#hawkins school counselor's office

[samthestrangerthingsfan]

Out of The Woods

pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

summary: A look back into our reader's past, and a run-in with one, too.

chapter warnings: slow burn,mentions of grief, parental loss, motherhood, swearing, alcohol(ism), child neglect, childhood trauma. Maggie fluff to fix it all <3

a/n: EEP EEP EEP, i know i know its a slooooow burn but we truly are just getting started. Enjoy!

chapter two: Tell Me A Lie || series masterlist

SEPTEMBER 17th, 1982

Freezer-burnt Egos sit three high on the olive green plate in front of you.

“Great.” Syrup hasn’t been purchased in weeks, so you slather each one with a smear of grape jelly. All served up with a side of tap water.

One bite in, and the sound of shattering glass startles the appetite out it you.

“Dad?!” You shout in a panic.

The sight that greets you on the living room is one that’s become familiar in the few months since your mom’s passing. Your father, slumped over in his beat up recliner, a shattered vodka bottle on the floor next to him.

“Shit…” you’re frantic as you rush to grab the broom and dustpan. It’s become a routine, clean up dad’s mess so that he doesn’t hurt himself when he wakes for his night shift at the Plant.

While it may be routine, it’s certainly not normal. No fourteen year old should be shopping for groceries, and doing laundry and writing checks to the electric company with a letter begging for them to give her a little more time with the lights on.

Every payday, you’d wait for Dad to pass out in his chair, and you’d take most of the cash from his wallet. It was just enough to get yourself food for the week and pay what you could. If he noticed the missing money, he never said anything, but you assumed he did notice that debt collectors had stopped calling so much.

“Bye, Dad.” You whispered. No response—then again, there never was.

The bag of glass was thrown into the trash on your walk to the garage. Hopping on your rusted out silver bike, you started the 2 mile ride to Hawkins High.

In truth, this has become the only slice of peace in your day. You could shut your damn brain off and just breathe. Not worry about the inevitable chaos that waited for you at home.

It was Friday, which means a meeting with the school counselor to see how you were doing since your mom died. June was…it was a time you’ve tried to block out. To suppress any memories or feeling from that awful day.

“Did you hear me, hon?” Ms. Kelly’s soft voice pulled you from your dissociation.

“What? Oh, mhm.”

She looked at you softly, tilting her head as a sign she absolutely did not believe you.

“Listen,” she pulls the file off her desk and turns it for you to see. “Your grades…they’re not at all reflective of your abilities. Your teachers think you’re brilliant, but the lack of effort on homework and tests is something of a concern.”

The pain of holding back tears began to prickle your throat. “I know, I’m—I’m trying. I’m studying as much as I can—“

“You’ve got such a bright future, just work a bit harder, hm?” Her smile was one of reassurance and confidence.

It’s not Mrs. Kelly’s fault. She didn’t know about what was happening at home, so she certainly didn’t know the impact of her advice.

“Work harder,” you whisper, venom coating your tongue. “Got it.”

The smile on your face is only there to keep the tears at bay. She excuses you to get back to next period, and you practically sprint from her office.

Where your legs take you, you’re not exactly sure. But the room is empty and dark and at this point you’ll take any refuge you can get.

So you sit and sob, heaving breaths and crying into your palm to muffle any sounds. How long you were there you have no idea, but it was long enough to hear the bell for end of the school day.

The door to the room opened, pouring in light from the hallway.

“Shit…you okay?”

His voice was so gentle and unsure. Backlit as the door closed, the shadow of his silhouette almost made him look like an angel.

Long shaggy hair, denim and chains and leather.

An angel--dressed like a devil.

You attempted to stand quickly, muttering a half-hearted apology, but you stumbled. Luckily for you, the stranger caught your elbow and waist.

“Whoa, hey just—here, sit for a sec, okay?” He guided you to the table across from where you’d sat, and ushered you towards one of the chairs.

“You’re not hurt are you?” His voice was so soft; a kindness you hadn’t heard in a long, long time.

You shook your head, “No, no. I’m fine.”

He laughed softly, “You sure about that?”

The tears in your eyes put holes in his chest.

“I’m Eddie,” he sat next to you on the table, “Who might you be?”

You whispered your name, and he smiled, then whispered it right back.

Eddie was gentle with you. He sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for your breathing to return to normal.

What you didn’t know was how he watched you. The way he recognized the pain in your eyes—a kind of sadness that only people who’ve experienced it can understand.

He knew a bad home life when he saw one, and It made him angry.

Angry that someone could look in your eyes and hurt you. That people could see how broken you were and take advantage of it. Worst of all? He was angry there was no one there to protect you.

As far as he was concerned, that changes today.

Eddie cleared his throat, and your eyes found him again. “Look at us,” he nudged your shoulder. “strangers a couple minutes ago, now we’re acquaintances. Who knows? Before we leave we might even be friends.”

A genuine and true laugh escaped you. It’d been so long since you’d heard your own laugh, the sound alone was foreign.

Though for Eddie, it was a sound that made his heart beat faster and face turn rosey, even under the gross fluorescent bulbs.

“I’d like to be your friend, I think.” You smile. Crinkles formed by his umber eyes as he mirrored your grin.

Your hand juts out, extended to him for the taking. “You’re not a serial killer, right?”

His warm grip finds yours, “Not to your knowledge.”

There’s a pain in your cheeks from smiling so hard. “That’s reassuring.”

Eddie jumped up, offering you his elbow. “Whaddya say, kid? Care to cause some chaos and debauchery with your new pal?”

It’d be easy to say no. To allow yourself to return to the shell you’ve built around yourself in order to protect your heart in a way no one else would.

But you didn’t hesitate. Linking arms with Eddie, his scent invaded you—nicotine and weed and…vanilla? Whatever the combination, you’re sure it was uniquely and perfectly him.

“Whatcha got in mind?”

Eddie could have said anything and you’re pretty sure you’d have agreed. “Oh, sweetheart. Just you wait.”

“Mama! Do we have any straw’bies?” Maggie asked from the kitchen.

The smell from the chemicals you’re cleaning the shower with make your head throb and the sweat on your brow itches you for the ten millionth time.

Deep breathes. Deep breathes.

“No, Mags. C’mon, get your shoes on. As soon as I’m done here we’re going to the store.” You throw the yellow gloves down into the sink, giving them a quick rinse.

The weekend has brought some seriously good progress. Friday you’d managed to get Maggie registered for school, and start cleaning out the house.

Boxes of old newspapers and tchotchkes your father had kept sat stagnant, collecting dust and taking up far too much space. None of it mattered to you, so you’d trashed it.

All of it.

Saturday was spent taking trips back and forth to the Goodwill, hoping and praying your little car would survive after all the driving she did. You’d bought a few cheap gallons of paint from Melvald’s, this house was your home now—Maggie’s home. It was time to wipe the slate clean and create a place the two of you could fill with love and laughter and memories

“Mom?” Maggie mumbled, mouth full of banana as she watches you slink into your jacket.

You grabbed your keys. “Yes, angel?”

“Can we get ice cream? Wouldn’t that be a fun way to ce-bre-late me going to big girl school tomorrow?”

I need to find a damn job.

You do some quick math, adding and subtracting based on what you had left in your savings, and what you’d set aside for bills.

You drop to your knees in front of your daughter, getting right down to her level to place a big kiss on her forehead. “Of course we can. Good idea, Maggie-moo.”

Her dimples were so deep from her big wide grin, you poked a finger in each of them.

“Moooom!” She laughed, swatting your hands away.

“Whaaaat? I just love you! Now c’mon, we gotta go get your asparagus.” You hold the door and Maggie jumps onto the porch.

“Ice cream!” She shouts, making a mad dash to the car.

You chuckle. “Right, right. Ice cream.”

The store is a mere 10 minutes drive from home. If you ask Maggie, she thinks 10 minutes is the perfect amount of time to throw an impromptu concert from the back seat—room for encore included.

The moment your hands grasp the shopping cart, Maggie’s arms are up. “Assuming the position, I see.” You smile proudly.

Scooping her up, you plop her right on her bottom into the cart. Maggie wiggled, gasping as the two of you strolled past the chip aisle. “Don’t forget! We have to get some snacks for school too!”

“Right,” you braked, and turned down it. “Let me guess, Doritos are the perfect school snack?”

Her eyes are wide, clearly overwhelmed at the selection the Pete’s Grocery has to offer. “Can we gets the cheese ones?”

“Sure thing, Sunshine.”

Shopping is entirely uneventful. It’s mainly you budgeting and planning on dinners for the week. Everything bought has to have more than one use or purpose, or you don’t get it. A few jars of pasta sauce, some spaghetti, a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly. Chicken, canned corn, strawberries and bananas and a few boxes of mac n cheese. No the shopping spree Maggie thinks it is, but you’ll make it work.

“Alright kiddo, now the piece de resistance…the ice cream section!” You use your best announcer voice as you scoop her from the cart, and let her roam free.

She squeals. “Mom! There’s so many kinds!”

You watch her, taking in how the littlest things in this life make her the happiest you’ve ever seen her. You’re so engrossed in your daughter, you almost don’t hear it. The familiar tone that had engrained itself in your memory, the sarcastic “Sure, Robin.” that had been a staple in his vocabulary since High School.

Any calm feeling you’d had vanished, stomach churning inside you. “Mags,” you called in a hushed tone. “Maggie! C’mon, baby, just choose—“

The voices were an aisle away, and moving closer to you.

Maggie was in her own world, running back and forth to different doors in careful deliberation.

You could feel yourself start to tremble, calling her a bit louder this time. “Maggie-moo, please hurry—“

“Ho-ly shit.”

Of course Robin was the first to say something. She stood with her mouth agape, Steve perplexed next to her. When he’d followed her gaze, the two bags of chips he was holding fell to the floor.

He called your name like he was unsure. Questioning if the ghost in front of him was really his friend from all those years ago.

“Mommy! I founded the one I want!” Maggie screeched as she barreled toward you, clutching a box of Bomb Pops to her chest.

Your two old friends’ eyes went straight to your daughter.

Robin’s eyes were so wide, you thought they’d burst from her skull. “Mom?” She questioned.

Steve followed her up with, “No freakin’ way.”

Maggie chucked the pops in the cart, and stood by your side, your arms instinctively reaching for her. She must have followed your eyes, because soon, she too was in the middle of the staring contest the three of you had started.

She was quiet for a moment, studying them, and it wasn’t that long before she started giggling the tiniest bit. She covered her mouth, making herself laugh with whatever joke was rolling around in her little mind.

Maggie walked up to Steve as she laughed, and smiled her big toothy grin at him. “Hiya, Cheeseball!” She spoke through her giggles.

Robin’s laugh caught her so off guard she started coughing, and Steve was all smiles. “Excuse me? Who told you about my nickname?”

Maggie laughed, “My Mommy! She said your name is Steeb and you’re a real cheese ball!”

“Steve, Mags. Steve.” You were laughing, thankful for your daughter for saving you and for easing the tense moment you were seconds away from having to address.

“Nope, uh-uh. He’s Steeb now, from this day until his last.” She looked at you, get big smile taking up her face. Her eyes were soft, softer than they’d been moments ago. She looked back to Maggie, “And who’re you?”

Pride filled Maggie’s voice, “My name is Maggie and I’m six years old, but I’ll be seven soon! Mommy telled me birthday is Star Wars day.”

Robin’s brows pinched together, “Star Wars Day?”

“May the 4th.” You and Steve answered in unison.

The hazel-eyed boy looked at you, offering you a small smile.

Robin went back to talking to Maggie, asking her about Star Wars and her why she chose Bomb Pops. Steve walked over to stand next to you.

He plopped the chips in the top of your cart, and without any hesitation, pulled you in for a hug.

“God, I missed you.” He whispered into your hair.

You could feel the emotion squeezing your throat, “I missed you so much, Stevie.”

He held you a few more seconds, using Robin as a distraction. “Is…is she—“

You gripped him tighter, “Not here. Please not here, Steve.”

Steve Harrington was many things, but dumb wasn’t one of them. A bit of an airhead, and clueless sometimes, but not dumb. He’d seen it immediately, the resemblance between the two of you, and the one of Maggie and his other friend.

Steve let you go, looking over your face. “Does, um…does he know?”

With shame in your heart, you shook your head. “No, and I need to keep it the way.”

The for now went unsaid.

Steve nodded. “You haven’t ran into him yet then, I take it.”

“No,” you whispered. “I don’t even know what would happen if we did. Can’t think about it, not right now.”

Maggie approached the two of you, yanking Robin by her arm. “You were right, Mom! I do like this Robin lady.”

When the laughter died down, it was then Robin asked the question looming over the four of you.

“So, and pardon-my-french Little Miss M, but what the hell are you doing back in Hawkins?”

And with that, the floodgates opened.

You told them about what you’d been up to the last seven years, and what brought you back. Granted, you kept everything very Maggie-friendly—meaning most of your words were very PG friendly.

It was a weird feeling, admitting to all of the half-truths you told yourself, and how you had to push them out of your life. You wanted to tell them anything but the truth. To spare their feelings and the thought that you too could just as easily abandon the people who, at one point, were some of the most important people in your life.

"That's...that's heavy shit." Steve breathed.

You nodded, fully aware of the hanger-ticking-timebomb Maggie was becoming.

"We'll, uh...we'll catch up soon. Gotta get the grouch dinner."

"I am not a grouch." Maggie crossed her arms, and turned away.

"Of course you're not! You're just a girl who knows what she want." Robin high fived Maggie, and your heart melted.

You hugged them both one more time before loading Mags back in the cart, "Stop by anytime," You said with a smile. "You know where I live."

[sam-loves-seb]

steddie christmas party au

the thing is--there's an office holiday party coming up.

steve, who works as a guidance counselor at hawkins middle, knows that every year the staff throws a holiday party. he wasn't here for the one last year, off visiting nancy and robin in boston for the holidays, but everyone says it's always a good time and the teachers have all been hounding him to go.

the thing is--he wouldn't even mind going alone. he actually likes some of his co-workers, and he has enough natural charm to survive one night of bad food and christmas music and punch that's just a little too strong to have more than two glasses without getting wasted. he knows that he could go alone and everything would be fine.

but he doesn't really want to.

"plus one?" the school secretary says with raised brows as he hands in his rsvp card. "i didn't know you were seeing anybody."

steve just shrugs as he turns to head back to his office. it's not like people haven't tried to pry into his love life before--some of the female teachers make their availability blaringly obvious to him every time he answers the question "do you have a girlfriend" with "no"--they just haven't gone about it in the right way.

it's not like he's hiding his relationship, people just assume, and they assume incorrectly. that's not his fault.

"the staff christmas party?" eddie asks that night as they're getting ready for bed. "you seriously want to go to that?"

"you don't have to come," steve tells him around a mouthful of toothpaste, then spits. "i just thought it might be nice for you to meet some of my co-workers, and for some of them to meet you. but if you don't want to come with me, that's okay, really."

"babe, if you want me there, i'm there," eddie tells him as he ditches his jeans for flannel pajamas. "just don't be surprised when i get tipsy off the punch and make a fool out of you on the dance floor."

and so, they went to the party with steve dressed in his usual khakis with this favorite ugly christmas sweater worn over a casual dress shirt, and eddie in his usual black on black, though he switched the band t-shirt for a button-up. he added a red tie last minute to try and be more festive for the party, even though steve kept telling him he could wear whatever he wanted.

they walk into the gym hand in hand, and more than a few people stop talking to turn and stare.

but eddie's not paying attention because he's looking at the tinsel hung up on the walls and wondering how they got it that high up, and steve ignores all the surprised faces looking at him until he spots his group of friends tucked together in the corner, some with their spouses, some without.

he drags eddie over to them and introduces him as his boyfriend--saying it loud enough for every goddamn eavesdropper to hear it clearly--and eddie shakes hands and smiles as steve's friends greet him without missing a beat.

they eat and they drink and they dance, and most of the party gets over their initial shock pretty quickly after seeing how happy steve is with eddie around. the rest of the night goes by quickly, and someone even snaps a picture of steve kissing eddie under the mistletoe hanging over the gym door.

by the time the students come back from break in the new year the rumors about mr. harrington sexuality are basically non-existent--thank you short attention spans--and most of the teachers have stopped asking him if he has a girlfriend. steve feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders, one he didn't even realize he was carrying. it's freeing, having everyone--everyone who matters--know about about eddie.

and when the staff christmas party rolls around again next year, steve has twice as much fun dragging eddie under the mistletoe with a ring on his finger and a date picked out for the spring.

[obsessedelusional]

Camp Counselor Munson

paring ✦ Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

summary ✦ You’ve been attending summer camp since forever. This year a new camp counselor joins, it’s Eddie. You’re the cheer captain, he’s the town freak. What could possibly happen between you two?Modern AU Contains smut

word count ✦ 4,800ish

authors note ✦ I love Eddie so much ): this took me forever for whatever reason lol hope y’all enjoy

masterlist

FEEDBACK AND REBLOGS APPRECIATED!!!

⊹ ꙳ ✦ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹

This was your seventh year attending Camp Summer Haven. You've been here a few weeks out of every summer vacation since you were 11. Now at 18 years old, headed into your senior year of high school, you were too old to be just an attendee. Since you turned 16 you have been volunteering as a camp counselor. All you really had to do was make sure the six girls you were in charge of didn't miss activities and they made it through the two weeks alive.

You had grown to love this place it was an escape from the real world. Two whole weeks with friends you only seen once a year. With the no phone rule you were able to make actual connections with these people. As the cheer captain at Hawkins a lot of your friendships felt forced. For two weeks you weren’t one of the most popular girls, just another girl at camp. A few of the kids also went to your school but as you got older they stopped showing up. Which you were grateful for, you already spent all school year around them. That was more than enough for you.

"Okay guys, go get settled in your cabins," Trevor, one of the camp leaders, announces to the group of camp counselors in front of him, you included.

"The kids should be here in an hour. When they arrive please make your way to the entrance building so we can get the kids split up between everyone." He explains, passing out the cabin keys. You all nod in agreement before he takes off. Your key lets you know you'd be staying in the Cabin nine, the one the farthest away from everything. Great you mumble to yourself, annoyed.

"Yes! I got cabin two." Jessie cheers.

"Which one did you get?" She asks when she notices your sour attitude.

"Nine," You groaned. Everyone knew that cabin nine was the farthest away so usually the most neglected. Also rarely did it entice camp leaders to make the trek out there. Meaning you could possibly get away with more but that didn't matter because you never tried to get away with anything especially with six kids staying with you.

"Sorry chica," Jessie laughs.

"I'll be fine. Just late to everything." You joke back. You two had gotten extremely close several summers back.

"Well once you get settled in were all gonna meet up at the rec hall and catch up till the kids get here." She smiles when you agree and then you both part ways. Making the long walk to cabin nine.

—

About thirty minutes later your on your way to the rec hall. You changed into your Camp Haven get up. A t-shirt with the green and orange logo and the matching shorts. As a camp counselor you had a few different options to wear, you usually wore the shorts because if you were being entirely honest you liked the way you ass looked in them.

When you enter into the rec hall a few of the girls are standing around in a circle, whispering.

"What are we talking about?" You ask infiltrating their group discussion.

"The newest camp leader." Jessie chimes, her tone of voice leading you to believe he must be hot. You follow her finger where she points to Trevor speaking to the long haired, tattooed camp leader.

"Oooh," you coo agreeing with Jessie, he was fine. At least from behind, his jean so perfectly hugging his butt.

"What do we know? What's his name?" You ask, needing to know all details.

"His paperwork said Edward." Lucy answers your question, she spent most of her time helping in the office so she was the go to for all information.

"That's a ugly name." Lacey laughs. Lucy and Lacey were basically twins always attached at hips. Blonde hair, blue eyes; borderline perfect.

"Maybe he goes by Eddie." Jessie suggests and that's when all the pieces start to connect. You groan outwardly when you realize its none other than Eddie Munson. The long haired "freak" who would make a fool of him self on a daily bases at school.

"What?" Jessie asks at your groan.

"He goes to my school."

"No fucking way." Jessie chirps, all the girls attention on you now.

"Unfortunately yes."

"Girl he is so fine. Why are you so distraught?" Lucy asks, puzzled by my reaction.

"If you went to school with him you'd understand." You tried not to judge anyone but its pretty hard when he's jumping on lunch tables hissing at the jocks, some your friends unfortunately.

"Whatever. I call dibs." Lucy laughs and you listen as they all argue over who gets to claim him. Lucy was known for sleeping around with the male counselors, rumors starting when she was 15. So she'd probably get him, she always got what she wanted.

The bickering comes to a halt when Trevor leads Eddie to the group of girls to introduce him. "Girls this is Eddie he'll be our newest Camp Leader. He’s going to be heading a guitar class.”

You watch the girls as they introduce themselves all basically throwing them selves at Eddie. You can’t help but roll your eyes at them only for your attention to be drawn back to Trevor when he calls on you.

“He says he’s goes to Hawkins, isn’t that where you go?” Your eyes move from Trevor to Eddie, who’s already staring at you.

“Yes it is.” You smile making eye contact with Eddie. You had never been this close before, his eyes were breathtaking. So much that you don’t hear Trevor’s words so he says your name again this time louder.

“Sorry what?” You ask face red giving your full attention to Trevor.

“I was saying maybe you could show him around.” You nod in agreement, eyes wondering to Eddie once again. He’s actively listening to Trevor explain whatever he’s explaining. You’re too busy admiring Eddie’s features up close to listen to the words. Only to be startled when he snaps his eyes towards you, smiling because he caught you staring at him.

“Oh I think I left your cabin key in the office. Follow me and I’ll grab it for you." Trevor says to Eddie before instructing you to stay put so Eddie can find you when they’re done. You nod yes before they leave you alone with the girls again.

“What the fuck was that?” Jessie laughs the question obviously directed at you.

“What?” You ask playing dumb.

“You we’re one second away from full on drooling.” She says, everyone’s eyes on you.

“Sorry he’s so pretty?” You say as a question.

“He was totally checking you out.” Lacey says while Lucy looks pissed.

"Does not matter I called dibs." Lucy snorts.

"You can't call dibs on a whole ass human." Jessie responds, her tone annoyed.

"Still doesn't matter not like he'd want anything to do with her." Lucy says like your not standing right there. Before you can respond for yourself Jessie speaks over you going off on her. Out of the corner of your eye you see Eddie let himself back into the room, the other girls entirely unaware. You make your way towards him leading back out the door he just came through.

“What was that about?” He asks, backpack and a sports bag in hand.

“Just Lucy be her usual terrible self. She’s kind of the worst.” You admit.

“She gives off that vibe.” He laughs, the two of you walking down the dirt walkway.

“We’ll you better be careful your her next victim.” He looks at you confused.

“She called dibs on you.” You further explain.

“Dibs on me?”

“She wants you. Thinks your so fine.” You laugh mocking her bitchy tone.

“I’m good.” He laughs.

“Good.” You say before asking which cabin he got stuck in.

“So what brings you to Camp Summer Haven? You’ve never gave off summer camp energy?” You ask, leading him to his cabin.

“Joey at the music store told me I could make extra cash this summer teaching kids to play guitar.” He explains.

“You’re getting paid?” You ask acting like your upset.

“You’re not?” He asks.

“No I’ve been going here since I was ten now I volunteer.” You explain.

“You don’t give off summer camp energy either.” He responds.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” You smile, walking ahead of him.

—

Eddie follows you around as you show him to his cabin. Where he unloads all his belongings while you sit outside waiting. After that you continue your tour highlighting all the most important places.

“This is the cafeteria. If you’re ever in need of a late night treat I can teach you how to sneak in through a window in the kitchen.” You motion to the window that sits above the sink, the lock has been broken for years. The camp too oblivious to notice.

“Is that an invite?” He asks.

“Perhaps. Promise you won’t say anything. If they find out the lock is broken I don’t think I could ever forgive you.” You tease, sort of joking.

“I promise.” He laughs.

“Good. The ice cream is to die for.”

—

After your tour is over you two head to the front gate to greet the kids. All the camp leaders and counselors are gathered. Trevor quickly approaches the two of you. The two of them start a conversation while you notice Lucy shooting you a dirty look. You slip away from them to find Jessie. She sits at a picnic table with other people so you join her. Mostly sitting in silence listening to everyone else talk.

Shortly after a couple busses filled with children start to show up. Once they’re all off and waiting, Trevor gives his pre camp speech. Letting the children know to get in a single file line so they can check in, turn their phones in and retrieve their cabin number. You end up with six younger girls. You introduce your self to them and they take turns introducing themselves as you all make the trek to Cabin 9.

“So where’s everyone from?” You ask trying to get to know the kids. They all speak at once, firing off their hometowns. Some of them look familiar from previous years, the oldest whose 15 lets you know she’s from Hawkins too. Her names Mandy.

“Hawkins? Do you go to Hawkins High cause I do and I think I don’t recognize you.” You admit.

“Probably cause your one of those stuck up cheerleaders. No you’re actually the queen of the stupid cheerleaders.” She retorts, her eyes rolling back into her head.

“Okay.. just gonna try my best to not get offended by that.” You laugh as an attempt to lighten to mood.

“Whatever.” She says, attitude apparent in her tone. She doesn’t respond again so you continue to converse with the other girls. Pointing out significant places to know while staying at Camp Summer Haven. Once you arrive to Cabin 9, you continue small talk. The clock on the cabin wall lets you know, it’s nearly time for the first get to together.

Everyone slowly shows up in the recreation center, sitting in circles taking turns saying their name, age and fact about themselves. Switching every five minutes as an attempt to have everyone get to know each other. You catch Eddie more than once staring. Or maybe he was catching you staring at him. Who knows?

“Everyone switch!” Trevor yells, so everyone listens. Your with Jessie’s group now, you quickly make you way to her. She leads the activity as you sit back and let her. The kids begin, one after another. You’re not paying any attention, too busy trying to see if Eddie’s back looking at you.

“Girl Lucy is fuming,” Jessie laughs.

“Why?”

“Because she’s trying to get Eddie’s attention but he’s too busy checking you out.” She says, pointing over to where Lucy is sat. Her annoyed face tells you everything you need to know.

“That’s a shame.” You tease, laughing.

—

Dinner rolls around and your group of girls follows you to the cafeteria where you all wait in line. You notice Eddie’s already here sat at a table. When he catches you he smiles and waves, you shoot him a shy smile. Confused why he’s got you feeling this way.

“Disgusting.” Mandy says to you, actually the first thing she’s said to you in hours.

“What?” You ask.

“The way your practically drooling over him.”

“I’m not.” You lie.

“You totally are.” Another girl chimes in, a few years younger than Mandy.

“It’s okay though, he’s so cute.” She adds causing the other girls into a fit of laughter. Only Mandy doesn’t laugh, rolling her eyes for the millionth time.

The line moves slowly but eventually you have your dinner. You follow the girls to where they want to sit, when in reality you kinda really want to sit near Eddie. Your too distracted following the young one ahead of you to notice, the leg that stretches out to trip you. You fall forward, your plate goes flying as you hit the ground with a loud thud. Silence falls over the room. You look up where the leg came from, it’s none other than Lucy. She’s sat there giggling, along with Lacey.

“You should really watch where your walking.” She snickers as you attempt to pick yourself up off the floor. Her plan backfires entirely because a pair of hands lead you up, your greeted by those chocolate brown eyes you haven’t stopped thinking about since you first seen them today.

“You good?” He asks as you get back on your feet, wiping away the dust that sticks to your shirt.

“I am now.” You say and it comes out more flirty than you had intended. Doesn’t matter because the smile that spreads across his lips makes it all worth it. He helps you clean up the mess Lucy created, walking to the trash can with you.

“Thanks for the help.”

“I saw her trip you.”

“That’s Lucy for you.” You respond, looking over to where she’s sat. Her eyes already on you, giving you the nastiest look.

“What did you do to make her feel the need to trip you?” He asks, bringing your attention back to him. You could either play dumb or tell him the exact truth.

“She’s jealous.” His face tells you he wants to know more.

“She thinks there’s something going on between us. She called dibs, remember?”

“Is there?” He asks, shocking you a tad.

“Maybe.” He nods his head, trying to rack his brain. How he came to some random summer camp only for Hawkins Highs Queen to be here, lowkey flirting with him.

“If there is, maybe you’d want to sit with me for dinner. Really stick it to her.” He teases, you bite your lip thinking. Trying to decide what you should do. If anyone from school knew you were throwing yourself at Eddie “The Freak” Munson it’d be social suicide. For the most part you want to believe that you don’t care what they think.

“Yeah let’s do that.” You respond finally.

“Let me grab another plate and then I’ll be there.” You add before leaving to replace the food that was wasted. Once you’ve done that, you race to Eddie’s table sitting right next to him. You smile at Lucy before letting yourself scoot closer to Eddie. He looks down at you with a smile before continuing his conversation with whoever.

“Really Eddie?” You recognize the voice, it’s Mandy.

“What?” He responds.

“You’re just gonna forgive her? She’s the queen of all the people that treat you like dog shit.”

“Mandy stop.” Eddie demands.

“No it’s bullshit.” Mandy yells before standing up and leaving the table.

“Sorry. She’s my cousin, when her mom found out I was working at this camp. She thought it’d be good for her. If you couldn’t tell she has some anger issues.” He explains.

“She’s right though, my friends are dick heads. I’m sorry.” You contemplate leaving, embarrassed.

“You’ve never been a dick. That’s all that matters.” Eddie says, giving you a reassuring smile. When you can’t come up with a response, he continues.

“You’ve been nothing but kind to me. If you promise not to judge me for what other people have to say about me. I promise to not judge you because of your stupid friends.” You sit momentarily, trying to take in everything he just said.

“Deal.” You respond, smiling. You two continue the conversation with small talk, nothing too deep. Eventually people sit around you guys, taking Eddie’s attention away from you. So you listen and watch Eddie intently when he talks, nodding every so often.

Dinner is over, you and Eddie walk out of the cafeteria. It’s nearly 9pm, time to call it quits for the day.

“So we sneaking in tonight to get some ice cream?” He asks, reminding you that you had offered that earlier in the day.

“Yes let’s meet by the window at 11. Usually by then it’s safe.” You smile before separating. Mandy and the girls follow shortly behind. They are not so quietly whispering about Eddie and you. How they ship the two of you, while Mandy disagrees. Bringing a small smile to your lips, shook that Eddie Munson is the one causing you to be so giddy.

—

11:10

“Where is that-“ You say aloud, getting interrupted and spooked all at the same time. Eddie is finally here.

“Hey,” he smiles, trying his best not to laugh at how he startled you.

“Sorry I’m late. Trevor showed up to my cabin, wanting to talk about tomorrow.” Eddie apologies.

“It’s fine, your here now.” You respond, pushing the window open. It was much easier when you were younger, to slip in. Now you had help because all of a sudden Eddie’s hands are guiding you in. In that moment your extremely grateful he can’t see your face. Realizing quickly your ass is not full display as you climb in. Once in, you jump with a thud off the counter. Turning to face Eddie who has no problem making his way through the window.

“It’s in here,” you speak, walking over to the freezer. Eddie shuts the window before following you. You pull out two ice cream sandwiches. Sitting down, letting your back slide down the wall in the process. You look up to Eddie who’s looking down at you with a smile. Handing the second ice cream sandwich over as his sits down next to you.

Eddie is the first to start eating, you follow his lead. There’s an borderline uncomfortable silence between you two as you realize you two are alone.

“This is some good ice cream.” Eddie speaks up, breaking the silence. You face him, watching him go to town on the ice cream. Bringing a small laugh to you. Before you can even get in a second bite, his is all gone.

“You got something on your face.” You point to the chocolate that sits on his upper lip.

“If this some sick ploy to kiss me, I won’t stop you.” He says with a smug grin.

“Damn I wish I thought of that.” You tease back, taking another bite of your ice cream.

“You convinced me to come to this secluded area, all alone. Dark as fuck. Either you want me or you want to murder me.” He says, your response is laughter. Laughing harder than you laughed in a while. Only stopping when you remember you’re not suppose to be in here.

“I’m gonna murder you actually.” You respond, flatly. Finishing off your ice cream as Eddie talks.

“Makes sense. Hot cheerleader seducing the schools freak for some sick murder ritual, sacrifice type shit.” He let’s out a defeated sigh, sitting back as if he’s ready to be murdered sending you into a fit out laughter again.

“I wasn’t joking though you got something right there.” You say before doing the unthinkable. Something you could of ever imagined yourself doing in a billion years. You close the space between the two of you, pressing your lips into his. Shock radiated through Eddie’s body, causing you to pull away feeling as if you did something bad.

“I’m sorry I thought-“ You apologize.

“No don’t apologize. I was not expecting that. You’re you and I’m me, that doesn’t happen. At least not to me.” He laughs, fixing his posture so he’s sat up.

“Well it did happen.” You say.

“Can it happen again? This time I’ll be ready.” He reassures you with that stupid little grin on his face. With a roll of your eyes, you go in for a second kiss. This time Eddie wastes no time kissing you back, hands finding the back of your head pulling you in deeper. The position isn’t the most comfortable so you hook your leg over the both of his, letting your self sit on him. Hid tongue reaches your bottom lip, begging for entrance. You let it in, your tongues fighting for dominance. His hands move to your hips, pushing you down on his growing boner. A sweet moan leaves your lips at the friction.

“Fuck,” Eddie groans, pulling away from your kiss to catch his breath. Also to attempt to wrap his mind around what happening, he’s in the process of hooking up with Hawkin High head cheerleader. What the actual fuck?

“What?” You asks innocently.

“Are you sure we should be doing this? What if we get caught?” He responds with another question.

“Not Eddie Munson worried about being caught.” You say, laughing still sat in his lap.

“I mean like I was specifically told to not fraternize with the camp volunteers. That’s exactly what this is.” He says, worry in his voice.

“But I want to fraternize with you.” You respond, biting your lip. Worried that maybe you miss read the situation.

“Fuck it,” he says before kissing you again. This time more forcefully, palming the meat of your thighs with his hands. You start grinding ever so slightly on the tent in Eddie’s shorts. The feeling of his hard member feel great between the thin clothes you two wear. Eddie is the one to pull away so he can speak.

“If you keep that up I’m gonna cum.” He admits, his voice breathy.

“Can’t have that yet.” You smile, temporarily backing away from Eddie. You pull at Eddie’s shorts, bring his boxers with them. He sits up quickly in a attempt to help you slide them off easier. Letting them rest at his ankles, you had every intention of riding him. You grasp his cock, pumping it slowly. Watching him squirm under you touch, you’re enjoying this way too much.

“Not fair, you’re not nearly as naked as me.” Eddie pouts his bottom lip. You laugh in response before pulling away from his dick, lifting you shirt up over your head. Eddie reaches around you to unbuckle you bra, watching intently as it falls exposing your tits. Eddie goes blank for a few moments just starting at the view presented in front of him. You shimmy out of your shorts. Your bare body on full display.

“You’re so fucking hot.” He manages to get out, lost for words. Still not believing whats happening right now.

“You can touch me ya know?” You laugh at the fact that’s he’s been sat here gawking at you when he could be touching the real deal. It’s like a light bulb goes off in his head, his brain finally catching up with his eyes. Reaching for you, pulling you back on top of him. His mouth finds you nipple, licking it softly causing a small moan leave your lips. You wet cunt rests on top of his cock, begging for some friction. The sound of your nipple leaving Eddie’s mouth makes a pop sound.

You lift your self up just enough to align his cock with your hole. Eddie watches in amazement as you slowly sit on his cock, letting him fill you up completely. The stretch hurts a bit but you’re taking him so good. His hands rest on your hips, waiting patiently for your next move. You start off slow, grinding on Eddie’s cock. Your hands are on his chest, he’s under you letting obscenities leave his mouth.

You’re pace picks up, Eddie’s hands guiding your hips faster. He starts bucking up into you, hitting you right where it feels the best. Moans continually leave your mouth, letting Eddie know just how good he’s making you feel.

“Get on you back.” He demands, his voice deep. You listen getting off of him and laying on the floor, using your bundle of clothes as a make shift pillow. Before you know it Eddie is between you legs, holding his cock to your entrance. He slams into you, wasting no time pounding into you a brutal pace.

“Play with yourself,” he says and it nearly comes out as a growl. You do exactly what he says, finding you clit with your fingers. Rushing circles around in. The mixture of his relentless pounding and the new clitoral stimulation is almost too much.

“Just like that.” He grunts, switching up his angle ever so slightly. This new angle is just what you needed because shortly after, you’re cumming. Your coming undone on his cock, he never slows only pumps into you harder. Not long before he’s pulling out and finishing on your belly, falling next to you. Both of you lay their in silence for a moment, breathing heavily.

“Fuck,” he says barley audible. You lazily nod in respond unable to respond with words. Eddie stands up throwing his clothes back on, finding something to wipe you clean with. He helps you put your clothing back on, placing a small kiss on your lips one last time.

—

The next day is filled with glances between Eddie and you, whispering to each other in passing. Promises to meet up that night. It turns into an almost nightly event, meeting up in the cafeteria to each ice cream and fuck. Your feelings quickly grow for him, his growing just a fast. The last day of camp ends with you two agreeing to go on a real date once back in Hawkins.

The rest of summer is spent avoiding your friends to be with Eddie in private. Occasionally inviting Mandy along so she can learn to like you, maybe one day. Just a few days ago she came over to watch a movie and didn’t roll her eyes when you spoke. Not even once. You considered that a sign of progress.

Your anxieties grow as the first day of your senior year approaches. Eddie can’t help but wonder what your going to do when school starts up again. Part of him terrified it’ll be the end of you two. You don’t want it to end but you worry what will happen if everyone found out you two were dating. In the end deciding your best bet is to invite Eddie to the last summer party of the year, it’s a annual tradition. The last Saturday before school starts everyone meets at the lake, gets drunk and makes fools of themselves.

“You sure you want to do this?” Eddie asks noticing your stress.

“Yeah I do.” You attempt to smile reassuringly, failing in the process. You two are sat in his van, the party is going on in front of you. It’s not too late to dip, no one’s noticed you yet.

“It’ll be okay.” You say, not believing your own words. Eddie hops out of the van before you can you get out, you hear the sound of a jock approaching the van.

“What the fuck are you doing here Munson?” You quickly hop out, approaching the two men. More basketball players appearing. Walking up behind Eddie, you intertwine your fingers tightly squeezing tightly.

“He’s here with me.” You respond, everyone looking at you like your crazy. Ignoring them you walk right past, Eddie follows behind you closely. Towards the bonfire you see some of your friends, they’re cheerleaders too.

“Hey…” Their voices trail off when they see who’s with you.

“Y’all know Eddie right? He’s my boyfriend.” You say, smiling softly. He waves to your friends, they’re unsure if they should believe this.

“Interesting duo.” One responds.

“How’d you meet?” Another asks, eyes full of judgement. You explain politely. Their faces tell you all you need to know. They don’t approve of your new relationship. No one brave enough to tell the head cheerleader. After a short time of small talk, you find a seat for you and Eddie near the fire.

“That wasn’t so bad.” He says. You lay you head on his shoulder, hand finding his.

“They’ll come around.” You smile.

“And if they don’t?”

“They will. They just need to get to know you, learn to appreciate you like I do.” You explain, kissing Eddie publicly for the first time. Not realizing in the moment that everyone’s eyes are on you two, whispering about the cheerleader dating the town freak.

[steddieas-shegoes]

it led me to you

chapter 4: senior year also on AO3

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3

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Senior year should be an exciting time, and for Steve, it was.

Eddie was trying.

It was hard to be thrilled about repeating a year of school, even if it did mean spending the year in a lot of the same classes as most of his friends.

Including and especially Steve.

They worked together when they could, any assignment requiring a partner had them rushing to each other’s desks, mischievous smiles on their faces.

Steve wasn’t always good at understanding instructions, but Eddie did. Eddie wasn’t very good at executing on ideas, but Steve was.

They were the dream team.

At this rate, there was no way Eddie wouldn’t graduate.

- - - - - - - -

Shortly after Eddie’s 18th birthday, shit started to hit the fan.

Well, shit had been hitting the fan, but it hadn’t previously involved Eddie or anyone he knew.

Weird shit happened in Hawkins, and no one could ever give real reasons behind it. The government certainly made an attempt, but if there was one thing Wayne taught him, it’s to never trust a government.

Whatever happened with Will Byers wasn’t his business, even though Jonathan seemed like a cool guy, if a little shy.

It seemed like it got resolved anyway.

But weird shit kept happening.

Steve started babysitting a kid who was best friends with Will. His name was Dustin, and he had an attitude and maybe more intelligence than most of Hawkins combined.

And he was hiding something.

“I don’t even know what it could be. His mom thinks I’m just paranoid, but I keep hearing sounds from his closet!”

“You sure it isn’t their cat getting stuck in there?”

Eddie had been listening to Steve go on and on about Dustin for a while now, not that he minded; He loved listening to Steve talk about anything, especially something he enjoyed.

“Their cat hides under Claudia’s bed the entire time I’m there. This is something alive in his closet that shouldn’t be there. I keep trying to figure out when I could get in there to see what it is, but he’s suddenly very protective of his clothes. He wears Weird Al shirts, I don’t think he needs to be worried about me stealing his clothes.”

“Well, maybe he’s just hiding a secret pet from his mom. Like a snake or something she doesn’t want in the house. Maybe he’s scared you’ll tell her about it if you know,” Eddie suggested.

“Maybe.”

Steve dropped it finally, but Eddie knew this wasn’t actually the end of the story for him. He was too convinced Dustin was hiding something.

- - - - - - - - - -

Steve continued to wonder for months, but started to let it go when the noises stopped happening.

Dustin seemed upset about something, but he didn’t push, figured it was all related to the noise disappearing and figured now wasn’t a good time to push.

But as Steve started babysitting more in the afternoons and evenings, Eddie lost his study partner.

It showed.

His grades fell rapidly. They weren’t exactly perfect before, but they were all passing.

After spring break, the guidance counselor pulled him into her office and explained that if he didn’t pull his math, gym, and science grades up, he wouldn’t graduate.

Again.

He couldn’t tell Steve, not when Steve was talking about ordering his cap and gown like the rest of their friends. The only two left were Gareth and Jeff, both juniors, and both honor roll students who wouldn’t have to worry about graduation when it was their time.

Steve dropped down to one sport, basketball, because his babysitting duties had become his priority.

His father had been insistent that he have a part-time job and this was really the best he could do until he graduated.

He hadn’t talked about college, but Eddie knew he worked with Nancy on applications before spring break.

Things were going great for Steve, better than either of them had expected or could have hoped for.

So why was Eddie so fucking depressed?

- - - - - - - - - -

Wayne noticed, of course.

Despite the fact that Eddie was doing his best, and turning in most of his work when he remembered, his work was “below average” and often “late.” He tried explaining that it was just hard for him to remember due dates, but the teachers said he needed to just write them down.

Never mind the fact that he often did write them down, he just usually lost the paper or didn’t remember to look at it until it was too late.

So graduation wasn’t looking likely at this point for him, and he was trying to accept that maybe it would never be likely for him.

“You wanna talk about anything, son?” Wayne asked over dinner, Steve missing for the fourth day in a row because of babysitting.

Eddie should tell him, he really should let him know if he’s gonna be watching Steve walk alone or if both of his boys will be getting their diplomas.

“Nope. All good here.”

Wayne’s brows furrowed as he watched Eddie force another bite into his mouth too quickly.

“Uh huh. You ready for graduation?”

Damn, he was good.

“I’m trying to be.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Just not sure it’s gonna happen this year.”

Wayne set his fork down on his plate, his eyes burning a hole into Eddie’s profile.

“I thought you were doin’ good this time, Ed.”

He didn’t sound mad or disappointed, more worried than anything. Rightfully so, since failing again would mean he’d be alone for his third senior year.

“I was.”

“What happened?”

“Lost my study partner. Started forgetting assignments and test dates. Forgot my gym clothes a few times so I couldn’t participate,” Eddie shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal.

But it was a big deal. No amount of downplaying would change that, for him or for Wayne.

“Why didn’t you say something sooner? Only a couple weeks ‘til graduation and you ain’t asked for help. We coulda helped you out.”

“Steve’s busy. You’re busy. Don’t need to bother anyone with my problems.”

It was a lame excuse, one he knew wouldn’t work with Wayne or Steve if he tried it with him, but he couldn’t think of anything else.

Couldn’t admit that he didn’t think he could graduate at all, even with the help.

Wayne sighed, but patted his arm.

“You’ll get ‘em next year, then.”

“Yeah. Next year.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Steve finally noticed about two weeks before graduation.

He noticed how Eddie didn’t join in on discussing plans, how he didn’t talk about getting a class ring or the cap and gown, how he didn’t even seem to know when graduation was.

Eddie tried not to be bitter; It was his own fault anyway.

But the way Steve was shooting him pitying looks as everyone else talked about their summer plans and college plans and job plans was making it worse.

He cornered Eddie after school, usually in a rush to get to practice, but the season ended last week and he didn’t have any more responsibilities until tonight.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That you aren’t graduating!”

Eddie flinched at Steve’s volume, his sudden anger making him wish he reacted more like Wayne did.

“It wasn’t important.”

“What do you mean it wasn’t important? Eds, we’ve worked so hard for this all year.”

“Yeah until you got busy. I tried to fend for myself and I failed. So. I’ll be there to cheer for you, but I won’t be walking across the stage.”

God, he hoped Steve would just drop it.

“What do you mean? I’m never too busy for you.”

It was a nice sentiment, if completely untrue. Maybe Steve believed he was never too busy for him, but the facts were that his schedule was filled and hardly ever with Eddie for the last few months.

“Steve, it’s fine. Just drop it.”

“Steve? Since when am I Steve to you?”

“Since I’ve barely spent any time with you! You were too busy for the last two Hellfire campaigns, and you didn’t ask me to go to any of your games, and you barely come to the trailer anymore for dinner. Wayne thought I did something to piss you off because you never showed up anymore. The guys started asking me if you found a girlfriend since you stopped coming to band practice. And I had to tell them that I didn’t know, because I don’t! I have no idea what’s going on in your life other than that you’re graduating. I know you’re busy and I’m not expecting to be a priority, but I figured you could at least find some time during the week to check in. I knew I wasn’t graduating since spring break and you just now realized it. That should tell you everything.”

Eddie felt like he was going to puke.

He never thought he’d be saying this kind of stuff to Steve, never thought their friendship would be anything less than perfect.

He never thought he would be watching Steve graduate while he had to return to another senior year.

Steve looked like he was going to cry, but Eddie felt like he was going to cry.

“I didn’t know it was hurting you so much.”

For some reason, that pissed Eddie off even more.

“You didn’t know it hurt me to know that my best friend had more important things to do than hang out with me?”

“No! I just-“

“Forget it. Wayne has a celebration dinner planned for you for the day after graduation, so I guess I’ll see you then.”

“No, Eddie, wait!”

Eddie ignored him, walking as quickly as he could towards his van.

Steve could easily catch up, he was much more in shape than Eddie was, but he didn’t.

And that spoke volumes to Eddie.

- - - - - - - - -

Somehow, he didn’t manage to run into Steve outside of the classes they shared for the rest of the school year.

He knew he was avoiding him on purpose, but figured Steve must be avoiding him too or they would have run into each other.

He also knew that he’d been talking to Wayne still, which was fine.

He wasn’t a total asshole; He knew Wayne meant a lot to Steve beyond his friendship with Eddie.

Or ex-friendship?

Who knows.

He knows he misses Steve like he’s lost a limb, knows that he’s breaking his own heart by overreacting and could easily reach out and apologize and have a serious, adult discussion.

But he also knows that he’s just putting off being more severely damaged when Steve inevitably leaves Hawkins after graduation.

Or, maybe worse, ends up finding a nice girl he falls in love with, marries, has kids with, and stays right here where Eddie has to watch it all happen like it isn’t completely destroying him.

Would probably even have to be his best man, maybe even his kids’ godfather as if he has any relationship with God at all.

Wayne hasn’t pushed, not beyond a basic “I wish you’d just talk to the boy.”

And Eddie wishes the same.

He really does.

But he knows what his heart can take and he’s already pushed it past its limits, so he waits it out.

He waits it out until the day of graduation.

Wayne got off early to attend the ceremony, had promised Steve at the beginning of the year he wouldn’t miss it, just like he’d promised Eddie.

He was changing into his nicer clothes (jeans without stains and a button down plaid shirt that he only wore for special occasions) when Eddie walked by his room.

Eddie wasn’t planning on wearing anything special, figured he didn’t need to since he wasn’t walking the stage.

No one would need pictures for memories of him.

“You look nice,” he said to Wayne, avoiding eye contact so he wouldn’t have to have the discussion he knew was coming.

He just wanted to put it off a little bit longer.

“You look…like you always do,” Wayne said back, not trying to offend, more confused than anything. “You are going, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Just didn’t think I needed to dress up.”

“Well, I assume you’ll be in a picture with Steve.”

“If Steve wants, yeah.”

Wayne shook his head.

“You two are gonna be the death of me. Go change your shirt. Wear something nicer than a band shirt with holes in it, please.”

Eddie listened even though he kind of didn’t want to bother.

He wanted to support Steve, he’d never not want to, but this felt too much like a goodbye for him to be excited about it.

The ride to the ceremony was sullen, Eddie’s mood bringing down the proud energy Wayne had been feeling.

He didn’t want that, he didn’t want to make this about him.

He didn’t want Steve to leave him with a bitter taste in his mouth, didn’t want Steve to know that Eddie was only doing this to protect himself.

When they parked the truck, Eddie stared at all the people walking to the gym, some in their gowns already, some carrying them.

He should be there.

He fucked up. Again.

He bit his lip as he unbuckled.

Wayne’s hand was suddenly on his, squeezing it to get his attention.

“Hey, I’m proud of you still. You know that?”

“Don’t know why.”

Eddie was not going to make it through this without crying, without turning into a sobbing mess, without showing every emotion he felt in a way he had been trying so hard to hide.

“Because you keep tryin’. And I know it’s hard and you’re hurtin’ for a lotta reasons right now. It’ll work out though, okay? You and Steve are different.”

Eddie’s eyes watered.

“I don’t think it matters, though. Not now.”

“We’ll see. You both are just bein’ dumb boys, but it’ll fix itself.”

Wayne got out of the truck before Eddie could add anything to it, probably knew he’d try to argue and didn’t want to do that here and now.

They walked to the gym, the expected storm keeping them inside instead of on the football field like usual.

The gym was packed, of course, with families and friends of the graduates, teachers and staff from every school in the district, and other students who were watching their friends leave before them.

Eddie decided to stand by the door, didn’t want to take a seat from someone who needed it when he was just here for Steve and his other friends anyway.

Wayne found a spot not too far from where Eddie stood, probably trying to keep an eye on him so he wouldn’t run for it the moment he could.

He wouldn’t do that, couldn’t really since he rode with Wayne here. Another tactic he was certain was on purpose.

The ceremony went fine.

He managed to stay hidden enough that no one who looked back at him noticed him, or at least didn’t act like they did.

He clapped for all his friends, nothing like his usual exuberant self.

When they got to Steve, he felt those damn tears back in his eyes.

Wayne was right: he was hurting for so many different reasons today.

He was hurting because he was jealous and didn’t want to be. He was hurting because things with Steve had been weird for a while and then he made it worse right when he shouldn’t have. He was hurting because he knew that breaking his heart himself would be better than Steve breaking it.

He clapped, he cheered, he held back the tears threatening to fall as Steve looked out at the crowd, searching for someone.

He gave a wave, and when Eddie looked over, he saw it was towards Wayne.

But when he looked back at Steve on the stage, he was frowning. He looked disappointed.

Eddie didn’t want to think about why, couldn’t let himself imagine that it was because he didn’t see him next to Wayne.

After Steve took his seat again, Eddie walked out of the gym through the propped open door, finally letting the tears fall as he put distance between himself and the graduating class he should have been a part of.

- - - - - - - - - -

The driver’s side door to the truck opened, but Eddie didn’t look up, just hoped Wayne would drive them home in silence and not ask questions about the endless sniffling.

But the truck didn’t start, and Eddie couldn’t sit here for much longer, not with the way the gym was quickly emptying into the parking lot and beyond.

“I’m glad you came.”

Eddie’s head shot up at Steve’s voice, trying to figure out if he could get away with wiping his tears away subtly or if he would just have to turn away completely and hope Steve left.

“Um, sorry to just kind of barge in, but Wayne said it was okay.”

“Did he?”

God, his voice sounded like he’d been crying all day.

He could feel Steve’s eyes on him, could feel the way he was thinking of what to say carefully, like he was afraid to upset him further.

“I think he just wants us to talk.”

Eddie let out a loud laugh, startling them both into looking at each other.

Steve’s face instantly fell when he saw what Eddie was certain was a mess of tears and snot and red cheeks.

“Eds…”

“It’s fine. Sorry. Um. I watched you walk, I promise,” Eddie said as he looked back down at his lap, hoped Steve would leave the truck or Wayne would appear and rescue him.

“Eds, I don’t care about that, I’m just worried about you,” Steve started to reach a hand towards him, he could see it out of the corner of his eye.

He also saw him hesitate and pull his hand back quickly, silently regretting the attempt at comfort.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. I’m not fine. We aren’t fine. And I think Wayne probably wants us to fix it, or he thinks maybe I have to try first. I dunno. I just know that I see you hurting and I want to make it stop, I need to make it stop. I need to know how to make it better,” Steve begged, his hand finally resting on Eddie’s leg.

Eddie watched as Steve’s fingers curled into his thigh, his fingertips practically bruising him.

“Please, Eddie. I just want to make it okay again.”

Eddie let out another sob, unable to hold back anymore.

He fell against Steve’s shoulder, crying harder when Steve wrapped his arms around him.

Over the last year, Steve had grown to be almost the same height as Eddie, but up until he stopped sleeping over, he’d loved being the little spoon at night, loved leaning into Eddie’s side or curling up in his lap when they watched movies on the couch.

This was different, but welcome, and after so long without being close to him, Eddie wanted to soak in the feeling of Steve holding him.

He’d missed him so much.

He’d miss him even more.

“Help me understand. Please.”

“I just got scared. You get to move on now. You get to make a future and I get to stay here for at least another year while I try my best to do the bare minimum.”

“That’s-“

“No, wait. I’m scared that it’s done.”

“What’s done?”

“Everything. We had so much and I never had anyone like you and I don’t know if I will ever find anyone else like you and when you leave, it’s-“

“Okay, wait.” Steve pushed him away and looked at him, his eyes sad. “Who said anything about me leaving?”

“Why wouldn’t you? You can go to college or find a girl or something.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Steve shook his head.

His voice sounded so sure, so final.

“But you should, Stevie. You can’t stay here just because I’m here.”

“It’s not just because you’re here. It’s because anytime I’ve thought of the future, it’s had you in it. And maybe that means sticking around here another year, and then maybe both of us stick around longer even when we don’t have to, or maybe we both go to college somewhere, or maybe we just go find an apartment in another city or state or, I dunno, country! I’m not going anywhere that you can’t come with me.”

It was exactly what Eddie wanted to hear, what he needed to hear, but he couldn’t process it. His brain was finding it near impossible to comprehend what Steve was actually saying to him.

“You aren’t going to college in the fall?”

“I am. I’m going to the community college. I don’t know what I wanna do yet, and Nancy suggested taking a few different classes there to figure it out before I apply to a university.”

Eddie felt…dumb wasn’t the right word.

He was trying to be a little kinder with himself about the intelligence thing. He knew he was smart, at least smart enough to keep up with the average person, so he was trying to teach himself to say something other than dumb when he wasn’t thinking clearly.

He felt clueless.

He felt like someone pulled the rug out from under him and then there was a second rug that was also pulled out from under him.

It was layer upon layer of shock and relief.

And he spent too long acting like a complete idiot to just keep sitting here without apologizing.

“I’m so sorry, Stevie. I should have talked to you sooner.”

“Yeah, probably,” Steve said as he nudged Eddie’s shoulder playfully. “The second you started getting worried and falling behind at school you should have said something. Can’t believe you hid it from Wayne for so long, too.”

That feeling in his chest, the pit in his stomach, that was shame.

He’d already felt guilty about not saying anything to Wayne for a while, not saying anything to Steve, not being a good nephew or friend.

But hearing Steve stick up for Wayne, and in a way that wasn’t meant to actually make him feel bad, made his guilt exponentially worse.

“I know. I’m sorry. I wish I’d talked to you.”

“I wish you had too.” Steve pulled him into a hug. “Now, my parents aren’t here, and Wayne mentioned something about taking you for ice cream.”

“Me? But you’re the one who graduated.”

“Well, I think his plan was to keep you feeling alright so. Ice cream.”

Eddie let out a real laugh, his first one in a while, and relaxed fully into Steve’s side.

“Ice cream sounds good.”

“We could go to Scoops Ahoy. I got a summer job there!”

“Is Scoops the place with the-“

“Sailor uniforms? Yes.”

Eddie barely held back from saying something that would probably ruin their friendship.

But those uniforms.

Steve in that uniform would be the death of him.

- - - - - - - - - -

Things didn’t go completely back to normal; even with Wayne as a buffer, the trip to get ice cream had some awkward moments.

Steve got quiet a few times, staring off into space.

No one commented on it, even though it killed Eddie not to say something.

He knew it might take time to get back to something resembling what they had before, but he hoped it didn’t stay like this for long.

Wayne did keep things moving the best he could, though. Eddie knew he was trying, and he knew Steve could tell he was trying.

“So, Steve, how’s Dustin?”

Steve lit up instantly.

“He’s great! Excited for high school next year. Probably more nervous than he’ll admit though. I think he’s upset because Will and El are moving.”

Eddie perked up at this.

Dustin and his friends played D&D, and from what he remembered, Will had been there DM. If he was moving, they’d probably be looking for a new one if none of them wanted to fill in.

“Are they all starting high school?”

“Yeah, why?”

Steve looked at him curiously.

“It’s just that half of Hellfire is gone now, so I’ll need people. Maybe they could join.”

Steve started bouncing in his seat, his golden retriever energy unstoppable when he started getting excited.

“You think so? They would love that! Oh man, Dustin would probably be a pain in the ass, but in a good way. He’s kind of annoying, but mostly because he’s just so smart, ya know? And he’s gonna think you’re so cool, I talk about you all the time anyway, so he already knows a lot about you. And I know he’s mentioned you being a DM to everyone else before because Will said he hoped he got to meet you and pick your brain about stuff. I wish he didn’t have to move, he could probably take over for you next year when you graduate.”

“Son, take a breath,” Wayne said fondly.

He always said that the excited Steve ramble was a learned problem from Eddie.

He called it a problem, but he thought it was amusing and loved watching Steve get excited, so it couldn’t be much of one to him.

Steve took a breath, smiling at Wayne, comfortable.

Eddie had missed him so much.

“Maybe I can meet up with them this summer sometime and see if they’re interested?”

“Yes! I can call Dustin and see when he gets back from camp. He’ll be so excited.”

Eddie was too, but for more than just the potential new Hellfire kids. He was excited to have Steve back, to know he was sticking around, at least for a while.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

He visited Steve nearly every day at work, much to his coworker’s amusement and annoyance.

Robin was currently glaring at them from her spot on the counter.

Steve was technically on his break, and they were eating snacks at the corner table while Robin was supposedly working.

No customers had come in, and she didn’t seem too fond of the idea of cleaning without help, so she just sat and watched them.

Eddie would probably be more creeped out if he didn’t get a certain vibe from her.

She was glaring like she was jealous, like she was another one of the nerdy band girls who had a huge crush on Steve, despite the fact that Steve had never dated anyone.

Eddie didn’t think about it much, it would drive him crazy if he did, but Steve had never even mentioned liking anyone.

But Robin didn’t really seem like she was into Steve.

In fact, she seemed like she kind of couldn’t stand him, which was entertaining since Steve kind of adored her.

He thought she was hilarious, snarky in all the right ways, and so smart.

“She knows four languages! Like, fluently!” Steve often reminded Eddie during stories about something that happened at work where Robin usually cursed under her breath in another language.

Eddie didn’t have the heart to tell him she was probably calling him names.

“Are you even listening?”

Eddie focused back on Steve, who was chewing a bite of banana.

“Sorry. I’m just concerned about your coworker trying to kill us with her eyes,” Eddie responded.

Steve looked over at Robin, who didn’t even try to hide the glare she was sending their way.

“Oh! She’s mad because they might promote me to manager instead of her. Just told us today.”

“Manager? Already? What bribe did you give them?” Eddie teased.

“Shut up!” Steve slapped his arm, smiling at him.

“Are you two almost done on your lunch date?” Robin yelled from her spot on the counter.

Eddie felt himself blush as he looked up at Steve, who had bright red cheeks and wide eyes.

“Not a date, Robs!” Steve yelled back. “She’s just jealous.”

“Of who? You or me?” Eddie smirked, feeling his blush start to fade as he realized joking was the way to go.

“Who knows. She doesn’t seem to like anyone.”

“I get it,” he nodded.

“Guess I should get back to work. Oh! Dustin is back tomorrow! Do you wanna try to set something up for this weekend?”

Eddie could feel the excitement pouring from Steve. He knew he’d missed Dustin all summer, knew Dustin usually used his phone calls for his mom so Steve only got a letter once a week.

“Isn’t it 4th of July this weekend?”

“Oh. I guess so. Maybe next week then.”

“No, no. It’s not like I’m patriotic. Wayne hates fireworks and usually works to avoid hearing them. We could have a one shot campaign if the kids aren’t busy,” Eddie suggested.

“I’ll check with them,” Steve said as he threw his trash away and made his way behind the counter.

Robin had moved to help a customer, so Eddie felt a little less shame watching Steve walk away.

The uniform did wonders for his legs. And his ass. And his arms. For him.

Eddie shook himself out of it before he got caught. The last thing he needed was Steve realizing he was gawking openly at him, at his body, the way it moved and-

“So, see you tonight?”

“Yep!”

Eddie had to get out of there.

This damn sailor uniform was gonna ruin his secret.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dustin was back.

Eddie had already told himself that he wouldn’t see Steve the day he got back, but he still hoped that maybe he’d call to check in.

He didn’t.

If they hadn’t been still recovering from, well, everything their friendship had been through at the beginning of this year, Eddie would probably not think twice about it.

But the ache was still there, his heart still a little sore over the way they distanced themselves and the way he made it worse by pushing Steve away.

“Son, just call him. I can’t handle more mopin’,” Wayne sighed from his chair.

It was his day off, which should have been helpful for Eddie’s emotions, but it just meant Eddie was pacing and pouting and annoying Wayne while he tried to relax.

“He’s probably with Dustin.”

“You have other friends. Where’s that Gareth fella?”

“The beach with his parents.”

“What about Jeff?”

“The beach with his parents.”

Wayne snapped his fingers while he tried to think of another one of Eddie’s friends.

“That girl!”

“Imogene?”

“Yeah!”

“Beach with her parents.”

“Not enough people took Jaws as a warning,” Wayne mumbled, just as frustrated as Eddie was at the lack of people sticking around for the summer.

Eddie let out a small laugh.

The beach in the summer sounded miserable. The beach anytime sounded kind of miserable. Sand everywhere, water with creatures that want to take a bite or worse, relentless sun, people.

Eddie sighed for the thousandth time.

“Alright, that’s it,” Wayne shut off the tv and stood up, grunting at the effort he didn’t expect to expend today. “We’re goin’ out.”

“Goin’ out where?” Eddie asked, suddenly worried that he wouldn’t be home if Steve tried to call.

“Diner for some lunch and then a drive. Maybe we can go to that record store Evansville, get your mind on somethin’ other than that boy of yours.”

“He isn’t mine, Wayne! That’s half the problem!”

“You can tell me all about it while I’m eatin’ a burger the size of your head. Get in the truck.”

Eddie didn’t argue, knew Wayne was gonna make him get out of the house and the record store did sound appealing.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The day with Wayne was nice.

“We haven’t had a day like that in a while. Kinda nice,” Wayne said as they sat in the truck, watching the sunset at the lake.

They used to do this when he first moved in, back when he only ever worked day shifts so he could make sure to be with Eddie at night. They’d bring a sandwich or pizza or, on better paychecks, burgers from the diner, to eat while they talked about their day.

Eddie wasn’t used to an adult who cared about what he had to say, who liked listening to him talk about nothing and everything.

They didn’t do it as often as he got older, and nearly stopped completely when he got to high school.

He wanted to do this more.

He missed having these moments.

Maybe they could bring Steve sometimes so he could share it with them.

“So,” Wayne started, his voice less relaxed than it had been for most of the day. “You wanna talk about the Steve thing?”

“What thing? I just miss him.”

“Nah, I know that, kid. I meant the being in love with him thing.”

Eddie almost gave himself whiplash with how quickly he turned to look at a smirking Wayne.

“What? You think I don’t see it? Even after everything that happened with you two?”

Eddie laughed with disbelief.

“Don’t know why I’m surprised. You know more about me than I do,” he said as he looked back out the front windshield.

“Which means I know when you’re hurtin’ yourself. You gonna tell him?”

“I can’t. Especially not now. We’re just getting back to how it used to be and if I told him, he’d leave.”

“Why do you think that?”

“No straight guy wants their guy best friend to say he’s in love with him.”

“Has he said he’s straight?”

“No, but I mean, c’mon Wayne. He’d have said by now if he wasn’t.”

“Would he?” Wayne searched his face. “Have you?”

“That’s different.”

“How’s it different?”

Eddie tried to think of an answer.

He couldn’t.

“Way I see it, the boy deserves to know, even if he don’t feel the same. He ain’t gonna leave, and he ain’t gonna treat you different. He may surprise you,” Wayne started the truck up again, his way of giving Eddie a moment to collect his thoughts.

“I just don’t wanna lose him. I’d rather have him like this than not at all,” Eddie practically whispered.

Wayne started backing up, his focus on the road, but his words pointed at Eddie when he spoke.

“You may not have him at all if you keep lettin’ yourself hide your feelings, kiddo.”

Maybe he was right, maybe not. But Eddie knew Steve would find out somehow sometime, and the last thing he needed was to lose him because he hid himself away.

- - - - - - - - - - -

He didn’t hear from Steve the next day either.

He tried not to think much about it.

- - - - - - - - - - -

The morning of the 4th of July, Eddie expected Steve to call or visit or anything.

He didn’t.

Eddie tried not to think much about it, but failed.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Wayne woke Eddie up at nearly midnight, panic on his face and in his voice.

“Was Steve workin’ tonight?”

Eddie blinked his eyes, not awake enough for the questioning.

“I don’t…know. No? Wait, yes.” Eddie rubbed his eyes, looked at the clock and frowned. “Why? Is he here?”

“Get up, put a shirt on.”

“Wait, you should be at work. You always work on the 4th.”

“Get up. Put a shirt on.”

His tone left no room for arguments, and Eddie didn’t like how quickly he was rushing out of the room.

“Did something happen?” Eddie yelled as he got out of bed, grabbing the first shirt he saw on the chair by the door.

“Yeah.”

Eddie didn’t like this; He’d never seen Wayne like this. At least when he reacted to Steve’s father hurting him, it was clear what he was feeling: anger and sadness.

This felt like he was trying to push past his emotions to do something.

Eddie knew from experience that wasn’t good.

He decided to stay quiet as he followed Wayne to the truck.

They arrived at the mall, or what was the mall, much too quickly.

Wayne broke every speed limit and a few other laws on the way, but Eddie didn’t say anything about it.

It took him a moment to register where they were, why Wayne was so panicked.

And then he was opening the door and running towards the problem.

Fire and smoke in the air, cops and EMTs surrounding the area, a group of people crowding around the perimeter couldn’t keep him away.

He felt his heart thudding in his chest, a sinking feeling in his gut making him feel like he might collapse.

He couldn’t though, not until he knew for sure.

“Steve!” He yelled, as if anyone would hear him over the chaotic sounds around them.

Wayne was next to him, his arm on his shoulders, slowly guiding him off to the side of the group.

“Excuse me, sir. My son was working here tonight, is there some way I can find out where he is?”

“He a minor?”

“No. 18.”

“Only list I have right now is minors. They’re making rounds again in a few minutes. What’s his name?” The officer asked, pulling out a notepad that already had a handful of names on it.

“Steve Harrington.”

The officer didn’t write down the name. Instead, he looked at Wayne with furrowed brows.

“You gonna write it down?”

“Your name?”

“Wayne Munson.”

“Steve’s your son?”

Eddie could feel Wayne tense next to him, knew where this was going and how much this officer was gonna regret testing Wayne in an emergency situation.

But just when Wayne was about to start arguing, Eddie heard someone calling his name.

“Eddie! Munson! Over here!”

Robin.

She was waving him over to an ambulance that had a few people who worked in the mall standing around, getting checked out by EMTs.

Eddie pulled Wayne over, didn’t even say anything or explain where they were going, just hoped Wayne would actually come with him.

If Robin was here, she would know where Steve was.

“Robin! Where’s Steve?”

“They took him to the hospital already,” she was rushing to say, tears in her eyes that he could tell she was trying incredibly hard not to let fall.

“What happened? Is he okay?” Eddie was shaking, and no amount of comforting touch from Wayne was helping.

“He’s alive, but he was unconscious. I couldn’t wake him up. He’s really hurt,” she sobbed, and Eddie put away all possible jealousy or discomfort with her and pulled her into him for a hug.

It was meant to make her feel better, but it ended up just making them both feel worse.

“Alright, Robin?” Wayne clarified, waiting for her to nod. “Your parents here to bring you home?”

“No, they’re out of town this week on their anniversary trip. Steve was gonna drive me home after our shift,” she cried.

“Alright. I’m Wayne. Eddie’s uncle, Steve’s-“

“Yeah, he’s told me about you.”

Wayne couldn’t help the small, sad smile crossing his face at that. Eddie watched as it sunk in that Steve talked about him, that Steve considered him family just like he considered Steve family.

“Can you take me to the hospital?” she asked nervously, like she thought they’d actually say no.

“As long as you go along with me bein’ Steve’s dad so I can get some answers,” Wayne rushed out, watching as more people started pulling into the parking lot, another ambulance leaving.

“I don’t care if you say you’re my dad at this point. I just wanna make sure he’s okay,” she said, wiping tears from her face, taking a deep breath, putting herself together.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Steve Harrington.”

The woman at the front desk just raised her brow.

“Your relation?”

“His father.”

The woman looked him up and down, judgment clear in her eyes.

“You’re Richard Harrington?”

Wayne nodded.

Eddie and Robin were huddled close behind him.

Eddie had taken in her physical appearance on the way here, but chose not to ask questions or make assumptions.

But if she was cleared by EMTs looking like this, he hated to picture what Steve looked like.

“I’m afraid I can’t give any information to you, Mr. Munson. I respect that you’re just trying to make sure he’s okay, but his actual parents will need to give permission.”

“His actual parents are pieces of shit, Susan!”

Robin and Eddie looked at each other, eyes wide.

He didn’t know how much Robin knew, but going off of her reaction, Steve must have at least told her a little about how bad they were.

“I can’t go off of personal opinions, Wayne. You need to calm down before you get kicked out. If they reach his parents, I’ll have them ask if you can be given information.”

Wayne sighed, but Eddie recognized the way his shoulders slumped.

He wasn’t giving up, had no intention of doing so, but he wasn’t about to take out his worry and frustration on this woman, who was just doing her job.

He walked away, guiding Eddie and Robin over to some chairs by the door.

“What now?” Robin asked.

“We wait a bit. Hopper should be by soon I reckon. He’ll get updates and pass it on.”

Wayne slumped in a seat next to Robin, but Eddie remained standing.

“Have a seat, Ed. Probably gonna be a while,” Wayne said quietly.

“I’m gonna take a walk,” he said, ignoring the way Wayne was looking at him knowingly.

Robin didn’t know him well enough to know what he was up to, so she just leaned her head back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes.

“Ed, don’t get into somethin’ you can’t handle,” Wayne pleaded.

“I won’t,” he promised.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The halls were surprisingly empty for a crisis of this magnitude.

Nurses bustled between rooms, but they moved so quickly, and with so much focus, they barely noticed Eddie peeking into rooms as he walked.

Walk with confidence.

That’s how he got through school, that’s how he got through life.

That’s how he would get to Steve.

But Steve wasn’t in the emergency department, or the floor with an OR, which had to be a good sign. His name wasn’t on the white board of the deceased, which was even better.

That meant he could be anywhere, though.

Eddie worked from room to room, finally making his way to the second floor.

The first few rooms were empty, but then there he was.

Steve was in a bed, hooked up to an IV and oxygen, unconscious.

His face was swollen and bruised, worse than anything Eddie had seen, way worse than when his father had punched him.

He wasn’t in his uniform, at least from the waist up, which meant they’d changed him into a hospital gown at some point.

He had cuts and bruises all over his arms and hands, and from what Eddie could see, his wrists were rubbed nearly raw, like he’d been chained or handcuffed to something.

That didn’t make sense. None of this did.

He fell in the chair close to his bed, holding in the sob he felt building in his throat.

Whatever happened to him was bad, worse than what he’d suspected, and he had a terrible feeling that Robin had witnessed it all.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Eventually, Wayne found them.

Robin wasn’t with him, but he was almost glad for it. The moment Wayne walked into the room, Eddie started crying into his chest.

“’S alright, Ed. He’s okay,” Wayne tried to comfort him, but Eddie could tell he wasn’t sure of the words he was saying, not with the way he was taking in his injuries.

“Hop give you clearance?”

“No. Surprisingly his parents did. Hop, uh, he’s missing. They think he was at the mall when everything happened.”

Eddie pulled away, looking at Wayne’s discouraged face.

“He’s missing?”

Wayne nodded solemnly.

“Eddie?”

They both turned to the bed, watching as Steve tried to adjust himself to see them better.

Before he ended up hurting himself worse, Eddie rushed to his side, reaching out to gently hold his fingers.

“Stevie, are you okay?”

“I’m high.”

Wayne snorted from behind them, and Eddie couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.

“Yeah? You got the good stuff, sweetheart?”

Steve gave him a goofy smile.

“You’re the good stuff, Eds.”

Eddie’s eyes widened before he looked back at Wayne.

Who was smirking at him, like he was enjoying this.

Eddie turned back to Steve, who was moving his head back and forth and humming something.

“You singin’?”

“Mhm,” Steve smiled, letting his one “good” eye settle on Eddie.

Eddie waited for him to keep humming, but was surprised when he started singing. Loudly.

“What did I see? Can I believe? Something was real and not a fantasy!”

Eddie’s jaw dropped as he realized what Steve was attempting to sing. The words weren’t all there, and the rhythm was way off, but…

“Are you serious?” he asked before he could stop himself.

Steve stopped, his mouth audibly snapping shut and a sudden look of fear crossing his face.

“Sorry,” Eddie said, letting himself smile at Steve despite his confusion. His heart was racing in his chest. His mind was racing with thoughts he’d never let himself have before. “Keep singing. I love that song.”

“I know,” Steve whispered. “’S why I’m singin’ it. You’re sad.”

“Not sad, Stevie. Just worried.”

“’Bout what?”

“You.”

“’M fine, silly. Just gonna sing to ya.”

Steve started singing again, skipping the words he didn’t know, so far off key that anyone who didn’t have a lot of musical knowledge wouldn’t even recognize the song.

Eddie listened as he let his mind finally process something.

Steve had been through some kind of hell tonight. Something that would probably have a lot more lasting impacts than just physical injuries.

He’d been knocked out for so long, this may be his first time conscious in hours.

And he’d started singing a song that Eddie didn’t even know he knew for Eddie.

A song that Eddie had spent hours learning on guitar, but hadn’t bothered Steve with because it was metal and he didn’t like metal.

Or did he?

No, he would have said something by now.

Wayne’s hand was on his shoulder, startling him from his thoughts.

“I’m gonna grab some coffee. Want anything?”

Eddie looked up to see Steve asleep again, his fingers limp in Eddie’s grasp.

“Uh. Just some soda maybe. Please.”

Wayne looked at their joined hands on the bed, then back to Eddie.

“You figure it out yet?”

Eddie gulped.

“I think so.”

Chapter 5

TAG LIST: @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @renaissan-vvitch @estrellami-1 @sofadofax @mightbeasleep

[bylrlve]

I think this part of Finn Wolfhard’s January 2023 GQ interview is interesting (read here), and important for Bylers to take into account. The interviewer seems to make a pretty pointed jab at Bylers here, based on something Finn said. Lacking the context, we don’t know if it was an organic thought of his, or something more scripted. I do think the ‘footage of him at press junkets’ and ‘the press tour’ parts are indications that he’s also talking about Fillie shipping, and other RPF stuff. I remember, years ago, seeing a screenshot of a video game stream he and his brother were doing, where he chastised fans in the comments talking about mileven and emphasised that Mike and Mileven aren’t real.

However, months later he did say this:

Giving those very weird unprompted Brett Gelman tweets

There’s also this, from that event:

There’s also what Millie said at that event months ago - she was asked if she ships it, she said yeah, then she said she talked to the ST directors and they said she needs to ‘stop spreading rumours that Byler is going to happen’.

I presume it was actually said to the cast in general. However, Noah did not stick to this given that he went on tiktok live at the start of January this year and said “byler kiss’ three times, then after the live went on again just to say the words ‘byler endgame’.

So… overall, I would advise people not to get too carried away by how awesome it is to see Finn and Noah filming together, and to remember that both sides are being played here, and that ultimately the only things that matter are concrete storyline leaks. I don’t know that I’m advocating doubt, so much as I am extreme skepticism and caution.

[complicatedchelsea]

Fallen Through Time For You

Chapter Thirteen: You Won't Embarrass Me Again

Masterlist:

TW: Mention of blood, trauma, and possibly abuse

(Sydney’s POV)

Was it cruel to mess with Steve?

Maybe. 

But I wasn’t ready to stop now. 

“Fuck me!” Steve said as he ducked behind the Family Video counter. I had followed him to work today; Steve being called in and it being during the day I knew he wouldn’t be busy. “I just had my car keys!”

Said car keys that were currently in my jacket pocket. 

I shrugged. “Are you sure you didn’t leave them in your locker?”

An annoyed huff from the other side. “Yes, Sydney. I am sure I didn’t put them in my locker. I laid them on the counter here before going back into the office to get the schedules for this week…” 

Steve trailed off and there was a moment of silence before he slowly stood his way up. Steve watched me for a moment, taking in how both hands were shoved into my-well Eddie’s jacket pockets. “Sydney?”

I shrugged my shoulders, turning my head to hide the smile I was currently fighting. “If you don’t find those keys Stevie, you are going to be late for pickup.”

Steve shrugged on his jacket and slowly made his way to stand in front of me. “Where are my keys, Sydney?”

I couldn’t fight the smile then. Tilting my head back around to face Steve, an amused smile on my face. “I don’t know. Have you checked your pockets?”

Steve nodded his head and in the next moment I knew it was about to be scrabble “I don’t know Steve. Where are your keys?”

Steve was on me in an instant, shoving his hands in my pockets, digging round as I laughed and tried to push him off. “Steve!”

Steve let out a triumph laugh as he pulled his hands out, keys dangling from them as I shoved his shoulder. Before I could retaliate, there was a bang from the back door and Keith emerged into the store. 

“Harrington,” he greeted as he came to the counter. “Are you still on the clock?”

Keith didn’t spare a glance at me, already disinterested in me. When I had followed Steve into the store a few hours ago, Keith had immediately tried to strike a conversation up with me about how I “needed someone better than Harrington to show me around Hawkins” The moment I took my jacket off and he caught the name on my wrist, he had rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in defeat and trudged back to the office. 

Steve shook his head. “No, I clocked out.”

“So what are you still doing in my store?”

Steve sighed and when he turned to face me, he made a face as he started to head towards the door. I had to stifle my laughter as I waved goodbye to Keith and followed Steve out the door. As I caught up to him in the car, he was mocking Keith as slammed the door. “ ‘What are you doing in my store?’ Fucking prick.”

“Now, now Steve.” I teased as I put my seatbelt on. “You know you can't be in the store once you clock out.”

At the light Steve turned to look at me. “Do you want to be stranded in the middle of town?” 

I cackled but didn’t say anything else on the way to the school. When we got there, Robin and Dustin were waiting by Eddie’s van, but no Eddie. 

“Hey,” I greeted them as I opened the door for Robin to take my place. “Where's Eddie?”

Dustin scoffed as he went to get into the backseat. “It’s always ‘Eddie this and where’s Eddie?’ I’m fine, thank you very much!”

I just sent him a look and raised an eyebrow. Dustin stared back before letting out a sigh and rolling his eyes. “I’m sorry! Look, I failed another test in Latin and my mom is going to kill me! Excuse me if I don’t want to put up with your PDA today!”

I laughed and leaned forward to mess with his hair through the open window. “Aw, babe. Someone piss in your cornflakes this morning?”

Dustin just scoffed and crossed his arms, not looking at me. I peaked to the front seat to see Robin and Steve trying to hold in their laughter, breaking once we made eye contact. 

“Eddie had to stay behind and talk to the guidance counselor,” Robin supplied as she stopped laughing. “From the smile on her face when she went to get Eddie, it might be good news.”

I nodded and motioned to Steve that I would just wait by the van for Eddie. Trying the backdoor with no luck (for once I was not mad because that man finally locked his doors), I settled to leaning against the side and enjoying the nice day. Well, I only got so far. 

“Well, well.” A voice carried over the parking lot, nearly empty as I turned to look and see Jason with a few sports buddies behind him. “Look, it’s the freak’s mistress. Come to make some sacrifices on school grounds?”

“Now that I’ve got some virgins in front of me I just might.” I quipped back, already annoyed with his presence. 

Jason’s face turned red. “No Hopper to protect you now, is there?”

“Watch is Carver.” I warned him, taking a step away from the van. “Remember, we are on school grounds. God forbid you get suspended from playing your “laundry basket” game.”

Jason was on me in a second, so quick that when I took a step back and hit the van the sound echoed through the parking lot. “You’re not a student here, I can do whatever I want.”

“Yeah,” I raised my eyebrow. “I’m not so sure you believe that.”

Before I could move out of the way, Jason had crowded into my space, fists grabbing at my jacket and pushing back into the van. It made a louder noise this time, and I winced as my back collided with the van painfully. 

“I swear to God,” Carver muttered as he leaned down so his face was level with mine. “One more quip from you and you might not have a mouth to do it with anymore.”

I pushed against his arms, my face pinching in frustration as I tried to move away from the van and away from Jason. Jason pulled me forward to slam me back against the van one more time, my grip on his arms falling as my head hit the van this time. 

“Mr. Carver!” An authoritative female voice called from across the parking lot. 

Jason froze and I managed to peek around him to see an older lady standing by the school doors, her arm out to stop Eddie from making his way to us. I could see the anger on his face, the way he was straining against her arm. 

“You have two seconds to drop that girl before I turn a blind eye to whatever Munson here plans to do.” She said as she started walking towards us, Eddie followed behind her looking like it was taking all his effort not to run to me right then. 

Jason turned his gaze back to me, searching my face before tightening his grip and then letting me go. Not wanting to let him get away with this on school grounds, I let myself fall back onto the van again with another bang!, my knees buckled with the lack of effort to hold myself up and I met the ground painfully with a groan. Eddie was around the older woman in an instance, pushing Carver back as he crouched down in front of me and hands flying to grasp my face. 

“Sweetheart?” Eddie asked, his voice layered in concern as his eyes swept down my body to try and find all the damage. “Sydney, you gotta look at me.”

I sucked in a deep breath and leaned my head back against the van. I met Eddie’s eyes, and in that moment I actually felt everything rush at me. My eyes filled with tears as I got overwhelmed, my chest starting to move rapidly. Sure I talked a big game, but what would have happened if Jason wouldn’t have gotten interrupted? Slapping him at the arcade was one thing, but in an almost empty parking lot? How much damage could he have done before someone found us?

I tried to focus on Eddie as the footsteps got louder and Jason was moved away from us. The women from earlier crouched down next to us, causing me to flinch back as I moved my hands to wipe the tears away from my face. 

“Sydney?” She prodded gently as her eyes roamed over me. “Do we need to take you to the nurse?”

I tried to take a deep breath as I shook my head at her. “No, no I don’t think I need to go to the nurse.”

Eddie let out a noise of protest and grabbed at my hands, holding one as his other moved my neck to see where the fabric of the jacket had rubbed harshly against me. “He hurt you, sweetheart.” His gaze moved to the lady. “You can’t let him get away with this, Mrs. Bowes.”

The lady-Mrs. Bowes shook her head. “He won’t. Eddie, see if you can get her standing and take her to the office. Principal Higgins is getting a visit before this can be swept under the rug.”

With another glance at me, she stood back up and looked in Jason’s direction. “Carver! You and your followers are going to take a trip to the office with me. No arguing. Now.” 

She moved towards them without another word, while I tried focusing on moving as Eddie moved closer to me. “What happened?”

I let Eddie take my other hand as he stood up and tried to take me with him. When he got me standing, I whimpered as his hands left mine but they didn’t go far but to wrap themselves around me and pull me to his chest. “I was waiting for you here because Robin said you got called into a meeting with the guidance counselor. He approached me and I might have goaded him a bit-but he just came at me.”

I pressed my face into his chest and stuttered in another breath. Eddie rubbed a hand up my back and I felt him place a kiss against the top of my head. “I didn’t think he was going to do anything, but then he just pushed me up against the van and didn’t let me go.”

Eddie stepped back from me, but close enough that his arms were still wrapped around me but far enough away that he ducked his face to see mine. “Why didn’t you get into the van?”

I let out a wet laugh and moved to rub at my face. “You actually locked it this time.”

Eddie opened his mouth to respond but got interrupted from a call coming from the school doors. “Mr. Munson!”

Mrs. Bowes was standing at the door, waving us over. “Principal Higgins wants to speak to you both, bring her here!”

Eddie glanced back down at me. “Are you okay to do this?”

I nodded and without another word, Eddie wrapped an arm around my shoulder and started guiding me towards the school. When we reached the doors, she leaned over to grasp Eddie’s shoulder. “Hey, there were witnesses this time. I’m not gonna let him get away with this, kid.”

Eddie nodded and followed Mrs. Bowes as she led us to the office. When we entered the office, two of the boys that were hanging back were sitting in chairs outside a door towards the back of the space. I heard a deep voice yelling in that direction but didn’t stop till we got closer to the door and I could see Jason sitting in front of the desk with his back to the window. 

“Hey,” Eddie muttered as I looked up at him. “I’m gonna let him hurt you. You trust me?”

“Always,” I said back as I glanced towards the window again to see Mrs. Bowes took a spot behind the desk that another man was occupying. I looked back up at Eddie, “I love you.”

Eddie’s face softened for a moment before he brought me closer to kiss my forehead. “I love you too.”

With a deep breath, I let Eddie lead me into the office. The man sitting at the desk stopped yelling as I stood behind the chair next to Jason. “Sydney, is it?”

“Sydney Hopper,” Eddie corrected as he caught me eyeing the chair and reached an arm to move the chair further from Jason before pushing me towards the seat. I didn’t bother to correct Eddie as I took a seat, refusing to look in Jason’s direction. 

The man nodded and I caught the sight of the plague on his desk labeling him the principal. He was a bigger man, seeming to push into his sixties with graying hair and a stressed expression on his face that seemed like it was almost permanent. “Miss Hopper, would you like to tell me what happened out there? Mr. Carver mentioned that you provoked him first.”

Eddie’s hand landed on my shoulder from where he stood behind me. “That's not fuc-”

“Language, Mr. Munson.” Higgins said as he looked away from me to Eddie. “I just want to get the facts straight.”

“I was waiting for Eddie by his van,” I started as I rang my hands together. “A mutual friend of ours-Steve Harrington dropped me off when he came by to pick up his friend. I only thought Eddie was going to be a moment, but that’s when Jason approached me with those two in the hall.”

“What did he say to you?” Higgins asked as he wrote something down. “He provoke you?”

“He called me the ‘freak’s mistress’ and asked me if I was going to make sacrifices on school grounds. When I argued back, he shoved me up against the van and told me that Hopper couldn’t protect me here.”

I looked back at Eddie. “Should we call Uncle Hop?”

“That won’t be necessary.” Higgins said as I brought my attention back to him. “Mrs. Bowes saw most of the incident and I’m inclined to believe her. I’ve gotten several complaints about your treatment towards Eddie, Mr. Carver. And I think it’s about time we did something more serious than detention.”

Jason exploded in his seat. “You can’t be serious?! You expect me to just let a murder walk these halls?!”

“Carver!” Mrs. Bowers yelled as she brought a hand down on the desk. “You and I both know that Eddie never killed anyone. The feds came in months ago and arrested the man that killed your poor classmates. Now, we’ve had this talk several times with and without your parents. Do you want to be expelled?”

Jason just clenched his jaw and sat back in his seat. 

Higgins sighed. “Mr. Munson, if I take care of this right now in front of you, do you promise not to retaliate later?”

Eddie snorted. “If you take care of it.”

Eddie’s grip tightened on my shoulder and I felt his thumb rub at the skin around my neck. Higgins followed his grip and took in the redness of the area. 

“Carver,” Higgins took his attention back to Jason. “As of this moment you have been benched. No more basketball, no more anything. You are to come to class and that is it. If I catch one more glimpse of you doing something like this again I will let Hopper press whatever charges he pleases and you will be expelled. Do you understand?”

“What!” Jason exclaimed as he sat forward. “You can’t just kick me off the team! I have scholarships!”

Higgins shook his head while Mrs. Bowes laughed. “You should have thought of that before you decided to rally the whole town against Munson here.”

Mrs. Bowes turned to look at Eddie and I. “You two are free to go. If Hopper has any questions, please feel free to invite him to call me.”

Eddie nodded at her and took my hand without another word to help me out of the chair. His arm wrapped itself around my shoulder as he led me out of the door, not letting me look back as the door shut behind us and the voices got louder in the office. It wasn’t until we were back outside and next to the van before Eddie spoke again. He unlocked the van, helping me into the passenger seat before leaning himself against me, taking my face between his hands. 

“How much did he hurt you?”

I took a moment to look at him-really look at him before I shrugged my shoulders. I could see Eddie’s face crumpled in front of me and I quickly reached my hands up to hold the ones against my face. 

“Baby,” I whispered as his eyes got more glassy. “Please, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

“It’s my fault,” Eddie said he clenched his eyes shut. “If I would have left the doors unlocked or been out here earlier-”

“Eddie,” I said a little louder as I tightened my grip on his hands. “It’s not your fault. Not at all.”

Eddie opened his eyes. “But I wasn-”

I let go of his hands to grab his face, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. “It’s Jason’s fault, not yours. I do not blame you. You hear me?”

Eddie stared at me. “Where does it hurt?”

I met his stare. “If I tell you, will you kiss it better?”

Eddie let out a deep breath and leaned his head against my shoulder to let out a shocked laugh. “Yes, I’ll kiss it better.”

I pressed a kiss to his temple before he sat back up. “But we have to call Hopper first.”

I nodded and he pressed one more kiss to my face before shutting the door and making his way towards the driver seat. He threw his bag in the back, and for a moment I realized that he had left his things sitting outside the van when he saw me getting shoved against the van. My heart flipped a bit as he started the van and reaching for my hand before taking off. 

To say that Hopper was not happy was an understatement. After explaining everything to a sleepy Wayne that had threatened to go to the Carver’s household himself, Eddie called Hopper to explain what happened while I went to shower and try to clean the feeling of Jason’s hands on me. 

When I got out and found the clothes Eddie left me to change into, I was practically carried back to the van so Eddie could take us to Hopper so he could see the damage himself. I guess that one of the kids had overheard the phone call because when Eddie and I arrived at Hopper’s cabin, I was surprised to see most of our rag-tag group already there waiting for me. 

“And this is just from where your clothes rubbed you?” Hopper asked as looked at my neck. He looked over at Eddie. “Did you notice any bruises on her back?”

Eddie looked down at me. “I didn’t look. Did you notice any when you showered?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I was more concerned about the headache.”

Joyce appeared with a glass of water and pills in one hand, a plate of cookies in the other that she sat in front of me. “Can I look?”

“Uh,” I said as I looked around the small kitchen to our group sitting in the living room, waiting for Hopper to make his assessment. “The bruises would be on my upper back and shoulders.”

Joyce moved the back of my shirt to look as Eddie thrusted the glass of water in my hands. I felt her still her movements for a moment as I swallowed the pills, and she smoothed my shirt back down as she was done. 

“No bruises, yet.” She tacked on as she moved to take the seat across from me. 

I didn’t meet her eyes as Eddie waved a cookie teasingly at me. I rolled my eyes with a small smile as I took it from him, getting a kiss on the cheek in reward as he made his way to the living room to talk to the group waiting to hear what exactly happened.

“I’m calling the school first thing tomorrow,” Hopper said as he sat down beside me with a sigh. “You said Higgins kicked him off the team and threatened suspension?”

“I don’t know if he’s going to get suspended.” I said as I traced the top of the glass. “I’m just worried about retaliating.”

“You think he’s going to?” Joyce asked me. 

I shrugged. “It’s been months since our interaction at the arcade. I don’t know what caused it.”

“It doesn’t matter what caused it, just that it stops.” Hopper said. “I’m going to call his parents and have another talk with him. I’ve already said something about them bothering Munson, now it’s you too?”

I just dropped my head into my hands and sighed as I heard Hopper stand up. He gently squeezed my shoulder before making his way to the phone. 

A few days later I found myself out with the group at our normal spot at the diner. I was practically sitting in Eddie’s lap on our side of the booth with Steve and Robin squeezed in beside of us, Max and El taking over the other side as they fought with Mike trying to bully his way in. 

I was playing with the ends of Eddie’s hair that he had put up into a ponytail earlier that night. I had kissed him silly against the door of his bedroom before we had left, his cheeks turning a bright red every time I messed with it at dinner. The hand that was wrapped around my waist was rubbing circles into the skin of my waist, his head leaning against my shoulder. 

“Psst, Sydney?” I heard a quiet voice ask from behind me. 

I turned to see Will sitting in the booth next to ours, Lucas and Dustin arguing across the table from him. 

“What’s up?” I asked him as I moved slightly to show that he had my attention. Eddie’s grip tightened on me briefly before I felt his other hand start to mess with the rip of jeans across my knee. 

“Do you think I could go visit Mom at work real quick?” Will asked me. “I want to see if she’ll give me some money to get a snack at the movies.”

I frowned. “I thought Jonathan had you covered?”

Will shook his head. “Him and Nancy are going to see a separate movie, remember? I don’t want to take his money when he’s going to pay for Nancy.”

I hummed and turned back to Eddie, gently tugging his hair for him to look up at me. He smiled brightly at me and I couldn’t help but to smile back. “Yes?”

“Will wants me to take him to Melvalds to see Joyce for something.” I said to him quietly. “You okay if I walk him over there real quick?”

Eddie’s eyebrows furrowed. “What does he need?”

I leaned closer so I could whisper in his ear. “He wants to ask Joyce for some cash and I think out of anyone he would be less embarrassed if I took him.”

Eddie pulled back to look at me for a moment. “You’ll come right back?”

“You’re taking me on a date,” I smiled back at him. “Why would I run now?”

Eddie’s cheeks flushed as he shrugged his shoulders, suddenly acting shy. “You want me to go with you?”

I waved him off. “It will just take a few minutes. You won’t even miss me.”

Eddie nodded and pressed a kiss to my chin before shoving at Steve to let us out. Will quickly slid out of the booth beside us, standing next us as Eddie helped me stand straight and smooth down his flannel that I was wearing. 

“I love you,” Eddie said as he kissed me again-this time on the lips. 

I pulled back when I heard groans and saw Robin fake gagging and encouraging the others to do the same. I rolled my eyes at her and smiled up at him. “I love you too.”

Will lopped his arm in mine as we started down the street, the sun beginning to go down and it got a little chiller in the almost-spring air. We walked for a few minutes in silence before Will slowed down and got my attention. 

“Did you ever think about what would happen if Eddie was a girl?”

I stopped for a moment to assess the situation before continuing to move forward and make this conversation as normal as I could. 

“It wouldn’t have mattered if Eddie was a girl,” I said as I looked down at Will. “I would have loved him either way.”

“Did you want him to be a boy?” Will pressed me, still looking ahead. 

“Will,” I sighed as I pulled us to a stop. “Can you tell me what this is about?”

“You said you didn’t have soul-marks where you came from,” Will continued. “So how did you know that you would be okay with it?”

“Honey,” I said as I looked around the street to make sure we were alone. “It didn’t matter to me what Eddie chose to present as. I loved Eddie for Eddie, not what he chooses to identify as.”

“So if he was a girl, you’d still love him?”

I nodded. “I’m what they call bisexual, Will. I like both genders, so either way it wouldn’t have mattered to me.”

Will looked down at his shoes for a good minute. He didn’t let go of my arm, and I let him take his time as he gathered his thoughts. 

“I like boys,” Will said as he finally looked up at me. His face was red like he was going to cry. “What happens if my soul-mark is a boy? What if it’s a girl?”

“Will,” I moved to put both hands on his shoulders. “You liking boys is one hundred percent okay. You are allowed to love who you love. There’s nothing wrong with us.”

“What if it’s a girl?” He asked me as he grabbed at one of my arms. “I don’t like girls like that.”

“It won’t,” I comforted him. “The committee wouldn’t match you up with someone that they knew wasn’t your soulmate. And if it’s a boy, it will be okay too. People around here aren’t ready for that, but there are people out there that will love you no matter what. Your mom included.”

I wrapped an arm around his shoulder and started leading him towards the store. “No matter what happens, we all love you. No one in this family is going to be upset with you, you know that, right?”

Will wiped at his face and wrapped an arm around me in an attempt to give me a hug as we walked. “I told Jonathan and he told me he loved me.”

“See!” I said as I bumped my hip with his and smiled at the laugh that I got from him as he held onto me. “We are perfect just the way we are.”

As Will turned his head to look up at me, I felt something grab at my arm and tug. I let go of Will as it tried to drag me down the alley we had walked past, Will’s terrified face following me as I fought against whatever it was. Suddenly it let go of me and I was shoved into a brick wall, my head bouncing off painfully as I tried to find Will as my vision blurred. 

“Will!” I shouted as the shape in front of me finally cleared and I could see it was Jason holding me against the wall. His eyes were bloodshot, blonde hair in disarray as he smiled cruelly at me. Just past him was Will, one of the two boys from the other day crowding him into a corner. When Jason turned to look at him, I grabbed his jacket sleeve, abruptly turning his attention towards me. 

“Don’t touch him,” I seethed as I got my bearings back. “You want me, not him.”

Jason laughed, unamused as he glanced back at him. “Why not? Take another freak off the streets.”

I jutted my chin out trying to look more intimidating from my spot against the wall. In response, Jason pushed me against the wall harder, the rock digging into my back. “I’m the one that embarrassed you. Your anger is with me, an adult, not a minor.” I raised my eyebrows at him. “Just let me go, and I won’t fight you.”

Jason scoffed. “I don’t believe you.” But he turned towards the other boy. “Don’t touch him, let the kid go. Less witnesses.”

“Will,” I said as I met his terrified eyes. “Just go back to the diner, okay? Tell Eddie I wanted to be alone and that I’ll find him.”

Will’s eyes got all glassy and I fought every urge to not cry in front of the kid. I hoped that he would run straight to Joyce, we were closer to the store than the diner. If he got to her, she should be able to call for help and not bring Eddie here which I think is what Jason actually wanted. 

“Will, honey.” I said again as I held my hand out. “Please, you know Joyce worries if you aren’t back in time.”

Will held my stare for another moment before taking slow steps towards the entrance. I watched him glance at me once more before he took off, and he took off in the direction of Joyce. 

I let out a sigh of relief but it was short lived as Jason pulled me away from the wall and I was being thrown across the alleyway. I landed heavily on my side, my palms scrapping up as I tried to catch myself. I groaned and tried to get to my feet before I felt a foot connect with my back, sending me on the ground. 

“Now, you were right about one thing.” Jason muttered as he crouched down next to me. He looked amused as I struggled to sit up. “You did humiliate me the other day. Getting me kicked off the basketball team? That was my FUTURE!”

He grabbed me by my hair and I let out a scream as I was dragged backwards toward the wall behind me. He kept me on the ground, one hand tugging my hair so I couldn’t fight and the other coming up to my neck. I stilled quickly, afraid of what the hand might do. 

“You just had to cause a scene, didn’t you?” Jason mocked as his grip tightened. “Well no one is around to see you now. No one is around to stop me. I think I might just have to beat it out of you like I was going to for Munson. An eye for an eye, you know? What after he did to my Chrissy, I should do to you.”

“He didn’t hurt Chrissy!” I said, panicked. “Please.”

“Please?” Jason mocked as he laughed and looked at the boy behind him. “Look, she’s begging now.”

Jason pulled my hair tighter, forcing me to stand up as he moved us. “What did I tell you the other day about that mouth?”

Then he reared back and punched me. 

I felt myself fall back against the brick wall, my head spinning as I felt my nose start bleeding. I could feel my cheek already swelling at the contact, and I tried to bring my arms up to defend myself. 

“Look at this!” Jason laughed at me. “Trying to fight back, is she?” He stepped forward and tugged at the flannel I was wearing. I did fight against this, but in my dizzy state I couldn’t stop him pulling it off me and leaving me in a tank top. “Look at all this that we can bruise up.”

I brought my hands up to block my face, but it did no good as he grabbed at my hair again and hit me. At one point the other boy grabbed my arms, keeping me from fighting back and giving Jason free reign. I don’t know how I ended up on the ground, glass shards cutting up the backs of my arms as I struggled to get my hands to protect my head. 

I could feel the blood pouring from my nose, my vision going more and more blurry as the seconds passed. One swift kick to the chest and was forced on my back, Jason moving to sit on top of me. 

I couldn’t help myself, I laughed. 

“What’s so funny, freak?”

I could hardly breathe with the weight of him on my chest. I felt a foot connect with my ankle and my laughter turned into sobs. 

“He’s going to know it was you.” I said as I struggled to breathe. “Hopper’s gonna also know it was you. What are you gonna do?”

Jason stood up to kick me again in the chest, and I tried to curl up into myself as my chest started to feel like it was on fire. “The town is going to protect me like it did last time.”

I heard another set of footsteps and suddenly my arms were forced down on the ground as Jason sat back on top of me. I struggled to clear my vision but I could clearly see what was in his hands. 

A knife. 

“Woah,” the other boy muttered. “Jason, that wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Just hold her down,” Jason said as I began to fight with everything I had left. I kicked my feet and struggled against the guy holding me down. “I just want to make sure it hurts.”

“Please!” I screamed out as I cried. I couldn’t do this to Eddie. This wasn’t just a beating. Jason had a fucking knife. “HELP ME!”

Two fists came down onto my chest and I choked on my breath, struggling to breathe as the fire in my chest became more consuming. “Shut up!”

I could see the knife come closer to my face, Jason’s sadistic face behind it. “I’m going to take pleasure in cutting you up, and then I might break your bones just like he did Chrissy.”

I spit at him. 

Jason screamed and reached for my left arm. The other boy gave the grip easily and before I could stop the knife, I heard a loud snap! and felt the feeling of my wrist being broken.

I let out a louder scream than before, chest heaving as I struggled because that’s all I could do at this point. If I couldn’t get out, I was going to make it as hard as possible on them. 

I’m so sorry, Eddie. 

“Now, are you going to shut up?” Jason yelled as his hand not holding the knife covered my mouth. 

With the pain in my chest and the pain in my ribs, I could barely keep my eyes open as he brought the knife down. I was too overwhelmed, barely feeling as I felt the pressure on my arms. 

“Hey,” he tutted as he slapped my cheeks. “We need you awake for this.”

When I didn’t open my eyes, he sighed and then I felt the blade against my face. 

I struggled to keep my eyes open, his hand still over my mouth as the blade slid down my cheek. 

My vision went black. I couldn’t move any of my body, all the noise around me sounded like I was underwater. I don’t know how much time passed before I heard a sharp noise to my right and the pressure off my chest disappeared. 

I felt my hands grasp my shoulders again and I tried to flinch away as I was pulled into a sitting position, whimpers leaving me at the pain of the movement.

Something rubbed against my cheek and I tried to open my eyes to see if it was Jason coming back to finish me off. 

I squinted and could make out a shape. It was smaller and had dark hair and was crying?

I tried really hard to hear past the ringing in my ears. “Joyce?”

The figure looked up and I could barely make out that it was her. 

“-ney! Sydney! Stay with me, sweetie.” I heard as she sobbed. “You did such a good job protecting Will.”

I went to close my eyes but was shaken and the pain in chest forced my eyes back open. 

“You gotta stay awake,” Joyce said as she cupped my face as gently as she could. “I called Hopper and an ambulance should be here any minute.”

“Eddie,” I cried as she tried to wipe my tears, her voice becoming clearer but I was struggling to keep my eyes open. All it once I felt my body start to drift and there's nothing I could do to stay conscious. The pain was also starting to ease the further I drifted, but the pain in my chest wouldn’t leave no matter how slow I tried to breathe.

When I drifted back, I felt a hand in mine and someone wiping at my face. “Eddie?”

The pain came back crashing back in and I started to sob. “Eddie, please make it stop!”

Sound was muffled around me and when I opened my eyes and struggled to focus, I could see that I wasn’t in the alley anymore. It was all metallic, someone standing over me that was not Eddie. 

I felt myself begin to panic and the hand holding mine squeezed it again to get my attention. When I turned my head, I could make out Joyce next to me. 

“I want Eddie,” I cried out to her. “Where is he?”

“Oh sweetie,” Joyce cried. “He’s coming. Just stay awake for him.”

“I’m so tired,” I could hear my voice slurring. “I can’t sleep without him.”

“I know,” Joyce said as her hand left mine. I tried to reach back out for her, but realized that what I was laying on was moving. Joyce left my line of vision as another man replaced her, shining a light at me and looking very intently at my cheek. A few more dots connected as I realized I was being wheeled into the emergency room, people screaming all around me. 

I grabbed at the man’s wrist that was shining the light and tried to move my left arm to him. “Eddie. I need Eddie.”

If he said anything, I couldn't hear him over the increased ringing in my ears. All the bright lights were hurting my eyes and I couldn’t help but shut my eyes and try to recede back into the darkness. 

Eddie’s gonna find me. Even in the darkness he’ll find me.

Hello everyone! The trauma begins! Stay tuned, we have a wild journey about to start!

Leave a comment if you want to be tagged!

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[sofiiel]

Dial Tone Ch.2 | One Last Look

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It's been two and a half weeks, one week of awkward passing in the hallways, stopping by each other's lockers out of habit, attempts at conversations that feel so strained that they usually end up with one of you offering to walk away. That good old 'it never happened', tactic.

It's a slow knife, that reopens a wound trying to build scar tissue.

But it's coming to a halt, Eddie no longer looks at you from across the lunchroom, you no longer feel his gaze burning a hole into the back of your head in class. You miss that deadpan stare, "but at least he isn't hurting too much anymore. At least one of us is on the mend." You think as you stuff your belongings into your locker.

You, however, were driven right into the office of the school guidance counselor, something you never thought you'd need again. Therapy, but here it was again, and it was your saving grace for peace of mind.

"Hey Y/n,"

Turning around, she offered a tired smile to Mike and Lucas. "Um," Lucas murmurs as he and Mike glance at each other. "We were wondering if you were going to be at the pep rally today." Mike asked.

"I...wasn't" You admit. You'd planned on ditching, why? Because you knew who'd there. Maybe not for long but he'd be there for sure if only to get a glimpse of her, she was quickly falling back into the place she held in middle school.

You didn't mind, but you couldn't watch it.

Mike and Lucas looked at each other again. "Oh," was all they could say. You gave your head a shake as another one of their parent trap style plans had fallen through before it had a chance to start.

"Listen, guys, it makes happy and all sentimental that you two want Eddie and I back together. That you care so much. It's just...not in the cards. We're both ok with that." You explain.

Lucas opens his mouth wide to protest, only to have Mike's hand cover his mouth. "Alright, well, we tried, right Lucas?" Mike asked. Lucas looked at his friend in confusion.

"I'll see you guys around." You say with a wave goodbye, heading up the hall.

"What?" Lucas asked Mike. "Eddie's not ok with it." He added. "Yeah, but she/he is, Eddie's....dealing with it. You can't force people on each other." Mike said.

"It's not forcing them on each other if they both want it, She/he's clearly faking and miserable." Lucas reasoned. "And Eddie's turned into a grump, He went from supporting me joining the team to trowing a tantrum when practice makes me late." Lucas added.

"It's because it cuts into campaign time." Mike said with a shrug.

"It's because, Y/n missed so many days before the break-up, and he misses them. He's lashing out and everyone else." Lucas shot.

Mike shook his head, "give Eddie a break, he won't be like this forever. You understand, just look at you and Max." Mike said.

"Yeah, I understand. That's how I know they aren't ok, either of them." Lucas sighed.

" Go support your tigers! Pep Rally! To the gym, everyone!" A teacher called out behind them. The two boys glanced at each other and turned around.

Eddie lingered in the shadows of the bleachers, leaning against the metal rows of uncomfortable seating, his fought a smile as he watched Chrissy lead the Hawkins cheer team through their routine. The bright smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye was infectious.

With a silent sigh, he leaned his head against the stands, finally smiling to himself.

Curiosity then prickled at his core, standing on his tip toes he peaked at the stands. "Is she/he here?" He found himself wondering. He searched the sea of faces, but did not find the one he was looking for.

Eddie slowly lowered himself to stand flat, his gaze on the floor. Taking one more glance at Chrissy, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and slipped out of the Gym.

Somewhere inside there was a small hope that you'd show up, that at some point through the day he would have the chance to pluck up the courage to invite you to the final night of the campaign.

"It just won't be the same without her/him." Eddie thought, heading towards his friends as they gathered by Gareth's locker.

"It feels like I'm suffocating some days." You confess as you sit in the chair of Ms. Kelly's office.

"I want to put Hawkins behind me, n-not those who matter. Just the bad. My grades have improved a lot, but I'm exhausted all the time. All I do is work and study. I know it's what killed my relationship, and I know I'm probably way too driven lately. But every year in this place scares me silly." you ramble.

"Y/n," Ms. Kelly calls out to you in a quiet grounding voice.

You look up at her, "Breath." she reminds you.

You exhale and murmur, "thanks."

"Have you tried working on time management?" Ms. Kelly asked. You give a nod, "I'm trying to, I bought a day planner recently, but it's already full." you admit.

Ms. Kelly wrote notes down in a book as she nodded. "And have you spoken to Eddie lately?" She asked.

You look away, "no." the words fall out feebly.

"You can't keep avoiding him. It's clear it's effecting your focus and likely why you're over working yourself." Ms. Kelly reasoned.

"Watch me try. It's just awkward and painful. It's actually probably better that we haven't talked. I'm ok." You say quickly.

There's a hesitant knock at the door. "Next week, same time." Ms. Kelly said. You gave her a knock and opened the door. Max squinting up at you, you vaguely knew each other through the boys of Hellfire.

You knew of her brother. She seemed surprise to see you leave the office. "Ms. Kelly's all yours." You say, stepping out of Max's way and heading down the hall.

"Hey! Y/n!" Jeff's voice calls out to you. You could hear his feet break into a jog behind you. You bring your steps to a slow and let him catch up.

"Jeff?" you question, the boys of Corroded hadn't had much to say to you in the past few days. "I know If you tell anyone I came to you, they'll chew me out." Jeff warned.

"But tonight's the last night of the campaign. I know you aren't in it anymore, but if you wanted you know...closure,"

You arch a brow.

"I mean for the story, plot closure." Jeff quickly elaborated, "you could come by. Listen in." He offered.

You suck in your lips, something inside wanted to go, more than anything. "I um... I have work." you whisper. Jeff studied your face. "He'd be ok with it, you know." He pushed.

"No he wouldn't" You say with a shake of your head and a smile. "But thanks." You turn and head for your locker.

Opening the door, you stick your head inside and release a frustrate sigh. "This would be easier if people would let me try and move on." You think.

"U-um.....Y/n....right?" a timid voice called.

You froze, "you've got to be kidding." your mind screams. Taking in a deep breath, you carefully close the door and turn to face Chrissy with a smile.

"I, I know we don't really talk, but." She stammered, offering a nervous smile. "I remember this one time in Junior High we were study partners and we, we raised that egg baby for Mr. McFarren's class." She said.

You snickered faintly, "yeah, we dropped it during the presentation, and yoke went everywhere." You say. Her smile brightens, "it was all over our shoes, and we had to clean the carpet after school." she went on happily.

Chrissy Cunningham was one of those people who got along with everybody. A queen loved by all of her subjects simply because she carried herself like one of them.

"What can I help you with?" You ask her with a nod. Chrissy glanced around, "well you're dating Eddie Munson right?" she asked. "I used to be, not anymore." You strain, the words are harder to say out loud.

Sensing the pain Chrissy looked at you with sympathetic eyes, "oh, I'm sorry, then- nevermind I can ask Gareth or-" she said, you give a shake of your head.

"Ms. Kelly says I should talk to him anyway, so it's fine. What do you need?" you sigh.

Chrissy glanced around again and leaned in whispering behind her hand, "does he still....you know, sell...stuff."

You can't help but chuckle, "stuff?" you teased, Chrissy blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Yes, he does. Is that what you need? You want me to set up a deal?" You ask.

"Ugh, saying it like that." Chrissy groaned. "Don't sweat it, you'll get no judgement from me," you say, reaching into your pocket and revealing a roach clip containing a blunt smoked to the nub. "It's lasted me a week, though. Cutting back." You hum.

Chrissy gave a nod, "please, if it's not too much trouble?" Chrissy asked.

You give a nod, "leave it to me." you say, before heading off to lunch.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. Just sending her right off too him. But maybe....it'll help him somehow." You ponder on your way.

A text book sits off to the side of your lunch bag, and your hand flickers with a pen as you widdle down a homework assignment in advance.

These past weeks, school and work have been your life. You've thrown yourself into it and on the bad days, you break into what's left of your weed stash even if it reminds you of him.

Your ears burn as you hear the members of Hellfire chatting at their usual table. The bitterly sweet sound slips a smile onto your face despite yourself.

"Ugh, have you seen the new article?" Jeff asked, passing the magazine to Eddie, who quickly buried his face in it, he gave it a quick glance over and then scoffed. "Oh this is good, they're really trying this time boys, listen." He said. Before reciting the article out loud.

Eddie scoffed, "psychologists are concerned, tell that to my ex" he said.

"Nope still stings." Eddie thought, mentally kicking himself.

"She/he loves, the shit, even if they've temporarily lost their mind and forgot how much." Eddie rambled in a mutter. He needed another distraction, the article served a very short purpose, and it was taking everything in him not to look your way again.

Luckily, Mike and Dustin walked up just in time.

"You're going to have to get up at some point and ask Eddie to meet Chrissy. Just go over there and tell him you need to talk to him." You tell yourself in your head.

"or a game where you toss balls into laundry baskets!"

You hear Eddie's voice echo through the lunchroom, and it instantly draws your eye to his table. Of which he was standing on top of, with the stance of a peacock that usually came after a strut you knew well.

A smile came to your face, and you quickly tried to hide it as for a moment he looked your way. Lowering your head back down, you got down a note and fold it up quickly. Packing away your lunch and taking up your book and notes, you get to your feet.

"Ok, it's no different from talking to Jeff or the minis. Just walk up and hand him the note. Simple." You silently try to motivate yourself.

But you're lost in watching Eddie as he continued to rave and annoy Jason and the team. "It's forced conforming," he said, and a pang of guilt surged through you as you remembered your last conversation with him, "that's what killing the kids!" he shouted, leaping down from the table.

You shake your head and sigh as he bows, stepping to make way for two of the cheer team. You can feel your heart fluttering, "don't go doing that." you think to it. Drawing in a deep breath to head over to him.

Eddie's smile fades as he sees you approach. He can feel his heart thundering and his pulse race. "She/he's coming over." his mind shouted as he tried his best to remain calm.

Briefly stopping near him, you hold out the folded note between two fingers. His eyes lock into yours, before slowly looking down at the note. "She/he's so close I can smell the Yardley soap." Eddie thought as he wordlessly took the note from you, his fingers brushing against yours nearly popped your lungs as you drew in a quiet breath.

Your feet swiftly carried you away as you could feel the stares of Hellfire watching.

Mike's eyes followed you from the Hellfire table, Fjora was written out of the campaign. Their patron deity lifted the eternal sleep to call Fjora for a mission, Fjora left and has not returned.

That was the same night Eddie explained that You would not be returning to Hellfire for a while, if at all, and the break-up. The club each had their own opinions about it all, but one thing was clear, Eddie still wasn't taking it well.

The group watched Eddie as his eyes lingered on the note in his hands. He opened it with a soft touch, as if afraid to rip the paper.

"Hey there, Mellon. Meet me at my locker. I need to ask you something for a friend." the note read. "Jesus, you read it in her/his voice." Eddie thought. Struggling to keep the smile off his face. "Mellon" he hadn't heard that in a while.

Eddie carefully folded up the note and tucked it in his back pocket.

"Go away! Go away!" a shrill, frantic scream came from the girl's bathroom. You nearly drop your things as you dash up the hall towards the bathroom.

"Hello?" you call, trying to open the door, but it's jammed.

"Hello? Is everything alright in there!" you shout, banging against the large metal door.

You can hear faint panting on the other side. "Y/n?" someone finally answers.

"Cunningham?" you question back, baffled.

"Are you...the door's stuck. If you near it, back away." You instruct. "Okay." her voice calls back weakly. You give her time to move and then kick at the door, and it flies open.

Once inside the bathroom, you look about, no Chrissy.

"Down here." She stammers as if ashamed. Your gaze falls to the bathroom floor. Tears stain her cheeks and her eyes are red.

"H-hey, whoa...what happened?" You ask her gently, stooping down. Chrissy shakes her head, her eyes saying, 'I can't tell you.'

"Ok, that's ok. you're ok now." You urge quietly. Standing up, you hold out your hand and help the spooked girl to her feet. "I'll be meeting with Eddie soon ok, You'll need to meet him behind the school, through the woods you know the old bench?" You ask Chrissy carefully.

She sniffles and nods. "Good, that's where he's going to want to meet. Head there once the final bell rings" You tell her.

"Will you be there?" she asks.

"No," you muse, "but I promise, Eddie's a lamb. You'll be just fine." You tell her as you smile.

After your final class and the bell rings you linger you head to your locker, and from up the hall you spot Eddie is already there. Leaning against it, making marks on the tiles with his shoes and then erasing them.

"Stop being silly, it's just Eddie." you tell yourself to calm your jitters.

"Hey," you greet him. Eddie quickly moves away from your locker as you open it and store your books inside, "hey there gorgeous," the words slipped from his mouth before he could stop himself. "I didn't mean...ignore me, old habits, all that." Eddie said quickly, holding his hands in the air slightly.

You hold your breath, silently screaming. Forcing your composure, you close the door to your locker and clear your throat. "Anyway, thanks for coming." You say, pretending to ignore it as best you could.

"Yeah. Of course." he said.

You take a step nearer to him, and Eddie can feel his mind spinning, "Chrissy Cunningham wants to buy some of your product." You whisper quietly.

Eddie's eyes flutter, he steps closer as well, "you're shitting me, right?" he asks. You look up at him, and it dawns on you how close you two are. You suck in your lips to hold in a scream. He offers the faintest smirk.

"Pull yourself together, this is important." You tell yourself.

Exhaling, you match his gaze, even if it makes your heart want to burst.

"I'm for real. She's having a hard time, she could use it. She needs your help. Chrissy's scared of what people will think, and of you. I just saw her in the bathrooms... I know what it looks like when a person is falling apart." you explain.

Eddie blinked several times, "so it is over. She/he's pushing her right at me, that's got to be what this is." Eddie thought.

"Eddie?" you ask, you had to, with him just quietly staring at you, you didn't know how much longer you could take it. Not when standing this close, not with that faint scent of hairspray and his soft lips so near.

You mentally smack yourself. "Pull yourself together."

"Alright, yeah. I got you, eh...her don't worry." Eddie said taking a step back. "You told her to wait at the bench?" he asked. You give him a nod, "yep, she'll be headed there at the final bell." you hum.

Eddie nods and turns to walk away. He slows his steps in hopes that you had more to say. Though as the silence lingers he turns around, "Um, Thing One and Thing Two might come looking for you. Lucas bailed for his big game. They're hunting down a sub." Eddie says to you, walking backward up the hall.

"I told them you're probably going to the game, or working, so..." he lulled. "Please be free." his mind whispered.

"Yeah, I already told Jeff that I had to work, when he invited me to the final campaign." You reply. You weren't sure if you'd imagined it, but it looked as if Eddie deflated just a little.

"Good, that's..." He sighed, "great" his mind groaned. "I'll make sure to let them, know." He said.

"Anyway you should get going, the girl is spooked, don't keep her waiting." you warn him. Eddie nods and takes his leave.

As you watch his that Dio patch get further away, a chill shivers down your spine, and your breath catches in your throat. The feeling is dizzying, like the drop of the roller coaster. "What was that?" you whisper to yourself.

"Eddie!" you call out for him, unsure why. But he's already rounded the corner and you've gone unheard.

"It's probably nothing..." you tell yourself, turning to head for the exit as the final bell rang.

As Eddie walked through the trees, it seemed far more still than usual. The world was quiet, leaving him to his loud thoughts and blaring regrets.

He could spot Chrissy through the trees, and as he approached her, she nearly screamed.

"Whoa, hey," Eddie called out carefully, "sorry." he chuckled offering a disarming smile, Chrissy sighed in relief, "I didn't mean to scare you." He said.

Chrissy watched as he walked to the table, "you sound just alike." Chrissy murmured. "Who?" Eddie asked glancing over his shoulder, "you and Y/n, when she/he, um helped me earlier." Chrissy spoke timidly.

Eddie turned his head to hide a short-lived smile, at the bitter ache in his chest. "Yeah, we get that sometimes. Anyway, you've got nothing to worry about, we're safe." Eddie said, taking a seat.

Chrissy took the bench across from him and carefully look around. "No one ever comes out here, I promise." he said.

"So, how does this work?" Chrissy asked.

You focused hard as you wrote onto a clip board, listening to the sounds of an engine that just didn't want to get up and running. "Jesus, it needs a new engine too?" You ask Harvey as he leans out the window of the customer's car.

"The list keeps growing, I can't complain, it's a nice payday for everyone. But Phil really needs to just let this old clunker go." Said Harvey.

Turning to a large white van pelted in dents and scratches, you point your pen at it. "Who's poor ride is that?" You ask. "Bunch of strange kids, little older than you. They had to push it in here. Said they'd needed to get out of town soon. But they won't be going anywhere in that bad boy." said Harvey.

"Huh," you sigh. "What's wrong with it?" you ask.

"It's shot up like a junky, that's what." he replied.

"And you took their business? That's suspect, Harv. What if the thing is stolen?" you eye the van carefully.

"I don't turn away money, Y/n." Harvey stated simply.

"Maybe this is where the bad feeling came from?" You think. "Lets hope not."

Back at the Bench, Eddie grinned from ear to ear as he watched Chrissy laugh. It'd be a long time since he'd smiled so much, it felt good. "She remembers the band, she remembers me. Chrissy freaking Cunningham!" his mind cheered as they parted ways, heading back to the school.

It was just the pick me up needed to get in the zone for the campaign. "And you're giving her a ride to your place to sell her..." Eddie's mind sighed, "this isn't actually happening!" it cheered again as he entered the side door.

The evening carried on like a burst of fireworks. Eddie lingered behind the school, sitting on the hood of his van, waiting. His smile was stuck to his face like gum on a shoe. "So Henderson and Wheeler managed to find the perfect replacement for Sinclair," Eddie thought with a chuckle, "another Sinclair."

He tilted up his head up to the sky, "and you're technically hanging out with Chrissy. Even if it is kind of business." Eddie focused on the stars, "It's really, truely starting to feel like my year." he sighed, closing his eyes.

Something small still hurt, like an infected splinter, or stepping on a goat head thorn. The smile gradually turned upside down. He could feel the chill in the night seep into his skin.

Chrissy stood before him, watching. She'd gone unnoticed, and the look in Eddie's eyes made her own heart hurt. "He's so nice, too nice to be so sad." she thought. "It was that same look on Y/n's face when I asked if she/he was dating Eddie." Chrissy thought.

"You know, you could always just start over." Chrissy called out to him.

"Huh?" Eddie asked, looking down at her. Chrissy smiled, "Y/n, just like you she/he's hardly scary. You miss them." She said. Eddie gave a strained smile, "is it that obvious?" He asked.

Chrissy shook her head, "No, but I know a thing or two about putting on masks to hide the truth." she said, as if confessing a secret. Eddie slid off the hood, "we should get going before anyone notices." he says.

"If it counts for anything, I think she/he misses you too." Chrissy told him before climbing into the passenger's seat. "I tell you what, if I pass Ms. O'Donnell's, I might try to start over. But I'll need a wing woman, you know." Eddie said playfully. Chrissy giggled, "I'd be happy to help." said Chrissy.

With that, Eddie started up the van, and the two headed off into the night.

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[harringtonlovers]

COME AND GET YOUR LOVE | STANCY

chapter 2

“ steve harrington, journalist ”

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Steve Harrington was never a morning person. He was known to stay up all hours of the night, listening to the radio while throwing a ball in the air. If he wasn't doing that, he was attending a party, or even out smoking and drinking with his friends. His last resort was to take a late-night swim. His last, last resort was doing homework. Homework was his least favorite thing to do, but he knew he had to try somehow.

This morning was different. Different in a horrible way. His coach forced all the players to sign up for a meeting with the school's guidance counselor for a check-up. The goal was to see if any of the boys were having issues with class, their home life, or their social life. Steve felt that the checkup was pointless since nothing was out of the ordinary for him. His parents were most likely preparing for a business trip again, his grades were as average as they could be, and he loved everything about his social life.

Ever since he joined the basketball team freshman year, life seemed to turn upside down. Growing up, he had few friends and rarely went out of the house. But ever since his father showed him how to play basketball, Steve was done for. He was head over heels for the game, loving everything about it. Hawkins was known for their team, so when Steve was placed on varsity, it was a win for the Harrington household. But now, it seemed dreadful to be a part of the team due to the checkup.

His alarm clock went off a half-hour earlier than normal. Steve usually skipped homeroom because it was a waste of his time, and he used that extra half-hour to sleep. But now he had to get to school for the meeting. Steve wasn't surprised at all when Ms. Kelley called the landline and told the family that his appointment would be during homeroom. Granted, Steve was going to be excused for not showing up for once. However, he would rather be sleeping than talking about his feelings or school life.

Rolling out of bed, Steve decided to just show up at school with his pajamas on, being the usual gray sweatpants and a cut-off tank top that advertised the Hawkins basketball team. All he had to do was slip on the nearest shoes and pack his bag for the day. If anything was missing or he felt like changing, Steve knew he could skip out of school and come back without a problem. The boy stuffed random things into his school bag. His Walkman went last, being placed gently onto the top of his Hawkins High School Varsity sweatshirt. He figured he'd wear that if it was too cold outside.

Heading out, Steve grabbed his varsity jacket. He slipped the green and white piece of leather on, letting out a sigh as he walked out of the door. He didn't even bother saying bye to his parents because he knew they would be gone all day. Steve would see them eventually.

The next thing he knew, Steve was slumped in his chair. He listened to the sound of the front office phone ringing, growing tired of the same expression the secretary would say. His scowl only seemed to grow as each minute passed. Steve was itching to use his Walkman, but he didn't want to accidentally miss his name being called. Glancing down at his watch, Steve squinted his eyes. "What the hell is happening in there?"

Steve shot up as he heard the door slam shut. His eyes adjusted to the scene in front of him. It was none other than Nancy Wheeler, forehead pressed against the door with a look of defeat written all over her face. Steve crossed his leg over the other, a grin appearing on his lips. He loved to admit it, but watching Nancy Wheeler walk out of the guidance office completely wrecked made his heart swell a bit. "Is she done?"

Steve watched as Nancy looked over. "Excuse me?" She replied, words full of disgust.

Steve rarely messed around with Nancy, but whenever he did, he knew he had to make it last long. Since the ripe age of six, the two of them have rarely gotten along. In first grade, Steve and Nancy were forced to sit at the same table. Their teacher had noticed the constant bickering between the two. Steve would shove Nancy and Nancy would trip Steve. The two battled back and forth, making it hard for their teacher. But one day, Steve had taken it too far by cutting off a chunk of Nancy's hair during recess. Nancy avoided him like the plague ever since, and that's when Steve figured he started to not care for school.

Since Nancy despised him, Steve made it his mission in life to annoy her. They managed to share classes in grade school, but the two started to drift off during middle school. Nancy moved up, Steve stayed stagnant. Nancy found her passion—school—while Steve decided to pursue sports. However, they never failed to share lunch, and that's when Steve would bother her the most. He made it a point to approach Nancy at lunch during middle school, in which he pulled at her hair and talked her ear off.

The bickering started to dwindle when the two entered high school. Steve put his focus on basketball and girls, barely paying any attention to Nancy. They also barely crossed paths since Nancy steered clear of the gymnasium. However, the same as in middle school, they shared lunch. Steve liked to think of himself as more mature, considering he left Nancy alone at lunch now. He took any chance to steal a few glances, though, in hopes she would look at him. He always enjoyed flashing his signature grin while Nancy rolled her eyes.

"Ms. Kelley." Steve sat up a bit. "Is she done?"

Nancy's brows furrowed which only made the grin on Steve's face grow. "I just left the office, didn't I?"

Steve knew why Nancy disliked him. Sure, he made the mistake of cutting her hair off in front of everyone in the first grade. But why hadn't she moved on? It drove him absolutely insane, but he was slowly trying to move on from his feud with Nancy Wheeler. He felt it was fair to take a few jabs, though, because Nancy was too easy to mess with. "Didn't know if I was next, sweetheart."

"Please don't call me sweetheart, Jackass."

Steve scoffed. He watched Nancy hurry off to homeroom, causing the boy to let out a huff. He placed his hands on his hips before getting the last words in. "God, you better go before you're late for homeroom!"

It wasn't his best comeback, but he got the last laugh. That's all that mattered. Steve listened to the front office doors closing before glancing at Ms. Kelley's room. His sigh echoed as he trudged toward the door. Knocking softly, Steve said a little prayer, hoping she wouldn't be in the office.

"Come in!"

Steve muttered a quick 'damn it!' under his breath before entering. He turned on his charm, flashing a smile before taking a seat in front of the guidance counselor. "Morning Ms. Kelley!"

Ms. Kelley returned the smile. "Nice to see you, Mr. Harrington."

"Steve's fine." The boy's grin grew wider. He would do anything to hurry this meeting up.

"Alright, Steve." She smiled. "So, your coach set up these meetings?"

"Yeah." He sighed, shaking his head. "'M not sure why. I feel that I'm doing fine. Socially, I've got great friends. Been trying to go out with this cheerleader for a while and I think she'll accept a date soon."

The thought of his cheerleader brought a smile to his lips, along with a soft blush. Steve had been after Chrissy Cunningham, captain of the cheer squad, since their sophomore year of high school. Chrissy was the perfect girl for him: sweet, full of positivity, and smarter than a whip. She had the softest voice known to man, making Steve's knees turn into jelly. He was head over heels for her and wanted nothing more than to score a date with her.

The two had been friends for a while, but Steve started to notice Chrissy was more talkative around him. They shared a lunch period and physical education. The two sat at the same table, side by side, and stole glances at one another during PE. The only downside was that Chrissy went off to journalism every afternoon with some of the other guys on the team. Eddie Munson and Billy Hargrove, Steve's closest friends and biggest jerks he had ever met, shared that class with her. He envied them.

"Family life is good because they're barely home. So much privacy, ya know?" Steve continued. "And my grades are av—"

"That's why your coach sent you here."

Steve froze. Had his coach set up these meetings for people who were struggling? Steve didn't feel as if he was struggling. Was there something he was missing? "Excuse me?"

"Your grades." Ms. Kelley said.

"My grades? What about them?"

"Mr. Harrington.."

"Steve."

"Right. Steve." Ms. Kelley snickered. "You're not doing too hot right now. C's in History and English, a D in Science? An F in Math? You've skipped psychology more times than I can count. Your attendance is out of control. You're doing fine in physical education, but you're lacking in everything else. Is there anything that's preventing you from doing your work?"

Steve gulped. His mind began to race with all kinds of excuses. He was too busy with basketball, barely had any help at home, and just wasn't good at school. The boy struggled to come up with a solution. He found himself scratching at his fingers, an anxious tick he seemed to have. It occurred most before a game. "N-No...nothing is preventing my work."

"Are you motivated?" Ms. Kelley asked.

"Motivated? Of course I am." Steve chuckled nervously. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your grades show otherwise, Mr. Harrington."

The boy didn't even feel like correcting her. "What happens if I don't improve my grades?"

Ms. Kelley sighed before leaning back into her chair. "Well, your GPA will drop more than anticipated. This could detour college applications because schools wouldn't be too happy. And you could potentially get kicked off the basketball team."

Alarms went off in Steve's head. Kicked off the team? How could he have let his grades slip so badly? "Kicked off the team? You've got to be joking, right?"

"Afraid not, sir. You're required to have a 3.0 GPA to be on a sports team. You're at a 2.7."

Steve huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He slumped down into his seat, unable to process what was happening. How was he supposed to bring his grades up before applying to college? The boy had been struggling all summer with what to put on his application, but now he feared there wouldn't be an application at all. Schools were interested in him, but there was no chance in hell that the schools would accept him after seeing his grades. "Jesus." He muttered before looking up at Ms. Kelley.

The boy felt horrible. He was having a mini panic attack, fidgeting with his fingers and letting his leg bounce up and down. Steve didn't like to show this in front of others, but he figured it would be fine in front of Ms. Kelley. She was the guidance counselor, after all. "Everything alright?" Ms. Kelly asked, concern written all over her face.

"How am I supposed to bring my GPA up before applications are due? Miss, if you can't tell, I'm freaking out over here. I can't get kicked off the team! You've got to help me." Steve begged.

Ms. Kelley flashed a smile. "Of course, of course."

He watched as Ms. Kelley tried to process his situation. Steve hoped and prayed that no one would call his parents and tell them the bad news. The last thing he needed was to disappoint his family. "Any solutions?"

Ms. Kelley's face lit up, indicating she had some sort of idea for Steve. "I can set you up with a tutor."

Steve winced. "A tutor?"

"Yes, yes. She's one of the best, I swear." Ms. Kelley smiled before grabbing a piece of paper and a pen. She wrote down a phone number and slid it over to Steve. "Here's her number."

Steve snatched the paper. He glanced over the numbers, curious to know who they belonged to. "I'm sorry, but who is this that I'm supposed to call?"

"Nancy Wheeler. Do you know her? She's the sweetest and so bright." Ms. Kelley gloated.

Steve's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Nancy's name. Nancy Wheeler was a tutor? He remembered her scurrying off into the library a couple of years ago, but he just thought that she was going to study or do homework. It never occurred to him that Nancy was a tutor, though it made absolute sense. "Nancy Wheeler? Oh, yes, I've heard of her. Curly brown hair, blue eyes? Wears grandma sweaters all the time?"

Ms. Kelley's face scrunched a bit. "Uh, yeah. Her."

Steve nodded before letting his smirk reappear. "Nancy Wheeler. I guess I should give it a shot, no?"

"If you want to raise your GPA, then yes. Absolutely." Ms. Kelley nodded.

Steve had never felt more ecstatic in his life. It gave him the perfect opportunity to bother the living crap out of Nancy for a night and move on once he rejects her. Then he would have to go back to square one with tricks to get his grades up. He figured he could pay someone to do his work if all else failed. "I'll give her a call then."

Ms. Kelley nodded. "Perfect. I am also going to suggest a change to your schedule. I'd love to see you join some kind of club. Perhaps art? Maybe a music class? How about..."

"Journalism!" Steve shouted.

Ms. Kelley jumped a bit, holding her chest out of shock.

Steve exhaled before chuckling nervously. "Sorry."

Ms. Kelley nodded. "Journalism? Do you like to write?"

Steve nodded frantically. Writing pieces seemed pointless, but getting an easy A to write about whatever he wanted seemed perfect. Another idea flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning. This was the perfect chance to get some time with Chrissy. It was also great to get Eddie and Billy off of her back. He would—hopefully -get the opportunity to muster up the courage to properly ask her out. "I love it! One of my many passions, honestly."

"Amazing! How come you haven't signed up before?"

Steve froze. "Uh..." he chuckled. Steve was usually quick on his feet, but it was hard to lie to someone like Ms. Kelley. "Dad preferred me to stay in sports. Crazy right? But I can totally pursue this passion now!"

Ms. Kelley nodded. "Yes, yes. Absolutely." She smiled before reaching into one of her drawers. She pulled out a slip and wrote down something quick. "Bring this to the front desk so they can get the transfer in. You should be able to start today, fifth period, but if you get a call, then you won't be starting until tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Sounds great!" Steve snatched the paper. "You've been lots of help."

"You're so welcome. I would love to see you come back in two weeks, okay? Don't forget to call Nancy Wheeler, too. Speaking of which, she's in your new journalism class as well! What are the odds?"

Steve's day just seemed to be getting better and better. How did he get so lucky to be placed in a room with two of his closest friends, his crush, and the girl he loved to bother the most? He could skip down the hallway and let out a squeal if he wanted to. "No way! I hope we can be friends then."

Ms. Kelley nodded once more. "I hope so too. Well..thank you for meeting with me. Two weeks you should come back, okay?"

Steve nodded before grabbing his bag. He slung it over his shoulder before heading toward the door. "I'll see you in two weeks, ma'am."

Steve left the office before Ms. Kelley could say anything else. Before leaving the office, he dropped off the transfer slip at the front desk. Afterward, he paraded down the hallway. He knew his friends would get a kick out of the transfer into journalism, and he hoped Chrissy would be thrilled. However, his biggest excitement had to do with Nancy Wheeler. He was going to be able to bother her at least once a day. Granted, he backed off for the most part. But deep down, he knew his presence alone annoyed the shit out of her.

Only more motivation to go into journalism today.

———

As the bell rang, Steve found himself smiling. He had managed to make it through the day without skipping any of his classes. It was the start of the fifth period, also known as his new class. Journalism was right down the hall, so the boy took his dear sweet time. Usually, he'd walk to class with his friends, but he felt the need to do a dramatic entrance. It was the only way he knew he could make an impression on Chrissy, all while annoying Nancy.

Approaching the door, Steve did a quick crack of his fingers. He felt the sweat on his palms as he reached for the door and popped it open. His eyes went wide to the vastness of the journalism room.

It seemed that the room was divided into two. One side seemed to be more typewriters with wider desks, while the other side was more computers with compacted desks. His eyes scanned the room and immediately found his red-headed crush. A smile spread across his face as he watched Chrissy type away on the nearest typewriter. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore her infamous cheer uniform.

"Harrington?"

Steve spun around and his smile only grew wider. "Munson! Billy!"

Eddie Munson and Billy Hargrove were best known as Steve's best friends, as well as his teammates on the Hawkins High basketball team. The three were closer than most, hanging out with one another since joining the team their freshman year of high school. Even after four years, they were inseparable. The three had gone through a lot together, mainly with heartbreaks and loss, but they managed to stick by one another when they needed it the most.

Billy Hargrove originated from California but relocated to Hawkins after a brutal divorce between his parents. He went with his dad, earning him a new stepmother and stepsister. Billy usually drowned his sorrows in cigarettes and beer, burning all the calories off by partaking in late-night basketball sessions. He dabbled in girls, too, taking them to Lovers Lake and showing them a good time. He held the group together by being the jackass he was, but the others learned to love him that way.

Eddie Munson stuck out like a sore thumb. His hair was dark, long, and curly. When he wasn't sporting the Hawkins basketball uniform or varsity jacket, he loved to wear all black and participate in his club called Hellfire. The boy had two different personalities, but somehow everyone loved him. His smile was contagious and full of light, making anyone he meets fall to their knees in a heartbeat. He played guitar and wore rings, which made the girls swoon.

It was safe to say that the three of them were an attractive, dynamic group.

The two boys stood in front of Steve with a dead stare. "What the hell are you doing here?" Billy asked, toothpick in mouth and hands on his hips.

"Just transferred into here. Surprise!" Steve smiled.

Eddie felt his lips tug up into a grin. "You're lying, you piece of shit."

"I swear." Steve drew a quick cross over his heart. "Ms. Kelley told me that transferring would be good for my grades. Besides, I knew I'd be with you guys!"

"And Chrissy," Billy smirked.

Steve felt his cheeks heat up. "Chrissy's in this class? Wow, I had...I had no clue!"

"Cut the shit, Harrington." Eddie shoved his friend. "Welcome to the class, but you might have to check in with our Editor-in-Chief."

Steve snorted and waved his hand in the air, excusing the instruction. As he continued his fits of laughter, Steve slowed as he noticed Eddie and Billy weren't laughing along. "You're serious?"

"Dead." Billy motioned toward the front of the room.

"I can't just write about sports?" Steve asked.

"Sure, but you gotta be assigned to it. Obviously. Come on, Harrington, you should know this." Eddie rolled his eyes.

"I'll send a prayer to you." Billy patted Steve's shoulder.

"A prayer? For what?" Steve questioned.

"For her." Eddie pointed toward the center of the room.

Steve whipped around. The moment he saw Nancy Wheeler sitting at the biggest desk known to man, he knew he was screwed. "Nancy Wheeler is the Editor-in-Chief?" Steve knew she was in this class, but had no idea that Nancy ran the class.

"Are you surprised?" Eddie questioned. He crossed his arms over his chest as he huffed. "She's a monster. Terrifying but so smart."

"No way you're scared of her." Steve chuckled. "She's completely harmless."

"Maybe to you," Billy said. "She can be a little..."

"Bitchy?" Steve finished the sentence. The boys nodded. The brunette flashed a smile at his friends. "Right. Well, I can handle her."

Those were the last words he said before making his way toward Nancy. The closer he got, the more concentrated Nancy looked. It was going to be difficult to share a class with her, but Steve knew it was going to be a walk in the park. "Excuse me?"

"Give me a moment." Nancy held her finger up. "I'm making some flyers!"

Steve took the moment to place his palms on the desk. His knuckles gripped the desk as he glanced over Nancy's flyers. They were a bit pathetic, but he loved knowing that she was going to get a call about tutoring from him later on. "Wheelers Wisdom? How clever."

"What are you doing here?" The flare of Nancy's nostrils was more than enough to make Steve grin.

"I just transferred into this class."

Steve watched as Nancy's face twisted in disgust. "No, that must be a mistake."

Steve pulled out the slip of approval from Ms. Kelley. He flaunted it to Nancy. "No, no it's not. See?" Steve handed it over to her. "Journalism. Yeah?"

"Who the hell approved this?"

Steve leaned closer to Nancy, his grin growing wider. "Take a look, darling."

Steve watched as Nancy's eyes flickered to the piece of paper. His face relaxed as hers tightened. "She didn't."

"Oh, but she did. So, what's my job?"

Nancy took a moment to reply. All Steve knew to do was sit back and relax, watching the Nancy Wheeler Not Getting Her Way show. It was his favorite television show, honestly.

"Can you clean?"

Steve wondered why she would ask. Of course, he could clean. Couldn't everyone? "Can I clean?"

The boy watched as Nancy went under her desk and came back with a bottle of cleaning spray with a rag. Where did that come from? And why was he being assigned to cleaning duty while everyone else got to write something? "You're serious? I thought this was a writing class."

"Yeah, but I'm the boss here." Her finger pointed to her desk to show off her marking. Steve hated that Nancy owned the title of Editor-in-Chief. "Editor-in-Chief. I approve and delegate. And right now, I'm delegating you to clean the windows. Sound fair?"

Steve didn't know what else to do. How could he fight Nancy's wishes? If he screwed up again, who knows what kind of class he'd be forced into? He at least had a shot of getting a B in journalism, considering his writing skills were decent and he knew how to wipe down a window and some desks. "Whatever you say, princess." Steve backed up, all while shaking his head. "Tomorrow, I expect to be writing something. Maybe sports?"

Nancy rolled her eyes, which only made Steve smirk some more. "Doubtful, very doubtful!"

Steve turned his attention away from his new boss. Once his back faced her direction, he did a quick roll of the eyes with a mocking face. Nancy Wheeler was truly a nightmare. He flung the rag over his shoulder before looking up. His eyes found Chrissy, making his mocking face relax.

Striding over to her desk, Steve sat on top of her desk. "Chrissy! You're looking beautiful as ever."

The redhead looked up, her eyes brightening at the sight of Steve. "Steve? What are you doing here?" Her cheeks flushed with excitement.

"Just transferred. Isn't that great?" Steve always had a way with words, especially when it came to girls like Chrissy.

"It's fantastic!" A smile fell upon her lips. "Have you talked to Nancy?"

Steve could melt at the sight of Chrissy. Her smile overtook her face, and it made his knees weak. "Sadly."

"For a geek, she truly is a bitch." Chrissy mumbled. "Oops. I usually don't think that way of people." The girl sighed. "If the shoe fits, though..."

Chrissy's words stung Steve a bit. He was notorious for calling her names behind her back, but it felt wrong when someone else did it and his words were more mild. Especially someone like Chrissy. "She's a handful. Who put her in charge?"

"Well, she's great with journalism. She's just such a bitch." Chrissy rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what are you writing?"

Steve showed her his rag and spray. "Cleaning duty."

"Ouch!" Chrissy giggled. "She truly does hate you, huh?"

"So you've heard? We don't get along the best. I screw up once in first grade and she can't seem to move on." Steve's eyes flicked up to look at Nancy. Feeling the crease in his eyebrow, Steve took in the scene in front of him.

Jonathan Byers was standing next to Nancy, showing her pictures he had recently developed. What seemed like an innocent scene to others was far different from Steve. He watched as Nancy's smile grew wider whenever Jonathan looked at her. She fidgeted with her hands as they spoke. Nancy occasionally placed her hand on Jonathan's shoulder, shoving him playfully. It was something Steve was used to witnessing with girls.

Nancy Wheeler had a crush on Jonathan Byers.

"Chrissy?" Steve questioned without taking his eyes off Nancy and Jonathan.

"Hmm?" The girl looked up.

"What's with them?" Steve gestured to Nancy and Jonathan.

"Who, Jonathan? Oh, he's in charge of the yearbook. They talk all the time. Usually with updates about their separate workloads." Chrissy followed Steve's eyes. "Why?"

"Just wondering." The boy smiled before lifting himself off of Chrissy's desk. "I'll catch you later, Chris."

"See you at practice!"

Steve sent a wink to Chrissy but missed her reaction as he turned his back to her. He figured that she was blushing and or thinking about him. His ego wanted to tell him that, at least.

Making his way toward the window, Steve glanced back at Nancy. Jonathan Byers was still at her desk, and her antics never stopped. It felt pathetic watching her be so painfully obvious about her crush. But that's when an idea settled into his mind. He had the perfect solution to his problems and potentially some for Nancy.

All he needed to do was call her.

———

Steve threw himself onto his bed. Sweat dripped down his body as he exhaled. Wiping his forehead, Steve's mind went empty.

The rest of his day was filled with meaningless activities. He continued with his classes, skipping the last two to sneak in a cigarette and go to multiple periods of physical education. He stole glances at Chrissy throughout practice, getting distracted to the point he ran into Eddie and Billy multiple times. This crush was having him fall head over heels.

Steve took his sweet time getting home, making quick conversation with Chrissy after practice. However, his friends and hers had crowded them, making it impossible for them to have some time alone. That was the leading factor to him going home right off the bat instead of stopping by Eddie's or Billy's. Plus, he had more important things to take care of than messing around with Eddie and Billy all night. He was feeling responsible for once.

Once he pulled up to his house, his parents' car was gone. He figured they went out to some fancy dinner with one of his dad's clients. Steve liked it that way. Having the house to himself allowed him to do whatever he wanted. But in reality, Steve didn't partake in illegal activities unless he was out with his friends. He barely even snuck extra junk food into his mouth or turned the volume up too loud on the tv. When he was home, he used the time for himself. Time to unwind from his exhausting days of high school.

His eyes darted around the room, immediately landing on his landline. Sitting up in his bed, Steve ripped off his t-shirt. He exposed his abs, exhaling as soon as the cool air from his fan hit his stomach. He grabbed the landline before fishing in his bag for the piece of paper Ms. Kelley had given to him. "Come on..." He mumbled before grabbing onto the paper.

Steve pulled it out and stared at the numbers. He found it weird how easy it was to get access to Nancy's phone number. He hoped and prayed that Nancy would be home to answer the phone. But who was he kidding? He knew that Nancy would be home, probably studying or getting ready for bed.

Dialing the number, he let out a sigh. What if Nancy decided to reject his idea? It seemed like a good one, at least to Steve. The thought benefitted the both of them so he hoped that Nancy would at least consider the offer.

Finishing off the number, Steve tossed the paper to the other side of his bed. The boy laid back down in his bed, listening to the dial tone. His leg began to bounce up and down anxiously as he waited for someone to pick up the phone. Moments passed and there was no answer in sight. Steve was about to give up before he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Hello?"

Steve shot up in his bed, mouth open ajar. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before potentially scaring Nancy off. "Nancy? It's Steve Harrington."

Steve listened to her soft breaths, biting down on his lip anxiously. The sounds of her breathing seemed to fade, causing Steve to panic. "Before you hang up!" Steve begged.

Silence fell between the two.

"I have a solution to all of our problems!" Steve concluded.

All he could do now was hope and pray that Nancy Wheeler was willing to listen to Steve's pleas.

[pedropascll]

Steve being a cop? No way. Cops are inherently adversarial and do not help people. If anything, Steve Harrington should be a teacher or a school counselor or something. A job that actually helps the community and kids would feel safe asking him for help.

I think the cops would have a different role in the town post s4 than typical police officers that are ‘inherently adversarial’…I’m just thinking about the aftermath of the destruction of Hawkins, and maybe him working with Hopper to help people because the police would have no idea what had just happened, you know?

I get what you mean about him being a teacher or counsellor, but I personally can’t see him being a teacher since he didn’t seem to like academics at all. Being a protector came so naturally to him, and in this universe maybe that’s what the police can be too, like they’re supposed to be. Just a theory!

[tiny-as-a-firely]

closed starter for @incalescentia

Dorothea Taylor was usually a perfect student.

That is, until two weeks ago when she sat in the academic counselor’s office and learned that she needed to pick an elective. She had allowed it to slip through the cracks, which meant that she had to sign up for the first class that would accept her with late notice.

The Age of The Renaissance and Reformation.

Blegh. Even the name made her cringe as she made her way across the literature building which housed all the written arts classes. She longed to be in one of the classrooms she was walking by, talking about journalistic integrity and writing about truth. Instead, she was rushing to her boring history lesson that she hadn’t done any of the summer reading for, because she had only been assigned to the class for a week.

Dora forced herself to not look at the front of the class as the door opened with a soft groan. She walked straight to the back, ignoring the slight pause in the professor’s lecture as she sank into her seat in the back row next to her history-geek friends.

“You’re late.” One of them whispers.

“I know.” She grumbles.

“You missed it. He reaches up to turn on the projector earlier and you could see his arm muscles under his shirt.” 

Dorothea rolls her eyes before finally glancing up at Dr. Conrad Hawkins, "NYU’s hottest professor". Or at least that’s what the history girls say. Dora opens her computer and pulls up the school portal, eyes scanning for her grade that she should have received near the start of this class.

D+.

Dora slams her computer shut with slightly too much gusto, causing the students around her to glance back at her, Dr. Hawkins pausing to look at her.

Someone set me on fire right now.

“I’m sorry.” She says, and something like amusement flickers across Dr. Hawkins’ features before he continues to speak, pacing at the front of the class. Asshole.

Dora tries her best to listen to the lecture, and even her friends eventually go back to taking notes, obviously engaged with the material. She settles for opening her computer and scrolling through the website of the New Yorker, skimming through the Arts & Culture section that had been updated this weekend.

“Miss Taylor, can I have a word before you go?” Dr. Hawkins’ voice pulls her away from her reading, and that’s when she notices that class has been dismissed. Her friends give her knowing glances as they walk down the lecture hall and out of the room, leaving her to face the best. Traitors.

She scoops up her things and walks up to the front of the room, exhaling a sigh. 

“Hi, Dr. Hawkins. You wanted to talk to me?”

[my4inchdick]

let's talk about this scene:

This scene involves Max going to her school counselor, Ms. Kelly's, house. She needs to find out more about Chrissy, because she knows that Chrissy was seeing Ms. Kelly. However, she ends up ditching the idea and stealing the keys to her office so that they can break in.

we know that max can pick locks. We know that she's picked locks before, because in season two she picked the lock to the AV room. 

now, dustin, steve and max later got into hawkins high, and we don’t see how. dustin said they were "breaking and entering", so either they literally broke a lock to the school, or Max picked it, which is the more likely option. so clearly there was a completely feasible way for her to get them into Ms. Kelly's office, meaning there was no reason that we know of for max to go there at all.

So, there was clearly something that was narratively important within that scene, possibly the keyhole clock Ms. Kelly has, or the key around her neck, or both.

food for thought

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Looking into Jungian psychology, are we?

You might be interested in this post I made a while back.

yall i found the will byers wiki 😯🧐🧐

[especiallynothim]

For all your byler needs (:

Hey lovely byler community (the Duffers included)! This is just going to link a bunch of people who have good byler theories, fanfictions, fanarts, etc. I will edit the post when I find more good people! (also giving fanfics separately)

Here is Kaypeace21 (tumblr):

 https://kaypeace21.tumblr.com/ She does amazing byler posts (as well as ordinary ST theories) literally everything she says I believe in.

Here is Hawkins School Counselor (tumblr): 

https://hawkinsschoolcounselor.tumblr.com/post/625175996694429697/are-there-any-new-team-ups-and-interactions This person does so much hard work and is so underrated! They do theories, they’re not afraid to say their opinion and are just awsome! (like everyone else mentioned)  

Here’s an amazing fic to wash down some byler theories!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13488132?view_full_work=true The Red Envelope is just amazing! Here’s the description: When Will needs to get his thoughts out of his head, he writes a letter he never intends to send. He addresses it to Mike, and tells him everything.Feeling lighter than he has in weeks and buoyed by the adrenaline of writing it all out, Will acts on an impulse and ends the letter with, "If you’d be willing to give me a chance, I’d be really happy to date you. If you’re open to trying it, please meet me in Castle Byers this Saturday at 2:00pm. I’m not asking for any promises, I’m not asking for forever or anything like that; all I’m asking is that you give me a chance. Come if you want; if not, I completely understand, no hard feelings, and I’ll never, ever mention this again."He forgets all about the letter, and the distinctive red envelope he stowed it in, until he turns around to find it missing. Now, Will has to think of some way to stop Mike from reading that letter - or should he wait at Castle Byers on Saturday at 2:00pm and pray for a miracle? [End description] I haven’t read the entire thing, so please don’t tell spoilers!

Some video theories just to give your mind a break from reading

https://www.youtube.com/user/kaychill15 This is Kaypeace, this is just her YouTube account. (Amazing, just like her tumblr)

Now lets jam to some fun music! (Songs that remind me of byler) 

https://open.spotify.com/track/5U5p472hgeXUKvh0d8RL4K?si=xlHewrjlQIOigrlkNPy9bQ (The song played when we first see Mike and El kissing, there’s a drawing of Will, overlapping Mike’s name with rainbows and hearts, Mike can never surrender trying to shift his feelings toward El.)

https://open.spotify.com/track/1JSTJqkT5qHq8MDJnJbRE1?si=mMTKgcjHTdG5x2nPed6C4w (The song at the Snowball - the words “Every smile you fake” plays while showing Will smiling.)

https://open.spotify.com/track/5WwqdeavrQrbeAMDxGawse?si=FWpRqg11R0CoXEc7Adx1_Q (The song also was played when Mike and El had their make-out sessions, but the drawing of Will, this is from Will’s mixtape to Mike, the peoples sung about have been friends for years, one of them finally thinking that their crush will like them back)

https://open.spotify.com/track/6W7ztLBiRzBN46ZaPAcQ0F?si=OKAlyxUvQgq9lFeOcBWu_A (Dirty Dancing had it right)

https://open.spotify.com/track/3fH4KjXFYMmljxrcGrbPj9?si=OpzUSvO5QSqdy0EiarZ8Cg (Mike better not forget about Will)

https://open.spotify.com/track/39shmbIHICJ2Wxnk1fPSdz?si=wisXmSx0TkaqL-Pkqujhlw How could I not put this song in!?

https://open.spotify.com/track/21uFfgSfkwvDwJA26GbmWl?si=7roRqyMwR3qdVq7ND3uUjw (Played at the Crazy Together scene)

A couple friendships between Robin and Will while you listen to the music!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19902016 Here’s the description: Robin and Steve are debating how to flirt with customers, when Robin decides on a bet.Is Will gay? Is he really in love with Mike?Robin's gay intuition is saying yes. Steve doesn’t believe her. Maybe Jonathan knows the answers. 

https://www.wattpad.com/790904512-in-which-robin-buckley-and-william-byers-meet-in Here’s the description: In which Robin and Will meet. I got this idea from seeing some fan art and watching a video titled 'WILL BYERS IS GAY ASF part 2' by 'claudia says hi' check out her channel it is amazing. she should honestly become a writer for stranger things. I just got inspired so this is probably not gonna be how Claudia said it. Also, this probably sucks. ¡DISCLAIMER! I, sadly, don't own Stranger Things or any of the characters. I only own most of this plot. I also do not own the cover. I don't know who does but credit to them.

Some sad byler themed music:

https://open.spotify.com/track/5rEvuW4YhwobKwGL1HPrXA?si=c5i1nGq0T2ioYV6RZyslLg (Mike only knew he liked Will when he moved away)

https://open.spotify.com/track/50I6fV2otuiDmigTtN6WMY?si=oIaoFNXeQgmOsqFXSkuP0Q (Played when reviving Will)

https://open.spotify.com/track/3CRDbSIZ4r5MsZ0YwxuEkn?si=8-Fl_pxXSFKH3pOYd6MZjg (Will wishes he could turn back time to the good old days)

https://open.spotify.com/track/5LpSOWK15E95kkeSiEKEZ8?si=l975VWPXSSeWaGHMlnZ7NA (Played during Will and Mike’s fight)

https://open.spotify.com/track/0AmHen3jIJEUburl5bLkPR?si=24zymUt-Q-yXVsWkCQSAlw (Played when destroying the castle)

https://open.spotify.com/track/1Q3t9fWvHUXKsMmpD2XpUu?si=VS_5Ws7NQTqTLN3uNTQn2w I just imagine this song playing when Will is riding away on his bike to destroy castle byers

https://open.spotify.com/track/1gYMahNjulEXAPhxlm27ek?si=qRG2OI8RQD-V89hnlCE3-w When Will “died”

https://open.spotify.com/track/6tqzOYuE3lrNVPDgtF3MjM?si=ZR41CFLjS4q5lA8z4r8DfA The lovers that went wrong

https://open.spotify.com/track/5DqdesEfbRyOlSS3Tf6c29?si=7PXGaU5sToOLHAB3qTrxyw Mike realises that he’s always liked Will, never El

https://open.spotify.com/track/1Fid2jjqsHViMX6xNH70hE?si=TDwSqIQeTgC13RMKw7LGAg This song just fits so well

https://open.spotify.com/track/4vWeIrIQQrbThS11ogLTmu?si=ox5OUd1qTWGXdtwV8xMOcw “I can’t help but love you”

https://open.spotify.com/track/4xqrdfXkTW4T0RauPLv3WA?si=WH1PDP_EQzCIn1SEjzt_wQ This just fits Will’s POV painfully well.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2n0U2OG5d6TuW5mKx7YrC0?si=D52TOuAqQ6uAMfAy1I9dMQ One-sided byler (This song literally makes me cry)

https://open.spotify.com/track/5XPSElbh3y0S1Jl0ggpwQr?si=vG0_Zz8nRuyegBXnUq3o2A Mike changed when he turned 14

https://open.spotify.com/track/0rRjGruFonCGOt0S5zAJNQ?si=zURFhWuXTcu255UCp1CxUQ “Bye bye baby blue” (Mike when saying bye to the Byers and El at the end of S3) “wish you could see the wicked truth” (He’s gay) “ Curled up in a grip when we were us” (Crazy Together) “I settle for a ghost I never knew, Superparadise I held on to, But I settle for a ghost” (Eleven)

https://open.spotify.com/track/2ihCaVdNZmnHZWt0fvAM7B?si=gm_BgS6JS-KOQGoKthIR0Q “Don’t listen to a word I say” (Will is possessed)

If you have any other songs, theories or fics, please send them to me!

[juicinmyjams]

untitled gym class fic

A ball whistles past his face, centimeters from his nose. 

Eddie doesn’t want to be here. 

He wouldn’t be here under normal circumstances but his guidance counselor had practically hunted him down, dragged him to her office, and told him that if he didn’t start getting his ass to class and actually staying there, it would be Hawkins High Senior Year, round three for him. 

So now, instead of spending fourth period doing literally anything else, he’s here, in gym class, fighting for his life during the dodgeball unit. 

Or, more like ducking and diving and weaving and running for it, death grip on the ball he’s had since the beginning of the match, fingers creaking from how hard he’s holding it. It’s all about survival and ignoring the stitch in his side. 

There’s something in the air today and Eddie would put good fucking money on it being Harrington and Hargrove on opposite teams. He’s never been one for high school politics but he would have had to smoke his whole stash and then dip into his supplies to miss the power struggle between those two. Especially the Monday they both came to school, beat to hell and back. No one could figure out what happened and both of them were silent about it. 

Still, it never really concerned Eddie until right now that he’s smack in the middle of the fucking fire fight the two have instigated in the middle of 4th period. 

And it’s a big one. He’d thought, maybe like an idiot, that it would have fizzled out. King Steve had seemed to be more than happy to give up his crown, letting Hargrove slip into the power vacuum he’d left behind. 

Until today. 

It’s a weird place to make a stand, the dodgeball court in gym class. Eddie’s not sure what changed, but it’s like the return of the fucking king here. Harrington’s a live wire, like he used to be. And Hargrove’s putting up a hell of a fight about it, giving back as good as he gets.

Maybe something happened over the weekend, or somebody said something in the locker rooms. 

Whatever it is, Harrington is in top form today, running around the court, nigh untouchable as he bends to scoop up rubber balls and hurl them back across the center divide, thighs flexing in those short Hawkins High P.E uniform shorts. 

Another ball comes at Eddie and he doesn’t have time to duck, brain still lagging over the mole on Harrington’s mid-thigh. All he can do is raise his hands to block. It doesn’t hit him, just bounces off the one he’s been holding, sending it up into the air. 

Harrington is on it immediately, catching it before it hits the ground and then speedballing it back to the other side, getting two people out in one go. 

“Nice one, Munson!” He says, looks up and-

Oh, it’s horrible. Awful. The worst thing that’s ever happened to Eddie. 

The guys got color high on his cheeks, flushed from battle and his hair is still fucking good, even as it flops over his forhead. His eyes are the worst, sparkling, with crinkles around the corners and he’s smiling, full on, like he’s having a blast. 

All Eddie can do is blink, rapidly as his brain forces him to auto-reboot on the spot. 

Then, someone says something. Eddie doesn’t know who it is at first, or what is said, still can’t pull himself away from Harrington’s face so he sees the whole thing, as the guy looks away, watches as the joy slides right off only stopping until he’s hit a frown.

It’s fucking criminal. 

Eddie follows Harrington’s line of sight, finds Hargrove at the other end. The guy also has a kind of manic glee on his face, one that comes out at parties, when he’s being a dick. There’s nothing about it that’s happy, only a sick kind of triumph as whatever he says hits home. 

It’s not planned, what happens next. Eddie doesn’t even think about it until he’s got his ball in hand, cocked and ready to go. And then he’s throwing, releasing, watching as it goes sailing through the air. 

As it connects with Hargrove’s upper chest. As he recoils, almost in slow motion, and this time it's his face that morphs, to anger, surprise. The ball bounces off of him and falls to the floor, dribbling away in the sudden silence of the gym as everyone falls quiet to watch. 

Hargrove stands there almost in shock, until the teacher blows the whistle and tells him he’s out. 

And then there’s laughter, right next to Eddie. Harrington’s not smiling like he was, but it’s close. A little bit of sunshine in the gross gym, his laugh sending Eddie’s stomach straight into knots. The noise of the game kicks back in as people start up again. 

“Great throw, man!” 

And then he’s coming for Eddie, hand raised, still fucking laughing. 

Eddie’s no good at the high five thing that sports guys do, but he manages okay, Harrington’s sweaty palm meeting his own with a satisfying clap.

These are the most coordinated five seconds of Eddie’s life and he can’t believe they’re happening during a dodgeball game. 

Harrington crosses behind him, to head back into the fray and-

And then there’s a pat, firm and quick. Unmistakable. Right on Eddie’s left ass cheek. 

Eddie’s brain shorts. Vacates the premise entirely and he’s left blinking after Harrington as he doesn’t look back, carries on dealing out carnage, dodgeball style. Picking up balls and launching them across the court with precision. Going on with life like he didn't just completely alter Eddie's.

Eddie’s still watching, not with an open mouth, definitely no, when suddenly he sees stars.

The sting of rubber doesn’t register until a few seconds later, and it’s not until he hears the whistle of the teacher does he realize that he’s been hit, smacked right across the face. 

He’s out. 

He turns and walks on jelly legs, to the bleachers. Finds a spot he doesn’t have to climb for and sinks to his seat.

-

This comes from me being too competitive at my recreational sports league and this post by @frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe

EDIT: how could i forget this post by @yudol-skorbi which is always the high school steddie vibe to me

[spoodrm4n]

Just a Feeling

Parings: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Summary: The Hawkin’s group is reeling after almost losing Max. You realize you are having the same symptoms, but stay quiet, not wanting to be a distraction in solving Vecna’s curse. 

Warnings: angst, mentions of injury, mentions of abuse.

Word Count: 3.5K

You gasped awake, entirely too hot and threw the thin blanket that was draped over you off of yourself as sweat dripped down your forehead. You knew what was inevitably coming, you had already put the puzzle pieces together with Max’s symptoms when you all had broken into the school counselor's office. You had shared the same symptoms with Max, but kept quiet, only being a couple days behind her. You didn’t need the group to worry about you when Max’s life was in more danger than your own. 

You were sleeping in the Wheeler’s basement. Steve, ever your loving boyfriend, had insisted you take the couch while he slept on the floor beside you. Dustin was on the other side of the coffee table on the floor as well. Nancy and Robin had slept in Nancy's bedroom; they had invited you as well, but you opted out, wanting to stay with Steve and the kids. Max and Lucas had the other couch, sound asleep next to each other. You didn’t blame the girl after the day she had. She had her walkman beside her and headphones around her neck, Kate Bush still playing softly through them. 

“You okay?” You jumped as Steve placed a hand on your shin. You looked down at him and he still seemed half asleep and his usually perfect hair was a mess on top of his head. 

“Yeah, yeah fine. Go back to sleep,” You patted him on the shoulder and he accepted your answer, turning back around and going back to sleep, his soft snores sounding through the room. You breathed out and stood up, careful not to trip over Steve or Dustin and walked up the stairs to get a glass of water. You opened the door quietly and shut it, going to grab a cup from the cabinet and filling it up in the sink. You downed the glass and put it in the sink. You gripped the edge of the counter, ducking your head down and thinking. If you had added it up correctly, tomorrow was the day you died– or today you realized as you looked at the clock above the basement door. 

“Shit.” You muttered, throwing your head back. You blinked and when you opened your eyes again, you were standing in the Wheeler’s kitchen still, but it was deformed. Cabinets were rotted, the sink was rusted, the wallpaper was torn and falling off the walls, and the outside window above the sink was dark except for bright flashes of red lightning. If you could imagine hell, this is what it would look like. You froze as you heard the familiar, eerie, chime of the clock you had seen in your first vision. This was your second. You turned around to be face to face with a grotesque figure. He had vine-like veins that covered his body, no nose, and his eyes were a milky white. Vecna.

“Y/N… Your time is coming soon.” It rasped and you backed up, hitting the edge of the counter. Vecna stepped forward, closing the gap you had made. “Your suffering ends soon,” and as soon as it had started, it was gone. You slid down against the counter, knees up to your chest and breathing ragged.

“Shit, shit, shit.” You stuttered out, struggling to catch your breath. You looked around the Wheeler’s kitchen again. Everything was back to normal. You grabbed the edge of the counter, pulling yourself to your feet and looked around again, just to double check. You were fine. You walked towards the basement and were about to open the door when a voice stopped you. 

“What the hell was that?” You turned to see Robin staring at you, eyebrows raised in concern for her best friend. You weren’t sure how much she had even seen, but you tried to play it off. 

“I heard a noise, Rob and got freaked out. I’m just… jumpy after today,” you lied. You could only pray that Robin bought your excuse. Robin was one of your best friends and she knew you inside out. She could tell when you were bullshitting her. 

“I think we all are. Just try and get some sleep?” She ran her eyes over your figure once again, concern still swam in them, but she had believed you. Maybe after today everyone was more tolerant of jumpiness. You couldn’t blame them. 

“I will. You too, Buckley. I expect you to get at least eight hours.” You chuckled, opening the door and giving her a small wave as you made your way back downstairs. 

“Ever the mom friend.” You heard her chuckle to herself. You dodged the land mines that were Dustin and your boyfriend once again and laid back down. There was no way you were going back to sleep. You stared up at the ceiling, contemplating how you would end up spending your last day alive. 

It was going to be a long night. 

…

You trudged downstairs after getting ready in Nancy’s bathroom. You had tried to cover up any signs of insomnia with makeup, but you ultimately gave up, the bags under your eyes a bit too dark. Steve caught sight of you the second you stepped into the kitchen where everyone was eating the breakfast Mrs. Wheeler had made that day. God bless that woman for always taking care of kids that weren’t her own. You sat down next to Steve and you could already feel the concern radiating off of him. 

“Did you not sleep at all last night?” He whispered, trying not to interrupt the table’s conversation, but also trying to keep your own conversation private. 

“Not for long. I think I got a couple hours. Couldn’t sleep after we almost lost her.” You quickly made up an excuse. You felt bad that Max had become your excuse. To be honest, you were scared shitless for Max’s well being; you and the girl had grown close after the events of Starcourt. But she was the easiest and most reliable cover up you had at the moment. 

“You should’ve woken me up,” Steve put his hand on your knee, thumb rubbing up and down on your jeans. 

“What good would that have done? We both wouldn’t have slept. Better to have one out of commission rather than two.” You shrugged, placing your hand on top of his with a reassuring smile. He gave you one last worried glance before he was rejoining the conversation. 

“That’s the Creel house. I know where that is. We can check it out and see if there’s any more clues,” Nancy suggested, hands on her hips as she stared down at Max’s drawings all put together. 

“That’s our best bet right now. It’s not like we have any other leads.” Max agreed, standing from the table. Nancy gathered her things, getting ready to go and the rest of the group followed suit. You all went outside to the Wheeler’s station wagon and piled in. You and Steve sat in the back facing each other. You looked down and toyed with the sleeve of your jacket.

“There’s something wrong with you.” You looked up to see Steve studying you. 

“I’m just tired, Steve.” You told him, crossing your arms over your chest. You sunk down in your seat as he kept looking you up and down. 

“You can tell me anything, you know that right? Nothing will make me love you any less.” You felt your heart swell at his words, a small smile forming on your face. You couldn’t ask for anyone better than him. Steve was always so loving. 

“I know, sweetheart. I’m just tired, okay?” You lied again. You felt guilt in the pit of your stomach, hating that you were lying to the sweetest man you knew. You grabbed his hand and squeezed it. 

“Okay. I just want to make sure. I know this stuff with Max is terrifying and I’m scared out of my mind knowing that this guy is just going around cursing people. I just don’t want it to be you.” You studied the floor of the stationwagon. You couldn’t look at Steve right now, especially after what he had just said. 

You arrived at the Creel House and you climbed out of the station wagon, Steve holding you by your arm so you wouldn’t trip. 

“The doors locked.” Lucas supplied, looking around the old, rotting porch for a key. 

“I found a key,” Robin smiled, picking up a brick. Steve blinked at her. 

“That’s a brick.” He deadpanned.

“Same thing,” she threw it through the stained glass and it shattered, allowing Steve to reach an arm in and unlock the door from the inside. He pulled his arm back out and opened the door. You followed in behind him and the others were behind you. 

“This place is old.” Lucas cringed at all of the dust floating in the air and not long after that he was sneezing. 

“It has been abandoned for a few decades.” Max’s tone dripped with sarcasm. She froze up suddenly and you followed her gaze to where she was looking. You stared wide-eyed at the grandfather clock in the entryway. The one you had seen in your visions. 

“Please tell me you guys see that too,” Max breathed, hands hovering over her headphones. Dustin, Lucas, Robin, Nancy, and Steve all looked at the clock and confirmed that the clock was actually there. You breathed out your nose, hoping no one had been watching you. All eyes were on either the clock or Max. Good. 

“Is that what you saw? In your visions?” Nancy asked, flashlight running over the grandfather clock. Max nodded slowly, turning to face the rest of us finally. 

“So what? Vecna’s a clockmaker?” Steve pulled his eyebrows together. You and Dustin looked at him. 

“I think you cracked the case, Steve.” Dustin rolled his eyes, patting Steve on the back. You bit your bottom lip, holding in a laugh. 

“Okay, let’s split up. Max and Lucas, you check the first level. Steve, Dustin, and Y/N check upstairs. Robin and I will search the attic.” Nancy sorted the seven of you. Max and Lucas started into one of the side rooms and you felt your shoulders fall in relief as Max put her headphones back on. 

You, Dustin, and Steve walked up the steps and walked into one of the first rooms you saw. The three of you searched the room, Dustin making a smart remark every now and then and then headed back into the hallways. 

“I mean what are we even supposed to be looking for here?” Steve argued with Dustin, obviously irritated with the latter's subtle insults. 

“Anything out of the ordinary, you know? Stuff that seems out of place.” You shrugged and went to open the next door. You turned the knob and pushed open the door only to walk into your childhood bedroom. 

“What the hell?” You walked further into the room, inspecting the walls. This was definitely your room. It still had some decorations that you had thrown out a couple of years ago. 

“Your mother is gone, so you’re going to have to suck it up. You’re being a little shit, Y/N!” You spun around and your father was there, a thick wooden stick in his hand that he had most likely got from the brush pile. “What? Are you gonna cry now? Can’t go cry to your mom! You know what happens when you disrespect me, bitch!” He was screaming in your face now. He grabbed you by the front of your shirt and raised his hand, ready to hit you. You squeezed your eyes shut, waiting helplessly for the impact but nothing ever came. You opened your eyes to see Vecna there, still holding you by the front of your shirt.  

You screamed and stumbled back out of his grasp. You were in an open field now, tall grass reaching almost your shoulders. You turned and ran away from him trying everything in you to get away. “Steve! Dustin!” You screamed, looking for any signs of hope. 

You didn’t know when you had gotten to a different landscape but you realized once you tripped over a thick vine. You face planted into the ground and the air got knocked out of you. The vine that had tripped you was now wrapping around your ankle and pulling you back. “No!” You screamed, clawing at the ground. 

“Y/N. It’s time for your suffering to end.” The vine had pulled up to what seemed like a deformed tree and soon three other vines encircled your other limbs, pulling you against the tree. You tried to pry your arms free but the vines only got tighter. You saw Vecna, only a few feet away from you now. 

“Y/N!” Steve shook your shoulder, desperately trying to get you to wake up. “Shit, sweetheart! Y/N!” He yelled, hands cupping your face. Your eyes were rolled into the back of your head and you were motionless. Vecna had gotten you. 

“Dustin! Dustin!” Steve screamed, grabbing Dustin by the front of his jacket. Dustin looked up at him, eyes wide and hands shaking. “Go find Max and bring me her walkman! Go!” He instructed, letting him go. Dustin nodded frantically and started running downstairs. 

“Why didn’t you tell? We could’ve done something, god–” Steve continued to shake your shoulders, pleading to a god above that you would be okay. He let out a sob as your feet lifted off of the ground. “No! Y/N, please! No, no, no!” He shouted, hands fumbling to keep you on the ground. You continued upwards, still unresponsive. He wrapped his arms around your waist, trying to anchor you but it proved useless. His grip went from your waist, to your thighs, to around your calves. He fell to his knees, face against your shins, tears staining your jeans. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Steve turned as he heard footsteps from the staircase. Dustin was there with Lucas and Max. Max had her headphones in hand, ready to give them up. 

“What’s her favorite song, Steve?” Dustin asked, opening the walkman and taking out the looped tape they had made Max. 

“I have it, I have it!” Steve pulled out ‘Out of Touch’ by Hall and Oates from his jacket pocket. You had always yelled it in the car with him and Robin, windows down and a huge smile on your face. He had kept it with him because he had a horrible feeling as of late, and wanted to make sure that if anything happened that it would be okay; that he could save you in case things went south. He shoved the cassette into the walkman and closed it. His head quickly turned back to you as he heard a sickening crunch. Your arm was bent at an impossible angle. Steve felt sick. 

“Boost me up, Steve. Come on!” Lucas shouted, grabbing the walkman from Steve. Steve shook his head, snapping out of the trance he had found himself in and crouched, Lucas getting on his shoulders. He stood up and Lucas reached up, sliding the headphones over your ears. Lucas pressed play, hooked the walkman to your belt loop, and hit Steve on the shoulder, signaling to put him down. Steve crouched back down and Lucas got off of his shoulder and stood by Max, arms linking together in fear. 

“What’s going on? Oh my god, Y/N!” Robin and Nancy joined the four, panic thick in the room as all they could do was watch you helplessly. Steve was frozen. He could vaguely feel the tears rolling down his cheeks and Dustin gripping his arm. The screams of the others felt like distant echoes as he realized that he could lose you. He held his breath as none of your other limbs seemed to be breaking; the music was working. It felt like hours had passed before you were gasping, your eyes going back to their normal color, and you were dropping. Steve acted fast, catching you before you hit the floor and pulled you close to him, your face in the crook of his neck. 

“Steve,” you choked out, sobs wracking your body. 

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you, you’re okay.” One of his hands held the back of your head and the other was on your back, rocking you both back and forth. 

…

The car ride home from the hospital with Steve was silent. The radio was of course, playing your favorite song, but Steve hadn’t said a word since you had been discharged. You looked at him as he drove. The moon lit up his face as he drove. His eyes were focused on the road, lips down-turned slightly in a frown, hair falling a bit flat than usual from the many times he had run his hands through it today, his eyebrows drawn together in thought, and a mix of freckles and moles were littered across his face. His grip on the steering wheel was tense and his posture was rigid. 

“Steve–” You started to speak but he cut you off quickly. 

“No. Don’t-don’t say anything. I just need a moment. Please,” his voice was stern and you felt your heart sink. Steve was angry at you, but you knew his anger came from how much he was worried about you. Steve had made a promise to you early on that he would never yell at you when you two fought. You two would always talk it out and resolve the conflict peacefully. It was a stark contrast to what you both had grown up with and you were incredibly grateful for Steve’s level headedness in situations such as those. 

You felt tears prick at your eyes and you quickly turned to look out the window. You just didn’t want to worry him when he had bigger things to worry about. He needed to be focused for Max and her sake. He needed to be fully present for whatever Vecna would be throwing at them. He didn’t want to plague him with constant anxiety about your well-being when you were aware that it proved fruitless. 

He pulled into his driveway and parked his car. The lights in the house were dark and you were thankful in that moment that Steve’s parents were never home. He got out of the car and walked over to your side, opening the door for you and helping you out. 

“Steve, it’s just my arm that’s broken. I can walk.” You told him gently as he guided you with an arm around your shoulder. 

“Just let me help you, please.” He replied, voice small. You nodded and he walked you to the door. He let go of you for only a moment so that he could unlock the door. His arm found its way back and walked you inside. You led you up the stairs and to his room and instructed you to sit. He started to pace in front of you, running a hand through his hair. 

“Y/N, I was scared shitless tonight. I thought that Vecna creep was going to take the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I have never felt so helpless, Y/N.” His voice cracked and you looked down to your hands, suddenly finding the skin around your nails more interesting. You picked at the tips of your fingers that come out of your cast. “Why didn’t you tell me? Any one?” 

“I didn’t want to be a distraction. Max was in trouble and we needed to keep her safe. We also needed to figure out Vecna without any other distractions.” You explained, still picking at your fingers. 

“A distraction? Is that what you think you are?” Steve sounded devastated. 

“I mean, yeah. There were more important things to worry about and I know how worked up you get when something’s wrong with me and we couldn’t afford to have any setbacks.” You tried harder to prove your point, but you knew it was a failed argument from the start. 

“You’re not a setback, you’re my girlfriend. You’re also their friend. And I’d say I have good reason to worry about you. You could’ve died, Y/N. God, you could’ve died,” Steve reiterated and you cringed. He stepped towards you and gently grabbed your chin, lifting your head. Your eyes finally met his and you felt guilt hit you like a train. His eyes were glistening with tears and his cheeks were already wet with them. 

“I’m sorry, Steve.” Your shoulders caved in and your face crumpled, sobs bubbling up your throat. Steve was hugging you in an instant. You hid your face in his chest and you cried and he rested his head on top of yours. “I was so scared.” You breathed. Your resolve had crumbled and Steve was the only on there to pick up the pieces. 

“I got you. You’re okay,” he whispered over and over into your hair, pressing kisses on the top of your head. Once you had finally calmed down he pulled away, brushing the hair away from your face. 

“How did you know? How did you know to bring the tape?” You questioned, the detail not going unnoticed. A smile formed on his lips and he held your face, pulling you towards him to kiss you on your forehead. He lingered there for a moment, drinking in the moment. You were still here and you were alive, next to him. 

“I just had a feeling.” He mumbled against you. 

[songbirdsingingthings]

Love-Gate - Steve Harrington x Reader

❀ Back to Navigation ❀   ❀ Stranger Things Masterlist ❀

WARNINGS: Some cursing, S4 EP3 Spoilers

Summary: Working as Ms. Kelly’s TA and having to stay late one night, you run into Dustin, Max, Lucas, and one of your closest friends, Steve. Revelations come to light and feelings are revealed.

Word Count: 2.8K

Steve was excited, well maybe excited wasn’t the right word… Steve was ready to have a stable length of time in Hawkins. No monsters, no Upside Down, and more importantly, no girl problems. The first two had remained – he and the now group of freshman kids he had continuously slain monsters with had heard no whisperings of anything spooky going on. Maybe it was the fact that El had lost her powers, or even that she and the Byers’ had moved to bright and sunny California. But, Steve was thankful for the lack of creatures and Russians knocking at his door constantly.

However, the third part of his grand plan was, unfortunately, not playing out how he would like it to. Every girl he goes on a date with turns out to be not right for him, leading him to complain to Robin at work and to you on the phone. Normally, and during the past summer, all he had to do was stroll over to Claire’s to spot you restocking the poofiest scrunchies known to mankind or trying to comfort a crying ten-year-old as she gets her ears pierced. It was a daily occurrence for him – he would poke fun at the bedazzled scrunchie that helped tie your hair in a half-up half-down (it was part of the store uniform) and you would give a fake-salute and say “Ahoy!”. Starcourt mall stores were nothing if not consistent with how awful their store uniforms were. 

He’d talk your ear off about how, no matter how hard he tried, every girl he flirted with didn’t return his affections. “Poor Steve,” you’d reply, earning a playful smack on the arm from him. After his break time was up, he’d give you one of his classic Steve Henderson smiles, drum his fingers on the purple check out desk, and say a variation of “catch you later” before he’d amble off back to Scoops Ahoy. You’d watch him walk back, flipping that silly little sailors hat around in his hands, and a dazed smile would form upon your lips. However, as quickly as it appeared, your thoughts would be sobered up by a group of girls asking where the jelly bracelets were.

Now, he had to resort to phone calls when there was a drag of customers at Family Video since you were busy being a teacher’s assistant at the school, shadowing Ms. Kelly in the counselor’s office. You were lucky that, for the most part, you could answer his calls. Nowadays, Ms. Kelly was up to her knees in files upon files of kids who were seeking her out for counseling. Due to the code of conduct, you weren’t allowed in the room while she was talking to the students, so you gave yourself busywork. Organizing paper clips according to size and color, cutting and filling out hallpasses, and sharpening pencils were what took up most of your days - but the pay and experience was good, so you didn’t complain. Plus, you were right there and available to take Steve’s calls… but you hated them. You hated having to hear about all these dates Steve was going on with all these different girls – hated hearing how he went to grab dinner, or watched the high school basketball game, or went to watch that new movie Top Gun that just hit theaters. Being friends with Steve Harrington was a full-package deal – you got the endless laughter and fun, but you also had to hear about his dating life.

Ms. Kelly needed you to stay late to organize some files, which would have been fine, except for the fact that it was 9:30 at night. You were feeling worse for wear with a lack of sleep and too many variables swimming around in your brain. Two kids have been found dead, the town had an edge to it again, and you hadn’t heard from Steve in a couple of days. You understood that he had his life and you had yours, but this four day period of time without a word left you feeling worried.

You shook your head, dragging yourself back into what you were doing as you re-alphabatized the files within subsections of grade. You were just finishing up with the freshmen when you heard a noise from the hall. The beam of light from your flashlight began to grow shaky as your hand trembled, carefully closing and locking the filing cabinet. Normally, you would have turned the lights on in the counselor’s room, but since it was Spring Break, they were conserving power. Taking a deep breath and arming yourself with the lamp stand to your right, you braced yourself against the corner of the room, ready to take action against whatever monster threatened you. Hell, you, Steve, and Robin had faced the Russians – if you could infiltrate a top secret organization, you could defend yourself… right? Ever so slowly, you saw the lock on the door begin to twist and shift, resulting in your breath getting lodged in your throat. What felt like hours only took seconds as the door was pushed open and you began your swing, only to halt yourself when you saw the shocked faces of Steve, Dustin, and Max.

“Y/N?!” They all yelled in unison, and in disbelief. You let out a shaky breath, dropping the lamp stand on the ground and leaning against the wall, like you got the wind knocked out of you.

“What the hell are you three doing here?!” You ask, exasperated. Wordlessly, Steve reaches out to help you stand firmly on your own two feet.

“Oh, uh, you know…” Steve begins to say as Max digs in her jacket pocket to produce a key, effectively opening up the files you tried to preserve.

“No, I don’t know, and– Max, you cannot look at those files!” You exclaim, shoving the drawer back despite the hold the red-head had on it.

“But we need to! Chrissy’s file is in here, and…” Dustin says, trailing off. You raise an eyebrow and then fully put your back against the cabinet, protecting its contents from the mock Watergate breachers in front of you.

“So that’s what this is about. You want to look at Chrissy’s file and see if it has any correlation between what’s been happening?” You ask, earning nods from all three. You closed your eyes for a second and began gnawing on your lip – a habit you’ve never seemed to break when you got nervous or were contemplating something.

“Y/N, please, can you ditch your goody two shoes mindset for just a minute? For the greater good?” Steve pleads, his expression earnest. Looking into his chocolatey brown eyes, you crumble. Huffing, you slide away.

“Fine, but only Chrissy’s file, okay? I can get in serious trouble for this.” You relent. A grateful smile unfolds on Dustin’s face while Max resumes her previous actions. “While you guys are in here snooping,” you say, making sure that a negative connotation stays on your last word, “Steve, can I talk to you a minute?”

“Yeah, sure.” He says instantly, leaning against the wall and making himself comfy. With a deadpan look, you flick your eyes to the door.

“Alone?”

“Oh, yeah.” Steve corrects himself, letting you lead the way out of the room with him on your toes. As soon as you’re out in the hallway, you let yourself slide down the wall so you’re sitting on the ground, Steve opposite to you. You twiddle your fingers for a bit before looking up at him again, a little shocked to find that his eyes were trained on you. “Everything okay?” You sigh and nod and then shake your head.

“I assume you and the rest have some idea of what’s happening?” You pose the question, fearing the answer. Reluctantly, Steve nods a bit.

“Max saw Chrissy in some kind of predicament, and then saw her go into Ms. Kelly’s office.” He says. At his words, your head goes into your hands. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Steve says, kind of cooing but with clear concern heavy in his tone. From anyone else, you would have hated that. But it’s Steve. He shuffles over to you and wraps an arm around your shoulders.

“I’m in there, Steve, every day and I watch these kids come in. Now there’s someone that ended up dead who just recently had to seek counseling?! And I couldn’t do anything just cause I’m some stupid TA who isn’t allowed to help.” You say breathlessly, shaking your head.

“Y/N, you are not stupid. You were, like, the smartest girl in the whole school and always willing to lend a hand.”

“And look where that got me. With a low paying job and single.” You spit bitterly, your gaze on your knees laced with malice.

“Alright, that’s not fair. You’re the best person ever, everyone knows that – including me!”

“Then what’s stopped you?!” You shout, a sense of helplessness touching your expression and voice. Steve opens his mouth like he’s about to say something, but nothing comes out. About a minute passes before he’s able to speak again.

“What?” He croaks out, his face the definition of disbelief. Before you can think of something to say, Max bursts out of the classroom with not one, but two files. It pulls you out of your conversation with Steve instantly, your goody two shoes turtle shell concealing you again.

“Max, you were supposed to grab Chrissy’s file, that's it.” You gritted out, anger clearly etching onto your face.

“Yeah, but it’s not just Chrissy. Fred was seeing Ms. Kelly too.” When Max mentions the other kid’s name, the second confirmed death, it causes your mind to spin. You beckon her over to where you and Steve were sitting, ushering her to open up the two files to look at them side by side. Instantly, you found the similarities. Constant headaches, nosebleeds, past trauma – almost everything was lining up word for word between the two kids. Shaking your head, you squint at Ms. Kelly’s handwriting as if it would reveal something more to you. All of a sudden, Max stood straight up, her face clearly concerned, as she began to walk towards the end of the hallway, looking intently at the door.

“Max?” You ask softly, not wanting to startle her. Dustin and Steve repeated her name, more urgency with their voices until she finally stopped and looked back at you. Her skin was so void of color and her hands so shaky. To you, it was like she saw a ghost.

You don’t remember how you got to Steve’s room – all you knew was that you were asleep on one his plaid-patterned bed, your neck bent at an unfortunate angle that will definitely leave a crick. Your eyes flutter open to see Steve sitting next to you, his fingers fumbling while flipping a page of a book. You blink the tiredness out of your eyes, rubbing away any lingering sleepy dust.

“Harrington,” you murmur, drawing his attention immediately, “you look like a fish out of water with that thing in your hand.” Eyeing you and then the book, Steve lets a little smile develop in his lips.

“Yeah, yeah,” he says, accepting your little jab. “You slept like a rock.” He notes, almost chuckling at the state of you.

“How many hours?” You ask, pushing your hair that most definitely resembled a rat's nest away from your face.  Steve twists his left arm, revealing his watch. Oh, how you adored that watch. With a simple leather band and a round clock face, it remained a constant of Steve Harrington’s.

“A little more than 10 hours.”

“Holy shit,” you breathe, shaking your head a bit in disbelief. “I haven’t gotten that much in… well, I don’t know how long.” Steve shifts so that he’s laying down a bit, his head level with yours.

“We should talk about what you said,” he says, a more serious tone touching his words. This was what you dreaded.

“How about we forget them instead–” You begin, but Steve shakes his head.

“You can’t feel guilty about what’s happened.” He says, which gives you both a moment of relief and a moment of dread. Relief that he wasn’t going to mention the other thing that happened and dread as you were forced to think about the recent events.

“Steve, how can I not? I obviously knew something was wrong the minute they entered that office, and instead of looking into it, I just followed direct orders from a teacher because that’s all I know how to do. I mean, just look at me last night! I could barely even let you guys look at these files even though I knew I could trust you. I knew that shady stuff happens in Hawkins since the Russians and that huge monster that destroyed Starcourt. And yet, I paused and hesitated.” Steve gives you a pitiful look. “If I had just… followed an instinct or a gut, none of this would’ve happened. Chrissy and Fred, they would be okay and alive. Max wouldn’t be in danger.”

“Y/N, that’s not fair.”

“But it is!” You exclaim, tears threatening to spill from your eyes. Wordlessly, Steve gathers you into his arms, and holds you to his chest. Your fingers grasped at the soft yellow material of his sweatshirt and you knew that your sobs were dampening the cotton, but he didn’t move. He just held you closer.

“It’ll be okay. Robin and Nancy are already on the case at this psychiatric place and Dustin and Lucas are with Max at the Wheeler’s.” You nodded and pulled away a bit.

“Sorry about… this. I didn’t mean to, well, you know.” You say, motioning with your hands towards your tear-stricken face.

“You’re allowed to feel sad, Y/N. You’re allowed to cry.” Steve says, a sad smile on his face now.

“I know, it’s just… this wasn’t what you signed up for when you befriended the happy go-lucky Claire’s employee.” You say, laughing a bit.

“Well, was all of this what you signed up for when you befriended the Scoops Ahoy employee?” Now you were freely laughing, him joining in as well.

“Secret codes and saving town were definitely not in the handbook, but I signed it all the same.” You say. Steve sits up, leaning against his headboard.

“I wanted to be your friend the second I saw you.” Steve admits, sobering your smile just a bit. “I’d seen you working dozens of times, but it wasn’t until that knucklehead Lucas stopped by to grab a gift for Max. Now, if I were you, I would’ve given him total grief for it – teased him to no end as he asked about what to get for his girlfriend. But you just smiled and showed him what you would recommend.” You were astonished that he remembered that, blinking back a look of surprise. Steve picks up your hand gently and rubs his thumb over your hand. “And then, when you began talking to me, you didn’t hold that same notion of ‘King Steve’ or whatever that shit was. I was a blank slate for you until I introduced myself. And Y/N, I swear to everything, I am the stupidest guy alive for trying to hide my feelings for you by talking to you about all my failed dating attempts, because the only girl I really wanted to date was you.” Steve huffs out, breathless from his confession. Before you have a second to think, you’re cupping his cheeks in your hands and bringing up towards you. Taking the message immediately, Steve closes the gap by pressing his lips to yours. The kiss is slow and a bit awkward due to where the two of you were sitting, but it was perfect. Each push and pull expressed a need for each other, assuring messages of love. With one final kiss and a peck on your lips, Steve pulled back, letting his forehead rest against yours.

“Steve Harrington…” you say, out of breath, “I love you, Steve Harrington.” A dopey, lovesick grin spreads across both of your faces.

“I love you, Y/N L/N. Glittery scrunchies and all.”

“Sailors hat and all,” you shoot back.

“Monsters and Russians?” He asks, making you giggle.

“As I said – my signature remains true.” You laugh. Steve’s arms were where you wished you could spend the rest of your day, probably even the rest of your life. But of course, a call from Dustin not so subtly told the both of you to, quote, “get your asses over here” to the Wheeler’s basement. With his hand in yours and a sense of fearlessness in your mind, you knew that whatever was going to happen, it would be okay. Everything would be okay.