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theladybarnes · 1 month

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CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER SEVEN

“What if I'm not good? What if I'm the monster?”

▸ summary: things get messy between the group and you feel as if you’re out of luck (&time) ▸ characters: steve harrington, eddie munson,dustin henderson, robin buckley, max mayfield, & nancy wheeler ▸ word count: 10k ▸ warnings: angst, semi-fluff, mentions of death, slight canon divergence ▸ series masterlist

“I guess the old man taught me well, huh?”

The sudden weight of falling down into the cold street hit you harder than you expected. Forcing you to reach out and grip onto the blue car behind you. Wait, you know this car.

“What?..” you whispered, taking a step back. It was Billy’s blue Camaro, still warm from being recently used. But you weren’t anywhere near his car– Your thoughts are cut off when you suddenly take in your dim reflection from the car window.

The entirety of your right eye was black and teary. Instead of being trapped in the mall again, you’re suddenly back from having just left the tunnels that had run beneath Hawkins. But if you're by Billy’s car then..

Turning around, you nearly gasped at the sight of Billy. He’s healthier than the last time you saw him. No Flayer tentacles stuck in his chest. No dead look in his eyes. He was back to the regular asshole you knew before. The sight of his former appearance has you taken back.

“Billy..” you croaked, unsure what to say. “I-...”

“She’s speechless.” Billy laughed, taking a step towards you. “What a nice change.”

Every part of you is aware that this isn’t real, but seeing him before you is leaving your mind puzzled. “You should go inside, Billy.” you got out eventually, gesturing toward his home, but the moment you glanced over, you noticed it was gone. The land stripped down to just the gutted floor of the house. Only the lawn had been laid intact.

“I don’t have a home anymore. I don’t have anything.” he said slowly, voice dark as he inched closer. You tried to step back, but something about his tone had your feet frozen in place. He took the chance to stand behind you now, wrapping his arms around you in order to pull you close.

He was ice cold.

“All because of you..” he said into your ear, tickling your skin with his cold breath.

“I didn’t..I didn’t do anything to you, Billy.”

“Exactly,” he agreed. “You didn’t help me..you didn’t save me. You let me die, you let the flayer get me.”

His grip got tighter, causing you to wince out in pain. You had to get out of this. “Let me go.” you said calmly despite the chill that was now coming up your spine. “Billy, let me GO.”

“It’s sad when you consider what’s happened,” he continued on, pressing his face against the side of yours. “Billy said that he loved you, tried to get back together with you, and you left him in the dust for a guy that wouldn’t even consider leaving town for you.”

There were so many alarms going off in your head but you couldn’t help but focus on one in particular.

“Billy? You mean yourself, right?” you asked, trying to turn your face to look at him. But he simply reached one of his cold arms up to pinch at your cheeks, forcing you to look at the empty lot in front of you.

“No one is ever going to pick you, you know? At the end of the day it’ll always be someone better, someone worth sticking around you. There’s no happy ending for you.” His lips ghosted around the base of your neck before he chuckled lightly against you. “No happy ending for us..”

You shook your head, trying to get his daunting words out of your head. “I’m nothing like you..”

That only made him even more amused, raising a laugh out of his chest. “We’re a lot alike, actually.” he hummed, “We use people for pleasure and toss them aside when they decide to go against what we want.”

“I don’t do that.” you said, turning around enough to face him. He looked at you with a smirk before he pinched at your cheek. “I would never do that to anyone.” you added, swatting his hand away.

“So you didn’t dump Steve for saying no to the big move?” he gasped, feigning shock. “Or better yet, you’re not ditching your poor Eddie after he left you alone to wander the forest? I mean, you didn’t even bother to let him speak. He’s probably beating himself up but you don’t care. Not when Stevie is giving you the ol’ love and attention you need. Which, let’s be honest, babydoll, is pretty shitty of you to use him for a quick fuck instead of talking things out. Thought that’s the sort of shit girls like to do.”

His words cut through you like knives, dredging up thoughts you tried to bury deep down. But then, something shifted. Billy mentioned Eddie, someone he couldn't possibly have known about. Their paths never crossed once if you thought hard about it.

"You don't know Eddie," you said slowly, voice struggling between sounding calm and trembling. "How could you possibly know what I’ve done with him if you’re dead..”

A sinister smile twisted Billy's lips as his grip tightened, sending searing pain coursing through your body. "He’s been watching you," he confessed, his voice dripping with malice. "And boy does he have plans for all of you..”

The world around you began to fall apart. The dark sky falling apart like fabric unraveling to reveal a dark crimson sky. The distance etched with bursts of lightning to light up a world in an ominous glow.

“This isn’t happening..” you promised yourself, eyes squeezed shut, desperately trying to convince yourself that this was just a dream, that none of it was real.

“Oh babydoll, did you still think this was just a dream?” (tick)

The arms around you felt different, and you opened your eyes in time to see Billy back to looking like the night of mall fire. His eyes glistened with tears and smile oozed with the dark bloody liquid that seeped from all over his wounds.

“Time for a wake up call.” (tock)

Before you could react, he shoved you with a force that sent you crashing to the ground. Landing hard on the unforgiving concrete that shot your body in instant pain. Just as you began to process what had just happened, a deafening roar filled the air.

To your right, the blinding headlights of an oncoming car came into your vision, hurtling toward you at a terrifying speed. You barely managed to get your hands up to cover your face right as it was about to hit you.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, you woke up.

Gasping for air, you sat bolt upright in bed, heart racing with adrenaline. Sweat soaked your skin, and a sense of lingering dread clung onto you like a heavy cloak. The warm glowing light of the sun peeked through your curtains. Nothing like the red haunting sky that was in your dream. New day, new nightmare. You thought.

“Hey, are you awake?”

Dustin burst into the room, nearly sending you back into panic mode as you scrambled to get out of the bed. Defensive position ready for the attack. The younger boy held onto the door knob in shock, holding a hand out too in case you were about to strike him.

“Whoa,” he chuckled nervously, looking at you carefully. “You okay? You’re all sweaty.”

You licked over your lips, pushing back the hair away from your face. “I’m fine.” you nodded, trying to calm yourself down. “Just got spooked.”

“Right,” he said slowly, skeptically, even. “Well, Steve called. Said he was going to head over here if you wanna shower or something before leaving.”

Turning away from your cousin, you tried to gain some sort of control over yourself as you trudged over to your dresser. Picking out some clothes you could change into after your shower. But from behind you could feel Dustin lingering at the door, a familiar worry still in the air.

“I’m fine, Dustin.” you said, before he could ask. You focused on the clothes before you gathered for your shower. “It was just a bad sleep.”

“You sure? Because..we’d all get if it you needed a day to jump back into–”

“I said I’m fine!” you snapped, turning around finally. The glare on your face is enough to have him take a step back. As if your words were a slap to his face. Guilt quickly filled into your gut and you rubbed a hand over your tired face. “I’m sorry I’m just tired.”

“I get it.” he cleared his throat, “I’ll be in the living room.”

Without another word, he turned on his heels and made his exit. Not two minutes into the day and you were already messing things up again.

“Time for a wake up call.”

You shuddered at the words that repeated in your head and quickly left the room. Hoping for the shower to wash away the remnants of your latest nightmare and give you a chance to start the day fresh.

The car ride to the supermarket was spent mostly with Dustin yammering to Steve about the plans for today while you sat quietly in the back. The nightmare that pulled you out of your sleep still left you frazzled. Even with the help of a hot shower that tried to wash away the haunting memory. So while Steve kept checking over you now and then, you managed to keep to yourself until you guys arrived at the market.

Instantly Dustin wandered off in search of snacks for Eddie once inside. Leaving you and Steve to navigate the supermarket aisles together as a small awkward tension lingered in the air. You focused on gathering supplies, your mind preoccupied with thoughts of what would be enough to last Eddie for the unforeseeable future.

"Hey," Steve's voice broke through the silence, causing you to glance up from the decorated can of the Smurf’s Beef Ravioli you were inspecting. His curious gaze met yours, and you couldn't help but notice the worry etched into his features.

"You look exhausted," he remarked softly, his tone filled with genuine concern.

You wanted to sigh.

Of course Steve would be the first one today to distinctly look past all the makeup you expertly applied this morning to notice the exhaustion you were feeling. After the harsh nightmare, the bags in your eyes seemed to take a permanent residence. Offering a weary smile, you attempted to brush past his observation in order to change the mood. “Is that your subtle way of saying I look terrible?”

His eyes widened, worried for a second that you were being serious. “Of course not!” he scoffed, moving closer to you. “You’re gorgeous..but I can tell you look exhausted.”

You watched him carefully, waiting to see if he’d crack from the line of questioning, but when he tilted his head at you, keeping a worried gaze, you let out the withheld sigh, giving in a little bit. “I had a pretty harsh nightmare, don’t think I really slept well the whole night.”

The palm of his hand met your cheek gently. Thumb rubbing against the soft skin before he reached over to push a piece of hair away from your face. "That bad, huh?" he murmured, looking at your features. "Why don't you let me stay over tonight? Just a friendly sleepover. You can wake me up if things get too intense."

You couldn't help but chuckle at his offer. Recalling the past summer filled with nights of him on the pretense of just sleeping. "A sleepover, really? With just the two of us?"

He shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's not like it's the first time I've slept over at your place."

You raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress a teasing grin from tugging on your face. “Well, if I recall correctly, we didn’t really sleep at those either.”

A faint blush crept up Steve's cheeks, and he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Okay, fair point," he admitted, a hint of embarrassment coloring his voice. "But seriously, I just want to help. You don't have to go through this alone."

It would be so easy to say yes. Give in to that natural urge that always wanted the company of the man before you. To have him by your side and give you all the attention and care you know he would willingly give to you. But your nightmare played in your mind again and you couldn’t help but feel the familiar twist of guilt form in your stomach again.

You opened your mouth to decline the offer when a case of YooHoos was placed quickly into the cart. An out of breath Dustin wiped over the sweat from his forehead, looking between the two of you expectantly. “It’s almost ten and we still have to pick up the others. Let’s go.”

Steve looked over still waiting on an answer from you but all you could do is offer a meek smile. “All right,” you nodded to Dustin. “Let’s head out.” Without looking back, you made your way towards the registers. Stomach twisting more than ever now.

Thankfully picking up Robin and Max turned out to be quicker than expected. Max had taken the bus to the other girl’s house, making the trips cut down less after Dustin explained you’d also have to make a stop at the hilltop to use his Cerebro. And after some unsettling updates from the Hawkins police department, you all were able to finally make the drive over to the Lipton boat house.

A part of you was slightly nervous to face Eddie again after yesterday. You never really felt the best after chewing out people you cared about. But add the hurt from the day before, plus the predicament with Steve, and the newest bit of information, your body was slowly aching in all sorts of places as you tried to navigate each feeling.

“The streets should be busy today, most of Hawkins are probably over their hangovers from Friday and have to go back to shopping for the week. We’ll have time to look for clues around the trailer later.” you heard Dustin say to everyone as he and Max took the lead towards the boat house.

“God,” you said suddenly, stopping in place. The days quickly calculated in your mind and you couldn’t help but feel another worry. Robin and Steve both turned at your voice, looking at you curiously before you wiped your hands over your face. “I was supposed to work with Keith today..”

The two of them looked at each other for a second before letting out amused chuckles.

“What’s so funny?” you frowned.

“Honey, Robin and I closed up the store at seven o’clock last night so we could all go find Eddie.” Steve cleared up.

“Not to mention Steve was gone a whole hour before that to go find you.” she snorted, trudging over with the groceries still in hand as she draped an arm over your shoulder. “We’re totally fired.”

“Fired?” you gaped, slightly worried by how easily over it they seemed to be. “B-but you guys needed the jobs!”

“There’s thousands of other part time jobs in Hawkins, kid.” Robin sighed, giving you a tight lipped smile. “We’ll just have to update our resumes..again.”

She left with that, leaving the two of you behind to join the others down the hill. Glancing at Steve, you opened your mouth, ready to apologize about his likely termination, but he quickly leaned over to press a finger to your lips.

“Don’t even think about apologizing.” he said sternly. “Because no one in the whole world could have stopped me from leaving. Not when it comes to you.”

Again, you’re left speechless by the man before you.

There couldn’t be any proper explanation as to why Steve continuously gave you more than you deserved. Not one that you would believe in anyway. You’ve hurt him, pushed him, and left him with no reason to do things for you. And off he’d go, ditching his life’s responsibilities just to look out for your well being.

It’s all so overwhelming and you find you’re stumped enough that it’s taking a second longer to think of a reply.

“Trouble..” he said after a second of your silence.

You quickly scrambled together a response good enough to divert the seriousness that he seemed to be leading things to lately. Something you know he’ll grow tired of eventually and confront you about. But for now, you’d stick with easing the already harsh day as best as you could.

“I was just going to say I’m glad we won’t have to wear that vest anymore.”

“Right.” he said, sucking in a sharp breath. Then suddenly, he leaned over enough that he could look at your face closely. “Are you..okay?”

Okay seemed to be the last word you’d use to describe yourself. Especially after this morning’s nightmare. But considering the man lost his job to help you out the last time, you figure you should cut this worrisome question short.

“I have a lot on my mind.” You shrugged. “Just..girl problems.”

His brows were knitted tightly together, skeptical of your response. But before he could throw in a follow up question, the sound of Robin calling out to you guys put a stop to that.

“We should go..” he said eventually.

Not wanting to lag behind any longer, you dashed down the hill to the others, catching a glance back to see Steve rub at his face until he remembered to follow after you. The two of you joined just in time to open the door into the boat house.

There’s a slightly yelp sound and the five of you watched as a frightened Eddie looked over at the doorway with wide eyes. Apparently he didn’t notice or hear any of you approaching at all.

“Delivery service!” Dustin exclaimed, a wide grin on his face as he lifted up the grocery bags.

Apparently, you weren’t the only one whose morning was off to a rough start.

The five of you gathered around Eddie, giving him a few minutes to calm down. But that calmness quickly left the moment Dustin gave him the box of Honeycomb. All there was after that was the crazy amount of crunching as Eddie stuffed as many as he could into his mouth.

“So we got, uh, some good news and some bad news.” Dustin started hesitantly. “How do you prefer it?”

“Bad news first, always.” Eddie said as if there’d be any other way.

“All right, bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they’re definitely looking for you.” he said before blinking hard, forgetting the last important fact. “Also, they’re, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy.”

“Like, one hundred percent kind of convinced.” Max said next, looking at him solemnly.

“And the good news?” Eddie asked, perplexed.

Robin looked down at him with a familiar gaze to Max’s as she spoke up next. “Your name hasn’t gone public yet. But if we found out about you, it’s a matter of time before others do too. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning out for you.”

You can’t help but feel worse hearing everyone lay out the information than from the dispatch. From where you stood behind Dustin, you could see as Eddie’s face paled at the truth.

“Hunt the freak, right?”

“Exactly.” Robin confirmed.

The memory of the crash came to mind from his words. Freak of the town. Now it was going to be a man hunt with him as the prey. Dustin before you held a hand out, piping in with what he figured would be words of encouragement.

“So, before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence.”

“That’s all, Dustin? That’s all?”

“Yeah, no, that’s pretty much it.”

You can’t help but snort at Dustin’s reply. Feeling the pessimism seeping into your mood. There were too many variables to this idea that made it almost impossible to complete. And while you didn’t want to join in on adding salt to Eddie’s wounds, you couldn’t help but shake your head.

“And after all this we’ll have you back home in time for dinner.” you said offhandedly, keeping your eyes down at your nails. Steve and Dustin turned their gazes over their shoulders to look over at you questionably, making you sheepishly wave them off as you stepped closer towards the group.

“Listen, Eddie,” piped Robin as she attempted to lift up his spirits. “I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we’ve actually been through this before. I mean, they have a..a few times,” she said gesturing to the three of you. Steve confirmed her words with a reassuring nod as she went on. “And..and I have once. Mine was more human-flesh-based, and theirs was more smoke-related, but bottom line is, collectively, I really feel we got this.”

“Yeah, see, we usually rely on this girl who has super powers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so uh..” Steve said quickly, adding a true fact that you felt didn’t really help much considering El wasn’t even in town in the first place.

“So, we’re technically in more of the–” Robin volleyed in.

“Kinda..”

“Brainstorming phase.” Max finished, seeming to conclude where Robin and Steve were going with their words.

“There..There’s nothing to worry about.” Dustin spluttered, attempting to bring the group in together.

Eddie was rightfully stunned at everyone, tilting his head in shock as he stared at his friend in disbelief. But he’s soon after glancing over to you finally. Looking for what you had to say. In fact, everyone glanced over at you, almost waiting for you to say otherwise.

And while you parents always said they admired your candor, not everyone around you reacted the best to it.

So, you shot him a small tight lipped smile, nodding your head to everyone. “We’re gonna help you, Ed.” you said honestly. “Just..hopefully without any more..complications.”

As if the universe was waiting for their cue, the sounds of sirens cut through the silence of the group. Grabbing all the attention off of you as everyone quickly reacted to the new possible threat.

“Tarp.” Robin pointed out. “Tarp!”

Eddie quickly concealed himself underneath the fabric while the rest of you dashed over to the windows. Peering out through the dirty glass in time to watch as police cars and ambulances zipped past the front of the house.

“Where the hell are they going?” you heard Dustin mutter under his breath. His gaze shifted up to you curiously.

“I don’t know, but we need to go find out.”

As the group dispersed from the boat house, you felt a hand gently grab at your arm, halting your exit. Turning around, you found Eddie out from the safety of his tarp. Looking at you with remorse in his eyes. You could practically feel how nervous he was.

"Hey," he began softly, "I need to talk to you for a sec."

Sensing where this conversation was going to go, you almost wanted to reject him. You weren’t sure how many tense conversations you could handle for the day. But seeing as you weren’t certain of when you’d actually see Eddie again, you nodded your head and stayed in place.

"I wanted to apologize," he continued, his voice tinged with regret. "For that shit back at the van, the woods, all of it. I know it was messed up,..I never meant for any of that to happen."

His words stirred conflicting emotions within you. Anger, frustration, but also a bit of understanding.

At this point, you knew Eddie. He was the same guy who’d get annoyed with your lectures about his fashion taste, or who’d try and kiss you whenever you had a bad day at work, and who would bring out that ridiculous Mick Jagger impression that made you laugh before the first bell rang. He was impulsive, but never malicious.

Still, the wounds still lingered inside of you.

"I was terrified, Eddie," you admitted, voice barely rising above a whisper despite the anger behind it. "Being lost in those woods...I had no idea where I was going or what was around me. I just saw Chrissy die and woke up to a world of mess."

His expression softened, and you could see the heavy remorse returned back to his features. "I'm so sorry, Princess.” he croaked, hands reached out to grip onto your arms. “I promise I'll make it up to you, however I can. I won't let you down again."

You pushed away remaining doubt that wanted to linger behind. Wanting to believe that there were still ways to turn things around. At least in terms of your friendship with Eddie. He was there for you through your shitty moments, it was time you took your turn in being there for him.

In this case, his moment being a murder case.

“Well, let’s make a habit out of not ditching each other in the woods then.” you said finally.

He snorted excitedly, chuckling a bit at your reaction before he pulled you in a tight hug that had you patting his back just to calm him down. “Sounds reasonable to me.”

“Good.” you laughed, giving him a final pat to release you out of his tight hold. “Uhh, Eddie? Kinda need to go work on saving your ass now.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, loosening up his grip. “I was just kinda worried we’d stop being friends..”

You pulled back to look up at him, searching his eyes for a moment before you nodded your head. “We’re still friends..”

“Good, because now that we’re square again, I really gotta say, you look like shit.”

“What is it with you guys today? I mean, I am tired, but seriously what the fu–” your words are cut off when Eddie leaned in to press his lips against yours. It wasn’t the most unusual reaction from him. There had been many times he’d say something to annoy you and cut off your anger with a sloppy kiss. But at the current time you couldn’t help but think about the last kiss you had from a freakout. And many other things you did with the man who gave it to you.

"Eddie, I..." you trailed off, unable to find the right words to explain the complexity of problems you had going on. Especially the ones in your love life.

He quickly retreated, a sheepish smile playing on his lips. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

Suddenly, a throat cleared from behind, cutting into the moment. Instantly your heart plummeted as you turned to see Steve standing under the threshold of the door. Expression unreadable. How much did he see? How much did he hear?

"We’re ready to go," he stated curtly, avoiding your gaze. “If you two are done.”

Without waiting for you to reply, he quickly turned and left the doorway to join the others back up where the car was. You let out a tired sigh, unsure how you were going to even explain anything of what he just witnessed. All you knew was this was slowly turning from a bad morning to a crappy day.

“Did I just make things worse?” you heard Eddie chuckle behind you.

“No, Ed, I think I did.”

Despite the awkwardness of your late entrance to the car, the group made it just in time to catch the location of where the cops were heading to. It was towards the main road that led over to Forest Hills.

Everyone slowly began to murmur out curious questions as to what it could be. Chrissy’s body had already been covered, what could have happened in just a day?

The car came to a slow stop and the group slowly made an exit out of the car. Looking around what looked like a scene of a crime. Amongst the cars surrounding the area was one that caught your attention quickly. Coroner. But before you could mention that, the sight of a brightly colored skirt caught your attention.

Talking close to the newly appointed Sheriff Powell stood Nancy.

You stepped out on the road, ready to make your way over to join her when a hand tugged on your elbow. Steve, who despite still held some difference towards you since the boathouse, did not want you going forward. Only cocking his chin in the direction of the girl.

She looked relieved to see you guys but you could tell from the furrow in her brow that she was more than upset. Looking close to crying. Still, she held up a weak hand, waving over at the group with a pained expression.

“Shit.” you heard Max whisper. She pointed over towards the side of the road. On the floor, just past your friend, was another body, covered up in a white sheet.

Vecna’s second victim.

Picking at your nails had seemed to be a new habit of yours now. Previously used to keep you busy from conversations slowly turned into you using it to distract yourself from the reality of things. Like right now, as the group gathered around one of the lunch tables just outside of Eddie’s trailer, listening to Nancy explain what the police had found, you were currently tearing at the side of your hangnail.

Fred was gone. Just the same as Chrissy. Meaning that Dustin was right about this not being the last of Vecna’s attacks. But the idea of it being people you all knew seemed to make this whole thing more sickening.

It was eerie to be back in the trailer park. You made it a point to sit at the side of the table facing the Munson home. Needing to keep your eyes locked on the place again in case of anything odd happening. At one point you felt a hand slowly pat over at your leg, making you jump a bit before glancing to your left.

Steve stared at you expectantly before he shook his head in confusion. “You with us?” he asked softly, voice with the familiar tinge of worry.

Nodding your head, you tucked your hands down into your lap, looking at the three girls across from you.

“So, you’re saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it’s from the Upside Down?”

“If the shoe fits,” Steve said simply before he looked at you again. “Right?”

“Well, considering the lights blinked like usual before the attack happened. I’d say yes.”

“Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse.” Dustin added. “Now, whether or not he’s doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don’t know.”

“All we know is that this is something different.” Max joined in, a frown etched on her face as she glanced amongst everyone. “Something new.”

“Doesn’t make sense.” Nancy muttered, shaking her head.

You reached over to place a hand towards her, gaining her attention to you. “Has anything about the Upside Down ever made sense?” you asked honestly, “Besides, this is still a work in progress.”

“She’s right, it’s only a theory.” Dustin said after you.

“No, Fred and Chrissy don’t make sense.” Nancy explained, putting together something in her head. “I mean, why them?”

“Maybe they were just in the wrong place. “ Dustin tried. “They were both at the game.”

Max nodded her head, following the pieces coming together. “And near the trailer park.”

“We’re at the trailer park.” Steve pointed out slowly. “Uhh, should we maybe not be here?”

You sucked in a slow breath before leaning back to look around the area. It looked the same as when you’d come to visit Eddie. Max’s trailer was still just across the way, and the sound of wind chimes still echoed in the distance. But one glance back to the Munson trailer and you felt your stomach dip.

“There is something about this place.” Nancy said after a second. “Fred started acting weird the second we got here.”

Robin looked over at Nancy curiously. “Acting weird as in..?”

“Scared, on edge, upset.”

It completely bothered you how similar you felt to that right now. But you could practically feel worried glances from some of the people at the table, so you bottled down speaking up on that in favor of hearing what Dustin had to say next.

“Max said Chrissy was upset too.”

“Yeah, but not here.” she shook her head. “She was crying in the bathroom at school.”

For a second you couldn’t help but feel a twist in your stomach at the idea of Chrissy. She was so nice in the van that night. Wanting to take the special K just to get through the night without feeling overwhelmed. But her troubles were vastly bigger than she laid out for you and you couldn’t help but feel bad for not reaching out more when you had the chance.

“Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right?” Robin asked, cutting into silence. “So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecman–”

“Vecna.” Dustin quickly corrected.

“I don’t know about you guys but if I saw some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone.” Steve said. His eyes looked to you, almost like he was expecting you to agree with him. And while the logical side of you did, something deep inside was stopping you entirely from speaking out.

“Maybe they did.” Max considered slowly. “I saw Chrissy leaving Ms. Kelley’s office. If you saw a monster, you..you wouldn’t go to the police. They’d never believe you. But you might go to your–”

“Your shrink.” Robin concluded.

The idea of Fred and Chrissy having a connection through Ms. Kelley did little to ease your growing anxiety. Especially when you remembered that amongst the few students that happened to be stuck in her counseling sessions, was you.

Not wanting to waste the day, the group quickly left the bench to head over to the next destination. Hopefully Max could find her way into getting out some information about the others from Ms. Kelley.

You’re walking close beside Nancy when she elbowed your side, raising a brow to you before nodding towards the direction of her car. You almost wanted to ask her what she had meant when she gave you a familiar look. Quickly getting the hint that she had something else in mind, you casually turned towards the car. That is until the group’s den mother seemed to take notice.

“Whoa, whoa, HEY! HEY!” Steve said, jogging after the two of you. “Where are you guys going?”

“Oh, there’s just something I wanna check on first.” she explained simply, nudging at your side quickly.

“I’m gonna go with her, you know Nancy Drew needs Bess Marvin and all that.” you waved, trying to make a turn for the car again.

“Something you guys wanna share with the rest of us?” Dustin asked, slightly offended.

“I don’t wanna waste your time. It’s a real shot in the dark.” she said shyly, kicking at the dirt for a second. You nodded your head, looking over at the rest of the group with a small smile.

“If she’s got a hunch, it might be worth checking out guys. We’ll be back soon.” you reassured them.

“Hey, you can’t just ditch us.” Dustin scoffed. “Besides, it’s better to keep an eye on you if you’re suddenly turned into a suspect and we need to hide you up with Eddie.”

Max looked over at Dustin before she nodded her head, agreeing. “There’s still a chance your name could come up. If we can’t reach you then we wouldn’t be able to help you on time.”

Something told you that there might be another reason Dustin and Max wanted you to stay and while you were sure nothing would happen while going with Nancy, you also didn’t want to make things harder on anyone. Especially with these two out of all them showing concern openly.

“Looks like I’m with the kids.” you sighed, turning defeatedly to Nancy. “Think you’ll be okay?”

“I’ll be an hour or two tops.” she nodded. “We’ll regroup after that.”

“Yeah okay. Are you guys out of your mind?” Steve asked, looking at you two a little perplexed. “Flying solo with this Vecna creep on the loose? No, it’s too dangerous. You need..you need someone to..” His face turned hard with a sudden frustration as he looked at Nancy worriedly. Your stomach caught onto that tension quicker than your brain and twisted slightly at a growing feeling you haven’t felt in a while. Steve didn’t seem to notice as he turned to toss his keys over to Robin.

“Here you go. I’ll stick with Nance.” he said quickly. “You guys take the car, check out the shrink.”

The girl caught the keys awkwardly, giving Steve a confused look as she pointed over to the car. “Don’t think you want me driving your car.” she said wearily.

“Didn’t think he let anyone drive the car.” you scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest. “Last time he nearly had a heart attack and that was just driving in the streets.”

Steve blinked over at you confused before he turned back to Robin. “Why?” he asked, ignoring your jab.

“I don’t have a license.”

“Why don’t you have a license?” he asked frustratedly.

“I’m poor.” she reasoned with a shrug.

“I can drive.” Max offered, only adding fuel to Steve’s emotions.

“No, No! Never again. Please. Anybody but you. NO.” he argued.

Dustin, ever with his perfect timing, looked at Steve with his arms out. As if he were ready to take on the responsibility that no one on the team could take. From behind Steve you could see as his body deflated at his choices.

“No chance.”

“Come on!”

Nancy looked a little uncomfortable at Steve’s persistence, only casting you an apologetic look. You on the other hand could not stop the familiar green monster from trying to crawl its way up from the depths of your soul. Unsure where Steve’s need to be around Nancy came from just yet. But you knew by now that it wasn’t the best idea to act on those feelings just yet.

Finally Steve glanced back to you, raising a brow questionably.

Bastard.

“Fine,” you said calmly, earning a small shock from the group. As if they expected some other reaction from you. Taking a step towards him, you held out your hand, giving Steve a sweet smile. “I’ll take your car.”

Steve nervously licked over his lips. Eyes shifting from your hand, then to Nancy, and then back at you. “No,” he gulped, shaking his head lightly. “I sense I made a mistake of some kind.”

Fed up with everything, Robin reached for the walkie in Dustin’s bag and stepped in. “All right, okay. This is stupid. Us ladies will stick together.” she confirmed, putting the keys back into Steve’s hands. Her eyes gave him a warning look before she marched over to join Nancy’s side. “Unless you think we need you to protect us?” she said with a humorous chuckle.

The two of you didn’t move from your spot. Only watching as Robin made her way towards Nancy’s car. Taking the lead for their exit. Nancy gave you both a sympathetic shrug before she mouthed an apology to you before turning on her heels to catch up with the other girl.

“Be careful!” he called out, Robin turned around, shooting out a peace sign before she glanced at you.

“Should be saying that to yourself!” she laughed, giving you a wink.

From the corner of your eye you can feel as Steve nervously looked over at you. His previous annoyance went away when he noticed your change in demeanor. Without another thought you walked towards his car, avoiding his gaze as you made your way towards the car doors. He quickly rushed over, moving to open up the passenger door for you, a small tight lip smile on his face.

Ignoring that offer, you carefully opened up the backseat and slipped in beside Max. Avoiding his gaze as you slammed the door shut. From the outside you could hear Dustin chortle at his friend as he moved to take the free spot. “Nice one,” he said to Steve. “You just gonna stand there and gawk?”

“Dude, shut up.”

“Why don’t we go? Okay?” he said teasingly.

“Shut up and get in the car.” he ordered. “Wipe your feet.”

You watched as Dustin carelessly began to wipe his feet inside the car. Almost comically as he patted the shoe against the clean interior floor, earning another explosive reaction from Steve.

“On the outside, not the inside!”

There was a bit more huffing between the two as they finally got into their seats. Leaving the car in a second of silence. Steve glanced back at you, opening his mouth to say something. But instead of giving him the chance to say anything, you turned in your seat, facing your direction to look out the window. Giving you the chance to give him a bit of the silent treatment.

“Always the babysitter.” Steve muttered angrily, turning on the engine of the car. “Always the GODDAMN babysitter!”

You watched carefully from your side of the car as Max entered inside Ms. Kelley’s home. Only looking back at you guys once before the door closed up behind her. Hopefully the whole thing wouldn’t take as long and the four of you could make your way back to others and give you space away from Steve.

“So..we gonna talk about..it?”

Glancing to your right, you looked into the passenger mirror to find Dustin looking at Steve. He seemed to have purposely left his window open enough that you were able to eavesdrop into their conversation.

“Huh? Sorry, talk about what?” Steve asked, barely paying attention.

“Your temporary insanity earlier today when you basically threw yourself at Nance? And in front of my cousin of all people.”

It took everything in you not to react to what you just heard. Your cousin’s words basically confirm the worries that hit you in the trailer park. The little green monster inside was practically dancing as it festered on the negative energy building up inside of you.

“Okay, first of all, that’s not what happened.” Steve said defensively.

“Pretty sure that’s what happened.” he countered. “It was public, there were like, a lot of witnesses. The prime one being at the back of your car right now.”

He made it a point to glance at you through the mirror, catching your glaring gaze. He looked like he was about to change things up from his expression but you quickly shook your head, nodding in the direction of Steve’s side of the car for him to continue.

“Uh-Are you implying I still have a thing for Nance? Really? Me?”

“No, I’m not implying.” he said, shaking his head. “I’m stating. And, as it relates to your current break up leaving you to go on various dates, it’s pretty much the only logical explanation.”

“That’s not the only one.” Steve denied quickly. “You know what I’ve been going through. What I’ve been thinking. And as for Nance, I was just trying to protect a friend.”

From the mirror you could see Dustin’s face turned amused, like he was beyond believing that statement in the slightest way. You let out a small sigh, glancing down at the ground almost..defeatedly.

This wasn’t even something you had the right to be angry about. If anything, the only reason you had room to speak on the situation was the fact that Nancy was currently dating your best friend and you couldn’t just let Steve of all people step in on that.

God, that thought alone made you feel sick.

“A friend, Henderson. Okay?” Steve said after noticing Dustin’s silence.

“Okay.”

“I don’t wanna find her in the morning with her eyes sucked out of the front of her skull by this Vecna creep.”

Dustin let out an amused giggle. “You’re bright red in the face right now!”

Not having it in your stomach to listen to anything else, you stomped away from the car. Trying not to let the stinging tears in your eyes slip out. Your mind viciously shoots you into a memory from the first fall when Billy arrived. His terrorizing had slowly come to an end that night but not without some parting words to you.

“He’ll never get over Wheeler. It’s that first love shit that chicks are so keen for. He’ll never get away from that feeling. Trust me, I’d know.”

Back then you convinced yourself that he wasn’t telling the truth. That he took your weakness that night to try and get under your skin. But now? Now your mind is so frazzled and so broken lately that everything is turning into doubt.

“Get in the car.”

You turned around to find Max rushing over to the car door, giving you a wide look before she entered inside. Quickly, you joined in after her, closing up the door in time to catch her giving Steve an order to drive. He’s quick to start up the car, setting all of you to hit against the seats as he sped away from the house.

Eventually Max briefly explained what happened inside and stated that the best way to get more information would be in Ms. Kelley’s office at the school. You tried to explain it’d be a lot harder to break in due to the break but she simply held up a pair of office keys.

Suddenly the walkie in Dustin’s lap let out a loud squawk before a voice suddenly spoke through.

“Dustin. It’s Lucas. Do you copy? Dustin.”

The sudden sound of your friend’s voice had you and Max quickly leaning over your seats, trying to listen in on the incoming message.

“Lucas? Where the hell have you been?” Dustin asked into the walkie.

“Just listen.” Lucas pleaded. “Are you guys looking for Eddie?”

“Yeah and we found him, no thanks to you.” he chided back.

“You found him?”

“He’s at a boathouse on Coal Mill Road. Don’t worry, he’s safe.”

“You guys know he killed Chrissy, right?” Lucas asked worriedly. The car seemed to grow tense at that. Now the teens at the school surely knew he was the main suspect. Time was beginning to run out.

“That’s bullshit. Eddie tried to save Chrissy. My cousin was there!”

“She was there too?! Wait, then why do all the cops say he did it?”

Max, having had enough, reached over for the walkie. “Lucas, you’re so behind it’s ridiculous, okay? Just meet us at the school. We’ll explain later.”

“I..I can’t. I think some real bad shit’s about to go down.”

“What are you talking about? What bad shit?” she asked, but there was no response back. Almost as if the connection was lost. “Lucas? Lucas?”

“Line got cut off.” Dustin said, reaching back for the walkie. “What do you think he meant?”

“I’m not sure.” Steve said, gripping the wheel tightly. “Let’s just get to the school.”

It was dark by the time the four of you arrived at Hawkins. The air held an eerie atmosphere as you guys parked discreetly in the back of the school. Couldn’t exactly have anyone checking by to see there was someone at the school this time of night.

Your cousin was thankfully prepared for the night again and quickly passed around a couple of flashlights, giving you guys some light to venture through the creepy halls with.

“I gotta say, didn’t think I’d be coming back here anytime soon.” Steve muttered to you, smacking at the side of his flashlight before it fully turned on.

“It’s definitely not the way I wanted to spend my Spring Break.” you nodded, flashing towards one of the classrooms.

There’s an awkward building tension between the two of you. A part of you wanted to squash down that anger from before, use it to keep focus on the problems at hand. But there was a bigger part inside that was gleefully ready to make a mess out of things.

Per usual.

“Didn’t think I’d spend the day like this.” he chuckled lightly, looking over at you. “Kind of a bad way to end the weekend don’t you think?”

Something in his words, while innocent, just irked you. Making your whole body shift as you finally let free some of the venom that had been building up since the trailer park.

“Yeah, you must be having a pretty bad day considering you’re stuck babysitting with me instead of chumming it up with Robin or looking out for Nancy.”

Steve looked almost as if your words were a slap to the face, staggering back a second before his expression quickly changed to annoyance. He reached a hand out to stop you from walking.

“Where’s that coming from?” he asked slowly.

“Seriously?” you laughed, raising a brow at him. “Did you suddenly forget that little show you gave back in Forest Hills?” You made an effort to dramatically reenact tossing invisible car keys. “Here you go. I’ll stick with Nance.” you said in a dramatically deep voice.

He was unamused by that, pressing his lips together before he scratched at his hair. A nervous tick he got whenever something got under his skin. “I’m sorry I’m a little particular with who I hang out with at the moment. I figured you’d feel the same way considering you probably wanted to stick around with Eddie so you guys could make out and weirdly flirt again.”

Sometimes you forget that Steve’s as much of a former bitch as you were. Making his bite hurt particularly bad right now. Still, you weren’t one to back down from a verbal fight.

“Wow, I’m not really surprised you noticed everything I’m doing considering how you’ve been trying to figure out ways to keep me at home.” Tilting your head you step closer to look up at Steve. “Was worrying about me too much for you now that you want to display your macho-man persona to Nancy again?”

“You’re pulling that out of nowhere.” he scoffed, shaking his head at you. “I mean, really, how is me wanting you to stay home because I’m worried about how tired you look, suddenly turn into me trying to get back with Nancy?”

“Oh, so now it’s suddenly trying get back with Nancy?”

“No, you just said–”

“I said you were showing off!”

He let out a long sigh, rubbing a hand over his face before he turned to look at you seriously. “All I offered was to go with Nancy so that she wasn’t alone. Her friend just died the same way Chrissy did and I didn’t want her to end up the same way. I was just trying to be a comforting friend.”

“So you wanted to comfort her? Well, that’s great to hear considering we both know how you like to comfort people through their crisis, don’t we?”

“I-It was different with you, okay?” He stuttered a bit, before he held his hands up, looking annoyed again. “You’re the one who is kissing some other guy and it’s me that’s trying to get with someone?”

“As always, you always take one part of the picture to paint the story, your highness.” you sighed, pushing a hair out of your face. “But don’t worry, I’m sure Robin will put in a good word for you with Nancy since you’re so keen on chivalry.”

“That’s not fair. That is not what I want.” he spat. “Look, I know that you two have a thing okay? I’m not going to step in on it but that doesn’t mean I have to be nice about it either. So, quit using the friendly friendship I have with Nance to compare your beneficial one with Eddie.”

“There isn't a thing. God, Steve.” you frowned. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Eddie kissed me. I didn’t ask him to, nor to hold me, or anything. He’s just a friend..and I pulled back.”

“That’s not the only thing you two have done, quit acting like it’s just some innocent friendship.”

“If you can’t seem to remember, the only person around here that I’ve willingly done anything with in the past twenty-four hours, is you, so..” you said as a matter of fact. “Also I think it’s unfair that you get mad at Eddie for kissing me but quickly go around to play the brave knight in shining white Adidas to Nance.”

“They’re Nikes!” he countered weakly.

You could only scoff at him in disbelief. “This conversation isn’t going anywhere. I’m sorry I’m not the one you want to be around right now, let’s just leave things at that.”

Taking a step to leave him you made an effort to follow after the two kids when Steve reached forward to grip at your arm. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t want you around. But I know you’re not okay right now. And the more you try and push yourself in this, the more I can tell that something else is bothering you.”

He’s staring down at you with the familiar look of worry he’s been doing these past few days. Something that would have comforted you the other day, but not with how you were feeling right now.

“You’re right.” you said softly, reaching up to gently pat at his hand. “There is something bothering me.”

From the tone of your voice, Steve could easily tell where this was going to go, only giving you a pleading look as he tried to diffuse the comeback you were about to give him.

“Don’t say it’s me-

“It’s you.”

Without a sparing glance, you pushed out of his grip and brushed and brushed past a nosy, lingering, Dustin in order to join Max at the front of the search. Her gaze stayed ahead, looking away from you, but from the corner of your eye you could see as she shook her head. A small smirk on her lips.

“Well that was really nice.”

“Oh, shut up.” You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. “Like you have any room to talk about niceties.”

“I don’t?” She asked amusedly.

“Well considering your on and off history with Lucas, I’d think it’s fair to say you’re just as good with dealing with exes as I am.”

She frowned for a moment, seeming to think it over before she shrugged. “Guess we’re both kinda messed up.”

A part of you wanted to argue. Say how she’s wrong and that aside from what was currently going on, you were fine. But considering the dramatic fight you just shared for the two kids, you figured she wasn’t entirely wrong. “It’s kinda nice.” you said eventually, nudging her side playfully.

“It’s nice that we’re messed up?” She chuckled, looking a little taken back.

“No,” you hummed lightly, “it’s nice we’re messed up together.”

She finally glanced over at you, giving you a weird look before laughing. “You’re so weird.” she said, nudging you back.

With that small bit of comfort, the two of you silently led the other boys the rest of the way to Ms. Kelley’s office.

The familiar lingering scent of her relaxing lavender candle hit your senses quickly once you entered inside. Which you were thankful for considering the small stress you seemed to be adding onto yourself. You were happy to finally have a moment where all you guys had to do was focus on the clues needed to progress your theories and not your current problems.

“It’s like a mini-Watergate or something.” Dustin said behind you. “Hawkinsgate.”

“Wait a second, didn’t those guys get caught?” asked Steve.

You made your way over towards the desk, looking over the papers laid out neatly at the center of the table while Max peeked through the cabinet for the files.

“Holy shit.” she said suddenly.

“You found it?” Steve asked, as the rest of you gathered around her.

“Yeah, and not just Chrissy’s file. Fred was seeing Ms. Kelley too.” Her hand reached back into the cabinet, pulling out one more manila envelope before she turned over to face you. Her eyes focused on you intently as she held the file up in the air. “And so were you.”

Even with your eyes looking down at your file, you could feel the intense stare from Steve’s eyes. He hasn’t stopped looking at you ever since Max revealed your file to everyone. You couldn’t help but find it all worthless to bring up. To you, it was just your regular file. There was the first meeting recorded, the goals she wanted you to have for the next couple of years. Nothing out of the ordinary until this year. When she began to take notice of your reaction towards Billy’s death.

“God,” you scoffed, looking down at her words. “Behavioral avoidance? What a load of crap.”

You carefully threw the file onto the desk, plopping down in her chair to look over at what Max had been reading across from you.

The folder containing Chrissy’s sessions quickly caught your eye. Making you curious to know what the girl truly had been going through before her untimely death.

“Can I see Fred’s file?” she asked suddenly.

“Yeah,” Steve said, passing the folder over to her. She quickly laid it out before her, flipping through the papers to collect whatever information caught her attention. From the side you could see as Steve carefully tried to reach out for your file. You made it a point to move away from him on the other side of the desk.

Leaning over, you reached over for Chrissy’s file, looking over the small details listed on her last session. Headaches, nosebleeds, nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, trauma.. All things that made sense but..oddly familiar. Moving closer, you peered over to look down at Fred’s notes that Max had stopped at.

..They were almost similar to Chrissy’s.

But that didn’t make sense. It couldn’t. Because if that were the few connecting signs to what made Vecna attack Chrissy and Fred then what did that mean about you? Glancing back at your folder, you pushed through the notes again, trying to figure out if there was anything similar to what was on the other two folders. But there was nothing.

Only the small note written at the corner of your last session.

Might benefit if suggested with a group therapy. Perhaps with Max M. Both suffer from related trauma.

Related trauma? You thought.

Glancing up from the papers, you peered over at Max worriedly. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think she looked a lot like how you felt at the moment. But this couldn’t be right. You never voiced to Ms. Kelley any of these things. You weren’t seeing any weird Vecna monster or dealing with trauma. You were-

“Perfectly fine?” (tick)

You felt a cold shiver run down your back and glanced up in the room. Almost expecting to see if anyone else had heard that. There’s a heavy weight suddenly over you and you feel as if the air in the room was slowly being sucked out. This couldn’t be happening. You weren’t like the others. You weren’t going through these struggles you weren’t–

“Going crazy? (tock)

“Max! MAX!”

The sounds of Dustin and Steve calling out to Max instantly pulled you out from you haunting thoughts. Before you was a frozen Max, still frozen in place. “Max?” you called out, getting out from your seat to kneel beside her.

Steve’s hand rested on your shoulders, concern on his face as he began to breathe heavily. “What’s going on?” he asked, voice uneasy. “What do we do?”

“She’s just..I don’t know!” you panicked, shaking at her shoulders. “Max, c’mon. Talk to me!” But as you gazed into her vacant eyes, a chilling thought swept right through you.

Did you guys just run out of time?

A/N: okay so this chapter is kinda messy. Reader is seriously losing her mind but I promise that trouble is gonna get her head on screwed right soon enough. Maybe after she remembers that Nancy is in love with Jonathan and Steve practically dropped everything to go to her. I blame Vecna tbh. And Billy from the afterlife.

TAGGING LIST: @cluz1babe , @starofavolonea , @darlingimafangirl (won’t let me tag), @primroseluna, & @siriuslysmoking

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x henderson!reader #eddie munson x henderson reader #cac #angst

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skyfallslayer · 2 months

Text

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Masterlist

-A ST Rewrite Feat. Steve Harrington x Henderson!OFC-

Main Masterlist || OC Fan Art || Spotify Playlist

🎲Summary: On the night of November 6th, 1983, Stephanie Henderson decided to take her little brother’s friend, Will, back home. However… they never arrive. Now, Dustin, Mike and Lucas, and soon the exception of the girl’s ex-best friend, Steve, must band together to find out what happened. Meanwhile, Steph and Will must fight for their survival in this nightmarish version of Hawkins, Indiana.

🎲Pairings: Will x Platonic!OFC; Dustin x Sister!OC; Slow burn! Steve x Henderson!OFC (Ex-bestfriends to Lovers); Slow burn! Byler

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Warnings: At the beginning of each chapter.

🎲Word Count: 10,392 (So far)

🎲Start Date: 3/6/24

🎲 End Date: N/A

🎲 A/N: No Idea what possessed me to write this, but i saw everyone else doing something similar and I said to myself... "Hey, why not?". This can be read as reader-insert if like since OC's hair/eye color will only be mention here and there.

|| INDEX ||

Season One:

Prologue: The Pinky Promise

Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers & Stephanie Henderson

Chapter 2: The Weirdo On Maple Street

Chapter 3: Holly, Jolly Shotgun

Chapter 4: The Bodies

Chapter 5: The Flea & The Acrobat

Chapter 6: The Monster

Chapter 7: The Bathtub & The Sacrifice

Chapter 8: The Upside Down

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

@emsownuniverse @unspecifiedvisitor @smaryamsstuff @kitty49646

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pasukiyo · 2 years

Note

hey can you do a Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader smutty fic where they are both in love but don’t want the kids to find out (as the two babysitters it was bound to happen) and they bust in on them doing it and are like FINALLY but ew gross but yay but stop ✋

𝐬𝐡𝐡𝐡.

— steve harrington x f!henderson!reader

warnings; smut…. yeah

a/n; hope this turned out the way you wanted it to! i’m not sure if it started out the way i wanted it to, but as i progressed, i felt a bit better about my writing, so i hope you enjoy!

word count; 1.6k

“no steve, i haven’t gone to see ms. kelly.”

“alright, okay, i’m just making sure because i mean, max has, chrissy has, and apparently this fred guy has too. all i’m saying is that she’s suspicious.”

she let a smile slip through the cracks of her lips, her cheeks feeling hot at the idea that he cared. she let herself gaze into his eyes as they swarmed with worry, and she braved to step closer, patting his chest. “i appreciate the concern, big boy, but i can take care of myself,” she murmured. “now, we’re supposed to be looking after max before she gets vecna’d, remember?”

steve made a face at that, his arms remaining crossed over his chest as he kicked off of the wall, locking his fingers around her wrist as she turned to leave. she tensed beneath his touch, glancing from his hand and back to his face, his warm, umber irises boring into hers. she could feel her cheeks warm, her heart all of a sudden feeling as though it’d pop right out of her chest. “steve?” she whispered when he drew her in near, taking both her arms in either of his hands. “dustin will freak if he walks in and sees us—“

“god, let the little freak see us for all i care,” he exhaled a breath he hadn’t even known he was holding in. “just stay a little while, please.”

“steve, they’ll find out about—“

“i don’t care.”

his lips found her skin, palms venturing down over her hips and around to the small of her back, her breath hitching at the base of her throat when his tongue swiped over the sensitive flesh on her neck. “steve,” she mewled into the back of her hand, gazing around the hallway for somewhere they could go. her irises fell upon the door to the bathroom across the hall, her palms tapping his shoulders. “steve, bathroom,” she barely managed to whimper, giving him a small push in its direction. his lips captured hers as he pushed her backwards toward the door, his hand reaching behind her for the door handle, giving her a shove inside before he slammed the door shut behind her, pushing her back up against it.

he kissed her again, this time with much more vigor, his tongue easily gaining dominance over her own. she whimpered into his mouth when he pressed himself against her, his erection prodding against her clothed cunt, panties damp with her growing arousal. she could hear the echoes of voices just behind the door, and she felt her heart skip a couple of beats of the sound of her brother’s voice as he walked past, tapping steve’s shoulder when his kisses trailed down to her jaw. “steve, we’ll get caught—“

“just shut up.”

his fingertips ventured underneath the hem of her shirt, her skin warm in his touch’s wake. she let a moan slip past the cracks of her lips when his palms caressed her chest, calluses grazing against her erect nipples beneath her bra. “shhh,” he murmured against her skin as he sucked at her collar, guiding her shirt up and over her head. “don’t want dustin walking in on us now, do we?”

he was playing a dangerous game, and he knew it all too well. the wheeler household was swarming with people, and when she noticed the lack of a lock on the door, she realized that anybody could walk in on them right now. mrs. wheeler, mr. wheeler, dustin, nancy, holly, etc. etc…

“can’t say this is something i’ve imagined,” she managed to joke between kisses as his hands curled around the underside of her thighs, hoisting her up onto the bathroom sink. “i mean, fucking in the wheelers’ bathroom and all.” his smile was a crescent against her lips as his tongue went to war with hers, his fingers fondling with the buckle of his belt, pushing his jeans and boxers down just enough for his cock to be set free. “i can,” he mumbled into the top of her breasts as his fingers worked at the clasp of her bra, her brow furrowing at this.

“steve harrington.”

“what? we’re here all the time.”

“you dog.”

his laugh was muffled in the valley of her breasts, the straps to her lacy bra slipping down to her elbows, one hand grasping onto his shoulder whilst the other tangled itself in his jungle of brown locks. her toes curled when a hand of his slipped past the waistband of her shorts, fingertips inching closer and closer to just where she needed him. she whimpered again, “steve.”

“yeah?”

“can we skip past all the fucking foreplay?”

he glanced back up to her through hooded lids, his lips capturing hers once again for a brief kiss. “you’re real concerned about someone walking in, aren’t you?”

“you’re not?”

his teeth sunk into the flesh of his bottom lip as he tugged her shorts down her legs until she had been stripped bare, leaving her exposed to him— and to any of the others just outside the door who were potentially unfortunate enough to walk in on them. “can’t bring myself to think about anything else when i’m with you,” he chuckled into her lips as the pads of his fingers founding her clit, coating his digits with her juices. “huh, would you look at that? you like this, don’t you? you like that anyone could just walk in on us any minute now, huh?” he whispered, teasing at her entrance. she pressed her lips together until they formed a firm, thin line, and she found herself chasing air back in through her nostrils, too afraid to open her mouth in fear she wouldn’t be able to keep it down.

steve’s irises glistened as he witnessed her downfall, the stars gleaming in his ravines of dark umber mocking as they learned every single little secret she’d been hiding. “don’t you, baby?” he repeated, his forehead falling against hers as his forefinger pushed past her barrier, venturing inside of her aching cunt. “say it, it’s okay,” he murmured, his lips brushing against her own when he spoke. “tell me that you love it. wanna hear you say it.”

he removed his finger abruptly, and for a moment, she thought she’d gained back her composure, her lungs filling back up with air. her eyelids fluttered closed as she wiped a droplet of sweat away from her hairline, and her lips cracked to make way for her comeback but—

—“oh, fuck.”

her back arched and her chest surged into his when she’d abruptly been filled up, her pussy full to the brim with his cock. upon instinct, her arms locked around his neck and she pulled him closer, his face falling into the crook of her neck. her palm slithered up to the back of his head and her fingers curled around his ringlets, tugging, her fingernails scraping against his scalp. “you fucking love it now, don’t you?” steve’s lips found the shell of her ear. “now that you’re so full of cock. you don’t even care anymore, huh? you wouldn’t care if your brother happened to open that door and walk in on us now, would you, baby?”

“n— shit, shit shit! no!” she cried into his collarbone, teeth clamping down on his skin, guaranteed to leave a mark. “steve! sl— slow down!” she whimpered when he picked up his pace, pounding into her at a ruthless pace. “are you sure about that, sweetheart?” he teased. “i thought you didn’t li—“

“jesus christ!”

she just about jumped straight out of her skin at the abrupt interruption, her eyelids snapping open, widening as she stared into steve’s. they both turned in unison to the now open bathroom door where not only did her brother stand, but so did max, lucas, and robin. steve rushed for his shirt, which he had thankfully flung behind her head, and covered her naked body as best he could, pressing himself flush against her body to cover what the fabric couldn’t.

“god, you know, i always wanted you two to get together but i certainly didn’t wish to see you guys bone right before i die,” max scoffed, peeking through the crevices of her fingers as steve managed to tug his jeans over his ass.

“i knew you two were screwing!” robin exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loud, considering mr. and mrs. wheeler were just downstairs.

her face flushed, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at anyone in the face, especially once her brother finally decided to speak up. “shit, steve, this wasn’t how i wanted to find out about this,” dustin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “and you,” he pointed a finger straight at her, and she flushed again, eyes cowering away to steve’s hand as he gripped her shoulder. “you’re just lucky i’m not telling mom,” he continued, and she raised an eyebrow, braving a glimpse back up at him. “but not for free! you’re cleaning my room for a year! a year!”

“jesus, henderson, just get out, all of you!” steve finally spoke up, kicking a leg at them in gesture that it was time for them to leave. she found herself staring at the curls of dark hair on steve’s chest as he ushered their unwelcome guests out of the bathroom, kicking the door closed behind them. she crossed her ankles as they hung from the sink before steve pushed her legs back open to clear space for himself.

“well, i guess the secrets out,” he murmured, swiping a loose strand of sweaty hair back behind her ear. her skin was warm to the touch, and despite the circumstances, he still managed to crack a smile.

she was adorable.

“yep.”

“so… d’you wanna continue or—?”

“steve harrington!”

“fine! fine.”

he threw his hands up in surrender before she took one of them, and he helped her hop down from the sink. they began to collect their clothes and redress themselves, and as steve watched her panties slip back up her legs, the corner of his lips tugged up into a smirk.

“next time.”

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington headcanon #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington smut #stranger things #stranger things x y/n #stranger things x you #stranger things x reader #stranger things headcanons #stranger things smut #steve harrington x henderson reader #dustin henderson

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peterbarnes · 2 years

Text

Family

Summary: Vecna curses you as the party makes their way out of the Upside own. And, in the midst of the chaos, you learn more about why you keep choosing to fight on. Henderson!Reader

Word Count: 1.1k

Masterlist

Cold. The feeling slowly crept over your body, freezing you inch by inch. Your breathing started to stack, and through the icy haze, you began to hyperventilate. Your lungs burned as your chest felt overcome with a stinging panic. You couldn’t move, you couldn’t breathe, you could barely think.

And then suddenly it all stopped.

And there you stood, in the middle of your living room, as if you hadn’t just been on the brink of death. A relieved sigh left your lips desperately as you took in the sight of your tan, wooden walls and velvet couch. You were home, you were safe.

“Dustin?” You called, turning toward the stairs.

You called him again when you didn’t hear his voice call back to you. Still no response. A spark of anxiety startled your chest.

“Dustin?” You called again, voice wavering as you began to climb the stairs.

With each step, the wood beneath you creaked, humming an eerie song. Each hallway light flickered as you walked past it and towards Dustin’s room. When you finally reached it, you shoved the door open, flinching as it banged into the adjacent wall.

“Dustin?” You called one final time, scanning the mess that was his room.

Then your eyes landed on the bed.

Wait, Dustin doesn’t have red sheets?

You took the sheets in your hand, running your fingers over them. You pulled your hand back once you felt the liquid dripping from them.

“What the hell?” You whispered to yourself. But when you looked down at your hand to see what it could be, you didn’t expect to see your skin stained a dark red.

Your feet staggered back until your back hit the wall and your breath hitched as your nose finally registered the smell of copper. Then came the hyperventilation, stealing the oxygen from your lungs until you couldn’t hold your body weight up any longer. Your knees buckled as you crashed to the floor, gasping for breath. You tried to push yourself up but your arms shook with fatigue. You raised your head as much as you could, but when you saw what lay under the bed, the cold feeling from before returned. You didn’t even register the blood-curdling scream you released until your ears started to ring.

Under the bed, with their arms sticking out at an inhuman angle, were your brother and your boyfriend. Both of their eyes were light and glazed over, with blood dripping onto the carpet from every possible orifice, and Dustin’s hat lay abandoned next to his head. But what scared you the most was the way Steve’s lips were parted open as if he had died in the middle of a sentence, calling out for you, for your help. And you weren’t there. You couldn’t save him. Your failure had killed the two people you loved the most.

Violent tears streamed down your cheeks as you crawled your way toward your fallen brother. You felt your body giving out on you, but you kept going. You reached further and further until your hand locked with your brothers.

“Stop fighting, [Y/N].”

“Stop fighting- you never win.”

“You’re pathetic.”

“Useless.”

“You ruin everything around you.”

“Dad? Gone. Mother? Absent. Brother? Dead. Boyfriend? Dead. They’re dead!”

“Because of you!”

“No, no,” you sobbed, grasping onto your brother for dear life. “Make it stop, please. Make it stop. Make it STOP!”

Your eyes snapped open and oxygen finally found your lungs. You gasped loudly as you shot up from the mattress you laid on in Eddie’s trailer. You screamed when you felt arms wrapping around you, pulling you into whoever was touching you.

“Hey, hey! It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re safe, baby, we’re okay.”

The world around you stopped buzzing and came into view. You saw soft brown hair, chocolate eyes, blue denim. But you also saw a cap, a green shirt, curly hair.

“Oh my god,” you breathed out. “You’re okay. You’re okay.”

You tackled your brother, pushing him to the floor, and squeezing him as tight as you could. He shrieked at the unexpected movement and tried to wiggle his way from your grasp.

“What are you doing, you psycho?!” He yelled at you.

You pulled your head up, taking in the sight of your baby brother as tears slipped from your eyes.

“Hugging you, dingus.”

An arm circled your waist, pulling you up from the harsh ground you lay on.

“Can I get one?”

Tears stung your eyes as your boyfriend stood in front of you. He was burned and bruised and scratched but still managed to be breathtakingly beautiful. You rushed into his arms and buried your face in his chest.

He pressed soft kisses to your forehead but held you tight, as if nothing in the world could hurt you as long as you were in his arms. And that’s when the sobs started.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Steve soothed. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Y-You and D-Dustin,” you whimpered into the skin between his denim jacket. “Dead. My fault. It was all my fault.”

Dustin and Steve locked worried eyes before Dustin rushed into your hug. You pulled your boys closer as you cried, thanking whatever God out there that they were here, alive.

“We’re here,” Dustin croaked, resting his head against yours.

“And we’re not going anywhere, okay?” Steve added as if choking back tears. “We’re a family. Family sticks together.”

You nodded, wiping your nose on Dustin’s shirt.

“C’mon, I’m trying to have a nice moment here, that’s gross.”

The three of you broke out into laughter, clutching your sides at fucking crazy this whole situation was. Yet, warmth filled your heart nonetheless.

Vecna had tried to kill you by lifting you off the ground, but your family, they grounded you. In more ways than one.

The rest of the party watched on as the three of you embraced. Soft smiles tickled their faces- even Erica’s.

“Okay, while this is truly touching, can we go save the world now?” She quipped, the smile never leaving her face. Eddie fist-pumped the air in agreement.

The three of you pulled out of the hug but didn’t leave each other’s side. Steve’s arm lingered around your shoulders.

“Will you kill me if I curse?” Dustin asked you, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Nah, go for it, kid.”

“Then, to answer your question, Erica. Fuck yea!”

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson! reader #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #dustin henderson #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things vol. 2 #lucas sinclair #robin buckley #Nancy Wheeler #joe keery #eddie munson #joe keery x reader

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ro-is-struggling · 2 years

Text

Stay || Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

Summary: After discovering the truth about the Upside Down, Y/N Henderson joins his little brother in the final battle to close the portal and save Hawkins. In doing so, she finds herself teaming up with none other than Steve Harrington of all people and discovers a side of him she didn't know he had. In the chaos of the battle he brings her comfort and makes her feel safe. That's why when everything ends she doesn't want to leave his side. So she does what everyone would do in her situation: invite him to spend the night at her place even though they are not friends.

Warnings: nothing I think, it's just fluff, like really really fluffy. Steve is a sweetheart and comforts Y/N when she's scared after everything she went through. They share a bed, do I need to say more?

English is not my first language

Word count: 4700+

Notes: I wrote this to calm my Steve feels while I finished watching season 4. So enjoy this little thing based on season 2 and don't hesitate to send me some requests because I love this man and I'm obsessed

I hope you like it! Likes, comments and reblogs are very much appreciated!

Saying that you were in shock was an understatement. On the same day you had lost your cat, you also discovered it had been eaten by a creature from another dimension –one that your younger brother had brought to the house– and had helped Dustin and his friends close a portal to said other dimension by going into a strange tunnel full of threats with no one other than Steve Harrington. It had been the strangest day of your life and you still weren't sure you fully understood the situation, but your brother had assured you that Eleven had taken care of everything so you had no choice but to believe his words, trusting in the powers of a girl you had never seen before.

When the battle was over and the portal closed, Steve offered to drive you and Dustin home. Thanks to Billy Hargrove, he had a bruised and bloody face, with a black eye that was swelling with each passing second, but he was still in better condition than you were. Apparently this wasn't the first time he had dealt with such things so the shock hadn't affected him the same way it had affected you. So you chose to momentarily forget the fact that this was one of the few times you had interacted with Steve and accepted his proposal, grateful for his good treatment.

You did nothing but stare out the car window in silence for the entire drive, trying to process everything that had happened in the last few hours. You had so many questions about the Upside Down and everything that had happened before, but you were surprised to realize that one of the things that stood out to you the most was Steve Harrington's friendliness and the good relationship he seemed to have with your brother. It was surreal to be in King Steve's car while he and Dustin chatted casually. You had never been friends with Steve in high school, you were too weird and awkward to cross paths with the most popular guy in school.

You had an image of him in your mind that wasn't reflected in the way he acted in the last few hours. You used to think he was arrogant and shallow, that he would never even bother to look at someone like you. But to you surprise he had not only taken it upon himself to protect you and your younger brother, but he had also made sure to ask you if you were okay at every chance he got.

You felt strange because when you finally arrived at your house you found that you didn't want to get out of the car. You felt safe being with Steve and the thought of being alone in the house –where one of those creatures that had attacked you had been hiding without you realizing it– terrified you .

"Are you okay?" Steve asked you when he noticed that Dustin had gotten out of the car but you weren't moving a muscle. It took you a few seconds to realize that the mumbling yo heard in the distance was in fact Steve's voice asking you a question.

"What?"

"I asked you if you were okay" he repeated softly, looking at you with concern in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah yeah I'm fine" you lied, clearing your throat in an effort to sound more convincing."It's just that I'm still processing everything that happened."

"It takes a while," Steve assured you, letting out a chuckle as he remembered how scared and confused he had been when he found out everything. You nodded your head slowly, considering his words as you struggled to calm your nerves. You remained silent for a few seconds, lowering your gaze to your fingers fiddling with the hem of your t-shirt. Steve opened his mouth to speak once more, searching his mind for words of encouragement that might help you at that moment. But before he could say anything, you looked up and locked your eyes on his.

"Hey, Steve" yo muttered, biting your lower lip nervously. "I know this might sound crazy but, humm, I was wondering if you, humm, if you could maybe stay with me... With us, tonight."

You felt stupid saying that, especially to someone like Steve. But you were scared and didn't want to spend the night alone. No matter how many times you were reassured that the danger was over, you still felt unsafe. And for some strange reason Steve was the only person at the moment who could make you feel safe and calm. So you asked him to stay with you even though you were not friends, trying hard to ignore the embarrassment you felt.

"I know it's over, but I don't know, it doesn't feel like it's over to me yet. And I don't like the idea of being alone with Dustin in the house. I..."

"It's okay, I can stay" Steve interrupted your nervous rambling, giving you a reassuring smile.

"Thank you" you sighed in relief. "And I'm sorry, I'm still on edge I guess."

"You don't have to apologize. After my first encounter with all this I couldn't sleep for a week. It happens."

Steve's words made you feel a little better and knowing that he would be staying with you tonight helped calm your nerves. You gave him a small smile before getting out of the car, digging in your purse for the keys to the house. You stepped forward, handing the keys to Dustin to open the door since he was closer as Steve pulled out a bag of extra clothes he always carried in the trunk just in case.

"What is Steve doing here?" Dustin asked you with confusion as he walked into the house and turned on the lights.

"He's gonna stay with us tonight. It's late and we're all tired" you lied. You didn't want to admit to your little brother that you were terrified and that Steve's presence made you feel better. Dustin looked at you with narrowed eyes, examining your face suspiciously. You struggled to maintain a neutral expression until the boy finally took his eyes off you.

Letting out a long sigh of relief, you locked the door before taking off your jacket. You were thankful your mother wasn't in the house as you noticed the mess that had been left after your brother tried to catch Dart. You didn't feel like tidying it up at the moment, so you would have to pray you woke up early so you could fix everything before your mother returned. It was either that or come up with a really good excuse.

"Dustin, please take a shower before going to bed. We were inside a tunnel connected to another dimension, is the least you can do" you exclaimed as you watched your brother disappear behind the door of his room. You dropped onto the couch, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. Your body ached from all the tension your muscles had endured in the last few hours. You tried to stretch your arms and move your shoulders a bit in an effort to improve your condition, but you only felt more pain so you stopped immediately.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, sitting down next to you.

"Yeah I'm just tired and sore for some reason" you replied with a half-smile.

"Yeah, tell me about it," he said, gesturing to his injured face.

"I'm sorry. I can get you something for the pain and clean your wounds properly now that we're safe" you offered, remembering the chaos that had followed the fight with Billy. You hadn't had much time to waste, so you had to get an unconscious Steve into the car as best you could and tasked the boys with tending to his wounds while you drove. You hadn't had time to take the necessary products to disinfect his wounds –and the kids had done it in a speeding car–, so Steve ended up with his face covered in cartoon band-aids. It was an amusing sight to see and kind of adorable. "I can give you less childish band aids."

Those words seemed to convince Steve, who nodded his head slightly. You ran to the bathroom, grabbing the first aid kit from the cabinet before hurrying Dustin to take a shower. You returned to the living room once you heard the water running behind the closed bathroom door, indicating that your brother had listened to you. Then you approached Steve, sitting down next to him on the couch while resting the open medical kit on the coffee table.

"This might sting a little bit, but I'll try to be careful" you warned him before you began to work. Steve nodded, giving you permission to continue, and you started by removing the badly stick band-aids from his face. You tried to be as gentle as possible so as not to irritate the poor injured skin even more. And when his wounds were exposed to your curious eyes once again, you proceeded to clean them by taking a cotton pad from the first aid kit and soaking it in disinfectant. You concentrated first on the cut on his temple, patting the wound with the cotton in a firm but gentle manner so that you could remove the dried blood without causing him further discomfort. Steve hissed in pain and your eyes locked on his, analyzing his expression to see if you should stop.

"I'm sorry" you murmured, suddenly realizing how close you were. You could see details in his eyes that you had never seen before, a sparkle that awakened a strange feeling inside you .

"It's okay" he assured you and you continued working. You tried to avoid making eye contact as you moved down his face with the cotton pad, confused by the tingle that ran through your body when your gazes met. You concentrated on wiping away the dried blood under his nose and on part of his upper lip, gently taking him by the chin to tilt his face towards you. But as you worked you found yourself admiring his lips for a little longer than necessary.

You would be lying if you said you had never been attracted to Steve in the past. You used to think he was a superficial asshole, but a very attractive one. When you saw him walking down the halls of the school holding hands with a girl you wondered what it would be like to be her. You couldn't help but be curious about how it would feel to be so close to Steve or to have his lips on yours. But you knew those were questions that would never get answers. In fact you weren't sure you really wanted to know the answers. You two belonged to different worlds and you was aware that you were incompatible. A relationship between you would not last. Your questions came from fanciful curiosity rather than real desire.

But now that you knew another side of Steve, one you liked, you weren't sure your feelings were only platonic. Standing just inches away from him, you couldn't stop thinking about how soft his skin felt beneath your fingers, or the tingle that his gaze awakened in you. You could admire every detail of his lips and count every tiny freckle that adorned his skin. The dim, warm light provided by the floor lamp next to the sofa framed his face in a special way, somehow highlighting all the features you found attractive in him. You didn't care that he had a black and somewhat swollen eye, as your gazes met you felt the strange urge to close the little distance that separated you.

Steve felt the electricity in the air as well, but didn't know if it was appropriate to act on his desires or not. You had been through a traumatic situation and the look of hunger in your eyes could well be a product of the swirl of emotions you were probably feeling. He had just saved you from a risky situation so maybe that's why you seemed to be seeking his touch. Maybe you just wanted to feel safe and kissing you wasn't really appropriate if that was the case. So when your eyes lowered to his lips again Steve closed his eyes, hoping that would be enough to stop his urges. He could feel your breath crashing against his skin and mingling with his own. He could swear it had slightly quickened, but it could very well be his mind playing tricks on him. He wanted to kiss you, but chose to leave it up to you to make the first move.

It took you all your willpower not to crash your lips against Steve's the moment you saw him close his eyes. You almost did, but at the last second you were able to come to your senses and pulled away from him, keeping a safe distance while you looked for some band-aids to cover the cut on his temple. When you returned your attention to his face you discovered that Steve had reopened his eyes and was watching you carefully. You tried hard not to show how nervous his gaze made you, praying that he didn't notice the slight blush on your cheeks. You held eye contact for a few seconds, just long enough so it wouldn't be obvious that you were escaping his gaze, and then returned your focus to the wound. You could still feel his eyes on you as you applied the bandage, but you tried to disregard it.

"You're all done!" you exclaimed with a smile.

"You are really good at this, it didn't hurt, like at all" he praised you. And it was true, it had hardly hurt at all, though he wasn't sure if it was because of the delicate touch of your hands or because he had been too distracted admiring you in silence to register the pain.

"I had a lot of practice. Dustin used to fall off his bike and hurt himself all the time while learning how to ride" you explained as you gathered the items from the first aid kit to put them away and threw away the used cotton pads. "Mom was usually working so I was the one tending to his wounds."

"That's really sweet."

You talked about your lives for a while and discovered you had some things in common –much more than you imagined whenever you saw King Steve Harrington walking the halls of Hawkins High School. When Dustin came out of the bathroom, you took his place. You stood under the shower with your eyes glued to the floor, watching as the hot water ran down your body removing all traces of dirt and blood that might still be left on you. When you stopped seeing brownish water on the shower floor you proceeded to clean yourself with a generous amount of soap.

A couple of tears escaped your eyes in the process, the solitude of the bathroom giving you the privacy you needed to let out all the emotions you had been repressing since you learned the truth. You were terrified, but you didn't let that interrupt your cleansing ritual. You scrubbed every inch of skin with desperation until you were convinced that it was impossible for any particle of dirt –or from the Upside Down– to remain ingrained in your body. Then you shampooed your hair, washing it just as rigorously before turning off the faucet and wrapping a towel around yourself.

When you emerged from the bathroom –already changed into clean, comfortable pajamas– you found Dustin and Steve chatting in the living room. They were muttering things to each other that you didn't quite understand, and fell silent as soon as they saw you enter the room. You looked at them with a mixture of confusion and suspicion, but didn't mention anything. You simply asked Dustin to go to bed before telling Steve where the bathroom was so he could take a shower too.

Once alone, you set up the couch so that your guest could sleep on it. You took a couple of blankets from the closet and pulled one of the pillows from your own bed, arranging it on one end of the couch while you pulled the sheets over the other. When Steve came out of the bathroom he thanked you for the trouble. You couldn't do more than give him a small smile, your brain was too busy admiring the way his wet hair framed his face to form a coherent thought. So you ran to your room to avoid doing something stupid and hid under the covers, hoping sleep would restore your sanity.

But when you turned off the light all you managed to do was relive the previous traumatic events. Images of the demogorgons and the tunnels beneath Hawkins played before your eyes, keeping you awake in a constant state of anxiety. You tried to ignore it, focusing on how tired you were. You repeated to yourself over and over again that the danger was over, that the portal was closed and that you would never have to face such danger again. But nothing worked.

You tossed and turned in bed, hyper-aware of every noise or flash of light coming through the window. You flinched at the sound of the wind or the creaking of the wooden floors, imagining that some new monster was coming to attack you. Until you got tired of spinning around, of feeling your heart pounding against your chest every time a tree branch crashed against the window. So, with slight embarrassment, you got out of bed and walked to the living room.

“Steve... Steve, are you awake?” you whispered in the darkness, watching the figure resting on the couch.

“Hmmm, yeah yeah what’s going on?” he replied in a husky, slow voice, indicating that if he wasn't already asleep, he was close to it.

“I’m scared and I don’t want to be alone… Could you…humm, could you maybe stay in my room with me tonight?”

You were biting your lip so hard you were surprised you didn't draw blood. Steve was silent for a moment and your nerves increased with every second. You were about to take back your words, to ask him to forget what you had said and run to hide in your room, when he jumped up from the couch.

“Sure, let’s go” he mumbled, wrapping an arm around you to make you move.

It was a strange situation to have Steve in your room and even stranger to see him lying on your bed, but you were grateful for his presence. You settled in next to him, making sure to leave as much space between you as you could. You didn't want to make him uncomfortable or have him think it was all part of a plan to get him to sleep with you. You were truly terrified and his presence was the only thing that seemed to calm you down.

“Thank you for everything” you whispered, breaking the awkward silence that had formed between you.

“Don’t mention it,” he replied, not knowing what to say.

“No, you saved my life and my brother's life and I never thanked you for it” you insisted, turning over in bed so you could look at him.“So thank you for everything, Steve.” He nodded his head slightly, giving you a smile before returning his gaze to the ceiling. You remained on your side, watching his profile in the darkness of the room, your mind lost in thought.

"Things are never gonna be the same, aren't they?"

"Not really, no. But it gets better. Besides, the portal is closed, we're safe."

"Yeah well it was closed before and look what happened."

"Then let's hope I'm around to save you next time."

Steve smiled. But it wasn't just any smile, no. It was one of those smiles you always saw him give to the girls he dated. It was his charming smile, the one that all the girls in high school –and a couple of guys too– were desperate for. It was the smile they all fantasized about.

Was Steve flirting with you? No, it couldn't be.

You rolled your eyes and let out a sarcastic comment in response as you bumped him on the arm lightly with your elbow. You thanked the little light coming in from the window for hiding the blush on your cheeks.

"Can I ask you something?" you said in an effort to change the subject. Steve nodded, leaning towards you once again to get a better look at your face in the dark. "How can you be so good at fighting monsters from another dimension but can't kick Billy Hargrove's ass?"

"Oh so this how it's gonna be with us, huh? I thought you were grateful for all I did" he said, pretending to be offended. You let out a small laugh and Steve couldn't help but smile with you.

"And I am! I'm just curious. I mean, you were king Steve after all. What happened to all that?"

"Yeah I was, but Hargrove is insane."

"Maybe I should ask him to protect me then."

"Yeah like he's gonna do that after what happened." You laughed because Steve was probably right. Billy was an asshole to you and probably hated you for getting in the middle of his fight with Steve. "I can't believe you. I get a black eye trying to protect everybody and you pay me back by criticizing my fighting skills."

"I'm not criticizing, I'm just…” you paused, looking for the right words.”Pointing out how strange it is, that's all."

"Yeah right."

The two teenagers continued chatting late into the night. The cheerful and relaxed tone of the conversation helped you forget your fears for a while. You were surprised to find that talking to Steve was easy. All this time you had thought he was the typical arrogant, rude, popular guy, but it turned out he was one of the dokiest men you had ever met. And you liked that.

You lost track of time as you laughed in the darkness of your room. The tension you had previously felt in the air disappeared somewhere between the second or third laugh you shared. You lost your fear of accidentally touching each other under the sheets around the same time too, and when you finally fell asleep you ended up being much closer than you expected to be. You weren't cuddling, but if either of you stretched out your arm you would find the other's warm body resting next to you.

You realized that when your hand collided with Steve's firm chest as you awoke from a nightmare. Dazed and frightened, you reached out in search of something to hold on to, something to help you reconnect with reality. And that something ended up being Steve, who woke up to the movement in the bed.

"What happened? Are you okay?" he whispered with concern, confused by the situation.

"Yeah I'm sorry. I had a nightmare that's all" you apologized as you tried to calm the rapid beating of your frightened heart.

"Come here."

Before you could process his words you felt a pair of arms close around your waist. Steve pulled you to his body, pressing you against his chest. You stayed still, surprised by Steve's action. You opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but then one of his hands began to gently caress your back. His fingers moved gently over your pajama top, sending a comforting tingle through you. And just like that, the tension in your shoulders disappeared. Your whole body relaxed and before you knew it you were asleep again. Steve's hoarse voice murmuring "everything is gonna be okay" against your hair was the last thing you heard before you fell into the arms of Morpheus.

*Bonus scene*

Waking up in the arms of Steve Harrington the next morning was less awkward than you expected. At least that was until you emerged from your room to find Dustin and your mother eating breakfast in the kitchen. You had hoped to get him out of the house before your mother returned to save yourself the excuses, but staying up until 2 AM laughing with him had backfired on you.

"Look who decided to join us! Good morning, honey" your mother exclaimed from the kitchen when she saw you walk by. You cursed under your breath and stepped back to greet her.

"Hi mom! I didn't know you were home already" you said, glaring at Dustin for not waking you up sooner. Your brother gave you a smile, faking innocence, and continued eating his breakfast.

"Who is this handsome young man?" Mrs. Henderson asked, ignoring your comment and focusing all her attention on the man standing next to you.

"Oh, this is Steve. He's… a friend from school." Steve smiled awkwardly and shook Mrs. Henderson's hand politely. "We were working on a biology project last night and we got carried away. It was late so I invited him to stay for the night. I hope you don't mind, mom" you lied, hoping your mother wouldn't ask too many questions.

"Of course not, honey! Would you like some breakfast, Steve?"

He wanted to say no. He wanted to make up some excuse to escape from that uncomfortable situation. But your mother seemed to be such a kind woman that he simply could not refuse.

"Breakfast sounds great, if it's not too much trouble."

You gave him a murderous look which he answered with a simple shrug. He sat down at the table next to Dustin to eat his breakfast with great joy. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until Mrs. Henderson put the plate of food in front of him.

"It's so nice to meet one of Y/N's friends. She doesn't bring many to the house."

"Mom!" you exclaimed with embarrassment, accepting your fate and sitting in the free chair next to Steve.

"What? It's true. You barely leave the house and you never bring friends over. At least your brother goes to those play dates that he has with his friends." Dustin laughed and you tried to kick him under the table to shut him up. "But it's nice to know that you do have friends. Why were you hiding this handsome young man from us, honey?"

"Yeah, why were you hiding him, Y/N?" Dustin joined in, taking advantage of the situation to embarrass his older sister even more. "Is he more than just a friend?"

Steve almost choked on the juice he was drinking and this time it was two different feet kicking the boy under the table.

"Shut up, Dustin!" you said trying to fight the blush that was beginning to creep up your neck.

"You're getting all red, Y/N. That's a little suspicious," Dustin continued to mock you. Steve looked at you, instantly noticing the red color in your cheeks. He was used to women blushing in his presence. Most of the girls at school turned the color of a tomato when he smiled at them. But for some reason none of them looked as adorable as you at that moment.

"That's enough, Dusty" Mrs. Henderson interjected. "Leave them alone. We don't want to scare Steve."

After having the most awkward breakfast of your life, you walked Steve to the door to say goodbye. As you left the kitchen you were able to hear your mother and brother whispering to each other and made sure to make a mental note to remember to murder Dustin as soon as you got the chance.

"I'm sorry about all that. I didn't think my mom would be home."

"It's okay. Your mom is lovely and your brother is a likable little shit."

"That he is," you agreed with a laugh. "Thank you for everything, Steve."

"Don't mention it" he shrugged it off. "Oh and if you ever find yourself in trouble again don't hesitate to call and I promise you I'll come to rescue you" he added, handing you a piece of paper with his phone number scribbled on it.

"Will do."

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x female reader #steve harrington flufff #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington #stranger things imagine #steve harrington imagine #stranger things

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streets-in-paradise · 8 months

Text

There's a Songbird who Sings - Steve Harrington x (Fem)Henderson!Reader

Stranger Things Oneshot

Warnings: This is just fluff and musical references. I wrote it on my phone, so there was not much proofreading. It may have a few typos (sorry)

Summary: Steve accidentally discovers your real singing voice and you try to explain him why you feel Insecure of it.

Notes: As quite a few oneshots i have released before, this short thing is an attempt of bringing to life a mentioned moment in my headcanon series. It can be read separatedly, but for more context you can check it on my masterlist.

Tags: @losersclubisms

No matter how much he had grown, Dustin will always be your little brother. Still, as time passed there were certain shared rituals he was starting to consider childish despite being comforting. Bedtime ones were the most shamefull to him, he slowly stopped asking directly for that sort of comfort even at those times where he did need it. However, you would always be able to read him well enough to provide the care without an expressed ask.

" If Steve finds out I will kill you." The boy warned you, guessing your intention as soon as you sat on the bed next to him " I'm not a baby anymore, you don't have to sing for me. "

" But I want to." You reassured him, sweetly caressing the top of his head. " Would you call Aragorn, son of Arathor, a baby for finding comfort in singing songs to his friends? "

The reference made him smile.

" Although it's true that badass characters in Lord of the Rings are always singing, you have to accept we live under different cultural values."

You chuckled, not willing to refuse the claim.

" And you have to accept you are never too old for comfort. " Was your simple correction. " It's alright, I promise no one will find out. Steve is still in the living room and with the TV on, I doubt he would hear anything."

In that at least you were mistaken, since the secrecy didn't last long.

He didn't mean to eavesdrop, Steve merely wondered if you needed help calming the boy down from the emotional consequencies of the awfull day he had. It was the reason why he was staying over; joining forces with you to make things better for him. He was about to announce himself, but stopped right away like if he was caught up in a sudden trance.

Your voice.

" There's a feeling I get when I look to the West and my spirit is crying for leaving." You were singing for the boy a the other side " In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees and the voices of those who stand looking."

Soft as a caress, the sweet and undeniably feminine charm of your interpretation was one hell of a surprise. He had no idea you could actually sing, even less that you sounded that good. In awe as he was with the discoverment, he could only remain there untill you would finish fearing that making his presence be noticed would make you stop.

Carefull as he was of not letting your brother know he have been there, he still couldn't hide the shock as soon as he saw you. The pure adoration in his eyes betrayed him, but you were just a bit embarrassed.

" Dustin likes it, don't make it a big deal." You justified yourself in advance, whispering your way out of the bedroom area. " When we were younger I used to tell him stories all the time, and sing for him on bad nights. He still enjoys it, but he is growing up and would prefer to keep it as a secret."

" I can easily see why." Steve recalled as he followed you. " Stairway to Heaven is a great choice, you do sound like an angel."

Unsure of how to react, your freaky side emerged.

" Actually, there is this very dumb backsmashing controversy claiming it hides a satanic message. Conservatives would claim I'm brainwashing my brother into a cult"

Absolute cluelessness, he couldn't help loving it a little bit.

" It's cliche, but is one of the very first rock songs I learned full lyrics for so i used to sing it all the time back when he was very little. " You continued, admitting some guilt he didn't find a reason for. " There is a repetition comfort aspect in it, when he is down I know he wants to hear that one. I tried to switch it as I was learning more, but Don't Fear the Reaper didn't have the same effect."

Being back in the living room gave you more freedoom to talk.

" That's so sweet, you are great big sis. " He praised you, then turned off the tv. " and a great singer as well, turns out. I mean it for real, but i guess your freak friends must have told you that already. Aren't they in a band?"

He made you laugh and, despite pleased for it, he had no idea of why.

" Thanks, Steve. Is very nice of you to say that, but the truth is that I never use my real singing voice in public."

The confession was delivered with a clear undertone of shame and that confused him a bit.

" I know, I just noticed it. We have listened to music together and when we sing along you never sound like that. "

" Neither I do with Eddie, it would be so embarrasing if he would have heard that. I'm sorry you had to. "

That part encouraged him, but he was still not getting it.

" You have to be kidding, that was awesome!"

" Not in metalhead standards. " You explained yourself. " What I did was taking the most popular and overused song from an actually cool hard rock band and turn it into a lullaby sounding pop garbage because that fits my vocal range better. It's an abomination, the disney princess version of a rock anthem. "

Of course , that didn't seem a problem to him.

" I guess it could fit in the Snow White and the Seven Nerds soundtrack. "

You wanted him to take it serious, since it was a real insecurity for you.

" I have been cursed, Steve. I do love to sing, but my voice doesn't fit in my favorite genres and that's one of my biggest frustrations. " You exaggerated in an attempt to mock yourself while being graphic. " There is metal in my veins, but I sound like the most comformist pop singer. The best I can give is a decent ' Race With The Devil' GirlSchool cover, but never the sort of shit any of the guys would find trully cool. "

" Bullshit, show that to Munson and he would loose his shit "

He was just trying to prove a point cheering you up, but as soon as it began to cross unwanted territory he deviated the conversation back on the two of you. His intention was to make you feel better, not to make things easier for other guy to steal your attention.

" … Or better don't, and let this be our little secret so I only have to share your voice with Dustin. "

#steve harrington #joey keery #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson reader #stranger things

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froggywritesstuff · 2 years

Text

Idiot | Steve Harrington

pairings: Steve Harrington x male!(adopted)Henderson!reader

warnings: fluff, slight angst(?), bad communication between siblings, jealousy, homophobia, mentions of anxiety, swearing

request: me

Y/N sat against the gym bleachers, his eyes scanned around the gym that was slowly filling up with more students. The lights reflecting off the decorations making it harder to focus. He just wanted to meet Dustin at the doors, and get out of there. There's a reason he only agreed to helping with decorating the Snowball, and not chaperoning.

He let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the curly haired Henderson, standing up from the seats as he walked toward him.

"Dusty-" Y/N began, but stopped abruptly, "What happened to your hair?"

Dustin's face fell at the question, furrowing his eyebrows at the question, "What do you mean?"

"Why does it look like a mini Steve Harrington's hair?"

Dustin rolled his eyes at his brother, "He helped me with it, there's nothing wrong with it."

Y/N widened his eyes slightly, "I didn't say anything was wrong with it, it looks good, you look nice."

"Thanks," Dustin mumbled, before he changed his tone, asking his brother hopefully: "So what are you still doing here? Did you decide to stay and help out?"

"No," Y/N said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, you won't have to put up with me during your big night."

"Oh," Dustin felt his shoulders slumping in disappointment, "Right."

Y/N smiled at Dustin, patting him on the shoulder, "But you have fun tonight, ok?" Dustin nodded, plastering on a smile, "And you and your friends make sure to have an awesome time."

"Thanks, Y/N."

"Remember Steve will pick you up at tonight, if he's not there, then look for my car, but-"

"If you're not there, then ask Jonathan if he can give me a ride with Will. I know."

Y/N smiled weakly, nodding at Dustin before saying his goodbye's and walking out of the gym.

Y/N and Dustin hadn't been the closest of brothers lately. Ever since Steve Harrington came along and acted like another brotherly figure, Y/N felt like Dustin wanted nothing to do with him, and was drifting further and further away. Dustin however, thought that Y/N just didn't wanna be seen by his 'embarrassing little brother', and was just passing on the big brother duties to Steve.

How those thoughts came to be? Neither of them knew. They both knew they were irrational thoughts, but that didn't matter.

Y/N sighed as he pushed open the school doors, the cold December air hitting like a baseball bat. He wrapped his arms around himself, squinting his eyes as he walked toward the maroon BMW outside by the school.

He tapped his hand on the window, grabbing the attention of Steve, who sat in the driver's seat.

"Y/N, hop in." Steve pushed open the car door, greeting Y/N with a wide grin. Y/N slid in the car, shutting the door behind him.

"Jesus, it's freezing," Y/N whispered, feeling his body slowly warm up in the car.

"So," Steve began, "how was the first five minutes of the Snowball that you had to get to early?"

Y/N sighed, "I wanted to help out, and they said I could get there early to help out."

"Right." Steve drawled, "So how was Dustin?"

"Very clearly brainwashed with advice from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve asked, his expression suddenly serious.

Y/N rolled his eyes, "I'm talking about the Farrah Fawcett spray he hasn't shut up about."

"Wha- he could've heard that from anyone!"

"Oh yeah, that explains him saying: 'Steve told me about the Farrah Fawcett spray, I need it for the Snowball.'"

"Little shit." Steve muttered.

"God, he hasn't shut up about you ever since saved him from that stupid demo-dog."

Steve's eyebrows furrowed in concern, "Hey, what do you mean by that?"

"Come on, it's obvious he sees you as an older brother, Steve. Why do you think he's always getting car rides from you?"

"Because you don't have a license?"

Y/N paused, blankly staring ahead.

He hadn't thought of that.

"Y/N," Steve began, "You're a good brother. Trust me, I'm not the only one Dustin doesn't shut up about."

Y/N smiled weakly, looking down at the floor of the car, before Steve stopped him, gently gripping his chin with his thumb, lifting Y/N's head up to make eye contact, "Now would you stop worrying, babe?" he asked ever so casually, contrasting to Y/N's sudden feeling of panic, "Tonight we're meant to be-"

"Shush!" Y/N hissed, turning his head away from Steve, who grew concerned at Y/N's sudden change in demeanor.

"What's wrong, babe?"

"You can't call me that, Steve!" Y/N whispered, the fear clear in his tone.

Steve's face fell as it dawned on him why Y/N was acting the way he was. He turned his head from side to side, peering through the window, "There's no one around, Y/N." he reassured, his tone soft and gentle.

Y/N was unconvinced, nerves getting the better of him as he avoided eye contact with Steve.

In a matter of seconds, the car started up again, and Steve slowly drove off and away from the school. The barely audible music from the radio played faintly as Steve drove along the road, sneaking glances at his anxiety-ridden boyfriend as he drove.

"I'm sorry." Y/N finally spoke up, breaking the painful silence.

Steve sighed, sending a sympathetic look toward him, "Y/N, you don't-"

"No, Steve." Y/N huffed, hitting his head against the headrest of the seat, "I do this every time. We have a good moment together, and I fucking ruin it."

"It's not your fault, Y/N." Steve said, his tone full of sincerity. Y/N looked at him in disbelief as he continued, "Y/N, I get why you're nervous about it, you don't have to be sorry."

"Well you seem to have no problem always looking like you wanna kiss me." Y/N mumbled, the teasing hint in their voice bringing a smile on Steve's face.

"Have you met me? I'm a dumbass who doesn't think shit through, Y/N. You're not wrong for being cautious. It sucks that we have to be, but..." Steve trailed off with a sigh.

"Yeah." Y/N sighed, their nerves calming down as Steve parked the car behind a building where Y/N was sure no one would be near.

They sat in the car, a comfortable silence falling, when Steve spoke up. "Plus, I've been through much worse than an asshole telling me who I can't kiss for me to not want to kiss you."

A grin immediately played on Y/N's lips at their boyfriend's comment as they stifled a laugh.

"What, don't laugh, I'm serious, who wouldn't wanna kiss you?" Steve added, smiling at his giggling boyfriend.

"You can be a real idiot, Stevie." Y/N said, pressing his lips against Steve's. They pulled away, smiling at Steve's blushing cheeks, "But you're my idiot."

A/N: I didn't mean to get into Dustin and Y/N's relationship so much just to completely move away from that, but imma go more into it in a part two

(DO NOT PLAGARISE, TRANSLATE, MODIFY, OR REPOST ANY OF MY WORKS TO ANY OTHER PLATFORM)

buy me a coffee <3

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rekiilysm · 2 years

Text

ETHEREAL

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.

IN WHICH ,

Steve Harrington meets a girl, a certain girl who happens to be the biggest freak in Hawkins High. This girl thought the king of the school never knew who she was, but she may or may not have been wrong.

King Steve saw her in the hallways every now and then, ever since elementary school, not knowing who this girl was. Until Carol and Tommy explained to him who she was, which he shook off and didn't ask about her again.

He forgot about her completely, not even thinking about her at all. All throughout high school, Y/n Henderson wasn't on his radar at all, only Nancy Wheeler.

But once he bumps into the outcast, he realizes why he was so interested in her. He always thought it was like she wasn't real, her presence feeling unreal to him.

She was ethereal.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.

SEASON ONE:

—Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers Pt. 1

—Chapter Two: The Vanishing of Will Byers Pt. 2

—Chapter Three: The Weirdo on Maple Street

—Chapter Four: Holly, Jolly

—Chapter Five: The Body

—Chapter Six: The Flea and the Acrobat

—Chapter Seven: The Monster

—Chapter Eight: The Bathtub

—Chapter Nine: The Upside Down

SEASON TWO:

—Chapter Ten: MADMAX

—Chapter Eleven: Trick or Treat, Freak

—Chapter Twelve: The Pollywog

—Chapter Thirteen: Will the Wise

—Chapter Fourteen: Dig Dug

—Chapter Fifteen: The Spy

(i’m skipping The Lost Sister)

—Chapter Sixteen: The Mind Flayer

—Chapter Seventeen: The Gate

SEASON THREE:

—Chapter Eighteen: Suzie, Do You Copy?

—Chapter Nineteen: The Mall Rats

#steve harrington stranger things #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington #stranger things #joe keery #joe keery x reader #steve harrington series

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teddypickerry · 1 year

Text

𝐀𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀!

pairings! steve harrington x fem henderson reader

word count! 900

warnings! none

summary! in which your (secret) boyfriend steve gives you quite a karoke show :)

a/n! this was very poorly written at 4am based off a very vivid dream i had about him last summer. was missing this bbg and so here you goooo

IT WAS A LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING one that consisted of dnd after school with the boys. leaving their babysitter and i alone upstairs. it was after dinner when steve and i were sorting through all my music. he was certain on finding a perfect record for the evening and had been flipping through my records for a few minutes now. the radio played softly in the background, a song by queen i hummed along to for the majority of it while i finished annotating my book. i shut the book as steve glanced over at me. i was sat on my bed, specifically the right side as i leaned against the pillow. the fluffy haired boy stood beside my record player at the end of my bed. a smile on his face as he held up the grease soundtrack. "you have the grease soundtrack!"

"it's dustin's." i rolled my eyes as i looked up at him as he looked at me in disbelief, a smile still present on his face. "i don't know why you hide it..." he mumbled as he put it away. a familiar beat echoed on the radio. steve looked at the radio and gasped "this is my jam."

"god, steve. could you get anymore boring?" i joked as he ignored my words, turning up the volume button and turned towards nothing in specific and began singing along to the words. "she's coming in 12:30 flight, the moonlight wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation."

i shook my head at him as he continued singing and began moving to the beat. steve harrington was a horrible dancer, let me preface by saying that. but he had fun with what he was doing. which made me always secretly love when he did so. his head bopped to the music as he swayed around. "hurry boy it's waiting there for you!" he sang, getting louder by the minute as his vocals were just below a scream.

my hairbrush randomly appeared in his hand as he grabbed it off my dresser and tossed it in between hands, holding it up to his mouth pretending it was a microphone. singing the chorus, turning towards me and singing it towards me. i let out a giggle which was music to his ears, and enough motivation for him to continue.

i grabbed my camcorder off of my nightstand as he continued singing the second verse. he wasn't as silly at this point, leaving that for the chorus. i pressed on as his voice belted TOTO's classic hit. singing the second chorus, now looking into the camera as i scooted towards the end of the bed. laughing as he sang into the hair brush and looked into the camera. some MTV shit.

he then pulled the camera from my hands as the instrumentals began, making me roll my eyes as he put the camera on me. "look at her. isn't she just the most beautiful woman you've ever seen?" he asked the camera as if it was a child. i stared at him as i rubbed my lips together and he smiled brightly. the song continued as he set the camera on the bed, facing me.

he continued to hop ontop of me, making me giggle at his movement. his body hovered over me, his hand holding himself up as he locked fingers with mine and pressed me into the bed. he looked down at me with a small smile. we had began dating only days ago, secretly, obviously. dustin would hardly handle the news. and nancy, even though she told me daily how cute steve and i would be and how he's practically head over heels for me, i didn't want to hurt her. because let's be real, best friends who sleep with other best friends ex's suck. not that we've slept together... yet.

so kisses in the kitchen and sneaking out of dustin's room into mine will have to do for now. and car make out sessions. never forget those.

his breath was warm, i could feel it tickling my neck as he leaned down. his lips pressing to mine as they moved together. it was a feeling of happiness, pleasure, feeling of ultimate right. being with him felt so right.

he leaned back as the song started up again. "hurry boy she's waiting there for you," he sang softly into my ear making me giggle. he pulled himself off of me as he stood up and began singing crazily again. this time pulling me up with him and dancing with him. i just laughed as i soon sang along. in between the giggles and singing and small kisses on the neck. we began belting the lyrics at the top of our lungs as we pranced around my room.

dustin and will entered towards the last verse as our loudness was curious to them. will smiled immediately at the sight. him and jonathan having talked about how steve and i were secretly in love with eachother but wouldn't tell eachother — as far as they know. while dustin looked at us confused, "what the hell is this?"

"oh, hi dustin!" steve greeted as he wrapped his arms around me and i let out a laugh and pushed him away. i smiled widely towards the boys as dustin still looked confused. "what you've never seen two best friends scream toto at the top of their lungs?" steve joked, as i pressed my lips together.

"you guys are weird." dustin muttered, exiting the room like the annoying little brother he is.

#teddypickerry #steve harrington bbg #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #stranger things fic #steve harrington x henderson reader

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dameronology · 2 years

Note

hcs for steve x henderson reader please?

ofc!!

the scenario as to how you're a henderson sibling is ambigious; could be adopted, biological, whatever u prefer😌

you 100% met through dustin

i mean you probably knew each other already, because you're a similar age and hawkins high isn't massive but you actually properly, meet through dustin

your baby brother is an adventurous kid; he's out at all hours of the day getting up to god knows what and you know he sneaks out his window past curfew when your mum thinks he is asleep

it's whatever, really; you know he's good at heart and probably isn't getting into trouble. you were the same when you were his age

you meet steve for the first time in unfortunate circumstances; you were meant to pick dustin up from a d&d meet but the thought completely slipped your mind

steve drops him off on the doorstep about two hours later with a very grumbly, curly haired kid by his side

"you forgot about me! what's more important than me?"

you send dustin inside and profusely apologise to and thank steve at the same time; he finds it quite funny actually because honestly how could you forget about someone as persistently loud and annoying as your little brother??

you bond over the fact he's a great, if not irritating kid

steve sees you in a coffee shop a few days later & you buy him a cup to say thank you for your mistake the other night

you end up talking for hours and he asks you out

from there it's an uphill trajectory of literally just falling in love with him

you hide it from dustin at first; there's no telling how he'll react

steve likes to think he'll be jealous because even though he shouldn't care what some kid thinks, he definitely feels a pang of something everytime dustin calls him all like "don't worry about picking me up later, eddie's gonna give me a ride!"

and harrington would like to think that dustin would extend the same courtesy to him

dustin finds out by accident; you're on the phone to steve one day, hanging up and saying you love him, and dustin goes "oh, i love you too steve, i'm sorry i missed your call. we're good right?"

and when he hears you go FUCK OFF, DUSTIN! he realises he meant the other henderson

there's no anger. maybe a little that you felt the need to hide it from him but overall, dustin is absolutely obsessed with the idea of you two

your mum, a little less so. she's always been a little weary of steve, ever since mrs wheeler told her one day at brunch about what a bad influence he was on nancy

(barely tho, but yanno how ma's can be)

you don't really care; you're old enough to move out if you want and tbh most her nervous energy is focused on dustin because she swears 11 times a week that he's gonna cause her a stroke from stress

your lil brother loves movie nights with you!! he'll sit in the middle of you and steve because he can't read the room

you're both super over protective of him; one time some kids in school gave him shit for his cleidocranial dysplasia and you and steve basically corned them in the parking lot

he tries to rope you both into playing d&d and it only worked once

overall, you're like a little family and dustin loves it

#asks #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington x you #steve harrington oneshot #steve harrington #stranger things x reader #stranger things imagine #stranger things imagines #stranger things #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington x henderson! reader

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theladybarnes · 15 days

Photo

CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER EIGHT

“I told you, I'm fine. Okay? I mean, as fine as someone who's hurtling towards a gruesome death can be.”

▸ summary: the group splits off again and a breaking theory comes your way ▸ characters: steve harrington, dustin henderson, max mayfield, robin buckley, nancy wheeler, & lucas sinclair ▸ word count: 12.7k ▸ warnings: angst, fluff, mentions of death, slight canon divergence, & trauma ▸ series masterlist

“It was here..right here!”

“A grandfather clock?”

“It was so real.”

You watched carefully from the back of the group as Max explained what happened once she had snapped out of her brief frozen state. Time had not ran out and it was only a few seconds into your panicking that she gasped before you guys, waking up.

“..And then, when I got closer, suddenly I just..I woke up.”

“It was like she was in a trance or something.” Dustin chimed in, looking over to the rest of you. “Exactly what you and Eddie said happened to Chrissy.”

You met his gaze with a small nod, unsure what to think next. Chrissy never woke up to the sound of you and Eddie calling out to her. And while Max didn’t either, she still snapped out of it.

Turning around to the group, Max couldn’t help but dive into more information. “That’s not even the bad part.” she started before she led all of you back to Ms.Kelley’s office. Surrounding the stack of files, she shared a couple between Robin and Nancy, setting up the base of what you guys gathered.

“Fred and Chrissy, they both came to Ms.Kelley for help..they both were having headaches, bad headaches that just wouldn’t go away. And then..then the nightmares..trouble sleeping. They’d wake up in a cold sweat. Then they started seeing things..bad things..from their pasts. In these visions, they just, they kept on getting worse and worse, until eventually..everything ended.”

“Vecna’s curse.” Robin clarified.

Curse. You thought.

Stomach churning at the idea of not only yourself being cursed, but Max too. How could she be hit with any more hardship than she already has? Even as she had explained everything as perfectly as she could, there was still a heavy terror in her voice. One that hit you harder than you expected.

But what could you do? How could you be of any help when you were going through the same afflictions that her and the others have? The only difference in the patterns were the visions. Instead, you were tormented by a voice. A dreadful voice that seemed to know all your insecurities and dump them into your mind at the worst times.

You glanced around at your friends, their faces etched with sad, sombering looks as they listened to what Max had to say.

“There’s still time to figure things out,” you said, speaking up finally. “No one is giving up just yet.”

Max slowly shook her head. Her bright eyes still lingered with a few unshed tears as she tried to reason with you.

“Chrissy’s headache started a week ago, Fred’s, six days ago. I’ve been having them for five days.”

Your heart dropped at that, unsure what you could even say to help make things better for her. But to your dismay, she went on. Even through her own body betraying her regular strength, she couldn’t help but crumble at her conclusion.

“I don’t know how long I have. All I know is that, for Fred and Chrissy, they both died less than twenty-four hours after their first vision. And I just saw that goddamn clock!..So..” her breath was shaky as she stepped towards the desk. Gripping at the chair while she looked at everyone. “..it looks like I’m gonna die tomorrow.”

There’s a loud clang in the distance. Causing the group to jump a bit and pause the conversation. Steve doesn’t hesitate to step up, turning to the others with a frown on his face. “Stay here.” he ordered calmly, and turned to leave the room. But not without grabbing a nearby lamp to use as a weapon.

It took only a couple of seconds of him leaving the room before you quietly muttered to the others. “Yeah, screw that.”

Trailing after him, you made sure to check the hall behind you guys before following in close after him. Without having to look back, you could hear as the others quietly did the same. Sticking close behind Steve as well as he ventured out to the source of the noise.

Steve barely glanced over his shoulder and noticed you all before he sighed disappointedly. “You gotta be kidding me.” he muttered to you.

“Like you aren’t used to us not listening.” you whispered back. “Besides, you’re using a damn lamp. It’s not like you’re ready to fight either.”

“It’s the best thing I got!” he hissed, trying to keep quiet. The sound of clattering stirred up again, shutting you both up.

In the distance you could hear the sound of feet running begin to pick up, creating an anxious chill to run down your back.

All around the rest of the group grew tense, waiting behind to see what would be coming into the view. Steve raised up the lamp, ready to take his aim on the target when suddenly a familiar face jumped into the hall.

Steve and Lucas began to yell once coming to head with each other, causing everyone to let out a panicked cry as they staggered back.

“IT’S ME!” Lucas cried out, holding his hands out before him defensively.

“Lucas?!” Nancy called out, flashing another light on his face.

“It’s me!” he cried again.

“JESUS, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU SINCLAIR?” Steve yelled, looking flushed as the panic came over him.

“I’m sorry!”

“I could’ve taken you out with this lamp!” he chided dramatically. You reached over for his arm and pulled him away from Lucas to rest back and give the kid some obvious air since he was panting particularly hard.

“Easy there, he-man.” you patted his arm, earning yourself an annoyed look from him.

“I’m sorry, guys, sorry! I was..I was biking for eight miles.” he held up a finger, holding onto the front of his gut. “Give me a second, shit.” he said before remembering what he really wanted to say. “We’ve got a code red!”

“What?” Steve asked, confused all over again.

“Dustin,” He said as he staggered over to your cousin, still panting as he laid out more crap for the group to worry about now. “I’ve been with Jason, Patrick, and Andy, and they’ve gone like totally off the rails! They’re trying to capture Eddie, and they think you know where he is. You’re in terrible danger!”

Dustin, while taken back by this, still can’t help but keep the main problem at focus. “All right, Yeah, that definitely sucks.” he agreed. “But we’ve got bigger problems than Jason right now.”

You could only watch as Lucas slowly glanced over at Max. The two locked eyes and you could just see the pain in Max’s face. Without even realizing it, you’ve instinctively reached out for Steve’s hand. And thankfully, he doesn’t say anything but squeeze back.

“We wouldn’t be able to access the program for it here. The family computer isn’t exactly gonna cut it.” sighed Nancy, downing the rest of her water. “Besides, I’m not even sure how to write up the kind of files we’d need to pass as real.”

“There’s always a chance the library could have some examples.” you threw out, leaning against the counter to look at the two girls. “If we head there early enough, we could be the first ones in, type it out, and get it done by early morning.”

“We can try that, but there’s always a chance it might not work. Hawkins doesn’t really have the newest resources. Even today we had to dig pretty deep to find the newspaper headlines.” Robin countered, crossing her arms as she stood beside you.

The three of you had been in the kitchen for a good few minutes discussing what you guys could do.

After leaving the school, it was pretty easy to just collect everyone and keep watch of each other in the safety of the Wheeler basement. Especially with Max’s countdown recently coming into light to hang over the rest of you.

“Well,” Nancy piped up, “there was a rumor I heard at school..” You and Robin shared a confused look before nodding at her to continue.

“Jordan Wallis. He’s in the A.V. Club. They said his older brother Nick used to help create fake IDs and permits for a certain price..”

“Wasn’t his brother also sent to a Military school for getting caught?” Robin asked, looking a little skeptical.

“He was.” she nodded, scrunching her nose at the fact. “But, I’ve heard that Jordan and a few of his buddies have taken on the family business. They might know a thing or two about forging documents. Some of them are in the newspaper so I might have a way in if we need to talk to him.”

The three of you mulled it over for a minute. Contemplating how much this idea could work.

Nancy let out a long sigh, sounding tired as she set down the cup in the kitchen sink. “It’s a long shot in the dark, but–”

“It’s the best we got.” you finished for her, watching as she nodded her head. “I say we do it.”

Robin silently agreed with a shrug, looking over to Nancy. “Do you think you can reach them in time tonight?” she asked, scratching nervously at her cheek. “We’d have to leave first thing in the morning.”

She turned her watch over, noting the time before she offered a tight lip smile. “It’s not too late. I can make a couple of calls.”

“Then let’s get to it.”

Robin left the two of you to join the others downstairs, possibly giving Steve some sort of relief from ‘babysitting’ while you and Nancy ventured up her stairs. It was easier to conceal the type of phone calls you guys were making from her parents in the privacy of the room. And after about ten minutes, three different conversations, and one sweet minute of pleading, there was a plan made to get the files.

You waited until everything was set and ready for the next day to ask Nancy if you could use her phone for a moment alone. She seemed a little worried, but gave a small smile and quietly left the room.

Reaching for her phone, you stared down at the receiver, wondering what was suddenly coming over you as you pressed in the familiar number. A glance at your watch and you were thankful for once for the time difference.

“The number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please try again at a later time.”

Frowning, you tried dialing it again.

“The number you are trying to reach is un–”

Ending the call, you tried to figure out just what could be holding the line. Since reaching Jonathan seemed out of play, you dialed the next person you needed to speak to.

It only took one ring for her to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Mom?”

“Oh, Duckie!” your mother gasped. “I was hoping I’d hear from you soon!”

The sudden joy in your Mother’s voice brought a blooming happiness over you. It had been a couple of weeks since you had the chance to properly speak with her, and hearing her chirpy tone now felt like just what you needed.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting for so long..”

“I would wait forever if it meant to get a call from you.” she cooed teasingly. “How are you, Duckie? Are you guys finally on Spring Break?”

“Yeah, just started on Friday. Are you and Dad at the beach house?”

“Yes! We just arrived the other night. We’re definitely missing you here. The Johnsons brought their little Dune Buggy that you liked to ride on the shore line.”

The memories of spending breaks over at the seaside home came flooding in. If you were living there now you’d find yourself spending the evening with your parents getting ready for a lush dinner. Not currently dwelling over what you were going to do to save a friend from the fate that you might very much fall into as well.

“Duckie?”

“Sorry,” you coughed, feeling your throat tighten up from your thoughts. “I’m just out of it today. Kinda tired.”

“Well it’s a good thing you’re on break! You’ll get to go out with your friends, have fun date nights with Steve–By the way! How is he? It’s been so long since you’ve told us about you guys. We’ve got that picture of you two from his graduation in the drawing room. It’s too cute!”

Instantly you’re covering your face up. Not sure how you could even dive into explaining everything that was going on with Steve. Especially when right at this moment, you’re pretty sure you’re the last person whom he’d want talking about how well he is.

“Oh, uh, Steve’s fine.” you stuttered a bit. “He’s just been working really hard.”

“Hopefully not too hard. I know how much you two are in love~ Must be going crazy with seeing each other all the time..” she teased, nearly making you groan out in pain.

“Yeah, we’re..inseparable.” Balling your hand up in a fist, you lightly punched at your thigh, trying to keep it together. "How are you and Dad doing?"

"We're doing just fine," she sighed, her answer comforting you a little. "Your father's been trying to cut back hours in the firm, he wants to get some vacation time.. I’ve just finished designing a showroom for Margaret Chandler. She’s redone her whole home since her daughter graduated. But, mostly, we miss you. It's not the same without you around."

You swallowed hard, trying to push down the surge of emotions threatening to overwhelm you at the endearing words you’ve been needing to hear lately. "I miss you too, Mom. It’s kind of late here..um, I’ll try to call again soon, okay?”

“Okay, Duckie. Don’t wait too long this time. I wanna hear all that you’re up to, okay?”

“Yeah.” you managed to choke out. “I love you..so much.”

She let out a light laugh, possibly thinking you’re in a loving mood tonight. “I love you too! Talk to you soon.”

You waited until the line disconnected before slowly putting the phone back down. The silence of the room suddenly became so overwhelming.

Covering your face, you tried to control your breathing, reminding yourself to calm down before you went and join the others. But the tears still welled up in your eyes and your vision blurred.

Would that be your last conversation with your Mother? Should you attempt to reach Jonathan again? What protocols would one have to follow when dealing with a curse?

There was a dip on the bed next to you and suddenly you were being engulfed into a pair of arms. They were so warm, so familiar, you don’t even have to open your eyes as you pushed your way into his chest.

“It’s okay,” Steve whispered as his hands rubbed at your back. “You’re okay.”

You don’t cry as much as you’d like to. Not when you knew you had to be around the others in just a few moments. But you allow the escape of Steve’s hug to give you a few moments of peace until you were pulling back.

“I’m sorry.” you sniffled. “I just..I just...”

The words died right off your tongue and you watched as he merely brought a hand up. Rubbing the pad of his thumb across the tears that stained your cheeks. His warm eyes looked over your face as he slowly shook his head. “You don’t have to explain yourself, baby. I just wanna be here for you.”

His words nearly made you break down all over again and you can’t help but push your face back into his chest once more. Resting against his pecs while listening to the sounds of his comforting heartbeat. He placed his head gently on top of yours, simply holding you close while you took the chance to calm down.

The interaction between the two of you was very much the opposite of what you guys had just a couple of hours ago. When you both tried ways to jab at each other. But to your dismay, like all other fights, Steve would always come to comfort you when you felt you least deserved it.

“Hey do you think you guys can go–”

The sudden voice of Robin booming into the doorway caused you both to pull back from each other. Her blue eyes went wide at the sight of you two before slowly turning into a small grin. “Am I interrupting anything?” she asked teasingly, until she noticed the leftover tears in your eyes. “Shit, am I?”

“Robin,” Steve sighed, letting go of you so he could get up from the bed. He stepped towards the door and closed it enough that it was only him that Robin could see. Giving you the chance to fix yourself up. “What were you gonna ask us?”

“Sorry,” she chuckled nervously. “Do you think you guys could maybe get us some pizza? We’re all kinda starved and don’t wanna bother Mrs. Wheeler or anything.”

“Oh, I’m not sure that’s a good thing right now..” Steve said, most likely thinking you needed a minute. But the idea of stepping out for a moment sounded a lot more pleasing when you really thought it over. “Maybe we could just-”

“We can go get it.” you said softly.

The two peeked turned at your voice, watching as you got off the bed, wiped your cheeks and made your way to the door. You reached around Steve to open it up again, allowing Robin to get a better look of you again.

“Are you sure?” she asked, moving to place a hand on your shoulder. “If you guys need a second it’ll be fine. I can try and heat us some frozen waffles or something.”

“It’s fine, Robs.” you reassured her, attempting to shoot her a small smile. “We can go.” Turning to glance at Steve, you give him a hopeful look. “If you’re up for it?”

His eyes were skeptical as he took in your question. Most likely because he probably didn’t believe your sudden change in demeanor from moments ago on the bed. But to your surprise, he’s not against it and slowly nodded his head. “Let’s go.”

As Steve drove down the winding path toward town, the tension in the car was slightly nerve wracking.

Quietly you sat beside him, trying to keep your composure together. Not wanting to go back to how you were not five minutes ago in Nancy’s room. But there’s no denying what was bound to happen. The moment Steve came into the room and overheard you, you knew what he was going to ask. If not now, then eventually.

The problem was, were you willing to tell him the truth?

From just a glance you could see as his eyes focused on the road ahead. Jaw clenched and lips pursed in a tight line. He was most likely running ideas about how to approach this with you. Not that you had any clue on how he could. It made the guilt return back quickly.

The whole fight earlier felt petty now.

Max was now closer to falling into Vecna’s curse, and there was a possibility that you might be next. How could you even care about stupid things like exes and kisses? Not that he was aware of the severity. All he knew was that his ex girlfriend was acting out of normal for a couple of weeks now. But in reality, you were far into this web of problems that you weren’t sure you had it in you to trap him in it with you.

How could you drag him in when you weren’t sure how to get out?

Carefully, he veered off the main road into the quiet woods, just outside of the main parts of town. You could feel your heartbeat quicken. How many times could you lie to Steve and tell him you were okay? Would he easily see through your lie again and call out the bullshit? There was no way he could attempt to unravel the myriad of problems surrounding you.

But like always, despite all your best efforts to push him away, he just came back with a force.

The car came to a slow stop and he turned off the engine. Cutting off the only noise left between the two of you. Outside the chilly spring night brought a blue hue over the woods. It was the same way it looked the other night when you were left to find your way back home.

You must have been shivering at the memory because suddenly Steve was slipping off his jacket and placing it over you. His eyes stayed focused on making sure you were covered up before he leaned back in his seat with a sigh. The smell of his cologne still lingered over his jacket and you can’t help but allow the heat of the fabric to comfort you briefly, giving you a small relief before you cleared your throat to speak up finally.

“So,” you said lamely, pointing out towards the field. “Chilly night isn’t it?”

He stared quietly, raising a brow at you like he was expecting some sort of breakdown.

“I, for one, think that it is too cold for Spring. Back home, Spring nights felt crisp but still nice enough for a walk.”

"So you’re just gonna act like what happened in Nancy’s room didn’t happen?" he frowned, his voice laced with worry.

You shook your head, trying not to dive into that as you plastered on a smile, hoping it would be enough to deflect his concern. "Nothing happened. That was just me being homesick.."

“Homesick? You’re kidding me..”

“It’s the truth! I haven’t been away from home in so long. It’s complicated. Not to mention, it’s been a long day and I’m a little tired.”

He scoffed lightly, his hand reaching out to grip onto the wheel tightly. "Bullshit, Trouble. You look like you haven't slept in days, you’re crying after a phone call home, you were just in an accident the same night you saw a girl die from some curse. When are you going to finally be honest with me, here?”

“I’m fine.” you replied, voice a little too forced. "Just... worried about Max too, you know? With everything that's been happening. It’s a lot.”

Steve's brow furrowed, his gaze lingering for a moment too long. He could always see right through you. Always sensing when something was off. It was both a blessing and a curse, especially now when you were desperately trying to keep your own secret buried.

"Look, we’re all worried, but I know there’s more. You're not just worried about Max, are you?" His voice was soft, though laced with a hint of hurt.

You swallowed hard, your throat suddenly dry as you tried to ignore the guilt coming back in your stomach again. "What do you mean?"

"It’s him too?" has asked carefully, his eyes never leaving yours. "You’re worried about Eddie too. I mean..that kiss..”

“Well, I am worried he might get attacked by a mob of evangelicals. But that kiss, it was just..it was nothing.” you said quickly, “He does it all the time. It’s more so to annoy me than to mean anything else.”

“That’s not what it looked like to me.” he mumbled, glancing out the window.

A lump formed in your throat. Trying to push out any sort of excuse that could ease him of the hurt he had over what transpired earlier. All this time, Eddie was the only thing that helped distract you from Steve. He didn’t care about making anything deep, and neither did you. It was perfect.

But now Steve was here, and he was trying to help you, and all you could think was to apologize for making things worse.

"I'm sorry, Steve," you whispered, reaching out to gently place a hand on his arm. "I want to say that it’s nothing, because it is nothing to me. I’m not even thinking about that. Right now I just want to work on making sure Max is okay."

“There’s more you’re not telling me.”

“I‘ve said all that I need to say—“

"No, nope. I’m not letting you avoid this," Steve said firmly, turning to face his body towards you. "We don’t lie to each other, okay? Even when you’re mad you always eventually tell me what’s wrong. But now? You’re just..”

“I’m just trying to keep focus, Steve.”

He quickly shook his head, frowning now. “You can't keep shutting me out, pretending like everything's okay when it's clearly not. I'm not going to stand by and watch you keep whatever it is that’s eating you up inside! I’ve made that mistake before and I won’t do it again.”

You wanted to protest, to tell him it wasn’t anything he should be concerned over, but the words caught in your throat. How else could you fail in keeping him safe when even keeping him out of the loop caused him to feel this hurt?

But before you could think of anything to say to him, his voice softened, his eyes searching yours as if the answers were right there. "I just want to help you, honey..I lo— I care about you, And it's killing me to see you like this. I made a promise to you a long time ago and all I do is keep breaking it.”

“Promise?” you whispered, leaning in close to him. “What promise?”

He reached out to cup the side of your face. Warming your cheek with the palm of his hand as he came in to rest his forehead against yours. “Last summer. Back in my room, I said no one was ever going to hurt you again. Because no one was going to look out for you better than me.” he whispered back. You stayed quiet, trying to take in those words again. Steve nervously licked over his lips, scared to push the limit of the conversation. “Do you remember why?”

The memory hit you instantly. The way you two looked over each other, trying to make sense of all the pain and suffering you both endured after Billy and being captured by the Russians. You never wanted to see Steve hurt again. You still don’t. His words, however, came back to your mind and you found your eyes slightly prickling with tears.

“..because I’m your girl.”

“That’s right.” he sighed, “You’re my girl..”

Without saying anything, he pulled you into his arms. Holding you so tightly, as if his arms could shield you from the world and all the doom that wanted to make its way in. And truthfully, in that moment, it really felt like they could.

“Can we just..forget about everything? Just for right now?” you asked, keeping your face pressed into his chest. “I don’t want to talk or think about breakups, exes, fighting, or curses. I just..want this right now. Just us.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, pulling back so he could hold your face in his hands. “We can do that.”

There’s a little disappointment in his eyes. Probably from the lack of progress in the conversation. But you’re grateful for the pause. Needing to be selfish just once more with Steve, and focus on the kindness and sincerity of his words that made the ache in your chest lighter.

“Can you say it again?” you asked, leaning close to his face. The faint brush of his breath flushed over your skin and you reached out to place a hand over his chest. Basking in his closeness to you.

A small, pleased sort of smile, pulled at his lips as he nodded his head slowly. He reached out to push a hair away from your face before he finally spoke again.

“You’re my girl.” A kiss to your forehead.

“You’re my girl.” A kiss to your cheek.

He took his time leaning down, only brushing his lips briefly over yours, affectionately. “My girl.” he breathed before he sealed the moment with one last kiss.

The night thankfully didn’t result in more crying. After the two of you allowed yourselves just a little bit of time to just forget everything, you remembered that you had a whole group of people to feed. Some who were kind enough not to point out how long it took for you guys to receive the food.

Eventually the full bellies led for some to go in and out of falling asleep. You took the chance of having a quieter basement go over everything. Sleep, as much as it called to you, did not sound like a good idea. Not when every night now it’s led to another nightmare.

You managed to keep yourself busy, going over all the files again as well as taking in the new information about this Victor Creel guy. Now and then you’d peek over and watch Max over at the desk. She had grown quiet after eating, only asking Nancy for a pen, paper, and envelopes before settling into the back of the room.

It was hard not to want to pester her with worrisome questions. You knew better than to poke her with that kind of approach. But it didn’t help ease you at all. Not when you knew she was probably scared out of her mind.

Eventually the night passed and it wasn’t until morning came that Nancy and Robin left to go try and reach one of the boys who Nancy had called the night before. You offered to join them but they pressed for you to stay back when they noticed your tiredness. It was decided you’d stay back and attempt a bit of a nap.

After a brief hour or two spent up in Nancy’s quiet room, you made your way down to the basement again after downing two pain relief pills. The dreaded headache only turned worse after the reveal of symptoms. But now you were up again and seeking out the company of the others.

You had just sat down beside Dustin, relaxing against the cushion when the other two boys decided to venture into the small pile of information left for them to read over again. It wasn’t until Steve’s grumbling that you peeked an eye open to look over at them.

“Okay, be honest. Uh, you guys understand any of this?”

“No.” Lucas sighed defeatedly.

“Pretty straightforward.”

“Pretty much all of it.”

You and Dustin looked over at each other approvingly before casting a glance over at Steve who was frowning over at the two of you now.

“Oh, straightforward, really?” Steve asked, perplexed, eyes shifting between the two of you.

“Well, what’s confusing to you?” Dustin sighed, tiredly. “So far, everyone Vecna cursed has died, except for this old Victor Creel dude Nancy found. He’s the only known survivor. If anyone knows how to beat this curse, it’s him.”

“Exactly,” you chimed in. “Which is why he’s our best lead on this.”

“Yeah, that’s assuming he was cursed, Hendersons, which we don’t even know.” Steve muttered, a hard frown on his face. “God, How can Vecna have existed in the fifties? It doesn’t make sense.”

“As far as we know, Eleven didn’t create the Upside Down. She opened a gate to it.”

“Jonathan and I asked Will about this before, he mentioned that the Upside Down looked sort of out of time. Like everything was aged. But that was only from the area surrounding his house, not sure about the whole town..” you said, trying to remember if Nancy had ever mentioned anything. Dustin seemed to agree with your direction, snapping a finger at you.

“The Upside Down has probably been around for thousands of years. Millions. I wouldn’t be surprised if it predated the dinosaurs.”

Steve couldn’t help but grow even more frustrated at that. Waving his arms over in a crossing motion. “Dinosaurs? What are we–”

“Okay! Okay!” Lucas intervened. “But if a gate didn’t exist in the fifties, how did Vecna get through?”

“Oh! And how’s he getting through now?” Steve threw in, pointing to Lucas.

“And why now?”

“And why then? Just pops out in the fifties, kills one family, and he's like, ‘Yeah, I’m good!’ and poof, he just disappears. Just..gone?” You watched carefully as Steve put together his own idea, waving his fingers in the air dramatically. “Then only to return thirty years later and start killing some random teens? No, I don’t buy it.”

He glared down at the newspaper again before starting up again. “Straight forward my ass.” he mumbled, turning to go over to his seat. “You know what? Honestly, Hendersons, a little humility now and then, it wouldn’t hurt you guys.”

Dustin is quick to apologize. Muttering out a ‘sorry’ while he allowed Steve the small win.

The man looked over at you next, raising a brow questionably, but all you could do is chuckle at his reaction. Holding your hands up defeatedly before settling back into a resting position. With a flick to the paper and cross of his legs, Steve finally seemed to relax again.

It was only a few more seconds of silence before Dustin changed the subject.

“Any idea what she’s writing?” The four of you slowly diverted your attention to the girl in the back. She was still quiet, working at the desk like she did late into the night. “Did she sleep?”

“No,” you answered softly, trying not to speak so loud and clue her in on your guys' tactless conversation about her.

“I mean, would you?” Lucas asked.

“I wouldn’t.” you answered honestly. That earned you a worried glance from Steve. Thankfully, before any questions could come out from that, the loud shut of the basement door cut into the room.

Nancy and Robin quickly came down the stairs, a small approving look on their faces as they held onto the folders you had been patiently waiting for.

“Okay, so, we have a plan.” Nancy announced, mostly to those unaware of last night’s conversation. The files were given to the others, allowing them a clue in while Robin explained where they had gone that morning.

“Thanks to Nancy’s minions, we are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Notre Dame.”

“Ugh, Notre Dame?” you asked, earning a small amused look from your friends before they passed you the last folder. Apparently you’d be joining them this time.

“I’m now Ruth.”

“And I’m Rose.”

“Ruth?” Steve asked amusedly. You would have joined in on the silly name, if your eyes had not landed over the name at the top of your page.

“Rhonda?!” you gaped, eyes flickering between the paper and your two friends. “Of all the names–”

“The Beach Boys happened to be playing on the radio when we couldn’t think of another name.” Robin excused quickly, waving her hand to point over to the student status card. “Look at your pretty extracurriculars.”

Dustin leaned over to glance at your file. “You guys do have nice GPAs.” he said, throwing in some positive feedback.

“Thanks.” Nancy said cheerfully before explaining further. “So we called Pennhurst Asylum, told them we’d like to speak with Victor Creel for a thesis we’re co-writing on paranoid schizophrenics–”

“To which they said no.” Robin threw in, adding some reality into the plans.

“But, we landed a three o’clock with the director.”

“Now all we have to do is charm him and convince him to let us talk to Victor.”

“Then maybe we can rid Max of this curse.” Nancy finished, hopefulness in her voice.

“All easy things, of course.” you muttered sarcastically, handing your file out to the small rotation that was happening with the boys.

“Yeah, about that.” Steve joined in, “We’ve been doing our Victor Creel homework, and, uh, we got some questions.”

“Lots of questions.” Lucas emphasized.

“So do we,” Nancy agreed. “Hopefully, Victor has the answers.”

“Wait, wait, wait a second.” You all looked over to Steve as he confusedly looked over the papers before him. “Where’s mine?”

It was only a matter of seconds into Nancy’s room that Steve went into a mini tantrum.

“Nancy, you’re outta your mind if you think I’m babysitting again.”

“Okay, first of all, they’re not babies anymore. And Max is in real danger. She needs people around her.” she turned to open her closet before stopping. “Also, It wasn’t just my idea, you know.” she said to him, throwing a glance over at you.

Steve looked at you with wide eyes.

“Way to throw me under the bus.” you muttered, making your way to lie down on her perfectly made bed. Thankfully he didn’t let that part of the conversation linger and returned back to the main focus.

“I know she needs people. But why does it always have to be me?”

“Oh my God, you have a Tom Cruise poster!” Robin gushed as she came into the room now. The excitement on her face is so opposite of Steve’s annoyed one that you can’t help but be entertained from your spot. “You have a Tom Cruise poster~.”

“That’s old!” Nancy replied, trying to justify her previous celebrity crush.

“You act like you’ve never been in a girl’s room before.” you chuckled to your friend, watching her go through Nancy’s tapes next.

“This is Nancy’s room, It’s like a whole new personality to find out.”

“Can you please not touch anything?” she tried telling Robin. Again, Steve is left to try and bring the focus back onto him and his current agenda.

Leaving the babysitting business.

“I just-I just- I can’t do anything here, Nance. Maybe I can be helpful with this asylum director dude. I don’t know. I could turn on my..my charm.”

“Not the charm we need.” she shut down kindly, still hurting his ego in the process.

“Ouch,” he turned before he caught you watching comfortably from the bed. “Well, why does she get to go?” he pouted, pointing over at you

“Hey!” you frowned, sitting up now. “What are you trying to say?”

“Nothing! Just that if I’m stuck babysitting again then so should you.”

“We need her.” Nancy butt in, poking her head out from the closet. “Not only is she Ivy League type, but some of her assets might be what we need to convince them if all else fails.”

“What assets?” you and Steve asked at the same time.

“She means your boobs.” Robin said plainly, holding onto one of Nancy’s sunglasses from her dresser. “Let’s be real, she’s as hot as she is smart so it’ll be of use when we need to get through.”

You couldn’t help but glance down at your chest, frowning at the ‘assets’ in question before your eyes landed back on Steve for his reaction. He’s unfortunately looking at the same thing as you were, nodding his head despite the frustrated frown still on his face.

“I’d like to make a note that her confidence is good enough to convince anyone she belongs in a room.” Nancy threw in, giving you a sympathetic smile. “Plus, she can charm the pants off pretty much any guy that comes her way.”

“I suddenly feel dirty.” you scoffed, rolling off the bed. “But I suppose I have no other choice but to play the role of femme fatale.”

“I can charm.” he grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve charmed the charmer.” he pointed out, looking at you again.

Nancy looked over at him with a sad smile as she tried to reassure him of things again. “I just– Look, I did a little digging last night, and it turns out this Dr. Hatch is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Harvard visiting scholar, okay? This is a lifelong student of the world. And if we’re gonna win him over, we’re gonna have to convince him that we are too. That, like him, we are true academic scholars.”

“Holy shit.” Robin whispered while playing the music box loudly. “There’s a little ballerina in here.”

It’s comically quiet for a second while the three of you gaped over at her. Steve can’t help but look at Nancy dumbfoundedly.

“Academic scholar?” he asked, using his hand to point attention to his friend. “She’s giving you an academic scholar vibe? Yeah..”

“No,” Nancy replied honestly. “But, she will.”

You all cast your eyes over the frilly pink shirt Nancy had been rummaging for her in the closet for. It’s a lovely top you’ve seen your friend wear before. But for someone like Robin, whom you’re pretty sure you haven’t even seen in a skirt before, it must have been a frilly nightmare.

“Oh, please, tell me that you’re joking.” muttered Robin, horrified.

You made a mental note that while you were more than happy to be a team player, you weren’t going to be walking around a mental asylum cinched into Nancy’s clothes. “I’m going to shop over at the Karen Wheeler selection.”

Leaving the room, you quickly made your way over to Nancy’s parents room. Thankful that the other members of the Wheeler family had set out for a busy day to give you the chance to sneak in. It was only a second later that Steve came in after you. Frown still on his face but attitude slowly disappeared when he noticed you started to change.

“I don’t think I need any help here, Steve.” you said playfully, reaching for one of Karen’s two piece suits.

It was a pastel green peplum top with a nicely fitted blazer skirt. The pastel color wasn’t your thing but it was paired up with a silky white button shirt. It made the whole ensemble look mature with the small bit of sultriness you needed. “Props to you, Karen.” you mused, squeezing inside the skirt.

You were about to reach over for the top next when Steve suddenly took your hands. “Trouble, we need to talk.” he said softly, stopping you from continuing getting dressed.

“You talk, I’ll get dressed.”

"I don't like this," Steve said while he watched you reach back for the top again. "You guys don't even know what you're walking into. And you’re doing it alone"

“How can three people be alone?” You asked, letting out a long sigh before buttoning up your shirt. “Also, we know what we’re walking into. A guarded asylum, run by staff who we’re hopefully going to trick into letting us interview one of their high risk schizophrenics patients.” you said simply, reaching over for the blazer next. “Kinda, straightforward.”

That earned you a tired look.

"Are you sure about this, Trouble?" His voice was laced with worry, his eyes searching yours for some sort of reassurance.

“Look, we’re just going to ask some questions and hopefully get out of there with something useful.”

“But what if something happens? What if you guys get caught?”

“Then you’ll get to be that brave Knight in white Nikes, again, right?” You teased, reaching out to cup the side of his face. He let out a heavy sigh, resting his hand on top of yours as he leaned in closer.

“Trouble, you know what I me—”

You pressed your lips against his, kissing him gently and stopping him from running into more scenarios. “We have each other, we’ll be safe.” You promised, pecking his lips once more before you pulled back to look at him.

Steve's concern persisted, his gaze searching yours for any sign of hesitation. "I just don't want anything to happen to you," he murmured.

“Nothing’s gonna happen to me.” You said softly, rubbing your thumb across his cheek. “Worst case scenario is we get arrested for false documents and that’ll just be a phone call to my Dad. Which Dustin or Max will help get for you.”

He nodded his head slowly and you gave a small pat to his cheek before letting go to switch out for some cute pumps Karen had hidden in the back of her closet. The outfit looked good, but was it enough for what you guys needed to do?

“All right,” you sighed, grabbing his attention again while you fixed your hair. Hoping it was still fine after having such a restless night. “How do I look?”

Steve, for the first time, didn’t seem to be bothered now that he was watching as you turned in spot to give him an overall view. His hands reached out to grab at your hips as he pulled you closer. Letting his height tower over you while he gave you a small smirk.

“Like a scholar,” he murmured. “A very pretty scholar, who uses her kisses to try to make me forget how worried I am about her.”

Your heart beats a little fast, but you find yourself almost pressing up to him. “And is it working?”

“Sorta.”

Nancy suddenly called out your name from down the hall, cutting the conversation short.

Or so you thought.

Steve waited until you were walking toward the door before he reached for your hand and tugged you back into his arms. You’re about to ask what he was doing when he leaned in to press his lips against yours again.

The kiss is deeper this time. More needy and hot than the sweet calming one you gave to him. Instantly, your body fell for it and tried to mold against his. There were always going to be unsettled feelings between the two of you, but the physical ones never seemed to be the problem.

It’s not until Robin called out your name, more aggravated than the way Nancy did, that he reluctantly pulled back. His eyes were warm, and looking at you in a way that made your cheeks burn a bit. "Just... be careful, okay, Rhonda?" he pleaded, his knuckles brushing lightly against your cheek.

The simple touch sent a shiver down your spine and you nodded meekly before offering a faint smile. “We will,” you reassured him. “Mr. Charmer.”

He shot back a beautiful smile as he finally let you go. From down the hall you could see as he picked up your discarded clothes while he whistled a familiar tune that tugged at your heart. It wasn’t until you were at the bottom of the stairs that you noticed your slightly disgruntled friends.

Nancy was rubbing the side of her head while Robin awkwardly kept adjusting at her bra. You open your mouth to tease her about her being dressed up as a Nancy clone, when she held up a hand before you could make any comment. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” she grunted before stalking to the front door.

Nancy and you were left rushing after her until you were all outside. The other two led the way towards Nancy’s station wagon when you stopped and noticed Steve’s car parked nearby. The front windows were down a bit, giving you a look inside to something you’ve been aching to see again.

Running to the door, you reached your hand in and carefully tugged on the sun visor until you were able to pull the metal out. Not wanting the other girls to catch you, you ran back towards the car and quickly climbed into the back seat.

It’s not until the drive over had begun that you finally opened up your palm and stared down at the item. The sun perfectly illuminated the shining S, giving you something of comfort to have it in your possession again. You quickly pushed the necklace into the pocket of your jacket, feeling it relax your silently anxious nerves.

“So what did you steal from his car?” Nancy asked, looking out the front window as she pulled out of her driveway onto the street. Her blue eyes flickered over to you in the rear view mirror, almost like she already knew.

“Just...something for luck.”

The three of you arrive at Pennhurst in a good amount of time. There was still time left in the day to get what you needed and hopefully return to Max before the twenty-four hours were up.

As you all exited the car, you couldn’t help but watch as Robin struggled to balance herself in the very low heels that Nancy had her in. “I feel like I’m watching a newborn deer walk.” you said with a sly grin.

The girl bobbed her head over at you, giving you a glare as she adjusted her footing again.

“Do not test me, Henderson. I can’t breathe in this thing, and I’m itchy. I’m itching all over!” she huffed.

“It’s not all about comfort.” Nancy retorted. “Okay? We’re academics.”

“Who are evidently coming straight from Easter brunch.” Robin hissed, stumbling once more before she gripped at the side of her underarms. “Also, this bra that you gave me is really pinching my boobs!”

“We’re also college girls and college girls definitely don’t say boobs. Not to mention, they know how to handle wearing heels. Especially measly one inch heels, Robs.”

“Oh, I hope you get rotten eggs in your basket this year.” she swore, giving you a small glare as she tugged at the sides again. Nancy let out a small, tired, exhale and turned to look over at the two of you.

“Okay. Could you two just let me do the talking? If that’s even possible?” she asked, sounding overwhelmed.

“It’s not only possible, it’s inevitable.” Robin threw back. “Because shortly, I’ll be dead from strangulation.”

Somehow you three managed to cover up the discomfort between the three of you in order to enter inside and get in for the meeting with Dr. Hatch.

It’s a wasted few short minutes of him overgoing all three files while you guys patiently sat around his desk. Robin somehow, got between the two of you, and started to itch again. Nearly getting the attention from the man now and then.

“Three point nine GPAs.” He mused offhandedly. “The three of you…impressive.”

“And this is a recommendation from Professor Brantley.” Nancy added in, offering the man one of the other letters written up from the Newspaper lackeys.

“Yeah, I know Larry. Quite well, actually.” The director replied, making all three of you sit up a bit straighter. His eyes looked from the paper as he gave off a small teasing smile. “Eh, you know what they say, ‘Those who can’t do, teach.’”

The other two girls give off an encouraging chuckle, while you can’t help but open your mouth at this guy’s slightly patronizing behavior.

“I always felt Aristotle said it better,” you pointed out, leaning forward to throw off one of your more charming smiles. “Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”

The other two girls nervously glanced your way, raising a brow at your sudden opinion. Over at the desk, sat Hatch as he took in the words you said. Only letting out an amused chuckle before he nodded his head. “That is a positive way of looking at it.”

“That’s actually why we’re here.” Nancy spoke up. “I mean, we can only learn so much in a classroom.”

“Mm. And I’m sympathetic to your struggle, truly. But there is a protocol to visiting a patient like Victor. You have to put in a request, and then you have to undergo a screening process, at which point the board will make a decision.”

You felt frustrated hearing his reply. All those were logical reasons that you three did not have time for. Glancing to your right, you watched as Robin began to squirm in her seat. Adjusting the collar and edges of her skirt over and over as she tried not to scratch. You reached out to grab at her hand, giving her a warning look that only caused her to pout at you.

“I can see you’re disappointed. But I’m more than happy to give you a tour of our facility. Perhaps you can even speak to some patients in our low-security wing.”

“And we’d..we would love that.” Nancy said, looking over at you guys to nod in agreement. “It’s just that, um..our thesis is due next month.”

“And you’re out of time.” he figured.

“Unfortunately, yes.” you sighed, trying to sound a little guilty about it. “Things got a little pushed back–”

“Whose fault is that?” he asked sharply, nearly making you throw him a glare. From the side you watched Nancy’s eyes widen a bit as she attempted to throw in a bit of damage control.

“Ours. Absolutely. And I do apologize–”

“Don’t apologize, Ruth. Screw that!” Robin interrupted. “The fact of the matter is, we did put in a request months ago and were denied. And then we reapplied and were denied again. And coming here was our last-ditch effort to save our thesis. And I really..I can’t breathe in this thing!” she said, turning to glance at Nancy.

“Well, Rose, maybe you’d like to go outside and get some air. I think Rhonda and I can handle this.” she insisted, giving Robin a pleading look.”

“Maybe I should, Ruth!” she said, slapping at the arms of her chair before she got up from her seat. “Because I’m starting to think this whole thing is a colossal mistake. I’m breaking out in a rash. My boobs hurt. And I’ll tell you the truth, Anthony. May I call you Anthony? These aren’t actually my clothes. I borrowed them because I wanted you to take us seriously. Because nobody takes girls seriously in this field. They just don’t.”

From your seat you can’t help but gape at your friend because either she’s been taking acting lessons without your knowledge or that shirt was really so torturous that it was giving her the best ending speech of her life.

“We don’t look the part or whatever. But can I tell you a story? 1978, I was at summer camp. And my counselor Drew told me and everyone in Cabin C, the true story of the Victor Creel Massacre. And little Petey McHew..You know Petey, right, Ruth, Rhonda?”

“Of..of course.” Nancy stuttered.

“Totally!” you chuckled nervously, wondering where this was going to go.

“Yeah. Little Petey McHew started sobbing right there on the spot. Full-on hyperventilating. And all the other campers, they couldn’t sleep for weeks. And I couldn’t sleep either but not because I was scared. Because I was obsessed with the question, ‘What would drive a human being to commit such unimaginable acts?’ Other kids, they wanted to be astronauts, basketball players, rockstars. But I wanted to be you! I wanted to be you. So, forgive me if I’ll now try anything in my power, including wearing this ridiculous outfit, if I might get to speak to the man that ignited my passion and learn a little bit more about how his twisted, but let’s face it, totally fascinating mind works. So, yes, we don’t have the official paperwork, but don’t tell me that cry-baby Petey McHew wouldn’t have gotten an audience with Victor in a matter of moments if he’d asked politely, because you and I both know that he would.”

A beat of pause and you were practically glued to the edge of your seat. Glancing between a very red faced Robin and what looked like a suddenly moved Hatch.

“So..ten minutes with Victor. That’s all I ask.”

It felt like forever as the three of you stared over at the man with bated breath.

“Follow me, girls.”

Without question, you all shot out from your seats and quickly followed the man out. Robin stood proudly between the two of you, allowing Hatch to lead the way while she held her palms out for you both. Nancy and you happily gave her a pleased smirk before pulling your hands out and giving Robin the well deserved high-five.

By the time you guys were walking the grounds of Pennhurst, the sun had died even more. Throwing the whole yard into an overcast gray as the four of you made the way to Creel’s holding.

“These are our gardens.” Hatch announced. “Beautiful aren’t they? We allow them two hours of outside time a day.”

“Can’t they just escape?” Robin asked, glancing at one of the patients waving nearby.

“They could. But the vast majority choose to be here. They like it here.”

“And they’ve said this themselves?” you muttered, worriedly glancing over to a particular woman near a flower bed. Something about this place didn’t feel right to you and his indifferent tone wasn’t helping you feel any better about it.

The three of you are led into a building. The soft sounds of music could be heard from outside the room before you guys walked in.

“This is one of our more popular areas. The listening room.” Hatch said in a much quieter voice. “We found that music has a particularly calming effect on the broken mind. The right song, particularly one which holds some personal meaning, can prove a salient stimulus.”

The right song..

That sparked an interest within you. Recalling how just the other night, Eddie managed to calm down your bad dream with the simple strum of the familiar tune.

Hatch straightened up as he led you girls towards a room in the back. Voice turned eerie as he went on. “But there are those who are beyond a cure.”

Down the stairs, what looked like a basement floor, stood a lonely guard. Curiously glancing at the four of you guys while you made your descent.

“Uh, Dr. Hatch, do you think it might be possible for us to speak to Victor alone?”

He paused at that, casting a shocked glance at her question. “Alone?” he asked, walking back over. You perked up, offering him a kind smile as you tried to help make the idea sound not as crazy as it really was.

“I have to second that request. I think it’d be beneficial for the three of us to gain hands-on experience in this.”

Robin nervously nodded along with you, throwing in her piece.

“I-I think that we would just love the challenge of speaking with Victor without the safety net of an expert such as yourself. Then we could really rub it in Professor Bradley’s face. When we get back to campu–”

“Professor Bradley?” he interrupted. “I don’t believe I know a Professor Bradley.”

“Brantley!” Nancy corrected, trying to fix Robin's slip up. “She..she meant to say Brantley.”

“Didn’t I say Brantley? What did I say?”

“You keep messing up today!” you playfully chided, forcing a giggle to come out as you lightly slapped the back of her hand.

“Sorry, silly me. Words, letters.” she chuckled nervously. “Guess I’m just nervous..I mean, excited. SO excited to speak with Victor. Preferably, as they mentioned, alone?”

Much to your dismay, the suspicion never left his eyes as he watched over the three of you quietly. You’re beginning to think that this whole plan has failed and that you three would be leaving with nothing. But soon enough his stoic face broke as he spoke.

“Yes,” he said, smiling over his frown now. “Why not? You’ve caught me in a rebellious mood.”

You forced a chuckle with the others, hopefully sounding enthralled with his humor enough that he’ll return back to trying to be charming once more.

“There’s something rather urgent I need to check on anyway, so.. Sure.” he said before looking towards the guard. “Keep a close eye on them.”

With that, he quickly made his leave to the stairs. All of you shot off thanks to him as he made his exit before following the guard into the area.

It’s an ominous hall of cells. Clamoring and groaning with other patients that seemingly weren’t allowed the freedom of wandering the lawns of the asylum. You can feel your heartbeat in your throat with every step after the guard, not daring looking into the cells of the patients you walked past while the guard laid out some rules.

“Do not startle him. Do not touch him. Do not pass him anything. Stand five feet away from the bars at all times. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.” the three of you said together.

He approached the last cell of the block, using his baton to hit against the metal bars to the patient inside.

“Victor!” he sang out. “Today’s your lucky day! You got visitors…real pretty ones.”

There’s an echoing scratching noise that had you wincing slightly. Victor said nothing, keeping his back to you guys.

“Must be in one of his moods.” shrugged the guard. “Have fun.”

Without another taunt, he left down the hall from where you came from. Leaving the three of you to get started on the work finally. Nancy is the first one confident enough to speak out to the man, ignoring the fact that he was quietly snarling to himself in the chair.

“Victor?” she called out gently. “My name is Nancy. Nancy Wheeler. And these are my friends.”

You and Robin quickly tell him your names, careful with how loudly you spoke out to him.

“Um, we have some questions.” Robin added, voice higher with nerves.

“I don’t talk to reporters.” Victor spat out. “Hatch knows that.”

“We’re not reporters.” Nancy quickly, but gently, corrected. “We’re here because..we believe you. And because..we need your help.”

Robin took her turn, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. “Whatever killed your family, we think it’s back.”

Silence hung heavy in the air as you three waited for a response. When none came, you sucked in a sharp breath, summoning every ounce of courage your friends had to come to you. "And we're not leaving until we get some answers, Victor.."

All your words must have sparked something of an interest to the man, causing him to pull away from the desk and emerge from the shadows. Revealing an older man. Worn down by years of torment that must have come from that night. But the most haunting part of his appearance were his eyes. Swollen eyes shut by some previous stab wound.

But even with that in mind, there was something about his gaze that felt off. As if he was staring right through you.

“..When he attacks, our friend described it as a trance. Like a waking nightmare. That’s why we think he’s coming for her next. Does any of this, anything we’ve told you, sound like what happened to your family?”

From your spot you could hear as Victor’s breath began to shake. Almost fearfully.

“Victor.” Nancy spoke out again. “I know this is hard–”

“You don’t know anything!” he bellowed.

His voice echoed throughout the hall. Almost shutting up any other noise around you guys.

“You’re right.” Nancy nodded slowly. “We don’t know. That’s why we’re here. To learn, to understand.”

“We need to know how you survived that night.” Robin added, earning a disbelieving laugh from the man.

“Survived?” he asked sardonically. “Is that what you call this? Did I survive?” He slowly approached the bars, almost as if he knew where to direct his growing anger towards. The three of you pressed closer to each other. Keeping a safe space back as he spoke again. “No, I assure you, I am still very much in hell.”

Surprisingly, that did not stop Victor from beginning his story.

The return home from war, the new fortune that fell into his family’s lives, and the promise of a new chapter in their lives. The reminiscence in his voice almost sounded..loving, far beyond the tone of a man who had murdered those he spoke of.

“It was a magnificent home. Alice said it looked like it was from a fairy tale.”

He spoke of the name so fondly, almost like sighing her name brought relief to him.

“Alice. Was this your daughter?” Nancy asked.

“Mhm, Yeah. But Henry, my boy, he was a sensitive child..and I could see he felt something was wrong.” His voice turned low for his other child. Sort sombering to his previous mood. “We had one month of peace in that house. And then it began..”

He shook his head slowly. Memories seemingly coming to his mind.

“Dead animals, mutilated, tortured, began to appear near our home. Rabbits, squirrels, chickens, even dogs. The police chief blamed the attacks on a wildcat. This..” He paused to let out another feigned laugh. “This was no wildcat. This was an evil. An evil neither animal nor human.”

He walked towards the bars again as he whispered out next words.

“This was a spawn of Satan. A demon. And it was even closer than I realized.”

You felt a shiver run down your spine. Trying to picture out what it was that could have been attacking their home. But like the night you saw Chrissy die, you knew that force was unseeable. That its fury came with no warning.

“My family began to have encounters conjured by this demon. Nightmares. Waking, living nightmares. This demon, it seemed to take pleasure in tormenting us. Even poor, innocent Alice.”

So this curse spared no one. You couldn’t help but think. If his daughter wasn’t safe from it, neither would Max. And that made your stomach turn even more. You pushed your hand into your pocket, squeezing around the metal of the necklace. It brought a moment of comfort until you listened to more of Victor’s story.

“It wasn’t long before I began to have encounters of my own.” he recalled, turning away from you all. “I suppose all evil must have a home. And though I had not a rational explanation for it, I..I could sense this demon..always close. I became convinced it was hiding, nesting, somewhere within the shadows of our home.”

You can’t help but think about this presence. This sense of dread, always creeping up on you these days. Like it was haunting you.

“It had cursed our town. It had cursed our home..It had cursed us.”

A hand reached out for your arm and you glanced down to see Nancy gripping onto you while her face stared hard at Victor. Quietly, you gave you a small reassuring pat before watching as Victor flopped down onto his bed defeatedly.

“It took Virginia first.”

The flashback of Chrissy’s body being twisted and pulled into different directions came to mind. You barely knew her and it shocked you to your core. You couldn’t imagine the horrors if you had to see it happen to someone you loved. Someone like St–

“I tried to get the children out, to save them!” he exclaimed, pulling back your attention. “..But I was back to France, back in the war..It..it was a memory. I had thought German soldiers were inside. I ordered its shelling. I was wrong.”

Victor physically started to become tormented by his own words. The very words that must have been half the torture as whatever was going through his mind. You felt yourself being pulled in, wishing to help this poor man, but you had to hear it all.

“This demon, it was taunting me. And I was sure it would take me, just as he’d taken my Virginia. But then..I heard..another voice. At first, I believed it was an angel. And I..I followed her, only to find myself in a nightmare far worse…While I was away, the demon took my children. Henry slipped into a coma shortly after that. A week later, he died.”

Without realizing it, you pressed against the metal bars. Listening to what you thought might be the very future you were to face. But even with that new fear in you, you couldn’t help but seek out one missing piece.

“Did you hear it?” you whispered.

“Hear what?” he muttered back.

“The ticking..”

He turned his whole body around, facing in your direction calmly before he nodded his head.

“Yes..it was there..it was always there.”

You staggered back, hope fleeting quickly as you came to realize that even with your small difference in things. Your fate would end the same. From the side you could feel Nancy and Robin cast you a worried look before Victor spoke up again.

“I tried to join them…I tried!” His voice sounded almost like a small child, pleading for forgiveness to his upset Mother. He raised up two fists and pressed them to his eyes. It weighed down on your already heavy heart.

“Hatch stopped the bleeding.” he sobbed. “He wouldn’t let me join them!”

The three of you watched as he slowly lied down on the bed. Reaching up to his pillow to hold close to his face for comfort.

“The angel you followed, who was she?” asked Nancy gently.

He didn't answer as he swayed gently. Only humming out the best that he could in his distress state. It sounded familiar. Something you’ve heard long ago. But you couldn’t quite recall it now.

“Victor?..Victor!”

“Is he everything you hoped he would be?”

You guys jumped at the booming voice, turning around to glance down the hall. Hatch, along with two security guards behind him, were making their way over now.

“I just had a very interesting conversation with Professor Brantley! Perhaps we should discuss in my office while we wait for the police.”

The three of you were quickly rushed out of the holding cells. Pushing impatiently through the stairs until you were back in the listening room. Nancy raced after Hatch, trying to plead out to him.

“You’re not listening. Our friend is in danger!”

“Do you really expect me to believe anything you have to say at this point?”

“It’s the truth!”

“You are free to tell your sob story to the police.”

You clung close to Robin’s side since leaving the cell. Victor’s words still echoed in your mind as you guys weaved through the tables of people. Every now and then a guard would give your shoulder a shove and you’d have to step faster to keep close to the other two.

Once you guys were back outside, Robin gripped at your arm and pushed you close to Nancy as she leaned in to speak to you two better.

“Victor said the night of the attack, everything went on in the house, but he made specific mention of music.”

You nodded your head a little. “The night at Eddie’s trailer. The only reason I knew something was up was because of the lights outside. But there wasn’t any music..”

“Right, but that might have been the key difference!” she pointed out. “He said music was playing. And then, when we asked him about the angel, he started to hum.”

She hummed the tune a bit before singing out the lyrics. “Say nighty-night and kiss me. Hold me tight..”

“Dream a Little Dream of Me!” Nancy caught on.

“Yeah, Ella Fitzgerald.”

“The voice of an angel!” you and Nancy gasped.

“Hatch said that music can reach parts of the brain that words can’t. So maybe that’s the key, a lifeline.”

“A lifeline back to reality.” Nancy added.

“Something to ground them.” you muttered, mostly to yourself. But would that have really worked at the stage when you and Eddie were calling out to Chrissy? It wasn’t just a trance she was in, she was being lifted off the Earth. You were so lost in thought, you almost missed catching your friends checking over their shoulders.

“You’re gonna have to lose those.” Nancy muttered towards your feet as she stole one more glance.

“Lose them?” you asked confused, looking from your feet to the guards behind you three.

“I think we can beat him.” Nancy whispered. This time it was Robin’s turn to be confused.

“What?”

“To the car.”

Robin’s face paled a bit at the idea.

“Okay. I’m warning you right now, I have terrible coordination. Like it took me six months longer to walk than all the other babies.”

“Yeah, I’m not really any better.” you sighed, feeling the rush already start to climb up your body. “Last time I tried running off I got caught.”

“She’s right.” Robin nodded. “Those Russian guards caught her in seconds.”

Nancy gave you two both exasperated looks before she sternly turned towards the way she wanted you three to go. “Just follow my lead.”

“No, my God!” Robin panicked.

In a split second the three of you sprinted off in the lawn. Shoes flying off feet as you ran through the grounds, past the orderly and patients that covered the large lawn. The guards continued to call out for the three of you to stop but you guys pushed through.

Behind you Robin was panicking, and you were trying to control the dry heave that wanted to come out of your throat as you attempted to follow Nancy. You could hear one of the patients call out as you all zoomed past him.

“Cinderella, you dropped your shoe!”

You were definitely gonna have to buy Karen Wheeler a nice pair of pumps after this.

Somehow you guys managed to make it to the front of the Asylum. The air burned your lungs and you let out a tired cry at the sight of the station wagon. All of you quickly climbed inside, shutting the doors in record timing. Nancy’s hands were barely on the wheel before the guards began to pound at the windows.

“GOGOGOGOGO!” Robin babbled, panicked at the sight of the men.

The tires screeched loudly as Nancy shot out of the parking spot. It’s a mess of emotions as you let out a small thankful whine while Robin continued to panic.

“Holy shit! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!”

“You really are a weird runner!” Nancy said to Robin, earning an annoyed look from the girl. Dustin’s voice perked up from the radio, cutting into the quick celebration.

“Robin, where the hell are you? This is a code red. I repeat, a code red!”

“Max!” you gasped, allowing Robin’s steady hand to take the radio from you.

“Dustin, it’s Robin. We copy!”

“Holy shit, finally! Please, please tell me you guys have this figured out!”

“It’s music! She needs to hear music as a lifeline. Use a song she’s connected with to bring her back!”

The line went painfully quiet.

“Oh God.” you gasped, feeling the tears spring to your eyes. Not Max. It couldn’t happen to her. Not the small girl who sparked such a fiery personality. The one who offered you nothing but a genuine friendship back home. The only person who understood what it was like dealing with the real Billy. She was your friend, she was like family at this point. And despite the current rifts that hit your current relationship, you still deeply cared for her.

If she was going through what Chrissy and Fred did—you weren’t ready for that reality.

“Please not her.”

Robin could only reach forward to grip at your hand while Nancy pressed harder on the gas. Jerking the car a bit as she sped back towards town. You quickly began to hyperventilate, wondering if you’ve just lost your dear friend when suddenly Dustin’s voice broke through again.

“We got her! Shit..She’s back, it worked!”

All three of you let out a sigh of relief together.

“Thank God.” you heard Robin whisper.

The beat of your heart is still erratic and you cover your face to take a second and catch your breath. It wasn’t over yet. You guys still had time.

“Time?” said a familiar deep voice beside you.

Slowly, you pulled your hands away from your face. Around you the world began to shift, turning into the dark middle of the night as it took you into a different reality. You were driving suddenly. Holding onto the large wheel of the car that seemed so familiar.

“No.” you whispered, shaking your head, this couldn’t be real. You were..you were just in the station wagon. Turning your head, you were shocked to find Billy sitting on the seat beside you. Mouth still oozing from the dark blood as he threw you a smirk.

“Don’t you know, babydoll?” he asked playfully. “Times up.”

You were so shocked, so stunned to see Billy outside of a dream, that you never really noticed the headlights that were coming your way…

“DUSTIN! STEVE! WE NEED HELP! – OH SHIT, SHE’S CURSED GUYS, HOLY SHIT! — GODDAMNIT, ONE OF YOU BASTARDS ANSWER ME. – WHAT’S THE SONG!? – STEVE! WHAT’S HER FAVORITE SONG!?”

A/N: Hey guys! This chapter was a bit lengthy, but I could not find it in myself to skip out on Victor’s story. The actor, gives off such great emotion and I’ve been a fan of his when he was back playing Freddy~ ANYWAY, I tried to include some scenes I hope you guys love. Please excuse any mistakes and let me know what you think! Would love some feedback~

TAGGING LIST: k @cluz1babe, @starofavolonea, @primroseluna, & @siriuslysmoking

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x female reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x henderson!reader #eddie munson x henderson reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x you #cac #angst #fluff #stranger things fic

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skyfallslayer · 2 months

Text

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Chapter One

-A ST Rewrite Feat. Steve Harrington x Henderson!OFC-

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: On the night of November 6th, 1983, Stephanie Henderson decided to walk her little brother’s friend, Will, back home. However… they never arrive. Now, Dustin, Mike and Lucas, and soon the exception of the girl’s ex-best friend, Steve, must band together to find out what happened. Meanwhile, Steph and Will must fight for their survival in this nightmarish version of Hawkins, Indiana.

🎲Chapter Summary: On his way home from a friend’s house, young Will and his best friend’s sister, Stephanie, sees something terrifying. Nearby, their loved ones start worrying hysterically, all while Steve hears some unsettling news.

🎲Pairings: Will x Platonic!OFC; Dustin x Sister!OC; Slow burn! Steve x Henderson!OFC (Ex-bestfriends to Lovers); Slow burn! Byler

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 9,471

🎲Date: 3/12

🎲Warnings: Angst; Swearing; Implied Broken Friendship; Racist Comment; Talks of Kidnapping; Car Crash; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Implying to Sex; Lying; Suicide Comment; Homophobic Comment/Calling A Person A Derogatory Word; Implied Death; Steve's 'Asshole Era. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N: Here we go folks. The official rewrite of episode one. Can't say it's perfect, might be a little messy, but think of it as it setting the whole plot up. Anyway, stay safe, and enjoy!

“It was a seven.” The words fell from his lips that would predestine this night. On the chilly night of November 6th, 1983, the small group of friends had gotten together to play their weekly game of DnD that was cut long short for being on a school night. Two of the boys had rode off on their bikes, away from the host’s house as the young brunette told his friend the truth.

The boy of the house, Mike Wheeler, turned his head, confusion on his face. “Huh?”

“The roll, it was a seven.” The brunette, Will Byers, replies, a frown on his face. “The Demogorgon, it got me.” He kicks the stand off and starts riding. “See you tomorrow.”

As his words lingered in the air, the garage lights flickered on and off that was forgotten with a shrug.

Young Will catches up quickly with the other boys, Lucas Sinclair and Dustin Henderson. The wind in their eyes and smiles on their faces, they continued to ride for many blocks, slowly coming unwind.

“Good night, ladies.” Lucas teased as he broke from the group for his driveway.

“Kiss your mom ‘night for me.” Dustin quips back, before facing the other boy. “Race you back to my place? Winner gets whatever my sister brings home this time.”

Will’s eyes light up from that. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Dustin says, not expecting for his opponent to take off immediately.

“Hey! Hey! I didn’t say ‘go’! Get back here!” But as he says that, he knows there was no stopping his friend. “I’m gonna kill you!”

Will chuckled and shouted, “Bring it to school tomorrow!”

Dustin hits the breaks, out of breath and frustrated as he replies, “Son of a bitch…” Meanwhile, his friend pretended he didn’t hear that as he rode down the street they dubbed ‘Mirkwood’.

Yes, he lived the farthest away from… anything really; His friends’ houses, his school, the nearby strip mall, pretty much everything that was ‘useful’, But he didn’t mind it. As long as his family was happy with their place he could go along with it.

So Will continued to ride, in his own head that was causing him to ignore when his headlight flickered off and on until his bike chain magically came apart.

The boy gasped and swerved in a jagged line, worriedness on his features as he used his feet to forcefully come to a complete halt. Stopping along the side of the road, he looked down, trying to figure out what the problem was. While doing so, he didn’t even notice a car had slowed and rolled its window down.

“Will?” The person in the vehicle said, catching him by surprise.

He was met with a familiar face, the fair skin, freckled nose, and dark curls tied back in a small pony was a girl he practically grew up with. Ironically, she was the older sister of the boy he raced, Stephanie Henderson.

“Steph?” He said, still shocked as he watched her get out. Those bright blue eyes of hers trailed to his only transportation and frowned.

“What happened to your bike?”

“Uh, chain broke. I think.” Will says, looking at it again, and then back at her. “You’re coming home late.”

“You’ll understand when you have a job and a crappy boss.” She smiles, softly. “Come on. Put your bike in the car and I’ll drive you.”

“What?” He looks at her in disbelief. “Are you sure? You came that direction.”

“You know I don’t mind. Besides, it’s quicker and safer than walking. Plus I’m sure your brother and mother would appreciate it.” She says, opening the back door.

“But what about your mom?”

“I called her already and told her that I’ll be a little late.” She gestures to the car. “Come on.” He smiles and puts the bike in before hopping in the passenger seat. She even spoils him by handing him a paper brown bag. “Cinnamon bun?”

His eyes light up. “Actually, Dustin betted me that if I beat him in a race back to his house I can have whatever you bring.”

“Then I guess they’re all yours.” She turns the car around. “So how was your campaign?”

“It was good until the end.” He takes a bite of the pastry. “I ended up getting beaten by the Demogorgon.”

“Remind me what that is again?”

“He’s a two headed demon prince. Very evil.”

“I see.”

Another bite and a small hum. “You should try playing it.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You think?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun!” Now he was like a kid in a candy store. “You can be… our mage! A druid, or maybe even a ranger.”

She chuckles quietly. “I… have no idea what any of that even means. But uh… I’ll give it a shot. What’s the worst that can happen? I hate it?”

“Or you get eaten by a Demogorgon.”

“That’s true.” Steph agreed, and continued their light conversation until something strange started to happen. She watches as her headlights suddenly start to flicker. “What the?”

“Look out!” Will yelled, and her eyes snapped back up just in time to spot the bizarre looking figure in the road.

She gasps and veers off the road, foot slamming into the brakes as it rolled down and down into the woods, crashing into a tree. Now, it wasn’t that bad of a hit, more like a little thump, but still. A crash is a crash.

Stephanie lets out a pant, tiling her baseball cap back up to look worriedly towards her passenger. “Shit! You okay?”

“Uh…” He nods, a little shaken up, but looking unharmed. “Yeah. I’m good.”

Another pant and she looks around. “Who that fuck was that?!” She snaps, upset. “Who the fuck stands in the middle of the road at nine o’clock at night?!”

But as she was having her meltdown, Will was staring at the side mirror and paled. “Steph?” He says, terrified.

“What?”

“I think he’s coming.”

“What?” She followed his eyes to the mirror before turning around. Standing behind them a few feet away was the figure who made her heart sink at its unnaturally long arms, and fingers coming at a point. Now she starts pales. “That’s not a person.”

“Huh?”

She starts fiddling with the door. “Get out of– Get out of the car, now!”

Once they were both out, she snags him by the wrist and pulls him along, running as fast as they could, a few miles down, all the way back to what their destination was. As soon as they stepped a foot inside the Byers home, the family’s dog, Chester, started barking defensively as she told the boy to lock the door.

“Mom? Jonathan? Mom?!” He replies after finishing the task, but alas it seems like they were the only ones home.

“Ms. Byers?!” Steph yells out, biting her lip. “Shit.” She runs for the phone as he looks out a window and sees the figure approaching the house. She tries dialing 911, but all she receives on the other end is static. “What the fuck?!”

“It’s unlocking the chain!” Will yells, backing away as she takes a look. Sure enough, they watched the chain on the door slide itself across the track as the other locks started to turn (What in the fresh hell is going on?!).

“Come on!” She pulls him away, thinking the only thing they can do is protect themselves now.

They both run into the shed in the back, Will remembering what his mother had told him if something to this degree started happening, and begins loading the shotgun on the wall.

“Is that all you got?” She asked, searching around for anything else she could use.

“Y-Yeah.” He mutters, and frantically points the weapon at the door, trembling as the girl stood behind him, hands over his and shielding his body protectively.

“If that thing comes in, shoot it. I’ll hold you steady so you don’t fall back.” She says, and he nods (His body subconsciously pressing into hers out of fear and comfort).

But the next few moments were tedtious, hearing that thing growling, which got louder and louder, until it sounded like it was right next to them. Steph, who felt the wind get knocked out of her, was the first to turn around, eyes widened as she kept the boy behind her, feeling him clench her jacket.

“What the fuck are you?!” She screamed, the growling turning into screeching.

Then the light in the shed gets brighter and brighter– Until everything suddenly stops.

Then…

There was no one left.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

As soon as the sun touched his face, the boy reached over and shut his alarm clock off before it could even ring. Groaning and stretching, he was feeling extremely exhausted after being up so late (But last night was so fun, it was totally worth it!). Grinning a toothless grin, Dustin rolled out of bed, his clothes in hand as he strolls to the end of the hall for the bathroom. However–

He lets out a sigh and throws his head back at the door being closed. “Oh, my god. Phanie! I told you I needed to use the bathroom first on school days.” Seriously, how many times has he told his sister this? He doesn’t get a reply, and bangs on the door. “Phanie!! Are you listening?”

And on the last knock, to his surprise, the door creaked open. Being cautious, he poked his head inside finding the light was off and the room was unoccupied.

“Huh.” He said, looking around again. “Okay…” He quickly gets ready for the day, fixing his curls so his hat stays on, before adventuring back out. “Goodbye, sleepyhead!”

And once again, Dustin was shocked to find that now his sister’s room was unoccupied as well. The only thing present was their cat, Mews, who was curled up in a ball on the still perfectly made bed… with everything on it still looking the same in place.

What the? He thought, before heading for the kitchen where his mother was listening to the news.

// -And that’s it for News Center this morning. Thanks for joining us. Let’s hand off now to Liz at the news desk //

// All right, thank you, Donna. Turning now to local news, we’re getting reports of surges and power outages all across the county. Last night, hundreds of homes in East Hawkins were affected, leaving many residents in the dark. The cause of the outage is still unknown. We reached out to Roane County Water and Electric, and a spokesperson says that they are confident power will be restored to all remaining homes within the next– //

“Hey, mom, have you seen Stephanie?” He asked, ignoring the fact his mother was making him his favorite breakfast meal.

“Stephanie?” His mother, Claudia, asked as she slid him a plate. “No, I haven’t.”

“She’s not in her room.” He replies, taking a seat, thinking. “Did you see her come home last night?”

“Well, she did call me saying that she was going to be late, but I’ll admit, I dozed off before I heard her come in.” She notices her son’s worried expression, and smiles. “Oh, don’t worry, Dusty-buns. I’m sure she had to just pick up a friend for school. I can drive you.”

“No, I can bike, I just…” He trails off, not really hungry anymore. We always eat together.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, in another household. Joyce Byers was rummaging around her living room for her keys, cursing under her breath after every failed attempt.

“Where the hell are they?” She sighs. “Jonathan?”

“Check the couch!” Her oldest child said from the kitchen.

“Ugh, I did.” She moves the cushions around again, finally spotting them. “Oh, got them.” She smiles and comes over to give him a pat on the shoulder. “Okay, sweetie, I will see you tonight.”

“Yeah, see you later.” He says, finishing up the eggs.

“Where’s Will?”

“Oh, I didn’t get him up yet. He’s probably still sleeping.”

Joyce sighs, already leaving the room. “Jonathan, you have to make sure he’s up!”

“Mom, I’m making breakfast.”

“I told you this a thousand times. Will!” She claps her hands. “Come on, honey. It’s time to get up.” She pushes open his door only to find that his bed was empty. “He came home last night, right?”

Jonathan’s heart sank as he faced his mother. “He’s not in his room?

“Did he come home or not?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“No. I-I got home late. I was working.”

She gives her son ‘the look’. “You were working?”

“Eric asked if I could cover. I said yeah. I just thought we could use the extra cash.”

“Jonathan, we’ve talked about this.”

He frowns, looking away. “I know…”

“You can’t take shifts when I’m working.” She says, wheels turning in her head at where he could be.

“Mom, it’s not a big deal.” He makes eye contact again. “Look, he was at the Wheelers’ all day. I’m sure he just stayed over.”

“I can’t believe you.” She says, already grabbing the phone. “I can’t believe you sometimes.” She starts dialing the phone number she knows by heart and waits.

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

“Hi, Karen. It’s Joyce.”

[ ‘Oh, Joyce, hi.’ ]

Before Joyce could ask, she hears a ruckus in the background.

[ ‘Quiet!’ ]

“Was that Will I heard back there?” She asked, hopefully.

[ ‘Will? No, no, no, it’s just Mike.’ ]

“Will didn’t spend the night?”

[ ‘No, he left here a little bit after 8:00. Why? He’s not home?’]

Joyce tries to keep the panic off her face as she replies, “Um, you know what? I think he just left early for... for school. Thank you so much.”

[ ‘Okay.’ ]

“Bye.”

[ ‘Bye.’ ]

Joyce hangs up the phone, exchanging concerned glances with her eldest child.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Three out of the four boys rode to school that morning, chattering away about a certain person that’ll only end in sadness. Frowning as they slowed down to their usual bike rack that laid empty before them.

“That’s weird. I don’t see him.” Mike said, noticing the absent bike. Did he park somewhere else this time?

“I’m telling you, his mom’s right.” Lucas said, trying to be the reasonable one. “He probably just went to class early again. You know he’s always paranoid that Gursky’s gonna give him another pop quiz.”

“That’s true.”

“Yeah… pop quiz...” Dustin mumbled, being completely distant from the group.

Lucas sighs, rolling his eyes. “Dude, you still worried about your sister?”

“Well, yeah! I mean, why was she not home? We always eat breakfast with each other, how could she just skip out on it?”

“She’s sixteen, you know? You’re just overreacting. I’m sure Steph is fine.”

“I don’t man, this ain’t like her.”

“Dustin–”

“Step right up, ladies and gentlemen!” A bully, named Troy, announced as he came over with another boy. “Step right up and get your tickets for the freak show.” He smirks. “Who do you think would make more money in a freak show?” He pushes Lucas first. “Midnight–” Then Mike. “Frogface–” Then Dustin. “Or Toothless?”

The other bully, James, looks pensive for a moment before making his decision with a point. “I’d go with Toothless.”

Dustin’s cheeks flush out of embarrassment. “I told you a million times, my teeth are coming in. It’s called cleidocranial dysplasia.”

“‘I told you a million times’.” James mocks, and laughs.

“Do the arm thing.” Troy pressures, as Dustin takes a small step back.

“Do it, freak!” Deciding to just comply, Dustin cracks his arms with his collar bone, making him and Troy groan and recoil. “God, it gets me every time.”

Then the two of them push through the boys as they leave for class; The trio sending them a death glare.

“Assholes.” Luca scoffed.

“I think it’s kinda cool.” Mike said, trying to cheer Dustin up. “It’s like you have superpowers or something. Like Mr. Fantastic.”

Dustin chuckles. “Yeah, except I can’t fight evil with it.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, in the high school next door, Mike’s older sister was hustling inside, books in hand, acting all flustered. It especially didn’t help when her friend came over, grinning like the Chester Cat.

“So, did he call? The ginger girl, Barb, asked all giggly.

The sister, Nancy, shushes her looking around. “Keep your voice down.”

She nudges her with her elbow. “Did he?”

“I told you, it’s not like that.” Nancy blushes harder when Barb gave her a look. “Okay, I mean, yes, he likes me, but not like that. We just made out a couple times.

Barb raises an eyebrow. “‘We just made out a couple times’. Nance, seriously, you’re gonna be so cool now, it’s ridiculous.”

“No, I’m not.” She shakes her head while unlocking her locker.

“You better still hang out with me, that’s all I’m saying. If you become friends with Tommy H. or Carol–”

“Oh, that’s gross!”

“I’m just saying, you better still be friends with me. I heard that the King pushed a close friend out of his circle when he took the throne and–”

“Okay, I’m telling you, it was a one-time... two-time thing.”

She opens her locker, finding a note that read: MEET ME IN BATHROOM -STEVE.

Barb’s expression grew. “You were saying?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Before you know it, Nancy is having a make out session with the highschool’s King, Steve “The Hair” Harrington. The cocky bad boy that every girl fawns over, and the physic that every guy envies. If you wanted any kind of popularity while running around this place, you had to make a guarantee that he would be in your corner.

“Steve.” Nancy croaked in between kisses, making him hum. “I have to go.”

“In a minute.” He mumbled, nibbling at her neck as the school bell rings.

“Steve–” She nudged her way out from him. “I really, like seriously, I have to go.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Let’s…” He snags her bag, keeping her in place for a second. “Come on, let’s do something tonight, yeah?”

“No, I can’t. I have to study for Kaminsky’s test.”

“Oh, come on. What’s your GPA again? 3.999–”

“Kaminsky’s tests are impossible.”

“Well, then, just let me help.” He said, smirking.

She rolls her eyes with a smile. “You failed chem.”

“C-minus.”

“Well, in that case–”

“So I’ll be over around, say, like, 8:00?”

“Are you crazy?” Nancy shakes her head. “My mom would not–”

“I’ll climb through your window.” He insisted, all pumped up at the idea. “She won’t even know I’m there. I’m stealthy, like a ninja.”

“You are crazy.” She says, taking her bag back and starts leaving.

“Wait, wait, wait. Just…” He steps in front of her. “Okay, forget about that. We can just– We can just, like, chill in my car. We can find a nice quiet place to park, and–”

“Steve, I have to study. I’m not kidding.”

“Well, why do you think I want it to be nice and quiet?”

That got her to crack another smile. “You’re an idiot, Steve Harrington.” She replies, stepping around him. “Meet me at Dearborn and Maple at 8:00. To study.”

The school bell rings again, leaving behind a very satisfied teen.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Alright, class, I’ll be your sub for today.” The man explains, writing his name on the board. “I’m Mr. Dunwoody. If you have any questions, please refrain before I take attendance.” He ignores as some of the ‘cool kids’ snickered under their breaths and chuck paper balls around. “Uh, Barkley?”

“Here.”

“Brown?”

“Here.”

“Byers?” No reply. “Jonathan Byers?” He scopes the room, the seat in the back corner was absent. “No Byers. M’kay, uh, Davidson?”

“Present.”

“Evans?”

“Here.”

“Eubank?”

“Here.”

“Henderson.” No reply, he looks around – Yet another seat in the back unattended (And certain eyes following). “Henderson? Is a… Stephanie Henderson in?” His gaze shifts with the class’ and frowns. “No, okay. Uh, Harrington?” Silence. “Harrington?”

Steve blinks and faces forward, snapping out of his trace. “Uh, present.”

“‘Kay, uh–” He started shooting off more names, but the teenager wasn’t honestly listening. Something about that empty space (the space that seemed so far away now) didn’t sit right with him. And the gossiping in the background wasn’t helping his troubled mind either.

“Maybe grunge girl finally got the hint.”

“Oh, yeah. For sure.”

“Do you think the pressure made her drop out?”

“Drop out?” A laugh. “Maybe she took a dive off the overpass.”

“Guess we’ll have to check the news later for that!”

They laughed under their breaths and Steve’s hands started subconsciously squeezing his crossed arms. This shouldn’t bother him. It’s not like they’re–

He didn’t even realize he was turning around to say something if it was for Tommy’s hand snagging his shoulder. It, and he’s not sure if he can admit, hurt in a way he can’t describe. They both locked eyes, and Tommy shook his head ‘no’ just as the substitute finished calling out names, starting the soulless class.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

As usual the town’s head sheriff was strolling into his job late and looking like he’d been hit by truck after truck. His five o’clock shadow was strong and so were the bags under his eyes; Jim Hopper walks in with a lit cigarette in his hand, the receptionist amazed by his appearance.

“Good of you to show.” She said, as he passed by and gave a small nod to the other officers present.

“Oh, hey, morning, Flo. Morning, everybody.” He says, heading for the small kitchenette to pour himself some coffee.

“Hey, Chief.” Powell greeted with a grin.

“Damn! You look like hell, Chief.” Callahan replies, looking up from his game of cards.

“Oh, yeah?” Hopper spares him a look.

“Yeah.”

“Well, I looked better than your wife when I left her this morning.” His response made his brothers bust a gut as the elderly woman came over, trying to get his attention.

“While you were drinking or sleeping, or whatever it is you deemed so necessary on Monday morning, Phil Larson called. Said some kids are stealing the gnomes out of his garden again.” Flo explains, as he tries not to roll his eyes (or maybe he did?).

“Oh, those garden gnomes again.” He sighs, and picks up a donut too. “Well, I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna get right on that.”

Flo keeps a straight face, used to his antics by now. “On a more pressing matter, Joyce Byers can’t find her son this morning.”

He hums after taking a bite of the pastry. “Okay, I’m gonna get on that.” He starts walking away. “Just give me a minute.”

“Joyce is very upset.” She pushes, as he shakes his head.

“Well, Flo– Flo, we’ve discussed this. Mornings are for coffee and contemplation.”

“Chief, she’s already in your–”

“Coffee and contemplation, Flo!” He shouts as he leaves the room, and, due to not paying attention, is surprised to see Ms. Byers already waiting in his office. His jaw clenched. “Okay… Missing? I’ve been told.”

“Yes, missing!” Joyce says, watching him sit down and start typewriting a file out for her boy. Worriedly she waits for him to finish, even smoking bud after bud to calm the jitters. “I have been waiting here over an hour, Hopper.”

“And I apologize.” He says, trying to calm her.

“I’m going out of my mind!”

“Look, boy his age, he’s probably just playing hooky, okay?”

She shakes her head. “No, not my Will. He’s not like that– He wouldn’t do that.”

“Well, you never know.” He suggests, a little smirk growing on his lips. “I mean, my mom thought I was on the debate team, when really I was just screwing Chrissy Carpenter in the back of my dad’s Oldsmobile, so–”

“Look, he’s not like you, Hopper. He’s not like me. He’s not like most.” She explains, her face saddening. “He has a couple of friends, but, you know, the kids, they’re mean. They make fun of him. They call him names. They laugh at him, his clothes–”

“His clothes?” Hopper’s eyebrows shoot up. “What’s wrong with his clothes?”

“I don’t know. Does that matter?”

“Maybe.”

Joyce inhales deeply. “Look, he’s... He’s a sensitive kid. Lonnie…” God she could punch that man right now. “Lonnie used to say he was queer. Called him a fag.”

Another eyebrow raise. “Is he?”

“He’s missing! Is what he is.”

“When was the last time you heard from Lonnie?”

“Uh, last I heard, he was in Indianapolis. That was about a year ago. But he has nothing to do with this.”

“Why don’t you give me his number?”

“You know, Hopper, he has nothing to do with this. Trust me.”

Hopper’s body straightens, hands coming to rest on his desk to make sure she was listening. “Joyce, 99 out of 100 times, kid goes missing, the kid is with a parent or relative.”

Her eyes widened. “What about the other time?”

He blinks. “What?”

“You said, ‘99 out of 100’. What about the other time, the one?”

“Joyce.”

“The one!”

Hopper tries to deescalate again. “Joyce, this is Hawkins, okay? You wanna know the worst thing that’s ever happened here in the four years I’ve been working here?” He could hold back a small smile. “Do you wanna know the worst thing? It was when an owl attacked Eleanor Gillespie’s head because it thought that her hair was a nest.”

Joyce sighs. “Okay, fine. I will call Lonnie. He will talk to me before he talks to–”

“What, a pig?”

“A cop! Just find my son, Hop. Find him!”

And then came a knock on the doorframe, which happened to be Flo who looked apologetic this time.

“Chief, I’m sorry, I have another hectic parent. A Ms. Claudia Henderson is here to see you.”

“What?” Hopper said, and just before he could blink, a blonde woman came stumbling in, all nervous just like someone else in present.

“Hopper, I’m sorry if you’re busy, but–”

“Claudia?” Joyce said, standing up with surprise.

“Joyce?” Claudia’s face washes over with relief upon seeing her. “What brings you here?”

“It’s Will, I can’t find him.” She says, missing the way the other woman’s face lost all color. “And apparently he didn’t go to school either.”

“Well, what a coincidence. I can’t find my daughter, either.”

And then all eyes are now on the police Chief who was dumbfounded this was all happening at once. After a moment, he sighed and pulled Will’s form out of the typewriter before sliding in a new piece of paper.

“Alright.” He gestures to the chair. “Let’s hear your story.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

And then that’s how the police chief found himself at a middle school. His first “suspects” in this case was Will’s inner circle of friends. But what he wasn’t expecting while sitting in the principal’s office was the trio to be talking over one another frantically.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Hopper says, waving for them to stop which they did. “One at a time, all right?” He points to Mike. “You. You said he takes what?”

“Mirkwood.” Mike said, confusing him.

“Mirkwood?”

“Yeah.”

Hopper sighs, looking at his partner. “Have you ever heard of Mirkwood?”

“I have not.” Callahan shakes his head. “That sounds made up to me.”

“No, it’s from Lord of the Rings.” Lucas says, offended.

“Well, The Hobbit.” Dustin pushes as his friend rolls his eyes.

“Who cares?”

“He asked!”

“‘He asked’!” Lucas mocked which started their bickering again.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Hopper yells, getting to stop once more. “What’d I just say? One at a damn time.” He points to Mike again. “You.”

“Mirkwood, it’s a real road. It’s just the name that’s made up. It’s where Cornwallis and Kerley meet.” Mike explains, giving the Chief a picture now.

“Yeah, all right, I think I know that.”

“We can show you, if you want.” The boy replies, his friends agreeing with him immediately.

Hopper shakes his head. “I said that I know it!”

“We can help look.” Mike pleads.

“Yeah.” Dustin encouraged.

“No.” The boys try to protest, but he shuts it down again. “No. After school, you are all to go home. Immediately. That means no biking around looking for your friend, no investigating, no nonsense. This isn’t some Lord of the Rings book.”

“The Hobbit.” Dustin mumbles, quietly.

“Shut up!” Lucas said, elbowing him.

“Hey!”

“Stop it!” Hopper snaps, while standing up. “Do I make myself clear?” He gets no answer. “Do I make myself clear?”

Mike nods. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He faces the principal. “Sir, thank you for your time.”

“Wait!” Dustin cuts in, and makes the man groan.

“What?”

“What about my sister? You mentioned her earlier. What about her?”

“Kid, listen, your sister’s sixteen, and to be honest, I believe a teenager playing hooky more than your friend Will. Okay?” Hopper tried to leave again, but the kid wasn’t letting up.

“But Stephanie’s not like that! I mean, yeah, she doesn’t necessarily like school, but she always studies hard to get good grades. She’s a good noodle.” Dustin frowns worriedly. “Trust me, she would never skip school. I mean… did you even check the parking lot to see if her car was there? Or the mall that she works at?”

I guess… the kid did have a point, Hopper will admit that one. He locks eyes with his partner who shrugs.

“I mean, we might as well kill two birds with one stone while we’re here.” Callahan says, truthfully.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Hopper sighs. “Okay. So Dustin, did your sister have any… friends we could talk to?” Then they got quiet, looking amongst themselves. “What? No? She didn’t? Or–?”

“Well, not really.” Dustin admits, bittersweet. “I mean, she probably hangs out with us more than anything at this point.”

“I mean, she’s friends with that douchebag Steve.” Lucas said, upset.

“Was friends. Not anymore.” Mike clarifies.

“Was a friend?” Hopper asked, skeptical. “What happened?”

“Not sure. They were inseparable until one day they just… weren’t.” Dustin replies, which was the truth. He remembers seeing Steve around a few times as he grew up, but then one day his sister stopped going out and didn’t even mention him anymore. Then before he knew it, he witnessed first hand the boy’s ‘asshole’ attitude (Makes him glad that she wasn’t around him anymore).

“Okay, then. What’s his name?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Steve Harrington.”

Steve stopped himself from getting into his BMW to look who was calling him out. To his shock he found two police officers in his presence, and immediately felt sick.

“Um, can I help you, officers?” He asked, paying no heed to the passing stares from other students.

“I’m officer Hopper, this is my partner Callahan. We just want to ask you a few questions.” Hopper explains, as the teenager nods.

“Am I in trouble?”

“No, son. As long as you comply.”

“Okay.”

“Alright then, do you know a girl by the name of Stephanie Henderson?”

His heart sank again like earlier. “Stephanie?” Steve asked, his throat feeling tight (Why was his throat closing up?).

“Yeah. We were told by her brother that you guys used to be friends. Is that true?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Have you spoken to her recently? Seen her?” Hopper asked, getting a shake of his head.

“Seen her? Yeah, I mean I see her everyday, we’re in the same classes, but I didn’t see her today.” Steve shifts his weight around on his feet. “As for talking, I haven’t spoken to her in years.”

“So you haven’t had any real contact with her?”

“No, sir.” Steve watches the two adults exchange glances which pique his interest. “May I ask what’s going on with her? Is she in trouble?”

“Not necessarily trouble, I would say. Her mom came down by the station earlier and reported her missing, saying she didn’t see her in the morning and when they called the school she wasn’t there.”

“If I’m being honest, son, she’s a teenager, she probably just wanted some time alone.” Callahan replies, with a half shrug. “Besides, everyone knows her mother’s a bit… out there. She tends to overreact.”

“There’s nothing for you to worry about, Mr. Harrington. We appreciate your time.” Hopper replies, bidding him a farewell as he begins to leave (but this wasn’t sitting right with the boy’s stomach).

“She never misses her classes though.” Steve blurts out, getting their attention. “Even now, even if we aren’t friends, I notice she never misses school. It’s completely out of her character.”

It really is though. Steve waited until the officers processed his comment, before nodding.

“Noted.” Was all Hopper said and they left, leaving him high and dry, wondering what was truly going on. He was so stuck in his head he didn’t even notice Tommy and Carol making their way towards him.

“Oooh, looks like someone’s in trouble.” Tommy coos, with a grin.

“What did you do, Harrington? Slash Tammy Thompson’s tires finally?” Carol asked, making herself laugh.

But Steve didn’t find this funny, instead his attention was turned back to climbing in the passenger seat. “I gotta go home.”

“What?” Tommy said, caught off guard.

“I gotta go home.”

“What? But you said we were going to the movies?”

“Maybe tomorrow I–” He couldn’t even think straight. “I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He shuts his car door as his name is being called, and quickly pulls away.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Along the Mirkwood road, the three officers were paneling out, surveying the area. Everyone was shouting Will’s name, except Hopper who nerves were shooting through the roof; So much so, he had to stop and pop a pill. These kinds of situations, especially evolving children, were hard for him to deal with. It reminded him too much of his own–

Wait a minute. Were his eyes deceiving him? Does actually see this or was this another one of his episodes?

But after triple checking, he finally calls the others forward. “Hey! I think I got something.”

He steps off the room, jogging a few feet into the woods. If it wasn’t for the daylight, he surely would have missed a huge clue that was being covered by a few shrubs and ankle deep piles of autumn leaves. Smashed into one of the sweet gum trees was a car, windshield cracked and lightly powdered in stray branches.

“I don’t remember hearing anything about crashes this morning.” Powell said, confused as he examined it.

Hopper’s keen eyes also caught something lying in the backseat and pulled it out. He frowns, his nerves spiking again. “This is Will’s bike.”

“His bike?” Powell asked, suspicious now. “You don’t think this was uh… a kidnapping?”

“It’s possible. But it doesn’t explain why the kidnapper would crash and abandon the car. Then leave evidence of the child behind.”

“Now, what a second.” Callahan said, perking up. “This is a 1975 Tan Ford Granada, the same car that Ms. Henderson said her daughter drives.”

Hopper’s eyes widen as he sets the bike down. “She also said that her daughter had a Journey keychain.” He opens the driver door, and sure enough, still in the dead ignition, there was a little band keychain dangling off her car key. “Shit.” He locks eyes with his partners. “Which way is the mall?”

Powell pointed in the direction that he feared the most. It was in the same direction the Byers’ house was. Now it was starting to make sense.

“What are you thinking, Chief?”

Hopper frowns. “Well, if you look at the bike, the chain’s broken. My guess, Stephanie was driving by and saw him on the side of the road, and offered him a ride home.”

“Then how do you explain the car being off road?”

He sighs, dreading for the answer (both in a good and a bad way). “I’m not sure.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Saying Joyce Byers was livid was probably not a strong enough word after being hung up on so many times. Why, out of the times she actually needed to talk to her ex-husband, he doesn’t answer the phone?! She could pull all her hair out from that man. No wonder they were divorced since he frustrates her so–

“Mom?” Jonathan said, standing up from the couch (He was currently making missing child signs for his brother).

“What?”

“Cops.” Sure enough, they saw many cop cars pull up, including a tow truck with a car none of them recognize.

“Is that his bike?” Joyce said, worriedly once she was outside. “And who’s car is that?”

“We found this in Stephanie Henderson’s car.” Hopper replies, sitting the bike down.

“Stephanie’s car?” Jonathan said, surprised. Well, I guess he shouldn’t be that surprise, ‘cause although they’re not exactly friends as one thinks they might be, given the situation, he knows her enough that she’s the type of girl to give you the shirt off her back if you need it.

“Our best guess right now is that she saw him on the side of the road and offered to drive him back. It makes sense since her mother told us Stephanie called to let her know she’ll be running late from work. And given the time stamp Will’s friends provided us, them crossing paths match up.”

“But that still doesn’t explain everything!” Joyce says, trying to piece this together. “Where did you find her car?”

He sighs quietly. “Down off the road, into the forest.” He starts walking away, motioning for his men to follow him. “Split up, fellas.” He said, once they were inside.

“Did it have any blood on it? Or– or what was the condition of the car? Did it slide off the road?” Joyce asked as she followed him around. “And why are you here instead of looking?”

“Well, he had a key to the house, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So maybe he came home. Maybe they both came home.”

Joyce scoffs, stepping in front of him. “You think I didn’t check my own house?”

“I’m not saying that.” He says, eyes trailing away upon catching something else. “Has this always been here?” He walked over and pointed to an indent in the wall.

“What? I don’t know. Probably. I mean, I have two boys. Look at this place.”

He suddenly opens the door to the backyard, the doorknob trailing directly to the spot of the mini hole. “You’re not sure?” He’s about to question it some more when the dog suddenly starts barking. He heads outside, finding Chester angrily staring down the shed. “Hey, what’s up with this guy, huh?”

“Nothing, he’s probably just hungry.” Joyce said, after following him out. She sighs and drags the dog by the collar. “Come on.”

But as they left, Hopper’s gaze was focused on the shed. Why was the dog so wound up from that place? Treading carefully, he goes inside, flipping the lightswitch on that buzzed lightly above. His eyes scaled the room, immediately noticing something. His fingers wrapped around the box full of shotgun shells, realizing it was half empty.

Empty? He thought, setting it down and heading for where the weapon would be stored. But the two hooks screwed into the wall were bare, and to a shock, when his fingers brushed where it should be, the light suddenly shut itself off.

Out of instinct his hand latched around a flashlight nearby, turning it on. He turned the light towards the door, wondering if someone was just screwing with him but… no one.

Okay… not creepy at all. He trailed it around, looking closely, nothing making him want to stand on his toes until he decided to turn around. That’s when he saw the back half of the shed was a mess, shelves torn off, boxes and objects thrown everywhere, some even being crushed under some kind of weight. Even the hair on the back of his neck stood up when he swears he could hear someone growling.

His heart was beating in his ears as he crouched down, looking around for anything. (Un)Luckily enough, there was no kid laying emotionless in the pile. He frowns, wondering what scared the boy so much that he went to grab a gun. And then–

Something shiny caught his eye.

He reached out and picked it up, a gold chain unraveled, showing off a heart shaped pendant with two initials carved into it.

S.H.

“Shit.” Hopper whispered, horrified.

“Hey!”

He shot to his feet, turning around to face his brother in blue. “Jesus!”

“What are you, deaf? I’ve been calling you.” Callahan said, before noticing how ill his boss looked. “What’s going on?”

“Fuck…” Hopper mumbled and started racing back outside.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Chief?”

“Listen, I want you to call Flo. I want to get a search party together, all right? All the volunteers she can muster. Bring flashlights, too.”

“Chief?” Callahan stops him before he goes back into the house. “Hey, you think we got a problem here?”

“I don’t think, I know.” Hopper shows off the necklace. “We’re going to the Henderson’s house.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin watches with fear as the officers explain the situation on hand about his older sister. His mom of course was hysterical, giving the professionals a challenge to get answers out of her.

“Oh, who could have hurt my baby? And poor Will too.” Claudia sobbed into her handkerchief. “She’s always so kind to others, of course she would have offered him a ride.”

“Ma’am, I know you’re upset, and we’re sending a search party out as soon as possible. But I just need you to confirm that this is your daughter’s, then we can make this one big old case.” Hoppy explains, trying not to be snappy with his words. “Now–” He shows off the necklace. “Is this your daughter’s?”

Dustin’s eyebrows shot up through the roof. “She still wears that?!” He said, shocking both himself and the officer.

“What?”

“Y-Yes.” Claudia said, nodding. “That’s hers.”

“Thank you.” Hopper says, placing it in her palm. He spins his heels around to Powell. “Let’s go. We got two missing people we’re looking for.”

“Please find her.” She begged, getting his attention once more. “I can’t lose my only daughter.” But all she gets is a sad nod from him as he leaves, watching as all the cars pull off her driveway in a hurry. She sighs and then gasps when felt her son take the necklace away from her, studying it intensely. “Dusty, why were you so surprised she still wears it?”

“Don’t you remember who gave this to her?” He asked, slightly sour.

“Well, no.”

He sighs, and starts leaving the room. “It’s nothing.”

And it should stay that way.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, later in the day, a heated discussion was going on at the Wheeler’s house over a nice homemade dinner.

“We should be out there right now. We should be helping look for him.” Mike said for the millionth time tonight, extremely close to igniting the fuse in his own mother.

“We’ve been over this, Mike.” Karen said, drawing her attention away from her toddler. “The chief says–”

“I don’t care what the chief said.”

“Michael!”

“We have to do something! Will can be in danger.”

“More reason to stay put.”

“Mom!”

“End of discussion.” She snapped, silencing her son. But when one bird stops chirping, another one decides to start a tune.

“So me and Barbara are gonna study at her house tonight. That’s cool, right?” Nancy says, not an ask, but that of course gets shot down too.

“No, not cool.”

“What? Why not?”

“Why do you think? Am I speaking Chinese in this house? Until we know Will is okay, no one leaves.”

“This is such bullshit.” Nancy replies, dropping her fork.

“Language.” Ted chimes in, still munching on his food.

“So we’re under house arrest? Just because Mike’s friend got lost on the way home from–”

“Wait, this is Will’s fault?” Mike spat, sending daggers at his sister.

“Nancy, take that back.” Karen warned, as Holly started to get teary eyed.

“No!” Nancy scoffed.

“You’re just pissed off ‘cause you wanna hang out with Steve.” Mike quips, sending the whole room into silence. He swallows when he realizes he messed up (and how his sister looked like she was going to kill him).

“Steve?” Her father asked, finally tuning back in.

“Who is Steve?” Her mother asked, as her son decided to just roll with it anyway.

“Her new boyfriend.”

“You are such a douchebag, Mike!” Nancy yells, throwing the chair back and marching out of the room.

“Language!” Ted says, as Karen sighs.

“Nancy, come back. Come back!” She shakes her head, and cups her youngest cheek. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Holly.” She holds up her sippy cup. “Here, have some juice, okay?”

“You see, Michael? You see what happens?”

“What happens when what?” Mike snaps again, still in disbelief. “I’m the only one acting normal here! I’m the only one that cares about Will!”

“That is really unfair, son. We care.” And now his words drove his son away from the dinner table.

“Mike!” Karen yells after him too.

“Let him go.” Ted encourages, as his wife picks up their child.

“I hope you’re enjoying your chicken, Ted.” She says, then leaves herself.

“What did I do?” He notices he is truly alone now. “What’d I do?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin was sitting on his bed, holding his sister’s necklace in his palm. It was a gold color chain with a dark red heart shaped guitar pick. It even had her initials scratched into it. Such a beautiful and expensive gift. However, he still wonders why she even still wears it. Especially since it was gifted by none of other then–

[ ‘Dustin, do you copy? It’s Lucas.’ ]

He perked up from the voice of his friend coming through on his walkie, and scrambled off the bed to his desk. “Lucas. What’s up?”

[ ‘Mike just called me. Says he wants to go out looking for Will.’ ]

“Looking for Will?” He gasps at how perfect this was. “We can look for Phanie too!”

[ ‘Steph? You mean she hasn’t come home yet?’ ]

“No! That’s what I’ve been saying!” Why don’t his friends listen to him sometimes? “So she’s out there, we have to go find her as well!”

[ ‘I mean, we can. But we’re biking over where Will was last–’ ]

“Oh, no. I got that! But…” Dustin frowns. “Wait. You didn’t hear?”

[ ‘Hear what?’ ]

“Oh, my god– Okay! Well, long story short, my sister wasn’t playing hooky like everyone thought.”

[ ‘What do you mean?’ ]

“According to the police, Phanie apparently gave Will a ride home before somewhere along the way, her car ended up in the woods. They found his bike in her car, and even found her necklace at his home. So, Lucas, my sister was with Will! It’s not just Will who’s missing! My sister is too! Together!”

He thought might have exploded his friend’s brain after the long silence he was given.

[ ‘Oh shit…’ ]

“Yeah!”

[ ‘We have to tell Mike this when we meet up. Don’t worry, man, we’ll find her too.’ ]

“And I have faith in us.” Dustin peeks outside his door. “My mom’s watching her shows right now to keep herself distracted. So we have a few hours.”

[ ‘Perfect. See you in ten.’ ]

“See you in ten.” He puts down the antenna, clenching the necklace in his palm. “Don’t worry, sis, we’re going to find you too.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[ ‘I’m sorry.’ ]

He heard her apologize for the millionth time while over the phone. He can imagine her cute little face full of irritation (was that reason to be in love with a person?).

[ ‘My… dumb mother has me under house arrest until morning.’ ]

“Don’t sweat it, Nance.” He said, leaning against the wall while they talked. “You know… I could always be sneaky like a ninja and–”

[ ‘No, Steve. You know what my parents would do if they caught you?’ ]

He hums. “Um, congratulate me?”

[ ‘Steve.’ ]

Steve laughs. “Alright, alright. I’m joking. Uh–” He runs a hand through his locks. “We could… study over the phone?”

That was a good idea.

Right?

Her silence was making him worry. “Um, Nancy?”

[ ‘Sorry. I was thinking. It’s a tempting offer but… risky. I don’t want my parents eavesdropping.’ ]

“Do they tend to eavesdrop?”

[ ‘Steve!’ ]

“Alright, I’ll stop.”

[ ‘We’ll just see each other tomorrow.’ ]

“Of course we will.” He smiles. “As long as uh… the search for that Byers boy isn’t still going on. Heard they’re grabbing everyone in town.”

[ ‘Yeah. Well, it’s not just for him, l mean they’re looking for the Henderson girl too.’ ]

And there it is again.

The horrible, aching feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“S-Stephanie?” The air got trapped in his lungs (Why was it so hard to breathe?). “I thought Will just went missing?” It was just him, right? There’s no way she went missing too. And at the same time no less. “Right, Nancy?”

[ ‘No. From what it sounds like on the news I just overheard, she gave him a ride home, but her car was found abandoned with his bike in it. So… as of now, we have two people missing.’ ]

Stephanie’s really missing? Once again he’s asking himself that it shouldn’t hurt this much, right? It’s not like they’ve been acquitted in years, so–

[ ‘Steve? You there?’ ]

“Uh, um, N-Nancy I… I think I hear my parents. I… I-I got to go.” He said, slurring his words and could practically feel the strange look she was probably giving him right now.

[ ‘You okay?’ ]

“Y-Yeah. I’m… I’m good, I– I think it’s time for dinner.”

[ ‘Isn’t it kind of late for dinner now?’ ]

“Oh, you know, we Harringtons like to have it late. So, uh, pfff– I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Have fun studying.”

[ ‘Steve–’ ]

He hangs up the phone before she questions him anymore.

It just doesn’t make sense. They’re not friends any more so…

Why does it hurt so much?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The rain was coming down like a monsoon. Thunder was starting to rumble, lightning was lingering around waiting to strike. Speaking of waiting… The Byers were on their couch, rummaging through photos that touched their emotions.

“Jonathan, wow. You took these?” Joyce asked, amazed by them. “These are great.” She got her son to crack a smile. “Wow, they really are.” Then came the sniffles again. “I-I know I haven’t been there for you. I’ve been working so hard and… I-I just feel bad. I don’t even barely know what’s going on with you. All right? I am so sorry about that.” And then the sobs started coming from her child. “Hey, what is it? What is it, honey?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing.”

“Tell me. Tell me.” Joyce urges, rubbing his forearm. “Come on. You can–”

“No. It’s just…” Jonathan’s blank expression broke. “I s-should’ve been there for him.”

“No. Oh, no. You can’t do that to yourself.” She shakes her own head and gives him a gentle squeeze. “This was not your fault. Do you hear me? He is… close. I know it. I-I feel it in my heart.” She clenches the left side of her chest. “You just have to… You have to trust me on this, okay?”

He nods while leaning into his mother’s touch. “Yeah.”

“Oh, look at this.” She says, picking one where it was just Will and his cute smile. “Look at this one.” It makes them both quietly laugh. “I mean, that’s it, right?”

“Yeah. That’s it.” He smiles sadly. “W-We should… see if Ms. Henderson had any photos of Stephanie. Maybe we can make a poster together.”

Then her whole world gets thrown around when she hears breathing. “Will?” She chokes, eyes widening. “Will? It’s Will!”

“That’s a good idea.” And the phone rings and she shoots off the couch. She prays and prays it’s good news as she yanks the phone off the receiver. “Hello?” She answers, which happened to be nothing but static.

“Hello? Lonnie? Hopper? Who is this?”

Jonathan was by her side in a split second. “Mom, it’s Will?”

“Who is this?!” Joyce screamed when growling came on the other side. “What have you done to my boy? Give me back my son!” And whoever was truly on the other side, replied by shocking her with electricity. She shrieked and threw the phone away, her son picking it up right after.

“Hello? Hello, who is this?” Jonathan asked, the silence making him furiously hit the phone box. “Hello? Who is this?” He finally hangs up, turning towards his hysterical mother. “Mom, who was it? Who was it, Mom?”

“It was him.” She sobbed, as she was taken in his arms.

“Look at me, was it Will?”

“Yes!”

“What did he say?” Jonathan choked, as his mother reached for the phone, hoping they were still connected.

“He just breathed. He just breathed.”

“And was someone else there?”

“I–”

“Mom, who was there? Who was it?”

“It was him…” She wraps her arms around him, knees almost buckling at the emotional exhaustion. “I know it was his breathing. I know it was his breathing.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, in the deep depths of the forest, drenched head to toe, the trio was shouting until their lungs hurt, hoping to find any one of their loved ones.

“Will!”

“Stephanie!”

“Byers! Henderson!”

“Anyone?!”

Lucas sighs. “Guys, I’m starting to feel like this is hopeless.”

“Don’t be a big sissy.” Dustin says, getting ‘the look’.

“I’m just being realistic, man.”

“Well, stop being realistic! My sister and Will are missing, and they’re fine.” They have to be. He doesn’t know what he’ll do if they’re–

“Maybe…”

“Lucas!” Mike scolded, getting a shrug.

“What?” Lucas snapped. “I’m just saying. I mean, did any of you ever think Will and Steph went missing because they ran into something bad? And we happened to be going to the exact same spot where they were last seen? And we have no weapons or anything?”

“So?!” Dustin scoffed. “If it was any of us in their place, my sister and Will would be busting their asses trying to find us!”

“Really? How would you know that?”

“I just do!”

“Shut up!” Mike yells, facing them. Their jaws closed and he shushed them quietly. “Shut up and listen.” And then there was a faint sound of rustling. “Do you guys hear that?”

And then the rustling got louder and louder, the boys spinning on their heels and waving their flashlights around for any signs of life. Just as thunder roared and the spotlights moved to another side, that’s when they were practically blinding a person.

Although it was not Will or Stephanie.

It was another child, barefoot and in a shirt that was practically a dress.

Staring in amazed and confusion, the boys weren’t sure what to say except,

“What the hell?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE NIGHT BEFORE ||

The lights flickered back on with an audible gasp.

She heaved the strange tasting air into her lungs, eyes adjusting to the bright world before it completely went dim, like an eclipse was happening just overhead. Before she could question where she was, she felt someone tug on her jacket and gasp themself.

Stephanie whipped her body around, catching the sight of the young boy who was now having a bit of coughing fit. “Will?” She says, taking the boy by his shoulders, relieved to see him.

“S-Steph?” He choked, taking a moment to look around with his big cocoa eyes. “What just happened?”

Well that was the million dollar question. What actually happened?

She takes a moment to finally look around herself, realizing they were in the… same spot? Yeah… the same spot. They were still inside the shed, still holding the shotgun, but the only difference was no… what can you even call that thing they encountered?

“We’re still in the shed. But it’s…” Will crinkled his button nose at the sight. “Gross.”

Steph swallows, blue orbs landing on the door. “Stay behind me.” She lets herself push open the shed door slowly, heart beating like crazy as she luckily met with no scary creature. She shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. “Jesus, It’s freezing.”

The outside world seemed to be encased in a blue hue, the places around seemed to be tangled with vines and covered in something sticky. There was also a white powder that looked like snow, raining down from the dark skies above. A sky that didn’t even have moonlight like it did a few minutes ago.

Holy shit… She thought, before feeling around her head, worriedly. She then locked eyes with him and asked, “Did you hit your head when we crashed?” He shakes his head, fueling her emotions. So they weren’t dreaming or having a concussion. So what even is this place?

Where the hell are we? And in the distance…

A creature snarled…

While waiting for his orders from his master beyond.

(TBC)

A/N: 😬🤭🫣

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl

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pasukiyo · 2 years

Note

Can you do a Steve Harrington fluff where the reader is close with all the kids (I'm a sucker for Henderson!reader trope but that's up to you) and they're so sick of Steve's PDA that they decide to mess with him by not letting him until Steve loses it? Like he goes to hold her hand and Dustin asks her to hold his water bottle or he goes to kiss her and Max asks for a hug, etc I genuinely think Steve would contemplate killing them 😂 thank you in advance ❤️

𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬.

— steve harrington x f!henderson!reader

warnings; none other than my writing is ass here so don’t mind that

a/n; this idea is honestly so cute and i feel like my writing here absolutely butchered it so i apologize for that LMAO but thank you for the request, and i hope you enjoy it!

word count; 1.7k

“i’m warning you both, harrington, henderson, you better be here on time. i’m not risking any of my break time, especially not for you.”

“yeah, yeah, i get it, buckley,” steve groaned, throwing his arm over his girlfriend’s shoulder. “c’mon, let’s go before she lectures our ears off.”

“and i’ll do that if you’re late, harrington! i swear to god! fifteen minutes, dingus, fifteen minutes!”

steve’s eyes rolled in their sockets and he nodded, waving her off as he guided his girlfriend out of the ice cream parlor and into the mall’s food court. she couldn’t suppress her laugh any longer, her smile peeking through the cracks of her lips. “wow, she’s fun, isn’t she?” she tittered as she snatched the scoops ahoy hat from off the top of his head, twirling it around on her forefinger. steve scoffed, “don’t even get me started.”

his arm slipped from around her shoulders, fingers running through his tresses, chest heaving when he sighed. “goddamn hat practically killed my hair,” he mumbled, desperately trying to tame the mangled mess atop his head. she giggled as she, too, reached for his hair, shaking her hand on his scalp, much to his displeasure. “you look cute, steve,” she chuckled, “stop worrying over it.”

“cute?” she couldn’t help but flash a cheeky grin— he was adorable.

“yes, cute. is there a problem?”

“yeah, the problem is, i’m not supposed to look cute, i’m supposed to be hot.”

she snickered behind her hand, “steve harrington, that is probably one of the strangest things i’ve ever heard you say. what does that even mean?” the corner of steve’s lips quirked when she playfully bumped her hip against his, the brief feeling of her warm skin against his when their arms brushed suddenly gave him the biggest urge to hold her hand. their eyes met when she turned, and for a moment, the mall seemed to melt away, and all they could bring themselves to think about was each other. their feet carried them away mindlessly, but it didn’t even matter where they ended up, as long as they were still with each other.

“so, who makes a move first?” she muttered, loud enough for only him to hear. he couldn’t suppress his chuckle, and he glanced down to her hand as it hung loose at her hip. “you sure you want me to hold that thing?” he joked. “i mean, that’s a huge responsibility and frankly, i’m not sure i’m qualified enough for something like this. i mean, i barely got the job i have now.”

“steve,” she giggled, shoving him away by the shoulder, and he laughed. “fine, fine, okay, i’m going in.”

his fingers twitched as his hand inched closer to hers, itching to be intertwined with her own. she was certain her heart was going to leap out of her chest when his pinky grazed over the back of her hand, and she turned her palm so that it’d face upwards, fingers outstretched and waiting for his. his hand neared, his fingers slithering up her wrist and sending shivers down the coil of her spine. he reached the palm of her hand, the tips of his fingers right where they needed—

“steve! oh my god, hey, there you are! mind holding this for me? oh, thanks man, you’re the best. take good care of that for me! i’m serious! because i’ll be coming back for it and if it’s not in your hands, i’ll kill you!”

they jumped at the abrupt interruption, and all at once, steve’s hand was taken away from hers, his brow wrinkling at the water bottle that had been pressed into his palm instead. her eyelids narrowed at the boy who had pushed himself between them, eyes boring into the familiar light brown curls on the back of her brother’s head, lucas following close behind. “dustin!” she called after him, but he was already gone, but not before he twisted around to give a small salute, and they both disappeared into a crowd of shoppers.

she glimpsed down to the bottle of water that dustin had passed into steve’s hand as he ran by, and he swirled the water around in the plastic, pressing his lips together into a firm, thin line. “i’ll kill that kid, i swear i’ll do it,” he grumbled beneath his breath. “count me in,” she chimed, clasping her hand around her opposite wrist, her teeth sinking into the flesh of her bottom lip.

“but—“ steve began, passing the bottle of water into his other hand, once again outstretching his palm for her to take. “—i do have two hands, you know. little shit probably didn’t think that thr—“

“oh hey steve! didn’t see you there, but do you mind holding this for me? thanks, you’re the best!”

they watched as mike and will raced by, and when steve glimpsed down to his once free hand, he rolled his eyes and groaned at the hat and sunglasses mike seemingly gave him. although frustrated, she couldn’t help but snicker behind the back of her hand, “guess they all have it figured out, huh?”

“god, it’s like— it’s like one big group of cock-blockers,” he whined, perhaps a little too loud, hence the number of heads doing double takes his way. “maybe it’d be more accurate if you said hand-blockers?” she mused.

steve blinked, “that sounds dumb.”

“and cock-blockers doesn’t?”

he sighed and shook his head, gazing down to his watch, “less than ten minutes left, we better make these next few minutes worth it.” she followed him to an empty bench on the outskirts of the food court, her teeth toying with the flesh of her bottom lip, fighting back the urge to smile. “you know, i don’t see any more of your children around,” she murmured, scooting closer until their thighs were pressed together, her chin resting atop the curve of his shoulder. “surely, none of them would notice if i leaned in and—“ her lips grazed over his, and she could feel him shiver, his breath warm against her skin. he, too, leaned forward until his lips enveloped hers, and she could taste steve harrington on the tip of her tongue.

“steve! oh my god, dude, i totally forgot.”

both she and steve pressed their eyelids closed together, their lips breaking apart from one another before they gazed over at lucas standing there, waiting for them to respond. “dude, really?” steve whined, gesturing between them. “kind of busy right now.”

“but robin told me to come tell you that you need to come back from your break early!” lucas rushed before they could shoo him off, “yeah, she made it perfectly crystal clear that if you weren’t back to help her with these customers right this second, she’d tell dustin all about what happened between you and his sister on—“

“okay! okay! i get it, so just— shut your mouth,” steve sighed in defeat, rushing to his feet. she arched an eyebrow as steve pushed past lucas, and she gave the younger boy a look before following after steve. “you told robin about—“

“okay, let’s not make such a totally big deal out of this?” steve groaned, “i didn’t mean to tell her but i just… kind of needed… her opinion?”

she cocked an eyebrow, “her opinion? and what was it, if i may ask?”

“you know, maybe… maybe that’s not so important right now.”

she cracked a smile, “you’re adorable, steve harrington,” she purred into his ear as she clutched onto his bicep, rolling onto the tips of her toes to press a soft kiss to his cheek. “god, please don’t say that shit around dustin, please? i’ll never be able to live it down,” he pouted as they re-entered scoops ahoy, robin waiting up ahead at the counter expectantly. “you love it,” she giggled into his ear, placing his sailor hat back atop his head and spinning him around, straightening it up.

“wrap it up, lovebirds,” robin rolled her eyes, “we have orders stacking up and i can’t handle it all by myself.”

“yeah, yeah, i’ll be right there,” steve waved her off, turning back to his girlfriend to caress her cheek. the pad of his thumb soothed just underneath her eye, “i’ll pick you up after my shift, okay? we’ll go get some greasy takeout food, head back to my place, watch a movie. you know, all that typical romantic shit us teenagers do,” he murmured, swiping a loose strand of hair behind her ear. she chuckled and playfully kneed him on the thigh, “you mean teenager? you’re pushing twenty, steve.”

“not til’ next year!”

“god, you’re so old. i mean, you’re practically knocking on the front door of death at this point,” she teased, jabbing his ribs with her finger. “but tonight sounds like a plan. i’ll miss you,” she cooed, nuzzling into the crook of his neck and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“you’re lucky i love you and just let you verbally abuse me like that,” he mumbled into her hair. “and i guess i’ll miss you too.”

“god, you guys are so gross, you’re going to see each other again in a few hours so wrap it up and get your ass over here and make some ice cream, harrington!” robin groaned, and steve glared her way. “i’m coming, god.”

they pulled away, their eyes unable to break contact, and it wasn’t long before they were leaning in, their lips inching closer, and closer until—

“oh my god!” she could hear her name being shrieked, and she turned as max and eleven bounded their way up to her. “i haven’t seen you in forever!” max chuckled, grabbing her hand and tugging her away from steve to instead be pulled into a group hug.

“i literally saw you two yesterday.”

she gazed over at steve from over eleven’s head as the two younger girls went on and on about something she could honestly say she wasn’t paying attention to, mouthing the words ‘i’m sorry’ his way.

“steve!” robin shouted from behind him, slapping his shoulder from behind the counter and giving him a look. she couldn’t suppress her laughter as he grumbled and disappeared to the back, eventually letting the girls drag her off to wherever they had planned to go next.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington headcanon #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington fluff #stranger things #stranger things x y/n #stranger things x you #stranger things x reader #stranger things headcanons #stranger things fluff #steve harrington x henderson reader #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #will byers #mike wheeler

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4ng3l-0n-34rth · 2 years

Text

Intimidated: Part 1// a Steve Harrington x Dustin's sibling! reader

not my gif!! but i luv steve and his lil bat

a/n: hello! and hi again if you're here from the prologue! if you haven't read it yet i highly recommend that you do because this chapter picks up immediately after!! it'll be linked below! there's also a lot of music talk and pretty much just my hc's on what steve would listen too and Y/N is a metal head sry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

warnings: mild swearing

summary: this is a continuation of my last part so not much to be summarized, pretty much just banter between you and Steve, and a little commentary from the kids!

enjoy!!

2,416 words

previous part / next part

now playing: THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING BY NANCY SINATRA

"Hey do you wanna uh.. do you wanna tag along?"

The idea hadn't even crossed your mind since you knew the boys, Dustin especially, loved their 'Steve time' but once he actually asked you to come with, you couldn't help but to say, "Sure why not!" Cheerily you move your weight from leaning on the doorframe to your feet and make your way to his car, where the boys were still arguing over who gets in the front seat. "Hate to break it to ya kids, but Steve ever so kindly asked me to come with and I sure as hell am not squeezing in the back with one of you." you stifled a laugh as both of them frowned and climbed in the backseat, not wanting to protest since it was your money they were going to try and spend on just about anything other than what it was supposed to be for.

As you looked back to the house, Steve was still standing on the porch, surprised you'd even accept. He thought to asked just to be nice, but didn't really see you as the type to want to get out of the house more than you needed too. You let out a loud whistle to get his attention. "C'mon Harrington the car wont drive itself," instantly pulling him out of his thoughts he heads towards the car, opening the door and sitting down, initiating you to do the same.

Once he puts the keys in the ignition and starts to pull out of your driveway you decided to take a look around the car. The space is new to you so you decide to observe it, take everything in. " You got any cd's?" you ask. There's never a silent moment when you're driving, always having something playing when you make your way around town. "Oh yeah you can look through the glove box and pick one out," he stated, gesturing to its location with his hand, but keeping his eyes on the road.

As you shuffled through them, nothing really caught your eye, instead a laugh caught in your throat. "What?" he ask's a little confused at why you're holding back laughter while looking at the cd's. "Sorry, it's just pretty much all you have is the beach boys and wham!" He rolled his eyes and closed the glove box. "Well if you don't like my music you don't have to listen to it." He let out a bit of a nervous laugh. He knew the music you were into, and he could only assume just by your appearance that you didn't rock out to 'wake me up before you go-go.'

"Well don't get butt hurt, I'm just teasing," you reopen the glove box to look again, then pull a random one out, giggling before you could even make your point. "Just because I'd never own a.." you had to pause to let out a few laughs once reading the cover of what was in your hand. "a Nancy Sinatra cd, doesn't mean it's bad music." Steve jokingly pretended to be hurt and took the cd from your hand. "If I'm giving you a free ride, you aren't allowed to laugh at Nancy Sinatra!" You held your hands up in surrender as your laughing fit finally calmed down. "Fine fine you're right that was rude of me. Please allow me to play it." you gestured and took it from his hand, opening the case then placing the cd in the cars stereo and hit play, listening as 'These Boots Are Made For Walking' comes on.

Lucas and Dustin both just watched the two of you interact, dumbfounded by the fact you two were getting along? Of course they both knew you and Steve weren't complete strangers, i mean hell you fought off a giant flesh monster together with fireworks! But that was just about all the communication you've ever had other than crossing paths for the occasional pick up and drop offs of Dustin. Lucas slowly leaned toward Dustin to whisper in his ear. "Dude, your sister looks like she's kinda... enjoying herself?"

Steve wasn't wrong about the fact you don't get out much, other than driving kids around, school, and occasional errands you really didn't do much, or hang out with many people. I mean you were just the loner. The scarily intimidating loner. You didn't get invited to parties, or participate in sports. You just kept to yourself, and you didn't mind it all that much. That is until you did... Being the loner can get lonely right?

"There's no way... Surely they're just amusing him right? I mean I know Y/N doesn't really have friends, but they know how to start a conversation. Probably just bored or something." Dustin whispered back to Lucas, reassuring him that there's no way in hell you of all people are happy to make small talk with Steve. According to Dustin you and Steve live in completely different worlds, and watching those worlds mix when their lives weren't on the line was beyond strange.

Soon enough you arrived at the ice cream parlor, but of course the boys had ulterior motives, since the second Steve parked they both sprinted out of the car to the comic book store a few buildings down. "Jesus these kids are too much," you sigh and unbuckle your seat belt. "I guess this is the part where we chase after them?" Steve replied unbuckling his seatbelt as well. "Eh, might as well let them look around for a bit, but if they spend all the money i gave them you're paying for ice cream," you grinned. "Somehow i sensed I'd be paying anyways."

The both of you got out of the car and decided to just wait outside until the kids were done. "So Steve, you follow them around so you can fight off the monsters they snuff out, or do you actually like them?" you asked, and he looked down to you, deciding if he should answer honestly or joke about it. What would she want to hear? He thought. Going with the latter he responded, "I mean wouldn't you constantly tail them if it meant you got to be a badass monster slayer?" You raised a brow and retorted, "I wouldn't go that far, you 'slay monsters' like a little league player." He pretended to be hurt and held a hand to his chest with a gasping. "I'll let you know I was the best little league player in all of Hawkins back in the day." The both of you let out a few laughs and the banter carried on until you decided to check the time and realized it was about to get dark.

"Shit," you muttered, and glanced to Steve who seemed concerned. "My mom's gonna be home in 30, and she has no idea we're out. If she gets home and see's my car but an empty house she's gonna lose her shit!" You yelled, and headed straight inside to find the boys shuffling through racks of comic books. "What the fuck is taking you so long?" you ask, visibly irritated. "Calm down Y/N we're just looking around!" Dustin replied. "You were 'just looking around' for almost twenty minutes! If we aren't home before mom you can kiss your little game night goodbye." Dustin immediately looked out the door window and notice the sun beginning to go down, signaling to him it was at least 6:30, and messily put everything he was looking at back on the rack and ran out, Lucas following suit. "Sorry!" The boys shouted in unison to the man behind the counter before they were out the door. You just gave an apologetic smile and shrug before you were out of the building as well.

"Damn, you can get them moving quickly. It takes me at least five 'can we please go' 's before any of them listen to me." Steve stated, almost impressed at how easily they'll listen to you. "If you want them to listen you need to threaten to take away privileges or else the little shits think they can do whatever they want." You respond, walking toward the ice cream store instead of the car like everyone else, and they all looked to you confused.

"What? we came here for ice cream didn't we? It'll take 10 minutes to get home and we have about 25 until my ass is grass, so we may as well not go home empty handed." You state as you walk inside. The boys cheered and headed toward the door, Steve holding it open so they can run in, and then walked in behind them. "Ok, figure out what you want quick we don't have a lot of-" before you could finish your sentence, Steve was already telling the worker everyone's order, and surprisingly got everyone's correct.

"You never told me you were a mind reader Harrington." You laughed, then pulled out the money you had swiped back from the kids after leaving the comic store to pay for everyone. "Well first off, sadly I am no mind reader, but serving all of you at scoops three times a week makes it easy to remember what you always get, and don't worry I can pay," he pushes your hand aside and pulls out his wallet, as the server sets the group's order on the counter. "Oh please, there's no way you'd want to pay for Dustin's fifty thousand toppings, just let me do it." And before he could say anything you had already handed the cash to the server.

Steve didn't respond. In all honesty he was unsure how too. He works a stable job and is used to practically buying everything for the kids whenever he takes them out, but maybe he could get used to your company, and you insisting to pay. "Come get your shit kiddos!" you call to them and they happily came over to pick up whichever scoops of ice cream they could identify as their own. You grabbed your order afterward and Steve took his, then the four of you headed back out side.

"Oh, I didn't even think to ask if they're allowed to eat in your car." you stated, stopping in your tracks. "Well it wouldn't be the first time." is all Steve replied with before unlocking the car and getting in. As you were walking to sit in the front Dustin swiftly beat you to it, slamming the door shut and locking it from the inside, then he stuck his tongue out at you. "Dustin I already said that I'm not sitting in the back seat what the hell is your problem?" you asked, trying not to raise your voice so much since you're in public. "You snooze you lose!" He shouted so you could hear him through the shut door. Normally you would figure out how to get him out of there, but knowing you're on a time crunch you decided to let him have it just once and sit in the back with Lucas. "Fine, whatever..." you sigh and get in the car.

While on your way home, the cd you had put in earlier was still playing and all of you ate your ice cream. You decided to make some small talk with Lucas about what was new in the comic store, since Dustin was happily chatting with Steve in the front. It was sweet how much Dustin adored Steve. You never had anything against Steve, sure you could only assume at one point you would've been the butt of all of his jokes, but just as the populars liked to make fun of the losers, you from time to time would find yourself laughing at him.

Something had changed though, and you could tell. Slowly King Steve just faded into Steve and you were content with the fact he could be the providing Dustin with a role model. It was no secret the both of you had an absent father, but there was something about Steve that filled those shoes in Dustin's eyes, and for that you were forever grateful.

Whilst chatting with Lucas in the back seat, Lucas couldn't help but notice Steve's repetitive glances at you through the rearview mirror, and he was surely going to tell Dustin once they got home. That was until Dustin spoke, "Hello? Earth to Steve!" drawing out his words, bringing everyone's attention to the driver, as a faint redness rose to his cheeks. "Would you chill out Dustin? I'm trying to drive here." he responded almost coldly, upset that Dustin brought the fact he was completely zoned out to everyone's attention. "Well obviously you aren't trying hard enough, you just passed my street" Dustin retorted. "Shit." was all he could mutter in response, as he took a U-tun and pulled into your driveway.

Everyone thanked Steve and began to get out of the car except for Dustin, who grabbed Steve's arm to keep him from leaving just yet. "What the hell is your problem?" the boy asked, genuinely confused as to why Steve seemed so dazed. "What are you talking about?" Steve replied. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Not only did you invite Y/N to come with us, but you were all over her the whole time!!" Steve sighed and shifted in his seat to face him. "Look, I'm sorry I thought it was a good idea to get to know my best friends sibling, I wont push further." Dustin was immediately content with the fact Steve referred to him as his best friend, and felt bad for nagging. "No you're right I'm sorry, I suppose I should get used to the both of you being friends, Y/N is actually your age after all.."

Sure just getting to know you because you were Dustin's older sibling wasn't the only motive he had, but he knew what to say to keep the kid from pushing. He had really enjoyed the short conversations you had with him, and it kept him longing for more, wishing and begging for more. Something inside you drove him crazy and he wouldn't rest until he could figure out what it was. Maybe there was just something going on with the Henderson's that made him feel like himself because lord knows he wouldn't be where he is today without Dustin, and maybe one day he could say the same about you...

#stranger things #stranger things x y/n #stranger things 4 #st #st4 #st fanfic #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #dustins sister #stranger things netflix #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #stranger things steve #steve harrington x henderson reader

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imaginestuffs · 2 years

Text

Falling slowly pt2- Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

word count:5028

warnings: Language, Season 2 spoilers if you haven't seen it, no spoilers for 3 or 4, Dialogue from the show is used and of course is credited to the writers and creators of the show.

summary: Steve is getting closer to you as the night goes on and he begins to fear that he may fall for you.

Taglist:@fanficfanatic204

part 1 part 3 part 4 part 5

(gif not mine! sorry it's not from season 2)

Your wander through the woods had begun and already you were done with it. The woods at night always left you feeling uneasy, as you knew that there were things lurking in the dark that shouldn’t be there at all. Still, Steve’s hand was placed in yours as you walked with the kids.

“You doing ok, (n/n)?” Dustin asked as he glanced down at your leg. You looked at him and nodded your head. “I’m ok, it’s a little sore, but nothing I can’t handle,” you explained and smiled reassuringly at him. Dustin’s gaze caught yours and Steve’s hands, and he smiled mischievously. You didn’t seem to notice as your line of sight was straight ahead of you. Steve glanced over at you, “you sure?” he asked and you looked up at him and nodded your head. “I’m sure,” you smiled softly.

There was suddenly a new presence beside you and you looked down to your right. Max stood beside you, “What you did was really awesome,” she said and you chuckled. “Well, thank you. I’d do anything for you guys,” you said placing a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t even know me,” she said. “I know that my little brother and his friends care about you, and so do I,” you said and she smiled softly. “Thank you,” she spoke quietly and you wrapped your arm around her shoulders in a side hug. You watched as she jogged to catch up with your brother and Lucas. “You’re really good with them,” Steve spoke and you chuckled. “Well, I’ve been babysitting them pretty much my entire life, so I think it’s safe to say I just know them too well,” you joked a bit and he chuckled.

“Honestly, Steve, I think you’re really good for Dustin,” you spoke in appreciation. He looked down at you, “Really? How so?” he asked. “He needs an older male figure in his life. He’s been stuck with his mom and sister every day of his life. Having you around to give him advice and be someone for him to look up to, is something he needs and I really appreciate it,” you told him. He smiled shyly, “I think you guys have done pretty well, so far,” Steve said to you. You squeezed his hand in thanks, “That means a lot,” you responded gratefully.

“Hurry up you guys,” Lucas whined and you rolled your eyes. “Why, are you scared to be up there alone?” you teased. “No!” he defended and you chuckled. “We probably should keep up with the little shits though,” you said and nudged Steve’s shoulder. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said and it was his turn to drag you along with him.

“You’re positive that was Dart?” Lucas asked as you and Steve caught up. “Yes, he had the exact same yellow pattern,” Dustin confirmed. “He was tiny two days ago,” Max said. “Well, he’s molted three times already,” Dustin explained blatantly.

“Malted?” Steve asked confused. You smiled a bit, “It’s ‘molted’,” you corrected him. “Oh,” he said and you nodded. “He shed his skin to make room for more growth like hornworms,” Dustin described. “When’s he gonna molt again?” Max asked curiously. “It’s gotta be soon,” Dustin said. “He’s got to be fully grown,” you stated and Dustin agreed. “Or close to it,” he declared. “So, will his friends,” he added.

“Yeah, and he’s gonna eat a lot more than just cats,” Steve said.

“Wait, a cat?!” Lucas asked in disbelief. Dustin looked nervous. “Dart ate a cat?” Lucas asked once again. “No, what? No,” Dustin automatically answered. “What are you talking about? He ate mews,” Steve blatantly stated. “Mews? Who’s mews?” Max asked in confusion. “It’s our cat,” you told her. “Guys!” Dustin scolded. “I knew it, you kept him!” Lucas accused. “No!” Dustin tried to defend himself. “No, no-I, no” Dustin spluttered. “He missed me, he wanted to come home,” Dustin finally admitted. You were upset that Dustin had decided to keep Dart, you didn’t even know until you found out that mews was dead. You scoffed at Dustin’s words. He looked over at you regretfully. “Bullshit!” Lucas called out. “I didn’t know he was a Demogorgon, okay?” Dustin tossed back. “Oh, so now you admit it?” Lucas asked in frustration.

“Guys, who cares, we have to go,” Max tried. “I care! You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!” Lucas shouted. “So did you!” Your brother shouted back. You squeezed Steve’s hand nervously and he gently nudged your shoulder. “What?” Lucas questioned. “You told a stranger the truth!” Dustin accused Lucas. Max scoffed, “ A stranger?” she quickly jutted in.

“You wanted to tell her too!” Lucas threw back at him. “Guys, shut up! I swear on my life if you yell one more time, I’ll kick your asses. Don’t yell at my little brother like that, got it?” You glared at Lucas. “Only, I can yell at him like that. Be upset all you want but don’t yell at him,” you scolded Lucas. He looked at you nervously and nodded his head. Dustin looked at you with a smile and Steve looked at you with wide eyes. He had never heard you yell before and honestly, he thought it was kind of horrifying but adorable all at the same time.

“Don’t smile at me like that Dusty, you’re all in the shitter right now,” You sighed heavily and pointed at them all. “We’re going now, c’mon hurry up,” you said and continued ahead.

“There was a sudden screeching that brought you all to a halt. Your heart dropped into your stomach at the sound.

Immediately Steve took off toward the sound and dropped your hand. You sighed and almost cringed at the cold that nipped your once warm fingers. The guys took off as well. “No, no, no guys why are you heading toward the sound?!” Max called as you ran to catch up.

You soon came to a clearing in the woods and walked out from the treeline. It was a view over Hawkins with rolling fog and barely there city lights. “I can’t see them,” Dustin said and you squinted as you tried your best to locate where they could be.

Lucas brought out his binoculars and looked around. “It’s the lab,” He said and your chest tightened. “They were going back home,” He said and you screwed your eyes tight and looked away.

Steve looked over at you to see you standing off to the side. He walked over to you and placed a hand on your shoulder, for the second time that day you flinched at his touch. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” He said and you turned to face him. “I’m just a little on edge that’s all,” you said and waved him off. “We’ll get through this ok. We’ll keep the kids safe, I'll keep you safe,” he stated. You looked up at him with big doe eyes. Your heart warmed at his words and you swore you could feel butterflies. “I’ll keep you safe too, I promise,” you stated softly and he smiled fondly at you. “Oh, I know you will,” he teased and you chuckled softly.

“Kids, c’mere,” You said and motioned them over. Steve stepped aside when they all walked over. You pulled them each into a hug. “Just cause I got upset doesn’t mean I don’t care. You know, I love you guys even though you’re all a pain in the ass. We’ll protect you ok, I promise,” you said and kissed their heads despite some disputes from them.

“We love you too,” they said and you smiled.

Steve stepped up to you once again.“Are you ready?” he asked and held out his hand again. You nodded your head, “I’m ready,” you affirmed and grabbed it. “Let’s go,” you said and you all started the trek to the lab.

You were about halfway there when Steve spoke up, “It’s pretty cute when you stand up for your brother like you did back there,” He said softly and you blushed, letting a small chuckle escape your lips. “Well, I don’t usually have to do that with the kids, but I hate when Dustin gets yelled at. It’s my responsibility to yell at him, not theirs,” you shrugged and he chuckled a bit. “You can tell how much they respect you and love you.” He said and you smiled. “I think they’ll really come to love and respect you too you know,” you said and leaned against him for a second while you walked. “You think so?” he asked. “Oh, I know so,” you smiled playfully.

“If you two lovebirds are done flirting would you mind maybe not walking so fast,” Lucas called out and you blushed at the name he gave you two. Steve blushed a bit too hoping that the darkness would keep it covered. There was the shine of the flashlight in his hand that helped him catch a glimpse at your pink-tinted cheeks. He smiled and rubbed his thumb along the back of your hand. He saw you glance down and smile.

His chest warmed up at the sight of you.

You stood there for a few seconds waiting for the group to catch up. As they all caught up, you sighed as you looked ahead of you knowing what was waiting for you. Scared to be thrown into the throes of danger again. Worried for the people around you. You cared too much to see them get hurt.

The rest of the walk was shorter than you thought it would be, and as you came to the edge of the forest you could hear someone calling out.

“Who’s there?!” they yelled out. You recognized that voice anywhere. “Jonothan?” you questioned quietly. “What?” Steve asked. “C’mon,” you said and walked ahead.

As you walked out of the trees two people came into your line of sight. Those two people just happened to be Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers.

“Steve?!” they question in unison. Most surprised to see him there with three of the kids than you. “Nancy?” Steve questioned and let go of your hand. Your heart sunk a little bit but you understood. “Jonothan?” Dustin asked in confusion.

“What are you doing here?” Nancy asked in frustration. “What are you doing here?” He fired back. “Why are you here (Y/n)?” she asked. “Someone had to watch over these idiots,” you said and nudged your little brother. “Again, what are you doing here?” Steve asked impatiently. “We’re looking for Mike and Will,” She answered and your stomach dropped. You knew there was a real possibility that they could be in the lab at this moment.

“They’re not in there are they?” Dustin asked nervously. “We don’t know,” Nancy answered. “Why?” Jonathan asked anxiously. Then all of a sudden a loud screech was heard coming from the lab. You all turned to stare at it in horror, knowing that everything and everyone inside that building was in danger. You quickly grabbed your brother's hand and squeezed it. You could feel the worry and panic roll off of him and you wanted to let him know you were still there. Steve took a quick glance at you and Dustin, he just adored how much you cared for him, especially in times like these. Nancy caught his little glance and smiled just a bit, hoping maybe just maybe you could be there for him.

You were all in a huddle, tossing questions at each other asking if you had seen Will or Mike, and saying you hadn’t. You asked where they had been the whole time and not receiving a direct answer. It frustrated you to no end but you stopped, kind of not wanting to know what went on between Nancy and Jonothan. You watched Nancy depart from the group and followed her, “What is it Nance?” you asked in confusion. “The power’s back,” she stated loud enough for everyone to hear. You all immediately took off to the security check stop and Jonothan ran in to press the open button once again. You all stood there impatiently waiting while nothing happened. You sighed and shifted your weight nervously.

Dustin pushed Jonothan out of the way and began pressing the button himself. When it didn’t work he began pressing all the buttons and you couldn’t help but shake your head and sigh at his actions. This would definitely not help anything you thought.

The gate suddenly opened, Dustin laughed in victory, “I got it!” He said excitedly. They both exited the booth as the gate opened.

“We’re going to get them,” Nancy declared as she and Jonothan jumped in his car. “Wait, what about us?” you asked. “Just wait here,” She pointed at you sternly.

You nodded, “alright, then go!” you exclaimed and they drove off.

“Shit, shit, shit,” you mumbled over and over to yourself. Thoughts kept swirling around in your mind, wondering if they were all dead, or at least someone was. Wondering if they were majorly injured or things of that nature. Your stomach turned, and you turned around quickly to catch your breath.

“(Y/n)? Are you ok?” You heard Max ask you worriedly. You could barely hear her over the blood pumping through your ears. Dustin immediately came to your side and grabbed your arms. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” he asked in a panic. You tried to take deep breaths. You shook your head, “I’m ok, just need to catch my breath,” you barely breathed out. He looked at you in concern. “Steve!” he called and in an instant, Steve’s attention was taken by your hunched-over figure.

“(Y/n), oh shit. What’s wrong?” he asked and gently removed Dustin’s hands from your arms so he could stand in front of you. “Hey, hey, hey. Breathe with me ok,” he said and brought one of your hands and placed it over his chest. You felt the steady rise and fall of it. You began to try and follow his breathing pattern hoping to bring you back. The longer he talked you through and breathed with you, the more you began to steady your own breathing. You finally caught your breath and your hand gripped his jacket tightly. He sighed in relief and pulled you into a hug. “You’re ok now, it’ll be ok,” he whispered, and without even noticing he placed a kiss on your head.

You sighed heavily and nodded your head against his chest. They all looked at you with concerned eyes, Steve pulled away from you slowly keeping a grip on your arms in case you were unsteady on your feet. “You ok?” he asked softly. You once again nodded your head, “I’m ok, just a bit flustered. You said not wanting to admit how scared you were. Steve looked at you skeptically, knowing you weren’t telling the truth but not wanting to push it. He let go of you and Dustin ran over to hug you, “shit, what happened?” he asked frantically. “Woah, Woah, slow down there Dustin. I’m ok, just got a little overwhelmed for a minute,” you told him and gave him your best smile. He nodded, “Can I do anything?” he asked nervously. “No, not right now. Let’s just get this over with huh? Kick some ass and go home,” you joked, and he chuckled a bit. “Yeah, kick some ass and go home,” he repeated in affirmation. You picked up his hat and ruffled his hair. Max and Lucas looked at you nervously, and you smiled reassuringly. “I’m ok you guys really,” you told them and they nodded. Everyone was unsure right now and you could tell but you just had to get over it.

“Fuck’s sake what’s taking them so long?” you questioned. “I think I see them!” Max shouted and you quickly ran to the side of the road so you weren’t standing in the middle. Jonothan and Nancy sped by and Hopper stopped so you could all get in. You helped the kids in first and ended up sitting with them in the back while Steve took shotgun. You were alright with that seeing as each of your hands was being held as well as your wrist gripped. Dustin held one hand, Lucas held the other and Max held your wrist. You smiled at them reassuringly and leaned your head against Dustin’s then Lucas’s. “We’ll be ok,” you told them all softly as you quickly drove away from the lab. The drive was silent, and you’re pretty sure you were all exceeding the speed limit which in this case you couldn’t care less about.

“You kids ok?” you heard Hopper’s voice rumble through the car. Everyone nodded their heads, “As ok as we can be,” you answered, not knowing whether you should ask him the same so you just kept your mouth shut. You looked at Steve seeing he was looking over his shoulder at you all. You could see the worry swimming in his brown eyes and you were sure you shared the same expression. He reached back and squeezed your knee before turning back to the front. His touch made you relax slightly and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

You didn’t know how long this was going to last but you knew that whatever happened you’d be there.

The journey was quick and as you all got to the Byers’ you piled out of the cars. Racing to get Will into the house. You all got in and they set Will on the couch. You were all wrecks, to be honest. The kids were sitting at the table as Steve paced into the kitchen. You knew that seeing Nancy with Jonothan was doing nothing good for him and it made your chest tighten. Your heart ached for him.

Hopper was on the phone with someone, who you didn’t pay enough attention to know. You were too out of it as you stood behind your brother with hands on his shoulders.

“They didn’t believe you did they?” Dustin asked. “We’ll see,” Jim said and you sighed. Steve was leaning against the counter, and you could tell he was just as exhausted as you were. Before you could speak to him Mike spoke up. “We’ll see? We can’t just sit here while these things are loose!” Mike raised his voice. “Mike,” you said sternly and he looked at you in disbelief. “We stay here, and we wait for help,” Jim said and you nodded. “Just listen to him Mike,” you said firmly. He looked at you and shook his head.

You turned to look at Steve to see him eyeing the ground.

“Hey, you ok over there?” you asked softly. He looked up at you with a sad smile. “I guess you could say that,” he said and you could tell he was lying. “It’s ok to not be ok right now. With everything that’s happening, it’s ok not to be fine,” you said and placed a hand on his shoulder. He knew you weren’t just talking about the events of tonight, he knew you were talking about Nancy. He smiled appreciatively, “Thanks, (y/n). Really, for everything,” he said and reached up to take your hand from his shoulder and hold it for a second. “You have nothing to thank me for, I should be thanking you for keeping the kids safe, and me of course. I’m definitely glad we had each other tonight,” you told him. He nodded his head. “It wasn’t just me. You’re amazing you know that right?” he asked earnestly. Your eyes went a little wide, “What do you mean?” you muttered. “You with the kids, and keeping us all sane. Making sure we were all ok, just being something steady we can all hold onto. Not to mention you’re pretty badass too,” he admitted and you smiled shyly. “I just care that’s all. I’m just really protective of those kids, I’d do anything for them, anything,” you said and looked over at them. “And now you, I care for you too, and I’d do just the same for you,” you said firmly as you looked over at him. His gaze went down as a blush dusted his cheeks. You smiled a bit at the red tint to his skin. Just as he was about to say something he stopped and your brows furrowed. “Are you ok?” you asked and ducked your head trying to get a look at his face.

“You aren’t,” he said quickly and you looked at where his eyes were glued to. Your ankle. Blood was dried on your jeans and had dripped down to stain your socks. You hadn’t felt the pain at all due to the adrenaline. It came back sharply and went up your leg and you hissed softly. It wasn’t terrible but it was definitely something you could feel more than you’d like.

“Let’s get you cleaned up alright?” he said and looked up at you. You nodded your head in agreement. “Jonothan, where’s your bathroom?” he called. Everyone looked over at him due to his loud volume, “It’s the first door on the left.” Jonathan answered. He helped you along, though you insisted you could walk fine. “What happened?” Nancy asked. “One of those things bit her, I need to fix her up,” he explained and everyone’s eyes went wide.

“Well, are you ok? Do you need any help?” she asked and walked over to you both. “I’m ok Nance, it doesn’t hurt that badly,” You smiled gratefully at her. “I’ve got it,” Steve said and Nancy just nodded. “The first aid kit is under the sink,” Jonathan informed you as you walked by. “Thanks, Jonothan,” you said and gave him a smile as well. “Woah, Woah, wait,” Dustin said as he walked up behind you guys. “Do you want me to help instead (y/n)?” Dustin asked, giving Steve the side eye. You chuckled as you looked between the two of them Steve looked uncomfortable as your little brother stared at him.

“No Dusty, I’ll be ok,” you said and kissed his cheek. “You try anything Harrington, I’ll kick your ass,” Dustin pointed at him ‘menacingly’. You giggled as Steve saluted the younger boy before helping you into the bathroom.

He flipped on the lights and got out the first aid kit. His hands found your hips as he helped you up and onto the counter. You blushed at the contact but smiled gratefully at him.

He gently lifted your leg and bunched up your jeans so he could see the bite. He cringed at the sight, and it made you look at your leg. You winced seeing your ankle and part of your calf covered in blood. The bite wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been if Steve hadn’t been there, but still, it made your stomach turn. The flesh was torn by the multitude of teeth the creature had, and you knew you’d have a nasty scar. “Hey, don’t look at it alright, I’ve got it,” Steve said as he saw you staring. “Hey, look at me,” he said and moved closer so he could tilt your head up to look at him. You looked into his deep brown eyes and found a sense of comfort. “I’ve got you ok,” he said firmly and you just nodded. “Ok,” you agreed and continued to keep your eyes on him. He began to clean your wound, wiping away the blood. Your skin was torn and in places slightly peeled up, it made his skin crawl but he knew he had to suck it up. You winced and held onto the countertop as tightly as you could whenever it would sting.

He would repeatedly tell you he was sorry, and that he was almost done. “You’re gonna have one hell of a scar,” he said as he wrapped the bandage around your leg. “I know,” you sighed heavily thinking about it. “It’ll be really cool though you know. Like a kick-ass battle scar,” he said and it made you laugh quietly. He smiled at the sound of your laugh, “Even more kick-ass than I am,” he said and you let out a louder laugh. “Oh, I highly doubt that Harrington,” you grinned brightly.

“I’m sure of it,” he said and gently leaned down to press a kiss just above your ankle,” Your heart hammered against your chest as you watched a smile form on his face. “To make it better,” he said slyly. He covered your leg back up with your jeans and helped you off of the counter. You hopped down and you were suddenly chest to chest, (well more like chest to face) with Steve. You looked up at him bashfully, before standing on your toes, holding his shoulders for balance, and pressing a kiss to his cheek in thanks. “Thank you, Steve,” you said. He smiled brightly down at you. “Anytime,” he said and guided you out of the bathroom and down the hall.

Nancy glanced at you two as you walked into the living room once more. Noticing the small smile on Steve’s lips made her heart warm just the slightest bit knowing that there was a possibility that you could make him happier than he was with her. She genuinely wanted that for Steve, she wanted him to be happy, and hopefully, that happiness could be found in you. She knew how much of a good person you were and she wouldn’t be surprised if he fell for you.

Steve departed into the kitchen once again as you walked over to her and Jonothan.

“Hey guys, I know it’s not ok right now, but if there’s anything I can do to help I’m here,” you said and placed a hand on Jonothan’s shoulder in hopes of comforting him in the slightest.

He nodded at you, “Thank you (y/n), really,” he said and gave a weak smile. “You ok, Nance?” you asked her with furrowed brows. She had been looking at you for a while now, and you were beginning to grow concerned that you had done something. “Oh, what? Yeah, yeah of course. I was just lost in thought,” she explained and you nodded, “Alright, well if you need me I’ll be with the kids,” you told her and gave a curt nod before walking away.

You walked in and noticed a presence missing. The ever-worrying, ever-loving, Joyce Byers. “Mike, where’s Joyce?” you asked. Mike looked up at you with sad eyes, and for a moment you thought the worst, and tears welled up in your eyes. “Is she?” you asked nervously. “No, no, it’s uh, it’s Bob,” he said and your heart broke. Bob Newby was one of the sweetest and most genuine people you had ever met. He was always so kind to you whenever you saw him if you ever picked up Dustin from the Byers’ house.

“He didn’t make it, he helped us get out,” Mike explained and tears fell from your eyes. You couldn’t imagine how excruciating that was for Joyce to handle. You pulled the young boy into a hug, “I’m so sorry you were there for that Mike,” you said and he hugged back. “I didn’t see, but her screams were horrible,” he confided in you, making sure to speak softly. “I know Mike, I’m so sorry. I wish I was there to help, I know you aren’t ok now but you will be I promise,” you said and kissed the top of his head. You could tell he was trying not to cry and you held him tighter, “Why don’t you go clean up alright, I’m right here if you need me,” you said and pulled away, pushing a few strands of dark hair from his face. He nodded quickly and blinked tears back as best as he could before walking to the bathroom.

You walked further into the kitchen to grab a napkin to wipe your own tears. “Why does this have to be happening again?” you muttered to yourself sadly. Trying not to let more tears come out. You stared out the window and sighed heavily, you didn’t know what to do. You were terrified and worried and sad. You couldn’t hold it together for much longer. “(n/n)?” you heard Dustin say from behind you. You turned around and smiled softly down at him trying your best to keep it from wavering. “Hey, Dusty. You ok?” you asked and reached out to squeeze his shoulder.

“Can we talk?” he asked softly and you nodded your head quickly. “Of course, we can,” you said and grabbed his hand before walking back out into the living room. “Jonothan, would it be alright if we used your room for a minute?” you explained and he nodded his head. “Yeah sure, last door on the left,” he responded. “Thank you so much,” you said and quickly guided your little brother into the room.

Steve watched from the kitchen with worry in his eyes as you shut the door behind you. “You like her don’t you?” Lucas asked suddenly. “What? No, not like that. C’mon dude, really?” he defended himself. “Why do you keep flirting then?” he asked. “I am not flirting ok, we’re just…conversing, that’s all. Friendly conversation,” Steve explained to Lucas. “Right, all friends look at each other with heart eyes, and talk to each other like you do,” Lucas rolled his eyes. “Shut it, Sinclair,” he said and softly shoved his shoulder.

Steve knew something was different between the two of you, and he was scared to admit it. He was beginning to feel something for you, something he was scared to feel. He didn’t want this to be some kind of rebound, and leave you hurt in the end. But he was also scared that it felt so real, the connection you had was so different. The second he heard you laugh on those railroad tracks, he knew he was done for. It was difficult to believe but, he knew that there was something there.

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