces in sympathy.

“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay,” muttered your boyfriend encouragingly as you took a large gulp of air and slowly stood up on shaky legs with his help.

“Here,” Robin offered a bottle of water that Nancy had fished out and handed to her, and you gladly took it, quickly rinsing your mouth off the pungent taste and spitting it out on the ground.

“Okay, let’s go,” you breathed out and Steve helped you climb in.

Your brother spared you one last concerned look before he sped off again, driving as fast as possible after the monster and back to the mall you had just escaped from.

What you didn’t expect once you got in the building, was to find Billy standing over a helpless Eleven, Max and Mike nowhere in sight, and the monster descending from above. It was like a picture from some dark, twisted Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

But this time you were prepared to fight off the villain.

“Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!” yelled Lucas as he hurled a lit firework at the monster and it exploded in its face, making it screech and recoil.

And you? You were tired of playing the role of a damsel in distress. Now was the time when you had to be useful, somehow. Now was the time to tackle your fear and anxiety and be of help to the people around you. They needed you. Or at least they needed the strong version of you that always handled things with an iron will – the reliable version of you that took care of everything with ‘ease’ and managed to get out of any situation. So you were going to be that person despite it all. You refused to back down and cower while the rest risked their lives.

There was time to cower. There was time to cry. There was time for nightmares. But it was not now.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” asked Steve once you began hobbling over to the escalators and you frowned.

“We can’t leave her to struggle alone against Billy. I suggest you distract him while I help her escape.”

“You actually want me to get into a fight with him?” his eyebrows shot to his hairline in surprise and you sent him an apologetic look.

“I don’t want you to get hurt, but there is nobody else I can trust with such a mission. Take this as an opportunity to show off your skills. Dustin always teases you about never winning fights, right? Prove him wrong.”

“I already did,” he smirked proudly as the two of you began walking further you arched a brow.

“You did?”

“Hey, don’t act so surprised! I’m not that bad of a fighter,” he grumbled with mock offense and you let out a soft snort.

Once on the floor below, you had to take cover because the firework show and the trashing of the monster were too intense.

“Look,” you pointed with your head. “Hurting the monster is affecting him.”

“That’s going to be of help,” muttered the boy as he slowly stood up, careful to not get spotted by Billy or the monster. “Stay here, I’ll skip to the sports store.”

“What?” you whisper shouted. “Steve, we don’t have time. We have to take El somewhere safe, now.”

“I know, just give me a minute. I promise,” were his last words before he snuck away and you let out a sharp puff of air as you wiped the sweat off your forehead and focused your gaze back onto Billy and the girl.

When you saw Eleven crawling away from the boy, hope arose within you. But it was quickly squashed when you noticed Billy march towards her and grab her by the leg, dragging her back to the previous spot like a sack of potatoes.

“No,” you murmured as you watched horrified the way she tried to wriggle from his grasp but couldn’t escape. You looked at Steve who had stopped for a second to glance at you, as if knowing you were about to do something stupid, and even with the distance you could read his eyes begging you to sit still.  

You cursed under your breath, trying to battle any and all symptoms wracking your body, as you slithered out of your hiding spot, ignoring Steve’s yells of protest, and ran towards Billy.

He was struggling to keep Eleven down and his back was turned on you, body bent a little, which gave you the perfect access and opportunity to jump on him. Your brothers’ eyes widened in utter shock as they watched how Billy straightened up immediately and you wrapped your legs around his torso and your arms around his neck as you put as much pressure as you could muster, hoping to choke the oxygen out of his lungs and hurtle him into the depths of unconsciousness. That way he wouldn’t be a threat. And maybe you could follow through with your previous abandoned plan and take his body to the sauna on the upper floor at the Jazzercise studio.

He let out a strangled, enraged shout as he gripped your arms and clawed at them, trying to pry them off him, but you held on tightly. He staggered and approached one of the big columns. Within seconds you realized what he was about to do but you couldn’t let go of him on time as he rammed against the column which knocked the air out of you and made you feel dizzy as your back and head collided with the hard, stone surface.

You let out a choked groan and yelp of pain when he backed into it once again, the pain getting unbearable, causing your grip to loosen which allowed him to grab your body and pry it away from his, pushing you harshly. You staggered in your steps and tried to keep your balance and not trip when he backhanded you so hard you fell on the floor. Jonathan and Will immediately ceased the throwing of fireworks and ran towards the escalators, not being able to withstand watching you try and fail to fight off Billy so El could slip away. The Mind Flayer had no use of you now. So this time they were sure he wouldn’t hesitate to kill you which chilled them to the bone.

You didn’t even get a couple of seconds in which you could regain your bearings and try to get up because he was already coming for you and was right at your feet. You tried to kick his groin but he grabbed your ankle and yanked it to the side, kneeling down and spreading your legs so he could nestle between them and get better access to you, ignoring your yelp of pain and attempts at struggling against his steel grip. Panic gripped at your brothers’ hearts as they almost tripped on their feet while running down the escalators, watching with horror the way Billy grabbed you by the throat with both hands and began choking the air out of you without hesitation, his grip now much stronger than that time at the hospital.

You trashed and flailed underneath him, hands going to claw at his as you desperately tried to fight him off but he was so powerful that he barely budged.

That’s when Steve intervened.

The moment he had seen you charge at Billy, he hadn’t wasted time dashing into the sports store. He had torn the place until he had found the baseball section and had grabbed the first bat he had laid eyes on, as he had previously planned. When he had come out of the store and had seen Billy slap you and pin you down, strangling you, he had seen red. He crossed the floor at record speed and rammed himself against the boy, knocking his body away from yours.

You took a sharp breath of air and coughed, hands flying to clutch at your throat for the second time these past days, as you tried to take much-needed gulps of oxygen, relieved at the sensation filling your aching lungs. You felt hands grasp your shoulders and you lifted your head to see a panicked Will and Jonathan, and you leaned against them, allowing yourself to use them as your pillars. You watched on with worry as Steve collided the bat with Billy’s body and your own body recoiled slightly as if you yourself were just hit and were feeling the same physical pain Billy was. This had to stop. Billy wasn’t the enemy here. What was the point of breaking his body and killing him in the process when he was only being used as a meat suit?

“Steve!” you called out and the boy ceased in his movements, looking at you, his chest heaving, face red and twisted in a mad rage. “Please, stop,” you begged and you could see him visibly relax at the sight of you safe and sound in your brothers’ arms.

In that little moment of distraction, however, the monster kicked out one of its legs and harshly shoved Steve away, making him stumble and fall on the ground, rolling away from Billy, making you gasp loudly, hand flying to your mouth in shock as your heart dropped to your stomach. It roared, as if telling Billy to focus on Eleven because she was the important one and he slowly got on all fours and neared the girl who tried backing away. He climbed on top of her and you could see how hardened he has become under the control of the monster. But you could also see Eleven’s resolution and bravery in the face of horror. You could see her look straight into his eyes and touch his cheek gently, speaking softly to him.

He finally seemed to still and listen to her words and you could see him slowly begin taking control. Your brothers tried to stop you when you got on your feet and took a step toward him. But you could feel it. You could feel him. It’s like there was still a connection between you, just not tainted by the Mind Flayer’s darkness and control.

You swayed on your feet as you wondered if you should go to him or go take cover somewhere else and in the same moment Billy stood up as well and faced you. His eyes were full of sadness, regret, guilt, but also resolve – as if he had accepted his fate. Suddenly, you didn’t feel as confident in his future as you were a minute ago. You stopped in your tracks and reached a hand out as if to warn him to stop and not do anything stupid, his name dying on your lips as you watched and heard him let out a battle cry and face the monster that was roaring angrily at him.

You couldn’t even react properly or find your voice as you watched a tentacle shoot towards the boy and him grabbing it with his bare hands, managing to resist its power.

“No!” he yelled as he struggled against it and your eyes watered.

You found the strength in your legs again and began staggering towards Billy as fast as you could, fighting against your blurring vision and the aching of every bone in your body.

“Y/N, no!” bellowed Jonathan as he ran after you, followed by Will, reaching out to grab you by the arm and prevent you from going further and endangering yourself.

But before anyone could do or say anything more, the monster shot out more tentacles and pierced Billy in the back, in the abdomen, in his sides, causing the boy to let out a bloodcurdling, pain-filled scream that broke your heart even more.

Max, who had arrived at the scene barely a minute ago, could only watch with horror, rooted to one spot, how her big brother was giving up his life to protect her best friend.

Steve arose slowly, eyes widening at the sight of Billy on his knees, stained in his own blood that was no longer red in color but black like tar. He looked at you, then back at the boy, and his face hardened with determination as he sprinted to Billy’s side and grabbed him by the torso with one arm and by the shoulders with the other, trying his best to pry him away from the monster’s vines.

You gasped when you saw that the monster was preparing to shoot out yet another tentacle, this time aiming for Billy’s chest.

“Steve!”

“Billy!”

You and Max shouted simultaneously and the two boys stopped their struggling and looked up, finally seeing what the monster was planning to do.  

Everything happened as if in slow motion.

Without hesitation, Steve let out a powerful cry as he lunged forward and grabbed the tentacle before the monster even had the chance to shoot it out of its mouth and you covered yours with your hand as you watched on with shock. You could barely register Jonathan cursing and running to aid Steve, nor Eddie who had run down the escalators and was also sprinting in Steve’s direction to help him hold down the tentacle.

It was a mess.

Just when you were about to resume your path and join them in helping Billy, you saw the monster shudder violently. Your eyes furrowed in confusion as you saw it withdraw its tentacles, releasing Billy from its deadly clutch, and stagger backwards as it roared, skewered, and shook in what you assumed was pain. It lost its balance and kilted sideways, slamming against the second-floor railing before falling to the ground with a final screech.

It stayed there.

Unmoving.

“Oh my God,” you let out a strangled wail as you stumbled your way to Steve, Eddie, and Jonathan, and threw yourself on the ground in front of them, taking them in your arms and hugging them as best as you could. “Are you alright? God, are you alright?” you asked over and over as tears slid down your cheeks accompanied by sobs and hiccups. The boys didn’t hesitate to wrap you in their arms and squeeze you tightly, reassuring you that they were fine. “You three are crazy! You’re absolutely fucking bonkers!”  

You then pulled away and all of you turned to look at Billy who had fallen onto his back. You fought off a wave of nausea as you crawled towards him and your hands hovered over his injured torso before you put them over the gaping wounds on his stomach, ignoring the way he sputtered blood that landed on you.

“You’ll be ok, you’ll be ok, I swear, you’ll be ok,” you chanted through sobs and he shook his head.

Steve, Jonathan, Eleven, Max, Will, Eddie, and Mike were quick to join you and surround Billy, the redhead kneeling next to you and taking Billy’s hand in hers.

“Billy,” she stuttered out, eyes filling with tears. “Hang on. Help is coming, okay? You’ll be fine. Now is the moment to show off how tough you can be…Please,” the last word she whispered so brokenly that it tore your heart apart for the nth time today.

“Hey…You can’t go and leave me alone. Not after everything we went through in this hell,” you sniffed and he let out a small smile, managing to gather the last of his strength to lift his other hand by a bit and reach for you which you instantly took a hold of.

“You…are not alone,” he muttered, blood gurgling from his mouth and you leaned and pressed your forehead against his hand, lips trembling as more tears slid down.

“Billy?” Max looked on with fear as she noticed the way his eyes were getting more unfocused and the way his breathing was slowing bit by bit.

“The most…annoyin’…sister,” he mumbled as he looked at Max and squeezed her hand which had her eyes widen and jaw slack open.

Then his smile faded.

His eyes drooped.

The strength in his hands vanished.

And he lay there unmoving, much like the monster that had controlled him not long ago.

“No,” muttered Max as she shook her head and the tears she held captive finally broke free. “Billy!” she grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him but when he didn’t respond she broke down.

You let his hand rest on his stomach and straightened up, wrapping an arm around Max’s shoulders and bringing her into your embrace. You threw him one last glance before you shut your eyes tightly, not being able to withstand the sight anymore, as you hugged the girl tightly and stroke her hair as she cried against your chest and you rested your chin on top of her head. You were so spent that you didn’t have the power to cry anymore. You were pretty sure that you had just spent the tears you were given for a whole lifetime. You could only hold the weeping girl as you stared blankly at your dead friend.

You were so broken, both physically and mentally, that you were beginning to feel nothing.

Nothing but a void.

And you were scared it was going to swallow the little that was left of you.

And that you were going to end up like him, one way or another.

What followed after was a haze to you. It’s like you were there but at the same time, it’s like you were looking at yourself from outside your body. The noise, the sensations, the feelings, everything around you was duller, everything inside you was numb. You moved as if in a trance, allowing Steve and your brothers to take you outside the mall and then escort you to an ambulance with a medic’s help.

Jonathan had told them all about your condition in as much detail as he could put together, and the medics were quick to fill the gaps and give you the needed medicine which had worked its magic and you had sobered up a little bit, bringing you back to your senses.

“Max?” you asked your boyfriend and the two of you began searching for her with your eyes, seeing her by another ambulance with Eleven by her side whose leg was being examined.

You stood up and Steve and your brothers immediately grabbed your arms to provide support as you headed to the girls. Max looked at you through red-rimmed eyes and tried to give you a small smile to which you responded by shaking your head, face still twisted in despair, and wrapping an arm around her. You stroke Eleven’s cheek with your free hand and she grasped it with hers, managing to send you a small smile as if trying to tell you that she was feeling okay.  

And then your attention was drawn by a group of people exiting the building, among who were Murray and your mother. You heard Jonathan let out a breath of relief and Will ran to her immediately, bringing her in for a hug.

But you didn’t see Hopper and suddenly your gut clenched, the bad premonition you had felt when saying goodbye to him returning full force. El stood up, just as confused and expectant as you were, both of you trying to find Hopper amongst the crowd.

You glanced at your mother, sending her a questioning look much like Eleven had done. She only shook her head and shut her eyes, not being able to face you.

That spoke more to you than any words would have.

The pure anguish and regret on her face spoke more than any words would have, causing your heart to break into teeny tiny pieces which you thought was impossible at this point.

And then you knew that you had lost a father yet again.

_________________________

@anxiousbeech