#than deciding mike is just a dick of a kid who hates everyone

[headkiss]

let me protect you too

pairing: steve harrington x reader

summary: requested prompts: “don’t you ever do that again!” and “you’re my everything.” you try to break up the fight between steve and billy. it doesn’t go as planned.

word count: 1.4k

warnings: some angst, violence (it’s the s2 fight with billy and steve), also fluff!

a/n: to anon who requested ik u said not to hurt steve but this is the first idea that came to mind with the prompts! i hope u still enjoy it!!!!

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You don’t know how exactly you ended up at the Byers’ house with Steve, the kids, and everyone else. It all happened so fast. One minute you were just going for a walk and happened to be passing by the Wheeler’s house, the next Dustin was dragging you into Steve’s car freaking out about something to do with his cat getting eaten.

That eventually brought you here. After fighting Demodogs and hiding out in a junkyard bus, holding Steve’s hand tightly in yours when you got too scared, watching him try and distract Dart all by himself. To say the break from the tension of the past few days was needed would be an understatement.

But you were not so lucky.

You Steve, Max, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas were all waiting for the others to return, feeling useless but drained. Steve was sat next to you on the couch, your head leaning on his shoulder. He was the calm within the chaos. What kept you going. He felt the exact same way about you.

The two of you had been together for a while now, and you would stay together for much longer. The comfort he provided, even in times like these, it was unmatched. It was late night talks and the most beautiful sunsets, the sweetest candies and the softest pillow.

That peace, however, was broken when you heard an engine revving outside. Everyone stood from their spots to look outside the window. Billy Hargrove, biggest asshole to grace the earth, and, unfortunately, Max’s step-brother. 

Steve said he’d take care of it, and when you followed him to the door, urged you to stay inside.

“No, Steve. I’m going with you.”

“You’re staying inside. Watch the kids. Let me deal with him.”

“If you’re out there for longer than thirty seconds, I’m going out there.”

“Fine. Stay here.”

Then, he was out the door. You knew Billy had been tormenting Steve ever since Halloween, and you were so sick of his shit. But, Steve was right about someone needing to watch the kids. They were an unpredictable bunch, and you felt protective over them. You knew your boyfriend did too, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

After a bit, you started to get nervous about Steve being out there with Billy. So, you peered out the window, just in time to see steve get punched and fall to the ground. You hated seeing him that way, and when Billy stormed in and was threatening Lucas, you had enough. Apparently, so did Steve, pulling Billy off of the boy and punching him.

Steve kept getting hits in, until he didn’t. Billy smashed a plate over his head and got the upper hand, so you decided to try and do something about it.

You jumped onto Billy’s back, trying to grasp his arms to stop him from hitting Steve. He was not happy about that, and he threw you off of him onto the floor.

You fell with a thud and a groan, the impact leaving you dazed and in pain, but you got back up and tried again. You could hear the kids yelling behind the three of you. A variety of ‘Billy stop!’ and ‘Come on, Steve!’ filling your ears.

But it kept going, Steve was getting beaten so bad and you couldn’t take it anymore. He had passed out at this point and it was your job to protect the kids.

You got in between the two boys, Steve being too out of it to really notice you putting yourself in front of him. You pushed Billy backwards as hard as you could, and he stumbled away from you.

“Get the hell out of here, Hargrove.”

“Yeah and what are you gonna do if I don’t? I sure hope you fight better than your little boyfriend there.”

You were so sick and tired of his shit. Of him constantly being a dick and getting under your skin. So, you did what you had been wanting to do for a while. You slapped Billy Hargrove right across his face.

His head snapped to the side and he let out a shocked laugh. “Looks like she has fire in her after all! You know I was starting to think you liked the attention from me. What? Harrington there not doing it for ya?”

“Do you ever shut up?” You punched him this time, as hard as you could. You tried to do it the way Steve taught you to, the way that protected your hand as much as possible. But, you still had to shake off the pain from your hand afterwards.

“You’re a real bitch, huh?” Billy was fuming now, and he didn’t care about hitting a girl anymore. He punched you right in the nose, and your head snapped back at the force. Blood streaming from your nose right away, and you couldn’t tell if it was broken or not.

Before you could even recover from the hit, he was on you again. He just kept going, and you were regretting your decision of hitting him now. Max stepped in, injecting Billy with the sleep-inducing drug that was previously for Will.

The next thing you knew, the kids were moving on with their plan to set the tunnels on fire, begging you to let them help rather than sit on the bench and wait like Steve had instructed. You gave in, deciding that helping the others would make you feel better, make you feel more useful.

You don’t know exactly how Max convinced you to let her drive, but she did. Maybe it was because you weren’t really in a state to drive. Or, maybe, it was because you wanted to keep an eye on Steve in the back. You wanted to make sure he was okay.

His head was now on your shoulder, your hand was tightly holding onto his, while the other held an ice pack to his face. You weren’t worried about your own injuries at the moment, solely focused on Steve.

Steve woke up, freaked out a little at what was going on, but eventually he agreed to the plan. When he saw the blood and bruising on your face, he was terrified. He hadn’t noticed until you arrived to the tunnels, the kids already out of the car. They figured the two of you could use a moment, so they left you alone in the back of the car.

Steve’s hands were framing your face gently, turning it slightly in his hold to get a look at the state you were in. “What the hell did you do?!”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at your face! What happened?”

“Look at my face? Look at yours, Steve! Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m always gonna worry about you. Tell me what happened.”

“So after you passed out I kinda got in between you two and punched Billy and then he kinda punched me back.”

“You did what? Are you insane? Don’t you ever do that again. Don’t put yourself at risk for me.”

“You did it for me! You can’t expect me to sit back and watch you get beaten half to death, Steve!”

“You’re my everything, babe. You can't go putting yourself in danger for me.”

“You do the same thing, Steve. I know you want to protect me, and everyone else, but please, let me protect you too. You’re my everything, this goes both ways.”

Your eyes were filled with tears, afraid at the idea of Steve really getting himself hurt, more than he already has. You couldn’t handle him being the one to take every hit. That’s not how it worked.

“I love you, Steve. And I’m not going to let you get yourself killed just because you think you have to. You don’t have to. We’re all here too. I’m here.”

He leaned his forehead against yours, thumbs brushing your cheeks as you spoke, wiping away the tears that you hadn’t realized were falling.

“I love you too, babe. Just maybe don’t punch Billy again? Please?”

You were glad he knew when to diffuse the tension, when to say things that weren’t so serious to calm you both down.

“Yeah, okay. I won’t punch Billy again.”

A loud knock on the window forced you both out of your bubble, it was Dustin, of course.

“Hey lovebirds are we gonna go light a fire or what?”

[ponds-of-ink]

Time to explain the Big Bunny Lore

One part riffing off established FNAF lore and what could’ve been and one part riffing off Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, here’s the Big Bunny story so far.

—

*The year is 1982. Evan Afton’s fear of animatronics has been replaced by an even bigger threat: A huge were-rabbit rumored to stalk the town of Hurricane at night and ravage more than just gardens. Everyone is advised to stay overnight at their jobs or hide out in their homes.

*Unfortunately, local fathers Henry Emily and William Afton have to “break curfew” by leaving Fredbear’s and heading to their homes late one night. All goes well until Henry’s car stalls and they have to walk home.

*Along the way, they stumble across huge rabbit tracks and a pool of strange goop. Against their better judgement, William and Henry decide to scoop up some of the gunk in a spare oil jar and take it home.

*After some late night reading, Henry realizes that is gunk is Were-Rabbit Blood. He tells William, who is absolutely horrified as well as skeptical. How can they be sure that it is Were-Rabbit Blood and not oil from a truck? Or melted down steel?

*Henry gets an idea. From what he’s read, there’s three ways to become a Were-Bunny/Were-Rabbit: (1) Get bit by one, which is both risky and rare; (2) switch minds with a rabbit, which is impractical; or (3) inject some of its blood into a participant’s veins. Being of a (somewhat) sensible type, Henry suggests to William trying the third option together. That way, they can gauge each other in case one of them becomes more susceptible to the effects (if it is a were-rabbit’s blood of course). Reluctantly, William agrees.

*So, later that night, William and Henry perform their tests in the Afton household’s basement. Aside from pangs of nausea on William’s end, nothing really happens after the injection. Henry is bummed out while William is thankful. Sure, it would’ve been cool to get some answers, but William’s not really the obsessively researching type… yet. Both go to their beds somewhat satisfied (and mildly concerned about the side effects of possibly putting oil in their blood by mistake).

*A few days later, reports start coming in that there’s another Were-Bunny running around the town. One that’s much chubbier and weaker than its older “sibling”, but still a threat. It’s even rumored to have taken five children to the woods, never to be seen again.

*This news sends William into a Moby Dick-type fit. He tells the kids to defend themselves and their mother at night while he does more research in the new bunny’s territory. This is when the kids properly come into play.

*The next few days for the Afton kids are hectic. Michael attempts to keep the night watch, Elizabeth is forced to sleep in the attic instead of her bedroom, and Evan spends his time researching about the Were-Bunny. Unfortunately, William is no closer to figuring out where either rabbit is— And his mania’s getting so bad that he’s dreaming about being the newer Were-Bunny, from what the kids have heard.

*Soon, Michael has enough of his dad’s shenanigans. He leads his siblings into the woods, where they find William’s newly built hideout. They sneak in, watch their sleep-deprived father scribbling notes frantically, then comes the inevitable confrontation (as much as William hates to cause a scene like this).

*While Michael and William quarrel, Evan notices three things: (1) William keeps getting sick whenever under moonlight, (2) he’s a bit thinner than he was when this whole mess started, and (3) some of the journal’s dream entries line up with what the Were-Bunny did that night. This confirms something Evan’s been thinking of for a while now…

*So, Evan sprints to the largest door and swings it wide open. Good thing, too, since Mike and Will’s argument comes to a screeching halt. Not because of the first Were-Rabbit arriving, no. Rather, it’s because of the second one “waking up” right in front of them.

*Yes, Henry’s hypothesis was correct. William did, in fact, inject were-rabbit blood into his veins. Which means, when he finishes writhing and transforming on the floor, his first instinct is to snatch up Evan and bounce out the door. Michael and Liz try to give chase, but they’re too late.

*Meanwhile, Evan and Were-Bunny!Will arrive at a huge burrow. Will’s huge burrow, to be precise. There, Evan meets up with the five missing kids and gets the real story on what happened. Apparently, the only thing this rabbit’s after is trying to get his family back. Or, more precisely, his kids. Problem is, well, Bunny Boi here hasn’t quite aligned his old human thoughts and rabbit instincts just yet.

*Thankfully, Evan has an idea. Through some body language workarounds, he tells his dad to drop off the five kids back at their houses. If Bunny!Will does, then he’ll get an extra special treat. And, by some miracle, the plan works.

*The treat, by the way, was the bananas off of a freshly-made banana split back at Fredbear’s. Bunny!Will loved them a bit too much.

*So, the next morning, new reports flood in with praise for the mysterious “were-bunny wrangler”. William is proud of the ‘stranger’, but not really proud with any of his kids. Michael especially. But, since he’s mysteriously full, he decides to skip having a discussion in the dining room and settles for the living room instead. Mike, Liz, and Will talk about what happened with… mixed results.

*However, it’s Evan who ends up having the most to say in that discussion. He’s not happy about his dad overeating on all those bananas, so he’s made a diet list for his rabbit form. This all gets brought up when a disheveled Evan hobbles into the living room with a tired scowl and a piece of paper with scribbled writing.

*Needless to say, William’s very confused. “You think I am the other Were-Bunny?” he asks Evan.

*Mike, Liz, and Evan look at each other. They’re going to have to prove it tonight, aren’t they? Thankfully, Liz has an idea from all that she’s heard.

*All four of them head back to the shelter that night. While William writes in his journal again, Liz carries out her plan. She walks up to her dad, gives him a banana, then backs up a bit. Her dad slowly un-peels the banana and proceeds to devour it in a few bites. Liz smiles triumphantly while William gawks in shock. He never really much cared for raw fruit these days, so to eagerly dive into a banana like a starved animal is… quite frankly, a good proof for what Evan said.

*”Oh dear,” is all he can think before the transformation hits.

*After the transformation, Were-Bunny!Will sulks and gives the kids some warning growls along the lines of “stay away from me”. He does not want to repeat the events of last night, even though he’s cramped in his little corner.

*Mike, for once, drops his tough guy act and begs Evan for advice. Evan just suggests to go back home and chat with him tomorrow morning. Having no other choice, they do just that.

*Early that morning, William apologizes to his kids in a fit of sorrow. Evan and Liz accept eagerly (he did have no idea, after all), but Mike takes a bit of convincing. Once everything is cleared up, the group decides to rethink the night’s work. Maybe they could use that time to monitor him like an actual rabbit for a while.

*And Mrs. Afton? Unfortunately, due to her sleep schedule in general, she has no idea any of last night’s discoveries happened. For all she knows, the kids are helping to capture the rabbit as punishment for sneaking out.

*As for Henry? Let’s just say that he’s made these kinds of discoveries a lot faster. And he’s also learned a few more things the Afton’s haven’t yet…

*So that’s how we get all caught up to the original Were-Bunny posts. Sorry about the lack of Were-Bunny!Will facts or behavioral stuff, but I wanted to get the backstory out first. Maybe I’ll come back with a “part two” of sorts with that info.