#dustin henderson x platonic!reader

[the-case-book-of-fanfiction]

The Only Tally Mark

Ship: Steve Harrington x reader

Summary: The 'You Suck' tallies are getting pretty high, but there's a girl in Scoops Ahoy who knows Robin in wrong. If she can just get the courage to open her mouth, Steve's luck is about to change.

Word Count: 7,250 words

Warnings: Robin's a bit mean, she also has no filter, pining, Steve's failed flirting attempts, blatant staring/pining, implied confession, first kiss

Note: Set pre-s4 and the day Dustin comes back, before the Russian code is cracked.

☟ Continue below the fold ☟

July had only just begun in Hawkins, and you could already tell it was going to be a hot one. Less than twenty-four hours in, temperatures had already hit record-breaking highs—at least, that was according to the weatherman on the television you were sat in front of, sweating and feeling relief from the heat only when the fan beside you swiveled back toward you.

“Every July is this hot,” your father said from the kitchen, where he was drinking his second glass of water in five minutes.

“Oh, sure, but never this early,” your mother retorted. “It’s only the first, and already we’re melting out of the house.”

Sensing an irritable argument birthed from the nearly unbearable heat, you left the living room and headed up the stairs to your bedroom. You picked up the phone you’d begged your parents to let you have years ago, dialing the number of your best friend of four years: Robin Buckley, the band dweeb to your theatre kid.

It was her mom who answered the phone, several dial tones later. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mrs. Buckley—is Robin home?”

“Oh, hi, sweetie! She’s at work right now, her shift ends at seven.”

You stopped yourself from swearing. “Oh, right, I forgot. Thank you!”

“No problem, dear,” Mrs. Buckley said before hanging up.

You leaned against the wall. How could you have forgotten? Robin had been telling you about her new job in the mall—and the sailor’s uniform she had to wear. You’d seen her get ready for work once and had burst into giggles the moment she put the hat on her head.

You glanced at the digital clock next to your bed, checking the time. There was still several hours before the mall closed. You might as well visit Robin and abuse your friendship to get some free ice cream at the same time, right?

So you grabbed your wallet and shoved it in your pocket and bounded down the stairs.

"Hey, I'm going out!" you shouted to your parents.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" your father asked, appearing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen.

"To the mall? Robin works there and I'm going to visit."

"Don't spend too much, dear!" your mother called.

"Sure, Mom!"

You hopped in your car and headed for the mall, following the thick cluster of traffic that always lined the streets leading to the mall, passing through the streets lined with empty, hollow shops.

~❊~

The mall was crowded, as busy as it had always been since the day it opened. You pushed your way through the crowds gathered around storefronts and display windows, trying to remember which floor Scoops Ahoy was on.

You took the escalator down to the first floor and scanned the shops surrounding you. When you spotted the sign for the ice cream store, you headed toward it, maneuvering past a group of pre-teens cackling about manipulating the store's workers into giving them free samples.

There was no one at the counter when you walked in. A majority of the tables were occupied by groups of teens. As you approached the register, you could hear faint bickering from behind the pebbled glass windows, Robin's distinct voice floating out to you.

"...do the job you're supposed to do, I've been scooping so much ice cream my hand's cramped," she was saying.

You stifled a giggle and tapped your hand lightly against the bell in front of you, wincing when it was a little louder than you had been expecting.

The swing door on the left opened with a bang, revealing the back of a boy who was gesturing at Robin, who was quite literally pushing him out the door. She disappeared before you could catch her attention, and the other attendant took up his place in front of the register.

"Ahoy, sailor! Would you like to set sail on this ocean of flavor with me? I'll be your captain, I'm Steve Harrington."

You blinked at him. "Is that company policy like the hat and the outfit?"

He stared at you. "I'm sorry, what?"

You shrugged. "I'm a friend of Robin's, she complains about the, and I quote, stupid company rules that make everyone look stupid."

He stared at you. You stared at him. Awkward silence settled between the two of you.

The introduction hadn't been necessary. You had spent most of your high school experience listening to Robin complain about Steve Harrington and his stupid perfect hair and his stupid easy charm and his stupid actual stupidity. The Steve she'd painted matched up perfectly with the kid you'd seen around in the halls, dressed in his ironed polo shirts and pleated khakis or that stupid basketball uniform and letterman jacket—and Nancy Wheeler on his arm.

You and Robin had watched his life crash and burn with malicious glee—and all the while you had tried to ignore that this was the very same boy you'd crushed on in middle school, and had been so shocked to find out had changed so much when you got to the high school, a year after he did.

Steve cleared his throat, his gaze dropping to the register, firmly away from you. "Um. What can I get you?"

"Uh..." Every ice cream flavor you had ever liked instantly disappeared from your head. It wasn't like the usual mind-blankness that came from being asked a question about your favorite anything. It was like your entire body had stopped, freezing in the pretty face of Steve Harrington, ridiculous as the uniform was. Especially with the hat, which Robin hadn't told you about.

The door swung open again. "Jesus, Steve, what's taking you so damn long?" Robin froze where she stood. A smile lit up her face. "What are you doing here?!"

You grinned. "Visiting!"

Robin hip-checked Steve out of the way. Steve glared at her while she grabbed the ice cream scoop from the pocket at his side.

"Jesus, do you have to be so brutal?" he snapped.

Clearly fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Robin turned back to Steve. "I'm sorry, would you please get out of the way so I can serve my best friend? Thanks," she said, her customer service smile plastered to her face.

Muttering under his breath, Steve pushed away from the counter, leaning on the sill of the window behind him. He crossed his arms, still staring resolutely at the floor.

Robin grinned at you. "I wasn't expecting you to—"

"Be here?" you finished. "I called your house before I realized you were working, so I thought I might as well come visit."

"Glad you did," she said. "You would not believe how much of a headache it is working with dingus over there."

You glanced over her shoulder at Steve, his pink lips forming a pissy pout. Oh, yeah. Still pretty, still a bitch.

"You didn't tell me you worked with him," you said under your breath.

Robin shrugged, shooting you a knowing smile. "Yeah, well, I knew you'd show up and find out for yourself eventually." Her eyes slid to the corners, as if she could see Steve sulking behind her. "We'll talk about him later. What ice cream do you want? On us."

You giggled. "How did I know you'd say that?"

She snorted. "Oh, so you're abusing our friendship for free ice cream?"

"Maybe," you said. "Just this once."

Robin rolled her eyes and grabbed an ice cream cone. "Here—I'll grab your favorite."

And, without you needing to remind her, she lowered the scoop into the tub of ice cream that you got every time the two of you had gotten ice cream after going to see a movie, back before the mall. You wondered how you could have forgotten, until you looked over Robin's shoulder again and found Steve looking up, lips parted and eyes fixed on you. The minute you caught his gaze, he blushed and looked away.

You took advantage of his embarrassment, admiring the pink in his cheeks and how he awkwardly licked his lips. He toyed with the watch on his wrist, crossed and uncrossed his legs. Was he nervous? An even better question—had you ever seen Steve Harrington nervous before?

While you studied Steve, Robin made a second cone of ice cream, a different flavor than yours.

Robin looked behind her. "Hey—man the counter, will you? I'm going on break."

Steve spluttered. "You just came back from break!"

"No, we just finished our lunch break. I still have my federally-required thirty minutes to take. So I'm gonna take 'em." She shoved the scoop at Steve's chest and stepped out from behind the counter.

The pair of you took an unoccupied table near the counter, in case she was needed.

"Should you be leaving him to do it by himself?" you asked, glancing back at Steve one last time.

"What, are you worried about him? He'll be fine," Robin said. She shrugged with a sigh. "He's...he's not as bad as we thought he was in high school. He's less of a douche now, at least."

"Just a dingus?" you asked with a smile.

She nodded. "He's still as stupid as we always thought."

You turned your attention away from Steve at toward your ice cream. "Why didn't you tell me he worked with you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Let's not have that conversation while he's here, okay? For your dignity's sake. I know he's far away, but he's got impressive hearing." She shrugged. "Blame it on four years of listening for gossip, I guess."

Your gaze shifted back to Steve as he raked a hand through his hair, stretching enough for his shirt to lift. Heat rushed to your cheeks and you crossed your legs. Now that he wasn't surrounded by assholes who mocked you and Robin and your friends for their own personal entertainment, it was easier to appreciate how he'd grown into himself since middle school. Taking care of himself had made him a whole new level of handsome.

Robin giggled. "Yeah—that's why we're not gonna talk about this while he's around. You still have a thing for him, don't you?"

Steve relaxed against the countertop, fixing his hair and putting the hat back on with a scowl. You cleared your throat.

"I was hoping you'd forgotten about that."

"Me? Forget about you having the most embarrassing crush on him for years? Only to get to high school and find out he'd become a dick? Never."

You groaned. "Oh, stop rubbing it in!"

A gaggle of girls walked into the store, four of them giggling and talking and rolling their eyes. Immediately, Steve stood up a little straighter and fiddled with his uniform.

Robin snorted. "Oh, watch this. He's been failing catastrophically with every girl that walks in. I keep count."

"You keep count?"

She nodded gleeful, pointing with her chin in the direction of the counter.

"Ahoy, ladies!" Steve said, leaning on the counter. His attempt to be attractive failed dismally, however, when his hand slipped off the side and he lost both his balance and his composure for a moment.

One of the girls giggled with her friend. Steve's cheeks darkened.

"I'm Steve Harrington, I'll be your captain on this ocean of flavor. What can I get you lovely ladies today?"

You glanced at Robin. "I don't see what he's doing wrong."

"That's because this is scripted," Robin whispered back.

The first girl stepped forward. "One scoop of chocolate and one of vanilla, please."

Steve tried a debonaire smile. "Oooh, classic, I like it. I'm all for vanilla myself, you know, all the time."

You winced. "Was...was that supposed to be a double entendre?"

"Yep," Robin said, popping the p with a smirk.

"I see what you mean now," you said. The girl was making a face that said she caught Steve's drift and found it rude. Steve cleared his throat and moved on, scooping ice cream into a cone and handing it to her with a mortified whisper of "here you go." His gaze flicked over to you and Robin, at which point his mortification seemed to grow.

You watched the exchange grow steadily worse. Steve stumbled over his words and tripped over his feet and dropped an empty cone twice. Customers who had already gotten ice cream became onlookers who left, one by one, as the secondhand embarrassment grew.

"God, he's hopeless," you whispered. "Whatever happened to the Steve in high school?"

"You mean the one with a new girl on his arm every week? I'd say that stopping can be blamed on one Nancy Wheeler," Robin said.

You rolled your eyes. "While they were dating, obviously. But now? One relationship shouldn't make him incapable of flirting with a girl."

Robin watched the girls leave, snickering behind their hands. A moment later, Steve groaned, wiping a hand over his face. "You know what I think his problem is?"

"What?"

"He's trying to flirt all of them into submission, not just one girl he likes out of the group."

You nodded slowly. "Sounds about right. I mean...if he flirted with me one minute and then you the next, I don't think I'd want to jump his bones, exactly."

Robin rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? You've always wanted to jump his bones."

"That was middle school, and that was before any of us gave a shit about sex."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Robin teased. "I saw how you looked at him during gym class."

You shrugged, trying to hide your face behind your hair. Robin knew your expressions better than anyone; your embarrassment was going to be obvious the minute she caught sight of you. "It's gym class! Guys don't wear shirts ninety percent of the time, they practically invite girls to stare." Your gaze slid back to Steve, who was once again staring at the floor. His cheeks were still red, and that pretty mouth of his had once again formed a pout. "Jesus, I don't think I've ever seen him so...despondent."

"He's like that at least five times a shift," Robin said. She played with a small red plastic spoon she had pulled from her pocket. "You know... You could come work here with us. Then you'd get to see Steve every day."

"Robin, you're constantly complaining about how much you hate working your, and I quote, pitiful minimum wage job."

"Yeah, but you like Steve, and eye candy makes the day go by faster."

You swatted her arm discreetly. "Don't objectify him!"

She rolled her eyes. "Hey, Steve!"

Steve looked up so quickly you swore you heard his neck crack, even with some distance between your table and the counter. "What?"

"Come convince her to work with us!"

You glared at her. "Robin, I already have a summer job!" you protested, trying to stop your heart from racing as Steve approached the two of you. You looked anywhere but him, knowing a soft smile and a well-timed flutter of his eyelashes was all it would take for Steve to convince you to do anything he asked.

Steve pulled a chair from the other table for two next to you, spinning it unnecessarily in his hand and dragging it to the edge of your table. He straddled it, leaning his arms against the backrest. Your heart climbed into your throat.

Steve's eyes met yours and every thought melted from your brain. Brown had never been such a pretty color. Although his eyes weren't just brown, they were hazel, mottled with soft greens and blues and greys. You'd never seen such beautiful eyes before, so expressive and kind and interested and attentive and—

"Tell her why she should come work with us," Robin said, breaking your focus on Steve's eyes.

You rolled your eyes. "Robin, I already have a job," you repeated. "A job I like that pays well that I can work at year-round."

Steve snorted, shaking his head absentmindedly. "Then don't come here, that's for sure. The pay is shit, the job is just as bad, and nobody likes ice cream in the winter."

Robin glared at him. "What part of convincing her do you not understand?"

Steve shrugged, ignoring her. "But, then again, you'd get to work with Robin and you might alleviate my boredom from dealing with her all the time." He jerked his head toward Robin. "You wouldn't believe how mean to me she is."

You stifled a giggle as Robin huffed. An easy grin reminiscent of the king he once as slid across Steve's face. You felt slightly giddy, knowing you had been the one to put it there.

More people walked into the store and Robin shot to her feet. "Come on, dingus. We have a job to do." She dragged him to his feet, ignoring his hiss of complaint. He shot you an apologetic shrug as she pulled him behind the register again.

While the two of them got back to work, you sat back in your booth table and finished your ice cream. Once you were done, you discreetly snuck out of the store, leaving a note for Robin at the counter promising to call her after her shift.

As you wrote the note and taped it to the register, you failed to notice Steve pause where he was scooping ice cream to watch you, or that his gaze stayed on you until you left the store and Robin had to snap him out of his reverie.

~❊~

Though it seemed utterly impossible, the next day was even hotter than the last. You lasted all of two hours at the community pool before you got tired of the screaming children and moms flirting with Billy Hargrove and you went home.

You changed out of your bathing suit, dressing more consciously than you had since the eighth grade semi-formal. You selected your jewelry carefully before hopping in your car and heading to the mall for a second time that week.

Scoops Ahoy was significantly less busy when you walked in. Robin looked half-asleep where she stood at the counter, but she brightened when you walked in.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" she asked, leaning on the counter with a grin.

You shrugged. "It's hot, ice cream is a solution."

She studied you for a moment. "The pool didn't solve that?"

You scoffed. "Hell no. It's full of tiny children and middle-aged moms and girls who only go so they can take up space and stare at Billy."

"And there's no Steve there, is there?" Robin teased.

You rolled your eyes. "No," you admitted. "Or you."

Robin scooped your ice cream and passed it to you over the countertop. "He'll be back soon, his break ends in a minute. He went to go grab us food."

"He what?"

Robin shrugged. "Yeah, he does that a lot. I hate to say it, but he's actually a nice guy. I think we might have been wrong about him."

You grinned. "So I was right back in middle school! I told you."

Robin rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you did." She cleared her throat. "Behind you."

You heard Steve's footsteps approaching a split second before he said, "Hey, you're back! Applying?"

Turning to face him, you snorted. "Absolutely not. I'm here for ice cream and ice cream alone."

Steve frowned. "What are we, chopped liver?" he asked, gesturing between himself and Robin.

"I'm surprised you know that phrase," Robin said.

Steve made a face. "I do know some things, Robin." He turned back to you. "I told you she's mean to me."

You laughed. "She's mean to everyone sometimes, it's nothing personal."

"Yes it is, dingus," Robin said, and you remembered she had plenty of reasons aside from Steve's years mocking her and her friends to be angry with him.

You just shrugged at him when Steve looked at you for guidance. He copied your shrug and passed Robin a plastic bag that smelled heavenly.

"If I'd known you were coming to visit, I would have gotten you something," Steve said apologetically.

"Oh, it's fine," you promised. "I've got ice cream." He smiled at you, his laughter shining through. "Honestly, I'm surprised you two don't exist off of ice cream."

"We used to," Robin said.

Steve nodded. "It got pretty tiring after a week. It's like when they told us in health class that energy from sugar doesn't last very long. Or something like that."

Robin squinted at him. "You can't remember enough of high school to get to college, but you can remember health class?"

"I remembered enough to graduate," Steve mumbled, cheeks turning pink once again. You were starting to get used to Steve's embarrassment. It was as cute as he always was.

"Stay and eat with us," Robin said, turning back to you. "I'll split my fries with you. You did remember the fries, didn't you, dingus?"

"Of course I remembered the fries," Steve snorted. He dropped the Closed for lunch! sign on the counter and held the swinging door open for you. You thanked him as you walked by, aware of his eyes following you.

You sat in the seat Robin pulled out for you and finished your ice cream before stealing some of the previously offered fries.

"I think we're closing early, Robin," Steve said, glancing out the cracked window. "We've had, what, three people all day?"

"Four if you count the Radio Shack employee across the way," Robin said. "But I don't, because they get it for free."

You frowned. "Do I not count as a customer because you give me ice cream for free?"

Steve shook his head a bit too quickly. "No, you count, Robin just doesn't like the Radio Shack employees."

"Because they're rude," she complained. "They complain about everything and change their minds three times—but always after you've already started scooping, and even when you're done, they don't like it!"

"Sounds like a regular day in customer service," you said, feigning cheerfulness.

"Yeah, a shitty day," Robin said.

"Where do you work?" Steve asked. "I don't think I've ever asked."

"The record store down on Main," you said.

"You know, the one I said I had been planning on working at," Robin said. "But Scoops hired faster."

"Maybe we should switch jobs," Steve muttered.

Robin snorted. "Yeah, like that'll go over well."

"The store won't hire more people, anyway," you cut in. "It got rid of most of the staff, especially the new people, to cut costs because of the mall."

"Is there a record store in here?" Steve asked.

"No, but there is a Sam Goody and a Camelot Music in the mall. We used to have a partnership with the Sam Goody on Main, but then it closed due to the mall, and we started losing business to the one in the mall." You sighed. "I hear about it all the time. It's all the owner ever talks about these days."

Steve munched on a fry, staring at you as you spoke. His eyes were stuck firmly on you. You tried not to squirm under his intense gaze.

Robin leaned back in her chair. "One of these days, I'm gonna visit you at work instead."

You rolled your eyes. "If you ever have a day off," you said.

"Kinda hard to have a day off when we're the only two working here," Steve said.

You nodded. "The constant problem of being short staffed."

"That would be solved if you just came and worked here," Robin muttered into her wrap. You rolled your eyes again, stealing another one of her fries.

"No, Robin."

Robin harrumphed and took a bite of her sandwich more viciously than twas strictly required.

Steve faked a pout. "You just really don't like us, do you?"

"She doesn't," Robin agreed, smirking. You knew that smirk; she was going to do her best to guilt trip you—using Steve, which was perhaps the only way to guilt you into doing what she wanted.

You rolled your eyes. "It's got nothing to do with you, I promise."

"Ouch," they said in unison.

You frowned. "What are you, the same person?"

They both shrugged.

"Alright, that's just weird," you sighed. You glanced down at your watch. "How long does your lunch break last?"

"Thirty minutes. Why?" Steve asked.

You shrugged. "Wouldn't want you to get fired because I'm here distracting you."

Steve propped his head up on his hand. Stray curls of hair fell into his face. Your heart twisted in your chest. He was beautiful. How could he be so beautiful?

Robin watched as you and Steve stared at each other. You were aware of her gaze bouncing back and forth between the two of you, observing the way you were melting under his gaze, your lips parting the longer he looked at you, the barriers you'd put up slowly crumbling. Steve was no better, staring at you with open, asking eyes. He moistened his lower lip with his tongue and it took everything in you not to whimper.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the look on Robin's face—the look of disgust that crossed her face every time she was disgusted by public affection from straight couples. Your heart did flips at the sight of her expression.

"Would you guys stop that?" she groaned, getting up from her seat.

"Doing what?" Steve asked, still looking at you. You tore your eyes away from him and back to the half-empty container of fries.

"Making eyes at each other," she said. Steve spluttered, instantly losing the lovey look in his eyes.

"Making eyes— Robin, what are you talking about?"

You cleared your throat. "Hey, um, what's the board for?" You hoped your question would steer the conversation away from the feeling bubbling in your chest at the sight of Steve.

Steve groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

"I told you I was keeping score of Steve's failing dating life. This is my scoreboard."

You nearly choked. "You keep track of it on a whiteboard at work?!" You looked at the neatly drawn board, the 'You Rule' and 'You Suck' columns divided by a line.

"Actually, I have to put the one from yesterday on here."

Steve groaned again, cheeks burning very red. He looked like he wanted to crawl under the table and stay there.

You watched her add a line. "Robin..."

"She's right, I suck," Steve sighed. "My luck's been pretty shit recently."

"You don't suck, she's just being mean," you said. You sent her a look, shaking your head slightly. She just shrugged.

"You don't have to be nice about it," he said. "I know how bad I am at this. I haven't gotten laid in months."

"Okay, too much information, Steve," you said with a little laugh.

"Oh, so this suddenly isn't a safe place to talk about all our life troubles?" he teased.

You laughed fully. He smiled, and the room seemed to light up with the glow emanating from him.

"Get a room," Robin groaned.

Steve turned around. "I'm not flirting, Robin!"

"Yeah, right," Robin smirked. "It's just working this time."

You coughed. "I, um, I have to go."

They both turned back to you, as if they'd forgotten that you were even there.

"Shit, hang on," Steve started, but Robin cut him off.

"No, wait, I didn't mean it like that—" Robin said, realizing she'd practically told Steve you liked him.

"Yeah, right, I know, I just have, uh..." You fumbled for an excuse for a minute. "I have to go drive a friend home! I'll call you later, Robs!" You rushed out the swinging door just as the bell at the counter rang.

Steve pushed his hands through his hair. "Shit."

"Oh, no," Robin whispered. "Steve, ignore that, ignore all of that, I screwed up, I shouldn't have said anything, she's going to be so pissed. It's just that she's liked you since middle school and it's gotten worse now that you're not a douchebag—" Robin clapped a hand over her mouth.

"I won't tell her you said that," Steve said quietly. "Oh, Jesus, Robin..."

"I'm sorry—"

"Stop apologizing to me," Steve said. "If you hadn't said anything, I never would have realized."

Robin made a face. "See, that's why you suck, not because you're bad at flirting with girls. You've just been flirting with the wrong ones, because you're oblivious of the ones that actually like you."

Steve was quiet for a moment. "Yeah. Thanks for pointing that out." He peered out the window, watching you leave the mall, wiping at your eyes and pushing your hair out of your eyes.

Simultaneously, Steve and Robin whispered, "Shit."

At the counter, Erica Sinclair tapped the bell again. "Hello? I want some samples!"

They shouted, "Shut up!"

Steve slammed the glass doors shut.

~❊~

Steve unlocked his front door, stepped inside his house, and put his back to the closed door. He slid down the door with a heavy sigh.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered under his breath. All he had been able to see since you left Scoops was your stricken face, horrified and embarrassed that Robin had spilled your biggest secret. (Which Robin had told him after, in bits and pieces, while they closed up the store.)

Steve couldn't believe it. How had he never noticed? Granted, he hadn't been the most observant for, well, the majority of his life. And his middle school years had been fairly dull, unmemorable. But wouldn't have noticed if you—you, out of everyone in Hawkins Middle—had been crushing on him?

To his utter shame, the most Steve remembered of you in middle school was how you had been a good friend to him, long before any of his high school friends knew who he was, and that he'd ditched you once he got to high school. You'd helped him study a few times, too. He wasn't sure what year it was, but he knew you'd helped him pass both English and History in the same year.

He'd shared a handful of classes with you, too, when classes had been so small they'd mixed grades. Sixth grade science, when the two of you had worked on a minor chemical project together. In seventh grade, you'd had two classes together. Gym, which had been downright brutal so early in the morning, especially when the teachers split up the teams as boys against girls. He remembered you had gotten nailed in the head with a basketball once, and that he'd been asked by your teacher to take you to the nurse. Then there had been math class, where he'd sat behind you, asking you questions and begging you to explain the concepts he didn't understand—even though you didn't understand it much more than he did. Eighth grade history, where Steve had done a presentation on his grandfather's experience in the World War, and you had been the only to actually raise your hand to ask a question.

Steve got up from the door and went up to his bathroom, stripping out of his uniform to take a shower. While the water soaked his hair and skin, warming him up, Steve's mind turned back to you—not that it had ever really left you.

You had been his first crush. Well, his first real crush. You'd been pretty, even when you were young and curious and a year younger than he was. Most of his friends had said that the younger girls were cute, but embarrassing to like. So Steve hid that he liked you. It wasn't until Nancy in high school, when it became cool, that he dated anyone younger than himself.

He wished he'd said something to you then. Would it have saved him a world of hurt? Or would it just have been an even worse broken heart waiting for him?

Steve recalled the way you had looked at him earlier, your eyes practically sparkling and your lips stretching into a gorgeous, content smile. It had stopped his heart to know that he was the reason you looked so happy, that he had brought that smile to your lips and that he had made those smile lines around your eyes appear and that he had been the reason your pupils were blown wide.

Steve shut off the shower and pulled on a new pair of boxers, flopping onto his bed with a content sigh, which matched the happy smile on his face.

You liked him.

Feeling like a teenage girl, Steve rolled until he could hide an excited squeal in his pillow.

You liked him again.

Steve was certain that's what made him so giddy. You'd liked him before he'd become King Steve, before the popularity made him interesting—and you liked him again, now that he'd changed and learned and grown up. Now that he'd learned to be himself without a care in the world for anyone else's opinion.

It was like redemption, but it felt so much better than that.

A sudden feeling overwhelmed Steve.

The next time he saw you, he needed to tell you how he felt about you. He needed to make it clear that Robin's slip-up had not ruined the slow banter, the friendship the two of you had been dancing around.

Resolved, his thoughts stopped spinning. He turned off the lamp on his nightstand and shut his eyes.

Please come back tomorrow, he thought, before falling into a gentle sleep, full of dreams of romanticized meetings, confessions, and kisses.

~❊~

You avoided Scoops for several days, choosing to tough out the warm weather in the overcrowded community pool until your mortification subsided. Robin had called repeatedly to assure you Steve wasn't weirded out or annoyed or embarrassed by your crush on him. In fact, she almost made it sound as if he was pleased by it.

But you still couldn't make yourself go to Scoops Ahoy. Even the mental image of walking in and seeing Steve's face twist with some kind of disgust made your stomach twist.

But a girl could only take so much of Billy Hargrove. So, after nearly a week, you drove to the mall instead of the pool. It still took you nearly ten minutes to force yourself out of your car.

You had thought seeing Steve and Robin in their sailor uniforms had been strange, but there was a far stranger sight directly ahead of you: Robin at the counter, staring in absolute confusion, and Steve jumping with joy at the sight of the small child in the front of the store.

"Henderson!" Steve's smile was huge. The sight made you smile, albeit a bit more confused. "Henderson! He's back, he's back!"

"I'm back! You got the job!"

"I got the job!"

And then, just when you thought this strange scene could not get any weirder, Steve mimed playing a trumpet and both he and the child did a strange miming handshake, giggling all the while.

Robin leaned forward. "How many children are you friends with?"

Steve's overjoyed smile slipped from his face. He gestured to Robin with a strained look on his face, as if he were signaling See what I have to deal with?

"You mean there's more children?" you asked, walking up to them with a shy smile, almost embarrassed to make your return. Your stomach dipped as Steve turned to you, but his smile was back.

"Hey, you're back!" Steve said. "I thought we'd never see you again!"

You shrugged. "Yeah, well, I got tired of Billy flirting with me."

"Max's brother?" the child asked.

You stared at him. "I don't know who that is. Or who you are, actually."

"Oh, I'm—"

"This is Dustin," Steve interrupted. "Dustin Henderson. He's, uh, he's one of my friends." He went behind the counter and started making an ice cream sundae.

You gave Dustin your name and offered him your hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"How do you know Steve?" Dustin asked.

At the same time, both you and Steve pointed to Robin. She waggled her fingers at him.

"I'm going on break," Steve said, handing the sundae to Dustin. "Your turn to man the counter. Come on, Dustin, my treat!"

The two of them slipped into a booth. You leaned against the countertop with a heavy sigh.

"There's like...five or six of them," Robin said. "Kids, I mean. That he's friends with."

"Jesus," you muttered. "How old are these kids?"

"Like...thirteen, maybe?"

"Oh, boy."

Robin giggled. "Looks like you gotta share your man with children now."

You choked. "He's— He's not my man, Robin!" you hissed, your entire body burning. You glanced at Steve, but he was too engrossed in whatever story Dustin was telling him.

"But that's why you're here, isn't it?" Robin asked. "You came back because you're ready to talk to him again, knowing that you like him and he likes you."

You glanced over at Steve. While you observed him, Robin slipped out from behind the counter, quietly humming to herself as she worked.

"Yeah, I mean, sure," he was saying to Dustin. "It's not really a good idea for me though, gotta keep in shape for the ladies." Was it just your imagination, or did his eye stray over toward you?

"Yeah, and how's that working out for you?" Robin teased.

"Ignore her," Steve said quickly.

"She seems cool," Dustin said.

"She's not," Steve said, even quicker. "But, uh, the girl you just met? She's cool. She's really cool." A smile tugged at your lips. You pushed it away as you looked down at the floor, completely missing Steve's lovestruck glance toward you.

Dustin, however, missed nothing, and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really, Steve?"

Steve cleared his throat. "Anyway. So, uh, where are the other knuckleheads?"

"They ditched me yesterday," Dustin said.

"No," Steve said, his face falling. Your heart squeezed at the sight of his empathy. The Steve from high school never would have cared about a kid whose friends had abandoned him, but this Steve did.

"My first day back! Can you believe that shit?"

"Whoa, seriously?!" Steve demanded, incredulous. Your heart warmed once again.

You turned back to Robin. "In answer to your earlier question," you said under your breath, "yes, that is exactly what I'm here to do."

She giggled. "I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" She paused. "Was Billy Hargrove really flirting with you?"

You nodded. "I guess he doesn't really care about high school social status, as long as he gets laid." You shuddered. "I've never felt more objectified in my life, and I pranced around on stage in fishnets and a bodysuit in front of the entire school last year during Chicago!"

"I'm still convinced that was our best show," Robin said.

"I'd like to know how we got the rights to it," you snorted.

"I'd like to know how we convinced Principal Higgins to let us perform it."

You snorted. "Yeah. Has anybody heard anything about next year's shows?"

"Nothing yet," Robin said.

You harrumphed, your gaze sliding back to Steve and Dustin and found them talking in hushed tones. Steve's face was fixed into an expression of embarrassed confusion.

"Oh, got customers, hang on," Robin said, and served them while you moved off to the side, watching Dustin speak behind his hand. Steve just blinked at him and told him to speak up.

"I intercepted a secret Russian communication!" Dustin said, far too loudly.

The entire store went quiet. You and Robin exchanged a glance.

"Jesus, shhhh!" Steve hissed. "Yeah, okay, that's what I thought you said."

Business as normal resumed and Robin's customers headed for their own table.

You cleared your throat. "Well, I guess I should head out—"

"No, no, no, wait! What about Steve?"

"He's busy, Robs," you said, gesturing to him. Your stomach did flips at the cute, teasing little expression on his pretty face as you caught him saying American heroes. You weren't sure you wanted to know what mischief they were getting into. "I'll just...come back tomorrow."

Robin sighed. "Fine. As long as you let me play matchmaker!"

You rolled your eyes. "You've been doing that for the past, what, four years?"

"Yeah, but this time I might actually be successful!"

You shook your head with a smile. "Catch you later, Robin. Bye, Steve!" you added as you walked past.

Steve's head snapped up. He scrambled up from his seat at the booth. "Hey, wait, wait, where are you going?" He caught your arm and your eyes darted to his fingers on you. Every possible excuse was wiped from your head. "I thought you were gonna stay and...hang out for a little while."

You smiled apologetically. "Yeah, I was going to, but your friend just came back, so I figured I'd just come back another time. So you don't have to...divide your already divided attention, y'know?" You gestured back to the counter.

Though there was understanding in Steve's eyes, he still looked disappointed. "Oh...um... Would you—" He cleared his throat, his cheeks gaining a deep pink shade. "Would you maybe wanna hang out together—" He stopped again. "Would you wanna go on a date? With me? Sometime?"

You couldn't stop the smile that stretched across your face. "When?"

"Oh, you know, whenever you want? If you want to, I mean."

You stopped his rambling with a finger against his lips. His eyes widened. "I want to, Steve. I really, really want to. I always have."

He beamed. "Really?"

"Really," you promised. You patted his chest. "Even in this stupid little uniform."

He laughed. "What do you say to...two days from now? Meet me here at the end of my shift so Robin can make fun of us like always—" You laughed with him. "—and then we can go see a movie?" His thumb caressed the skin of your arm. That single touch alone sent butterflies through your stomach, not to mention the beautiful, sappy look in his eyes.

"I'd like that," you said. "I'd like that a lot."

"And, um, if you'd like, there's a little dinner about ten minutes from here with awesome milkshakes we could go to after."

You beamed. "Oh, Steve."

"Yeah?"

"You're absolutely perfect," you said to him, cupping his cheek and smoothing your fingers over his skin. He hummed happily. "Steve?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I... Do you... Can we kiss? I know it's soon, it's just... I've wanted this for a long time."

Steve beamed. He leaned in, cupping the back of your head and pulling you into him. His lips touched yours, and you swore your body crackled with electricity. A feeling similar to pins and needles, but far more pleasant, spread throughout you.

He made to pull away. You brought both your hands to his cheeks and held him to you, kissing him for all you were worth.

In the booth, Dustin's mouth dropped open. A grin spread across his face.

At the counter, Robin, who couldn't see the kiss but saw your hands slide into Steve's hair, pulled out her whiteboard and added a singular tally into the 'You Rule' column.

She glanced back at you and Steve. Steve had broken the kiss to tug you close to him, hugging you to his chest. You twisted your hand into his hair, smiling over his shoulder, your eyes closed against the rest of the world.

Robin grinned; she guessed the 'You Suck' tallies didn't matter anymore. Steve had found the one his charm worked on.

☞ ❊ ☜

Stranger Things // Steve Harrington

part 2 coming soon!

Taglist: {comment and let me know if you'd like to be added to the S.H. taglist!} @ohatropa@nix-rose@live-the-fangirl-life

[skyfallslayer]

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Masterlist

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

Main Masterlist || OC Fan Art || Spotify Playlist

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

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

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Warnings: At the beginning of each chapter.

🎲Word Count: 100,346 (So far)

🎲Start Date: 3/6/24

🎲 End Date: N/A

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

|| INDEX ||

Season One:

Prologue: The Pinky Promise

Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers & Stephanie Henderson

Chapter 2: The Weirdo On Maple Street

Chapter 3: Holly, Jolly Shotgun

Chapter 4: The Bodies

Chapter 5: The Flea & The Acrobat - Part 2

Chapter 6: The Monster

Chapter 7: The Bathtub & The Sacrifice

Chapter 8: The Upside Down

Epilogue 1: The Ending...?

Season Two:

Chapter 9: MADMAX

Chapter 10: Trick or Treat, Freaks

Chapter 11: The Pollywog

Chapter 12: Will the Wise; Steph the Courageous

Chapter 13: Dig Dug

Chapter 14: The Spy & The Spied

Chapter 15: The King & Queen

Chapter 16: The Mind Flayer's Helper

Chapter 17: The Gate Escape

Epilogue 2: The Do-Over

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

@emsownuniverse @unspecifiedvisitor @smaryamsstuff @kitty49646 @jinxeee @bookkeeperlove @prozacgooble @goth-baby98 @aainr @luca-random-stuff @catradorapotter @bailees-post @dearabby1990 @savage-aespa @aainr @madaboutjoe

[sheisjoeschateau]

“Oh, so do WE love Steve…” | Part VIII

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ SERIES MASTERLIST ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Steve Harrington x Bauman!fem!reader enemies to lovers, heavy angst, hurt/comfort, upside down mayhem, S2-S4, post S4 universe hot-take, end-of-the-world / dystopian setting, ugly fights turned smut (...but with hella plot). 18+

CHAPTER VII WARNINGS/NOTES: t.w.'s - strong language, more angst, mentions of death, injuries, Max in a coma, fearful tears, shared sadness, end-of-the-world terror talk, tough conversations and brutal honesty, jealousy and regrets. 18+

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not a super action packed chapter, but we unpack a lot in this one. Sh*t gets addressed that needs to be addressed. Dr. Owens delivers some hard news. Robin to the rescue, big time, for her platonic soulmate with a capital P. Platonic Stobin in full swing. Eddie still has no chill, but is the zany friend that everyone needed. Eddie & Robin bonding. Argyle becomes a therapist. Nancy faces some hard truth. Jonathan faces harder truth. Jopper being the ever-observant grandparents. Murray being Murray. Steve and Bauman Squared are more in love than ever. And the kids? Little legends.

ANOTHER LONG ONE. AGAIN: PROOFREAD UNTIL MY EYES BLED. IF THERE ARE STILL TYPOS, SORRY BOUT IT. 18+

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

“Dislocated the shoulder, but no break.  Popping it back into place isn’t going to be a picnic, but it’s way better than a break.  So we’re off to a great start.  Let’s take a look at your ribs now…”

Dr. Owens had you seated on the edge of the bed in Joyce and Hopper’s room downstairs.  Murray, Steve and Robin all stood nearby, alongside them.  They all watched anxiously.

Argyle and Eddie were on kid/teen duty.  They made sure to keep them out of the room, which they managed to convince them of by going upstairs to sit with Max and read to her out loud. 

You hissed as Dr. Owens made contact with your ribcage, and he frowned.  “Possible fracture there.  Good news is, if they were broken, you’d be on the ground in pure misery.  They might even just be really badly bruised.”

You sighed.  “I’m good with that.

Murray felt both relieved and frustrated at the same time.  God, he hated doctors.  Especially ones who served as double agents for the government.  But Dr. Owen’s had more than proven himself to be trustworthy, so your uncle was putting up with him.  For your sake, especially.  You were basically the only kid he was ever gonna have.

“Best bet is to rest, ice them regularly and let them heal for about six weeks.”

You frowned.  “Not so good with that.”

“Welp, you’re gonna have to be,” your uncle told you.  Steve and Hopper nodded.  You huffed, and Steve was selfishly grateful to know that you would have no choice but to stay home and out of danger. 

“Alright, let’s check that heartbeat, shall we?” Dr. Owens asked with a smile.  He took out his stethoscope, placing the instrument inside of his ears and blowing hot air onto the cold circle that would be placed over your heart.  You brought the collar of your shirt down so that he could place it on your chest, and he listened closely while you waited. 

Dr. Owens' smile slowly faded, and a prominent crease began to form between his brows.  Robin clocked it, along with Steve.  Hopper tried not to react, but Joyce’s fidgeting definitely gave it away.

“W-what’s wrong?” Joyce asked, unable to help herself.

Dr. Owens just held up a finger, politely gesturing for them to wait.  You furrowed your brow, suddenly aware of the fact that something seemed to be the matter.

Steve swallowed, unblinking.  What now…

Murray was not happy at the tension in the air, looking over at Joyce anxiously. 

Dr. Owens eventually cleared his throat, pulling the stethoscope out of his ears with a deep inhale.  He looks at you kindly, eyes solemn.  You stare back, questioning. 

“Well, umm…it’s normal.  Not surprising, given the electric shock, but uh…your heartbeat’s not at its normal steady rhythm.”

Robin heard Steve suck in a breath, placing a hand on his forearm as they all looked at Dr. Owens. 

“Cardiac arrhythmias is normal in these cases,” he tells you. “A heart arrhythmia occurs when the electrical signals that tell the heart to beat don't work properly. The heart may beat too fast or too slow. Or the pattern of the heartbeat may be inconsistent.  A heart arrhythmia may feel like a fluttering, pounding or racing heartbeat. Some heart arrhythmias cases are harmless.  Most, in fact.”

“Well, what about this one?” your uncle asked, voice grave. 

Dr. Owens sighed.  “Too soon to tell,” he said apologetically.  “But it’s important that it remains monitored.”

“What do we do.” …Steve’s question sounded more like a statement, laced with worry and dangerously voice low. 

Dr. Owens looked at him sympathetically.  “I can get a prescription that will help.  An antiarrhythmic medication.  No surgery is needed unless it’s severe.  It might not be.”

“How can you tell?” Joyce asked, worriedly.  “I mean – what are the signs that we need to look for?”

“Fainting, chest pain, dizziness.”  Then, to you, “If you feel like the heart is fluttering, or leaping inside of your chest, definitely make note of it.  Scale it, 1-10, how bad it is.  Be honest with yourself.  Don’t tell yourself you’re more fine than not, and vice-versa.  Don’t let it panic you, but just…stay alert.”

Steve wanted to pull every single one of his perfect hairs out.  How the hell was that supposed to help?  What happens if you wound up passed out on the floor, dead before they would get you proper help?

“Yeah, but what if — w-what if —”

That's all that Steve could mutter.  Robin squeezed his forearm tighter, masking her own fear as she gnawed at her bottom lip relentlessly.  Murray stared at Dr. Owens, visibly upset.  Hopper looked pale, along with Joyce.

“How fast can you get us that medication?” Hopper asked, like a protective papa.

“I’ll get it to you tonight.  Maybe tomorrow morning,” Dr. Owens promised.  “I can bring as much as you may need.  Meantime, I’ll leave the stethoscope so that you can monitor the heartbeat.  Here, let me show you what to look for.”

Dr. Owens instructed Steve and Murray on how to monitor your heartbeat, and you ached as you watched Steve look consumed with dread as he did his best to keep it together and not freak out.  Hopper and Joyce took notes, too.  Everyone listened to your heartbeat, Steve most of all.

You took his hand.  “Remember, it’s still there,” you murmured to him softly.  He nodded, knowing you were right but still not content with the reality of things.  Robin gave you a sympathetic smile, grateful for you and your courage.

Then, you looked at Dr. Owens with gratitude.  “Thank you.  For being here, and…helping out.  I know you’re putting yourself on the line.”

Dr. Owens gave you a deeply appreciative look, along with Hopper.  He wrung his hands.  “Appreciate that, kiddo.  Truly.” 

Everyone went over the plans that would go into effect, given the mandate taking place in just a few short days.  Hopper mentioned that it might be best for Dr. Owens to seek shelter with them, if things went south for him — given his compromised identity as an accomplice to them vs. the government.  The doctor couldn’t argue that, saying he would think about it.  Steve and Robin mentioned to him that Eddie needed looking over as well, which he said he’d do before he left.

While the adults talked, Steve and Robin walked with you out the bedroom door.  You looked outside the living room windows, hating the thick cloud of infected air that had only gotten worse — seemingly overnight.  It was dense, congested with alternate dimension disease. 

“Seriously, hate that I can’t even get some damn fresh air,” you sighed.

“Last thing you need is bad air in your lungs,” Steve told you, his fingers reaching to massage the crown of your head.  You sighed, knowing that he was right. 

The kids heard you all walking out of the room, Mike and Lucas peeking their heads around the doorway leading into Max’s room upstairs.  They made for the stairs, followed by Dustin, Will and El, rushing towards you all.  Eddie and Argyle shouted after them, but they quickly rushed over to you. 

They swarmed you all with questions.  Is your shoulder broken?  What about your ribs?  Are you hungry?

“One at a time, kiddos,” Robin warned. 

“No broken bones,” Steve told them, “But possible fracture.  Ribcage.  So no bear hugs, no tackling, no…rough-housing.”

Mike cocked an eyebrow at him.  “Speak for yourself.”

Lucas smacked him.

“Thank you, Wheeler,” Steve said wryly.  Mike smirked.

“Also, we gotta keep watch over Bauman’s heartbeat,” Robin pointed out. 

El looked worried.  “How come?”

You gave her an assuring head rub before carefully pulling her in for a hug.  “Just a bit of an irregular heartbeat.  You know.  Given the shock and astral-planing and all.”

El held you tight, cautious of your ribs.  

“…guess this means no coffee then, huh?” you asked, depressed at the mere thought. Caffeine was no longer your friend.

“That is correct,” Steve told you with a light kiss pressed to your head, then El’s.  “Alright, kitchen everyone.  Breakfast.  Let’s go.”

“Bauman, we need to pop your shoulder back in place,” Dr. Owens hollered after you, and you dreaded the pain that awaited you.

Eddie made it downstairs with Argyle.  “I’ll fix up a feast, big boy,” he told Harrington, giving him a quick couple pats on the shoulder.  Then he squeezed your cheek.  “Keep that heartbeat in rhythm, sweetheart.  I’ll make you a sweet mixtape for inspiration.”

You chuckled deeply, appreciating his sense of humor deeply.  Even Steve did, shaking his head and grateful for the cooking assistance.  “Don’t kill my toaster, Munson.”

Steve walked back into the bedroom with you, holding your hand while you had your shoulder popped back into place.  It was gnarly.  Plenty of pain medication followed that, one that took your heartbeat into account.  It was bound to knock you out at some point, so Steve and Robin made sure to get you back into the kitchen for some food before you’d need to head back upstairs and knock out asleep.

Hopper and Joyce helped out by adding some pancakes, sausage and eggs to Eddie’s cereal bar.  Murray was already day-drinking.  Dr. Owens stayed behind to join you all, at the invitation of the adults.  Currently, he was going over notes that Hopper had given him in a seat next to Murray.

Argyle saw Jonathan round the corner – looking glum.  “Yooo, bro-cha-cho.  Purple palm tree delight?”

Jonathan blinked, slowly brought out of his trance.  He looked tired, head hung low.  Honestly, he looked like shit.  “Oh, uhh…maybe later.  Yeah.”  He gave Argyle a sad smile before sulking off towards the front door while pulling a bandana over his mouth and nose — leaving the house.

“YO, GIMME SOME.”  Eddie spoke with a mouthful of fruit loops.  “Air’s shit anyway.  Why not fry my lungs s’more?”

“Fry it with what?” El asked innocently.

Eddie swallowed the sweet cereal awkwardly.  “...candy.”

Steve rolled his eyes as he poured everyone a glass of juice, and Robin held back a snort with all the strength that she could muster while divvying out plates.

“Really lame, gross candy,” Hopper threw back over his shoulder while flipping pancakes.  He eyed Munson with a protective dad look on his eyes.

“The weird peanut butter smelling kind,” Murray added, reading a newspaper and gritting at the taste of his straight vodka.

“Thank you, Murray,” Joyce reprimanded him.

You were seated next to El and Mike, not allowed to help given your sharp shoulder pain and the medication beginning to sink in.  Steve placed your food in front of you, along with the kids’. 

“Fresh pot of coffee going on,” Hopper announced while cooking.

You sighed, turning to Steve.  “Baby, do you —”

You stopped, catching yourself.  But so did everyone else.  Too late now.

“...have…decaf…?”

Steve’s heart swelled, his cheeks flushing. 

Lucas and Dustin made eye contact, trying not to laugh or get giddy.  Mike and El did, too, along with Will.  All the kids were in on it now — thanks to last night’s impromptu sleepover in Max’s room, unbeknownst to the rest of the household.  The OG party knew the secret, but they also agreed (thanks to Dustin’s firm warning about Murray’s rampage last night) not to press either you or Steve about it yet.  Big emphasis on yet.

Robin poured syrup in slow motion, and Eddie bit back a shit-eating grin.  Argyle looked unfazed, though, dishing up a plate of food. 

Hopper was grinning down at the pancakes he was serving up, back turned to everyone still.  Joyce unabashedly looked like a very happy mama, as Murray’s eyes peeked over the newspaper gleefully.

“Yeah, baby, I do,” Steve said, shooting you a wink and moving to go get some.  You blushed at Steve’s returning the pet name.  Steve walked towards the large pantry, passing Nancy — who you saw was now standing in the doorway, having heard it too.  She looked tired, similarly to Jonathan.  You gave her a soft smile, which she reluctantly returned. 

Walking towards you, she asked in the smallest of voices —

“How're you feeling?...”

You could tell that something was wrong, wanting to ask but also not.  “Shoulder’s screaming, but not broken thankfully.  Just out of the socket, Dr. Owens’ popped it back into place.  I’ll be alright.  Thanks, Nance.”

She gave you a relieved, tight-lipped smile.  You gave her as soft a look as you could, and Mike chimed in to break the tension.

“Nancy, I swear, Jonathan’s gonna turn into a palm tree if he keeps blazing it up,” he snorts, the joke very ill-timed.  But Dustin’s chuckling, along with Lucas’s, keeps him in a state of oblivion.  Something flickers in Nancy's eyes, and to your surprise she chuckles too — humorlessly.  Darkly.

“Yeah.  You can say that again.”

…so she agrees with her brother’s joke?  Nancy moved to dish herself up a plate, expression bitter and her movements aggressive.   You felt bad and you didn’t even know why.

Mike definitely looked confused, along with his friends.  Will looked concerned, along with Joyce.  Mother and son made eye contact.

Steve returned, ready to make a pot of fresh decaf.  He brought an extra coffee pot with him.  Rich kid perks.

“Morning, Nance,” he acknowledged her, moving to make the coffee. 

Her heart seized, voice tight.  “Hey.”

Hopper made uncomfortable eye contact with Murray, who buried himself deeper into his chair with the newspaper.  He did not account for this sort of awkwardness when going on a rant last night… Hopper shot him a high-raised eyebrow while flipping another pancake.

Steve heated up the pot of decaf, taking a plate that Joyce dished up for him and moving to sit next to you.  Mike made room for him, not even questioning it.  That made Nancy scoop more than enough eggs onto her plate than necessary. 

Hopper clocked it.  “You, uhh…need some cheese, or…?” 

Joyce gave Hopper a disapproving look, old married couple behavior in full swing.  Nancy looked down at her plate, embarrassed.  “Oh…n-no, I’m —”

Nancy awkwardly moved to sit down at the table next to Dustin.  Robin gulped, knowing what this was all about.  Finally, everyone was seated at the table – aside from Steve, who stood to pour you a cup of hot decaf coffee before bringing it over to you.  You sipped it, eyes becoming hooded with exhaustion as the pain medication set in.  Steve scooted his chair closer so that you could lean on him if needed.  Nancy had to peel her eyes away, staring down at her food — playing with it, unable to stomach eating it now.

She couldn’t even be mad.  How could she?  What right did she have to be mad?  And who would she even be mad at?  You?  Steve?  Jonathan?

Herself.  She was mad at herself.

That’s what she realized last night, when she and Jonathan didn’t get a wink of sleep in their room.  They’d stayed up, hashing it out once and for all.  It was a hurricane of sadness, harsh truth and reality – all at once.  Words that had been left unsaid.  Feelings that had never been expressed.  Regrets, empty promises and words of disappointment.  All aired out like dirty laundry.  He had asked how long she’d been falling for Steve again, which she had countered by asking him how long he had been planning to dump her while he was in California.  Jonathan had been stunned into silence, asking how the hell she knew that and if she had spoken to Argyle.  Nancy’s eyes, filled with tears, had stared at him with the look of utmost betrayal.  “It was a hunch.  Until right now.”

Neither of them got closure that night.  Nearly 5 hours of back and forth, and it got them nowhere.  They went to bed angry.  Sad, heartbroken and lost.  But sleep didn’t find either of them.  Instead, they both stared in opposite directions — backs turned to one another in a shared bed.  The morning had re-ignited the argument whenever they heard Dr. Owens arriving, because when Jonathan had moved to get up, Nancy asked him bitterly: “need to go hide your stash?”  That started back up all sorts of hissed, whispered arguing.

“Nancy, where’d Jonathan go?” Joyce’s question, soft and a bit worried, rattled Nancy’s thoughts.

“He just…wanted to get some fresh air.”

Everyone was silent.  Dr. Owen’s looked up from his files.  “It’s really bad out there.  He really shouldn’t be breathing any of that in.”

Nancy grit her teeth, fork scraping across her plate and making Robin cringe at the jarring sound.  

Mike snorted as he ate more pancakes.  “His lungs are already in rough condition as it is.  Probably doesn’t even matter.”

Nancy narrowed her eyes down at her plate of toyed breakfast food, nauseas.  She nodded her head bitterly, speaking through gritted teeth: “Agreed.  What’s it matter?  Likely irreparable anyway.”

No one missed the double meaning behind that as she rose to stand and dump her plate into the trash.  She quickly made her way out of the room, knowing the damage was already done but not having it in her to care.  Nancy couldn’t get away fast enough.

Eddie looked so uncomfortable but also sympathetic.  He knew this was a result of last night, along with Robin.  They shared a quiet, concerned glance.  Mike and the kids were just confused.  What was her deal?

Steve’s brow was furrowed, along with yours — however, you were already feeling the medicine kick in so everything was starting to feel fuzzy.  Your fingers were wrapped around the hot cup of decaf, warming them.  You were wearing a few rings that Eddie had gifted you while in the upside down, and as Steve focused on them now he realized just how hot you looked wearing them.  He took in your slightly hooded eyes, moving to stand.  “Wanna go lie down?”

You nodded, excusing yourself and thanking Dr. Owens again.  He told you that he’d make sure to get the medication later today, then to Eddie — “Hey Munson, let’s go check on how those stitches are holding up, yeah?”

Eddie gulped.  He hated needles and doctor tools.

Robin smirked.  “Let’s go show him my handywork.”  They all moved off to the living room, followed by Hopper.

Joyce looked perplexed still, unsettled by Nancy’s exit.  She turned to Will, speaking softly, “Did Jonathan tell you anything?  Is something wrong?”

But Will shook his head, shrugging, just as confused and concerned.  “Nothing,” he whispered back. “I was gonna ask you that.”

The eldest and youngest Byers looked pensive, thinking.  Wondering.  Worrying.

Mike’s face was quizzical. “What do you mean?  Why would anything be wrong with them?”

An incredulous scoff from behind the newspaper made everyone turn in Murray’s direction.   The grouchy man just sipped on his morning cup of poison, minding his business — even though he stuck his nose in everybody else’s.  

Joyce’s eyes narrowed at the front page of the Hawkins Press.  Of course…

“Hey, Mur?”

Murray cringed at Joyce’s sugary sweet, all-knowing tone… Hesitantly, he lowered the paper by just barely an inch.  He internally winced at the motherly eyes that bore into his soul from the table.

“Wanna go help me start clearing out the basement?”

Oh my god, Joyce Byers is going to murder me in Steve Harrington’s basement.  

That’s all Murray thought while he set down his newspaper, swigged the last of his drink and followed her downstairs.  He began to mentally write his eulogy.

Hopper grunted, setting his fork down.  “Ahhh, geez,” he huffed, standing up to follow them.

The kids all eyed each other, left alone at the table — no adults or older teens in sight.  What the hell just happened?

***

Steve got you upstairs safely, tucking you into bed and making sure you had water at your bedside table along with a walkie so that you could signal for him if you needed anything.  It made you chuckle. 

“What?” he asked you, quizzically. 

You shook your head.  “Still wondering why you’re considered the mom?”

Steve shot you a wry look, no heat in his eyes.  You were already beginning to doze off, the better pain meds doing their thing – thanks to Dr. Owens. 

With a little shake of his head and fighting a smirk, Steve crouched to kiss your forehead, then your neck.

“Careful, Harrington,” you murmured sleepily.  “Don’t wan’g’my heart rate up.”

“Shush, I’m keeping it steady,” his lips murmured into your jaw.  You hummed in approval, feeling yourself beginning to drift off as his breathing tickled your neck.  Steve whispered that he loved you, and you faintly whispered it back as you fell asleep. 

Unable to contain himself, Steve placed his ear to your chest for a moment — listening to your heartbeat.  He frowned to himself, hearing the sporadic beat.  Thump.  Th-thump, thump.  Thump thump.  His throat started to burn, along with his eyes.  But your fingers gently scratching his head, ceasing as you finally fell asleep, kept his emotions at bay.

Steve reluctantly pulled himself a way, pressing a lingering kiss to your hand before making his way out of your bedroom door.

He jogged downstairs to meet with the adults again, checking on Eddie as he was finishing up with Dr. Owens.  The older man smiled at Steve.

“I gotta say, Harrington.  Your friend’s a natural caretaker.  Could be a nurse one day.”

Robin gave a smug grin.  “See?  I’m not just a band nerd.  Turns out, I’m a real geek.  A medical one, at that.”

Steve smirked back at her.  “Yeah well, hope you like blood and needles and guts.”

“Psh.  After the shit we’ve seen?” Robin scoffed.  “Think I can handle it.” 

“Touché,” Steve nodded.

“Speak for yourself,” Eddie grumbled.  “I never wanna see my own blood ever again.  I feel like a voodoo doll.  Vecna can suck my whole hairy ass.”

“Thaaaank you, Munson,” Robin cringed.  “Love that visual.”

“He can honestly suck mine, too.”

Dr. Owens muttering that was ten times more disturbing than Eddie.  The three teens were awkwardly quiet, aside from Eddie finally chuckling out of pity.  The older man didn’t even notice as he packed up his belongings.

“Alrighty then,” Dr. Owens said politely.  “Best be off.   I’ll be back tonight with the prescription for your lady.”

Steve blushed slightly at that, giving the doc a thankful nod.  

“Keep an eye on her,” Dr. Owen’s said kindly.  “She’ll be alright.  She’s a tough one.  Murray’s got one helluva soldier for a niece.”

“She’s bad to the bone,” Eddie reveled.

“Made of steel,” Steve agreed, fondly and voice soft.  But he nibbled at his lip, mind elsewhere.  He was still worried, and the doctor could tell.

“Just make sure she stays horizontal and lets those ribs heal.  That’ll do her heart some good.  And don’t fret.  I’ve seen way worse.”

Dr. Owens’ gave a firm pat and squeeze to Steve’s shoulder, hoping it would give him plenty of assurance. Steve gave him a quick, tight-lipped grin, pretending it helped.  Robin looked at her best friend worriedly. 

With that, Dr. Owen’s made his way out.  Hopper met him at the doorway, walking out with him.

“STEVE, WHERE’S THE PUDDING?”

Dustin’s sudden shouts from the kitchen made everyone jump.

“Jesus H. Christ —” Eddie hissed, clutching his heart.

“Henderson,” Steve exhaled, raking a hand through his hair as he turned to march towards the kitchen.  “I swear to god.”

“Lemme handle it,” Eddie huffs.  “Yo, BUTT MUNCH.  WE JUST HAD BREAKFAST.”

Stepdad of the year.

Steve would normally wave off the offered help, being the assigned mother of the group.  But even as the kids all made noise with Eddie, he found himself just…letting him take care of it.  He needed a break.  Needed to think.

“Steve, Joyce is asking where the keys to the basement breaker are,” Erica was asking him as she rounded the corner.

Steve blinked, nodding and wrapping his head around the request.  But Robin stepped in, sensing his internal overwhelm.

“I’ll get them,” she told Erica, shooting a quick look at Steve.  “Kitchen drawer, yeah?”

He nodded, sighing with relief.  Robin made her way there with Erica, and Steve took that as a chance at escape.  He could feel his chest tightening, breathing constricting a bit.  Yikes, he needed some air.  But that wasn’t an option either.  Best bet was the nearest empty room.  Max’s room was closer than his.  Steve quickly bound the stairs, pinching his nose and slipping into the room quietly — needing a moment, just a moment.

El walked out of the hallway restroom, right after Steve had closed the door.  She made for the stairs, heading down to find Hopper.  When he walked back inside from his chat with Dr. Owens, the two of them made for the basement — telling the kids to follow, while Robin told Lucas she would handle replenishing Max’s feeding tube upstairs.  She knew how to, since Dr. Owens had given strict intrusions to not only the adults but also to her.  She, along with you and Steve, knew how to handle it thoroughly.  Robin found herself oddly keen on helping people with the medical stuff.  It gave her a newfound sense of purpose.  She headed upstairs, pep in her step — who knows?  Maybe she’d found her calling, she wondered to herself.

She opened Max’s door, freezing when she found Steve on the other side of it.  Her heart sank.

Her best friend stood leaning against the wall to the right of the door frame — facing Max’s bed.  His face was scrunched, pained.  

“Steve…” Robin murmured, heartbroken.  She quickly shut the door, locking it and placing a hand on his shoulder.  The sight of a tear-track on his face, glistening in the gloomy natural light of the room, made her frown.

Steve looked at her for all of a millisecond, feeling caught but unable to stop now.  His emotions were definitely catching up with him, and Robin wasn’t surprised — given just how long he’d been keeping shit in.  She’d known for a while now: Steve Harrington needed a good, long fucking cry.  She watched him pinch the bridge of his nose, his pretty face crumpling even more and shoulders shaking as he bit down on his lip hard. 

“Steve, hey, it’s just me,” she whispered kindly, hugging and rubbing his shoulders while resting her chin there.  He kept as much noise trapped inside of his throat as possible, mainly just letting it all come out through a quiet flow of steady tears as he stood tensely.  He gratefully clasped onto one of Robin’s hands — with the one hand he wasn’t holding to the bridge of his nose with, willing the tears to stop.

“You’re really overdue for this,” Robin nudged him gently, squishing her cheek deeper into the curve of his shoulder.  “Seriously, I’ve been wondering when the hell you were gonna let it all out…”

Steve coughed on what seemed to be half a laugh, half a sob.  He was frustrated with himself.  With everything.  Your heart is failing you now and maybe forever.  Max is still in a coma.  His loved ones are all in danger.  His kids can’t catch a break.  His parents left.  Hawkins is basically dead.  And the upside down just gets closer, no matter how many gates they’ve closed over the last 3 years.

SO YEAH.  Robin was right.  Steve needed to fucking cry.

She stood there with him for a little while, letting her presence comfort him and not pushing.  Steve really did hit the jackpot with her in the best friend department.

“Sometimes, I wonder if she’s still there.”

Steve’s voice was thick, low and vibrating the room.  Robin knew who he meant, following his gaze.  Max.

Robin hummed.  “Trust me.  That little firecracker is very much alive and can’t wait to tear into all of us with her redheaded temper and sarcastic wit.”

If Robin had been looking at him, she would have seen the corner of Steve’s lips quirk up briefly in amusement.  She was right, of course.

“Think she knows?” Robin asks softly, still leaning onto Steve.  “About…anything?”

She felt Steve take a deep breath, exhaling deeply as he rubbed his face.  “M’not sure,” he murmurs, thoughts grim.  “Honestly, I hope not.  That’d mean she’s still trapped in there.  Somewhere dark.  Vile, and awful.”

Robin shuddered at that, hating the thought.  She decided to ask something different.  Lighter.

“Think she knew you were head over heels for a girl you swore you couldn’t stand?”  She turned her head on Harrington’s shoulder so that she was looking up at him with teasing eyes and a wiggling brow.  “Vowed to hate, forever and always, cross your heart and hope to die?”

Steve shook his head, beginning to grin.  He looked at Max the whole time while doing so, imagining his little sister/daughter figure giving him hell for falling for you but completely loving it.  Because while he knew that Max loved him — that little shit loved the hell out of you.

Steve’s frown suddenly returned, face crumpling all over again.  It broke Robin’s heart as she watched fresh tears fill his eyes, which he trapped from falling by quickly scrunching his eyes shut again and digging the heels of his palms into them.  It made Robin want to bawl.  But she held it together for Steve’s sake, lifting her head to turn and hug him tight.  She shushed him softly, desperate to calm him.  Comfort him, assure him.

Steve sunk his teeth into his bottom lip, forbidding his cries to make noise.  He couldn’t.  Not right now.  He could scream into a pillow later.  Right now, he just let Robin hold him until he got it together again.

Eventually, Steve pulled back — swiping at his eyes and nose, sniffing hard.  Robin looked at him sadly, rubbing his arms and letting him steady his breathing.

“Jesus, Robin, a heart arrhythmia…”

Robin had a feeling that was what was weighing heavily on Steve’s mind.  You, and your newly failing heart.  It made her upset, too.  Deeply upset.  It worried her sick.  But she couldn’t let Steve sense that.  Not right now.  She needed to be there for him — and by extension, you.

“We’re gonna steady it, Steve,” Robin promised, voice low but fierce.

Steve shuddered a sigh, eyes downcast and mind racing as he carded his fingers through his hair.  “It’s the end of the fucking world and all our heart rates are already on edge as it is —”

“So we keep her here,” Robin interrupted, gently.  “Out of harm’s way, as best we can.  We don’t let her put herself in a position to freak out.”  She paused, thinking.  “Yknow, come to think of it, Bauman’s probably the coolest outta all of us big kids.  Pretty sure that chick has freaked out the least.”

Steve rolled his eyes fondly.  Oh, you.  “Yeah, because she’s a fucking sociopath like her uncle.”

Robin genuinely laughed at that, unable to help it.  Steve smiled, too.  But a few tears met the smile and the breathy laugh he let out.  Robin thumbed them away sweetly.

“She’s great,” Robin told him.  “Really great.  Stupid great.  Maybe my favorite lady I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.  Aside from Vicki.”

Steve sniffed.  “You tryna steal my girl?”

Robin cocked an eyebrow, happy to hear him teasing.  Good, it’s working.  “Oh, so she is your girl now, huh?  Exclusive, off-limits?”

Steve bit back a big, bashful smile — looking at her almost shyly and nudging her foot with his shoe.  He turned to look at Max, nodding in her direction.

“Think she’d approve?”

Robin looked at the sleeping girl, too.  She smiled sadly.  “Depends.  Of you two as a pair?  Yeah.  You’re mom and dad.  As far as she’s concerned, neither one of you has anyone else out there deserving of you both.  So I’d assume she feels you guys deserve each other more than anyone else deserves either of ya.”

Steve actually smiled at that, eyes sparkling as he looked at Max.  He took a minute to take in her still form, thinking back to when he first met her with the kids.  She was a badass.  You’d have thought she’d been fighting monsters all her life.  She actually took better to the whole upside down shit than he had, whenever he went over to Jonathan Byers’ house to apologize then got roped into all the madness.  He had to give it to her: Max was hardcore.

“I really need this shithead to wake up,” Steve chuckled humorlessly.

Robin did, too, squeezing his arm as she shook her head at Max’s sleeping face hooked up to a breathing tube.  “When she does…it’ll be a helluva reunion.”

Steve liked that.  When.

“And whennn your girl gets her strength back,” Robin continued, “along with her ribs back in tact, you know…given you, Byers and Munson took her to pound town…”

Steve made a face.  “Gross.  Don’t say that, no.”

“Damn, Harrington, get your head outta the gutter,” Robin popped her hip into Steve’s side.  “Even when I’m being serious, talking about resuscitation — not sex…you’re still jealous…at a hypothetical.”

Steve gave her a wry look, but then placed his cheek on top of her head as he looked at Max.

“As I was saying…” Robin murmured, a smile in her voice.  “When your girl is back up to speed, she will give you all the heart attacks to make up for it.  You won’t be able to stand her guts but you’ll be so in love with her it won’t matter.  And then Max will wake up…give you two shit for it…then be a mess of joy because the two babysitters turned enemies have suddenly become lovers.”  Robin paused, smiling to herself.  “And I’ll be the happiest, proudest, most sappy-go-lucky best friend in the world.”

Steve breathed a sigh at that, content.  It brought him peace in this moment — the idea of you, perfectly fine and all in one piece.  The idea of his kid waking up, her memory still intact along with her sarcasm and quick wit.  The idea of his best friend being so happy to see him so happy.

He threw an arm around her, and the two best friends just stood there for another several moments to revel in the quiet of it all — allowing themselves to dream.  Allowing themselves to believe.

***

Meanwhile, Eddie definitely did not feel guilty for having eaten the last 3 puddings that Henderson had selfishly stashed for himself.  Little bro’s just gonna have to cope, he thought to himself as he jogged up the stairs.  

He almost broke into song, Master of Puppets rambling on inside his head -- but stopped himself when he heard voices.  Tense voices. 

Eddie’s pace came to a slow, and he became not only more aware of his steps — but the voices, too.  Where they were coming from…to whom they belonged…

"So he was then. He was going to break up with me."

"Listen, I...I realllllllly don't wanna...speak outta term here..."

Only one guy under this roof talked that slowly, and only one lady under this roof spoke with that crisply.

Argyle and Nancy.

"Look, just -- tell me exactly what he said."

"That is what he said, man, I swear..."

Eddie could hear Nancy huffing exasperatedly. For a rich family, Steve's parents' house had some really cheap, thin doors...

He crept closer, still standing a few paces down. Just in case he needed to bolt, should someone catch him listening in -- or in case one of the two speaking on the other side of the door barged out of the room. Eddie listened, his senses on high alert and his curiosity burning.

"Then he was going to break up with me -- God, I knew it. I just knew it!"

Wait, Eddie thought. Jonathan was going to break up with her...? And Argyle knew...? But then...wait, then how did Nancy...?

"Look, Nancy," Argyle was sighing, sounding pretty worried despite his usual lackadaisical tone. "He didn't want to, alright? I'm a bro. I know when a brother's down bad, he was just freaking himself out, you know -- because of where you wanna go to college...where he wants to go to college..."

"Oh, that is so NOT an excuse."

"Which is whyyy I told him to talk to you --"

"Then why didn't he. Huh? Why didn't he??"

Eddie gulped. He could hear the genuine hurt and betrayal in Nancy's voice. Sheez, Byers was in for one helluva fight...

"Honestly, I'm asking myself that too, Nancy," Argyle was huffing this out, matching her energy. Even he sounded exasperated with his best bro. "But I'm also remembering that...like...that creepy Vecna dude kinda threw off everybody's groove. I mean -- I came to pick them up from the house and it was all getting shot up and stuff, liiiike...shit kinda hit the fan...you know...?"

"That's...still, that's not..."

"Annnnd you guys were all caught up in the shit going down back in Hawkins, man...you know? Chrissy, and...that coworker of yours, annnnd...that other random dude who hung out with... shiiiit, what was his name...? Jake...?"

"Jason," Nancy muttered lowly.

"That guy."

"Look -- Argyle." Nancy huffed again, flustered at life but regaining her edge. "Upside down stuff aside, Jonathan still took the time to talk this out with you. Not me, you. For weeks."

There was an awkward pause before Argyle spoke.

"...yeah, that's pretty bad..."

"He could have called. He could have written me. He could've, he could've, he could've. But he didn't."

"Why didn't you tell him that?"

"...what?"

Oh shit, Eddie gulped.

"Whenever we all got back here," Argyle explained. "Back in Hawkins. Why didn't you confront him about it?"

Another awkward silence.

"...I..." Nancy stumbled.

"Why didn't you go up to him, call his ass out, and call him out for not talking to you?" Argyle was suddenly sounding pretty sure of himself. It was out now character for him. Oddly? It suited him.

"I...I..."

Meanwhile, Nancy was uncharacteristically not sounding sure of herself.

Argyle gained speed.

"Think about it! You say you knew something was off...you say he was giving you mixed signals...you say he got back and suddenly acted like everything was fine, but that you sensed things still were not fine...so then why let it go? Why not tell him yourself? You're a loud woman."

"Whoa, what?" Nancy stuttered.

"You are!!! That's a compliment! You're loud and proud. You wear the damn pants. You have a gun collection. You don't hold back, even if you don't say fully what it is that you mean. Your poker face is shit."

"Argyle...!"

"You've been avoiding it too, Nancy," Argyle cut her off.

At this point, Eddie was frozen as he listened. Damn. When did Argyle become a therapist?

Clearly, Nancy was asking herself the same thing. Because it was quiet. Severely quiet.

Eddie started tracing shapes into the carpet with his mind while he stared at the ground, waiting to hear more dialogue. But it was crickets.

Finally, he heard Argyle sighing deeply. "Maybe if you both just...I dunno, man...listened to each other. Like...heard one another. You both just keep using whatever it is that you ask each other to like...one up each other...and it doesn't get either of you anywhere, man... Just hear each other out."

A tap on Eddie's shoulder made him flinch back, nearly jumping out of his skin. He whipped around to see Robin, staring at him with wide eyes. She held a finger to her lips.

Eddie couldn't believe that he managed to keep the scream trapped inside of him. He sagged with relief, heart pounding and silently pantomiming strangling her. Don't scare me like that. Her head bobbed back and forth as he shook her by the shoulders, and together they realized that they were both in on the secret:

Nancy and Jonathan are not alright.

Together, they softly crept down the hallway into Steve's bedroom. As Robin closed the door, Eddie whirled around to speak in a hissed whisper.

"Holy shit, what the fuck, this is like a soap opera --"

"Shhhhh," Robin hissed back, swatting at him to keep quiet.

"I'm literally whispering."

"And spitting."

"Sorry."

They continued whispering through gritted teeth, relieved to have each other to confide in. Eddie and Robin were beginning to feel like the zany aunt and uncle of the group who knew too much about everything going on around the house. It bonded them for sure. They knew about you and Steve, which also became a topic of whispered conversation right now as they sat cross-legged on the floor of Steve's bedroom.

"Sorry, but can we talk about how off we were trying to push Wheeler back on Harrington?" Eddie's eyebrows were raised practically to the top of his hairline.

Robin scoffed at themselves, shaking her head. "I'll say..."

"It was right there under our noses and we just..." Eddie moved his hand in a straight line, "...breeeeezed onnnnn past it."

"Yeah, but honestly?" Robin whispered eagerly. "I thought Bauman hit a sore spot that could never be repaired. Steve seriously was in love with Nancy. Like, really in love."

Eddie chuckled lowly, shaking his head. "Trust me. I said the same thing. To his face directly, while we were in the upside down. Told him that what Wheeler did -- diving into the lake after him -- was the most unambiguous sign of true love I'd ever seen in my life." He paused, thinking. "But what I failed to realize was that...it was Bauman who freaking lunged for him first on the boat. And the way he clung to her hand, despite also looking mad at her for doing that --"

Eddie was reliving the memory, realizing something. Robin was, too.

"He was mad that she put her life on the line," Robin nodded along, slowly stitching together his thoughts.

"But it was just so fast," Eddie pointed out as he agreed. "Literally, one moment Harrington's back to the surface, getting ready to hop back on the boat. Next, he's being tugged down by that -- that thing... And Bauman just -- lunged for him. And he grabbed her hand, but the look he shot her?... It was so...conflicted..."

Robbin nodded, swallowing hard. "Like he grabbed her hand back gratefully, but also hated what she'd just done to herself by putting her life on the line."

"Which is whyyyy," Eddie continued, figuring it all out. "Whenever she got dragged underneath with him, and the two of them went at it -- bickering like crazy when we all got down there with 'em and fought off the bats...he was so mad at her. And she was mad that he was mad."

Robin scoffed a laugh, pace palming. "And all we saw was Nancy diving in after him --"

"After Bauman already beat her to it," Eddie muffled into his palms. “Duuuuude, they’re so in love. Been love. Unambiguously in love.”

"We are idiots," Robin giggled, face palming.

"Not as big as they are, though," Eddie corrected, snorting. They both snickered like big kids into their hands, trying to keep quiet.

Eddie finally sighed, thinking fondly. "Those two are actually stupid fucking adorable."

Robin smiled wistfully. "Yeah. Yeah, they are." She bit her lip, thinking. "Honestly, I've...I've never seen Steve this torn up."

She told Eddie how worried she was for her best friend. How worried she was for you. How desperately she wished that all of this would go away. How she prayed that Max would wake up, and that Vecna would choke on his own guts and that the upside down would cease to exist.

Eddie nodded, eyes solemn as he gnawed on his cheek. "I wish I could've known Chrissy better."

Robin's brows pinched together. She could see the genuine remorse -- maybe even regret -- in Eddie's eyes. Had there been...feelings there...?

"Wish that I'd..." Eddie mumbled, eyes on the ground searching for the words. "That I'd just...I don't know. Tried to notice, or care about something other than living in my own world all the time."

Robin gave his hand a squeeze, shooting him a synaptic tight-lipped smile. Eddie squeezed her hand back, gratefully.

"You're doing that now," Robin reminded him softly. "Chrissy sees that."

Eddie looked at her, his eyes going glassy. He looked like a sweet puppy when he got emotional. Robin noted just how wholesome that was as she placed her other hand on top of theirs.

"We seriously need to kill this son of a bitch," Eddie whispered, angered anguish briefly flashing in his dark eyes.

Robin nodded fiercely. "We will."

They took a few moments to just be in silence, letting it all land.

A light knock at the door broke through the tranquility of the silence, concluding the tender moment. Eddie and Robin looked at Steve's bedroom door, taking a second before Robin rose to answer it. Eddie figured that was best, given she is the platonic soulmate of the room's owner.

Neither of them were sure what to expect exactly, as far as who was on the other side of the door. Robin half expected it to be Steve himself. Eddie's expectations looked a lot like one of the kids.

So when they saw Jonathan standing on the other side, that made them all go stiff.

He still looked awful. Eyes rimmed red from exhaustion, a little bloodshot. His hair was messy, not sure how to sit on his head. These days, Jonathan looked haggard. While he was never the pretty-boy type, Jonathan was always good looking in a moody, brooding sort of way. The unconventionally attractive type. Lately? He just looked worn down, tired and a little bit like a bum. Definitely not the type of guy you would expect Nancy Wheeler to be going steady with, given how polished and precise she is. Opposites attract, but at this rate the two of them were becoming contrasts of one another.

"Hey," Jonathan said softly, timidly. He looked caught, but so did Robin and Eddie as he looked at both of them.

"Hey," they awkwardly repeated.

After a long, awkward, pregnant pause, Jonathan finally cleared his throat and gave his legs a little pat -- as if that might help break the tension.

"Is uhh, is Steve here?"

Robin shook her head. "No, he's with Bauman. I told him to go take a nap, since Dr. Owens got her so early and I know he's not sleeping."

Jonathan's eyes softened, looking sympathetic and giving her a light nod. He scratched his neck. Eddie clocked some weird sort of guilty glint in his eye. Like something was really on his mind and he needed to get it off his chest. There was almost an anxious twitch to him.

Eddie began to realize that he knew what this was about. About why Jonathan was looking for Steve, and why he looked so glum. So anxious.

Because Eddie was there that day. When you fell. When you died. When Jonathan tried to step in and bring you back, before Steve was finally able to step in. Eddie was there, watching it all happen. He watched Steve fall apart, fraying at the seams. He watched Jonathan exhaust himself with the attempted CPR. He watched how it completely exerted him, no doubt thanks to the lack of decent nutrition and lung damage that was due to the purple palm tree delight. That had to have to have set Jonathan's lungs on fire, as he desperately tried pumping air back into your lungs. Eddie had watched Jonathan lean back, only for Steve to verbally tear into him.

DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING STOP.

IT'S NOT WORKING, IT'S TOO LATE.

NONE OF US GAVE UP ON YOUR BROTHER. FUCK YOU, BYERS. FUCK YOU.

The storm of words between Harrington and Byers was no doubt long overdue. That was evident with every single word that Steve spat at Jonathan, and every word that Jonathan bitterly wept. Both men had shrieked at each other, shrill and angry and hurt.

Eddie had watched as they both went at it, Steve lashing out and Jonathan feebly fighting back. He might not have been close with them in high school. He might have run in completely different circles than them. He might not have known anything about the two of them, or what sort of crucial role they played in each other's lives, or how the upside down not only existed but also forced them to merge worlds. But fast forward to yesterday, when you were dead at everyone's feet and no one knew if they would save you -- Eddie saw 3 years of unspoken words go flying between Steve and Jonathan. He watched it all unfold, ugly and loud and anguished.

Because while Steve might have found some sort of silent (albeit avoidant) peace that he inwardly had made with Jonathan Byers, his bitterness was still there. Festering, festering, festering...never truly unloading itself whenever he projected onto you.

Because you hadn't taken Nancy away. Jonathan had.

Maybe that's partly why Steve got so livid with Jonathan. Because he could now. Now that you were gone, or so they'd thought, he had no choice but to scream at Jonathan. To finally let him have it.

FUCK YOU BYERS. FUCK YOU.

Steve had screamed that in Jonathan's face, voice wrecked from angry tears and shrieks of pure fear. It was fucking personal.

And Jonathan had taken it. Like he deserved it. Because maybe a part of him did. Maybe, just maybe, a big part of him did. Not because he wasn't a decent guy. Hell no, Byers was a great dude. He had just...lost his way. And that was fine. But really, he wasn't as present as usual -- given his more frequently ~high~ state, and his newfound friendship with Argyle. That wasn't a bad thing. It just...changed things.

Eddie had watched Byers go from the super observant, introverted wallflower to a nonchalant, low-key absent-minded, slightly lazy guy. Not nearly as driven as before. Not that he was ever this super academic, wildly driven type to begin with. Still, there had been something more to Byers prior to now. Something alive. Lately? Byers looked like he was simply surviving. Doing just a bit more than the bare minimum to get by.

Meanwhile, Steve had grown exponentially. He'd gone from being an entitled, snobbish rich kid who made C's and D's to a street-smart hero who knew how to protect and care for both kids and his friends, along with being trusted by the adults involved in all of these terrifying circumstances. He wasn't the teacher's pet growing up, but he certainly was the favorite now. He was Steve Harrington: bad boy turned supermom/superboy. He wasn't quite superman. He'd lost the girl, because Lois Lane had chosen Bruce Wayne over him. But along the way, he'd unexpectedly fallen for Gotham City's badass princess who floated under the radar until she found her way into the circle of Hawkins Heroes -- the upside down underdogs. Steve was strong, he was loyal and he was true.

So that afternoon next to the electric fence, those two men were having a 3-year standoff without even truly acknowledging it. It was bound to blow up in their faces at some point. And you had been the catalyst.

Eddie took all of that in by looking at Jonathan Byers as he stood in Steve Harrington's doorway, looking into the eyes of the former jock's best friend and his new unexpected friend of a metalhead.

"When he's up...I need to speak with him."

Jonathan's voice shook a bit, nervously. But he made eye contact with both Robin and Eddie. His eyes were sincere, remorseful and eager. "Please."

***

:) thank u all for reading. thoughts on this chapter? guesses as to what might go down? TAGLIST: @xprloki @erastourvip  @get0ut0fmyr00m @Eddiemuns0nl0ver @marrowfrog00  @poppet05 @wiltedflowersundertowers  Originalthingparadise Pleuviors pumpkinonice Ihaveproblemsihaveproblems Brinleighsstuff Definitelynotherr sucker-4-angst notlilyyyy

[wheelsvoid]

HOME ; STRANGER THINGS

⇢ you don’t have a place to call home, or a family, and you keep it a secret from your friends. however, they find out and find a way to help you without your knowing

masterlist

genre: platonic, angst with a happy ending

word count: 1,674

warnings: one curse word, and the reader doesn’t have a good life outside of school so keep that in mind ofc

request: “Heyyyyyy for a platonic stranger things imagine could be like an orphan and friends with the gang and no one knows about Rs's situation but El looks for r one time and finds out about Rs's bad living situation (maybe homeless?) and the crew rally around their friend and hopper adopts r?”

tried my best, here you go!

Jealousy was something I was very familiar with. I knew it well enough to call it a friend, but I hated it enough to wish it would leave me forever.

I never knew myself to be such a jealous person until I made all the friends I did. I was typically quite kind, and forgiving, and I only got angry when justified. Still, my jealousy never left me.

All my friends had homes, and at least someone to go home to. I had nothing and no one. Their lives weren’t perfect, but the little voice in my head always told me that mine was worse, even if it wasn’t fair to compare.

I found ways to hide my lack of a real life. I often stayed at Lucas’ house, or Mike’s. I had sleepovers, and their parents didn’t mind. I stayed long enough to look as though I was hanging out, but I left before they could think to call my mother or father.

It was embarrassing to depend on others for a bathroom, or a bed, or food, or anything necessary to live a normal life, but I had nothing else.

They never had to know, anyway.

I was the first one at Starcourt Mall today, seeing as I had taken the early bus. I watched as all my close friends left the large vehicle with smiles on their faces, smiling back at me when they saw me leaning up against the wall.

“Y/N!” El ran up to me in excitement. She gave me a hug, and I laughed as I hugged her back. When the boys got closer, with Max by their sides, Lucas, Will and Dustin each gave me a high five, and Mike gave me a fist bump with a grin.

“What took you guys so long?” I raised a brow, sending a teasing grin as we made our way in the mall. “I’ve been here a whole hour longer, waiting.”

“Oh, we’re so sorry that you had to wait.” Lucas sympathized, dramatically holding a hand over his heart.

“It was Mike’s fault, anyway.” Max said. “He got into an argument with Nancy over who got the last pancake.”

I laughed loudly. “Typical.”

And the energy was up the entire day, too. We went to the movies, sneaking through the back thanks to Steve (who grew more regretful for letting us do so the first time every time we saw him). Afterwards, we went back to Scoops Ahoy to each grab an ice cream.

I was glad for my job, from Tuesday to Saturday every week, so I could pay for my own ice cream. I worked after school each day, not having to worry about a curfew or anything of the sort. I only had myself, and the longer I worked the better. I liked feeling as though I was in a normal environment for a teenager, even if it was just a café.

On the way out of Scarcourt Mall, Max turned to me. “Hey, Y/N, wanna go to your house this time?” We typically went to one of our houses after our meet ups, and hung out the rest of the day. However, the thought of doing so this time scared me. I had no place to call home. “I just realized, we’ve never been.”

For a moment, my eyes were wide and I went pale, but I relaxed a second later. I played it cool. “No, thanks. I’d rather go to Mike’s, I wanna see Nancy anyway. And my house is a mess today. Maybe another time.”

At this point, I was digging my own hole. Another time? I couldn’t keep denying them. They’d figure it out eventually.

Max, Lucas, Will and El frowned in confusion, but Dustin and Mike were blissfully unaware of my slip up. “Sounds fun.” Dustin cheered.

And it was fun. I spent as long as I could at their house without seeming lost, or alone. I tried my best to fit in. And I was hopeful that I did.

How could I have known that I’d worried the others, leaving them to talk as I left to go fill in for my coworker on a Sunday?

———

“I’m worried about Y/N.” Will admitted. “They were acting… weird.”

“I noticed too.” Lucas sighed, leaning forward from his spot on the couch downstairs.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Mike frowned in confusion.

Max turned to him, raising a brow. “You didn’t notice?”

Mike stared, “no…?”

“They looked…” Max had to think about it for a second. She had to think of the right word. Then it hit her. It was fear that she’d seen. “Scared.”

“Why would they be scared?” Dustin asked. “We go to each other’s houses all the time, right?”

“Not Y/N’s.” El said. “We’ve never been.”

For a moment, everyone was silent. They were either lost in their thoughts, or unsure of what to say.

Will spoke next, sounding hesitant. “Are they okay?” His voice was so soft, it could only be heard due to the quietness of the room.

———

After school the next day, Mike had come up to me and told me that El wanted to hang out at her house, but since I hadn’t given them my phone number, she asked him to tell me. I was glad that El wanted to hang out, and I was glad that she wasn’t scared to ask.

I told him I’d love to, and he grinned, telling me he’d call her and let her know I’d be over after school.

Since I had nowhere to go, I began my walk from school, all the way to Hopper’s cabin in the woods. It was a long, exhausting walk. But I was glad to make it before it’d gone dark (and lucky it wasn’t that long of a walk).

When I saw the small cabin, I felt relief. Despite my aching legs, I began jogging to the front door. I was more than excited to see El after not seeing her all day. It would be nice if it was safe enough for her to join us at school.

I knocked on the door, waiting patiently for it to open. Hopper opened it, and it wasn’t a surprise for me that it was him. He had to, to keep El safe from any unwanted visitors. He could play it off as the only resident in the cabin if he wanted to.

“Hello, Hopper.” I grinned. “Can I come in.”

Hopper smiled like he was expecting me, but there was something else shining in his eyes that worried me. “Sure, kid.”

I had always liked Hopper. He was kind to me, and grew kinder over the years, too. He was special.

As I walked in, putting my bag down that held all of my belongings, I looked around in search of El. I saw her door, which was opened only a couple inches, quickly guessing for her to be in there. As I took of my shoes, Hopper stood a few feet away.

“Before you hang out with El, would you mind if we talked?”

I looked up at him, somewhat surprised but mostly confused. As I finished untying my laces, I nodded, kicking off my shoes and getting to my feet. “Yeah.” I said, but it sounded like more of a question.

Hopper led me to the living room, and I glanced at El’s door which did not open any more. He sighed as we both sat down on the couch that fit perfectly in the room.

He was silent for a while, like he was thinking of what to say, before his voice broke through the silent space. “The kids told me that you seemed… off yesterday.” He said.

I held my breath. Had they figured it out? Did I mess up? How much did they know? How did they—

“They just want to make sure you’re okay.”

I stared at him, unsure if I looked as calm as I wanted myself to. I was sure I was showing some of my fear. Still, I nodded. “I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?”

Terrible answer. Now he’ll never let me leave. Shit.

He looked at me, frowning. “Well, they told me that you’ve never given them your number, and that you never let them stay over.” He said softly, “and that you never talk about your family, and that you get nervous whenever they bring anything up.” He sighed. “We’re just worried, kid.”

I held my hands together, unable to look away from them now. I didn’t know what to say. Why had I gone silent? I’d never be able to play it off now.

But what if I needed some help?

“What’s going on at home?”

I chipped away at my blue nail polish, which Max had lended me. “I have no home.” I said.

I could feel Hopper’s eyes on me. “None at all?”

I let out a shaky breath. “None.”

He was quiet for a second. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I… didn’t know how.” My voice was quiet now. Gentle. “I didn’t want to ruin anything.”

Hopper put a hand on my shoulder, causing me to look at him. He looked sad, and sympathetic, but mostly heartbroken. “How would it ruin anything?”

“I didn’t want them to have anything else to worry about.” I said. The weight on my chest felt a little bit lighter. “I didn’t want to… make things worse, I guess.”

They already had so much to deal with.

“I promise you,” he made a point to look me in the eyes. “That nothing you could ever say or do would ruin anything. They would always help you. I would.” I couldn’t control the way my lip quivered, and as Hopper squeezed my shoulder, he asked me a question that made me feel like I could breathe again. “You want to stay with me?”

A tear slipped from my eye and I nodded, “yeah.”

He smiled softly, pulling me in for a hug. “Okay.”

[ponyosmom35]

Bittersweet

Steve Harrington x Fem OC

pairings: Steve Harrington x Indie Holland

synopsis:

Indie Holland has harbored a quiet affection for Steve Harrington since childhood. Known around Hawkins High as 'King Steve' for his effortless charm and enviable locks, he's remained blissfully unaware of Indie's distant admiration.

However, the mysterious disappearance of Will Byers, the younger brother of Indie’s best friend, shatters the small-town calm. Initially dismissed as a simple case of a lost boy, the situation grows more alarming when Indie's sister, Barb, vanishes under similarly strange circumstances.

Thrown together by fate, Indie joins forces with Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler to unravel the unsettling events unfolding in Hawkins. As they dig deeper, they uncover a dark and sinister reality far beyond their worst fears.

Steve, too, is drawn into the chaos, his path colliding with Indie’s in ways neither could have predicted. 

warnings: cussing, smut, angst, smut, violence, death, blood, gore, the upside down

link to masterlist with the full series: https://www.tumblr.com/ponyosmom35/733401347573088256/simon-ghost-riley?source=share

The soft hum of the chatter among other students was a constant backdrop to Indie’s life, a steady reminder of the mundane yet comforting routine she clung to. The worn pages of a book she occupied herself with her sanctuary—a place where she could be alone with her thoughts and escape from the world that often felt too big for her. The dim light cast a warm glow over her features, illuminating the quiet contemplation that was a frequent visitor in her life. Her back tucked into the corner and her head down as she hid behind her long hair, waiting for Johnathon Byers her best friend, to arrive. 

She’d known the Byers boy since they were in elementary school, both having been bullied by the other kids at school for being outcasts, so they stuck together. Finding a friendship with one another as they tried to navigate high school. Jonathan was a year older than Indie, in the beginning of his senior year while she was just a junior. Soon to be completely alone once he graduated. 

Indie’s older sister Barb was best friends with Nancy Wheeler, a popular girl who had always been nice to her. Yet not nice enough to invite her to sit with them at lunch. Since Barb started hanging out with Nancy, Indie had seen less of her sister. They’d been close her entire life until Barb started high school. Nancy got closer with the ‘cool kids’ and would drag Barb along, not that she was ever accepted fully into the group. The popular kids didn’t like girls like Barb and Indie. They were geeky. 

Indie was 5’3 and chubby. She had long curly orange hair that fell to her lower back and thick glasses. She was extraordinarily normal, not a thing about her stuck out. And she preferred it that way. If she could stick to the sidelines then she’d never be hurt, staying away from people would keep her safe. She liked sticking to her daydreams, where she could imagine her life differently, like she was the main character in her book, and her hot warrior boyfriend was the one and only -

Steve Harrington, on the other hand, was a fixture in Hawkins High’s social scene, the epitome of popularity. His world was one of bright lights and high expectations, a realm where his effortless charm and easygoing nature made him the center of attention. Yet, despite the many people around him, there was one person who remained firmly on the periphery of his awareness—Indie.

Indie had been in love with Steve Harrington for as long as she could remember. It was a love that had blossomed quietly, hidden away. Steve, with his tousled hair and carefree smile, had always seemed like a distant star—beautiful, untouchable, and forever out of reach. The depth of her feelings was something she carried with a kind of resigned acceptance, understanding that the love she harbored was a one-sided affair. She had long accepted that Steve would never spare her a glance, let alone know her name.

Steve Harrington, oblivious to the heartache he unknowingly caused, moved through life with an air of confidence that seemed impenetrable. His world was one of parties and laughter, of friends who flocked around him like moths to a flame. And Indie? She was a ghost in his world, an inconspicuous figure that existed only in the background of his life.

As Indie sat alone in her and Johnathon’s favorite spot in the cafeteria reading her romance novel and trying to forget the weight of her feelings, she caught sight of Steve across the way. He was with his friends, laughing and joking, completely unaware of the quiet turmoil that raged within her. It was moments like these that reminded her of the chasm between their worlds—a divide so vast that it felt insurmountable.

Yet, despite this, Indie found solace in the small moments she allowed herself to imagine—a world where Steve noticed her, where he saw beyond the facade of her shyness and recognized her for who she truly was. These daydreams were bittersweet, a mixture of hope and heartache.

In the grand tapestry of life, Steve and Indie were threads that rarely, if ever, intersected. For now, Indie was content to remain in the background, her love for Steve a silent song she sang only to herself. She had come to terms with the reality of her situation, understanding that some stories were never meant to be told, and some hearts were destined to remain untouched.

As she watched Steve from afar, a soft sigh escaped her lips, a silent prayer for the impossible. And in that moment, Indie felt a quiet resolve to embrace her place in the world, no matter how invisible it seemed. The world might never know the depth of her feelings, but that was a reality she had learned to accept. For now, she would continue to find comfort in her small corner of the diner, away from the glaring lights of Steve Harrington’s world, content in the knowledge that some loves are meant to remain unseen. The invisible string theory holding their souls just without of reach until the time is right.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

All the Olives in the World. . .

Stancy x GNReader, Stancy x henderson!reader

You didn't really think anything of Steve Harrington until after he became a part of your life. You didn't hate him like some people who see someone so attractive do. You could see the appeal, but he hadn't been your type. No, your type has always been Nancy Wheeler. You and Barb had always talked about it at great lengths, but when she died, you had no one else to talk about it with. Not even Nancy, who had inadvertently pushed you away in favor of Steve. You could have easily hated him, but for whatever reason, you didn't. Instead, you found a friend in Robin Buckley. It changed again when you saw Steve protect Lucas and your brother from Billy Hargrove. It had shaken something inside of your head. Fast forward, and it had all changed again.

"Hey! Watch it!" You cursed as Dustin pushed past you into Family Video. "Butthead."

Nancy was leaning against the counter, obviously flirting with Steve. You smiled. It was good to see them together again, for you in particular. You should be jealous, right? No, instead, there was only longing for the both of them now. You just had to go and make things even more complicated.

"Dude! What did I say about running in here?" Steve asked.

"Okay, I just wanted to ask you one last time if you wanted to join Hellfire?" Dustin asked.

"Look, I told you I like watching you guys, but I don't think I'd be very helpful," Steve said.

"I think you'd be good at it," Nancy said.

"Yeah?" Steve asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll think about it," Steve said.

You snorted as Dustin threw up his hands, looking at them in disbelief. Steve and Nancy really had no right to be so cute.

"Robin in the break room?" You asked.

"Yeah," Steve said.

You had just opened the break room door when Steve called out your name. You whirled around so fast that you ended up running into the very door you had just opened.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," you groaned, clutching your forehead.

"You're bleeding!" Steve exclaimed.

"It's just a scratch, Steve," you said. "What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out this evening," Steve said.

"I probably would have said yes, but now I think I might have a headache later," you said. "Thanks."

You turned around, ready to enter the break room when your brother spoke up.

"You ever notice how they're always clumsy around the both of you?" Dustin said.

You groaned and walked into the room to find Robin listening to her Walkman with a book in her hand as she ate her lunch. She put down her book at the sight of you and pushed her headphones down around her neck.

"Jesus, what the hell happened to you?" Robin asked. "You look like shit."

"Thanks, Robin, you look pretty today, too," you said sarcastically.

Robin rolled her eyes and pulled out the first aid kit.

"Seriously, what happened?" Robin asked asked as she began tending to your wounds.

"I have a problem," you groaned.

"Like a code red situation?" Robin asked. "Because we just got closed the gates to hell, I am not up for anything else. I simply refuse. I am done! Finite!"

"No, it's nothing like that," you sigh. "You ever have a crush on two people at the same time?"

"Can't say that I have," Robin said. "Oh! This is a romantic situation! Oh, finally! I could never figure out what your deal is. I wasn't even sure if you were interested in all of that, which would have been totally fine with me if you weren't, you know, and I - "

"Robin, platonic love of my life, I get it," you laughed. "You support me no matter what."

Robin plopped down in the seat next to you after she got done bandaging your forehead.

"So, what's up?" Robin asked. "Who are these people you are so smitten with?"

"Okay, promise not to judge me?" you asked.

"Cross my hearts and hope to regenerate," Robin said.

"I keep telling you that you and Steve are not timelords, Robin," you said in amusement.

"You're just jealous of our regenerative abilities," Robin replied.

"Whatever," you said, letting out a breathy laugh. "Okay. . .it's Steve and Nancy."

"Steve and Nancy?!" Robin squeaked in surprised.

"Yeah, I just - I like them so much! At first, it was just Nancy, you know, and then Steve came a long. Suddenly, all the songs made sense. I mean, they're stubborn as hell and brave. They're willing to do whatever it takes to save the people they love. They're both so smart in their own ways, and it's just amazing how different but the same they are. I love that they fell in love again, and I know it's weird, but I want to be a part of that too," you rambled.

"You really are spending too much time with me," she said in amusement. "It really makes sense now, though. You have become terribly unbalanced around them."

"I know," you groaned. "I just want them to hold me and kiss me but also do other stuff to me. I just know that if I'm in their arms, I'd feel incredibly safe."

"Wow, holy shit, you're in love with them," Robin said.

"Crazy, right?" You asked.

"Yeah, but I find that the best things in life usually are," Robin said. "You going to tell them?"

"I don't know. . .I don't want to ruin our friendship," you said.

"Well, at this point, you're going to ruin your friendship by being so klutzy that you trip, break your neck, and die," she said.

"Jeeze, Robin, don't sugarcoat it," you snapped.

"You know that I'm right. Look, they're not going to judge you for it," Robin said. "If anything, they'd probably be flattered. There is nothing wrong with telling someone you love them."

"I can't do it," you shook your head. "I won't. After everything we've been through, I'm not going to do anything to risk ruining what we've got. It took us all a while for three of us just to be friends."

Robin stared at you, frustrated. You shrugged and looked away.

"Aren't you the one who convinced me that it was worth it to risk telling Vickie how I feel?" Robin asked. "And didn't it work out?"

"That's different," you mumbled.

"Fucking how?" Robin asked. "Because it's a couple you're in love with?"

"How do you even go about hitting on a couple?" You asked thoughtfully, and then you shook your head. "It doesn't matter. I like how it is now."

You made quick work of stealing Robin's Walkman and putting the headphones over your ears. You groaned when you heard Africa by Toto begin to play. It was Steve and Nancy's unofficial song. Along with Fire and Rain. You listened to it, though, with your arms crossed. Meanwhile, Robin was eating angrily in your direction. Every chomp was over exaggerated, with a glare on Robin's face as she chewed in frustration and confusion as though she were trying to figure out a complicated puzzle. Finally, she finished her lunch and stared at the table with a sigh. She pushed the headphones off of your ears.

"Okay, I won't push you," she said softly. "If you're not ready, then you're not ready."

"Thank you," you said gratefully.

"But you should get used to being around them without tripping over your feet," Robin said. "I'm hanging out with them this afternoon. Steve’s cooking, and he wants it to be a nice evening where we put on our nicest clothes. Unfortunately, Argyle and Jonathan couldn't make it. Vickie has to work. So, it's just going to be the four of us. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Yeah," you mutter.

That was how you ended up cursing Robin out later. Nosy bitch, you had thought affectionately. Here you were, in your nicest clothes that were the perfect mixture of your favorite material and your favorite colors. They fit quite nicely. You paused on Steve’s doorstep for a moment before taking a breath and knocking. Steve opened the door, looking good in his nicest blue sweater and tightest pair of pants. Did it suddenly get hot in here?

"Hey, you look nice," Steve said.

"Thanks, so do you," you said.

"Come in," Steve said stepping aside to let you in. "Oh, you should probably know something."

"What?" You asked as brushed by him.

"Uh, Robin can't make it. She forgot she had plans with Vickie," Steve shrugged as he closed the door.

You froze, looking at him. What? Didn't Robin say that Vickie was working? You stared at the closed door. There was no escape. You cursed Robin in your head. You were going to get her back for this.

"I, uh, I guess it's just the three of us," You said.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said, grinning. "Don't worry. Nancy and I will try not to make you feel like a third wheel. We can keep our hands to ourselves."

Please don't, you thought. You were led into the kitchen where Nancy was setting the table. God, she looked beautiful in her purple dress. You always thought she looked good in purple.

"Hey, you look great," Nancy said.

"So, do you," you said.

"Thanks," she said with a grateful smile.

They all settled down to eat and talked politely with them before Nancy started talking about Emerson. She really loved it there, but at the same time, she missed everyone here, especially you and Steve. You tried not to choke on a piece of food when she said that. It didn't mean anything, did it?

"I just can't believe Robin bailed on us after making us dress up," Nancy said.

Hold up. . .this was her idea? You should have known.

"She told me Vickie was working," you scowled. "And that Steve wanted us to dress up."

"Okay, I feel like we're being set up for something," Steve said.

"More like I'm being set up for something," you sighed.

"What does that mean?" Nancy asked.

You sighed again and put your fork down. It felt like butterflies were eating you from the inside out.

"I have to tell you guys something, and you have to like promise not to hate me," you said. "Or think differently of me."

"We never would," Nancy said softly.

"I, uh, kind of been in love with you both for a long time now," you swallowed nervously. "And I wish I could be a part of your relationship. I know that's probably weird, and you can process it however you want. I just thought you should know."

The silence was awkward. It's too awkward. You had to do something. You went back to eating even though you were no longer hungry. Steve and Nancy went back to eating as well. The silence grew more uncomfortable as time went by. Finally, Nancy cleared her throat, and you looked up hopefully.

"We just never really thought about you like that," Nancy said, and it was like a blow to your heart. "Right?"

"Uh, yeah, right," Steve asked, looking at Nancy doubtfully.

"Uh. Right, of course not," you sighed. "I'm sorry. This was a mistake. I'm just going to go."

You pushed yourself out of your chair and hurried out the door. You could heart Steve and Nancy calling your name, but you didn't want them to see you cry. It was hard to face them after that. You ignored their calls, didn't bother going into Family Video, and whenever you saw them out in the wild, you managed to run away successfully. You knew it was childish and cowardly, but you also knew that you couldn't face them without dealing with the hurt. You just needed it to fade along with the feelings, and then you could face them.

"You're going to have seen them eventually," Robin said, as she prawled out on your bed.

"Evetually, but not today," you said, as you laid next to her.

It was several weeks later, and so far, you had managed to keep hanging out with Robin. Although, you knew that'd probably change now that Eddie and Chrissy had rolled back into town.

"Well, your brother keeps pestering me about why you don't want to see them," Robin said. "It's quite frankly annoying."

"It's your fault for sticking your nose where it didn't belong," you huffed.

"And it's your fault for not sucking it up and just talking to them," Robin said, and then she sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I thought for sure they would feel the same."

"It's not your fault," you said with a sigh. "You were just trying to help."

Silence fell over the both of you. Suddenly, a loud knocking came from the front door. You both jumped. You heard Dustin open the door.

"Steve! Nancy!" Dustin exclaimed exclaimed.

"Is your sibling home?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, yeah, definitely! Are you here to fix whatever this because it's driving me crazy!" Dustin yelled.

"Yeah, we are," Steve said.

"Oh no!" You whispered to Robin. "Stall them."

"Why? What are you going to do?" Robin asked.

"Leg it out the window," you whispered.

"What? That's crazy. Besides, you left your keys in the living room," Robin said.

"Shit. I'll take my bike," you said.

You quickly shoved your feet into your shoes and grabbed your backpack before climbing out the window. Oh, the things you would do to avoid embarrassment. You crawled underneath the other windows and sprinted towards the garage. You took down demogorgons, demobats, and pseudo Freddy Krueger, but you couldn't face getting your heart broken by Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler. It was painfully funny. You snuck around the side of the garage and entered through the side door. You carefully grabbed your bike and pushed it out the door. You put your backpack on and rode off, enjoying the wind wipping through your hair. Freedom.

You rode your bike to the diner that opened up a few blocks away, locking it up on the bike rack out front. You walked in and ordered your favorite milkshake before sliding into a booth with your back to the door. You focused solely on the milkshake, just trying to forget what a fucking coward you were. You knew that Dustin and Robin were going to give you hell for this. Knowing Nancy and Steve, they were still going to be at the house when you got back. Maybe you shouldn't return. Just as you were about to mentally scold yourself, you felt a tap on your shoulder. You looked up to find Eddie and Chrissy looking down at you.

"Hey, I thought that was you. You here by your lonesome or are you waiting for someone?" Chrissy asked.

"I'm alone," you said somberly.

"It sounds someone's trying to drown their sorrows in a glass of milkshake," Eddie said.

"I am," you pouted.

You watched them as they slid into the sear across from you.

"And what are you running from?" Eddie asked, and you looked at him. "If anyone is an expert on running away, it's me."

"Heartbreak," you muttered.

"Heartbreak, huh?" He winced. "That sucks."

"Who broke your heart?" Chrissy asked.

"It's my own fault, really," you replied. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Oh! I know two people who walked right in who will cheer you right up!" Eddie exclaimed. "It's Steve and Nancy."

You quickly ducked down, heart racing your chest.

"Did they see me?" You ask.

"No," Chrissy said.

"Good," you said and dove completely under the table. "Fucking hide me."

"How?" Eddie asked.

"I don't know. . .put your jacket over me," you said.

"And explain the giant lump to them how?" He asked.

"I don't know. . .think of something," you said. "I can't let them see me. . .I did something embarrassing."

"Okay, as long as you promise to tell us what the hell you did," Eddie said.

"Promise!"

Just like that, Eddie's jacket was being pulled over you. You could hear Eddie finishing off your milkshake as Steve and Nancy slid into the booth. The bastard. You could hear them talk low and then mention your name.

"You haven't seen them, have you?" Steve asked.

"No, can't say that I have," Eddie said.

"We were hoping they had come here," Nancy sighed.

"By the way, what the hell is under here?" Steve asked.

"Oh, that's my overnight bag. I didn't want to leave it in the van," Eddie said. "I'm going to spend the night at Chrissy's."

"Oh, I'm sure her mom is going to love that," Steve said.

"Oh, yeah," Chrissy giggled.

"So, what are you looking for them for anyway?" Eddie asked.

"We sort of messed up," Nancy said. "They told us something important and we didn't handle it well."

"We're just trying to find them and apologize," Steve said.

"We've spent all this time trying to explain to them that we've never thought of what they told us in that way before," Nancy said.

"All we're doing now is thinking about what they said," Steve said.

"And we just can't get it out of our heads," she said. "It's like - I don't know what to compare it to."

"It's like olives. One day they're just olives to you, you don't want to eat them, but you don't have anything against them, either," Steve said.

"Then someone tells you that they like olives and that you should try them. . .suddenly, you want to but now you can't find the olives," Nancy said in excitement. "The olives are nowhere to be found!"

"Wow. . .," Eddie said, blinking at them. "I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about."

"We hurt their feelings, Eddie," Nancy said with a sigh.

"And we didn't mean to," Steve said.

You bit your lip, trying not to laugh. It was so utterly ridiculous. Were they saying what you thought they were saying? Okay, so you definitely couldn't hide anymore. You sighed and took off the jacket, tugging on Eddie's pants. You saw Eddie nudge Chrissy, and they moved out of the booth. You crawled out from under the table, looking sheepish.

"Hey," you said softly.

"You were under there the whole time?" Nancy asked.

"You're Eddie's bag?" Steve asked.

"Yes, I'm Eddie's bag," you snorted and turned to the other couple. "Thanks, guys, I've got it from here. And don't worry, Eddie, I'll tell you all about it later."

"I'm holding it to you, Henderson!" Eddie exclaimed.

Eddie and Chrissy moved to another table, leaving you alone with them. You looked at them, feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry for running away, I shouldn't have done that," you said, blushing.

"You were hurt, I totally get it," Nancy said.

"I'm sorry we didn't realize sooner how we felt about you," Steve said.

"You didn't know," you said. "And you guys really want me to be with you?"

"Yes," Nancy said.

"Why?" you asked, blinking rapidly at them.

"Because you're sweet and thoughtful. . .also very funny," Steve said. "Very cute too."

"And you've always been there for us whenever we needed you," Nancy said.

"And you never once complained when we were unable to be there for you," Steve said.

"We're here now, though, for whatever you need," Nancy said. "We want to see where this takes us."

"Well, you should know that I'm apparently a flight risk," you said.

"And apparently, we'll just chase after you," Steve said with mirth and love in his eyes.

"We love you," Nancy said.

"I love you, too," you said, your voice thick with emotion.

Nancy and Steve each took your hand, holding it tightly in yours. You looked into their eyes, and you knew that there wasn't a chance you were ever going to run away again. Now, you could run towards them, and they'd catch you if you fell. . .literally, they've already done it a few times. You laughed, maybe you were just a klutz. Suddenly, Eddie screamed from across the diner.

"THEY WEREN'T FUCKING TALKING ABOUT OLIVES AT ALL! CHRISSY, I'M A FUCKING IDIOT!"

"Eddie!"

[siriuslysmoking]

(Updates every Sunday @ 11 am CDT)

ON PAUSE

Series Warning: blood, death, gore, murder, PTSD, anxiety, depression, different mental illnesses, alcohol, drugs, eventual smut, mentions of torture, mentions of being drugged, (Updated when new trigger may appear.)

Wanna read the OC version? AO3 | Wattpad

Pinterest Board

"I'm trying my absolute hardest to see this from your perspective but I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass." "Nice one, L/n."

Y/n L/n, she never really fit with the people she hung out with, never truly getting the feeling that she was welcomed. And to be honest she couldn’t care less, she was very much not a people person on the inside but on the outside she was the most extroverted person you’d ever meet. She had high anxiety which somehow always made sure she was second guessing herself. The thinking of, why are they looking at me? Even the thought of getting out of bed most days was hard for her. But no one knew that of course, she was a happy person. 

Eddie Munson, he was different. He was not afraid of being known, announcing himself to the entire school, jumping on tables and shouting at someone across the room. Eddie’s life wasn’t the simplest, he sold drugs, to put it blatantly, he was the drug dealer of Hawkins. He lived in a trailer park with his uncle and he even had his own club, Hellfire. It was a Dungeons and Dragons fantasy game, according to the news it was a satanic ritual for the devil himself which was a bunch of bull shit.

Both Eddie and Y/n live in Hawkins, Indiana, a small town that strange things happen to. And ever since Will Byers went missing three years ago nothing’s been the same. Murders being covered up by the government, mall fires -that Y/n knew wasn’t a mall fire-, Russian bases underneath the same shopping center. Missing Kids, creepy dogs roaming around with no faces, and now horrific deaths of Hawkin’s High students. And it all started with Chrissy Cunningham.

Chapter Index

(includes all planned/written parts meaning not all parts until stated complete)

Break The Chain

No One Was Saved

Wait For You?

The Blues

Living In Devotion

The Sky Is Gray

Timeless Flight

As The World Falls Down

I'm Only Falling Apart

Wandering Very Far

Dream a Little Dream

No Time Left to Start Again

[aloneinthehellfire]

saw my tumblr notification for your previous anon and OH MY FUCKING HELL I WOULD LOOOOOVE TO GET THE BATHROOM SCENE FROM STEVE’S POV 💖💖💖

I’ve already told you before that your writing is STELLAR and I know that no matter what you write, it’ll be absolute gold. *chef’s kiss* 🤌🏻

I have to say also that GOH is absolutely KILLING ME in the best ways. love love love the slow burn and the mystery behind what’s been happening in the latest chapters, aaaaa. :’) keep up the amazing work, my friend, and please make sure that you take breaks should you need them!! 💕

I got a lot of requests for this so I hope my anons find this one <3

RAINING HELLFIRE (READER'S VERSION)

Word Count: 3672

Warnings: swearing, mentions of drugs, mentions of torture

Set in RH3: Chapter 12: Uncle Jack

Find all Raining Hellfire works here <3

Summary: While you try and find your previously abandoned radio in hopes of contacting help, Steve and Robin slip away from their cinema experience to end up in the bathroom, sharing truths about their lives they never admitted before.

[A/N: Welcome to our new little series I am calling 'Raining Hellfire (Reader's Version)' where you can request a scene that I either hadn't written into RH originally or a POV of a different character :) shout out to the nonnie that suggested this &lt;3]

RH3: STEVE'S EPIPHANY

“The ceiling stopped spinning for me.”

Robin’s voice echoed out as Steve flushes away his latest creation, stomach lurching while he wipes away the clinging spit.

“Is it still spinning for you?”

Steve rests his back against a ceramic tiled wall and tilts his head upwards. He focuses for a second.

“Holy shit.” He sounds, still feeling light-headed. “No. You think we puked it all up?”

“Maybe.” Robin says from the cubicle beside his. “Ask me something. Interrogate me.”

“Okay. Interrogate you, sure.” He tries to straighten himself a little, ignoring the dull pain in his face. “Um… When was the last time you, uh… peed your pants?”

“Today.” She responds quickly, voice airy.

“What?” Steve smirks.

“When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw.”

“Oh my god.” Steve chuckles and Robin laughs.

“It was just a little bit though.” She giggles and Steve shakes his head in amusement.

“Yeah, it’s definitely still in her system.” He mutters, rubbing the eye that hadn’t been battered by Russian spies. Of course Dustin’s brilliant plan involved yet another concussion.

“All right, my turn.” Robin announces after her laughter died down, a smile in her voice.

“Okay, hit me.” His head was starting to throb and he was seriously missing his truth serum right about now.

“Have you… ever been in love?”

“Yep. Nancy Wheeler. First semester, senior year.” He says, not really putting much thought into the answer. He imitates a gun with his fingers and shoots at his heart.

“Oh my god.” He could practically hear Robin’s eye roll. “She’s such a priss.”

“Hm.” Steve nods, remembering a time when he thought the same. “Turns out, not really.”

“Are you still in love with Nancy?”

“No.”

A wave of shock struck him when he answered without a thought, reeling in his own response. Was he really over her?

“Why not?”

This time, his thoughts are swirling around like the ice-cream machine they rarely ever used, clouding his eyes with one image. One very specific image. And he smiles.

“I think it’s because I found someone who’s a little bit better for me.” He chuckles. “It’s crazy. Ever since Dustin got home, he’s been saying, you know, you gotta find your Suzie, you gotta find your Suzie...”

Steve blinks and the image reappears again. Dustin’s rant about Steve finding love had never left his mind.

“Uh, I guess I don’t totally know what I’m looking for.” Steve states, staring through the binoculars and being anything but covert. But Dustin could be on to something and he desperately needed a break from slinging ice-creams all day.

“Evil Russians.” Dustin replies simply and he roll his eyes.

“Yeah, exactly.” Steve nods, “I don’t know what an evil Russian looks like.”

“Tall. Blonde. Not smiling.” Dustin offers as Steve continues to navigate the binoculars. “Also, look for earpieces, camo, duffel bags, that sort of thing.”

“Right, duffel bags.” Steve repeats. He takes another moment before letting out a breath. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?”

“Anna Jacobi’s talking with that meathead Mark Lewinsky.” Steve complains, staring as she cosies up to the worst player he ever teamed with in his life.

“Dude, if you’re not gonna focus, just gimme the binoculars.”

“Aw, Jesus Christ,” Steve continues, ignoring the boy next to him, “Whatever happened to standards? I mean, Lewinsky never even came off the bench.”

“Dude, you are the worst spy in history, you know that?” Dustin reaches out and snatches away the binoculars, resulting in a small fight as Steve struggled with the strap around his neck.

When Dustin won the binocular war, he places the binoculars in front of his eyes. “I don’t get why you’re looking at girls, anyway. You have the perfect one in front of you.”

“Seriously,” Steve sighs, already knowing where he’s going, “If you say Y/n again-”

“Y/n.” Dustin says anyway.

“No, don’t. No.”

“Y/n, Y/n, Y/n.”

“Stop, no.”

“Y/n.” Dustin repeats over and over before throwing a curveball. “Robin?”

“No- Robin?” Steve raises his eyebrow. “Really?”

“Right.” Dustin nods. “‘Cause you like Y/n.”

“I don’t-” Steve takes a breath, noticing Dustin’s unimpressed look. “No, man, she’s not my type. She’s not even… in the ballpark of what my type is, all right?”

“What’s your type again?” Dustin asks with a side-eye. “Not awesome?”

“Thank you.” Steve sarcastically smiles, suddenly wondering where you were right now. You had said something about spending the day with Max and El, but that was all he had heard from you since last night. He remembered that smile you had given him before you drove off, a small wave as you promised to catch up on the ‘little Russian espionage’ later.

“Hm, right.” Dustin smirked and Steve looked back to him. “That lovesick face says it all.”

“I’m not-” Steve lets out a frustrated sigh. “She’s not my type, okay? Just friends.”

“Let’s see.” Dustin lowers the binoculars to count on his fingers. “Funny? Check. Smart? Check. Pretty? Double check.”

“Still in love with her ex? Check.” Steve says and Dustin’s face falls.

“What? No.” He pouts and Steve nods.

“Yeah, well. Good for him.” He looks ahead, trying not to think about how much that hurt him.

“At least you’re not in high school anymore.” Dustin shrugs and Steve looks at him.

“How has that got anything to do with anything?”

“Look, Steve.” Dustin gestures to the mall in front of them and Steve looks… confused. Dustin sighs. “There’s a whole world of girls out there. Instead of dating somebody you think’s gonna make you cooler, why not date somebody you actually enjoy being around? Like me and Suzie.”

“Yeah, you mean, ‘hotter than Phoebe Cates’. Yeah, that Suzie.” Steve recalls with a snarky tone, “And, uh, let’s think about- how exactly did you score that beautiful girlfriend? Oh, yeah. With my advice. Because that’s how this works, Henderson. I give you the advice, you follow through. Not the other way around, all right, pea-brain?”

“And how’s your advice working for you?” Dustin challenges, his eyes narrowing in his own amusement.

“Wait, who’s Suzie?” Robin asks and snaps him back into the moment. He blinks, running a hand through his hair.

“It’s some girl from camp, I guess his girlfriend.” He shakes his head, trying to push away the growing beating of his brain against his skull. “To be honest with you, I’m not 100% sure she’s even real.”

“But that’s not- that’s not really the point. The point is this girl, you know, the one that I like, it’s somebody that I… I lost touch with in school. And I don’t even know why.” Steve continues, sighing. “Maybe ‘cause Tommy H. would’ve made fun of me or… I wouldn’t be… prom king. It’s stupid. I mean, Dustin’s right, it’s all a bunch of bullshit anyways. Because when I think about it, I should have been hanging out with this girl the whole time. First of all she’s hilarious. She’s so funny. I feel like ever since last November, I have laughed harder than I have laughed… in a really long time. And- and she’s the only person in this whole world I feel like will understand me, you know? Not judge me.”

“Really?” Robin chirps up with a smile in her voice. “Sounds like she loves being around you.”

“Yeah...” Steve’s face slowly falls.

Steve closes the space, resting his head against your forehead. His heart raced faster as he pushed aside his fear. “I love you, Y/n.”

When you don’t respond, he moves his body closer, lifting his head to search your face for something to give him hope. “Please, say something.”

Every second you didn’t react was agony. He could see the tear trickling down your cheek, his brows furrowing.

And then you reached out, placing your hands over his. That little jolt of electricity, the one that give him hope, the one that never failed.

Until now.

You gently unclasp his hand and take your keys, never raising your head, never meeting his eyes.

“I..” You start, lips squeezing together. “I don’t feel the same way about you. Never have. Never… never will.”

Steve feels his entire soul shatter into a thousand pieces.

“I’m sorry.” You whisper as you turn from him, getting in your car without so much as a second glance.

He’s stood there, paralysed in his own heartbreak. He thought… you and him…

How could he have been so stupid?

“Steve?” Robin calls out and he clears his throat.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here.” He nods, rubbing his eye. “It’s just… I thought, you know, this girl was… everything. And…”

“And?”

“And she wasn’t even real.” He spoke, lowering his head. “I really should have taken Dustin’s advice. The kid knows zilch about love but… but he knows people better than I do sometimes. Told me Nancy was out of my league. Not in a bad way just, like…”

“Like you weren’t meant to be together?” She suggests and Steve hums.

“Yeah, exactly.” He laughs after a moment, “You ever… you ever had that?”

He rubs his face again, looking to the cubicle wall that separated them. She’s being quiet and he frowns, tapping on the plastic. “Robin? Robin, did you just OD in there?”

“No.” She finally says, sighing. “I… am still alive.”

“Did I say something wrong?” He asks and she lets out another sigh.

After another block of silence, he can’t take it anymore and scoots over to the wall, gripping onto the underside and pulling himself through, slow enough to avoid crashing into Robin on the other side. He decided it best to ignore how wet the floor felt on his back.

“The floor’s disgusting.” She comments as he sits back up, facing his friend.

“Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt, so…” He waves his hands, brushing it away. “What do you think?”

“About?” She blinks, but he knows she’s aware.

“Destined to fail romances?” He chuckles, shaking his head. “You ever had that with a guy before?”

“Something like that.” She says and he groans.

“Come on, you don’t have to be all mysterious.” He laughs, nudging her knee with his. “I can tell when you’re being weird, I’ve known you-”

“That’s it. You don’t.” She interrupts, brows knitted. When he frowns, she bites her lip and leans forward. “Look… you don’t really know me. And if you did, like – like really know me… I don’t think you’d even want to be my friend.”

“No, that’s not true, no way is that true-”

“Listen to me, Steve. It’s shocked me to my core, but I like you. I really like you. But I’m not like your other friends.” She shakes her head. “I’m not even… I don’t…”

Steve leans forward, “What’s going on?”

“Do you remember what I said about Click’s class? About me being jealous and, like, obsessed?” Robin questions and he slowly nods. “It isn’t because I had a crush on you.”

He blinks, holding his breath. Now he felt really foolish for even thinking it.

“It’s because…” She continues, and he keeps his silence. “She wouldn’t stop staring at you.”

“Mrs Click?” He frowns in confusion and she laughs, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Tammy Thompson.” She finally says, nodding. “I wanted her to look at me. But… she couldn’t pull her eyes away from you and your stupid hair. And I didn’t understand, because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor. And you asked dumb questions. And I watched you fall in love Freshman year with a girl you ended up treating like shit because you wanted to be a douchebag. And- And you didn’t even like Tammy Thompson and… and I would go home and just scream into my pillow.”

“But Tammy Thompson’s a girl.” Steve shook his head, the drug still wavy in his brain.

“Steve.” Robin says softly and he slowly feels his face fall, realisation finally hitting him in a moment of clarity.

“Oh.” He finally sounds, blinking.

“Oh.” She repeats, laughing sadly.

“Holy shit.” He leans back. Talk about deja vu.

Steve didn’t realise how silent he was being. It wasn’t because of shock or hatred or anything like that. It was because he was taken back to Skull Rock all over again. Sat beside you. Your fingers nervously fiddling with the hem of your sweatshirt, a scared look in your eye. The relief on your face when he said he didn’t care who you liked, just who you were. A happiness in your trust.

That shattered image when you found out he had taken that trust for granted.

He didn’t want it to be like that this time. No wrong words, no broken promises. He didn’t want to make anyone feel that destroyed ever again.

“Steve… did you OD over there?”

“No, I just, uh… just thinking.” He slowly nods, “I mean, yeah. Tammy Thompson, you know, she’s cute and all, but… I mean, she’s a total dud.”

“She is not.”

“Yes she is. She wants to be, like, a singer. She wants to move to, like, Nashville and shit.”

“She has dreams.” Robin tries but he’s shaking his head.

“She can’t even hold a tune.” He expresses, trying to think of a descriptor. “She’s practically tone-deaf. Have you heard her?”

As Robin laughs, he mimics Tammy’s voice in the school choir, making it as nasally as he could.

“She does not sound like that-”

“She sounds exactly like that. That’s a great impression of her.”

“You sound like a Muppet.” Robin comments and Steve laughs.

“She sounds like a Muppet. She sounds like a Muppet giving birth.” Steve chuckles and Robin can’t help but agree, giggling. “Literally ask anyone, ask Y/n, she was there. It was an hour of torture, like, even the Russians couldn’t beat that.”

“Okay, okay.” Robin clutches her stomach, shaking her head. “You’re right, okay? She sounds horrible.”

“Thank you.” He grins, head resting against the wall, “You could do so much better.”

“Like Y/n?”

Steve practically jolts, eyes wide. How did she know? Did he tell her? Was he rambling about it and didn’t realise? When did-

“Steve.” She smiles, tilting her head. “I know who ‘the girl’ is, I’m not dumb.”

He mentally lets out a sigh of relief before focusing on her comment. “It’s not… I don’t know.”

“God, you two are in love with eachother.” She scoffs, meeting his unconvinced eyes. “Seriously. It’s suffocating being around you two, it’s flirt city.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore.” Steve sighs.

“No shit, there’s no way I’m going back to work after that, they don’t pay me enough to be interrogated by secret-”

“No, Robin, I mean me and Y/n.” He says quickly and she stops, frowning. He sighs again. “It… there wasn’t…”

When he couldn’t find the words, Robin leaned forward.

“What happened between you two anyway?” Robin prompts and he furrows his brows, shaking his head.

“What-”

“Last night. Or… heck, I don’t know how long it’s been.” She shrugs. “When Y/n ran out. After that really intense moment of her talking about being taken advantage of – which I totally agree with her by the way- but... she was clearly upset about something. And you followed her. But when you came back…”

She takes a breath.

“You looked…”

“I looked?” He asks, stomach churning.

“Heart-broken.”

“I don’t feel the same way about you. Never have. Never… never will.”

“There.” She points at his face and he bats her finger away. “Right there. That look.”

He covers his face with a groan, resting his head in his hands.

“I mean… if there would be any time to open up to me, it would definitely be after I just told you I’m a lesbian.” She snickers and he can’t resist the laugh, “Don’t tell me… you’re also gay?”

“No.” He chuckles and she smiles, leaning back. “But I am definitely going to be alone for the rest of my life.”

“I don’t believe that.” She scrunches her face as if the thought was stupid. “You’re Steve Harrington. Any girl would be fantasising about spending their life with you.”

“Not the one that matters.” He admits quietly and she straightens, her eyes wide. Steve takes a breath. “When I caught up to her…”

“Please, say something.”

“… I…” He sighs, rubbing his face. “God, I am an idiot.”

“Why?”

“I told her I loved her.” He finally blurts, wincing at the silence that ensued.

“Woah.” She comments, nodding slowly. He simply nods with her, eyes fixed on the black mark staining the wall behind her. “And I’m guessing she didn’t…”

“No.” He purses his lips, sniffing. “It’s fine, though. At least I know now, right? Won’t be… won’t be wondering that for the rest of my life.”

“She lied.”

His head whips up. “Uh, what?”

“She lied.” Robin repeats, looking serious. “I may have only just met her at the beginning of summer, but I like to think I know her. I see how she looks at you. I can even hear it in her voice when she talks about you and… and there’s a reason she hasn’t been dating anyone.”

“Because she’s still hung up about Eddie.” He sighs and she whacks his knee. “Ow!”

“No, dingus! Because she’s hung up about you!” She exclaims, “God, you are both so oblivious, it actually hurts.”

Steve rubs his knee, shaking his head. “She still likes Eddie.”

“And yet, she chose you.” Robin expresses with her hands and he frowns.

“What do you mean she chose me?”

“Because of the-” Her face falls. Either she was going to puke again or she had just realised something important because her skin started to pale a shade. “Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“No, Robin, tell me.” He inches forward slightly, eyes wide. “Because of what?”

She bites her lips, obviously trying to hold something in.

“She told you something, didn’t she?” He interrogates, watching her face go paler from the strain of keeping a secret. “What didn’t she tell me? Robin. Robin!”

And with that, she snaps.

“You’re kinda maybe one of the reasons she and Eddie aren’t together anymore but it’s also not your fault ‘cause there was no trust between them in the end anyway, and she was never going to let your friendship die again especially since you guys apparently went through so much together last year and she’s already lost you twice because of some petty arguments or something like that so she decided to let Eddie go so she could keep you because out of everyone, you make her feel the happiest she has in a really long time.”

Robin takes a long breath as she physically deflates against the wall, chest rising heavily.

“If she ever asks… it took a lot more than that to get me to spill.” She grimaces, waiting for his reaction.

You had never told him why you and Eddie broke up. Not truly. He remembers the first time you told him, sat on a bench outside the high school, your eyes threatening tears. You told him that you think you broke Eddie’s heart, but you weren’t ready to talk then. Ever since, you just alluded to the idea that you weren’t right for eachother, that it was better for you both to be apart. Never did you admit it was because of Steve.

And now he was conflicted. How should he be feeling about this? Angry? Confused? Sad?

“How am I… the reason?” He asks softly, fixated on his shoelaces.

“I don’t know the full details.” Robin says, “But I know that she has to love you too.”

“Rob-”

“No, just listen.” She interrupts and he takes a breath, meeting her eyes. “Don’t give up. Considering all the weird shit that just happened back there, and the fact that neither of you seem at all phased by the fact we were tortured by Russians living underneath us, I can only assume that she had a lot going on. Give her time, okay? Take it from someone who has an exceptionally sad life of watching other people fall in love, you two are made for eachother.”

“Right.” Steve nods before shaking his head again. “What if she meant it? That she didn’t… what if-”

Robin lets out a groan. “Just stop being a dingus and take my advice.”

“Not sure how I feel about taking advice from someone who had a crush on Tammy Thompson.” He retorts and she looks offended.

“Wha- hey!”

“We’ll be holding on forever!” Steve imitates Kermit the Frog and she buries her face in her hands, laughing.

The bathroom door bursts open and two kids walk in, one looking severely pissed at Steve.

“Okay, what the hell?!” Dustin frowns, hands on hips.

Steve draws his eyes back to Robin’s and they burst into laughter again, uncontrollably.

“It’s not funny!” Dustin stresses, only making them laugh harder. He shoots a glare at Steve before Erica steps forward.

“Y/n is missing!” She shouts and the two finally quit their giggling.

“What?” Steve chuckles, unsure if he heard her right.

“Y/n went looking for help about twenty minutes ago.” Dustin explains, and Steve’s heart races faster. “And she hasn’t come back.”

“So we better stop chit-chatting like little girls at a sleepover and get the hell out of here before the Russians find us.” Erica remarks, rolling her eyes when nobody moves. “Now.”

“Wait.” Steve scrambles to his feet, Robin slowly but surely following his action. “Y/n-where- where did she go?”

“Her radio.” Dustin sighs, pulling a face when Steve shakes his head. “Jesus Christ, we don’t have time to explain everything to you, she went out to get her radio but she hasn’t come back.”

“Let’s go, we’ll find her later.” Erica stresses, already opening the door and motioning for them to get out.

“I’m not leaving this mall without her.” Steve promises, wiping his lip and heading for the door, more determined than ever.

if you would like to request a new pov scene for the Raining Hellfire universe, please feel free to put it into my ask box and I'll get to it when I am available :)

[heartbreak-sandwich]

CHAPTER FOUR: THE HIDEOUT PRESENTS: CORRODED COFFIN

NSFW, 18+, MINORS DNI

Master List | Read on Ao3

Chapter Three is SFW content (though later there WILL be NSFW content, therefore, the 18+ label).

A/N: Here is CHAPTER FOUR!! Things are finally being set in motion in this long winded fic. I'm making the chapters a little shorter because it's easier for me to write and post at a more consistent pace, so I hope that's okay! Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading my work and interacting with me, I love you very much, and you make all of this work worth it!

The remainder of your walk beside Billy was mostly silent with the exceptions of the muffled booming of music coming from deep inside The Hideout and the click of your heels on concrete. Though Hawkins was a relatively small town, the night life had its own hours, and people were starting to stumble out of the woodworks and onto the streets to find the nearest place to grab a drink and get lost in some local musicians’ handiwork.

“A little late tonight, Miss?” Ray, the doorman of The Hideout always greeted you respectfully, and tonight was no different. His dark eyes and bald head glinted symmetrically with the dim glow of the outdoor lights.

“Hi, Ray. Yeah, Eddie’s gonna kill me for this one,” you replied with a toothy grimace. “Fifteen minutes isn’t too bad though. I guess it could be worse.”

“It could, indeed,” Ray agreed, eyeing Billy up and down with the intensity of an overalert bodyguard.

“It’s okay. He’s with me. Billy, this is Ray.” You introduced the two in an attempt to diffuse the tension and in hopes that Ray would let Billy in as a friend of the band. He knew your age, but he didn’t ask too many questions as business was exploding lately thanks to Corroded Coffin’s new set. Ray gave Billy another methodical once over with his almost-black eyes before nodding stoically and gesturing to the door.

“Break a leg, Miss,” he wished through a bright smile as you approached the doorway.

“Hey, what are you – don’t – HEY!” You only caught a few words before you felt a sharp blow to your sternum and the wind was completely knocked out of you. “I don’t even like beer! I just wanted to see the band!” You steadied yourself as the boy who had just body slammed into you turned around.

“Dustin?!” It was Dustin Henderson. “What are you doing here?!” You were too young to be at the bar, but you were also technically employed there. Dustin, on the other hand, was even younger, and you knew his mom would be worried sick if she had even an inkling of what he was doing right now.

“Hey! I was just, uh – you know, uh –”

“Dustin, where does your mom think you are right now?” Dustin’s braces shone as he kept his grin all through trying to stutter out some kind of excuse as to why he was trying to sneak into a bar after 9 p.m. on a school night. Realizing you weren’t going to accept anything other than the truth, he conceded with a sullen sigh.

“At Mike’s playing a campaign that ran late.” Dustin avoided your gaze, feeling slight guilt for creating another problem you felt responsible to solve.

“You need to get home. How did you even get here?”

“That’s not important. I wasn’t doing anything stupid. I just wanted to see the band play. I’ve never seen you guys live, and I’m always missing out,” he explained. Your expression softened at Dustin’s obvious want to support his friends.

“I hear you, and I get it. But this isn’t safe, okay? We’ll find a way for you to see a show soon at a different venue. I promise. But right now, we need to find a way to get you home.”

“Oof!” A man came stumbling out the door and barreled into the back of Dustin, creating a domino effect and knocking him into you yet again.

“Hey! Watch where you’re – Henderson?” Thank God it was Steve. “What the hell are you doing here?! Where does your mom think you are right now?” It was the most common question for any of your crowd to ask Dustin who was always into some kind of mischief due to his insatiable curiosity.

“It’s okay, Steve,” you assured. “His mom thinks he’s at Mike’s playing DnD.” Steve rested both of his hands on his hips and scowled at Dustin, incredulous.

“Well, this is just great,” Steve complained, turning to you. “I was high tailing it to hunt you down because Eddie is having a total diva meltdown over you being late. He’s really hard to handle when he gets like this, you know, and I can’t soothe diva Eddie, I just can’t –” Steve trailed off as both of the boys’ eyes locked on a target slightly behind you. Shit. You were hoping that the commotion of the moment would get you out of answering any questions about why Billy seemed to be escorting you to your show.

“Evening, gentlemen.” Billy’s voice slid out in deep, velvety tones, and you could tell he was putting on his best smooth guy ruse so as not to highlight the blatant awkwardness of the situation.

“What is with today,” Steve lamented, shaking his head, closing his eyes, and massaging the bridge of his nose, his opposite hand still perched firmly on his hip.

“As much fun as this has been, I really need to get going. Eddie will have my head already, I’m twenty minutes late, and the night isn’t getting any younger. Dustin, it’s time to go. Steve, make sure Dustin gets home safe, okay?”

“Oh, hold on, no, no, no,” Steve protested, holding up both hands in defiance.

“What other choice is there? He can’t get home on his own. It’s not safe for him to be out alone right now, especially in this part of town, and Billy can watch our table since Robin isn’t here yet. See? It all works out.” Steve gawked at you, neck flushing as his anger crept up on him. “I’ll see you when you get back,” you called over your shoulder as you rushed through the door with Billy hot on your heels.

“Unbelievable,” Steve muttered, turning to Dustin who was just as dumbfounded. “Always the goddamned babysitter.” Steve rolled his eyes, cupping Dustin’s shoulder and turning him to trudge across the parking lot to where his BMW was parked. “I can’t believe you thought this would work,” Steve scolded as he unlocked the driver’s side door. Faint bickering could be heard until the purr of the car’s engine overpowered all other sounds. Steve backed out of the parking lot and onto the main road, swearing Dustin’s ass would be grass if he ever pulled a stunt like this again.

Rushing around the crowd of showgoers, you led Billy to the table in the shadows closest to the backstage entrance. You shrugged off your jacket and draped it around the back of one of the chairs, tossing your bag onto the seat.

“Robin usually keeps guard of all of our stuff at the table, but she’s running late tonight. Do you mind filling in until she gets here? It shouldn’t be too much longer.” You had to yell over the metal music that seemed to suck all the air out of the room.  A smirk tugged at the side of Billy’s mouth, his cerulean eyes glued to you as you hastily checked your pockets for loose items, tossing your lighter and pocket change into your bag.

“I don’t mind at all,” he barked back over the crashing of a drum solo.

“Thanks. I promise it’s not usually this chaotic,” you belted, apologetic.

“Something tells me it is, but I’m not complaining.” He flashed you a smile, and your insides backflipped. You could tell he was truly amused, and there was something very satisfying about Billy Hargrove exhibiting genuine emotion that sparked a warmth behind your cheeks.

“I’d better get up there. Samantha should make her rounds for drink orders any minute. Feel free to put whatever you want on my tab. CC groupies drink for free,” you teased with a wink. Billy let himself laugh, his brilliant smile making a second appearance. In a fluid transition of emotion, his eyes trailed up behind you and widened. You whipped around to see Eddie staring directly at you from his spot onstage. Get up here NOW, he mouthed as his fingers worked the neck of his guitar at rapid speed. You nodded in response and gave Billy a quick pat on the forearm before bursting through the beaded archway to the backstage loading dock.

The sound of springy guitar strings tainted the entire space followed by a cacophony of “BOOs” from the front of the crowd. Eddie’s riff fell flat after being distracted by your fucking around with Billy while you should have been joining your bandmates onstage. You knew Eddie was already livid, but you would have to do your best to talk him down later. As the last chords of the song rang out and died down, you stepped your way onto the stage and took your place at the microphone, giving Eddie an apologetic smile, and gripping the stand.

“How are you feeling tonight, Hawkins?!” The sound of your voice resonated off of the back walls of the bar, and the crowd below you roared with excitement. This was a sizable turnout. There seemed to be more and more people on the floor each week since your new demo had been finalized, and you took full advantage of the audience participation. “Give it up one more time for Jeff!” The crowd obliged once more, monstrous cheers ringing throughout the venue. “We are Corroded Coffin, and this is what we’re all about. ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!” The snare drum signaled the beginning of the song the waves of people in front of you went wild for.

Billy watched from your table in the darkness, never taking his gaze off of you. He could tell you were in your element, and he had never seen someone influence a room so effortlessly. He tapped his foot and nodded along to the beat of the song, a smirk plastered on his contemplative face. There was something about you he just couldn’t shake, and he was playing words over and over in his mind trying to grab at something he could say to you when you stepped off the stage and back into his world – some kind of compliment that would mean something. For that moment, all he could do was watch, and there was nowhere else he would rather be.

[the-case-book-of-fanfiction]

Rain-Soaked Kisses

Ship: Steve Harrington x fem!Mayfield!reader

Summary: Steve hates storms but loves the rain—just another oxymoron of his life, like the secret the kids are trying so very hard to dig up.

Word Count: 6,582 words

Warnings: fluff!!!, sappy & romantic Steve, scheming Dustin & Max, healthy Mayfield sibling relationship, Billy mention, lumax sprinkles, secret relationship, friends to lovers, byler sprinkles, jancy sprinkles

Note: Told in part from the perspective of the kids! Written because it's storming where I am, and I love this weather so much.

☟ Continue below the fold ☟

"Who could he possibly be dating? There's not a girl in Hawkins that wants to go out with him!"

"Well, clearly one of them does!"

Dustin sighed, taking in Max's exclamation. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Steve had stopped complaining about bad dates and girls who left quickly; Robin reported he'd completely stopped talking about Leah and Heidi and Helen and the five other girls he'd been on-and-off again with; he walked around with a dopey, happy smile on his face all the time; and he was less and less reliable for rides, instead going on dates with a girl who's name he always pretended to forget.

As impossible as the idea seemed, Dustin had to admit it was a logical conclusion.

But who?

"Robin?" Max suggested.

Dustin shook his head. "Impossible. Steve steadfastedly refuses to date her. It's not Nancy again, is it?"

"Nope—saw her with Jonathan yesterday." Max huffed a sigh. "Maybe we have to...think outside the box more?"

"Who's outside the box? Who hasn't he already tried to date and failed miserably at dating?" Dustin demanded.

Max was silent for a moment too long. Then she said, "Alright, I don't know. I can't think of anyone who would actually go out with him."

"Exactly, neither can I," Dustin said. "We've got to watch him. We need to know who this is."

~❊~

But tracking Steve and his mystery girl down was much, much harder than either Dustin or Max had anticipated.

Without Steve driving them around, getting around town took twice as long as it needed, either in the attempts to find someone to drive them or in walking themselves everywhere. Nancy was either busy or with Jonathan most of the time, which ruled out Jonathan as well, and Robin still didn't have her license.

During yet another slow afternoon of trying and failing to put together the pieces of where Steve was going and with who, the phone rang. Dustin and Max both looked up quickly, scrambling over furniture and Dustin's new cat to beat each other to the phone.

Dustin got to it first. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dustin? It's Robin."

"Yeah, I know it's you, Robin, I can recognize your voice."

"Now's your chance."

"What?"

"Steve just left work—he said he's going on a date. Now's your chance to go find out who he's going out with!"

"Oh, shit!" Dustin turned to Max. "Steve's going on a—"

"I heard," she said. "Does she know where he's going?"

"Where's he going, Robin, did he say?"

"A restaurant, and he changed into a really nice outfit before he left here. And by nice, I mean really nice. Like fanciest restaurant in town kind of nice. Whoever this girl is, he really wants to impress her. And he's obsessed with her, too, he's been smiling all day from excitement."

Dustin scoffed. "And you didn't call us before he left?! Now we have to find out where he's going and how to get there!"

"Well, it's not like I could call you talk about him in front of him! Besides, we do know where he's going. What's the fanciest restaurant in town?"

"Enzo's," Dustin realized. "That's where he's taking her."

"I can guarantee it. If you go to Enzo's, he's going to be there. I'd go myself, but Steve and I'll both get fired if at least one of us isn't at the store right now."

"Thanks, Robin!"

"Good luck, guys!"

Dustin turned around to give Max the details, but she cut him off. "I heard. Enzo's."

"All we have to do is catch them in the middle of their date, and we know exactly who Steve's dating," Dustin said with a grin. "Easy!"

"Yeah, easy," Max snarked. "How are we supposed to get there?"

Dustin paused before he sighed. "Start calling everyone we know with a car, I guess."

Max rolled her eyes. "Like that'll ever work. Nobody's been willing to drive us around so far!"

"Can't hurt to try," Dustin insisted.

"No, Dustin, we'll be wasting time! We should just start walking now!"

But Dustin was already dialing the number to the Wheelers' house. It was answered by Mrs. Wheeler.

"Hello, Karen Wheeler speaking!"

"Hi, Mrs. Wheeler, could I talk to—"

"MIKE!" Dustin flinched at the volume from the other end. Max cringed, hearing the shout from where she stood. "Dustin's on the phone!"

A few seconds later, Dustin heard Mike's voice. "Yeah?"

"Is Nancy there?"

Dustin could see Mike's frown. "What do you want Nancy for?"

"Mike, I don't have time for this—"

"What. For? If this is Keith trying to get a date with her again, I swear that I'll—"

"Oh my God, Mike, no! Steve's going on a date and we need to catch him to figure out who he's going out with! We need Nancy to drive us there."

"Dustin, do you realize how idiotic that sounds? Nancy's not gonna drive you to go spy on her ex and his new girlfriend!" Mike hung up without another word.

Groaning, Dustin tried to call again, but he was met only with the dial tone.

Max rolled her eyes. "I told you it wouldn't work."

"I'm calling the Byers," Dustin grumbled. He dialed the number, but when Joyce picked up, she was talking to someone else in the house and by the time Dustin had gotten out "Is Jonathan there?" he heard the click of the receiver being put back.

"Try my sister," Max said.

Dustin dialed the number to Max's trailer, but no one answered. He shook his head.

"She's probably out running," Max sighed.

"Another run? Isn't that all she does now?" Dustin asked with a frown.

Max shrugged. "She says it helps her...deal with things."

Dustin sensed a can of worms—the kind that most people would avoid, the kind that Max clearly wanted to talk about anyway. So he asked it, when most people wouldn't. "Things?"

Max nodded slowly. "Yeah. You know...the Upside Down, Eddie..." She hesitated. "Billy."

Dustin glanced down at his feet. There was blood associated with all of those memories. He knew they plagued all of them, those who'd survived Vecna and his creatures, and he knew that they all had different ways of coping. Dustin's was research, Max's was music, yours was running.

"She's more like him than she wants to admit," Max said. "At least, she is with the running. Billy, he...he used to exercise to distract himself. She runs."

"Is that a bad thing?" Dustin asked.

"No, it's just... She needs someone in her corner is all. And I don't...I don't think that person is me anymore."

Dustin's heart squeezed in his chest. "Max..."

She shook off his concern. "Come on—we'd better start walking, or we're never going to make it to Enzo's on time!"

~❊~

It started to rain halfway through their walk to Enzo's.

The storm didn't start gently. There was no warning before it started to pour, no flash of lightning or boom of thunder. Just a steady downpour, hard and fast and painful against the skin.

Dustin and Max hid from the weather as much as they could, ducking under store awnings and hiding under outdoor umbrellas as they came across them.

After getting turned around at least twice, they spotted the restaurant's glowing sign. They ran toward it, stopping at the bay windows peering in. They scanned the tables inside. From the parking lot behind them, there was laughter and the slamming of car doors.

"Do you see them?" Dustin hissed. He looked at every face he saw, overanalyzing the back of every head that looked like it might be Steve.

"Are we sure they're still there?" Max said. "It's been, what, almost an hour and a half? Who eats for that long?"

Dustin shrugged. "Enzo's is a fancy place, they've got designated courses and shit. They could still be there."

A car engine revved. "Are you sure?" Max took Dustin by the shoulders and spun him around. "Is it just me, or does that look like—"

"Steve's car!" Dustin hissed. "Shit!"

They raced after it in the rain, Dustin catching sight of Steve through the driver's side window, his hair perfect and a huge grin on his face.

"Is he wearing a suit jacket?" Max asked.

"Did you see who was in the passenger's seat?" Dustin demanded.

Max didn't answer, still staring after the car, her face fixed into confusion.

"Max?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I...I couldn't tell who it was."

Dustin groaned. "Shit! That was our one chance!"

"We'll get another one," Max snapped. "He's been going on dates a lot, right? Robin said so, and he's always gone because he's been on a date. He'll go on another one with her soon."

Dustin sighed. "Good point. Now we just have to wait. Come on—we should call Robin."

~❊~

Max walked home in the rain by herself, hearing her mother fuss that she would get a cold if she kept walking around in the rain without a jacket, but not caring. Louder than her mother's voice was El's: friends don't lie.

Should Max have told Dustin what—who—she saw in Steve's car? Or the fact that she'd seen them going into Steve's burgundy BMW in the parking lot while he'd been focused on the store?

No.

Yes?

It was too late now. Besides, was she absolutely sure of who she'd seen?

Well, yes, she knew you better than anyone. You'd been by her side her entire life. There were pictures hanging in the trailer of Mom in the hospital bed after she'd given birth to Max, but it was you who was holding her, sitting in the plastic chair next to the bed.

The lights of the trailer were on when Max reached it, but only your car was in the driveway.

She pushed the door open. "Hey, I'm home!"

You poked your head out of the door to your bedroom. Your hair was just as drenched and stringy as her own. "Max! There you are, I was worried— Why are you soaking wet?"

"I walked home," she said, shrugging.

You hurried out of your room. "Come on, we need to get you out of those clothes. Mom will kill us both if she finds out we've both been out in the rain in the wrong kind of clothes."

"Where were you?" Max asked as you brought her into the bathroom.

You glanced up at her but didn't meet her eyes. "You couldn't get a ride home?" You left her in the bathroom, running into her room to grab her some dry clothes.

"No—Steve's the only one who will drive us anywhere, and he's unavailable most of the time."

Guilt flashed over your face. Max narrowed her eyes, watching you closely. You didn't seem to notice. "We'll tell Mom we took showers if she gets back before our hair dries." You paused. "You could have called me, you know."

"I did," she said. "You didn't answer."

Your face fell. "Max, I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Are you dating Steve?"

The question stopped you in your tracks. "Max, I..."

"Are you?"

You sighed, wiping a a hand over your face. You sighed. "Yeah."

Max sighed. "Hand me a towel, please." You did so silently, taking one of your own to towel-dry your hair. "Why didn't you tell me?"

You shrugged. "At first, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. I mean... I knew I liked Steve, but his track record with girls hasn't been good lately, and I..." You sighed. "I wanted reassurance he wouldn't be gone after a week."

"And after that?"

You groaned, putting your head in your hands. "This is...gonna sound stupid, but... Steve has been everything for you guys. For you, for Dustin, for El, everybody. He's saved you countless times, I watched him stand up to our brother to protect us, even though Billy beat him bloody for it. I didn't...I didn't want to feel like I was taking him away from you all, but I also...kind of wanted him to myself sometimes. And he seemed to want time alone for the two of us, too, so..." You looked up at Max. "And I didn't...want you to feel like I was taking away from you. After Billy..." Your voice caught in your throat.

There it was again. The silence that surrounded death.

"Died," Max whispered. "After he died."

You nodded. "After he died, I know Steve kind of...stepped up for you. I didn't want you to feel like he cared less about you just because I was in the picture now." You laughed shakily. "I know that kind of, uh, backfired. I'm sorry to keep him away from you guys for so long."

Max shook her head. "Stop apologizing for wanting someone that's yours." She breathed out a laugh. "I was just telling Dustin that you needed someone in your corner. I should have known it would be Steve. I mean, he's always been there for the rest of us, why wouldn't he be there for you?"

You looked over at Max. "Just how mad is Dustin that I'm dating Steve?"

"He doesn't know," Max said. "We've been trying to figure out who Steve's mystery girl is for months. He won't tell anybody, so Dustin wanted to try and see if we could figure it out ourselves." She glanced at you. "We saw you guys last night. At Enzo's. Or rather, I saw you. Dustin was too busy trying to peer inside the restaurant to even notice Steve's car."

You made a face. "How can you not notice Steve's car? It's a burgundy BMW for Christ's sake."

"I know!" Max giggled.

You laughed with her for a minute. The lightness in her voice—it had been a while since you'd heard her laugh like that.

After a moment, you said, "So...nobody else knows that it's me Steve is dating?"

Max shook her head. "Not even Robin."

You whistled. "I'm surprised Steve's capable of keeping a secret from her. It's gotta be killing him, I just know it." You giggled. "However...we could have some fun with this."

Max raised her eyebrows.

"If Dustin wants to know who's Steve's dating, he can keep digging as much as he wants." You grinned. "That's gotta be amusing, surely?"

~❊~

The storm that had swept in over a week ago had lasted the whole week, turning Hawkins into a mud patch and its roads into rivers. It let up briefly, leaving behind perfect spring days, only to return with a vengeance the next week—randomly on a Thursday afternoon.

Thursdays had become movie nights at Steve's house, and Dustin had concocted a plan to trick Steve into telling him who he was dating.

Max knew it wasn't gonna work. She had been present when you told Steve about Dustin's snooping and the both of you had decided to continue yanking Dustin's chain. Steve had seemed more excited about it than even you had.

While Steve set up his house for the group of rambunctious teenagers for movie night, Dustin explained his plan to Max in whispers.

"So, I'm going to try talking about Suzie for the first few hours," Dustin started, watching Steve like a hawk while he moved about in the kitchen, making popcorn for the group. "Get him thinking about his own relationship, you know? And then you know how he gets—" He cut himself off abruptly when Steve came into the living room with bowls of popcorn, setting them on the coffee table.

"Any idea when your sister's supposed to be here, Max?" Steve asked. "I thought she was driving you."

Max shook her head. "She said she'd come after she got out of work, but I don't remember when her shift ended."

Steve nodded. He disappeared up the stairs in the next moment.

"You know how he gets when it gets late into the movie and its dark and he's focused?" Dustin continued, picking up immediately.

Max frowned. "Like when he's so focused on something you can ask him a question and he'll either go 'huh?' and make you repeat it or he'll just answer without thinking?"

"Exactly like that," Dustin said. "That's when I'm—"

Steve returned with a stack of blankets. "How many of us are there, again? Twelve?"

"Thirteen," Dustin and Max both said.

Steve tossed the blankets onto the couch. "Go grab five more. Up the stairs, closet on the left."

They went up the stairs, Dustin whispering again before they'd even reached the landing. "I'm gonna ask him who he's going out with when he's like that."

Max rolled her eyes. "You don't know that'll work. He could say 'huh?' and make you repeat the question, like I just said."

Dustin shrugged. "Then I'll ask him something different, wait a little bit longer, and then ask again. He can't do that the whole night. Can he?"

"How should I know?" Max picked up the blankets and started back downstairs. Steve was whistling in the kitchen. "This whole plan is so stupid, Dustin. It's hardly a plan!"

"Do you have a better idea?" he hissed.

Max stayed silent. Of course she had better ideas, but those might make Steve actually tell Dustin.

"That's what I thought," Dustin said, clearly on the wrong path. "We'll stick with my plan." He glanced at Steve's back in the kitchen. "Unless your sister knows who he's dating? They're pretty much best friends now, right?"

Max nodded. "Blame Robin for that," she said, praying her poker face held. "I don't think she knows. I can't see Steve telling her if he hasn't told Robin."

"Fair point," Dustin decided. "Even more reason to rely on my plan."

She rolled her eyes. "Your plan is just going to annoy him until he kicks you out of his house."

"He likes me too much," Dustin said, with confidence Max wasn't sure he should possess—not about this, at least.

When they reached the first floor again, Steve was pacing around the living room, double checking he had everything set up. Max had to admit she liked the set up he had for movie night: the coffee table was set up with bowls of popcorn and a drink tray, there was a cooler next to filled with water bottles and soda cans, he had dragged every pillow in the house to the couch and floor, a fluffy winter comforter spread out on the carpet to make the floor more comfortable, and an egregious number of bagged snacks in a wicker basket.

"I think we're all set, guys," Steve said, surveying the room with his hands on his hips.

As if cued by Steve's motherly behavior, the rain outside grew louder, falling fast against the AC unit in the window. Steve winced.

"Looks like we're going to have to have the volume up high to hear the movie over the storm," he said.

"What are we watching?" Dustin asked.

Steve shrugged. "I dunno. We've got a couple choices in that cabinet over there, plus the stuff Robin's bringing. I think Nance had a movie she wanted to suggest, too, but I can't remember what it was..." His eye caught on the stack of blankets, leaning down to count them.

Dustin dug through the movie cabinet. "Come on, Steve, what are these movies? Why are they all romantic comedies?"

"Because they're my mom's favorite, dipshit," Steve said with an affectionate roll of his eyes.

"There's nothing of value here!"

"Well, I'm not watching Star Wars again, so—"

"It was Star Trek last week!"

"Even worse." Steve looked up at Max and waved her over. She glanced at Dustin, but he was too busy judging Mrs. Harrington's taste in rom-coms to notice her get up.

"Would it be too obvious if I gave your sister my blanket? I miscounted and we're short one."

Max bit back a laugh. "I think Nancy might notice, Robin would definitely notice, but Dustin's still a little too oblivious for that."

Steve huffed a sigh. "Can't have one of them letting it slip. Alright, fine, I'll use mine and give her a different one." He glanced at his watch. "Her shift ended almost an hour ago, she should be here any minute."

Max frowned. "Why do you know her work schedule better than I do?"

He shrugged. "In case she needs a ride to or from work. Can't leave her stranded if her car breaks down again."

A knock sounded at the door. Steve grinned at Max, both of them knowing you had arrived. He rushed to the door, slowing down only when he was within Dustin's sightline again.

You were hugging your arms when he opened the door, your hair wet and stringy, your clothes soaked through. "What took you so long, Stevie?!" you demanded, hurrying through the door. Max pointed to Dustin before you could kiss Steve's cheek.

"Jesus, you're soaked," Steve said, taking in your more than damp appearance. "Did you walk here?"

"No," you said, pointing out the still-open door to your car. "It's just raining hard enough that I got drenched on the run from my car to your door."

Steve slammed the door shut before more water could get inside. "Uh, okay, come on, I think I've got something for you to change into."

You blinked at him, gaze flicking briefly to Dustin. "Oh, no, that's alright, I'll just—"

"I'm not letting you stay uncomfortable and catch a cold in these clothes," Steve insisted. You nodded, all too ready to curl up in one of Steve's sweaters. "Come on—you two, we'll only be a minute. Answer the door if anyone else comes while we're gone."

Steve ushered you upstairs. Max waited a few minutes before telling Dustin she'd be right back, using the bathroom as her excuse, wanting to keep an eye on the two of you and stop you from any funny business. She followed the damp footprints you'd left behind, slipping into the bathroom across from Steve's room and peering around the door. She smiled at what she saw.

You had ditched your wet pants and shirt and were pulling on a pair of Steve's jeans. Steve had his back turned as he dug through his dresser.

"Um...do you need a different bra? I'm pretty sure you left one here last time..." Steve glanced back at you and smiled. "God, you look cute."

You looked up at him, cheeks pink. "You're just saying that because I'm half-naked in your bedroom and the clothes I'm wearing are yours."

Steve shook his head, still smiling. "I'm sayin' it 'cause you're cute." He walked over to you, sweater in hand, and kissed your nose. "You are beautiful, Miss Mayfield." He brushed your wet hair out of your face. "Arms up, honey."

You lifted your arms for him and he tugged his sweater over your head. He pulled you to his chest as soon as it was on, holding you like it was the last time he ever would. Max watched your hand go into his hair, pulling a soft sigh from him.

"Kiss me, Stevie," you whispered, coaxing his head toward your own with your hand.

Eyes closed, Steve obeyed, kissing you softly, chastely. Max heard the movie-perfect sound of your lips parting before you tugged him back down for a second kiss, deeper than the first.

"I love you," he whispered.

"And I love you," you said back. The two of you smiled at each other, sickeningly sweet, and Max wondered if the look on your face was the same one on hers whenever she was with Lucas.

Steve adjusted his sweater on your body one more time. "We should get back downstairs," he said. "Dustin might get suspicious."

You fell back into his arms for another hug. "Okay."

Steve took your hand and slowly lead you out of his bedroom, though he seemed just as reluctant as you to have to let go and pretend to just be friends. "Your sister thought it would be too much to give you my blanket during the movie, but I think I like having you in my clothes more."

You smiled. "If it's anything scary, I'll jump a lot and cling to you and we can blame it on the movie."

Steve grinned. "Let's hope Robin brings a good scary movie, and that Eddie wins the vote tonight, then."

Max shut the door before you could see it was open, making sure it closed quietly, quickly flushed the toilet, and turned on the sink and made a show of opening the door to see the two of you. She glanced pointedly at your hands.

"I thought we were still making Dustin guess," she said.

Steve sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He brought your joined hands to his mouth and kissed the back of your hand before letting you go. "Alright, I'm done now."

The three of you headed back downstairs, Max at the lead and you just behind. Max knew Steve had let you go down the stairs first just so he could watch you prance around in his clothes and run his gaze over you again, but she'd give him a pass, just this once. You did look rather at home in his clothes.

Max watched you while you made yourself at home in your usual spot, in the middle cushion on the Harringtons' couch. In fact, she realized, you looked more like yourself, the happiest you'd been, since Billy had died—maybe even since you'd left California.

Credit where credit was due, Max would have to thank Steve somehow (without it seeming like she was thanking him for bringing you back).

"You want anything?" Steve asked you, tossing you one of the blankets. He set his down on the cushion next to you, then the blanket Robin had claimed on your other side.

"I'm all set," you promised. "Anyone else here yet, Dusty?"

Dustin rolled over onto his back from the place on the floor he'd claimed as his several months back, which he said was the best place to watch the movie from, but Max knew was his spot because it was still close enough to Steve, too. The middle, which was hers, was definitely a better view than Dustin's righthand side.

"Not yet," he said. "Hi."

You smiled. "Hi. Find a good movie?"

"No," Dustin said. "Steve's taste sucks."

Steve narrowed his eyes, picking up a piece of popcorn and throwing it at him. "For the last time, it's my mom's rom-com collection!"

~❊~

Max lay in her spot between Lucas and Dustin, Erica on the other side of Lucas, only half-paying attention to the movie while she braided El's hair, Will and Mike snuggling on the opposite side of Dustin. Max was sure Dustin felt singled out, being boarded by two couples, plus Nancy and Jonathan sharing a blanket and a lounge chair just behind him. Eddie had curled himself up on the chair on Steve's opposite side, covering himself in his blanket to protect himself from the blow of the AC unit.

Robin had managed to snag a new release that had just arrived at Family Video—Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, a movie that had only been out for a few months in the theaters. The kids on the floor had propped themselves up on their elbows, drinks and half-eaten bowls of popcorn in front of them.

Every so often, Max faked a yawn to duck her head back to glance at her sister and Steve. Robin was stretched out across both your laps, and the two of you had leaned together to share both of your blankets after Steve had muttered something about the AC being too cold, only for the others to shout for him not to touch it.

And judging from the way you and Steve occasionally exchanged a look, Max guessed you were holding hands beneath the blanket.

Max turned her attention back to the movie, lifting a small handful of popcorn to her mouth. Not so subtly, Lucas fake-stretched and laid his arm over her shoulders. Giggling quietly, Max snuggled into his side. She heard your amused hum behind from behind her, followed by a small chuckle of Steve's.

As it had the entire movie, thunder crashed outside. While the rain had lightened up enough not to be distracting, the flash of lightning visible through the curtains and the boom of thunder had been frequent and often made the room's occupants jump in fear.

Another boom of thunder announced the power flickering.

Dustin looked back at Steve. "Uh, Steve?"

"We've got a generator," Steve said, but he had sat up straighter and had pulled away from you, his face uneasy.

With the next flicker of lightning and crash of thunder, the power went out.

The group of thirteen sat in the pitch-black room in silence. Lightning illuminated faces briefly, showing Max that Robin had sat up, and that you, Steve, and Eddie were all on your feet.

"There are candles in the study," Steve said, breaking the silence. His voice was wavering, and Max remembered you saying something about cutting a date short due to the storm earlier that week. Was Steve...afraid of storms?

"I'll get them," you said.

"Matches in the drawer next to the sink and lanterns in the sunroom storage cabinet," he continued. "Eds, come on, let's go see if we can get the power back to the fridge and a few lights, yeah?"

"After you," Eddie said and followed Steve out the front door. The pattering rain grew louder as the door opened, revealing a world in grey scale, but still lighter than the inside of the house.

Dustin sat up. "Candles? Why not just use flashlights?"

"Steve only has two flashlights," Robin said. "Working ones, at least. But candles? The Harringtons have plenty of those."

Max followed you around the house, lighting the lanterns as you found them and helping you carry the candles back to the living room.

With the room now illuminated by flickering flame, it was easy to see the worry on people's faces.

"Do you think the whole town's out?" Mike asked.

"No, it can't be," Nancy said, but she didn't sound sure.

Will wriggled out from under his blanket. The look he exchanged with Jonathan was concerned.

"Everybody keep calm," you said, setting a lantern down on the floor at the center of the group. "Steve and Eddie will get the generator running in no time."

Silence fell, still and eerie. You sat beside Max and Lucas, and Max laid her head in your lap, trying to smile up at you. It only took a look for her to know you were lost in your head, in memories of the night Billy went AWOL and had been controlled by the Mind Flayer.

Max took your hand in hers. "It's okay," she promised.

"Mmm," you hummed, but your gaze was fixed on the door; you wouldn't relax until you saw Steve walk back in, unscathed.

The AC kicked back on. A few lights flickered to life and the low hum of the refrigerator filled the room.

Relief filled the room with the sound of an audible sigh. Moments later, the door opened and a waterlogged Steve and Eddie stepped back in.

"Did it work?" Steve asked. Then he heard the AC. "Alright, good." He looked around. "Turn the lights back off—the candles will do until power really comes back."

"Steve, you're drenched," Nancy said, "you're going to catch—"

"A cold, I know," he sighed, glancing over at you. You fought a smile. "Sorry about movie night, guys."

Dustin shrugged. "It was only a matter of time before we lost power. The size of the storm—"

"Oh, shut up, nerd," Erica said, rolling her eyes.

Dustin leaned around Lucas. "Do I need to remind you of the vents?" he hissed.

Erica narrowed her eyes at him.

"Children, children," Eddie admonished with a shit-eating grin that said he knew his chiding was only going to rile them up more.

"Eds," Steve warned, opening the curtains to look outside.

Eleven craned her neck to peer outside. In a small voice, she asked, "Can...can we dance in the rain?"

Nancy hesitated, then said, "I'm not sure that's the best idea, the weather isn't exactly kind at the moment."

Steve looked back outside again. "It's not raining too heavily right now."

El wrung her hands. "Joyce says it's...fun and romantic to dance in the rain."

Robin leaned forward, gasping. "You've never danced in the rain before?"

El shook her head. "Only biked in it."

"We have to go dance in the rain!" Robin insisted, jumping to her feet and pulling Eleven up with her. "It's a...a...a cognitive milestone!"

"I don't think that's the right phrase, Robin," you laughed, but you were also getting up. "Still, I think it's a good idea. Good way to pass the time until the power comes back."

"Come on, Nancy," Jonathan said softly. "Let her have fun. Mom's right. It's fun in the rain."

You took one of Robin's hands and one of Steve's and dragged them into the rain. Robin created a chain by grabbing El, who grabbed Max, who grabbed Lucas. The small group raced out into the street, running through puddles and spinning through the falling rain.

Dustin appeared at Max's side, his hair matted to his face. "It's like the time they were drugged by the Russians," he said, staring at Steve and Robin, the latter of whom was trying to taste the rain.

Max did a doubletake. "When they were what?"

"Don't ask," Erica suggested.

Laughter filled the air as the group danced around each other, twirling each other and splashing through the current of water at the side of the road. Steve tripped through puddles with Robin; Jonathan convinced Nancy to dance in the driveway; Will and Mike splashed each other in the puddles.

"May I have this dance?" Lucas asked, holding his hand out to Max and trying his best to look gentlemanly, which was ruined by the water running into his eyes and making him squint.

"You dork," Max laughed, but she took his hand anyway and let him pull her close, guiding her in a slow dance through the rain. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched as you went over to Steve and Robin.

Steve stopped his fooling around, watching you approach with a dopey, lovesick smile. He held out his hands to you and you took them; he twirled you in the rain, catching you and pulling you close before you could fall in the wet road.

"Careful there," he laughed. Even with his hair plastered to his head, his clothes heavy and hanging off him, you were still looking at him like he was the most beautiful creature you'd ever seen.

Max watched the time slow around the pair of you. She knew you were both completely oblivious, cut off from the company around you, even from Robin's stare as she took in the way the two of you gazed at each other.

Steve swayed you, getting himself lost in your eyes. He cupped your face with one hand, running his thumb over your cheekbone.

Lost in your bubble, neither of you noticed that the others had all stopped to watch, unable to speak and break the spell—not even Dustin, whose mouth hung agape.

You were lost in Steve, Max could tell. Close enough to the pair of you now, she could see you drinking in every detail: the water droplets hanging off Steve's hair and eyelashes, the amazed curve of his open mouth, the gentle swipe of his thumb, the lovestruck look in his eyes, his rosy cheeks so stark against his otherwise pale, cold, and wet skin, the reassuring hold of his arm around your waist.

Max knew what Steve was going to do before it happened, before even you had caught up. He bent his head, slotting your lips together.

Like some magic, divine will, the rain fell a little faster, distant thunder boomed, and lightning splintered through the sky, lighting up the clouds above you and Steve, a dramatic backdrop to a kiss so similar to a first kiss.

Robin whooped first. You and Steve smiled into each other, but neither pulled away, and Max realized you had been aware of your audience the entire time; but keeping it a secret hadn't been worth skipping out on a spectacular rain-soaked kiss.

Mixed in with the cheering was Dustin's incredulous cries of "What?! Max, did you know?!" that she pointedly ignored.

Steve swayed you while the kiss continued, embarrassingly long but adorably sweet. When it finally broke, Steve pressed his forehead against yours.

"I love you," he said, loud enough to be heard over the storm. (Robin shrieked.)

"I love you, too," you giggled. (Robin shrieked louder.)

Steve pushed your wet hair behind your ear and kissed your forehead, then shoved his hand through his own hair to get it out of his face.

"Not what you were expecting, huh, Henderson?" he said with a cheeky grin.

Dustin looked flabbergasted. "How did you know I was— MAX!"

You and Steve burst into a fit of giggles. You snuggled into his chest.

"How is that comfortable? I'm soaked!" Steve asked you.

"Yeah, but it's you," you said. A soft, sweet smile pulled at his lips, barely distracting you from his quiet moan of relief. He squeezed you tight.

"You're going to need to borrow more of my clothes," he said.

You grinned up at him. "I'll happily live in your clothes, Stevie."

A few feet away, Mike sneezed violently.

"Alright, back inside," Steve decided. "That's enough rain for today. I don't need you all getting sick and still needing me to drive you everywhere."

Dustin rolled his eyes. "Are you actually gonna drive us again?"

"If you give my girl the front seat and behave when she's in the car with us," Steve said. "Inside, come on. Go, shoo."

He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, watching the others flee to the safety of his house, then following them in with you. You kissed his cheek as you walked. Max hung back with Lucas, wanting to know what you said about the sudden rain kiss.

"You are perfect, Steve Harrington," you whispered. His cheeks darkened.

"Says you," he said, nuzzling his nose into your hair. "Hey, um... You wanna stay the night?"

"Gotta take Max home," you said. "But...I can come back?"

"I...I'd like that," Steve said. Max wondered if he'd ever been this shy with a girl before.

"Me too," you whispered. Steve squeezed your hip.

Dustin rolled his eyes from the doorway. "Get a room," he groaned.

"Oh, shut up," Max teased. "You're just annoyed you couldn't figure it out!"

Dustin scowled. "You knew! You knew and you were hiding it from me!"

Max shrugged, fighting a giggle.

Steve passed out towels with a warning not to let them get close to an open flame. Halfway through his warning, the power flickered back on—and so did the movie.

The group cheered, but Max watched you and Steve sneak upstairs and come down a few minutes later in dry clothes, hand in hand. She smiled before shaking her head and turning back to the ending of the movie.

And if—no, when—Steve asked her for advice on how to propose to you, Max was going to tell him to do it in the rain.

☞ ❊ ☜

Stranger Things // Steve Harrington

Taglist: {comment and let me know if you'd like to be added to the S.H. taglist!} @ohatropa@nix-rose@live-the-fangirl-life

[skyfallslayer]

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Chapter Seven

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

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: While Lucas warns that “The Bad Men are Coming”, Eleven struggles to reach their loved ones. The Adults and teens try to figure out what the next step is, and Steph takes her promise to get Will home to a whole ‘nother level. 

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

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 11,379

🎲Date: 3/6/25

🎲Warnings: Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; References To Broken Friendship; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Broken; Lying; Crying; Implied Unloving Parents; Implied Child Abuse; Blood, Gore, & Arson; Temporary Death; Will & Steph's Mental Strain - Joyce's Too; Hopper Being a Great Cop & A Total Mess; Eleven Needs Therapy; Steve's Emotional Damage. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N: Happy One Year Anniversary of the story! We're so close to season 1 being over! Just one more chapter and epilogue of the season before moving on to #2.

I will admit that this might not be my best work in this chapter. The pace may seem pretty fast, but only because this the final stretch that'll pave the way for next season. Hopefully, it's still up to your guys' standards ❤️. Enjoy!

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Will winced as the water drenched his cut. The older girl who was the cause of it apologized, frowning before tying it with some cloth she found. 

“Hold still. I’m going to make it a little tight in hopes to prevent an infection.” Steph replies, tugging on it then applying a knot. “It doesn’t look too deep.”

“Which is a good thing?” He asked, and she hummed.

“It’s better for me to see if there is an infection happening, so… yeah. It is.” She pats the bandage lightly, a message to tell him she’s done, making him slide his coat back on. “Good job on the fighting, Will The Wise.”

He smiles. “Good job as well, Steph The Ranger. No, wait–” He perks up. “Steph… The Courageous.” 

“Steph The Courageous.” She tests with a little laugh. “I like that. I’m coining that for our campaign.”

Then they continued to make a bit of small talk as they walked around where they laid out some tripwire, ignoring the sounds of the burning clock tower tumbling down behind them. They wandered inside one of the alleyways, getting closer to where they saw the trap had been knocked down.

Stephanie hums again, looking past it and out in the distance. “It looks like it came from this direction.” She says, as they start walking again. They go past their trap, following in a straight line. They went out of the alley, across the road, into another alley which led to the end of the edge of downtown Hawkins. “Look, another one.”

Will trails his eyes to the broken wire before out into the opening, which so happens to be the beginning of the woods again (Why did Hawkins have to be so green?). “So where does this lead?”

“Well…” She begins, taking a few steps onto the grass, tapping her foot to show him something -- there were indents in the ground, ones far too big to be human. “From the looks of it, it didn’t follow us from your house.”

“It didn’t come from where Steve’s house is either, so we know there’s no gate there anymore.” Will points out, coming over to look at it. “The footprints look like they continue straight for pretty far.”

“So what else is in this part of the woods besides the houses? The Quarry?”

“Isn’t there a lab near here?”

“Yeah.” Then it finally dawned on Steph. “Wait. Isn’t your house near that lab?” He nods. “How close is it?”

“I mean it’s pretty deep in the woods, at least that’s what Jonathan said to me. But I still technically live ‘near it’.”

“So… where I crashed my car, would that be considered close to the lab as well?” He thinks and nods again. “Jesus.” She sighs. “Of course all of this started because of the big mysteriously hidden laboratory. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner.”

“Do you think the gate’s there?”

“Well, if our theory’s correct, then yeah. And not only that, it’s not just a gate, that’s our main spawn point. It’s our shot home.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to look.”

“Then let’s go.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The walk back to the car was quiet, comfortable, but quiet. Steve had offered the tired girl a piggyback ride if she was up for it -- which she gladly took up since she felt so mentally drained. The drive home was a bit more chattered, not a whole lot, but enough to pass the time. When they got back to the Wheeler home, it was nearing the end of the afternoon, the temperature could be felt dropping slightly, and an orange color started blossoming into the sky. The four of them slipped back inside through the side door, unaware of someone watching them from a distance.

“That’s better.” Mike said, after helping El clean the dirt off her face and hands. The girl shakes her head, her gaze then turning to the mirror, examining her shaved head, a look of shame on her face. “You don’t need it.”

Her hopeful eyes turn to him. “Still pretty?”

“Y-Yeah! Pretty. Really pretty.” He manages to say, getting a huge smile from her. “El?”

“Yes?”

He felt his face feel hot while saying, “Um, I’m happy you’re home.”

“Me, too.” A light knock comes from the door, separating them both (They didn’t realize they got so close to each other).

“Hey, just checking in.” Steve says, worriedly. “Do you–” He points to her. “Want another jacket? I know mine’s pretty big, so…”

“N-No.” El says, shaking her head again. “It’s… comfy.”

And then before the oldest could comply, he was almost bulldozed over by Dustin. “Guys!” He shouts, looking between them. “It’s Lucas, I think he’s in trouble.” They all followed him out as he continued rambling. “Do you remember how he said he was looking for the gate? What if he found it?”

Mike picks up the walkie talkie, and sure enough Lucas was on the other end shouting, but none of them could decipher what it is because of the static.

“What’s he saying?” Steve asked, fearing the worst. 

“I don’t know, he’s way out of range.” Dustin explains.

[ ‘--Son of a bitch!’ ]

“Well, we could hear that.” Steve says, as Mike presses the button and brings the walkie close to his face.

“Lucas, if you can hear us, slow down. We can’t understand you.”

[ ‘Y-Yes, I co-py! D-Do you? They kn-ow ab-out Eleven! Get o-out of there! They kn-ow ab-out Eleven! The b-bad men are co-ming! All of th-them! Do y-you hear me? The b-bad men are co-ming!’ ]

The three of them looked at each other, confused.

“‘Mad hen’. Does that mean anything to you? Like a code name or something?” Dustin asked, as Steve shook his head. 

“I don’t think that’s what he said.”

[ ‘The b-bad men are co-ming!’ ]

Mike’s eyes widened. “‘Bad men’. Bad men!” All their faces dropped when he said those words. “Stay here!”  He hands the walkie over to Dustin before racing up the stairs, Steve in tow out of fright. He heads straight for the window in the living room, peeking outside. Sure enough, there was a suspicious looking man inside a van.

He glances over at the teenager, saying, “You don’t think…”

Steve catches onto what he’s suggesting instantly. “Shit, shit!” He replies, pulling Mike away from the window, and closes the drapes. “Oh, my god… what if he saw us?”

Mike bites his lip, thinking. “Hold on.” He takes off again for the kitchen, his mother was talking on their landline, completely preoccupied. “Mom!” He tries as she quickly turns her back to ignore. “Mom! MOM!”

Karen groans under her breath. “I’m sorry, can you just hold on please?” She holds the device against her chest while facing her son. “Michael, I’m on the phone. I’ve told you a million times–”

“Did you schedule any repairs?”

“What?”

“Is there anyone supposed to come and do repairs on the house?”

“I don’t understand. Is there something wrong–”

“No, Mom, nothing’s wrong in the house.”

“Michael, please, list–” She trails off, spotting someone coming into the room. “Oh, Steve, honey, real quick, uh, I just took the trash out a few minutes ago, and it looks like one of your tires is low.”

Steve’s heart sank, and so did Mike’s. “What?” He mutters, and takes off to the window again. He had a clear view of the driveway, the car he was in not even an hour ago had a flat tire… and then…

He saw something else. More copies of the van he saw were driving up the street.

“Oh, fuck!” He rushes back to the kitchen where Mike was still going back and forth with his mom. “Wheeler!”

“Hang on, Steve.”

“Mike!”

“What?”

“We need to leave... right now. Um–” He could feel the stares of Mrs. Wheeler on him intensely. “I just remembered, um, the o-other half of the school project you needed to do.”

“Oh…” Mike nods in understanding. “Uh, yeah. Yeah! Right! I almost forgot. Let’s go.”

“Michael!” Karen yells, stopping her son again who throws her through another loop.

“If anyone asks where I am, I’ve left the country.”

She blinks. “What?”

“Steve, what happened?” He asks, as they rush down the stairs, meeting with the others.

“There are way more vans now. And those people do not look friendly.” Steve replies, brain in overdrive. “We have to get out of here.”

“W-we got to get into your car.” Dustin said, feeling his heart start pounding.

“We can’t.” 

“What?”

“They slashed my tire. It’ll be too risky now to go out and try to fix it.”

“Shit.” The Henderson starts pacing around while holding his head. “Shit!”

“C-Calm down…” The eldest said, trying to be the strong one. “We need to think. And fast.”

Mike was practically bouncing on his heels to try to get an answer. “Um…” Then it hit him. “We can take bikes!” He looks at Steve. “I know it’s girly, but you can ride Nancy’s.”

“Shit, I don’t care if I have to ride Holly’s tricycle, let’s go!”

They wasted no time throwing open that door, bikes in hand, and running up the hill behind the house. Their hearts were pounding in their ears, anguish was eating them away and–

They paused their actions for a split second, Eleven looking down and locking eyes with an older man, his face stern and hair as white as snow. Seeing him made her freeze and squeeze Mike’s shoulders. That action alone made them kick it into gear. Dustin screamed many ‘Go’s’, as they all piled onto their bikes and took off, the vans following behind.

“Fucking hell–” Steve mutters under his breath, looking around frantically, a fear that the vans were just going spawn out of thin air.

Dustin on the hand was like a statue, body ridged and face going numb. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God–” 

[ ‘Dustin! Dustin, do you copy?’ ]

He perks up at the voice from his headset. “Yeah, Lucas, they’re on us.”

[ ‘Where are you?’ ]

“Cornwallis.”

[ ‘Meet me at Elm and Cherry!’ ]

“Copy. Elm and Cherry!” He shouts, activating them to change their route immediately. As they popped out onto another road, two vans were soon trailing behind. “Shit!”

“This way, come on!” Mike yells, making them cut across someone’s yard and out the back. 

Dustin starts ringing his bicycle bell to get some kids’ attention. “Out of the way!” He warns, waving his arm. “Out of the way!”

They nearly knocked the poor kids over, but there was no time for apologizing. They continued their short cut until getting out onto another street, slowly down to a stop. 

“Sinclair!” Steve says, upon seeing the boy who seemed like he overexerted himself already.

“Where are they?” Lucas pants, as they shook their heads. 

“I don’t know.”

“I think we lost them.” Mike replies, jinxing them. Soon, the remaining vans were turning onto the street behind them. “Go, go, go, go, go!”

“Fucking– Christ!” Steve kicks it off with the rest of them, Eleven looking over her shoulder to stare in agony.

“Go, go, go, go, go! Faster, faster!”

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Dustin continues to chant.

The vans were right on their tails, and to make matters worse, they were being sandwiched in just as another pulled out in front of them, barreling towards them at full speed. Their legs moved the pedals on their own as their bodies grow frigid at the state. What are they going to do? They’re being surrounded. There’s no way out of this–

Then…

By a freaking miracle…

El waved her hand and sent the vehicle flying. 

The boys watched as it was tossed like it didn’t weigh anything, watching it fly over their heads and blocking the road behind them with a loud crash.

They heard the rest of the vans ramming on the brakes, but they didn’t dare to look back this time. They pushed themselves to go up and over another hill, out of sight from the mysterious man with the white hair who was sighing at the whole incident. Their knees almost gave completely out by the time they arrived at their hideout: the junkyard. They tossed their bikes to the ground, Dustin nearly hurdling over from the panic attack, as Lucas shakes his head at everything that just happened. 

“Holy…” Steve begins, eyes widened and heart pounding, as he and Mike help Eleven sit on the ground for a well deserved rest. “Holy shit!”

“Did... did you see what she did to that van?” Dustin said, mouth agape.

“No, Dustin, we missed it.” Mike poked, rolling his eyes. But he has to admit… it was pretty freaking cool. 

“I mean that was–”

“Awesome.” Lucas said, getting everyone’s attention. “It was awesome.” He takes a few steps to kneel in front of her, face full of guilt. “Everything I said about you being a traitor and stuff… I was wrong. I’m sorry.” He gives her a smile and places his hand on her shoulder for reassurance. 

That got her to crack one too, replying, “Friends… friends don’t lie. I’m sorry, too.”

“Me, too.” Mike says, holding his hand out. His friend finally got the message, and without a second of hesitation, he stood up to shake it.

“Apology accepted. I’m sorry, too.” Lucas replies.

“Apology accepted.”

“Alright… glad we made up. But what do we do?” Dustin asked, looking between his friends. “Steve? Got any ideas?”

Steve scratches his head, thinking. “I… I don’t know.” He says, shaking his skull. “I should have known someone was going to come after us sooner or later, so…” He sighs. “Okay. El’s tired, so we’re not going to get far with her if she is, so we’ll need to rest for a bit. Once nightfall comes around in a few hours, we’ll move out. It’ll be easier to stay hidden.”

“And then what?” Mike asks, getting a shrug.

“Will just have to keep moving, until we think of something. Right now we’re outnumbered, no weapons, no food, we just got instinct. We just need to let El rest, alright?” The kids shake their heads, while Lucas shifts on his feet, eager to spill something.

“Well…” The boy starts, feeling everyone’s eyes on him. “If you want, I got some information that might be useful.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Jonathan?” Joyce said, as soon as they entered the station. “Jesus, what…” She moves closer to find him sitting at a desk with Nancy, a bag of ice over his bruised and cuffed hand. “What happened?

“I’m fine/Ma’am.” Were said at the same time by her son and Deputy Callahan.

“W-Why is he wearing handcuffs?” 

Callahan frowns. “Well, your boy assaulted a police officer. That’s why.”

“Take them off.”

“I am afraid I cannot do that.”

“Take them off!”

“You heard her.” Hopper snaps as he enters the room, firm hands on his hips. “Take ’em off.” 

“Chief.” Powell begins, trying to play peacekeeper here. “I get everyone’s emotional here, but there’s something you–”

“Where is the chief?!” A sudden voice boomed across the whole police department followed by a loud slam of the front door. “I want to speak to him right this instant!”

Callahan sighs and rubs his throbbing head. “Now, what?”

“Where is he?” A woman spatted at Flo before she could even speak. 

Hopper made a motion for his men to stand back. “Ma’am, I need you to calm down. I’m right here.”

The petite blond scoffs and makes her way over, followed by a child whose arm was in a sling. “I demand something to be done in this instance!”

“Ma’am, what happened? What is–”

“This instance!”

“Ma’am, Please. I can’t help you when you’re like this.” Hopper says, trying to hold his own temper. “Take a deep breath, and tell me what happened.”

The woman looked like she attempted to take his advice before exploding again. “A psychotic child broke his arm!” She says, gesturing to the kid. “She broke my son’s, Troy’s, arm! I can’t–”

“What did she look like?” Callahan asked, pulling his notebook out.

“I’m not talking to you!”

“Ma’am, you’re talking to him. I’ve got something rather important to deal with.” Hopper cuts back in, which seemed to shut her up. “Callahan, continue. Powell–” He points to Jonathan. “Get him out of the cuffs. I want to talk to him in my office.”

His subordinates nodded, and started complying. 

“So what’s this girl look like?” Callahan tries again, this time, asking the son. 

“She had no hair and she was bleeding from her nose! Like a freak.” Troy explains, all scared -- Suddenly, everyone else that wasn’t on the force froze at his statement. 

“What’d you just say?” Hopper says, as Joyce, Jonathan and Nancy all stare at the kid like he struck an unusual pot of gold.

“I said she’s a freak.”

“No, her hair. What’d you say about her hair?”

“Her head’s shaved. She doesn’t even look like a girl.” Troy frowns and looks down. “And…”

“And what?”

“Tell the man, Troy.” His mother urges. 

“She can… do things.” He mutters quietly. 

Hopper’s hope started spiking with just this little info. “What kind of things?”

“Like… make you fly. And… piss yourself.”

“What?” Powell said, confused.

Hopper holds his hands up for him to stop. “Was she alone?”

Troy shakes his head. “She always hangs out with those losers.”

“‘Losers’? What losers?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The four of them sat around Lucas as makes a square out of sticks he found, laying them out on the dirt as uses another one to explain his findings.

“This is Randolph Road, right here.” He digs a line on one side. “The fence starts here, and goes all the way around.” He points around the sticks, before smashing down an empty can in the middle. “And this is the lab right here. The gate’s gotta be in there somewhere. It’s gotta be.”

“Well, who owns Hawkins Lab?” Dustin asks, thinking.

“The sign says ‘Department of Energy’.”

“Department of Energy?” Steve says, scoffs. “Why do I think that’s a front for something?”

“He’s got a point.” Mike says, agreeing. “I mean, why put something like that in Hawkins? I mean, what do you think that means?”

“It means government. Military.” Lucas replies.

“Then why does it say ‘Energy’?”

“Just trust me, all right? It’s military. My dad’s told me before. Besides, There’s soldiers out front.”

“So… they make weapons?”

“Yeah, to fight the Russians, and commies and stuff.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “Weapons.” He said, sparing a glance at Eleven who looked away -- and everyone else catching onto what he was suggesting.

Dustin gasps. “Oh, Jesus, this is bad.”

“Really bad. The place is like a fortress.” Lucas adds, making their stomach’s turn. 

“Well, what do we do?”

“I don’t know, but we can’t go home. We’re fugitives now.” Mike says, frowning.

We’re in so much shit now. Steve inhales, taking a moment to process this. “Jesus, okay, um… let’s–” He trails off at a distinct sound, confused. “Guys? Please tell me that’s not what I think it is.” Sure enough in the distance, a helicopter could be seen coming their way. “Shit!! Put your bikes under the bus! Now! Now!”

They scrambled getting up and shoving their bikes into hiding, anxiety spiking as they ran inside the bus and dunk underneath the chairs just as the helicopter started passing above.

Dustin bites his lip to silence his nerves while muttering, “Mental…”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

As they both get closer to their destination, a tickle begins to bloom in their throats, causing a nasty cough to erupt. Steph makes a face muttering something of profanity as she covers her mouth.

Will on the other hand controls it quicker, and says, “It’s like the air got thicker.”

“Yeah.” She frowns. “It kind of reminds me of when we first arrived here.” 

“Do you think that means we’re going in the right direction?”

“I’m going to stay hopeful and say yes.”

That’s all they could do. It’s still not a 100 percent guarantee that the lab is the place of origin. Yet, judging their theories, the thicker air, the eeriness, and very strange, disgusting looking flesh-like ball growing out of the ground then–

Wait. 

Hold on a second–

“What… is that thing?” Steph asks, in disgust as they slow down their pace to examine it. “It looks like something out of ‘The Being’.” She scrunched up her nose when she got close enough. “Ew. It smells like death.”

“It… looks like an egg.” Will replies, grossed out too. “I guess the Demogorgon lays eggs?”

That got her feeling a bit panic-y. “I swear to fucking God, if I come across a baby Demogorgon, I’m going to freak the fuck out.” Her eyes start darting around in the darkness.

“D-Do you think there’s more monsters out here?” He asked, starting to tremble. 

“I hope not. I mean, it took a lot to kill one, I can’t imagine us killing another. And what if there’s more? There’s no way there’s only one egg.” Jesus, and what if there was? What if there was another monster lurking around? Then what? I don’t think we can do this shit again.

While the teenager was running many plans through her head, Will looked around while staying close, trying to see if he could see anything that could tell them what’s going on. The ground seemed clear, no footprints except theirs, he couldn’t hear anything either. He doesn’t see anything staring at them amongst the trees, so…

He perks up, and tugs on her sleeve. “Stephanie. Look.”

She follows where he’s pointing, a clearing above the trees; It seems quite far from where they’re standing, but you can miss the circling of some flying-type creature. “Is that a bird?”

“I hate to say this, but I think we’re going in the right direction.” He looks at her worriedly. “Most ‘final levels’ are usually guarded more than any other levels.”

Her face morphs into a surge of different emotions before simply saying, “Fuck.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Set at the top of the hill overlooking the Wheeler house was Hopper and the gang. The Chief sat outside the car with a pair of binoculars, watching as men and women in suits came in and out the house filled with Mike’s belongings, and stuff it in the trunks of their cars. 

“I have to go home.” The anxious Nancy finally says, which Hopper shoots down immediately by grabbing her by the shoulders. “My Mom... my Dad are there.”

“They’re gonna be okay.” He reassures her before she starts taking off. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey–”

“Let go–” He snags her arm. Let go!”

“Hey! Listen to me. Listen to me.” Hopper makes sure she’s looking at him. “The last thing in the world we need is them knowing you’re mixed up in all this.”

“Mike is over there–”

“They haven’t found him. Not yet, at least.” He points to the helicopter in the sky, which causes her to stare in shock.

“For Mike?!”

“Come on, get in the car.” He pulls her back inside with the others. Now, both him and Joyce look at the teenagers for answers. “Look, we need to find them before they do. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”

Nancy shakes her head. “No, I don’t.”

“I need you to think.”

“I don’t know. We haven’t talked a lot. I mean, lately–”

“Look, is there any place that your… your parents don’t know about that he might go?” Joyce asks, as she shakes her head again.

“I don’t know.”

“I might.” Jonathan admits, surprising them.

“What?”

“I don’t know where he is, but I think I know how to ask him.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[ ‘-ke, are you there? Mike?’ ]

“You guys hear that?” Dustin asked, confused.

[ ‘Mike, it’s me, Nancy. - Mike, are you there? Answer.’ ]

“Nancy?” Steve said, surprised. 

[ ‘Mike, we need you to answer.’ ]

“Is that your sister?” Lucas asked, dumbfounded. Since when was she involved in this?

[ ‘This is an emergency, Mike. Do you copy? - Mike, do you copy?’ ]

“Okay, this is really weird.” Dustin admits, as Lucas starts grabbing for the walkie.

“Don’t answer.” Mike says, as he gets a weird look. 

“She said it was an emergency.” Lucas replies.

“What if it’s a trick?”

“It’s your sister!”

“What if the bad people kidnapped her? What if they’re forcing her to say this?”

[ ‘I need you to answer.’ ]

“It’s like Lando Calrissian.” Dustin mutters, eyes wide. “Don’t answer.”

Lucas sighs. “Steve? What do you think? She’s your girlfriend.”

“Um…” The teenager honestly didn’t know what to think or say. He couldn’t even wrap his mind around anything at that moment. “I… I have no idea.”

“Oh, jeez–”

[ ‘We need to know that you’re there, Mike.’ ]

Then there was a line of loud static, enough to make their ears hurt just before a new voice broke in.

[ ‘Listen, kid, this is the Chief. If you’re there, pick up.’ ]

“Hopper?” Steve said, as him and the others got even more turned around.

[ ‘We know you’re in trouble and we know about the girl.’ ]

“Why is she with the Chief?” Lucas asked the million dollar question.

“How the hell does he know about–” Dustin begins.

[ ‘We can protect you, we can help you, but you gotta pick up. Are you there? Do you copy? Over.’ ]

“Can he really protect–”

“Wait.” Steve cuts in, making sure their gaze was on him. “We can trust him.”

“What?” Lucas said, skeptical.

“You sure?” Mike asks, awaiting an explanation.

“I’m sure. Remember? He was there with me at the morgue, he knows that Steph and Will’s bodies were fakes. Now, I don’t know how he figured out about El, but I assure you, if he was one of the ‘bad men’, I wouldn’t be here right now telling you all this.” The kids all stare at Steve, who was pleading with them once again to trust him… surprisingly it was the last person he expected to step into his defense. 

“He’s right, you guys.” Dustin looks at his friends. “We gotta trust him.” He flashes him a look of apology. “I gotta trust him.”

That got the teenager to smile, and everyone else made their decisions. 

“Alright.” Mike says, and pushes the button. “Yeah, I copy. It’s Mike. I’m here. We’re all here.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Okay… We’re just going to assume that everything’s fine, nothing will jump out, and that thing in the sky is harmless.” Steph said, holding his hand tight as they continued to wander towards the lab (And of course that flying thing had to be where they’re heading).

They kept their trek at somewhat a moderate pace, but they were on high alert for anything that could dart at any moment -- A moment they’re honestly not prepared for.

“We should’ve restocked before we left.” Will said, glancing around, occasionally coming across more of those eggs, some closed and some opened like the first one. 

“I know.” She frowns. “But we pretty much cleaned out the whole store. We still got a few rounds left in our pistol, some matches, another lighter… we can use the hairspray with it.”

“Yeah.” He mutters, sensing something. 

“We got the running at full speed option too.”

“Yeah.”

She stops them as soon as she notices him spacing off. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” He looks around more carefully now. “I feel like…”

.

.

.

“Like someone’s watching us.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nobody can say they weren’t nervous. Although, some were doing it in a more silent way. However, if you were Dustin, you wouldn’t stop going up and down the bus walkway with a heavy step that rattled the shell of a vehicle. 

Steve watches him carefully, occasionally darting his eyes to the outside before back on him while lightly gnawing on the tip of his thumb. Eventually, he was the one to actually say, “Henderson, will you stop pacing?”

“It’s been way too long.” Dustin said, immediately. “Do you know what? Maybe Mike’s right. Maybe this is all a trap and the bad men are coming to get us right now!”

“It’s not a trap. I told you guys you can trust him.”

“Yeah. Why would the Chief set us up?” Lucas asks, agreeing. “Nancy, maybe–”

“Hey–” Steve says at the remark, while Mike throws his hands up in disbelief.

“But the Chief?”

Dustin stops just for a moment to reply, “Lando Calrissian.”

Lucas rolls his eyes. “Would you shut up about Lando?”

“I don’t feel good about this. I don’t feel good about this!”

“When do you feel good about anything?!”

They both shared a heated glance before they could hear something approaching. They all looked at one another before making their way to the front of the bus. Their little hopes were soon shattered when they noticed two cars rolling up.

“Shit!” Dustin mutters, as Steve urges them to the back and hide. “Lando.”

“You think they saw us?” Lucas asked, before noticing the oldest getting something out of his backpack. “Since when did you have a baseball bat with you?”

Steve gives him a weird look as he holds his weapon close. “You didn’t see it sticking out of my bag? I’ve had it with me this whole day.”

“Uh, I wasn’t with you this morning? Remember?”

“Oh… yeah.”

“Both of you, shut up.” Mike hushes, shutting them all up as they wait.

They could hear people walking around outside in various directions, making their hearts thump faster and faster. They soon could hear the door to the bus get slowly pried open, a man looking inside–

Then someone shouted something, and the man disappeared before the yelling erupted. The five of them held their breaths when it all went silent. Then, they sprung to their feet as a familiar face entered the bus, gun raised and half in uniform. 

“All right, let’s– Steve?” Hopper trails off as soon as sees who’s the odd man out of the group. 

Steve swallows and gives a small wave. “Hey, Chief.”

Hopper’s jaw went tight as he had to hold his angry tongue. “Does nobody listen to me when I say ‘I can handle this’?” He sighs (What’s done is done). “Let’s go.” Then nobody moved. “Let’s go!!”

The little flicker of fire in the last sentence got them to grab their belongings and followed quickly behind.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

As soon as they heard the truck pulled in, Jonathan, Nancy, and Joyce came rushing out of the house. 

“Mike.” Nancy says, with a wave of relief. “Oh, my God. Mike!” She rushed over to give him a big hug. “I was so worried about you.”

Mike blinks, a bit lost for words. “Yeah, uh... me, too.”

She pulls back to take all the kids in… except for the one that wasn’t actually a kid. “Steve?”

“Hey, Nance.” Steve says, with a bit of a smile.

“What are you–”

“We might have lied about needing his help with a history project.” Mike explains, and shrugs. 

“Yeah.”

“Harrington here was with me when we discovered the fake bodies.” Hopper says, providing some more information to the rest of them. “Actually, he was there before me, but still–”

“You broke into a morgue?” Nancy said, appalled. 

Steve breaks eye contact and nods. “Not my proudest moment, but yeah.”

“We’ll keep discussing this inside.” Joyce interrupts, waving them in. The sooner they clear everything up, the better.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

They all sat around in the living room as Mike drew a quick picture to explain what their teacher had said about the gates and other words. 

“Okay, so, in this example, we’re the acrobat. Will, Stephanie, and Barbara, and that monster, they’re this flea. And this is the Upside Down, where our friends are hiding.” He sets the paper and pen down. “Mr. Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space.”

“A gate.” Steve adds. 

“That we tracked to Hawkins Lab.” Lucas says.

“With our compasses.” Dustin finishes, as the older teens and adults stare. He sits up straighter after realizing they didn’t understand. “Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the directions of a compass needle.”

“Is this gate underground?” Hopper asks from the corner of the room -- the puzzle pieces finally fitting together. Now it was the kids’ turn to stare because they didn’t have an answer, but…

“Yes.” Eleven said, just above a whisper. 

“Near a large water tank?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know all that?” Steve asked, before answering his own question. “Wait… Did you go there after the morgue?”

“Is there any way that you could… that you could reach them?” Joyce cuts in, pulling El’s gaze off the Chief towards her. “That you could talk to them in this… this, uh–”

“The Upside Down.” She clarifies. 

“Down. Yeah.”

And so she tries, even when the lights begin to flicker, all she could see was pitch black and nothing else. She quickly apologizes for her failure as she runs to the bathroom to wash away the tears that begin to fall.

“El–” Mike starts to go after her, only for Steve to stop him.

“Give her a minute. She’s probably still tired.”

“Tired?” Joyce asks, as the kids begin explaining how she works.

“Whenever she uses her powers, she gets weak. The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets.” Dustin replies, with a worried look.

“Like, she flipped the van earlier.” Lucas adds.

 “It was awesome.”

“But she’s drained.”

“Like a bad battery.”

“Well…” Jonathan says, trying to find the right words. “How do we make her better?”

“We don’t.” Steve says, crossing his arms. “We just have to wait and try again.”

“Well, how long?” Nancy asks, and gets a shrug.

“I don’t know.”

“The bath.” El’s voice broke through, all of them turning around to face her. 

“What?”

She looks at all of them, her idea now being confirmed with their hopeful faces. “I can find them. In the bath.”

And that’s how Dustin ended up calling his science teacher at an ungodly hour. 

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

“Mr. Clarke? It’s Dustin.” He says, making sure to sound extra sweet to worm his way in.

[ ‘Dustin? Is everything okay?’ ]

“Yeah, yeah. I just, I… I have a science question.”

[ ‘It’s ten o’clock on Saturday. Why don’t we pick this up–’ ]

“Do you know anything about sensory deprivation tanks? Specifically, how to build one?”

[ ‘Sensory deprivation? What is this for?’ ]

Uh, so we can dream walk to the other side? He almost made himself laugh at his own thoughts. “Fun.”

[ ‘Okay. Well… Why don’t we talk about it on Monday? After school, okay?’ ]

“You always say we should never stop being curious. To always open any curiosity door we find.”

[ ‘Dustin–’ ]

“Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?” And Dustin almost felt bad that he was guilt tripping his teacher into this. But the fate of his sister’s and Will’s lives were at risk! He’ll just have to suck it up for now. So now he’s writing everything down while his friends surround him, anxiously waiting to get the results.

 “Uh-huh. - Uh-huh. - How much? - Uh-huh. Yep, all right.  - Yeah, we’ll be careful. Definitely. All right, Mr. Clarke. - Yeah, I’ll see you on Monday. - I’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Clarke. Bye.” He smiles and hangs up before looking at Joyce. “Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?”

“I-I think so.” She looks at her son, who nods. “Yeah.”

“Yeah. Good. Then we just need salt. Lots of it.”

“How much is ‘lots’?” Hopper asks, skeptical.

Dustin’s eyes flicker to the page and replies, “1,500 pounds.”

“Well, where are we gonna get that much salt?” Nancy asks, as everyone shrugs except–

“I know where we can.” Hopper replies, before ushering everyone to the cars.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Now the gang find themselves at Hawkins Middle School, each of them broken up into groups to get this project started. In group #1 was Hopper and Jonathan, who were currently loading up all the bags of road de-icing salt they could get from storage.

“Hey, wait. It’s not gonna snow next week, is it?” The teen asks, stopping their rhythm for a second.

Hopper sighs. “Worst case, no school.”

Jonathan nods, and they continue back up again. “Even if we find Will and Stephanie in there… what are we gonna do about that thing? The monster?”

“We’re not gonna do anything. I don’t want you anywhere near this, all right? Your mom’s been through enough already.”

The oldest Byers gives him a look of: ‘No, you didn’t just say that’. He frowns. “He’s my brother.”

“Listen to me.” He grabs the teen’s shoulder. “I’m gonna find him. Alright? You gotta trust me on this. I am going to find him.”

And that’s a promise Hopper’s determined and will keep.

.

.

Meanwhile, in group #2, stationed inside the gym, Lucas and Dustin were struggling to get the pool to roll out. 

“This damn thing is heavy.” Lucas grunted as they tugged, and even rolled to the middle. “Come on–”

“It’s upside down.” Dustin points out as they start unfolding it. The two of them continued cursing at one another to make it work, until finally…

They actually got it to work.

.

.

In group #3, which was back outside at another storage shed, Mike walked up to the padlocked door and started tugging on it -- expecting that to work.

“Stand back.” His sister tells him, just before using a rock to pound the top of the lock, getting it to break. Mike stands in disbelief as she brushes past them to get all the hoses they could carry back. “What does she even eat?”

Mike stares at her again. “What?”

“Eleven.” Nancy clarifies. 

“Oh. Candy, leftovers, Eggos… She really likes Eggos.”

“I knew you were acting weird. I just… I thought it was because of Will.

“I knew you were acting weird, too. I thought it was because of Steve.” She gives him a look and decides to explain. “Well, me and the guys kind of did burrow your boyfriend from you these last few days. And then you said that party of his was awkward, so…”

“Hey…” Nancy says, putting down the wheelbarrow for them to talk. “No more secrets, okay? From now on we’ll tell each other everything.”

“Okay.” Mike says as he starts to look smug. “Do you like Jonathan now?”

“What?” She shakes her head. “No. No, it’s... it’s not... it’s not like that.” She decides to ignore the fact that her heart just fluttered, but– “Do you like Eleven?”

“What? No. Ew. Gross.” He turns away and starts walking, completely obviously the look his sister was giving him again.

.

.

Finally, in the last group, Joyce had found some duct tape to put over some goggles, completely covering them until you couldn’t see anything. Once finished she presented them to Eleven, who was hanging out on the gym’s bleachers, legs swaying a bit.

“This will keep it dark for you. Just like in your bathtub.” El nods at her, staying quiet. It was enough to make Joyce’s motherly instincts come out. “You’re a very brave girl. You know that, don’t you? Everything you’re doing for my boy... for Will… for Stephanie… for everyone’s families…” She smiles softly. “Thank you.”

On cue all the groups came back roughly around the same time, including Steve, who kind of disappeared once everyone was divided up, claiming he wanted to check something out (No one argued with him there).

“Did you make the goggles?” Jonathan asked, as his mom showed him. 

“Hey–” Steve says, stepping on the bleacher to sit next to her. “You all good, Eleven?”

She doesn’t look at him as she shakes her head, making his heart strings tug a little. The adults present were about to jump in and say something when the King of high school beat them to it.

“Hey, Listen– I am gonna be there with you the whole time–” That got her to look at him, to stare at his reassuring face. “And if it ever gets too scary in… in that place, you just let me know, okay?” She nods, making him smile. “Okay, great.”

The two of them seemed to be in their own little world, completely unaware of the surprised gazes they were getting by the interaction (Who knew the teenager had a super soft spot for children?). 

“Hey, I got a surprise for you while we wait.” Steve continues, before pulling out a big white wrapper from his pockets. “This is called an ice cream sandwich.”

“Sandwich?” Eleven asks, watching him curiously as he opens it, and hands it over. 

“Yeah.” He watches her examine it, and explains, “The middle part of it is the ice cream I was telling you about yesterday. The ‘sandwich’ part of it, It’s made of chocolate. Super good, super soft, melts in your mouth. Try it.” She was skeptical, yet intrigued, so she took a bite that made her whole face light up. “Good?”

She nods eagerly. “Super good.”

He chuckles. “When this is all over, I’ll just get some regular ice cream. Just like I promised.” She nods again, which seemed to shock everyone out of their places.

“Um…” Hopper mutters, before mentally slapping himself to get moving. “Okay! Uh, L-Let’s get started!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It took a while to get everything right -- the temperature of the water, the amount of salt, making sure the walkie talkie was on the right channel, the mental prep Eleven was doing -- but soon everything was complete. She starts taking off her socks and shoes, and even gives Mike’s watch back to him. She holds the goggles in hand, taking a deep breath as she stares at the familiar murky water. She knows this will do good, but she can’t help but think about what happened last time… the time she opened the gate and let the Upside Down into this world. 

“Like I said–” Steve begins as he senses her fearing the past mistake. He notices her eyes quickly on his just as he speaks. “If it gets scary, you tell us, and we’ll pull–” He was almost knocked over by the sudden hug she decided to give; His shock factor only lasted a second when he gratefully returned it. “Alright–” She looks at him again. “Remember what they look like?” She nods. “Good. You got this. We believe in you.”

Him and Joyce help her get into the pool. El takes a few steps before letting herself sit down, testing it. Muscle memory settled in, soon realizing this pool was perfect and let her whole body float. Everyone held their breaths when the lights flickered and turned off -- soon the girl found herself in the other realm.

.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves that suddenly shot through the roof. She was afraid because… well…

Something felt really, really wrong. 

“Barb? Barbara?” She calls out, as she paints a mental picture on what the girl looks like. Red hair, glasses, on the tall side. Where could she be in the Upside down? Her feet continued to patter across the water, something appearing a few steps away. Bracing herself as she grows closer, not expecting to find something truly shocking.

.

“What’s going on?” Nancy asked, as the lights began dance like crazy.

“I don’t know.” Jonathan said, worriedly. 

“Is Barb okay?” Her heart started pounding at a morbid thought. “Is she okay?”

.

El grips the sides of her head, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Gone! Gone! Gone! Gone! Gone!”

.

“Gone. Gone.” El starts whimpering as she floats around. “Gone.”

Nancy chokes on a sob covering her face, subconsciously burying herself into Jonathan’s chest. The teenager immediately hugs her, rubbing her back soothingly as he locks eyes with her boyfriend.

Steve frowns out of worriedness for his girlfriend, and is the first one to break the gaze. His heart was aching for many different reasons tonight, and tried not to let certain thoughts get to him at this very moment. He sucks it up fastly to reach out for Eleven, telling her ‘It’s Okay’.

“Gone. Gone!”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

“Gone!”

“Hey. It’s okay.” He squeezes her hand. “It’s okay, we’re right here. We’re right here, Eleven. It’s okay. I got you. Don’t be afraid. I’m right here with you. I’m right here with you. It’s okay. It’s okay, you’re safe. You’re safe. I promise.”

.

El listens to his words very carefully, closing her eyes for a second and taking another breather. He’s right. She’s okay. She’s safe. None of them will let anything happen to her. She exhales and starts mentally picturing the next two people. She knows their faces, she feels their presence somewhere in the abyss, she has to find them!

Eleven continues moving around, her strong mental game paying off as she suddenly spots something else in the distance. She comes closer to get a better look at the figures. She couldn’t help but start to smile.

.

“I see… a girl… with blue eyes.”

Everyone quickly perks up at the news, Dustin and Steve locking eyes.

“They’re… pretty… and bright. She’s wearing a hat.”

“Phanie…” Dustin says, almost crying, as Steve gasps in awe. “That’s Phanie!”

“And… There’s someone holding her hand. A… a boy.”

“W-Will.” Jonathan says, as mother practically jumps her seat. “Is it Will?”

“Yes… they’re-”

.

Eleven’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest when they suddenly looked her way. She was about to brush it off, but that’s when she noticed they weren’t taking her eyes off her. Wait…

Could they… could they see her?

They both mouthed something to each other that she couldn’t hear, which confused her more than–

.

“You... you tell him... tell him I’m coming.” Joyce cuts in. “You tell them both that were coming for them.”

.

Eleven holds her ground, shaking off this strange interaction to repeat her words. “Will, Your mom… she’s coming for you. For both of you.”

Their eyes seemed to widen at that and spared a look at each other.

.

[ ‘Joyce?’ ]

Stephanie’s voice crackled through the radio.

[ ‘You’re saying… J-Joyce Byers is coming for us?’ ]

Everyone tries to contain their joy for hearing her speak after so long.

.

Eleven shakes her head. “Yes. She’s coming. Your… friends are coming.”

She watches them laugh with relief.

.

[ ‘We’re actually going to the gate now. The one at the lab.’ ]

“They know about the gate?” Lucas said, surprised that Will just told them.

[ ‘But– ]

They heard him struggling to find the right words, so Steph took over. 

[ ‘But we’re not sure if we’re going to make it okay. We thought we were after we killed this… faceless beast–’ ]

“Faceless beast?” Mike said, confused.

“Wait…” Nancy mutters in realization. “They… killed that monster?”

“Holy shit…” Dustin whispers, and continues tuning into whatever else his sister had to say.

[ ‘We thought it was a one and done deal. However, the more we venture towards the lab, the more we realize that the Demogorgon might not be alone.’ ]

[ ‘We don’t have a lot of useful supplies left.’ ]

Will admits this to them, making Hopper sigh under his breath and say, “Shit…”

[ ‘Ms. Byers, or anyone else there with her, what do you want us to do?’ ]

Stephanie asks, as the adults and teens try racking their brains for an idea.

“Okay. Listen, you tell them to... to stay where they are.” Hopper replies, getting closer to the pool. “We’re coming. We’re coming, okay? Just stay put! Just... just hold on a little longer.”

.

Eleven nodded at the confirmation. “Will, Stephanie, they want you to–”

Then… out of nowhere…

Something came jumping out of the shadows, ending their connection.

.

Eleven gasps shooting straight up. Steve grabs a hold of her, pulling her close and engulfing her a hug as she shrugs the goggles off.

“I’ve got you. It’s okay. I got you. I got you.” He soothes, as she starts to cry. “I got you, sweetheart. You did so well.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve scanned the whole room while he sat on the bleachers with the kids. El, who was drenched to the bone and wrapped in a towel, stayed glued between him and Mike, while he notices that the Police Chief and Joyce had stepped off to the side for an intense conversation -- One that he has a gut feeling he knows what it’s about. Just his brief interaction they had at the morgue was enough to tell the teenager how Hopper’s brain works. He knows that he’s going to be bolting through those doors soon and going straight to the lab guns blazing. 

And Steve can’t allow him to do that alone. 

As soon as he hears their voices become louder, he stands up.

“Steve?” El says, confused at the loss of warmth.

Steve feels all the kids’ eyes on him, forcing him to turn around and finally say what needed to be said. “Listen… I gotta leave.”

Dustin looks between him and his friends, worried. “W-What?” 

“I know what the Police Chief’s about to do. He’s going to leave at any moment to go straight to the lab.”

“The lab?” Lucas said, eyes wide.

“But it’s heavily guarded. That’s a suicide mission!” Mike says, scared.

“I know.” Steve frowns. “That’s why, whether he likes it or not, I’m going too.”

“Steve… you can’t!” Lucas retorts.

“B-But why? Why are you going?” Dustin asks, while shooting up to his feet. 

“‘Cause I made a promise, to myself, to you, that I will get your sister back. And Will. I gotta try to keep that.” Steve explains, still with his sadden expression.

“B-But…” Now he was feeling conflicted. He still dislikes Steve, but the fondness had just started to reform over these last few hours. How was he supposed to even feel about this sudden epiphany? “But you might not make it back.”

And what if he doesn’t come back? Then what? If his sister comes back and he doesn’t, how will she react when she knows the truth?

Steve’s face morphs a small smile of comfort, before saying, “I know. But I have to try to get them home. They’ve been gone long enough.” His response made the youngster ponder on his thoughts as he moved his attention to someone else. Eleven stares back at him, an expression similar to his. 

“Eleven.” He begins. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done. I’m sorry we didn’t find you sooner.”

“Are you…” She whispers, almost scared to say what she wanted. “Are you really not coming back?”

His heart clenches. “I promise I’ll try. But if I don’t, remember what I said to you, back at the Quarry, after you saved me?”

She nods slowly. “You said, ‘Whatever you did in the past, that’s all said and done. All that matters now is what you do in the future’.”

He chuckles. “Exactly. Remember that. Go out there and do something great for yourself. Don’t let anyone try to change your mind.” Steve perks up when he hears someone exiting the building; His stomach dropping at the sound. “Shit. I gotta go. Take care of each other, okay?”

The gloomy kids shake their heads as he starts stepping down the bleachers for the floor below -- Mike hot on his tail.

“Steve!” He starts, catching up and stopping him. “Hey, Steve. I just wanted to say… thank you. Thank you for… saving me at the Quarry.”

Steve shrugs it off, eyes darting between the kid and the door. “Don’t mention it, Wheeler. It was nothing.”

“Nothing?” Mike shakes his head in disbelief. “You could’ve died. Y-You could’ve–”

“Hey.” He touches the kid’s shoulder. “We’ll talk about it some more later. Okay? Stay here with the others.” He waits for the kid to say ‘Ok’ before leaving, jogging quickly to stop another group of people leaving. “Hey, Nancy, Jonathan, wait.” He waits until he has their attention before finishing with, “I need you guys to stay here. Keep an eye on the kids.”

Nancy blinks. “What?”

“I’m going to the lab. I’m going to go get them back.”

She looks over at Jonathan, who was just as surprised at his response as she was, before looking back at her boyfriend. “Steve–”

“You were right, Nance. I did change willingly.” He scoffs quietly at himself. “I know… no amount of apologizing could undo the damage I’ve done, but if I can do this at least for her, then maybe my conscience can rest a bit.” 

“Steve…” She frowns worriedly. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. There are still a lot of things I haven’t told you about my parents, about what happened to Stephanie in her childhood, but it’s a lot. It’s a lot I need to make up for.”

“Steve…” She frowns worriedly. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. There are still a lot of things I haven’t told you about my parents, about what happened to Stephanie in her childhood, but it’s a lot. It’s a lot I need to make up for.”

Nancy looks away for a second, remembering what was said in the alleyway earlier with Tommy and his gang.

.

.

Carol snickers and laughs. “The nerd? Stephanie fucking Henderson? You really think those two were ever friends? He just felt sorry for how fucked up her family was and took pity.”

“Yeah.” Tommy says, grinning. “A drug addicted mother, a father arrested for illegal gambling; Two ‘fantastic’ people managed to fucked their own son over and give him all kinds of birth defects and diseases. I’m surprised your family gives them so much pity.”

“W-Wait…” Nancy pauses to try to wrap her head around what she had just heard. “Claudia…” What? “Ms. Henderson isn’t a drug addict.”

“Awe.” Carol pretends to pout. “Looks like Steve’s parents haven’t gotten close to you yet. What a shame.”

“His parents have a lot of dirt on a lot of people.” Tommy said in a sickening way. “Especially the Hendersons. There’s so much that this town doesn’t know about them, it’s shocking. Stephanie has a shit ton.” He chuckles. “God, the Harringtons can bury her to the center of the Earth with all the dirt they have on her.”

.

.

“So, I’m going to go instead of you guys.” Steve’s voice broke her thoughts, looking up at him as she noticed his gaze was landing on the other boy. “I’m going to get your brother back. And I’ll keep your mom safe.”

Jonathan shifts his weight, lost for words. “Steve–”

“Take care of the kids.” Steve replies, and walks out the door, ignoring the others pleas to come back. As soon as he’s outside, he’s met with Hopper who’s about to speak– “It’s not up for negotiation, I’m going with you.”

Hopper lets out a frustrated groan, before gesturing between the teen and Joyce. “Why don’t any of you fucking listen to me?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Their combined scream from the baby demogorgon jump scare caused a chain reaction to happen. They couldn’t see them, but they definitely heard more coming… along with something else. A screech that they haven’t heard before erupted from the petrified skies. The thing they saw flying suddenly became two, then three, then four, and then burst into a whole swarm of–

“BATS!” She screams, as they kick into high gear. “They’re fucking bats!”

“What do we do?!” Will screams back, all the hope they felt suddenly went down the drain.

“Just run! JUST RUN! We need to get to the lab!!” The Byers boy had a point–

This was the final level. But, unlike a video game, there are no extra lives. They got one shot at going home, one shot at beating this game. They gotta give it their all!

Pushing themselves to the point of panting, the monsters’ battle cries started to subside a smidge, just a smidge, knowing they were at a semi-safe distance for now; But they didn’t want to stop running just yet. Not until they–

“There’s a pipe!” Will yells, eyes trained on it. “A drain pipe!” They rush for it, shedding their backpacks as they peered inside. “This has to lead to the lab.”

Stephanie looks inside, measuring it out with her eyes before looking down at herself. Even if she shed some her heaver clothes, there’s no way she can– 

“Come on!” He says, starting to go in but–

“I can’t.” She replies, stopping him. “It’s too small. I won’t be able to go all the way through.”

“Crap. Um… t-the fence! Let’s just keep running for the fence!” 

“Will–” She snags him by the arm before he can move again. “You need to crawl through yourself.”

“What?”

“You need to go through the pipe yourself.”

A blink. “What?! No! I can’t–”

There was a loud screech from behind them, making them wince, but Steph more determined. She takes a deep breath and holds him by the shoulders. 

“Listen to me–” She starts, but he’s already protesting. “Listen– Listen to me! I will meet you on the other side. I will climb the fence, and I’ll meet you at the end of the drain pipe.” She gives him a gentle squeeze for her next words. “However, if I’m not there in five minutes after you, you need to go inside and go home.”

“W-What?” Is she insane? “N-No! I won’t!”

“Will, you need to listen.”

“NO!! I’m not going home without you!”

“Will, you have to trust me! One of us needs to get to the gate, and expose this place. You need to trust me. Please.”

“Stephanie–”

“I am going to do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen, but if five minutes are up, you need to go inside, okay?” She says, the water works starting as soon as he starts crying. “Okay?” She shushed him softly, cupping his face and touching her forehead to his. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine. Everything is going to work. Okay?”

He sobs. “O-Okay…”

“Good.” She sniffles, letting him start his journey alone. “Go.” Another shriek in the distance. “Go! I’ll be behind you!”

As soon as he’s completely inside, she takes off once again -- the bats in the sky following rather close.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It didn’t take long to get there at the speed Hopper was driving. Once his vehicle is parked in a shadow-y area, Joyce and Steve follow him as he uses bolt cutters to get inside the fence. Not really sure what the plan was going to be here as they strolled across the fields, but it definitely wasn’t for them to be spotted so quickly.

As soon as the searchlight shined on them, they froze with a man shouting, “Don’t move!”

Slowly, the three of them were surrounded by guards, all armed at the hilt, and they decided to finally raise their hands above their heads as a surrender.

“It’s alright.” Hopper says, as he carefully watches the angry guards. “Let me do the talking.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

The run to the fence felt like an eternity before it was in her sight. Ditching the backpack seemed to help her speed, yet it felt like it wasn’t enough -- like she could be quicker (But being starved, cold, and mentally drained might have something to do with it). She tried to keep her eye on the prize, yet still hoping that Will got to the other side before her. She hated that she had to put the weight of getting home and exposing this place without her, but it’s better on her conscience if he got out of here first. 

It’ll be better for everyone, to be honest. Let the youngest one live. (God, what would her mother think about that if she knew?) She nearly tripped as she slowed herself just enough to catch the fence, latching her fingered around and starting to climb. She’s not even going to think about she’s going to get around the barb wired above; I mean if she has to lose a few fingers to get home then so be–

Something awfully sharp sank into her shoulder, tearing through her clothes like it was paper. She let out a frightful scream, using a free hand to knock off and continue climbing. 

So close, so close. I’m so close to–

Something flew by, knocking her in the head and sending her hat to the ground. Then, she felt something slimy wrap around one of her arms, another by her leg before being yanked clean off the fence. She fell flat on her back with a huge thud, finally getting a sense to look as she struggles to break free. The Bats– or if you can even call them that! They sure had the wings of one, but their faces were similar to that of the Demogorgon. No eyes, just a mouth, and where their feet should be was like the bottom half of a squid, slimy tentacles that were used to pull her off. And they were hella strong too… she almost could feel her circulation being cut off.

Groaning at the discomfort, Steph uses her free leg to kick the bat to set her other leg free before doing the same on her arm but– 

These damn things were persistent. 

The whole swarm had come out to feast, as one came flying in and sank its teeth into her side. She lets out another scream, trying to hit and get away before her arm was wrapped around again. Then another set of teeth came in, then another, and another– She felt these things teeth everywhere, their tentacles pulling her around in every direction they could. Everytime she pushed one away, another came back to take its place. 

She couldn’t move, she couldn’t think. The only sense she had was hearing, and all she heard was the god awful sounds these things made. She started to see those spots people talk about in the corner of her eyes, the dizziness in her head, those– Oh, God. She already had one close call in this place, she’s been saved once, what makes her think she’s going to get a second? The thought of this time actually being her last left her numb, no tears and bitterness, no screams as she waits for the end. She truly felt noth–

Red hot flames erupted around her, their sounds turning up to a fifty. The fire caught on them quickly, their holds on her subsided, making her curl on her side, and her hand coming up to stop her oozing neck. She didn’t even question what was going on. Anyone with a nose could smell the strong odor of hair spray.

Will… She thought, as the boy behind waved the lighter and can around until they all flew away into the night. The place got so quiet again; The monsters hopefully were scared off, hoping they stay away for the rest of their time. Maybe this is…

“Stephanie!!” Will shouts, and drops everything. “Stephanie!” He’s rushing over as quickly as he could, watching the girl struggle to get up, to move on her own, so he drops to his knees just beside her head. “Stephanie?”

“W-W-Wi-ill…” She choked, as he carefully flipped her over, revealing the damage. He takes her bloody face, and hand squeezes around her neck ever-so painfully.

“St-Steph…?” Cautiously, his trembling fingers wrapped around that hand, slowly prying them just enough for him to see the damage. He held back the urge to gag, the chunk of flesh that was gone was enough for him to see inside. He heard her say his name again, enough for her to start taking action. “H-Hang on! I-I got y-you!”

He lays her head on his lap and starts shaking his coat off, removing her hand and replacing it once the fabric was over the wound. “H-Hold your hand there.”

“W-Will…”

“Just relax. Y-You’re fine, I’ll…” He trails off, his brown eyes raking over the rest of her body, identifying more wounds. There were bite marks everywhere. Some were barely at the surface, and some were deep like the one on her neck. It was…

Horrifying. Fictional or not, this was far worse than anything he’s ever read, ever seen in his entire life. This was something that would surely give him nightmares. All this because… because… he… 

I… I did this. He felt his eyes start to sting, and his throat closing up. This is… this is all my fault. 

He did this to her. He did this to her! All of this started because of him! She wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for him. He did this, he did this, he did this, he did this–

Her fingers brushed his cheek so gently. And she’s–

Smiling?

He felt himself stare, confused. Why is she smiling? Why would someone smile in a situation like this? Is she–

“H-Hey… it’s n-not your f-fault. D-Don’t bl-blame yourself.” She chokes, keeping the expression on which made him break even more.

“How can I not?” Will asks, tears already flowing. “If you hadn’t driven me, none of this would have happened.”

“W-Will… y-you didn’t force m-me to drive you. I-I just wanted t-to make s-sure you got home okay.”

“But– w-we didn’t.” He sobs. “We both got stuck here. We both got trapped in some scary place, and now you’re hurt because of–”

She shushed him like she did earlier, so gentle, so kind as she held his face. “L-Listen to me.” She begins, swallowing to try to make her voice a bit more clear. “I never, ever thought of driving y-you was a burden. Even if I-I knew t-that we would end up here, I still would h-have driven you.” He shakes his head. “I still would have, if it meant y-you wouldn’t have to be alone here. You kn-know?”

A few stray tears fell loose as he muttered her name.

“And…” She continues, eyes welling up too. “I-I would have done that f-for anyone. For you, your mom, your br-brother, your friends, anyone. I-I would do it time and time again if it m-means you guys wouldn’t be alone in this place.”

He closes his eyes for a second, trying to find his voice again. “Stephanie… pl-please…”

“Listen t-to me–” She says, stroking some of the tears away from his cheeks. “Y-You gotta go home.” He shakes his head again. “You gotta g-go home, f-for the both of us.”

“Steph… n-no.” Will whimpers and opens his orbs. “W-What do I say? What do I say to everybody?”

“You j-just tell them t-the truth. Tell them everything. Even if th-they don’t believe it.” She chuckles quietly. “At least I know y-your m-mom would.”

“Stephanie… I don’t… I don’t know what to say. I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know, I–”

“Hey… look at me.” She waits for him to, and gives his face a small squeeze. “I’m s-sorry I can’t go with you. D-Don’t blame yourself, pl-please. I did all this because I-I c-care for you.” That seemed to make him ball harder, and lean down closer too. “I-I love that… D-Dustin became friends with you. Y-You’re a wonderful boy, and I’m s-so happy, d-despite this cr-crappy situation, I g-got to know you even more.”

He makes a small whining sound, shutting his eyes again. “Stephanie...”

She sniffles and smiles a bit more. “I-I love you, Will. Y-You go home, and live f-for the both of us. O-Okay?”

He sobs loudly, shaking his head as another round of tears fall. “I’ll l-live…” He croaks, lip quivering. “I-I love you, t-too…” He felt her squeeze again, before her fingers slid gently down his face, her hand disappearing. “Stephanie…?”

He cracks open his eyes once more only to find the stillness of her body. He looks all over her face for any signs of movement, but–

“Stephanie?” He touches her face this time, feeling a bit colder than the surrounding temperature. He knows they technically just said ‘goodbye’ but… “Stephanie?” 

He knew waiting for her to say something was hopeless, but he waited. He waited for a long time before it hit him in the face. He couldn’t help but sob again, shaking his head before resting his forehead on hers like she did earlier too. The girl that he slowly realized was like a sister to him was…

.

.

.

Gone.

(TBC)

A/N: I can assure that everything will be fine soon 🙂

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

@emsownuniverse @unspecifiedvisitor @smaryamsstuff @kitty49646 @jinxeee @bookkeeperlove @prozacgooble @goth-baby98 @aainr @luca-random-stuff @catradorapotter @bailees-post @dearabby1990 @savage-aespa @aainr

[writingramblesandrandomness]

Chapter 1.4~ The Body

Series Masterlist

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When you finally reached your house, you burst through the front door with your bike abandoned in the front yard.

"Y/n, is that you?" Your mother called from the living room, she sounded upset. You came into the room, tears already brimming up. "You know that you don't slam the door."

"Mom-" You almost choked on the tears.

"I don't have time for this." Your mother was rushing around, doing something.

"But mom-"

"Just go to your room or something." Your mom waved dismissively as she bustled about, not caring about your tears.

You ran out to the back, dropping your bag in a room as you burst outside. Your head spun as you ran into the forest. You ran until the tears grew to be too much. You didn't even know where you were anymore, your head spun with grief.

Will couldn't be gone. He just couldn't. You screamed as you punched a tree. "NO! NO! NO!" Sobbing, you sunk to your knees, your bloodied fists starting to burn. "Not Will, not him, please, not him."You took a shaky breath and then froze.

There was something coming. You heard it coming. Turning, you saw a faceless man coming through the trees. Its mouth opened up like a flower and you screamed, standing and running. As your heart pounded in your ears, thoughts raced through your head.

I'm going to die. I'm going to die. You supposed that most people would be scared at that notion, but you found no fear within you. At least I'll be with Will. You saw a tree with a hole in front of you and aimed towards it, not really sure why. It looked like a portal or a hiding space. Either way: If I'm going to die, I'm going to do it on my own terms.

You dove through the hole and felt slime all over you. You tumbled to the ground. You sat up and looked around, seeing a dark version of where you just were. There were white particles floating around you. You heard the Demogorgon roar behind you and you scrambled to your feet. You started to run again, your feet taking over as your brain raced. This world was almost an exact copy of where you just came from. Maybe that's what El was talking about. She had turned the board Upside Down and said that Will was hiding from the Demogorgon. This must be -like- the upside down of my world. Will has to be here. That was the only explanation you could make out of everything while running for your life. When you couldn't hear the Demogorgon anymore, you stopped and gasped for breath while the gears in your head continued to turn.

El had said that Will was at his house, hiding. So you just had to make it to Castle Byers and then Will's house. If everything was the same here, then you should be able to find Castle Byers. You suddenly realized how cold it was here, you shivered as you looked around. You saw a tree trunk that you recognized and started to head towards it.

Suddenly, you heard a growl from in front of you, in the direction of Castle Byers. The Demogorgon. "Shit!" You turned and ran as it started to close in. Your eyes burned as you ran, you could have found Will. You could have brought him home. Why were you so useless? You started to recognize where you were, it was where you had come through. You saw the tree with the hole in front of you and pushed yourself to reach it, lungs burning as you gasped for breath. It was within reach when a root tripped you and you tumbled to the ground.

A burning sensation spread from your side as the Demogorgon's claws sunk into your side. You screamed in pain as your hand scrambled for something to help. You felt a stick and grabbed it, swinging it at the Demogorgon's open head. I have to live to see Will alive. The stick connected and the Demogorgon jerked back. Its claw left your side briefly, but that was all you needed. You kicked up and connected with the monster. It stumbled, barely two feet away, but it was enough that you were able to scramble to your feet and run.

You crawled through the hole in the tree. Hearing the roaring behind you. The tunnel seemed to shrink and you struggled to pull yourself out. You finally tumbled out the other side. You gasped and turned around, but there was no evidence of the hole in the tree. It looked normal. You still got up quickly and started running quickly back to your house, recognizing where you were. As the adrenaline faded from your veins, you felt the pain in your side grow. You put a hand to it and it came away, sticky and wet with blood.

"Shit." You slowed down as each step started to make your side burn.

Thankfully, you weren't that far from your house. You snuck through the back door and grabbed your backpack, carefully creeping up the stairs. Your parents didn't even notice your presence.

You grabbed some clothes from your room and then locked yourself in the bathroom. You took a shower, the hot water burning your wounds and burning away the slime and the feeling of the Upside Down. As you stood there, red-hot shame burned through your body and hot tears ran down your cheeks, mixing with the water. How could you even be okay with dying? How could you have been ok with it?

You stepped out of the shower and gingerly pulled on the clothes. The shirt was loose enough that you didn't get too much blood on it. You held one of the many unused towels in the bathroom closet to your wound as you pulled out the first aid kit. Buried deep within the extensive kit was a needle and thread. You bit your lip as you pulled them out. There was also an old tube of numbing cream in there. You didn't know how well it would, but you had to try something.

You spread some other towels on the floor in front of the floor-length mirror. You would be able to lean up against the wall and see the stitching in the mirror. Sitting down against the wall, you held your shirt bunched up in your mouth as you put the numbing cream around the wounds that looked like they were big enough to require stitches. You prepared the needle and thread.

You made the first stitch.

Having the shirt in your mouth muffled your sobs as you continued. Tears rolled down your face. Thankfully, the numbing cream seemed to be working. The worst part was seeing the needle go in and out of your skin and feeling only numb pain. It felt like forever before you finally finished. Leaning your head back, you felt more tears roll down your cheeks. You whimpered as your wound throbbed.

You gave yourself another 20 seconds to breathe before wiping the blood off your hands. You grabbed a bandage and some gauze. Wincing, you placed the gauze over the various wounds and then wrapped the big bandage around your middle to keep them in place. You then carefully put all the bloody towels in a trash bag. You cleaned up the bathroom and put away the first aid kit after taking out the rest of the large bandages and gauze for changing bandages. You washed your hands and then swallowed two extra-strength Tylenol pills before sneaking downstairs and then outside to put the bag of bloody towels in the trash can. You snuck back in and collapsed on your bed in pain.

You let out a sigh. Will was alive, he had to be, and you had to be there for when he came back. You couldn't think of anything else, you couldn't lose hope.

It was all you had left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Y/n, Y/n, Y/n, Y/n, Y/n, Y/n-" You cut off Mike's voice by pressing the button. You were still in bed, trying to fight the pain so that you could get out of bed and get some pain meds. You had also decided to skip school for obvious reasons.

"What?" You decided that you might as well get up. Holding back a groan, you rolled out of bed, landing on your hands and knees before using the bed to pull yourself onto your feet.

"I need you to come over." You stumbled into the bathroom and swallowed two pills.

"Why?"

"It's about Will."

"Yeah, I know, his funeral's soon. You don't need to remind me."

"Screw his funeral!"

"What?" Despite knowing that Will was alive, you knew that there was still a chance that he could die in the Upside Down.

"Just get over here stat. Lucas and Dustin are coming too." You groaned again.

"Fine." You grabbed the bottle of Tylenol and went back to your room. Putting it in your bag with the extra bandages, you also put in various things you thought could be useful.

You changed as fast as you could and then went downstairs. The house was quiet as you put some food in your backpack and left through the front door. You swung a leg over your bike and sat on the seat, taking a breath before starting the trek to Mike's.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as you rang the doorbell of Mike's house, the door opened to reveal Mike who grabbed your hand and pulled you downstairs to the basement. El was sitting on the couch and you took off your backpack before sitting next to her. Your backpack rested between your feet as you rested your head on her shoulder and closed your eyes.

You had been unable to sleep the previous night as the Upside Down and Demogorgon had plagued your dreams, the pain from your wound didn't help either. El patted your hand before she went back to messing with the Super Comm. You drifted in and out of sleep before whimpering came through the Super Comm. Your eyes shot open and you sat up, trying not to hiss in pain.

"That's Will."

Mike gestured to you. "See, she agrees with me."

You realized that the boys must have been talking before you had tuned back into the conversation. Lucas groaned. "Of course she agrees with you. She always agrees with you."

Your cheeks heated up. "I know what Will sounds like, ok, and that's him."

Lucas groaned. "Come on, guys, just drop it."

"Lucas, you don't understand. He spoke last night. Words! He was singing that weird song he loves. Even El heard him."

"Oh, well, if the weirdo heard him, then I guess-" You glared at Lucas as Dustin interrupted him.

"Are you sure you're on the right channel?"

Mike sighed. "I didn't think about that. I think, somehow, she's channelling him."

"Like... like Professor X."

Your head spun and you stood up. "I need some water." You ignored the boys and walked upstairs as the boys continued their conversation. You grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. Placing it on the counter, you rested your elbows next to the glass and supported your head with your hands as the Upside Down flashed through your head. You gripped your head, feeling fear rising into your throat.

You had to get Will back, no matter what.

You took some deep breaths and were able to calm yourself down. You finished your water and went back downstairs.

"There is no way we're gonna get the weirdo in there without anyone noticing."

"Get El in where?"

"School, to Mr. Clarke's Heathkit ham shack. It's a stronger radio that will help El get a better signal to find Will." You looked at El and then at Mike.

"Let's get started."

You helped El into one of Nancy's old dresses as the boys searched for a wig. You found Nancy's makeup set and opened it up.

"Come, sit down." You grabbed El's hands and sat her down on the floor next to you. She looked apprehensively at the makeup. "Don't worry, it won't hurt." To make her feel better, you grabbed one of the brushes and tapped her nose with it. You and El giggled. Your side had started to hurt again, but you had a little bit more time before you would be able to take some more pills.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You were almost done with the makeup on as Mike came in with the wig. "Set it down next to me, please." You leaned back a little bit to take in El's appearance. Nodding in approval at your mediocre makeup skills, you put away everything before grabbing the wig and El's hand. You pulled her to the bathroom to get the wig on.

You stood behind El, adjusting the wig until it sat upon her shaved head. You stood behind her with your hands on her shoulders and put your face next to hers. "There you go, all done." El smiled and turned to hug you. You hugged her back, before leading her back to the boys.

"Wow, she looks-"

"Pretty... good." Mike looked at you two before glancing away.

You nudged El's shoulder. "You look pretty."

El smiled into the mirror. "Pretty."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, remember, if anyone sees us, look sad." You schooled your expression into one of pain, which wasn't hard considering that you should be taking the pain pills around this time. They were stowed away in your backpack, but El was holding your hand and you didn't want to worry anyone even more.

"Attention students, there will be an assembly to honour Will Byers in the gymnasium." The P.A. system startled you out of your thoughts. "Do not go to fourth period."

"It's locked."

"What?"

"Hey," Dustin turned to Eleven. "Do you think you can open it? With your powers?"

"Boys, Y/n?" You all turned to see Mr. Clarke coming around the corner.

"Hey," Lucas said weakly.

"Assembly's about to start."

"We know. We're just, you know..." Mike fumbled for the right words.

"Upset."

"We need some alone time."

"To cry." You kept silent, trying to ignore the steadily growing pain in your side.

"Yeah, listen... I get it. I do. I know how hard this is, but let's just be there for Will, huh? And then... the Heathkit is all yours for the rest of the day. What do you say?" You all nodded as Mr. Clarke finally noticed El holding your hand. "I don't believe we've met. What's your name?"

"Ele-."

Mike thankfully cut her off. "Eleanor! She's my, uh..."

"Cousin."

"Second cousin."

"She's here for Will's funeral."

"Ah, well, welcome to Hawkins Middle, Eleanor. I wish you were here under better circumstances."

El nodded. "Thank you."

"Uh, where are you from exactly?"

"Bad place." Your eyes widened at El's remark.

"Sweden!"

"I have a lot of Swedish family.

"She hates it there."

"Cold!"

"Subzero."

"Shall we?" Mr. Clarke gestured towards the gym, wisely choosing to ignore the party's strange behaviour. You sighed in relief as you all trooped towards the gym doors. Dustin slammed them open, making everyone look your way as you flinched.

"Abort." Dustin turned to leave, but Lucas pushed him forward. The five of you went to find seats. As you sat down, you felt your wound throb and the pain made you want to cry. You tuned out the principal as the rest of the party plus El were muttering among themselves. You finally snuck out two pills from the bottle in your bag and took a drink of water before swallowing them discreetly.

You did it just in time as El looked over at you. She grabbed your hand and squeezed it, giving you a smile. You smiled back and stared at the wall behind the principal, zoning out. The pain meds finally started to work.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the assembly ended. You followed behind the boys, wanting to get out as soon as possible. The chattering of the students turned into the Demogorgon's roar. You gasped as you ducked your head and quickly weaved through the crowd, wanting to get away. You finally made it outside the AV Club room. You leaned against the wall, breathing heavily as your heartbeat slowed down.

Something touched your shoulder and you jumped. "Y/n, are you ok?" Mike looked at you with concern.

You blinked. "Yeah, just, really loud."

"Troy peed himself." You stared at Dustin for a couple of seconds before what he said registered in your muddled head. Your face broke into a grin.

"Really?" Dustin nodded and you laughed. "Well, I am sorry that I missed that."

"El did it with her powers!" You turned to El, smiling brightly.

"Really?" She nodded and you held out your fist. She looked at you confused and you took her hand, folding it into a fist. "It's called a fist bump. You use it when you're happy or excited and want to share it with your friends." You bumped her fist against yours and she looked at you with big doe eyes.

"Friends?"

"Yep, we're friends." She smiled and took your hand as you followed the boys into the AV Room.

El sat in front of the Heathkit.

"Now what?"

"She'll find him. Right, El?"

"Shut up, Mike." You sat down next to El as she closed her eyes and the radio frequency changed.

"She's doing it. She's finding him!"

"This is crazy."

Lucas groaned. "Calm down, she just closed her eyes."

"Everyone, be quiet. Let her focus." The boys shut their mouths and you turned back to El, suddenly the lights started to flicker.

"Holy..." Dustin never finished his sentence as there was a clanging noise coming from the radio. You leaned in closer as whimpering came through the speakers.

"Mom?" You gasped and grabbed Mike's hand as you recognized Will's voice.

"Will?"

"Mom?" You squeezed Mike's hand as your heart beat faster at hearing Will's terrified voice coming through the radio. "Please..."

"No way!"

"Will!"

You felt tears prick at your eyes and you spoke softly, trying not to cry. "Will, we're right here, we're right here."

"Will, it's us! Are you there?"

"Can you hear us? We're here!"

"Hello? Mom?

"Why can't he hear us?"

"I don't know!"

"It's like home, but it's so dark...It's so dark and empty. And it's cold!" You put a hand to your mouth. "Mom!"

The Heathkit started to smoke and you all jumped back as Dustin sprayed it with the fire extinguisher. You looked at El and let go of Mike's hand to go to her side.

"El, are you ok?" She looked really out of it and her nose was bleeding.

"Can you move?" Mike joined you at her side. El just swayed slightly.

Mike looked at Dustin and Lucas. "Here, help her up." As the boys helped her out of the room, you glanced back at the smoking Heathkit.

Will was out there, and he was alive.

[ananaskupelikiz]

Robin: So... This is my girlfriend Y/N, this is Y/N's boyfriend Eddie, this is Eddie's boyfriend Steve, this is Steve's girlfriend Nancy, who is also my girlfriend, this is Nancy's boyfriend Jonathan and this is Jonathan's boyfriend Argyle, and this is Vickie, my girlfriend.

Joyce: ... What?

Dustin: *pulls out a white board showing all the relationships* It's okay, take your time.

[raven-dor]

i'll be watching you

in which steve harrington can’t stop thinking about the one girl who believed in him

PAIRING: steve harrington x fem!reader, dustin henderson x PLATONIC!reader

WARNINGS: fluff, young love, realization, ANGST ANGST ANGST, nostalgia, CRAZY amounts of yearning, obliviousness

WORD COUNT: 2.5k

🎶 : every breath you take - the police

AN: this hurt to write... enjoy!! (also the 'present' is the mid 90's, so Steve and you are in your late 20's)

Steve was utterly confused. First, he decides, of his own volition, to apologize to Jonathan Wheeler. Then, he knocks on the boy’s door to find Y/N, panic evident in her expression and her hand bleeding. 

He bursts in, worried about her safety, to then find that his girlfriend is also there, with a gun pointed at his face.

He was then dragged through the Wheeler’s house away from some sort of creature before finally being ushered out by Y/N, her words haunting him as he opened the car door. “I don’t want you wrapped up in this, Steve. Just leave it alone.” 

Why would she care? And why could she be involved, but not him? No, Steve thought to himself as he grabbed his bat, she could not go through this alone. (He would later reference this moment as the second his feelings for her grew past friendship.) Screams rang through the Byers property, and Steve burst through the door once more, swinging his bat and slamming the monster square in the face. 

Y/N was on the floor, grinning wildly at the boy before her. “Steve!” He ran over, extending his hand and pulling her into his arms. “What are you-” 

“Don’t tell me to leave it alone ever again.” He whispered.

She nodded, hugging him tightly. “Fine.” 

A cough interrupted their moment, and they pulled apart, remembering where they were. Y/N laughed, nudging the King of Hawkins lightly. “You’re quite the hero.” 

A chill ran down his spine, and he clenched his eyes shut. She made him crazy sometimes.

Steve groaned, shoving his face further into his pillow. Not again, he thought. This had been the third time this week he’d woke up this early. Every time it was the same, it was almost like he was going back in time, his dreams exactly as they had been in real life. 

And every time it revolved around her. 

He rolled over, staring at the ceiling. Why couldn’t he have a dream about puppies or his dream job?

His alarm clock rang, and his heart dropped. “Shit!” Jumping out of bed, he sprinted to the bathroom, fixing his hair as best he could in two minutes.

His real shift at his very real job started in ten minutes.

“Y/N!” 

God, she forgot how dismal this gym could be. All the horrible memories of middle school gym class came rushing back. Over by the locker room is where Tracy C. tripped her ‘on accident.’ The bleachers were where she’d sit when she wasn’t picked for dodgeball. 

And by the exit door was where she would secretly cheer for Steve as he played basketball. 

She was sure some of these kids, at least the ones she knew, had had the same happen to them. The doors to the gym opened for the hundredth time, Dustin Henderson walking through with what Y/N could only identify as a Steve Harrington special. 

She waved at the boy, smiling brightly as he walked across the gym to meet her.

She hoped he hadn’t seen her space out.

“Are you okay?” 

So he had. Y/N smiled, nodding. “Of course I am, now that you’re here.” He blushed. “You look very handsome, Dustin.” 

“Thank you.” He grinned. “Steve helped me.” 

“Really?” She smiled, laughing to herself. “That’s really nice of him.” 

“We’re friends now!” Dustin was still grinning. “He drove me here.” 

Her eyes darted toward the entrance, and the young boy’s face fell ever so slightly. “He said he doesn’t want to come in because…” He motioned for Y/N to lean down, whispering in her ear. “Because of Nancy.” 

Of course, how could she forget about Nancy? She loved her friend, but her heart ached to think about Steve’s undying love for her. “Ah.” She locked her lips, figuratively throwing away the key. “Your secret is safe with-” 

“Henderson.” 

She looked up, locking eyes with Steve’s instantly. He was beautiful in that color, she realized. It brought out the gold in his eyes.

“Wow.” Steve smiled shyly, rubbing a hand on his neck. “You-” 

“Are you kidding me?” He murmured as his eyes peeled open. 

This had to stop. 

He already deeply regretted his life choices, and now he couldn’t even escape them in sleep. He drove to work grumpily, parked his car grumpily, and stood at the Family Video counter grumpily. Robin laughed, shaking her head. 

“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” 

He glared, sticking his tongue out. “Good morning to you too, Robin.” 

“You’ve been pissy lately,” Robin said it like it was a fact like everyone in Hawkins had been talking about it. “What’s up, Harrington?” 

“I-” He couldn’t tell Robin, she would never let him live this down. No, this was the type of thing you kept to yourself, driving yourself crazy until- “Just had a rough night.” 

“Okay.” Her shoulders deflated, grabbing the cart full of VHS tapes. “Let me know when you want to tell the truth.” 

“Shit, shit shit.” Y/N’s eyes were glassy as she clung to Steve’s side, supporting him as he walked. “Why’d you have to be the hero?” 

“That’s part of my-” He winced, laughing as her face grew even more worried. “Part of my charm, babe.” 

Y/N ignored the way her cheeks flushed, leaning him against the giant boulder. “Just be quiet.”

He nodded, leaning his head back in pain. “No problem.” 

“Really?” She scoffed, muttering thanks as Robin handed her cloth to wrap around his (chiseled) abdomen. “You scared me, you know.” 

Her voice was soft, much softer than normal. It sounded weak; scared even. He frowned, reaching out and brushing her hair out of her eyes. “Didn’t mean to.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Well, you did, Harrington.”

“Can you just-” He sighed. “Can you look at me? You haven’t met my eyes since you’ve gotten down here.” 

She shook her head, trying her best to wipe away the dirt from his gaping wound. “I really hope this doesn’t get infected.” 

“Y/N, come on.” He smiled, forcing himself not to cry out in pain. “Look at me.” 

“I think Eddie’s-” Robin received a hard glare from Steve, and she nodded, walking away without another word. 

Her face felt hot, eyes watery as she looked up at him. He grinned, whispering so that only they could hear. “There she is.”

“Here I am.” She whispered back, tears falling down her cheeks freely. “Now can I-” 

“I’m so mad at you right now.” 

Her head cocked to the side. “What?” She must have misheard him. 

“You heard me.” His tone was tense, but his eyes told a different story. “I said to stay in the boat, didn’t I? Don’t follow after me.” He scoffed, flailing his arms, pain ringing through his aching muscles. “And what did you do? You followed me.” 

“As opposed to what? Watching helplessly as you were dragged into hell?” She stood up, glaring. “Would you rather have died down here?” More tears fell as she stared, hissing at him so the others couldn’t hear. “You don’t have to do everything alone!” 

“I know that-” 

“Then why can’t I follow after you? Huh?” She glared. “You’re not the boss of-” 

“I didn’t want you wrapped up in this!” He yelled, Nancy, Eddie, and Robin jumping at the sound. “You should’ve left it alone.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, last I checked, I was involved first.” She yelled back. “Now shut up so I can fix you.” She knelt again, tying the cloth Robin gave her earlier gently around him. An uncomfortable silence fell over them before she spoke once more. “Just be careful, alright? I can’t do this without you.” 

“Y/N…” His eyes were watering, from the pain or what she said, he couldn’t tell. “I’m sorry.” 

“Good.” She wiped the dirt from her hands. “I’m sorry too, I guess.” She stood up, muttering. “Even though I have no reason to apologize.” 

He laughed, reaching out for her hold. “Could I-” 

“Yes! Yeah, of course.” His arm expertly laid around her shoulders, and in another life, they could have walked through Hawkins High like this. “Please stop acting like the hero. I can’t bear it.” 

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Yeah?”

She nodded, her eyes full of desperation, and his heart skipped. Shit. “Yeah.” 

He nodded, kissing her temple gently. “Whatever you want, babe.” 

“Hey!” Eddie’s voice interrupted whatever was happening between them. “Why don’t you take a break? I can take care of Harrington for a bit.” 

“Are you sure?” Y/N frowned, not even bothering to look at her best friend, still staring up at Steve with that dangerous look in her eyes. “I really don’t mind.” 

“Y/N.” Steve whispered. “You’ve done enough for me to last a lifetime. I’ll be okay.” 

She looked hurt, but let go of Steve regardless. “Alright, he’s all yours, Munson.” 

Eddie waited until she was by Robin and Nancy to speak. “She was the first one to dive in after you.”

Steve smiled. “Really?”

Eddie nodded. “You know she likes you, right?” 

“I know.” He laughed as he watched her jump on Robin’s back. “I like her too.” 

“Good, good.” Eddie placed a firm hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Just, don’t hurt her, okay? She seems strong, but…” 

“I won’t.” Steve was so confident in it, so sure. “I would never do anything to hurt her.” 

His latest dream had thrown him for a loop. Eddie, a man he was never close with in school, died hours after that. God, he thought as he ran through the streets of his neighborhood, that had been the last time he’d talked to the metalhead. 

His shower was cold, and not because he forgot to pay the water bill. He’d made it cold on purpose, maybe this was how he would stop having these dreams. 

Lately, they felt closer to nightmares. This one, in particular, had reminded him of how close they'd been, of how hard Y/N had taken it when Eddie had died. It had never been the right time to ask her, he kept telling himself, even after she left, and he stayed. 

'Never the right time' had been his downfall. 

Work had been the same, a mother asking for a children’s movie, a teenager who was obviously not old enough to rent an R-rated movie asking where they could find one, and an older couple asking for Gone With The Wind. The door rang for the fourth time that day, and he recited the same old boring greeting. “Welcome to Family Video, do you need-” He looked up, his breath catching in his throat. 

It couldn’t be. 

“It’s been a while, Harrington.” She laughed, and his heart fluttered. God, her laugh was still the most perfect sound he’d ever heard. “Are you doing alright?” 

“I-” He grinned. Was this real? It had to be- nope, he had officially losing it. He should have opened up to Robin when he had the chance.

“Hello?” She stepped forward, giggling. “Are you sure you’re alright? You’re spacing out on me. That’s my thing, you know. Not yours.” 

He laughed. “You look-” 

“Mama!” A little boy ran through the front door, clinging to Y/N’s leg. 

Steve’s head felt like it was spinning. 

“Hey, babe.” A man, around their age, walked up beside her, kissing her cheek gently. She grinned, leaning into his hold. “I tried to entertain him in the parking lot-” 

“It’s fine, honey.” She smiled, looking back at Steve with a sort of melancholy look. “This is Steve.” 

Steve waved, and the man waved back. Y/N’s cheeks were red, and in any normal situation, Steve would have laughed. She was cute when she was flustered. 

Right now, he couldn't find it in him to tease. He just wanted to curl up on the floor and die. “This is my husband Nick, and our son, Edmund.”

“No!” The little boy’s shrill yell livened up the place. 

Y/N laughed, looking down endearingly. “No, huh?” 

He nodded. “My name is Eddie.” 

Steve’s heart dropped, tears forming in his eyes as he stared at Y/N. Her husband laughed too, kneeling. “Kiddo, your nickname is Eddie. Your name is-” 

“Eddie!” 

‘Nick’ just laughed again, standing up. “There’s no convincing this one, I’m afraid.” 

Y/N stared back at Steve, trying to gauge his reaction. He finally spoke, finally said a full sentence for the first time since she’d walked in. “It’s a good name, Eddie.” 

She nodded, her eyes growing teary. “It is.” 

She was just as perfect as the last time he’d seen her. Radiant, happy, glowing, all things she was now. He knew, deep down, if he had told her that he loved her, she would have stayed, put her life on hold to be with him. And that - that was Steve’s worst nightmare. 

She had an actual chance, to leave, to make something of herself, and he wasn’t going to be the reason she never achieved it. He hadn’t, as he stared helplessly at her family, heart officially breaking when her husband set his hand on her growing stomach. “I get to name the next one.” 

Y/N shook her head, smacking his chest playfully. “I thought you said you liked Edmund.” 

“Kidding, babe.” He looked at Steve, smiling awkwardly. “Did you two know each other well?” 

Steve shook his head before he could think. “Just knew each other from school.” How do you tell the love of your life’s husband that you fought monsters together? He was almost sure Y/N hadn’t told him, and Steve didn’t blame her. He’d never told anyone either. “She was always the smart one, no one could keep up.” 

She wiped the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, laughing. “I wouldn’t say that…” 

Nick, who was really a nice guy, Steve would later realize (even if he hated his guts at that moment) nodded. “You still are.” He looked at Steve again, laughing. “She runs circles around me. I wouldn’t have it any other way though.” He kissed Y/N on the cheek, staring at her the way Steve wished he could. “Keeps me young.” 

That had made Steve laugh. Damn it. Y/N had laughed too, rolling her eyes. “You're 29, Nick. Not exactly old here.” 

“Speak for yourself.” Nick clapped his hands, grabbing Edmund from his wife’s leg. “Have any cartoons for this one?” 

Steve nodded, leading them down the aisles toward the kid's section. “Aladdin’s a good one.” 

Eddie had lost energy as quickly as he’d gained it, Nick carrying him to the car with a haphazard ‘nice to meet you’ thrown in Steve’s general direction. 

Y/N stood in front of the counter, handing Steve the cash for the movie. Her tone was light as she spoke, almost like no time had passed. “He’s a good kid.” 

Steve smiled. “Takes after his mother.” 

“He-” Her voice sounded thick, and she stared at him with something Steve couldn’t quite place. “I hope you’re doing okay, really.” 

He nodded. That seemed to be all he could do now. “I am.” 

“Well…” She clapped her hands, walking back. “I’ll see you.” 

She pushed the door open, sparing one last look before disappearing from his sight.

Maybe, he thought to himself as his very soul began to die, it would have been better just to go mad. Go mad thinking about what could have been, rather than seeing her and realizing she had everything he'd hoped for.

Just not with him.

taglist: @kendallroydefender @beebeechaos

[saraakpotter]

Requests

Hi guys! i was thinking about doing this some time ago, i'm completely out of ideas and requests are open! so, here are the fandom's i write for but before requsting please remember theses stuff:

i don't write smut, NSFW and things like that.

i only write 'x reader'

i only write 'female!reader' becasue i'm more comfortable like that :)

i don't feel comfortable writing about (male x male) or (female x female)

now for the characters:

(by the way you can request for the actors\actress's of those characters too)

❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎❀❄︎

MCU:

Romantic and platonic:

Tony Stark\ironman

Loki Laufeyson

Stephan Strange

Wade Wilson\deadpool

Steve Rogers\captain america

Peter Quill\starlord

Thor Odinson

Clint Barton\hawkeye

Bucky Barns \winter soldier

Sam Wilson\falcon

Pietro Maximoff

platonic only:

Natasha Romanoff

Yelena Belova

Kate Bishop

Wanda Maximoff

Gamora

Stranger Things:

Romantic and platonic:

Mike Wheeler

Will Byers

Steve Harrington

Jonathan Byers

Lucas Sinclair

Eddie Munson

Platonic only:

Jane 'Eleven' Hopper

Dustin Henderson

Jim Hopper

Joyce Byers

Max Mayfield

Harry Potter:

romantic and platonic:

Harry Potter

Ronald 'Ron' Weasley

Cedric Diggory

James Potter (marauders)

Sirius Black (marauders)

Remus Lupin (marauders)

(i may add the Slytherin boys later btw)

platonic only:

Hermione Granger

Luna Lovegood

Ginny Weasley

Lily Evans

Marlene McKinnon

Alice Fortescue

Mary McDonald

Sherlock:

romantic and platonic:

Sherlock Holmes

John Watson

Greg Lestrade

RDJ Sherlock Holmes

platonic only:

Mary Morstan

Jim Moriarty

Eurus Holmes

(i mostly write platonic for John and Greg tbh, but feel free to request both :)

AGGGTM:

romantic and platonic:

Ravi Singh

Sal Singh

platonic only:

Pippa 'Pip' Fitz-Amobi

Cara Ward

Connor Reynolds

[streets-in-paradise]

Horror Masterlist

Chucky  

Pending Requests - 1

Andy Barclay x Fem Ray!Reader where they adopt GG after they leave Tiffany the end of Season 2 

Requests for this fandom are currently open

Oneshots

Can’t Help Falling in Love with You - Andy Barclay x Reader (female)

A Personal Cheerleader - Andy Barclay x Reader (female) 

Best Friends Till the End - Andy Barclay x Childhood Friend!Reader (female)

Part 1 - Part 2  Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7

Unwilling Resemblances - Andy Barclay x (Fem) Reader 

Untill Death Tear Us Apart - Andy Barclay x (Fem) Reader, Chucky x (Fem) Reader 

Part 1 - Part 2 

Relaxing Amazement - Andy Barclay x (Fem)Reader (Requested)

Birthday Wishes - Barclay Wheeler Family AU (Requested)

The Touch of an Angel - Feral!Andy Barclay x Reader (Requested)

Child Soldiers in a Secret War . Teen!Andy Barclay x (Fem) Teen!Winchester Reader 

Ready for the Good Times - (post Child’s Play 3) Andy Barclay x (gender neutral) Reader ( Requested)

Even If I Can’t See You - Andy Barclay x Nica Pierce 

Testing the Waters - Teen!Andy Barclay x (Fem) Teen Winchester!Reader 

Dulce de Leche? - Andy Barclay x (Fem) Reader 

Certified Paranoid - Barclay Wheeler Family Au ( Andy adopts the Wheelers AU) + BarclayPierce 

The Original Child - Andy Barclay x (Fem) Ray!Reader (Requested)

We´re Best Friends as Friends should be - (Cult of Chucky) Andy and Chucky centered Oneshot 

The Road so Far - Andy Barclay x (Fem) Winchester!Reader 

Waiting - Andy Barclay x Reader (Requested)

Three times they told you Andy was gone ( and the one he came back) - Andy Barclay x Reader 

Doing the Barbie - Andy Barclay x (Fem)Reader 

Their Princess - Andy Barclay x Reader (requested)

Clothing Thief - Andy Barclay x Nica Pierce 

Risking It - Andy Barclay x Nica Pierce 

Reality Check - Andy Barclay x Nica Pierce 

Drabbles 

Just the Two of Us - Andy Barclay x Nica Pierce

Headcanons 

Andy Barclay x (Fem) Friend!Reader Smut 

Andy Barclay x Witch Reader Dating Headcanons

Showing Andy that you believe him ( Gender Neutral Reader) 

Being Nica’s girlfriend and trying to help her save her family - Nica Pierce x Fem Reader 

Horror Crossovers 

Child’s Play and Stranger Things 

Unlikely Friendship

Stranger Things

Headcanons

Being Dustin’s older sister, a nerdy metalhead, and becoming closer with Eddie and Steve Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Drabbles

Like a Witch and her Familiar - Eddie Munson x Henderson!Reader 

Our Shithead  - Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader 

Oneshots 

I’ll Wait - Eddie Munson x Henderson!Reader. 

Ice Cream Man -  Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader / Eddie Munson x Henderson!Reader. 

The Cheer Factor - Eddie Munson x (fem) Plus Size!Reader 

Friday the 13th - Eddie Munson x (Fem)Henderson!Reader 

Halloween 

Oneshots 

Mutual Promise, Cursed Prophecy - Platonical Corey Cunningham x Sister!Reader /Platonical menthor Laurie Strode x protegee Cunningham!Reader

Headcanons

Christmas Headcanons - Corey Cunningham x Sister Reader 

Friday 13th (2009) 

Hope - Clay Miller x Reader 

Horror Characters Preferences

- How they celebrate Christmas with you ( Includes: Chucky, The Walking Dead and Stranger Things)