#steve is a cop in this one

[starkstruck27]

Based loosely on a Red Hot Chili Peppers song called Police Station... Also, TW for murder, child abuse and sexual abuse. It's sad and kind of messed up, so please read carefully my friends!

Steve never intended to become a cop. But it was better than becoming another cog in Daddy Harrington's multi-million dollar machine. And his uncle Phil was a cop, so he and Hopper helped him get into the police academy and, well, there he was. Walking into the police station. And stopping in his tracks as soon as he got to his desk.

Sitting in front of him was Billy Hargrove, his leather jacket torn, his face bruised and bloody, and a toddler in his arms. He was staring at the floor, not even paying attention when the little girl he was holding tugged on his golden curls, and he didn't seem to notice as Steve stood before him.

The girl couldn't have been older than maybe four or five years old, and she didn't really look like Billy at all. She had straight brown hair and bright green eyes, and her skin tone was a light olive color. She didn't look like she could be Billy's daughter, but then again, it'd been nearly seven years since Steve last saw the guy, so he really didn't know. Maybe he'd gotten married and the kid just looked more like her mother.

"Steve, good, you're here," Phil said as he walked over, lowering his voice as he led Steve over to the coffee machine so no one would overhear.

"Uncle Phil, what's going on? Why is Billy Hargrove at my desk? And who's the little girl?" Steve asked, glancing over at the two of them between every word.

"That's what we all want to know," Phil replied, "Earlier tonight, we got a call about a domestic disturbance in progress, so Powell and I rushed out there. When we got to the scene, we found the owner of the house on the floor, beaten unconscious, and Hargrove trying to calm the kid down as he looked for what we assume was his keys. The guy was taken to the hospital and we tried to take the girl and slap handcuffs on Hargrove, but he wouldn't let her go. He almost knocked me out when I tried to take her from him. He said no one was to touch her, and that he'd go with us with no problems as long as we didn't touch her. We agreed to those terms and brought him here, but when we tried to question him, he said he wouldn't talk to anybody but you. Not even the chief could get him to crack. He said nobody but you. We knew you were coming in for your shift in just a little bit, so we told him to just wait at your desk. That was a half hour ago."

"Jesus Christ," Steve mumbled, "You think he was trying to kidnap her?"

"I don't know," Phil said, biting his lip, "In my opinion, no. If he were going for kidnapping, he would've high-tailed it outta there as soon as we showed up. Instead he came with us voluntarily. And I don't think he would've been so worried about the kid if it were just a regular kidnapping, but he refused to let her go, even after we got here. I think there's more to it than that, but right now, you're the only one who might be able to find that out. He won't talk to anyone else."

Steve glanced over at Billy and the little girl again and sighed. He could feel his heart beginning to break as he looked at them, but if Billy was only willing to talk to him, he would have to do it. He had to get to the bottom of this.

"Clear out an interview room and try and find some things for the girl to play with," Steve said, running a hand through his hair as he walked back over to his desk, standing directly in front of Billy.

"Hi Billy," Steve said, but the other man still didn't look up. "Billy? Can you hear me? Billy!"

Steve snapped his fingers in front of the other man's face and finally it got his attention, making him jerk his head up and blink a few times before he finally seemed to come back to reality.

"Harrington?" He asked, his voice tiny as he gripped the little girl tighter.

"Yeah it's me," Steve said, "Officer Callahan said you wanted to talk to me?"

Billy nodded.

"Okay, we can do that. But why don't we go somewhere a little more private and let someone else keep an eye on this little lady, okay?"

Billy seemed to tense up as soon as Steve mentioned him putting the girl down, and his eyes turned as cold as ice.

"No," he said, "She stays with me."

"Billy, listen to me, this is pretty serious stuff and she’s already lived through it once, she doesn't need to hear about it again. Why don't you let Hopper take her, just until we're done talking?" Steve asked, making sure to keep his tone gentle.

"I said no, Harrington. I just got her back, I'm not letting her go again." Billy said, his face contorting with anger and something else. Desperation.

"I understand that you're worried about her, but there's nothing bad that can happen to her here. Now I know it's not always easy for you to trust people, so what if I were the one to keep an eye on her and you went to talk to someone else? Would that be okay with you?" Steve asked, but Billy only snorted in response, as if Steve just made a stupid joke. Maybe that’s what it sounded like to him.

"C'mon, Billy, you gotta work with me here. You're in a lot of trouble and I want to help you, but I can't do that if you don't work with me. Now look, I know you don't trust the cops, but you trust me, and I trust them. And I know that none of them would want anything bad to happen to you or to her, so why don't you let us help you?" Steve said, his eyes never leaving Billy's for a second. It was like a staring contest after that, neither of them saying a word until a few moments later, when finally, Billy sighed.

"Who do you trust the most?" He asked, his voice still smaller than Steve had ever heard it before. "Like, if it came down to it, who do you know would take a bullet if it meant saving your life?"

Steve was almost taken aback by the question, but he supposed it made sense, in a way. Billy's trust issues were severe, always had been, so it was pretty par for the course that he wouldn't be willing to give up anything to just a random cop, whether that be an explanation for his actions or the little girl he seemed to care about so much.

"If I had to pick someone, I'd say my uncle, Phil Callahan. He's a good cop and a great guy, and he'd lay down his life to protect anybody." Steve said, and Billy nodded once. He stood then and followed Steve to the interview room, hesitating only for a second when he had to hand the girl off to Phil. He watched as Phil took her over to his desk to play with whatever toys he'd scrounged up, and only when he heard her laugh and start to babble away did he go fully into the room and let Steve shut the door.

"Can I get you anything?" Steve asked as Billy sat down at the table in the center of the room. "Coffee? Pop? A sandwich?"

"No, thanks," Billy replied, drumming his fingers on the table, "Let's just get this over with."

"Okay then," Steve said, pulling out a notepad and a pen. "Why don't you start by telling me who that little girl is?"

"Her name's Bonnie," Billy said, biting his thumbnail. "My friend Gina's daughter. I'm her godfather."

"Okay, and what's their last name?" Steve asked, scribbling all over the notepad.

"Tassler." Billy said, and Steve wrote it down. Gina Tassler, the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Okay, and how did the two of you end up here tonight?" Steve asked, folding his hands on top of the table and looking at Billy. He looked somehow both guilty and proud at the same time, and Steve was almost impressed that he could achieve that.

"I went to check on her. I promised Gina I'd keep an eye on Bonnie no matter what, so I go over there all the time to make sure everything's okay. Tonight it wasn't." Billy shrugged, his hand curling into a fist.

"What do you mean, Billy? What wasn't okay?" Steve asked, tapping his pen nervously on the paper.

"Frank," he replied, his eyes beginning to fill, "That's what wasn't okay."

"And who is Frank?"

"Frank Tassler, Gina's husband."

As soon as the name left Billy's mouth, Steve remembered where he'd heard these names before. Gina Tassler had been one of his first cases when he'd joined the force, and one of the few confirmed murders in Hawkins history. As the story went, she and her husband were returning from a night out with their young daughter, and when her husband went inside to put the baby to sleep, Gina disappeared. A few days later, she was found in the woods by a couple of teenagers looking for a good camping spot. There was little evidence, and the case went unsolved. It was nearly three years ago at this point, and even though they knew that Gina had been murdered, they couldn't do much about it and the case went cold.

"And," Steve said, his heartbeat picking up just a tick as he wrote the name down, "What did Frank do?"

Once the question was asked, Billy's face contorted again, but this time it was with sadness. Tears began to flow down his cheeks in waterfalls, and he tried not to sob as he looked away from Steve, shaking his head.

"He killed Gina," he said, hiding his face in his hands.

That stopped Steve in his tracks. They'd investigated Frank Tassler three years ago, but they couldn't find anything that pointed to him. Nobody saw anything that night that would indicate him, nobody heard anything suspicious at their house, and Frank seemed worried sick when his wife went missing. Hell, he was the one who called the cops! They couldn't find anything close to a murder weapon in his house, his car, or at his job, and he nearly went to pieces when they told him they'd found her body a couple days later. They had to be talking about a different guy.

"How do you know he killed Gina, Billy?" Steve asked, giving the other man a little bit of time to calm down before he pressed on.

"Because she knew it, too. Gina was my best friend, we met at work and I loved her and Bonnie with all my heart. So, one day she asks me to meet her for coffee before we go into the office, right? And I agreed, because she just sounded... off. So I meet her for coffee and she finally comes clean about everything. She says that Frank's been mistreating her and she's worried for Bonnie, so she says she's gonna try and leave him. And I wasn't stupid, I saw the signs a long time before she said anything, but I knew what it was like to be trapped like that, so I let her come to me in her own time and told myself that I would only step in if it got to a certain point. But I told her then that I would do anything I could to help them. Anything she needed, it was done. She only asked that I let her and Bonnie stay with me once she was able to leave and if she wasn't able to get out, that I make sure Bonnie stays safe. I told her not to talk like that, but she didn't listen, she only made me promise that I would protect Bonnie and that I wouldn't go to the cops or child protective services because if Frank found out, he might kill Bonnie or skip town before they could do anything. She said Frank was smart, that he was good at covering things up, so if things went South, all she wanted was for me to keep Bonnie safe, and I promised her I would."

Billy paused, swallowing hard and swiping harshly at his eyes to clear away the tears as he continued.

"Two days after she talked to me, on the night she was planning on leaving, she went missing. I knew she was dead, but I couldn't say anything, because she was right, Frank was good at covering things up, and by then he'd already called the cops and started to play the grieving husband. He knew Gina and I were friends and he knew that I loved Bonnie like she was my own daughter, so in order to keep up the act, he still let me come around and see her. He didn't know then that I knew what he'd done. He didn't know that every night from then until now I would park at the end of his street and walk around their house to make sure that he wasn't doing anything to Bonnie. I was at every one of her birthday parties and other events, and I would come over almost every weekend to take her to the park or the zoo or wherever just to get her out of that house for a little while. I told him it made me feel closer to Gina, so in order to keep up the charade, he let me do it. When Bonnie started to talk, she called me Uncle Billy, and I could tell Frank hated it, but he couldn't say anything. And then a few weeks ago, he stopped letting me come over as much."

Billy paused again, leaning forward across the table and making sure Steve was looking him in the eyes. Steve was still scribbling away on his notepad, but he stared back at Billy, nodding to let him know to go on.

"I knew something had started to go on then," he said, "I was still able to see Bonnie from time to time, and I still went by their house every night, but I couldn't see everything. I saw the signs, though. He let me take her out for her birthday a couple of weeks ago, and she wouldn't let me go into the dressing room with her to help her try on the outfits I was gonna buy her. Every other time I've taken her shopping, she always insisted I come in with her to help. And then a week or two later, when I was allowed to babysit her for a night, she woke up crying after sleeping for an hour because she wet the bed, and when I tried to help her clean up, she only cried harder. And like I told you earlier, I'm not an idiot, I could read between the lines clear enough, but I didn't know how to protect her without any proof, so I started to look for some. I came over a week later unannounced to surprise her and take her out somewhere. Since it was almost the anniversary of Gina's death, I said that I was doing it so Frank could have a night to himself in case he wanted to be alone, and since he didn't know I knew what was happening, he thanked me and left it at that. I said I would take Bonnie out anywhere that she wanted to go, and since she wanted to go out to dinner and the movies, she said she wanted to get dressed up. It killed me when Frank said he would go and help her pick out a dress, but I had to let him go, because if I didn't he would've figured out that I knew since I didn't want him to be alone with her. And while they were off in Bonnie's bedroom, I started poking around in his to try and find something, anything that could incriminate him, but I came up empty. I took Bonnie out and while we were at dinner, I tried to ask her some questions, but anytime I mentioned Frank, she would get fidgety and irritated, so I stopped asking. That was answer enough, and I didn't want to put her through more hell, so I let it go, but I started trying to come around and check on her more and more without Frank knowing. I checked around every morning and every night, but I still came up empty, until tonight."

"And what happened tonight?" Steve asked, though he was dreading the answer. Billy looked like he was dreading it, too, but he continued on anyway, his voice as serious as a heart attack and his eyes as cold and hard as stone.

"I was making my way around their house, checking all the windows like I always did. Their house is only one level, so I was able to see into every room from some angle or another. I went past the kitchen and looked inside, and from there I could see into the bathroom in the hallway, the only room in the house that doesn't have a window. I nearly puked when I saw it, Steve. Bonnie was in the bathtub, and Frank was standing over her with a camera in one hand and... himself in the other. He was wearing his boxers, but nothing else, and Bonnie wasn't wearing anything at all. Steve, she looked lifeless. Like her body was just a shell and her soul had completely seeped out of it. I was horrified, and I don't even know if I even thought about it, I just moved. All I knew in that moment was that Bonnie needed me and that I wanted to kill Frank. That was it. So I just acted. The kitchen door has always been flimsy, I know because Gina always used to ask Frank to change the locks, but he never did it, and I said I would, but before I could get a chance, she was dead. So I broke it down easy with one hard shove of the shoulder and then I went to... I don't even know what I went to do, but I was seeing red at this point and I can't really remember much. When I finally started seeing straight again, Frank was on the floor, bloody and unconscious, my face felt like I'd been clocked with something, and Bonnie was crying somewhere behind me. I turned around and saw her in the bathroom doorway, and I knew she'd seen everything, but I figured there wasn't much I could do about that, so I just wanted to get her out of there. I got a blanket from the basket by the couch and I crawled over to her, trying to make myself seem smaller so she wouldn't be so scared, and I wrapped it around her and told her that everything was okay now because I was never going to let anything bad happen to her ever again. I told her that I had made a promise to her mommy that I would always keep her safe and I was gonna keep that promise, no matter what. Once I knew that she understood me and that she trusted me, I took her to her room and let her get dressed, and I left the room so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable. I told her before I shut the door that I was gonna take her to stay at my sister's house and then I was gonna go and make sure everything was okay so that she would never get hurt again. But by the time she came out of her room, I could hear the sirens coming, and she got scared again. Frank told her that if anyone ever found out about what he did to her that she would be the one in trouble, so she thought they were coming for her and she started crying again. I was trying to calm her down when the cops came in, and after all that'd happened, I didn't trust anyone else with her, especially with how things looked right then. An ambulance came and Frank was starting to come to, and I knew he would try to paint me in a bad light as soon as he could speak, and since I'd had Bonnie get dressed and she was in her pajamas, it looked like I'd just come in randomly while the two of them were getting ready for bed. So I grabbed her and I refused to let her go, because the second I let someone else take her they'd give her right back to that asshole, and I was not going to let that happen. And I agreed to come down here because I knew that that was the only way they'd let me keep Bonnie with me, and I was planning on coming down to tell you all this anyway, once I'd dropped Bonnie off with Max. But I didn't think that any of the other cops would believe me, because I know that this is a crazy story, but it's completely true. And I also know that if anyone would believe it, or at least take it seriously enough to consider it as a possibility instead of just writing it off with me as the bad guy, it would be you. That's why I wouldn't talk to anyone but you, Steve, because you're the only one I can trust to believe me."

"I believe you, Billy. I really do. But I'm not the one you have to convince. You have to prove your case to lawyers, then a grand jury, then a judge and a trial jury, and that's not going to be easy. You broke into someone's house and assaulted him. And since the only witness is a scared little girl and whoever called us, it's not looking good for you." Steve said, biting his lip as he looked at the other man. He really didn't want to have to send him to jail for protecting a kid, but it was starting to look like that was his only option.

"If that's what has to happen, then so be it," Billy said, his tone tired, but stern. "But if I have to go to jail, then you have to make me a promise. You gotta promise me that no matter what, you won't send her back to Frank. I don't care what you do to me, because it's not about me, but you can't send her back to that monster. Come hell or high water, she doesn't go back to him, that's all I ask."

"I'll see what I can do," Steve said, standing and taking his notepad, but he couldn't leave yet, because Billy grabbed his wrist, holding it in an iron grip and staring at him with a steely impenetrable gaze.

"That's not good enough," he said, his voice low and serious. "You gotta promise me, Harrington. I'm not gonna let you leave until I know that you're gonna keep her safe."

Steve wanted to be able to make that promise, but right now, it wasn't looking like he could. There was no evidence to prove this, just Billy's word against someone else's, and in the criminal justice world, that was pretty much nothing. But he knew Billy was being serious. He knew it by the look on his face. His bruised up, bloody face. Steve let his eyes trace all over that face, searching for anything to say, anything that might get through to Billy, but he found nothing. His eyes just kept going back to the darkening bruises. He knew he must've gotten them when he attacked Bonnie's father, but they didn't quite make sense. There were two of them, but they weren't shaped like a fist, or really any other blunt object. They were almost circular in shape, and evenly spaced out about a quarter of an inch.

Like the lens of a camera.

"Holy shit, Billy, wait a second," Steve said as he sat back down, flipping through his notes to try and find something. "Phil said you were looking for your keys when they found you inside the house, but that's not it, is it? You were looking for that camera, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was. Fuck, I don't know what happened to it. I guess he hit me with it and it must've fallen out of his hands, but I didn't see where it went. You gotta find that camera, Steve, I know that it'll prove what I'm telling you, you have to find it!" Billy pleaded, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. His eyes began to well up again, but he didn't cry this time, just kept staring at Steve with an expression like he was begging for something.

"We will, Billy. We will. I'm gonna go tell Callahan and Powell to go back and search for it now, and then I'm gonna take Bonnie to the hospital to get checked out. If this all ends up like you're telling it to me, then there could be evidence on her that will only last so long, and we have to document it as soon as possible. Then as soon as we get all that done, we can see about letting you go. For now, you're going to have to stay here, but I promise you, I won't let anything happen to Bonnie, no matter what."

"I know you won't," Billy said, his smile big, but hollow, "But I don't know if she'll let you do it. She hasn't seen a doctor since last year around her birthday, and since everything that's happened, I don't know if she'll let anyone see her. Especially if I'm not there. If she gets scared, well, I just don't know what'll happen. Maybe if I could go with her... But I probably can't, can I?"

"No, I'm sorry. I can't let you leave until we get this all figured out." Steve said, sighing heavily. He really wished things could be different, if for no one else's sake, then at least for Bonnie's.

"I understand. Then can I at least see her before you leave? If I can talk to her first, maybe it won't be so bad for her."

"I think that'll be okay," Steve said, standing again and holding a hand out for Billy. "Follow me."

Billy did just that, following Steve out until they got to Phil's desk, where the man was holding a sleeping Bonnie and trying not to fall asleep himself. Steve took a step back so as not to crowd the girl as Billy knelt down to talk to her, shaking her lightly to wake her up.

"Junebug," he called her, and Steve's heart melted, "C'mon, kiddo, can you wake up for me? I gotta talk to you."

"Unca Billy?" She mumbled as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Yeah, Junebug, it's me, I'm here. Listen, I gotta talk to you, it's important, but you're not in any trouble, okay? You just gotta listen to me." Billy said, standing up again once the girl was back in his arms.

"Okay," she said, yawning a little and brushing some of her hair out of her eyes.

"Okay," Billy repeated, then turned towards Steve. "Bonnie, this is my friend Steve, he's a policeman. He's gonna take you to the doctor to get checked out, okay?"

"Are you coming with us?" Bonnie asked.

"No, Junebug, I can't. I have to stay here. But Steve will be with you the whole time." Billy said, hoping that she wouldn't notice the guilty look on his face.

"Why do you have to stay here? I don't wanna go without you."

"I know that, kiddo, I don't want you to have to go, either. But you remember how I told you I was never gonna let anything bad happen to you ever again, and I promised I was gonna do whatever I had to to keep you safe?" Bonnie nodded. "Well, this is what I have to do to keep that promise. I would never do anything to hurt you, never in a hundred million years, and I wouldn't let anyone be around you or do anything to you if I thought that it would be bad for you. So I want you to go with Steve and be nice to him and the doctors, and then as soon as you're done, you can come back here and we'll figure out where to go from there. But you have to be a big girl and go see the doctors first, okay?"

"Can we go home after I see the doctors if I'm a good big girl?" She asked, and Billy bit his lip. He glanced at Steve, but the other man didn't have an answer either, so Billy just sighed.

"I don't know yet, Junebug. It depends on how it plays out, but we gotta at least try, right?" Bonnie nodded again, and Billy hugged her close, hoping she wouldn't have to see him crying. "I promise, there's nothing to be scared of. Everything's gonna be okay."

And finally, once Steve had told Callahan and Powell what they were looking for, he took Bonnie from Billy's arms and they left the station. Bonnie waved shyly to Billy over Steve's shoulder, then buried her face in his neck, almost like she was trying to hide. Steve found himself gripping her a little tighter after that.

For nearly two hours, Billy sat alone in the police station, the receptionist, Flo, being his only company, and even she didn't say a word. He still wasn't handcuffed, so he mostly just sat at Steve's desk and tried to keep himself calm, though that was easier said than done. Finally, Powell and Callahan returned, a digital camera with a broken lens sealed in a plastic evidence bag, and they went to process it like any other piece of evidence. Billy knew it was more than that, though, and he felt like kissing the both of them when he saw them carrying it in a moment ago, along with a shoe box Billy didn't recognize. He would later find out that it contained even more incriminating evidence that would lead them to solving Gina's cold case, but right now, he was relieved that they had even found the camera. And he was right, it proved everything he'd said.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Steve held Bonnie's hand the entire time the doctors checked her out. She almost panicked when they brought in a camera to document the bruises on her legs and backside, but Steve managed to calm her down enough for them to get what they needed with no problems. Luckily, the bruises seemed to be the extent of the physical damage, so once they had the evidence they needed, they gave her a lollipop and let Steve take her back to the station.

When they got back, Bonnie ran right up to Billy and the man caught her in his arms, holding her as if she were some kind of precious and extremely breakable jewel. He fought back tears as he cradled her, stroking her hair and whispering that it was all gonna be okay now.

"Unca Billy, I'm sleepy," she said, "Since I was a good girl for the doctors and Mr. Steve, can we go home now?"

"I... I don't know yet," Billy said, looking up at Steve, who was talking to Phil. He nodded and then the two of them walked over, calm yet blank expressions on their faces.

"Bonnie, I have to talk to Billy alone really quick. Can Mr. Phil take you again while I do that?" Steve asked the girl, and she nodded, reaching out her arms so that Phil could take her to the break room while Steve and Billy spoke.

"So, I suppose you've figured out by now that we found the camera," Steve started off with, and upon Billy's nod, continued, "We found enough pictures on there to put this guy away for a long, long time, and that's exactly what we're gonna do. As for you, you're off the hook. As far as we're concerned, you were protecting Bonnie, and now that we've got solid proof, we can rule your actions as defense of others. Obviously we're gonna have to have a trial unless Frank takes a plea deal, but honestly, there's not a whole lot that they can do to get him off easy on this, but either way, it's over. You can take Bonnie home."

Billy didn't know what came over him, maybe it was just the intense rush of relief and happiness that flooded him right then, but whatever it was, it had him flinging himself at Steve and wrapping him in the tightest hug he could manage. He practically crushed Steve's spine with the force of it, but he didn't seem to care as he returned the gesture and hugged Billy back. He held him the same way Billy had been holding Bonnie a few minutes ago, and he didn't even care when he felt his shirt starting to get wet with the other man's tears.

"Hey, it's alright, Billy. You kept your promise, Bonnie's safe. It can only get better from here on out," Steve said, trying to help him calm down. Billy was practically hysterical at this point.

"I know, I know," he said, slightly slurred due to the irregular breathing, "I just- God, I could just kiss you right now! You found the camera and you believed me and you made everything alright again and I just... Fuck, I just don't know how to thank you."

"Well, for now why don't you just take Bonnie home and get some sleep, and then if you still feel like kissing me and thanking me tomorrow, we can see about maybe going for a cup of coffee, my treat. Would that be okay with you?" Steve asked, and he could feel Billy chuckle against him as he got himself under control.

"Yeah," he said, wiping his face with his hands, "It's a date, pretty boy."

Billy wasn't sure if Steve had taken his words all that seriously when they first met up at the coffee shop the next day, but he'd meant them. He did want it to be a date. And he hoped he wasn't reading too much into the whole "if you still feel like kissing me tomorrow" thing, either, because he wanted that, too. He felt like a teenager again as the two of them sat in a quiet little corner booth, sipping their coffees and sharing a chocolate chip cookie. He could feel his heart racing whenever Steve smiled at him, and when he laughed, it felt like it stopped altogether. He just hoped he wasn't being too obvious about it all, but he supposed that even if he wasn't, Steve would still be able to see right through him. He was a cop, after all, it was his job to notice the little things.

"So, how's Bonnie holding up?" Steve asked as they began to clean up their trash later that afternoon.

"She's alright. Better now since she's away from Frank. It's gonna take a while for her to be 100%, but I'm just glad things stopped before it got too bad and she was messed up beyond repair. Both she and I owe a lot of that to you, so I know you said earlier to quit it, but I'm gonna thank you again," Billy answered, following Steve out the door and over to their cars, which were parked right next to each other. "I may not ever be able to repay you for it, but I want you to know I'm grateful. You saved both of us."

"I was glad to do it. Neither of you deserved to go through that. And while you really don't need to thank me for just doing my job, I do seem to remember someone suggesting maybe a kiss to show your gratitude?" Steve said, and Billy couldn't help but smile as he felt his cheeks go pink.

"I'm glad your memory is in tact, but do you really think that just one kiss will be enough to prove it to you?" Billy said, his eyes never leaving Steve's.

"Hm, maybe not, but there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

And no, one kiss was not enough, and neither was two or three or ten. Maybe one day, they would find a number that was, but they seriously doubted it. After all, Billy would never get tired of thanking Steve for all the good things he did and continued to do for them. And Steve supposed that if this was the reward for doing it, he wouldn't get tired of it, either.

[3-rats-in-a-doublet]

I Swear to God, if Doris keeps coming back to fuck up Steve's life, intentionally or not, I'm going to commit some heinous crimes and sic Danny on her, STOP HURTING UR SON U LIMP NOODLE LOOKING BITCH

Look At Him, He's Baby

[catharusustulatus]

Better jobs for Steve than being a cop: teacher, counselor, bartender, florist, librarian assistant, garden section associate, dog walker (dog groomer canon?), grocery store manager, food pantry helper, seasonal worker as a Santa’s elf….

[kaunis-sielu]

Bad Cop

You live in a safe part of town. Being married to a cop Steve wasn’t about to put his family at risk if he could help it. He’s worked hard, you both had, but he’d made Captain in department record time and then you’d had Thomas.

Thomas’s favorite part of the day was when Daddy came home. Steve would come in, his uniform a little less crisp than it was when he left, his smile a little sadder and his eyes a little more exhausted. He’d scoop up Tommy, swing him over his head and pretend to eat his belly, much to a scream laughing Tommy’s delight. Then he’d look at you with those tired, eyes and curl an arm around your shoulders to pull you in for a kiss.

You tried not to worry about him while he was at work. You tried not to talk about his work unless he brought it up. But it wasn’t easy.

Steve is like clockwork, so when you hear someone at the door you’re confused. He shouldn’t be home, not yet. You pull up the camera and to your horror see a man in a black ball cap trying to see into your home.

You’re calling Steve before you even process what you’re doing.

“Hey Honey,”

“Someone is trying to break in.” You tell him sprinting up the stairs and to where Thomas is sleeping.

“What.”

“Someone is trying to break in!”

“Buck, my place. Now.” Steve says, “where are you Honey?”

“Thomas’ room. He’s still napping.” You whisper you can hear him sprinting.

“If you hear anything breaking get him and get in the closet okay? We’re already on our way. We don’t want the sirens on because we don’t want him to know where we are.”

“Okay.”

“Two minutes Honey.” You’ve never loved living in a small town more. Then you hear glass shatter.

“Oh no. Glass.”

“Get Thomas, and get in the closet. Do not come out until I come get you okay?”

“Okay.” You whisper, you know he can hear the fear in your voice as you make your way to the little bed that Tommy sleeps in now and scoop him up. Whoever is in your home must not realize you’re there, he’s not being quiet by any means. You hope that Thomas will go back to sleep but when you look over at him those bright blue eyes are looking right at you.

“Baby, we’ve gotta be super quiet okay? We’re playing hide and seek and we don’t want to get found okay?”

“Daddy?” He asks sleepily and you shush him gently.

“Soon. But we have to be so quiet.” How aren’t Steve and Bucky here yet? Your heart is in your throat as you listen to the feet come upstairs. “Steve. Upstairs.” You whisper into the phone holding Thomas tightly. Luckily your two year old seems to understand something isn’t okay.

“I can see the house Honey. I’m going to hang up because we’re coming in hot. I love you. Stay there.”

Nothing in your life has sounded worse that the disconnect tone.

You hear Thomas’ door open and feet come into the room but quickly leave. The only real valuable item in the room is the baby monitor. Then you hear it.

“Don’t you fucking move. Put your hands up! Put your fucking hands up!” Steve yells and Thomas looks at the door and squeals,

“Daddy!”

“You picked the wrong ass house man.” You hear Bucky say just before the closet door is pulled open and your husband yanks you to him.

“Oh thank god.” He breathes into your neck before kissing Thomas on top of his head. Then he presses a searing kiss to your lips.

“They okay Cap?” A third voice calls as two more officers come upstairs. Bucky hands off the man in the hat to the younger officer, Parker you think, and you give Sam a little smile.

“We’re okay.”

“I’m taking the rest of the day.” Steve tells Bucky who nods then heads out of the house.

“You don’t have to.”

“Honey, he broke a window in the house, I’m not leaving you here with a broken window.” Steve says kissing you again, “Also, I need this Honey. Never been so scared in my life.”

“Daddy,” Thomas reaches for Steve.

“Hey buddy, Dad’s gonna change first.” He doesn’t love holding Thomas for too long with all of his gear on, which you appreciate. “Come with me?” He asks you and you weave your fingers through his. Steve presses a kiss to the back of your hand and leads you out of the room. You go to your bedroom where his gun safe is, this one only opens with his fingerprints because you didn’t want little eyes watching and figuring out a code. Even if he couldn’t reach now that wouldn’t be the case forever. Steve puts his mace, taser and gun all in the case then changes quickly. You and Thomas sit on the bed, well you sit and Thomas practices his body slams on your pillows.

“Are you okay?” Steve asks looking over at you.

“Yea, I just can’t believe it happened.” You tell him. “I’m glad the station is so close.”

“Me too.”

“Did you recognize him?”

“No, why?”

“I’m just wondering if it was a targeted attack or if it was really just bad luck on his part.”

“Until we hear otherwise it was just bad luck okay?” He says making his way to the side of the bed. “You did everything right.” He tells you cupping your face in his hands, you didn’t realize how much you’d needed to hear that. Steve leans in to kiss you when Thomas realizes that his dad is fair game to play with now.

“Put your fucking hands up Daddy!” You both freeze a breath away from one another.

“Did he?” Steve murmurs,

“Yup.” You affirm and he groans softly. You press a quick kiss to his lips. “This one is all you Rogers.” You tease as Thomas yells, “Put your fucking hands up Daddy! You’re the bad guy!” Steve groans softly dropping his forehead to your shoulder and you have to bite back a laugh.

This should be interesting.

Tag list:

@foxyjwls007 @andahugaroundtheneck @also-fangirlinsweden @pagina16ps @annielr @princesssterek @valsworldofcreativity @dumblani @inkedaztec @loving-life-my-way @animegirlgeeky @shinycupcakebaker @eralen @sophham @gh0stgurl @patzammit @wonderlandfandomkingdom @abschaffer2 @capsiclesdoll @killcomet @sass-masterkittenmama

[awweshuuks]

Me just relaxing(I'm not) with the thought that Steves mom died by getting shot when he was near or with her as a kid and that's the reason why after dally got shot he put his hands up and sobbed. (ofc he and Dally were friends but yk)

Oh and that Soda and Evie are the only ones who ACTUALLY know about it :3

[cloudinterlude]

"Steve critical not Steve bashing"

SHUT UPPPPPP BEFORE I---[CAR CRASH] AND THEN I'LL---[LOUD SIRENS]

[faeriecap]

what the hell is this???? did marvel authorize this bullshit??

[cherrydreamer]

(Warning: Contains rookie!cop Steve which I know is very much not to everyone's tastes. Also some description of Neil Hargrove inflicted abuse. Nothing overly graphic but just be aware.)

🎃 Harringrove Harvest Day 2- Gone Feral 🎃

Steve's at a loss.

It had been easy enough for him when he was right in the thick of it. Easy to know what to do. To trust his gut. Because, really, all it boiled down to was that fact that there'd been a bunch of monsters he needed to fight and a bunch of kids he needed to protect. 

But now it's all over. Monsters fought. Kids protected. Everything squared away, neat and tidy.

And Steve isn't quite sure where he fits anymore. He hovers in doorways, on the edge of the groups, drifting from the kitchen with a mug of Joyce's hot cocoa in hand- loaded with extra marshmallows because, "you look like you need the sugar, honey," over to the table where Dustin is restating his theories about d'Art and the potential domestication of Demodogs, sneaking a look back towards the couch where Nancy and Jon are huddled, heads together, in a world of their own.

So when Hopper beckons him over, it's easiest for Steve just to follow him, to step out onto the porch and accept the cigarette held out in front of him and wait for whatever favour it was that Hopper needed him to do next. Drive the kids home, probably, or maybe run out for some more food. Something useful. Helpful.

But instead of asking for anything, Hopper rests a firm hand on Steve's shoulder. It feels good. Grounding. Reassuring in a way that Steve didn't even know he needed. 

"You did good out there, kid," Hopper says, quiet but serious in a way that has Steve's gut squirming, "I know it can't've been easy, keeping those brats safe, but y'did it. And I heard the whole thing, about what you did in those tunnels. Trust me, Dustin won't stop yapping on about it, and I gotta say it was damn brave of you, son"

It's a lot. Too much praise for something that anyone would've done, most likely, so Steve tries to dismiss it, to shake it off, not feeling like he really deserves the warm glow of pride blooming in his chest. He manage to mumble something about how it'd been dangerous, really, dangerous and stupid, and Hopper laughs, a proper, deep in the gut rumble of laughter that ends in a cough.

"Dangerous, stupid and brave, huh? Not the worst combination in the world, hell, it may as well be the damn motto of the Hawkins Police Department. Might get Flo to make one of her cross stitch pictures. Have it framed for the office."

Hopper laughs again, and then he pauses, and Steve swears he can almost see the cartoon bulb lighting up above his head.

"Look, kid, I don't know what you've got lined up for after graduation. College? Or a job? Something with your dad's place, maybe?"

Steve can only shake his head, already waiting for Hopper's look of disappointment, only it never comes. Instead he nods, satisfied, like a plan is coming together.

"Well, it'd be good to have another person down at the station who knows what we're actually up against," and then he snorts, amused, "And someone like you? Someone with a bit of common sense? Well that would make a hell of a difference too. I can't say it's always this exciting," he shrugs, "But it ain't a bad job. And you've got more potential than a hell of a lot of the rookies I've seen. You think on it, son," 

And that, seemingly, is that. Hopper gives Steve's shoulder another one of those warm, firm pats, and then he stubs his cigarette out on Joyce Byers' porch railing and heads back inside.

But Steve stays put for a while longer. 

Just thinking.

—

He goes back to Hopper the very next day, asking if he was serious, surprised when Hopper doesn't even blink before he's sliding Steve an application form and a pen. And so, within a week, Steve is sitting in the break room of the Hawkins Police Station in a brand new blue shirt and a tie that Hopper had taken one look at and re-tied for him, his eyes growing wider and wider as Flo hands over a thick, official looking book.

"Just a little light reading, dear," she says, "Make sure you know exactly what you're signing up for."

Steve's regretting it all already. A regret that only grows as he scans through the first page of his new training handbook.

As expected, he starts right at the bottom of the heap, with no more responsibility than fetching coffees, washing the cars and helping Flo with the filing. But Steve doesn't mind that. That sounds doable. Achievable. 

What's worrying him is what happens next, if he proves that he can manage not to fuck up those simple tasks. Because then it gets tough. There's a whole program of training, months and months of it covering all the procedures and codes and policies that Steve is expected to learn before he can even begin to shadow an officer. 

There's reading. Studying. Questions he needs to be able to answer. Tons of shit to remember. 

Just the thought of it has him feeling sick. 

"Hey, uh, Chief?" he's standing up the moment that Hopper enters the room, tripping over his own feet in his haste to try and shove the training manual back into Hopper's hands, "Look, I think, uh, I think I made a mistake, I can't…I can't do this," Steve thumbs through the book, his face growing paler with every new page, "And there's a test? Like a proper, pen and paper- yeah, no, no, I'm not, I'm not gonna be able to do that."

He shakes his head, already feeling like a failure before he's even been here half an hour, but Hopper only smiles,

"We got Callahan through it and that guy locks himself out of his car at least twice a month."

"Locked himself in it last week," Flo calls out cheerily.

"There you go." Hopper grins, "And let me tell you this. None of this crap-" he tugs the book from Steve's hands, flinging it down onto an already overflowing desk, -actually matters." His hand is back on Steve's shoulder. Heavy but reassuring, just like before. "Look kid, far as I can see? You've done more than enough to prove that you've got what it takes. And I'm in charge here, so you pay attention to me and not that book, and you'll be just fine. Now c'mon, we've got our first case of the day and I reckon you're just the person to help solve it."

From the way Hopper's smirking, Steve knows it's a trap, but he can't help keep the eagerness from his voice when he answers, "Yeah?"

"Oh yeah, big mystery alright. There's an empty space in my cup, right where my coffee oughta be. Reckon you can figure that one out, rookie?" 

And, with a sigh, Steve starts his first day.

—-

Slowly but surely, Steve finds his feet.

There is a lot of coffee fetching and filing with Flo and car washing, but he doesn't mind that. He likes chatting with Flo, hearing her talk proudly about her grandsons and their important jobs in the city and her husband, Harold and the rowboat he's been fixing up so he can go out fishing; and he likes the hum of appreciation that Powell lets out whenever Steve's spent a good couple of hours shining up his car. And it's really not long at all before Hopper is inviting Steve along with him when he goes out on a job. It's routine stuff at first, of course, dealing with shaken up drivers that misjudged the sharp corner of Cartersville and Cornwallis, or helping to calm down arguments about a few inches of encroaching ivy between otherwise civilised neighbours and, of course, there's the memorable times when Hopper gets Steve to dress up as McGruff the Crime Dog and accompany him along on his visits to Hawkins Elementary to talk to a gaggle of over excited little kids, and the even more memorable time when Hopper owed him one and ended up being the one donning the dog costume.

It's fun. And Steve finds that he's not too bad at it. In fact, he's pretty good. He learns how to approach situations. How to calm angry guys and comfort hysterical women or- more often than he'd expect- vice versa. He learns when to talk, to take control of a situation, and when to hold back and just listen. He learns what to look for, how to read rooms and faces and body language and situations.

And he learns, most of all, that usually people just want to know that someone is there and sees them and understands them. People just want someone to help. 

—

It's sometime around mid December when things ramp up. A lot. It's an evening shift, the two of them parked up in the Blazer, coffee in hand as they keep an eye out for teens speeding their way down to the Quarry, when their peace is interrupted by a crackle on the radio. 

"Here we go then, kid," Hopper says, unhooking the receiver, "First call of the night. Bet you dollars to doughnuts it'll be Beth Landingham calling to complain about her neighbours' Christmas lights being too damn bright again." 

But it isn't. Flo's crackly voice informs them both that Hopper's presence is required immediately at a domestic disturbance over at Cherry Lane, and Hopper fills Steve in on the most important detail.

"Hargrove place," he clarifies with a groan, "Not the first time, probably won't be the last." 

"It'll be Billy being an asshole," Steve says confidently. "Probably came home drunk or something. Or maybe he's finally snapped, gone feral. Wouldn't surprise me."

"Maybe," Hopper muses, his jaw set grimly, and Steve can't deny the thrill he's feeling at the thought of being there to see Billy get put in his place. He wonders if Hopper will yell. If he'll need to restrain Billy or hit him. He bets Billy will resist and put up a fight, and maybe Steve will need to step in and-

"Hey, Hop, you think I can be the one to, y'know, give him a warning or whatever?"

And Steve's already imagining it, how he'd have the upper hand. How he could flash his ID badge and stand right in front of Billy, maybe even order him to sit down, make him listen and obey. A small part of him is hoping that Billy doesn't listen, so that Hopper has no choice but to cuff him, and maybe he'sd even let Steve do that but too and Steve already knows he cinch those cuffs just a little bit too tight, enough to be really uncomfortable. Enough to pinch. 

He can't wait to make Billy squirm. Make him pay.

But Hopper's face is blank, "Let's see what we're dealing with first, Harrington."

"I'm gonna call him William," Steve says, thinking out loud, "Bet he'll hate that." 

—

But when he gets there, Steve doesn't call Billy 'William'. He doesn't flash his ID badge or order Billy to sit down or slap the cold, metal cuffs around Billy's thrashing wrists. He doesn't do any of the things he'd imagined.

Instead, Steve stands in the middle of it all, staring round. He doesn't know where to look first, where to even start. He's still coming to terms with the very real, very visceral shock of what his job could actually entrail. He knows he's been naive, and he's seeing now that it's not just going to be school visits and speeding fines and even the occasional infestation of supernatural monsters, but that some of it is going to be this kind of fucked up shit too.

Fucked up shit like Billy Hargrove being on the kitchen floor, curled up in the middle of a whole table-worth of broken crockery, his face a mess of blood and tears. The more Steve looks, the worse it gets. He takes it in, in that way he can now, picking up on the details: like how Billy's shirt is hanging open, some buttons torn and others hanging from threads, and how he has one arm twisted against his chest, bent at a sickeningly wrong angle, while the other one is raised above his head in a desperate attempt to protect himself from the man standing over him. Steve manages to pull his gaze away, checking in on everyone else: Susan, standing off to the side, her arms tight around Max who sports a scarlet red handprint on her cheek.

And then Steve turns his attention to Mr. Hargrove, Max's stepdad. Steve only really knows him by sight, but even then he'd always seemed… off, a little too calm, too controlled. Stiffly polite, but with a flicker of something cold and mean behind his eyes. 

He had known he could be a hardass though. Steve had picked that up just from overhearing Max's grumblings about him, how Neil was always more concerned with Max seeming respectable and being a 'good girl' for Susan than having any real interest in her as a person, and how he was even harder on Billy. 

Good, Steve had thought at the time. If anyone needs a firm hand, it's Billy.

Steve feels sick to think about it now. Because this man here, this Mr. Hargrove, is more than just a hardass. He's a whole different beast, and whatever facade of 'respectful family man' he once tried to project is gone entirely. His face is red, his eyes are bulging, and flecks of saliva are falling from his mouth as he spits insults after insult in Billy's face, before turning to Hopper and telling him, in no uncertain terms, exactly 'what kind of filth that son of mine really is'.

He lets fly with a whole host of slurs and accusations, each one more graphic than the last, and Steve winces at Neil Hargrove's particular choice of words, a sick feeling churning in his gut when he thinks about how often he's said some of them himself, back before. Back when he needed to prove how much better he was than the kids who didn't fit, the weird kids, the quiet ones, the ones with the wrong clothes or haircut or who lived in the wrong part of town. Back when certain insults, certain implications, were enough to have rumours flying quickly enough to turn a socially awkward kid into a social pariah by the end of the school day. 

But Neil Hargrove isn't just throwing them out as casual insults. Steve can tell, from the utter disgust dripping from his voice, that Neil means them. And that, worst of all, Neil thinks that those words, those accusations, are more than enough to excuse what he's done to Billy. The mess he's made of his own son. 

And maybe they had been before, Steve thinks with a dawning horror, wondering just how long Billy's been living with this. Maybe this isn't the first time something like this had happened, and maybe Neil got away with it then, maybe he even had the police on his side because what Billy was and what he was accused of doing, was seen as so much worse than whatever punishment Neil had doled out.

Because Billy isn't fighting back. Even now Hopper's shoved Neil away, Billy isn't showing any of the spark that Steve associates with him. He isn't even standing up. Instead he's huddling right down, curled away as much from Hopper as he was from Neil, trying to make himself smaller, trembling but not making a sound. Neil is shouting and Max is yelling and Susan's crying but Billy is eerily silent.

Like he's given up. 

Like he knows there's no point asking for help.

Like he's resigned to this.

Like it might only get worse, now that the police are here.

And that's what shakes Steve out of his stupor. Because he got into this job to help people and that's what he's always wanted to do. All he can do. All he's been good at. And even though he has absolutely no idea how to help with this, no idea how to even start with Billy, he needs to try.

So he does.

He lets his instinct take over, and he steps carefully over broken glass, kneeling down just a few steps away from Billy. And when Billy turns to face him, his eyes clouded with fear and his lashes clumped together with a mix of tears and the blood that runs from a still bleeding gash on his brow, Steve says the first thing that comes into his head, 

"So, uh, guess your Dad's kind of a huge asshole then, Hargrove?"

And god it's dumb. So dumb. Steve knows it's dumb even as he's saying it. He's following absolutely none of what little sensitivity training he's had, and he's probably made a terrible situation even worse. 

But it gets a snorty, watery huff out of Billy. And there's even a flicker of a smile, despite everything. 

And Steve thinks that maybe he is helping here, after all. 

[eddiethehunted]

in case anyone wants to know how fucked the legal system is here in canada, 3 teenagers came into my work today and beat the absolute shit out of a random guy because he “looked at them wrong” like literally had him on the floor and were kicking him in the ribs and head REPEATEDLY. cops were called (as much as i dislike cops, it was necessary bc wtf are we supposed to do as random minimum wage retail employees lmao???) and these teens were charged with NOTHING, after leaving this guy bloody and unconscious and his face was so swollen it was hardly even a face anymore. they punched one of my coworkers who tried to stop them too and a bunch of products were damaged as well from them throwing the guy into shelves. and they were smirking and laughing to each other as they walked out with no fucking charges because they were underage. like i’m sorry and i DO TRULY HATE cops and i hate the prison system and but HOW can you just let this happen?? no consequences?? at all??? NONE???????? they COULD HAVE KILLED HIM and literally nothing is being done because they were under 18. like. they’re just gonna do it again. and some girls that were shopping were like “they go to our school, they beat people up like that all the time and no one ever does anything” like what the FUCK!!!! where are your PARENTS😭 why is nothing being done about this!!!! i don’t understand!!! like wtf are we supposed to do, just let teenagers literally assault people?? i guess so! 😭😭😭😭😭

it was so bad that multiple customers were CRYING???? or so scared we had to literally HIDE THEM AWAY from the teenagers

[menaceadored]

Coming back just to say that Steve Harrington would never be a fucking cop

AND writing him as a cop is super fucking lame

[rainbowsuitcase]

Calling Steve Rogers "the cop character" when he's the one who doesn’t want ehanced people to be put under surveilance and government control just tells me you have no idea what you're talking about

[appsa]

Tbh after having given it some thought perhaps the disease stranger things suffers from is "american government bad american crimes against humanity during cold war bad but america better than any other alternative so american hegemony good"

[2knightt]

season 1 ian gallagher was such a cutie patootie ☹️☹️💔💔☹️☹️☹️

having thoughts of the gang dealing with a mickey milkovich!reader. a fucking feral freak right next to dallas. I LOVEEEEEMICKEY soMUCH

shameless brain rot is infecting me!!!!

I LOVE CARL TOO HE’SSOOSOSOSOS

[hella1975]

hopper's way of getting information is so funny bc he'll go 'step 1: lie' and if that doesn't work he immediately resolves to torture

[dinitride-art]

“You lied to the police.”

“Barb is missing!”

But as a parallel in season five.

“Michael-.”

“The words ending! And you’re worried about me holding Will’s hand?”

[marklikely]

cishet men have convinced me that im wrong about movies but like do they understand that the reservoir dogs are. big idiot losers