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jadeylovesmarvelxo · 10 months ago

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The Bet

Part one

Eddie is desperate to talk to you but will you ever be able to forgive and forget after learning your friendship was nothing more than a bet? Especially as you had fallen in love with him.

Do you still love him after all that anguish?

Part two.

Warnings: A lot of angst and you'll see..minors shoo! 18+

Don't copy, translate or repost my work.

❤️

A bet. That's all you'd ever been to Eddie, a bet to get one over on your now ex boyfriend, on Jason and the rest of the dark side as Eddie's friend had put it.

Had they spent this whole time laughing at you? Did Eddie get some kick out of stringing you along, stealing your heart piece by piece.

Was everything just a lie?

You had broken up with Bryan a week ago. Sick of his horrible nature and drawn to Eddie, head over heels for him. God you felt like such a fool.

The night you found out about the bet you cried yourself to sleep, walking to school on autopilot. Thank goodness for your friends because you struggled to get through the first day.

Mostly everyone was sympathetic but there was some people who sniggered when you walked past, whispered to their friends only it was so loud that you could hear.

I can't believe how gullible that idiot was

Imagine knowing the freak only got close to you for a bet

Serves that bitch and all the rest of Jason's idiots and the cheerleaders right for thinking they are so hot.

About time someone took them down a peg

Each thinly veiled barb cracked your already bleeding heart and you hurried to get away from the gossip.

It trickled out a couple days later, once the people had finished finding your pain hilarious, how anyone could find someone in pain to be funny was a mystery to you.

Whenever you saw Eddie you rushed away before he could speak to you, wouldn't look at his face because all you knew from him was lies.

Everything was a lie. He didn't love you, he never did. Your heart throbs with that realisation and you do your best to walk around school, head held up high and the heartbreak tucked up inside.

It was all an act but you were a great actor, you had to be to pretend like you weren't in agony on the inside.

...

It was the worst few weeks that Eddie could remember in a long long time, Dustin was disgusted with him and took a long time to talk to him.

His heart felt like it had been ripped in half and it was all his own fault, you wouldn't even look at him.

If he even attempted to try and speak to you it was to no avail.

The longest sentence you uttered was when he begged you to talk to him, even just one word.

All you said was ''goodbye Eddie" or that ''you didn't believe a word he said"

Steve picked you up from school with Robin every day, wouldn't even let Eddie go near you. Threatened to beat the shit out of him if he made you cry again.

He tried to speak to you again a few days later when Steve had eased up on guarding you, it was agonising weeks of you avoiding him.

You were coming out of cheer practice with Chrissy and another girl, Chrissy glared at him and the other girl looked like she wanted to kill him.

"Can we talk please, princess?'' he pleads and you ask your friends to give you a second and they do, very reluctantly still scowling at Eddie. He deserves that.

"I can't Eddie. I don't have anything to say to you" he swallows, his mind going a mile a minute, trying to think of what he can say to express how sorry he is.

''I messed up. I made a stupid mistake. The worst mistake, because I hurt you. I made a dumb bet to try and get back at assholes who bullied and made my friends and my life hell, it was mean and selfish and I wish I'd never done it" you listen to what he has to say and his heart aches when tears pool in your eyes.

"But you did do it, you couldn't even tell me the truth. You lied to me Eddie and all the time I was...I fell in love with you" he moves forward to cup your cheek, desperate for you to know that he loves you too.

"I love you, I fell in love with you and that's why I couldn't tell you. I couldn't lose you" you stare at him and don't speak for a few seconds, when you do the words split his heart in two.

"That's the thing, you lost me anyway" you walk away from him and he can't think of a single thing to say to stop you. Then he steels himself and runs to catch up with you.

"What Eddie?" you snap and he talks quickly, tripping over his words and anxious to get the words out.

"I hurt you badly, I fucked up and what I did was just fucking awful. I know that. I also know that I'm so in love with you, never thought I could feel this way for anyone but you snuck into my heart and it belongs only to you" you don't say anything but you don't rush away either, so Eddie says one more thing before you do decide to leave.

"I'll wait for you sweetheart, for however long it takes. I don't care how long I have to wait, you're worth every single second"

Tears pool in your eyes and you nod slightly. Ever so gently you squeeze his hand just a tiny bit then walk away, leaving Eddie determined as hell to win your trust again and maybe somewhere along the line your heart too.

💕

It took a while for you to even speak to Eddie for longer than five minutes, but he was nothing if not determined and patient, he's was not screwing this chance up.

At first, you didn't think Eddie was serious about waiting for you, but he was. Endlessly patient and sweet. Big brown eyes full of tenderness and joy when you spoke to him.

It was hard not to find him endearing, but he had hurt you badly and there was still a small part of you that held back, that was hesitant to get close, trying to protect your fragile heart that ached for you to give Eddie a chance.

It's Friday now and after an intense week of cheer practice, you can't wait to relax for the weekend.

Chrissy had been watching you looking at Eddie with longing, the exact same way Eddie looked at you for weeks now. To be honest it was beyond frustrating, the both of you loved one another, it was killing you both to be apart.

So that's why she was saying something to you today. More than anything she wanted you to be happy, if Eddie hurt you again just even a tiny bit then she would kick his ass.

That's before Steve go there first.

"Honey, what Eddie did was wrong and I'm mad as hell at him but anyone can see how sorry he is. He's so in love with you, maybe you could give him a second chance" Chrissy says to you as you sit down for lunch.

You rest your head on Chrissy's shoulder and let out a sigh. ''I want to, I want to so badly but I don't want to be heartbroken again''

Something tells Chrissy that Eddie wouldn't dare. That he would keep his promise to never hurt you so badly again.

She squeezes your hand reassuringly and it calms your anxiety down.

"Babe, he wouldn't dare. He's not stupid. Plus everyone might think I'm a sweetheart but I'll kick his ass if he did and Steve would too. Eddie won't lose you, not again"

The words play on your mind all day and when Eddie is hurrying to his truck at the end of Hellfire Club you pluck up your courage and go to speak to him.

"Eddie" the minute he sees you it's like his whole face lights up. A dimpled smile and brown eyes full of adoration greet you.

"Hey, sweetheart" longing fills the air, stifling you both and honestly you're pretty sick of it. So you take a leap, walk up to Eddie and take his hand.

"Would you mind if I asked you for a ride Eds?'' his hand tightens around yours and he grins, rushes to open the door to his truck and almost trips over his feet in the process. It's cute and you can't help but giggle.

He holds the door open for you. "Princess, your carriage awaits" you head inside.

The drive is short and sweet, Eddie once again being a gentleman as he opens the door for you to step out.

You thank him for the ride and before Eddie can head back into the truck, you kiss his cheek gently, then leave a sweet, chaste kiss on his lips.

The kiss leaves him looking dazed, he touches his cheek then his lips and there's that smile again, the one that melted your heart the first time you seen it.

"One more chance Eddie, if you hurt me again thats it. I mean it" he nods, his face serious as he takes in what you say.

"I swear you won't regret this princess, I love you and I'll spend every day proving that, do you... do you still love me?" he whimpers after a few seconds, his expression wide with worry and fear.

"I've never stopped" you answer back.

After your confession he practically does a little dance as he goes into his truck. Just before you open the door to your house, you hear his whoop of delight before he drives off.

The smile doesn't leave your face all night.

❤️

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson angst

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strangersteddierthings · 1 year ago

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Steve, Gareth and Chrissy are cousins AU (sad edition) [prologue] [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Final Part]

"Oh Boom!" Steve cheers, stepping though the plants, "Bada bing, bada boom! There she is, Henderson. Skull Rock. In your face, man. In your stupid, cocky little face."

"Doesn't make sense," Dustin mutters, following after him.

"Yeah, yeah. Even with it staring you in the face, you can't admit it. Can't admit you're wrong, you butthead," Steve says, one hand on his hip as he looks up at Skull Rock.

"I concur," Eddie's voice is preceded by the thump of his landing, which causes Steve and Dustin to turn around to, "You, Dustin Henderson, are a total butthead."

"You son of a bitch!" a different, familiar voice shouts, and Steve watches, to his increasing horror, as Gareth rounds the rock Eddie just jumped off and beelines for Steve. He's too shocked to do anything other than watch as Gareth plants his palms to Steve's chest and shoves.

Steve goes down hard, arms pinwheeling. He hears several people call his name but the white noise his brain is generating has blocked out everything except Gareth. Gareth, who stands before him, chest heaving in his anger, hand back to his sides and fists clenched.

"Where were you!?" Gareth screams at him, and Steve can see tears threatening to fall. "Where the fuck have you been?"

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Robin asks, stepping forward and into Steve's periphery. The white noise quiets just a bit as he watches Robin whip to Eddie. "Who is he?"

Eddie says something back, but Steve doesn't fully hear it before Gareth has taken a step forward, closer, pulling all his attention again and Gareth asks again, quietly, "Where were you?"

Steve swallows, looking Gareth up and down. He's dirty, much like Eddie, and not wearing shoes. Why isn't he wearing shoes? What happened to them? He looks back up to Gareth's face. To the anger he can see, is sure everyone else can see, too. But, also, to the sorrow, the fear, the hurt underneath it all. Steve opens his mouth, a thousand questions on his tongue. Where are your shoes? How did you get here? When? I tried to keep you out of this, I wanted to keep you out of this. Why are you here? But, instead, what comes out is, "I'm sorry."

Those words seem to break Gareth. A choked off sob rips from his throat and he drops to his knees, curling in on himself. Steve, always protective, moves to comfort him at the same time as Eddie does but Eddie beats him there, kneeling down to be at Gareth's side, concern etched in every line of him. Eddie places a hand on Gareth's back, near his shoulder, rubbing small, soothing circles there.

It makes something squeeze deep inside of him, to see Eddie caring for Gareth so much, even as Eddie is now glaring at Steve in defense of whatever slight he thinks Steve has caused. Or maybe he knows. Maybe Gareth told him. Told him how Steve is the worst cousin in the world, failed to protect Chrissy. Failed Gareth, too, since he's here, barefoot in the middle of the goddamn woods instead of safe in his home.

Robin's arm hooking under Steve's own breaks him from his thoughts. He lets Robin help him stand, and watches as Eddie does the same for Gareth, and for a moment, the whole forest is quiet.

But they have Dustin with them, so that doesn't last long. "Can someone explain what the hell is going on? Why's Gareth here?"

Steve doesn't even have it in himself to scold Dustin for his language.

Eddie and Gareth exchange looks, a silent communication so like how he is with Robin that it gut-punches him, and then Eddie says, "it's, uhh, quite a story."

"Start telling it, then," Nancy says gently but still with her usual no nonsense undertone.

They get a story told by both. When Eddie pauses, Gareth picks up the tale, and the vice versa. When Gareth gets choked with emotion, such as explaining that Chrissy is his cousin, Eddie takes over and explains. He says nothing about Steve, doesn't even imply he knows more, so... maybe Gareth hasn't told him Steve is also his cousin?

Then they talk about Patrick and Nancy wants to know the time, and soon it's back to dealing with the Upside Down. Something's up with Dustin's compass they have to go investigate now, and Steve thinks everyone's forgotten the weird tension of Gareth shoving him down and demanding to know where he's been.

Everyone but Robin, it seems, who hangs back to ask about it as they follow Dustin and his broken compass.

"So, how do you know Gareth?" Robin asks, uncertain.

Steve frowns at the back of Gareth's head, where he walks ahead with Dustin and Eddie. "He's my cousin."

"Oh!" Robin's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, looking from Gareth to Steve, as if she can spot a family resemblance from the back of Gareth's head. "How did I not know that?"

"Gareth asked to pretend we weren't related when he started high school," Steve shrugs. "Was afraid it would ruin his 'street cred'."

"What a nerd."

"Right?" Steve chuckles at that and they walk in silence for a bit longer before Robin gasps like she's dying. A realization.

"Steve," she breaths out, a hand flying out to grab onto Steve's shoulder in an almost painful grip. He's so glad she's keeping quiet, as she whispers, "was Chrissy your cousin, too?"

Steve swallows and nods.

"Steve, I-"

"No. Not now. Not the time," Steve cuts her off, prying his hand from her arm. "Please, Robbie. I can't think about that now. Please."

Robin doesn't look happy about the development but she gives a nod, swallowing around the lump in her throat now.

#steve‚ gareth‚ and chrissy are cousins au #my fic #and then canon proceeds as normal #robin nancy eddie and steve in the boat #because both eddie and steve were like 'NO' when gareth tries to get in the boat #they demand he stay with the kids 'for their protection'#gareth glares at them the whole time they're rowing away #when dustin and lucas stay silent after max demands to look through the binoculars when steve's hairiness gets mentioned #gareth pretends to gag and throw up #otherwise #canon proceeds as normal until the next part just with gareth added to the kids team

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piratefishmama · 2 years ago

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Forgiven Not Forgotten | Part 2

Out of the estimated 10 to 15,000 people in Hawkins Indiana, several hundred left just after the earthquake, a handful of families left during the serial killings to protect their families, and the rest?

Those remaining amounted up to about three hospitals worth. Four maximum. Whatever terrors had wrought through Hawkins during those two years of radio silence… had decimated the population.

So when the Harringtons got the call, when Steve’s croaky voice filled that speaker, and told them exactly where he was, which hospital they’d been taken to, they hadn’t wasted a single second, they jumped into the car, and broke several speed laws to get there.

The sight that greeted them on the other side of those double doors would be forever seared into their minds.

Families they’d known, broken, missing members neither Lynda or John wanted to assume about, were they alive, being treated in one of the rooms, or were they lost, neither wanted to know, so they pushed through, eyes roaming those waiting to be seen or waiting for news on friends and family until someone familiar appeared.

Lynda spotted her first, her legs pulled up on the chair, arms tucked around her knees, surrounded by a small hoard of younger teens, all supporting various non-life threatening injuries and scars they probably didn’t want to speak about.

It was like they’d come from a warzone, clothes torn, patched up by rags tied in places to cover skin, dirty skin, hair matted, clinging to each other, haunted. Nothing life threatening, it looked like they were all just… waiting.

Waiting for people who knew them to turn up for them.

“Robin!!” Lynda gasped, loud enough to catch the girls attention, her head snapping up, eyes wide as the parents rushed forward, Robin rose to her feet, stumbled almost just in time to be gathered up into Lynda’s arms, much to her surprise. She didn’t fight it though, no… instead she melted into it, as though it was the first physical contact she’d had that didn’t involve fighting for her life in two whole years. “Where—where are your parents, Robin?”

“T-They… I don’t know, they got out… I think… but I—I haven’t seen them, I think people are still learning that they can come back, if they even want to come back, I mean… there isn’t much left back there for anyone to come back to—Steve! Steve you want—you want Steve right?�� The other kids seemed to have perked up, watching the interaction in confusion.

“Where is he, Robin?” Robin looked to John, her gaze a mixture of uncertainty and hesitance. “Please… we know he’s here, he called us, sounded—”

“He’s been in and out, worlds best babysitter took a beating from something… big, protecting these idiots.” They hadn’t been made to sign anything yet, but it was hard to explain what exactly had come for them in the end without sounding like she should be in a hug me jacket getting thrown into a rubber room. “C’mon, I’ll take you to him.”

“Robin? Who’s—” one of the kids started to rise from his seat, or… not a kid, probably closer to a young adult at that point, forced to grow up far too quickly.

“Steve’s parents.”

“Holy shit, they exist?” Both parents cast similar frowns in the boys direction for that little quip “—sorry It’s just… I’ve known him for years and never met you, doesn’t even—”

“That’s enough Dustin” Robin cut him off, sharply but not unkindly. “You don’t know everything, just drop it. C’mon, this way.” She seemed to be walking on a limp, but she was walking, leading them down a corridor until she made it to a door left slightly ajar, the one opposite it flanked on either side by a pair of soldiers. The Harringtons assumed she’d be leading them to the other. But no. She stopped outside of the one closed too and looked at the pair like they’d personally offended her.

They didn’t even try and stop her when she grabbed the handle, instead stepping a little further apart to allow her and her guests to enter with her, John closed the door behind him.

The room was quiet, mostly, save for a radio playing quietly by the window, a genre that no-one would ever assume could be played quietly, and the steady beep of life saving machines. It wasn’t a large room, only big enough for a single bed, the machines, some room to walk around, and a couple of chairs, private, but it housed two people anyway. One on the bed, hooked up to all those machines, skin pale, scarred, his hair long and messy in a way Lynda would probably guess he’d had curls at one point.

Not anymore, it was just a matted mess by that point, one of his hands resting in the linens, handcuffs on his wrist linking him to the bed, the other wrapped in someone else’s grip.

That someone else… the other—

“Steven?” His head snapped up at his father’s voice, hand swiftly withdrawing from the man’s in the bed, his hair had been cut short, possibly to the scalp for convenience, the lengths seemingly only just growing back, he had scars around his neck from what looked like barbs, scars down his arms, both old and new, bruising, treated injuries that'd likely looked way worse when he was admitted.

another round of injuries his parents figured he'd struggle to tell them about.

He rose to his feet, he looked… thin beneath the hospital garbs they’d put him in. Thinner than he should have been, he’d always been broad but now… it was as though he hadn’t had a decent meal in two years. Likely living off of whatever they could scrounge together.

“Stevie, my baby…” Lynda’s voice sounded more like a pained whine, but it was the only warning Steve got before his mother lurched forward and wrapped him up in a fierce hug, adjusting only when her son winced and hissed in pain “you—you were s-supposed to—you were supposed to call to—to contact us, you—”

“I know… I know I—we got cut off, that call, it was the last one any of us could make, those bastards cut us off when they realised it wasn’t gonna be like the times before.” It wasn’t going to be a quick one and done. That the thing they were dealing with was much bigger than just one evil.

It was a whole hoard of evil. Not just Henry. Henry had back up in the form of a gigantic evil cloud, monsters of all shapes and sizes, and an arsenal of loved ones to use as his own personal puppets to terrorize and destroy the people left behind. Eddie being the only one actually there.

“The times before?” John’s voice had his son looking up from the hug his mother had trapped him in. His eyes seemed to dip “Steven… please…”

Steve shook his head, he couldn’t, not there anyway. “I’m fine though,” he’d change the subject instead, a regular instance in the Harrington household, hide the truth and mask it with an “I‘m fine” “bit banged up, but I’ll live…” he released the hold on his mother, even if she didn’t want to let go just yet.

“Who’s this…?” And they let it happen. Every time they let it happen, let the subject go, let it switch to something new, John would allow it for now, but… once out of there, once the dust settled, they’d be having that talk. For now, he was okay with letting the subject change. Aiming it instead at the elephant in the room.

The unconscious man in the bed his son had been holding onto moments ago. That ember, that tiny spark in his son, perhaps… perhaps it was still there.

“Eddie… he uh… he helped, at the end… he—we wouldn’t be alive without him… we thought—we thought he was dead for months but… he wasn’t.” Another touchy subject, but at least that one his son was willing to talk about.

“The handcuffs?”

“Police still think he killed a bunch of kids before the earthquake, the handcuffs are a ‘precaution’ apparently, as if he’s going anywhere.” The serial killer. Eddie Munson. Lynda’s head snapped to the man, eyes wide “he didn’t!” Steve was quick to assure her “It looked bad, it did, it looked like he did it, but he didn’t, he wouldn’t he—he’s good… he’s good. He saved us.”

“Saved you? How?”

“It’s hard to explain…”

Robin on the other hand, didn’t care quite as much as their son did when it came to hiding the facts. “Evil guy, Henry Creel, actual culprit in the Creel murders of ’59 and actual serial killer, we thought Eddie died before the earthquake cause he basically got ate alive by a bunch of evil bats, but Henry was using him as a henchman of sorts, kept him alive to use against us cause we all felt guilty over it which… y’know, fair, he didn’t have to stay involved but he did, and he got ate of course, we felt guilty. I dunno how, but he snapped out of it at like… the last minute, and bought us enough time to take him down, now he’s just…” she motioned to the bed, the steady beep of the monitor going off rhythmically. “We got him out this time though.”

“…What?” Both Harringtons asked in unison.

“Robin” Steve hissed.

“What? Jeez, they haven’t made us sign anything yet.”

“…Sign something? What do you mean sign something?” Lynda looked between them, the two young adults clearly exhausted. “Steven? What have you signed?”

“NDA’s mom, each time, they’ve forced us to sign these Non-Disclosur—”

“Who?”

“Y’know… the government?”

There was something distinctly satisfying about watching a 5’4" woman demolishing a government agent. Something almost the entirety of the Party managed to witness when someone from said government finally decided to grace them with their presence to sign those pretty shut your mouth documents they were so fond of dolling out.

John Harrington watched with what could only be described as a dopey grin on his face as he leaned in to whoever was closest, this being one very tired Mike Wheeler, to say “You know she majored in Contract Law back in the day? Minor in Ethics too. God look at her go.” Totally and completely smitten over his own wife’s rage.

Apparently forcing minors to sign NDA’s, while technically legal for them to scribble on the dotted line, couldn’t actually be held up anywhere in court due to age and how dare they force children, not just her OWN but other children to sign that shit without a parent or legal guardian present.

It ended with her loudly declaring that “NOBODY in this hallway will be signing your goddamn papers, and as for the previous ones? You’ll be hearing from our lawyers.” Then, on her heel she turned, and returned to the group, leaving a stunned government agent floundering in the hallway having clearly expected an easy ride. “Everyone, get your things, you’re coming home with us.” Too revved up to stop just yet.

“Excuse me, why would we go with you? Ain’t you ever heard of stranger danger, ma’am?”

“Erica Sinclair, I held you when you were just 3 months old and I bought you and your brother your first strollers, now get your backside out to that car this instant.” Erica shut up, momentarily subdued, but she did have to wonder when exactly her parents had met the Harringtons, later, questions for later. Maybe when she and her brother found their parents. “We have a house with two bathrooms and enough food to feed an army, let’s go.” Not quite the six bathroom four bedroom estate they’d had in Hawkins but…

They weren’t going back there. Nobody was going back there.

The modest two bed close by would do as home base for now, even if it wasn’t quite big enough to hold everyone, they’d make do. John stepped forward to add, “we have a working phone too, get you in touch with the people you need to be in touch with, and we’ll let the front desk know to inform anyone who comes looking where you’ve gone. It’ll be okay, let’s get you out of here and cleaned up.”

“Mom… I’m not leaving Eddie, we’re not… not again, he’s—he’s all on his own I—I can’t.”

“Honey…” Lynda started, but… that little boy they’d long since watched withdraw into himself, he was just… there, for the briefest of moments, showing himself, his emotions, raw, and tired, but it was enough, her son was in there, clawing back to the surface, she wasn’t about to ruin it now. “How about we go home, we get you all cleaned up, get you something to eat, and then we come back and figure out what to do about Eddie, how’s that sound?”

“We have plenty of world class lawyers on our side, Son, we’ll get him out of here in no time, just… let’s get you cleaned up first, Okay? The house is only half an hour away.” Close, they’d be close, the hesitation on all of their faces though, this poor boy, whoever he was… they all hesitated to leave him, there was a lot of love in that hallway, each one as determined as the last to stay with their friend.

“…Alright shitheads, to the car.” Not a single one of those kids argued, Steve was in charge, but Mike and Lucas both hung back.

“I’m gonna stay with the Byers, Nance, Holly, and my mom are with them so—”

“An I’m gonna stick with Max until her mom gets here.” Doctors said she could wake up at any time after her brain activity kicked back up when the dust settled… when Henry died. He wanted to be there when she did. “I’ll be fine though, promise.”

And when Lynda stepped forward to hand Mike a little card with a number scribbled on it, saying “This is our home number, If anything changes with your friend, Eddie while we’re gone, call us, okay? We’ll be right back here in a flash.” She caught the faint smile on her sons face in her peripheral vision.

Baby steps.

Part 4

#PirateWrites #ForgivenNotForgottenFiclet #Steddie #Post!S5 #Mentions of Kas Eddie #Hurt/Comfort #Miscommunication

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bambirex · 2 years ago

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Another Steddie request, so I read the Wayne shovel talk and it was *chefs kiss* butttt I feel like we never see Eddie get a shovel talk, like I feel like the kids still would cause Steve was there first and had truly taken care of them and there safety. I feel like the kids would give Eddie a shovel talk even if it wasn’t like that intimidating it’s the thought behind it

I'm glad you liked it! 💕 The kids would give him the shovel talk, and they shall give him one!

Warnings: none

When Eddie was told to come over to Dustin's immediately, he thought there was an emergency. He thought maybe one of the kids had gotten hurt, that some awful monster from the Upside Down showed up again. He sped down the road on his motorbike, hoping he didn't hit someone on the way as he didn't even have the mind to check where he was going; he just had to be there as quickly as possible.

When Eddie got there, though, there was no sign of any life-threatening situation. It was just the kids standing in Dustin's room, looking very serious.

"So... What's up?" Eddie asked, looking over each of them. Dustin sighed deeply, before he gestured for Eddie to take a seat very dramatically.

"Guys? Will someone speak? You're freaking me out."

"We need to talk to you," Max said, "about Steve."

"What... did something happen to him? Is he hurt?" Eddie jumped up, panic settling in his stomach like lead. "Where is he?"

"Calm down, Jesus," Mike laughed, "he's fine."

"We're gonna talk about shovels," El explained with a soft smile. Eddie's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

"What!?"

"Shovel talk, it's called a shovel talk," Will offered helpfully, both to El and Eddie. That made Eddie sigh with relief, until he realized what that meant for him.

"Oh."

"We just wanna know what your intentions are with our Steve," Dustin explained. "We wanna know, if this thing between you is anything serious."

"Steve has been here for us for such a long time," Lucas added with a smile, "he means a lot to us. And we love you too, Eddie, but he's like... a big brother to us."

Of course, that made sense. Eddie knew exactly, how much Steve meant to the kids. He had really stuck his neck out for them on multiple occasions, protecting them from monsters and awful humans alike. It was no wonder the kids wanted to keep him safe for a change.

"Yeah, I got that," Eddie smiled. "I love him, kiddos, I really do."

"And you're not gonna ditch him, are you?" Erica pointed at him, eyebrows furrowed. "Because you know I'm more than happy to beat your ass if you do."

That made Eddie laugh. He was well aware of how powerful Erica could be when pissed off- but, that was true for all the kids.

"People think he's this dumb playboy, but he's so much better than that," Dustin continued. "He has a big heart."

"He's very sensitive. Cries a lot more than you'd think. Ugh, don't tell him I said that," Mike added quickly.

"He has been the protector of us for so long," Will said quietly, "he deserves someone who protects him."

"And who cherishes him," Max interjected, "because he loves some spoiling. He actually loves flowers too, buy him some!"

"And chocolate, everyone loves chocolate!" El grinned. "And he likes going to the movies!"

"And whatever you do, don't mess up his hair," Lucas chuckled, making the rest of them laugh along as well.

Eddie made a mental list of everything the kids said. He had very serious plans with Steve, and he was more than happy to spoil him. The fact his little kiddos got so up in arms to make sure he was treated right warmed Eddie's heart. Steve deserved the best of everything, and Eddie was going to make sure he would get it.

"I'll make sure to treat him right," Eddie promised. "I love Steve a lot, I really do. And I'd rather shoot myself before I broke his heart. Not to mention," he glanced at Erica with an over-exaggerated fearful expression, "I know you would gut me if I did that."

"Hell yeah, we would," Erica grinned, not even half-joking.

"Seriously, just be good to him," Dustin sounded more serious than ever. "He really, really needs it."

Eddie reached out and gently patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll do everything in my power to treat him right. He's going to be the most loved man in Hawkins."

All the kids yelled "he better be!" in unison, making Eddie laugh. Steve was one hell of a lucky guy that he had such a protective little family.

Later that night, when they were laying in bed, Eddie told Steve about his talk with the kids. Steve groaned in embarrassment, burying his face in Eddie's neck.

"Jesus, I never asked them to do that!"

"You didn't have to," Eddie said softly, "they did this on their own. Because they love you, Steve, and they want to make sure you get treated right."

Steve smiled softly. "They are such idiots, but I love all of them, too. This is actually really sweet."

"Mama Steve and his little nuggets," Eddie cooed, making Steve let out an offended noise.

"I'm not...! Okay, I guess I am a mama bear. With very powerful cubs."

"And I'm gonna keep my promise," Eddie said softly. He hooked a finger under Steve's chin and raised it, so he could kiss him on the lips softly. "I'm gonna make you the most loved man in Hawkins, Steve Harrington. And if I'll ever mess up, there's an army of kids waiting to murder me."

"I'll murder you, too. But they'll murder you harder."

"Yeah," Eddie laughed, holding Steve close to his chest, "I'm sure about that."

#steddie #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fic #eddie munson #steve harrington #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #erica sinclair #max mayfield #el hopper #will byers #mike wheeler #my fic #request

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findafight · 1 year ago

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Let’s get dangerous! 3, 9, 13, 17 and 19.

Choose Violence ask game oh. you really are being dangerous lol

9. worst part of canon

not enough time to actually build character development and dynamics and flesh things out more, so it's all monster plot all the time instead of them planning and plotting and processing and bonding in tiny moments. i miss 20-24 episode seasons I miss "filler" episodes. we deserve a ST beach episode...

also dustin and steve both being made comic relief and Dustin's trauma and steve's injuries being ignored.... bubba should see a physician his gonna get sepsis :(

13. worst blorbofication

ooooof. Eddie probably. people keep trying to make him cool or suave or whatever and that's simple not the case. I know in my heart that boy has crawled up a river bank on all fours talking like golum. He is a loser. He is not cool. That's okay and good actually. We need more unsmooth people representation, and Eddie is just a scared little guy!

often too it happens that they just make him...not be brash or kind of a jerk? When he is! It's okay you're blorbo doesn't have to be someone you would have been friends with in highschool! He was loud and walked on tables and made fun of people! He was sort of mean! he wasn't perfect or always nice and kind. He's a weirdo who is sometimes cruel and that's okay he can totally get better!!

I think part of it is that a portion of the fandom has bought into the false dichotomy that the show tries to press on us of jocks vs nerds and that they are enemies or something and that nerds are always or almost always on the side of the good, and jocks are not. So because Eddie is a nerd and made fun of jocks, he is therefore someone that is often right, even if her messes up sometimes but it's okay because he's a nerd, whereas (usually) Steve has to play perpetual make up for the crime of messing up and being a dick when he was sixteen while also playing and enjoying sports. and it's like please!!! I'm tired of this!!! stop hating on sports and thinking people who like them have some moral failing they must make up for just because you don't know what a batting average is or whatever! (and he should have apologized to Lucas)

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

More fics should let characters be actually angry at being hurt or wronged. Let them rage! especially Lucas! I want him to be able to express his hurt and upset about how all his friends but Steve and Robin abandoned him and played the finale without him! Only Erica brought it up to him, I want MORE apologies to Lucas!!

on that note let Steve be angry when wronged too! let him be upset and not quietly accept an apology let him lay out why he was hurt and angry!

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

I have nothing I'm really ashamed of in fandom? on occasion I love a good whump fic or a fic that is sometimes. Very mean about certain character/s lol. Though st has got me writing some steamy pieces which I wasn't really expecting! haha

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

(there are so many bad takes floating around which to choose... I guess here's two, saved for last) once saw someone say max abused b!lly by drugging him in s2 and i just had to sit there like......brother WHAT are you talking about. You mean the 13yo girl watching her 17 y/o step brother continue to beat an unconcious 17 y/o and used the sedative to stop him?? One time? To stop him killing someone in front of her and her friends? Someone who had protected them twice that night? From her brother whom she was scared of??? Who had demonstrated abusive behaviour towards her??? Who she had to threaten to stop trying to hurt her or her friends? That one was fucking WILD I can't believe it's real. What the hell.

Also i know it was probably just light a hearted shippy thing but I saw one that was so much a take as it was an au but it had robin lie in the starcourt bathroom by saying she had a crush on tammy instead of Nancy and I was so mad at not only the defiling of the Sacred Stobin Scene, but also that it then means their entire friendship is based on a lie and it would be such a betrayal? (it wouldn't make sense at all anyways [to me] but also) Like. She'd have been lying to her best friend, her soulmate, her person she wants to combine with, for months not just about a crush but about the very moment of vulnerability that cemented their platonic love for each other!! I don't see how you can like robin or steve or their friendship and do that? it's not even about not liking rnce, I'd be mad about it if it was about any other ship too, it's about loving stobin most. idk it feels so icky to me

#findaanswers #anonasaurus #stranger things #ask meme answer #first link is to the list second is to my askbox #idk if i should tag this with other things #not billy hargrove friendly #also should add if yall want me to expand on what i mention just send another ask about it haha

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luxeberries · 2 years ago

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so a while ago (i want to say last sept/oct?) i saw that someone wrote up a version of max's letter to steve and i ended up writing my own version a few days later as part of a bigger wip that will never get published, wherein max gives steve and the guys permission to read their letters. i had fun writing this and trying to keep in with max's character, try to copy how she spoke in the letter to billy, more formal but still very much her witty self. shes kind of like me :) enjoy!

'Dear Steve,

I know we're not exactly close. I think the only time we ever really talk is when shit hits the fan or when me and El want free ice cream or when I ask you to forgive my late fees. But I'll never forget that first year I moved here when you- well, you tried to defend me and Lucas from Billy. I appreciate the attempt, it was very noble of you. I think that was the reason I was able to stand up to him. Like watching you punch him made me realise that he wasn't untouchable. It seemed like that sometimes, like you couldn't do anything to hurt him. But you did.

I think it was that and seeing how he hurt Lucas that made me feel brave enough, angry enough, to stand up to him. I think you were passed out by that point and I don't know if Dustin ever told you what happened in the space between you getting your ass handed to you and you almost dying from cardiac arrest as I drove your car to those tunnels, but I stuck him with a needle full of that sedative they used on Will and I grabbed that nail bat of yours and threatened him with it. Made him leave me and my friends alone. In truth, I don't know how to feel about it anymore. I felt so powerful. I felt like him. It kind of scared me. I liked it, in the moment, but now… I don't want to do anything like that ever again. I think I'll leave that kind of stuff to you. I hear you've improved in the ass beating department.

I don't know much about DnD terms except for what Lucas talks about and I suppose you don't either except for whatever Dustin has talked about but, from what I do know, I guess you would be a paladin. The leader, a fighter. You're the protector. You always check out the scary noise, you always put your body between us and the danger, you and that nail bat. Or in the case of yesterday, with that shitty lamp. I don't really have that anywhere else. Someone to protect me, I mean. I guess none of us really have anything like you. Mike has Nancy, Will has his brother and his mom, El has Hopper. But Dustin, Lucas, and I? We have you. I feel that way, at least. My dad is back in California, my mom is… my mom, and Billy... He wasn’t the brother he should have been. I guess I wasn’t the best sister either, though.

What I'm saying is, it's good to have you around. You may not be the smartest person I know, but you are the bravest. And I think that counts for a lot.

Thanks for taking care of me. And the others. I know you hate doing it, but…

You're a good babysitter, Steve.

From,

Max.

P.S: I'm sorry if you had to see it happen.'

#stranger things #max mayfield #steve harrington #i dont think steve would be a paladin but also i dont know what he would be #but im not a dnd person and neither is max so neither of us know the like. uhh technicalities? of the classes?#fuck what are words

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were-wolverine · 2 years ago

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more of punk!steve bc i adore him

steve first runs into the Party at the arcade (where he works part time because he wants to make his own money as a ‘fuck you’ to his parents and cuz it’s a chill job) and he becomes their favorite worker and they become his favorite customers. one day steve takes a smoke break in the parking lot and sees some kids bullying the Party and his older brother instincts kick in.

he walks up behind the party like “well well what do we have here?” and the Party is like “steve!! :D” and steve in his leather jacket and ripped jeans and combat boots glares down the bullies and they scamper off. from then on steve tells the kids to go to him if someone is bothering them and it becomes town-wide knowledge not to mess with byers wheeler henderson & sinclair. he basically becomes their personal Scary Dog.

the parents end up wanting to meet this young man who kept bullies away from their kids (and they’ve heard all sorts of rumors about him and he dresses like That so they’re suspicious) and steve’s like “yeah sounds great!” and immediately charms all of them because he’s a sweetheart and does genuinely care about and want to protect their kids. from then on he’s the go-to babysitter / ride to school / campaign host. steve pretends to be annoyed but he loves it and treats them all like they’re his younger siblings (especially lucas and dustin)

joyce and steve bond especially and they have coffee dates every sunday and just talk (joyce tries to get steve to come to her when he needs help or just someone to listen). at first everyone who sees them is super confused because what is paranoid mother Joyce Byers doing with the high school bad boy Steve Harrington?? but after a couple months it just becomes commonplace and people will even stop by to say hi

i also think jonathan and steve would end up being best friends in like freshman year and steve would get jancy together in s1 (steve and nancy don’t date). he’s never a third wheel though they have a great “this is my boyfriend and our best friend steve” type relationship. (plus jonathan never takes the creepy pics and the whole fight never happens so they’re all chill).

steve and robin are fellow outcasts so they’re chill. then steve beats up some guys who harassed her and they become actual friends and steve lets robin come over whenever her parents are being shitty. steve lowkey converts her into a punk and they basically do illegal shit and have a bunch of fun.

btw steve is a fully realized biromantic demisexual (or just queer whatv lol) and he has an extremely accurate gaydar which is partially why stobin become friends. anyways i’m mentioning this becauseee

steve meets will byers and Immediately Knows and pretty much comes out to him and tells him it’s okay and he becomes wills Gay Mentor (imo jonathan can either be straight or queer and just not really informed abt gay shit so steve would be the mentor in his place bc they’re basically brothers anyway (joyce absolutely tries to adopt steve multiple times)).

steve meets max at the arcade before any of the Party befriend her and she immediately becomes another of his favorite customers (the ranking is dustin, will & lucas & max, mike). she thinks he’s super cool and basically projects onto him as an older brother figure and he’s happy to play the part. he notices the way billy treats max and threatens him that if he ever treats her like that again he will kill him and hopper will help him hide the body. things are pretty peaceful for max after that. additionally neil hargrove gets arrested for domestic and child abuse and billy takes his car and leaves without a word. max’s mom still drinks so steve kinda unofficially adopts her, she has her own room in his house and ends up staying there most days. he ends up actually adopting her later but they’re still more of an older brother & younger sister dynamic than father & daughter

steve doesn’t interact with eddie until s4 but they know of each other and are on neutral terms until the byers move to cali and eddie starts DMing for dustin lucas mike erica and max (who steve managed to convince to play). they’re wary of each other at first but eddie realizes steve is actually a huge softie and steve realizes eddie is just a cute dork who reads LOTR and plays D&D.

steve isn’t on any sports teams or anything but he works out on his own, goes for jogs every morning with jonathan and nancy especially after the demogorgon and demodog shit. basically he’s fit and good at fighting (due to more experience with it) and nancy taught him how to shoot so he can do that too. most of his scars are from demo-creatures instead of fistfights, though he has a few of those too (not from jonathan or billy tho).

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farfromharry · 2 years ago

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Beth [ 11 ] | Dad!Eddie Munson series

Eleven, Never again

Word count - 4853

Warnings - language? shitty mothers as usual

━━━━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━━━━

September 1993

It was a unanimous decision that the best way to come to a conclusion about what to do with the Veronica situation, would be to ask your friends. Their opinions could offer some insight that you weren’t considering, or maybe just be what Eddie needed to hear to make up his mind. Though he would be coming to his own resolution, it was wiser to have such smart people– minus Steve– weigh in.

When you called them over to the cabin they were nervous. Never did you ask them to do that so ominously, nor did you invite so many of them over at once on a whim. If you didn’t already have plans you would usually schedule them, but this time you needed them there asap. Your behavior was weird, and they didn’t know if someone died or you did something illegal. They were leaning towards the latter.

As Steve walked through the door he was freaking out, demanding that the two of you tell him what was going on because he couldn’t take the ‘not knowing.’ You had told him to calm down, that nothing was going to be discussed until everyone was inside and sat down.

Both he and his wife asked where Beth was, to which they got a weak response informing them she had been dropped off at Wayne’s trailer in light of this conversation. The last thing you needed when discussing this matter to try and get some help, was a wild, energetic seven year old running around the place. Although it incited more anxiety in your guests.

Even after everyone took their seats, you were still quiet. So much so that Steve said something. “I’m gonna fucking explode if you don’t tell us soon.”

Eddie exhaled. “Beth’s mom showed up at the diner, the other day,” he began, earning a few scattered gasps from around the room. As he paused you noticed the slight way his hands trembled, reaching over to take one in yours to remind him you were there. “She wants to see Beth. Originally I said no, b-but then she threatened to get a lawyer involved.”

If you’d thought the group couldn’t get more shocked after his first statement, you were wrong. “That bitch!” Tulip muttered.

“You’re not gonna give in, right?” Dustin questioned.

“I-I was thinking about it.” There was a mix of expressions in the group, both Tulip and Dustin were clearly horrified that he would even consider that, but Steve and Robin just looked sympathetic.

You wanted to weigh in, let them know how you felt about it before anyone else gave their say. “I-I don’t think he should go through with it,” you stated. You turned to look at him next, repeating the same thing you had been telling him for days, with as much sincerity as you could muster. “We can get a lawyer if we have to.”

They were silent as they processed the information. Surprisingly enough, Harrington was the first one to speak up. “No, no. I think he’s right,” Steve added. The brunette beside you seemed slightly shocked, not used to the man agreeing with him when it came to anything. “He isn’t gonna lose Beth. She hasn’t been a mom for seven years and you think she’s suddenly gonna come back and be one?”

You had to admit he did have a bit of a point. Apparently Robin thought so too. “I agree. Even if it’s just a threat, d’you really want to take the risk?”

It was like his mind was made up already, though he hadn’t taken the time to listen to everyone’s advice they were planning on offering. Tulip could see that her best friend was leaning towards what the ‘dynamic duo’ were sprouting, and she didn’t like it one bit. “What if she fills Beth’s head with a bunch of bad things about him? Or takes him to court anyway?” the Hopper girl inputted. “She says she doesn’t want the kid and then shows up years later saying otherwise. I wouldn’t personally consider her very reliable.”

There were a few beats of silence, just before Henderson spoke up with a bright idea. “Tulip, your mom’s a lawyer, right?”

None of you on team ‘Eddie you’re making a huge mistake’ had thought of that valuable piece of information. You wouldn’t have to come up with the money to pay for a lawyer, if the lawyer you were hiring was basically your mother. All of you were positive if you asked Petal for her help then she would provide it with no questions asked.

“Yeah, of course. Eds, you know my mom would help you in a heartbeat.”

It wasn’t that he thought otherwise, he just couldn’t put a stop to the looming thoughts in the back of his mind that even if she tried, it wouldn’t be enough.

“Well,” he announced, pinching the bridge of his nose as the telltale signs of a headache began to form at the back of his skull. “It’s three to three, and I have the final say. She’s my daughter, and I say we go through with it.”

That didn’t go down well with a certain woman in the room. “You’re unbelievable, Edward,” his best friend scoffed, grabbing her stuff from off the floor and leaving without another word. There was a faint slam of the front door behind her, and the five of you sat there awkwardly. Steve had to be the one to break the silence, informing you all that he should probably go after his wife. Considering he gave both Robin and Dustin a ride, that meant they had to leave too.

You walked to the door with them to send them off, making brief conversation with the younger boy. “I hope he made the right decision,” Henderson whispered, not wanting to risk the metalhead hearing.

“Yeah, me too.”

Even with the distance, you locked eyes with Tulip in the car, noting her frown and helpless expression that you could only respond to with a shrug. You, her and Dustin were all feeling the same way, a little defeated and like the wrong choice had been made, but what were you to do? On the brightside, it didn’t take a genius to know Steve and Robin were probably going to get chewed out for what they said on their way home.

Once they were out of sight, you pushed the door shut, letting out a sigh. “Honey?” you called.

He hadn’t moved from his seat on the couch, his head still resting in his hands as he suffered through a silent crisis. Even when you called his name, he didn’t look up at you, didn’t even acknowledge you. You were worried he hadn’t heard you, or maybe he was ignoring you, but you really hoped the former was the case.

With some hesitation, you moved to take a seat beside him on the couch. That was the thing that seized his attention. He had some sense about the impending judgment that he was going to have to hear. “What’s up?” he quizzed, knowing that the look on your face wasn’t one that posed full confidence in him.

“I know you have the final say and everything, but, why aren’t you taking my input into consideration?” They definitely weren’t the right words to say. His head whipped around to look at you, his brow furrowed and a brief slither of anger flashed across his eyes.

His tone when he spoke was defensive. “I did. I thought about all of them, what are you talking about?”

You deflated at the fact he hadn’t detected what he did. “You said she was your daughter. Not ours. Do you not see me as her mom?” you asked. That was the one thing that had hurt you more than anything. It didn’t seem like he had noticed that it slipped out, but you certainly did, and you just had to sit there and embrace it despite how it hurt your feelings.

“Y/N, I- Y’know that wasn’t what I meant. Of course you’re her mom, but…” You didn’t like that he’d trailed off. You weren’t trying to cause a fight, not at all, but clearly there was something on his mind that he wasn’t saying out loud because he knew it would hurt your feelings. That was what that look on his face meant.

You crossed your arms over your chest, inhaling deeply. “Say it Eddie. Go on.”

“I am her mom, but..?” you started for him, egging him on.

He squeezed his eyes shut, but went on anyway. “You are her mom, but my opinion on this matters more.” He sounded defeated, however his thoughts were now out in the open. You nodded, accepting the words loosely. You were well aware he was thinking a little irrationally, so you weren’t going to flip out exactly, but that didn’t mean you were letting this slide.

When Eddie’s uncle arrived back at the cabin with the little girl, the two of you had to pretend as though the atmosphere in the home wasn’t tense. The first thing Beth did was run to greet you both, throwing her arms around your waist as she rambled on about all of the things her and her grandpa had spent part of their day doing. You entertained her, mirroring her excitement while trying to push the issue with your fiance to the back of your mind.

You and Eddie didn’t get time to have a civil conversation between the two of you even hours after everyone left. After the small disagreement you had, neither of you really felt like talking for a bit, and then the topic of your fight came home and the opportunity was gone.

As he watched Beth from the window, you tidied up a little, cleaning up the mess that had been left by your friends. Occasionally you would glance at him, subtly try and catch his attention to kick off the discussion, but he was purposely avoiding your gaze. Or you thought he was anyway.

The sound of his voice pulled you out of your little daze. “‘M not gonna lie and say I’m okay. But I am sorry for what I said.”

“Ed,” you whispered, making your way over to him, laying a hand on his lower back.

“I have to do this, huh?” he asked, embracing the way your hand trailed over his back. It was one of the only things currently grounding him. As he gazed over at Beth, playing joyously with her grandpa outside in the rain as she tried to coax her pet cat to come on out with them. Eddie told them it was a bad idea for even them to be in the rain, nevermind Bat, that they’d catch a cold and regret it, but you encouraged them. He was confused at first, but then you explained to him how it let the two of you talk about everything that happened today.

You frowned. “You don’t have to, honey. We can still put a stop to this— Call Tulip’s mom and-“

“I- As much as I don’t like it, it’s the smart thing to do.” He wasn’t usually so serious, about anything. You didn’t often see this side of him, so it was unclear to you how to approach him in the correct way. Anything you said could be taken the wrong way, sending the two of you spiraling into a fight that he didn’t need to deal with right now.

It was better for you to just agree with his wishes.

So, despite your opposing thoughts about his decision, you stuck by what he wanted, offering your support to him. You would be doing that by joining the little girl in the meeting with her mother in the coming days.

When that day finally arrived after much suspense, Eddie was down in the dumps. He didn’t want it to go forward for various reasons, nor did he want it to happen without him. Scared was an understatement to describe how he was feeling. If he really had a choice in the matter, without lawyers being dragged into it, he would have refused right from the get go and put his foot down. He hated how things were unfolding.

There were so many thoughts running through his head right as he woke up that morning. You were tucked into his side, still content in dreamworld for the time being; oh how he envied you– he’d been tossing and turning all night. All he could think was the possibility that Beth might leave him, some way or other.

What if she realized she liked her mom better than Eddie?

What if she turned her against him by fueling the child with lies?

What if Veronica did actually take her away?

There was potential that the day could finish with the dad losing the light of his life. He wasn’t prepared, he didn’t think there was any possible way to prepare for something like that. He’d seen the way her eyes lit up when he sat her down and told her what was happening with Veronica, hearing her mother wanted to see her had thrilled the girl, but only worried him more.

He hadn’t realized he was crying until he heard your voice through his hazy thoughts. “Eddie?” you called, gently, setting your hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”

He sniffled, turning his head to look at you and you could have sworn your heart broke then and there. The usual cheery puppy eyes were drowning behind his tears, silently begging for help. You frowned, encouraging him to move into your arms where you could comfort him. One of your hands found his back, rubbing up and down, the other kept his head against your chest as he cried. “Talk to me,” you said.

Surprisingly, he was quick to open up about his concerns, how frightened he was that something was gonna go wrong, that Beth wouldn’t love him anymore. You tried to tell him he was being silly, none of that would ever happen. You were being completely honest. He was an idiot if he thought Beth would ever feel anything but love towards him. But you didn’t know how to get that through to him.

“Honey, it’ll be okay,” you said, brushing the salty tears away from his cheeks. Usually your sweet words of reassurance would have been enough for him, but today he didn’t think anything would be. He needed to let the tears out before Beth woke up, because he refused to cry while she was here in his presence. “But what if it’s not?”

You shook your head. “Don’t think like that. It will.”

A creak barely sounded from the door as it was pushed open by the child, your attention snapping towards it after seeing the movement out of the corner of your eye. “Hey Beth. Good morning, sweetheart.”

At the sound of his daughter’s name, Eddie quickly tried to get himself together, tidying up the way his face looked so she wouldn’t suspect he had been crying. But her smart little brain could figure it out in seconds. “Is daddy okay?” she questioned, approaching your side of the bed timidly.

You faked a smile, one you hoped she couldn’t see through. “Yeah. He’s just tired, taking a little longer to wake up today,” you lied. Although she still seemed weary considering he hadn’t said anything yet, she seemed to accept the answer. “Why don’t we leave him to wake up, and we can go make breakfast?”

She muttered an okay, rushing out of the room ahead of you. You turned to your fiancé briefly, flashing him a small smile and pressing a kiss to his forehead after you leaned in. “Take your time.”

He didn’t make it into the kitchen until breakfast was finished, the two of you sitting at the table, a place set out for him. His voice was quiet when he thanked you, dropping a kiss to the top of your head and then Beths afterwards. You noted he looked more put together, but the redness in his eyes remained. Though there were no longer any traces of dried tears on his cheeks.

Beth must’ve noticed too, placing a kiss on her dad's cheek in retaliation. She was smart enough not to comment on it though, allowing her touch to serve as a comfort to him. While she ran off to get ready for the day–insisting she could dress herself now, after all, she was a big girl–you sat down with Eddie, waiting patiently for him to say something. Anything. He didn’t, he simply ate the food you had laid out for him sluggishly. At one point, you had slipped your hand into his and squeezed it. He was sure you would never know how much that served to help him, even if it were for a split second.

When the little girl joined the two of you donning a purple dress, you knew it was time to leave. You didn’t need to be told to know that Eddie had immediately felt a sense of dread at the imminent. He dragged his feet the entire way to the car, sliding into the passenger seat and staring off into the changing leaves. You didn’t say anything, focusing instead on getting everyone to their locations safely. But you couldn’t help but grab hold of Eddie’s hand, letting him know that everything would be okay without having to say a word–even if he didn’t necessarily believe you.

Your first stop of the day surprisingly wasn’t the diner. It was widely believed that if Eddie was left alone while you took Beth to the diner to meet Veronica, he would go crazy. He would probably end up pulling out his hair by the time you got back. So, you stopped by Tulip’s flower store on the way, leaving him in the company of your two friends so they could keep him occupied and out of his dark thoughts.

“Please make sure it goes smoothly. Don’t let her–” You settled your hands on the sides of Eddie’s face, offering him the most reassuring smile you could muster up. “She’s gonna be fine with me. I promise you.”

Tulip and Steve watched the two of you talk while half heartedly talking with Beth, keeping her busy for the few moments this was going to take. “Come on, Munson, you’ll be fine with us. We can be fun.”

He sent a dramatic longing look your way, like it pained him to even hear those words come out of Steve’s mouth. You were almost late as it was though, there was nothing you could do. Reluctantly he watched you both go.

The entire time Beth was away, Eddie couldn’t calm down. He was antsy, and he didn’t like it. She was usually always in the care of him or someone he trusted with his life, this was a completely new situation for him. He was placated in the knowledge that you were there alongside her. That the little girl wasn’t alone in this scary situation; that should have been enough to calm his nerves. Still, he would have rather it been him there holding her hand, but there was a majority vote he would have been too worked up the whole time.

Tulip was trying her best to comfort him. She and Steve had decided to stay with him in her store. It was to attempt to provide a distraction for him so he wasn’t stuck in his thoughts until you got back, but it wasn’t working. He was still pacing up and down the small shop, almost knocking over bouquet after bouquet of flowers in his path.

At one point Steve tried to lighten the mood, but it only served in getting him a glare from both his lover and Eddie. “Dude, stop pacing. You’re scaring the customers,” he teased.

If looks could kill Steve would surely be six feet under by now. He simply raised his hands in his own defense, letting Eddie fret if he wanted to. Tulip could deal with the distressed man seeing as he was only making it worse. She was probably better at it anyway, Harrington was almost useless when it came to making good out of a bad situation.

Eddie didn’t speak up until his best friend was standing in front of him. “Why is it taking so long?” he worried, rubbing at his eyes harshly with the tips of his fingers. Tulip grabbed his arms, pulling them away from his face so he wouldn’t hurt himself.

She frowned, seeing his dark eyes clearly swimming with distress. “You need to calm down. They’re fine, Beth will be fine.” Tulip’s words were basically being drowned out by his countless thoughts. He didn’t know how he could calm down at a time like this, it felt like his heart was going to explode.

He shook his head. “How do you know? Beth could be deciding she doesn’t want to be with me anymore, right this second, or—“ He delved into another rant full of pure fear that had the married couple sharing looks of uncertainty. As much as they would try to console him, neither of them knew what exactly would do the job to help him. Everything either of them came up just seemed like it’d be rejected.

Tulip tried to take a stab at it, cutting him off mid rant, ignoring the glare that earned her. “Ed, just sit down. I’ll get you some tea, and we can relax—“

He scoffed, shocked that she thought any of those things were going to settle the emotions he was having. They might have kids, their beautiful twins, but they would never know the threat of them being taken away by a woman who didn’t even raise them. This was something none of his friends had gone through, understandably their help was useless, but he hated that they were even trying.

“I don’t want your tea, and I don’t want to relax, Hopper.” Rarely did she ever let people yell at her without saying something back. It was obvious this was coming from a place of strong emotion, but not ones that were directed at her. This time she wouldn’t fight back, but it was the only time he was going to get a free pass for being a douche.

“Harrington,” Steve corrected, aimlessly.

“Not helping,” they both snapped. He backed off quickly, trying to make it so he just blended in with the background so he wouldn’t get yelled at again. It worked pretty well.

Tulip turned back to her friend, the man still visibly angry. “Look, I’ll let it slide that you just yelled at me, but don’t do it again,” she warned, very seriously. “If you don’t want our help, then we’ll all just sit here quietly until she gets back. Okay?”

Eddie nodded, agreeing that they would both just have to wait for you to make your way back with his daughter. In reality, seeing her face, knowing she was coming back to him and not leaving with that witch, would be the only thing that was going to shake him from this terrible rut. Either that or Veronica suddenly deciding to call the whole thing off.

He practically heard her sniffles from down the street almost an hour later. He was listening that carefully. His nerves had him on his toes anyway, waiting for the very second he spotted even a glimpse of his daughter’s curly hair so he could decipher her mood. So when his Beth walked in, head tucked into your side with red eyes and a red nose, he was right there ready to make all her sadness go away.

“Beth,” he called, watching as she raised her head at the sound of the familiar voice. She hesitated, which broke his heart, before rushing to him with a quiet cry of ‘daddy’ after getting encouragement from you.

“Oh, my baby,” he muttered, bending down to her height so he could scoop her up. It didn’t matter how big she was getting, or that she was no longer that adorable four year old. Eddie knew the little girl needed him and nothing was going to stop him from holding her close. Maybe some of it was that he needed her too. He wouldn’t have realized it all those years ago when she was handed to him, but she saved his life that day.

No one in the shop spoke as the pair reunited, all that could be heard were the quiet cries of the seven year old. You could see the relief all over his face now that she was back in his arms, but there was a lingering worry in the air that she was upset.

A while had passed before he pulled away to look at her, bringing one of his hands up to her cheek where he wiped away some of the tears decorating her skin. “What happened? Talk to me, sweet girl.” It was a little awkward with all the eyes watching them both, but Eddie hadn’t really noticed. He was in his own little world now that Beth was safe and back in his arms.

“Please don’t send me away. I don’t want to leave you,” she cried.

His heart positively shattered. “I’d never send you away, Beth. I’ll never do any of this again.”

With a quiet sniffle, she held out her hand, specifically her pinky. “You promise?” she asked, ever so quietly.

He nodded his head, taking her pinky and solidifying the fact she had no reason to worry. “I promise.” She almost visibly looked relieved and it saddened you to think the entire time you were sitting in the diner with that wretched woman, these were the thoughts she was having. You hated that this whole thing had made her believe she wasn’t loved or wanted– a child should never have to feel that way.

“Let’s get you home, huh? You’ve had a long day,” you said, brushing some of her curly hair behind her ear. She was more than excited to make it back to her bed and have that security that she wasn’t being sent to live with this woman, or that her dad did still love her.

Before you could leave, the Hopper daughter spoke up, hoping to make some of the situation better. “B,” Tulip called, leaning over the counter with a smile. The sniffy, unsettled, girl turned to the woman, still clinging onto her dad’s hand for dear life. “Here, sweetheart.” In her hand she was passing over a single purple coloured flower, one that matched the violet shade of her dress.

She took it with a small smile after getting the okay from Eddie. Tulips were her favorite, and who better to give them to her than the woman named after them. “Thank you, Tully.”

The three of you left your friend’s store in lighter spirits than you had arrived with. But still, the entire way home Beth refused to let go of her dad. The pair sat in the back together, his arms around her as she stayed curled into his chest. No one spoke, not even you, no one needed to. She was sleepy by the time you arrived home, exhaustion hitting from all the tears and bother that had happened throughout the day.

He had to carry her inside, her head tucked into his neck as she drifted in and out of sleep. You left the two of them to it, allowing him some more time with her as he tucked her into her bed. She’d woken up a little bit as he made sure the blanket was snug around her.

“Can you play me my song?” she asked, quietly. His hand stilled on her hair, a grin creeping onto his lips. He hadn’t played for her in a while, but each time he did he swore his heart grew a size. If that was what his baby wanted after a long day, it was what she was going to get.

“Yeah. Let me get my guitar.”

He wasn’t gone long, he was in and out of the bedroom so fast you didn’t even hear him come in, despite the fact that you were in the room. He didn’t offer you a greeting or anything like that before he was gone and heading back to Beth’s room just down the hall. Only a little time passed before you heard the sound of his guitar flowing through the walls.

As Eddie strummed the strings of his instrument, he watched Beth’s eyes get heavier and heavier, growing closer to falling into a deep sleep. It felt surreal now that Beth was safe by his side where no one could take her away, and he would never let anything like that happen again. For as long as he lived he would protect that little girl with his life, just as you would too.

━━━━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━━━━

beth taglist - @ches-86 @kiszkawagnerwhore @ssqra @leftcloudparadise @aereth @destielbuckyboy @eddiesaws @whatawildone @husherstan @chickensinrainboots @spencestyles @simonsbluee @naivences @eddiemunsongffff @shreklover123 @stevesred @mcueveryday @spencerstits @ajeff855 @strawberrykittey @little-diva-gurl @deydeyyyhhh @what-a-strange-constellation @psychdelephantt @roguemetalmaster13 @lovesleepybearwriter @cherrypieyourface @sincerelli @lj127 @that-80s-chick @bloodyxheaven @bva14 @1800letmesleep @taramaria @boomhauer @eddie-the-angel-munson @soft-munson-hargreeves @eddiesviolet @welikeicecream @eddiemunsons-sweetheart @paintmekala @audge-podgeee @s0fia-14 @asthetic9646 @urmomashleyyy @chrissysgf @hazydespair @tvserie-s-world @andreead @ily-jupit3r @certainlynotasimp @spideysbae @taz-devvil @shotoskitten @idontfeelanythinganymor3 @lexi-2004 @ilovereadingfanfics @mlktea13 @jvmisvu @munsons-sweetheart @aureatopia @crabbygabby @pikispixies @lethalbeautiful @angie1djonasgg @phantomxoxo @graywrites20 @thesundrop @yeah-seems-legit @wydmonday @fangirling-4-ever @yaskna @ems-alexandra @mess-is-my-aesthetic @ajdelilah @d4td7ewmachine @eddie-my-love-munson @lovecleastrange @hairringgt0n @matty-blossom @olivialou13 @mcntseee @obsessed-with-f1 @smol-book-nerd @alex—weasley @jessphill400 @dhtomholland @ollyoxenfrees @yamatosworld @homeagain-1 @gabriella-gvf @alphashadows @sav7689 @sorryav14 @vecnaschargingstentacles @munsonlcve @hehesafa @dearelliewrites @sl0opno0ts @lys009 @doodlebob-mp3 @sandrayaret @purple-storm @peachiicheries @haveyoumetme @lubsana @mushy-mushroom04 @alicefallsintotherabbithole @jaannaa @rockstarmunson @skyfall8600 @rockqbvebby @munsonmolls @forgiveliv @dream-alive789 @politephantommenace @lilylilyyyyyy @lydiascottage @heartyhope @etherealdarlin @xbxexcxcxa @pop-rocks-and-skittles @peakyoup-03 @iluvved @parasadic-blog @loreenswriting @gooblerstan @livlaughquinn @miracleboysel @taramaria @alysianc @okiegirl24 @mjmunson93 @espressopatronum454 @baileydjart @un-lilting @gamorxa @ureleesian @scarlettphantom @livasaurasrex @smilingtheodoisa-blog @fanaticalfantacist @joekeeryswife @ch4ot1ccoff1n @daydreamin-lol @lacunaanonymoused @renaroo123 @calamitylass @thaniyaaa_ @thxliaaa @simsteo @dazed-and-confused101 @elamity @wateryblue29 @simpfoegeorge @ahoyitsagus @katieskidmore1 @helpimspiraling @jakeysangel @sunwardsss @eddiesskittle @bittafrylight @dumblreumblr @eddiethesexy @papaya184 @sincerelyklare @lovelyarinii

(if theres a strike through it wont allow me to tag you, pls make sure your tags are on!!)

#eddie munson #eddie munson x you #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson imagines #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst #dad!eddie #dad!eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things fic

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harringtonstilinski · 2 years ago

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Don’t Let It End - Steve Harrington

Author: @stilinskiparker Characters: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader Word Count: 2,673 Warnings: ST4 spoilers??, aaaaangst, pov switches, character death, y’all are gonna fucking hate me :) Tropes/AU’s: Best Friends to Lovers | Fake Dating | Soulmate AU | Established Relationship | if you can think of any more, let me know! Smut: no | yes; Requested: Yes. I hope this meets your expectations! I also added a twist at the end ;) A/N: Hi, friends! This contains small spoilers for S4V1, so if you haven’t watched it already, pls do not read. There’s two pov switches, but they’re happening at the same time. Where the first pov ends is basically where the ending of the second pov (third person pov) begins. It’s confusing, but go with it, lol. BUT, I hope you like this! If you do, 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 😊

FIRST PERSON POV

Sitting at the cemetery with Max wasn’t what I wanted to be doing at that moment, but here I was; sitting at Billy’s grave with her.

Billy Hargrove and I had dated the year prior. How? I’m still not sure to this day. I think he just wanted a fuck buddy since Mrs. Wheeler was way out of his league… plus, he was a minor at the time he tried getting into her pants.

During that time, Max and I had grown even closer than what we were before, almost like sisters. I needed her and she needed me. Her mom didn’t seem to mind. Max and I were close from the Dart situation two years ago when Steve started babysitting her from that night in the junkyard.

My little brother, Dustin, was happy that Billy and I broke up, though he was kinda sad about the reason. Dustin and Billy never got along, and he was pretty pissed about the fact that I dated him after he threatened to beat the shit out of Lucas at the Byer’s house… and after he kicked Steve’s ass.

Speaking of Steve, he was my boyfriend now. When Billy died that night at Starcourt Mall, he held me back from going to the lower level of the mall, whispering in my ear that Max needed to be the one to cry over his body.

Steve and I were best friends then, and even before then in high school and middle school… well, pretty much since Kindergarten. We’d been put in the same classes since then. He was there for all my phases, even my Classic Rock phase that didn’t seem to fade out.

Steve confessed his feelings for me that 4th of July night, but he let me go at my own pace, since I’d had feelings for him, too. Around October ‘85 is when I told him I wanted to be his girl, and he was happy.

Three months might not seem like enough time to get over someone dying, but since I had Steve by my side the entire step of the way, it was easy. He’d let me cry on his shoulder, stay however long I wanted to at his house.

Now, five months later, Steve drove Max and I, as well as Lucas and Dustin, to the cemetery, where she and I were sitting. I listened to her read a letter she’d written for Billy. She’d written letters for everyone, myself included.

As she was reading her letter, the sky went dark very quickly, so I looked around, not really seeing anything before I heard a clock chiming. That’s odd. Why would there be a clock in the middle of the cemetery?

I heard laughing before I heard someone calling my name. Scared would be an understatement for how I’m feeling right now.

“Y/N/N,” the voice said again. I stood up, recognizing the voice, seeing a figure standing in the distance. “I’ve been waiting to hear those words from her, Y/N/N. Waiting so very long.”

I sighed, my breathing getting a little heavier by the second. “Billy,” I breathed.

He walked closer to me as he said, “But it wasn’t the full truth, was it? And you. Jumping into Harrington’s bed not three months after I died. You never really loved me, did you?”

“Billy, I know this isn’t you,” I said, holding my hand out in front of me a little bit.

Stopping in front of me, he said, “I think there’s a part of you, buried somewhere deep, that wanted me to die that day just so you could get with Harrington. That was maybe even… relieved. Happy.”

“No, that’s not true. I loved you, I did,” I said, through my tears.

“That’s why you let him stop you, isn’t it, Y/N/N? It’s okay. You can admit it now. You’ve always had feelings for Harrington. No more lies. No more hiding.”

“Stop it, Billy, that’s not true,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “I swear it’s not true!” I started sobbing at this point.

Backing me up while walking more towards me, Billy said, “It’s why you feel so much guilt. Why you hide from your friends, from your little brother, the world. And why, late at night, you wish you never met me while smiling in the comfort of Steve’s arms.”

The clock started chiming again as I shook my head.

“That is why I am here, Y/N/N. To end your suffering once and for all.”

I missed the ledge of his grave, landing on my back. I went to look back at him, but what I saw instead terrified me. Vecna.

“It is time, Y/N,” Vecna said. “Time for you… to join me.”

I got up and started running through the cemetery, muttering apologies along the way as I ran over the gravesites.

I stopped running once I found a small brick wall I could hide behind, trying to quiet my breathing. The only people I could think about Steve, Dustin and Max. Lucas, too. I thought about getting out of whatever mindfuck place I was in. I couldn’t leave them behind. Not them, not even the Wheeler’s or the Byer’s.

I made the most stupidest decision I could make and looked from behind the wall, seeing Vecna appear out of the shadows, his deep voice saying, “You cannot hide from me, Y/N.”

I ran until I could run no more, looking around me, screaming,“Steve!! Dustin!! Max!! Lucas!! Steve, please help!! Dustin!!”

Seeing red appear to my left, I turned and faced it. What possessed me to walk towards it, I’ll never know, but I did. It was like the sky had painted red, like the roses from Alice in Wonderland.

I looked behind me, trying to see where I’ve been… and to also see if Vecna was still following me. Looking back in front of me, I walked a few more feet before hearing something squishy under my shoes. I looked down, thinking it was mud, but then I suddenly realized that I’d seen these types of vines before; two years ago in the tunnels.

I looked up, seeing what looked like spikes sticking out of the ground, little pieces of something else floating around. With my investigative side coming out, I decided to walk further into the Forest of Spikes.

As I got closer, I walked up to, what I’m imagining, would be stairs. I saw a flight of stairs that looked like they led to nowhere, a grandfather clock floating in the air and chiming, a front door floating, and the structure of what looked like a house.

“What are you doing in here, Y/N?” Vecna asked.

I stepped on what looked to be some time of white berry. When I pulled my foot away, I screamed at the top of my lungs, backing away, seeing nothing but a shit of spiders crawling from where I stepped.

“Come back to me.”

I turned around, screaming again when I saw Chrissy Cunningham’s body on some sort of post before seeing Nancy’s friend, Fred Benson, on another post, both of them tied up with vines.

“How do you like them, Y/N?” Vecna asked, making me turn to face him. “Would you like to join them?”

“Never,” I seethed, turning to my right and starting to run when a vine caught my ankle. “Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” I was dragged along the ground before my pack hit a post, the vines holding me tightly by my legs, wrists and neck.

I was whimpering and crying, knowing full well that this was where I met my fate until Steve, Dustin and others would find a way to break me out.

Hearing the words “Wait and see, time is all that we really need” made me look behind Vecna, seeing everyone crowding around me as my favorite song of the moment played on, everyone yelling for me to wake up.

“They can’t help you,” Vecna said, the vine around my neck tightening. “There’s a reason you hide from them. You belong here with me.”

“You’re not… really here,” I choked.

“Oh, I am,” he answered. “I am.”

Vecna raised his clawed out hand above my head and I immediately started thinking of happy memories; ones with my brother and the party, with Billy… mostly with Steve before the audio started to get all distorted.

“No,” I quietly grunted. “No, no, no n–” I gasped, feeling Vecna’s nails enter my head and face. My last words I thought of before all I saw was black was, “I love you, Steve.”

THIRD PERSON POV

Looking at his girlfriend sitting at her ex-boyfriends grave wasn’t something that Steve wanted to do, but Max had asked her to come with her, so she did. Lucas was sitting on the hood of the car, while Dustin stood in the passenger door with arm on it and his foot propped up.

Steve tapped at the outside of the car before looking at his watch. “They’ve had long enough,” he said, getting out of the car, closing the door behind him.

“Steve, just give them some time,” Lucas said.

“I have, alright, Sinclair,” Steve responded, backing his way up the small hill behind him. “I’m calling it. Max wants to get a lawyer, she can. Y/N’s still coping, I need to make sure she’s alright.”

Steve continued his walk through the graves, reaching Y/N and Max. The younger teen was wiping the tears from her face as Steve walked up and said, “Guys. Time to go, yeah?”

Max nodded her head, looking in Y/N’s direction, eyes going a little wide. “Y/N/N?” She looked up at Steve, fear in her eyes.

The older teen looked at his girlfriend, putting a hand on her shoulder, saying her name a couple times while noticing her eyes looking the lightest shade of blue on her iris’ with red replacing the white. “Y/N!”

Shaking his girlfriend, Steve yelled for her to wake up, clapping to get her attention. “Y/N/N, wake up!”

Dustin's face went more serious, seeing and hearing Steve yelling at his sister.

“Y/N, wake up!” Steve said, distress and sadness laced in his voice. He looked over at two younger male teens, yelling at them before going back to trying to wake his girlfriend while Lucas and Dustin ran to Steve, Max and Y/N.

Max was scared the whole time, not knowing what to do, fresh tears coming to her eyes as she watched the girl that was like her sister sit in a trance. She tried yelling out Y/N’s name to help Steve wake her up, but so far, nothing was happening.

Max, Lucas, Dustin and Steve were shaking Y/N, saying her name, trying desperately to get her out of the trance.

“You gotta get out of there!”

“Wake up!”

Grabbing Dustin’s jacket, Steve said to the boy, “Go call Nancy and Robin. Go call Nancy and Robin!”

Running towards the car, Dustin had only one thing on his mind; to save his sister. “Don’t worry, Y/N/N. I’m coming, I’m gonna help save you.” Once he made it to the car, he grabbed his walkie talkie, hitting the button on the side and spoke into it, “Nancy, Robin, do you copy? This is a code red! Do you copy?!” At no response, the teen said, “Shit. Robin!! Robin, where the hell are you? This is a code red, I repeat a code red!”

“Dustin, it’s Robin. We copy.”

“Holy shit, finally! Please, please tell me you have this figured out,” he said, standing on top of Steve’s car. He’d deal with the consequences later.

After Robin had told Dustin what to do, he ran back up to Steve, asking what his sister’s favorite song was.

“Styx’s Don’t Let It End,” Steve said. “She’s been loving it lately.”

“Roger that,” Dustin said, before hightailing it back to the car to find the tape. When he couldn’t locate it, he grabbed Max’s bag, grabbing a handful of tapes, along with Max’s walkman and hightailed it back to his sister.

“Y/N/N, you gotta get out of there,” Lucas said. “Can you hear me?”

“Guys!” Dustin said, out of breath, dropping the tapes to the grass.

“What is this?” Lucas asked.

“Her favorite song!” Dustin answered. “I couldn’t find the tape! I figured Max might have it!”

“Why?!”

“Robin said if she listens – it’s too much to explain, help me find her song!”

The four boys and girl looked through the tapes, trying to find the one with Don’t Let It End on it. After a frantic search, Steve said, “I got it, I got it! Put it in! Put it in!”

Dustin took the tape and put it into the walkman, Max putting the headphones on Y/N’s ears, Lucas pressing the play button.

Frantically, everyone continued to yell at Y/N to wake up before her body lifted into the air. Not a few moments later, with everyone still yelling out her name, Y/N’s arms and legs began to snap in different directions, her jaw doing the same before her eyes started bleeding out.

When her body dropped back down to the ground, Steve immediately grabbed her and pulled her into his lap. “Baby,” he said, tears starting to stream down her face. “Baby, wake up. You gotta wake up. Please, baby, wake up.”

Sighs of defeat were heard from the other three teens, Dustin quietly saying, “No,” with tears in his eyes.

With sobs wracking his body, Steve still tried to get her to wake up before Dustin put an arm on his shoulder, saying, “She’s dead, Steve! She’s dead!”

~~~

Back at the Wheeler house, everyone gathered around the table in the basement, sitting on the couch and chairs provided.

Max sighed, standing from her sitting position. “That wasn’t her favorite song.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steve asked, distraught.

“Just what I said. That wasn’t her favorite song.”

“Then what was it?” Dustin said.

“Yeah, enlighten the class,” Steve said.

Max sighed again, hand running over the top of her head. “When her and Billy were dating, he introduced her to that metal shit he used to listen to. She took a liking to this one band, Night Ranger.”

With expectant looks, she exasperatedly sighed. “Her favorite song was At Night She Sleeps!”

Steve thought about it for a moment, running his hand through his hair while quietly saying, “Oh my god.”

“What?” Dustin asked.

“I should’ve known,” Steve said. He sighed before saying, “She used to always play it on my record player when she’d have a shit day. She was loving Don’t Let It End lately that I thought it was her favorite.” He sat down, head in his hands while tears came to his eyes. He whispered to himself, “It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” Robin said, sitting next to her best friend. “It was the only song you could think of in that moment of trying to save her. Yes, it didn’t work, but you tried, and that’s all that should matter is you trying. She would’ve done the same if the roles were reversed.”

“If I know my sister, she would’ve told you to not beat yourself up over it,” Dustin said. “Like, Robin said, you tried. That’s all that my sister would’ve wanted.”

Steve looked at the younger teen, giving a small smile before reaching into his pocket, bringing out a folded up polaroid of the girl he loved more than anything. He saw a future with her, he saw having children with her.

Steve made a promise to himself that whoever he loved next, might not be as much as he loved Y/N, but he would definitely try to give them the best life they could possibly ever imagine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N 2: hi, friends! let me know what you thought about! again, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox.

Additional Notes: we’re also adding a lot of new things up top! let me know what y’all think about that! is it more organized, is it more chaotic? let me know! :)

~~~

Forever / Everything Taglist: @stiles-o-dylan24 @stixnstripesworld @fandom-princess-forevermore @quanticobae @mischiefandi @kellyashcroft @lauren-novak

Steve Harrington Taglist: none yet!

If you’re tagged and didn’t want to be, please let me know.

Italics wouldn’t let me tag!

~~~

*Please don’t post my writing anywhere else without my consent. The author of this work will always and forever be @stilinskiparker.

All characters, story lines, and plot aside from y/n and her storyline & plot, are all of the work of The Duffer Brothers.

*These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Posted on July 12, 2022

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

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phireflies · 2 years ago

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𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀

steve takes you to chicago to get your mind off of everything. [wc; 4.9k]

pairing; steve harrington x fem!reader

warnings; swearing, mentions of death (no one dies though), mentions of violence, this is set sometime after season 3 but not in season 4, fluff, mutual pining, idiots in love, and steve being cute, one bed trope... hehehe.... not edited at all oops again

an; title is from all my tomorrows by frank sinatra solely because of the line "and all my tomorrows belong to you". i also don't know what the art institute of chiacgo was like in the 80's so it's probably not accurate LOL

it was a month after starcourt had gone down in a fire, according to the news. you and the others knew what actually happened, and it hurt to keep that tucked away.

it had been a month, and you were still hurting. your body was still sore, some bruises never healed, and your brain seemed to be permanently fried.

everyone was scared still, scared about what they would do if it came back, or if someone died.

will, jonathan, joyce, and el had left for california. seeing everyone saying bye hurt, made it feel like your heart was being ripped apart. it was for the best though, everyone knew that.

now, you were standing on the curb with a bag waiting for steve to pick you up. a month ago, he appeared under your window, asking if you'd like to go on a trip with him. just you and him. you met steve during all of this, and he'd taken a liking to you. he wasn't at all like his high school self. you liked him, and he liked you. you just didn't know that.

it was cold, the air was biting at your cheeks. it was early morning, around 3 am.

you got lost in your thoughts, something that happened often. you would often find yourself back in the mall, back in the russian base underneath getting beat up and drugged.

the headlights of the maroon BMW had pulled you out.

steve got out and give you a small smile. he didn't say anything as he opened the trunk for your bag. he still had the bat in there, just in case.

once you two got into the car, he smiled. "hi."

"hi."

"i'm sorry if this is weird." he apologizes. he was a new friend, and he thought that going on a trip with you was strange. it wasn't that strange.

you shook your head. "it's not. thank you for this."

"figured we needed a break, yeah?"

you nodded. "yeah. i'm scared though."

he started the car and began to drive off. "of what? i'm not gonna kill you."

you chuckled. "i didn't think you were. i'm just scared that... that something will happen when we're gone. like dustin will get into some shit and we won't be there to help."

steve glanced at you. he wished he wasn't driving so that he could stare at you more. he decided that it was stupid and weird of him to think that. "they'll be fine. i may or may not have threatened him. i think he'll be okay."

"i hope so. god, i'm just so, i don't know. i don't know."

"i know. me too."

steve reached over the center console to grab your hand where it rested on your leg. he was always one to engage in physical touch. it took you some time to get used to it.

"the drives like three hours. maybe more if we decide to stop." he says. the radio wasn't on, the only thing you could hear was his breathing and the engine. "you ever been to illinois?"

you shake your head. his hand was still on yours. your skin burned. "no. my mom always said it was cool though. you?"

"nope. my dad said the same thing. he's always up there for work trips. but uh, about your parents - they don't care?"

"i didn't tell them, but they wouldn't care. i think it's better that i'm gone, that they don't have to deal with me." you laugh, trying to hide the fact that you were almost in tears. your parent's attitudes had changed after starcourt. they hated that you had changed, that you weren't as smiley and carefree.

steve smiled at you. "i get that. fuck parents."

"fuck parents." you agreed.

you and steve had bonded over your family situations. he would call whenever he couldn't sleep, and most of the time you couldn't either. it was either his parents were gone and he was left alone, or his dad had said awful shit to him.

you had gotten so close to steve over the months that you would consider him your best friend. it angered you that his parents hurt him the way they did.

"are you okay?" you ask. it felt weird to ask that because he wasn't okay. no one really was.

his face was still bruised, and his cuts were still healing. "i'm hanging in there. are you okay?"

"hanging in there." you repeat. "your face has gotten better."

he laughed. "started taking care of the cuts and stuff, you'd be amazed at what a difference that can make."

"i bet. my back is still sore. can't believe that guy just threw-" you stop yourself and take a deep breath. "sorry. i'm glad you're hanging in there."

"glad you're hanging in there too." he stops at a red light and takes the opportunity to look at you. really looked at you. you were sure you looked tired, that you had bags and dark circles under your eyes. "let me know if you wanna go back, i'll take you back."

"i don't wanna go back. i wanna stay here." with you.

"good." he smiled, patting your thigh. you felt extremely cold when he put his right hand back on the steering wheel.

once you got out of hawkins fully, the air seemed lighter. it wasn't stale, it didn't hurt to breathe. steve seemed to feel it too, taking a deep breath at the "you are now leaving hawkins" sign.

"i wish we didn't have to come back." you say.

"me either, but the kids."

"the kids. one of these days."

he sighed. "i hope we can all leave sometime. maybe join the byers in california."

"i don't think i'd fit in there." you admit. you had this growing pain in your chest that you were never meant to leave indiana, that you were stuck in hawkins.

steve looks over and raises an eyebrow. "i think you'd fit in perfectly. you could definitely become a great actress or artist, maybe you could write books and stuff."

"i can't do all those things, steve."

he smiled. "yeah you can. i wish you could see how talented you are, babe."

babe. it played over and over again in your head. babe. babe. babe.

steve always used pet names, babe included. every time it gave you goosebumps. "whatever you say, harrington. you'd have a bigger chance of making it in la."

"'cause of the hair, yeah?" he asks and you nod. "knew it. my best feature, right?"

you wanted to be honest and say, no, your eyes, smile, and freckles. "yeah, you are steve the hair harrington, after all."

"oh shut up." he teases. he doesn't want to shut up. he could listen to you speak for hours on end and never get tired.

you finally reach the highway and you're really on your way to chicago. it's smooth sailing from now on. "do you have any plans for us? i don't know what there is to do in chicago."

he shrugs. he can feel his hands burn like they should be on you. you were ice that could relieve the pain. "i heard about some photography exhibits at the art institute. you like photography, right?"

"it's cool. i think that'd be fun."

"i think there's other things if that sounds boring, i didn't really think it through i'm sorry."

"steve." you cut him off. "it's okay, i think it'll be fun. i'm sure they'll be other things to look at too." you two share a look. "it'll be fun with you, i promise."

steve smiles. he can't form words. with you.

he looks around for a gas station. his tank was nearly empty. "shit, i didn't even think to fill up before i left. sorry."

"it's alright."

he finds a gas station and pulls into it. "do you want water? or like, corn nuts? i can go inside and get them."

"no, i'm fine. thank you though."

while steve was focused on the pump, you took the time to really look at his outfit. he had on an old and worn shirt with basketball shorts. and he looked good.

looking down at your outfit, you realized that while you wore basically the same things, you didn't look like him.

you had on gray shorts, cut from an old pair of sweatpants that had gotten too short. you had on a t-shirt, one that was probably your dad's. it was large on you, nearly covering your shorts.

"alright, let's get on the road again," he says, climbing back into the car.

it was still so early that the sun wasn't up yet. it excited you though, the thought of seeing steve in the sunset, a beautiful wash of reds and pinks on his face.

"can i put my feet on the dash? i'll take off my shoes."

"go ahead."

your eyes widened because steve never let anyone put their feet up on the dashboard.

the road is long and winding, it almost puts you to sleep. in fact, you are asleep by the time the sun comes up. so much for seeing steve in the light.

"babe. i think we should get some coffee, yeah?"

steve didn't like coffee, you did. he brought you to a cafe for you. "are we in chicago?" you rubbed your eyes.

he shook his head. "no, but we are in Illinois. just got here."

you nod and rub your eyes. the sun was bright, making you squint. "coffee."

"yeah, up." he motioned for you to sit up and get out of the car.

you felt weird about going into a cafe, a nice looking one, in your sleep clothes. steve didn't seem to care, so you tried not to either.

"holy shit, thank god." steve muttered, eyeing the toast and eggs on the menu.

the waitress came over a couple minutes after you sat down. "what can i get for you folks? i think i saw you looking at the toast and egg plate? it's very good." her tone was overly flirtatious. she looked much too old to be flirting with steve.

"yeah, i'll get that. uh, water too, please."

"got it, and for you?"

you smile. "just a coffee please. no milk or anything."

the waitress nods and leaves.

"no food?"

you shrug. "not that hungry."

steve leans back in the booth and nods. "maybe i'll find a nice burger joint or something. that sounds good, no?"

"it does."

you're quiet, too quiet. it felt strange, steve felt strange. "you okay?"

you shrug. "still scared i guess."

he puts his elbows on the table and leans over. "wanna talk about it? i'm a good listener."

"i don't know. i just feel scared. i've got goosebumps all the time, even when i'm not cold." you close your eyes.

steve hooks his ankle with yours under the table. "considering what we all went through, i'd say that's normal. i've been getting nightmares real bad lately. robin said that's normal."

"i'm sorry," you say. you haven't been having nightmares, but then again, your whole life recently felt like a nightmare.

"s'alright." he's silent for a few seconds, staring at you. "is it weird if i ask to hold your hand?"

you almost choke. "uh, no, i don't think so."

he reaches over to intertwine his fingers with yours. "you have nice hands."

"so do you." your voice is strained. he notices this and laughs.

"are you flustered?"

"oh my god, shut up."

he mimes zipping his lips and throwing away the key.

"you're insufferable."

"it's just in my blood, baby." his voice is awful and strangely low. it makes you laugh.

you point to him with your free hand. "your lips are supposed to be sealed!"

you two fall into a fit of laughter that undoubtedly has the other occupants giving you dirty looks.

with steve, you could forget that the world existed around you. when you were with him, it was just you and him.

"here's your food, and your coffee. enjoy." the woman smiles.

"so," steve starts, his mouth full of food. "i was thinking we could get there as soon as the place opens, and i don't know, change in the backseat of my car. is that weird?"

you shake your head, sipping the hot coffee. "i don't think so, i've done it plenty of times."

"i was also thinking that we leave today too, i didn't pack enough for multiple nights, and i don't think you did either."

"i didn't."

"you're a mind reader, harrington. plus, i think i can only handle so much of chicago." you laugh.

he nods, finishing his food. "right! i found a cassette in my car, pretty sure max left it. it's stuff i don't really know but it'll be nice to listen to some tunes, yeah?"

you smile at him. he looks so good in the sun, in the cafe. he just looks good. "yeah, it does."

you two finish and steve pays. he almost shoves you out of the cafe when you insist on paying. something about wanting to do nice things. steve is always doing nice things though.

it's a lot warmer when the sun is up, but you think it may just be Illinois itself. it wasn't haunted by a looming evil, surely that contributed to the warmth.

steve drove slower, cruising. his hand found its way to your thigh again, making you scream inside. the windows were down and he had sunglasses on. the sun was high enough that he didn't really need them, but he looked good so you didn't mention it.

the cassette he found was full of random songs that either of you didn't know. it was nice though like you had a little piece of home with you.

"you okay?" steve asked, lowering the music slightly.

"i'm okay."

"good. you were daydreaming again. anything new?" he asks. steve knew about what you saw when you daydreamed, what you smelled, what you felt. all of it in starcourt.

you shook your head, looking out the window again. "nope. i'm used to it though."

"wish you didn't have to be." he tried to smile, but it came out all wrong. "wish you weren't with us at all."

"you're my friend, all of you guys are my friends. i'm just glad everyone's safe."

"me too, glad you're safe."

something about the way he spoke to you made your butterflies grow in your stomach. but he didn't like you, him holding your hand didn't mean he liked you, he was a friend. that's what friends do.

"you get dressed, i'll be outside."

"right, my epic guard." you laugh.

steve parked the car a ways away to allow the most privacy. privacy in chicago was hard to come by though.

steve was sitting on the hood of the car, his back to you. you changed quickly. a worn pair of blue jeans and a tank top. it was red with navy horizontal stripes. totally not appropriate for the weather.

you climbed out of the back and sighed. "think i'm ready."

steve turned around and gasped dramatically. "oh heavens!"

"what?" you thought something was on your face, or your hair was messed up.

"you just look really good. like awesome."

"awesome," you repeat. his face turns a pink color, making you laugh. "you look awesome too, harrington."

"shut up." he laughs, pulling you into his side. his arm is around your shoulder as he leads you to the institute. "excited?"

anything is fun with you, you wanted to say. "yes."

whatever exhibit was open behind those doors excited you. it could be anything, really.

inside, you could tell that you were underdressed, both of you. it was full of older people in nicer clothes. they probably understood art more than you too.

there was a sign that read "SCENES FROM THE SUMIDA RIVER". yeah, you were excited.

it felt like an eternity passed while you walked around looking at everything while steve followed behind. his feet were dragging a little, concerning you. "are you tired?"

he shook his head. "not really. feet just hurt a little."

"you can go sit down, i can continue on my own."

steve nearly shouted then, because he wouldn't leave you. he couldn't leave you. the way your face lit up when you saw something that you liked, whether that be an interesting texture in the painting or the subject's emotion.

"i like watching you. kinda like you're art." he winced as he said it, knowing it was cheesy.

"shut up, cheese ball." you laugh quietly. because of your attire, you and steve got strange looks from the older folk, and you didn't want to get any more from being loud. "thank you though. that's sweet."

"i'm sweet." he says it in a sweet voice. it fits.

"i'm almost done looking by the way. my feet hurt too."

"you having fun?" he asks, putting his hand on the small of your back. it's strange then, though you're used to the touch.

you nod and continue looking at the painting in front of you.

"what's the meaning behind this one?"

you shrug. "no clue, pretty though." steve nods, he agrees, though, he would argue that you're prettier. he's too nervous to say that though.

"there's a lot of old women here, think some of them want to come onto me." he whispers and smirks.

you laugh. "oh definitely, everyone wants to get a piece of steve harrington." you hit his chest and walk away.

"are we leaving?" steve calls, a little louder than he should be. he jogs to catch up. "i kinda wanna leave."

"yeah, i'm done looking."

“you have fun?” he asks.

you nodded. “a lot. i’ll have to come back and see what else chicago has to offer.”

steve’s quiet as he thinks. “would i be allowed to join?”

you laugh and fight the urge to hit his shoulder. “idiot, you’re the only one with a car. of course, you’re allowed to join.”

he pumps his fist up. "hell yeah!" it's like he's a little kid again. it's sweet. "alright, let's rock and roll." and you're off before you can chastise him for that saying.

"no fucking way." steve mumbles as he pulls over to the side of the road. the car was driving a little funny and there was a squeaking noise.

"what's going on?"

"something broke, maybe the brakes? or the whole engine might be fucked... god i don't know!" steve shuts off the engine and climbs out. his stance is something familiar, with his hands on his hips shaking his head.

you get out too. "assuming you can't fix cars?"

"you're funny. i'm gonna call a tow truck or something." and he's off to a payphone, cursing under his breath.

with the sun going down, you started to shiver.

looking around you, the small town you were in was quiet, with no traffic noise or people's car radios being too loud. thankfully, in case you needed it, there was a motel nearby. it didn't look the best, but it seemed to have some vacancy.

"hey."

"jesus! you can't sneak up on me like that!" you hold your hand to your chest. steve had a bad habit of sneaking up on you.

"sorry. i called, it's gonna come soon. also called dustin just in case."

you nod and shift on your feet, the temperature uncomfortable. "probably for the best. don't want him breaking down your door when we don't come back right away."

he laughs and blows out a long breath. "i think we should get a room for the night." he nods his head in the direction of the motel.

"i was thinking that. i'll go get a room while you wait for the truck."

before steve can protest and tell you to not pay for anything, you're already far away from him. you can almost hear him sigh humorously.

it's empty when you walk inside. the bell above you moving, but making no noise. there's no bell on the desk, either. to get whoever attention, you cough loudly. a man appears from behind the desk. he was just sitting there. avoiding you?

"sorry, do you have a room?"

"one." the man speaks in an awful british accent and you almost think he may be faking it.

you throw down some bills on the desk, probably too many. "keep the change." you say when you notice his wide eyes.

he hands you a key with tape on the head that has 15 scribbled on it. it's old, the tape is almost falling off, losing its stick. it's silent, the man doesn't speak again, just nods when you leave.

it wasn't hot inside, but it was a helluva lot warmer in rather than out.

"holy shit, that was weird," you say to steve as you approach him. the tow truck hadn't come yet.

"yeah?"

"hopefully won't have to deal with him any more than we have to. tow trucks gonna come soon, yeah?"

he nods. "are you cold?"

you begin to say yes and he's already receiving a jacket from the back. "better?" he asks when it's around your shoulders. the little bits of skin that his hands had grazed felt warmer than the jacket could ever make you.

"yes. thank you."

he pats both of your shoulders and smiles. "'course."

the tow truck pulls up with it's brights on, effectively blinding both of you. a scary man hops out and almost jogs over. steve stands up a little straighter.

"you steve?"

steve nods. "that's me."

they continue a conversation a little ways away from you, probably about where the car will end up and when it'll get fixed.

a few minutes later and the car is being hauled away.

"i hope she'll be okay." steve says quietly.

"the car? you don't need to be so sad about it, it's probably fine."

"fucking better be."

your bags were already sitting on the ground. steve didn't need to pick up your bag, but he did anyway.

"lead the way."

you swing the key ring on your finger and walk to the room. "i'm gonna be honest, i'm not expecting the best motel room. sorry if it's like, gross."

anywhere is okay with you, he wanted to say.

steve wasn't paying attention when you opened the door, startled by your shouting. "holy shit!"

just your luck, just your fucking luck. one bed. it's like in the movies.

"i can't believe this," you mumble.

steve sets down the bags and puts his hands on his hips, observing. "i can sleep on the floor."

"you aren't sleeping on the floor, it'll be fine. just... this sucks." you wince at your choice of words. "i mean, it doesn't suck, having to sleep with you - i'm gonna shut up now."

steve laughs loudly, making your face heat up. "you're awful."

"i think i need to shower," you say, retrieving your pajamas from earlier. you needed to freshen up if you were going to be in a bed next to steve harrington.

you've fought russians, sort of, and crazy interdimensional monsters. all while steve harrington was making you the most nervous. what a world.

when you got out of the shower and spent an eternity making yourself look presentable, steve had been waiting on the bed. he wasn't under the covers or anything, he was just sitting down and staring at the wall. the cream colors of the wall weren't interesting to him, it was you he was thinking of.

his heart was beating out of his chest, and he hoped that you wouldn't be able to hear it when you got out.

before he could try and think of anything to make him less nervous, there you were. although cheesy, he thought you looked like an angel, all glowy and fresh and nice.

"hi."

"hi." you say quietly, making your way to the bed. it was a full bed, thankfully not a twin. it seemed a perfect size, not too big and not too small.

"you smell different."

"i had to use those shitty travel size shampoo and conditioner things. they don't smell good."

"i wasn't gonna say anything bad, i think they smell okay."

the conversation felt easy and normal. you loved how it was like that with steve.

"i'm sorry that this whole thing got fucked." he said, his voice small. "just wanted to do something nice for you."

"it's not your fault, steve. you can't know when your car is gonna die." you want to reach over and grab his hand. he beats you to it.

it's quiet. every so often you can hear a car pass, or a screech on the road, or a honk. the only light was the orange-ish fluorescent from the street lights. even in shitty lighting steve looked good, he looked like steve.

"you look nice." he says, moving out of the way to allow more light to your face. "really nice."

"are you hitting on me?"

he laughs and shakes his head. "absolutely not." his voice is dripping with sarcasm. "maybe."

"god, you're awful. i'm gonna get robin to beat your ass for being awful."

"she'd love that."

again, you fall into a comfortable silence. his fingers are still intertwined with yours.

you want to make him laugh. you turn to sit in front of him with your legs underneath you. "do you have a crush on anyone?"

"oh my god, stop that. feels like eighth grade all over again." he laughs. mission accomplished. "i'm tired."

"me too, i'll stop being childish."

"best you do that, i think. i'm not gonna sleep much if i'm laughing."

you both laugh again. it's awkward when you both try to get under the covers. much to your dismay, he lets go of your hand. when you're both situated, he doesn't grab it again.

you are both facing each other, however. that's a plus.

"how often do you have nightmares?"

he shrugs as well as he can from his position. it's a little weird. "more often than not."

"i'm sorry. what do i do if you have one tonight?"

again, he shrugs. "dunno. i don't even know what to myself."

you turn on your back to look at the ceiling. popcorn ceiling. "i'm sorry." you say again. steve didn't move from his position on his side. he liked looking at you.

"it's alright."

he still stares at your side profile until he thinks you're nearly asleep.

"yes."

"hm?" you stir.

"to your question earlier, the crush one. yes. you?"

you shift to look at him, mirroring his position yet again. "yes."

he smiles, you smile, no more words need to be shared. the way he looked at you said everything.

"night," he says quietly.

you reply quietly. "night."

steve falls asleep first. you like that, it allows you to admire him. even slightly bruised and cut up he still takes your breath away. the fact that he's less than a foot away makes it even worse.

in the morning, steve is shirtless and his legs are intertwined with yours. it freaks you out a little bit.

he's stirring at the same time you wake up, not fully wanting to open his eyes.

you're looking at the freckles that are on his shoulders. like constellations.

"oh sorry, it got hot."

"shitty motel heating," you say. you don't want to make any notice to your legs, the closeness.

he laughs. "must be." he rubs his eyes. "it's bright in here."

"yeah, i was gonna get up and close the blinds but..."

he notices your legs and chuckles. "sorry."

"don't be." it's nice, you want to say. "i don't think you had a nightmare."

he thinks for a second. "no, i don't think i did."

"maybe we should do this every night," you say it like it should be a joke, and you hope steve takes it that way and laughs. he doesn't,

"maybe."

you are so close. so close.

he leans in and you feel as if you're going to explode. he's going to kiss you, he's 100% going to kiss you.

"i think we should go get the car," he smirks. it's awful. your face is hot and your eyes are wide.

"uh. definitely. yeah."

he untangles himself from you and puts his shirt back on.

inside of the mechanics is cold. the ac was on high, not much different than the chill outside.

whoever was working on his car was blasting music, old music.

you were drifting, it was easy to fall asleep when steve was pushed into your side.

steve's arm burned from how much he wanted to wrap it around your shoulder and pull you even closer to him. he hums the song he can hear. it's faint, but loud enough that he can hear the lyrics.

but i've got a lot of plans for tomorrow

and all my tomorrows belong to you.

he thinks of you. how he would like to spend all of his tomorrows with you, whether that be in chicago, or in a shitty motel with one bed, or in a russian secret base.

the underlying feeling of dread and hurt still lingered, but with steve by your side, it was a lot more bearable.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x reader fluff #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fluff #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fluff

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spideystevie · 2 years ago

Note

So I was thinking like a Steve comforting reader after Eddie dies

sorry for the wait, i hope this suffices <3 obvious s4 vol2 spoilers and mentions of grief and death. 0.6k

You're not sure where the feeling starts or ends, an ache deep inside your chest that threatens to split you in half. It's both excruciating and numbing all the same.

Steve hasn't let you out of his sight since it happened. Since he stumbled upon you, Dustin, and a lifeless Eddie between you on the ground with Nancy and Robin right behind him.

Since he had to pull the two of you away while you screamed and you cried because that was your best friend and he couldn't be dead. Graduation was a month away and he was supposed to be there.

You're a marble statue resting on the edge of his bed, hair still damp from the shower he made you take. It's hard for him to relish in the relief of you still alive and breathing in his room when someone else had to die.

He raps a knuckle against the doorframe, quiet but there. Your eyes look up at him, gleaming with the endless promise of tears. Big iridescent pearls, sliding down the apples of your cheeks.

Steve crosses the room and sits next to you, selfishly relishing in the way your body immediately melts into him, head finding purchase in his chest while his arm wraps tight around your shoulders.

"I'm here," he says, and he's not sure if there's anything else he can say. You sniffle, grateful for him the most in a moment like this. Warm body like a cloud you can sink and disappear into.

He wishes he could say more. Something he could offer to fill the gaping hole inside you. Something he could offer as an olive branch of comfort, though his beating heart beneath his t-shirt and skin is enough comfort on its own.

The two of you sit there for a while, your tears ebbing and flowing while Steve's hand traces paths all over your arm and back like a river of comfort.

"He was a hero," your voice soft and muffled from the fabric of Steve's shirt when you speak up. His fingers are gentle along your spine.

"I know, hun. I know," it's a whisper, something so soft it floats through the moment, careful not to shatter the edges.

"It hasn't even been a day but I keep.." you swallow thickly, wiping your tears away with the back of your hand. "I keep thinking that if I close my eyes and wish hard enough, he'll be standing right there when I open them. Him and that stupid Hellfire shirt," your voice sounds hoarse at its normal volume.

Steve's quiet, allowing you the space you need to work out your grief in front of him.

It feels like a current, constantly pulling you under and releasing you, barely giving you a second to breathe before you're pulled under again.

You're tired. From the fighting, from the endless amount of tears, from the grief.

"I miss him," fat tears rolling down your cheeks again and Steve can feel them seep through his shirt onto his chest. He presses his mouth against the top of your head.

"I'm sorry. I know."

His chin rests against the crown of your head, free hand finding one of yours in your lap. He squeezes it a few times, another wave of relief he almost feels guilty for washing over him when you squeeze back.

He maneuvers the both of you into bed, a mess of tangled limbs and bunched up shirts and sheets.

You let him.

His presence bringing you the smallest sliver of peace left in this small town while he all but cradles you, hand warm against your spine.

#god i hope this is okay #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington blurb #stranger things #stranger things spoilers #📝: a writes!

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pixieroserobin · 2 years ago

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Red String Harringrove au

Steve's been dropped on his head a few too many times, can barely see his.

Sometimes he feels it pull tight, but mostly, he just sees it at certain angles. Because of this he mostly ignores it.

Billy, on the other hand, has spent most of his life since his mom left staring at this stupid red string.

At this thin red line that's supposed to attach him to someone who will love him in spite of everything.

Wondering who's on the other side.

Will they love him enough to stay? Despite his flaws? Will he drive them away like his father did his mother?

He never mentions it to anyone, but he thinks about it a lot.

So in '84, he's hyper aware of it pulling tighter the closer they get to Hawkins.

And he's looking at everyone they meet in Hawkins with a critical eye.

And is frozen when he first meets King Steve 'The Hair' Harrington.

That thin red line connecting them from across the parking lot.

There's his soulmate, so close.

His soulmate who only has eyes for the brunette next to him.

His soulmate who doesn't seem to realize Billy exists.

It ruins all the fantasies, dreams and hopes Billy had used to cope with his life.

The rage that welled up inside him the more he learned about Steve became nearly impossible to ignore. With no outlet and a soulmate who didnt seem aware of him, it was no surprise when he finally did something.

Shoving him around on the court, staring him down at Tina's party, beating his ass outside the Byers.

And not once did Steve look at him with any recognition.

Not until El.

Steve picked Dustin and El up from the Snow Ball, promised Hopper he'd get her home safe.

Billy picked up Max.

And from three rows away, El followed the line of red, flickering in and out of her sight.

From Steve, to Billy.

Steve forever oblivious, and Billy forever forlorn and angry about it.

"Steve," She grabbed his hand, finger tips brushing the red string, making him tense, making them both shiver. "Your line."

Steve jerked his hand back, "Yeah, I know it's there."

El shook her head, grabbed his hand again, and pointed over to where Billy was sitting in his Camaro, blue eyes locked on them.

Steve narrowed his eyes, squinting and focusing to see the red string he mostly ignored.

And felt his stomach sink as it finally came into view.

There were so many emotions in Steve in that moment. Confusion, frustration. A little bit of anger.

His soulmate had beat his face in, had threatened his kids.

How was he supposed forget all that?

Could he even forgive that?

Was he destined to an unhappy relationship like his parents?

Steve averted his eyes, broke away from a sky blue gaze that he was drowning in.

He took El's hand, gently pulling her fingers from the line of red he no longer wanted to see.

He needed to leave.

Now.

"Come on, let's get you home before Hopper gets worried."

El didn't fight, but she did turn her head to watch Billy and Max across the parking lot.

Watches Billy's slack expression twist into something angry as his Camaro roars to life.

She catches and holds Max's gaze and held it until Steve and Billy pulled out in different directions. She tried to read Max, to maybe see if the red head might have insight El did not, but all she caught was confusion.

Steve refused to talk about it the whole ride to Hopper's cabin. He continued to refuse to talk about it on the way to Dustin's house after.

He went home and stole a beer from the six pack in the fridge, sat on the edge of the pool he'd avoided since shit with the upside down happened. Smoked and drank, and tried not to think.

Billy dropped Max off at the house, didn't even get out. As soon as her door closed, the Camaro roared to life and he flew down the dark quiet street.

He ended up at the quarry, too keyed up to sit in the car. Iron maiden blaring from the speakers as he passed around in the dark, smoking and wishing he had something better. Or someone to take all the pent up energy on.

Now Steve knew, and all he'd done was stare and drive away.

Ran away.

Like everyone else important in Billy's life.

#harringrove #idk #it was a twitter thread #but twitter might be dying #so i'm throwing this random angst out to the void #dunno if I'll ever do anything with it #pixiefic

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crazycookiecrumbles · 2 years ago

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Hit It, Catwoman

Masterlist

A/N: Back to the Idiot!Verse

I’d beg for comments, reblogs, and minors to DNI, but, who cares or follows guidelines anymore amirite no one even reads this part. biscuit bubbles. see? no one will know i said biscuit bubbles.

Pairings/Characters: Steve Harrington x Reader

Warnings: swearing, dustin being sassy, enemies-ish to lovers? super slow burn SEASON 2

Summary: Dustin's frantically trying to get help for this tiny little animal problem that he has. So, when you take too long to answer the call, he relies on Steve Harrington. And, well, you and Steve still aren’t best friends yet.

“What the hell are you two doing?”

A simple question nearly took your head off. Dustin shrieked before jumping and turning around. Steve spun on his heels quick and raised the spiked bat up high, ready to swing and take your head off. Your eyes widened and your hands went up as you jumped backwards in case he swung on you.

“Whoa, easy, Sluttingon! You beat up one monster and you try to swing on everyone? Also, wow, Dusty, you almost sounded like Lucas —“

“What. Are. You. Doing. Here?” Dustin punctuated every word with a stomp towards you.

Raising an eyebrow, you crossed your arms over your chest and stared down at him, “You left a very aggressive voicemail at home demanding my presence and asking why today, of all days, did I have a life.”

"Yeah. What the hell were you even doing?”

You pouted, “I had work!”

“You still work at that theater?”

“YES! God. What is the problem?

Steve sighed and lowered the bat. He leaned against it, crossing one ankle over the other with his hand on his waist as he stared at you, “Henderson over here thinks he has a giant non-lizard monster that ate his cat.”

“Holy shit. It ate Mews? Your mom is going to be devastated.”

“Yeah, don’t say anything, thanks,” Dustin snapped. “And I don’t think, I know! Okay?”

“And it’s apparently locked down there,” Steve gestured behind him with the bat while you sighed.

“Dustin.”

Dustin pursed his lips the second he heard that particular tone from you. He cleared his throat and raised his chin up as he shot you his famous smile that you always squished his face and called him adorable for.

You sighed, “Why am I just now hearing about a problematic lizard thing when last night I made you dinner and we watched Raiders of the Lost Ark?”

“Because it was my pet, Dart, and now it’s this beast that ate Mews! Look, we are wasting precious time here. Steve, get your bat ready.”

Steve sighed and looked to you. Having heard absolutely nothing about any new pet monsters recently, you weren’t sure what to think. But, generally, you often sided with Dustin, as he wasn’t a liar. Dramatic? Yes, a liar? Nah. With that in mind, you shrugged and gestured for Steve to check it out.

“Where did you even come from?” Dustin muttered as Steve started poking the chained doors with his bat.

“Being ignored by your front door. Someone clearly didn’t see me when they got here,” you remarked as Steve hit the doors again. “Is it dead or something down there?”

Steve turned and shone the light in Dustin’s eyes, “Alright. Listen, kid, I swear, if this is some sort of Halloween prank, you’re dead. All right?”

“It’s not —“

“All right?”

“It’s not a prank. Get it out of my face,” He huffed at the light.

Steve, while you two had…something of a friendship, maybe? Casual acquaintances? Well, he clearly didn’t understand just how much you cared for this child. When he turned around after asking Dustin for a key, he nearly jumped out of his skin seeing you standing there with your arms crossed over your chest and a glare etched onto your face.

“Threaten him again, Harrington, watch what happens.”

“See that? You can be in high school and be cool,” Dustin proclaimed rather proudly as he dug around his pockets for the key.

“And you,” you glared at the young boy, eyebrow arching up as you did so. “Yell at me again for not catering to your every whim, and I’m eating all the Funny Bones your mom bought you.”

He pouted, “Okay. Fine. Sheesh. Dial it down a bit, would ya? Trying to be all extra tough for some reason,” Dustin mumbled as he fished out the key and went for the lock.

You stepped back and watched as Dustin undid the lock and took it off for Steve. Steve gestured for Dustin to move back and away as he yanked the doors open one at a time. Dustin slowly moved closer with the flashlight and hung over Steve’s shoulder. You slowly leaned in as well to see what they were looking at, but even when Steve yanked away the flashlight and scanned the area, there was nothing there.

“He must be further down there. I’ll stay up here in case he tries to escape,” Dustin said.

Biting your bottom lip, you curiously looked down to see Steve staring at Dustin incredulously before sighing. You too looked to Dustin and frowned at what you saw. He genuinely looked scared. Like all the times you made him watch scary movies or the whole situation with Will the year prior, Dustin actually looked scared. It broke your heart.

“I’ll go with you,” you volunteered, only for Steve to hold up his arm in front of you and stop you from going forward. “Bro —“

“No, no. I have the weapon here, not you. Besides, might get crowded down there even if there is some big ol’ monster. Just stay here with the kid,” Steve told you before slowly going down the stairs.

You scoffed, “Well, don’t expect me to say ‘my hero’ or anything.”

Dustin gave you a funny look, “you’re being weird.”

“What? No.”

“You’re so being weird,” He whispered as Steve ventured in deeper. “Like, I thought you and Steve were cool?”

“We’re fine —“

“You threatened him!”

“He threatened you! You come first, kid!” You replied.

Dustin beamed, “Aw, you love me. That’s cool, and reassuring to be honest. I was worried for a second. I thought you liked him or something.

You watched as Dustin shuddered at the thought. You yourself tried not to gag. You and Steve Harrington? Dear, god, why? In what universe could that ever possibly be a thing? Yeah, maybe he was fine in that he drove you home and spent Halloween with you and all, but that was it. He said hi in school, sure. Maybe he came to the theater once and, for some reason, left you a tip when he bought a soda and popcorn, but, really, Steve? There was nothing there. Absolutely not. Hell no. Dustin was losing his mind.

You were so lost in swearing to yourself how crazy Dustin was because Steve was simply a no-brainer in terms of never having anything with him ever, that you nearly missed how Dustin jumped when the light was shone on him and Steve was calling you guys down into the cellar.

When you went downstairs, you were greeted by a disgusting gelatinous heap on Steve’s bat. On top of that, he pointed to a massive hole in the corner of the cellar which told you all you needed to know.

“Dustin, what the fuck, man?” You whined as the three of you crouched down and looked at the opening. “The fuck did you get me into now?”

“I mean, nothing, right?” Dustin laughed nervously. “There’s no way. There’s just no way that Dart made this tunnel, right?”

“Given our recent track record of luck and weird things in Hawkins,” you began with a heavy sigh. “I’d say he definitely did.”

“Fuck,” Steve muttered under his breath. “Henderson —“

“We have to go monster hunting,” Dustin nodded as the three of you stood up. “We need a plan. Don’t worry. I think I’ve got one already.”

“I’m sure you do,” you crossed your arms over your chest. “The babysitter tax just got higher.”

“What?!” Dustin shrieked.

“Yeah! Every time you drag me into some insane monster shit, your tax goes higher.”

“Ugh, god, you’re such a crook.” Dustin groaned while Steve stood and watched this interaction with wide, confused eyes. “What’ll it be?”

You tapped your lips with your finger as you thought for a moment, “We waiting until morning for this?”

He rolled his eyes, “Obviously, Y/N.”

“Then I would like to be greeted with coffee and …pop tarts!”

Dustin scoffed, “Are you serious? You’re supposed to feed me!”

“Buddy, I’m with you no matter what crazy shit you have me doing, but with the price of my life, I simply ask for snacks in return.”

“Fine. God, such a bully,” Dustin pouted while you smiled.

“Holy shit you two are weird,” Steve muttered under his breath. “Also, I want in on that breakfast. Now, what’s the plan?”

“Okay. We gotta go to the supermarket and get a bunch of raw meat, and since you two both have parents with money, you guys can do that part, come pick me up, and then we’ll go to the old junkyard with our bait and get him.”

“Oh, that’s it, get him?” You raised an eyebrow, “Nice plan, Ray — “

“I appreciate the Ghostbusters quote, but this is serious business. Are you guys in or out?” Dustin looked between the two of you frantically.

To be honest, you could do without having to deal with another monster situation. But, this was Dustin you were dealing with. You’d do anything for that little ball of curly hair and his adorable, squishable face. Plus, look at him. He seemed scared, worried, how could you say no to him in his obvious time of need?

“Of course, Dusty,” You nodded.

“Yeah, I think you guys need a little manpower,” Steve nodded.

You turned and glared, “Really, dude?”

“What? I’m offering to help.”

“Manpower? What are you gonna do, whip your hair at it?”

“At least I have a weapon! What do you have? Sarcasm?”

“Yes, and I can get a weapon —“

“Oh, holy shit, shut up,” Dustin yelled. “Get the meat, meet back here tomorrow, got it? Good! Let’s go.”

~*~

In the morning, home alone given your parents’ careers, you spotted Steve’s car and tugged on your jacket. You fastened your weapon of choice on your belt and headed out the door, pulling it shut and locking it behind you. As you got closer, you saw him get out of the car in disbelief.

One handed rested on the roof, the other on the door as he stared at you, “Seriously? That’s your weapon?”

You looked down at the whip resting on your hip and nodded, “Yeah —“

“How is that a weapon?”

“Indiana Jones uses it!”

“Really, Y/N, who will that save?”

“Hey! Loud noises, and they hurt like fuck when they hit you. This is a real, authentic whip. Look at Catwoman in the comics! Whip, badass, awesome. You’re just mad you don’t know how to use one.”

“You are going to hit us all and make it easier for this demo-whatever.”

“Baby demogorgon,” you informed him. “Also, I won’t hit any of us. I’m basically an artist with this. Are we going, or what?”

“Fine,” Steve sighed, “Get in.”

“Sure, don’t open the door for me like a gentleman or anything. I see we’re over that phase,” you mumbled as you climbed in.

Okay. Maybe Dustin had a point. You were a little sassier with him. Whatever, it was just the stress of the situation.

You two looked so….strange in the supermarket together. You both walked in there and purchased so many pounds of chopped meat, even the cashier wasn’t sure what kind of remark to say to the two of you. It was just odd. Then, Steve went to the hardware store and picked up some gasoline.

The two of you climbed back into his car and sat in silence for a moment. Steve stared straight ahead and let out a deep sigh while you leaned against the window and crossed your arms over your chest.

“So, is this a yearly occurrence or something, weird things with monsters happening with you guys?” Steve asked you.

You shrugged, “I guess you could call this season 2 of ‘Weird Things.’”

He snorted at your joke and looked around for a moment, “They’re just kids.”

“Yeah. That’s why I help them. They’re just little babies. They shouldn’t be dealing with this. I mean, shit, I thought what happened with Will was enough, now we have a monster dog? Ugh, I hope that’s the last of it,” you confessed. “I don’t know how much more of this stuff they cane take, or, hell, I can help with. I mean…what if it’s just getting worse each time it comes back, you know?”

Steve nodded as he started the car, “Well, hopefully, this is the biggest problem we have this year. And, hey, now you’ve got me helping out from the beginning-ish. I think that’s better odds.”

“….That’s awfully bold of you to think you better our odds and not dampen them,”

“Oh, wow,” Steve deadpanned while you cackled. “That’s nice, Y/N. Real nice.”

You shrugged your shoulders as you sat up and put your feet on the dashboard, “Hey, I’m just saying —“

“Whoa, feet off the dash! Now you’re getting too comfortable, L/N.”

“Yeah, yeah. Will my feet on the dash matter when we’re dog meat?” You joked as you lowered your legs, missing how Steve snuck a glance at them through the corner of his eye, watching how they moved in your tight jeans. “They’ll probably be chew toys, to be honest.”

“Hey. We’re going to catch his weird little pet, deal with it, and that’s that. Okay? No one’s dying, not on my watch.”

“Wow, Sluttington.”

“What now, L/N?”

“I don’t know. Ya kind of got the makings of a babysitter,” you joked as Steve shook his head, turned up the radio, and drove to Dustin’s house.

When the two of you arrived at Dustin’s, the boy was already waiting outside with two buckets and three sets of gloves. Dustin met you both by the car with his gear, a thermos, and two shiny packages. He climbed into the backseat, muttering how it was bullshit he wasn’t in the front as he leaned forward and handed you the tall Thermos while he threw a package of pop tarts at each of you.

“Okay,” Dustin leaned back as he listened to you both rip open the packages of treats and fight over who got to drink the coffee first. “Oh my — just take turns sipping it holy shit and drive Harrington, we’ve got shit to do, let’s go!”

“Wow, the attitude on you, kid, so bossy,” Steve muttered after taking a sip and handing you the Thermos.

“I know,” you sighed and took a sip as well before biting your pastry. “I’ve been trying to work on it with him but —“

“Drive!” Dustin shouted.

God, this was somehow worse when the two of you got together. This was bullshit. Dustin was in hell right now.

**BONUS**

The smell of the raw meat, especially being a little hot from Steve’s truck, had had you gagging the second he opened it. You stood off to the side dry-heaving while they put the meat in the bucket, put on their gloves, and prepared to leave a trail.

“Yeah, why don’t uh, why don’t you just walk ahead of us, Catwoman,” Steve teased you as Dustin finished up with his conversation on the walkie talkie. “I’ll watch you from behind.”

“Disgusting, Sluttington. You are disgusting,” you muttered as you did exactly that and walked ahead of him.

**DOUBLE BONUS**

When Steve was fighting the demodogs and evading their obvious trap, there was only one thought on your mind watching him leap, roll, and swing at them like a warrior: This, for some reason, was doing things to you. Fuck, Steve Harrington was hot.

#season 2 #stranger things #idiot!verse #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fluff #dustin henderson #babysitter #stranger things fluff #stranger things fic

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inkandpen22 · 3 years ago

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Dazed and Confused ( S1: 3/?)

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Female!Reader

Warnings: mild language and violence

Word Count: 3.1k

Part Summary: At Tina’s party, Y/N wants to forget all of her problems. Things take a turn when Billy makes a move on her, angering Steve

Masterlist

Arriving at Tina’s after dropping Dustin at Mike’s, I am in much need of some good old spiked punch. I yank down my gray oversized sweatshirt some more so that it hangs low off my shoulder. As I cross the threshold into the house, the heat of the crowded living room slaps me in the face. Directly to my left, the kitchen AKA the alcohol hub. I slip between bodies and end up at the counter covered with semi-empty bottles and old plastic cups. Most importantly, a bowl of maroon punch sits in the corner. I grab a cup and make my way over. A boy stands in front of it but I reach around him and scoop up some of the mystery substance.

“What’s in this?” I hear a voice holler behind me.

I turn around to answer but freeze when I realize it’s Nancy. She stares at me equally stunned. My face falls, this is awkward. Seriously universe? I couldn’t have at least one drink before bumping into her?

Steve appears behind her looking slick as ever in his black sunglasses and matching blazer.

“Everclear is my guess,” I answer, acting civil.

She nods timidly, “thanks…”

I step out of her way so she can get some of her own. Steve’s head travels up and down slowly with a blank expression. I can’t see his eyes but I assume he’s studying my costume. A gray oversized sweatshirt that hangs off the shoulder, red heels, matching earrings, and some shorts, though they’re unnoticeable. I can feel him starring me down through those stupid Ray-Bans. Silently, I beg for him to not bring up our encounter in the parking lot. All I wish for tonight is to drown out reality and try to forget. He’s a human ticking time bomb. The tension between us could be cut with a knife.

“Are you finally going to tell me what you are?” Nancy jumps in, forcing me to break my staring contest with her boyfriend.

I open my mouth to answer but Steve beats him to it.

“Flashdance,” he answers for me. “It’s one of her favorites.”

He acts distant, unattached, distracted by the party but I see right through it. There’s something he’s not saying. He says things like this as if it’s common knowledge. A random person wouldn’t describe my eyes as Y/E/C but gray depending on the lighting. One minute, he calls my eyes beautiful and the next he’s starring me down like a disapproving parent. The hell Harrington?!

Nancy gushes, apparently she and I are okay all of a sudden, despite early today with the whole Barb thing. Plus, I think she’s already been drinking for awhile so buzzed Nancy is fun Nancy.

“That’s so cute! You look hot!” She pulls me into a hug.

Over her shoulder, I glimpse up at Steve as he lifts his glasses to rest of his head. His brown eyes threaten to expose my upset from earlier. I get that he’s pissed about my neglect for my feelings. He wants to talk about what was wrong but right now we’re at a party and parties aren’t meant for depressing conversations.

“Let’s go dance!” Nancy suggests, already tugging me into the living room.

Steve calls after her but she ignores him. He follows behind us through the crowd with a groan. In the center of the living room, Nancy stops and turns to me with a bright grin. She cheers as she tosses her head back.

“Woohoo!” She laughs.

This is what I wanted, normalcy. We’re surrounded by our friends, drinking, dancing, being stupid! We did this before everything so why can’t we do it now? Perhaps after tonight, everything will fall back into place.

_______________________________________

On my third game of flip-cup, I’m beyond buzzed. In fact, when I walk I float. I’m on cloud nine. Here, this carefree and lively state is exactly where I wanted to be. Naturally, I’m competitive and amazing at drinking games so I finish my third game with yet another win. I cheer as Tommy from algebra hands me a cup of who knows what as my reward.

“Hey there beautiful,” a husky voice greets from behind me.

I spin around and kind of become dizzy from the action but catch myself.

It’s Billy.

“Hey hottie,” I smirk.

He snickers and closes the space between us to whisper in my ear. “How about you and I go somewhere a little more private?”

That’s a nice thought. He is cute. His ass could have its own zip code. Plus, he has no shirt on under that leather jacket, hello washboard like abs. His California tanned skin glistens under a thin layer of sweat. Damn, he’s a human Ken doll.

He’s no Steve though. Wait… what? I don’t think of Steve like that. Why would I think that? Um, yeah, that’s a no! Then again, Steve is always there for me. Sometimes it can be annoying how he’s always there. It means he cares but I don’t want to dump all of my drama on him. Then, he gets upset when I don’t open up. I hate it when I hurt him. I love him so much that when he’s in pain so am I.

“Okay,” I blurt out without truly thinking.

“Cool,” I hear him whisper as he takes my hand and starts pulling me toward the stairs across the room.

Wait, what? What am I doing? This isn’t me. I don’t like Billy. He treats Steve like shit. If anything I should kick his pretty ass. Though if I tried he’d probably murder me.

I glance down at his hand engulfing mine. It’s all rough and twice the size of my own. If we make it upstairs, it’ll be just him and I. I’ll be defenseless. I may be drunk but I’m not oblivious. My intuition is still working and it’s screaming for me to pull my shit together.

“Hey Billy? I don’t think…” I press my heels into the floor, slowing him down just as we reach the bottom of the stairs.

Aggressively, he whips around and purposefully towers over me to act intimidating. “What? Now, you’re saying no? Are you messing me? Playing with me!” He accuses.

I shake my head dramatically, “no! No, that’s not what-”

“Oh, so you still want to do this,” he presses.

Too impatient for an answer, he continues up the stairs. The grip he has on me has shifted up to my wrist. I attempt to tug myself free but fear dislocating it, his strength is too great. I stumble up the stairs behind me and I startle to feel dizzy. I think it’s safe to say I’ve had too much.

“No,” I whine, “I don’t want to! Stop! Please! I don’t want to! No!”

“Hey!” A booming voice echoes from the bottom of the stairs.

Rapid footsteps approach from behind me and a rush of relief consumes me when Steve appears beside me. He places a protective hand on my back.

“What the hell is going here?” He directs at Billy, taking note of his fist wrapped around my wrist.

“Nothing that concerns you, Harrington. Y/N and I were just heading upstairs.” He jolts his hand forward, causing me to traveling with it.

Steve instantly pries Billy’s hand from my body. Then, shoves him in the back, flying him forward to land with his ass on the stairs. “Don’t you ever touch her again! You hear me?!” He sneers. His face turns this deep red as he pants angrily.

The two start bickering but I can’t keep up. I see three Steves and a couple Billys shouting in each other’s faces. I lean against the railing unsteadily and slide down to sit on the steps. My eyes suddenly feel very heavy.

“I’m going to go to bed now,” I announce to no one in particular.

I decide to get some rest and shut my eyes. It’s okay, Steve’s here. He’ll protect me.

I’m not sure how much time has past when I hear Tommy and some of the other basketball boys come to break up the fight.

“Come on Y/N,” I hear Steve whisper to me, “let’s get you home.”

Feeling as light as a feather, I’m picked up like a sleepy child off the ground. For a moment, I fall asleep again. I rest my head on his chest and ponder the rare opportunity to sleep without being afraid of being eaten by a monster.

“Y/N?” I hear someone repeatedly call my name. “Y/N, wake up!”

I ease open my eyes and at first my vision is blurry but then they eventually adjust. Steve glances down at me as he we cross the threshold hold to the front yard.

“You smell like sunshine and all things exquisite,” I mumble to myself, adjusting myself in his arms to curl closer to his warmth.

“Even when hammered you still manage to be a walking thesaurus,” he teases.

Opps, he heard me. Oh well, I wasn’t lying. He smells like vanilla, the ocean, sugar, spice, and everything nice.

Goosebumps course over my skin as a brisk October breeze hits me. I shiver slightly and Steve holds me closer.

“We’re almost to my car. I’ll turn on the heat high. You’re okay,” he promises calmly.

Playing the hero, Steve places me into the passenger seat gently and straps me in. I toss my head to the side and rest my eyes again. He shuts the door for me before jogging to the driver’s side. The car drowns out the sound of chaos coming from the party and creates a sense of security. Steve slides behind the wheel and for some reason I choose now to act reasonable.

“Have you been drinking? If so, you shouldn’t drive,” I state like a health textbook.

He chuckles, popping in the keys. “I’m sober. Promise.”

“That’s nice. Good to know,” I yawn.

The last thing I can remember of the ride home is Steve turning on the car.

______________________________________

I wake up silently as Steve pulls up in front of my house. He’s unaware of my stare as he finishes parking and turning off the car.

“Hazel,” I tell him, announcing my woken state.

He looks to me with scrunched eyebrows, all confused. It’s cute when he does that. He’s cute. Geez, what the heck am I saying? He’s dating my best friend! Steve is Steve and Katherine, we don’t mix, at least that way.

“What?” He questions, turning to face me.

“Your eyes… they’re hazel…” I repeat softly with a yawn. “But, it really depends on the lighting.”

He snickers, and astonished expression blesses his features. The subtle blush forming on his cheeks makes me smile to see him all bashful because of my comment. He has no idea how gorgeous we truly is, inside and out. He glances down at his lap, at his hands fidgeting with a button on his jacket, then back up at me with hooded eyes.

“See, right now!” I point out, “they’re a dark brown like a burnt caramel, basically black. When you’re really focused on a task or upset about something, they go dark. Then, when you’re really happy or excited, they turn to a light hazel… like seaglass. It’s how I can tell if something’s bothering you. You don’t even have to tell me half the time. All I have to do is look into your eyes and I know,” I state a matter-of-factly with a light snicker.

I shift you see him directly and tuck a few strands of my hair away from my face. He watches my every move patiently, eagerly, for me to say something more, anything. I can’t speak for him but my heart won’t stop racing. Is it possible to have stage fright in a conversation? I feel like a mannequin, on display. Nervously, I twirl my hair at the ends and find myself unable to meet his gaze anymore.

“Your pupils are rarely small,” I add quietly. “They’re usually really big and take up most of your eye giving off the illusion they’re black. One thing that never changes is…” I make a circle with my finger in front of my eye to demonstrate, “is the gold rim around each of them.” I lower my hand into my lap and play with the end of my sweatshirt. “That’s my favorite part… ” I confess timidly.

I wouldn’t be saying these things if I were sober. I wish he would say something, anything. He must think I’m crazy. He finds me with Billy heading up stairs. I can only imagine what he must think of me now. Embarrassed beyond belief and sobering up, I excuse myself.

“Thanks for the ride,” I say as I unbuckle myself. “See you Monday!”

Swiftly, I climb out of the car. As I walk toward my front door, I curse myself for acting so stupid! Geez, what was I thinking? ‘The gold rim around each of them, that’s my favorite part!’ What kind of mushy, guhsy, marshmallow fluff is that? Ew! If he never spoke to me again I would judge that as completely reasonable! He has a girlfriend! He’s taken! Completely off limits! Why did I spew out this creepy nonsense to him like a total idiot? I’m not some lovesick teenage girl! I’m going to go to my room, put in some Guns N’ Roses, and just scream into my pillow all weekend! It sounds like an excellent plan to me because I just ruined my friendship with Steve forever! Add Nancy to that list because once he fills her in on what I said I’ll lose both of them!

“Y/N!” He calls after me.

I ignore it as I march faster toward the door. He’s only going to call me crazy because I was acting crazy!

“Y/N, wait!” He repeats as I hear him shut the car door and run toward me.

“Goodnight, Steve!” I urge him away without turning around.

His footsteps speed up until they come to a halt directly behind me. I reach for the door handle, my freedom. Desperately, he grips my forearm and steps in front of me, blocking the front door.

“Look, could you just slow down for a sec?” He yells at me as he pants to catch his breath.

“No! I can’t slow down! I just want to go inside, get in my pajamas, and forget tonight ever happened! Alright? Now, excuse me,” I gesture for him to get out of the way.

Reluctantly, paired with an overly dramatic eye roll, he steps aside. Despite wanting his to leave, I thank him quietly for cracking open the front door slowly, making sure not to wake anyone.

“Nance and I broke up…” Steve drops on me.

My heart leaps and I stop dead in my tracks. Unsure of what to do or say, I remain still in the doorway and wait for him to say more.

“She never loved me,” he explains with a heartbroken tone. “At least… I don’t think she did…”

Shit. Please don’t tell me that, Harrington. It only makes me want you more. He’s always so close but too far out of reach. I care about him more than anything but he’ll never mine. I’m just the friend.

I spin on my heels and offer him a sympathetic smile, “would you like to come in?”

He nods, clearly miserable. I step aside, allowing him in. After shutting the door behind us, I warn him to be quiet so we don’t wake my parents. He nods slowly and slips his hand into mine. Never breaking eye contact with me, he leads the way through the moonlit house toward my room. His platonic touch is so blissful, I can only imagine what it feels like otherwise.

_________________________________

Steve and I sit on my bed in our usual positions with my record player going quietly. He lounges like a patient in therapy and me, acting as his therapist, criss-cross beside him. He explains everything. He describes how drunk Nancy got and how he followed her to the bathroom. It was there they got into a fight. She admitted feeling guilty for the loss of Barb. Then, she called all of it bullshit. Us acting like carefree teenagers, never telling Barb’s parents the truth, her love for Steve, all of it is bullshit. He asked Jonathan to take her home and that’s when he stumbled upon me and Billy.

Watching Steve relive it all and hearing the pain in his voice breaks my heart. How could Nance do this to him? I get that she’s going through something, we all are. I’m by no means normal. I’m hiding everything for Pete’s sake! I haven’t been myself for over a year. Steve was just now becoming truly happy again! He was putting on a brave face for Nancy for so long! Now, she crushed it. She crushed him.

I reach and place my hand over his as they rest intertwined on his stomach. “I’m sorry. Truly, I am.”

“I really loved her. At least, I think I did. I don’t know anymore. I thought she loved me too.”

“I did too,” I tell him honestly.

He glances away from the ceiling down to me, “what can I do?”

I wish I knew the answer. I wish there was a way I could take away his pain. Yet, I have nothing. I shrug, “I’m not entirely sure. I think you should at least talk to her.

Tomorrow, of course, when she’s sobered up. Perhaps, she was just drunk and didn’t mean what she said. She wasn’t in the proper mindset.”

“So I shouldn’t take what she said to heart?”

“Well, there’s also the argument that drunk words are sober thoughts.”

“Does the same go for you?” He snickers.

I laugh, “sometimes.”

“So you don’t like the gold in my eyes? I thought it was your favorite part?” He smirks, turning to lay on his side and face me. My hand would’ve fallen off his hadn’t he flipped his over to catch it.

Ugh, he’s such a sneaky jerk! His cheeky smirk only grows with my silence. Warmth rushes to my cheeks as I bashfully hide my face.

“Yeah… about that…” I laugh nervously, “let’s just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“Should I forget that you also said I smell like sunshine and everything exquisite?” He adds to the torment.

I groan, tossing my head back. This must count as torture. “Preferably, yes,” I request shortly.

We share a laugh at my annoyed reaction. He’s impossible! Even he should be mopping he still manages to tease me!

A comfortable silence fills the air and I stare down at the pillow in my lap as I play with the lettering on it.

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