#[dustin voice] FLAYER. mind FLAYER
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that's just bullshit media propaganda...
#[dustin voice] FLAYER. mind FLAYER#anyway i just saw a(n old) take that made me roll my eyes so hard i had to gif. just a reminder mike is a gay homosexual#mike wheeler#byler#stranger things#mikesbasementgifs
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episode eight: the battle of starcourt
He fights with it, tries desperately not to let it fall, all while his resume hangs from his mouth. âShit! Oh, Fast Times! Ever heard of it? Top three for me, Keith.â Robin laughs and Steve turns the cardboard cutout to you, wiggling his eyebrows. âOwn any red bikinis?â You flick his forehead, though you laugh as well. âIn your dreams.â âI can sleep right now and find outââ âI will flick you again.â âA kiss is preferred, but whatever.â
Summary: jonathan becomes a certified surgeon, hopper returns and is oddly sentimental (wonder what that could mean !), you and dustin show off your musical theater talents, the mind flayer becomes a track star, fireworks become weapons, and really a lot just happens so suddenly it gives you whiplash. dont worry though, the rest of your summer involves painful goodbyes and the scary realization that youre growing up. absolutely disgusting. but at least steve gets to kiss you whenever now, so hooray for that ! side note: you keep making promises to people, surely there wont be narrative foreshadowing as a result !
Rating: general, violence and swearing
Warnings: blood, swearing, major character death, graphic depictions of violence, fem!reader, use of y/n
Words: 21.2k (ouch)
Before you swing in: this was my magnum opus. truly. so so so much happens in this chapter, this episode is INSANE. it took me a while, the scenes were hard and complex, but im happy with the final results :) ive been waiting a long time to write this ending, to set up the strings for later in season 4 <3 i sincerely hope this chapter is all yall have wanted. if theres any glaring typos, pls ignore because its 21.2k words and im weak from rereading it. anyways, i have a sneaky lil link right here that will make sense at the end of the chapter (spoiler alert: it's a mixtape jonathan makes for bug). enjoy !
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Elâs screams tear out of her body. She writhes in pain, sobs claw out of her throat. Itâs unbearable to watch, the sight of her in immeasurable pain. It breaks your heart.Â
No one knows what to do.Â
Mike thrashes in your arms still. He tries to escape your hold so that he can cover his body with Elâs. Take away her pain somehow. But you wonât let him. You know that it hurts him to see her this way, but his panic will only drive Elâs panic further.
âWhat is that?â Disgust litters Ericaâs face as she stares at the moving creature within Elâs leg. Gently you push the girl away, not wanting to crowd El too much. She needs space to breathe.Â
âThereâs something in her leg,â Mike sneers into your face as he fights against you again. Heâs furious, heâs overwhelmed, he just wants to help. âLet go!â
Your arms tighten around the boy. He isnât in the right state of mind. Frantic, you look to your left and start forming a plan. âJonathan, my switchblade is in my left back pocket. Grab it.â He stares at you, unsure what to do, and you raise your voice into a yell. âGrab it.â
Jonathan jumps at the command and his hand disappears behind you. You feel him find the weapon and pull it out. He holds it in front of you, offering it, but you donât accept it. âGo and disinfect it. Thereâs a gas stove where you found us. Heat up the blades so that we canââ you swallow as nausea fills you. âWeâwe have to cut it out of her leg.â
The moment Jonathan is gone, you turn your attention to Mike and Steve. You try to keep your voice leveled, try to contain the blinding panic that screams in your head. El needs you right now. Swallowing again, you start to speak to them. âI need you guys to talk to El. Keep her awake.â
âRight, okay.â Mike nods, and you finally release him. He hovers over El, his voice is gentle as he tries to calm her. âHey, stay awake, okay?â
You tug Steve towards Elâs legs so that he can help you move her into a better position. âGet her onto her side. Mike, put her head in your lap.â
Both boys do as theyâre told. Everyone watches, and Robin tries to make light of the situation. She rambles about a girl from her soccer team who once broke her leg. How the bone had ripped clean through her skin. The story makes you shiver, and Steve sees the discomfort. âRobin, hey. Youâre not helping.â
âIâm sorry.â
Jonathan returns, out of breath. âOkay. Alright, El?â He looks down at the girl. Tries to steady his breathing. âThis is gonna hurt like hell, okay?â
El whimpers out that she understands, and you take hold of her hand. âSweetheart, you need to brace yourself. I promise it will be over soon.â
âIâll be fast, but I need you to stay real still. Here,â Jonathan hands a wooden spoon to Mike. âYouâre gonna want to bite down on this, okay?â
Teeth bared, El clenches her teeth around the spoon. Her body braces for whatâs about to come. Kneeling next to her, you angle your body over hers and pin her arms down with your hands. You look at Mike, ordering him to do the same. âHold her shoulders. Donât let her go, no matter what.â
He pales, but swallows deeply and nods. When Mike is in position, you signal to Jonathan to start cutting. âDo it.â
âOkay,â Jonathan inhales. The knife youâve given him shakes as he holds it over Elâs wound. Heâs fucking terrified, but he knows itâs the only way. Exhaling, he cuts into her flesh. Blood pours from the wound and Elâs screams tear from her chest.Â
Everyone makes a sound of disgust and horror. Your own stomach lurches at the sight of Jonathan cutting into the leg. The image, the way Elâs body convulses, the screams she releases, itâs all too much. You donât feel yourself shaking until Steve guides your head into the nook of his shoulder, shielding you.Â
âThank you,â your breathing is shaky. You arenât even sure if heâs heard you, but Steve nods and his hand rubs up and down your back. Heâs doing whatever he can to help, being the solid surface you need to lean upon. Lending you the strength you need to hold El down and save her.Â
You hear your knife glance against the ground, followed by Elâs scream becoming deafening. Unable to stop yourself, you pull away from Steve to look at whatâs happening. When you do, you almost gag. Jonathanâs fingers are now in Elâs leg, digging underneath the flesh and muscle to find whatever the hell is in there. A horrible squelching sound fills the air. Faintly you think you can hear Will crying behind you.Â
Jonathan struggles, digs deeper into the leg, but it only seems to be making everything worse. El twists and contorts beneath you, in agonizing pain. Her screams only intensify. A tear from your eye lands on her shirt, and you force yourself to hold her down despite how desperately you want to end it.
âGoddamn it!â Jonathan canât find it. He canât find whatever the hell is in Elâs leg. It keeps moving the moment he thinks he has it. Everything is slick from blood.Â
âNo!â El spits out the wooden spoon, her voice raw from screaming. âStop it!âÂ
You canât stomach her pain any longer. The moment she pleads for it to stop, you move off of El and push Jonathan away from her. Nancy helps, touches his shoulder to alert him as well. The moment she has the room to, El sits herself up. âI can do it.
âDo what, El?â You ask, though you think you know anyways.
She breathes heavily. Tears flow freely down her face. Sheâs sitting down, one of her knees is pressed against her chest. The injured leg remains flat on the ground, her hand outstretched above it. Static, the one you always feel when El uses her powers, surrounds you. Thereâs a low hum, she grunts and screams, and yet her hand remains steady. You rub her back, offering her all the strength you can give her, in awe despite the poor timing of it.Â
To have the strength to expel a foreign object from your body. You canât imagine it.Â
El releases one final long, harrowing scream. The lights flicker, the windows behind you rattle violently. You only just barely manage to cover Dustin and the kids from the shards of glass before they explode. At the same time, a small, writhing creature shoots from Elâs leg. It stalls in the air, hovering in front of her face as she continues to scream. The creature is no bigger than the size Dart had been when Dustin first found him. The idea that it had been buried in Elâs leg makes you feel ill.Â
With the last of her energy, El flings the creature across the room. It lands with a sickening thud on the floor, before it starts to move. You watch in horror as it scurries away, releasing its own screech, until Hopperâs boot crashes down upon it, killing it.Â
Youâve never been happier to see that cranky son of a bitch.Â
Joyce stands behind him and you whimper pathetically when you see her. You miss your own mother. Itâs been days since youâve last seen her. Youâre more homesick than youâve ever been before.Â
Alongside Joyce and Hopper is a man youâve never seen before. He has glasses and a beard. As you study him, Jonathan makes a surprised sound. âMurray?â
âYou know him?âÂ
Jonathan nods at you. âHeâs the detective Nance and I visited last year.âÂ
âHeâs insane.â Nancy says, though thereâs a nostalgic smile on her face.Â
Hopper steps forward, investigating the scene. Glass crunches beneath his boots. He stops in front of you and El. He looks down at you. âAlways at the scene of the crime, huh?â
âYeah,â you blow hair out of your face. âCanât seem to ever stop myself.â Then, finally noticing his aggressively bright and floral shirt that heâs wearing, you tilt your head to the side. âNice shirt, by the way. I like the color on you. Youâve been direly needing some color in your life.â
Dustin snorts and El manages a tired smile. Hopper rolls his eyes at you, though you can tell itâs more from fondness rather than annoyance like it usually is. You watch as his eyes drift towards Joyce, uncharacteristically shy. âThanks, kid.â
âAnytime, old man.âÂ
âÂ
âThe Mind Flayer, it built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, to kill her and pave a way into our world.âÂ
You sit on the fountainâs edge. Dustin is next to you, Steve leans against you on the other side. Mikeâs words surround you.Â
He explains what he and the others have been dealing with while youâve been gone. Innocent people have been getting possessed and turned into chemicalized substances. Their bodies melting together, conjoining to create a monster meant to kill El. With every detail Mike remembers, your stomach twists uncomfortably. It doesnât sound real. It sounds like a thing from nightmares.
And somehow Billy has become the face of it.Â
The last time you saw him, he had been a shell of who he used to be. He had been in pain. Obvious pain. Sweat had run down his flushed skin and his eyes had a frost in them unlike anything you had ever seen before. Instead of helping him, instead of telling anyone about this, you had abandoned Billy.Â
âHow big is this thing?â Hopper asks, shifting so that El can rest more comfortably against him.Â
Jonathan sighs. âItâs⌠Itâs big. Real big. Thirty feet, at least.â
âYouâve seen it?â Your eyes draw to the bruise on his forehead. The pained noise he made when you hugged him still rings in your ears.Â
âWeâve had a rough night.â Nancy whispers, eyes downcast.Â
âIt sorta destroyed Hopperâs cabin.â Lucas looks up at the chief, a poorly feigned apologetic smile on his face. âSorry.â
Steve interjects now. He asks questions, tries to make sure he understands. As he speaks with the group, your head falls onto his shoulder. Your head spins. Only hours ago you were dealing with Russians and national emergencies. Now, you and Steve try to wrap your heads around the idea of a giant human goo creature wreaking havoc on Hawkins. Â
Which, according to Max, is still very much alive.Â
But that doesnât stop Will from trying to help. âBut if we close the gate againââÂ
âWe cut the brain off from the body.â
âAnd kill it.â Lucas finishes for Max. âTheoretically.â
It sounds so simple, but youâve been here before.
Youâve heard this conversation already; you were standing in the Byersâ dining room. Steve had been next to you, just like he is now, and Jonathan had been on your other side. The people surrounding you were the same, only now Robin and Will join. That November, the conversation had terrified you. Closing the gate. Killing the Mind Flayer and destroying its army.Â
It had been the exact same conversation. And it terrifies you still, now. Only this time the fear is accompanied by an emptiness.
Youâve been here before. It hadnât been enough.Â
âHow many more times are we going to kill it?â Your head remains pressed against Steve. Your eyes donât lift from the ground. Exhaustion sags your body. âWe thought we already killed the Mind Flayer. We went through hell and back to close the gate, only for it to be opened again not even a year later. By another country. I mean,â laughter crawls out of your throat. âWhoâs to say that they wonât just open the gate again? Theyâve already done it onceââ
âLoverboy over here,â The bearded man from earlier, Murray, suddenly appears and slaps the back of Jonathanâs head. The man has a mad smile on his face, the kind that tells you heâs an insane genius. After Jonathan shoves him away, Murray stops in front of you. He looks down, a curious glint in his eyes. âHe told me you were a ray of sunshine. Gotta be honest. Iâm not really getting a real sunshine vibe from you.â
Steve subtly shifts your body so that heâs in front of you. His eyes are narrowed, body tense. âWhatâs that in your hands?â
Murray seems to now remember what he interrupted the group for. He clutches the pieces of paper in his hands, waves them in the air. âAh. These, my perfectly coiffed haired friend, are blueprints.âÂ
âThatâs just a poorly done drawing of squares and lines.â You squint at the papers. Theyâre no better than the map Mike had scribbled to navigate the tunnels last year.
âSeriously,â Murray turns back to Jonathan again. âI thought she was supposed to be the nice one.â
You open your mouth to argue, not at all liking whatever this random man is insinuating, but Hopper steps forward first. âJust start talking.â
He sighs, but agrees. Motioning everyone to follow, Murray guides the group to a nearby table so that he can lay his drawings out for everyone to see. âOkay, this is what Alexei called âthe hubâ.â Murray points to the center of the first drawing. âNow, the hub takes us to the vault room.â
âOkay, whereâs the gate?â Hopper hovers over him, attentive.Â
âRight here.â Murray now points to a random box, far from where you know the gate actually is. You bite your lip, unsure if you should speak up just yet. âI donât know the scale on this, but I think itâs fairly close to the vault room. Maybe fifty feet or so.â
You snort obnoxiously loud, getting everyoneâs attention. âYouâre so wrong that it physically pains me.â
âIâm sorry?â Murray gives you an odd look. When Jonathan and Nancy showed up on his doorstep last year, the two of them had nothing but great things to say about you. Jonathan had waxed poetry about you while Nancy had sat at the dinner table, resentful. Now, meeting you, Murray is really struggling to understand where that all came from.Â
âItâs more like five hundred feet.â Erica says. When she sees Murrayâs exasperated expression, she canât help but laugh at the old man. âWhat, youâre just gonna waltz in there like itâs commie Disneyland or something?âÂ
âAnd who are you?âÂ
âErica Sinclair. And who are you?â
âMurray⌠Bauman.â
âListen, Mr. Bunman.â You have to stifle a laugh into Steveâs shoulder. You love Erica, you really do. âIâm not trying to tell you how to do things, but Iâve been down in that shithole for twenty-four hours. And with all due respect, you do what this man tells you, youâre all gonna die.â
âIâm sorry, why is this four year old speaking to me?â
You slide off the fountainâs edge and stand. Whoever this guy is, you donât like his snippy attitude. âSheâs ten, actually, and sheâs right.â
âYeah, you bald bastard!â Lucas reprimands her, but she doubles down. âJust the facts!â
While you enjoy her quips, you gently grab Ericaâs shoulders and place her behind you. There isnât time for her to make a grown man cry. âWe went through hell down there. It wonât be as easy as walking fifty feet. The place is huge.â
âTheyâre right.â Dustin speaks up. âYouâre all gonna die, but you donât have to. Excuse me, may I?â Even before Murray has consented, your brother is already grabbing the blueprints. He sits down and starts explaining. âSee this room here? This is a storage facility. Thereâs a hatch in here that feeds into their underground ventilation system.â
âItâs how we accidentally got in.â You add, figuring any extra information could help.
âWait, you accidentally broke into a secret Russian lair?â Mike tries to hide it, but you can see that heâs impressed. You know that once this is all over, heâll grill you for details later.
âNo, we thought itâd be fun to get tortured by commies on the fourth of July.â Steve points to his swollen eye. âYes, Wheeler. It was an accident.â
âGuys!â Dustin shouts. When he has everyoneâs attention again, he sighs. âJesus. Anyways, these vents will lead you to the base of the weapon. Itâs a bit of a maze down there, but between me, Y/N, and Erica, we can show you the way.âÂ
Hopper stares down at the three of you, unamused. âYou can show us the way?â
Dustin is about to agree, but you cover his mouth with your hand. âYes, I can show you the way. The kids can stay here, but I remember everything from when we were down there. If you want all the hero glory, then fine. Fight some Russians. But I can be your navigator.â
âNo.â Hopper, Steve, Dustin, and Jonathan say at the same time.Â
You roll your eyes at all of them. âOkay, I was only talking to Hopper. The rest of you,â you glare at your brother and the two teens next to him. âArenât a part of this conversation.â
âThere isnât a conversation to be had, kid.â Hopper scoffs at you. He doesnât want to hear whatever youâre about to say. He wonât let you back down there again. From the state Steve is in, Hopper doesnât even want Joyce coming with him. âYouâre not going. End of discussion.â
âYou donât seriously expect me to let you walk into a death trap, right? I mean, I know we argue a lot, but you canât be that dumb.â Hopper has started to walk away now, trying to put an end to the conversation, but you follow him anyways. âListen to me!â He ignores you, doesnât turn around. Instead, Hopper starts gathering bullets as he picks up a shotgun from one of the guards on the ground. Groaning, you continue to chase him.Â
You donât care how annoying youâre being. Youâll nag him until your last dying breath. If he doesnât want you getting hurt, then he has to understand that you donât want him getting hurt either. âHopper, Iâm serious. ElâŚâ You look at the girl, who is far behind the two of you now as she rests near the fountain. Your voice grows thick. A wave of emotions rush over you, seeing her. Sheâs so small. Sheâs still just a kid, despite the power that lies within her. âShe needs you. Youâyou canât get hurt.â
âAnd I wonât.âÂ
âYou donât know that,â you grab the manâs shirt, but he tries to walk anyways. You plant your feet on the ground and grit your teeth. Heâs frustratingly strong. âPlease, justâyouâre her father. Youâyou canât leave herââ You stumble over your words, try to think of how to convince him. There has to be a way, a middle ground. Isnât he the one who taught El what compromise means?Â
In your nagging midst, you overhear Dustin and the party all catch up. Talk about how they missed one another. Itâs a sweet reunion, seeing them come together again after being separated for so long; your boys are together again. It feels like a lifetime ago where they were all together on Weathertop hill. Seeing them together again, it hits you.Â
The walkies. Cerebro.
âWhat if I could still communicate with you from above?â You shout, frantic. Hopper stops walking. He still doesnât look at you, but he indicates that you have his attention. Taking a deep breath, you donât waste any time. âWe have walkies. Dustin, all the kids. Itâs how they communicate with one another. Always have. What if⌠what if I give you directions using them? That way, youâll fulfill your annoying need to be a hero while I fulfill my annoying need to protect everyone.â
Your words come rushing out, messy and jumbled, but Hopper seems to understand. Heâs quiet, mulls what youâve said over and over again in his head. He inhales, closes his eyes, and then exhales agonizingly slow. When he opens his eyes to look at you, heâs resolved. âYouâre really annoying, you know that?â
A relieved smile graces your face. Knowing youâve gotten through to Hopper, you finally release his shirt. You straighten it back out, wipe some dirt off of it. It really is a good shirt, one you know was almost definitely purchased for a woman named Joyce Byers. âIt adds to my charm.â
Hopper chuckles, shakes his head, before walking over to where your brother stands with the others. He fishes a walkie from his back pocket, tosses a spare one to Dustin. âHey, heads up. Your sister came up with a shockingly genius compromise. You guys can navigate, just from someplace safe.â
Dustin sighs. âItâs not that simple.â
âThe signal wonât reach.â Erica clarifies for him.Â
You motion at them to explain faster. âButâŚâ
âBut,â Dustin quickly explains your idea. âWeâd need something with a high enough frequency band to relay with the Russiansâ radio tower. But for that to work, you need someone who has both seen their comms room and has access to a super-powered handcrafted radioââ
âDustin,â you hit his shoulder, urging him to get to the point already. âJust tell him about Cerebro.â
âI was getting there! Look, we have one already situated at the highest point in Hawkins.â Your brother shakes his head. âIf you need us to navigate, we got you. But we need a head start⌠and a car.â
âHey, chief.â You stand beside Hopper now, grinning ear to ear. âDonât you have a car?â
He stares past you, and the rage in his eyes amuses you immensely. Itâs taking everything within him not to start yelling, which only causes your shit eating grin to grow. You extend your arm, hold your hand out palm-facing upwards. This is the best day of your life. âCome on, give me the car keys, Hopper.âÂ
Sucking his teeth, Hopper drops the car keys into your hand. âI hate you.â
Hopper stands in front of you, annoyance and irritability in his eyes as he stares at you, but you donât care. A surge of warmth cascades through you instead. He listened. It means more to you than the man could ever know. Your arms find their way around him, surprising both you and Hopper, as you pull him into a hug. âThank you for listening to me.â
âYeah, well. Donât make me regret it.â Hopper says, his voice rough. He clears his throat, allows his hand to pat your shoulder. He may not know what youâve gone through, but he thinks he can understand the weight the history has left you. Itâs the same weight that he carries every day. The guilt, the anger that follows it. He clears his throat again and pulls you off of him, keeping you at armâs length. âDo me a favor, will you? Make sure El and the others are safe.â
You sniff, wipe away tears. Youâre not sure why youâre crying. âI will, I promise. Good luck, old man.â
âGood luck, kid.â He hesitates, still holding your shoulders. His breath hitches and his eyes donât leave yours. Thereâs something in them, almost a certain kindness that once reflected in your fatherâs eyes when you were younger. The gaze burns you at first, but you stare back at Hopper through it. After he seems to find what heâs looking for, Hopper swallows. He says what Joyce has always said about you; from his conversation with the woman back at Melvaldâs. âYouâre the best of them.â
More tears well in your eyes, but you wipe them away before he can tease you. Hopper releases you, shoves you in a playful manner, and you canât help but laugh. Itâs a warm moment. His words simmer on your skin. Youâve heard them before, you know what people say about you, but the words are different coming from Hopper.Â
Praise doesnât come naturally to him. Words have always plagued him; the ones he has just told you hold a weight thatâs even heavier than the guilt the two of you carry within yourselves. Youâve known Jim Hopper for three years now, but as you watch him walk over to El, soft smile still on his face from his conversation with you, you finally understand him.Â
â
Steve is waiting for you at the fountain, whispering quietly with Robin. The two of them stand off to the side, away from the others. Heâs nervous, uncomfortable. He stands with his back away from Jonathan and Nancy, who are a few feet away talking to Murray. His arms are crossed over his chest and his fingers tap together in an anxious tick youâve become familiar with.Â
The moment he sees you approaching, all the tension in Steveâs body melts away.Â
He grabs your hand the second youâre within reach. Pulling you into his chest, he kisses the top of your head. âAny updates, angel?â
You hum against him, allowing yourself a moment to bask in his warmth. Itâs been a long day. Itâll be an even longer night. âYou know Weathertop hill?â
âYeah, why?â
âGood.â You place Hopperâs keys into Steveâs hand. âYouâre driving us, then.â
Robin points at Jonathan, who sneaks glances at the three of you. âDefine âusâ. Because, no offense, he seems nice and all, but he keeps looking over at you like a lost puppy and itâs making me uncomfortable.â
âBe nice, heâs still my best friend.â Flicking her forehead, you silently scold Robin. âAnd itâs just going to be the three of us with Dustin and Erica. Jonathan and Nancy are taking the rest of the kids to Murrayâs bunker. Heâs just⌠Heâs worried. Probably wants to make sure he says goodbye to me before we leave.â
Robin makes a confused face, reminding you that sheâs new to all of this. That she hasnât had to say goodbye to her loved ones every year with the fear of them not returning. You sigh. âItâs⌠Kinda a tradition, at this point. A final goodbye before all hell breaks loose.â
âHow many times do you guys almost die on a weekly basis?â
Steve snorts. âDepends on the month. November seems to be our worst one, though.â
âAstoundingâŚâ
You leave Steve to deal with Robinâs amazement on his own, though you laugh as you walk away. Ever since the events of Willâs disappearance, youâve done everything you can to not think about what youâve all been through. However, seeing the bewildered amazement on Robinâs face the more you reveal to her, you canât help but laugh.Â
Jonathan sees you approaching him and Nancy and steps aside to make room for you. Theyâre still talking to Murray, although the man is more lecturing them than anything. He holds up a bunch of keys, explaining in great detail which one goes into specific locks. Itâs dizzying trying to keep track of it all.Â
Secretly, youâre grateful that youâre going with Steve and the others. Easier key instructions.Â
âThis one is for the second to last bottom lockââ
âMurray, can I cut in real quick?â You try to be polite about it, but truly you donât care whether or not you have the manâs permission.Â
He glares at you. âArenât you already?â
âGood point!â You grab Nancyâs and Jonathanâs arms and pull them away with a wicked smile on your face. When youâve dragged them far enough away from Murray, you wrap your arms around them both. Jonathan sinks into the unexpected embrace. Nancy stiffens. You try to ignore it. âGet to that old manâs bunker safely, please?â
âOf course, bug.â Jonathan has wrapped an arm around you. He closes his eyes, his fingers span across your back. âStay at Weathertop, get to safety. Maybe even get some rest while you can.â
âIâll try, bee.â Your laugh is wet. This will never get any easier.Â
Nancy shifts in your embrace, and for a moment youâre afraid sheâll pull away entirely, but instead she surprises you by wrapping an arm around you as well. Her chin is tucked against your neck, she still hasnât melted into the embrace like Jonathan has, but sheâs trying. Lips close to your ear, she whispers, âIâll keep him safe.â
You suck in a breath. You hadnât known how desperately you needed to hear Nancyâs reassurance, to hear her silent apology. Pulling away from them, you look at Jonathan and Nancy. âI love you. I love you both.â
Jonathan smiles, the same way he did the night you met him on the Wheelerâs porch. Nancy ducks her head down shyly, the same way she did the night she opened the door to let you into her home.Â
You squeeze their hands one last time before leaving to say goodbye to the others.Â
Lucas wishes you luck, Will hugs you as tight as ever, and El offers you a partial smile. Sheâs still recovering from whatever the monster did to her leg, so you brush some hair out of her face and kiss her head.
âSucks you were down in hell this whole time. Could really go for a brownie right now.â Mike says, a light in his eyes as Elâs head rests in his lap.
You stick your tongue out at him. âSorry, couldnât find a way to bake while getting chased by Russians with guns.â
âLame.â
âGoodbye, Wheeler.â
Then you turn to Max, who has been silent this entire time. She hugs you tightly when she sees you. âHeâll be okay, right?â
Your body goes stiff. Somehow, in the midst of Hopper and the others, you had forgotten about Billy. How heâs infected. Flayed. It hasnât escaped your notice that no one seems to want to bring the matter up, either. When it had been Will, everyone had wanted to make sure he wouldnât die if the gate closed.Â
But no one has asked the same question for Billy.Â
Swallowing, you slowly reciprocate Maxâs embrace. âWeâll⌠Weâll find a way. We always do.â
Though the words arenât meant to be a lie, you canât help but feel that youâre breaking an oath when you say them.Â
âÂ
Steve hadnât noticed what brand of car the keys belonged to at first. However, the moment his brain recognizes the iconic Cadillac logo on its keychain, he practically starts to drool. A fucking Cadillac.
It doesnât take him long to round everyone up and drag you outside.
âI was saying goodbye to Joyce,â you grumble, struggling to keep up with Steveâs quick footsteps.
âItâs a Cadillac, Y/N!â Steve can almost feel the foam pooling around his mouth. His footsteps increase even more, his body vibrating at the knowledge that he gets to drive his dream car. His dad hadnât wanted to buy him one, said that the BMW was more practical. Reliable. When Steve pushes the mallâs front door open and sees the beautiful, timeless car parked perfectly in front of him, he almost collapses. âOh, man, now thisâŚThis is what Iâm talkinâ about!â
ââToddfatherâ?â Robin points out the license plate and its horrible name.
You make a face, but Steve doesnât let her ruin his moment. Heâs ecstatic. This is arguably the best thing that has happened to him all day (besides maybe kissing you). For fuckâs sake, itâs a goddamn Cadillac. âOh, screw Todd! Steveâs her daddy now.â
Steve hops into the carâs front seat like a little kid with a toy car. Meanwhile you, Robin, Dustin, and Erica retract your heads in disgust at what heâs just said. Robin looks at you, repulsed. âDid he just talk about himself in the third person?â
Erica follows up with her own creeped out question. âDid he just call himself daddy?âÂ
âIâm choosing to ignore him right now.â You say to both of the girls, pressing a hand to your forehead as you walk to the car. Thereâs so much you donât want to unpack with what Steve has said.Â
âYou canât ignore me, Y/N.â Steve leans over the center counsel and opens the passenger door for you. âWe already established that Iâm really annoying.âÂ
âJust take us to Weathertop, please.â You buckle yourself in and make sure the kids have their seatbelts on as well. When you see that Robin has found herself in the middle seat, you snicker at her. Sheâs squished between Dustin and Erica, her knees are pressed uncomfortably to her chest.
âWhy did I get stuck in the middle?â She complains.
Steve fixes one of the mirrors before revving the engine. As he pulls out of the mallâs parking lot, he offhandedly responds, âPassenger seat is reserved for girls Iâm dating.â
Everyone in the backseat gags, and you blush furiously. You and Steve havenât had the time to talk about your relationship. Or if there even is a relationship. But heâs just referred to you as the girl heâs dating. He kissed you yesterday, or was it today?
Time has blurred together, but Steveâs hand rests on your thigh as he drives and youâre his girl.Â
There will be time to talk about all of it later. Youâll make sure of it this time.Â
Steveâs foot presses on the gas, speeding through Hawkins. Neither of you were given an exact time frame from Hopper, but he presses down harder on the pedal and sends the car flying. Thereâs music on the radio, doing its best to distract everyone, but your hands are still antsy. Youâre nervous, thereâs still so much left unspecified within the plan. Steve notices your fidgeting fingers and removes his hand from your thigh to play with them; heâs trying to soothe you.Â
You intertwine your fingers through his and smile at him. Steve winks back at you, and you admire how lovely he looks as he drives. The moment is broken when Robin shoves her head between the two of you. âWhat the hell is a Cerebro?â
âItâs basically a radio tower that Dustin built for his girlfriend, Suzie.â You explain to her, voice raised to be heard over the music and wind. âShe lives in Utah.â
Robin raises an eyebrow, intrigued. She leans back in her seat and pokes Dustinâs shoulder. âSuzie must be really special, huh? I mean, if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her.âÂ
Your brother preens at this, pleased someone has recognized his romantic efforts. âI mean, nobodyâs scientifically perfect, but Suzieâs about as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be.â
âShe sounds made up to me.â Erica snarks from the backseat. She looks over at Steve, tries to get his opinion. âShe sound made up to you?â
Steve hesitates for just a fraction of a second too long, and you sigh. Dustin notices it, too. âWhy are you hesitating, Steve?â
âIâIâm not!â He looks to you for help, but you only shake your head at him. All he had to do was respond promptly. This is his own fault. âIâm not hesitating! IâI think she sounds real. You know, totally, absolutely real.â
âNot really loving your uncertain tone, Steve.â You say, and Dustin nods in agreement. âSuzie is real. I mean, Iâm almost positive that she is.â
Dustin does a double take at your use of the word âalmostâ. Heâs about to say something, demand to know why youâre not certain Suzie is real, before he notices that Steve is about to miss the Weathertop turn. âLeft, turn left!â
âThereâs not a road here?â Steve argues, squinting his eyes in the dark to see whatever the hell the kid is seeing.
Dustin screams at him again to turn, and you only have a second to brace yourself before Steve jerks the wheel. The carâs tires screech on the asphalt as your body gets thrown forward. You scream, getting war flashbacks to when youâd been in the back of Billyâs car as Max had very recklessly driven you and Steve to the tunnels. Somehow, this is so much worse.Â
The car breaks through a fence and your screaming only intensifies. âWhat the fuck?â
âHendersons, where are we going?â Steve screams to you and your brother. Heâs desperately trying to keep hold of the steering wheel as the car struggles against the hillsideâs grass.Â
âUp!â You and Dustin exclaim. One hand clutches the door, the other clutches the seat. The entire car is practically at a ninety degree angle as Steve continues to drive up the hill. Itâs bumpy, your head hits the back of the seat more times than you would like, and your heart races.Â
The car makes a concerning amount of strange noises the further up the hill you drive. Robin clutches her stomach. âWeâre not going to make it!âÂ
âYes we are!â Steve does everything he can. His foot never leaves the gas. âCâmon, baby. Câmon!âÂ
âSweet talking the car wonât help!â You shriek after a particularly rough bump leaves you nauseous. The poor car strains against the giant hill. The tires, not at all made for off-roading, get caught in the grass.Â
Steve hits the wheel and curses. âCâmon! Please!â He presses harder on the gas, but the car comes to a stop. The tires move uselessly against the slick mud underneath.
Ill and desperately wanting to get out of the car, you unbuckle your seatbelt. âWe can walk the rest of the way, Steve.â He gives you a despaired look, pleading with you to let him continue playing with his new car, but you roll your eyes at him. Youâre five seconds away from vomiting, he can deal with abandoning the car. âThe Toddfather is dead. We can mourn her later.â
Steve groans but turns the car off as everyone gets out, preparing for the walk ahead. The hill is just as steep as it had been earlier this week when you were with the party. While youâre annoyed you have to walk it again, at least this time itâs night and the heat isnât as suffocating.Â
When you reach the crest of the hill, Dustin immediately runs to Cerebro. He crouches next to the radio and turns it on. âBald Eagle, do you copy? Bald Eagle, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop, do you copy?â
Bald Eagle had been your idea.Â
âScoops Troop?â You ask your brother.
He nods, proud. âThought of it myself.â
âNot bad, buddy.â
Murrayâs voice crackles over the walkie. âYes, I copy.â
Everyone lets out a breath of relief when you hear him. So far, the first phase of the plan seems to be working. Cerebro can reach all the way down to the lair; you can communicate with Hopper and Joyce. So far, so good.
Dustin starts to give Murray the directions heâll need for the vents. You and Steve roam the perimeter of the hill, weary and needing something to do. While youâre far from the Russians below you, you still donât necessarily feel like youâre out of harmâs reach. Robin stays with the kids, figuring itâs best to give the two of you some time alone.Â
You stare out into the view of Hawkins from so high above. Weathertop has always been your favorite spot in the small town. Your first summer in Hawkins, Jonathan had introduced you to the hill; you used to spend all your time up here with him. Youâd spend hours running up and down the length of it, giggling and sunkissed. If you stand still enough, you can still hear the laughter in the breeze. You miss Jonathan and being kids with him.Â
âI havenât been up here in years.â Steve stands next to you, voice soft. He stares out into the field as well, admires its beauty the way you are, though really he just wants the excuse to look at you. âForgot how peaceful it was.â
âI love it here,â you tell him. âLate in the summer, dandelions appear. They scatter the entire hilltop. I like running through them.â
âWell, when they start to bloom,â Steve wraps his arms around your waist, pulls you back into his chest. He presses a soft kiss to your cheek, lingers. He hasnât held you in so long, his body aches with the weight of yours against it. âWe can run through them together.â
You smile into the embrace, lean into the kiss, tremble into the words. He will always make you weak. Itâs an exhilarating feeling, knowing someone can dismantle every bone in your body with less than six words. âI think Iâd like thatââ
From the corner of your eye, you see lights flickering in the distance. They catch your attention, standing out against the black backdrop of the night sky. You shrug Steve off, feeling a tug in your chest to walk closer to the hillâs edge. You need to figure out what youâre seeing. With every step you take, the more your vision focuses in on the lights, the more dread fills your body.
Itâs the mall. The lights are coming from the mall.Â
You freeze.Â
The lights are going haywire, flickering wildly. Itâs supposed to be deserted. Jonathan and the others were supposed to have left already, but still your stomach sinks. Something isnât right.Â
Steve stumbles after you, confused as to why you pulled away, but when he sees the mall as well, he stills. âWhat theâŚ?â
âThey left. They said they would be gone by now.â You try to calm yourself down, try to focus on the reasoning. The mall is empty. Itâs supposed to be empty. Jonathan promised you he would make it to Murrayâs safely. He wouldnât lie, he would never lie to you.Â
Robin, Dustin, and Erica come up behind you and Steve. You all stand there at the crest. No one moves, transfixed by what they see. The lights continue to flicker, miles below, impossibly too far away from help.
Someone has to help.
Your feet move, twisting your body to run back to the radio. You need answers. You need to know what the hell is going on, if everyone is safe, and Dustin is right behind you. He falls to the grass in front of the radio and frantically brings it to his lips. âGriswold Family, this is Scoops Troop. Do you copy? Over!â
He repeats the call over and over, but no one responds. With each passing moment of silence, your panic turns into blind fear. âI repeat, do you copyââ A sudden, horrifyingly familiar screech, one that has haunted your nightmares for years now, rips through the radioâs speaker. Itâs loud and gruesome and sends ice into your body. Your brotherâs concern rivals your own. âGriswold Family, please confirm your safety. Are you enroute to Bald Eagleâs nest?â
Dustin is screaming into the radio at this point, demanding answers, but thereâs only snarling on the other side. Your breathing quickens, the edges of your vision blur. Sweat trickles down your neck. You canât breathe. Jonathan is still at the mall. Mike and Will. Nancy, Max and Lucas.Â
El.
The Mind Flayer has them.Â
Steve tries to grab your hand, but youâre blind to it all. In raw desperation, you tear the radio out of Dustinâs hands and bring it to your own lips. âJonathan! Nancy! Mike, anyone.â
Your pleads fill the void of a response in the night air. Steve sits next to you, all he can do is watch as your pleading turns into begging. Your voice cracks, the words scratch your throat. Seeing your white-knuckled grip on the radio, Steve canât take it anymore.Â
âCâmon,â he takes your hand and pulls you up. Numb with fear, your body is limp. You try to fight him, you donât know why heâs pulling you away from the radio when your friends need help, but Steve has made up his mind. He takes the device out of your hands and makes you look at him. âThey need our help.â
âThatâs what Iâm trying to do!â
âY/N, look at me.â Steve motions to the car, and finally you understand. âWeâre going.â
Relief threatens to make your knees weak. Too wired from the debilitating combination of fear and helplessness, all you can do is nod at Steve and allow him to guide you down the hill. Dustin and Erica see that youâre leaving and try to stop you. âWhere are you going?â
âTo get them the hell outta there!â Steve calls over his shoulder, fumbling through his pocket to retrieve the keys. âStay here, contact the others!â
Dustin calls out your name, anxious. He doesnât want you to leave, and you hate that you have to leave him. But right now, he and Erica are as far from danger as physically possible. Weathertop hill is miles away from Starcourt. Right now, Jonathan needs you, and so do the others. Breaking out of Steveâs grasp, you run back to your brother and kiss his forehead. âIâll be back, I promise.â
You run back to the car where Steve awaits, and Robin is quick to follow. She runs after the two of you and catches the walkie that Dustin tosses her. âStay in touch,â he orders the three of you, still entirely against the whole thing.Â
âWe will!â You shout back at him, already crawling into the car. âStay safe, donât do anything stupid, and stay here.â
The backdoor closes, Robinâs seatbelt clicks into place, then the Cadillacâs engine roars to life.
â
Your hands won't stop shaking as Steve drives. Nothing he says can reassure you. The car hasnât gone below seventy miles an hour despite the narrow road, and still it doesnât feel like it will be enough.Â
âIâm sure theyâre okay.â Steve tries again to sound convincing, like his hands also donât shake as he grips the steering wheel. âI mean, they have El. Sheâs a superhero.â
âTotal superhero.â Robin unhelpfully chimes in. Her own nervousness is on display as she twists her fingers together.Â
You draw your knees into your chest, trying desperately to make yourself smaller. Youâre terrified for your friends, you shouldâve never split up. The party always does better when itâs together. Forcing air into your lungs, you stare out the windshield. âHow much farther?â
âA minute, maybe even less.â Steve promises, pressing down even harder on the gas pedal. The engineâs roar deafens your ears, and you welcome the distraction.Â
In the distance you see Starcourtâs blinding neon lights. They grow bigger and bigger with every passing second, and you release the breath you had been holding when you see that youâre close. The moment of relief is short lived, however, when you hear gunshots pierce through the night. The sound rings in your eyes and the sight of Nancy firing the gun chokes you.Â
âThere!â You point towards where she stands and Steve changes the direction of the car. The tires screech and your body thuds against the door but you donât care. All you can focus on is Nancy standing in front of Jonathanâs car, unmoving as she fires bullet after bullet. Something seems to be wrong with his car, you can hear the engine fail each time he turns the key.
You squint your eyes. At first, you canât see what Nancy is firing at, but within seconds you see the third car barreling straight towards her at a terrifying speed. In the driverâs seat is Billy. âSteve!â
âI see him!â He floors it.Â
The impact knocks all the air out of your body. It all happens so fast. Glass shatters. Metal hits metal. Your body gets thrown, your head roughly hits Steveâs shoulder as the car spins out. Your eyes squeeze shut at the momentum. You canât remember if you scream.Â
âAre you guys okay?â Steve asks, panting, as soon as he car comes to a stop. His head is spinning yet the first thing he does is look to see if youâre hurt. Thereâs some glass in your hair, but for the most part there isnât a scratch on you, which heâs thankful for.Â
âAsk me tomorrow?â Robin stares blankly ahead, still trying to process whatâs just happened.Â
It takes a few moments for you to come to. Your ears are ringing. Your neck aches from being thrown so suddenly to the left. âLetâs never do that again.â
âAgreedâŚâ Robin swallows, but quickly her mouth goes dry. âOh, shit.â
You follow her line of sight and nearly throw up. The Mind Flayer crawls over the mall and releases a thundering screech, and the size of it alone makes you want to cry. Itâs huge, bigger than anything youâve ever seen before.Â
A car honks behind you, breaking you from your terror. Your head whips around, finding Nancy in the passenger seat of Jonathanâs car. âGet in!â
Quickly the three of you scramble out of the wrecked car. There isnât room in any of the passenger seats, so you yank the trunk door open and scream at Robin and Steve to crawl in. Itâs a tight fit, you have to press your back against Steveâs chest, but itâll have to do.Â
As soon as the trunk is closed, Jonathan steps on the gas. Youâre thrown further into Steveâs chest and Robin, who sits in front of you, lets out a quiet yelp when she sees the Mind Flayer chasing after the car, not far behind. Seeing this as well, Jonathan takes a rough turn and everyone in the car tries to brace for the rest of the ride.Â
âAre you okay, bug?â Jonathan shouts over his shoulder, eyes still on the road.
âFine and dandy,â you pick a piece of glass out of your hair. Steve helps, carefully combing through your hair as well. The Mind Flayer screams, tries to lunge at the car, and your heart skips a beat. You try to distract yourself. âI crash cars every day. How about you guys, what brought yâall out here tonight?â
âBilly.â Everyone in the car says in unison.
You wince. âItâs always him, isnât it?â
No one answers. Your quips donât land. Robin hasnât looked away from the Mind Flayer yet, Steve doesnât want to look at it. Jonathan stares at the road ahead of him and Nancy flinches every time the Mind Flayerâs body thuds against the earth. The rest of the kids are silent, the echoes of its footfalls pounding against their eardrums.Â
Itâs grim in the car. Really fucking grim.Â
âDusty-bun, you copy?â A girlâs voice comes through over the radio. Itâs not a voice you recognize; never in your life have you heard anyone besides your own mother refer to your brother as Dusty-bun.
Steveâs bewildered expression matches your own. Then Dustinâs voice crackles through the radio, and your bewilderment turns into relief. At least your brother is far away from whatever the hell is chasing you right now. âI copy, Suzie-poo. It sounds much better now, thanks.âÂ
âSuzie,â Steve and Robin breathe out at the same time. You smile at them, smug. They had their doubts, but you were almost certain she had been real. Serves them right.Â
The nickname Dustin has for his girlfriend, however, is awful. ââSuzie-pooâ? Thatâs the best nickname he couldâve come up with?â
âI like bee, better.â Jonathan agrees.
Steve scoffs. âHoney has a nicer ring to it.â
âBoth of you shut up!â You donât have time for their weird ��my horse is bigger than yoursâ competition. Dustinâs started speaking over the radio again and youâre trying to listen in case itâs important. Heâs asking Suzie whether she knows what Planckâs constant is, and you have no idea how any of this is relevant to the situation at hand.Â
âOkay, so I know it starts with two sixes, and then aâŚâ Dustinâs voice trails off. Apparently this Planck thing is a number, one he canât seem to remember. âW-What is it?â
âOkay, let me just be clear on this.â The tone of Suzieâs voice makes you pity your brother. Itâs an angry tone, annoyed and fed up. Whatever sheâs about to say, it wonât be pretty. âI havenât heard from you in a week, and now you want a mathematical equation that you should know so you can⌠save the world?â
You whistle, commending the girlâs sense of self worth. âSheâs got a point.âÂ
Dustin pleads with her, promising that heâll make it up to Suzie as soon as he can. You feel a bit bad for him, honestly. He really had been trying to contact her ever since he got home from camp. How was he supposed to know his week would end up being dominated by Russians?
âYou can make it up to me now.â Suzieâs voice lowers a frightening octave. You have no idea what sheâs about to say, and a large part of you wants to throw the radio out the window before youâre forced to find out.Â
âWhat?â Dustin sounds frightened as well, which doesnât make you feel any better.Â
âI want to hear it.â
Horror fills you. Itâs worse. So much worse than you ever couldâve imagined. You know exactly what Suzie wants from Dustin. âOh, no⌠He told her.â
âTold her what?â Steve asks you, confused by this entire ordeal. Dustin and Suzie argue in the background. Sheâs insistent and your brother tries his best to convince her otherwise.Â
Jonathanâs eyes meet Steveâs in the rearview mirror, mischief in them. âTheater camp.â
âJonathan Byers, I will hurt you!â You hiss at him, utterly mortified. Sometimes you despise the fact that heâs your closest friend. He knows far too much about you.Â
Steve has so many questions, but he forgets all of them when Dustin starts to sing. âTurn around, look at what you see.â
His voice is clear and beautiful, a testament to the countless hours the two of you were forced to endure in vocal lessons. When you were younger and still living in Virginia, your mother made you and your brother attend a musical theater camp every summer. She loved having you guys perform little shows for her around the house. Said your voices were like angels to listen to.Â
The day you and Dustin moved to Hawkins, you both swore to never tell anyone about the camp. The secret would die with you.Â
Jonathan only knows about it because your mom had him video tape Christmas carols a few years ago (like the traitor that he is). It had taken several batches of cookies, numerous pleas, and a handful of threats to ensure he wouldnât tell anyone what he saw.Â
âIn her face, the mirror of your dreams.â Dustinâs melodic voice floats through the car. The song had been one the two of you sang frequently at camp, its verses simple yet fun to sing together.Â
Steve and Robin share a look of disbelief. Theyâve completely forgotten about the Mind Flayer still chasing after the car. Suzie, a surprisingly good singer as well, now joins Dustin. They sing together, in a sweet, childish way. You canât help but sing along, harmonizing with them.Â
Everyone in the car looks at you as if youâre insane, but youâre too tired and exhausted to care. Youâve had the weirdest two days of your goddamn life. Sue you for singing along. Itâs a good song.Â
That, or maybe youâre just delirious from dehydration.
After a minute or so, the song comes to a close, and youâre almost saddened by that. Youâve missed singing with your brother. You make a mental note to bug him about it later. âPlanckâs constant is 6.62607004.â
Dustin laughs into the radio, happy that Suzie finally revealed the number. âYou just saved the world!â
âGosh, I miss you, Dusty-bun.â
The two continue to go back and forth with their baby talk, which you cringe at. Itâs disgusting to overhear, although you guess you understand now why Dustin hates being around you and Steve. Youâll apologize to him later.Â
Dustinâs voice cuts off unexpectedly, which you assume is Ericaâs doing. Youâll also thank her later. The car goes quiet again. No one knows what to follow Dustinâs impromptu performance with.Â
âSo, theater camp, huh?â Steve finally breaks the silence, squeezing you gently in his arms as he teases.Â
âTell anyone and I swear Iâllââ The Mind Flayer suddenly turns around, catching your attention. It runs away, back towards the mall. It doesnât make any sense. Everyone is here, in the car. It only wants El. Unease twists your stomach. You lean forward and look at who is in the car. When you see Will and Lucas in the seat in front of you, you panic. âWhere are the others?â
Youâre practically crawling over the seat to try and get to Jonathan and Nancy. âWhereâs Max and El? Where the hell is Mike?â
Nancy tries to distance herself from your anger. âWe got separated, but theyâreâtheyâre fine. We had to guide the Mind Flayer away from the mallââ
��So you left them?â
âWe didnât really have much of a choice, Y/N!â Nancy screams back at you now, insulted that you truly believe she would ever leave her brother behind willingly. She wouldnât do that. She knows that you know this.Â
âItâs going back for them! It fucking turned around, canât you see that? We need to follow it, now!âÂ
âY/Nââ
âTurn. Around.â
âSteve, sit Y/N back down!â Jonathanâs yell cuts in between you and Nancy. Youâre about to start spewing curses at him, but Steveâs arms are strong and force you back into his lap. Youâre livid. âHold on!âÂ
Jonathan knows youâre right. He tightens his hold on the steering wheel and stomps on the brakes. The car spins, he twists the wheel, controls it as best as he can, before he steadies the vehicle and accelerates back towards the mall.Â
âÂ
When you get to the mall, Lucas announces that he has a plan.Â
âFireworks have an insane amount of gunpowder in them.â He explains to the group, waving around a handful of fireworks he left in the trunk. Youâre all carrying some as you run through the mallâs parking lot. âIf we tie them together, we can mimic the damage of dynamite.â
âThink itâll be enough to kill the Mind Flayer?â Nancy asks, hesitant.
âIf we throw them from above, yeah!â
You kiss Lucasâ cheek, only barely managing not to trip over your feet as you run. âI think youâre a genius, Sinclair.â
Inside the mall, everyone quickly sets the fireworks up. Faintly you can hear the Mind Flayer lurking somewhere, its roars echoing throughout the building, but it hasnât found you guys yet. Lighters get passed around, fireworks get messily taped together, groups are divided in an attempt to cover the most ground. Jonathan with Nancy. Will with Lucas. You and Steve with Robin.
Youâre taping together the last of your fireworks when you look down over the railing. You almost drop the fireworks in your hand when you see Billy hovering over El. Heâs so much bigger than she is. Sheâs hardly even visible beneath him. Your stomach churns. âHeâs here.â
Thuds shake the ground. The Mind Flayer descends from the rooftop and crawls over to where Billy has placed El. Its mouth opens, preparing for the kill, and Lucas throws the first firework. âFlay this, you ugly piece of shit!â
Bursts of light collide into the monster. It hisses, turns to face the direction the firework was thrown, and Lucas throws another into its mouth.Â
Smoke begins to fill the air. The whistle of the rockets sting your ears. The light blinds you. Itâs loud and messy and fireworks rain down upon the monster. Everyone throws the bundles they have, and yet still you hesitate. Billyâs eyes flash through your mind. How the red in them overtook the icy blue. The sweat that poured from his face. The cruelty that seeped through his skin.Â
Itâs horrible whatâs happened to him. He didnât deserve to become a pawn in this maddening game.Â
But someone has to end it. You breathe in, relax your body, and bring your lighter to the first firework. Its heat licks at your skin as you release it into the air. You hit the side of its body, sending the Mind Flayer stumbling back.Â
âHey, asshole. Over here!â Steve throws a firework and its blasts almost scorches the two of you. Itâs dangerous, stray fireworks threaten to crash into everyone, but the plan seems to be working. WIth every hit the Mind Flayer takes, the more he weakens.Â
Your thumb burns as you light fireworks over and over again. The motion is repetitive, just enough to keep the fear in you at bay. Itâs deafening within the mall. Itâs exhilarating. Itâs dizzying. Reds, blues, yellows, greens all light up the sky.Â
Distantly, through the haze of smoke, you watch as the fireworks affect Billy as well. He cowers each time the Mind Flayer gets hit, but it also seems to enrage him as well. He grabs Elâs wounded leg and drags her closer to the monster.
Helplessly you wish you were down there with El, helping her. However, all you can do is continue throwing fireworks in a crazed attempt to save the ones you love. You scream with every throw, exerting all your strength to throw them as far as you physically can. But youâre quickly running out of ammunition.Â
âDustin, weâre out of time!â Steve screams into the walkie, breath heaving with soot on his face.Â
Your brother screams back, pleading with Hopper to close the gate. No one answers him, and you hold back exhausted sobs as you throw the remaining fireworks. They wonât be enough. Someone has to close the gate, sever any connection the Upside Down has to your world. Itâs the only way any of you are making it out alive.Â
Yet it remains open, and Billy has now crawled back on top of El.Â
She seems to be saying something to him, but in the cloud of smoke and explosions you canât be sure. Robin helps you light the last firework, Steve aims it, and youâre numb to it all. He throws it, it explodes into a shower of purple. Its ashes scatter around Billy, singes his back, and you see now that heâs stopped moving.Â
âThat was the last one!â Robin shouts over the screams of the fireworks. Steve runs a hand through hair and curses. There isnât anything else the three of you can do.
You run to the railing and look around, feverish to find any way to help. Jonathan catches your eye from across the plaza. He looks just as distraught as you are. Your palm hits against the metal of the railing in frustration. There has to be something. Then you see Max and Mike below, standing on the outskirts of where Billy and El are, all alone.Â
âIâm going down!â You scream to Robin and Steve. You have to get down there. Someone has to be with them. Theyâre too close to the fire and explosions and monsters.Â
âY/N, waitââ Steve tries to stop you, but you plead with him.Â
âSteve, I need you to trust me.â Thereâs a raw, overwhelming feeling within you that something bad is about to happen. You canât shake it, the feeling of loss being inevitable frightens you. For three years now youâve saved everyone, done everything right. For three years, youâve gotten lucky. You donât know how to explain all of this to Steve, the fear that has followed you ever since you first intercepted the Russian code. âPlease.â
Maybe itâs the way you say it. Maybe itâs the tears that stream down your face as you look at him. Whatever the reason may be, Steve reluctantly lets go of you. Endlessly thankful for him, your hands cradle his face as you kiss him. He makes a cute, surprised noise, and you wish more than anything that you can bask in the warmth of his lips, but you canât.Â
You force yourself to pull away. âIâll be back, take care of the others.â
And then youâre gone.Â
Footsteps echoing against the walls of the mall, you run down the stairs and straight towards Max and Mike. They hear you approach and suddenly theyâre both in your arms. They hold onto you tightly, none of you can tear your eyes away from the scene in front of you. Billy slowly stands up and away from El. His movements are labored as he walks in front of the Mind Flayer, blocking its path to her.Â
They stand, face to face, unmoving. Predator against prey. Your heart pounds in your throat as you watch, too scared to move. In an almost imperceptible velocity, the Mind Flayer extends its claws.Â
Billy raises his arms, stopping the monster from piercing through El, protecting her. âNo!â A guttural, animalistic scream tears apart his vocal chords. He screams, over and over again, as the Mind Flayer struggles against him.Â
Max freezes in your arms, you feel her choke on her gasp.Â
Everything happens slowly after that.Â
The first claw that penetrates Billyâs side.Â
The second one that cuts through his other side.Â
Then the third one, the fourth and the fifth and the sixth. They pierce through his skin, sink into the flesh. His body goes limp as heâs suspended into the air. The Mind Flayer hisses down at him, its teeth bared, and Billy, who has never been afraid, screams in the face of death as the monster fatally punctures his chest.Â
Everything stops.
âBilly!â You will never forget the pain in Maxâs scream. It will become yet another sound that haunts your nightmares.Â
As you stand there with a paralyzed Max in your arms, the Mind Flayer drops Billyâs body onto the ground. He lands with a sickening thud. The Mind Flayerâs body crashes into the walls, it convulses, spasms, leaving destruction in its wake. Then, all together, it stills and falls to the ground.
The gate has been closed.Â
Mike tears himself from your arms and runs over to El. He pulls her into a hug and she begins to sob. You and Max walk numbly over to them, neither of your eyes leave Billyâs bleeding body. He shudders weakly where he lays, a pool of blood encasing his body.Â
âBilly?â Max knees next to him. Sheâs crying, she doesnât know what to do. Thereâs so much blood. âBilly, get up. Please, Billy. Get up, please.â
You kneel next to her, at her side through it all.Â
Blood pours from Billyâs mouth. He coughs and the wet sound only makes Max cry harder. He looks up at you, his eyes are finally blue again. âTalking to you⌠sweetheart.â
But if you need anyone to talk to, about anything, come find me, okay?
Those had been your last words to him.Â
âBillyâŚâ He had tried to find you. He had been lost and scared and alone. He didnât know what had been happening to him, why his anger became venom. A sob is wrenched from your mouth. He had been all alone, and he had tried to find you.
Billy coughs again, more blood leaks from his wounds. With the last of his strength, he turns his head to Max. âIâm sorryâŚâ His chest heaves in pain, he labors two final breaths, before his chest falls entirely. It doesnât rise again.Â
Max shakes his shoulders, uncaring for the wounds there. She shakes him, begs and pleads with him to wake up, but his body remains lifeless. She lets out one final, anguished sob. âBilly.âÂ
She buries her face in your chest and sobs. You hold her, El joins. The girl tries to soothe Max, she tries to keep you together, but you break as well.Â
You cry for the boy Billy had once been. Max had told you stories from before. How he would drive her to the skate park, scare off any older boy who tried to taunt her. She told you about how he used to love surfing in California, before his mom had left them and his dad became violent.Â
Max told you about how kind Billy had once been, she knows he used to be kind. How she could see it in him still, hiding the bruises from his father to not scare her. To make her feel safe in their own home even if he intimidated her as well; it was the violence in him that was created by a monster far more vile than the Mind Flayer.Â
You cry for Max, too young to lose such a complicated loved one. You know the pain better than anyone else. How it hurts to grieve them, how it makes you feel pathetic to miss someone who has only hurt you, but the tenderness of knowing them tethers you to it all. Billy had been her brother. There is no greater tether than that.Â
You cry because you loved and have lost. You will blame yourself for having not said anything about Billyâs off behavior. You had seen the first signs of what the Mind Flayer did to him. He had been stranded on the side of the road, bloodied and bruised, blue eyes darker than normal, and you had done nothing except tell him to come find you.Â
And then you had left him.Â
Billy Hargrove died alone.
You and Max will share the burden of this guilt.Â
âÂ
Jonathan finds you first, then Steve. Youâre on the floor, kneeling with Max in your arms, two broken pieces finding solace in the other. Billyâs body lies next to you, neither you nor Max can bear to look at it.Â
âIâm sorry, Iâm sorry, Iâm sorry,â theyâre the only words you can say to the girl.Â
Max clutches your arms around her and her tears soak your shirt. El and Steve try to coax her out of your arms, but she doesnât move. She refuses to let go of you, though she allows Jonathan to drape his arms over you and hold you as your own sobs echo within the mall.Â
Nancy and the others join. They leave a wide berth around the dead body before them. Nancy sees that youâre in no condition to guide, so she takes over for you. She instructs Steve and Lucas to take Max from your arms so that they can stand the two of you up. The fire from the wreckage is quickly spreading and youâll need to evacuate soon.
âItâs okay, bug. Youâre okay.â Jonathan whispers in your ear, one hand delicate on your arm. Steveâs hands rest upon your other arm, and together the two of them are able to get you onto your feet.Â
Your body shakes, grief sits heavily upon your chest. Steveâs eyes never leave your weak frame.Â
Itâs all a blur after that.Â
Firefighters break through the mall and evacuate the building. Nancy and Jonathan do all the talking. Someone, you think itâs Steve, carefully guides you through the maze of burning rubble and bodies. Itâs raining outside and the soft thunder almost drowns out the drone of the helicopters that swarm the building.Â
There are ambulances amongst the military trucks and youâre shoved into one by a concerned medic. The woman explains to you that youâre in shock, that your body is in a state of perpetual flight. She allows Steve to sit and stay with you only after sheâs finished patching up his split lip and bruised eye.Â
âItâs going to take some time to heal,â the medic explains to you. Sheâs soft spoken, maternal, and in your numb state she reminds you of your mother. âYou kids went through a lot tonight.â
Time.Â
It always goes back to time.Â
Steve rubs your back and kisses the top of your head every few minutes. You rest your head against his shoulder, body pressed against his, a blanket draped around both of your shouldersâ. Neither of you say anything. His hand on your back is warm, it unthaws the ice that the shock has left behind. His touch grounds you, keeps you afloat.Â
A car pulls up in the distance and its doors slam. Your eyes drift up, finding Joyceâs as she stumbles through the crowd of armed soldiers and firefighters. She stumbles around, lost in some haze that clouds her once shining face. Joyce looks around in concern, trying to find her sons, and somehow you know, even before her face crumbles when she sees you, that something terrible has happened.
Her eyes meet yours.Â
Hopper isnât with her.
Will rushes towards his mother and almost knocks her down with how hard he hugs her. Joyce clings onto him and breaks into heartwrenching, bone crushing, sobs. You can hear her from where you sit with Steve, you can feel the weight of her loss like thickened water in your lungs.Â
In the other ambulance next to you, El, who had been resting in Mikeâs lap, stands up when she sees Joyce. She walks towards the woman as she embraces her son. Though El faces away from you, standing alone in the middle of the parking lot, the way her shoulders shake as she begins to fall apart indicates the remnants of her childhood have died tonight.
âHopperâs dead.â Theyâre the first words youâve spoken all night. Your voice is hoarse from disuse and the words echo, taunting you.Â
Steve doesnât say anything, only a heavy sigh leaves his body.Â
There were three deaths tonight. Billy, Hopper, and Elâs childhood. One for every year you got lucky. The fear that had been creeping through the back of your mind finally presents itself to you. It manifests in the humid July air and it laughs at you. Saving Will, closing the gate, destroying the Mind Flayer. They were debts needed to be fulfilled, and they were paid for tonight.
You see Max and Robin sitting on a stretcher across from you. Max also hasnât said anything all night, lost in her own grief and remorse. Joyce still sobs in Willâs arms. El grieves alone, mourning the closest thing sheâs ever had to a father.Â
You see Jonathan and Nancy whispering quietly to one another in another ambulance. They share a blanket like you do with Steve, but Nancyâs eyes are sunken in and Jonathanâs face is pale. Lucas and Mike sit together, too exhausted to say anything.Â
Youâre all bleeding or burned or bruised and youâre tired.Â
âSometimesâŚâ Your voice cracks, tears threaten to silence you, and you force yourself to breathe in. Force yourself to focus, to get the words out. Theyâre important, somehow, even if you donât know why. âSometimes it feels like Iâve used up all my luck.â
Steve draws small circles into your ribcage. His fingers catch on the raised skin, the scar from when you saved his life last year. âLuck?â
âWhen Will went missing⌠It was pure luck that I found him. Brought him back home.â You werenât supposed to have been with the kids when they found El. You were lucky that night, it was luck that threw you into the middle of it all. âIt was luck that saved Will last year, too. Those tunnelsâŚâ Your body shivers at the memory. It had been so cold down there, the smell of the damp earth is a scent you will never forget. âAnd now Iââ
Your words catch in your throat. Steveâs body presses against yours, he waits for you, patient. When your voice returns, you try again. âAnd now I⌠Iâm not sure how I feel.â
âWhyâs that, angel?â Steve listens, he tries to understand. âI mean, the Mind Flayer is gone. We won.â
You saved Hawkins. You saved El. You know this, and it should be enough, but it isnât. âAll the deaths that took place tonight stain everything.â
Elâs father is dead. Joyce had come so close to loving again. Max no longer has someone to call a brother. Billy, who endured so much hurt when he was a child, never got the chance to experience kindness when he grew up.Â
Billy never got the chance to become good, not like you did. You were lucky to have even become kind again in the first place. It had taken years to turn the hurt from your childhood into empathy. You had a mother who called you her sweet girl even when you screamed horrible insults at her. You had a brother who held your hand through the anger that your father left behind. You had a best friend who taught you that not everyone leaves. There had been people who loved you, who were gentle, who showed you that anger can be turned into something soft.Â
But all Billy ever knew in his life was violence and cruelty. It isnât fair.Â
âMy entire life Iâve been lucky,â your chest constricts as you confess everything to Steve. All your fear, the doubt, the insecurity. âNow itâit feels like Iâve used up all my luck.â Your fingers find Steveâs, a mind of their own as your body seeks the solace only he can bring. He doesnât know that heâs the reason you believe youâve had more luck than anyone else in their life. âI⌠I was lucky to have met you, to become your friend, someone you trust. How could I possibly have any luck left over after everything weâve been through together?â
Everything burns in Steve. He understands what youâre trying to say, he does, but he doesnât agree. Steve hooks the pad of his fingertip underneath your chin and coaxes your head up, he wants you to look at him as he speaks. He needs you to hear him. To understand. âWell, thatâs where youâre wrong.â
You wipe your eyes, uncomfortable under Steveâs open and earnest gaze. âIâm wrong?â
He hums, strokes a finger from the dip of your cheek up to the crest of your brow. He admires you, memorizes the skin beneath his. âYouâve taught me a lot of things, but youâre wrong about that luck theory of yours. See, I have my own theory that you can never run out of luck if you love, and you taught me that to love and be loved is the luckiest thing a person can give and receive.â
Steve remembers the first day he ever saw you. Heâd been thirteen, you had been twelve. He remembers how small you looked to him, yet lovely nonetheless, even back then. You had always been so lovely to Steve, kind, delicate, admirable.Â
Your eyes stare into Steveâs and he remembers the first day he spoke to you. The squeal of your bike tires as you almost crashed into his car. The way the setting sun cast you in a golden glow in the ditch you landed in as Steve offered you his hand. How, the moment you laughed at what he said, he felt breathless.Â
You smile at Steve now, the same smile all those years ago, the smile he saw when he was thirteen and believed in knights and dragons. Now, at eighteen, you smile at Steve and he believes in fates that attach people to one another and mold them into one being.Â
âAnd Iâm lucky enough to be able to love you, angel.âÂ
Steveâs words cut through you. Theyâre the good that remind you of the light of the sun that follows the dark of the night. Itâs almost like an awakening, a slow remembering, how can someone run out of luck if they love with everything within them?
You see Mike now consoling El. Sheâs in pain, but Mike bears the hurt with her. You see Jonathan and Nancy sleep soundly against each other, safe in the otherâs arms. Lucas holds Maxâs hand as Robin cracks a joke that gets the young girl to laugh. Will strokes his fingers through his motherâs hair, offering her love that only a son can.Â
Even while there is so much grief and pain within this world, the love that follows overwhelms it.
Steve stares down at you, eyes soft with contentedness. There isnât a pressure behind them, he doesnât need you to say anything to him. Heâs simply happy to have you in his arms, to have you with him now, to remind him of how lucky he is, and youâre so full of love for him.Â
âIâm lucky enough to be able to love you, too, sweet honey.â
Steve Harrington smiles the boyish smile that you fell for long before you knew what love even was, and he kisses you. He breathes you in, he has you right where he wants you.Â
You finally, finally, have come home.Â
âÂ
Time passes slowly afterwards; you take it one day at a time.Â
After the mall burns down, your job is practically all but saved. Itâs a small, bittersweet thing. Mrs. Waters had told you the news with her own bittersweet smile, mourning her dear friend Mrs. Driscoll who died in the fire. She will never know the truth, that the woman had become part of an army created by a monster.Â
âBut at least Doris would be happy that I still have my store,â the woman said as she stacked books with you at the counter. It had only taken you two days before finding yourself falling back into old habits. Your mother had wanted you to stay home for the rest of the summer, but Bookstrordinary has always been a second home to you, and you couldnât bear the silence in the house. Mrs. Waters sighed sadly, looking down. âI miss her.â
âIâm sorry, Mrs. Waters.â You squeezed her hand, mourned with her.
Hopperâs funeral took place a week after Starcourt burned down. The entire town showed up, something that you know the old man wouldâve hated, and he was crowned Hawkinsâ hero. You spent the ceremony in the very back, holding Elâs hand, so that the two of you wouldnât be seen.
Billyâs funeral was a few days after Hopperâs. Max sat alone at the front of the church, Billyâs father had been too drunk to attend and her mother couldnât get the time off of work. After the ceremony, the girl silently followed you into your car and spent the rest of the day at Bookstrordinary with you. She hadnât wanted to go home to an empty house, and you understood the feeling.Â
Max spends most of her summer with you at the store after that. Some days she helps restock the shelves, singing along to your set of tapes, bright and cheery. But some days sheâs quiet, sits in a corner and pretends to read whatever you hand her. El stops by the store sometimes, too. You read comics to her, bake her the oatmeal raisin cookies she loves so much, and gossip about Mike and Lucas if Max is having one of her good days.Â
During the first week you bake Joyceâs favorite muffins, the second week you bake her brownies. You offer her a shoulder to cry on every time you stop by the Byers home, you reminisce over Hopper and his disdain for you; she appreciates everything you do.Â
Steve spends every single day with you, it doesnât matter where you are. Without a job, he follows you everywhere. Whether youâre at work, at home, even at Jonathanâs or Nancyâs, heâs always able to find you with Robin right behind him. Nancy thinks the newfound trio is bizarre, but Jonathan canât help but laugh whenever he sees Robin talking your ear off while Steve follows you around like a moth to a flame.
Together, you all try to heal.
Two weeks pass and youâre woken up by the ringing of your phone.Â
âHello?â Annoyance seeps through your greeting. Youâve only just managed to fall asleep, the nightmares at bay for once.Â
âCome outside, angel.â
His voice wakes you up, the annoyance now replaced with confusion. âSteve?â
âWear something warm, okay?â
âWhatâ?â He hangs up, the line disconnects, and youâre completely taken aback by the phone call. You didnât make any plans with Steve tonight, at least not any that you can recall. He had spent the day with you at work, ate dinner with you and your family, before watching a movie with Dustin and going home.Â
Youâre not entirely sure why heâs called you at nearly two in the morning to come outside, but you listen anyways. On your desk chair lays the cardigan Steve bought you for Christmas, his initials stitched into the sleeve. Sliding it over your shoulders, you quickly put it on before climbing through your window.
Steveâs car is parked two houses from yours, headlights off. Thereâs music faintly playing that can be heard through the window, and a familiar melody has you running to get inside. âThe Beatles?â
They were the band that you and your dad used to listen to. His fingers would strum their songs on his guitar as the two of you sat side by side on the front porch of your childhood home. He would hum the words to you. Told you that you should know about real music.Â
When your dad left, he took the music with him.
Jonathan had tried to get you into his favorite artists. The Smiths, David Bowie, the Clash. He would sit you down in his room and play their songs over his record player and watch your reactions. While the music was good, and youâve come to love them because the artists reminded you of Jonathan, it was never the same as listening to the Beatles with your dad during early July mornings.Â
Then one night, when you and Steve had been driving around Hawkins, a Beatles song began to play over the radio. Unknowing of your history with the band, Steve started to hum along the same way your dad would do, and it was finally then that music was brought back into your life.
âWhat, I donât get a hello?â Steve is smiling ear to ear, seeing the flushed joy on your face and the cardigan you wear.Â
You throw your body over the center console and hug him. âHi, honey.â
As he drives, Steve is unusually quiet. His initial smug greeting upon your arrival is quickly overshadowed by a shy demeanor. Steveâs fingers fidget on the steering wheel, his foot taps against the carâs floor. The Beatles play softly within the car and somewhere along the route you find that the wooded scenery starts to look familiar.
Heâs driving you to Loverâs Lake.
âWhy are we heading towards the lake?â You ask Steve, but he pretends not to hear you. Instead, he turns the radio up and sings along to Paul McCartney. Your eyes wander to the backseat and notice a small box nestled against the leather.Â
A few minutes later Steve parks the car and wordlessly the two of you get out. Itâs dark, the moon reflects off the lakeâs water. Crickets sing in the air and the waves lap at the shore. Itâs a beautiful night, the July heat is masked by the nightâs breeze; your cardigan keeps you warm.Â
Lost in admiring the view, you donât notice that Steve has left your side until he returns with a picnic basket. The box you saw earlier is tucked underneath his arm. You tilt your head at him, quizzically. âWhat are you planning, Harrington?â
Steve grabs your hand. âYouâll see.â
He leads you down to the lakeâs edge where the water meets the sand. Thereâs a trail that Steve once found when he was nine. It had been during the last fishing trip he had ever taken with his dad. The man commanded him to hook the worm and Steve cried. Embarrassed and ashamed, Steve had run towards where the sand met the woods and found a meadow hidden within it.Â
There are flowers in full bloom within the meadow, and you gasp when you see their vibrant pinks and blues. The flowers are delicate yet their stems are long. Steve sets the picnic basket down and pulls a blanket out from it. He sets it onto the grass and lays down, motioning you to join him.Â
The stars are clear tonight, shining bright above the two of you. They almost seem to wink at you as you lay side by side with Steve. His hand is in yours, as it always is these days, and with only the stars as his witness, Steve whispers into your ear, âThank you for staying.â
His breath warms your neck, and you know, without having to ask, what heâs thanking you for. Your promise to him last year, that youâd wait for him. He hadnât been ready. The timing of it all wouldnât have been right, but you knew, even back then, that youâd wait forever for Steve Harrington if it meant youâd receive even half of his love.Â
Take your time, Iâll be here.Â
âIt was the easiest thing Iâve ever done.â The words come easily to you, raw with truth and vulnerability.Â
A soft sigh escapes Steve. He turns his head to you, eyes finding yours, and youâve never seen such tenderness within him. He opens his mouth, sighs out the words youâve longed to hear again since that night at Starcourt. âI love you.â
âI love you, too.â You donât think youâll ever tire of saying those three words to him. Thereâs so much love within you, so much youâve ached to give out ever since you were a little girl, and now you finally can.Â
Steve kisses you with a softness that releases a sigh from your own lips, and you know heâs wholly, truly, yours now. With a swift motion, Steve places himself on top of you as you kiss. His weight presses down on you, one hand cups your cheek and the other steadies him. His hair tickles your face, his cologne clouds your brain, and the sweet taste of July honey coats your tongue.Â
Minutes, maybe even hours, pass as you kiss Steve. Itâs lazy, no sense of urgency as your lips move against his. Itâs warm, itâs soft. Eventually he manages to pull himself away from you, heâs brought you here for other reasons tonight.Â
âHold on, I got you something.â Steve fixes his hair, clears his throat, and pulls out a container from the basket. He reveals a freshly baked loaf of banana bread on a beautiful glass plate. Thereâs a small, lopsided candle on top of it.
âYou came prepared tonight,â you tease him, still breathless from the kisses and love.
âMy mom did, actually. Sheâs the one who made this.â You sit up and look at Steve, wide eyed. He laughs at you, finding your stunned reaction endearing. âRelax, angel. She really wanted to bake you something, and I had to make up for allowing Russians to ruin your seventeenth birthday, didnât I?âÂ
Words escape you. Steveâs mom made you banana bread, a woman you have still yet to meet, though youâve only heard fond stories about. She had insisted on doing this kind thing for you.Â
Steve lights the candle and holds the plate up for you. âCâmon, make a wish, Y/N.â
You close your eyes, smiling, and the wish comes easily to you.
For time to stay like this, forever.
You blow the candle out, Steve cuts the banana bread, and you take turns feeding it to one another. The dessert is delicious, freshly baked and still warm. Itâs sweet and nostalgic and everything you could ever ask for.Â
When youâve finished eating, Steve claps his hands. âAlright, now onto the real event of the night!âÂ
You raise an eyebrow. âWhat, the kissing wasnât enough?â Steve makes a panicked noise and you laugh at him. âI was teasing, honey.â
âYou terrify me,â he huffs, before revealing a box from behind him, the very same one youâve been curious about all night.Â
âI aspire to be terrifying,â you stick your tongue out at Steve before turning the box over in your hands. Itâs light, lighter than you expected. âIs this my gift youâve been bragging about?â For months leading up to your birthday, Steve had been boasting about this amazing gift he had thought of, how he had convinced the party to help him.Â
âOpen it and find out.â Thereâs a glint in Steveâs eyes, yet you also see the shyness return as well. Heâs nervous to see your reaction, he wants more than anything to have gotten this right.Â
You roll your eyes at him but open the box. It isnât wrapped like your other gifts from Steve have been. Instead the box is made of a dark oak, and its lid opens with a soft click. The silver catches your attention first. Itâs a small chain with two silver ovals on opposite sides. In between the two ovals is a collection of charms.Â
âIs thisâŚ?â The charms are all roughly the same size, but each vastly different from the other.Â
Steve nods at you, rubs the back of his neck. âItâs a charm bracelet.âÂ
Moonlight reflects off of one of the charms, revealing it to be a frog, another one to be a cookie, and slowly you piece it together. Thereâs six charms, one for each member of the party. âSteve.â
âHave you figured it outâoomph!â He lands with a thud on his back as you attack him with a hug. Slightly out of breath, he laughs and wraps his arms around you. âIâll take that as a yes, then.â
âHow did you get the kids to do this?â You lay on top of him, blinking back tears as you hold the bracelet delicately in your hands to admire it.Â
Steve sighs in exasperation. âMoney and a lot of begging. They were all for picking out charms for you, I just had to pay them to spend more than five minutes with me at the jewelry store.â
You laugh, that sounds exactly like them, and you love those kids with everything within you. Holding up the frog pendant, you know which kid picked it out for you. âMike?â
âYup. Said something about Kermit the frog?â
âHeâs such a little shit,â you say with fondness. Last year, when Billy had nearly choked you to death, your voice had been lost and Mike wouldnât stop referring to you as Kermit. Your fingers skim over the pendant next to it, a simple blue one, and you smile. âDustin?â
âHe told me about your code blues.â Steve rubs your back, content to have you resting against him. You hum, touched that your brother trusted Steve enough to confide this to. No one else knows about your code blues, itâd been a special thing just between the two of you.Â
With your ear pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, Steve explains the rest of the charms to you. His voice is lazy, slow, lilting with fondness, and his hand a firm weight against your back. Max chose a knife charm to remind you of how badass you are. Will chose a bee, because heâll always be your little bee. Lucas was able to find a small, white flower that resembles a dogwood, knowing that itâs your favorite. As for El, she chose a cookie based solely on her love for the ones you bake for her.Â
âWhat about the ovals?â You ask Steve after heâs done explaining what the kids chose for you. The ovals are slightly larger than the charms, almost serving as a divider between them. The metal is smooth underneath your fingers.Â
He brushes hair out of your face and winks. âTurn them over.â
With slight confusion, you do, and discover that theyâre engraved. Etched onto the back of one oval is honey, and, on the other, angel is written. Theyâre your names for one another, nestled between charms from the kids you love so dearly in your life; this is a gift made from pure, unadulterated love.Â
âOh my god,â itâs perfect, absolutely perfect. Your lips are all over Steveâs face before he even has time to blink. You scatter millions of kisses upon his face, drown him in them, With every kiss that you press upon his pretty skin, you shower him with praise. âThank you, thank you, thank you!âÂ
Steve laughs and tries to move his face away, but really he leans into the onslaught of love. His cheeks burn from smiling so hard and from the heat you always make him feel. He grabs your waist and enjoys the skin he holds. âYou like it?â
âI love it, Steve!âÂ
âDoes this make up for the whole Russian fiasco?â He asks, only joking a little bit. He still feels awful for dragging you into everything, but with time heâs learning to forgive himself. Before he overthinks it, Steve adds, âAm I now the best boyfriend in the world?â
His words make you blush, and you donât think youâll ever get used to Steve being yours. Youâve waited so long to be his, to hold him and kiss him like you do now. You cherish the feeling, the sensation of knowing a boy loves you the way that Steve does. âYouâve definitely redeemed yourself for getting me trapped in a Russian lair on my birthday. And youâre definitely the best boyfriend in the world.â
Steve, despite being underneath you, does a victory dance and whoops into the night. Heâs elated, his face shines when you look down at him, and youâve never been so in love before. You once thought you knew what love was, what the burn of it could feel like. But now, with Steve lying beneath you as his arms keep you from falling, you know that love is airless, light, cool to the touch and warm on the skin. Love isnât supposed to hurt, itâs supposed to feel like coming home after a long day of being out in the cold.Â
After Steve helps you put on the charm bracelet, you lay together in the meadow. The lakeâs waves can be heard in the distance. Crickets chirp their greeting, the stars wink hello above you. Their noises serve as a lullaby to you, soothing you to an almost sleep-like state. You nestle your head into the crook of Steveâs neck and let out a sleepy exhale.Â
Feeling this, Steve strokes the back of your hair. âYou fallinâ asleep on me, Henderson?â
âIâm resting my eyes.âÂ
âVery convincing,â he chuckles, tightening his embrace to try and stave off the cold that creeps in. He lets out his own tired sigh, your weight upon him has always put him at ease. He inhales, smells your perfume, and he canât believe that heâs here right now with you. After everything heâs been through, he canât believe that somehow heâs come out of it with you next to him. Last year he thought he had lost you forever. This year he can see forever with you. âI think I like this July a whole lot better than the last one.â
Itâs meant to be a joke, a gentle tease. More of a reflection of how far the two of you have come in such a short amount of time, but still Steveâs words remind you of something. Youâve never told him the real reason why you left last summer. Why you ran away from him.Â
âI was scared, last summer.âÂ
Steve tilts his head at you. âScared of what?â
âI was scared of falling in love with you,â the confession lifts from your chest. It hangs over you both, the weight of it tangible. Steveâs eyes soften, he lets out a soft oh, and you duck your head shyly. âLast July, you wereâŚÂ Everything. You were everything to me, and it terrified me. I was still figuring my feelings out for Jonathan back then, you had Nancy, but you were so lovely and I justâI couldnât do it. It wouldnât have been fair, not to anyone, but Iâm sorry.â
âY/NâŚâ Steve hadnât known. All this time, he thought he had done something wrong. But really you had been trying to protect yourself, protect him, and he understands now why you had to leave him for a while. He sees the distress on your face and he shushes you, kisses your forehead. âDonât apologize, okay? I honestly wouldâve run away too, if I were you. Iâm just⌠You came back to me, in the end. Thatâs all I care about.â
Heâs too good for you. âI still hurt you.â
âYouâre human,â Steve brushes more hair out of your face. âWe all make mistakes. You ditched me for a few months and I almost got you killed by crazy Russians. I think weâre pretty even now.â
Despite the guilt in your throat, Steve manages to draw a smile from you. Itâs what heâs always done best. Even on the day Will had gone missing, he had been the one to ease the loss by pretending not to have known your name. He had made you laugh when you thought you could never laugh again. Steve would do anything to get you to smile, and you cannot imagine where youâd be without him. âWe always even our debts, huh?â
âItâs tradition at this point.â
And you laugh, full-bellied and loud and recklessly. It echoes into the night, Steveâs reverberates into your ears, and youâre happy.Â
âÂ
A month passes, and in the mid-August heat, Jonathan knocks on your window late one night.Â
His knuckles rap against the glass and itâs a sound reminiscent of before, when you were little kids who didnât know how yet to hurt each other. You crawl out of your bed, curious, though happy nonetheless to let him in.Â
You go to open your curtain, ready to tell the boy all about what Dustin had done today, unaware that when you open the curtain, everything will change.Â
Jonathan is crying.Â
âBee, oh my God.â You quickly open the window and he manages to crawl through, though sobs wrack his body. Heâs shaking, and for a terrifying moment you think that something has happened to Will. âIs everything okay?â
He stands before you, chest heaving and eyes red, and with two words your world comes crashing down. âWeâre moving.â
Time stands still. Youâre seventeen and your childhood is coming to a close.
Somehow youâre holding onto Jonathan as he explains everything through his tears. Heâs moving in early September, going all the way to California. He and his family are leaving Hawkins, leaving you.Â
Your legs give out, or maybe itâs Jonathanâs, but you hold each other on the floor, intertwined, mourning the loss of growing up together. Your tears mix with his, his breathing becomes yours. The two of you cling onto each other, scared that one day soon youâll never be able to do this again.Â
âWe need toââ Your breathing is shaky, your eyes sting. You feel a desperate franticness claw out of you, you grasp at what little sanity you have left. âWe need to promise each other thatâthat weâll see each other every day before you leave, in some capacity. Itâit doesnât matter how butââ
âIâve already talked to Nancy about it, bug.â Jonathan wipes your tears, lets his own fall freely. He knew youâd say this, and he loves you all the more for it. âItâs been agreed.â
You nod, relieved. It isnât much, it still doesnât change the fact that Jonathan will leave you in the end, but at least youâll make every last second with him count. Youâll move into the Byers home if you have to, theyâre your family. Heâs your person. Heâs embedded into your skin, heâs nestled between your bones.Â
Last year you and Jonathan promised you would never let go of each other.Â
The year prior to that you promised each other that nothing would change between you two.Â
Now, holding onto each other as the world youâve been building together for five years comes crumbling down, you have to believe that the promises will be enough.
â
Steve and Robin rope you into helping them find a new job.
You innocently pointed out that Family Video was hiring, figuring it was an easy enough place to work at, and suddenly the two of them had shoved you into Steveâs car with resumes in their hands. Honestly, you shouldâve seen it coming.Â
âYou put your mom down as a reference?â Robin questions Steve as you all get out of the car. She had agreed to proofread it after you politely declined, stating that if you proofread anything Steve wrote, it might ruin your relationship.Â
âYeah, why not?â Steve slams his door, straightens his shirt, and grabs your hand as you walk inside. âSheâs like, super well respected.â
You share a look with Robin. âRich kids,â you both groan at the same time. As much as you love Steve, youâll neve quite get over how well connected he is. Itâs bizarre and slightly terrifying how much the Harrington name can get you in this town.
âWhatever, call me a rich kid, but itâs my car you guys get free rides in.â
Robin rolls her eyes. âYouâre such a dingus.â
âI didnât ask to be here,â you remind Steve, though you thank him when he holds the storeâs door open for you and Robin. âI think this could count as kidnapping.â
Robin bumps her hips against yours. âNot technically. Besides, I thought we agreed to leave our kidnapping days behind us after Erica?â
You shove the teen and follow her into the store. You look around at all the movies, slightly impressed. Youâve never really visited Family Video before, only really stopping by if you were picking up Dustin from the arcade next door. The store is nice, albeit small, but you can see Steve and Robin enjoying themselves. Thereâs good music, few customers, and the uniformed vest is less mortifying than Scoopâs small shorts and sailor hats. âItâs not so bad in here.â
âWhy thank you, pretty lady.â A greasy looking man at the register smiles at you, leaning over it in a very unappealing manner. His name tag informs you that his name is Keith.
Steve immediately steps in front of you and stares the guy down. âShe doesnât need you thanking her, buddy.â
You can tell that he wants to say more, but you see the âgeneral managerâ on Keithâs name tag and quickly try to deescalate the situation. If your idiot boyfriend wants the job, he canât piss off the guy hiring. âSteve, why donât we take a look around while Robin does all the talking?â
âWhatââ He doesnât have a chance to argue, youâre already pulling him down a random aisle, throwing a quick âgood luck!â to Robin as you leave.Â
She talks with Keith, and it seems to be going well. She shows him their resumes, smiles at him kindly. before she shouts across the store to Steve. âDingus, what are your three favorite movies?â
Steve nearly drops the movie he had been looking at. âUh, Animal House?â You can practically hear Robinâs disappointed sigh from where you stand, and Keith looks unimpressed. Panicked, Steve whispers to you, âWhat are my favorite movies?â
âI donât know!â You hiss, frantically trying to get this poor man a job. âJust, name two other movies. Animal House canât be too bad, right?â
âStar Wars,â Steve manages to get out, now walking back to the register. You stand next to him, looking nervously at Robin, who makes a pained noise at his responses.Â
The manager stares blankly at him. âA New Hope?â
âA new what now?â
You drop your head into your hands and sigh. Heâs hopeless. Already knowing itâs a lost cause, you mumble to him, âItâs a Star Wars movie, Steve.â
He snaps his fingers. âRight! Yeah, itâs the one with the teddy bears, isnât it?â Steve makes what you think is supposed to be an Ewok sound, which only makes you sigh again. Sensing heâs fucked up, Steve tries to backtrack. âNo? Uh⌠Oh! The one that just came out, the movie. The one with DeLorean and Alex P. Keaton and heâs trying to bang his mom.â
âOh, dear.â Itâs a trainwreck, one you canât look away from, and Robin can only shake her head at you. âSteve?â
âYeah?âÂ
âStop talking.â
âUh, yeah.â Steve clears his throat, he knows heâs rambling. Had he known he would have a goddamn pop quiz about movies, he wouldnât have dragged you here for the interview. âThose are my top three. Classics.â
Keith looks between you, Steve, and Robin. He points to Robin first, âYou start Monday.â He points to Steve, âYou start never.â And then he points to you, âYou can start whenever.â
âOkay, I get why youâre telling me no,â Steve waves a hand in front of you, âbut she didnât even apply!âÂ
Youâre also confused by how this day is turning out, and you look at Robin, wide eyed and pleading. Sheâs good with people, Keith seems to like her. When she sees you silently begging her to fix this, Robin sighs and steps in front of Steve. âWill you just, um⌠Will you guys give us a minute?âÂ
âWhy?â Steve doesnât move, and you want to throw a shoe at him.Â
âLetâs go, pretty boy.â You grab the back of his shirt and yank him back to the aisle of movies. He doesnât fight you, he simply accepts his fate and allows you to drag him away. Before turning the corner, you nod at Keith. âThanks for the job offer, but you should really give it to the guy Iâm currently dragging.â
Robin snickers at Steveâs offended huff as the two of you leave, before she starts trying to convince the manager to let Steve work there. From where you stand, it seems like a heated discussion. You try to lean closer, nosey, and while youâre distracted, Steve runs into a life-sized cardboard cutout of Phoebe Cates wearing a red bikini.Â
He fights with it, tries desperately not to let it fall, all while his resume hangs from his mouth. âShit! Oh, Fast Times! Ever heard of it? Top three for me, Keith.â Robin laughs and Steve turns the cardboard cutout to you, wiggling his eyebrows. âOwn any red bikinis?â
You flick his forehead, though you laugh as well. âIn your dreams.â
âI can sleep right now and find outââ
âI will flick you again.â
âA kiss is preferred, but whatever.â
âÂ
When the Byers move, you spend the entire day fighting back tears as you help them pack.Â
You spent the night in Jonathanâs room, both of you dreading the morning to come. Neither of you had slept, instead spending the entire night taking turns sharing your favorite memories together. The day you met. The time a dog chased you. When Jonathan mistook your sweater for his and wore it to school. Late night drives. Movie nights with your brothers. You relive it all that night.Â
As the morning sunlight began to stream into Jonathanâs room, the warmth the memories brought started to fade away. Slowly, as the sun rose, you and Jonathan packed his room. You helped him organize his vinyls, sort through his mixtapes. When he isnât looking, you steal a few t-shirts and flannels from his closet. He wonât notice theyâre gone until heâs halfway to California.Â
When it gets too much, seeing all of Jonathanâs life dwindling down to only a few boxes, you wander into the living room and help Joyce pack as well. She sees the tears in your eyes and gives you things to do, but eventually you canât take it anymore. You go into Willâs room, and itâs the same. You cry, he cries with you, and itâs bittersweet. The rooms empty, the boxes grow.
Elâs room is the hardest to pack, she has so few items to call her own, and youâre both silent as you move through the room together.Â
With each box that you tape full of things you grew up with, you feel a piece of your childhood being packed away as well. The plates you used to eat off of, the books you used to bring from your job, the toys you passed down to Will. Itâs all there, pieces of you frozen in time.
As you tape a box labeled âgamesâ in Jonathanâs messy handwriting, you hear Max and Lucas singing in the living room. The sound makes you smile. Itâs one of Maxâs better days, sheâs teasing Dustin for singing with Suzie, and sheâs in a good mood. The rest of the party keeps her occupied. The kids all arrived as early as Joyce allowed them to, Nancy and Mike were the first to knock on the door.Â
You place the box next to the others and walk towards Jonathanâs room. Heâs leaning against its door frame with Nancy beside him, and you join them. You stare at the empty room, the one youâve called your second home ever since you were twelve. It hurts, seeing it stripped of everything.Â
All of Jonathanâs boxes are in the living room, filled with the things that make him who he is. Thereâs a drawer in your room of things Jonathan has left over the years, and youâre never giving them back. Theyâre all you have left of him.Â
You and Jonathan take in his barren room, and you sigh against the door frame. âItâs so⌠empty.â
Nancy crosses her arms. âIs that everything?â
âI guess so,â Jonathan stuffs his hands in his pockets. His room feels cold somehow, its emptiness devoids it of the warmth it once had. He can still hear your laughs echoing in the floorboards, he can still smell your perfume that clings onto the walls. Thereâs scuff on the closet door from the time the two of you thought itâd be a good idea to play blind-folded baseball in the small room.Â
Jonathan steps into his room, taking it all one last time. The sunlight from his window illuminates his silhouette, making him appear even smaller within the room. âSeventeen years of my life⌠packed up in one day.â
His voice is melancholic, his body is sad. You nudge Nancy, nod your head in Jonathanâs direction, urging her to go after him. She nods, understands that youâre telling her to say goodbye, giving them the space to do so. She smiles at you appreciatively.
You do it because they love each other, but selfishly a part of you leaves because you canât say goodbye just yet.Â
âThank you,â she whispers, following after Jonathan.Â
You find El as sheâs leaving Joyceâs room. Sheâs holding a piece of paper, clutched closely to her chest. There are tears in her eyes, though you know better than to ask why. Itâs a sad day for everyone, youâll let her grieve on her own. However, that doesnât stop you from pulling the girl into a fierce hug.Â
âIâll miss you so much, sweetheart.â You mumble, kissing the top of her head. âI donât know whoâs going to paint my nails now.â
El laughs through her tears and holds you tight. âI can ask Mike to.â
You kiss her head again, close your eyes, and pray to whoever is above that this girl will stay who she is forever. That she will never change. Her kindness is genuine, her joy is admirable. All her life she only knew cruelty, and yet she still came out of it so full of love. âIâd love to hear how that goes.â
âI will write you,â El promises, and you nod eagerly at her. She pulls you in for one last hug before finally releasing you to go see Joyce.Â
The woman greets you with a tired smile when you walk into her room. Sheâs kneeling on the floor, folding clothes. Theyâre baggier than what she normally wears, darker, and you finally realize that theyâre Hopperâs.Â
A lump forms in your throat. She shouldnât be doing this alone, packing away the remnants of his life. âHere, let me help.â
Joyce accepts, and together you sit in comfortable silence as you go through the clothes Hopper left behind. They still smell like him, old cigarettes and whiskey. Itâs a nostalgic scene, a part of you wishes you could keep one of his shirts. He had been dear to you, regardless of the constant bickering you faced with him.Â
âI donât blame you, you know.â Joyce speaks softly next to you, catching your attention. âAt all.â
You look up at her, sucking in a breath. âI donât⌠I donât know what you mean, Mrs. Byers.â
âThe guilt, honey.â She places a hand on your arm, gentle as she always is with you. âI know you blame yourself for what happened to Will, but you shouldnât. You have to let go of it. I wantâŚâ Joyce pauses, looks into your eyes the way a mother does to her daughter. âI want you to promise me that youâll live the life that you deserve, because youâve spent half of your life making sure my boys lived the lives that they deserved. Can you do that for me?â
âIâŚâ Youâre crying, you donât know what to say. For years youâve carried the guilt of Willâs disappearance, and for even longer youâve done everything you could to ensure that he was loved. That Jonathan was loved. Never once had it felt like a burden to you, but Joyceâs words undoes something in you. âI promise.â
Joyce pulls you into her arms and hugs you, tears in her own eyes. She strokes your hair, hugs you as sheâs always done since you were a little girl. She echoes the final words that Hopper told you. âYouâre the best of them.â
Youâre not sure how long you cry in Joyceâs arms, but when she soothes you and wipes your tears away, she tells you to go find Will. Theyâre leaving soon, heâll want to see you, and you wish the woman one final goodbye before going to find her son.Â
Will ends up being in the hallway, you find him just after heâs said goodbye to Mike. You note the longing in his eyes, the uncertainty in his posture as his friend leaves. Thereâs a wistful look on his face, one that you once had on your own when Jonathan was around. Even if Will may not know yet, you do.Â
âHey, little bee.â
He turns around, the softness in his eyes when he sees you makes you homesick. âY/N!â
Will buries his face in your chest, and you hug him just as tightly back. Heâs grown so much since you first met him. Heâs no longer the shy little boy who had been afraid of his own shadow, and you canât believe you wonât get to finish watching him grow up. âI swear, youâre going to be taller than me next time I see you. Wonât be able to call you little bee anymore.â
âIâll always be your little bee,â Will squeezes you tighter, afraid to let go of you.Â
âGood,â you ruffle his hair, making him to laugh. âIâll miss you, but Iâm sure you already know that.â
âIâll miss you, too.â Willâs voice is wet, more tears come. He pulls away from you, he looks as if he wants to say something, but he stops himself. As if heâs afraid of something.
You frown. âHey, what is it?â
âIâm scared,â The words rush from his mouth. âWhat if⌠What if I donât make any friends?â He lowers his voice, looks around nervously, before trusting to say the words out loud to you. âIâIâm different, Y/N.â
Willâs fear hurts you to see, you wish you could do more, promise him that it will all be okay, but you canât. Instead, all you can do is kiss his cheek and hope he can feel all the love you have for him within it. All you can do is remind him that you will love him through it all. âYouâre the bravest kid I know. I have no doubt that youâll be fine. I mean, youâll have Jonathan and El with you, but if you ever need me, Iâm just a phone call away. I love you, and that will never change.â
You stroke the boyâs cheek with your finger, and he leans into the gentle touch. âIâm rooting for you, always.â
Will squeezes you tight when he hugs you for the last time. He thanks you, his body relaxes into yours, and you know that in the end heâll be okay. Heâs a brilliant kid, heâs been through more than anyone else his age ever has. Heâs resilient, his kindness is his strength, you just hope that he can recognize that himself one day.Â
As you pull away from the hug, Willâs eyes catch on someone, you turn around. Itâs Jonathan, standing by the front door, waiting for you.Â
Itâs time to say goodbye.Â
Taking a deep breath, you walk towards him, and Jonathan takes your hand and guides you to the porch outside. Everyone else is still inside, packing. You sit side by side in silence, absorbing the final remaining moments alone with each other. Saying goodbye to your childhood best friend leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.Â
A ladybug crawls on a leaf next to you, a bee flies past you and lands on a sunflower nearby, and a bird chirps in the blue sky above. You rest your head on Jonathanâs shoulder, he presses a kiss to your temple. Your fingers interlock and the cool September air surrounds you.
âI made you something,â Jonathan breathes out, clears his throat. He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a mixtape, its front covered with a piece of paper listing all the songs on it. âI, uh, used the money I won from the betting pool to make it. Dustin was pretty annoyed with me for winning.â
You snort at the image of your brother berating your friend for winning a betting pool about how long itâd take Steve to ask you out. Taking the mixtape from Jonathan, you read the songs. Thereâs eight songs on it, the first one being a Beatles song from your childhood; you donât know how Jonathan knew that. Though most of them are familiar, the writing on the paper is old, faded with age. âHow long have you been making this, bee?â
Jonathan looks away from you and swallows. âA while, I guess. Listen to it after I leave, okay? That way, if you hate it, Iâll never have to know.â His demeanor is odd, thereâs something heâs not telling you, but itâs your last day with him. You leave it alone for now, not wanting to ruin it.Â
âYouâre not allowed to find a new best friend.â You tell him instead, the silence becoming too much to bear. Itâs a joke, though truthfully you donât want Jonathan to find another best friend. Heâs supposed to be yours, only yours, and youâre supposed to be his.Â
âI wouldnât dream of it.â Jonathan lets out a soft laugh, and youâre going to miss feeling the way his body moves as he does so. He sucks in a breath, releases it slowly, and shakes his head. âI mean, we were kids together, bug.â
You start to cry, and he does as well. Youâve never had to say goodbye to each other before. Not like this. The two of you sit on the porch of Jonathanâs childhood home and cry. You cry into his neck, he buries his face into your hair, and itâs all so unfair.Â
Jonathan touches his forehead to yours. You look into his eyes and know that your childhood will always live within him, and his within you. Jonathan brings his finger up to your bee necklace, his ladybug ring knocks against the pendant. The jewelry glistens in the sunlight.Â
âBee, we were more than just kids together.â
And itâs true. You were everything together. Now, you have to figure out how to be everything while apart.Â
âÂ
The last of the boxes are placed in the moving van. Everyone is crying, youâre all gathered around one another, hugging and saying goodbye.Â
You hold El tight and whisper good luck to her. You remind Will that everything will be okay, knowing how scared heâs been of high school and remorseful that he has to do it all alone. The kids all cry as they share the final hugs, Jonathan and Nancy cry as they hold one another. Everyone says goodbye, and you watch them with tears in your eyes. You turn to Joyce to kiss her cheek, but she grabs your arm instead.Â
âRemember what you promised me, okay?â She catches your eye, makes sure you hear what sheâs telling you. âLive the life that you deserve.â
âI will,â you exhale, and she seems content with that. Joyce hugs you, kisses your cheek, and you tell her to drive safe as she gets into the van.Â
Jonathan stands by his car, waiting for you, and you pull the boy into your arms. He crashes against you, clutches you to his chest, and you breathe him in one final time. âIâll always love you the most, bee.â
âAnd Iâll always love you the most, bug.âÂ
Joyce drives away first, El in the van with her, before Jonathan and Will follow. The car pulls out of its driveway one final time, and you hold Nancyâs hand as you both cry. Slowly, their cars fade into the distance, and one by one the kids hop on their bikes and pedal away. No one wants to stay, the empty house feels too permanent, solemn. Eventually Nancy gets into her own car, wishing you a quiet goodbye, until itâs just you and your brother standing in front of the house.Â
Dustin stays beside you, as he always does, and you take a deep breath. Nothing will ever be the same again.Â
You take one last look at the Byers home, the house you grew up in and discovered pure love and joy and naivety in, and inhale the final scent of your childhood. Dandelions are in bloom, its yellow surrounds the home, soon they will wilt and its seeds will litter the sky
Joyceâs words ring in your head.
Itâs time to live the life that you deserve. Youâre on your own now, though you know that really you arenât. Dustin is next to you, Steve and Robin are waiting at your house with movies stolen from work because they knew how hard today would be. Your mother has your favorite cookies ready and waiting for you. Mike and the others have already planned their first letter to Will.Â
The charm bracelet from the party and Steve is cool against your wrist.Â
Youâre no longer the scared, angry twelve year old you had been when you first moved to Hawkins. Youâre loved, you have so many incredible people in your life who now get to watch you grow up into someone new.Â
Slowly, you exhale your childhood, with a single promise of keeping it within you forever. To live the life that Joyce has told you that you deserve.
And you believe her.Â
[END OF SEASON THREE]
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Some type of au idk.
About two months after the events of season two Steve is obviously not doing so hot and after some events his father disowns him. Unknownst to his father, Claudia Henderson, has been waiting with adoption paper since she met him. The process goes until june and about three days after Steve graduates heâs officially Steve Henderson.Â
Robin meets Steve at Scoops Ahoy and he pales every time she calls him Harrington. Itâs not until she sees some paperwork he signs does she figure out that heâs not longer a Harrington. Itâs about a week before july fourth that she starting calling him Henderson. When Dustin shows up Steve introduces him as his brother.Â
Obviously this makes the events of season three have a lot more emotions. Dustinâs shouting he canât leave Steve because he just got a brother and Steve shouting back that itâs his job as Dustins brother to keep him safe. Robin asks for the story after they defeat the mind flayer and are waiting in the parking lot.Â
Eddie get invited over to the Hendersons when Dustin, Lucas and Mike want to do a oneshot campaign and the upperclassman are busy. Itâs nearly christmas and the Henderson place is decorated head to toe. Eddie makes a joke about it and Dustin replies that his mom and brother are so embarrassing. A voice from the kitchen shouts that âif youâre so emmaressed about me none of you have to eat any of the cookies that I just madeâ. All of the boys start shouting and Eddie follows them to the kitchen. There baking cookies is Steve wearing an apron and holding a spoon.Â
Eddie freezes and turns to Dustin. âYouâre brother is Steve fucking Harrington?â
Steve just sighs. âHenderson actually. Do you want cookies to Munson?â
#steddie#steve harrington#eddie munson#dustin henderson#robin buckley#listen i hopped on the steddie train at the begenning but i'm finally posting about it now#idk what to call this#steve henderson au
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reunions â steve harrington
pairing: steve x hopper!fem!reader
summary: during spring break of 86, y/n hopper flies back to hawkins indiana (dustin's request) and isn't surprised when dustin tells her the world might end again.
warnings: bit of angst (ends with fluff), use of y/n and she/her pronouns, a couple curse words
a/n: for my love :) @keerysbrowneyes
・ďžâ˘âŕ¨âĄŕ§â⢠・ďž
getting a call from dustin henderson was probably the last thing that y/n thought would persaude her to go back to hawkins after her father died.
after a pretty normal sounding phone call, dustin told y/n that a curse was back in hawkins. y/n knew that could only mean one thing, which explains why she was quick to find a taxi in the busy indiana airport.
the ride to the henderson household was quick, maybe twenty minutes, and y/n knocked harshly on the faded door.
the freshman with a curly head of hair and a baseball cap was the one to open the door, and y/n's worries subsided slightly as dustin smiled up at the girl.
"y/n!" dustin exclaims, before pulling her in for a hug, which y/n gladly agrees to. "i can't believe you're here!"
y/n chuckles, "well yeah, you called, why wouldn't i be here?"
after saying hi to claudia henderson, and petting the new cat of the household, y/n was sat on dustin's bed as he explained to her everything eddie munson told him the previous night.
"so what are we doing about it now?" y/n asks, once she takes in all the new information.
"steve's going to pick us up in," dustin pauses to look at his watch, "four minutes."
y/n's voice is softer than before and her heart beats faster in her chest, "steve's still helping?"
"yeah he is, why?" dustin's oblivious as he's packing multiple things in his backpack.
y/n and steve didn't leave each other on a bad note after the mind flayer situation from the fourth of july the year prior. the pair just haven't talked much since the byer'd moved to california.
dustin and max were really the only two to call the older hopper from time to time.
just as dustin said, four and a half minutes pass and steve's horn could be heard from outside the henderson house. y/n and dustin head to his bedroom door, but dustin stands in front of the girl.
"maybe you should stay here," dustin suggested.
y/n tilted her head in confusion, "weren't you the one who called me and asked me to fly out here to help you again?"
dustin nodded, "well uh- yes, but no one else knows your here. plus we're getting food for eddie right now. i promise after we can pick you up."
y/n thinks for a moment, and dustin's puppy dog eyes aren't helping her situation.
with an eye roll from the girl, she agrees, "fine, but you better come back after you deal with eddie."
with a quick goodbye, dustin's fast to neet steve, lucas, max and robin by the familiar red bmw. steve asks dustin what took him so long, and he just brushed it off by asking which store they were getting food at.
・ďžâ˘âŕ¨âĄŕ§â⢠・ďž
an hour and thirteen minutes pass, and y/n couldn't be more bored out of her mind. she was able to help claudia bake cookies, clean dustin's very crowded desk, and halfway solve a rubix cube. dustin barged back into his room, making y/n jump from the sudden noise.
"come on y/n! we don't have any time to lose!" dustin practically yelled. "i had to beg steve to come back here since the others are back at the trailer park."
y/n was quick to grab her jacket off dustin's bed and followed him out the door.
steve looked to his passenger side door once he heard it open, but was slightly confused once dustin wasn't the one in the front seat.
"y/n?" steve questions, his eyes as wide as they could be while y/n and dustin were fastening their seat belts.
"hi steve," y/n smiles and catches her breath from the previous running.
dustin pipes up from the backseat, "lovebirds, we don't have time to chat right now. drive steve!"
steve and y/n both ignore dustin's remark as steve pulls out of the henderson's driveway. the drive to back to the trailer park is silent besides the tears for fears song playing on the radio.
the only thought going on in steve's mind is why the hell y/n hopper is in his car. he took notice of the familiar flannel he's seen jonathan wear many times from the past three years, and the faded ac/dc shirt steve recognized from his own closet. how y/n stole it in the first place? steve couldn't question that right now.
after steve parks besides the table with the four other familiar faces y/n missed, steve pulls dustin aside.
"what is y/n doing here?" steve asks.
dustin shrugs, "we need all the help we can get steve, and she's joyce's favorite so of course she was able to come back here in such last minute."
steve's demeaner changes once he turns and sees y/n in a group hug with lucas, max, robin and nancy.
"i can tell you don't totally hate her being here," dustin smirks up at steve.
"hey, no!" steve's quick to dismiss dustin's idea, "okay it's not like that henderson."
dustin laughs and shrugs, "like what?"
steve just watches dustin walk over to the table, and after a moment the harrington boy follows suit.
as everyone sat at the table tries to figure out what's going on in hawkins, steve can't help but look at y/n. of course he's missed her, how can he not? he's kicked himself in the ass everyday for not calling her like he promised. as dustin's in the middle of explaining something to max, steve stands and grabs y/n's wrist.
"can we talk?" he whispers, and is grateful once y/n nods in response. the two walks over to his car and y/n leans against the side while steve paces back and forth.
"why do you seem so worked up?" y/n asks him.
"oh i don't know, maybe because it's another year with this stupid upside down shit. maybe it's because this year's even more stressful than the last. maybe it's because my parents haven't been home in six months. or maybe it's because you're here, and i can't see you getting hurt again from all of this."
steve finishes his rant and runs his fingers thorugh his hair. y/n's gaze softens at the state of the boy in front of her. y/n knew what steve meant by the last statement. steve was the only one able to keep her grounded once she found out hopper was dead, and that she was moving to california.
"steve," y/n voice is soft, in comparison to steve's quick rant. "are you okay?"
the boy's quick to shake his head, "no- no shit i'm not okay." he holds his head in his hands as he leans besides y/n against his car. y/n moves her arm to his shoulder as she stands in front of him.
"the only reason i'm glad you're here is because you're the only one who knows how to deal with me like this," steve gestures to himself. y/n also knew what he meant by this.
after every incident with the upside down, y/n and steve were always in y/n's room as they both calmed down from the events that happened.
"do you want a hug?" y/n asks, while holding her arms open.
steve nods before wiping any tears that could've fallen from his rambling and heavy breathing, and his shoulders instantly relaxed at the feeling of y/n in his arms again.
y/n took in the all too familiar scent of steve. she's missed him, everything about him. his smile, his kindness towards the kids, his hair, his jokes, did she mention his smile?
the two slightly pulled away, but didn't let go of each other.
"i'm sorry i didn't call you a lot since you moved," steve talked softly.
y/n shook her head, "steve you don't have to be sorry about that."
"no, i do have to be sorry y/n. i've been a complete dick to you since you left. i- i didn't call you like i promised. i wasn't able to comfort you when you probably needed it. i've basically ign-"
steve's words were cut off by y/n leaning up and kissing him. once she noticed he wasn't kissing back, she pulled away with a hint of concern filling her eyes.
"you kissed me," steve points out.
y/n nods, her hands not leaving steve's arms, "i uh- i did."
"why?"
"i know it um- calmed you down before. so i thought maybe to try it again. god, i'm sorry. i don't even know if you wanted it," y/n pulls away from steve, as a million thoughts fill her mind, "you could have a girlfriend. you might not even like me anymore like that. shit, i'm sorry."
y/n stops her rambling once she feels steve grab both of her arms, making her face him again after she started pacing back and forth.
"who says i didn't want it?" steve says softly, before pulling y/n back towards him as he's the one to kiss her on the lips.
y/n immediately melts into steve's arms. the pair couldn't care less about the stares and whistles they were getting from the others still sat at the wooden picnic table. steve only flashed his middle finger towards the group before running his hand through y/n's hair.
"as much as i don't want to pull away, we kind of need air," steve chuckles. he lips over his lightly swolen lips as y/n fixes her hair.
"are you guys done sucking face? we have an actual interdimensional being we have to fight," dustin has his hands on his hips, making y/n and steve laugh from their place besides steve's car.
"guess we should get back to them now?" y/n questions.
"mm, just one more," steve pulls y/n in for another kiss, to which the girl happily obliges to.
#steve harrington#steve harrington imagine#steve harrington x reader#steve harrington x you#steve harrington stranger things#stranger things#joe keery#joe keery imagine#joe keery x you#joe keery x reader#joe keery x y/n#steve harrington x y/n#stranger things imagine
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Cause I Believe~ 1~ Older E.M
Summary : You move next door to Eddie Munson, and he welcomes you with his friends.
Author's Note : I had so much fun writing this.
Older Eddie
Boxes crowd the porch as you fumble with the last big box, the air thick with the smell of fresh paint and sun-baked wood.
A figure leans on the fence in the upstairs complex, a cigarette hanging loose from his lips. Eddie Munson. Scruffy beard, long brown hair dusted with silver, tattoos inked into his skin like a personal history. His gaze lingers, unsettling yet intriguing.
" Welcome to the shit hole" His voice carries a gravely edge but he doesn't turn to glance at you.
You offer him an uneasy smile, unsure about the way he stood, " Thanks?"
The air hung heavy. He takes long drags of his cigarettes, eyes moving slowly towards you and looking away quickly.
" What's with the box? You hiding some toys or your stash or porno magazines?" He chuckled, teasing.
" Just some junk" you shrugged.
" You must have a lot of junk, then"
Before you answer him, a group calls out his name rounding the corner. Your eyebrows knit together not really recognizing them.
" Oh! Eddie's got a new neighbor!"
Dustin nudges Mike. âThink theyâll survive living next to Eddie?â
âProbably not,â Robin chirps, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Eddie rolls his eyes but canât hide the twitch of a smile.
âDonât mind him,â Steve nudges Eddie, âhe mostly bites.â
" I'm Steve" he offers his hands out. Steve had chestnut hair, long, some strand hanging from his forehead creating a shadow like and you can see chest hair peeking out of his shirt. He sported a scruff on his face and glasses. He was kinda cute.
" Y/N" you shook his hand.
" Stop flirting with my neighbor, Harrington" Eddie mumbles loud enough for Steve to hear.
Steve chuckled, raising his eyebrow. " Aw, don't worry Munson. She's all yours." Eddie rolled his eyes.
Eddie flicks the ash from his cigarette, crossing his arms defiantly. âYeah, right. Iâm just here to enjoy this shit hole of a town."
Dustin leans in, eyes wide with curiosity. âSeriously, though. Are you settling in? Or are you just gonna stare at Eddie all day?â
Your eyes widen at his question, red appears on your cheeks. You didn't mean to stare at Eddie. But he was really pretty, he must of had all the girls in high school.
âI just⌠You know, boxes.â
Robin snorted."Boxes? That's your excuse?" She chuckles, her eyes glinting with amusement. âIf I were you, Iâd be more interested in our resident rockstar over here.â
Eddie rolls his eyes and pushes Robin shoulder playfully, " Hey, now Buckley."Â
Robin sidesteps, laughter spilling into the cool afternoon breeze. âWhat? Itâs true! Just look at those tattoos. You could practically sell tickets.â
Eddie snorts, shaking his head. " You do know I know how to play guitar and sing." âYeah? Never heard of a tattooed rockstar that could play a mean bone flute,â Dustin quips, nudging Eddie with his elbow. The laughter crescendos around you, an infectious rhythm that sets the tone.
" Where you all friends in high school?" you asked.Mike scratches the back of his head, glancing at the others. âMore like we became friends through, you know, monster hunting andââ
âWay too many Dungeons & Dragons sessions,â Dustin interjects, eyes sparkling with nostalgia.
" What did you mean monster hunting? Like hunting for animals or what?" Dustin beams like heâs about to share a great secret. âNot animalsâlike, actual monsters. We faced Demogorgons, Mind Flayers, all that fun stuff!â He gestures grandly.
" What?" you looked at them strangly. " What are those?" Eddie notices your eyes look wide a bit. Eddie chuckles, leaning against the fence, arms still crossed. âYou probably think weâre a bunch of lunatics right now.â
âMaybe?â A nervous laugh escapes you, face still warm from the conversation.
" You all look nice and welcoming, but you look trouble Eddie.." Eddie lifts an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth tugging upwards. âTrouble? Nah, just misunderstood.â He offers a mock bow, the cigarette dangling precariously.
" I'm sure your great, Eddie" you brushed a piece of hair behind your ear while holding the box still. Eddie's smirk deepens, a playful challenge flickering in his eyes. âGreat? Thatâs quite the compliment. Do I look great?âÂ
" I mean... fasinating.." Eddie leans closer, feigning a hurt expression. âFascinating? Thatâs it? I was expecting âincredibleâ or âmagnificent.ââ His lips twitch, barely holding back a grin.
âRight! Iâm Dustin, this is Mike, and thatâs Robin.â He gestures to each as if presenting trophies.Â
âDustin,â you repeat, catching his infectious enthusiasm. âNice to meet you all.â
Do you need help settling in?" Steve asked as he eyed you up and down, already developing a small crush. âUh, sure,â you reply, eyeing the remaining boxes stacked like confounding towers. âI wouldnât mind some extra hands.â
âCount me in!â Steve beams, as if he thrives on teamwork.
" I have things to do" Eddie says, not wanting to get close to you even though you seem nice. He didn't want to get close to you, as in a pretty girl like you.. he just can't. He never gets the girl. Eddie flicks his cigarette onto the ground, the ember glowing briefly before extinguishing under his boot. He scoffs lightly, folding his arms tighter.Â
âYeah, right. Like youâre just going to sit back and let Harrington pullall the weight around here,â Robin challenges, her eyes narrowing at Eddie with a playful fire.
"I'm sure Eddie is doing his best estimate of a rockstar," Steve jabs, nudging Eddie with a grin.Â
âMore like a rock!âEddie narrows his eyes at Steve, a mock frown plastered on his face. âRude. Rocks have feelings too, you know.â
" Some special rocks then" You laugh, the absurdity of it bubbling in your chest. âMaybe a rock that plays guitar?â
Eddie feigns a dramatic gasp. âExcuse me, thatâs way too close to my personal brand.â He taps his temple, mocking a deep thought.Â
" Maybe those special rocks with have an album on your shelf as a trophy"Eddie glances at you, his eyes brightening for a fleeting moment. âAn album? Now thatâs not a bad idea. I could call it âRock Solid.ââÂ
Dustin bursts into laughter, slapping his knee. â
âIâd buy that album,â you shot back, your grin widening. Eddie watches, surprise etching across his face, an unfamiliar warmth creeping into his expression.
Eddie shakes his head, the charming banter swirling around him, but it feels like an echo slightly detached from his reality.Â
You swing open the weathered oak door to your apartment, gesturing for them to enter. Eddie lingers behind, his lean frame silhouetted against the twilight sky. He takes a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling a plume of silvery smoke that swirls in the cool evening air. His ring-adorned fingers grip the wrought iron fence, knuckles whitening with tension.
Stepping inside, your guests are enveloped by the warmth of your uniquely curated space. The apartment exudes a cozy, eclectic charm that defies conventional styles. Vintage photographs and vibrant art posters adorn the walls, each telling a fragment of your story. A plush, well-worn leather couch invites relaxation, its cushions adorned with an assortment of colorful throw pillows. The kitchen gleams with polished countertops and neatly arranged copper pots, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air, hinting at the culinary adventures to come.
A scattering of houseplants clung to the sunlight, their leaves glistening with vitality.Â
âDude, this place is awesome!â Dustin exclaimed, eyes wide as he stepped into the cozy scene.Â
Thank you, I love to design and play with colors" you tell him. âColors really pop,â Mike nods, glancing around the living room before zeroing in on the wall hung with eclectic art. âDid you do all this yourself?â
" Yeah, most of it. My mother used to be a painter.." Mikeâs eyes soften, a flicker of understanding shining through. âThatâs really cool. Itâs got character, you know? Feels warm here.âÂ
Robin eyes one of the paintings and it's you. " Did she paint this?" Your gaze follows Robinâs, landing on a vibrant portrait. You nod, the warmth of nostalgia washing over you. âYeah, she did. It's one of my favorites. Captured me during a summer dance in our backyard.â
" I was ten there I believe. At least that was she told me. My mom alwasy thought I've held some magic when I danced, used to sing too..." you trailed. A soft smile dances across your lips, bittersweet memories surfacing.Â
"Are you going to give Eddie a run for his money? Be the new musician in the neighborhood?" Dustin asked. You chuckle, shaking your head at the absurdity. âHardly. My dancing days are behind me, and Iâm no rockstar.âÂ
" You never know, you and Eddie could sing together one day." Steve suggests. Laughter erupts, threading through the air like a playful breeze.Â
" I stopped singing when my mother died.." you glanced down at your converse. Silence coated the room like a soft blanket, the lively chatter fading into a hush. A weight pressed into the air, heavy with understanding.
" She was the only one to believe in me. She said I had the most angelic voice she's ever heard. I used to put my little sister to bed singing her a bed time song..." Steve exchanges a glance with Mike, the lively energy of their previous banter dimming. Dustin shifts awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, as if trying to find a lighthearted comment.Â
" We're sorry, we didn't mean to bring anything up." You shake your head, a faint smile flickering back. âItâs okay. Just⌠sometimes things slip out.â
" That's also why I decided to move out, her funeral was... a month ago..." The room remains still, the weight of your words settling over the group like a thick fog. Dustin glances around, his youthful face painted with concern.Â
"Hey, we totally understand," Steve says, his voice low and steady.Â
âWhenever youâre ready to talk or just need to vent, weâre here.âÂ
You nod slowly, appreciation swelling against the ache in your chest. âThanks. It helps, really.âÂ
" I hardly know you guys, too." The room buzzes with a peculiar intensity, a blend of sympathy.
âYeah, but thatâs how we roll around here,â Steve declares, leaning against the arm of the couch, arms crossed.
" We support one another" Dustin says. " We have each other's back" Robin adds. Eddie shifts his weight, the flicker of cigarette smoke dancing around him, creating an illusion of distance. Unbothered by the heaviness, he taps his fingers against his arm, a nervous gesture that breaks the stillness.
" Like a family" Eddie mumbles. Dustin leans back, nodding vigorously. âExactly! And youâre part of it now. That is, if you can handle our weirdness.âÂ
Hey!" Steve plafully glared as he pouted. You chuckle, warmth spreading through your chest.
" It's just might be what I need" you mumble, " It's been a long time since I've really smiled.." Dustin's eyes sparkle, a hint of mischief swirling within. âThen we have our mission! Operation Make Y/N Smile starts now!â
You chuckle at Robinâs exasperation, the tension in the room easing a fraction. âOkay, I appreciate the enYou chuckle at Robinâs exasperation, the tension in the room easing a fraction. âOkay, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I do need to sort through this stuff.âÂ
" By the way, what is a dingus?" you asked. Laughter erupts again, and for a moment, the heaviness lifts.
âDingus?â Dustinâs eyes sparkle with glee.Â
âI think itâs a term of endearment,â Mike offers, grinning.
âIt means youa bit of a goofball,â Steve chimes in, winking at Dustin. âThat applies to all of us at some point.â
" You should get it tattooed then, Eddie" you playfully chuckled at him as a joke. Eddie raises an eyebrow, his expression shifting between mock horror and genuine intrigue. âA tattoo? Of âdingusâ? Thatâs what I need, a permanent reminder of my goofball status.â He taps his chin, takingover his demeanor.
âI could design it,â you suggest, your voice light as you scan the room, feeling the infectious energy.Â
"Oh boy" Eddie mumbles as he walks into your apartment closing the door. Eddie leans his back against the door, arms crossed, eyes darting around the room. He takes in the vibrant colors, the warped frames holding photographs, each seeming to whisper stories of laughter and joy.
" What's the matter, Eddie? It's not dark and gloomy to your taste?" you asked.Eddie straightens, feigning a look of horror. âWhat? No skulls? No velvet curtains?â He gestures dramatically around the room. âWhat am I supposed to do with all this brightness? Wear sunglasses?â
"That looks like more of my bedroom thing" you smirked. Eddie throws his head back, laughter erupting from him as he steps deeper into your vibrant world. âYour bedroom must be a whole other gallery, then. Iâm just picturing rainbows and unicorns.â
" I don't like pink, and I am not exactly a girly girl" you glance down at your Metallica worn shirt and black shorts with green converse. Eddie raises an eyebrow, his grin broadening. âMetallica, huh? I can get behind that. At least your style has some edge.â He takes a step closer, his interest igniting as he surveys your eclectic taste.Â
" Well I do ride a motorcycle. A harley" Eddie's eyes widen, a spark of genuine admiration flickering across his face. âA Harley? Now thatâs pretty badass.â He shifts his weight, leaning in slightly. âWhat model?â
âSportster,â you reply, a flicker of pride igniting in your chest. âNothing crazy, but it gets me where I need to go.â
" I like you" Robin says as she pushes into your shoulder, " you're going to get along with us just fine. Another Eddie though." You chuckle, shaking your head. âLetâs not get carried away. Iâm as much of a weirdo as you all are, but another Eddie? Thatâs a stretch.â
" Hey! I'm pretty great" Eddie puts a hand on his chest. âSure you are, Munson,â Steve teases, leaning back against the couch with a satisfied grin. âGreat at being a lovable weirdo. Best title ever.â
You open the box and it's full of your records you have collected. Vinyl records spill out like treasures from a forgotten past, their covers bursting with color and nostalgia. You canât help but smile as you pick out a few.
âWhoa! Youâve got some classics here,â Steve says, " some of these are rare. Were you parents rich or something?" âJust lucky to find them at garage sales and thrift shops,â you explain, holding up a record with a tattered cover. âThis oneâs from an old-school band. My mom loved collecting vinyl.â
" Okay, stop being so cool" Eddie says. " You're going to give me a heart attack. I'm still young...well..you know what I mean..." You laugh, the sound bubbling over like a sunny stream. âDonât worry, Munson. Iâm not planning on stealing your title as the coolest in the neighborhood. That crownâs all yours.â
" Would you two stop flirting already? Get a room" Mike rolls his eyes. The teasing hung in the air like a well-placed joke, your cheeks warming at Mikeâs comment. You exchanged a glance with Eddie, both of you caught off guard by the quip.Â
âFlirting?â Eddie scoffed, hiseyes darting towards Mike, incredulity painted across his features. âPlease. I donât even know her last name yet.â He takes a deliberate step back, running his fingers through his hair as a way to regain his composure.
" And I'm sorta seeing someone" Eddie says, shrugging. âSorta?â You echo, the curiosity bubbling to the surface. âThatâs a peculiar way to put it.â
âComplicated,â he replies, leaning against the door, arms folded tight.Â
" You can just say you have a fuck buddy" you shrug. "We aren't 12" Eddieâs smoky laughter dances through the air, a spark of surprise flickering in his eyes. âDamn, someoneâs bold.âÂ
âJust keeping it real,â you respond, a playful glint in your gaze.Â
" How about you, Y/N? Have anyone coming to swoop you off your feet?" Steve asks. The question hangs in the air, a sudden spotlight illuminating the room. A light flush creeps into your cheeks as you shift your weight awkwardly.Â
" Not really, but riding a motorcycle like I have, has it's perks" you smirked. Dustin leans in, eyes wide with intrigue. âOh, are you saying youâre dangerously cool? Like a movie heroine?âÂ
âSomething like that.â You grinned.
Every guy I have came across, stares at my bike then at me, back at my guy and asks for my number." A ripple of laughter courses through the group, each taking turns to react.Â
âNice! Thatâs how you know youâre doing something right,â Dustin cheers, fist-pumping the air.
"One time I had gave this guy the number of my aunt who lives in California and she didn't understand what he said. She called me telling me some string cheese mop head was calling her in the middle of the night asking for a ride" you giggled. Laughter erupted in waves, the room brimming with shared stories and genuine delight.
âString cheese mop head, eh?â Steve cackled, nearly doubling over. âIâm stealing that one for future use.â
" He had spagetti like hair, greasy too. He didn't have enough balls either to check the name I have written down either on the paper" you snorted. More laughter erupted, the room vibrating with the energy of shared humor. Eddie leaned against the door, a slow grin spreading across his face. âSounds like a true gem of a guy. Really raises the bar for us, huh?âÂ
" His zipper was undone too, I had a peek of the small carrot he had" Laughter bursts forth, an eruption of mirth that fills the room like music. Steve nearly collapses against the arm of the couch, howling with glee. âNo way! You are not serious!â
" His buddy next to him, listening to our conversation forgot his pants at the bar. He had whales on his boxers, a leather jacket on and a red bandana on his head." The laughter swells, echoing against the walls. Steve struggles to breathe, clutching his stomach as if it might explode.Â
âWhales?â Dustin wheezes between breaths. "What kind of guys did you attract?"
" Not just whales, when he turned to walk away, he had a tatoo that said " Mama".ââMama,â huh?â Eddie chuckles, shaking his head. âNow thatâs a classy touch.â âRight? I mean, who doesnât want a walking reminder of their mom on their butt?â You feign a serious tone, and Eddie bursts into laughter, the sound deep and genuine, pulling
Dustin opened the box and gasped seeing a whole system music set up. " You'r rich!" "Rich?" You cock an eyebrow, feigning offense as you retrieve a vintage record from the box. âThis is thrift-store treasure hunting at its finest. Beats any of this overpriced junk you find in stores. You just need to look harder.â
" I'm an explorer and a finder" Dustin holds up a record, eyes wide with delight. âYouâre telling me you just stumbled upon this treasure?âÂ
âPretty much. The thrillâs in the hunt,â you say, your smile reflecting the joy of discoveries made over years.
" I didn't have any friends so this is all I did.." you scratched the back of your head. Dustin's expression turned sympathetic but curious. âWhat do you mean? No friends? With all this cool stuff, I figured you had a whole crew.â
" My father..." you gulped "...he was a drunk..." you closed your eyes ".... he beat me when I was home.. so I could not show anyone the bruises..." You looked away. " I didn't want to be home, so I went to hunt the best things I could find. Brought my mom things, used my allowance just that I could see her smile." You glanced at the ground. " I was too afraid for anyone to see me like that." Silence enveloped the room again, a stark contrast to the earlier warmth. Each friendâs gaze shifted, taking in the gravity of your words.
" He would beat my mom, but I'd cover her" your eyes closed rememebring the memories. âThings got better after he died..." â...but it took time,â you finish, the weight of the past unfurling in the quiet, palpable stillness.
" Please don't look at me like that" you begged. The weight of silence pressed against you, an unyielding void that seemed to stretch between moments. A cocktail of emotions brewed among the group, each one grappling with the reality of your words.
" Please.." A flicker of concern darkens Steve's gaze, his comforting demeanor faltering under the weight of your admission. He clasps his hands tightly in his lap, wrestling with the impulse to reach out.
" I'm not a broken record" Your voice weaves through the silence, but the weight of your confession seems to hang in the air like a thick fog.Â
"It's life, and I'm a survior" The silence thickens, wrapping around you like a tender embrace. You draw a shaky breath, the words reverberating through the room, knitting together empathy and understanding.
Dustin wrapped his arms around you and placed his head on top of yours. The warmth of Dustinâs embrace felt oddly comforting, like being wrapped in a blanket on a chilly night. His head rested against yoursâlight, reassuringâreminding you that you werenât alone.Â
â We aren't going anywhere" He says. You lean into Dustin, grateful for the comfort of his presence, the chaos of life momentarily quieting down.
" Eddie lives next door, you can always talk to him" Dustin suggest. But something in Eddie didn't sit right. " I'm not going to be her tharipist" Eddie says. Dustin pulls away, shooting Eddie a look laced with indignation. âCome on, Eddie. Thatâs a bit harsh, donât you think? She just needs some support.â
" No" Eddie growled. Eddieâs voice cut through the fragile atmosphere, tension coiling around his words like a snake. His arms remained crossed, but now they looked like a barrier.Â
"She has a phone" Dustinâs eyes narrowed, disbelief washing over his face. âEddie, seriously? Itâs not just about talking to people on the phone. Sometimes you just need someone to listen, face-to-face.â
"She's just a girl" Eddie continues, " She is capable of calling someone" Dustinâs eyes spark with frustration. âSo what? Just because sheâs a girl, she doesnât need support? Everyone needs someone to talk to!âÂ
" Not me" he grumbled.Dustinâs frustration flared, his voice rising with indignation. âYou canât just shut her out because youâre scared of getting close! Thatâs not fair!â
" I'm not scared, why would I want to get close to her? Just because she a cool collection of music? A motorcycle? Ha!" Eddie's words hung in the air, sharp and biting. You shifted uncomfortably, caught in the middle of this unexpected clash.Â
" You're being too harsh, Eddie" Robin says. Eddie shifts, jaw clenched. âIâm just saying, people have their own shit to deal with. I canât be someoneâs crutch.â
" It's fine" you mumble, " I don't need some old smoking wannabe rockstar. Don't let the door hit you on the way out" you stood up from where you were sitting storming to your room and slamming the door. Who does he think he is? The thud of the door echoed in the small apartment, a sharp punctuation to your frustration. You pressed your back against the cool wood, eyes squeezed shut as you breathed heavily.
Fuck Eddie.
The walls felt like they were closing in, each breath heavy with frustration. You pressed your palm against the door, wishing for the chaotic swirl of voices to fade.Â
" That wasn't necessary, Munson" Steve says. " Shut it, Harrington" Eddie says. Silence followed your retreat, the air thick with unresolved tension. The silence settled like a thick fog, wrapping around the group. Outside your door, muffled voices began to spiral, battling against the weight of what had just transpired.
âEddie, what the hell?â Steveâs voice cracked slightly, disbeliefundeniable in his tone.Â
Eddie leaned against the wall, his head tilted back, gaze distant. âWhat the hell did you want me to say? âWelcome to the family!â? She doesnât need me.âSteve crossed his arms. âThatâs not the point, Munson! Sheâs hurting, and you justââ
âJust what? Became her therapist?â Eddie cut him off, frustration lacing his words.Â
" Don't use your dick, Eddie" Robin says. Eddie stood rigid, swallowing the weight of Robinâs words. The air thickened between them, alive with an electric tension. âIâm not trying to be a dick! I just donât want to get involved in someone else's mess.â
You walked out of your room pointing a finger at Eddie, " I don't need you to be my friend or my therapist. I understand now why you can't keep a girl. I get it. " Your voice sliced through the lingering tension, brittle and frayed. Eddieâs eyes widened, the surprise washing over his features like a cold wave. His posture shifted, arms falling to his sides as you stepped into view.
" So tell me, why. Enlight me, princess " Eddie spatted throwing his hands. The room bristled with tension, a standoff brewing in the thick air between you and Eddie. His dark eyes narrowed, resentment flickering like embers.Â
âEnlighten you?â you jabbed, anger fueling every word. âYou think you can just stand there, looking all brooding and mysterious, and expect everyone to bow down? Youâre not special, Eddie. Youâre just another guy lost in your own mess.â
" Yeah, princess. That's all you got?" Eddie laughs. The laughter bursts from him, a hollow sound that reverberates against the walls, mingling with the tension hanging in the air.Â
"You really think you know me?" Eddie sneers, his voice dropping an octave, the confrontation pushing the boundaries of the moment like a taut string ready to snap.Â
" You probably never cleaned up after yourself, you reek of cigarettes and cheap smell coming from the trash can. When was the last time you brushed your hair? Look at that too, you're already getting old with all the grey hair. You're dick is probably wrinkyl too." Eddieâs laughter died, replaced by a sharp intake of breath as your words struck deep. The room fell into an echoing silence, the weight of your insult hanging in the air like a lead balloon.Â
" Listen here, you brat" he starts, his voice low and steady, a dangerous calm seeping into the intensity of the moment.Â
âMaybe I donât clean up after myself,â he continued, eyes narrowing like a predator assessing its prey, âbut at least I have friends." Your heart raced, the anger ricocheting in your chest. "Friends? Is that what you call themâpeople who watch you smoke yourself to death and enable your miserable attitude?"Â
" My health isn't your business, princess" Eddie's words sliced through the stillness, a low growl that resonated with defiance. He stood there, unruly hair framing his face, tattoos shifting against his skin, a storm of emotions flickering in his dark eyes.
"You think your harsh words struck a nerve in me? Think again princess, I've been through a lot worse.." Eddie adds. His gaze bore into you, fierce and unwavering, challenging you to flinch.
âWorse than what? Stop being so dramatic, Munson." You glared back, adrenaline coursing through your veins.
" Try again, sweetheart. I dare you" his gaze darkens. A fierce silence settled like a dark cloud, thick with unspoken challenges. You could almost feel the weight of his words hanging in the air, daring you to dig deeper.
âWhy donât you tell me then?â You shot back, your voice unwavering, defiance twinkling in your eyes. âLetâs see who can out-terrible each other.â
" I don't have time for play time" he mumbles, rolling his eyes. His arms dropped to his sides, frustration rippling through his posture as he turned slightly away, still trapped in the conflict swirling in the room.Â
" Did I hit a nerve? You ran out of words to say? Oh poor me" you dramatically put a hand on your forehead. Eddie's expression hardened, a flash of vulnerability battling behind the defiance. He fisted his hands at his sides, straining against the unwelcome wave of frustration that built behind his ribcage.Â
âEnough with the performance,â he say, pointing a finger, " that mouth will get you in trouble." Your laughter slipped free, cutting through the tension. âTrouble? Please, I've been living in it long before I moved in next door to you.âÂ
Eddieâs jaw tightened, a fleeting glimpse of vulnerability hidden behind bravado. âYou are nothing but a brat." âBrat? Really? Thatâs the best you got?â You shot back, arms crossed defiantly.
Eddie leaned against the wall, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. âIt fits, doesnât it? You probably never had a boyfriend dick you down good." Your breath hitched, outrage mixing with surprise. The bluntness of his words struck like lightning, charging the air between you. âExcuse me?â You narrowed your eyes, disbelief draping over your features.
â Guys, stop fighting" Dustin say. " The both of you are adults" Dustin's voice sliced through the charged atmosphere, a plea echoing in stark contrast to the tension crackling between you and Eddie.Â
âYeah, adults who apparently act like children,â you shot back, your defiance barely holding back the sting.
" Sweetheart, you're acting like you never been laid. That's your problem. "The room tensed further, air crackling as if charged with static electricity. Emotions swirled like a wild storm, and the accusation hung in the air, sharp and biting.Â
" Oh god, you two are going to be the enemies to lovers?" Robin pinches the bridge of her nose. Caught in the moment, you and Eddie shot her incredulous looks, both equally infuriated and puzzled.Â
âEnemies to lovers? What, am I supposed to swoon now?â Eddie scoffed. " She's nothing but a little girl that needs her pussy fucked." The room exploded with silence. You and Eddie locked eyes, the air thick with tension, his words hanging like a dark cloud over the group. Anger flickered in your chest, a fire breathing life into your indignation.
âSuch big words for such a boy like you, Eddie." The sting of your words wrapped around the room, silence falling heavy. Eddieâs smirk wavered for a second, surprise flickering in his dark eyes.Â
âBoy? Thatâs all youâve got?âÂ
" I don't think you even had a relationship ever in your life, Eddie. Did you ask someone out and they looked at you and said, no thanks, he's garbage? Oh poor you, " you taunted. Eddieâs expression darkened, the smirk faltering before vanishing entirely. A flicker of hurt glimmered in his eyes, but he quickly masked it with a scowl.
âWow, real original there.â He crossed his arms.Â
" Let me guess, you find some girl in a bar or somewhere and take them to your unmade, unwashed sheets of a bed and fuck them with your little dick until they leave and your back to square one..." Eddieâs jaw tightened, the tension in his body palpable. A flicker of something shattered in his gazeâwas it anger, embarrassment? You couldnât tell.
âWow, real clever.â He stepped forward, invading your space, shadows playing as he towers over you. You had to admit, he looked really hot right now.Â
" Bite me" you looked at him with a sneer. Eddie leaned in closer, the intensity of his gaze sending shivers down your spine. âMaybe I will.â The words rolled off his tongue, a dangerous blend of challenge and flirtation.Â
" If the two of you are going to fuck, please let us leave first " Steve whined. Laughter erupted once more, cutting through the thick tension that hung like fog between you and Eddie. The absurdity of the moment seeped back into your bones, laughter bubbling up unexpectedly. Steveâs face morphed into mock horror, eyes wide as he coverd his ears.
" You two are disgusting staring at each other like your ripping each others clothes off" Mike shivered in disgust. Eddie stepped back, amusement dancing in his eyes, a smirk returning to his lips. âWhat can I say? Itâs a hot vibe we got going.â He playfully flexed his arms.
" As If I ever would sleep with him" you scoweld. " I don't sleep with small dickheads who reek of cigarettes and doesn't know what clean sheets are. Eddieâs laughter faded, a flicker of something sharper taking its place. âClean sheets donât do much good if theyâre just going to end up in a pile on the floor.â He shifted, crossing his arms.Â
" What? Are you poet now? Are going to lay down the lines now?" Eddie leaned back against the wall, arms crossed tightly, smirk returning with a hint of daring. âI could be. Got me all inspired, sweetheart.â He raised his eyebrows, a playful glint in his dark eyes.
" Look at yourself, Eddie. Your hair looks like it hasn't been brushed for days. You have drool in the corner of your mouth from looking at me too long" you flipped your hair with a smirk, " you reek and you have mud on your shoes."Â
Eddie's smirk faltered for a brief second, and behind those dark eyes, you could catch a flicker of somethingâsomething like confusion, maybe hurt. But he masked it quickly, a defensive armor sliding back into place.Â
" At least I don't talk too much and use my mouth for other activities" he smirks.Â
" Ew! We are still here, you know?" Dustin groaned. " Eddie, I know your old and stuff but please.. " Dustinâs voice pulled the sharp tension from the room like a stubborn thorn, easing the simmering pressure for a fleeting moment. Eddie rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall, an exaggerated sigh escaping his lips.
" Old? I have a stamina of a race horse. Just because I have few greay hairs, doesn't mean shit.." Eddie says. âRight, and I bet that âstaminaâ is all in your head,â you retort, raising an eyebrow. Eddie steps forward, a dangerous glint in his eye. âCare to test that theory, princess?âÂ
" Again. We are in the room!" Steve shouts. " We don't need to hear you two." You roll your eyes at Steve, heart racing from the escalating tension. Eddieâs gaze remains locked on yours, an electric current buzzing in the air.Â
Eddie hungrily looks at you, licking his lips. The heat in the room escalates, crackling with unspoken tension as you both stand toe to toe, unyielding and defiant.
" It's like we can smell you two. Sexual tension" Mike says. " Disgusting." The interruption seemed to spark another wave of laughter, but it simmered beneath the surface like an unspoken truth, charging the air between you and Eddie with an electric energy.Â
" He smells like a trash can, no way he's getting near my bed or close to touching me." Eddie feigned a gasp, his hand clutching at his heart as if youâd dealt a mortal blow. âTrash can? Ouch, sweetheart. Thatâs cold.âÂ
" Go take a shower! A cold one at that!" Eddie squints, pretending to reel from your words, hand clutching his chest dramatically. âA cold shower? Youâre trying to torture me now, Y/N?â
âJust trying to spare the world from your stench,â you shoot back. "God knows where your hands have been.." Eddie feigns horror, hands flying to his temples as if youâve delivered a lethal blow. âMy hands? Sweetheart, Iâll have you know theyâre pristine. I only touch the finest things⌠like my guitar andââ
âNO! no need to hear anything anymore!" Dustin shouted putting his hands up. " I"m leaving, I don't know about you guys" he pointed to Mike, Steve and Robin. Dustin pushed through the door, shaking his head as he exited. âI canât deal with this high school drama. Iâm out!âÂ
âYeah, good luck unpacking,â Steve called after him, barely containing his laughter. Robin follows knocking her shoulders into you, " I suggest you give Munson a bath yourself " she smirks. You chuckle, brushing her off with a light shove. âAs if Iâd waste my time on that.â The playful banter lingers, but the thick scent of unresolved tension still hangs in the air.
" You two are disgusting " Mike says. âGoodbye, Mike.â Eddie fires back, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he slides off the wall, an amused smirk etched across his face.
Eddie turns back to look at you as he stares at you with hunger and lust in his eyes.Â
" Why are you looking at me, like that?" Eddieâs smirk falters slightly, surprise flickering across his dark gaze.Â
âLike what?â he shoots back, defensiveness lacing his words, but the edge of tension still crackled between you two.Â
âLike youâre about to devour me" Eddie leaned closer, the heat of his presence enveloping you as he tilted his head slightly, perplexity mingling with amusement in his eyes. âMaybe I am,â he murmured, his voice dropping low, teasing.Â
" Eddie.." you warned. Eddie stepped even closer, the air thickening between you like a taut string ready to snap. âWhatâs wrong, Y/N? Afraid of a little... touch?â His smirk widened, each word laced with mischief.
â Get your hands away from me" Eddie stepped closer, the space between you a charged battleground. His dark eyes glinted with mischief as he leaned forward, the scent of cigarettes and something inherently Eddie swirling around you.Â
"Come on, donât be scared," he says.Â
" I'm warning you"Eddie leans in closer, just barely brushing against you, the energy between you crackling like electricity. âWarning me? What are you going to do? Call your biker buddies?âÂ
" I know karate" Eddie chuckles, the sound low and teasing, âKarate? You? Sweetheart, Iâd pay to see you try.âÂ
âTry me, Munson.â Your voice trembles with defiance; the air between you thickens.Â
His hand shoots out to brush your hair but before he does, you have hsi wrist in a tight grip. His wrist feels warm under your fingers, solid and unyielding. Eddie raises an eyebrow, surprise flaring in his dark gaze.Â
" I told you" you challenged. âDamn,â he murmurs, a hint of admiration mixed with amusement dancing in his eyes. The gentle thrill of your defiance makes the corner of his mouth twitch upwards, like a wildfire igniting.Â
" Let go," he pushes, but with all your strengh you push him towards you looking at him. " I warned you. Back off." Eddie's gaze flickers with a mix of surprise and intrigue. You maintain the pressure, holding his wrist firm, your hearts beating in unison, the space between charged like a live wire.Â
âWow,â he breathes. " You're something else, sweetheart." His admiration shoots through the air like a bolt of lightning, striking a nerve deep within. You hold his gaze, a mixture of defiance and thrill bubbling inside you.Â
" Maybe you should think twice before challenging me"Â
Eddie hums, smirking.Â
" Fiesty" Eddie's smirk deepens, eyes gleaming with mischief.Â
âFeisty? Thatâs rich coming from someone whoâs about to get his wrist twisted off,â you challenge.Â
" You're too cute thinking you can take me down. I'm stronger, older and faster." A sly smile curved your lips, unwavering. âStronger? Maybe. Older? Definitely. Faster?âÂ
Eddie leaned in closer, his breath brushing against your cheek, a teasing smile barely contained. âIâve got you there, sweetheart."
You gasp how close he is, scrunching his nose pushing his head away.Â
" You reek" Eddie flinches back slightly, feigning mock offense, but the gleam in his dark eyes reveals his amusement. âReek? This is the scent of a rockstar, princess. A scent of a real man, not like Harrington smelling like a laundry basket." You scoff, unable to ignore the heat rising in your cheeks. âRight, because we all want to smell like smoke and bad decisions.â
" You like me.." Eddieâs smirk widened, triumph glowing in his eyes. âSee? Youâre already starting to admit it.âÂ
âAdmit what?â You shot back, crossing your arms defensively, though a smile threatened to break your facade.Â
" You're into me, all of this" he points to himself. You huffed, arms crossed, but frustration battled amusement in your chest.Â
âPlease. This is hardly a fair tradeâsmoke and tattoos for sunshine and charm,â you retorted, an eyebrow raised defiantly.Â
" I like my guys bigger and rougher" you add with a smirk.Eddie's laughter rang out, rich and unexpected, filling the air like music. âIs that so? Guess I must be lacking then, huh?â He straightened, feigning disappointment but the glimmer in his eyes danced with mischief.
" Guess so, grandpa" you teased. Eddie feigned a gasp, hand clutching his chest as if wounded. "Grandpa? Wow, thatâs harsh. How do you even know I didnât just fight the Grim Reaper last night for my youth?"Â
" Because Eddie, you look like you lost a few battles" Eddie feigned a wounded expression, clutching his chest as if youâd delivered a lethal blow. âLost? I fought the good fight, sweetheart. Just because I came out with a few more scars doesnât mean I didnât win.â
" I have deeper scars" you let his wrist go, looking away. Your gaze drifted to the cluttered floor, the assortment of boxes and memories strewn about like fragments of a jigsaw puzzle. Eddie noticed the shift, the flicker of vulnerability creeping back into your eyes.Â
â Sweetheart.." Eddieâs voice softened, the bravado slipping away, revealing a glimpse of understanding. He stepped closer, his gaze fixed on you with an intensity that felt electric, almost grounding.
âEveryone has scars,â he said, his tone now measured, " but you're alive and here standing arguing with me and bantering, flirting with me." "Alive," you echoed, the word tasting bitter on your tongue. Eyes on the floor, you couldnât shake the weight of the past.Â
âYeah, you are,â he pressed, stepping closer again, the space between you shrinking. He brushes your hair away, " I"m not a bad guy. But I am not going to let you get too close and treat me like I'm not a human being.." Your gaze flicked up to meet his, the intensity of his dark eyes holding you captive.Â
" You're hiding yourself under the tattooes, the scars you say you have, the cigarettes, the music, all of it. " you tell him.
Eddieâs smirk faltered, his eyes glinting with something deeper, a flicker of vulnerability nestled beneath his typical bravado. âHiding? Maybe,â he said quietly, the weight of his admission hanging in the air.Â
" I bet if you cleaned up better, girls will like you" Eddie's brow furrowed, a flash of defensiveness igniting in his eyes. âGirls? Really? You think thatâs all it takes?âÂ
" You would get your wrinkyl dick working" you chuckled.Eddie blinked, surprise flaring in his eyes before he burst into laughter, the sound rich and infectious. âWrinkly dick? Thatâs a new one. Youâre truly creative, Y/N.â
â I mean your older than me, grandpa" you teased. Eddie rolled his eyes dramatically, able to switch from defensiveness to affected dismay with the flick of a wrist. âOlder? Psh, Iâm practically timeless. Canât put a price on experience.âÂ
â How many times you had sex then?" you asked, " Twice?" Eddie threw his head back, laughter erupting, rich and deep. âTwice? Youâre cute, sweetheart.âÂ
âCute? Wow, thanks for the compliment,â you shot back, crossing your arms. " I know your into me, Munson. That's why your still here.." "Into you, huh?" Eddie leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, a playful smirk curling his lips. âRight, because itâs not total agony standing in the same room as you.âÂ
â I'd have you fall to your knees and you know it" The tension in the air shifted, electrifying the space between you. Eddie's smirk faltered for just a heartbeat before morphing into a mock challenge, his brow arching as he stepped forward. âYou think so, huh? Pretty thing like you think I'm that easy?" âEasy? Hardly. I just think youâre all talk, Munson,â you replied, holding your ground, each word dripping with playful defiance.
" Oh, sweetheart. Don't play this game. Don't" Eddie closed the distance with a bold step, the smirk on his face morphing into something dangerously playful, eyes glimmering with mischief. âYouâre really going to challenge me? This game you're playing? Because I play to win and I get it if you scared..."Â
" I'm not scare of you" Eddie's smirk deepened, a glimmer of mischief lighting his dark eyes. âIs that so? Then why donât we put your bravado to the test?â He stepped closer, his presence stealing the air between you.
âI think I got it..." you mumble, " You're afraid to fall in love..." you gasped. Eddieâs laughter faded, his expression shifting as the weight of your words settled between you like a heavy blanket. The playful energy morphed into something tenser, more fragile.
âLove?â he echoed, disbelief threading through his voice. â that's stupid." Eddie scoffed, waving a dismissive hand as if your words were a filthy habit to be brushed away. âLove is just another way of getting yourself hurt.â
" Whatever helps you sleep at night" you shrugged. Eddieâs jaw clenched subtly, a flicker of something softening in his dark eyes. He stepped back, breaking eye contact for a moment, the tension coiling tighter between you like a winding thread ready to snap.Â
âYou think I want the puppy mushy love stuff?" Eddie asked. His voice was a low growl, underlined with an edge of frustration as he ran a hand through his messy hair, careless and wild.Â
âLove is about connection and understadning-" Eddie cuts you off. " It's bullshit" he says. âBullshit?â You echoed, incredulous. âYou think itâs bullshit to feel something genuine?âÂ
Eddieâs eyes flickered with something unspoken, a fire behind his bravado. âYeah, because it makes you weak."Â
" Who hurt you?" You leveled your gaze at him, the question hanging in the air like a fragile thread.Â
Eddie bristled, his facade cracking just slightly. âWhat are you? My therapist?â He shoved his hands into his pockets.Â
" Your parents? Friends? High school crush?" Eddieâs eyes hardened, and he straightened, the carefree demeanor quickly replaced by a guarded shell.Â
âDoes it matter?â he asked, voice low. âEveryone has baggage. I donât need to unpack mine for you, sweetheart.â
" So it's one of those" you nodded, understanding. âGood to see you get it.â His tone dripped with defiance, but the crack in his armor remained visibleâa bittersweet reminder of the façade he wore.
" Do you ever let anyone in?" Eddieâs expression darkened, a mask of defiance shielding whatever fragility simmered beneath. âIn? What does that even mean? Letting people in means inviting trouble.âÂ
" Don't you want connection? To be understood?" Eddieâs gaze flickered, uncertainty glinting behind his usual bravado. âYouâre painting a pretty picture, sweetheart. But itâs hard to want a connection when everyone around you turns into lies,â he replied, a hint of bitterness.
" You really think everyone is out to get you, Eddie.." Eddie shifted, his expression flickering like shadows in dim light. âNot out to get me, no. But trust issues? I've got âem.â He leaned back against the wall, arms crossing tightly over his chest like a fortress under siege.
" Something we both have in common" you started to chip at your nail polish.âCommon ground, huh?â Eddie raised an eyebrow, skepticism lacing his voice. âWhat does that even mean for you? You just moved here, and we barely know each other. What could we possibly share?â
" Music, banter, a good conversation, understanding, a rough past, parents that were shit...." His brow furrowed, surprise painting his features. âSo weâre both a couple of misfits, huh? You think thatâs enough to build some sort of bond?âÂ
" You're scared to get hurt as much as I am too" Eddie's gaze flickered, something raw threading through his bravado as he stared back at you. âScared? Maybe. But that doesnât mean Iâm looking for some buddy system.âÂ
" I'm not asking for frienship" Eddieâs brow furrowed, a mixture of confusion and intrigue washing over his features. âWhat then? A fleeting moment? A couple of laughs between two broken souls?â His voice dipped into a lower register, laced with an edge that
" Maybe.. someone to drink with when you can't sleep, someone to sit in silence with.." Eddie's expression softened for a moment, his bravado slipping. âYou think I want someone sitting in my silence?â He pushed off the wall, challenging yet inviting.
âWhy not?â you replied, your voice steady despite the tumult of emotions swirling inside. âSometimes silence is louder than words. It can soothe the chaos, even if just for a moment.â
Eddie sighs as he shakes his head, " You don't understand, kid.." The air thickened between you, charged with unspoken truths. Eddieâs gaze hardened like stone, but behind the wall, you caught glimmers of vulnerability.
âKid? Am I really that young to you?â Your voice dripped with playful sarcasm.
" You have that sparkle in your eye still, you're young... and too young to play with me.." Eddie says as his eyes flash something in them. âPlay with you? Is that what this is to you, Munson?â you quirked an eyebrow, folding your arms defiantly. The earlier tension felt like a tightly wound spring, ready to snap at any moment.
Eddie chuckles, " I'm not going to end up fucking you.." You scoff, arms folding tighter against your chest, âIs that so? So you think Iâm just another notch on your belt, huh?âÂ
Eddieâs smirk loses its edge, the flicker of mischief in his eyes.
" Sweetheart, I have more expirence than you. I know what I'm doing, have you even sucked a cock before?" You scoff, heart racing at the boldness of his question. âAnd you think thatâs all there is to it? Just some stupid experience points?âÂ
âIâm just saying, if you want to play, play smart,â Eddie replies, " and if you don't, then don't waste my time." Your heart thudded, each beat echoing in the charged silence between you. âWaste your time? Is that what this is to youâa game?âÂ
Eddie leaned back against the doorframe, the tension coiling around you both like a plague.Â
" You're difficult, you know?" He opens the door. The door creaked open, framing Eddie like a chaotic storm on the other side, hair tousled and mouth curling in a teasing smirk, but his eyes glimmered with something deeperâa raw honesty attempting to break through the playful veneer.
â Are you really not going to let me see you behind the curtain?" Eddie chuckles, " You think there is one?"Â
" I think you're pretty good at hiding yourself but your too scared of the world and the people that care about you" Eddie's expression hardened, his facade tipping dangerously close to crumbling. "Scared? You have no idea what you're talking about."
"Then show me," you challenged, stepping forward, watching as his bravado flickered before your eyes.
" Show me the real Eddie Munson" Eddie hesitated, a flicker of vulnerability crossing his features as he weighed your challenge. The charged atmosphere thickened, each heartbeat echoing in the space between you.Â
He scratches his head, " You don't want to deal with me, sweetheart. " âI might surprise you,â you countered, your tone steady, eyes locked with his, daring him to back down.Â
" Why do you want to?" He asked. "Because I know thereâs more beneath all that bravado," you responded, stepping a little closer, testing the boundaries as the air thickened with anticipation. âEveryone has layers, Eddie. You canât hide behind attitude and tattoos forever.â
#eddie munson#imagine Eddie munson#Eddie Munson x reader#Eddie Munson x you#eddie munson x female reader#eddie munson x y/n#Eddie Munson imagine#jewls writes#older Eddie Munson x you#older Eddie Munson x reader#Older Eddie Munson x y/n
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CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER SIX
"Got me stressed out. It's not even my girlfriend.â
⸠summary: itâs a mental game to get out of woods, and you need help bringing yourself back to earth. ⸠characters: steve harrington, eddie munson,dustin henderson, ft. robin buckley & max mayfield ⸠word count: 12.6k ⸠warnings: angst, semi-fluff, SMUT (MINORS DNI +18), mentions of death ⸠series masterlist
âFlay this, you ugly piece of shit!â
 Your surroundings blurred as you stumbled against the railing in front of you. The air was thick with bitter smoke, and the distant cracking of fireworks reverberated through the air. Youâve been here before. This was Starcourt Mall.Â
 The night you all faced the Mind Flayer.
 In disbelief, you watched as your friends frantically threw fireworks at the colossal creature on the ground floor. Their faces etched with determination and words filled with anger. The Mind Flayer writhed and snarled from below. Whipping its gaze at all the directions the attacks were coming from.
 A surge of confusion swept over you. How the hell were you back here? Was this a dream? It had to be. The mall, the flayerâ it all felt too surreal to be real. Yet, the vividness of the moment, the heat of the fireworks, and the urgency in your friends' voices made it impossible to dismiss as just imagination.
 There was a lull in the attack that you were able to hear your name being called out.
 The voice was unmistakable. Billy.Â
 His desperate cries echoed through the chaos, adding to the overwhelming sense of dread. Slowly, you approached the edge of the railing to peer down below.Â
 "Help me! Babydoll, please!â His desperate pleas cut through the chaos. âDon't let it get me!"Â
 Your gaze locked onto the unfolding horror below as one of the Mind Flayer's tendril arms snaked around Billy, pulling him helplessly toward its gaping mouth. Billy's terrified screams resonated through the air, pleading for salvation. Your heart pounded in your chest, urging you to move quickly. But an invisible force seemed to paralyze you, rendering you powerless to intervene.
 As the monstrous entity snarled at Billy, the scene descended into a nightmarish mess. Walls turning dark red with the light slowly fading to the center of the room. Unable to witness his gruesome fate again, you fell backward in fear, the world around spiraling into darkness.
 However, the horror didn't end there.Â
 Your friends, done with their attack to the flayer, all slowly crowded towards you. Surrounding you in a circle of their judgmental gazes before they pointed down to you. Shouting out their accusing cries. "WHY WONâT YOU SAVE HIM?" they demanded in a chorus of eerie, distorted voices. The weight of their accusations pressed upon you, suffocating you with guilt and terror that kept you on the floor. It gave them a better chance to close in on you as they shouted out more claims.
 âHE LOVED YOU!â
 âHE WANTED YOU!âÂ
 HE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!â
 Your jaw slacked at their words. Confusion in the mix of your fear as you tried to reach out to them. Hands shaking as you pleaded for them to realize the truth. âI didnât want him to die! I donât want anyone to die!âÂ
 Surely your friends would never think that about you. They had to know!
 Amidst the continuing cries, was one familiar voice shouting at you. Steve, who was silent until now, emerged from the nightmarish crowd, his face contorted with anguish as he kneeled down beside you.Â
 "Why won't you save us?" He asked desperately, hands cupping around your shoulders. âYouâre leaving us to die!âÂ
 When you didnât say anything back he began to glare at you, words coming out in a spit as he gripped hard against you. âWHY WONâT YOU SAVE US?â His final yell echoed across the whole mall and in a final surge of terror, the world around you collapsed.Â
 You jolted awake, gasping for breath as you forward. The world around me blurred as you slapped down against the dashboard. It took you a second to realize that you werenât just sitting on the mall floor but in a moving car.Â
 âThank God!âÂ
 Eddie, who looked as sick as you felt, was behind the wheel, driving erratically as if the police were hot on your heels. Chrissy's contorted body flashed in your thoughts, reminding you of the horror you had just witnessed in the trailer.
 "Jesus Christ, slow down, Eddie!" you croaked out, voice tinged with a mix of fear and anger. "What the hell happened? Where are we?"
 Eddie's eyes darted toward you for a moment, his hands white as he held on the steering wheel tightly. "We didnât have a choice, okay? We needed to get out of there before whatever killed Chrissy came for us too!â
 âB-but sheâs back there!â you cried out, heart torn between the urgency of escape and the idea of abandoning Chrissy alone. âWe can't just leave her there alone like that!"
 "We can't get caught up in this," Eddie insisted, frustration etched across his face. "You think anyone will believe I didn't have anything to do with it? Freak of the town, ring a bell?!"
 The reality of the situation hit you like a punch to the gut. But that was slowly pushed back when you realize just how far out of the main part of town you guys are at. You reached out to Eddieâs arm, tugging at it quickly.Â
 âEddie, tell me youâre not leaving town.â
 âAll right, Iâm not leaving town.â he said sarcastically, pressing down harder onto the pedal. The road began to blur and you could feel the anxiety grow in the pit of your stomach.Â
 âWe cannot leave town, Eddie! Turn back!â you urged.Â
 His gaze shifted away, guilt and fear written all over his face. "Look, I know itâs bad. But Iâwe canât risk it. Not when we donât even know what the hell happened!â
 âIt doesnât matter! Turn back now!â The two of you are so busy glaring at each other that you both failed to notice the van veering off the road. "Shit, watch out!" you shouted as you finally registered what was about to happen.
 Eddie tried his best to press down on the brake and slow down the speed of the van, but to your horror, it only skidded over the long grass of Hawkinâs massive forest. Panic surged through you as the van rushed towards a tree, and you braced for impact.
 The world blurred as the van crashed through the underbrush, the sound of crunching metal and snapping branches deafening. In the midst of the chaos, you clung to your seat, desperate for it to stop. It wasnât until one final forward thrust that the van finally stopped. Leaving you gasping for air again.
 The scene felt oddly familiar to your own car accident years ago. But thereâs no flashing lights, and your father wasnât on his way to help you. The only thing waiting for you was the looming dark forest that swallowed up the lights from the headlights.Â
 "Shit," Eddie's voice trembled with fear as he finally released his tight grip from the wheel. "Someoneâs gonna see this. Come on, we can't stay here."
 He threw open the door, while you stumbled out. The world spun wildly and it took you a minute to control the overstimulating thoughts and memories flooding your brain to register that Eddie was in front of you now. âI-I canât..â you whimpered, hands reaching out to him.Â
 You closed your eyes, feeling his hands cup around the sides of your face as he waited for you to calm down. It was only a second later that you opened them again to see the look of concern on his face. âIâm sorry,â he breathed, shaking his head. âWe still have to go.â
 Reaching down for your hands, he made sure to lace them together before he led the two of you away from the van towards the trees. âWait, shouldnât we go back on the road?â you asked, trying to keep up with his pace. The uneven forest floor beneath your feet felt foreign and slippery. Making it hard to try and keep up with your friend who had now moved on to mumbling to himself.
 "Eddie, slow down! I don't know these woods!" you cried out, breath catching in your throat.
 He didn't hear you, or maybe he didn't care. Eddie was on a mission, leading the two of you deeper into the wilderness. "I know a safe place, just keep up!"
 But the dense foliage and the unfamiliar terrain took on your already unsteady balance. You stumbled over a protruding root, hands reaching out to break the fall. The grass was moist beneath your fingers and you took a second to close your eyes to stop the world from spinning again. Eddie continued on without noticing, his footsteps fading in the distance while you struggled to regain footing.
 "Eddie! Wait!" you called out. The only response was the eerie silence of the woods. Taking a few long strides in, you called out for your friend again, hoping your voice was loud enough to break through the trees.Â
 âEDDIE!â
 Itâs only a matter of seconds before youâre lost, alone, and terrified. Still, you picked yourself up, desperately searching through the thicket for any sign of your friend. The trees loomed like shadows, and panic clung to you like a suffocating shroud. He couldnât have just left you behind right? But the more you walked, the louder you called out, the more you were hit with the realization.
 You were stranded in a place you didnât know, alone without your friend, and cold from the night sky. But the worst part of all, was the light echoes of a ticking clock in the distance.
 Exhausted and disoriented, you stumbled into the main street of town as the evening sun began to break through the trees. Your clothes were damp, feet sore from your terrible choice in shoes, and body shivering from the cold night in the woods.Â
 Itâs not like you had any choice. With the road being too dangerous at that time of night to hitchhike, your only other safe solution was to tough the walk through the woods and hope youâd find the outskirts of town soon enough.Â
 Youâre embarrassed to say that despite your usual sense of direction, you managed to circle around the woods a few times. Making your arrival into town at a much later time than youâd have preferred. But at least you were back. Better than another night trying to ignore the various noises and whispers the woods had to offer to you.
 It wasnât like you had any help at all considering that at no point in the night did Eddie try and find you.Â
 Still, you pulled through and despite the sleepiness, the hunger, and the aches, you were determined to get yourself home. But that plan seemed to come with a few complications.
 With every store you passed, every street corner, the townspeople of Hawkins seemed to be highly aware of how out of place you looked right now. One glance at the hardware store window and you were shocked to find just how disheveled and weary you looked, confirming your guesses to their curious gazes.
 You had to get home. You needed to get Dustin and figure out what to do about this mess.
 So without wasting time, you made your way towards the bus stop that stopped nearest to your house. But just as you were about to ask around for some possible bus fare, there was a loud honk that caught your attention.
 âHoney!?â
 You turned on your heel, scanning through the small group of passengers to try to find the familiar voice calling out to you. Around the corner of the block stood Steve. Your eyes met and you could see that along with the worrisome look on his face was a bit of shock. Possibly from your appearance.Â
 The two of you donât waste a second to make your way to each other. Steve even went as far to run over to you before he stood before you.
 "What the hell happened to you? Dustin told me he hasnât seen you since yesterday. Are you okay?" His eyes scanned over your figure, possibly trying to find an injury that matched with your current state of appearance. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled you into his arms, letting his hand cradle the back of your head as he pressed your face into his chest.
 You couldnât help it as you allowed yourself to hug him back. Seeking comfort in his arms after the night you had. The scent of his cologne and heat from his chest felt amazing against your cold skin and it wasn't until he pulled back that you realized you were shaking from the weather.Â
 He quickly shed off his jacket and draped it over your shoulders, providing a better warmth over your shivering arms. He was still waiting for you to answer, only raising a brow to you as he cupped the side of your cheek gently.Â
 Thereâs a weak attempt at trying to smile. To let him know that you were okay. But you werenât. At least mentally you werenât. Not when you couldnât stop replaying the events that happened just last night. It only felt even more overwhelming now that you had Steve of all people worried over you again. âIâm sorry.â you croaked, unable to stop the guilt from coming through. âWe got in an accident and then weâI got lost in the woods."
 Steve's eyes widened in disbelief. "Accident? Lost in the woods? What were you doing out there? Are you hurt?" He glanced around, noticing that there were a few people eavesdropping into the conversation. He carefully pulled you away from the bus stop towards the other direction. âDid he do this? Did Eddie do this?â
 "No,â you answered right away, not needing for that vine to tangle up in this mess. âI can't explain everything right now. It's complicated," you replied, voice shaky from exhaustion. "Please..I just need to get home.."
 For a moment he looked even more worried if possible, but instead of pressing on, he merely rubbed his thumb against the apple of your cheek before nodding his head.
 "Alright, Honey.â Steve said more softly now, gesturing towards his car. âLetâs get you home." His concern was genuine, and despite the awkwardness that should be between the two of you, the only thing you could feel from Steve now was comfort.
 And that was all youâd focus on right now.
 It didnât take long for Steve to get you home. In fact, youâre pretty sure he broke the speed limit a couple of times on the road. Not that youâd press him about it right now. All you wanted was to get inside your house. Where you could hopefully recollect yourself into a person again.
 Despite being in the comforts of being around Steve, you were still finding it hard to come back down from the overwhelming anxiety that still ached inside of you. It was almost like you were stuck on autopilot as you exited the car.
 Steve was quick to return to your side. Gentle like before as he wrapped an arm to lead you towards the front door. A glance up and you can see him sporting his frustrated frown despite the kind voice he used with you. Â
 A step to the front door and you could hear the phone ringing inside, blaring loudly into the empty home âMy key.â you whispered softly to yourself, trying to check over the pockets of your dirty dress. But all your things were gone. Youâre not even sure when or where youâve managed to lose everything.Â
 âItâs okay.â Steve reassured you, carefully letting go to walk over to the potted plants your Aunt had placed this past summer. âThe spareâs right here.âÂ
 You watched quietly as Steve moved over a ceramic frog to reveal the hidden key. It was just a couple of months ago, before the end of Summer, that you had revealed its secret spot to him. Telling him he was more than welcomed to use it any time he needed to.
 He had joked that you might get tired of his surprise visits if he had a way in every time. You happily told him that itâd be impossible, but if he really wanted to surprise you, there was always your bedroom window.
 âCome on,â he said, pulling you out of the memory. âLetâs get you warmed up.âÂ
 As the two of you entered the home, you glanced around with uncertainty. Unsure of where you should even start on your previous night considering the heavy load it came with. But before either of you could even touch on the subject, the shrill ring of the phone interrupted the silence again.
 Steve held a hand up, quietly offering to take the call as he picked up the phone from the small table.
 He muttered out a half greeting before sighing deeply. âYeah, sheâs here.â he said calmly to the receiver. "Yeah, I found her near Main⌠No, she's not hurt, I think, just shaken up⌠I don't know what happened, man. She hasnât had a second to really explain..â
 You could hear the muffled voice of Dustin on the other end, bombarding Steve with questions youâre sure he doesn't have many answers to. Steve glanced over his shoulder, noting you quietly observing him before he motioned for you to go clean up. âGo ahead, Iâll be here when you get out.â he whispered.
 With that reassurance, you gave him a quick nod, grateful for his patience, and headed towards the bathroom. Once you closed the door and undressed yourself, you finally got the chance to really check over your appearance. The mirror reflected a face unfamiliar to you. One that wasnât its usual confident self, but of someone who was scared.
 You didnât like looking at that face.Â
 Shielding your gaze away from the mirror, you quickly stepped in started up the shower.
 The hot water felt good as it cascaded over you. Washing away any dirt and grime that clung to your skin from the long night in the woods. That and the loofah you were scrubbing hard against your skin. Every swipe of sudsy soap would reveal a red burning skin that let you know it was fresh and clean.
 âChrissy! Wake up! CHRISSY!â
 You nearly dropped the bottle of body wash from your hands as your mind flashed over the haunting images from before. The harsh, supernatural force that took Chrissyâs body so effortlessly as she hung in the air like a puppet. The sounds of her bones breaking echoed above the noisy shower.Â
 Eddieâs screams came into your mind, almost like speakers pressed against your ears and you dropped everything to cover them up. Muttering for them to just go away. But it wonât stop. Every attempt to focus was met with the flashbacks that persisted. Each replay was more vivid than the last. The flash image of Chrissy's contorted body, the way her eyes sunk into her head, it all made you feel trapped in a nightmare from which there was no escaping.Â
 You gotta get out.Â
 You have to leave.
 You need to RUN.
 âHoney?â
 The clear sound of Steveâs voice brought everything to halt. Your eyes snapped open to watch as a hand reached past the shower curtain to turn off the water, cutting off the remaining sound in the room. Hesitantly you pulled back the plastic curtain a bit to peek out.Â
 Steve was standing there, concern etched on his face again, but this time with his eyes cast down to avoid your naked form while he held up a towel.
 "Are you okay?" he asked softly. Thereâs a vulnerability in his voice that was unexpected, and you nodded as you reached out for the towel to wrap around yourself.Â
 Finally he glanced back at you, giving you a once over as his hand extended out for you while carefully helping you exit the shower. With a small gesture towards the door, he helped usher you over to your bedroom.Â
 The amount of patience and kindness that Steve was giving you today had your emotions turning erratic again. The mixture of your previous fear along with the current gratitude and embarrassment that came from having him see you like this.
 Once in the room, he let go of you, almost turning to leave before he sighed and returned back before you. Having had enough of the uneasy silence.Â
 "I need to know whatâs going on, Trouble. I know you were there in the trailer. What happened?â
 His eyes searched at yours for answers. But you found yourself hesitating, unsure of how to put it into words. Despite Steve being completely aware of things such as the upside down, hell, even your past, this was the one time it felt..unreal.
 "I donât know if youâll believe me, Steve. Itâs..unlike anything weâve seen.â you stammered, voice barely above a whisper. His concern deepened, and he urged you to continue with a light nod.
 "Chrissy... she..." You struggled to find the right words, your mind still clouded with only flashes of what you had witnessed. "She was taken by this force, this... I don't even know how to describe it. It just pulled her in the air..it twisted her, Steve. It was so fast..in mere seconds she was gone and crumpled to the ground. I've never been so terrified in my life."
 You didnât even realize you were crying until Steve had stepped over to wipe at your cheeks. His face was even more grave than before as he looked down at you. He took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving yours, and said, "Youâre safe now. Youâre not there anymore.â
 âBut safe from what, Steve? We donât even know how or why it happened!â you whispered, feeling your throat choke up as the emotions you had been holding finally poured out. âOne minute sheâs just there inside with Eddie, and the next I hear screaming and sheâs not talking! She was here but gone at the same time.âÂ
 Steve moved to wrap his arms around you, pulling you back into his chest to stop from shaking. âDid he say anything?..Do you know if he?..â
 âNo, Eddie didnât do this, Steve!â you pulled back from the hug to look up. âHe was just as terrified as I was..it wasnât him. I-I swear!â
 âI believe you, itâs okay.â he said quickly, noticing your sudden panic. But it's too late and youâre feeling the air around you turn thick, unable to get it in your lungs.
 âI canât breathe, Steve!â You gasped, moving your hands to grip tightly at his arms. His presence alone was keeping you grounded before, but everything seemed to be crashing down at this moment. Your attempts to breathe mixing with crying only made things worse.
 âBreathe with me.â He shushed, pushing his forehead to press against yours. The palms of his warm hands wrapped around your shoulders and he tugged you closer to keep you from getting any colder.Â
 But the fear persisted, and your sobs grew louder. It was then that Steve cupped at your face and planted a soft but deep kiss to your lips. Catching you off guard enough that your mind frazzled into focusing only on the touch of his skin to yours before he pulled back.
 "Why did you..." you began to ask, voice trailing off.
 "I just needed to help bring you back down to me," Steve whispered, his eyes searching yours. Almost as if he were afraid he had crossed a line. The two of you silently shared a moment of silence before you gave a quick nod.
 "Right," you managed to say, still grateful despite the unconventional method.Â
 Steve remained close to you. "Are you?" he asked calmly.
 âAm I what?â
 âHere with me?â
 When you donât answer, he sighed softly, enveloping you in his arms. The natural heat of his body called out to you and you reached out to hold onto him desperately. Seeking all the familiar comforts that came with Steve. The scent of his cologne, the warmth of his skin, the cotton of his shirt. It was impossible for you not to inhale all of it.
 He rested his chin against the side of your head, holding you tightly as his arms traced soothing patterns across the bare skin that peeked on the top of the towel. Something inside you is sparked and any sane conscious thought is out the window.
 You donât want to feel this fear anymore. You just want to feel like yourself again.Â
 Even if just for a moment.Â
 Pulling away, you reached up, brought his face close and kissed him.Â
 It was nothing like the shared kiss you had moments before. It was intense. Needy. All the emotions that the two of you seemed to share as you both clung onto one another.Â
 His hands trailed down from your back to rest at your hips. The tip of his fingers dug lightly as he attempted to control whatever urge he had. Your own hands had the same problem as they crawled up to tangle in the ends of his soft hair. Tugging hard enough that caused him to groan against your lips. He broke the kiss apart to pull back.Â
 âWeâre being stupid right now, arenât we?â he asked, hot breath fanning over you.
 âYeah,â you breathed, eyes flicking down to his pink lips. âIncredibly stupid.â
 Reaching down between your bodies, you pulled the towel off from your skin, giving him a full view of yourself.
 He sucked in a sharp breath at the sight, eyes scanning down your body that had you flushed. Nodding his head to himself, he reached and grabbed your face with both hands and kissed you again.Â
 Frantically, his own desperation kicked in and he doesnât even give himself a second to properly shed off his own clothing. Making you have to be the one to pull back and help strip him down. Once he was down to nothing, he resumed pressing his lips against yours. Using one of his hands to cradle the back of your head and the other to press your body against his.
 The contrast of your cold body to his hot one had you both shivering as you stumbled backwards towards the bed. It wasnât until the back of your legs hit the edge of the bed that he carefully pushed you to lay down.Â
 Your back met with the comforter of your bed quickly and you gazed up to watch as Steve slowly came onto the bed, kneeling just before your legs. Though youâre both naked and practically panting with want, thereâs a small flicker of concern on his face again.
 âSay it,â he begged, voice slightly cracked from being out of breath and from the hurt that lingered in his tone. âSay that you want this too.â
 âI want this.â you nodded, spreading your legs open for him. His eyes widened at the sight of you. His hand instantly reached out to rub down the expanse of your bare thigh. Your heart began to beat rapidly at the dark desire that flickered in his gaze. âI want you, Steve.â
 He groaned at that, leaning down so that he could lay on top of you. His lips were back onto yours once again, tracing his tongue at your lips until you parted yours and allowed him the chance to swirl it against yours. The sensation had you feeling lightheaded. Your hands wrapped around his shoulders, fingers digging lightly into his bare skin.Â
 The light graze of his hardened cock brushing lightly against your inner thigh had you jumping back in surprise. Pulling back from his kiss, you looked down between the two of you, reaching down and taking hold of his member in your hands.Â
 âFuck, honey.â Steve whimpered, âItâs been so long.â
 The tip of his cock was already red, aching to be touched and dripping with excitement. The pad of your thumb swirled over the glaze of precum. You used its slickness to help glide your hand over the base of his member. Jerking it up and down lightly while you watched Steveâs face for his reaction.
 He emitted a sweet moan that had you biting down on your lip to keep from joining him. His hips jerked with every tug you gave and you knew it wouldnât be long for him to take control again. So you enjoyed your time, leaning down his neck to kiss at his hot skin while you worked him to a full erection.Â
 âIâve missed this.â you muttered softly, kissing up the line of freckles and moles that adorned his neck.Â
 âMe too.â he gritted, hands now gripped at your hips to control himself from thrusting into your fingers. âBut Iâve missed something else even more.â
 One of his hands pulled away from your side so that he could release himself from your hold and slide down until they reached your aching core. The slick glaze of your arousal spread quickly over his fingers, giving him the chance to swirl around your folds.
 âSteve,â you whimpered, feeling already so sensitive and desperate for release. Any more of the simple touches and you were embarrassed to say youâd come undone easily. âI need you.âÂ
 âYou have me.â he promised, as. he brought the tips of his fingers up to his mouth, sucking any bit of you that was left on them. âAll of me.â
 With that he reached between you and easily guided his aching erection to glide against your slick folds. Teasing not only himself but you in the process as he worked you two up. You leaned up on your elbow to pull him down again, pressing your lips together as your hips instinctively thrust upward to him.
 He didnât break the kiss, but he did stop his hips in time to finally press the tip of his cock at your entrance and slowly thrust in. The walls of your pussy reacted instantly to his member again. Tightening around his long thick size until he was fully sheathed inside of you.Â
 Shocked, you gasped and looked up at him, eyes clouded with a familiar desire. It had been quite some time since youâve felt this full and with every small nudge, Steve managed to bottom his way in. âGod, youâre so tight,â he shuddered, bucking his hips for a moment before he wrapped an arm around the side of your waist. âSo hot and tight for me.â
 âSteve,â you whimpered, hips rolling on their own accord before you forced your body to relax. âI need, fuck, I needââ you begged, practically desperate for him to make any movement now.Â
 âNeed what, honey?â he said, moving his hands to place down at your hips, a small thrust to get you moving a little. âWhatever you want, itâs yours.â
 âMove.â you said finally, nails digging into his shoulders now.Â
 That was all he needed to hear before he began to move again. He slid out- and back in, with more force this time, causing you to shudder beneath him. The pleasure was strong this time, possibly with how desperate youâve become since entering the room. You leaned up, clinging around his arms to hold him close.Â
 Every part of his warm body felt like a cover from the world. A cover from the dread that wanted to eat at you that only he seemed to be able to pull you out of. It was all you wanted to focus on, all you could focus on.Â
 Steve dropped his face into your neck, murmuring something against your skin before he kissed at the flesh gently. âYours.â he said eventually, another thrust back. He picked his head back up to look down at you. One arm had you pressed close to his body, making you feel every part of him while the other leaned on his elbow to give him a chance to look down at you. âIâm yours.â
 You gazed up into his eyes, one hand letting go of his shoulders to cup at his cheek. âMine.â you agreed, pressing your lips to his.Â
 His pace quickened up at that, goading him into another set of emotions.Â
 You wrapped legs around his waist. Keeping yourself from moving away from him as his quick thrusts that pushed you higher up in the bed. His name fell past your lips in a long moan, unable to think of any other words. It was like all you could do was think and speak his name.Â
 Whether it be from your shifting feelings, or the fact that Steve was going at such a fast pace, the two of you seemed to be closer to your release than expected. He dropped his head down, pressing a few loving kisses to the apex of your breasts. He groaned your name against the pebble of your breast, nipping at the sensitive bud before he returned back to your face. Kissing your lips and cheeks over and over until he had to pull back to breathe again.
 âI canât hold on much longer, baby.â you warned, leaning up to press a kiss to his shoulder.
 âMe either.â he nodded, taking a quick pause to look down at you. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but settled with dropping down to meld your lips once again. One of his hands let go of your waist to slip between the two of you, and you soon felt the familiar pad of Steveâs thumb press against your clit.Â
 Without a wasted second, he began to roll the sensitive bud in a circular motion while thrusting into you at a more brutal pace.Â
 The whole world is gone and all you could feel now was the intense orgasm as it washed over your body. Back arching up to him as you cried out in ecstasy against his lips. Your palms clasped his back, pressing yourself even more if possible to meet up with his final thrusts.
 He whimpered into your lips, pulling back to allow his face to fall against your neck and catch his breath while he shot his cum into your core. The thrusts slowed down and soon enough you only rolled your hips lightly against him to ride out the rest of the euphoria with him.Â
 It was only a second that the two of you said nothing. Both of you seemingly unsure how to process the intensity that the sex brought.Â
 His head lifted back up, looking down at you intently before gently pulling himself out of you. The sudden pressure change had you let out a small whimper and Steve returned to leaning back on his knees. His gaze was locked over your figure and you couldnât help but feel embarrassed to look so wrecked.Â
 But Steve doesnât seem to think the same thing as he gently reached down, caressing the skin of your thighs. âYouâre beautiful.â he said aloud, âSo damn beautiful.âÂ
 Something sparked inside of you. Maybe the sincerity of his words, or the selfish need to be taken out of that deep sinking feeling that had its grip on you lately. Or maybe it was just because you wanted Steve and to ignore the reality that was outside the doors.Â
 âSteve?â you asked softly, leaning up on your elbows.
 âYeah?â he whispered back, looking at you with a small bit of concern again.
 âIâm still not here..â
 A small smile tugged at his lips before he nodded his head at you, crawling back up to climb over your body again. One of his hands crawled up this time to cup around your breast, kneading the muscle gently.Â
 âOkay, honey. Let me try again.â
 Itâs embarrassing to say you two go for it another two times before youâre both satisfied. The sun was set even more into the evening and you glanced at the clock in time to see youâve been here for over an hour.
 You collapsed forward, sagging into his arms. Your chest nearly heaving as you struggled to catch your breath after all the vigorous movements you two just did. He pressed his lips to your cheek, and it burned. Like a reminder of his presence there being nothing but a burning comfort to you.Â
 Holding your heavy breath, you stopped moving around. Allowing his arms to wrap around your body and give you the chance to savor the moment for your memory. To use it when you needed a reminder of a time you felt this content.Â
 Eventually he helped lift your tired body up enough that he was able to pull himself out of you, hissing a bit at the cold air before he laid you to return to resting on top of him. Grabbing your bare leg, he draped over his hips and kept you close to his side so that he could use your warm skin as a cover. You gently placed your head against his chest, hand up so that you could gently run your fingers through the curls that covered his pecs. The sound of his heart beat, your favorite sound, thumped lightly in your ears.
 âTalk to me.â he said before he kissed the smooth skin between your brows.Â
 You lifted your head up to watch him. Not answering right away to gauge his reaction. Heâs pretty calm considering what you two were just finished doing. Not hurt like you almost expected for him to be after having just used him. In fact, he was just looking down at you patiently, bringing a hand up to caress the side of your face while he waited.Â
  Resting your chin on his chest, you sighed softly, not sure what to say next.Â
 âIâm sorry.â you said hesitantly. âI know you were trying to calm me down. But I didnât mean to just use you to make myself feel better. It was shitty ofââ
 âI wanted it.â he interrupted you, a firmness in his voice. You glanced back to his gaze, noting the calm was replaced with a serious look. As if he were about to lose it if you went further on with your sentence. âI needed it, actually.â
 This was all so overwhelming.
 The very idea that after pushing Steve away, practically forcing him and yourself to move on with others, the two of you still relied on each other to feel good in the end. Youâve never had this feeling with anyone before. It was scary. It was too real.Â
 You opened your mouth, ready to set him up with another disappointing apology when he sprung forward to kiss you. Ceasing any words from making it past your lips as he captured the moment. Again you donât fight against it. At this point you donât think you can.
 Down the hall, the phone sprung to life again, pulling you both back to reality. The kiss had you breathless, staring up at Steve with wide eyes because he was doing it again. He was making you question every choice youâve ever made.
 âIt doesnât have to mean anything. This whole thing could be nothing..â he said, looking at you with such fondness. âItâs just us helping each other. Thatâs it.â
 âBut it isnât nothing.â you whispered back, unable to hide the truth. âIt never is with us.â
 He doesnât say anything. Only taking a glance down the hall at the phone thatâs still ringing. Reaching up, you cupped at the side of his face and made him look back at you, but all that does is create a pained look on his face. Like he was torn about something.
 âItâs probably Dustin.â he said eventually, reaching up to pull your hand away. âWeâve been here longer than expected. Theyâre probably waiting for us.â
 âThey?â you asked, releasing him fully from his hold so that he could climb out of the bed to gather up his scattered clothes from the floor.
 âRobin, Max, and Dustin were trying to figure out where Eddie could be hiding before I left.â he said, watching you while he dressed himself. âMax saw Eddie running to his van last night in a panic. Weâre gonna try and figure this out. Get his side of the story.â
 The mention of Eddie brought a sad dip to your stomach. Itâs been hours since the two of you had lost each other and you werenât sure if he was okay or not. Not to mention it had been hours and he didnât exactly seek out to find you either..
 A glance up and you watched as Steve quickly fixed himself enough to look presentable. This time the guilt rolled in when you thought of the idea of Steve wasting precious time he could have been using to help with Eddie just to go out and try and find you.Â
 âRight,â you nodded, climbing out of the bed. âWe should probably go.â
 He didnât say anything at first as you began to dress yourself, pulling on underwear and a bra. But it isnât until youâre about to reach for a shirt that he stepped over and reached out to gently grab your hand.Â
 âNo one would be upset if you wanted to sit this one out, Trouble.â he said softly, turning you to face him again. âAfter everything you saw and been through..we can figure something out by ourselvesâ
 âAre you trying to say you donât want my help?â you ask a little guarded. In all this time you two had been dealing with the kids and the upside down, Steve has never once been the one to push you out of things. Even last summer with the Russianâs invasion, he was insisting on you joining. What was different now?
 âI always want you and your help.â he said as matter of fact. âBut Iâm not gonna be selfish and force you to come out and join us when I know thereâs something going on with you.â
 Just like the night before, Steveâs intuitive mind was working double time on you. But there isnât much time left in the day to dive into that discussion and youâre worried about wasting more time by having Steve stand around and be concerned about you.
 âI wanna come.â you explained calmly, trying to sound more confident than you felt. âI need to help figure this out too.â
 Steveâs eyes watched you carefully, almost like he was waiting for you to crack. But when you continued to hold your gaze, he must have sensed you wouldnât be cracking down any time. âIâll wait in the car.â he said eventually, leaning forward to press a kiss to your cheek.
 After that, he left you to finish getting dressed and also give you a moment to collect yourself in preparation for facing the others.Â
 If Steve was worried enough to venture out for you, and Dustin enough to be calling the house this much, then surely the others would be just the same. And while a part of you wanted to allow them in, even just a little, there were other important things now.Â
 Like finding where Eddie was, and figuring out just what killed Chrissy.
 So with that determination, you quickly finished dressing and locked up the house on your way out. The air was chilly again and you shivered a bit as you made your way over to Steveâs car. He was adjusting the radio when you entered inside. Fiddling out with the knobs for a station that he liked.
 Thankfully the heater was already on. Helping thaw out your cold bones as you buckled in. Right away your eyes caught sight of something you didnât seem to notice before in your dazed out mind.Â
 Wrapped around the left side of the driverâs visor, was the gold necklace. The âSâ dangled just enough to shine in the bit of light that was left outside. You couldnât help but watch it quietly, not sure what to think about him still having it. Steve didnât seem to notice where your attention was as he turned to face you.
 âReady to go?â he asked, settling on a soft rock station. You nodded your head slowly, forcing your eyes to look out towards the window.
 âAs Iâll ever be.â
 There is no real reunion when you finally get to picking up the others. Mostly, it was Robin taking control of the line of questioning. Which you were a little bit troubled with answering right away. Mostly because you needed to hear Eddieâs half to put all the pieces together.
 The rest of the car ride was spent being spooked by the empty lot that led over to Rick Liptonâs house. You recognized some of the area from the road. Recalling coming to part of town the past summer with Steve so he could show you loverâs lake.
 It was bizarre to think you were supposedly near this house just last night and wound up walking all the way back into town. It added to the bitter feeling inside of you when you remembered the events again.Â
 But there were questions that needed answers and pouting about being left behind would have to be done later.Â
 The car was parked in the dark driveway of the Lipton house and flashlights were slowly passed around before you all made an exit of the car. Steve was quick to make his way to your door, opening it up for you and extending a hand out to help pull you out.
 The moment is sweet and you squeeze his hand lightly in a silent thank you. Over his shoulder, you spot a gawking Robin who didnât even bother to conceal the small shock on her face.
 Nodding for Steve to go ahead, you hang back a moment to let Robin make her way over to you.
 âSo,â she chirped, âthat was a pretty nice moment I saw there.â
 âYes,â you agreed, looking at her from the side of your eyes. âSteveâs been really nice to me since he found me.â
 She hummed playfully, giving you a small wink. âI see. And Iâm guessing he was really nice to you when you guys were at your house for over an hour.â
 You hoped that your poker face didnât crack over Robinâs comment. On top of everything going on, you didnât need to have her teasing either one of you for what may have happened in your house. Even if she was on the right track.
 âI think it was mostly me needing a minute to process everything.â you said slowly, thankful that you were able to be truthful. âSteveâs just kind enough not to rush.â
 Her eyes glanced over the guy, watching as he held the flash light over towards the side of the house, inspecting the area before he sensed the pair of eyes watching his back. Turning, he glanced between the two of you. Eyes shifting worriedly before he settled with putting an awkwardly forced smile on his face.
 âDingus is something else, thatâs for sure.â Robin muttered with a head shake. âSorry if Iâm pushy. Just looked like something might be sparking between you guys again.â
 Guilt spread over yourself at the idea of giving another person in your life false hope over something you werenât sure of yet. Especially Robin, who most likely just wanted her close friends to get back together again.Â
 âWeâre always gonna be close.â you tried, hoping not to sound like your feelings were swinging in any kind of way. âIâm thankful that heâs always willing to help me, even when I donât think he should.â
 âHe cares about you.â She said calmly, like a reminder.Â
 Your lips pursed and you dropped your gaze to the flashlight in your hands. âHe cares about all of us, Robs.â
 âYeah, but we know itâs different with you.â she shrugged, âEnough so that heâs willing to just drop everything he's doing to leave work and find you.â
 Dustin called out to the two of you to hurry up, leaving you without a chance to give out a proper response. Quickly, you both followed up behind the others to the door. All holding up a flashlight to brighten up the area.
 The first ring of the doorbell was met with an awkward silence. Then the second, then the third, then fourth, and finally fifth.
 You couldn't help but think that neither Rick nor Eddie would be the type of person who would happily open the door that was being rung this late at night. But, you figured vocalizing that might not help with Dustinâs current frustrations. Steve on the other hand..
 âOkay. Well, thatâs settled. I guess heâs not here.â
 Like you expected, Steveâs skepticism only frustrated your cousin further. Causing him to change the ringing into banging. Yelling out for Eddie in hopes that his friend would come out to a friendlier voice. Â
 âLook, we just wanna talk, okay? No cops, I swear! We just wanna help!â
 To your left, you watched as Max and Robin began to scale the side of the house. Trying their best to peer into the windows of the closed off home.Â
 âEDDIE!â Dustin continued to yell, mixing his knocking with ringing again. âRICK!...REEFER RICK!â
 âDonât scream that!â Steve chided, making you slightly amused before you moved closer to try and look through the window. The house from what you could see looked completely abandoned. Eddie considered this place to be a shelter from all the mess that had happened. So why did it seem like the place had been abandoned for a while now?Â
 âHey guys?â Max called out, bringing the group to leave the house and follow to where she stood.Â
 Down her line of vision was a boat house. Eerily the only thing in the area other than the street lights to have a light on. Something in the back of your mind warned you about its creepy appearance, but considering that everything lately was getting to you, itâd be something youâd have to ignore.
 So down the hill the rest of you went. Lights flashing at the dingy building as you all approached its doors slowly.Â
 Robin took the lead this time, pushing at the door slowly as she peeked her head in. âHello?â she called out, not fully yet stepping in. âIs anyone home?â
 One by one the rest of you filed in after her. Lights aiming in different directions to showcase the inside of the place. It smelled like rusted metal, wet wood, and something else you couldnât decipher. Forcing you to tuck your nose into the collar of your jacket to breathe in your perfume.
 âWhat a dump.â Steve called out, a light disdain in his tone.Â
 âDid you really expect pristine conditions from a guy called Reefer Rick?â you asked, giving him a small look. He huffed amusedly before turning around to reach over for an ore on the wall. Youâre about to ask what he was planning on doing with that when he suddenly began to stab the ore into the tarp covered boat. Making you and Dustin jump a bit from the rapid movement.Â
 âWhat are you doing?â Dustin gaped.
 âHe might be in here.â Steve answered simply, continuing with his jabbing.
 âAnd you plan on turning him into a skewer?â you frowned, taking a step back to observe from a safe distance.Â
 Dustin shook his head, pointing over to the boat with his hand. âTake the tarp off!â
 âIf youâre so brave, you take the tarp off.â Steve countered, still poking around the edges. You couldnât help but roll your eyes at their cowardice.Â
 âDonât you think heâd have popped out by now if he was hiding in there? Youâve practically poked a hole in the tarp.â you said, crossing your arms.Â
 âHey, look over here.â you heard Max call out. From the other side you watched Robin and her approach a table. Fiddling with some that had been thrown on top. âSomeone was here.â she continued.Â
 âMaybe he heard us. Got spooked and ran.â Robin suggested.
 âDonât worry,â Dustin cut in. âSteve will get him with his oar.âÂ
 You chuckled at that, finding the whole thing ridiculous while Steve went on with his work.Â
 âI know you think youâre being funny, Henderson, but considering the fact that everyone in this room has nearly died about a hundred times, personally, I donât find it funny in the slightââ
 As if he were waiting for the right moment, Eddie suddenly popped out from beneath the tarp, causing everyone in the group to jump back in fear. He shot himself forward and grabbed onto a shocked Steve and pushed them backwards until the two of them were pressed against the wall.Â
 All of you are too shocked to react right away. It wasnât until Dustin was pleading out to Eddie to stop that you noticed he was holding up a broken glass bottle to Steveâs neck. A flashback of Steveâs bloodied face after dealing with the Russianâs came into your mind and you found yourself panicking over his safety.Â
 Without even a second thought you picked up one of the other oars and gripped on it tightly, sizing up behind an unknowing Eddie. Dustin called out to you next, holding a hand up as he tried to take control of the situation.
 âEddie! Eddie! Itâs me! Itâs Dustin!â he called out, gaining the attention of the boy. âThis is Steve. Heâs not gonna hurt you, right, Steve?â
 You glanced over Eddieâs shoulder to watch as Steve nervously tried to respond. âRight, yeah.â he whispered, almost afraid to speak up.Â
 âSteve, why don't you drop the oar?â
 Right away he let go of the wooden piece, causing a small clanging noise to fill up the tense room. Eddie is slightly triggered by that, pinching the glass a little more against Steveâs neck and causing him to groan out. You glared at the back of Eddieâs head, ready to swing against your own friend when Dustin held a hand out to you again.
 âHeâs cool! Heâs cool!â
 âIâm cool, man. Iâm cool.â he agreed in a whisper to Eddie. His eyes flickered behind the guy towards you, widening as he barely realized your attacking stance.
 âWhat are you doing here?â Eddie grunted, never looking away from Steve.
 âWeâre looking for you.â Dustin answered, trying again to gain his friendâs attention.Â
 âWeâre here to help.â Robin joined in, trying to calm the tension that had risen. Eddie glanced back, probably just realizing the two girls behind Dustin now.Â
 âEddie, these are my friends.â he pleaded, âYou know Robin, from band.â he said, gesturing to the girl behind him. Robin, while awkward, imitated the sound of her trumpet playfully. He turned to his other side and pointed over to Max. âThis is my friend Max. The one who never wants to play D&D.â Max offered up her best wave, despite the nervousness that appeared on her face.Â
 Dustin nodded over towards your direction, gulping a bit when he noticed you still were ready for the attack. âAnd you already know my lovely cousin,â he said, clearing his throat.Â
 Eddie barely now registered your presence, glancing over his shoulder finally to meet your eyes. Heâs shocked at your position, but still unwilling to let go of Steve right away. You made it a point to take a step closer, glaring at him as you finally spoke up. âHiya, Ed. Remember me?â
 âEddie,â Dustin cut in, trying to bring the calmness back. âWeâre on your side.â There was a flicker of hesitation on his face, making you and Dustin turn slightly more desperate the longer he held onto Steve.Â
 âI swear on my Mother! Right guys?â
 The other three shootout similar answers while you remained silent. Ready for anything.
 A long heartbeat passed before he pushed away from Steve, letting him fall back against the wall with a small grunt. You tossed aside the oar and made your way to check on him when Eddie gripped at your hand.
 The two of you hold eye contact and youâre unsure how to react to him calmly.
 His eyes alone showed there was a lingering fear. Hell, you just saw the same eyes in your own mirror hours ago. But the mixed emotions that were going through when it came to Eddie, made it a little hard to figure out how you wanted to react.
 âYouâre.. okay.â he whispered, almost like he was afraid to speak aloud.Â
 âYeah, Iâm okay.â you nodded, a frown still hard on your face. âNo thanks to you.âÂ
 Tugging your hand out from his grip, you finally stepped away, ignoring the hurt look on his face as you joined Steve at his side. He was hunched over, hand rubbing lightly at his neck. You leaned down, getting close enough to inspect his neck yourself. The skin was red with a slight little nip against the spot under his jawline.
 Steve smiled slightly, reaching out to place his hand on top of yours. âIâm okay.â he reassured.Â
 âEddie..â you heard Dustin behind you. âWe just want to talk.â The two of you turned your heads to watch as Dustin lowered down to squat before Eddie. He was closing himself off to the rest of you, hand still clutching onto the bottle as he kept his gaze away.Â
 You couldnât help but feel guilty knowing that Eddie was probably beyond freaked out about all this. There was still such anger and hurt flowing through you. But deep down you knew you felt for Eddie too. He was still the guy who had been your friend this whole time.Â
 Dustin tried to reach out for Eddieâs hand to take the bottle, causing him to flinch and grip onto it tighter. Robin slowly approached next, trying Dustinâs docile method as she lowered down to his eye level.
 âWe want to know what happened.â she said calmly. âTo the both of you.â
 Max glanced over at you, worry still flickered over her pale face before she glanced back to Eddie with the same expression. Steve reached out to place a hand on your back, soothingly as he nodded at you to go forward. âTell âem.â he said softly to you.Â
 Eddie sniffled a bit. âYou wonât believe me.â he said, voice cracking a bit. His gaze turned to look up now and you let out a shudder at the sight of his teary eyes.Â
 Max stood closer, giving him a light shrug as she calmly said a simple âTry us.â
  Eddie was the first one to go up and recall the events of the night before. The pain, evident in his voice as he tried to describe everything in detail. Immediately your mind is plagued with the images you had seen with your own eyes. Following each part of the story that Eddie cleared out.Â
 â..Things only got worse when I looked over to see Henderson passed out on the ground.â he said, pulling you out of your thoughts. âI..I didnât know what to do, so I grabbed her and just..ran. I ran away. We left herâ I left her there.â
 Your face contorted at the painful reminder. The memory of leaving her behind still brought a heavy guilt on you that ached in your chest. Tears pinched in your eyes and you turned away from everyone to control yourself.
 âBut what happened to you?â Max asked when she noticed your sudden change. âHow did you get separated? Steve said he found you in town by yourself.â
 âI was lost all night.â you clarified, wiping the tears out from your eyes to face them. âI came to in the van when we were nearly out of town.â Eddie looked down in his hands ashamed, not meeting your gaze. âI had begged Eddie to turn back. To go someplace where we could call for help. I tried to remind him how things would be worse if he made a break for out of the state.. But thatâs when we crashed.â
 âCrashed?â Dustin interjected, his eyes were wide as he looked over your appearance for any scars he must have missed out on before. Steve shifted slightly beside you, eyes turning dark as he took in the new information.
 âWe made a break for the clearing,â you went on, anger still focused on Eddie. âI could barely grasp what had just happened, let alone follow Eddie, so it didnât take long for me to lose him in the trees.â
 âIâm sorry,â he started, hands clasped together as he shook his head. âI thought you were behind me the whole timeââ
 âYou werenât thinking about anything but getting yourself to safety.â you accused him, pointing a finger in his direction as you stepped forward. âI told you I didnât know those woods at all and you just kept going!â
 Eddie lifted his head up to meet your fiery gaze. âI-I didnât mean to..I was justââ
 âYou were afraid?â you asked curtly, âWell so was I! I donât have any idea what the hell killed Chrissy and the next thing I know is my friend just ditched me without even looking back!â You shook your head, feeling tears gradually make their return. âDid you even look for me?â
 The room was filled with a painful silence and you had to turn your face away from Eddie before you took out more anger on him. You nearly left the room entirely, needing to get some fresh air, when you felt a hand slip into yours, stopping yourself from leaving.Â
 âDonât go.â Steve said gently to you. âJust take a breath.â
 It felt easier said than done. But all Steve did was give you a knowing look and you settled with leaning against his side. Eyes cast down to the ground while you sucked in a sharp breath. His presence was a little calming, but you were still struggling internally.Â
 During that bit, you could hear Eddie scoff in frustration. âLook, I canât explain everything that I did, okay? All I can say is what I saw..it was something freaky, man.â Thereâs a beat of silence that had Eddie recoiling away from the group again. âYou all think Iâm crazy, right?â
 âNo. We donât think youâre crazy at all.â Dustin reassured gently.Â
 âDonât bullshit me, man! I know how this sounds.â Eddie cried out, voice cracking in frustration.
 Max leaned forward, keeping her voice calm and steady. âWeâre not bullshitting you.â
 âWe believe you just like how we believe her.â Robin added, pointing a finger over at you. But it does little to relieve Eddieâs shaken state. Finally, Dustin took the lead on explaining everything.
 âLook, what Iâm about to tell you might be a little..difficult to take.â he started.Â
 â..okay.âÂ
 âYou know how people say Hawkins is..cursed? Theyâre not way off. Thereâs another world. A world hidden beneath Hawkins. Sometimes it bleeds into ours.âÂ
 âLike ghosts and shit?â Eddie asked.
 âThere are some things worse than ghosts.â Max followed, trying to help pin it together for him.
 âThese monsters from his other world, we thought they were gone. But theyâve come back before and thatâs why we needed to find you.â
 Max nodded her head, glancing back at you briefly before she looked back at Eddie. âIf theyâre back again, we need to know.âÂ
 Dustinâs words brought a painful reminder of all the times the group has faced different monsters these past few years. From the Byersâ demogorgon, Dart and his pack of demodogs, and recently the Mind Flayer. All things that came when all of you were finally trying to get life back to normal. It wasnât fair.Â
 âThat night, did you guys see anything?â Robin asked.
 âDark particles, maybe?âÂ
 You tried to think back, recalling the only odd rememberable thing to be the flickering lights. But just like that night, you never saw the familiar monster that broke through walls, or the growling noise of the creatures that surrounded the house, or even the thuds of a monster in the distance. It was like nothing was there and yet it killed Chrissy.Â
 âIt would almost look like dust, swirling dust.â said Dustin to Eddie, hopeful for his memory to be better than yours. But all his friend did was shake his head.Â
 âNo, man, there was nothing you could see or, uh, or touch.â he explained, looking up at you. âIt was just us in there.â
 You sighed frustratedly, finally giving Eddie a sparing glance. âHeâs right..aside from the lights flickering it was like..she was pulled up in the air like a puppet. As if by magic.â
 âWe tried to wake her, man. She couldnât move.â he added after you. âIt was like she..she was in a trance or something.â
 âOr under a spell.â Dustin countered.Â
 Some sort of realization flickered over Eddieâs face. âA curse.â he said next.
 âVecnaâs curse.â
 Beside you, you could see Steveâs head tilted at the name. âWhoâs Vecna?â he asked Dustin. Your cousin doesnât look back to you guys, but from your spot you could see the sudden shift in his demeanor.Â
 âAn undead creature of great power.â
 âA spell caster.â Eddie added, voice soft in disbelief.
 â..a dark wizard.â Dustin finished off.Â
 Suddenly, the room began to feel smaller, and the weight of this new threat pressed down on everyone. You couldn't shake the feeling that this time, it was different â that Hawkins was about to face a threat unlike anything youâve encountered before.
  The mood between everyone didnât get much better after you and Eddie finished retelling everything.Â
 The others took their turn in recapping all the news coverage they had been hearing throughout the day. While it was safe to say you were clear as a suspect, it didnât mean you were out of the woods just yet. Most likely, those closest to Eddie would be next on the publicâs radar. Which seemed like the easier thing to worry about considering there was this ominous Vecna to focus on.
 But since things were clear for now, the rest of the group urged Eddie to continue hiding in the boat house. Promising to return the following day. It wouldnât be safe to move him around just yet. An unfortunate circumstance that heâd have to understand for now. The only time you saw him look a little more comfortable with the idea was when Dustin promised to provide him with food the following day.Â
 Soon after you were all back in the comforts of Steveâs car.
 The two of you back in the front seat while the three in the back talked about what could be going on and where they can start tomorrow. Youâd answer one of their questions now and then, but werenât able to fully bring yourself in just yet. Considering no one wanted to be in your line of anger like in the boat house, they were very minimal in what questions theyâd call out to you.
 Steve, on the other hand, was silent. Still visibly stressed from the boathouse conversations. In fact, you were pretty sure he was upset with the way his jaw would clench now and then. Ever since the mini spat with Eddie, plus the reveal of what happened, he hasnât been the same. But even then, he set aside his emotions to still offer up a ride to the others. Making sure everyone got home safely.
 You watched him carefully, wondering what was going through his mind.Â
 Today was..definitely not what he probably had planned. Especially after everything that was said the night before, then in your bedroom, and then the boat house. It wouldnât be surprising if he didnât crack under the pressure he seemed to be under. You wished you could help alleviate this new worry, but all youâve done lately is add to it.Â
 The only solid concentration he seemed to have at the moment though was driving and keeping hold of your hand.
 âOkay, Steve. Weâll meet up early tomorrow. I think Eddieâs gonna need a lot of food if heâs gonna hide this out. Weâll have to go to the market before we pick up everyone.â Dustin said from the back with a yawn.Â
 The others were already dropped off. Mumbling out tired goodnights before Steve had finally made the return back to your driveway. The engine was off and the three of you had been quiet until Dustin broke the silence.
 âSounds good, man.â he confirmed, speaking up for the first time in an hour.Â
 With a clap to Steveâs shoulder, Dustin quickly made his leave for the car. Calling out for you to hurry up before he used his key to enter the house. Neither of you made any motion to follow through on Dustinâs warning. Only watching in silence as he entered the home.Â
 It wasnât until he saw the switch of the living room light on that Steve finally turned to look at you. His eyes scanned over the features of your face before he leaned in to push a hair away from your face. âYou doing okay?â he asked softly.
 Youâre almost taken back by his quick concern. How despite all thatâs happened and been said, his first question is to ask about your well being.Â
 âIâm here.â Was the best answer you could think of at the moment. You were still pretty upset about earlier. Especially the fact that you allowed yourself to get so angry at Eddie who was clearly unfamiliar with this type of horror. But it was hard to control anything going on with you right now. A glance down and you noted how he hasnât dropped your hand yet. âAre you? I donât think Iâve ever heard you be so..quiet before. Feels weird.â
 He huffed amusedly through his nose before he shrugged his shoulders. âIâve had a lot on my mind today. And honestly..Iâm tired.â
 You use your free hand to reach over and cup the side of his face. Unable to contain yourself from helping provide Steve the comfort you know he needs.Â
 His eyes slipped close and he leaned forward enough to rest against the palm of your hand while you gently caressed. He looked as tired as he sounded, and you wanted to help provide him with the ease of a good nightâs sleep.
 âI never thanked you.â you murmured, watching as he peeked his eyes open to look at you. âToday you..you helped me in more ways than one.â
 âI think you sort of showed me thanks already.â he countered, a little bit teasing in his tone.
 âUs having sex was not my way of showing thanks.â you scoffed, only slightly amused by his words. âI mostly meant you bringing me home..and then back in the boat house. You helped calm me down.â
 He reached up for your hand to bring them together before him, squeezing them lightly until he pulled them up to press a kiss to the front of your finger tips. Keeping his gaze at you until he settled them back into his lap.Â
 âIâm always gonna be here for you, you know that right?â
 The never failing sincerity of his words had you shyly averting your gaze away from his. Unsure how to deal with your own emotions as well as the ones that Steve kept bringing back. But he didnât seem to want to wait for you to come up with an answer as he used the grip on your hands to pull you in and meet you in the middle of the console. Thereâs only a small space for you to decide to pull back but you ignored that thought as you pressed your lips against his.Â
 The kiss, while breathtaking, was a lot sweeter than the ones you guys had shared today. Almost like a reassuring gesture to help ease you into ending the conversation.Â
 âYou need to get some sleep.â he urged when he pulled back for air. His plump lips were ghosting over yours now, enticing you back in despite his words saying otherwise. âAfter everything we need you back in shape tomorrow.âÂ
 âOkay,â you agreed, not quite moving just yet. âPromise youâll get some rest too?â
 He nodded his head, pulling himself further back so he could meet your eyes. âIâll be here as early as I can.â Sighing heavily, you take your hands out of Steveâs grip and reach for the door handle, sparing him one last look before you exited the car.Â
 The sound of his engine starting up cut through the silence as you made your way towards the front door of the house. You got the chance to watch as he pulled out of the driveway, waving to you before he fully pulled away and made his turn down the street.Â
 Exhaustion covered your whole body as you turned to enter the house. You were more than ready to pass out on your bed for a couple of hours. However, there was one more person waiting to talk.Â
 Sat down on the chair beside the couch, was a nervous Dustin. Looking over at you expectantly as he waited for you to finally make your way towards him. Heâs barely talked to you today and while youâre sure he was still annoyed with the previous fight you guys had, you could easily tell something else, something deeper was on his mind.
 âDustin?â you called out slowly. âAre youââ
 âA lot happened yesterday.â he blurted out. Though his words were clipped, there was the familiar hint of Dustinâs sincerity that lingered through. âWe could have talked things out but..I just got annoyed and pushed you away.â
 You blinked at that, trying not to think of the day again. âItâs fine, Dustin.â
 âItâs not..I didn't know where you were all day. A girl is dead.â he stood up, moving before you. âYou were with Eddie when it happened..it couldâve been..â
 The words died off from his mouth but you feel you already know what he wanted to say. Taking a step forward, you reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder. Trying not to downplay his worry while also attempting to reassure him. âIt couldâve been me, but it wasnât. Okay?â
 âI just canât shake the feeling that all of this isnât gonna stop with just Chrissy.â he whispered, almost afraid to speak the words out loud. âItâs never just one attack for us. Vecna..heâs powerful. I donât know what Iâll do if itâs you or anyone else.â
 âItâs not gonna be any of us.â you reassured him.Â
 âHow can you be so sure?â
 âBecause, we have people like you on our side.â He tried to appear confident at that, but the lingering worry still lingered on his face. He was on the verge of freaking out. âWeâre gonna figure this out, okay?â
 â..I hope youâre right.â he mumbled, pulling out of your grip with a sigh. âLetâs get to bed, we have a lot of work tomorrow.â
 With that, he quickly turned to walk away. Leaving you alone in the dimly lit living room with his words echoed in your mind. The worry about this âevil wizardâ hung in the air, and the unsettling reality that someone you cared about could be the next target scared you down to your core.Â
 Things were different this time and most of the party has been split off. All you could hope for was to hold back the fear that wanted to consume you whole.Â
A/N: Sorry itâs taken so long for another update! I was so busy and sick over these past few weeks. I really hope you guys enjoyed this update. Iâm hoping to get this next chapter out sooner. Let me know what you guys think! xoxo
TAGGING LIST:
@cluz1babe , @starofavolonea , @darlingimafangirl (wonât let me tag), & @primroselunaâ
#steve harrington x reader#steve harrington x henderson!reader#steve harrington x henderson reader#steve harrington x you#Steve Harrington x female reader#steve harrington x y/n#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x female reader#eddie munson x henderson!reader#eddie munson x henderson reader#eddie munson x you#eddie munson x y/n#cac#angst#smut#steve harrington smut
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I don't know anything about Supernatural but if you want to make a Steddie fic (which is what I'm assuming you meant) where Eddie was originally Steve's car or whatever and got turned human, I'm a-ok with that! Winkwink
Basically it was a common trope in Supernatural fics for Dean's beloved car to turn into a human and stir the pot between him and Cas. So it would go a lil sum'n like this
Eddie stared at the guy Dustin had sitting in Steve's living room. He had on a black blazer jacket and a burgundy shirt underneath it and Dustin was claiming very adamantly that this man was Steve's car.
"Admit it! This isn't even the craziest thing that's ever happened in this town", Dustin said.
"All that crazy shit made sense when you put it together. Why would the Mind Flayer turn my car into a person? Explain that, Henderson!"
Eddie was also finding it difficult to believe but he had less experience with all this and he didn't want to think about other reasons a random guy might go to a young teen's house. But the guy was dressed nice and it figured Steve's ride would be as posh as him. And now that the guy was sitting right in front of them, Eddie had to stop calling him 'Steve's ride'.
"So you got a name, pal?", Eddie asked.
The guy blinked. "Steve usually just calls me baby."
Steve blushed, Dustin paled, and Eddie looked about two seconds from punching a wall.
"We can't call you that", Steve said once his voice returned.
"Does that mean I can't call you Daddy?"
"I knew you were gross!", Dustin accused, pointing a finger at Steve while Eddie was thinking it was time for this guy to go.
"I've never made anyone call me that! That's how I know he's lying", Steve said in his defense.
The guy stood up and walked over to Steve. "'Daddy's home, open up for Daddy, it's just Daddy and you tonight, Daddy's gonna wear out the tires tonight bab-"
"OKAY!" Dustin's hands went up to cover his ears. "Can we have some respect for my innocence?"
Eddie wanted to bop Dustin one for bringing this guy here but he was digging his own grave as well. That still didn't stop the ugly feeling rolling around in his belly.
"Wait, so, okay, if you're my car...", Steve took a deep breath. "Then you must know...", his eyes flitted to Eddie.
"Yeah. I know."
Human!beemer ig?
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Dustin can't believe it. Dustin doesn't want it to be true.
Why would Steve date Billy Hargrove? It doesn't make any sense. It's not a problem that Billy is a guy, it's a problem that Billy is that guy. Loud, mean and gross.
Last time Dustin saw him, he called the Party the "Sad Losers Club" and that one time he drove Dustin home (very reluctantly, after Steve talked him into it for like half an hour) they nearly crashed into a tree, because Dustin asked Billy to drive slower, but instead that asshole only drove quicker.
And now they went over to the Byers for a big dinner to celebrate that the horrors of the Upside Down have been only nightmares for half a year now, and Steve brings Billy.
Now, Dustin has to share Steve. Steve who looks at Billy with the biggest eyes Dustin has ever seen. Billy who is winking at Dustin like he knows what he's doing. That he's stealing Steve.
But then Mike mentions the Mind Flayer and Billy just freezes for a second. Nearly drops his knife at that.
"I'm out for a smoke," he mumbles. Steve follows him, hot on his heels and Dustin hates it.
Dustin isn't spying on them. He's just on the way to the bathroom and happens to be close to the backyard.
Billy doesn't look so big, arrogant and threatening anymore. He's rubbing his eyes with one hand like he's crying.
"It's stupid," he grumbles.
Steve holds his hand.
"It's gone, Billy," Steve says and he just sounds so soft. "You're free. Your body is yours. It can't touch you anymore."
Billy sniffs. "You can touch my body though."
Uh. Gross.
Steve laughs. Leans forward and kisses Billy on his cheek. Billy grins at him and hugs him.
"Thanks. For.. you know.." His voice is hoarse and he seems.. shy? That doesn't really fit into the poster of Billy Hargrove in Dustin's mind. He's everything but shy.
Oh. It dawns on Dustin. Dustin doesn't like Billy. Billy doesn't like Dustin.
Billy likes Steve. It's a good thought actually. Steve likes Billy and Billy likes Steve.
Maybe they can somehow live with it. Except when Billy calls him a dork again, Dustin is going to tell Hopper.
"Are you fucking creeping on us, Henderson?"
"Dustin, seriously?"
Shit.
#hopper's like: you kinda are a dork henderson#dustin and billy fighting for steve's attention 24/7 except in rare moments like that#harringrove#billy x steve#billy hargrove#harringrove ficlet#steve x billy
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Get ready for some rambling nonsense that is all over the fucking place
Mike is so fucking clever man like when it comes to plans and whatnot no wonder he's the dungeon master
I forgot that he's the one who comes up with the idea of interrogating Will and hiding their location from him, he's even the one who takes Hopper to the shed which means that he was also the one who thought of using the shed
and heâs the first one to bring up that closing the gate will kill Will.
Also, underrated moment of Mike right when Willâs eyes are coming into focus after waking up in the shed, Mike looks so anxious and heâs either biting his thumb or heâs got his fist pressed to his mouth, and his eyebrows are doing that 𼺠thing and he looks so vulnerable, and then he crosses his arms and right before the camera leaves him he goes :] and itâs so hard to explain but itâs so pitifully adorable in a sad sweet wayđ
And then of course Mikeâs face when Will starts screaming about being tied up, again itâs so open and vulnerable and I swear I need to see this from Finn Wolfhard again in season 5 (not saying that he didnât excel in 3 or 4 but Mike wasnât given the same opportunities for this particular kind of vulnerability in those seasonâhe should have had a similar look during his ily speech if, yknow, it was sincere, but thatâs a whole other anon).
I swear Mike has âWill eyesâ in these scenes that I literally only ever see him use once with another person and thatâs when he sees El again for the first time after thinking she was dead. But damn those eyes are just so VULNERABLE and so filled with emotion and I NEED to see that again in season 5
I also just realized that they put Mike in the foreground and in focus during Willâs screaming in the shed and, in the same shots, put Jonathan in the background, partially behind a light and out of focus. They never put Jonathan in focus in those shots despite him being Willâs brother; they essentially prioritize Mike and his reaction and tell the audience that heâs more important than even Willâs own brotherâs during this part (and Charlie is acting his ass off in those shots too)
I also forgot that it was raining when Jonathan and Will finished Castle Byers. And it rained when Will destroyed Castle Byers. Wow I hope Mike rebuilt Castle Byers and we get a scene of Mike and Will hiding in there during a storm because full circle. Anyways,
Also underrated, the fact that Mike doesnât start crying when talking to Will. He starts crying before he even opens his fucking mouth, that tear on his cheek has been falling for a while
Noah Schnappâs acting during this scene!!! you can see Will fighting so hard to overcome the Mind Flayer but heâs not strong enough to retake his voice and you can see the moment the Mind Flayer overpowers him and his face smooths out and his eyes go dull. Wow, A+
Man I may not ship Milkvan but the reunion scene makes me cry EVERY FUCKING TIME, once again, Finnâs acting is incredible in this scene
Interesting that they chose to put Will in Jonathanâs bedroom and then have Mike and Hopâs fight be in Willâs bedroom. Why, from a writing perspective, not just put Will in his own bedroom? Thatâs the logical thing to do. Why did they choose to have that fight happen in Willâs bedroom?
Hello!!
Oh yeah, Mike is incredibly smart. People talk about Dustin but Mike is super intelligent as well, but I feel that Mike's intelligence is more practical whereas Dustin is more theorical, if that makes sense.
Mike definitely has "Will's eye", he looks at him so softly most of the time, there's so much care and love when he looks at Will.
If you think about the room thing, two of Mike's monumental monumental moments happen there. This one and when kisses him and he panicks.
Is like a symbolism of the fact that he's overwhelmed by Will's presence during those moments, like he's being surrounded by him somehow.
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New Journey (S.H.) Chapter 4 Season 4
Pairing:Â Steve Harrington x henderson!reader
Summary:Â Back to Hawkins for spring break. Y/n believed it would just be a quiet time to cherish with her loved ones, but one day in and another mess had already began.
Warnings:Â cursing
Notes: Really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially because of all the small bickering moments between the characters. More of that will come in the next chapters. I hope you enjoy and stay safe out there! đ
Chapter 3 << Masterlist >> Chapter 5
The next day rose, and your first stop was at the market to pick up some food and drinks for Eddie. You were simply chatting with your friends as you opened the door to the lake house not expecting to find a startled Eddie on the other side, the broken beer bottle once again in his hand.
âDelivery service.â your brother said in a light voice as he held up the grocery bags in his hands.
Eddie relaxed and thanked you before grabbing the bags off Dustinâs hands, rushing to see what you got him. He sat on the ground and began stuffing his face with the food.
âSo, we got, uh, some good news and some bad news. How do you prefer it?â the rest of you settled around him listening to Dustin explaining what happened after they left him last night.
âBad news first, always.â
âAll right. Bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and theyâre definitely looking for you. Also, theyâre, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy.â
âLike, a 100% kind of convinced.â Max pointed out.
âAnd the good news?â Eddie asked, hoping for something to ease his nerves.
âYour name hasnât gone public yet. But if we found out about you, itâs only a matter of time before others do too. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning for you.â Robin told him and the guy responded with bitterness in his words.
âHunt the freak, right?â
âSomething like that.â you nodded.
âShit.â he cursed under his breath.
âSo, before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence.â
âThatâs all, Dustin? Thatâs all?â
âYeah, no, thatâs pretty much itâ your brother nodded.
You got why Eddie was so snarky. His whole life changed in the blink of a moment. He didnât know anything about the Upside Down, about the Mind Flayer, but now he has experienced a traumatic episode happening in front of him, unable to do anything to help the innocent girl and the whole town perceives him as a killer. So, it was understandable why he thought the rest of you were so crazy to think as this is easy, just another Tuesday for you.
âListen, Eddie, I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but weâve actually been through this kind of thing before. I mean, they have a- a few timesâŚâ Robin pointed towards you and you nodded to confirm her words ââŚand- and I have once. Mine was more human-flesh-based, theirs was more smoke-related, but bottom line is, collectively, I really feel like we got this.â
âYeah, we kinda have set a record for the number of times weâve done this. Itâs like an annual event at this point.â you decided to approach the fourth time youâve dealt with this with more dark humor, just so you could cope with the craziness over this whole thing.
âYes, see, we usually rely on this girl who has superpowers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, soâŚâ Steve said as he stood next to you.
âSo, weâre technically in more of the-â
âKindaâŚâ Robin and Steve tried to find their words before Max stepped in.
âBrainstorming phase.â
âBrainstorming.â Steve snapped his finger at Max, agreeing with her.
âThere-Thereâs nothing to worry about.â Dustin said it in a way to relax Eddie, but when you looked at said boyâs face he looked anything but relaxed.
Suddenly, you could hear sirens going off outside, alerting all of you.
âShitâŚâ Steve cursed under his breath.
âTarp. Tarp. Tarp.â you pointed at Eddie who quickly hid himself under the tarp as the rest of you ran to the windows to check what was happening.
Thankfully the police cars and the ambulance driving by werenât meant for you, but they did intrigue your interest. So, you collectively decided to follow after them and see if anything new has happened.
You ended up near the trailer park. Steve parked the car and you all got out of your seats to get a better look. As your head lifted up your eyes fell on Nancyâs. She looked scared and you just knew it had to do with what you had found out. And by the apprehensive look on your face, as well as the others, Nancy also knew that this wasnât just a killer on the loose, it was something you were all too familiar with.
You waited until she gave her statement to the new chief of the police before heading to one of the picnic tables at the park, filling Nancy in on everything you had so far, which wasnât a lot.
âSo, youâre saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, itâs from the Upside Down?â Nancy was sitting opposite of you, while Robin and Max sat by her sides.
âIf the shoe fits.â Steve answered. He was on your left, playing with your fingers under the table as you looked at Dustin on your right who started talking.
âOur working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse. Now, whether or not heâs doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we donât know.â
âAll we know is that this is something different. Something new.â you saw Nancy start shaking her head after Maxâs words.
âIt doesnât make sense.â
âItâs only a theory.â Dustin told her but she quickly explained herself.
âNo, Fred and Chrissy donât make sense. I mean, why them?â
âMaybe they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.â you suggested, desperately trying to find a connection.
âThey were both at the game.â Dustin pointed out.
âAnd near the trailer park.â Max said and you felt Steve freeze for a moment next to you.
âWeâre at the trailer park. Uh, should we maybe not be here?â you began looking around to see if anything was out of the ordinary, feeling a sense of uneasiness when he pointed it out.
âThere is something about this place. Fred started acting weird the second we got here.â Nancy said, thinking of Fredâs behavior yesterday.
âActing weird as inâŚ?â Robin asked her.
âScared, on edge, upset.â
âMax said Chrissy was upset too.â Dustin looked at Max who shrugged her shoulders.
âYeah, but not here. She was crying in the bathroom at school.â
âSerial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right? So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecman-â
âVecna.â your brother corrected Robin.
âI donât know about you guys, but if I saw some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone.â Steve told you and you scrunched your brows, a thought coming to mind.
âYeah, but what if they didnât really see anything?â you thought out loud, making everyone turn and look at you weirdly âI mean, Will didnât, the Mind Flayer was playing with his mind, making him see pictures nobody else was. Theyâd probably thought they were going insane, too scared to talk about it to anyone.â
âMaybe not anyone.â Max caught up on your thinking âI saw Chrissy leaving Ms. Kelleyâs office. If you saw a monster, you⌠you wouldnât go to the police. Theyâd never believe you. But you might go to your-â                                                Â
âYour shrink.â Robin nodded at her words and you all got out of your seats heading back to your cars. The plan was to go to Ms. Kelleyâs office and search for any valuable information about Chrissy.
But as your legs went over to Steveâs car you caught Nancy heading towards the other way. You wondered if she just wanted to get her own car so you asked her.
âOh, no, thereâs something else I wanna check out first.â she answered, still walking further away from the rest of you.
âSomething you wanna share with the rest of us?â Dustin asked.
âI donât wanna waste your time. Itâs a real shot in the dark.â she had now stopped, trying to play it off like it wasnât anything serious, but the look on her face told you otherwise.
âWell, youâre not going alone. No, no way.â you stepped forward before Steve followed behind you.
âExactly. Flying solo with this Vecna creep on the loose? Itâs too dangerous. I-â
âIâll come with you.â you nodded at your friend and took a step to go by her side, but a hand gripping onto your arm stopped you. You turned your head to see Steve looking at you like you were insane âWhat are you doing?â
âDidnât you just hear what I said? Itâs too dangerous. Youâre not going alone.â he told you, releasing his grasp.
âI wonât be alone. Iâll be with Nancy.â
âI meant without me. Youâre not going without me.â his explanation made you tilt your head in question.
âWhoâs gonna drive the kids to Ms. Kelleyâs house?â
âI- Wait. Here.â he dug into his pocket and took out his car keys, before throwing them at Robin, who caught them with ease âIâll stick with you two, while Robin drives them. Then weâll meet up again after Nancy checks out what she wants. Deal?â he directed the question at you, but Robin beat you to the answer.
âI donât think you want me driving your car.â
âWhy?â Steve sighed as he looked at Robin.
âI donât have a license.â
âWhy donât you have a license?â
âIâm poor.â she said, her words making you stifle a chuckle down.
âI can drive.â
âNo!â you pointed your finger at Max.
âNo. Youâre not driving my car. No way.â Steve said loudly.
Dustin felt like it was his turn, so he shrugged, but you were quick to stop him âNo chance, mister.â
âCome on.â your brother whined but Steve agreed with you.
âNo.â he turned back to look at you. You had a soft look on your face, which meant that you were getting your way no matter what he said.
âSteve. You canât come with us. What if they get into trouble? Robin will trip over her own feet with every chance she gets. Iâm sorry.â you apologized to your friend, who just dismissed you with a shake of her head.
âNo, no, itâs true.â
âYou need to keep them safe. Plus, me and Nancy know how to handle ourselves.â you walked next to Nancy, without getting stopped by your boyfriend this time.
âAre you sure? I mean-â a groan from behind him interrupted his reasoning to follow you.
âAll right, okay. This is stupid.â Robin marched over to the three people in front of her, returning the keys to Steve and settling her body next to yours, her arm slinging along your shoulders âYou get go with the kids. Us ladies will stick together. Unless you think we need you to protect us.â Steve pulled a face at her words, finally accepting defeat.
You smiled and yelled out before Robin dragged you down the road âLove you!â
âYeah, yeah, love you too. Be careful! PleaseâŚâ
And you were being careful, because as it turned out Nancy just wanted to check some story she had heard at the library. On your way there she told you about Eddieâs uncle who had told her he knew who had done this to poor Chrissy.
âOkay, help me get this straight. Eddieâs uncle, Wayne, thinks that Victor Creel escaped from Pennhurst Asylum and that heâs the one running around Hawkins committing these murders?â Robin asked Nancy just as you were walking up to the library.
âPretty much.â
âHow old is he supposed to be? Because if you think about our theory, the timing-â your brows were furrowed in thought when Robin interrupted you, nodding her head.
âIt doesnât add up, right? He committed the eyeball murders, like, way back in the â50s.â
âWell⌠â59.â Nancy opened the door letting you get in first before walking inside herself.
âSo, that means these murders predate Eleven and the Upside Down by about 30 years?â you nodded at Robinâs words.
âWe know that El opened the gate, so the Upside Down theoretically wasnât connected to our universe back then, which means that this might disprove our theory.â you walked up to the front desk, letting your arms lean onto it.
âYeah.â Nancy said from beside you as her head turned left and right trying to find someone who can help you.
âWait, wouldnât spooky Victor Creel be like 70 years old?â Robin asked, resting her body on Nancyâs other side.
âYep.â the girl in the middle rang the bell in front of you.
âSo, heâs a grandpa murderer who can turn invisible and lift people into the air.â you chuckled at Robin while Nancy took a deep breath.
âIt doesnât make sense. I know. Thatâs why I said it was a shot in the dark.â she rang the bell once more.
âI know. I just thought that by âshot in the darkâ, you were being modest or hiding something super solid up your sleeve that you were gonna wow us with later.â Robin began her daily rant which Nancy was not used to, making her desperate to find the person behind the counter so Robin would stop talking. She rang it again âBut this is really, truly a shot in the dark. Like we are snipers with blindfolds on whoâve been spun around 50 times.â you flinched as Nancy started ringing the bell nonstop until a voice called out.
âComing!â the lady behind the counter appeared with a few books at hand and then turned to the three of you after she set them down.
âHi. Sorry, weâre in a bit of a rush. Could we get the keys to the basement archives?â Nancy put on her best smile and asked the lady with the sweet voice you were used to all throughout high school.
âOf course. Give me one sec.â she turned and left to find the key.
Your eyes landed on a little bowl next to you filled with different flavors of candy. It felt like forever since you had eaten something, so you settled for a bit of sugar in your system.
âDid I come off mean or condescending or something?â your attention was captured by Robin who was looking straight at Nancy.
âNo.â the girl answered quickly, tapping her fingers at the counter, waiting for the librarian to return.
âRight. Sorry. Itâs just, you seem annoyed. You donât know me very well. I donât really have a filter or a strong grasp of social cues. Tell her, Y/n.â you had just popped the candy into your mouth when she called your name, bringing both their set of eyes on you.
âShe doesnât have a filter or a strong grasp of social cues.â your words were a bit muffled by the sweet in your mouth, but you nodded your head to agree with Robin.
âOkay.â Nancy said with a small smile, but it was obvious she wasnât into this conversation.
âSo, if I said something that upsets you, just know that I know itâs a flaw. Believe me, my mother reminds me daily.â
âRobinâŚâ you warned her to stay on track.
âGot it.â Nancy looked up to see the lady return and she was thankful to continue with their search.
âAll right, ladies. Here you go. Have fun.â she handed the keys to Nancy.
âYep. Weâll try.â Nancy rushed off towards the archives, leaving you, Robin, and the librarian behind. The lady was looking at you with sympathy in her eyes, so you just sent her a tight smile and grabbed onto Robinâs arm, pulling her along with you.
âWhat have we said about oversharing?â you turned to look at her as she sheepishly smiled at you.
âDonât do it if weâre not asked?â you nodded at her, but couldnât help but giggle at her efforts to make it better with Nancy.
âCome on, my socially awkward little girl.â you followed after Nancy and began your investigation.
On the other side of town, Steve had just pulled up at the therapistâs house and watched as Max got out of the car and inside the house.
âOkay. Sheâs in.â he stated.
âIâm missing collarbones, not eyes.â Dustin stole a look at Steveâs profile before deciding this is the best moment for this talk âSo, weâre gonna talk about⌠it?â
âHuh? Sorry, what? Talk about what?â Steve turned to look at his little friend after focusing on the house in front of them.
âDonât think I havenât noticed. Both of you have been so weird about it.â
âAbout what? What are you talking about, Henderson?â
âHow you and my sister literally fought in front of us yesterday?â Dustin finally said.
âWe didnât fight. We barely bickered.â Steve defended your situation.
âWell, since I have never seen you fight before, not even after your breakup, it was pretty weird seeing you âbickeringâ. I thought youâd be over the moon to have her back, in a disgusting kind of way.â he couldnât even count the times when Dustin would have to peer Steve off of you whenever they visited you at college. He loved you both and he knew you were meant for each other, but you were still his sister and he was still his best friend, he didnât love the sight. Still, it was better than the two of you fighting.
He picked up on it the moment he saw you return home yesterday morning. You never returned this early after spending the night at his. He also saw the way you reacted when you decided to go seek help at Family Video. His last clue was your little fight while they were calling Eddieâs friends to find any clues about his whereabouts. Something was definitely going on between them and he had to know so he could fix it.
âOkay, okay, fine. We did kind of argue about something, but it was stupid, alright? And weâre completely ignoring it until we have this whole thing figured out.â Steve ran his hand through his hair, a habit he developed due to his anxiety.
âCause thatâs healthy.â Dustin said sarcastically, but Steve ignored him, his gaze returning at the house. They stayed silent for a few seconds, but Dustin couldnât help himself âWhy did you fight?â
Steveâs brows shot up âDo you really wanna know why I fought with your sister? No, I donât think itâs going to put me in a good position.â
âWhy, did you do something stupid? I mean, of course, you did.â he joked, trying to ease the tension, but Steve wasnât having it.
âI didnât- Look, I donât wanna talk about it. Iâll punch you so hard in your face your teeth will fall back out.â
âWhoa. Too far.â Dustin told him.
Steve stared at him for a moment before his face softened âNot cool. Sorry.â
âNot cool. Itâs okay.â Dustin nodded, forgiving him. They fisted it up and continued on with their waiting.
You ended up squished into a single seat with Robin looking over newspapers in one of the two COM Catalogs available, Nancy occupying the second one right across from you. You had been searching for around 30-40 minutes and you were getting extremely bored because you couldnât find anything interesting.
âAnything juicy over there?â Robinâs voice filled your eyes as she called out for Nancy.
âNothing new.â Nancy answered.
âYep, same here.â
âVictor seemed like a normal guy, honestly.â you noted as your eyes scanned through another paper that described the same story the other ten had.
âJust a dead family, missing eyes, took a plea deal, sent to Pennhurst. Blah, blah, blah, blah.â you watch Robin tilt her body to the left and stare at Nancyâs side of the COMâs âWhat are we looking for exactly?â you push your body next to her, trying to find a clear view of your other friend, who didnât seem to pay attention to you.
âNance?â you called out before Robin knocked on the wood rhythmically to get her attention. It obviously worked when you saw Nancy get on the same pose and stare at the two of you with a forced smile on her face.
âAny mention of wizards or alternate dimensions? Things in that vein?â Robin said calmly but Nancy snapped.
âI donât know. Okay? Itâs starting to seem like this was just a big waste of time.â You just watched as she got up from her seat and began walking up and down âAnd you guys are obviously bored, so, why donât you just call Steve to pick you up. Youâd prefer to be with them than with me here. And I mean, Iâm not really in danger here, soâŚâ she smiled at you and then took her leave downstairs where more papers were kept.
You stayed silent, evaluating what just happened, and then turned to Robin signaling her to just sit here âIâll go see whatâs up.â
Your legs guided you downstairs. Nancy was arms deep into the catalogs looking through the files. After taking your last step down the stairs you crossed your arms across your chest and leaned on the staircase, looking over at your friend.
âWhat was that?â
Nancy sighed, letting her head fall forward. She wasnât sure why she snapped. Maybe it was because of Fred, maybe in fear of everything happening, or maybe it was the fact that she couldnât reach Jonathan, worrying her that something was wrong over in California as well. Or maybe it was all these things at once that made her feel annoyed at the two of you who were just trying to help. Whatever it was she was too embarrassed to talk about it right now, so she tried once again to dismiss you âY/n, you really didnât have to come here with me. Thank you for being concerned but Iâll be fine. Tell Steve to come get you, and Iâll get to the bottom of this on my own.â
âYouâve always been stubborn, you know?â
âYeahâŚâ she agreed with you, her eyes still not reaching yours.
âBut you canât stop me from being here.â you stepped over to one of the drawers, opened it, and began searching as well. You could see Nancy stop her search from the corner of your eyes, now just staring at you.
âY/n, really I-â
âTo be honest, Iâm not only here to help. I also used it as an opportunity to take a breath. Focusing my mind on something like this, away from the supernatural, is nice, you know?â you were certain you had finally reached her, that you had found what made her so cold towards you, when Robin messed up your plans.
âAnd away from Steve.â she was sitting on the staircase, clearly eavesdropping on you two.
âRobin!â you turned to stare at her as she was ascending from the stairs.
âWhat? Donât tell me Iâm wrong because Iâm not.â Robin stood up and step by step reached the floor.
âWhat happened with Steve?â Nancyâs interest picked up, glad the conversation wasnât about her now.
âJust a stupid fight, it really doesnât matter.â you pointed your words at Robin, who just put her hands in the air âsurrenderingâ herself to you.
âOkay.â she wasnât buying anything you said but decided to ignore it. Instead, she went over to Nancy and opened another one of the drawers to distract herself and found something wildly interesting âHoly shit. The Weekly Watcher. I canât believe they have this.â
âI remember this. Dustin and I used to love this paper. Well, mainly because it was insane, and we loved insane.â you pointed out, remembering all the crazy stories you would read and the even crazier stories you made up because of it.
âDonât they write about, like, Bigfoot and UFOs?â Nancy didnât look too impressed by Robinâs find.
âFirst of all, UFOs are absolutely real. Bigfoot Iâm still on the fence about, but may I remind you two we are looking for information on dark wizards? If someoneâs gonna write about that, itâs gonna be these weirdos.â you shared a look with Nancy, silently agreeing with Robin.
You quickly went back upstairs and put the catalog into the COM. Robin was controlling the machine while you and Nancy waited on each of her sides, eyes scanning through the papers to find what you were looking for.
âAh. âElvis cloned by aliensâ.â Nancyâs hopes were shattering second by second, especially when she read that title. It felt like you were searching in the dark.
You, on the other hand, found it amusing and chuckled at the ridiculous titles you were going through.
âYou never know.â Robin countered and after Nancy shot her a look, she rolled her eyes and walked away from you.
â âVictor Creel claims vengeful demon killed family. The murder that shocked a small communityâ.â Robin said in her best cinematic voice but your eyes were stuck on the article in front of you.
âHa, ha. Thatâs very funny.â Nancy ignored her, thinking she was joking since this investigation wasnât leading anywhere.
âWeâre not kidding. Get over here.â your hand waved for Nancy to come back beside you and she followed, returning to her spot next to Robin â âAccording to several insiders, Victor believed his house was haunted by an ancient demon. Victor allegedly hired a priest to exorcise the demon from his home.ââ
âPretty novel for the â50s. Exorcist wasnât out yet.â Robin interrupted your talking to make a joke.
âKeep- keep going.â the other girl, however, motioned for you to continue.
â Okay, so, Victor claimed this exorcism failed, but it angered its demon, which then murdered his family, removing their eyes. Victor believed he was spared as a punishment.â you finished and turned to look at the two of them.
âYeah, thatâs pretty convenient for Victor.â
âYeah, or super inconvenient.â Robin switched Nancyâs words making you both look at her âVictor was declared legally insane by the court, right? What if this is why? I mean, it sounds insane. It just didnât go public because-â
âThe plea bargain. The records were sealed.â Nancy caught up to her thinking.
âWhat if a demon did invade Victorâs home? Itâs, just, this wasnât any old demonâŚâ
âIt was Vecna.â you finished Robinâs sentence, finally feeling like you didnât just waste your entire afternoon.
You rushed to return the key to the librarian, walked out of the building, and took the radio in your hands, urgently, to call Dustin.
âDustin, do you copy?â
âYeah, I copy.â he didnât even miss a second before responding you.
âSo, Nancyâs hunch was correct, surprise-surprise. Vecnaâs first victims date back all the way to 1959.â you had a small smile on your face, excited about your discovery.
âOkay, thatâs totally bonkers, but I canât really talk right now.â he sounded out of breath.
âWait, what? Why? What are you doing?â you stopped in your tracks next to the car, pulling the other girlsâ attention to you.
âBreaking and entering a school to retrieve confidential and extremely personal files.â he explained, and your brows shot up in disbelief.
âCan you repeat that?â Robin asked, taking the radio in her hands, trying to make sense of his words.
âJust get your ass over here, stat. Weâll explain everything.â and he turned his radio off.
âI thought they were talking to Ms. Kelley.â Nancy had just opened the driverâs door, questioning the whole conversation you just had.
âWe leave them alone for two hours.â your friend rolled her eyes and with a quick nod of your own you got into the car as well and drove to Hawkins High, trying to figure out what the hell they were doing there.
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Harringrove Kinktober - day 11 Toys/ ABO Dynamics [NSFW]
written for @harringrovekinktober
Rating: Explicit Relationship: Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove WT: omegaverse, Omega Steve Harrington, Alpha Billy Hargrove, sex toys, knotting WC: 2163
Being an alpha is not always easy.
In particular when the omega you are in love with is ignoring you no matter how hard you try.
And Billy is not the kind of Alpha that will ever be seen begging an omega.
But Steve smell so fucking incredible.
Apple and cinnamon.
What else could an alpha ask for?
Steve is not the average omega.
He is athletic, well-built, and strong.
He is protective and fierce, and he has never exposed his neck in submission to anyone, not even to Nancy, and Billy is literally dying to know how he tastes.
But he will not beg.
Not Billy.
Another alpha, maybe.
But not him.
âWhat are you staring at, Hargrove?â the omega asks annoyedly while he is waiting for the kids.
âNothing. Iâm waiting for Max.â
âI can drive her home too.â
âNo. Iâll drive her.â My father will kill me and you if I donât drive her home like every fucking other day goes unsaid while Billy drags some smoke from a cigarette.
âWhat? Donât you trust an omega driving? I can assure you that I drive so much better than you.â
Thatâs probably true, Billy loves speed and drives too fast but thatâs not why he doesnât want Steve to drive Max home.
Finally, the shitbird arrives and he growls something to her while getting in the car.
Max is pissed, as always, but Billy is not going to listen to her rambling, he never does.
In the rear mirror, he can still see Steveâs car, he will take the first turn to the right and go to the Sinclairs and then the Hendersons.
âYou two could be friends, you know that right?â Max asks him.
âWho?â Billy asks, turning toward her.
âYou and Steve.â
Billy snorts âHe is an omega.â
âHe is not like the other omegas.â
Billy chuckles âOh, and please, tell me, how are the other omegas?â
âSilly.â she replies.
Billy glares at her but she is not wrong, the other omegas are all female omegas that have in front of them a future as housewives and mothers, but Steve is different. He still has the instinct to protect his pack but he is a fighter.Â
âYou are going to be a terrible alpha.â Billy says to Max, looking at the street in front of them.
Itâs not true.Â
She is going to be a good alpha, she is not fucked up like him and Billy will do what he can to let the thing stay like that.
***
âCode red. I repeat! Code red!â
Billy grunts. Itâs seven oâclock in the morning on a fucking Saturday! Neil is out fishing with some colleagues and Billy should be able to rest, but no! Max's stupid friends are screaming in the silly walkie-talkie.
âThatâs Max. Whatâs the code red?â she asks.
âItâs Steve. Over.â
Billyâs attention turns toward the walkie-talkie.
âWhat does it mean?â
The annoying voice of Dustin Henderson comes through the walkie-talkie âMax, you have to say over, otherwise, how am I supposed to know that you have finished talking?â
âWhatâs up with the babysitter?â Billy asks with a glass of water in his hand and wearing only his boxer.
âBilly! Put something on!â Max complains throwing him a pillow but he quickly grabs the walkie.
âWhatâs up with Harrington?â he asks again.
âBilly? Thatâs a private conversation andâŚâ
âTell me what the fuck is going on. Now. Itâs Upside Down shit?â he asks. Last time he barely survived and he still has the scars from his encounter with the Mind Flayer.
âNo⌠I donât think so⌠but⌠itâs private.â
âHenderson.â he growls.
âFuck, tell him that you think that Steve has got his heat and finish this stupid conversation!â Mike intervenes and Billyâs grip on the walkie tightens.
âWhat?â
âHe wasnât feeling well yesterday, he was too hot and he told me that he thought he was getting the flu but I think he was going into heat and he is not answering.â Dustin explains.
Billy shrugs âSo? He is an omega. Give him a couple of days and he will be ok.â
There is a moment of silence and then Dustin adds âYou donât know about Steve, right?â
âWhat is there to know?â
âHis heats are⌠intense. He might need help. Usually, Robin is with him during his heat but she is out of town with the band and if he really got into heat⌠he is alone.â
Billy sighs âSo what? Are you going to get into the nest of an omega in heat? It doesnât seem really clever, does it?â
âBut someone has to check on him! And if we donât do it no one else will.â
The stupid shrimp is not wrong. Steveâs parents are never home and if his heat is so intense as they say someone should check on him. But Billy is a fucking alpha. He shouldnât go. Itâs a stupid idea.
Stupid and dangerous.
âIâll go.â he replies, then gives the walkie back to Max.
âAre you serious?! He is an omega and you are an alpha and ifâŚâ
âI can control my instincts.â
âCan you?â she asks, pointing at the hole that Billy made punching his own door a few days ago.
He shrugs, then he goes into his room and gets ready.
***
The house is eerily silent but he can smell the scent of omega in heat from the door, and to have a scent so strong there is something that is not right.
Billy knows that Steveâs scent is strong, but this is too strong even for an omega in heat. There is only one reason for all of this and Billy canât believe that he never suspected that.
There is no point in knocking on the door so he looks around the house until he finds an open window and gets into Steveâs house. Steveâs room is empty, everything is on the floor, like someone had rushed there, taken a few important things, and gone hiding somewhere else.
Billy starts to smell the air and follows the scent toward the basement.
âSteve?â he calls, but the only answer he gets is a whimper.
Fuck.
"I'm getting in. Is that all right?â he asks, but the door is closed.
Billy kicks the door open and he sees Steve in the corner of the room, his eyes shining in the semi darkness growling at the stranger who has got into his sanctuary.
âSteve. Itâs me. Billy.â
Steve growls again.
Feral.
Fuck.
Steve jumps at him, sending him to the floor.
He is so fucking beautiful.
Strong and sexy.
Steve grits his teeth a few inches from his neck. Billy knows that an omega bite is not permanent but it would be a bitch to explain to Neil in any case.
âSteve.â
âAlpha.â
âYeah. Iâm an alpha.â
Steve nuzzles at him âMy alpha.â
Billy stares at him while the scent of aroused omega is filling his lungs âYour alpha.â he confirms.
He shouldnât. Steve is not coherent, but neither is Billy.
That was a fucking terrible idea. Max was right.
Shit.
Max.
He should call her.
But Steve is above him, his cocklette hard and his hole dripping slick that, Billy is sure, tastes like ambrosia.
âSteve. Tell me what you need.â
âHurt.â Steve replies, and Billy sees the discharged toys around the room and the red scratch on Steveâs legs. It seems that the omega wasnât able to satisfy his natural instinct.
âIâm going to take care of you.â Billy promises.
âKnot.â
âDo you want my knot?â he asks, still pinned to the ground under Steve.
The omega opens Billyâs jeans, freeing his erection.
âKnot.â he repeats and Billy couldnât deny him even if he wanted to because Steve is almost impaling himself on Billyâs dick.
âSlowly, babyâŚâÂ
But Steve is not listening. He starts to ride Billy as if he was one of his toys and Billy lets him get what he needs, doing his best to keep still.
Steve keeps rocking on his dick until Billyâs knot forms and the alpha knows that he has never got a knot so big and so hard.
The omega moans, finally satisfied now that the knot ties them together and he keeps moving, feeling the knot pushing his inside.
For a moment Steve seems to come back to himself âBilly?â he asks confusedly, but itâs just a moment of lucidity and then he keeps riding him into oblivion.
Billy takes Steveâs cocklette into his hand and starts to jerk him off until Steve spurts on his chest.
Itâs not much, probably the omega came already more than once and he definitely needs water to keep hydrated, but Billy will take care of all of that later, when Steve will rest for a little bit, for the moment he grips his hips and keeps thrusting inside him brushing against Steveâs prostate while Steveâs slick pour down his dick.
âCan you give me another, pretty boy?â he asks, and Steve moans but comes another time, and finally Billy comes inside him filling him with alphaâs cum that will ease the pain that Steve is feeling.
âAlphaâŚâ he calls again, before collapsing on him.
âThatâs good⌠you did so good, baby.â Billy praises him, caressing his back while they are still connected, waiting for Billyâs knot to go down.
Steveâs skin is sweaty and sticky. How long has he been in this state, Billy wonders while he cuddles him.
When finally his knot goes down he gets up, helps Steve to the couch, and goes into the kitchen to get some water.
The omega whimpers in the absence of the alpha but Billy knows that he needs to drink and to eat something, so he comes back with some crackers and two bottles of water.
He helps Steve sip some water and then drinks some himself. Itâs going to be a long couple of days. Thank god Neil will sleep at the lake with his coworkers, but he will have to get back for Sunday dinner and he really hopes that Steveâs heat will be over by that time.
***
Billy fucks Steve into the couch, filling him as much as he can, but after the third time he knots Steve, the omega is still whimpering and he has no more energy to fuck him.
He looks around and takes one of the discharged toys.
Billy has never used a toy before and he is not sure how to use it on the omega who is too weak to do more than mewl pitifully and try to jerk his hips.
He doesnât even snarl anymore.
âI know, I know. You need something to fill you, donât you?â Billy says getting the big purple knot.
Steve seems ready to complain, so Billy stops him âI know you prefer my knot but I need a little bit of rest. You donât want your Alpha to strain himself, do you?â
Steve shakes his head and Billy smiles getting closer âIâm going to help you feel so nice and full.âÂ
Luckily Steveâs body is still full of Billyâs come so he just pushes the fake knot inside him, getting it inside to the knot and then pulling it enough to stretch Steveâs hole but not enough to tear him.
âDoes it feel good?â he asks while moving the toy.
âAlphaâŚâ Steve whispers, trying to tell him something but he is too tired so he just lies there taking what Billy is giving him until he comes another time and finally falls asleep.
Billy has never taken care of an omega in heat before but he studied a thing or two in sexual education and he knows that Steve would probably sleep a few hours, so he cleans him with a wet cloth even in his most private parts, and then pushes a little plug inside his hole to keep the cum inside, hoping that is will lessen the pain as they say in the books, then he goes to Steveâs room and takes Steveâs walkie.
âThe babysitter is ok. I think he will be back on duty on Monday.â Billy says to no one in particular, but obviously, it is Max who answers.
âWas heâŚâ
âYes.â
âAnd did youâŚâ
âYes.â
âShit.â
âYes.â
Billy leaves the walkie on the bed and goes back to Steve who is still soundly asleep.
When he will wake up he will fuck him at least another couple of times before Steveâs heat will finally end and he really hopes that once he will be more lucid he will not be furious with Billy, but for the moment he sits on the couch with Steveâs head in his lap and keeps caressing his hair like the good mate he is.
#NotSFW#hgkinktober2k23#omegaverse#tumblr prompt#billy hargrove#steve harrington#billy x steve#harringrove#stranger things fanfic#stranger things#my fanfic#tumblr fic#day 11: Toys/ ABO Dynamics#omega steve harrington#alpha Billy Hargrove#medusapelagia#medusapelagia fanfic
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Always The Babysitter - Chapter Twenty-Nine: Dear Billy
Author: @harringtonstilinskiâ Characters: Steve Harrington x Olivia Henderson(OC) Word Count: Warnings: fluff, angst, olivia being olivia, Smut: no | yes; 18+ MINORS DNI: shower sex; unprotected m+f (pls wrap it), A/N: Hi, friends! If you like this chapter, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy đ
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I was shaking Max, trying to get her out of whatever trance she was in for a few seconds before she came back to us, telling us about a grandfather clock embedded in a wall down the hall.
Steve, Dustin, and myself followed her while Robin and Nancy met us to where she was talking about. Disbelief with tears laced her in voice, she said, âIt was here. Right here.â
âA grandfather clock?â Nancy asked, incredulously.
Max nodded her head as I rolled my eyes and turned to Nancy asking, âDo you believe anything anymore? I mean, this is serious shit. Just like Will disappearing, just like the Demodogs and the Gate, and just like the Mind Flayer and the Russians.â
âIâm not saying I donâtââ
âWell, youâre as shit acting like it, Nance.â
âIt was so real,â Max said, bringing us back to the situation at hand. âAnd then, when I got closer, suddenly I just⌠I woke up.â
âIt was like she was in a⌠trance or something,â Dustin said. âExactly what Eddie said happened to Chrissy.â
Max turned around to face us, fear in her eyes. âThatâs not even the bad part.â She led us back to Ms. Kelleyâs office, telling us, âFred and Chrissy, they both came to Ms. Kelley for help. Uh, they both were having headaches, bad headaches that just wouldnât go away. And then⌠then the nightmaresâŚâ
I moved from my spot by Steve to stand next to Max, putting my hands on her shoulders for comfort as she continued, âTrouble sleeping. Theyâd wake up in a cold sweat. And then they started seeing things. Bad things. From their pasts. And these visions, they just⌠they kept on getting worse and worse until eventually⌠everything ended.â
Looking at Dustin, I sighed, âVecnaâs Curse.â
 âChrissyâs headache started a week ago,â Max said. âFred six days ago.â
âYours?â I asked.
She turned her head towards me a little, saying, âIâve been having them for five days. I donât know how long I have. All I know is that⌠for Fred and Chrissy⌠they both died less than 24 hours after their first vision. And I just saw that goddamn clock, so⌠looks like Iâm gonna die tomorrow.â
âNo,â I said. âYouâre not fucking dying. Iâll make sure of that myself. If heâs coming after kids with trauma, then fuck it, Iâve got tons.â
âLiv, no,â she said, eyes locking on mine. âI canât let you do that.â
âWatch me.â
A loud clang sounded, scaring all of us to the point our skeletons mightâve jumped out of our skins. Steve looked around at everyone before his eyes landed on mine.
âStay here,â he said, walking off.
âThe fuck?â I said, moving to walk behind him. âNo way. Iâve never stayed put.â
He grabbed a lamp, sighing as he did while pulling it from the wall. âJust stay behind me.â
Steve walked into the hallway a few feet before I walked behind him, giving a good bit of distance between us just in case I needed to turn tail and run. A few seconds later, I heard Nancyâs heels clap on the ground and I rolled my eyes, knowing her, Robin, Dustin and Max all followed.
More clattering and footsteps sounded down the hall to our left. Steve raised the lamp like a bat before a figure emerged. Steve went to swing at who or whatever it was, but a light on the figure showed that it was Lucas.
We all screamed for different reasons as Steve raised the lamp a little more before lowering it.Â
âItâs me!â Lucas yelled.
âLucas?â Nancy asked.
âItâs me!â
As I held my chest, Steve and I said in unison, âJesus, whatâs wrong with you, Sinclair?!â
âIâm sorry.â
âI couldâve taken you out with this lamp,â Steve said. I said the same but instead of saying I , I said he.
Steve turned around to face us, eyes our meeting before he held his arm out to me. I gladly walked to him, taking deep breaths.
Panting out his words, Lucas said, nonchalantly, âSorry, guys. Sorry. I was⌠I was biking for eight miles.â Holding a finger out to us, he turned to his right a little, saying, âGive me a second. Shit. Weâve got a code red.â
âWhat?â Steve asked, pulling me tighter into his hold.
Lucas looked at Dustin, walking towards him saying his name. When he reached my brother, he said, âIâve been with Jason, Patrick and Andy, and theyâve gone, like, totally off the rails. Theyâre trying to capture Eddie.â
âWhat?!â I said, turning Steve and I to face Dustin and Lucas.
Turning his body a little bit towards us, Lucas said, âBut they think Dustin knows where Eddie is.â Turning back to Dustin, he added, âYouâre in terrible danger.â
âThat little fucker has to get passed me first,â I said, anger rising in me.
âLiv, calm down,â Dustin said. âLucas, that definitely sucks, but weâve got bigger problems than Jason right now.â
We looked at Max, and I could tell Lucas was, too, because her eyes went from his to the floor.Â
~~~
Steve and I ended up taking Dustin and Lucas home, while Nancy took Robin and Max home. I went back to Steveâs house, where we showered with a little bit⌠sexy time.
âFuck, Steve,â I whispered, breaths heavy. âFuck, you feel good.â
He groaned, hand on the wall beside my head. âYou feel fucking incredible. I donât think Iâll last much longer.â
âCum for me, Steve.â I threaded my fingers through his wet hair the best I could. âCum, Stevie.â
âYou first,â he said, bringing his fingers down from his hold on my hip to my clit, rubbing in small gentle circles.Â
Moaning, I rested the back of my head on the wall, my hands falling from Steveâs hair to his neck, trying to find anything to rest my hands on. âOh, my god, Iâm cumming.â I only announced it once before my back arched off the wall in a deep and loud moan, Steve releasing about a second later.
He kissed me, long and sweet before gently pulling out, our mixed cum sliding out of me and onto the shower floor. I watched it run and fall to the drain, feeling Steveâs hands on my hips once more.
Pulling my attention back to him, I locked my eyes with his, seeing borderline exhaustion lacing his features. âLetâs get cleaned up and dressed for bed, and maybe Iâll read to you.â
He chuckled lightly, nodding his head. âSounds good, baby.â He took my body wash, lathering it in a wash cloth before gently scrubbing at my body, washing away all of the dirt and grime from the day.
My hair didnât need to be washed, so I had thrown it into a bun before we stepped in. It got a little wet, but it was all good. I didnât mind.
When Steve was done with my body and I was rinsed off, I took his body wash and returned the favor, washing away his dirt and grime, the water rinsing it off once I was done.
We got out of the shower, wiping the towels over our bodies, before wrapping them around ourselves before moving to his bedroom to put on our pajamas. Crawling into bed, I kept my promise, grabbing my book and getting into our favorite position; us on our backs, my head resting on his shoulder.
I read until I fell asleep, waking up curled into Steve on my right side while was on his left side, arms around me. I went to move, feeling his arms tighten around me, a small groggy groan coming from him.
âDonât move,â he groaned. âThis is very comfortable.â
I chuckled, moving my head to look up at him, getting a really good look at his chin. âWe have to. Gotta get Dusty and head to the Wheelerâs, remember?â
He groaned again, that sound letting me know he didnât want to, but knew he had to. He rolled on his back, taking me with him, a laugh bubbling out of my throat.Â
âSteve,â I giggled. âLet me go. We have to get dressed and head out. Do you really want Nancy calling here and yelling at us?â
âYou have a very good point,â he said, sitting up.Â
I was cradled in his arms, like a baby, smiling up at him. Touching his bottom lip with my fingers, I sighed. âI love you.â
He smiled back at me, leaning to press a kiss to my lips before we got off the bed, moving around in each other like a choreographed dance; him in the closet first to pick his outfit while I went into the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth before we switched rooms.Â
Once I was dressed and had my light makeup on, we went downstairs to get a quick breakfast before heading out of the house and to his car, making our way to the Wheelerâs house.
~~~
I was looking at the latest edition of Cosmo, sitting in a chair with my legs over the right arm of the chair in the Wheeler basement while everyone else was reading about the Creel House and Victor Creel and all that Nancy and Robin read about at the library the night before.
Steve groaned, pacing in front of me. âOkay, be honest. UhâŚâ
âThat shirt and those jeansââ I said, the chef's kiss at the end of my sentence. âDi-fucking-vine.â
âUhm, thanks, and no,â he said. âDo you guys understand any of this?â
âNo,â Lucas said.
âPretty straightforward,â Dustin added.
âYes, I am sexy, thank you,â I said, more to myself, nose still in the magazine.
âOh, straightforward, really?â Steve said, stopping in front me for a moment then began his pacing again.
âWell, whatâs confusing to you?â Dustin asked. âSo far, everyone that Vecna has cursed has died, except for this old Victor Creel dude Nancy found. Heâs the only known survivor. If anyone knows how to beat this curse, itâs him.â
âYeah, thatâs assuming that he was cursed, Henderson, which we donât even know,â Steve said. He sighed, reaching up to rub his forehead. âHow can Vecna have existed in the 50's? It doesnât make sense.â
âAs far as we know, Eleven didnât create the Upside Down.â
âShe opened a gate to it,â I said, flipping a page of the magazine.
âYeah,â Dustin agreed. âThe Upside Down has probably been around for thousands of years. Millions.â
âYou wouldnât be surprised if it predated dinosaurs,â I said, sighing.
âLiv, dinosaurs?â Steve asked. âWhat are weââ
âOkay,â Lucas said. âOkay, but if a gate didnât exist in the 50âs, how did Vecna get through?â
âOh, and howâs he getting through now?â Steve added.
âAnd why now?â
âOh, and why then? Just pops out in the 50âs, kills one family, and heâs like â pffff â hey, Iâm good. And poof, he just disappears. Just⌠gone? Only to return 30 years later and start killing some random teens? Nah, I donât buy it.â He breathed deep, turning to face me, tapping my legs.Â
I got up as he said, âStraightforward, my ass,â before turning to Dustin for a moment. âAnd yaâknow what? Honestly, Henderson, a little humility now and then, it wouldnât hurt you.â
âSorry,â Dustin said, looking down.
Steve sat down in the chair I was previously occupying, pulling me down to sit back the position I was in, his left arm around the middle of my back, his right arm draped across my thighs. I watched as he looked at Dustin, giving him a look that said you better be.
He looked me in the eyes before I rolled mine, going back to my magazine. âYouâre the worst, yaâknow that?â
A few seconds later, Dustin asked, âAny idea what sheâs writing?â
I turned my head to look at the back of Maxâs, watching her arm move slightly. âI wonder if she slept any.â
âI mean,â Lucas said. âWould you, Liv?â
A door opening had me jumping out of my skin as heels sounded on the staircase, Nancy and Robin showing up not long after.
âOkay, so,â Nancy said, glancing at Robin, both girls sighing. âWe have a plan.â
I set the magazine down in my lap as Robin all but shoved a brown folder into my hands, Nancy doing the same with Dustin. The two girls sat down across from how I was sitting, Steve and I looking into the folder Robin gave to us before she said, âThanks to Nancyâs newspaper minions, we are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Notre Dame.â
âIâm now Ruth,â Nancy sighed.
âAnd Iâm Rose.â
âRuth?â Steve asked, looking at Nancy.
âYou donât look like a Rose to me,â I said, eyes on Robin.Â
âNice GPA,â Dustin said, looking at Nancy.
I rolled my eyes, looking back at Robinâs file once again, reading over every word on the page.
âThanks,â Nancy said. Addressing the rest of the group, she said, âSo, we called Pennhurst Asylum, told them weâd like to speak with Victor Creel for a thesis weâre co-writing on paranoid schizophrenicsââ
âTo which they said no,â Robin said, eyes on mine for a moment as I passed the folder back to her to look at Nancyâs.
âBut we landed a three oâclock with the director,â Nancy said.Â
âNow all we have to do is charm him and convince him to let us talk to Victor,â Robin added.Â
âAnd then maybe we can rid Max of this curse.â
âYeah, uh, about that,â Steve said. âWeâve been doing our Victor Creel homework, and, uhâŚâ
âWeâve got questions,â I said, tossing the magazine Iâd previously been reading on the table next to me.
âLots of questions,â Lucas said.Â
âSo do we,â Nancy said. âHopefully, Victor has the answers.â
âWait, wait, wait, wait a second, uhâŚâ Steve said, looking up from one of the brown folders that Iâm assuming was Robinâs. âWhereâs mine?â
âExcuse me?â I asked. âWhat do you mean, whereâs mine?â
Nancy got up, not wanting to touch on the subject, but Steve just tapped my legs before getting right up, almost tossing me to the floor as he followed Nancy up the stairs, saying her name over and over again.
Robin helped me up before we both made our way up the stairs to the kitchen before ascending the stairs to Nancyâs room. We got there just as Steve said, âI know, but why does it always have to be me?â
âOh, my god, you have a Tom Cruise poster,â Robin said, a little too excitedly as she walked to it. âYou have a Tom Cruise poster.â
I chuckled at her amused tone, covering my mouth with my hand. Feeling a hand on my elbow, I let Steve guide me to stand beside him, his arm around my shoulders. I love that no matter where we are, who weâre with, he always has his arm wrapped around me in an almost protective way.
Looking back and forth from her closet to Robin back to her closet, Nancy said, âThatâs⌠old. Itâs justââ
Robinâs laugh had me laughing, her amusement amusing me as she went through Nancyâs things.
âCan you please not touch anything?â Nancy asked, annoyed.
âI canât do anything here, Nance,â Steve said. He had moved to pace while I watched Robin in more amusement than I have in months⌠and I work with her. Steve continued his words, âMaybe I can be helpful with his asylum director dude. I donât know, I could turn on my, like,ââ Weird sounds coming from his mouth that I canât describe. âMy charm.â
âNot the kind of charm we need,â Nancy said, sticking her head from behind her closet door.
âItâs the kind of charm I need,â I said, the tiniest bit seductively.Â
âLiv, are you horny?â Robin asked, still looking at Nancyâs things.
I thought about it for a second before saying, âA little bit.â
She chuckled before picking up Nanceâs music box, opening as Nancy said, âIf weâre gonna win him over, weâre gonna have to convince him that we are, too. That like him⌠we are true academic scholars.â
âOh, thatâs right up your alley,â I sarcastically said, wrapping my arms around Steveâs middle.
âHoly shit,â Robin whispered. âThereâs a little ballerina in here.â She bit her bottom lip and I snorted, still amused by her actions.
âAcademic scholar?â Steve asked. âSheâs giving you an academic scholar vibe? Yeah.â
âDamn,â I said, looking up at Steveâs profile. âYouâre hot when you say academic scholar.â
âLiv, calm down,â Nancy said. âSteve, to answer your question; no, but⌠she will.â She brought out a very girly pink top and a skirt to go with it.
Robin looked at Nancy, giving her a fearful look. âOh, please, tell me that youâre joking.â
Nancy put her arms out, giving Robin a smile. I looked at her, grimacing, âNo, I donât think she is.â
~~~
Steve and I went back down to the basement where he, Dustin and Lucas sat on the couch while I paced the width of the basement, arms crossed.
âStop pacing,â Dustin groaned.
âNo,â I said.
âBabe,â Steve said.
I stopped my pacing for a moment to look at Steve, a brow raised, saying, âSteven,â before continuing my steps.
A few moments later, I heard Max say, âI know you guys are staring at me.â
âWhat, sorry?â Steve said, all three of them pretending to do something.
âYou said you needed something?â Lucas asked.
Throwing a ball into the air, Steve said, âJust hanging out.â What I wouldnât give to lick that neck of his.
âHow you think your eyes boring into the back of her head is protecting her from Vecna, I donât know,â I said. I watched Max get up from her seat, walking over to the boys, standing at the table.
âYou can look at me now,â she said.Â
âThank you,â Dustin said. âSorry.â Steve and Lucas also said their sorries as I walked a little closer to them as she started handing them envelopes.
She turned to face me, reluctantly handing me one, too. âOh, uhm, give these to Mike, El and Will.â
I took the four envelopes from her hand before she turned around, telling the boys, âWhat are you doing? No, donât. Thatâs not for now. Donât open it now.â
âIâm sorry, what is this?â Dustin asked.
âItâs, uhmâŚâ Max said, looking down for a moment. âItâs a fail-safe. For after. If things donât work out.â
âWhoa, hey, wait a second,â I said, stepping up to her side, putting my hands on her shoulders. âThings are gonna work out.â
âNo!â she said. âLiv, I love you, but I really donât need you to reassure me right now and tell me itâs all gonna work out. Because people have been telling me that my entire life and itâs almost never true. Itâs never true.â
I sighed. âIâm sorry.â
âI mean, of course, this asshole curses me,â she continued. âShouldâve seen that one coming.â
âThen he should come after me,â I said. âIâm not having symptoms but⌠I mean, if it should be between you and I, Iâd rather it be me.â
She looked past me after she took a deep breath, going to the table and picking up the walkie talkie. âIf we go to East Hawkins, will this reach Pennhurst?â
âOf course,â Dustin said.
âWait,â Steve said. âWait, wait. Why are we talking about East Hawkins?â
All four of us looked at Steve, our eyes locking for a moment before he said, âNo. No. No!â
Without taking those noâs for an answer, Max zipped up her jacket before grabbing her backpack, walking out of the basement door, the boys and I putting our own jackets on, following her out.
âMax,â I said. âMax! Hey, kiddo. Seriously?â
âIâm not joking,â Steve said. âIâm not driving you anywhere.â
âSteve, if you think Iâm going to spend what is likely the last day of my life in the armpit of what is Mike Wheelerâs basement, then youâre out of your mind,â Max said. âSo, either take me where I need to go or youâre gonna have to tie me down which is technically kidnapping of a minor. And if I live to see another day, Steve, I swear to god, I will prosecute.â She reached for the back driver door, pulling the handle to open it before looking at Steve, and saying, âOpen the door.â Steve looked from Max to me and back to Max, saying, âUhh, no.â
âI know a good lawyer.â
âOh, shit,â I said, a smile on my face that tried to hide with my hand.
They had a staring contest before he scoffed, taking his keys from his pocket and looking at Dustin, saying, âHenderson, that super walkie of yours better reach Pennhurst.â
We got in the car, Max standing outside for a moment before she got in.
~~~
I turned on the radio as we drove, finding a station that played decent music before I landed on one that I knew played some of my favorite music. I sang along to Hard Feelings by Al Kerbey, my feet on the dashboard, knees bent.
âYou talk a lot, but you donât say much In the things you do,â I sang, tapping the beat of the song on the sides of my calves, bopping my head as I did. âYou're always right, in all our fights Because no one else can shut you down Or turn you around, you should see yourself.â
Steve parked the car and shut it off, and it was just then that I noticed we were at Maxâs place. Placing my feet back on the floorboard, I turned to face the teens in the back as Steve said, âAlright, this better be fast, Mayfield.â
âTwenty seconds,â she said, getting out of the car and shutting the door.
I looked at Dustin and then his walkie. âThat has batteries in there, correct?â
Sighing, he closed his eyes. âIâm not even answering that question.â It was my turn to sigh, but with more irritation.Â
âYes, it has batteries in it.â
âOkay, I was just checking.â
After about a minute had passed, I started to get worried about Max, so I got out of the car, sitting on the hood with my knees bent, fingers at my bottom lip. Dustin stood next to me, as I heard Steveâs door open, but not close, just like the back passenger door.
Max came around the corner, fear on her face and her eyes red. I slid off the hood just as Steve said, âHey, that was longer than 20 seconds.â
I followed her to the back of the car, saying as she got in, âMax, honey, are you okay?â
âIâm fine,â she said, opening the door. âSteve, just drive.â
Rushing to my side just as Steve started his car, I couldnât help but think about what caused her to be so upset. I got in just before Steve backed up and out of the trailer park. Turning to face Max, I asked, âDid something happen?â
âCan we please just go?â she asked.
âMax, weâre moving.â She didnât say anything else, just looked out the window, so I just turned back around in my seat, letting out a deep breath.
~~~
We drove for what felt like hours as Max gave Steve directions to where she wanted to go next. I had leaned over on the window, Steveâs hand on my thigh where it belonged as I closed my eyes for a moment. Maxâs voice telling Steve to turn where she needed brought me out of my sleep.
âHere?â Dustin asked, silence being his answer.
I looked to my left as Steve turned, seeing the sign for Roane Hill Cemetery, and thatâs when I put the pieces together. Sitting up a little, I turned my head to look at her, silently asking, âIs thisââ She immediately answered with a small head nod, my eyes downcasting, not really looking at anything in particular before turning back in my seat, Steveâs hand off my thigh so he can drive properly and safely.
Steve stopped where she asked him to, her and Lucas getting out of the car. Since Steve had his window down, I could hear a little bit of their conversation.Â
The other words I was able to hear was Lucas asking Max why she keeps pushing him away, telling her that he doesnât need or want the letter and that she knows she can talk to him and us three sitting in this car.
She walked away after a few seconds, Lucas coming back to the car after watching her retreat from him. He stood there for a moment before coming back around the car, sitting in the backseat with Dustin.
After a few minutes, I leaned my back against the door, reaching my legs across Steveâs lap, his right hand resting on my calves, his left resting on the door with the window down. Lucas and Dustin had gotten out of the car; Lucas sitting on the hood while Dustin basically stood behind me.
I watched Steveâs finger tap where it rested, looking out towards Max. He checked his watch before tapping my legs. I pulled them back as he got out and said, âAlright, itâs been long enough.â
I got out, almost knocking Dustin over, giving my apologies while helping him stand back up right.Â
âSteve, just give her some time,â Lucas said.Â
âI have, alright, Sinclair,â Steve replied, turning to face Lucas. âIâm calling it. She wants to get a lawyer, she can.â
I sighed as he turned back around, walking up the small hill towards Max as I sighed, looking between my brother and his best friend. âOf course he says that. He can pay for it. Well⌠his parents can.â
Around 15 seconds goes by before Iâm on alert, hearing Steve telling her to wake up, clapping his hands and repeating the word hey. âMax, wake up! Max! Wake up!â
I took a couple steps forward, shaking my head slightly before Lucas and I both said, âOh, somethingâs wrong.â
Steve quickly glanced at us, saying, âGuys!â before myself, Lucas and Dustin all hightailed it up the hill to Billyâs grave, where Max sat, eyes reddish pink, looking up, her eyelids fluttering.
âShit, shit, shit,â I said, sliding onto my knees as best I could. âSheâs in a trance. Max, wake up! Get out of there! Fight, Max! Come on! Wake up!â
The boys were all basically yelling the same thing I was, my hands on her cheeks as she was trapped in this trance.
âCall Nancy and Robin!â Steve exclaimed. âGo get âem! Call Nancy and Robin! Go!â
With my breathing starting to pick up, I looked to my left, watching as Dustin ran his way back down the hill to Steveâs car. Turning back to Max, tears filled my eyes, thinking this is the last time Iâm going to see her. âMax, wake the fuck up! Get out of there! You gotta wake up! Come on!â
Dustin came running back to us, Maxâs walkman and a bunch of cassettes in his hands. âGuys!â
âWhat is this?â Lucas asked after Dustin put the tapes down.
âHer song!â Dustin said. âWhatâs her favorite song?â
âWhy? Why?â
âRobin said if she listensâ itâs too much to explain right now.â
âWait, if she listens to her favorite song, sheâll be pulled out? Sheâll wake up?â I asked, right hand still on Maxâs cheek.
âPrecisely.â
âThen what the fuck are you waiting for?! Put the tape in!â
âWhatâs. Her favorite. Song?â Dustin enunciated.
âUhhâŚâ I said, trying to think. The song she constantly listened to started running through my head as I closed my eyes, silently muttering the words to myself, âRunning up that road, running that hill, running that building.â Looking at the tapes, I said, âKate Bush! Get that Kate Bush song!â
They found the tape, put it into the player, her headphones being brought into my line of vision. I took them from Dustin, placing them on her ears before turning to Lucas, saying, âHit fucking play!â
Lucas hit the play button, Kate Bushâs voice faintly coming through the speakers resting on Maxâs ears, all of us once again encouraging her to wake up and to get herself out of the trance sheâs in. We all went quiet for a moment before her body started lifting up off the ground.
I backed up as much as I could, my hands on the ground behind me, ass and feet flat on the ground, legs bent at the knee as I stared at Max floating in the air. The higher she went, the quicker I got to my feet, yelling her name, the boys doing the same.
Tears quickly filled my eyes as the desperation in my voice grew bigger and bigger with each passing second before she fell to the ground, whimpering with fear as we all squatted down beside her, all of us saying her name again.
I set my hand on her knee as she started to hyperventilate, her and Lucas clinging to each other as I reassured her, âMax, itâs okay, youâre okay, youâre safe.â
âI thought we lost you,â Lucas said, throat tight with tears.
âIâm still⌠Iâm still here,â she replied.
âHoly fucking shit,â I breathed, feeling a hand on my back.
âIâm still here,â she said, her breathing slowing.
I sighed, turning my head to face Steve, curling into his side the best I could with how we were sitting.
A tear fell from my eye as I looked at Dustin, feeling absolute devastation at the thought of losing him, and how stir crazy Mom would be. Then I looked back at Steve, the tears starting to flow as those same thoughts turned to him.
I donât know what I would do if it was him that was cursed by Vecna. Scratch that. I know exactly what I would do; go into the Upside Down and kill that spell casting motherfucker.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Posted on May 14, 2024
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The Mind Flayer
pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader x Steve Harrington
word count: 3565
tw: swearing, no Eddie (but he's always on our minds)
previous part
You were a little annoyed that you had to do more walking, and this time it felt like forever since they didnât know where they were going. You knew that they had to do this though, they had to find Dâart and the rest of them and end it for good. You just hoped that two teens and three middle schoolers were enough to stop the creatures.Â
âYouâre positive that was Dâart?â Lucas asked.
âYes,â Dustin sighed, exhausted from answering similar questions all day. âHe had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt.â
âHe was tiny two days ago,â Max added
âWell, heâs molted three times already.â
âMalted?â Steve questioned, not understanding what Dustin was talking about.
âMolted. Shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms.â
âWhenâs he gonna molt again?â You asked another question, a little scared by what the answer could be.
âItâs gotta be soon. When he does, heâll be fully grown, or close to it. And so will his friendsâÂ
Thatâs the exact answer you were worried about.
âYeah, and heâs gonna eat a lot more than just cats,â Steve said as a humorless joke, making you hit him lightly on the arm
âWait, cat?â Lucas stepped in front of Dustin grabbing him by the shoulder to stop him from walking. âDâart ate a cat?â
âNo, what? No.â Dustin denied in the worst lying voice you had ever heard.
âWhat are you talking about? He ate Mews.â Steve pointed out, clearly not getting why Dustin was lying, making you hit him on the arms even harder. âOw, what the fuck?â
âMews? Whoâs Mews?â Max asked.
âItâs Dustinâs cat,â Steve answered still not getting it.
âSteve!â Dustin yelled at him for giving his lies away.
âYou are so dumb.â You muttered, shaking your head. âItâs a good thing youâre pretty.â
âI knew it! You kept him!â Lucas shouted at Dustin, giving him a shove.
âNo! No, no, I⌠No, I,â You didnât know Dustinâs lying could get worse. âHe missed me. He wanted to come home.â
âBullshit!â
âI didnât know he was a Demogorgon, okay?â
âOh, so now you admit it?â
âGuys, who cares?â Max interrupted the arguing. âWe have to go.â
âI care!â Lucas continued berating Dustin, âYou put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!â
âSo did you!â Dustin practically screamed, becoming angrier than ever.
âWhat?â
âYou told a stranger the truth!â Dustin pointed his flashlight in Maxâs face, blinding her.Â
Max scoffed, becoming equally as angry, âA stranger?â
âYou wanted to tell her too!â Lucas retorted.
âYeah, but I didn't, Lucas, okay? I didnât tell her!â
While the three continued yelling at each other, Steve and you looked over their shoulders, hearing screeching coming from the distance. They started walking to the wooded area where they heard the screech. Looking at each other, they saw the same realization on their faces.
âHey guys!â Steve tried to get them to stop arguing.
âChildren!â You snapped, turning to face them. You were done with their bickering, they didnât have time for it.
They turned back to face the woods, then took off with Lucas and Dustin following them while Max tried to talk them out of it, but ended up just running after them. They ended up on a cliff that looked over Hawkins, but it was too foggy to see anything.
âI donât see him,â Dustin said as they made it to the ledge of the cliff.
Lucas took out his binoculars and tried to get a better look that way.Â
âItâs the lab,â Lucas said once he found where they were. âThey were going back home.â
â----------------
The group had been walking in the woods for a while as they made their way to the Hawkins Lab. You and Steve were walking in the front, leading the kids through the trees and occasionally letting one of the branches smack Lucas and Dustin in the face for getting them in this mess once again.Â
As they were getting closer to the lab, you felt Steve taking quick glances at you before looking back at the woods. When you noticed him taking a longer look at you, you turned to look at him and noticed that he had a shit-eating grin on his face like he had just caught you doing something embarrassing.
âWhat?â You grumbled, not wanting to deal with whatever he was thinking.
âYou think Iâm pretty?â Steve asked you, repeating what you said earlier. It had finally registered in his brain that you called him pretty, even though it was meant in an insulting way.
âWhat?â You asked again, but this time you were actually confused and didnât understand what he was talking about.
âYou said, âItâs a good thing Iâm pretty,â Steve repeated your words back to you with the same smug grin, âYou think Iâm pretty.â
You rolled your eyes, feeling equally exhausted and annoyed with this conversation, âThatâs what you took from that. I called you stupid too.â
âYou still said Iâm pretty which means you think Iâm pretty.âÂ
âOh, gag me with a spoon, Steve.â You quipped, picking up your speed so you could walk ahead of Steve and not have to be near him any longer.
A few minutes later, they finally made it to the edge of the woods and could hear someone yelling at them on the other side. Once they made it out, they stopped seeing the two people were Nancy and Jonathan.
âSteve?â They both asked at the same time in complete shock.
âNancy?â Steve questioned back just as confused.
âJonathan,â Dustin said calmly.
You waved at them with a big smile, âOh, hey guys.â
âWhat are you doing here?â Nancy asked as they all started walking towards each other.
âWhat are you doing here?â Steve was wondering more about what she was doing there with Jonathan.
âWeâre looking for Mike and Will,â Nancy answered, calming down.
âTheyâre not in there, are they?â Dustin nodded his head towards Hawkins Lab.
âWeâre not sure.â
âWhy?â Jonathan became concerned by Dustinâs question but was answered by the monster's screeching echoing through the area.
Everyone started arguing about where Will and Mike could be when Nancy pushed through the group and took a few steps away.
âThe powerâs back.â
They all immediately took off towards the booth that could open the gate, so they could all get through. Jonathan went into the booth to press the button, but the gate still wasnât opening. Dustin then went in and shoved Jonathan out of the way to try for himself like that would change anything. After a few minutes, the gate suddenly opened and Dustin took credit for it, but you all knew it most definitely wasnât him.Â
With the gate now open, Jonathan and Nancy drove up to the lab in his car to go find their brothers. The rest of them stood around anxiously waiting for them to return.
âGuys?â Max alerted them, making them all turn their heads to see two cars speeding towards them.
Jonathan started honking his horn and they all jumped out of his way. Jonathan kept driving off while Hopper stopped his cop truck for them to all jump in and drive to the Byersâ house.
They now all waited around the house as they figured out their next move. Will was lying unconscious on the couch as Jonathan kneeled next to him whispering to him. Nancy stood behind Jonathan, putting a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. You and Steve stood back watching the whole thing before Steve walked away. You looked over your shoulder at him walking away, seeing the upset look on his face and knowing it wasnât just for the crazy circumstances they were under.Â
You followed Steve into the kitchen, walking past Hopper who was on the phone trying to convince the government of what was happening. You walked past the kitchen table where the kids sat around and over to Steve who stood staring out the windows in the kitchen. Putting a hand on his arm, you looked up at Steve with a soft smile, trying to reassure him. Surprisingly, he looked down at you with a smile too before putting his arm around your shoulder, knowing you needed some reassurance after the events of the day.
You were very shocked by how their friendship grew throughout the day. You also had some conflicting feelings about the whole thing, feeling like there was something else deep down from both of them, but you didnât know what.
âThey didnât believe you, did they?â Dustin asked Hopper once he hung up the phone.
âWeâll see,â Hopper mumbled.
âWeâll see?â Mike snapped, causing Steve and you to turn around. âWe canât just sit here while those things are loose!â
âWe stay here, and wait for help,â Hopper instructed sternly, he then walked away towards the bedroom Joyce was hiding in.
They all stayed in their spots waiting, not knowing what to do. Mike stood up and walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.
âDid you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?â
âReally?â Dustin asked.
âHe petitioned the school to start it and everything.â Mike turned around to face them holding a Rubikâs cube. âThen he had a fund-raiser for equipment. Mr. Clarke learned everything from him. Pretty awesome, right?â
âYeah.â Dustin and Lucas mumbled.
Mike walked over and set the Rubikâs cube on the table, âWe canât let him die in vain.â
âWhat do you want to do, Mike?â Dustin protested, âThe Chiefâs right on this. We canât stop those Demo-dogs on our own.â
âDemo-dogs?â Max asked, confused about what he was talking about.
âDemogorgon, dogs.â Dustin put his hands together signifying putting the words together. âDemo-dogs. Itâs like a compound. Itâs like a play on words-â
âOkay.â Max stopped him from talking anymore, looking at him with wide eyes in complete disbelief that he thought she was that stupid.
âI mean, when it was just Dâart, maybeâŚâ
âBut thereâs an army now.â Lucas finished his sentence for him.
âPrecisely.â
âHis army,â Mike muttered more so to himself.
Steve looked over at him, confused, âWhat do you mean?â
âHis army,â Mike repeated, more confident this time. âMaybe if we stop him, we can stop his army, too.â
They all looked at each other trying to see if anyone knew what he was talking about. Mike took off towards Willâs bedroom with the others right behind him to see what he was doing. Mike picked up a picture and showed it to the rest of them.
âThe shadow monster.â Dustin acknowledged once he saw the picture that Will drew.
âIt got Will that day on the field.â Mike explained, âThe doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him.â
âAnd so this virus, itâs connecting him to the tunnels?â Max questioned.
âTo the tunnels, to the monsters, the Upside Down, everything.â
âWhoa, slow down. Slow down.â Steve said, still not completely understanding it.
âOkay, so, the shadow monsters inside everything. And if the vines feel something like pain, then so does Will.â
âAnd so does Dâart,â Lucas added.
âYeah, like what Mr. Clarke taught us. The hive mind.â
âHive mind?â You asked, not knowing what that meant.
âA collective consciousness. Itâs a superorganism.â Dustin explained this to you and Steve.
âAnd this is the thing that controls everything.â Mike pointed to the drawing. âItâs the brain.â
âLike the mind flayer.â Dustin proclaimed, Lucas snapped at the name knowing what Dustin was talking about.
âWhat?â Steve, you, and Max asked at the same time, becoming completely out of the loop.
Dustin suddenly runs out of the room before returning with a big book in his hands and everyone else who wasnât already in the room, except for Joyce, came in behind him. Dustin walked over to the kitchen table and opened the Dungeons and Dragons book, once he got to the page he was looking for he slammed the book on the table.
âThe mind flayer.â
âWhat the hell is that?â Hopper asked from behind everyone.
âItâs a monster from an unknown dimension.â Dustin explained, âItâs so ancient that it doesnât even know its true home. Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains using its highly-developed psionic powers.â
âOh, my god, none of this is real. This is a kidsâ game.â Hopper groaned, annoyed that Dustin was even suggesting this after everything that just happened.
âNo, itâs a manual. And itâs not for kids.â Dustin became angry at Hopper for not believing him. âAnd unless you know something that we donât, this is the best metaphor-â
â-Analogy.â Lucas cut Dustin off to correct him.
Dustin now turned his anger to Lucas, âAnalogy? Thatâs what youâre worried about? Fine. An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is.â
âOkay,â Nancy stopped Dustinâs rant. âSo this mind flamer thing-â
â-Flayer. Mind flayer.â
Nancy sighed, âWhat does it want?â
âTo conquer us, basically. It believes itâs the master race.â
âLike the Germans?â Steve suggested, making everyone side-eye him for saying that.
You hit his arm, which was becoming your new thing when he was being an idiot, âAre you kidding me, Steve?â
âUh, the Nazis?â Dustin asked, giving Steve a chance to correct himself.
âYeah, yeah, yeah, the Nazis.â Steve stuttered looking back and forth from Dustin to you.
âUh, if the Nazis were from another dimension, totally.â Dustin tried to make Steve feel better, âUh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself.â
âIt wants to spread, take over other dimensions.â Mike chimed in.
âWe are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it.â Lucas helped his friends explain what it all meant since they were the only three in the room who knew anything about D&D.
âThatâs great. Thatâs greatâ Steve said sarcastically, turning away from everyone.âThatâs really great. Jesus!â
âOkay, so if this thing is like a brain thatâs controlling everything, then if we kill itâŚâ You picked up the book to get a better look at what the book said.
âWe kill everything it controls.â Mike finished what you were saying.
âWe win.â Dustin put it simply.
âTheoretically,â Lucas added.
Hopper walked over to you and grabbed the book out of your hands, âGreat. So how do you kill this thing? Shoot it with Fireballs or something?â
âNo. No, no fire- no fireballs.â Dustin chuckled, âUh, you summon an undead army, uh, because⌠because zombies, you know, they donât have brains, and the mind flayer, it-it it likes brains. Itâs just a game. Itâs a game.â
âWhat the hell are we doing here?â Hopper threw the book onto the table, then walked away.
âI thought we were waiting for your military backup,â Dustin said tauntingly.
âWe are!â
âEven if they come, how are they gonna stop this?â Mike asked, frustrated. âYou canât just shoot this with guns.â
âYou donât know that! We donât know anything!â
âWe know itâs already killed everybody in that lab.â
âAnd we know the monsters are gonna molt again,â Lucas mentioned.
âAnd we know that itâs only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town,â Dustin said.
âTheyâre right.â Joyceâs weak voice came from the living room, âWe have to kill it. I want to kill it.â
Hopper walked over to her, âMe too. Me too, Joyce, okay? But how do we do that? We donât exactly know what weâre dealing with hereâ
âNo, but he does.â Mike walked over to where Will lay on the couch, âIf anyone knows how to destroy this thing, itâs Will. Heâs connected to it. Heâll know its weakness.â
âI thought we couldnât trust him anymore.â Max voiced, âthat heâs a spy for the mind flayer now.â
âYeah, but he canât spy if he doesnât know where he is.â
After Hopper cleared out the shed, everyone started working to make the shed look unrecognizable to Will. They put pieces of cardboard, old newspapers, aluminum foil, and sheets around the walls. Once they were finished, Jonathan brought Will out to the shed and they tied him to the chair. Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike stayed with Will while the rest went back into the house.
From your spot on the couch, you saw Dustin walk into the dining room looking sad and stressed out. âHey, kid.â You called out to Dustin, âCome here.â
You waved him over and patted the spot next to you on the couch. Dustin walked over with his head hung low and sat down. You put your arm around his shoulder, and Dustin put his head on your shoulder as he started to tear up a bit.
âWeâre going to figure this out and save Will.â
Steve stopped practicing swinging his bat, seeing you comfort Dustin. He took a couple of steps and stood in front of them.
Steve put a hand on Dustinâs head, patting it a couple of times, âWeâve got this, weâre going to kill this mind-flaying thing.â
âMind flayer.â Dustin corrected Steve, looking up at him.
âYeah, whatever.â Steve pushed Dustinâs head lightly.
Dustin laid his head back on your shoulder, as you looked up at Steve laughing lightly. Steve looked down at you, smiling back.
You both looked away from each other as the lights started to flicker intensely. The three of them stood up and walked into the kitchen, where Nancy was, to look out the window where the shed was. The lights stopped flickering after a minute, and they all looked at each other with worry.
A few minutes later they all came charging back into the house, Hopper quickly grabbed a used envelope and a pen and sat at the table.
âWhat happened?â Dustin asked as they all stood around Hopper.
âI think heâs talking, just not with words,â Hopper explained, as he wrote dots and lines on the envelope.
âWhat is that?â Steve questioned, not knowing what Hopper was drawing.
âMorse code.â Everyone answered in unison.
âH-E-R-E.â Hopper spelled out, âWillâs still in there. Heâs talking to us.â
They continued on with their plan to see if Will would say anything else. While they went back to the shed to talk to Will, Hopper sent what Will was saying to the rest of them in the house through a Morse code transmitter. Dustin and Lucas would translate it while Nancy would write the letters down, so they could figure out what he was trying to tell them.
âOkay, got it.â Lucas said, âC.â
Nancy wrote the C down on the back of an empty notepad. They continued translating the Morse code until they had the words âClose Gate.â
âClose Gate.â They all mumbled together trying to figure out what that meant.Â
The phone started ringing, startling them all. Dustin quickly ran over and hung up the phone, but it started to ring again. Nancy ripped the phone off the wall and threw it on the ground, breaking it.
âDo you think he heard that?â Max asked what they were all thinking.
âItâs just a phone. It could be anywhere.â Steve tried to rationalize, âRight?â
While that could be true, it wasnât in this instance when they were the monster screeching in the distance.
âThatâs not good,â Dustin grumbled, as they all faced the door.
Everyone from the shed ran into the house with Jonathan carrying Will. The kids went over to the windows to look out to see if the monsters were coming while everyone, but Hopper stood behind them.Â
âHey!â Hopper shouted walking into the living room carrying two guns. âHey, get away from the windows!â
The kids backed away from the windows standing next to everyone else. Hopper turned to Jonathan holding up one of the guns.
âDo you know how to use this?â
âWhat?â Jonathan asked confused about what Hopper was insinuating.
âCan you use this?â Hopper tried to simplify his question.
âI can,â Nancy interjected.
Hopper threw her the gun, as everyone who had a weapon pulled it out. You stood in between Nancy and Steve holding up your knife.
âWhere are they?â Max questioned, as the screeching grew closer.
A loud screech and thud came from the right side of the house making them all jump to face that way.
âWhat are they doing?â You asked, seeing the bushes move out the window.
The screeching came from the front of the house this time and they all jumped to face that way. They could hear the monster screeching and groaning alongside some crashing noises. Then all of a sudden the noises stopped and one of the Demo-dogs came flying through the window. They all screamed and backed away from it waiting for it to do something, but it continued to lay on the ground not moving.Â
âHoly shit,â Dustin whispered.
âIs it dead?â Max asked.
Hopper moved its head with his foot to see if it would do anything, but it still wouldnât move. The door made a creaking noise causing everyone to jump and face towards it. It suddenly started unlocking on its own, so Hopper and Nancy pointed their guns at it ready for something to come through.Â
It slowly opened and Eleven stepped into the house with her nose bleeding. Everyone put down their weapons, shocked to see the young girl was still alive.
#eddie munson x reader#stranger things x reader#steve harrington x reader#eddie munson#eddie munson fanfic#eddie munson imagines#eddie munson x fem!reader#joe keery imagines#joe keery x reader#joseph quinn#joseph quinn imagines#joseph quinn x reader#stranger things imagines#steve harrington#stranger things#steve harrington fanfic#steve harrington x fem!reader#stranger things fanfic
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All that bloodshed, crimson clover
Based on The Great War - Taylor Swift and my tiktok story (you can watch it for some visualisation, it has multiple parts)â> my taylor swift songs masterlist
Summary: What happens when they find out that every person, killed by a monster, is stuck in the upside down? You were killed by the mindflayer weeks ago, but your grieving boyfriend Steve finds out youâve been trying to survive in the upside down all this time. They try to find you but Steve is filled with guilt and realizes some heartbreaking facts about it all.
Warning: angst, blood, grieving, death -> happy ending! 2k words
I used pictures of Steve because thereâs so much pictures of him I imagined when I wrote this <3 Enjoy xx
My knuckles were bruised like violets Sucker punching walls, cursed you as I sleep-talked Spineless in my tomb of silence
Steve Harrington stared blankly at the photograph sitting on his nightstand, his girlfriend, Y/N, smiling back at him. The pain in his chest was still unbearable, and the weight of grief hung heavy upon his shoulders. It had been almost 1 month since Y/N's tragicdeath, killed by the mind flayer
The once confident and popular high school hero had become a mere shadow of his former self. He had lost his infectious smile, his carefree attitude, and the spark that made him Steve Harrington. And before he could even grieve properly, there was already some new kind of misery happening in Hawkins. But it wasnât like before, Steve just couldnât get involved in it all. He really wanted to help his friends with this Vecna stuff, but he couldnât do it.
Countless nights of nightmares, waking up screaming, were now slowly fading away. He was getting better. At first, he couldnât believe she wasnât there anymore. He couldn't believe he would never kiss her anymore, never hold her, smell her. He wanted to return when it happened, he wanted to make her live again. But after some days he started to realize he shouldnât have that kind of hope. He finally accepted it. The love of his life was gone, and he didn't save her.
A knock on the door interrupted Steve's thoughts. He sighed, stood up and opened the door to find his best friend, Dustin Henderson, standing there with a mix of excitement and trepidation on his face. Max, Robin, Nancy and Eddie were standing next to him with the same excitement. âWhat are you all doing here so smiley?" Steve asked, his voice tinged with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. He tried to seem okay, he always did even though he didn't see them that much anymore. "Dude, you won't believe what we found," Dustin exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "I think⌠I think Y/N might still be alive." Steve's heart skipped a beat, hope surging through his veins like an electric shock. His mind whirled with disbelief and longing. "What are you talking about? How is that even possible? I swear to god if this is some stupid prank, you are way out of the lineâ Steve rambled with a weird feeling in his stomach. âItâs a long story, we went to a crazy prisoner and stuff, but okay that doesnât matter, we found out that every person, killed by a monster from the upside down, might still be alive and isnât really killed, but just stuck in there, haunted by these creatures." Steve didnât respond, he couldnât find the energy. He could only sit down on the edge of his bed, staring blankly in front of him. This couldnât be true, it must be a dream. Or maybe they were wrong?
Uh-huh, tears on the letter I vowed not to cry anymore If we survived the Great War
It went silent. All the others were so excited but Steve didnât have one emotion on his face. Even though on the inside, he was exploding with thousands of feelings. Nancy sat next to him with a look of sympathy on her face. âI know this must be very hard for you, not to forget incredibly confusing. But you have to believe us, if we find her she might still be there, your Y/N,â she said, delicately laying a hand on his shoulder. âWe have no time to lose, she might have survived, but sheâs still in there with all those monstersâ Eddie added nervously. Thatâs when they all started rambling to each other, pulling out maps and flashlights. Thatâs when Steve finally realized, they were making up a plan. They had to go into the upside down. She was alive. It was all true. It wasnât a joke. As much as he wanted to help, he was still frozen on his bed. And as if he wasnât feeling bad enough, another big wave of guilt washed over him. He could have saved her all this time. âAre you okay?â Nancy asked. âI gave up on herâ Steve said with a flat tone. âNo no Steve, you canât blame yourself, noâ she shook her head. âAll this time, when I was here crying, full of self-pity. She was there, hurt, haunted, trying to survive. And I didnât help, I didnât look for her, I didn't go backâ he said, tears in his eyes. âSteve⌠we saw it happen, she had a funeral, you thought she was dead, we all did,â Nancy whispered gently.
All that bloodshed, crimson clover
Uh-huh, the bombs were close and
My hand was the one you reached for
The air of the upside down was thick with an oppressive silence as Steve cautiously navigated the eerie, distorted version of Hawkins. Robin, Nancy and Eddie are close behind him. The once-familiar woods and streets were now tangled with overgrown vegetation and crumbling buildings.Steve's heart pounded in his chest as he sensed a presence in the darkness. He could hear the faint fluttering of wings, growing louder with each passing moment. His grip tightened on the bat as a swarm of weird bats descended upon him.
They suddenly attacked them from all sides, their piercing screeches filling the air. Steve swung his bat fiercely, striking at the relentless creatures, but their numbers seemed endless. Behind him he heard screams and groans from his friends. Steve fought valiantly, but the bats' relentless assault left him disoriented and on the defensive. His heart raced as they attacked his now muddy and bloody body, leaving scratches that stung with each strike. He stumbled backward unable to find an escape route.Weâve lost, he thought. Weâre never going to find y/n and weâll die here too.
And thatâs when the creatures suddenly stopped and looked around, they seemed distracted by something.âCome on, catch itâ they heard a voice in the distance scream. The distant shadow threw something far into the woods, the material was immediately followed by the bats. They flew away like nothing happened.The shadow ran closer to them and thatâs when Steve saw her.
Her pretty face was scratched up, her hair all messy but still with the same beautiful shade of y/h/c. She looked at them like she'd seen a ghost.âY/N,â he sighed. âSteve? How did you find meâ she answered with tears in her eyes. She rushed to his side and embraced him tightly."I thought I lost you forever," Steve whispered, his voice choked with emotion.Y/N held him even tighter, her voice filled with both sadness and hope. "It was horrible Steve, luckily I found some ways to distract all those creatures.. but.. but..â She stuttered, finding no words to explain. For weeks now, y/n believed they would never find her, that they would forget about her and move on.
The couple stood there, both at lost for words, hands grabbing each other like they could get separated again. Steve was mesmerized. All this time grieving her and thinking about her, he already forgot how pretty she really was. How soft her hands felt on his skin and how her smile felt so warm and familiar.âSteve youâre hurtâ y/nâs worried voice interrupted his thoughts. Thatâs when his attention went to the stinging feeling in his stomach. Steve felt dizzy when he saw all the blood dripping from it.âThere in the woods, letâs patch him up thereâ Nancy points.
Steve leans into the rocks, closing his eyes and groaning. He eyes closed automatically and he tried his best not to faint.âHeyheyhey, keep your eyes open sweet boy, look at meâ he heard y/nâs voice. When he opened his eyes he tried to focus on the beautiful y/e/c he'd been wanting to look at for weeks now. âYouâre beautifulâ he whispered with all his last energy.âHere use thisâ she heard Nancy say behind her. She handed her a piece of fabric. âThanksâ y/n nodded.âOkay Stevie, this is gonna hurt a littleâ she prepared him. But Steveâs pain eased already a little when he heard her say Stevie to him. She stroked his cheek, hesitant, but lovingly, not sure at what point in their relationship theyâre standing now.Butterflies fluttered in Steveâs stomach, but the feeling went away quickly when he felt the material against his wounds.Steve groaned, he focused on y/nâs face, finding comfort in it. She was standing close to him and it was incredible how, even in this situation, her touch and presence could make him want her so bad. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to touch her, he wanted to show her how much he loved her. A sexual tension, the electricity hangs in the air. âThere you goâ she whispered, staring longingly into his eyes.âY/n.. I-â Steve tried but got cut off by Eddie, âOkay you both can talk and fuck this ,whatever it is, long build up tension off later, but now we gotta get out of this freaking placeâ.âYouâre right, please take me back homeâ y/n sighed with a mixture of fear and excitement.
Broken and blue, so I called off the troops
That was the night I nearly lost you
I really thought I lost you
On their walk to find a way out, the mood in the woods felt cold and dark. Steve and y/n were walking next to each other in silence. The boy didnât know what thing to say first, he tried to come up with the perfect thing to say but he couldnât.
âI heard you, you know?â y/n finally said. Steve didnât get it at first, but then he realized. Everybody who knows about the upside down, knows you can hear the voices of the people on the other side if theyâre in the same room. Will did. And he also⌠oh shit... He also communicated with the lights. Did y/n.. did y/n do that too?
Another big wave of guilt washed over Steve.
âI heard you in your room, at night when you had nightmares. I heard you fighting with Robin about what happened. I heard you getting better.â She confessed. She probably heard everything, Steve thought. âPlease donât tell me that you tried to contact me through the lights and that I didnât notice,â Steve answered. Y/n stayed silent, which said enough.
âOh godâ the boy sighed with a sad tone, disappointed in himself.
âI gave up after a while. I listened to you for a long time, it gave me comfort. But you never noticed the lights flickering. I canât blame you Steve, I heard how much pain you were in. But then I stopped listening. You got back on track with your life and I thought⌠I thought I was going to die here eventuallyâ y/n confessed. They stopped walking and Steve looked at her with the most guilty and sad eyes sheâd ever seen. He was wondering how he could ever forgive himself for this.
âDid you⌠ever⌠like.. find someone? When I was gone?â She asked hesitantly. âWhat do you mean?â Steve didnât understand her. âLike, did you fall in love again? If you did I would understand, I mean I was pretty dead and you were alone and-â she mumbled stressed. His heart breaks at the way she nervously toys with her fingers. âHeyhey stop stop, of course not. I could never. I- I still love you too much, okay? Donât worry, I⌠I l still love youâ he comforted her, not getting how on earth she would think he could fall in love with someone else so fast.
âI lov-â y/n tried but she got cut off by a sudden dizziness. âAre you okay? Y/n?!â Steve exclaimed. âIt.. it happens sometimes these last days.. itâs-â and then she fainted. Steve tried to catch her but he was too late.
Eddie, Robin and Nancy turned around quickly when they heard the sound.
âWhat happened?!â Robin screamed, worried.
âShe just fainted, said it happens sometimesâ Steve answered while pulling her body on the ground closer to him.
âIt must be from being in here for so long, this air is kind of toxicâ Nancy concluded.
âWe need to get out of this placeâ Steve nervously said.
I vowed I would always be yours
'Cause we survived the Great War
Y/n woke up, surprised by the comfort of soft pillow under her. Her body ached less and her eyes hurt from seeing light in after a very long time. And it didnât smell horrible anymore, it smelled great. She inhaled the sent that smelled like home. The moment your body relaxed you realized it was Steveâs smell, his house. Thatâs when you saw room. You were finally back. âThat wallpaper is still terribleâ you sighed jokingly. Steve laughed. Y/nâs eyes started to water a little, âIâm back home,â she cried happily. âYouâre back homeâ Steve nodded stroking her hair.
Thatâs when Steve promised he would never give up on her again. She would be his wife, the mother of his children, his for ever companion and so much more. If survived this, they could survive anything.
#steve harrington#steve harrington x reader#stranger things#stranger things x y/n#steve x you#steve harrington fluff#steve x reader#steve stranger things#joe keery#steve
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CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER SEVEN
âWhat if I'm not good? What if I'm the monster?â
⸠summary: things get messy between the group and you feel as if youâre 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
âI guess the old man taught me well, huh?â
 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.Â
 âWhat?..â you whispered, taking a step back. It was Billyâs blue Camaro, still warm from being recently used. But you werenât anywhere near his carâ Your thoughts are cut off when you suddenly take in your dim reflection from the car window.Â
 The entirety of your right eye was black and teary. Instead of being trapped in the mall again, youâre suddenly back from having just left the tunnels that had run beneath Hawkins. But if you're by Billyâs car then..
 Turning around, you nearly gasped at the sight of Billy. Heâs 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.Â
 âBilly..â you croaked, unsure what to say. âI-...â
 âSheâs speechless.â Billy laughed, taking a step towards you. âWhat a nice change.â
 Every part of you is aware that this isnât real, but seeing him before you is leaving your mind puzzled. âYou should go inside, Billy.â 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.Â
 âI donât have a home anymore. I donât have anything.â 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.Â
 He was ice cold.
 âAll because of you..â he said into your ear, tickling your skin with his cold breath.Â
 âI didnât..I didnât do anything to you, Billy.â
 âExactly,â he agreed. âYou didnât help me..you didnât save me. You let me die, you let the flayer get me.âÂ
 His grip got tighter, causing you to wince out in pain. You had to get out of this. âLet me go.â you said calmly despite the chill that was now coming up your spine. âBilly, let me GO.â
 âItâs sad when you consider whatâs happened,â he continued on, pressing his face against the side of yours. âBilly said that he loved you, tried to get back together with you, and you left him in the dust for a guy that wouldnât even consider leaving town for you.âÂ
 There were so many alarms going off in your head but you couldnât help but focus on one in particular.Â
 âBilly? You mean yourself, right?â 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.Â
 âNo one is ever going to pick you, you know? At the end of the day itâll always be someone better, someone worth sticking around you. Thereâs no happy ending for you.â His lips ghosted around the base of your neck before he chuckled lightly against you. âNo happy ending for us..â
 You shook your head, trying to get his daunting words out of your head. âIâm nothing like you..â
 That only made him even more amused, raising a laugh out of his chest. âWeâre a lot alike, actually.â he hummed, âWe use people for pleasure and toss them aside when they decide to go against what we want.â
 âI donât do that.â you said, turning around enough to face him. He looked at you with a smirk before he pinched at your cheek. âI would never do that to anyone.â you added, swatting his hand away.
 âSo you didnât dump Steve for saying no to the big move?â he gasped, feigning shock. âOr better yet, youâre not ditching your poor Eddie after he left you alone to wander the forest? I mean, you didnât even bother to let him speak. Heâs probably beating himself up but you donât care. Not when Stevie is giving you the olâ love and attention you need. Which, letâs be honest, babydoll, is pretty shitty of you to use him for a quick fuck instead of talking things out. Thought thatâs the sort of shit girls like to do.â
 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.Â
��"You don't know Eddie," you said slowly, voice struggling between sounding calm and trembling. "How could you possibly know what Iâve done with him if youâre dead..â
 A sinister smile twisted Billy's lips as his grip tightened, sending searing pain coursing through your body. "Heâs been watching you," he confessed, his voice dripping with malice. "And boy does he have plans for all of you..â
 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.Â
 âThis isnât happening..â you promised yourself, eyes squeezed shut, desperately trying to convince yourself that this was just a dream, that none of it was real.
 âOh babydoll, did you still think this was just a dream?â (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.Â
 âTime for a wake up call.â (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.
 âHey, are you awake?âÂ
 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.
 âWhoa,â he chuckled nervously, looking at you carefully. âYou okay? Youâre all sweaty.âÂ
 You licked over your lips, pushing back the hair away from your face. âIâm fine.â you nodded, trying to calm yourself down. âJust got spooked.â
 âRight,â he said slowly, skeptically, even. âWell, Steve called. Said he was going to head over here if you wanna shower or something before leaving.â
 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.
 âIâm fine, Dustin.â you said, before he could ask. You focused on the clothes before you gathered for your shower. âIt was just a bad sleep.âÂ
 âYou sure? Because..weâd all get if it you needed a day to jump back intoââ
 âI said Iâm fine!â 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. âIâm sorry Iâm just tired.â
 âI get it.â he cleared his throat, âIâll be in the living room.â
 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.Â
 âTime for a wake up call.âÂ
 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.Â
 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.Â
 "Hey," Steve's voice broke through the silence, causing you to glance up from the decorated can of the Smurfâs 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.Â
 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. âIs that your subtle way of saying I look terrible?âÂ
 His eyes widened, worried for a second that you were being serious. âOf course not!â he scoffed, moving closer to you. âYouâre gorgeous..but I can tell you look exhausted.âÂ
 You watched him carefully, waiting to see if heâd 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. âI had a pretty harsh nightmare, donât think I really slept well the whole night.â
 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. âWell, if I recall correctly, we didnât really sleep at those either.â
 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 couldnât help but feel the familiar twist of guilt form in your stomach again.Â
 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. âItâs almost ten and we still have to pick up the others. Letâs go.âÂ
 Steve looked over still waiting on an answer from you but all you could do is offer a meek smile. âAll right,â you nodded to Dustin. âLetâs head out.â 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 girlâs house, making the trips cut down less after Dustin explained youâd 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.
 âThe 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. Weâll have time to look for clues around the trailer later.â you heard Dustin say to everyone as he and Max took the lead towards the boat house.Â
 âGod,â you said suddenly, stopping in place. The days quickly calculated in your mind and you couldnât 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. âI was supposed to work with Keith today..â
 The two of them looked at each other for a second before letting out amused chuckles.Â
 âWhatâs so funny?â you frowned.
 âHoney, Robin and I closed up the store at seven oâclock last night so we could all go find Eddie.â Steve cleared up.
 âNot to mention Steve was gone a whole hour before that to go find you.â she snorted, trudging over with the groceries still in hand as she draped an arm over your shoulder. âWeâre totally fired.â
 âFired?â you gaped, slightly worried by how easily over it they seemed to be. âB-but you guys needed the jobs!â
 âThereâs thousands of other part time jobs in Hawkins, kid.â Robin sighed, giving you a tight lipped smile. âWeâll just have to update our resumes..again.â
 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.
 âDonât even think about apologizing.â he said sternly. âBecause no one in the whole world could have stopped me from leaving. Not when it comes to you.â
 Again, youâre left speechless by the man before you.Â
 There couldnât be any proper explanation as to why Steve continuously gave you more than you deserved. Not one that you would believe in anyway. Youâve hurt him, pushed him, and left him with no reason to do things for you. And off heâd go, ditching his lifeâs responsibilities just to look out for your well being.Â
 Itâs all so overwhelming and you find youâre stumped enough that itâs taking a second longer to think of a reply.
 âTrouble..â he said after a second of your silence.Â
 You quickly scrambled together a response good enough to divert the seriousness that he seemed to be leading things to lately. Something you know heâll grow tired of eventually and confront you about. But for now, youâd stick with easing the already harsh day as best as you could.
 âI was just going to say Iâm glad we wonât have to wear that vest anymore.â
 âRight.â he said, sucking in a sharp breath. Then suddenly, he leaned over enough that he could look at your face closely. âAre you..okay?âÂ
Okay seemed to be the last word youâd use to describe yourself. Especially after this morningâs nightmare. But considering the man lost his job to help you out the last time, you figure you should cut this worrisome question short.Â
âI have a lot on my mind.â You shrugged. âJust..girl problems.â
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. Â
âWe should go..â 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.Â
 Thereâs a slightly yelp sound and the five of you watched as a frightened Eddie looked over at the doorway with wide eyes. Apparently he didnât notice or hear any of you approaching at all.Â
 âDelivery service!â Dustin exclaimed, a wide grin on his face as he lifted up the grocery bags.Â
 Apparently, you werenât 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.Â
 âSo we got, uh, some good news and some bad news.â Dustin started hesitantly. âHow do you prefer it?â
 âBad news first, always.â Eddie said as if thereâd be any other way.
 âAll right, bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and theyâre definitely looking for you.â he said before blinking hard, forgetting the last important fact. âAlso, theyâre, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy.â
 âLike, one hundred percent kind of convinced.â Max said next, looking at him solemnly.
 âAnd the good news?â Eddie asked, perplexed.Â
 Robin looked down at him with a familiar gaze to Maxâs as she spoke up next. âYour name hasnât gone public yet. But if we found out about you, itâs 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.â
 You canât help but feel worse hearing everyone lay out the information than from the dispatch. From where you stood behind Dustin, you could see as Eddieâs face paled at the truth.Â
 âHunt the freak, right?â
 âExactly.â 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.Â
 âSo, before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence.â
 âThatâs all, Dustin? Thatâs all?âÂ
 âYeah, no, thatâs pretty much it.â
 You canât help but snort at Dustinâs 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 didnât want to join in on adding salt to Eddieâs wounds, you couldnât help but shake your head.
 âAnd after all this weâll have you back home in time for dinner.â 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.Â
 âListen, Eddie,â piped Robin as she attempted to lift up his spirits. âI know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but weâve actually been through this before. I mean, they have a..a few times,â she said gesturing to the three of you. Steve confirmed her words with a reassuring nod as she went on. âAnd..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.âÂ
 âYeah, see, we usually rely on this girl who has super powers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so uh..â Steve said quickly, adding a true fact that you felt didnât really help much considering El wasnât even in town in the first place.Â
 âSo, weâre technically in more of theââ Robin volleyed in.
 âKinda..â
 âBrainstorming phase.â Max finished, seeming to conclude where Robin and Steve were going with their words.
 âThere..Thereâs nothing to worry about.â Dustin spluttered, attempting to bring the group in together.Â
 Eddie was rightfully stunned at everyone, tilting his head in shock as he stared at his friend in disbelief. But heâs 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.Â
 So, you shot him a small tight lipped smile, nodding your head to everyone. âWeâre gonna help you, Ed.â you said honestly. âJust..hopefully without any more..complications.âÂ
 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.Â
 âTarp.â Robin pointed out. âTarp!âÂ
 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.Â
 âWhere the hell are they going?â you heard Dustin mutter under his breath. His gaze shifted up to you curiously.Â
 âI donât know, but we need to go find out.â
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.Â
 "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 werenât sure how many tense conversations you could handle for the day. But seeing as you werenât certain of when youâd 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.Â
 At this point, you knew Eddie. He was the same guy whoâd get annoyed with your lectures about his fashion taste, or whoâd 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.Â
 Still, the wounds still lingered inside of you.Â
 "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.â he croaked, hands reached out to grip onto your arms. âI 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.Â
 In this case, his moment being a murder case.Â
 âWell, letâs make a habit out of not ditching each other in the woods then.â you said finally.Â
 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. âSounds reasonable to me.âÂ
 âGood.â you laughed, giving him a final pat to release you out of his tight hold. âUhh, Eddie? Kinda need to go work on saving your ass now.âÂ
 âSorry,â he muttered, loosening up his grip. âI was just kinda worried weâd stop being friends..â
 You pulled back to look up at him, searching his eyes for a moment before you nodded your head. âWeâre still friends..â
 âGood, because now that weâre square again, I really gotta say, you look like shit.âÂ
 âWhat is it with you guys today? I mean, I am tired, but seriously what the fuââ your words are cut off when Eddie leaned in to press his lips against yours. It wasnât the most unusual reaction from him. There had been many times heâd say something to annoy you and cut off your anger with a sloppy kiss. But at the current time you couldnât 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 haveâ"
 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?
 "Weâre ready to go," he stated curtly, avoiding your gaze. âIf you two are done.â
 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.
 âDid I just make things worse?â you heard Eddie chuckle behind you.
 âNo, Ed, I think I did.â
 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. Chrissyâs 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.Â
 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.Â
 âShit.â 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.
 Vecnaâs 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 Eddieâs 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 Vecnaâs 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. âYou with us?â he asked softly, voice with the familiar tinge of worry.Â
 Nodding your head, you tucked your hands down into your lap, looking at the three girls across from you.Â
 âSo, youâre saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, itâs from the Upside Down?â
 âIf the shoe fits,â Steve said simply before he looked at you again. âRight?â
 âWell, considering the lights blinked like usual before the attack happened. Iâd say yes.â
 âOur working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse.â Dustin added. âNow, whether or not heâs doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we donât know.â
 âAll we know is that this is something different.â Max joined in, a frown etched on her face as she glanced amongst everyone. âSomething new.â
 âDoesnât make sense.â Nancy muttered, shaking her head.Â
 You reached over to place a hand towards her, gaining her attention to you. âHas anything about the Upside Down ever made sense?â you asked honestly, âBesides, this is still a work in progress.â
 âSheâs right, itâs only a theory.â Dustin said after you.Â
 âNo, Fred and Chrissy donât make sense.â Nancy explained, putting together something in her head. âI mean, why them?â
 âMaybe they were just in the wrong place. â Dustin tried. âThey were both at the game.â
 Max nodded her head, following the pieces coming together. âAnd near the trailer park.â
 âWeâre at the trailer park.â Steve pointed out slowly. âUhh, should we maybe not be here?â
 You sucked in a slow breath before leaning back to look around the area. It looked the same as when youâd come to visit Eddie. Maxâs 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.Â
âThere is something about this place.â Nancy said after a second. âFred started acting weird the second we got here.â
 Robin looked over at Nancy curiously. âActing weird as in..?â
 âScared, on edge, upset.â
 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.
 âMax said Chrissy was upset too.âÂ
 âYeah, but not here.â she shook her head. âShe was crying in the bathroom at school.â
 For a second you couldnât 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 couldnât help but feel bad for not reaching out more when you had the chance.Â
 âSerial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right?â Robin asked, cutting into silence. âSo, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecmanââ
 âVecna.â Dustin quickly corrected.
 âI donât know about you guys but if I saw some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone.â 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.Â
 âMaybe they did.â Max considered slowly. âI saw Chrissy leaving Ms. Kelleyâs office. If you saw a monster, you..you wouldnât go to the police. Theyâd never believe you. But you might go to yourââ
 âYour shrink.â Robin concluded.Â
 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.Â
 Youâre 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 groupâs den mother seemed to take notice.
 âWhoa, whoa, HEY! HEY!â Steve said, jogging after the two of you. âWhere are you guys going?â
 âOh, thereâs just something I wanna check on first.â she explained simply, nudging at your side quickly.Â
 âIâm gonna go with her, you know Nancy Drew needs Bess Marvin and all that.â you waved, trying to make a turn for the car again.
 âSomething you guys wanna share with the rest of us?â Dustin asked, slightly offended.
 âI donât wanna waste your time. Itâs a real shot in the dark.â 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.
 âIf sheâs got a hunch, it might be worth checking out guys. Weâll be back soon.â you reassured them.
 âHey, you canât just ditch us.â Dustin scoffed. âBesides, itâs better to keep an eye on you if youâre suddenly turned into a suspect and we need to hide you up with Eddie.â
 Max looked over at Dustin before she nodded her head, agreeing. âThereâs still a chance your name could come up. If we canât reach you then we wouldnât be able to help you on time.â
 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 didnât want to make things harder on anyone. Especially with these two out of all them showing concern openly.
 âLooks like Iâm with the kids.â you sighed, turning defeatedly to Nancy. âThink youâll be okay?â
 âIâll be an hour or two tops.â she nodded. âWeâll regroup after that.â
 âYeah okay. Are you guys out of your mind?â Steve asked, looking at you two a little perplexed. âFlying solo with this Vecna creep on the loose? No, itâs too dangerous. You need..you need someone to..â 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 havenât felt in a while. Steve didnât seem to notice as he turned to toss his keys over to Robin.
 âHere you go. Iâll stick with Nance.â he said quickly. âYou guys take the car, check out the shrink.â
 The girl caught the keys awkwardly, giving Steve a confused look as she pointed over to the car. âDonât think you want me driving your car.â she said wearily.Â
 âDidnât think he let anyone drive the car.â you scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest. âLast time he nearly had a heart attack and that was just driving in the streets.â
 Steve blinked over at you confused before he turned back to Robin. âWhy?â he asked, ignoring your jab.Â
 âI donât have a license.â
 âWhy donât you have a license?â he asked frustratedly.Â
 âIâm poor.â she reasoned with a shrug.Â
 âI can drive.â Max offered, only adding fuel to Steveâs emotions.Â
 âNo, No! Never again. Please. Anybody but you. NO.â 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.Â
 âNo chance.â
 âCome on!â
 Nancy looked a little uncomfortable at Steveâs 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 Steveâs need to be around Nancy came from just yet. But you knew by now that it wasnât the best idea to act on those feelings just yet.
 Finally Steve glanced back to you, raising a brow questionably.Â
 Bastard.
 âFine,â 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. âIâll take your car.âÂ
 Steve nervously licked over his lips. Eyes shifting from your hand, then to Nancy, and then back at you. âNo,â he gulped, shaking his head lightly. âI sense I made a mistake of some kind.â
 Fed up with everything, Robin reached for the walkie in Dustinâs bag and stepped in. âAll right, okay. This is stupid. Us ladies will stick together.â she confirmed, putting the keys back into Steveâs hands. Her eyes gave him a warning look before she marched over to join Nancyâs side. âUnless you think we need you to protect us?â she said with a humorous chuckle.
 The two of you didnât move from your spot. Only watching as Robin made her way towards Nancyâs 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.
 âBe careful!â he called out, Robin turned around, shooting out a peace sign before she glanced at you.Â
 âShould be saying that to yourself!â 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. âNice one,â he said to Steve. âYou just gonna stand there and gawk?â
 âDude, shut up.â
 âWhy donât we go? Okay?â he said teasingly.
 âShut up and get in the car.â he ordered. âWipe your feet.â
 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.Â
 âOn the outside, not the inside!â
 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.Â
 âAlways the babysitter.â Steve muttered angrily, turning on the engine of the car. âAlways the GODDAMN babysitter!â
 You watched carefully from your side of the car as Max entered inside Ms. Kelleyâs home. Only looking back at you guys once before the door closed up behind her. Hopefully the whole thing wouldnât take as long and the four of you could make your way back to others and give you space away from Steve.Â
 âSo..we gonna talk about..it?â
 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.Â
 âHuh? Sorry, talk about what?â Steve asked, barely paying attention.
 âYour temporary insanity earlier today when you basically threw yourself at Nance? And in front of my cousin of all people.â
 It took everything in you not to react to what you just heard. Your cousinâs 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.Â
 âOkay, first of all, thatâs not what happened.â Steve said defensively.Â
 âPretty sure thatâs what happened.â he countered. âIt was public, there were like, a lot of witnesses. The prime one being at the back of your car right now.â
 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 Steveâs side of the car for him to continue.Â
 âUh-Are you implying I still have a thing for Nance? Really? Me?â
 âNo, Iâm not implying.â he said, shaking his head. âIâm stating. And, as it relates to your current break up leaving you to go on various dates, itâs pretty much the only logical explanation.â
âThatâs not the only one.â Steve denied quickly. âYou know what Iâve been going through. What Iâve been thinking. And as for Nance, I was just trying to protect a friend.â
 From the mirror you could see Dustinâs 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 wasnât 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 couldnât just let Steve of all people step in on that.
 God, that thought alone made you feel sick.
 âA friend, Henderson. Okay?â Steve said after noticing Dustinâs silence.Â
 âOkay.â
 âI donât wanna find her in the morning with her eyes sucked out of the front of her skull by this Vecna creep.â
 Dustin let out an amused giggle. âYouâre bright red in the face right now!â
 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.
 âHeâll never get over Wheeler. Itâs that first love shit that chicks are so keen for. Heâll never get away from that feeling. Trust me, Iâd know.â
 Back then you convinced yourself that he wasnât 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.Â
 âGet in the car.â
 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. Heâs 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. Kelleyâs office at the school. You tried to explain itâd be a lot harder to break in due to the break but she simply held up a pair of office keys.Â
 Suddenly the walkie in Dustinâs lap let out a loud squawk before a voice suddenly spoke through.
 âDustin. Itâs Lucas. Do you copy? Dustin.â
 The sudden sound of your friendâs voice had you and Max quickly leaning over your seats, trying to listen in on the incoming message.Â
 âLucas? Where the hell have you been?â Dustin asked into the walkie.Â
 âJust listen.â Lucas pleaded. âAre you guys looking for Eddie?â
 âYeah and we found him, no thanks to you.â he chided back.Â
 âYou found him?â
 âHeâs at a boathouse on Coal Mill Road. Donât worry, heâs safe.â
 âYou guys know he killed Chrissy, right?â 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.Â
 âThatâs bullshit. Eddie tried to save Chrissy. My cousin was there!â
 âShe was there too?! Wait, then why do all the cops say he did it?â
 Max, having had enough, reached over for the walkie. âLucas, youâre so behind itâs ridiculous, okay? Just meet us at the school. Weâll explain later.â
 âI..I canât. I think some real bad shitâs about to go down.â
 âWhat are you talking about? What bad shit?â she asked, but there was no response back. Almost as if the connection was lost. âLucas? Lucas?âÂ
 âLine got cut off.â Dustin said, reaching back for the walkie. âWhat do you think he meant?â
 âIâm not sure.â Steve said, gripping the wheel tightly. âLetâs just get to the school.â
  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. Couldnât 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.Â
 âI gotta say, didnât think Iâd be coming back here anytime soon.â Steve muttered to you, smacking at the side of his flashlight before it fully turned on.Â
 âItâs definitely not the way I wanted to spend my Spring Break.â you nodded, flashing towards one of the classrooms.Â
 Thereâs 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.Â
Per usual.
 âDidnât think Iâd spend the day like this.â he chuckled lightly, looking over at you. âKind of a bad way to end the weekend donât you think?â
 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.Â
 âYeah, you must be having a pretty bad day considering youâre stuck babysitting with me instead of chumming it up with Robin or looking out for Nancy.â
 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.Â
 âWhereâs that coming from?â he asked slowly.
 âSeriously?â you laughed, raising a brow at him. âDid you suddenly forget that little show you gave back in Forest Hills?â You made an effort to dramatically reenact tossing invisible car keys. âHere you go. Iâll stick with Nance.â you said in a dramatically deep voice.Â
 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. âIâm sorry Iâm a little particular with who I hang out with at the moment. I figured youâd feel the same way considering you probably wanted to stick around with Eddie so you guys could make out and weirdly flirt again.âÂ
 Sometimes you forget that Steveâs as much of a former bitch as you were. Making his bite hurt particularly bad right now. Still, you werenât one to back down from a verbal fight.Â
 âWow, Iâm not really surprised you noticed everything Iâm doing considering how youâve been trying to figure out ways to keep me at home.â Tilting your head you step closer to look up at Steve. âWas worrying about me too much for you now that you want to display your macho-man persona to Nancy again?âÂ
 âYouâre pulling that out of nowhere.â he scoffed, shaking his head at you. âI mean, really, how is me wanting you to stay home because Iâm worried about how tired you look, suddenly turn into me trying to get back with Nancy?â
 âOh, so now itâs suddenly trying get back with Nancy?â
 âNo, you just saidââ
 âI said you were showing off!âÂ
 He let out a long sigh, rubbing a hand over his face before he turned to look at you seriously. âAll I offered was to go with Nancy so that she wasnât alone. Her friend just died the same way Chrissy did and I didnât want her to end up the same way. I was just trying to be a comforting friend.â
 âSo you wanted to comfort her? Well, thatâs great to hear considering we both know how you like to comfort people through their crisis, donât we?â
 âI-It was different with you, okay?â He stuttered a bit, before he held his hands up, looking annoyed again. âYouâre the one who is kissing some other guy and itâs me thatâs trying to get with someone?â
 âAs always, you always take one part of the picture to paint the story, your highness.â you sighed, pushing a hair out of your face. âBut donât worry, Iâm sure Robin will put in a good word for you with Nancy since youâre so keen on chivalry.â
 âThatâs not fair. That is not what I want.â he spat. âLook, I know that you two have a thing okay? Iâm not going to step in on it but that doesnât 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.â
 âThere isn't a thing. God, Steve.â you frowned. âIn case you havenât figured it out yet, Eddie kissed me. I didnât ask him to, nor to hold me, or anything. Heâs just a friend..and I pulled back.â
 âThatâs not the only thing you two have done, quit acting like itâs just some innocent friendship.â
 âIf you canât seem to remember, the only person around here that Iâve willingly done anything with in the past twenty-four hours, is you, so..â you said as a matter of fact. âAlso I think itâs 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.â
 âTheyâre Nikes!â he countered weakly.Â
 You could only scoff at him in disbelief. âThis conversation isnât going anywhere. Iâm sorry Iâm not the one you want to be around right now, letâs just leave things at that.âÂ
 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. âI donât want you to think that I donât want you around. But I know youâre 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.â
 Heâs staring down at you with the familiar look of worry heâs been doing these past few days. Something that would have comforted you the other day, but not with how you were feeling right now.
 âYouâre right.â you said softly, reaching up to gently pat at his hand. âThere is something bothering me.â
 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.
 âDonât say itâs me-
 âItâs you.â
 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.
 âWell that was really nice.â
 âOh, shut up.â You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. âLike you have any room to talk about niceties.â
 âI donât?â She asked amusedly.Â
 âWell considering your on and off history with Lucas, Iâd think itâs fair to say youâre just as good with dealing with exes as I am.âÂ
 She frowned for a moment, seeming to think it over before she shrugged. âGuess weâre both kinda messed up.âÂ
 A part of you wanted to argue. Say how sheâs 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 wasnât entirely wrong. âItâs kinda nice.â you said eventually, nudging her side playfully.
 âItâs nice that weâre messed up?â She chuckled, looking a little taken back.Â
 âNo,â you hummed lightly, âitâs nice weâre messed up together.âÂ
 She finally glanced over at you, giving you a weird look before laughing. âYouâre so weird.â she said, nudging you back.Â
 With that small bit of comfort, the two of you silently led the other boys the rest of the way to Ms. Kelleyâs office.Â
 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.
 âItâs like a mini-Watergate or something.â Dustin said behind you. âHawkinsgate.â
 âWait a second, didnât those guys get caught?â 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.Â
 âHoly shit.â she said suddenly.
 âYou found it?â Steve asked, as the rest of you gathered around her.
 âYeah, and not just Chrissyâs file. Fred was seeing Ms. Kelley too.â 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. âAnd so were you.â
 Even with your eyes looking down at your file, you could feel the intense stare from Steveâs eyes. He hasnât stopped looking at you ever since Max revealed your file to everyone. You couldnât 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 Billyâs death.
 âGod,â you scoffed, looking down at her words. âBehavioral avoidance? What a load of crap.âÂ
 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.Â
 The folder containing Chrissyâs sessions quickly caught your eye. Making you curious to know what the girl truly had been going through before her untimely death.Â
 âCan I see Fredâs file?â she asked suddenly.Â
 âYeah,â 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 Chrissyâs 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 Fredâs notes that Max had stopped at.Â
 ..They were almost similar to Chrissyâs.
 But that didnât make sense. It couldnât. 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 didnât know any better, youâd think she looked a lot like how you felt at the moment. But this couldnât be right. You never voiced to Ms. Kelley any of these things. You werenât seeing any weird Vecna monster or dealing with trauma. You were-
 âPerfectly fine?â (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. Thereâs a heavy weight suddenly over you and you feel as if the air in the room was slowly being sucked out. This couldnât be happening. You werenât like the others. You werenât going through these struggles you werenâtâ
 âGoing crazy? (tock)
âMax! MAX!âÂ
 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. âMax?â you called out, getting out from your seat to kneel beside her.Â
 Steveâs hand rested on your shoulders, concern on his face as he began to breathe heavily. âWhatâs going on?â he asked, voice uneasy. âWhat do we do?â
 âSheâs just..I donât know!â you panicked, shaking at her shoulders. âMax, câmon. Talk to me!â But as you gazed into her vacant eyes, a chilling thought swept right through you.Â
 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.Â
TAGGING LIST: @cluz1babeâ , @starofavoloneaâ , @darlingimafangirl (wonât let me tag), @primroselunaâ, & @siriuslysmokingâ
#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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From Hell to Home to Back Again
Summary: At the talent show, Chrissy Cunningham is so hungry that she nearly collapses. When she's found by Hopper, her parents ended up losing custody of her. She ends up being placed in the care of the Hendersons, and she finally finds the family she so desperately needed. She also ends up falling in love. What other changes are made in this alternate universe?
A/N: Don't worry.
@emen-98 @1lostsoul0fishbowl @vulpixsworld
Prologue . . . Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
When Chrissy woke, she was lying on the couch inside the home of the Byers. She blinked rapidly, listening to the sounds of people arguing. She looked up to see them all gathered around the kitchen table, talking loudly. It was Hopper who noticed she was awake. He pulled away from the group without them noticing.
"Hey, kid, how are you doing?" Hopper asked.
"Exhausted," Chrissy replied.
"Why didn't you tell me you have powers?" Hopper asked.
"Why didn't you tell us that El is alive?" Chrissy asked, and he opened his mouth. "I mean, I get it. There's no need to explain."
"How do you know?" He asked.
"I was in the void, and she told me. She's on her way. It might take a while," Chrissy said. "She left town."
"Of course, she did," he muttered.
"Chrissy?!" Eddie shrieked and practically pushed Hopper out of the way as he threw himself into her arms.
"I'm fine, Eddie," Chrissy said.
"Well, I'm not!" Eddie exclaimed and pulled back.
Chrissy sat up and smiled before pulling the man into her lap.
"I'm fine, baby. I'm here," Chrissy said.
"It scared the fuck out of me when you just dropped like that and then you wouldn't wake up," Eddie said as he placed his head on top of hers.
"It scared the hell out of all of us," Steve said from behind them.
Dustin pushed Steve and ran towards Chrissy. He threw himself on top of Eddie and Chrissy, hugging his sister tightly.
"Don't do that again," Dustin said.
"I'll try not to," Chrissy said. "What'd I miss?"
"Well, Will's been taken over by the Mind Flayer," Dustin said.
"That thing from D&D that takes over brains?" Chrissy asked Dustin.
"Yeah, it's connected to the Upside Down. It had Will spy and lure a bunch of scientists that burned the vines to their deaths. Will's still in there, and we're hoping to ask him how to kill the thing," Dustin said.
"Isn't he going to tell the Mind Flayer where we are?" Chrissy asked.
"He can't spy if he doesn't know where he is," Mike said.
Chrissy broke free from Eddie and Dustin, standing up on shaking legs.
"What can I do to help?" She asked.
Nancy walked over to her and pushed her onto the couch.
"Rest, we've got this," Nancy said and hugged her.
"I'll stay with her," Eddie said.
"Oh. . .and also, Bob died," Dustin said softly. "He got Will, Joyce, and Hopper out but not before the demodogs got to him."
It hit Chrissy hard. She didn't know Bob well enough, but she knew that she liked him. She could have done something if that voice hadn't stopped her.
"I liked Bob," she said quietly, and Nancy squeezed her shoulder.
"Me too," Nancy said softly.
Nancy nodded and hugged Eddie before moving off with the others to begin gathering supplies that they led out to the shed. Chrissy pouted as she leaned against Eddie, who wrapped his arms around her. She turned on her side and buried her face into his neck, breathing him in deeply.
"I'm sorry I scared you," Chrissy said.
"It's not your fault. You just got exhausted fighting off those demogorgons," Eddie said.
Chrissy didn't say anything. She pulled back and kissed him deeply. Eddie gripped the back of her head, kissing her back just as desperately. He pulled away.
"I love you," Chrissy gasped softly.
"I love you too," Eddie said. "We're going to get through this together."
When they had gotten done setting up the shed, Hopper came through and got Will from his room. Chrissy got up and followed, grabbing the drawing they had created in the Upside Down. She followed Hopper, carrying an unconscious Will. Eddie followed after her, hissing like a goose. When they walked into the shed, every inch of it was covered. Lights were shining in the middle of the small building. Eddie closed the door behind them as Hopper set Will in the middle of the room, tying him to the pole. Chrissy leaned up with Eddie against the wall, watching fearfully as they woke him up, and she held onto Eddie's hand tightly. She watched as Joyce talked with him, and then Jonathan as well as Mike. His eyes remained pitch black. Chrissy knelt down in front of him, holding out the drawing.
"Do you remember this?" Chrissy asked. "We drew this together in the Upside Down. You drew a picture of me, and I drew a picture of you. We clung to each other pretty tightly in there. It wasn't the only thing that kept us going, though. You thought about your mother, your brother, and I thought about mine. We fought so hard because we missed them and we wanted to see them again. Your mom, your brother, and your friends. . .they're all fighting for you out here. You've got to fight too, though. Do you remember how hard I fought?"
Will looked at her in confusion before a light appeared in his eyes.
"You chopped a demogorgon's fingers off with an axe," Will said, and Joyce gasped.
She felt like someone was trying to get into her head. . .they were pushing her. Chrissy still wasn't accustomed to using her powers, and maybe that's why it was so easy to get into her head. Will's eyes darkened, and she felt her face pinch. Blood trickled down her nose and she fell on her butt.
Not strong enough.
"Sorry, I don't know what happened," Chrissy said.
"Take her back," Hopper said as he stood in front of Will as Joyce knelt to talk to him again.
Eddie helped Chrissy up and dragged her outside before quickly closing the shed. He helped her back into the living room, set her down on the couch, and pulled out his hanky to clean her nose. It wasn't long before Hopper was back in the house and sitting down to write at the kitchen table. Will was using Morse code to communicate. Hopper had the radio next to him while someone relayed to him the dashes that Will was tapping out. Suddenly, the phone rang, and everyone held their breath until Eddie got up to hang it up and then left it off the hook. It was too late, though.
"Close gate," Hopper read off the paper.
All hell broke loose when the Mind Flayer discovered their location, but whether it was because of the ringing phone or something else, they didn't know. Oh God, what if it had been the voice in Chrissy's head? She didn't have time to voice her thoughts because suddenly everyone was in the living room as the house was surrounded by demodogs. Hopper handed Nancy a gun while Steve wielded his bat. When did Eddie find an axe? Chrissy didn't have time to be amused by the fact that Mike was holding a trophy. The sounds of the demodogs grew closer. Suddenly, a demodog was thrown through the window, startling everyone. The front door unlocked itself, opened, and El came walking into the room. Chrissy and El stared at each other for a moment before Mike pushed his way through the front of the group.
"El," Mike breathed.
"Mike," El smiled.
"I never gave up on you. I called you every night. . . Every night for - "
"353 days," El finished.
Chrissy smiled and shared a soft look with Eddie. Gosh, they were so cute. Of course, Hopper had to step on their little reunion. Chrissy rolled her eyes. Way to go, Uncle Hop. He had to pull Mike away when he started yelling at him. Chrissy sighed. Mike had every right to be pissed but Hopper did what he thought he had to do to protect El. Chrissy frowned. She wasn't sure what the right answer here was. She couldn't imagine what it had been like for Mike to deal with the girl he liked suddenly dying and then suddenly returning. As Hopper dealt with Mike, Chrissy watched as El reunited with Lucas and Dustin. Max nervously approached.
"Hey, I'm Max. I've heard a lot about you," Max said.
El brushed her off and approached Chrissy.
"Hi, El," she said softly.
"Chrissy?" She asked.
"Yep. That's me," Chrissy replied with a grin. "Dustin's sister."
"I know," El said.
"Max was trying to say hi to you. Why don't you like her?" Chrissy asked.
"Mike," El mumbled.
No one else heard her except Chrissy and she grinned.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure she doesn't like Mike like that," Chrissy whispered and leaned closer to her. "Max is a pretty cool kid, and I think she would make for a pretty great friend. Plus, I'm pretty sure she likes Lucas."
"Oh," El said, blushing before turning around to face Max. "Sorry."
"It's okay. That was pretty cool what you did," Max said.
"Thank you," El blushed again before scurring off to hug Joyce.
"Whatever you said to her, you didn't have to do that," Max said to Chrissy.
"Didn't want to leave you hanging," Chrissy said.
Eddie nudged her shoulder, flashing his dimples.
"Your heart is bigger than your entire body," he said.
"I should probably see a doctor about that," she quipped and he laughed.
"Nah, just a metalhead," Eddie said.
Chrissy's eyes followed El's as she went to see Will with Joyce. They all deserved to be kids. . .kids making friends and falling in love. They should be going through the normal childhood trauma of heartbreak and jealousy. They should be playing and laughing, coming together after a fight. They should be arguing over who stole the last pudding cup. . .not this. They shouldn't be dealing with trauma that no one could possibly understand. Chrissy sighed and followed everyone into the kitchen. El wanted to close the gates.
"Shit, isn't that place crawling with those things?" Argyle asked.
"Yeah, that's what I've been saying," Hopper said.
"I can do it," El said.
"Even if El can, there's still another problem," Dustin said.
"What?"
"If the brain dies, the whole body dies," Dustin said.
"I thought that was the whole point," Hopper said.
"It is, but if we really thought about this. . ." Dustin trailed off.
"I mean, if El closes the gate and cuts off the Mind Flayer's army. . .Will's a part of that army," Mike explained. "Closing the gate will kill him."
It was Joyce who figured it out. The thing liked it cold and so in order to get the Mind Flayer out, they needed to smoke it out with heat. Nancy, Argyle, and Robin were assigned to go with Joyce to Hopper's cabin as well as Jonathan. Chrissy tried to go with El, but El pleaded with her to stay here to protect Mike. Chrissy couldn't say no to those eyes, especially since they reminded her so much of Eddie's. If she didn't know any better, she'd say they were siblings. It meant that Chrissy was staying here with Eddie and Steve to look out for the kids. Of course, they didn't factor in Billy Hargrove showing up. They were expecting more Demogorgons.
"He'll kill me," Max whispered, and Chrissy hated how scared she was.
Eddie and Steve were already out the door, ready to protect Max. Chrissy made sure the kids stayed down. Suddenly, she heard the sound of yelling outside and the sound of two loud thumps. Billy burst through the door, looking as menacing as ever. He smirked at the sight of her. Chrissy glared at him as she stood protectively in front of the kids and used what power she had to throw him against the wall. He laid there unmoving. Chrissy motioned for the kids to stay there and moved as close as she was willing to get. It was still too close. Suddenly, his hand shot out, grabbing her ankle. Billy was on top of her, his hand around her throat. Chrissy grasped for breath and hit him with her fists as the kids screamed.
"You didn't hit me hard enough. Here, let me show you," Billy said.
He picked her up and grabbed a fistful of her hair before slamming Chrissy's head into the wall. Victorious, he let her go and watched as she stumbled. Her vision was blurry, and it felt like everything was swimming. She felt blood pour from her scalp and trickle down her forehead. Well, this wasn't good.
"Fuck," Chrissy whispered and then she collapsed.
The last thing she saw before falling into darkness was Billy slamming Lucas into a wall. Eddie and Steve came bursting in. . .immediately launching themselves at Billy. She could hear Eddie screaming though.
"CHRISSY! CHRISSY, WAKE UP!"
There was another voice in the darkness, full of anger.
"William Hargrove will pay."
Chapter Twenty-Two
#stranger things#chrissy cunningham#chrissy this is for you#chrissy cunningham lives#eddie munson#eddie stranger things#eddie munson lives#chrissy cunningham x eddie munson#eddissy#hellcheer#dustin henderson#henderfam#nancy wheeler#steve harrington#jonathan byers#stranger things argyle#robin buckley#with a side of#stancy#jargyle#platonic stobin#platonic ronance#platonic buckingham#stranger things fanfiction#stranger things au
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