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sheisjoeschateau · 1 year ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You sighed. “I’m good with that.

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

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

You frowned. “Not so good with that.”

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

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

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

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

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

Steve swallowed, unblinking. What now…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah, but what if — w-what if —”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lucas smacked him.

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

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

El looked worried. “How come?”

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

El held you tight, cautious of your ribs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Fry it with what?” El asked innocently.

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

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

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

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

“Thank you, Murray,” Joyce reprimanded him.

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

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

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

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

“...have…decaf…?”

Steve’s heart swelled, his cheeks flushing.

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

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

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

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

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

“How're you feeling?...”

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

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

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

“Yeah. You can say that again.”

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

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

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

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

Her heart seized, voice tight. “Hey.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Herself. She was mad at herself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eddie gulped. He hated needles and doctor tools.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hey, Mur?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

“What?” he asked you, quizzically.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Touché,” Steve nodded.

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

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

“He can honestly suck mine, too.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“STEVE, WHERE’S THE PUDDING?”

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

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

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

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

Stepdad of the year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Jesus, Robin, a heart arrhythmia…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve sniffed. “You tryna steal my girl?”

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

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

“Think she’d approve?”

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

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

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

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

Steve liked that. When.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

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

Argyle and Nancy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Oh, that is so NOT an excuse."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Jason," Nancy muttered lowly.

"That guy."

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

There was an awkward pause before Argyle spoke.

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

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

"Why didn't you tell him that?"

"...what?"

Oh shit, Eddie gulped.

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

Another awkward silence.

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

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

"I...I..."

Meanwhile, Nancy was uncharacteristically not sounding sure of herself.

Argyle gained speed.

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

"Whoa, what?" Nancy stuttered.

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

"Argyle...!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nancy and Jonathan are not alright.

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

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

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

"I'm literally whispering."

"And spitting."

"Sorry."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Robin nodded fiercely. "We will."

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hey," they awkwardly repeated.

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

"Is uhh, is Steve here?"

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

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

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

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

DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING STOP.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FUCK YOU BYERS. FUCK YOU.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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dwobbitfromtheshire · 1 month ago

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I'd only feel slightly sorry for anyone who hurts Nancy's partner(s). I can see her being the overprotective girlfriend who pulls out the shotgun and hunts them down. . .

*que Nancy kicking down doors, screaming (not Nancy), and a couple of shotgun blasts before. . .

"OH MY GOD! MY KNEES!"

"You're fine," Nancy said. "I just grazed you, just enough to scar you, and when you look at that scar, think of me."

#stranger things #nancy wheeler #autistic nancy wheeler #pansexual nancy wheeler #stancy #jancy #stoncy #ronance #edancy #stedancy #sleuthcheer #nancy wheeler x reader #rueleigh's thoughts #rueleigh's random thoughts

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roanofarcc · 1 year ago

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PROJECT SUNSHINE

the complete masterlist or read on Ao3

stranger things season 1-5. a steve harrington x hawkins lab!oc

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory finds herself fleeing from a long survived nightmare, she crashes into the life of one unsuspecting teenage boy. together, they are dragged into the dark mysteries that begin to consume the small town of Hawkins, Indiana.

SEASON ONE. the lost children of Hawkins, Indiana

SEASON TWO. the return

SEASON THREE. the cruel summer

SEASON FOUR. the deal with god

SEASON FIVE. the end

coming soon...

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington x orginal character #steve harrington fanfic #stranger things fanfiction #steve harrington x reader #stranger things au #project sunshine #stranger things moodboard #byler #jancy #jopper #elmike #willel

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skyfallslayer · 1 month ago

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Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Chapter Seven

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

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: While Lucas warns that “The Bad Men are Coming”, Eleven struggles to reach their loved ones. The Adults and teens try to figure out what the next step is, and Steph takes her promise to get Will home to a whole ‘nother level.

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

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 11,379

🎲Date: 3/6/25

🎲Warnings: Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; References To Broken Friendship; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Broken; Lying; Crying; Implied Unloving Parents; Implied Child Abuse; Blood, Gore, & Arson; Temporary Death; Will & Steph's Mental Strain - Joyce's Too; Hopper Being a Great Cop & A Total Mess; Eleven Needs Therapy; Steve's Emotional Damage. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N: Happy One Year Anniversary of the story! We're so close to season 1 being over! Just one more chapter and epilogue of the season before moving on to #2.

I will admit that this might not be my best work in this chapter. The pace may seem pretty fast, but only because this the final stretch that'll pave the way for next season. Hopefully, it's still up to your guys' standards ❤️. Enjoy!

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Will winced as the water drenched his cut. The older girl who was the cause of it apologized, frowning before tying it with some cloth she found.

“Hold still. I’m going to make it a little tight in hopes to prevent an infection.” Steph replies, tugging on it then applying a knot. “It doesn’t look too deep.”

“Which is a good thing?” He asked, and she hummed.

“It’s better for me to see if there is an infection happening, so… yeah. It is.” She pats the bandage lightly, a message to tell him she’s done, making him slide his coat back on. “Good job on the fighting, Will The Wise.”

He smiles. “Good job as well, Steph The Ranger. No, wait–” He perks up. “Steph… The Courageous.”

“Steph The Courageous.” She tests with a little laugh. “I like that. I’m coining that for our campaign.”

Then they continued to make a bit of small talk as they walked around where they laid out some tripwire, ignoring the sounds of the burning clock tower tumbling down behind them. They wandered inside one of the alleyways, getting closer to where they saw the trap had been knocked down.

Stephanie hums again, looking past it and out in the distance. “It looks like it came from this direction.” She says, as they start walking again. They go past their trap, following in a straight line. They went out of the alley, across the road, into another alley which led to the end of the edge of downtown Hawkins. “Look, another one.”

Will trails his eyes to the broken wire before out into the opening, which so happens to be the beginning of the woods again (Why did Hawkins have to be so green?). “So where does this lead?”

“Well…” She begins, taking a few steps onto the grass, tapping her foot to show him something -- there were indents in the ground, ones far too big to be human. “From the looks of it, it didn’t follow us from your house.”

“It didn’t come from where Steve’s house is either, so we know there’s no gate there anymore.” Will points out, coming over to look at it. “The footprints look like they continue straight for pretty far.”

“So what else is in this part of the woods besides the houses? The Quarry?”

“Isn’t there a lab near here?”

“Yeah.” Then it finally dawned on Steph. “Wait. Isn’t your house near that lab?” He nods. “How close is it?”

“I mean it’s pretty deep in the woods, at least that’s what Jonathan said to me. But I still technically live ‘near it’.”

“So… where I crashed my car, would that be considered close to the lab as well?” He thinks and nods again. “Jesus.” She sighs. “Of course all of this started because of the big mysteriously hidden laboratory. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner.”

“Do you think the gate’s there?”

“Well, if our theory’s correct, then yeah. And not only that, it’s not just a gate, that’s our main spawn point. It’s our shot home.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to look.”

“Then let’s go.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The walk back to the car was quiet, comfortable, but quiet. Steve had offered the tired girl a piggyback ride if she was up for it -- which she gladly took up since she felt so mentally drained. The drive home was a bit more chattered, not a whole lot, but enough to pass the time. When they got back to the Wheeler home, it was nearing the end of the afternoon, the temperature could be felt dropping slightly, and an orange color started blossoming into the sky. The four of them slipped back inside through the side door, unaware of someone watching them from a distance.

“That’s better.” Mike said, after helping El clean the dirt off her face and hands. The girl shakes her head, her gaze then turning to the mirror, examining her shaved head, a look of shame on her face. “You don’t need it.”

Her hopeful eyes turn to him. “Still pretty?”

“Y-Yeah! Pretty. Really pretty.” He manages to say, getting a huge smile from her. “El?”

“Yes?”

He felt his face feel hot while saying, “Um, I’m happy you’re home.”

“Me, too.” A light knock comes from the door, separating them both (They didn’t realize they got so close to each other).

“Hey, just checking in.” Steve says, worriedly. “Do you–” He points to her. “Want another jacket? I know mine’s pretty big, so…”

“N-No.” El says, shaking her head again. “It’s… comfy.”

And then before the oldest could comply, he was almost bulldozed over by Dustin. “Guys!” He shouts, looking between them. “It’s Lucas, I think he’s in trouble.” They all followed him out as he continued rambling. “Do you remember how he said he was looking for the gate? What if he found it?”

Mike picks up the walkie talkie, and sure enough Lucas was on the other end shouting, but none of them could decipher what it is because of the static.

“What’s he saying?” Steve asked, fearing the worst.

“I don’t know, he’s way out of range.” Dustin explains.

[ ‘--Son of a bitch!’ ]

“Well, we could hear that.” Steve says, as Mike presses the button and brings the walkie close to his face.

“Lucas, if you can hear us, slow down. We can’t understand you.”

[ ‘Y-Yes, I co-py! D-Do you? They kn-ow ab-out Eleven! Get o-out of there! They kn-ow ab-out Eleven! The b-bad men are co-ming! All of th-them! Do y-you hear me? The b-bad men are co-ming!’ ]

The three of them looked at each other, confused.

“‘Mad hen’. Does that mean anything to you? Like a code name or something?” Dustin asked, as Steve shook his head.

“I don’t think that’s what he said.”

[ ‘The b-bad men are co-ming!’ ]

Mike’s eyes widened. “‘Bad men’. Bad men!” All their faces dropped when he said those words. “Stay here!” He hands the walkie over to Dustin before racing up the stairs, Steve in tow out of fright. He heads straight for the window in the living room, peeking outside. Sure enough, there was a suspicious looking man inside a van.

He glances over at the teenager, saying, “You don’t think…”

Steve catches onto what he’s suggesting instantly. “Shit, shit!” He replies, pulling Mike away from the window, and closes the drapes. “Oh, my god… what if he saw us?”

Mike bites his lip, thinking. “Hold on.” He takes off again for the kitchen, his mother was talking on their landline, completely preoccupied. “Mom!” He tries as she quickly turns her back to ignore. “Mom! MOM!”

Karen groans under her breath. “I’m sorry, can you just hold on please?” She holds the device against her chest while facing her son. “Michael, I’m on the phone. I’ve told you a million times–”

“Did you schedule any repairs?”

“What?”

“Is there anyone supposed to come and do repairs on the house?”

“I don’t understand. Is there something wrong–”

“No, Mom, nothing’s wrong in the house.”

“Michael, please, list–” She trails off, spotting someone coming into the room. “Oh, Steve, honey, real quick, uh, I just took the trash out a few minutes ago, and it looks like one of your tires is low.”

Steve’s heart sank, and so did Mike’s. “What?” He mutters, and takes off to the window again. He had a clear view of the driveway, the car he was in not even an hour ago had a flat tire… and then…

He saw something else. More copies of the van he saw were driving up the street.

“Oh, fuck!” He rushes back to the kitchen where Mike was still going back and forth with his mom. “Wheeler!”

“Hang on, Steve.”

“Mike!”

“What?”

“We need to leave... right now. Um–” He could feel the stares of Mrs. Wheeler on him intensely. “I just remembered, um, the o-other half of the school project you needed to do.”

“Oh…” Mike nods in understanding. “Uh, yeah. Yeah! Right! I almost forgot. Let’s go.”

“Michael!” Karen yells, stopping her son again who throws her through another loop.

“If anyone asks where I am, I’ve left the country.”

She blinks. “What?”

“Steve, what happened?” He asks, as they rush down the stairs, meeting with the others.

“There are way more vans now. And those people do not look friendly.” Steve replies, brain in overdrive. “We have to get out of here.”

“W-we got to get into your car.” Dustin said, feeling his heart start pounding.

“We can’t.”

“What?”

“They slashed my tire. It’ll be too risky now to go out and try to fix it.”

“Shit.” The Henderson starts pacing around while holding his head. “Shit!”

“C-Calm down…” The eldest said, trying to be the strong one. “We need to think. And fast.”

Mike was practically bouncing on his heels to try to get an answer. “Um…” Then it hit him. “We can take bikes!” He looks at Steve. “I know it’s girly, but you can ride Nancy’s.”

“Shit, I don’t care if I have to ride Holly’s tricycle, let’s go!”

They wasted no time throwing open that door, bikes in hand, and running up the hill behind the house. Their hearts were pounding in their ears, anguish was eating them away and–

They paused their actions for a split second, Eleven looking down and locking eyes with an older man, his face stern and hair as white as snow. Seeing him made her freeze and squeeze Mike’s shoulders. That action alone made them kick it into gear. Dustin screamed many ‘Go’s’, as they all piled onto their bikes and took off, the vans following behind.

“Fucking hell–” Steve mutters under his breath, looking around frantically, a fear that the vans were just going spawn out of thin air.

Dustin on the hand was like a statue, body ridged and face going numb. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God–”

[ ‘Dustin! Dustin, do you copy?’ ]

He perks up at the voice from his headset. “Yeah, Lucas, they’re on us.”

[ ‘Where are you?’ ]

“Cornwallis.”

[ ‘Meet me at Elm and Cherry!’ ]

“Copy. Elm and Cherry!” He shouts, activating them to change their route immediately. As they popped out onto another road, two vans were soon trailing behind. “Shit!”

“This way, come on!” Mike yells, making them cut across someone’s yard and out the back.

Dustin starts ringing his bicycle bell to get some kids’ attention. “Out of the way!” He warns, waving his arm. “Out of the way!”

They nearly knocked the poor kids over, but there was no time for apologizing. They continued their short cut until getting out onto another street, slowly down to a stop.

“Sinclair!” Steve says, upon seeing the boy who seemed like he overexerted himself already.

“Where are they?” Lucas pants, as they shook their heads.

“I don’t know.”

“I think we lost them.” Mike replies, jinxing them. Soon, the remaining vans were turning onto the street behind them. “Go, go, go, go, go!”

“Fucking– Christ!” Steve kicks it off with the rest of them, Eleven looking over her shoulder to stare in agony.

“Go, go, go, go, go! Faster, faster!”

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Dustin continues to chant.

The vans were right on their tails, and to make matters worse, they were being sandwiched in just as another pulled out in front of them, barreling towards them at full speed. Their legs moved the pedals on their own as their bodies grow frigid at the state. What are they going to do? They’re being surrounded. There’s no way out of this–

Then…

By a freaking miracle…

El waved her hand and sent the vehicle flying.

The boys watched as it was tossed like it didn’t weigh anything, watching it fly over their heads and blocking the road behind them with a loud crash.

They heard the rest of the vans ramming on the brakes, but they didn’t dare to look back this time. They pushed themselves to go up and over another hill, out of sight from the mysterious man with the white hair who was sighing at the whole incident. Their knees almost gave completely out by the time they arrived at their hideout: the junkyard. They tossed their bikes to the ground, Dustin nearly hurdling over from the panic attack, as Lucas shakes his head at everything that just happened.

“Holy…” Steve begins, eyes widened and heart pounding, as he and Mike help Eleven sit on the ground for a well deserved rest. “Holy shit!”

“Did... did you see what she did to that van?” Dustin said, mouth agape.

“No, Dustin, we missed it.” Mike poked, rolling his eyes. But he has to admit… it was pretty freaking cool.

“I mean that was–”

“Awesome.” Lucas said, getting everyone’s attention. “It was awesome.” He takes a few steps to kneel in front of her, face full of guilt. “Everything I said about you being a traitor and stuff… I was wrong. I’m sorry.” He gives her a smile and places his hand on her shoulder for reassurance.

That got her to crack one too, replying, “Friends… friends don’t lie. I’m sorry, too.”

“Me, too.” Mike says, holding his hand out. His friend finally got the message, and without a second of hesitation, he stood up to shake it.

“Apology accepted. I’m sorry, too.” Lucas replies.

“Apology accepted.”

“Alright… glad we made up. But what do we do?” Dustin asked, looking between his friends. “Steve? Got any ideas?”

Steve scratches his head, thinking. “I… I don’t know.” He says, shaking his skull. “I should have known someone was going to come after us sooner or later, so…” He sighs. “Okay. El’s tired, so we’re not going to get far with her if she is, so we’ll need to rest for a bit. Once nightfall comes around in a few hours, we’ll move out. It’ll be easier to stay hidden.”

“And then what?” Mike asks, getting a shrug.

“Will just have to keep moving, until we think of something. Right now we’re outnumbered, no weapons, no food, we just got instinct. We just need to let El rest, alright?” The kids shake their heads, while Lucas shifts on his feet, eager to spill something.

“Well…” The boy starts, feeling everyone’s eyes on him. “If you want, I got some information that might be useful.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Jonathan?” Joyce said, as soon as they entered the station. “Jesus, what…” She moves closer to find him sitting at a desk with Nancy, a bag of ice over his bruised and cuffed hand. “What happened?

“I’m fine/Ma’am.” Were said at the same time by her son and Deputy Callahan.

“W-Why is he wearing handcuffs?”

Callahan frowns. “Well, your boy assaulted a police officer. That’s why.”

“Take them off.”

“I am afraid I cannot do that.”

“Take them off!”

“You heard her.” Hopper snaps as he enters the room, firm hands on his hips. “Take ’em off.”

“Chief.” Powell begins, trying to play peacekeeper here. “I get everyone’s emotional here, but there’s something you–”

“Where is the chief?!” A sudden voice boomed across the whole police department followed by a loud slam of the front door. “I want to speak to him right this instant!”

Callahan sighs and rubs his throbbing head. “Now, what?”

“Where is he?” A woman spatted at Flo before she could even speak.

Hopper made a motion for his men to stand back. “Ma’am, I need you to calm down. I’m right here.”

The petite blond scoffs and makes her way over, followed by a child whose arm was in a sling. “I demand something to be done in this instance!”

“Ma’am, what happened? What is–”

“This instance!”

“Ma’am, Please. I can’t help you when you’re like this.” Hopper says, trying to hold his own temper. “Take a deep breath, and tell me what happened.”

The woman looked like she attempted to take his advice before exploding again. “A psychotic child broke his arm!” She says, gesturing to the kid. “She broke my son’s, Troy’s, arm! I can’t–”

“What did she look like?” Callahan asked, pulling his notebook out.

“I’m not talking to you!”

“Ma’am, you’re talking to him. I’ve got something rather important to deal with.” Hopper cuts back in, which seemed to shut her up. “Callahan, continue. Powell–” He points to Jonathan. “Get him out of the cuffs. I want to talk to him in my office.”

His subordinates nodded, and started complying.

“So what’s this girl look like?” Callahan tries again, this time, asking the son.

“She had no hair and she was bleeding from her nose! Like a freak.” Troy explains, all scared -- Suddenly, everyone else that wasn’t on the force froze at his statement.

“What’d you just say?” Hopper says, as Joyce, Jonathan and Nancy all stare at the kid like he struck an unusual pot of gold.

“I said she’s a freak.”

“No, her hair. What’d you say about her hair?”

“Her head’s shaved. She doesn’t even look like a girl.” Troy frowns and looks down. “And…”

“And what?”

“Tell the man, Troy.” His mother urges.

“She can… do things.” He mutters quietly.

Hopper’s hope started spiking with just this little info. “What kind of things?”

“Like… make you fly. And… piss yourself.”

“What?” Powell said, confused.

Hopper holds his hands up for him to stop. “Was she alone?”

Troy shakes his head. “She always hangs out with those losers.”

“‘Losers’? What losers?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The four of them sat around Lucas as makes a square out of sticks he found, laying them out on the dirt as uses another one to explain his findings.

“This is Randolph Road, right here.” He digs a line on one side. “The fence starts here, and goes all the way around.” He points around the sticks, before smashing down an empty can in the middle. “And this is the lab right here. The gate’s gotta be in there somewhere. It’s gotta be.”

“Well, who owns Hawkins Lab?” Dustin asks, thinking.

“The sign says ‘Department of Energy’.”

“Department of Energy?” Steve says, scoffs. “Why do I think that’s a front for something?”

“He’s got a point.” Mike says, agreeing. “I mean, why put something like that in Hawkins? I mean, what do you think that means?”

“It means government. Military.” Lucas replies.

“Then why does it say ‘Energy’?”

“Just trust me, all right? It’s military. My dad’s told me before. Besides, There’s soldiers out front.”

“So… they make weapons?”

“Yeah, to fight the Russians, and commies and stuff.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “Weapons.” He said, sparing a glance at Eleven who looked away -- and everyone else catching onto what he was suggesting.

Dustin gasps. “Oh, Jesus, this is bad.”

“Really bad. The place is like a fortress.” Lucas adds, making their stomach’s turn.

“Well, what do we do?”

“I don’t know, but we can’t go home. We’re fugitives now.” Mike says, frowning.

We’re in so much shit now. Steve inhales, taking a moment to process this. “Jesus, okay, um… let’s–” He trails off at a distinct sound, confused. “Guys? Please tell me that’s not what I think it is.” Sure enough in the distance, a helicopter could be seen coming their way. “Shit!! Put your bikes under the bus! Now! Now!”

They scrambled getting up and shoving their bikes into hiding, anxiety spiking as they ran inside the bus and dunk underneath the chairs just as the helicopter started passing above.

Dustin bites his lip to silence his nerves while muttering, “Mental…”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

As they both get closer to their destination, a tickle begins to bloom in their throats, causing a nasty cough to erupt. Steph makes a face muttering something of profanity as she covers her mouth.

Will on the other hand controls it quicker, and says, “It’s like the air got thicker.”

“Yeah.” She frowns. “It kind of reminds me of when we first arrived here.”

“Do you think that means we’re going in the right direction?”

“I’m going to stay hopeful and say yes.”

That’s all they could do. It’s still not a 100 percent guarantee that the lab is the place of origin. Yet, judging their theories, the thicker air, the eeriness, and very strange, disgusting looking flesh-like ball growing out of the ground then–

Wait.

Hold on a second–

“What… is that thing?” Steph asks, in disgust as they slow down their pace to examine it. “It looks like something out of ‘The Being’.” She scrunched up her nose when she got close enough. “Ew. It smells like death.”

“It… looks like an egg.” Will replies, grossed out too. “I guess the Demogorgon lays eggs?”

That got her feeling a bit panic-y. “I swear to fucking God, if I come across a baby Demogorgon, I’m going to freak the fuck out.” Her eyes start darting around in the darkness.

“D-Do you think there’s more monsters out here?” He asked, starting to tremble.

“I hope not. I mean, it took a lot to kill one, I can’t imagine us killing another. And what if there’s more? There’s no way there’s only one egg.” Jesus, and what if there was? What if there was another monster lurking around? Then what? I don’t think we can do this shit again.

While the teenager was running many plans through her head, Will looked around while staying close, trying to see if he could see anything that could tell them what’s going on. The ground seemed clear, no footprints except theirs, he couldn’t hear anything either. He doesn’t see anything staring at them amongst the trees, so…

He perks up, and tugs on her sleeve. “Stephanie. Look.”

She follows where he’s pointing, a clearing above the trees; It seems quite far from where they’re standing, but you can miss the circling of some flying-type creature. “Is that a bird?”

“I hate to say this, but I think we’re going in the right direction.” He looks at her worriedly. “Most ‘final levels’ are usually guarded more than any other levels.”

Her face morphs into a surge of different emotions before simply saying, “Fuck.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Set at the top of the hill overlooking the Wheeler house was Hopper and the gang. The Chief sat outside the car with a pair of binoculars, watching as men and women in suits came in and out the house filled with Mike’s belongings, and stuff it in the trunks of their cars.

“I have to go home.” The anxious Nancy finally says, which Hopper shoots down immediately by grabbing her by the shoulders. “My Mom... my Dad are there.”

“They’re gonna be okay.” He reassures her before she starts taking off. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey–”

“Let go–” He snags her arm. Let go!”

“Hey! Listen to me. Listen to me.” Hopper makes sure she’s looking at him. “The last thing in the world we need is them knowing you’re mixed up in all this.”

“Mike is over there–”

“They haven’t found him. Not yet, at least.” He points to the helicopter in the sky, which causes her to stare in shock.

“For Mike?!”

“Come on, get in the car.” He pulls her back inside with the others. Now, both him and Joyce look at the teenagers for answers. “Look, we need to find them before they do. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”

Nancy shakes her head. “No, I don’t.”

“I need you to think.”

“I don’t know. We haven’t talked a lot. I mean, lately–”

“Look, is there any place that your… your parents don’t know about that he might go?” Joyce asks, as she shakes her head again.

“I don’t know.”

“I might.” Jonathan admits, surprising them.

“What?”

“I don’t know where he is, but I think I know how to ask him.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[ ‘-ke, are you there? Mike?’ ]

“You guys hear that?” Dustin asked, confused.

[ ‘Mike, it’s me, Nancy. - Mike, are you there? Answer.’ ]

“Nancy?” Steve said, surprised.

[ ‘Mike, we need you to answer.’ ]

“Is that your sister?” Lucas asked, dumbfounded. Since when was she involved in this?

[ ‘This is an emergency, Mike. Do you copy? - Mike, do you copy?’ ]

“Okay, this is really weird.” Dustin admits, as Lucas starts grabbing for the walkie.

“Don’t answer.” Mike says, as he gets a weird look.

“She said it was an emergency.” Lucas replies.

“What if it’s a trick?”

“It’s your sister!”

“What if the bad people kidnapped her? What if they’re forcing her to say this?”

[ ‘I need you to answer.’ ]

“It’s like Lando Calrissian.” Dustin mutters, eyes wide. “Don’t answer.”

Lucas sighs. “Steve? What do you think? She’s your girlfriend.”

“Um…” The teenager honestly didn’t know what to think or say. He couldn’t even wrap his mind around anything at that moment. “I… I have no idea.”

“Oh, jeez–”

[ ‘We need to know that you’re there, Mike.’ ]

Then there was a line of loud static, enough to make their ears hurt just before a new voice broke in.

[ ‘Listen, kid, this is the Chief. If you’re there, pick up.’ ]

“Hopper?” Steve said, as him and the others got even more turned around.

[ ‘We know you’re in trouble and we know about the girl.’ ]

“Why is she with the Chief?” Lucas asked the million dollar question.

“How the hell does he know about–” Dustin begins.

[ ‘We can protect you, we can help you, but you gotta pick up. Are you there? Do you copy? Over.’ ]

“Can he really protect–”

“Wait.” Steve cuts in, making sure their gaze was on him. “We can trust him.”

“What?” Lucas said, skeptical.

“You sure?” Mike asks, awaiting an explanation.

“I’m sure. Remember? He was there with me at the morgue, he knows that Steph and Will’s bodies were fakes. Now, I don’t know how he figured out about El, but I assure you, if he was one of the ‘bad men’, I wouldn’t be here right now telling you all this.” The kids all stare at Steve, who was pleading with them once again to trust him… surprisingly it was the last person he expected to step into his defense.

“He’s right, you guys.” Dustin looks at his friends. “We gotta trust him.” He flashes him a look of apology. “I gotta trust him.”

That got the teenager to smile, and everyone else made their decisions.

“Alright.” Mike says, and pushes the button. “Yeah, I copy. It’s Mike. I’m here. We’re all here.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Okay… We’re just going to assume that everything’s fine, nothing will jump out, and that thing in the sky is harmless.” Steph said, holding his hand tight as they continued to wander towards the lab (And of course that flying thing had to be where they’re heading).

They kept their trek at somewhat a moderate pace, but they were on high alert for anything that could dart at any moment -- A moment they’re honestly not prepared for.

“We should’ve restocked before we left.” Will said, glancing around, occasionally coming across more of those eggs, some closed and some opened like the first one.

“I know.” She frowns. “But we pretty much cleaned out the whole store. We still got a few rounds left in our pistol, some matches, another lighter… we can use the hairspray with it.”

“Yeah.” He mutters, sensing something.

“We got the running at full speed option too.”

“Yeah.”

She stops them as soon as she notices him spacing off. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” He looks around more carefully now. “I feel like…”

“Like someone’s watching us.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Nobody can say they weren’t nervous. Although, some were doing it in a more silent way. However, if you were Dustin, you wouldn’t stop going up and down the bus walkway with a heavy step that rattled the shell of a vehicle.

Steve watches him carefully, occasionally darting his eyes to the outside before back on him while lightly gnawing on the tip of his thumb. Eventually, he was the one to actually say, “Henderson, will you stop pacing?”

“It’s been way too long.” Dustin said, immediately. “Do you know what? Maybe Mike’s right. Maybe this is all a trap and the bad men are coming to get us right now!”

“It’s not a trap. I told you guys you can trust him.”

“Yeah. Why would the Chief set us up?” Lucas asks, agreeing. “Nancy, maybe–”

“Hey–” Steve says at the remark, while Mike throws his hands up in disbelief.

“But the Chief?”

Dustin stops just for a moment to reply, “Lando Calrissian.”

Lucas rolls his eyes. “Would you shut up about Lando?”

“I don’t feel good about this. I don’t feel good about this!”

“When do you feel good about anything?!”

They both shared a heated glance before they could hear something approaching. They all looked at one another before making their way to the front of the bus. Their little hopes were soon shattered when they noticed two cars rolling up.

“Shit!” Dustin mutters, as Steve urges them to the back and hide. “Lando.”

“You think they saw us?” Lucas asked, before noticing the oldest getting something out of his backpack. “Since when did you have a baseball bat with you?”

Steve gives him a weird look as he holds his weapon close. “You didn’t see it sticking out of my bag? I’ve had it with me this whole day.”

“Uh, I wasn’t with you this morning? Remember?”

“Oh… yeah.”

“Both of you, shut up.” Mike hushes, shutting them all up as they wait.

They could hear people walking around outside in various directions, making their hearts thump faster and faster. They soon could hear the door to the bus get slowly pried open, a man looking inside–

Then someone shouted something, and the man disappeared before the yelling erupted. The five of them held their breaths when it all went silent. Then, they sprung to their feet as a familiar face entered the bus, gun raised and half in uniform.

“All right, let’s– Steve?” Hopper trails off as soon as sees who’s the odd man out of the group.

Steve swallows and gives a small wave. “Hey, Chief.”

Hopper’s jaw went tight as he had to hold his angry tongue. “Does nobody listen to me when I say ‘I can handle this’?” He sighs (What’s done is done). “Let’s go.” Then nobody moved. “Let’s go!!”

The little flicker of fire in the last sentence got them to grab their belongings and followed quickly behind.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

As soon as they heard the truck pulled in, Jonathan, Nancy, and Joyce came rushing out of the house.

“Mike.” Nancy says, with a wave of relief. “Oh, my God. Mike!” She rushed over to give him a big hug. “I was so worried about you.”

Mike blinks, a bit lost for words. “Yeah, uh... me, too.”

She pulls back to take all the kids in… except for the one that wasn’t actually a kid. “Steve?”

“Hey, Nance.” Steve says, with a bit of a smile.

“What are you–”

“We might have lied about needing his help with a history project.” Mike explains, and shrugs.

“Yeah.”

“Harrington here was with me when we discovered the fake bodies.” Hopper says, providing some more information to the rest of them. “Actually, he was there before me, but still–”

“You broke into a morgue?” Nancy said, appalled.

Steve breaks eye contact and nods. “Not my proudest moment, but yeah.”

“We’ll keep discussing this inside.” Joyce interrupts, waving them in. The sooner they clear everything up, the better.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

They all sat around in the living room as Mike drew a quick picture to explain what their teacher had said about the gates and other words.

“Okay, so, in this example, we’re the acrobat. Will, Stephanie, and Barbara, and that monster, they’re this flea. And this is the Upside Down, where our friends are hiding.” He sets the paper and pen down. “Mr. Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space.”

“A gate.” Steve adds.

“That we tracked to Hawkins Lab.” Lucas says.

“With our compasses.” Dustin finishes, as the older teens and adults stare. He sits up straighter after realizing they didn’t understand. “Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the directions of a compass needle.”

“Is this gate underground?” Hopper asks from the corner of the room -- the puzzle pieces finally fitting together. Now it was the kids’ turn to stare because they didn’t have an answer, but…

“Yes.” Eleven said, just above a whisper.

“Near a large water tank?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know all that?” Steve asked, before answering his own question. “Wait… Did you go there after the morgue?”

“Is there any way that you could… that you could reach them?” Joyce cuts in, pulling El’s gaze off the Chief towards her. “That you could talk to them in this… this, uh–”

“The Upside Down.” She clarifies.

“Down. Yeah.”

And so she tries, even when the lights begin to flicker, all she could see was pitch black and nothing else. She quickly apologizes for her failure as she runs to the bathroom to wash away the tears that begin to fall.

“El–” Mike starts to go after her, only for Steve to stop him.

“Give her a minute. She’s probably still tired.”

“Tired?” Joyce asks, as the kids begin explaining how she works.

“Whenever she uses her powers, she gets weak. The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets.” Dustin replies, with a worried look.

“Like, she flipped the van earlier.” Lucas adds.

“It was awesome.”

“But she’s drained.”

“Like a bad battery.”

“Well…” Jonathan says, trying to find the right words. “How do we make her better?”

“We don’t.” Steve says, crossing his arms. “We just have to wait and try again.”

“Well, how long?” Nancy asks, and gets a shrug.

“I don’t know.”

“The bath.” El’s voice broke through, all of them turning around to face her.

“What?”

She looks at all of them, her idea now being confirmed with their hopeful faces. “I can find them. In the bath.”

And that’s how Dustin ended up calling his science teacher at an ungodly hour.

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

“Mr. Clarke? It’s Dustin.” He says, making sure to sound extra sweet to worm his way in.

[ ‘Dustin? Is everything okay?’ ]

“Yeah, yeah. I just, I… I have a science question.”

[ ‘It’s ten o’clock on Saturday. Why don’t we pick this up–’ ]

“Do you know anything about sensory deprivation tanks? Specifically, how to build one?”

[ ‘Sensory deprivation? What is this for?’ ]

Uh, so we can dream walk to the other side? He almost made himself laugh at his own thoughts. “Fun.”

[ ‘Okay. Well… Why don’t we talk about it on Monday? After school, okay?’ ]

“You always say we should never stop being curious. To always open any curiosity door we find.”

[ ‘Dustin–’ ]

“Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?” And Dustin almost felt bad that he was guilt tripping his teacher into this. But the fate of his sister’s and Will’s lives were at risk! He’ll just have to suck it up for now. So now he’s writing everything down while his friends surround him, anxiously waiting to get the results.

“Uh-huh. - Uh-huh. - How much? - Uh-huh. Yep, all right. - Yeah, we’ll be careful. Definitely. All right, Mr. Clarke. - Yeah, I’ll see you on Monday. - I’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Clarke. Bye.” He smiles and hangs up before looking at Joyce. “Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?”

“I-I think so.” She looks at her son, who nods. “Yeah.”

“Yeah. Good. Then we just need salt. Lots of it.”

“How much is ‘lots’?” Hopper asks, skeptical.

Dustin’s eyes flicker to the page and replies, “1,500 pounds.”

“Well, where are we gonna get that much salt?” Nancy asks, as everyone shrugs except–

“I know where we can.” Hopper replies, before ushering everyone to the cars.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Now the gang find themselves at Hawkins Middle School, each of them broken up into groups to get this project started. In group #1 was Hopper and Jonathan, who were currently loading up all the bags of road de-icing salt they could get from storage.

“Hey, wait. It’s not gonna snow next week, is it?” The teen asks, stopping their rhythm for a second.

Hopper sighs. “Worst case, no school.”

Jonathan nods, and they continue back up again. “Even if we find Will and Stephanie in there… what are we gonna do about that thing? The monster?”

“We’re not gonna do anything. I don’t want you anywhere near this, all right? Your mom’s been through enough already.”

The oldest Byers gives him a look of: ‘No, you didn’t just say that’. He frowns. “He’s my brother.”

“Listen to me.” He grabs the teen’s shoulder. “I’m gonna find him. Alright? You gotta trust me on this. I am going to find him.”

And that’s a promise Hopper’s determined and will keep.

Meanwhile, in group #2, stationed inside the gym, Lucas and Dustin were struggling to get the pool to roll out.

“This damn thing is heavy.” Lucas grunted as they tugged, and even rolled to the middle. “Come on–”

“It’s upside down.” Dustin points out as they start unfolding it. The two of them continued cursing at one another to make it work, until finally…

They actually got it to work.

In group #3, which was back outside at another storage shed, Mike walked up to the padlocked door and started tugging on it -- expecting that to work.

“Stand back.” His sister tells him, just before using a rock to pound the top of the lock, getting it to break. Mike stands in disbelief as she brushes past them to get all the hoses they could carry back. “What does she even eat?”

Mike stares at her again. “What?”

“Eleven.” Nancy clarifies.

“Oh. Candy, leftovers, Eggos… She really likes Eggos.”

“I knew you were acting weird. I just… I thought it was because of Will.

“I knew you were acting weird, too. I thought it was because of Steve.” She gives him a look and decides to explain. “Well, me and the guys kind of did burrow your boyfriend from you these last few days. And then you said that party of his was awkward, so…”

“Hey…” Nancy says, putting down the wheelbarrow for them to talk. “No more secrets, okay? From now on we’ll tell each other everything.”

“Okay.” Mike says as he starts to look smug. “Do you like Jonathan now?”

“What?” She shakes her head. “No. No, it’s... it’s not... it’s not like that.” She decides to ignore the fact that her heart just fluttered, but– “Do you like Eleven?”

“What? No. Ew. Gross.” He turns away and starts walking, completely obviously the look his sister was giving him again.

Finally, in the last group, Joyce had found some duct tape to put over some goggles, completely covering them until you couldn’t see anything. Once finished she presented them to Eleven, who was hanging out on the gym’s bleachers, legs swaying a bit.

“This will keep it dark for you. Just like in your bathtub.” El nods at her, staying quiet. It was enough to make Joyce’s motherly instincts come out. “You’re a very brave girl. You know that, don’t you? Everything you’re doing for my boy... for Will… for Stephanie… for everyone’s families…” She smiles softly. “Thank you.”

On cue all the groups came back roughly around the same time, including Steve, who kind of disappeared once everyone was divided up, claiming he wanted to check something out (No one argued with him there).

“Did you make the goggles?” Jonathan asked, as his mom showed him.

“Hey–” Steve says, stepping on the bleacher to sit next to her. “You all good, Eleven?”

She doesn’t look at him as she shakes her head, making his heart strings tug a little. The adults present were about to jump in and say something when the King of high school beat them to it.

“Hey, Listen– I am gonna be there with you the whole time–” That got her to look at him, to stare at his reassuring face. “And if it ever gets too scary in… in that place, you just let me know, okay?” She nods, making him smile. “Okay, great.”

The two of them seemed to be in their own little world, completely unaware of the surprised gazes they were getting by the interaction (Who knew the teenager had a super soft spot for children?).

“Hey, I got a surprise for you while we wait.” Steve continues, before pulling out a big white wrapper from his pockets. “This is called an ice cream sandwich.”

“Sandwich?” Eleven asks, watching him curiously as he opens it, and hands it over.

“Yeah.” He watches her examine it, and explains, “The middle part of it is the ice cream I was telling you about yesterday. The ‘sandwich’ part of it, It’s made of chocolate. Super good, super soft, melts in your mouth. Try it.” She was skeptical, yet intrigued, so she took a bite that made her whole face light up. “Good?”

She nods eagerly. “Super good.”

He chuckles. “When this is all over, I’ll just get some regular ice cream. Just like I promised.” She nods again, which seemed to shock everyone out of their places.

“Um…” Hopper mutters, before mentally slapping himself to get moving. “Okay! Uh, L-Let’s get started!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It took a while to get everything right -- the temperature of the water, the amount of salt, making sure the walkie talkie was on the right channel, the mental prep Eleven was doing -- but soon everything was complete. She starts taking off her socks and shoes, and even gives Mike’s watch back to him. She holds the goggles in hand, taking a deep breath as she stares at the familiar murky water. She knows this will do good, but she can’t help but think about what happened last time… the time she opened the gate and let the Upside Down into this world.

“Like I said–” Steve begins as he senses her fearing the past mistake. He notices her eyes quickly on his just as he speaks. “If it gets scary, you tell us, and we’ll pull–” He was almost knocked over by the sudden hug she decided to give; His shock factor only lasted a second when he gratefully returned it. “Alright–” She looks at him again. “Remember what they look like?” She nods. “Good. You got this. We believe in you.”

Him and Joyce help her get into the pool. El takes a few steps before letting herself sit down, testing it. Muscle memory settled in, soon realizing this pool was perfect and let her whole body float. Everyone held their breaths when the lights flickered and turned off -- soon the girl found herself in the other realm.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves that suddenly shot through the roof. She was afraid because… well…

Something felt really, really wrong.

“Barb? Barbara?” She calls out, as she paints a mental picture on what the girl looks like. Red hair, glasses, on the tall side. Where could she be in the Upside down? Her feet continued to patter across the water, something appearing a few steps away. Bracing herself as she grows closer, not expecting to find something truly shocking.

“What’s going on?” Nancy asked, as the lights began dance like crazy.

“I don’t know.” Jonathan said, worriedly.

“Is Barb okay?” Her heart started pounding at a morbid thought. “Is she okay?”

El grips the sides of her head, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Gone! Gone! Gone! Gone! Gone!”

“Gone. Gone.” El starts whimpering as she floats around. “Gone.”

Nancy chokes on a sob covering her face, subconsciously burying herself into Jonathan’s chest. The teenager immediately hugs her, rubbing her back soothingly as he locks eyes with her boyfriend.

Steve frowns out of worriedness for his girlfriend, and is the first one to break the gaze. His heart was aching for many different reasons tonight, and tried not to let certain thoughts get to him at this very moment. He sucks it up fastly to reach out for Eleven, telling her ‘It’s Okay’.

“Gone. Gone!”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

“Gone!”

“Hey. It’s okay.” He squeezes her hand. “It’s okay, we’re right here. We’re right here, Eleven. It’s okay. I got you. Don’t be afraid. I’m right here with you. I’m right here with you. It’s okay. It’s okay, you’re safe. You’re safe. I promise.”

El listens to his words very carefully, closing her eyes for a second and taking another breather. He’s right. She’s okay. She’s safe. None of them will let anything happen to her. She exhales and starts mentally picturing the next two people. She knows their faces, she feels their presence somewhere in the abyss, she has to find them!

Eleven continues moving around, her strong mental game paying off as she suddenly spots something else in the distance. She comes closer to get a better look at the figures. She couldn’t help but start to smile.

“I see… a girl… with blue eyes.”

Everyone quickly perks up at the news, Dustin and Steve locking eyes.

“They’re… pretty… and bright. She’s wearing a hat.”

“Phanie…” Dustin says, almost crying, as Steve gasps in awe. “That’s Phanie!”

“And… There’s someone holding her hand. A… a boy.”

“W-Will.” Jonathan says, as mother practically jumps her seat. “Is it Will?”

“Yes… they’re-”

Eleven’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest when they suddenly looked her way. She was about to brush it off, but that’s when she noticed they weren’t taking her eyes off her. Wait…

Could they… could they see her?

They both mouthed something to each other that she couldn’t hear, which confused her more than–

“You... you tell him... tell him I’m coming.” Joyce cuts in. “You tell them both that were coming for them.”

Eleven holds her ground, shaking off this strange interaction to repeat her words. “Will, Your mom… she’s coming for you. For both of you.”

Their eyes seemed to widen at that and spared a look at each other.

[ ‘Joyce?’ ]

Stephanie’s voice crackled through the radio.

[ ‘You’re saying… J-Joyce Byers is coming for us?’ ]

Everyone tries to contain their joy for hearing her speak after so long.

Eleven shakes her head. “Yes. She’s coming. Your… friends are coming.”

She watches them laugh with relief.

[ ‘We’re actually going to the gate now. The one at the lab.’ ]

“They know about the gate?” Lucas said, surprised that Will just told them.

[ ‘But– ]

They heard him struggling to find the right words, so Steph took over.

[ ‘But we’re not sure if we’re going to make it okay. We thought we were after we killed this… faceless beast–’ ]

“Faceless beast?” Mike said, confused.

“Wait…” Nancy mutters in realization. “They… killed that monster?”

“Holy shit…” Dustin whispers, and continues tuning into whatever else his sister had to say.

[ ‘We thought it was a one and done deal. However, the more we venture towards the lab, the more we realize that the Demogorgon might not be alone.’ ]

[ ‘We don’t have a lot of useful supplies left.’ ]

Will admits this to them, making Hopper sigh under his breath and say, “Shit…”

[ ‘Ms. Byers, or anyone else there with her, what do you want us to do?’ ]

Stephanie asks, as the adults and teens try racking their brains for an idea.

“Okay. Listen, you tell them to... to stay where they are.” Hopper replies, getting closer to the pool. “We’re coming. We’re coming, okay? Just stay put! Just... just hold on a little longer.”

Eleven nodded at the confirmation. “Will, Stephanie, they want you to–”

Then… out of nowhere…

Something came jumping out of the shadows, ending their connection.

Eleven gasps shooting straight up. Steve grabs a hold of her, pulling her close and engulfing her a hug as she shrugs the goggles off.

“I’ve got you. It’s okay. I got you. I got you.” He soothes, as she starts to cry. “I got you, sweetheart. You did so well.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve scanned the whole room while he sat on the bleachers with the kids. El, who was drenched to the bone and wrapped in a towel, stayed glued between him and Mike, while he notices that the Police Chief and Joyce had stepped off to the side for an intense conversation -- One that he has a gut feeling he knows what it’s about. Just his brief interaction they had at the morgue was enough to tell the teenager how Hopper’s brain works. He knows that he’s going to be bolting through those doors soon and going straight to the lab guns blazing.

And Steve can’t allow him to do that alone.

As soon as he hears their voices become louder, he stands up.

“Steve?” El says, confused at the loss of warmth.

Steve feels all the kids’ eyes on him, forcing him to turn around and finally say what needed to be said. “Listen… I gotta leave.”

Dustin looks between him and his friends, worried. “W-What?”

“I know what the Police Chief’s about to do. He’s going to leave at any moment to go straight to the lab.”

“The lab?” Lucas said, eyes wide.

“But it’s heavily guarded. That’s a suicide mission!” Mike says, scared.

“I know.” Steve frowns. “That’s why, whether he likes it or not, I’m going too.”

“Steve… you can’t!” Lucas retorts.

“B-But why? Why are you going?” Dustin asks, while shooting up to his feet.

“‘Cause I made a promise, to myself, to you, that I will get your sister back. And Will. I gotta try to keep that.” Steve explains, still with his sadden expression.

“B-But…” Now he was feeling conflicted. He still dislikes Steve, but the fondness had just started to reform over these last few hours. How was he supposed to even feel about this sudden epiphany? “But you might not make it back.”

And what if he doesn’t come back? Then what? If his sister comes back and he doesn’t, how will she react when she knows the truth?

Steve’s face morphs a small smile of comfort, before saying, “I know. But I have to try to get them home. They’ve been gone long enough.” His response made the youngster ponder on his thoughts as he moved his attention to someone else. Eleven stares back at him, an expression similar to his.

“Eleven.” He begins. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done. I’m sorry we didn’t find you sooner.”

“Are you…” She whispers, almost scared to say what she wanted. “Are you really not coming back?”

His heart clenches. “I promise I’ll try. But if I don’t, remember what I said to you, back at the Quarry, after you saved me?”

She nods slowly. “You said, ‘Whatever you did in the past, that’s all said and done. All that matters now is what you do in the future’.”

He chuckles. “Exactly. Remember that. Go out there and do something great for yourself. Don’t let anyone try to change your mind.” Steve perks up when he hears someone exiting the building; His stomach dropping at the sound. “Shit. I gotta go. Take care of each other, okay?”

The gloomy kids shake their heads as he starts stepping down the bleachers for the floor below -- Mike hot on his tail.

“Steve!” He starts, catching up and stopping him. “Hey, Steve. I just wanted to say… thank you. Thank you for… saving me at the Quarry.”

Steve shrugs it off, eyes darting between the kid and the door. “Don’t mention it, Wheeler. It was nothing.”

“Nothing?” Mike shakes his head in disbelief. “You could’ve died. Y-You could’ve–”

“Hey.” He touches the kid’s shoulder. “We’ll talk about it some more later. Okay? Stay here with the others.” He waits for the kid to say ‘Ok’ before leaving, jogging quickly to stop another group of people leaving. “Hey, Nancy, Jonathan, wait.” He waits until he has their attention before finishing with, “I need you guys to stay here. Keep an eye on the kids.”

Nancy blinks. “What?”

“I’m going to the lab. I’m going to go get them back.”

She looks over at Jonathan, who was just as surprised at his response as she was, before looking back at her boyfriend. “Steve–”

“You were right, Nance. I did change willingly.” He scoffs quietly at himself. “I know… no amount of apologizing could undo the damage I’ve done, but if I can do this at least for her, then maybe my conscience can rest a bit.”

“Steve…” She frowns worriedly. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. There are still a lot of things I haven’t told you about my parents, about what happened to Stephanie in her childhood, but it’s a lot. It’s a lot I need to make up for.”

“Steve…” She frowns worriedly. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. There are still a lot of things I haven’t told you about my parents, about what happened to Stephanie in her childhood, but it’s a lot. It’s a lot I need to make up for.”

Nancy looks away for a second, remembering what was said in the alleyway earlier with Tommy and his gang.

Carol snickers and laughs. “The nerd? Stephanie fucking Henderson? You really think those two were ever friends? He just felt sorry for how fucked up her family was and took pity.”

“Yeah.” Tommy says, grinning. “A drug addicted mother, a father arrested for illegal gambling; Two ‘fantastic’ people managed to fucked their own son over and give him all kinds of birth defects and diseases. I’m surprised your family gives them so much pity.”

“W-Wait…” Nancy pauses to try to wrap her head around what she had just heard. “Claudia…” What? “Ms. Henderson isn’t a drug addict.”

“Awe.” Carol pretends to pout. “Looks like Steve’s parents haven’t gotten close to you yet. What a shame.”

“His parents have a lot of dirt on a lot of people.” Tommy said in a sickening way. “Especially the Hendersons. There’s so much that this town doesn’t know about them, it’s shocking. Stephanie has a shit ton.” He chuckles. “God, the Harringtons can bury her to the center of the Earth with all the dirt they have on her.”

“So, I’m going to go instead of you guys.” Steve’s voice broke her thoughts, looking up at him as she noticed his gaze was landing on the other boy. “I’m going to get your brother back. And I’ll keep your mom safe.”

Jonathan shifts his weight, lost for words. “Steve–”

“Take care of the kids.” Steve replies, and walks out the door, ignoring the others pleas to come back. As soon as he’s outside, he’s met with Hopper who’s about to speak– “It’s not up for negotiation, I’m going with you.”

Hopper lets out a frustrated groan, before gesturing between the teen and Joyce. “Why don’t any of you fucking listen to me?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Their combined scream from the baby demogorgon jump scare caused a chain reaction to happen. They couldn’t see them, but they definitely heard more coming… along with something else. A screech that they haven’t heard before erupted from the petrified skies. The thing they saw flying suddenly became two, then three, then four, and then burst into a whole swarm of–

“BATS!” She screams, as they kick into high gear. “They’re fucking bats!”

“What do we do?!” Will screams back, all the hope they felt suddenly went down the drain.

“Just run! JUST RUN! We need to get to the lab!!” The Byers boy had a point–

This was the final level. But, unlike a video game, there are no extra lives. They got one shot at going home, one shot at beating this game. They gotta give it their all!

Pushing themselves to the point of panting, the monsters’ battle cries started to subside a smidge, just a smidge, knowing they were at a semi-safe distance for now; But they didn’t want to stop running just yet. Not until they–

“There’s a pipe!” Will yells, eyes trained on it. “A drain pipe!” They rush for it, shedding their backpacks as they peered inside. “This has to lead to the lab.”

Stephanie looks inside, measuring it out with her eyes before looking down at herself. Even if she shed some her heaver clothes, there’s no way she can–

“Come on!” He says, starting to go in but–

“I can’t.” She replies, stopping him. “It’s too small. I won’t be able to go all the way through.”

“Crap. Um… t-the fence! Let’s just keep running for the fence!”

“Will–” She snags him by the arm before he can move again. “You need to crawl through yourself.”

“What?”

“You need to go through the pipe yourself.”

A blink. “What?! No! I can’t–”

There was a loud screech from behind them, making them wince, but Steph more determined. She takes a deep breath and holds him by the shoulders.

“Listen to me–” She starts, but he’s already protesting. “Listen– Listen to me! I will meet you on the other side. I will climb the fence, and I’ll meet you at the end of the drain pipe.” She gives him a gentle squeeze for her next words. “However, if I’m not there in five minutes after you, you need to go inside and go home.”

“W-What?” Is she insane? “N-No! I won’t!”

“Will, you need to listen.”

“NO!! I’m not going home without you!”

“Will, you have to trust me! One of us needs to get to the gate, and expose this place. You need to trust me. Please.”

“Stephanie–”

“I am going to do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen, but if five minutes are up, you need to go inside, okay?” She says, the water works starting as soon as he starts crying. “Okay?” She shushed him softly, cupping his face and touching her forehead to his. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine. Everything is going to work. Okay?”

He sobs. “O-Okay…”

“Good.” She sniffles, letting him start his journey alone. “Go.” Another shriek in the distance. “Go! I’ll be behind you!”

As soon as he’s completely inside, she takes off once again -- the bats in the sky following rather close.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It didn’t take long to get there at the speed Hopper was driving. Once his vehicle is parked in a shadow-y area, Joyce and Steve follow him as he uses bolt cutters to get inside the fence. Not really sure what the plan was going to be here as they strolled across the fields, but it definitely wasn’t for them to be spotted so quickly.

As soon as the searchlight shined on them, they froze with a man shouting, “Don’t move!”

Slowly, the three of them were surrounded by guards, all armed at the hilt, and they decided to finally raise their hands above their heads as a surrender.

“It’s alright.” Hopper says, as he carefully watches the angry guards. “Let me do the talking.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

The run to the fence felt like an eternity before it was in her sight. Ditching the backpack seemed to help her speed, yet it felt like it wasn’t enough -- like she could be quicker (But being starved, cold, and mentally drained might have something to do with it). She tried to keep her eye on the prize, yet still hoping that Will got to the other side before her. She hated that she had to put the weight of getting home and exposing this place without her, but it’s better on her conscience if he got out of here first.

It’ll be better for everyone, to be honest. Let the youngest one live. (God, what would her mother think about that if she knew?) She nearly tripped as she slowed herself just enough to catch the fence, latching her fingered around and starting to climb. She’s not even going to think about she’s going to get around the barb wired above; I mean if she has to lose a few fingers to get home then so be–

Something awfully sharp sank into her shoulder, tearing through her clothes like it was paper. She let out a frightful scream, using a free hand to knock off and continue climbing.

So close, so close. I’m so close to–

Something flew by, knocking her in the head and sending her hat to the ground. Then, she felt something slimy wrap around one of her arms, another by her leg before being yanked clean off the fence. She fell flat on her back with a huge thud, finally getting a sense to look as she struggles to break free. The Bats– or if you can even call them that! They sure had the wings of one, but their faces were similar to that of the Demogorgon. No eyes, just a mouth, and where their feet should be was like the bottom half of a squid, slimy tentacles that were used to pull her off. And they were hella strong too… she almost could feel her circulation being cut off.

Groaning at the discomfort, Steph uses her free leg to kick the bat to set her other leg free before doing the same on her arm but–

These damn things were persistent.

The whole swarm had come out to feast, as one came flying in and sank its teeth into her side. She lets out another scream, trying to hit and get away before her arm was wrapped around again. Then another set of teeth came in, then another, and another– She felt these things teeth everywhere, their tentacles pulling her around in every direction they could. Everytime she pushed one away, another came back to take its place.

She couldn’t move, she couldn’t think. The only sense she had was hearing, and all she heard was the god awful sounds these things made. She started to see those spots people talk about in the corner of her eyes, the dizziness in her head, those– Oh, God. She already had one close call in this place, she’s been saved once, what makes her think she’s going to get a second? The thought of this time actually being her last left her numb, no tears and bitterness, no screams as she waits for the end. She truly felt noth–

Red hot flames erupted around her, their sounds turning up to a fifty. The fire caught on them quickly, their holds on her subsided, making her curl on her side, and her hand coming up to stop her oozing neck. She didn’t even question what was going on. Anyone with a nose could smell the strong odor of hair spray.

Will… She thought, as the boy behind waved the lighter and can around until they all flew away into the night. The place got so quiet again; The monsters hopefully were scared off, hoping they stay away for the rest of their time. Maybe this is…

“Stephanie!!” Will shouts, and drops everything. “Stephanie!” He’s rushing over as quickly as he could, watching the girl struggle to get up, to move on her own, so he drops to his knees just beside her head. “Stephanie?”

“W-W-Wi-ill…” She choked, as he carefully flipped her over, revealing the damage. He takes her bloody face, and hand squeezes around her neck ever-so painfully.

“St-Steph…?” Cautiously, his trembling fingers wrapped around that hand, slowly prying them just enough for him to see the damage. He held back the urge to gag, the chunk of flesh that was gone was enough for him to see inside. He heard her say his name again, enough for her to start taking action. “H-Hang on! I-I got y-you!”

He lays her head on his lap and starts shaking his coat off, removing her hand and replacing it once the fabric was over the wound. “H-Hold your hand there.”

“W-Will…”

“Just relax. Y-You’re fine, I’ll…” He trails off, his brown eyes raking over the rest of her body, identifying more wounds. There were bite marks everywhere. Some were barely at the surface, and some were deep like the one on her neck. It was…

Horrifying. Fictional or not, this was far worse than anything he’s ever read, ever seen in his entire life. This was something that would surely give him nightmares. All this because… because… he…

I… I did this. He felt his eyes start to sting, and his throat closing up. This is… this is all my fault.

He did this to her. He did this to her! All of this started because of him! She wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for him. He did this, he did this, he did this, he did this–

Her fingers brushed his cheek so gently. And she’s–

Smiling?

He felt himself stare, confused. Why is she smiling? Why would someone smile in a situation like this? Is she–

“H-Hey… it’s n-not your f-fault. D-Don’t bl-blame yourself.” She chokes, keeping the expression on which made him break even more.

“How can I not?” Will asks, tears already flowing. “If you hadn’t driven me, none of this would have happened.”

“W-Will… y-you didn’t force m-me to drive you. I-I just wanted t-to make s-sure you got home okay.”

“But– w-we didn’t.” He sobs. “We both got stuck here. We both got trapped in some scary place, and now you’re hurt because of–”

She shushed him like she did earlier, so gentle, so kind as she held his face. “L-Listen to me.” She begins, swallowing to try to make her voice a bit more clear. “I never, ever thought of driving y-you was a burden. Even if I-I knew t-that we would end up here, I still would h-have driven you.” He shakes his head. “I still would have, if it meant y-you wouldn’t have to be alone here. You kn-know?”

A few stray tears fell loose as he muttered her name.

“And…” She continues, eyes welling up too. “I-I would have done that f-for anyone. For you, your mom, your br-brother, your friends, anyone. I-I would do it time and time again if it m-means you guys wouldn’t be alone in this place.”

He closes his eyes for a second, trying to find his voice again. “Stephanie… pl-please…”

“Listen t-to me–” She says, stroking some of the tears away from his cheeks. “Y-You gotta go home.” He shakes his head again. “You gotta g-go home, f-for the both of us.”

“Steph… n-no.” Will whimpers and opens his orbs. “W-What do I say? What do I say to everybody?”

“You j-just tell them t-the truth. Tell them everything. Even if th-they don’t believe it.” She chuckles quietly. “At least I know y-your m-mom would.”

“Stephanie… I don’t… I don’t know what to say. I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know, I–”

“Hey… look at me.” She waits for him to, and gives his face a small squeeze. “I’m s-sorry I can’t go with you. D-Don’t blame yourself, pl-please. I did all this because I-I c-care for you.” That seemed to make him ball harder, and lean down closer too. “I-I love that… D-Dustin became friends with you. Y-You’re a wonderful boy, and I’m s-so happy, d-despite this cr-crappy situation, I g-got to know you even more.”

He makes a small whining sound, shutting his eyes again. “Stephanie...”

She sniffles and smiles a bit more. “I-I love you, Will. Y-You go home, and live f-for the both of us. O-Okay?”

He sobs loudly, shaking his head as another round of tears fall. “I’ll l-live…” He croaks, lip quivering. “I-I love you, t-too…” He felt her squeeze again, before her fingers slid gently down his face, her hand disappearing. “Stephanie…?”

He cracks open his eyes once more only to find the stillness of her body. He looks all over her face for any signs of movement, but–

“Stephanie?” He touches her face this time, feeling a bit colder than the surrounding temperature. He knows they technically just said ‘goodbye’ but… “Stephanie?”

He knew waiting for her to say something was hopeless, but he waited. He waited for a long time before it hit him in the face. He couldn’t help but sob again, shaking his head before resting his forehead on hers like she did earlier too. The girl that he slowly realized was like a sister to him was…

Gone.

(TBC)

A/N: I can assure that everything will be fine soon 🙂

-Taglist is Open-

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@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

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queenimmadolla · 1 year ago

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I haven’t mentioned it yet but Jonathan and Nancy have their first born (a girl, Laurie) just before Maple is born and i can’t stop imagining the cute little baby photoshoots Jonathan has for them—whenever Reader and Eddie take the kids back to Indiana—in their poofy little dresses, frilly baby socks with big bows on their heads as the babies fumble around and interact with each other.

It’s the first time Maple is encountering another baby and it’s so obvious they like each other, even though Laurie has to be stopped numerous times when it looks like she’s trying to eat Maple’s face (she’s got no teeth, so it’s harmless), and Maple likes to pull at Laurie’s hair because it’s her new interest, along with anything shiny things (it’s NOT harmless, Laurie wails, you try to stop Maple every time while she’s all :D and Eddie sympathizes with Laurie because he’s had Maple yank enough hair off his head to make a wig with).

#pennyverse #eddie munson x reader #dad!eddie munson #rockstar!eddie munson #maple 🍁#jancy #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler

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maxnrobin · 2 months ago

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Dream & Dread: Entangled with Max

(Max x OFC)

Chapter 1: Scattered Omens

Olivia Vanderbilt had always been the kind of person who stood out. Born into a wealthy East Coast family, she was expected to be the perfect daughter—polished, poised, and obedient. But Olivia had never been drawn to the luxurious life her parents cherished. The elaborate parties, designer clothes, and country club gatherings felt suffocating, like a script she had no interest in following. Olivia had always rejected the expectations placed upon her. She gravitated toward ripped jeans, band tees, and underground music. Her parents disapproved, but she never cared.

Her father, a high-profile investor, had been embroiled in a financial controversy that sent shockwaves through their social circles. The accusations, though never proven, were enough to stain the family name. The scrutiny became unbearable —tabloids ran with speculation, whispers followed them wherever they went. To escape the relentless media attention and avoid complete social ruin, the Vanderbilts quietly relocated to Hawkins in 1979— a town so inconsequential that no one from their old life would think to look for them there. It was meant to be a temporary reprieve, just until the scandal faded, but nothing ever goes as planned. Hawkins, with its quiet streets and working-class families, was the opposite of everything Olivia had known. But in a way, it was a relief. She had never felt at home in the world of penthouses and privilege, and Hawkins, for all its small-town simplicity, offered a kind of freedom she had never experienced before.

Instead of enrolling in an elite private school like she always had, Olivia found herself blending in with the children of factory workers and shop owners. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel suffocated by expectations. Unlike the world she had left behind, Hawkins didn’t demand perfection. It allowed her to be rough around the edges, to exist without the pressure of maintaining an image. Here, she wasn’t a Vanderbilt heiress—she was just Olivia. And that, more than anything, was what made her feel comfortable. She didn’t have to prove anything to anyone, nor did she have to pretend to be someone she wasn’t. Hawkins felt more like home than any mansion or private school ever had.

Olivia liked to express herself through art, filling sketchbooks with dark, chaotic imagery that remained hers alone. Hawkins, with its weathered buildings and imperfect streets, became an unexpected muse. She found beauty in the worn-out surfaces, in the way the town felt lived-in rather than staged. The flickering neon of the local diner, the rusted-out cars on forgotten roads—these details seeped into her work, raw and unfiltered, a reflection of the unpolished world around her. Unlike the sterile perfection of her old world, it gave her the space to create without pretense. Here, she could embrace imperfection rather than hide from it.

Her love for punk rock wasn’t just about the music—it was about defiance, about creating a space where she could exist unapologetically. The energy of the music resonated with her own restless spirit, a way to channel frustration and embrace her new environment. She was also unapologetically a lesbian. She had known since she was a little girl and it was something she had never tried to hide, even if it made her an easy target in a place like Hawkins. She met the whispers and sideways glances with indifference, refusing to be anything but herself. She refused to shrink herself to fit expectations, embracing boldness as both armor and identity. Confidence wasn’t just a trait; it was a survival skill she had honed over years of refusing to be sidelined.

With her undeniable presence, Olivia quickly became one of the most recognizable students at Hawkins. Beneath the rebellion and boldness was an intellect that thrived on observation, a mind quick to piece together the unseen details others overlooked. Academics came naturally to her, but she let others believe what they wanted—playing into the image of the effortlessly rebellious rich girl rather than advertising how much she truly understood. Her mind was always at work, dissecting patterns, questioning norms, and seeking out the hidden structures that shaped the world around her. She had a knack for solving problems, for seeing connections where others saw chaos, but she also had a habit of doodling elaborate sketches in her notebook when she should have been taking notes.

Maxine had caught Olivia’s eye early when she arrived in Hawkins. The first thing Olivia noticed was Max’s striking red hair, a color so vivid it seemed to glow under the sun. Then, there were her piercing blue eyes—sharp, focused, full of something Olivia couldn’t quite name. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful, though no one could deny that part. There was something else, something in the way Max carried herself—tough but distant, guarded yet undeniably magnetic. They were just kids then—thirteen, barely teenagers, but Olivia remembered the moment vividly. She had wanted to talk to her, to befriend her, but Max was hard to pin down, always on her skateboard, looking like she had somewhere better to be.

At first, Olivia tried. She would drop casual remarks, throw a joke Max’s way, even sit near her in class, but Max never gave her much to work with. It wasn’t that she was rude—just uninterested, as if she had already decided Olivia wasn’t someone she needed in her life. Maybe it was Olivia’s loudness, her tendency to take up space. Maybe it was her reputation. Maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever the reason, Olivia eventually stopped trying. When Max started dating Lucas, that was the final sign. Olivia backed off, figuring it was pointless. But she never stopped noticing her.

Then, the nightmares started.

They were about Max—her headaches, the way she winced in pain when she thought no one was looking. Olivia saw her clutching at her temples, blood trickling from her nose, her breaths coming faster, more labored. Olivia didn’t understand what she was seeing at first, but the fear, the confusion—it all felt too real to ignore. Somehow, she caught glimpses of Max’s conversations with her school counselor, as if she were standing in the room unseen. She heard Max’s hesitant words, the way her voice wavered when she talked. She could see her taking pills, her hands trembling slightly as she swallowed them down.

Then they worsened. Olivia wasn’t just seeing Max’s symptoms anymore—she was seeing what came after. She saw the exact moment Max realized she was going to be Vecna's next victim—the way she hesitated when she stole the keys to the counselor’s office, the way her expression shifted from denial to horror as she flipped through the records, confirming her worst fear.

Olivia also saw the clock. It loomed over Max, massive and ancient, embedded into the decaying walls of a place that shouldn’t exist. The hands ticked forward, slow and deliberate, yet each movement sent a tremor through the air. The chime rang out, hollow and inescapable, reverberating through Olivia’s bones. Max stared at it, frozen in place, her breath coming in short, panicked bursts.

Then, she heard it—Max’s voice, distant yet crystal clear, a whisper slipping through the cracks of the vision.

"They both came to Miss Kelly for help. They both were having headaches. Bad headaches that just wouldn’t go away. And then—then the nightmares, trouble sleeping, they’d wake up in a cold sweat, and they started seeing things. These visions—they kept on getting worse and worse until eventually everything ended. Chrissy’s headaches started a week ago. Fred’s six days ago. I’ve been having them for five days."

The words hung heavy in the air. Olivia watched the scene unfold, saw Max's hands clenching into fists at her sides as the weight of the truth pressed down on her. Her pulse quickened, her breathing sharp and uneven.

The room in the vision was silent, too silent—as if even the air itself was holding its breath.

Max’s voice came again, this time quieter, yet somehow heavier, more final.

"They both died less than twenty-four hours after their first vision… and I just saw a goddamn clock. So… looks like I’m gonna die tomorrow."

The people around her—Nancy, Steve, Robin, Dustin—stiffened. No one breathed. But Max… Max just stood there, unmoving, staring ahead at nothing. Her arms wrapped around herself, her fingers digging into her skin. She didn’t cry, didn’t lash out. She simply accepted it.

Olivia’s visions had not stayed confined to her sleep. They had begun slipping into her waking moments, invading her reality when she least expected them. She’d be in the middle of a conversation and feel the ghost of Max’s panic, like an echo reverberating through time.

She was terrified. She had tried to convince herself that it was just her mind playing tricks, that stress and exhaustion of her family situation were distorting her perception, but the details were too precise. She could feel the weight of Max’s dread as if it were her own, hear the distant chime of the clock even in waking hours. The fear was suffocating, and no matter how much she tried to dismiss it, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bigger was at play. The fear was too intense, too vivid to ignore.

She didn’t know who to talk to—Max’s friends weren’t her friends, and she never felt like she belonged in their circle. Adding to that, it was spring break, and everything felt even more distant. People were scattered, lost in their own plans or consumed by the fear that had gripped Hawkins. The murders had turned the town into a boiling pot of chaos, and she wasn’t close enough to any of them to just show up at their houses, asking for help. Even if she wanted to, she had no idea where to start. They always seemed busy, wrapped up in the chaos surrounding Eddie Munson and everything else happening.

She considered approaching them, but what would she even say? That she was dreaming about Max’s pain? That she could feel something lurking in the darkness, waiting to pull her under? They barely acknowledged her presence on a normal day; she doubted they would believe her now. She thought about telling Dustin —the only one she had talked to more—, but he was already obsessed with uncovering the truth about the murders. She was utterly alone in this. She felt isolated, drowning in a reality she didn’t understand.

It wasn’t until Steve and Robin found her one day, shaking in the back room of Family Video, that she finally got answers. She had gone there to clear her mind, hoping that browsing the movie section might distract her. Her fingers skimmed across the VHS cases, pausing on Raiders of the Lost Ark. As she reached for it, a strange sensation crept over her—her hands felt clammy, and a bead of sweat rolled down her temple. Her pulse hammered in her ears, the fluorescent lights overhead suddenly feeling oppressively bright. She wiped her palms against her jeans, swallowing hard as a wave of dizziness hit her. It was happening again. The panic hit her out of nowhere—her breathing shallow, hands gripping the shelves as another vision surfaced. Steve noticed first; his usual cocky demeanor replaced by concern as he gently guided her to sit down. Robin hovered nearby, uncharacteristically quiet, sensing that whatever was happening wasn’t normal.

They saw the panic in her eyes, the way her hands shook in her lap, as if she were bracing herself against an unseen force. A strangled sob escaped her lips before she could stop it. She had kept it all in for too long, convinced that no one would believe her, but now, with Steve and Robin looking at her with genuine concern, the dam finally broke. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she gasped for breath, her words tumbling out between ragged sobs. Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession, her mind trapped between the present and the horrifying visions that refused to leave her alone.

She was unraveling, and she knew it. She told them everything—about the nightmares, the visions, how she had seen Max suffer before anyone else even realized something was wrong. Steve and Robin exchanged a look, their own fear evident, but they didn't doubt her. They had found out today that Max had her time limited. With quiet urgency, they told her everything—the truth about the Upside Down, Vecna, and what had been happening to Max. Olivia listened, barely breathing, as the puzzle pieces clicked into place. It wasn’t just her imagination; it wasn’t a coincidence. She had somehow been pulled into the nightmare that had taken hold of Max, connected to something bigger than she could comprehend. For the first time, Olivia realized she wasn’t losing her mind. The creeping paranoia, the lingering dread, the nightmares that bled into reality—it was all real. All of it. And worse, it wasn’t over yet.

"Okay, so how do I even do this?" Olivia asked, still shaken but determined. She leaned against the counter at Family Video, arms crossed tightly over her chest. "I can’t just walk up to Max and say, ‘Hey, I’ve been watching you in my nightmares and, oh yeah, I know about Vecna.' She’ll think I’m insane."

Steve exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah… That might not go over well."

"Understatement of the year," Robin muttered. "But honestly, I don’t think you have a choice. If she’s still in danger and you’re connected to this somehow, she needs to know."

"But how?" Olivia pressed. "Max barely looks at me. We’re not exactly friends."

Steve tapped his fingers on the counter, thinking. "You need to find a way to get her alone, somewhere she won’t feel trapped. The last thing you want is to freak her out in front of people."

Robin perked up. "The library. She goes there to be alone sometimes. I’ve seen her pretend to do homework while actually listening to her Walkman. If you’re subtle, maybe you can ease into a conversation."

Olivia frowned. "And then what? ‘Hey, Max, cool mixtape. By the way, we’re psychically linked, and I think a nightmare monster is hunting you’?"

"Look," Steve said, leaning toward her, "I know this is weird. But you have an in that the rest of us don’t. If you tell her something only she would know—something you’ve seen in your nightmares that she hasn’t told anyone—she has to listen."

Olivia swallowed hard, nerves twisting in her stomach. "That’s a big gamble."

Robin shrugged. "Yeah, but it’s better than saying nothing. If you wait too long, it might be too late. Actually—why not bring her here?" She gestured around the store. "If you get her to come to Family Video, we can all talk to her together. It might be easier if she hears it from more than just you."

Olivia hesitated. "You think she’d even agree to that?"

Robin smirked. "Well, right now she’s with Lucas, but after 3 PM, he is heading home. If we can catch her then, maybe we can convince her. At least she won’t be alone."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, plus, if she sees all of us here backing you up, she might take it more seriously."

Olivia exhaled slowly, considering their words. "Alright. I’ll try. But if this goes sideways, I’m blaming both of you."

Robin grinned. "Fair enough."

Olivia nodded, the weight of their words settling over her. This wasn’t just about her anymore. It never had been.

#max mayfield fluff #stranger things #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things season 4 #dustin henderson #steve harrington #robin buckley #max mayfield x reader #max mayfield x original female character #bisexual max mayfield #minor ronance #ronance #minor byler #byler #minor jancy #jancy #lesbian oc

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alexisaflop · 5 days ago

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Wait On Your Song - Steve Harrington x Henderson! Reader

Chapter 6: The Monster

Okay guys, Y/N is back! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you guys like it too.

Warnings: homophobic language, violence (canon level), gender neutral reader, typos probably

Lucas' house is farther than you remember. Typically making the journey on bike had disillusioned you on how much of a walk it is. Especially with the throbbing ache in your leg.

You skirt the edge of the woods. Mirkwood the boys call it. You smile as you remember reading The Hobbit with Dustin. It had been not long after you had moved, he had opened up to you about how difficult it had been for him when they'd moved not long ago. About how small things changed when his dad left. How your mom had to work so much more; she wasn't around to play her music and read Dustin stories. He felt childish to be missing her when she was doing everything for him to have a good life. But you understood. So you started reading The Hobbit to him.

You missed the Great Greenwood that these trees were at home. Here, it truly was the dark and foreboding Mirkwood from Bilbo's stories. You just hoped there weren't any giant spiders coming to get you.

Your thoughts are cut off by screams cutting through the thick air like knives. You spin trying to locate the sound whilst your pulse rushes past your ears.

"JONATHAN!" screams the voice.

As in Will's Jonathan? You can't help but wonder. You rush towards the voice, leg be damned, you had ventured out of that bathroom for Will after all.

You freeze. The monster is here, feasting on something too big to be a person. You try to back away, but it sees you. The huge mouth that comprises his face lets out an otherwordly roar. The message, though, is oddly Animal Kingdom: 'stay away from my food'.

You continue to back off, and start running. Where to, you aren't sure. Just away. Again.

Then you find the source of the screams, and it's not Will. It's Nancy. Nancy who pretty much never had anything to do with Jonathan. Nancy who thought him weird for being so much of a loner. Who wasn't sure about you at first because you had the same band t-shirts as him; and she had heard the rumours about how he was a creep.

Now they were, wherever here is, together?

"Nancy?" her eyes widen in shock.

"Where's Barb?" Your stomach drops with guilt. All you can manage is the shake of your head.

Tears immediately fill Nancy's eyes, but there's no time for much else.

"How did you get here - we need to find a way out."

"Nancy!" Jonathan's voice sounds far away.

"Is that -"

Nancy just nods.

"Follow my voice!"

So you scramble around the undergrowth until you see it. A putrid tree with rotten insides. Of course you'd have to go through that.

"There couldn't have just been a door?" you mumble, before pushing Nancy through first, and then holding onto her ankle like a lifeline as you scamble through the damp and the dark.

Then the air clears, it is still dark, but the woods smell like earth and twigs. They are alive. You are alive.

You barely even notice Nancy and Jonathan hugging and clutching onto one another. The euphoria of being alive is enough for you.

In the shower at the Wheeler's house, however, that feeling quickly dissipates. Your hair is a congealed mess that takes a lot of persuading to come clean. The wound on your leg looks terrible. You clean it with water and after the shower find some disinfectant and struggle to bandage it.

As you're taking some painkillers, you're reminded how thirsty you are. And how hungry. And tired. All you want to do is sleep.

Leaning against the bathroom door, you're transported back there. I'm still it's prey, you think, certain that the monster still knows where you are.

Sighing, you leave the bathroom. You can hear Ted watching the TV and Karen putting Holly to bed. All you can see is their empty house in that other place.

You sneak into the kitchen and scrounge some snacks. You've been Nancy's best friend long enough to know where the good stuff is.

When you return to Nancy's room, Jonathan is setting up the bed roll. You collapse onto Nancy's bed and dive straight into the oatmeal cookies you found. I miss proper biscuits, I would kill for a Jammie Dodger right now.

Jonathan is looking at you funny.

"I'll make them some more," you say, offering him one.

He smiles and accepts, "you look weird in her clothes," he says.

You're half sure he's trying to be friendly, but you don't know what to say. But you also don't care, you're just glad to be back around people. Not knowing what to say was, perhaps for the first time, a nice feeling - because at least it meant you were back to normality.

When Nancy appears, she sits down next to you, and says, "What happened to Barb?"

The normality crashes away.

"What do you think?" You know it's a bit harsh, but also Nancy left you. And she had seen that thing.

Her eyes were so full of so many different emotions that you didn't know what to say. There was a guilt in there, for sure, but there was something else too. You didn't like that you couldn't name what it was.

"She was my best friend," Nancy says softly, "I know you're tired, but please."

"Please what?" Your voice is harsh, "she's dead Nance, I tried to save her okay, but I couldn't even bandage her hand properly. Then that thing came, and I tried to save her. I really tried. I was holding onto her so tight, she was right there" your eyes fill with hot tears.

You realise you're angry. Mostly with yourself, but as Nancy looks at you, like she wants to forgive you, you feel the rage duplicate to be directed at her too.

"This isn't your fault, Y/N," her voice is soft and she reaches out to you. A part of you know that she believes what she's saying. And a part of you know that's because it's partly her fault. You and Barb wouldn't have been out there if it weren't for her.

But also you can't blame her. It's not her fault. Not anymore than it is yours.

You shake your head, the exhaustion in your bones makes everything heavy.

"I can't do this right now. I need to go home," you're vaguely aware you're crying, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I just can't be around you right now."

"Okay."

As you go to the door, Jonathan crosses the room to sit beside Nancy. He wraps an arm around her. The message is clear, he'll look after her for you. But he will also protect her, and you get the weird feeling that you're somewhere on the list of things he will protect her from.

"Thanks for the cookies," you say as you stumble out the house.

You're properly crying now. Somewhere, you're surprised there's enough fluids in your body to even be making tears. But you're mostly consumed by memories of Barb, her ghost fills the hallways of the Wheeler's house.

As you step outside, you take a deep, albeit shaky, breath of the cool night air.

A thud makes you flinch and turn. Steve Harrington is staring at you like a deer in headlights. His eyes are full of hurt. It takes you a second to piece two and two together: he's seen Jonathan in Nancy's room.

"Dude, it's really not what you think."

He approaches you, his expression melding from hurt to concern before settling on some kind of indifference. His eyes leap out at you like a performer's behind a mask.

Once he's close enough to see that you're crying he asks what happened. His voice is oddly soft. Like he cares.

For the second time that night, you don't know what to say. You don't particularly care about Steve Harrington's feelings on the best of days. But Nancy, she's been through enough for one night.

"Aren't you supposed to be missing?" he asks.

"I got better?" you're not sure joking is the right approach.

"Nance was really worried about you," his eyes flicker back to the house, his anger isn't gone, but neither is the concern, "are you okay?"

You realise it's the first time someone's asked you that in a long time. Let alone, Steve Harrington, who has a habit of making your life more difficult. He rests a hand on your shoulder, the weight of it is reassuring until you're reminded who the hand belongs to.

"Since when did you care about me Harrington?" you ask, "if you're only capable of empathy when a pretty girl is involved, you might need to go see a shrink."

"I never said you were pretty," he scoffed.

You raise an eyebrow, "I was talking about Nancy."

You turn and begin to walk home, hoping the limp in your step isn't too obvious.

He keeps up with you easily, "what is she doing with Byers?"

"He just knows me pretty well, our brothers are friends, so he helped her find me, okay? It's really not that deep."

"Not that deep? Byers is in bed with my girlfriend, Y/N!" he exclaims. You've reached his car, Tommy and Carol burst into giggles when they hear Steve's raised voice.

You realise that whatever chance you might have had of convincing Steve that nothing was wrong with his relationship had just evaporated. Those two were poison. And they'd never let Steve live it down.

I must be tired if I'm feeling bad for King Steve about his own choice in friends, you think to yourself.

The two of them start pestering Steve for what happened as he loops round to the drivers door. His eyes are locked with yours until he disappears behind the frame of the car.

You begin to stumble home.

"Have they always walked with a limp?" Tommy asks.

"Like a zombie," laughs Carol.

Steve's eyes follow you in his rearview mirror until the car is out of sight.

- - - -

The familiarity of your house welcomes you with open arms. You head straight for the kitchen and find yourself something to eat. An actual hot meal.

All you do it pour some tinned tomatoes over pasta but its enough. Mews is rubbing round your ankles and purring. You scoop her up in your arms, nuzzling your face into her fluff.

You're home.

You make your way to bed and collapse into it.

Dustin is in it. He promptly bursts into tears. Neither of you speak for a minute, he sits up and moves down the bed whilst you sink into the duvet, letting the pillow cradle your head.

"Don't ever do that again," Dustin says, "I was so angry at you for not being here when they found Will's body. And then Eleven found out you were in the Upside Down. Then I thought you were dead. And Mike's being useless and."

"Hold on, they found Will's body?"

"They found a body, I don't think it's him?"

"Why not?"

As you finally relax into your bed he tells you about how Eleven had tracked you and Will down in the Upside Down.

"I'm sorry Dustin. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm safe now," you rustle his hair.

"Mike's always been the useless sibling," you smile at Dustin's frown, "come on, you know Nancy is my best friend. But, come on, what's he done now?"

He explains how Mike's going against Lucas about Eleven. How none of them really know the truth.

"I think Eleven means well," you say softly, "but what do you think?"

"I think we need her. Even if we aren't sure about her yet, we need her on our side if we are going to go after the Demogorgon."

So the monster has a name.

"What's the rule of your Party?"

"Whoever hits first has to shake."

"Then I think you know how to fix this, little brother."

After Dustin leaves you roll over. Whoever hits first. Somehow that rule doesn't seem to fix the weird tension you felt with Nancy, neither of you hit first.

Steve hit first, says the voice in your head, when you moved here. And now he seems legitamately concerned for you.

"He asked us if we were okay, one time, so he could get information on his girlfriend who he was just watching through the window," you exasperatedly tell the empty room.

- - - -

The next morning, your alarm goes off for your shift at Breaking Records. Even after spending time in the Upside Down, hiding from what is apparently known by everyone else as the Demogorgon, the fear of being late for work is enough to pull you from your bed.

Not that you had had an exactly pleasant sleep.

The morning shift on a Saturday is not so bad. Regulars come and go. You chat to some of them for a little while about new releases. The normality of it is enjoyable.

Eddie Munson comes in, having finally put enough money aside for Slayer's new album. He mentions not having seen you around school, but you manage to laugh it off, especially when he hands you a pile of quarters to pay.

As you clock out, you debate where to head to next. You know you should see Nancy. Knowing her, she will have spent all night coming up with a crazy plan.

In your head you see Jonathan's face from when you had left last night. You wondered if you would still be a part of any plan Nancy makes.

This question evaporates from your mind when you see the cinema.

All The Right Moves Starring Nancy The Slut Wheeler.

You start to rush over, until your eyes land on her. Her hands cover a face of sadness, confusion, and an anger coming to boil.

She doesn't see you. Instead she heads to an alleyway. You hurry to keep up with her, the pain in your leg dulled for now by paracetamol.

You reach the end of the alleyway in time to here the SLAP of Nanc'y hand across Steve's face.

"What is wrong with you?" she demands.

"What's wrong with you I can't believe that I was actually worried about you."

"You came by last night," her voice sinks from anger to something else. She knows she's trapped, even if she did nothing wrong.

"Ding ding ding ding! Does she get a prize?" Carol's voice grates on your skull.

"It wasnt like that," Nancy insists.

"What he just came round to help you study," his voice drips with innuendo. You can feel the underlying betrayl though. Nancy had told you about their study sessions, how Steve had always been really trying to help.

"Nah another Pervy photo session," says Tommy.

"We were just -"

"What. You were just what? Finish the sentence," Steve challenges her. His voice is soft and you can feel his anger. But there is a glimpse of something else too. Of a chance, that if she comes up with something believable maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to feel this sadness.

"I told you last night," you step in, "the three of us are friends. You have this all wrong."

"Why would someone be friends with that creep?" says Tommy.

Steve shakes his head, "then why were you crying when you left."

You bit your lip, there was a good answer for that. But not for him.

Nancy looks like she's getting ready to hit Steve again, or cry, or maybe both. Jonathan puts an arm around her and they begin to walk away.

"You going to just let them leave?" asks Carol.

Steve's demeanour changes, "You know what Byers, I'm actually kinda impressed. I always thought you were a queer but I gues you're just a screw up like your father.

Everything is moving in slow motion. This is all so unimportant. You see Jonathan get ready to swing a punch. You see Tommy and Carol get ready to cheer the fight on. Cowards.

You grab Steve shoulder, just like he had held yours last night.

"Don't do this, Steve," you say, knowing Nancy was smart enough to keep leaving.

Your eyes meet again, and you see everything he's feeling. He's being left, chosen over for someone that he doesn't understand. And he's afraid and angry. He pushes against you.

Again, you think of how unimportant it is. So what Jonathan was in a room with Nancy? So what if even Nancy did cheat? There was a kid missing, you'd spent a few days in an alternate dimension.

So you shoved him against the wall. Instinctively he shoves you back. There's lots of shouting of words you don't really hear.

Which is when Jonathan steps in. The two of them struggle. Steve takes a step back after a particularly strong punch. Tommy tries to step in, "Hey! Hey! Tommy get out of here man!"

Interesting, the bare minimum of decency.

Jonathan has pushed Steve to the ground and is hitting him, again, and again. Nancy is trying to get Jonathan to stop.

You realise none of Steve's friends are going to help him now that he's losing.

You grab Jonathan under the arms, "Come on man, he's not important."

Wailing sirens cut through the racous shouting.

"Cops!" shouts one of Steve's shitty friends. It's enough to bring Jonathan back to you. He stumbles over to Nancy who pulls him away.

Steve's friends are all gone. You sigh and pull him to his feet before dragging him by the hand down the alleyway.

You shove him into the entrance to some side-door and squeeze in next to him. He looks like shit. Blood drips onto his left eye, he doesn't look angry, he looks regretful. And confused. You wipe the blood from his face with your sleeve.

"Why are you helping me?"

"I'm not, the cops just don't need to be involved," you look at his face again, "you deserved that. Maybe next time you should listen to me."

He stares at you. The doorway you lean under is small, you're not touching but you can feel his breath on your face. He looks lost, like a puppy; if you didn't hate him so much, you'd feel bad for him

"I only came round last night because I wanted to help her. I still just want to help."

"You want to help so you called her friend a queer and a screw up?"

His face falls, "I did say that, didn't I? Shit. I keep fucking everything up. Tommy says it's my fault she cheated on me."

You give him a look. This guy. How many times do I have to tell him?

"Okay, fine, whatever, he says that if she had cheated on me it would have been my fault."

"They're shit friends Harrington."

The sirens have faded and you begin to walk away.

A/N

I really liked this episode. I hope you guys know what I mean by back door way thing. Like the loading bay doors and staff entrances for shops and stuff.

Next chapter is basically written so expect it some time in the week!

I hope you guys enjoyed the inclusion of a bit of Dustin content. And the stuff with Steve after he sees nancy w jonathan. Buddy needs some better friends fr

#steve harrington x reader #wait on your song #steve harrington #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington x henderson! reader #stranger things #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #stranger things rewrite #stranger things reader insert #jancy #a bit i guess #still a ronance truther

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fluffansmut · 2 years ago

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Masterlist

Eddie Munson x reader

I’ve got you sweetheart - smut, aftercare, fluff

I can tell - sick fic, hurt/comfort

Use your words - smut, Dom!Eddie, Sub!Reader

12 fics of Christmas - Christmas themed stories, fluff, smut, hurt/comfort

Clear your head sweetheart - smut, Softdom!Eddie, Subby! Reader

Are you leaving? - angst, hurt/comfort, fluff.

I can never be her - angst, hurt/comfort, fluff.

Clementine - hurt/comfort, fluff

You’re the one I want - angst, fluff

Hellfire fuck -smut

Like you haven’t done that - three parts, smut, established Jancy and Jopper.

part1

part2

part3

Eddie x fairy!reader , part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 - fluff, fairy & crybaby!reader, blurb

Fairy’s first Christmas - advent calendar, fluff, fairy!crybaby!reader

Steddie

Lean on me - hurt/comfort, friends-to-lovers

Ronance

Use your words - light smut, Dom!Nancy, Sub!Robin

We’ll be down for dessert -smut, insecure!Robin

Ronance x reader

Take it like a good girl - smut, Dom!Nancy, Softdom!Robin, Sub!reader.

Jancy

How was the pullout?- smut

The fruity four

They seem a bit…queer? - teaser, steddie, Ronance

What if-ing - steddie, ronance, slight smut, fluff

Jim Hopper & Wayne Munson

Hawkins unofficial support group for unofficial fathers - hurt/comfort, fluff, slight angst

#eddie x reader #eddie munson #eddie x fem!reader #eddie stranger things #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #ronance #robin buckley x nancy wheeler #robin buckley x female reader #nancy wheeler x reader #nancy wheeler x jonathan byers #Jancy #steddie #steve harrington x eddie munson #masterlist #the fruity four

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strangerthings-writer · 1 year ago

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Welcome To My Page!

• My name is Eddie, and I’m a 20 y/o trans man who just likes to write little fanfictions… and I’m an english major!

• This is a place for Stranger Things fans to come and submit drabble and one-shot requests of their favourite characters and/or ships that they want fan fiction of!

• This page has NSFW writings, so please keep that in mind when browsing this page!

• MASTERLIST

• Request Application

What will I write?

• I write both NSFW and SFW drabbles and one-shots

• I do “x readers” and ships

• I write fluff, sometimes angst, romance (ofc)… just ask!

• I write for MxM, WxW, MxW, t4t… anything you desire

• I can interpret your headcanons into my writings! If you headcanon Steve as a trans girl? Perfect! I can write that. Just let me know in your ask!

What won’t I write?

• Any ships that involve a minor with an adult

• Major character death (just uncomfortable to write for me) or extreme angst

• I will not write for kinks that are considered too extreme or gross (kinks I won’t write for are: scat, vomit, raceplay, ageplay, anything illegal). If you’re not sure if I’ll write for something send me a dm and ask me and I’ll let you know :) *I always content warning NSFW works*

What characters/ships do I write for?

• characters marked with * are characters I do NOT write NSFW for

Mike Wheeler*

Dustin Henderson*

Lucas Sinclair*

Max Mayfield*

Steve Harrington

Nancy Wheeler

Jonathan Beyers

Billy Hargrove

Eddie Munson

Chrissy Cunningham

Robin Buckley

Gareth*

Argyle

• ships marked with * are ships I do NOT write NSFW for

Stancy (Steve x Nancy)

Stommy (Steve x Tommy)

Jancy (Jonathan x Nancy)

Ronance (Nancy x Robin)

Buckingham (Robin x Chrissy)

Jargyle (Jonathan x Argyle)

Steddie (Steve x Eddie)

Harringrove (Steve x Billy)

Mungrove (Eddie x Billy)

Hellcheer (Eddie x Chrissy)

Calicheer (Chrissy x Billy)

Lumax (Lucas x Max)*

Byler (Will x Mike)*

Henclair (Dustin x Lucas)*

More to add soon…

text divider credit goes to cafekitsune

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strangerthingsreversebigbang · 2 years ago

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Round One, Side B polls are all live today! Check out our profile to vote for each bracket.

Tell us why in the reblogs/replies!

#stranger things #stranger things reverse big bang #strbb #strbb sign up brackets #Eddie Munson #Steddie #Hellcheer #Mungrove #Harringroveson #Eddie x reader #Nancy Wheeler #Jancy #Stancy #Ronance #Stoncy #Bancy

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ananaskupelikiz · 8 months ago

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Robin: So... This is my girlfriend Y/N, this is Y/N's boyfriend Eddie, this is Eddie's boyfriend Steve, this is Steve's girlfriend Nancy, who is also my girlfriend, this is Nancy's boyfriend Jonathan and this is Jonathan's boyfriend Argyle, and this is Vickie, my girlfriend.

Joyce: ... What?

Dustin: *pulls out a white board showing all the relationships* It's okay, take your time.

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skyfallslayer · 4 months ago

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Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Chapter Six

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

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: A frantic Jonathan, Hopper and Joyce look for Nancy in the darkness before uncovering the truth about the lab’s experiments. Steve starts accepting his babysitting role. Steph and Will are running out of time.

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

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 15,845

🎲Date: 12/13/24

🎲Warnings: Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; References To Broken Friendship; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Talks of Mental Health Issues; Bullying of All Kinds; Physical Fighting; Lying; "Death" and Talks of Death; Brief Mention of Corpses; Gun Use; Implied Unloving Parents; Implied Child Abuse; Implied Drug Abuse; Blood & Gore; Arson & Alcohol; Will & Steph's Mental Strain - Joyce's Too; Hopper Being a Great Cop & A Total Mess; Dustin Being a Slight Asshole; Steve's 'Asshole Era'; Steve's Emotional Damage. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N: I am sooooo sorry this took so long! It was never my intention to have neglected it for this long, but here it is. Hopefully it lives up to your expectations. Also, small heads up, I've only re-read this over a few times, so hopefully everything makes sense and looks good. Thank you for your patience ❤️. Enjoy!

You know what they say… Curiosity kills the cat. Or in this instance…

Curiosity kills the Wheeler.

Now she was staring at something truly horrifying, something that was like out of a Stephan King novel or out of an exorcist movie. This… thing was huge. When she first caught a glance of it at Steve’s house she never pictured it that big. An eight foot, lanky, twisted limb individual that was feasting on a poor deer. Her breath was caught in her throat, its munching sounds found its way into her ears rocking her to her core; Her dying flashlight was shaking in her hand.

She needs to leave, go back through the tree before this thing decides it wants desert. Yet, luck was not on her side, as soon as she took a step backwards something crackled beneath her feet. On cue the monster turns around with a shriek, causing her to drop everything and run.

“Jonathan!” She screams, hoping that he – someone – would hear. Then her heart skipped a beat when she got a reply. “JONATHAN!!”

“Nancy!”

She twisted around the trees, the beast right on her tail–

“I’m right here! Nancy! Just follow my voice!”

Follow his voice. Follow his voice. Follow his voice. Follow his– The thing decided to lunge, which she manages to get out of the way in the nick of time, running in a new direction.

“Follow my voice, Nancy, I’m right here! Nancy?!”

She pulls herself to a halt, clinging onto a tree and taking a breather. She hears him but she just can’t see him! Everything was starting to blur and look the same to the point she doesn’t even know where the damn entrance is!

“Jonathan…?” She whispers, and chokes down a sob as she hears the beast growling and lurking around somewhere behind. Is this it? Is this how her life was going to end? In a place that people probably won’t even believe exists? She shook to her core, the beast footsteps starting to fade, but what good would that be if she didn’t know where she was going?

But something must have answered her prayers as a hand suddenly covers her mouth, startling her as someone quietly and quickly shushes beside her ear. Her stomach dropped to her ankles, as she fearfully followed the hand to… she couldn’t even finish the thought she was so taken back. She was completely baffled to find it belonged to the Police Chief of Hawkins.

The Police Chief? She thought, her mind of course strolling to the dread and the worst of it all. Did her parents call because she was gone? Did Hopper get abducted like poor Will and Stephanie? What could it–

Once he registers that he has her attention (mostly), he silently tells her to follow him. Obliging, she stays close, following him right back to where she came through.

Relief fell through her, then once again horror when that growling came back at full force. The two parties stop, frozen as the beast returns a few paces behind them; Then…

It charged. The next few seconds were a blur for Nancy–

Barely remembering how he grabbed her and held her close–

Barely registering him taking out his firearm and taking shots–

Barely recalling as he yanked them both backwards into a tree–

Both Jonathan and Joyce let out a scream when someone’s hand shot through the bubble.

“HELP!!!” It shouts, their eyes widened.

“Hang on!!” Joyce yells, as her and her son use a death grip on his hand, planting their feet into the Earth and pulling with all their might. All it took was their faces to turn bloodshot red before finally seeing the upper half of Hopper’s body. “Ugh– COME ON!!”

And one more large yank from the both of them sent them flying across the forest floor, and Hopper crashed flat on his back with Nancy in his hold.

Hopper immediately squeezed the sobbing girl comfortably, reassuring her softly. “It’s okay. I got you. I got you…”

“Nancy!” Jonathan sighs with relief, him and Joyce crawling over to see them. He helped them sit up, the two of them covered in a weird goo, both looking like they had just seen hell and survived.

As the four of them tried to process the last few minutes, they gazed upon the tree that was slowly closing itself back up.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Eleven!” Her name erupted his throat for the thousandth time tonight. Steve’s not quite sure what time it was, but it was definitely dark and freezing cold, yet he refuses to give up. “Eleven!”

Once he was completely sure his mother was dead asleep it was easy enough to slip out again. Dressed as warmly as he could, flashlight in hand, baseball bat in the other with a backpack full of supplies for anything that he might need along the way. He even brought an extra jacket to sling around the kid when he found her. He was left circling around the junkyard and the area around it; And of course it had to be all wooded, the perfect place to hide.

“Eleven!” He shouts again, then sighs, his breath could be seen in the air. “Look, kid, I… I don’t know if you can hear this, but if you can, I’m not mad about what happened. Frankly, I’m more worried about you. And that’s the god’s honest truth, I swear, I just…” Another sigh. “It’s cold, and I don’t want you freezing. I just… I-I just want you to be alright, kiddo. Okay?”

Of course he was expecting an answer, but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to get a reply which was correct. Instead, he was met with a heavy wind blow that sent a chill through his body.

Shit… He frowns. “Listen, if I don’t see you in the next few hours or you don’t want to approach me, just… please consider going back to Mike’s place, or… you can even come to mine.”

Then he mentally slapped himself. Of course she wouldn’t know his place! “Um, if– if you remember where Will’s house is, I’m not too far from there. The woods across the street just take that straight through. The walk’s about… forty minutes, and uh, my house has a big pool in the backyard and… I’ll be waiting for you. Um…”

It kind of hurts that he’s not getting an answer.

“I’ll probably have to repeat what I just said in a few hours but–” His face morphs into something warm and greeting. “I really hope you heard what I said. And please consider.”

Nothing again, and Steve prays that she hears him, I mean, that’s all he can do as he starts his walk back up again; Shouting her name over and over until the sun starts to rise.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

She felt him pull the blanket around them closer before snuggling against her side – not just for warmth this time, but for comfort, something they both desperately needed now. Steph and Will found themselves sitting inside Castle Byers, both trying to stay snug, both trying to process what had happened in the last few hours, those…

Those hours that they couldn’t even believe just happen.

“So…” Steph begins, fiddling with the walkman in her hands, the one that apparently saved her from the nightmare she was in. “You just played music?”

“Uh, huh.” Will said, nodding.

“And…” Her hands shook at the slightest. Just thinking about it made her skin crawl. “How did you know how to do that?”

“I didn’t.” He frowns, visibly upset. “Like I said earlier, when I accidently turned on the boombox, the music was scaring the monster away. So I thought, maybe, whatever had a hold on you would have the same effect.”

“Well it worked.” She lays the device in her lap, sighing into her hands, thinking. “Listen, Will, I’m going to be blunt.” She meets his worried gaze. “I don’t think we’re going to make it.”

Steph hated how easily those words slipped out, how easily it was to admit that they were stuck in a rut. Her fingers clawed at her thighs as she continued, “I mean, I have faith in your mom, I really do, but we’re running out of time here. And who knows if she’s even figured out a way to get to us, if she knows where we are. We’re both…” She swallows. “We’re both physically and mentally tired, we’re starving and cold too. I mean, if that thing doesn’t kill us, then the cold certainly will. Look at us, we’re shaking and we have layers upon layers of clothes that slowly are not doing much for us. We’re slowly dying at this point.”

Will says nothing knowing she’s right. He’s lost count how many pairs of socks were on his feet, or sweaters he has under his jacket. “Then… what do we do?”

She sighs again, rubbing her forehead (and putting her brain into overdrive). “Alright let’s stop and really think. We obviously weren’t the only ones brought here, right? Remember the girl from Steve’s pool?”

“Yeah.” He straightens up a bit, catching on what she was trying to explain. “From the looks of it, that thing caught her off guard.”

“See, that’s what I was thinking. What if that thing–” She shakes her head. “You know what, we got to give it a name. Can’t keep calling it ‘thing’ or ‘beast’, it’s confusing. Um…”

Will suddenly recalls what started all this indirectly. “...I got beaten by the Demogorgon.”

“Huh?”

“I rolled a seven, and I needed to roll a ten, so I ended up getting beaten by the Demogorgon.” He locks eyes with her again. “We got beaten by the Demogorgon.”

She clenches her jaw. “The Demogorgon. That’s what is hunting us.” Steph says, while nodding. “Okay. Okay. Alright, so what I was thinking is that Demogorgon is like a wolf. It kills its prey, and drags it back to the den, its home, this place, to feast.”

“So… it’s hungry, and this whole place is its home?”

“Correct. The thing is, who knows if we are even the Demogorgon’s first victims? There could have been plenty of people before us that got dragged here. There’s probably been more people than the girl at the pool we saw.”

“So if it’s dragging people here, then it’s somehow able to travel between here and Hawkins. Like it’s using a gateway.”

“Correct. But I don’t think it’s using one gateway, I think there’s somehow more than one.”

He tilts his head, curious. “How so?”

“Remember what you said? The girl looked like she was caught off guard. But–” How does she phrase this? “But she was scared like we were scared when we first saw that thing. Now, I mean we’re still scared anytime we come across the Demogorgon, but not like the first meeting, right?”

“Yeah.” Will said, after taking a second to process it. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“See? Every time we encounter it, it comes out of nowhere.”

“Like it portal-hops, almost.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“So out there…” He starts looking more hopeful. “There’s at least a few gateways. So all we have to do is find one, and maybe it’ll take us home.”

Steph nods before frowning. “There’s only one problem about that. Every time we try doing something to help us get out of here, the Demogorgon shows up. I mean, this evil version of Hawkins is still Hawkins. It’s huge. We’ll never be able to search around without having to worry about it showing up.”

“We have to do something then.”

“Yeah. I mean–” She shrugs. “What can we do? Music and guns seemed to only stun it.”

“Unless, we figure out a way to not stun it. What if…” Will couldn’t believe what was coming out of his mouth next–

“What if we kill it?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hopper let himself close his eyes as he rested at the table, sitting in nothing but his boxer briefs and undershirt. His (dry clean only) uniform had been shoved into the wash in an attempt to get the sticky goo off as he’s second in line for the shower. He was still trying to process what he just went through in the last hour. Another world, real monsters, the lab, the Staties, the fake bodies, everything. It was way too much for the forty-two year old man to wrap his head around. Way too much for any sane human being.

My god… what have I gotten myself into? He was pulled from his thoughts when someone rattled the table as they sat down.

“Look, we gotta go through this again.” Joyce pushed eagerly, hands flat against the news articles Hopper brought over.

The Police Chief looks at her tiredly. “I told you everything that I saw.” He replies, then takes a puff of smoke from his cigarette.

“Oh, my gosh.” She rolls her eyes. “Tell me again.”

Just before Hopper could continue, her son came into the room, looking mentally and physically exhausted. “Is she alright?” He asked, getting a nod.

“Yeah.” Jonathan said, nervously fiddling with his hands as he took a seat with them. “She’s showering right now.”

“That’s good.” Joyce said, before turning her attention back on the other adult. “Continue.”

“Upstairs or downstairs?” He asks, softly.

“Upstairs.”

“There was a laboratory. It was where they must do experiments or something, and then there was… there was this kid’s room–”

“How do you know it was a kid’s room?”

“It’s.. M-More like a prison.”

“So why would you think it was a kid’s room, then?”

Hopper inhales sharply. “Because, I told you, the size of the bed, there was a drawing, there was a stuffed animal–”

Joyce perks up. “You didn’t say there was a drawing.”

“Yeah, there was a drawing of a... an adult and a child. It said ‘Eleven’ on it.”

“Was it good?” Both Joyce and Jonathan said in unison, both having the same idea.

Hopper looks between the two, confused. “It was a kid’s drawing. It was stick figures.”

Joyce then sighs herself, getting up quickly to fetch something before slamming it down in front of him. “Wasn’t Will.” She clarifies, as he takes in the skillful drawing, confusion going away instantly.

Although that went away, something else took its place.

His eyes widened. “Earl…” Hopper mutters, setting the drawing aside to grab the news articles, shifting them around to find something he just thought of. “The night that Benny died, Earl said he saw some kid with a shaved head with Benny. Now, I pressed him, he said it might be Will, but maybe…”

“Maybe, it wasn’t?” Jonathan asked, him and his mother leaning in closer to what the cop was digging around for.

“Look…” He flashes the piece of paper at them, a woman plastered on the front of it all. “This woman, Terry Ives, she claims to have lost her daughter, Jane. She sued Brenner, she sued the government… Now, the claims came to nothing, but what if…” A look of horror crosses his face. “I mean, what if this whole time I’ve been… I’ve been looking for Will… I’ve been chasing after some other kid? What if this goes so much deeper than we thought?”

“So you’re saying that, maybe this Brenner guy is taking kids for some… experiment?” Joyce asked, trying to get some clarity.

“Maybe yes, maybe no.” He replies, his fingers subtly twitching against the table. “But I know in my gut that the lab has something to do with your son’s disappearance. It has to. There’s too many paths crossing for them not to be.”

“Okay, but if that is the case, why Will? And where does Stephanie fit into this?” Jonathan asked.

“Here’s the thing about Stephanie, with all the evidence we have, I think she simply was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. I think Will was always the main target, she just happened to be there when they decided to move in.” Hopper sighs. “Where is she now? I don’t know. But they must have crossed paths with her once if they managed to make a fake corpse that looks like her.”

The teenager took a moment to think everything over, before shaking his head. “This is getting… insane. Really insane.”

“Tell me about it, kid. I know.”

“Then what’s the next step? Where do we go from here?” Joyce asks, but before she got an answer, Nancy had entered the room. Semi-damp towel wrapped around her neck, and dressed in clothes she was given, she comes in with a distant look that she tries to play off.

“Thank you for the clothes, and shower, Ms. Byers.”

“Oh, no need to thank me. Um…” Joyce takes a step towards her with a warm smile. “Listen, it’s late. How about you stay the night?”

“Are you sure?” Nancy asked, surprised.

“Yes, I’m sure. Just… call your mother. I wouldn’t want her to worry. Uh, Jonathan–” She gets her son’s attention. “Why don’t you show her where the phone is and get the extra blankets and pillows out?” She awaits for them to disappear from sight before turning back to Hopper and asking, “So what’s the next step?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It wasn’t until she had to get Joyce on the phone to confirm she really was at the Byers Household that Nancy was allowed to stay. They came up with some excuse that Nancy was helping Jonathan with some homework and it went later than expected. Luckily, Karen bought it, and now her daughter was wondering how she was even going to get any sleep. Every time she closes her eyes… she sees that thing. That monster stalked her like prey, and was this close to snagging her and the Police Chief and ending their lives.

This. Freaking. Close.

I mean… how would Jonathan and his mother explain to her family what happened? To explain how she was eaten/killed by a beast with no eyes? Speaking of…

“You feel better?” Jonathan asks, as he looks up from fixing up his bed when enters the room.

“Yeah.” She said, nodding.

“That’s good. Um…” He shifts nervously on the balls of his feet, gesturing to the object at hand. “I-Is my bed okay? Do you need another blanket? Or–”

Nancy shakes her head. “I-I can’t take your bed.”

“Trust me, my mom will kill me if I offer you the couch.” He chuckles. “Just take it. I’ll sleep in Will’s room.”

“You sure?” She asks, and he nods. “Okay.”

“Okay.” He repeats, and starts making his way to leave, but–

“It’s just, um…” Her hands squeeze together tightly. “I… I don’t wanna be alone, so….” She adverts her eyes. “Can you, like, stay with me tonight?”

“S-Stay?” He slurs, surprised.

She shakes her head slowly as she sits down on the bed. “Yeah…”

“Uh, y-yeah. I-I’ll stay. Um–” He looks around the room. “Just let me get–”

“Can you just come sit? Uh, you can… take half the bed if you want or…” She groans quietly into her hands, before shuttering visibly. “Jesus…”

Jonathan immediately sits down as well, taking in how scared she is and tries to find the right words. “You know, it… it can’t get us in here.”

“We don’t know that.” Nancy whispers, looking at him “Every time I close my eyes, I just… keep seeing that... thing. Wherever I was, that place… I think that it lives there. It was feeding there. Feeding on that deer.”

“Hey, I won’t let it get you.”

“But it got everyone else? That means that if… if Will, Stephanie and Barbara…”

“Hey.” He wraps an arm around her shoulder, giving her a side hug. “My mom said she talked to Will. Talked to Stephanie. If they’re alive, there’s a chance Barbara is, too. That means that she’s… trapped in that place. We just have to find it again.”

She gives him a puzzled look. “You wanna go back out there?”

“I don’t know.” He frowns. “I’ll see what my Mom and the Police Chief say tomorrow, then I’ll make a decision.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin springs up and off the couch when he hears the front door open and shut. Walking the direction of where it was, he was nearly bulldozed over by his big sister, whose arms were crossed and had a sour look upon her face.

“Where have you been?” He asked, following her closely behind. “You didn’t walk me home from school, and you’ve been gone for six hours now. Mom’s worried sick and is looking for you.”

“Well I’m fine. I just wanted to clear my head.” She mutters, heading for her room.

“You could have cleared your head when you came home. You could have just told mom you wanted some time alone. You didn’t have to freaking disappear on us.” What will their mom say? She’s been freaking out and fearing the worst and his sister’s acting like it’s nothing! What’s her deal? “Phanie? Phanie you listening? Phanie–”

“Jesus, Dustin–” She turns around to face him, stopping in the middle of her doorway. Her sour expression had faded into a certain sadness he couldn’t pinpoint. “Just– I’ll explain to mom what happened, I just… I just want to be left alone.”

His shoulders slack at her tone. “Okay. That’s fine. It’s just, we were just worried, you know? You normally don’t disappear like that. We… should I call Steve to let you know you’re fine? I’m sure he’s worried–”

“I don’t want to talk about Steve. I don’t want you to, or mom, I don’t even want to see him again.”

“Phanie…?”

“I don’t–” She laughs quietly on the verge of tears. “I shouldn’t even be crying. It’s not like he cares, or that he wants to be my friend anymore, or… h-he acts like he doesn’t so… fuck–”

“Stephanie–”

“Just leave me alone!”

Then she slams the door in his face without a warning or word.

That was over two years ago, and he still doesn’t know the full story (and even doubts that he ever will). His sister told their mother they had a bit of a disagreement that led to their falling out, ending all discussions and/or thoughts about the boy; Everything she had that held any memory of him was long stored away. Or so he thought.

Dustin still couldn’t wrap his head around why she was still wearing this damn necklace he gave her. Out of everything that they gave one another, he would think that this gift was the most sentimental of them all, so why keep it?

He examines in his palm almost wanting to chuck in the trash, but another part of him wants to wait until he gets his sister back to ask her, ‘Why? Just why?’.

Phanie. I just don’t get it. Is there something I’m missing? But his thoughts were abruptly stopped when his walkie fired up with feedback. He sets it aside and grabs the walkie, pulling up the antenna to listen.

[ ‘Dustin, you copy?’ ]

“Yeah, Mike. I copy. What’s up?”

[ ‘Meet me at my place. We got to go over a few things.’ ]

“Copy that. Over and out.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Will couldn’t believe where all the confidence suddenly came from, especially given their situation. But for some reason, it all felt so right to say.

Stephanie stares at the boy with her big blue eyes, a little bit shocked by what he said. “You want to kill it?” She asked, to confirm.

“Yeah.” He says, adrenaline pumping his veins. “What if we kill the Demogorgon? If we kill it, it might be our only shot at finding a gate unscathed.”

She blinks. “That’s… that’s not the most terrible idea I’ve heard. But how does one kill a thing like that?”

Will hums, brows pushed together in concentration. “Music?”

“Music could work.” She nods. “However, from what you told me, one boombox seemed to just scare it off. There’s no electricity, it’s not like we can broadcast a song over the radio, we’re going to need a lot more boxes. Plus, who knows if we have to play the same song on all of them. There’s no way everyone in town has the same cassettes.”

“True.” He bites his lip. “Guns? We can go get more.”

“Guns could do the job. But when you faced it back at the house? Did it look injured at all? I shot after we talked with your mom.”

“Hmm.” He stops to rack his brain again. Did it? “I think it was injured, but it surely didn’t stop it from coming after me.”

“Okay. So if we use guns, I mean we’re going to have to rapidly fire after rapid fire.”

“That’s going to be too hard.”

“Yeah.”

“So what do we do?”

Stephanie stops to think for herself, pulling the blanket close when she gets a chill. And that’s when the lightbulb went off. “Cold.” She gasps quietly. “This place is cold. It must like the cold. If it likes the cold, then–”

“It hates the heat.” Will perks up excitedly. “Heat is the weakness, then–”

“We can kill the Demogorgon with it.” She couldn’t help but smile at the revelation. “Alright, quickly. What is stuff that’s flammable?”

“Flammable? Um, matches, gasoline, lighter fluid–”

“Alcohol.” She replies. “If we can get all those things, find a good place to set up a trap, overload the shit out of it with everything it hates, and we kill it then…”

“We might be able to go home.”

Their gazes lock again, and suddenly they felt like they were finally on the same level, save wavelength with their thinking. They finally found something that could bribe them into not losing their will to live.

“Then let’s go shopping.” Steph said, grinning. Her words kickstarted them to pack everything up and crawl out of the hideout. Before they took off, she stares down at the walkman again, thinking. “You know, just thought of something.”

“What?” Will asks, looking up at her.

“Remember when we said that maybe we could hear people if they were only thinking negatively?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, they say when playing your favorite music, your brain releases dopamine, giving you a sense of euphoria. What if playing the music keeps all the bad things away?”

“That makes sense. You did say when you were trapped in that place, it got all brighter when the song was playing.”

“Yeah. It did.” She looks down at it again, fascinated by how such a basic thing saved her life.

“Maybe you should wear it while we walk there.”

“You think?”

“Yeah. Better safe than sorry, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess.” She sighs. “Okay, I will. But listen–” She makes sure she has his full attention. “If you start feeling weird, or you get a headache, or your nose starts to bleed, or anything unusual, you need to tell me and I’ll hand it over. Capish?” He nods. “Good. Got ‘The Clash’ cassette?”

“Yep.” He nods, patting his pocket.

“Alright. Let’s go.” She slides on the headsets and starts the song before taking his hand.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce was nervously fiddling with the cigarette in her mouth as she waited for Hopper to get off the phone with some kind of news. She hopes it’s good news, she hopes that he’s able to use his connections to get some kind of push in the right direction.

Come on, Hop. Don’t let me down. She soon watches him hang the phone on the receiver, and turns her way. “Did you get it?”

“I got it.” Hopper replies, waving the piece of paper around.

“Got what?” Jonathan interrupted as he entered the kitchen. “Mom?”

“Um–” She briefly looks over at the Police Chief. “We found out where that Terry Ives woman lives. We’re going to pay her a visit.”

“Oh.” He looks between them for a second. “Just the two of you?”

“Listen–” She places her hands on his shoulder. “It would be best if just me and Hopper went alone.”

“Mom–”

“She’s right, son.” Hopper cuts in. “Something big is going on, and it would be best and safe if you and Nancy stay behind.”

“But, Chief–”

“If the lab is really behind this, then it’s better that they don’t know the two of you are involved in solving this, alright?”

As much as he hated to admit it, Jonathan knew he had a point. “Alright.”

“Just… make sure Nancy gets home safe, and stays out of trouble.” Hopper glances over at Joyce. “I’ll get the car started up.”

“Okay.” She says, watching him leave. “Listen–” She pats her son’s chest to make sure he’s paying attention. “If you want to, you can stalk up on ammo for our guns, that’s fine with me. However that’s not an invitation to be going after that thing we saw. Guns are emergencies only. Alright?”

He cracks a small smile. “Alright.”

“Good. And only if Nancy feels up to it. But I have a feeling that she’s not leaving until she gets some answers too.”

“Okay, mom. I got it. We’ll be good.”

“Good.” She says, just before Hopper honked his horn and shouted something incoherently. “Okay. I got to go. Love you, and be safe.”

“I will.” He squeezes her hand real quick. “You too. Be safe.” He anxiously watches her leave, and that’s with him knowing how skilled Hopper is. He knows she’s in safe hands, but still. They still haven’t puzzled all the pieces together yet. Who knows what is still missing and awaits.

“Where did they run off to?” Nancy asked upon entering. She was dressed in her old clothes from yesterday, freshly cleaned, and her brown locks tied back in a ponytail.

“Actually that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Jonathan says, all business now. “They figured out something last night. Something about the lab and having a connection in all this.”

“The Hawkins Lab?” She gives him a strange look. “What does a research lab have to do with all this?”

He sighs. “I think it’s time to get you up to speed.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Strange.

The forty year old science teacher at Hawkins Middle school surely wasn’t expecting any kind of guest today. Nor someone so special like the woman before him. Dressed very nicely, hair done perfectly, and with a bright smile she shared with him why she’s here with much excitement.

“-and we’re making a newsletter, which we’ll send out monthly.” She continues as she hands him over a pamphlet that says: ‘The Indiana AV Club’. “It’ll showcase all the latest equipment, as well as how-to articles, which the kids write themselves.”

His face lights up as he reads. “Oh, that’s neat.”

“What we’re really trying to do here, Mr. Clarke–”

“Uh, please, call me Scott.”

“Scott.” She tests, her smile growing bigger. “What we’re trying to do here, Scott, is to connect kids from all over the state and give them the support and encouragement to pursue careers in technology. We feel these are the kinds of kids that are going to make Indiana proud.”

“I agree, yes.” He nods. “Completely.”

Hook.

“So, you know any kids you think might wanna participate?”

Line.

“Oh, I have a few in mind.”

Sinker.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin is this close to shoving his friend’s head into a wall. He swears, out of all his friends, both Mike and Lucas are constantly fighting for the title of ‘Most Hot Headed/Overexaggerator’. Will was too quiet to ever play peace-keeper, so naturally this role fell on him. But man… after knowing them both for so long, it was really hard to keep the ‘peace’ part of the role up.

“I just... I can’t believe she didn’t come back.” Mike repeated and paced around the basement once more.

“She’s gotta be close.” Dustin tries again to reassure.

“She said it wasn’t safe. She just messed up the compasses because she wanted to protect us. She didn’t betray us–”

Dustin bites his lip. “Mike, calm down.”

“I shouldn’t have yelled at her. I never should’ve done that.”

“Mike, this isn’t your fault.”

“Yeah, it’s Lucas’.”

“It wasn’t his fault, either.”

That got the Wheeler to stop moving around and give a stern glare. “It wasn’t his fault?”

“No.” Dustin said, standing his ground.

“So you’re saying he wasn’t way out of line?”

“Totally, but so were you!”

“What?” Mike scoffs.

“And so was Eleven.”

“Oh, give me a break!”

“No, Mike, you give me a break!” The Henderson jabbed his finger at him. “All three of you were being a bunch of little assholes. I was the only reasonable one. Shit, hate to admit it, but even fucking Steve Harrington was being reasonable. The bottom line is... you pushed first. And you know the rule. You draw first blood…”

Mike shakes his head and throws his hands in the air. “No! No way! I’m not shaking his hand.”

“You’re shaking his hand!”

“No, I’m not.”

“This isn’t a discussion. This is the rule of law. Obey or be banished from the party. Do you wanna be banished?”

Mike crosses his arms and looks away. “No.” He whispers.

“Good.”

“Kids, that boy Steve’s here.” Karen yells from above, the boys perking up with a bit of hope. They waited (im)patiently for him to come down as he strolled in with a new layer of Fall clothes and a tired face.

“Well?” Mike asked, nervously.

“I’m sorry.” Steve said, making them frown. “I walked around those woods for six hours, and then I even waited to see if she would show up at my place. Nothing.”

“Shit…” Dustin mutters.

“Well, thanks for looking.” Mike said, genuinely.

Steve nods in reply, shifting his weight around on his throbbing feet before asking, “How’s Sinclair?”

“We were just about to go check.” Dustin answers first, moving around them both to grab his backpack.

“We are?” Mike asked, confused.

“Yes, Mike. We’re doing this now. We’re going to get Lucas. And then we’re gonna find Eleven. Alright?” He sighs, before looking at the oldest teen. “Steve, thank you for looking, we’ll take it from here.”

Steve straightens out his posture immediately as the kid starts trying to leave without. “Hey, hey, hey–” He maneuvers in front of him, blocking him from the stairs. “This wasn’t a one time thing. I’m staying with you guys.”

“Dustin, come on, man, we talked about this.” Mike said, turning their roles around. His friend’s shoulder sagged and he muttered something under his breath.

Steve takes a quiet inhale before addressing him. “Look, Henderson, I know you hate me, you have every right to hate me, but right now you need all the help you can get.” His jaw tightens. “Not to mention, whoever’s responsible for all this doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty. They’re not going to care that you guys are twelve year old boys. You need me, whether you like it or not.”

Dustin lets out a long, angry exhale as Mike locks his gaze with the older boy.

“Now, let’s go get Lucas, let’s find Eleven, find the gate, and pray that it leads to your sister and Will.” Steve finishes, and the curly haired kid exhales again.

“Fine.” He huffs.

“Good. We’ll take my car. Will go to Lucas’ and then I’ll take us to the woods. Capish?”

“Capish.” They say, as they follow him out of the basement.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Will looked around the store wondering where they even began. His big doe eyes then turned to the teenager who pushed a shopping cart over to him. “What do we grab?”

“Whatever we can.” Steph says, grabbing a cart of her own with a smirk. “And obviously you don’t have to worry about the price.”

That got him to laugh as they migrated around the store, filling up with stuff they talked about. The teenager found herself starting with certain alcohol that she knew could be considered “flammable”. Some of the numbers were… extremely high and made her question people’s choices (And she thought the whiskey Steve and her drank at the Snow Ball was strong).

Thank god I never drank imported Vodka. She keeps filling her cart up, just as Will comes around the corner with something.

“Hey, hairspray’s flammable, right?” He asks, holding up a can.

“Uh, yeah. It is.”

He hums, taking the cap off and harmlessly spraying the air. “Huh. That’s probably not going to do much though.”

“Probably not.” She says, making him nod and was about to leave when an idea struck her. “Wait.” He stops. “I’m actually getting an idea. Whatever hairspray you can fit in that cart, do it.”

“You know how to build the trap?” He asked, hopeful.

“If I’m picturing this all out correctly, I know this is going to work. But we’re going to need a shit ton of stuff if it’s going to cover the whole place.”

“And where’s that place?”

“Remember that old building with the broken clock tower I took you to?” He nods. “I know that place like the back of my hand. If I’m picturing the trap right I think I know exactly how to set everything up.”

“And we’re going to need a lot?”

“A hell lot.” She hopes her imagination won’t let her down on this one. She starts pushing her cart towards him and heads off for a new one while saying, “Keep grabbing everything flammable, I’m going to get some tools.”

“What kind of tools?” He asked, curiously.

“Basic tools. Hammer, screwdrivers, saw–”

“Saw?”

“Yeah. Saw.”

“What’s the saw for?”

“‘Cause–” She turns around with a smirk. “It’s completely illegal, but a sawing off the front of a shotgun makes the impact more intense, right?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve stayed a few steps behind the boys as they knocked on the door and awaited their fate; Which seemed dreary when Lucas saw who it was.

“What do you want?” He snapped, and it wasn’t until Dustin slapped Mike in the arm he finally got his answer.

“I drew first blood, so…” He holds out his hand, Lucas’ eyes scanning him head to toe for any signs of a lie.

The Sinclair sighs, thinking it over. “Okay, I’ll shake. On one condition.” He crosses his arms and stands tall. “We forget the weirdo and go straight to the gate.”

“Then the deal’s off!” Mike scoffs, and turns around to leave.

“Fine!”

“No, no, not fine!” Dustin said, stopping Lucas from closing the door.

“Guys, seriously?” Steve said, blocking Mike from taking another step. “Stop acting like you’re six, and talk it out like your age.”

“Come on!” Dustin claps his hands together, tackling this head on. “Do you even remember what happened on the Bloodstone Pass?” He watches his friends stare in confusion and sighs. “We couldn’t agree on what path to take, so we split up the party and those trolls took us out one by one. And it all went to shit. And we were all disabled! So we stick together, no matter what!”

His little speech managed to knock some sense into them, and all seemed hopeful till…

“Yeah, I agree.” Lucas said, and gestured to everyone. “But this is the party, right here. The three of us.”

“El is one of us now.” Mike said, as he got an eye roll for a reply.

“Um, no, she’s not. Not even close! Never will be. She’s a liar, a traitor–”

“She was just trying to keep us safe! She didn’t mean to hurt you. It was an accident!”

He scoffs. “An accident?”

“All right, accident or not… admit it, it was a little awesome.” Dustin said, unintentionally digging a bigger hole in the ground for them.

Lucas blinks (with Steve face palming in the background). “Awesome?”

“Yeah, she threw you in the air with her mind!”

“I could have been killed!”

“Which is exactly why we need her. She’s a weapon!” Mike explains. “Do you seriously wanna fight the Demogorgon with your wrist rocket? That’s like R2-D2 going to fight Darth Vader. We’re no use to Will and Steph if we’re dead.”

Lucas shakes his head, clearly frustrated, clearly fed up. “If you two and Steve wanna waste your time looking for a traitor, go ahead, ’cause I’m not spending my time on her anymore. No way! I’m going to the gate. I’m gonna find them.”

And the door slams shut.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It took a bit to get up to Bloomington but they made it; That’s all that matters. Hopper parked his car on the gravel driveway, him and Joyce getting out and cautiously moving towards the front door of the residence. It took several knocks until a petite blonde woman answered. She seemed on her toes just like they were.

“Can I help you?”

“Hi, we’re looking for Terry Ives. Does she live here?” Hopper asks.

Her brown eyes darted between them. “Who’s asking?”

“The Hawkins chief of police.” He flashes her his badge long enough to give her a good look.

“And… you want to talk to my sister?”

“Well, if your sister’s Terry Ives, then, yeah, we do.”

She frowns, looking a bit apologetic. “Okay, well, you can come in, but if you want Terry to tell you anything, you’re about five years too late.” She lets him and guides them to the living room. “Terry, you have some visitors.”

Joyce presence herself in front of the woman in the rocking chair, the similarities in their features were enough to tell the Byers that these two were definitely sisters.

“Hello. My name’s Joyce Byers. Uh, this is Hopper.” She begins, the woman turning her distant gaze off the TV towards them. “We drove over from Hawkins. Um, you see, uh, my son… he’s been missing for almost a week now, and, um, we were wondering if we could talk to you about your daughter, Jane? If there’s anything that you could tell us about when she was taken…”

“What was your relationship with Dr. Brenner? You guys keep in touch?” Hopper asked, observing from the doorway carefully.

Joyce fumbles with trying to unfold the picture for a second. “This is, uh... this is him. This is Will. Uh, you may have seen him on... on the news. Uh…”

Hopper casts his gaze to the relative, confused/concerned. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I told you, you’re wasting your time.” She replies, sadly.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

The four shopping carts rolled inside with ease, the duo looking around the place, that long been abandoned in their world, that they found use for. Stephanie nods after a while, the trap she thought of earlier was now fully registered.

“Yep. This is the place.” She said, while slinging the guns off her shoulders and putting them to the side.

“Where do we set it up?” Will asked, still not picturing it like she is.

“Everywhere. Let’s leave no square inch untouched.” She locks eyes with him. “And then we’re going to practice, over and over so we don’t get caught in them. Alright?”

“Right.”

“Good. Let’s get everything out. There’s no telling when the Demogorgon will return.” They’re both running out of time. For their sake, their sanity, they have to find a way out soon or they’re done for. So, thus starts the grueling process of trap making.

Will made sure to listen carefully as she explained what needed to be where – where to pour the gasoline, where to stick the trip wire, where to hide, etc. And they did practice like she said, in one area that was a pool of alcohol and gasoline just below where the broken bell tower stood, she showed him where to step on the bricks in order to not get any liquid on them. It was hard, especially when he knows they’re going to be running instead of walking when the Demogorgon does show up, but damn it to hell! He will not mess this up. He’s going to stay calm and stick to the plan that he wholeheartedly believes is going to work.

Will finds himself setting aside another Molotov cocktail, before looking over at his companion. She was in the zone trying to saw their shotguns in half, which is a very hefty task on hand. The silence was starting to get to him a bit though, and there was still a… lingering question that was bothering him and wanted to ask, but should he? Or was it safer to make something else up? He ponders as he grabs an empty bottle before deciding to just come out and say it. What’s the worst she can do? Say no?

“Hey, Steph?”

“Yeah?” She said, eyes still trained on what’s in her hands.

“I have to ask again, but…” Should he back out? Should he–

“What is it?”

Well, here goes nothing. He takes a deep, quiet breath and says, “What happened between you and Steve?” She immediately pauses her actions, making him shrink quickly, like he was flinching away from someone’s attack. “You don’t have to tell me, I know it’s a touchy–”

“It’s fine. Really.” She meets his gaze. “I think I probably should talk about it with someone. Especially after the whole… floating-mind game I was in. I saw… a lot of memories of him.”

He fiddles with his hands nervously, curiously. “So…”

Stephanie sighs, her face flashing with pain. “I don’t know. One day he just pretended he didn’t know me.”

He blinks. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes grow distant as she recalls everything. “I remember that day clearly. We would always meet up in the doorways at school, and he wasn’t there that day. Mind you, we were both getting older, more responsibilities were being added onto us; And it was around the same time Steve was really getting into sports, so I thought maybe he was talking to one of his coaches.”

Another sigh before continuing, “Eventually, I found him, ran up to him, and I noticed he looked a bit sad so I asked him if he was okay. He told me he didn’t know who I was.” She catches the boy starting to look as hurt as she was. “I thought at first, maybe he was upset at me over something, so I tried all day to ask him what was up, and when the school day ended he just told me he has no idea who I am and why I’m bothering him and… left. We’ve never spoken again after that. Our… ten years of friendship ended just like that.”

Well…

Jesus H. Christ.

Will had no idea how to respond to this.

“Wow. What a…” He shook his head. “What a douchebag.”

She chuckles dryly. “Yeah, well, he wasn’t always like that. He’s not like what he is now. Trust me.” Then there was a bit of anger in her next words. “I suspected his parents might have threatened him with something to break our friendship. But I don’t know. Could be wrong about that.”

Will gives her a confused look. “What do you mean by that?”

She frowns, but it wasn’t directed at the said teenager. “Let me tell you a bit about Steve. He comes from a line of… rich people. Generational wealth. And due to this they have certain standards. Standards that Steve has to follow to the T.”

He blinks again, thinking. “But…” Another head shake. “But Mike’s family is not like that. I mean I know they’re not as rich as Steve’s, but still.”

“Well, a lot has to do with how Mike’s parents were raised. Not to mention, even though it might not seem like it sometimes, Karen and Ted do love each other in some way. And they really love their kids, and want nothing but the best for them. Tough and nurturing, in a healthy way.” Steph’s frown deepens. “But as for Steve’s, that nurturing and toughness goes a bit differently. Not exactly healthy.”

“How so?” Will asked, on the edge but invested in this tale.

Steph gives it some thought on how she should move forward. She had really only one story that would make sense of it all (or at least it wasn’t as violent as some of the other ones). She sets her stuff down, giving him her full attention now.

“I might have mentioned it to Dustin, or you guys, how I met Steve. Right?” She asks, waiting to confirm.

“Yeah. You said it was school.”

“But I never told anyone the full story. Not even Dustin or my mom knows.” She bites her lip and adverts her eyes for a split second. “Not even Steve knows.”

He tilts his head. “How does that work?”

She takes a deep breath. “It was probably a few weeks before the school year ended, and my class was to make cards to celebrate Mother’s day that was coming up. I remember being really excited about it. I drew my card, school ended and now I had to wait to be picked up. My mom mentioned earlier she might run behind because of work, but no biggie, I didn’t mind waiting.”

She could still picture it, holding her card close and humming a tune to herself as she waited and waited outside in front of the entrance of the Elementary school (The good old days, she calls it).

Stephanie was fiddling with her own hands now as she continued, “Kids started leaving one-by-one, and soon as I was the only one left. Or so I thought. I… suddenly heard this arguing, it was very loud, very terrible sounding, and… curiously I went to check it out, and there he was. Him and his mom. And… she’s yelling at him, telling him how crappy the card was, and how it should’ve been better, or this what he should have done, etc. And–” She swallows, hands tightening together. “Steve’s on the verge of tears, and he’s trying to come up with an explanation for her, and he promises he’ll do better and… um…”

“What?” He says, a bit scared for what was next. Especially when he saw the haunting look on her face.

“She… slaps him. Right across the face. And it was one of those slaps you know it hurt just by the sound of it.” His eyes widened. “Then, she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to the car.” She sighs and shifts in her seat. “I was so shocked by it, ‘cause I never witnessed something like that before, so…” She shakes her head with a small groan. “God. I think at first I… I befriended him because it was out of pity, but that soon went away quickly. We became two peas in the pod in just one day. Never, ever alone.”

“That’s…” He was lost for words. “That’s so awful– So wrong. W-Why would they think that’ll make things better?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know.”

“But…” His fingers clenched his pants legs like a nervous tick. “D-Did they do anything else? We’re they always like that?”

Stephanie’s face morphed into total sadness now. “Listen, there’s a lot of stories I can’t tell you about his parents. They’re not exactly… kid friendly, to put it lightly. But yeah, they’ve done a lot of that, and a hell lot more.”

“Jesus.”

“But that’s why we worked together so well, Will. We complimented each other. He had shitty parents, and I was dealing with a shitty dad. We both helped each other navigate around that.” And ain’t that the truth. “But, besides all that negative stuff, he was a great kid. Me? I was a quiet kid, like you. I kept to myself most of the time, but Steve helped me come out of my shell. As for Steve? I helped him live a little, I helped him have a life that his parents never wanted him to have.”

“T-Then they should be grateful!” He says, sitting up straighter, more lively in his seat. “Y-You befriended their son. You were always there for him.”

“Will–”

“You helped him. Why should they be so upset about all this?”

She gives him a pitiful look for his sweet little heart he had. “Because I wasn’t perfect.” Her throat suddenly felt like it wanted to close up. “I wasn’t rich, I was a wild card. I had a sad, workaholic mother who was trying to keep us afloat, and a father that gambling 24/7 to the point we almost went bankrupt. There were a lot of cons in their eyes compared to the pros, which is probably zero.”

Despite the reasons, Will still couldn’t understand. She did nothing wrong! They should be mad at her. “But you were their son’s friend. That shouldn’t matter.”

She smiles just a tad and says, “You’re so sweet. I wish more people in the world could be like you. That’s why…” How does she cheer him up? “You gotta marry someone who is as kind hearted as you. So the legacy lives on.”

He snorts (Bingo!). “You sound like my mom.”

“Well, she’s not wrong.” She smirks. “But… I’ll tell you something funny about Steve. Maybe you can use it against him since he’s dating Mike’s sister.”

“And what’s that?” He asks, skeptical.

“Guess what his middle name is?”

“Mmm… I don’t know. What?”

She grins. “Steven Grant Harrington.”

“Steven Grant–” He gasps. “Captain America!”

“Yep.” Steph chuckles. “Captain America. I remember when Steve told me his name, I started laughing. He was confused and I told him the truth. At first he was a little mad, but when I explained who Captain America was he seemed cool with it.”

“That’s awesome.”

“If you ever want to tease him, just call him Grant.”

“Oh, I’ll definitely remember that.” He finds himself smiling too and picking back up the empty bottle to continue his work. “My name’s Jacob.”

She perks up. “Jacob?”

“Named after my mom’s father.”

“That’s sweet. I’m Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth?”

“My mom is a huge Elizabeth Taylor fan. I’m honestly surprised that wasn’t my first name.”

“Where does Stephanie come from?”

“Grandmother. At least that’s what she told me. But who knows? Knowing my mom… she got it off some cheesy magazine about cats.”

That seemed to do the trick for cheering him up because Will broke into a belly laugh that she hasn’t heard in a while. To her, besides “Separate Ways”, this was probably the best music she’s heard in a long time.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“This is weird without Lucas.” Dustin finally said after a long period of silence in the car. It felt weird, super weird not having all of his friends together at once. It already felt weird when Will disappeared, but now there’s no Lucas? Not much of a group anymore.

“He should’ve shaken my hand.” Mike said, just as Steve scolded him not to put his feet on his dashboard.

“He’s just jealous.”

Mike’s face morphed into confusion as he turned his whole body around to look in the backseat. “What are you talking about?”

Dustin sighs. “Sometimes, your total obliviousness just blows my mind. He’s your best friend, right?”

“Yeah... I mean, I-I don’t know.”

“It’s fine. I get it. I didn’t start going to our school until the fourth grade.” He looks away, not wanting Mike to see the hurt in his eyes. Except Steve did. He caught his gaze in the rearview mirror and frowned.

Damn it.

He forgot Steve knew the reason he didn’t go to public school right away thanks to his sister.

He tries to act tough and tell him off. “I don’t need your pity Harrington, alright?” The tone made Steve break away and Mike give him the strangest look ever again.

Damn.

Damn this situation.

Dustin sighs. “He had the advantage of living next door. But none of that matters. What matters is that he is your best friend.” He swallows. “And then this girl shows up and starts living in your basement, and all you ever want to do is pay attention to her.”

“That’s not true.” Mike reassures him.

“Yes, it is. And you know it. And he knows it. But no one ever says anything until you both start punching and yelling at each other like goblins with intelligence scores of zero. Now everything’s weird.”

“He’s not my best friend.”

Dustin laughs. “Yeah, right.”

Mike sighs, reaching over to tap in the arm to get his attention. “I mean, he is, but so are you. And so is Will.”

“Can’t have more than one best friend.”

“Says who?”

“Says logic.”

“Well, I call bull on your logic, because you’re my best friend, too.”

Dustin notices his genuine expression and smiles, satisfied with the reply. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

“Uh, hey, guys.” Steve interrupts, slowing the car down a little as the past pays a local grocery store. All eyes were on the front, spotting how the automatic doors were shattered and there were boxes of food laying around the parking lot filled with men in blue. “So… I’m assuming that might be…?”

Mike nods. “Uh... definitely. We’re going in the right direction then.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The sister, Becky, brought them to the kitchen table, offering them cigarettes and some water while promising to explain. “She was a part of some study in college.”

“MK Ultra?” Hopper asks, getting a nod.

“Yeah, that’s the one.” She sighs. “Was, uh, started in the ’50s. By the time Terry got involved, it was supposed to be ramping down, but the drugs just got crazier. Messed her up good.”

“This was the CIA that ran this?”

Becky stared at for a second before a small smirk bestowed on her face. “You and Terry would’ve gotten along. ‘The Man’, with a big capital ‘M’.” Another sigh. “They’d pay... you know, a couple hundred bucks to people like my sister, give ’em drugs, psychedelics. LSD, mostly. And then they’d strip her naked and put her in these isolation tanks.”

“Isolation tanks?” Joyce asked after sparing a look with Hopper.

“Yeah.” She nods and stares explaining with her hands. “These big bathtubs, basically, filled with salt water, so you can float around in there. You lose any sense of, uh… sense and feel nothing, see nothing. They wanted to expand the boundaries of the mind. Real hippie crap. I... I mean, it’s not like they were forcing her to do any of this stuff. The thing is, though, is that she didn’t know she was pregnant at the time.”

“Jane.” Joyce whispers, getting another nod. She takes in a sharp inhale and asks, “Do you have any pictures of her?”

Becky paled and made sure they were both listening carefully. “I don’t think you guys understand. Terry miscarried in the third trimester.” Her words were like a knife to their heart, catching them both completely off guard.

“What?” Hopper said without realizing it at first.

“Come.” She says, standing up and making them follow. She takes them to a bedroom, a baby room, filled with a crib, toys, and anything else a newborn needs. “She keeps all of this up. Been doing it for 12 years.” She takes a seat, allowing them to walk around and observe. “Terry, uh, pretends like Jane is real, like she’s gonna come home someday. Says she’s special. Born with ‘abilities’.”

“Abilities?” Joyce asked, confused.

“You read any Stephen King?” Becky asks, surprising them again. She laughs. “You guys look scared, actually. I mean, it’s all make-believe.”

“What... what kind of abilities?”

“Telepathy, telekinesis… You know, shit you can do with your mind. That’s why the big, bad Man stole Jane away. Her baby’s a weapon, off fighting the commies.” She takes a long puff of her cigarette, frowning. “You know, the doctors all say it’s a coping mechanism. You know, to deal with the guilt.”

Joyce locks eyes with Hopper again before continuing, “Do you think there is any chance she could be telling the truth? Ab-About having had the kid.”

“There is no birth certificate, nothing from the hospital. Doctors and nurses all confirm that she miscarried.”

“Yeah, but that could’ve been covered up.” Hopper says, straightening up. “Right?”

Becky smirks again. “Like I said, you and Terry would’ve gotten along.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

After Jonathan explained what Hopper had found to Nancy, sure enough, his mother’s hunch was right. The eldest Wheeler needed some answers, and wasn’t going home until she got them. So he took up his mother’s suggestion and decided to stock up on ammo, getting ready for whatever comes next.

“Monster Hunting?” He teased, as they came out of the store with a few boxes. He was poking fun at her response to the clerk asking why they were buying so much, and could help but laugh.

Nancy cracks a smile as she pops the trunk. “You know, last week… I was shopping for a new top I thought Steve might like. It took me and Barb all weekend. It seemed like life or death, you know? And... and now–”

“You’re shopping for shotgun shells with Jonathan Byers.”

“Yeah.” She chuckles.

“What’s the weirdest part? Me or the ammo?”

She gives him a playful look and says, “You. It’s definitely you.” Then their little moment was immediately ruined when someone honked their horn and rolled their window down to shout:

“Hey, Nance! Can’t wait to see your movie.”

The highschoolers laughed as they drove off quicker, stunning them both.

“What the hell was that?” Jonathan asked, as she shrugged. But then it hit her. “What?” She suddenly takes off. “Wait! Where are you going? Nancy!”

It didn’t take long for him to catch up, finding her staring up at the local theater sign. The movie that was playing was called: “ALL THE RIGHT MOVES”, and was followed by a very unpleasant word mixed into her name that was written in bright red spray paint.

“Oh, Jesus.” He mutters, but before he could apply any comfort, she stormed off again. “Nancy!” He followed her again, this time down an alleyway where he saw all the douchebags of high school were standing around and giggling.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Nancy yells, getting their attention.

Tommy, the one who had the spray paint can, takes center stage with a cocky look and attitude. “Well if isn’t the star of the show.” His eyes then trail to Jonathan. “And the devil himself. How we all doing?”

Nancy grits her teeth and smacks him across the face, the crowd ‘ooh-ing’ as he takes it like a champ. “What the fuck are you doing? Why would you write that?”

“‘Cause it’s the truth. You… have one fight with your Boyfriend and suddenly he’s not good enough for you, huh?”

“What?”

“What did you say to him? What was so bad that he suddenly isn’t showing up to school anymore? Or…” He jerks his thumb in Jonathan’s way. “How you just decided that the weirdo is better than the King? Come on.”

“Seriously?” Nancy scoffs. “You think I’m the reason that Steve’s not showing up at school? Unlike you, I’ve actually called him and even went to his house, to which he told me specifically that he was fine. Why hasn’t he been showing up? I don’t know! Maybe because he had to attend an old friend’s funeral yesterday?”

Carol snickers and laughs. “The nerd? Stephanie fucking Henderson? You really think those two were ever friends? He just felt sorry for how fucked up her family was and took pity.”

“W-Wait…” Nancy pauses to try to wrap her head around what she had just heard. “Claudia…” What? “Ms. Henderson isn’t a drug addict.”

“Awe.” Carol pretends to pout. “Looks like Steve’s parents haven’t gotten close to you yet. What a shame.”

Then they all started laughing at the cruel joke it was, and Nancy was ready to go off when Jonathan took her by the arm and started stringing her away.

“Let’s go.” He says, calmly, but the bullies weren’t done yet.

“You know what, Byers? I’m actually kind of impressed.” Tommy says, trailing them. “I always took you for a queer, but I guess you’re just a screw up like your father.” He shoves him forward. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, that fucking house full of screw-ups. You know, we shouldn’t be surprised. A bunch of screw-ups in your family.”

“Tommy, stop.” Nancy hisses, as he shoves Jonathan again.

“I mean, your mom– I’m not even surprised what happened to your brother.”

“Tommy! Shut up!”

“I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you, but the Byers, their family, it’s a disgrace to the entire–”

And that was the final straw as Jonathan turns around and sucker punches Tommy in the face. It took a brief second for him to recognize he got hit before all hell broke loose. So much so…

That this day ended with one of them in handcuffs.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The leaves crushed beneath their feets as they continue their trek along the train tracks, occasionally yelling the girl’s name. From where the trashed grocery store was, it laid directly near the forest that they’ve been wandering for a while now – staying in the direction they think she went. It shouldn’t be that hard then, right? Wrong. Going in one freaking direction didn’t seem that bad, but the tall trees didn’t seem to end any time soon. And what if she broke off? What if she went some other way? Then what? How many days will it take for them to comb the area until they find something?

This all feels so… pointless. Steve admits in his thought. I mean, he probably combed at least nothing less than a quarter of forest last night, and he didn’t find anything! Nothing to point him in the right direction. And now, he and the boys actually had a lead and… nothing. Nothing at all. As much as the tiny voice in his head telling him to stop and go home, he knows Eleven’s the only way of finding their loved ones.

And that is if she wants to help us after all this. He frowns, thinking about that. What if they find her and she blows them off? Then what? Do they just truly forget about her and move on? Nah…

He knows that’s not the right answer either. But what if–

“Should we split up?” Mike asked, knocking the teenager back into reality.

“Absolutely not.” Steve immediately says, as they all slow down to talk. “Like I told you guys, whoever’s involved in this is not afraid to get their hands dirty.”

The kid sighs, remembering. “Yeah. You’re right. I forgot…”

“But what if we do?” Dustin said, shrugging.

Steve squares up and stands his ground quickly, prepared for an argument again. “Henderson–”

“No, seriously. What if we do? We can get it done quicker.”

“No. No splitting up.”

“We’ll get done–”

“I don’t care if it’ll get done quicker. We’re staying together. End of story.” Steve finishes, as he starts walking again alongside Mike.

“Then what do you expect us to do, Steve?” Dustin snaps, stopping them all once more.

“What?”

“You said it yourself, you checked the woods last night and didn’t find a thing! And that was just around the junkyard.”

“And your point being?”

“Yeah, man. What’s this about?” Mike asked, confused.

“This place is huge!” The curly haired boy yelled, throwing his arms out. “And you think just the three of us are going to cover it all today?”

Steve blinks, more puzzled by the question than the attitude. “Well… no. Of course not–”

“Then we should split up! Cover more ground.”

“Henderson–”

“Look, it’ll be easy. You continued this way, Mike goes left, I go right, and then–”

“Oh, my god– we are NOT splitting up!” Steve explodes, silencing him. “You can argue with me all you want, but it’s not going to happen. We are going to keep looking together, or you can march your butt straight back to the car and we’re done. Got it?!”

The boys stay quiet, Steve’s flushed face turning normal before walking away, Mike on his heels once more.

Dustin chuckles dryly under his breath. “You’re so useless…”

“What was that?” Steve perked up, slowing down again.

“You’re useless. Here I am having a solution to our problem, and you don’t want to take it.”

The eldest scoffed. “I am not useless. And only turned down your ‘solution’ because it’s too dangerous.”

“So what if it’s dangerous? This whole thing has been dangerous since the beginning!” The boy yells, throwing his hands in the air. “Will and Phanie taking a gun, a girl with real life superpowers, fake bodies, other worlds leaking into ours– this whole thing has been dangerous! So we might as well continue dipping our toes into it!”

Mike cuts in quickly after noticing the tension in the teenager’s form. “Dustin, I know you determined to find Stephanie, but maybe–”

“No, Mike! No ‘Maybes’! We should be taking risks at this point! I mean–” Dustin groans. “God!” He points at the oldest. “You’re so fucking stupid! I-I don’t know how or why my sister ever cared for you. I don’t know why she still cares for you! It’s so… fucking bizarre!”

“Dude…”

His response made Steve scoff again, trying to play it cool. “What are you even talking about? She doesn’t care about me.”

“Oh, yeah?” Dustin said, hands on his hips to look stern. “Well… news flash Harrington, she does. Even after what you did, she still gave a damn about you.”

“I…” What is he going on about? “That’s… that’s not possible.”

“Well, here then!” He digs around into his pocket, and fiercely tosses something at him. “Is that enough proof for you?”

Steve manages to catch it before it hits him in the chest. Expecting something completely different, of course that gold chain with a red pendant catches him off guard. A gift he gave to her many years ago for her birthday… one that she still had.

She… kept this? He was so surprised he didn’t notice Dustin moving past him, beckoning for his friend to follow. Mike hesitates for a second, feeling empathy towards the older teen before he ends up leaving with his head hung low. His thumb brushes over the initials, swallowing hard as his heart clenches at the memories.

“Oh, yeah?” He shouts, turning around in their direction bitterly. “I’m still going to look for Eleven, you shitheads! And you’re going to regret going off on your own!” He doesn’t know why he half expected them to stop and turn around, but it was enough to make him cuss and go another way.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce closed the car door a little more than she should have before covering her face with her trembling hands. This did… not go as planned as they thought.

“Hey…” Hopper interrupts her thoughts, softly.

She sniffles. “What?”

“We’re gonna find him.”

“Yeah, like Terry found her daughter?”

He swallows, subtly, trying to keep it together – to be the strong one right now. “We’re close.”

She shakes her head. “B-But Tw-Twelve years? Twelve years she’s been looking for her and– oh god. Stephanie. W-We… we have to look for her too, and–”

“And then Jane shows up at Benny’s five nights ago, which means we’ve got a chance.” He inhales. “You know what I would give? For a chance? You know what I would give?”

“Hop–”

She was cut off by the sound of his walkie’s static, followed by Callahan’s voice.

[ ‘Hey, Chief, you there? Hey, Chief?’ ]

He fishes it from his side, hitting the button. “Yeah, go ahead.”

[ ‘Yeah, a fight broke out here and–’ ]

Hopper bites his lip. “Cal, I don’t have time for this–”

[ ‘It’s Jonathan Byers.’ ]

Well that stopped him from hanging up. Him and Joyce both froze and looked at each other with confusion.

[ ‘Uh, you haven’t seen Joyce, have you?’ ]

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

After shouting her name for a while, Mike nervously decided to ask, “Don’t you think that was a bit harsh?”

“What?” Dustin glances at him. “Do you think it was?”

“Uh… yeah.” He shrugs. “A little.”

“Well, I don’t.”

“Dude–” Mike stops them both. “Listen, I get it. You’re upset ‘cause he hurt your sister. But you don’t think it’s weird he’s helping us then?”

Dustin tilts his head, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” How does he put this? “I mean, have you ever wondered why he stopped being friends with your sister? Like… did he have a reason for it?”

“Mike–” The warning starts.

“Here me out.” He holds his hands up. “What if he had to? What if he didn’t want to stop being friends but he had too? I mean, if he just broke the friendship because he hated her, then why is he here helping us? Have you ever thought of that?”

Well…

Of course not.

His eyes widened at it, at the slim possibility that there may have been a reason for all this. But just as he says his friend’s name, Mike froze at a sound.

“Do you hear that?”

“What?”

“El!” Mike looks around, hopefully. “El!”

But as the leaves kept rustling around, the sound getting closer, he had waited for the girl to come out from behind the trees and…

Totally not a pissed off Troy and James.

“Hey, there, Frogface.” Troy hissed, popping open his switchblade.

“Toothless.” James grinned maliciously.

“Shit!” Dustin screams, hitting his friend in the arm to make him go. “Run, Mike! Run! Come on!”

The bullies take off after them yelling, “You’re dead, Wheeler. You’re dead, Henderson! DEAD!!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, back at the police station, Nancy was waiting impatiently (Both wanting to leave, and wanting the front desk lady take forever to make an ice pack).

“Do you think we’ll be out of here soon?” She finally asked.

“You, yes. Him, no. He assaulted a police officer.” Flo explained, her reply was unsatisfying.

“Well, how long are you gonna keep him?”

“You and your boyfriend have big plans, do you?”

Nancy shakes her head and laughs. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

Flo gives her a look. “I think you better tell him that.”

“What?”

“Only love makes you that crazy, sweetheart.” Flo hands her the homemade ice pack. “And that damn stupid.”

When she leaves the words lingered in her head more than she thought they would have. She has a boyfriend for Christ’s sake! They shouldn’t be making her think too much about her and Jonathan’s relationship…

Right?

“Found some ice.” Nancy says, as she walks up to where he’s sitting – handcuffed to one of the officer’s desks. She smiles, trying to hide the thoughts as he locks eyes with her.

“Thanks.” He says, leaning into the ice pack as she holds up to his bruised side. It doesn’t take a genius to know that something was bothering her, prompting him to ask, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She reassures him, reassures herself. “Everything’s fine.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Everything okay?” Will asks, as he finishes loading the last of the ammo up when Stephanie reenters the building.

“Yeah. Everything’s fine.” She says, nodding. “Alright, the wire is set around the building. Whatever direction the Demogorgon comes from we’ll know. That should give us a good starting point towards a gate.”

“Right.” Just as he said that, their little decoy light flickered on and off rather quickly. They locked eyes with each other, the girl mouthing, ‘Be Ready.’

“I’m going to check a trap real quick.” Steph says the code word, before disappearing.

“Sounds good.” Will takes a deep breath, reminding himself to stay strong and not stray from their plan. We got this. We got this. It’s going to work, and we’re going home.

He turns away from the open space of the room, facing the wall. His eyes trail to the shotgun hidden by his feet, the light flickering again, telling him to start kneeling to the floor. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stick up, a low growl from somewhere behind him as he acts like he’s fixing the light to stay on. He felt the presence move closer and closer, he could hear the boney fingers cracking open, its face slowly doing the same. Just when he notices the shadow looming overing him, he shouts,

“STEPHANIE!”

The girl suddenly comes out of her hiding spot and slashes the nearest hand clean off. A shriek erupted from the beast, and just before it could retaliate, Will took a shot with the gun – officially starting their trap. Will took shot after shot, while Steph swung the axe into places she could get, ultimately backing the beast into some wiring, evidently knocking it over temporarily.

“Let’s go!” She shouted, and they were off on a run… and soon was the Demogorgon.

Just like they had practiced, they ran across the stepping stones with ease, heading for the stairs as the beast bathed itself in a concoction of liquid death. About a quarter of the way up, she swung the axe high and skillfully hacked some rope in half, her and Will covering their heads with their elbows to protect themselves from the raining shards of glass and nail from the tarp they put up. The Demogorgon shrills again and tries to navigate through the sharp storm.

Will takes a good look back at the girl and asks, “You ready?”

“Yep. Let’s finish this.” She replies, getting a nod and a flash of determination as they continue to run all the way to the top.

The Demogorgon was met with Molotov cocktail after Molotov cocktail, courtesy of the Byers boy, bidding enough time for Steph to slip by to the other side of the tower without falling. With the rope in her hand, she signals the boy she’s done, and switches roles with him. Dropping the axe and taking the hand gun from her side and starts firing. Will takes this chance to move away, grabbing the other end of the rope and begin entangling it.

Their plan was to trip it over the edge, falling back below to the toxic pool – but I guess cutting off its hand seemed to fuel its rage as the tripping technique doesn’t seem to be effecting it like they hope. The Demogoron thrashed its good arm around, managing to nick Will in the bicep.

“Will!” Steph shouts, her worries making her loosen her grip. She almost gets sliced as well, having just enough to react and jump backwards. The rope slips from her hands, her body stumbling into the wall, the beast taking an opportunity to charge. She scramblings out of the way, running to the other corner to scoop up the shotgun they placed there, and fires away.

“Stephanie!” Will yells, scaredly. No. This wasn’t the plan. They need to get that thing to fall or they can’t finish it off. But how? Their tripping plan didn’t work? Come on, come on, come on! Think! What else?

His eyes frantically looked around, they had weapons, they had rope, what else? And that’s when he finally noticed it.

The bell! He mentally gasps, getting an idea. “Stephanie!!” He shouts her name, and starts running to scoop up the discarded axe. “Get as close to the edge as you can!!”

Steph didn’t question it, knowing she didn’t have many options left in store. She starts aiming directly at the face, hoping her shots make it as she stands her ground. If she gets hurt by the Demogorgon, she gets hurt. Trusting her little partner in crime, she kept pelting it until she noticed where its footing was, and took another shot in its mouth. Then, using all the strength she could, she uses the butt of the gun to strike it, its heels dipping right over the edge–

Will lets out a yell of frustration as he swings the axe right into the rope that was holding the bell up. Snapping and dropping almost immediately, it manages to clip the Demogorgon, sending it free falling to the floor. It screams all the way down, the two of them meeting to look at their results. The pair watches as the beast tries clawing the broken bell of its lower half – splashing the alcohol and gasoline around, re-bathing itself in it.

Without muttering a word to one another, Stephanie digs out a lighter, switching it on; No hesitation as she lets it slip out of her fingers. The impact of the lighter caused the place to shake a little, the heat from the flames were so intense that she ended up shielding the boy’s face when it landed.

Its scream turned up by a hundred as they made it down the stairs, carefully avoiding the flames until they came to a safe spot. Sure enough, the Demogorgon was definitely Barbequing now. They could smell the burnt flesh, its discolored blood spilling out, and becoming weaker and weaker, all as they watched with disgust on their faces.

Fill with unexplained rage, Stephanie, who had one last load in the chamber, takes a step forward. Then another… then another… then another, the flames itching to get her too. The Demogorgon’s hand flopped around on the ground in its poor attempts to get her, its mouth opening for one last weak scream–

She sticks the short barrel in the center of it, the shells doing its job as the trigger pops.

Droplets doused her face, letting the gun fall along with its head, the creature officially not moving anymore.

Now they’re outside, the flames still could be seen through the murky stained glass window. The two of them just stared at it, dirty clothes and tired eyes, stomach grumbling from their worked up appetite. However, they weren’t done just yet.

“Just in case?” Will broke the ice first, looking at her with a blank expression that she returns.

“Just in case.” She repeats, before fishing out another lighter. “Care to do the honors?”

He takes it with his bruised hand, flickering it on and watching it for a second before throwing it at the foot of the building. The line of gasoline they poured around it erupted like fireworks, like…

Like it was their grand finale. A big old ‘Fuck You’ to this shitty place.

But despite the wave of emotions, the one of disgust, then nothingness… It soon ended with them laughing and crying of pure relief that they could finally breathe in a place like this.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve was this close to picking a fight with a freaking oak tree. He knew he shouldn’t get mad, I mean… Dustin did have a point about splitting up, but he knew he couldn’t risk that. He saw whomever these people were not afraid to get their hands dirty, and couldn’t risk anything happening to these kids but…

Jesus.

Dustin was really pissing him off. But he also wasn’t pissed off? The necklace he threw at him, the very one he gifted to the older Henderson all those years ago, the one he was for sure had been thrown in the trash at this point, was now in the palm of his hand, was fucking taunting him now?! I mean, Steve kept a box of things that he got on his and Steph’s adventures, but that was him. He thought after breaking her heart at school, he was sure that she would have trashed everything he’s given her over the years.

I guess he was wrong about that.

He rubbed his face with his hands, biting his lip as guilt started creeping back. It was guilt about their friendship, but there was also some that came from the boys he decided to freaking abandon moments ago.

Abandon. He just abandoned those kids because he was mad! Them being assholes or not, he should’ve been the grown up here and stood his ground despite if it meant potentially strangling Henderson. I mean what if something happens to them? How the hell would he explain that to their parents?

He completely stops, mentally slapping himself. “God. What the fuck am I thinking?”

Just as Steve was about to turn around and go looking, he heard something. He carefully looks around, starting to think he imagines it until he swears there was a person like shadow casting out from behind a nearby tree.

“Eleven?” He takes a hopeful small step forward. “I know that’s you. I can see your shadow.” That statement was enough to confirm it when the shadow moved slightly and the leaves rustled quietly. “Hey, can you come out? I just want to talk.”

But what did he expect? Just for her to come out and run into his arms? No. Of course not. However she was right there, just four steps ahead, and he’s not losing her this time.

“Listen, I’m not mad, okay? And I’m not just saying that so you can come out. I mean it. And…” How does he word this? “I don’t know why you chose to mess up the compass, you clearly had a reason, a reason I kind of agree with Wheeler, I think you wanted to protect us. Why? From? I don’t know, but I want to know. You have to tell me, you have to tell us.”

Please say something. Or move a bit so I know you’re acknowledging me. But neither of that happens, so he keeps going.

“I promise you, none of us are going to be angry. But you have to understand, time is of the essence right now, we have to find Stephanie, we have to find Will. So…” He knows his voice trembled at the end, but who cares. Maybe the honesty will help his case. “Please. Will you come out? Come out and talk to me? Please, Eleven?”

It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Or in this case…

Screaming.

Steve’s head snapped in the direction of where he just came from, the familiarity of the screams made his stomach drop.

“Shit.” He mutters, looking one last time at the tree before taking off, hoping he isn’t too late for whatever reason they’re screaming for. Him running away was the missing chance of him seeing the girl’s gaze on him with a frightful face, wondering too what is happening to her friends.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The boys were running out of steam fast. It didn’t take long until their bullies had surrounded them, just off a trail that wraps around the whole quarry. With their stomach turning, and their hearts pounding in their ears, they scooped up any “weapons” they could find for defense.

“Stay back! Don’t come any closer!” Mike said, before chucking a rock at James.

The bully laughed at the terrible aim. “Nice throw, numbnuts.”

Dustin, in one last attempt to fight them off, comes full swinging at Troy with his stick – a complete fail too. Now, he was struggling to break free from his hold, as the switchblade was placed just under his chin, causing him to freak out.

“Let him go!” Mike yells, urgently. “Let him go!”

“Stay back, or I cut him!” Troy snaps.

“What do you want?!”

“I want to know how you did it!”

“How I did what?”

“I know you did something to me. Some nerdy science shit to make me do that!”

Mike almost rolled his eyes at the statement. “You mean piss your pants?”

Dustin, being Dustin, replies with, “Our friend has superpowers, and she squeezed your tiny bladder with her mind.”

“Shut up!” Troy grits his teeth, bringing the blade closer to his face. “I think I should save Toothless here a trip to the dentist. Help him lose the rest of his baby teeth.”

“Let him go.” Mike says again. “Let him go!”

“I’ll let him go, sure. But first... it’s your turn.”

“My turn for what?”

“Wet yourself.”

“What?”

“Jump…” Troy’s eyes gesture to the open water below. “Or Toothless here gets an early trip to the dentist.”

“NO!!” Dustin shouts, shaking his head, trying to wiggle out of the hold. “Stop! No! No!”

“Or I’ll cut him right now!” He continues, the blade now resting right on his lips, causing his hostage to whimper.

Mike shook with anger, but he had no choice. He didn’t want to be the cause of his friend getting hurt. “All right, just hold on!” He says, looking between the bullies as he starts walking away. “Hold on!”

“Mike, don’t do it. I don’t need my baby teeth, Mike! Mike, seriously, don’t!” His friend pleas, but he’s not listening as he gets closer and closer to the edge, stopping just as his toes went past the line.

With his big brown eyes he looks down at the blue water and wonders what hitting that would feel like. The fall was what? 50 feet? 70? Maybe a hundred? Would he even survive this? Would he never see any of his friends or family again? He hears Dustin pleading with him once more, and almost takes a step back, a step back to maybe striking up a deal with Troy; But would he even listen? Maybe jumping really was the only option here, so…

“Troy, I don’t think this is a good idea, man.” James says, a bit scared at the idea, yet his friend blows him off.

“Mike, don’t!” Dustin screams, as Mike takes a deep breath and starts closing his eyes, bracing himself for whatever awaits him below.

“Dentist’s office opens in five–”

This is for Dustin.

“Four!”

I’m sorry everyone.

“Three!”

Say Hi to Will and Steph for me.

“Two!”

Dustin yells his name.

“One!”

Just as Mike lets his foot slip down for the descent he felt himself get yanked backwards by his collar…

Someone else using the momentum to take his place.

He had enough time to stop himself from tumbling to see him plummeting into the Quarry.

“STEVE!!” Mike yells at the top of his lungs, everyone else staring in shock before running over to the edge. Now, everyone present expected to find the teenager’s body crashing into the water, or hear some kind of scream on the way down, yet instead…

They see the teenager panicking at how he found himself stopping in mid air like he could suddenly fly.

“Holy shit.” Dustin said, blue orbs blown wide just seconds before Steve started floating back towards them.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” The Harrington spewed, limbs frantically moving. He continued his descent up and up, right over the four boys and landing semi-gently on the ground.

“Steve?!” Mike said, surprised (and relief blooming onto his face).

He shot straight up in the sitting position, his hair a mess, his eyes big like saucers, his heart pounding like a never ending drum. What the heck just happened? “How the hell did I…?”

And right on cue, like you could hear boss music play as Eleven was storming over, her red wig gone and dirtied face full of rage. She quickly blew James off his feet, and snapped Troy’s arm like a twig. The boy cried and El told them to go. The two bullies waste no time to leave, their tails tucked between their legs as Dustin eggs them on.

“Yeah, that’s right! You better run!” He yells, a shit eating grin blooming onto his face. “She’s our friend and she’s crazy! You come back here and she’ll kill you! You hear me? She’ll kill you, you sons of bitches. She’ll kill you!”

“You think she would?” Mike asked, half rhetorical, half serious.

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe? I was just saying that to scare them.”

“I wouldn’t let that get that far, alright?” Steve says, looking at them with amusement also. “You guys okay?”

“Okay?” Mike says, helping him get up. “Dude, you took my place!”

“Yeah, well, I would do it again if I–” He trails off, just as he notices Eleven’s knees buckling. “Hey– Hey! Eleven!” The boys rush over to the unconscious girl. “Eleven?”

“Is she okay? Why did she faint?”

“She might have overdid it. Eleven? Hey? Can you hear us? El?”

Eventually, She cracks her lids open slowly, finding all the boys hovering over her like she was made of glass. Glass. They shouldn’t be looking at her like that. Not after everything she’s done.

“El, are you okay? El?” Mike said, worriedly.

“Mike...” She sobbed, lip quivering. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“The gate… I opened it. I’m the monster.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “No, El, you’re not the monster.”

“You saved us.” Steve said, with a smile. “You saved me. Do you understand? You saved me. Whatever you did in the past, that’s all said and done. All that matters now is what you do in the future. Okay?”

“Okay…” She sniffles and nods. “Okay.”

“Okay.” His expression grows as he sits her up. “Come here.”

She allows herself to grab a hold of him, burying her head in his chest for a sense of comfort. Steve keeps her close, relieved that she’s here, relieved that she’s fine, relieved that she saved their lives. Whatever she’d done is done, now they must move forward and save their loved ones. But for now, they were allowed this one sentimental moment. He soon felt Mike wrapped his arms around them, just before Dustin did it too.

Steve locks eyes with him, Dustin sharing a small smile while mouthing the words ‘Thank You’. Probably for the fact that he swapped places with Mike (Or was there something else beside that?). Whatever it was, Steve copies his expression before ruffling the top of his hat before continuing with the hug.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Lucas found himself hidden in a tree, watching with his binoculars as he spotted the suspiciously familiar vans behind the fence. It took him a moment to realize where he saw those vans. Realizing that he saw one parked outside his house when he left a while ago, he put two and two together right before this situation got worse. He watches as Men in uniform stroll out of the lab, guns in hand and pouring into the vehicles that made their way into the main roads.

His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat.

“Oh, fuck.”

(TBC)

A/N: Only three more chapters to go for this season! This next one should be a "fun" ride for you all 😈

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

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

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andvys · 10 months ago

Text

Dancing with our hands tied | S.H.

Chapter nineteen ⭐︎ For you, I would ruin myself, a million little times

Warnings: angst, mentions of unrequited love, mentions of loss, insecurities, allusions to depression, mentions of cheating (jancy), sad memories, fluff at the end (with Steve, yes)

Pairing: Steve Harrington x fem!reader

Summary: You take a painful road down memory lane and it makes you question everything.

Word count: 10.4k+

⭐︎ as always a special shoutout to @hellfire--cult thanks for plotting and writing with me hehe

Series Masterlist ⭐︎ Previous Chapter ⭐︎ Next Chapter

♡

“Are you ready to tell me or not?”

You look up from your plate, still chewing on the pasta that Eddie had cooked, you put down the fork and reach for your pepsi as you look at Max who stares at you with a tilted head, a knowing smile resting on her face.

You shake your head and furrow your brows at the girl, glancing at Eddie who looks just as confused as you do.

“Tell you what?”

Max picks up her garlic bread and shrugs, “about you and Steve and how you’ve been sneaking around behind everyone’s backs,” she says nonchalantly before she takes a bite.

You nearly choke on your drink, eyes growing wide, matching the ones of Eddie who seems to be just as surprised as you are, he even stopped eating.

You blink, trying to process her words.

“W-What?” Is all that you can say as you stare at the redhead, like a deer caught in headlights and with a pounding heart.

“You know, at first I thought Lucas was crazy for teasing Steve about you and making all those comments about how perfect you two are for each other, especially because Steve always seemed just as annoyed with you as you with him but then he suddenly had different reactions whenever Lucas said something about you and I noticed how red his cheeks got every time he looked at you all lovey dovey,” she holds her finger up, eyes growing wide as she pointing at you to stay quiet, “and then… and then! You both started disappearing at the same time and started whispering to each other, sitting next to each other when it’s something you wouldn’t have done before, not to mention the secret hand holding,” Max laughs, shaking her head at you.

Your eyes widen at her ‘lovey dovey’ comment, hope that has been rising in you more and more, burning warmly in your chest but Steve doesn’t look at you that way, does he?

Eddie stares at her, feeling impressed by her observations.

Just like him, you feel impressed too, shocked and a little nervous but not scared the way you would feel if it were anyone else but her. She can keep a secret and she is like a sister to you – and unfortunately, sisters always know everything and uncover secrets without a struggle.

“I don’t know how the others haven’t figured it out yet, you two are so obvious,” she snorts, picking up her fork again, she stabs her pasta onto it, “just as obvious as my mom and your uncle,” she says to Eddie who shrugs and nods in agreement, “I mean… does anyone actually believe that he’s fixing our fence? The fence is fine! … They go to Enzo’s like every Friday night, by the way.”

Eddie chuckles and takes a bite of his food, “it’s only a matter of time until you and your mom move in with us.”

You expect Max to roll her eyes at him but instead she smirks, “yeah, hope you’re ready to become my personal driver.”

“Am I not your personal driver already?” Eddie snorts. “I mean, you even got two personal drivers, didn’t you both go shopping this morning?” He asks, pointing between you.

“Yes we did, and we were very successful,” Max nods.

You aren’t surprised about Susan and Wayne, they’re truly very obvious and now you can’t help but wonder if you and Steve are the same, with the exception that you two aren’t dating… sadly.

Max looks away from Eddie, returning her gaze back to you, “so when were you gonna tell me that you and Steve are a couple?”

Eddie coughs, glancing at you sideways as he grimaces when he sees your falling expression.

“They’re not a couple,” Eddie says for you, noticing the way your eyes sadden and your lips curl downwards at his words.

Max furrows her brows, tilting her head at you and giving Eddie a look of confusion.

“What–”

“Yeah, Steve and I are not… dating.”

The past few weeks have felt like it though, it felt like there was something more between you and him, and after finding out that you have been the only girl for him these past few months, it started feeling even more like it.

Max stares at you now, eyebrows pulling up and eyes flashing with even more confusion, “but… huh?”

“They’re just having… uh… fun, Red,” Eddie chuckles awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck as he leans back in his seat, “you know… adult fun.”

You roll your eyes at his choice of words, just the way she does before she gives him a deadpan look.

“I’m not five, Eddie! I know what they’re doing but that makes no sense!”

“What doesn’t make sense?” You ask and reach for your drink again.

She looks down bewildered, dropping her fork and waving with her hands as she points at you, “Billy had fun and you know how much fun he had!”

You chuckle and nod.

“But he never held hands with those girls or looked at them like… like he was in love or something! He had fun and then he moved on to… the next… fun. It’s different with you and Steve though!”

A sigh falls from your lips and your shoulders slump as you lean back.

Yeah, of course it’s different with you and Steve, the difference between Billy’s fun and your fun is that he never loved any of the girls he had been with, you on the other hand, are sickly and madly in love with the guy you are having ‘fun’ with and you are pretty certain that Steve doesn’t feel the same, no matter what anyone says.

Eddie glances at you, waiting for you to say something, to tell her the truth because he knows you will, you don’t seem to feel the need to hide from Max, knowing she won’t run off to her friends and tell them all about it and risking it reaching Steve, Max isn’t like that, especially not when it comes to you.

“It’s not, Max…” You sigh, looking down at your hands.

She raises her eyebrows again, squinting her eyes at you.

“So… you’re saying it’s actually just fun?” She asks like she almost wants to chuckle in amusement.

You sigh again and raise your head again, rolling your eyes, “well… yeah… no, I– fuck… no, no it’s not just fun… not for me.”

Eddie looks at you sadly, sighing too.

“And Steve?”

You shrug, despite the hope in you, you don’t know what he feels, if he even feels anything for you.

“It’s just… fun… for him?” You mumble, flinching at your own words.

“Uh… is it?” Max mumbles, not looking or sounding convinced.

“It’s what he said,” Eddie shrugs, rolling his eyes when he thinks back to the night he confronted you both, “and he seemed pretty set on it, he said it just that and nothing more when I found out about it.”

“Mhm.” You nod, hiding your face as you tilt your head down again, not wanting to show more feelings than necessary. “Can we talk about something else now, please?”

Eddie nods, “sure–”

“No,” Max shakes her head, “I wanna talk about this!”

“My relationship with Steve isn’t appropriate to discuss with a teenager–”

“Oh, so there is a relationship,” Max interrupts you, giving you a smug smirk.

“No, there isn’t, you know what I mean!”

She chuckles and crosses her arms over her chest, continuing to stare at you.

“So… Do you love him then?”

Your eyeroll is enough of an answer to that question.

“I knew it,” she murmurs under her breath, “and what about him, you think he doesn’t feel the same?” She asks, thinking that her own question sounds absurd, she saw the way Steve looked at you, multiple times already.

“I know he doesn’t,” you shrug.

“Why not?”

“Because he hated me, Max–”

“Yeah, he obviously hated you so so much, that’s why you’re holding hands now and kissing every time you think no one’s watching! I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t hold hands and kiss my enemy… oh! Or look at them with lovesick smiles and everything!”

You sigh again, tilting your head back as you look up at the ceiling.

This isn’t good for you, it really isn’t, you don’t need to be fed with more delusions.

“I think he feels the same, it’s pretty clear!”

“If it’s so clear then why isn’t it being talked about?” Eddie retorts, not feeling convinced of Max’s words, “why didn’t he say anything to change their relationship yet? I mean, he had no issue talking to his ex-girlfriend about his feelings for her when he knew she was with someone else! Oh and by the way, Nancy cheated on him and left him for someone else and he still confessed his feelings for her again… years later, he knew he would look like an absolute fool – which he did but that didn’t stop him! So what should stop him now, hm? He’s got nothing to lose with her!” Eddie points at you, “she never hurt him, she has no one else that he has to compete against, she fucking loves him! So him confessing his feelings for her wouldn’t ruin anything like it would have with Nancy or Jonathan if they reacted badly to his stupid confession!”

You close your eyes and take a deep breath, ignoring the stinging in your heart.

You knew all about his love confession to Nancy – their conversation in the RV was only the first step towards it. You remember the jealousy you felt when he told her about his dream, about the kids and the future he always wished for, you knew who he saw by his side when he talked about it all. To find out that he confessed his love to her in the Upside Down made you feel even worse, especially when you were still recovering from all your injuries. Robin rambled away about it and told you every detail, you didn’t even ask for.

Eddie’s words make your heart ache yet again, you know he is right, but they kill your hope a little and you are holding onto it so tightly.

Max, on the other hand, refuses to agree with him, she squints her eyes at him, leaning closer to the table, “maybe he is scared, Eddie? Have you thought of that? I mean, the whole thing with Nancy was… a heat of the moment kind of thing, there was literally nothing between them but there is something between them!” She argues, pointing at you.

“I have thought about it,” Eddie nods, “but if I feel like I might lose someone I love for not saying anything to them, I damn right would do something!”

“I love him, Eddie,” you mumble, your cheeks heating up at your vulnerable confession in front of Max, “but I never plan on telling him how I feel, so…”

Max groans at your words and rolls her eyes, “two idiots, I swear to god, I bet Steve is feeling and saying the same shit to whoever else knows.”

“Robin,” Eddie nods at her.

Robin, yeah.

Robin who is suddenly not as fond of you as she was before, rolling her eyes and scoffing at you every chance she gets, irritating you a little more every time you’re around her now. You considered her a close friend before she suddenly turned on you and started acting weirdly towards you. You don’t know what her deal is but you suspect that she minds your presence around her best friend, fearing that you might ‘steal’ him from her because he is spending less time with her and more with you – as though she wasn’t the first to ditch him to be with Vickie.

“Great!” Max shrugs, “then why don’t you talk to her, try to get information out of her… since you two are accomplices?”

Your eyes widen and you shake your head quickly, turning to Eddie in panic, “please don’t! Don’t talk to Robin, Eddie! She’s gonna tell Steve and if he doesn’t feel the same then…”

Eddie shakes his head at you, not needing you to finish the sentence. He reaches his hand out to you and squeezes your shoulder reassuringly, “I won’t, don’t worry,” he sighs, looking at you with sympathy in his eyes. He knows how deep your feelings are for Steve, how much you love him and how long you have loved him for already and now that you somewhat have him, you try to do everything to keep him, even when you are breaking your own heart in the process.

He isn’t fond of this affair because he has an idea of how it will end and he fears that day, knowing what it will do to you but he can’t do anything to change it, he can’t save you from heartbreak, knowing it will happen sooner or later.

You slump back in your seat, feeling pathetic for feeling this way, for holding on so desperately when there is only a small chance that there might be something and even that chance isn’t enough for you to go and find out the truth, not even when hope lingers in you after all the sweet moments you had with him.

Max looks at you in a way her brother once did, when he found out the truth and realized just how deep your feelings were, back then already.

You remember how the look in his eyes went from shock to confusion to sadness and sympathy.

And you remember how awkward and embarrassed you had felt that night.

It was raining outside, the windows were fogged and the smell of sex lingered in the room, you never knew what people meant by it when they mentioned that smell until that night. Your forehead was coated with sweat, your cheeks were glowing and feeling hot, your skin smelled like him, like his cologne and his aftershave, and your body felt different, not in a bad way, just in a foreign one.

You held the sheets tightly against your chest and looked out the window, watching as the rain paddled down the glass, a smile tugged at your lips and your chest wasn’t filled with sadness for once.

“Hey,” Billy said and pulled your attention back to him, “give me a smile.”

You turned your head to look at him, a giggle fell from your lips when you noticed the polaroid camera in his hands, his eyes were squinted and a smirk lingered on his face.

“Seriously?”

He took a picture of you before you reached forward and swatted the camera out of your face.

Billy leaned back from you and held the camera away so you couldn’t reach it, he laughed at the bashful expression on your face.

“Need a picture of your special first time,” he joked and laughed again when you rolled your eyes at him and blushed.

He took the picture out and started shaking it for reveal. He leaned back against your pillows and reached for his beer, drinking it while staring at you.

“Well, we are not doing that again,” he said and you knew that it would’ve offended many other girls, but not you, because you felt the same.

“Yeah, it didn’t feel right, did it?” You scrunched your nose.

“Not at all,” Billy laughed before his face grew serious as his eyes roamed your face, “do you feel alright?” He asked in concern because he noticed how distant you looked, like your mind was somewhere else or with someone else.

He straightened up and furrowed his brows at you, “who are you thinking about?”

You felt caught and you felt ashamed.

You never admitted your feelings for Steve to anyone, they didn’t even make sense so how could you even begin to describe them?

You looked down and closed your eyes, you pulled your brows together as though in pain and it only made him more curious.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why not?” Billy asked and dropped the polaroid camera and the picture on the mattress beside him. He placed the beer back on the nightstand and grabbed his pack of cigarettes instead, “is he ugly?”

His question made you snort, you opened your eyes again and looked at his serious face.

“No, he is not ugly, not in the slightest.”

His lips curled downwards for a moment as he nodded, “do I know him?” He asked before he placed a cigarette between his lips.

You only gave him a look and that was enough to confirm his question.

He hummed and kept staring at you with a curious look on his face, he lit up his cigarette and threw the lighter on the nightstand, taking a long drag before he blew the smoke out.

“I do, huh?” He chuckled and squinted his eyes at you, “are you gonna tell me or are you gonna let me guess?”

You smirked and shrugged at him, you held the blanket tighter against your chest and reached for the camera beside him, “guess, Billy,” you teased him as though your heart didn’t start pounding from all the nervousness inside of you.

“Jesus,” he sighed in annoyance, “is he popular or a loser?”

You shrugged and squinted your eye as you brought the camera up to your face and wasted no second to take a picture of him too, he didn’t seem to mind, not like you did.

He started saying names, random names of guys you weren’t even sure went to Hawkins High. You kept shaking your head and saying no, you felt surprised that Steve’s name hadn't left his lips yet.

“Huh, it’s not the drug dealer is it? What’s his name again?”

“Uh… You mean Eddie?”

He nodded and pointed his finger at you, “yeah, him.”

You shook your head, “no, he’s cute but no, he’s not really my type,” you mumbled and sighed, “probably would’ve been better if it was someone like him, he’s nice, at least.”

He hummed and stared at you, he fell quiet for a while and his face grew serious after a few minutes, then his eyes widened and he cursed under his breath.

“Fuck… girl, please don’t tell me that it’s King Steve.”

Your breath hitched in your throat and your face started burning beneath his gaze, you couldn’t stand to look into his eyes any longer so you broke eye contact and looked down at your hands in your covered lap.

“Shit…” He sighed and slumped back, looking at you in disbelief, like you had fallen in love with his arch nemesis.

“I know,” you mumbled in annoyance because you knew what he was about to say, “you don’t have to tell me how stupid I am, I already know that.”

Billy stayed quiet for a moment and stared at the pained expression on your face. Yeah, he was about to say something stupid about Steve, about his stupid hair and your feelings for him but when he looked closer – and he knew you pretty well at that point, he could see just how much pain lingered behind your eyes, how glassy they got and how your bottom lip wobbled just the slightest bit.

He was never the best with words and he certainly was never someone to give comfort, he didn’t even know how to, no one ever comforted him, only you did.

He bit his tongue and swallowed the bitter words that were about to leave his lips.

He opened his mouth but shut it again when he saw you wiping away a tear.

Billy sighed and ran a hand through his mullet, he pinched the bridge of his nose and rolled his eyes at the thought of the jock.

“It’s pretty serious isn’t it?”

You only nodded and said nothing.

“So… you’re like in love with him or some shit?”

“I guess so,” you whispered even though you knew for certain. “Feels like it’s tearing my heart apart or something every time I see him, every time he says something dumb to me.”

“How…?” He asked and sighed again, “shit, I knew you liked him, you wouldn’t have defended him every chance you got but I thought you were just being nice to that fucker… Jesus…”

You shook your head again and slowly looked up at your best friend, “I can’t give you an answer, Billy. I don’t know how it happened, it just… happened. That’s gonna sound so cheesy but… when I first saw him I just… I felt safe and comfortable… happy. He smiled at me when he passed me in the hallway and I just – I don’t know, I can’t explain this feeling and it doesn’t matter anyways, he turned out to be a dick who hates my guts so… I’ll get over these feelings someday.”

Billy didn’t believe your words and you didn’t either.

You have loved him at first sight and that never changed or lessened, your feelings kept getting worse and worse and it made no sense because he kept treating you badly.

You were infatuated with him, bewitched.

You expected Billy to judge you but he didn’t, you thought he would say bad things about Steve but he never did, at least not when it came to you and your feelings for him.

If anything, Billy encouraged you to act on your feelings, to get closer to him, to make a move and try.

And you did, but it only made everything worse.

And now, you stare at his sister and watch as she tries to do the same.

It went sideways the first time and you fear that it won’t go any different this time – yes, things have changed, you and Steve are something now, something you would have never seen coming a year before, especially after what happened when you did try to make a move on him. You just can not find it in yourself to even try, to gather all your confidence and use the sliver of hope to confess to him in hopes that he could feel the same, that you could be something more than what you are now.

You can feel that things have shifted into a different direction, the softness in his eyes, his gentle touches and acts of affection are proof of that and still, you fear rejection and losing this because this thing between you is just too fragile, too easy to break and ruin.

It’s not long ago that Steve couldn’t even bare to look at you without rolling his eyes or scoffing some cold words at you and you try not to think of them, to leave things in the past, to not go over his hurtful words again and again but something inside of you seems to manifest all the saddening and painful words your poor heart was attacked with in the past and you can’t fight off those memories, you try to but you can’t and it saddens you even more because the past few weeks with Steve, have been nothing but heavenly to you.

You woke up in his arms every morning, he held you through the night, woke you with kisses and cooked you breakfast, he held your hand and treated you as if you were his, like you were his girlfriend and he your boyfriend – you got a taste of something you always craved and longed for and that should bring you peace, it really should but he is showing you, giving you something that you know he will take away again when the time comes.

When you step into your house after dropping Max off at El’s, you make your way up to your bedroom and open your closet, looking for something comfortable to change into, when the navy blue color flashes in your peripheral vision. You grab a pair of your sleeping shorts and a random shirt of Steve’s, trying to ignore the dress that practically stares at you, forcing you to recall one of your worst memories.

You clutch your clean clothes to your chest and take a look at the pretty sundress you bought at the GAP store when Starcourt mall was still intact. You reach out to touch it, pinching the thin material between your thumb and your pointer finger, a sad smile tugs at your lip when you think back to the day you bought it – just to look pretty for him.

Your best friend kept encouraging you, filling you with hope that you could have a chance with Steve, that he wouldn’t say no to you if you tried to make a move, if you tried to ask him out, if you went after your feelings. Week after week had passed and Billy forced confidence onto you and pushed you towards a guy he didn’t even like.

You kept denying his words, you knew you had no chance with him, not even after you graduated from high school, not even after Steve had changed and his mean words became less harsh.

And yet, a part of you listened to Billy, that naive and hopeful part of you that really wanted her crush to like her back and give her the chance she always wanted.

You bought a pretty dress, you got your hair done and did your makeup, lighter and girlier than usual, you put on your favorite perfume and jewelry and you decided to give it a try – you shouldn’t have, you should’ve listened to your brain and not your heart.

The mall was bustling with people, kids were running around the water fountain, a group of young girls rushed past you, giggling in excitement as they carried their many shopping bags, you were standing in front of Scoops Ahoy, with your cheeks burning and your heart racing.

In all honesty, you had no idea what you were doing, you came up with no plan before you came here, you just woke up that morning and decided that Billy was right, that you could take a chance and go after what you wanted – you had nothing to lose, except for your dignity. Besides, you were no longer in school, if things went wrong, you could easily avoid him.

You had taken a look inside, only a few teenagers sat by the window, it wasn’t crowded, not in the slightest. You saw him, he was standing behind the counter with his back turned to you as he was talking to his co-worker who spoke to him through the small window between them.

Your heart skipped a beat when he turned to the side, a smile lingered on his face as he nodded along to the music that played on the radio.

You could have still turned back, you could have still left without being seen, without having made a fool of yourself. But you didn’t, you didn’t turn around, you didn’t change your mind, you walked into your own demise.

You took a deep breath and walked up to the counter, you twisted the ring on your finger and focused on him. He looked so good, even in his silly uniform, he looked so pretty. His sailor hat was laying on the counter and he was twisting the ice cream scooper in his hand, he only turned around when his co-worker, Robin, nudged her chin at you before she turned her back to him and disappeared further into the room.

You blinked and breathed heavily as you realized that you didn’t even know what to say, you didn’t prepare for this, you were never good with words or conversing with boys, you didn’t know how to flirt – well, you did, Billy taught you, but you had never used your newly learned skill before.

And when Steve turned around to face, it was too late to think of what to say, anyways.

“Ahoy–” his cheerful words cut short and the smile on his face fell when he saw you, “oh, it’s you.”

That should have been enough to change your mind, to make you turn back and run the other way.

“Hi Steve.”

Steve’s shoulders slumped and he slid his scooper back into place, he put his hands on the counter and sighed.

“Blondie,” he nodded.

You were too nervous to see the way he looked at you, the way his eyes roamed your face and your styled hair, your glowing skin and your pretty dress, the way his cheeks changed color as he kept staring at you.

“What can I get for you?” He asked and cleared his throat as he gestured to the many ice cream flavors.

You shifted and tilted your head to the side, your hair fell from your shoulder and down your back. He looked again, at your exposed skin, at the dainty chain around your neck.

“I uh… I’m… I don’t know yet,” you stuttered and felt yourself growing more nervous than before.

Steve sighed and looked away from you, “of course,” he murmured under his breath.

Your cheeks burned hotly, your eyes felt heavy and you looked down as you already felt the regret rushing through your body. You wanted to say something, anything, but all your words were caught in your throat, everything you would’ve said if he liked you a little more were stuck and frozen.

You cleared your throat and took a deep breath, you looked at his face and wondered why you even let Billy encourage you and talk you into doing this. The few ‘nice’ interactions you had with Steve meant nothing. The smile he wore on his lips before could never be directed at you, the soft look in his hazel eyes disappeared the moment he saw you, the tone in his voice changed in an instant.

“How are you…?” You asked, cringing at yourself, at the question, at the shakiness in your voice.

He looked back at you and raised his eyebrows, an unamused chuckle fell from his lips.

“What do you want?” He asked and shrugged at you, “we’re out of high school, we don’t have to see each other anymore and I know you’re not here for ice cream, you usually don’t have an issue making a decision, so why are you here, Blondie?”

You could not help but draw back as a cold shudder ran down your spine, you blinked and looked down.

You missed the look of guilt that flashed in his eyes when he watched you step back and you closed your eyes for a moment, your brows scrunched together as though in pain.

He was always this way, you knew what you were stepping into, you knew how he would react and you couldn’t blame him, you weren’t exactly nice to him in school and snapped back at him every time he threw a rude comment at you.

You swallowed and took a deep breath, you looked back up at him, at the hazel eyes you always loved so much.

Steve huffed and he took a deep breath, he stared at you intensely and you didn’t know what it meant, a part of you thought that it was his hatred, the other was foolishly hopeful.

“Yeah… I know but I just… I thought that maybe we could,” you paused as your heart felt as though it was about to tear from your chest any moment. He looked at you so intensely, he made you feel so small beneath his gaze.

“We could what?” He asked a little too harshly and made you cower back.

“This was a bad idea,” you whispered to yourself and took another step back, “I’m sorry I just…”

“What’s up with you?” Steve mumbled and furrowed his brows at you, confused at the side of you he never met before. “Did you miss being annoying so much that you had to come bother me at work, Blondie?”

You heard the teasing in his voice, you saw the sliver of amusement in his eyes but you really only focused on the way your heart clenched in pain and how regret took on full control.

You rolled your eyes, not at him but at yourself, at your foolishness.

Of course he doesn’t want to see you, why would he?

He never liked you and he certainly wouldn’t start now, he would probably laugh into your face if you asked for what you came for – a date.

Your cheeks were nearly hurting from all the blushing, your heart was skipping and pounding, your hands felt clammy. You never felt the need to cry in front of him, you never felt vulnerable around him because your walls were always high up and guarded by a second layer, now you came without protection and decided to let yourself be vulnerable for once, only to feel like breaking down from the embarrassment that was gnawing at you.

“Cat got your tongue? That’s new…” He chuckled and stared you down still, eyebrows still furrowed and lips pursed. His hardened expression fell a little and something else took over, something you couldn’t read. “Did someone stand you up?”

Steve wasn’t used to your silence so you weren’t surprised about the confusion on his face. You looked at him again and caught him eyeing you up and down, his eyes lingered on your dress for longer than necessary.

His question went unanswered and he grew frustrated with you.

“Can’t blame them if they did,” he mumbled, throwing daggers at your heart.

That stung.

Normally his words would’ve angered you and you would’ve shot back straight away, despite your feelings for him, you wouldn’t have kept quiet or struggled to say something back but not today, today you let him hurt you – deep down you knew this would happen, this was always how you interacted, he said something mean and then you would too. His words were nothing new and yet they cut deep.

You swallowed hard and dug your nails into your palms, your breathing quickened and you knew you had to get out of here but something kept you standing, you felt as though you were frozen.

Steve coughed awkwardly and looked away for a moment, he grabbed his scooper again, “so… wanna eat your feelings or what?” He asked and pointed at the many flavors, eyes back on you.

“No–”

“Hi, Steve!”

You nearly flinched at the high pitched voice and had to hold back the eyeroll when you saw the girl next to you, who didn’t bother to hide the dirty looks she gave you before she returned her attention back to him, flashing him a sickly sweet smile that made his eyes light up.

The girl used to be on the cheer team, very popular and gossipy, unkind and one of the most unpleasant people you have met – and she usually spends her Saturday nights in Billy’s sheets.

Steve’s eyes were no longer on you, instead they were stuck on the pretty girl beside you, he eyed her up and down, not with distaste or annoyance but with interest and a smirk on his lips.

“Hey, how are you?” He asked and leaned against the counter, a flirty look crossed his face, “you look amazing, Olivia.”

She giggled and twirled her hair around her finger, she licked her lips as she eyed him like she was hungry.

“So do you.”

Steve smirked at her and chuckled softly.

At that point, you didn’t know what you felt because your sadness ran so deep, you didn’t have it in yourself to feel jealous anymore.

You just felt like a fool.

And you felt angry, at yourself and at him for being so horrible to you. Olivia’s giggles did nothing to make you feel less horrible, like nails on chalkboard her voice was irritating you in the worst way possible, so before leaving, you turned towards her and when she met your gaze with a fake smile, you matched the look on her face.

“Wouldn’t waste your time here, Olivia,” you said her name, mockingly and looked her up and down, not feeling jealous over the ugly sandals or the green skirt she was wearing. “He only flirts to pass time. Besides, isn’t that your boyfriend waiting for you?” You asked and tilted your head at the guy in front of the store, he was already glaring at Steve.

Olivia clenched her jaw and glared at you, huffing in annoyance which gave you a little satisfaction.

“Better not leave him waiting or someone might tell him what or who you do every Saturday night.”

Her pale face grew even… paler and you couldn’t even bite back the smirk, despite the blow that was just delivered to your heart.

Steve raised his eyebrows as he looked between you, he saw the way you blinked, fastly, he saw how glassy your eyes were despite the look on your face.

You turned back to him and looked at him with a straight face, “you usually don’t mind sharing your girls though, do you? So… go nuts,” you shrugged before you turned around and walked away from him, not planning to look back.

You should have, you should have looked back because then you would’ve seen the guilt in his eyes, the regret that crossed his features, the tension that slipped off his shoulders and the disinterest that took over for the girl in front of him. The sadness that flashed in his eyes for missing an opportunity, for letting you go like this.

But you didn’t, you kept going and you rushed back out into the bustling mall, you blinked away the tears and made your way back home. You tore the dress off your skin the moment you stepped into your room.

And you never wore it again.

You roll your eyes at yourself for feeling pain for the girl you were a year before, for still hurting because of the things he said to you, for the way he looked at you, for the way he flirted with a different girl in front of you.

The past doesn’t matter, it shouldn’t matter, especially not now, not anymore – not after what you have gone through together, not after he changed, not after he started treating you differently, not after all the nights and mornings you have spent with each other, not after all the gentle touches, not after the way he kissed you and held you close that one night, not after he called you late at night just to hear your voice.

He is different now, you are different now, you aren’t the teenagers you were a year back.

The past shouldn’t hurt.

You slam the closet door shut and walk out of your room and into the bathroom, you start the shower, letting the water warm up while you take off your clothes. You feel frustration bubbling inside of you, the conversation with Max and her encouraging words triggered all the memories that you refused to think about in these past few months.

The day at Scoops Ahoy made you sad and angry, it made you want to never see him again, you avoided the mall after that day and you didn’t see much of him after. You hated yourself for hoping, for going after your feelings, for believing that you could have a chance after Billy’s encouragement – Billy who pushed you away only a week later, with harsh words and a mean look on his face, he pushed you away when you needed him the most and you felt alone again, so alone. At that time, you didn’t understand why he did it, why he didn’t want you in his life anymore, you didn’t know that he was just trying to protect you from the upside down, from himself.

And then he died and you lost yourself completely.

You drowned your sorrows in alcohol and kissed the lips of strangers, you let them touch you in hopes that you would feel something, you woke up in their beds and hated yourself after because no matter how good they were to you, how nice the conversations went, how much they made you laugh, how nice they made you feel, they couldn’t make you forget about the friend you lost, they couldn’t make you forget about him, they couldn’t give you what you wanted, what you needed, what you longed for.

You searched for glimpses of Steve in every man you kissed and you hated yourself for it because you wondered why you even felt that way for someone who couldn’t even stand you, who hated you with all his being.

What made you fall in love with him?

What tied you to him the way it did?

Because he never gave you a reason to fall in love with him back then, he treated you unkindly from the moment you met and yet you couldn’t help your feelings, you couldn’t help but adore him, you couldn’t help but admire him.

You even felt your own heart break when you found out about what Nancy did to him, how she broke his heart so carelessly, how she cheated on him with her friend.

And you felt it break even more when he still wanted her, even after everything she did to him, he loved hard, just like you did, like you do. No matter what she did to him, he still loved her.

And now, you can’t help but ask yourself the question that you have always avoided.

Does he still have feelings for her?

You wonder if he still wants her, if he still wishes for a future with her, if she is still the one he craves by his side.

He doesn’t look at her the way he used to, not anymore, he doesn’t seem sad around her the way he did after she rejected him and yet, you still wonder, if you are just someone he passes time with while he hopes that she might change her mind in the future. If you are the person he finds comfort in because he can feel that you love him the way she never did.

Are you the replacement? The filler?

You feel yourself crashing, the water feels hot on your skin but you feel the shudder running down your spine, the goosebumps that rise on your skin make you shiver, your throat tightens and your eyes blur with tears as your heart clenches in your chest.

You wipe your tears in anger even though your whole face is wet from the water pouring down on you, you turn off the water and open the curtain in anger, you reach for your towel and wrap it around your body.

You wipe the fog off the mirror and look at your reflection, at the marks on your neck, at the tears running down your cheeks.

Are you stupid for crying when you knew exactly what you were signing up for?

You always knew what this was to him and you were satisfied with it because you just wanted him, no matter how, you wanted him and you got him.

But you can’t stop your heart from aching because somehow, you fell even harder for him and you can’t stop from hurting when you think about what you are to him and what you might never be.

Just sex.

A friend… nothing more than a friend, that’s what he said, you are just a friend.

The confidence that only started growing inside of you not too long ago begins to crumble and you don’t know how to stop it from falling apart.

You close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, trying to calm your racing heart and the thoughts that drive you mad. You take a look around, at the things he left in your bathroom, his toothbrush next to yours, his body wash and shampoo in your shower, his Farrah Fawcett hairspray that no one can know about.

Would all this be here if you didn’t mean something to him?

Would he have made space in one of his drawers just for your stuff if this meant nothing?

Would he have let you in if he still wanted someone else?

Does he even still want someone else?

You huff in annoyance for letting yourself fall into this spiral of overthinking. You feel as though all these questions come to haunt you for pushing them away all these weeks and now you feel a headache coming and you grow irritated with yourself and with your insecurities.

You shut them down as best as you can and busy yourself with other things, you moisturize your skin and blow dry your hair. You put on your fresh clothes and comb through your hair before you leave the bathroom, it’s much darker in the hallway than expected, the grayish clouds hide the sun and the sound of thunder rumbles in the far distance, drops of rain already paint your windows.

Goosebumps rise on your skin and an unsettling feeling sinks into the pit of your stomach. You feel the cold wind on your exposed skin from the open window in your bedroom, you make your way inside, pushing the blowing curtains away as you reach forward to shut the window.

Lightning surges through the sky, deep purple colors flash in the darkening clouds far away. You would’ve felt your heart dropping by now if you didn’t notice the burgundy car parked in your driveway, the door opens and he steps out, a second later, a brown paper bag in his hand and something tucked beneath his arm, he shuts the door and locks it, wasting no time to find shelter under the roof on your porch as it starts raining harder.

Instead of dropping, your heart skips a beat, forgetting all about the pain it just felt from the saddening thoughts in your mind.

Through all your overthinking and pondering, you forgot that he was coming over.

You shut the window and rush downstairs, opening the door as he rings the doorbell for a second time. A frown lingers on his face but it disappears when his eyes lock with yours as soon as you open the door and a smile tugs at his lips instead.

“Hey Blondie,” he breathes and rushes inside when you step aside to let him in, “looks like the end of the world out there.”

“Hi…”

You close the door and lock it before you turn around to face him.

Steve kicks off his shoes and throws the movie tapes that were tucked beneath his arm on the counter where you keep your keys and sunglasses, he puts his keys into the little bowl and then he steps towards you and reaches for your hand, he pulls you towards him and takes you by surprise when he leans down and smacks his lips against yours, kissing you shortly. Greeting you with a kiss, something he had never done before.

Your eyes widen a little and your throat tightens for a different reason now, you stare at him, unable to hide the surprised look on your face.

And Steve, he furrows his brows and his smile falls a little, not because of your widened eyes but because of the glassiness in them, he frowns as worry swirls in his chest.

“Hey,” he murmurs and lets go of your hand to cup the side of your face, letting his thumb linger on your cheek, “is everything okay?”

You blink.

Your heart jumps at his action, at the question, at the concern in his soft brown eyes. You breathe in deeply, you open and close your mouth a few times, unable to find the right words.

You didn’t cry all that much, it’s not so visible on your face, is it?

“Did something happen?” He asks, a little softer this time.

You shake your head, “n-no, I’m fine, just tired, I’m probably coming down with something…” You lie.

“In the summer?”

You force a smile and look down, shrugging, “guess I’m not that strong…”

“Well, then let me take care of you,” he whispers and caresses your cheek.

You wonder if he knows what he does to you with such words and actions, you sometimes wish he knew that your heart leaps every time he does such things, maybe then he would take pity on you and not fill you with so much hope, even in your worst moments.

You nod at him and let him take your hand back in his, he gives you a sweet smile that nearly makes you crumble.

“So how was your day?” Steve asks as he tugs you along with him and leads you into your kitchen.

You swallow the lump in your throat and shrug, “good, I went shopping with Max and then we ate lunch with Eddie.”

Steve smiles at that, he places the brown paper bag on the kitchen table and turns to face you.

The soft look in his eyes and the smile on his lips makes you feel guilty for the thoughts that rushed through your mind just moments before. This side of him is the only one you have known in the past few weeks, the gentle and sweet side you never thought you’d ever get to see.

“I got us dinner, burgers and fries but I got the fancy ones from Enzo’s,” he chuckles and lets go of your hand, stepping away from you and towards the sink. “Did you find anything?” He asks as he runs the water and uses the hand soap you always leave in your kitchen to wash his hands.

You furrow your brows at his question, feeling a little lost and confused.

“Hm?”

“When you went shopping.”

“Oh.” You nod your head, you went back to the jewelry store to look for new rings and the necklace you fell in love with but it was already gone, it would’ve looked pretty with the dress you picked out for Joyce’s and Hopper’s wedding. “Yeah, I finally got a dress for the wedding… oh and shoes… and makeup.”

Steve smiles fondly when he turns back to you, “what color is your dress?”

“Uh, it’s black,” you say and walk over to the fridge to grab a drink for you both, “sounds boring, right? But it’s really pretty and I got some pink heels to go with it.”

“It doesn’t sound boring,” he shakes his head at you and carries two plates to the kitchen table, “besides, you look gorgeous in anything.”

You freeze.

Your eyes grow wide and your cheeks start burning.

Gorgeous?

He surely never called you that before, especially not after greeting you with a kiss on your lips.

“T-Thanks, Steve.”

He hums in response and you look back at him to see him placing the food on the plates, putting more fries on yours than on his. His brows are pulled together in concentration, his lips pressed together, his hair looks a little messed up from the wind but he looks so cute like this.

And you can’t help but think of how intimate this all is, him kissing you after walking in, him asking you about your day and the color of your dress, him plating your dinner.

You can’t help but hate yourself for all the overthinking and reminiscing of the things that happened in the past.

You close the fridge with a sigh and make your way back to the table, placing the coke in front of his plate.

“Thanks, Honey.”

You give him a smile and sit down across from him, looking down at the delicious food in front of you, “I’m horrible, you always cook for us or order something and I never do anything.”

Steve shakes his head, glaring at you, “you’re not horrible and that’s not true, you cooked breakfast and dinner before.”

You pop open your soda can, “yeah, I made french toast and sandwiches.”

“Yeah and it was amazing, now shut up and eat your dinner, kid,” he says playfully, his eyes glinting with amusement when you laugh.

You push your hair out of your face and pick up the burger, unaware of the fond smile that tugs at his lips as he watches you take a bite. His eyes roam your face, your eyes are a little red and he can’t help but think that you lied to him about feeling sick, you look fine, you just look a little… sad and it makes him feel upset because he knows that you won’t talk about it, especially not with him but he wants to be there for you, he wants to give you a shoulder to cry on, to lean on, he wants to give you comfort.

He looks down at the shirt on your body and when he recognizes it, his eyes lighten up and warmth blooms in his chest, it’s his shirt.

He bites back the smile as he looks down and starts eating too, welcoming the comfortable silence between you as the rain paddles down the windows, the thunder still crashing somewhere, far away.

You flinch every time a loud crash booms through the sky, it’s nothing new to him, he noticed it the very first time it happened. Every time the sky turns a little darker and the wind picks up, you fidget and get anxious. He wonders if it’s a fear you have taken with you from the upside down or if it is something that accompanied you before, he never dared to ask before.

Every time he showed up during a storm, your eyes were filled with fear and your hands were shaking. You would relax and calm down a few minutes after his arrival, his presence seems comforting to you and it’s why he rushes to get to you every time he sees the dark clouds and hears the thunder.

“Hey Blondie?”

You look up at him through your lashes and raise your eyebrows, “yes?”

“Can I ask you something?”

You put down your burger and reach for your drink, nodding at him.

“Have you always been afraid of storms?”

You seem to be taken aback as you stare at him and blink, not moving or saying anything just yet and he fears that he crossed a line.

“I just, I noticed that you flinch at every crash.”

You always tried to hide your reactions, not wanting to seem scared or weak, and usually no one ever noticed things about you that you didn’t want them to see but Steve seems to see right through you.

His hazel eyes aren’t filled with judgment or amusement, just with curiosity and… a hint of concern?

You take a sip of your drink and sit back, relaxing your shoulders as you look into his eyes.

“Yeah, I just, I guess it got stuck with me from when I was a kid,” you chuckle and roll your eyes, “I know, embarrassing right?”

He shakes his head and frowns, “no, not at all.”

“Honestly, it wasn’t even that bad when I was a kid, it got worse when I was a teen. My parents would go on these business trips sometimes and trusted my sister to look after me but she used those opportunities to go hang out with friends or go to parties or whatever else she was doing,” you explain, not looking away from him, “and I hated being alone, it probably didn’t help that I watched horror movies every time I was alone.”

Steve chuckles at that, though he can’t help but feel sad for you.

His parents left too, hell, they still do. To know that you were in a similar situation as him when you were younger fills him with regret, knowing that he could have been there for you and you for him, if he just wasn’t such a dick to you.

“I just always got so anxious whenever I heard the howling wind and the loud thunder, it felt like the fear paralyzed me in a way… I don’t know, does that even make sense?”

Steve nods, “yeah, yeah it makes sense.”

But now he wonders how the hell you jumped into the water to save him, after everything that you had been told about the upside down, about the storms, about the monsters, you still jumped into the water when he was pulled under. You knew what was waiting for you on the other side and you still did it.

“B-But how… I… the upside down was filled with storms?”

You would’ve jumped into a hurricane if it meant saving his life.

“I wasn’t going to prioritize my fears over your life, Steve.”

Steve feels a little stunned, he knows how paralyzing fears can get, how they can hold you back from everything, but you, you didn’t care about your fears, about yourself, knowing that it could’ve ended badly for you down there, you cared more for him than you did for yourself, even when he was nothing but an asshole to you who treated you like shit.

If he knew you, the real you, he wouldn’t have been so harsh to you, he wouldn’t have been so… cold. He would have never said a single bad word to you but he thought you were cruel and he thought you hated him so he gave you a side of him that didn’t even exist, it was an act, nothing more, nothing less and he regrets it more than anything.

He regrets every word he said to you before this. And he feels as though he doesn’t deserve this, you, not even in this way, not after everything he said to you and about you.

He wants nothing more than to take it all back, to make it up to you.

And as you sit there in front of him, with red rimmed eyes that prove that you have cried before he came here, he wants nothing more than to pull you into his arms and apologize, over and over again.

But instead of doing that and risking making you uncomfortable, he slides his plate closer to you and changes seats so he is right next to you, he ignores the confused look you give him and the question you were gonna ask before he grabs your face and kisses you, making you gasp in surprise.

You melt into the kiss quickly, despite the confusion that lingers in you. You place your palm on the side of his neck and kiss him back softly.

And just like that, your worries and your anxious thoughts fade away into nothing, his touch, his kisses, he makes you forget about all the sadness that gnawed at you before, for a moment, they don’t matter and they won’t be back till later.

For a moment, you’re allowed to feel hopeful and confident again.

When his hand finds your waist and his lips move slowly and softly with yours, when he hums into the kiss and pulls you closer, when he makes you feel special.

Steve’s eyelashes flutter when he pulls away and opens his eyes again, smiling softly as he pecks your lips once more before he moves back, like he didn’t just steal your breath and made your heart pound wildly.

“What was that for?” You breathe.

“To calm you down from the storm,” he shrugs, chuckling at his own words.

“Why do you think a kiss would calm me down?”

“I don’t know, I read it in a magazine,” he lies and looks down at his food with rosy cheeks and a sheepish smile.

A giggle falls from your lips.

“Right,” he nods and points a finger at you, still smiling, “it’s scientifically proven that kisses help with the distraction.”

“Mhmm,” you hum and nod, “right, totally yeah.”

Instead of tears, you’re biting back a smile now, falling right back into the state you are always in when you’re around him – into bliss.

You continue eating and you ask him about his day, you push your plate towards him, sharing your fries with him once he practically inhales the ones on his plate. He keeps on talking, the whole time you sit at the kitchen table you ate your meals alone at, he tells you all the gossip he’s heard from Robin, keeping you entertained and making you giggle, making you forget about the raging storm behind you or the pain you felt before, he makes you forget about everything.

And you thought this would be like any other night you spent with him.

But it wasn’t.

Steve didn’t sleep with you that night, and you didn’t initiate it either. The storm was at full blast over your house, and Steve made sure to have the TV at full volume when watching the movies he stole. He mentioned Keith was busy trying to talk to a female customer and he didn’t even look at Steve when he shoved them down his shirt.

You laughed with him, giggled, and – are you the replacement? Are you really? Or are you actually in his heart?

The past tells you that you are the filler for the holes in his heart, but the present– the present tells you otherwise. It tells you that there might be a chance. His smile tells you that he likes spending time with you. The frown over his eyes when something happens to you tells you he is worried for you. The way he is possessive over you tells you that he considers you his.

Is it foolish to believe in the present? Is it foolish to simply forget about the past? Is it foolish you cannot and won’t let go of him? Is it foolish to simply love him, with no reason at all?

And you just know… that Billy never once said it was.

Billy who wouldn’t want you to give up. Billy who wouldn’t want you to go back into the past. Billy who would want you to keep living in the present. Billy who would still encourage you if he were here. Billy who helped you pick that dress at the GAP to shoot your shot that day at Scoops.

Billy never gave up on your love for Steve.

You shouldn’t either.

And you won’t.

♡

tagging friends and mutuals

@prettyboyeddiemunson @taintedcigs @mysticmunson @corrodedcorpses @maroon-cardigan @thecreelhouse @ibellcipem @joekeerysmoles @munsonlore @sherrylyn0628 @munson-mjstan @agirlwholovesrockstars @moon-flowerrs

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #dwoht — chapter nineteen #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington drabble #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington angst #stranger things angst

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dottydoesstuff · 10 months ago

Text

You make me feel alive (steve harrington x fem!reader)

Based on the song Rio by Duran Duran

can be read as a part of this series or on its own

Idiots in love, mutual pining, light angst, background Jancy, reader is described to wear a bikini.

ps. a game & watch is like the 80s version of a nintendo DS

3.4k words <3

Steve didn't know when his all consuming infatuation with you began. Maybe it had alway been there, the throat tightening, cheek blushing , knee wobbling, soul crushing feeling that only your presence seemed to elicit. But it was getting rather annoying.

Don't get him wrong we wouldn't trade his friendship with you for the world but constantly having to hold himself back from confessing his undying love for you or some other irreversible truth that would surely ruin your friendship was exhausting.

The sun had been beating down on Hawkins unrelentingly for weeks, pushing the small town and its residents to the brink of melting and so to avoid such a fate, plans had been made amongst your group to drive up to lake Michigan.

Steve of course was unwillingly nominated to drive as well as Nancy so the group was split between his BWM and Nancy's moms borrowed station wagon. A fight had ensued that morning when the group was choosing who to ride with, each option having its pros and cons. Steve's car had the better air-con which was a necessary luxury in the Indiana summer but Nancy lets other people pick the music unlike Steve who cites that he's driving so he gets to choose the radio station. Eventually (and after much debate) you, Robin, Eddie and Dustin rode with Steve and everyone else crammed into Nancy's car.

The drive was only a few hours and the group had set off early to beat the traffic, or had attempted to, but apparently some people (Eddie) needed their beauty sleep. Despite the air-con remaining on full blast, the heat couldn't be ousted causing the road up ahead to become a mirage. However the heat wasn't on the forefront of Steve's mind, instead his focus was pulled toward the hushed conversation taking place between you and Eddie in the backseat. He couldn't make out what either of you were saying but he could hear your quiet giggles and see that due to the lack of space, thanks to Dustin calling shotgun, Eddie and you were sitting very close together. Eddie, ever the gentleman, had taken the middle seat with you and Robin on either side. Robin had zonked out within the first 20 minutes and had monopolised all of her and most of Eddie's seats meaning Eddie was currently crowding your space, not that you seemed to mind, which infuriated steve to no end, not that he could say anything about it because steve wasn't your boyfriend so had no right to comment on the situation however this realisation only infuriated him further.

Thankfully Dustin hadn't noticed Steve's indignation despite him practically having steam shooting from his ears, although Steve could’ve grown a second head and Dustin wouldn't have noticed as he was too busy playing mario bros on his game & watch, which he was surprisingly bad at.

“Son of a bitch”

Steve turned to see Dustin shoving his game & watch back into his backpack after losing yet again.

“It's probably rigged anyway plus my jump buttons jammed so it’s not even my fault” Dustin sighed in defeat as he slumped back into the seat with his arms crossed.

“Maybe you're just shit” Eddie teased whilst shoving another handful of Doritos into his mouth.

Dustin turned his head to glare at Eddie as you slapped him on the arm.“And since when were you so good a mario munson?” you asked whilst poking him in the chest.

Eddie grabbed your finger as he retorted “since birth, obviously”.

Dustin rolled his eyes “Mario wasn't around in the prehistoric age dickhead”.

Yet another argument ensued.

The snarky comments and constant touching between you and Eddie bothered Steve then it occurred to him, was Eddie flirting with you? The question bounced around in Steve's head until a much worse realisation overtook it. Were you flirting with Eddie ??? His knuckles turned white with how hard he gripped the steering wheel as jealousy washed over him, he knew he shouldn't have been jealous, you and Eddie were both single and neither of you knew that Steve was hopelessly in love with you … or something less intense to that effect.

“-and if you think that i'm going to let you even touch my game & watch with your nasty ass Dorito fingers, you're insane”

“Ugh say it don't spray it” Eddie mumbled as he wiped his cheek with his sleeve.

Steve was still trying to figure out a way to murder Eddie and make it look like an accident when you leaned forward to ask how much longer the trip was. Your gentle smile as you made eye contact with him through the mirror made him forget you even asked him a question until you said “stevie ?”.

He felt his face heat up at the use of the nickname that he claimed he hated. Because he did hate it, when it was used by anyone other than you.

“Uhh probably like another half hour”

You nodded absentmindedly as you settled back into your seat and pulled a book from your bag.

The half hour passed fairly quickly with the only hiccup being when Eddie and Dustin started arguing yet again because Dustin wouldn't share his nerds which resulted in Eddie trying to snatch the whole pack and spilled them everywhere.

As they approached Porter beach the busier it became, Steve started to wonder if they would ever find somewhere to park. Eventually they found a spot next to a parking meter which wasn't too far from the beach, Steve got out to pay only to realise he had no change. “Oh shit” Steve mumbled while patting his shorts pockets.

“What?” you tilted your head at him as you asked. You were still sitting in the car with the door open rubbing suncream on your legs. Steve had to consciously hold himself back from asking if you wanted him to do it for you, partly because he liked helping you and partly for more selfish reasons. Instead he shook his head as if to physically expel the thought from his mind.

“Do you have any change?” he asked sheepishly.

“Uhh, oh you know I think I do” you wiped any excess suncream on your top and grabbed your bag to start searching through it.

“How much do you need?” you looked up at him with a smile when you said it. It was subconscious, the way you always smile at Steve when you talk to him, he brings it out in you.

Steve looks down to check the price on the meter “A buck twenty-five”

“Aha, here you go” you pull the dollar bill and coins out of your purse and hand it to steve.

Your fingers brushing up against his made you both dizzy. Instead of either of you acknowledging the feeling Steve turned away to put the money in the meter and you finish putting on your suncream and decide it would definitely be safer to ask Robin to do your back because having Steve rub his hands all over your back could be something you never recover from.

As Steve looked around it became apparent that every family in Indiana had had the same idea to visit the lake, hell it looked like every family in the goddamn midwest was currently lying out on their beach towels taking advantage of the sunshine.

“Looks like we have some competition” Eddie said as he sauntered up beside Steve and slung his arm around his shoulders.

Steve looked at Eddie alarmed, not having realised the boy was talking about space on the beach for them to sit and not competition for your attention. Steve wasn't sure why his mind had jumped straight to you, but it was becoming a common occurrence.

He saw Nancy and the rest of the group walking toward them as him and Eddie finished pulling all the bags out the trunk. Steve set yours, Robins and his stuff aside from him to carry and called the other two over to get their stuff.

“Jesus we have a lot of shit” Eddie murmured to nobody in particular.

You and Robin were crouched down trying to get all the nerds out of Steve's car as Robin lectured Dustin about having food fights in an enclosed space. You noticed that Steve had slung your bag over his shoulder and so you walked up beside him to knock against his arm as a thank you, the two of you were good at that, communicating without words. Steve always knew what you were thinking, well most of the time he did, you hoped against hope that he had not clued in on your very obvious, very embarrassing crush on him.

“Okay, are we all ready ?” Nancy asked as she effortlessly took on the leader role which she claimed to hate doing but refused to relinquish as no one else met her standards. Steve would argue he could do it as he led a group of preteens through the demodog tunnels with no fatalities but she'd probably argue that letting them go into the tunnels in the first place was incredibly idiotic.

It took them a good twenty minutes to find a patch of sand that wasn't covered by sun burnt middle aged women or children digging holes.

You and robin walked arm in arm mostly to stop robin falling due to her perpetual clumsiness. Steve, Eddie and Jonathan were given the heavy stuff, normally you would argue how it was inherently sexist to give the men the heavy things but it was hot out and carrying like a bajillion bags would only make it worse so you decide to cut your losses. The teens all walk in a group behind you, all complaining about the long walk and the sand and how they want to go swimming now and how their bags are heavy. Nancy looks fed up with them already and you can't blame her.

Finally you spot somewhere to set up.

“How about over there?” you asked as you pointed at a relatively shady but most importantly empty space on the beach.

“Oh thank god. I think my arms are about to drop off” Eddie said as he made his way over carrying the cooler with him.

You paid no attention to Eddie's dramatics as you were admiring a now shirtless Steve. The scattering of moles on his back paired with how his muscles were flexed due to him carrying about 5 peoples bags was mouthwatering. You would have stood there ogling all day had Jonathan not nudged you whilst giving you a knowing smirk. You gave him a shy smile and vowed to blame the heat if anyone asked why your face had gone red whilst running to catch up with the group.

Once all the blankets were laid and Robin had coerced you into rubbing a thick layer of suncream on her back due to her aptitude for burning you could finally take your shirt off to cool down revealing your bikini underneath. Had you been paying attention you would've seen Steve watching you intently with a slight blush across his face which he, like you, would swear was sunburn. You then would have seen Eddie catch Steves staring and wiggle his eyebrows at him wittingly which caused Steve to have no choice but to throw a handful of sand at him.

“my HAIR. What the fuck Steve” Eddie gasped as he tried to shake the sand out.

Max and El screamed as Eddie's head shaking covered them with sand.

“Stop, Eddie stop that's not doing anything” you giggled as you reached your hands into his hair to brush out any remaining sand.

“See Steven this is true friendship, right here” he said as he gestured to you.

Steve's jealousy had reached an all time high. He thought seeking his revenge against Eddie would make him feel better however it had backfired ridiculously and though he knew it wasn't Eddie's fault and he had no way of knowing Steve liked you that didn’t mean Steve wanted to strangle him any less. Okay maybe that's a bit dramatic, Eddie was still his friend and all he just wished you were running your fingers through his hair not Eddies.

“Okay I think that's all of it” you say whilst smiling at Eddie.

“Thanks, I owe ya” he says with a wink.

“If you two are done flirting, can we go swim now ?” Mike mocks.

You blush even harder and Eddie squawks, “I feel sorry for El if you think that was flirting”.

Mike rolls his eyes as Max joins in with taunting him.

“Okay okay, I want all of you to be wearing suncream, to stay near where we are and not to go too deep. Got it?” Nancy gives them all a good long stare as they murmur their agreements.

Nancy nods her head and they take it as a sign to go. All of them tripping over one another, desperate to swim. Nearly all of them made it to the water without face planting in the sand.

Once all the teens had gone into the water, without missing a beat, robin pulled the cooler in closer.

“Okay, who wants what? '' she asks while digging around inside “there's beer, cherry ice cream, soda if you’re boring and more beer” she says with a hinting glint in her eye.

“Oh so this is what teachers mean when they talk about peer pressure” you taunt with a grin.

“No no, no pressure at alllll” she says with little to no sincerity.

“Well some of us have to drive you all back” Nancy adds whilst gesturing to herself and Steve.

“Go on Nance you have one. I can drive on the way back” Jonathan offers.

“No, i-” She considers it for a moment before huffing out a breath. “no it's fine. Someone needs to watch those lot” she says as she nods toward the water where Lucas, Will , Mike and Dustin were trying (and failing) to make a human ladder whilst Max and El played mermaids.

“Nance believe it or not, most of us are somewhat competent” Steve says whilst side eyeing Eddie.

Eddie looks thoroughly offended before smirking and replying “that's a terrible thing to say Steve I thought she was your best friend” whilst wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pretending to comfort you.

Steve gives Eddie a sarcastic smile before replying “I meant you dickhead”

Eddie gasps loudly knowing full well Steve had meant him.

Steve pushes Eddie away from you and drags you into his side whilst wrapping his arm around your back

“She's the most competent out of all of us”

Now it was Nancy's turn to be offended. But before any eye poking and hair pulling started Jonathan placed a can in Nancy's hand and kissed her cheek.

“Alright let's get this partay started !” Robin declared before downing half a can of beer then coughing when she inevitably choked. She looked back up at all your bemused faces and said “what? we’re on vacation, live a little you guys”

“Yeah, yeah come on guys” Eddie agrees as he reaches for his can of beer, downs the whole can and scrunches the metal in his hand then throws the can back into the cooler and finishes with a loud whoop. You and Steve share an amused look and Nancy looks a little frightened.

“I think i'll just stick to sipping” she retorts

Robin and Eddie start booing until Jonathan throws Eddie's crumpled up can at them.

You're still glued to Steve's side and would be quite content to stay there for the rest of the afternoon, if not eternity. He reaches into the cooler and grabs a can of beer and a can of soda before opening the beer and handing it to you. You thank him with, in his opinion, a glowing smile which he would like to believe is reserved especially for him.

The conversation moves on and with the more you drink the more your mind seems to wonder. The afternoon passes by as you're deep in thought, passively adding to the conversation when you feel like it. The teens appear and then disappear sporadically as the hours pass, even Eddie and Jonathan were persuaded to get into the water. As the sun begins to set your mind settles on how warm Steve feels next to you, how nice his hand feels on your waist and how despite the sweltering heat you have no desire to move away from him. He looks over to check on you, smiling as he meets your eye.

“You good?” he asks quietly, his face mere inches from yours.

Before you can reply you feel a hand wrap around your wrist and your body is ripped from steves as you're hauled to your feet by a now very tipsy Robin.

You mourn the comfort and warmth you just lost and look at Steve apologetically. Robin pays no mind and drags you into the open space next to where you’re all sat.

“Dance with meee” her words are slurred and you can't help but think about the killer headache to poor girl will wake up with tomorrow.

“Robs we have no music” you giggle as you place your hands on her arms, half to ‘dance’ with her and half to keep her upright.

“That never stopped anyone”

You don't quite agree with her statement but go along with it anyway grabbing her hands and jumping in circles with her in the sand. You make sure not to push it as her being sick is the last thing anyone wants. You twist and turn, stumbling in the sand and catching robin numerous times due to her incoordination being heightened by the alcohol. She spins you in a circle and you feel the effects on the beer you've been sipping, you feel a haze of contentment wash over you as you continue to sway in the setting sun with a look of bliss on your face and Robin goes to find her next victim.

Steve watches the entire ordeal and thinks that you've never looked more beautiful. Even with a small glob of suncream on your shoulder that you missed when rubbing it in and a sheen of sweat covering your skin, you shine. If he could look at you like this forever he'd be more than content. He damns himself for not bringing a camera but he supposes it wouldn't be able to capture the dazzle in your eye or the sway of your hips. You break from your dancing for a second to turn to Steve and give him the widest most shining smile he'd ever seen, he waved back at you and you stuck your tongue out at him and turned back to dancing as Steve chuckled softly to himself.

“We’re just friends y’know” Eddie's voice pulled Steve from his thoughts as he turned to look at the boy next to him. “I just- look I know you like her and all and I don't want any” Eddie pauses to think of the right thing to say “...hostility between us. She's great, really great but were just friends”

“What Eddie, I don't-” he laughs awkwardly while scratching the back of his neck “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Steve”

Eddie meets Steve's eyes with a sad look on his face.

“The way you look at her, the way you were just looking at her. You'd be blind not to notice it”

“Notice what ?” Steve asks in a small voice, already knowing the answer.

“Love”

Steve looks back to where Nancy, you and Robin were all dancing and laughing in the sunset and thinks that maybe the throat tightening, cheek blushing, knee wobbling, soul crushing feeling that only your presence seemed to elicit, was something he couldn't bear to live without. It's like you had reached into his chest and carved your name onto his heart to command it to beat only for you, and the pain it had caused him was glorious. He decided then and there that keeping you by his side was his number one priority, no matter if that meant keeping his feelings to himself as long as you were around he would be okay.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x you #stranger things #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington x y/n #light angst #mutual pining #idiots in love #steve harrington imagines #steve x reader

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the-case-book-of-fanfiction · 2 years ago

Text

Rain-Soaked Kisses

Ship: Steve Harrington x fem!Mayfield!reader

Summary: Steve hates storms but loves the rain—just another oxymoron of his life, like the secret the kids are trying so very hard to dig up.

Word Count: 6,582 words

Warnings: fluff!!!, sappy & romantic Steve, scheming Dustin & Max, healthy Mayfield sibling relationship, Billy mention, lumax sprinkles, secret relationship, friends to lovers, byler sprinkles, jancy sprinkles

Note: Told in part from the perspective of the kids! Written because it's storming where I am, and I love this weather so much.

☟ Continue below the fold ☟

"Who could he possibly be dating? There's not a girl in Hawkins that wants to go out with him!"

"Well, clearly one of them does!"

Dustin sighed, taking in Max's exclamation. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Steve had stopped complaining about bad dates and girls who left quickly; Robin reported he'd completely stopped talking about Leah and Heidi and Helen and the five other girls he'd been on-and-off again with; he walked around with a dopey, happy smile on his face all the time; and he was less and less reliable for rides, instead going on dates with a girl who's name he always pretended to forget.

As impossible as the idea seemed, Dustin had to admit it was a logical conclusion.

But who?

"Robin?" Max suggested.

Dustin shook his head. "Impossible. Steve steadfastedly refuses to date her. It's not Nancy again, is it?"

"Nope—saw her with Jonathan yesterday." Max huffed a sigh. "Maybe we have to...think outside the box more?"

"Who's outside the box? Who hasn't he already tried to date and failed miserably at dating?" Dustin demanded.

Max was silent for a moment too long. Then she said, "Alright, I don't know. I can't think of anyone who would actually go out with him."

"Exactly, neither can I," Dustin said. "We've got to watch him. We need to know who this is."

~❊~

But tracking Steve and his mystery girl down was much, much harder than either Dustin or Max had anticipated.

Without Steve driving them around, getting around town took twice as long as it needed, either in the attempts to find someone to drive them or in walking themselves everywhere. Nancy was either busy or with Jonathan most of the time, which ruled out Jonathan as well, and Robin still didn't have her license.

During yet another slow afternoon of trying and failing to put together the pieces of where Steve was going and with who, the phone rang. Dustin and Max both looked up quickly, scrambling over furniture and Dustin's new cat to beat each other to the phone.

Dustin got to it first. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dustin? It's Robin."

"Yeah, I know it's you, Robin, I can recognize your voice."

"Now's your chance."

"What?"

"Steve just left work—he said he's going on a date. Now's your chance to go find out who he's going out with!"

"Oh, shit!" Dustin turned to Max. "Steve's going on a—"

"I heard," she said. "Does she know where he's going?"

"Where's he going, Robin, did he say?"

"A restaurant, and he changed into a really nice outfit before he left here. And by nice, I mean really nice. Like fanciest restaurant in town kind of nice. Whoever this girl is, he really wants to impress her. And he's obsessed with her, too, he's been smiling all day from excitement."

Dustin scoffed. "And you didn't call us before he left?! Now we have to find out where he's going and how to get there!"

"Well, it's not like I could call you talk about him in front of him! Besides, we do know where he's going. What's the fanciest restaurant in town?"

"Enzo's," Dustin realized. "That's where he's taking her."

"I can guarantee it. If you go to Enzo's, he's going to be there. I'd go myself, but Steve and I'll both get fired if at least one of us isn't at the store right now."

"Thanks, Robin!"

"Good luck, guys!"

Dustin turned around to give Max the details, but she cut him off. "I heard. Enzo's."

"All we have to do is catch them in the middle of their date, and we know exactly who Steve's dating," Dustin said with a grin. "Easy!"

"Yeah, easy," Max snarked. "How are we supposed to get there?"

Dustin paused before he sighed. "Start calling everyone we know with a car, I guess."

Max rolled her eyes. "Like that'll ever work. Nobody's been willing to drive us around so far!"

"Can't hurt to try," Dustin insisted.

"No, Dustin, we'll be wasting time! We should just start walking now!"

But Dustin was already dialing the number to the Wheelers' house. It was answered by Mrs. Wheeler.

"Hello, Karen Wheeler speaking!"

"Hi, Mrs. Wheeler, could I talk to—"

"MIKE!" Dustin flinched at the volume from the other end. Max cringed, hearing the shout from where she stood. "Dustin's on the phone!"

A few seconds later, Dustin heard Mike's voice. "Yeah?"

"Is Nancy there?"

Dustin could see Mike's frown. "What do you want Nancy for?"

"Mike, I don't have time for this—"

"What. For? If this is Keith trying to get a date with her again, I swear that I'll—"

"Oh my God, Mike, no! Steve's going on a date and we need to catch him to figure out who he's going out with! We need Nancy to drive us there."

"Dustin, do you realize how idiotic that sounds? Nancy's not gonna drive you to go spy on her ex and his new girlfriend!" Mike hung up without another word.

Groaning, Dustin tried to call again, but he was met only with the dial tone.

Max rolled her eyes. "I told you it wouldn't work."

"I'm calling the Byers," Dustin grumbled. He dialed the number, but when Joyce picked up, she was talking to someone else in the house and by the time Dustin had gotten out "Is Jonathan there?" he heard the click of the receiver being put back.

"Try my sister," Max said.

Dustin dialed the number to Max's trailer, but no one answered. He shook his head.

"She's probably out running," Max sighed.

"Another run? Isn't that all she does now?" Dustin asked with a frown.

Max shrugged. "She says it helps her...deal with things."

Dustin sensed a can of worms—the kind that most people would avoid, the kind that Max clearly wanted to talk about anyway. So he asked it, when most people wouldn't. "Things?"

Max nodded slowly. "Yeah. You know...the Upside Down, Eddie..." She hesitated. "Billy."

Dustin glanced down at his feet. There was blood associated with all of those memories. He knew they plagued all of them, those who'd survived Vecna and his creatures, and he knew that they all had different ways of coping. Dustin's was research, Max's was music, yours was running.

"She's more like him than she wants to admit," Max said. "At least, she is with the running. Billy, he...he used to exercise to distract himself. She runs."

"Is that a bad thing?" Dustin asked.

"No, it's just... She needs someone in her corner is all. And I don't...I don't think that person is me anymore."

Dustin's heart squeezed in his chest. "Max..."

She shook off his concern. "Come on—we'd better start walking, or we're never going to make it to Enzo's on time!"

~❊~

It started to rain halfway through their walk to Enzo's.

The storm didn't start gently. There was no warning before it started to pour, no flash of lightning or boom of thunder. Just a steady downpour, hard and fast and painful against the skin.

Dustin and Max hid from the weather as much as they could, ducking under store awnings and hiding under outdoor umbrellas as they came across them.

After getting turned around at least twice, they spotted the restaurant's glowing sign. They ran toward it, stopping at the bay windows peering in. They scanned the tables inside. From the parking lot behind them, there was laughter and the slamming of car doors.

"Do you see them?" Dustin hissed. He looked at every face he saw, overanalyzing the back of every head that looked like it might be Steve.

"Are we sure they're still there?" Max said. "It's been, what, almost an hour and a half? Who eats for that long?"

Dustin shrugged. "Enzo's is a fancy place, they've got designated courses and shit. They could still be there."

A car engine revved. "Are you sure?" Max took Dustin by the shoulders and spun him around. "Is it just me, or does that look like—"

"Steve's car!" Dustin hissed. "Shit!"

They raced after it in the rain, Dustin catching sight of Steve through the driver's side window, his hair perfect and a huge grin on his face.

"Is he wearing a suit jacket?" Max asked.

"Did you see who was in the passenger's seat?" Dustin demanded.

Max didn't answer, still staring after the car, her face fixed into confusion.

"Max?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I...I couldn't tell who it was."

Dustin groaned. "Shit! That was our one chance!"

"We'll get another one," Max snapped. "He's been going on dates a lot, right? Robin said so, and he's always gone because he's been on a date. He'll go on another one with her soon."

Dustin sighed. "Good point. Now we just have to wait. Come on—we should call Robin."

~❊~

Max walked home in the rain by herself, hearing her mother fuss that she would get a cold if she kept walking around in the rain without a jacket, but not caring. Louder than her mother's voice was El's: friends don't lie.

Should Max have told Dustin what—who—she saw in Steve's car? Or the fact that she'd seen them going into Steve's burgundy BMW in the parking lot while he'd been focused on the store?

No.

Yes?

It was too late now. Besides, was she absolutely sure of who she'd seen?

Well, yes, she knew you better than anyone. You'd been by her side her entire life. There were pictures hanging in the trailer of Mom in the hospital bed after she'd given birth to Max, but it was you who was holding her, sitting in the plastic chair next to the bed.

The lights of the trailer were on when Max reached it, but only your car was in the driveway.

She pushed the door open. "Hey, I'm home!"

You poked your head out of the door to your bedroom. Your hair was just as drenched and stringy as her own. "Max! There you are, I was worried— Why are you soaking wet?"

"I walked home," she said, shrugging.

You hurried out of your room. "Come on, we need to get you out of those clothes. Mom will kill us both if she finds out we've both been out in the rain in the wrong kind of clothes."

"Where were you?" Max asked as you brought her into the bathroom.

You glanced up at her but didn't meet her eyes. "You couldn't get a ride home?" You left her in the bathroom, running into her room to grab her some dry clothes.

"No—Steve's the only one who will drive us anywhere, and he's unavailable most of the time."

Guilt flashed over your face. Max narrowed her eyes, watching you closely. You didn't seem to notice. "We'll tell Mom we took showers if she gets back before our hair dries." You paused. "You could have called me, you know."

"I did," she said. "You didn't answer."

Your face fell. "Max, I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Are you dating Steve?"

The question stopped you in your tracks. "Max, I..."

"Are you?"

You sighed, wiping a a hand over your face. You sighed. "Yeah."

Max sighed. "Hand me a towel, please." You did so silently, taking one of your own to towel-dry your hair. "Why didn't you tell me?"

You shrugged. "At first, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. I mean... I knew I liked Steve, but his track record with girls hasn't been good lately, and I..." You sighed. "I wanted reassurance he wouldn't be gone after a week."

"And after that?"

You groaned, putting your head in your hands. "This is...gonna sound stupid, but... Steve has been everything for you guys. For you, for Dustin, for El, everybody. He's saved you countless times, I watched him stand up to our brother to protect us, even though Billy beat him bloody for it. I didn't...I didn't want to feel like I was taking him away from you all, but I also...kind of wanted him to myself sometimes. And he seemed to want time alone for the two of us, too, so..." You looked up at Max. "And I didn't...want you to feel like I was taking away from you. After Billy..." Your voice caught in your throat.

There it was again. The silence that surrounded death.

"Died," Max whispered. "After he died."

You nodded. "After he died, I know Steve kind of...stepped up for you. I didn't want you to feel like he cared less about you just because I was in the picture now." You laughed shakily. "I know that kind of, uh, backfired. I'm sorry to keep him away from you guys for so long."

Max shook her head. "Stop apologizing for wanting someone that's yours." She breathed out a laugh. "I was just telling Dustin that you needed someone in your corner. I should have known it would be Steve. I mean, he's always been there for the rest of us, why wouldn't he be there for you?"

You looked over at Max. "Just how mad is Dustin that I'm dating Steve?"

"He doesn't know," Max said. "We've been trying to figure out who Steve's mystery girl is for months. He won't tell anybody, so Dustin wanted to try and see if we could figure it out ourselves." She glanced at you. "We saw you guys last night. At Enzo's. Or rather, I saw you. Dustin was too busy trying to peer inside the restaurant to even notice Steve's car."

You made a face. "How can you not notice Steve's car? It's a burgundy BMW for Christ's sake."

"I know!" Max giggled.

You laughed with her for a minute. The lightness in her voice—it had been a while since you'd heard her laugh like that.

After a moment, you said, "So...nobody else knows that it's me Steve is dating?"

Max shook her head. "Not even Robin."

You whistled. "I'm surprised Steve's capable of keeping a secret from her. It's gotta be killing him, I just know it." You giggled. "However...we could have some fun with this."

Max raised her eyebrows.

"If Dustin wants to know who's Steve's dating, he can keep digging as much as he wants." You grinned. "That's gotta be amusing, surely?"

~❊~

The storm that had swept in over a week ago had lasted the whole week, turning Hawkins into a mud patch and its roads into rivers. It let up briefly, leaving behind perfect spring days, only to return with a vengeance the next week—randomly on a Thursday afternoon.

Thursdays had become movie nights at Steve's house, and Dustin had concocted a plan to trick Steve into telling him who he was dating.

Max knew it wasn't gonna work. She had been present when you told Steve about Dustin's snooping and the both of you had decided to continue yanking Dustin's chain. Steve had seemed more excited about it than even you had.

While Steve set up his house for the group of rambunctious teenagers for movie night, Dustin explained his plan to Max in whispers.

"So, I'm going to try talking about Suzie for the first few hours," Dustin started, watching Steve like a hawk while he moved about in the kitchen, making popcorn for the group. "Get him thinking about his own relationship, you know? And then you know how he gets—" He cut himself off abruptly when Steve came into the living room with bowls of popcorn, setting them on the coffee table.

"Any idea when your sister's supposed to be here, Max?" Steve asked. "I thought she was driving you."

Max shook her head. "She said she'd come after she got out of work, but I don't remember when her shift ended."

Steve nodded. He disappeared up the stairs in the next moment.

"You know how he gets when it gets late into the movie and its dark and he's focused?" Dustin continued, picking up immediately.

Max frowned. "Like when he's so focused on something you can ask him a question and he'll either go 'huh?' and make you repeat it or he'll just answer without thinking?"

"Exactly like that," Dustin said. "That's when I'm—"

Steve returned with a stack of blankets. "How many of us are there, again? Twelve?"

"Thirteen," Dustin and Max both said.

Steve tossed the blankets onto the couch. "Go grab five more. Up the stairs, closet on the left."

They went up the stairs, Dustin whispering again before they'd even reached the landing. "I'm gonna ask him who he's going out with when he's like that."

Max rolled her eyes. "You don't know that'll work. He could say 'huh?' and make you repeat the question, like I just said."

Dustin shrugged. "Then I'll ask him something different, wait a little bit longer, and then ask again. He can't do that the whole night. Can he?"

"How should I know?" Max picked up the blankets and started back downstairs. Steve was whistling in the kitchen. "This whole plan is so stupid, Dustin. It's hardly a plan!"

"Do you have a better idea?" he hissed.

Max stayed silent. Of course she had better ideas, but those might make Steve actually tell Dustin.

"That's what I thought," Dustin said, clearly on the wrong path. "We'll stick with my plan." He glanced at Steve's back in the kitchen. "Unless your sister knows who he's dating? They're pretty much best friends now, right?"

Max nodded. "Blame Robin for that," she said, praying her poker face held. "I don't think she knows. I can't see Steve telling her if he hasn't told Robin."

"Fair point," Dustin decided. "Even more reason to rely on my plan."

She rolled her eyes. "Your plan is just going to annoy him until he kicks you out of his house."

"He likes me too much," Dustin said, with confidence Max wasn't sure he should possess—not about this, at least.

When they reached the first floor again, Steve was pacing around the living room, double checking he had everything set up. Max had to admit she liked the set up he had for movie night: the coffee table was set up with bowls of popcorn and a drink tray, there was a cooler next to filled with water bottles and soda cans, he had dragged every pillow in the house to the couch and floor, a fluffy winter comforter spread out on the carpet to make the floor more comfortable, and an egregious number of bagged snacks in a wicker basket.

"I think we're all set, guys," Steve said, surveying the room with his hands on his hips.

As if cued by Steve's motherly behavior, the rain outside grew louder, falling fast against the AC unit in the window. Steve winced.

"Looks like we're going to have to have the volume up high to hear the movie over the storm," he said.

"What are we watching?" Dustin asked.

Steve shrugged. "I dunno. We've got a couple choices in that cabinet over there, plus the stuff Robin's bringing. I think Nance had a movie she wanted to suggest, too, but I can't remember what it was..." His eye caught on the stack of blankets, leaning down to count them.

Dustin dug through the movie cabinet. "Come on, Steve, what are these movies? Why are they all romantic comedies?"

"Because they're my mom's favorite, dipshit," Steve said with an affectionate roll of his eyes.

"There's nothing of value here!"

"Well, I'm not watching Star Wars again, so—"

"It was Star Trek last week!"

"Even worse." Steve looked up at Max and waved her over. She glanced at Dustin, but he was too busy judging Mrs. Harrington's taste in rom-coms to notice her get up.

"Would it be too obvious if I gave your sister my blanket? I miscounted and we're short one."

Max bit back a laugh. "I think Nancy might notice, Robin would definitely notice, but Dustin's still a little too oblivious for that."

Steve huffed a sigh. "Can't have one of them letting it slip. Alright, fine, I'll use mine and give her a different one." He glanced at his watch. "Her shift ended almost an hour ago, she should be here any minute."

Max frowned. "Why do you know her work schedule better than I do?"

He shrugged. "In case she needs a ride to or from work. Can't leave her stranded if her car breaks down again."

A knock sounded at the door. Steve grinned at Max, both of them knowing you had arrived. He rushed to the door, slowing down only when he was within Dustin's sightline again.

You were hugging your arms when he opened the door, your hair wet and stringy, your clothes soaked through. "What took you so long, Stevie?!" you demanded, hurrying through the door. Max pointed to Dustin before you could kiss Steve's cheek.

"Jesus, you're soaked," Steve said, taking in your more than damp appearance. "Did you walk here?"

"No," you said, pointing out the still-open door to your car. "It's just raining hard enough that I got drenched on the run from my car to your door."

Steve slammed the door shut before more water could get inside. "Uh, okay, come on, I think I've got something for you to change into."

You blinked at him, gaze flicking briefly to Dustin. "Oh, no, that's alright, I'll just—"

"I'm not letting you stay uncomfortable and catch a cold in these clothes," Steve insisted. You nodded, all too ready to curl up in one of Steve's sweaters. "Come on—you two, we'll only be a minute. Answer the door if anyone else comes while we're gone."

Steve ushered you upstairs. Max waited a few minutes before telling Dustin she'd be right back, using the bathroom as her excuse, wanting to keep an eye on the two of you and stop you from any funny business. She followed the damp footprints you'd left behind, slipping into the bathroom across from Steve's room and peering around the door. She smiled at what she saw.

You had ditched your wet pants and shirt and were pulling on a pair of Steve's jeans. Steve had his back turned as he dug through his dresser.

"Um...do you need a different bra? I'm pretty sure you left one here last time..." Steve glanced back at you and smiled. "God, you look cute."

You looked up at him, cheeks pink. "You're just saying that because I'm half-naked in your bedroom and the clothes I'm wearing are yours."

Steve shook his head, still smiling. "I'm sayin' it 'cause you're cute." He walked over to you, sweater in hand, and kissed your nose. "You are beautiful, Miss Mayfield." He brushed your wet hair out of your face. "Arms up, honey."

You lifted your arms for him and he tugged his sweater over your head. He pulled you to his chest as soon as it was on, holding you like it was the last time he ever would. Max watched your hand go into his hair, pulling a soft sigh from him.

"Kiss me, Stevie," you whispered, coaxing his head toward your own with your hand.

Eyes closed, Steve obeyed, kissing you softly, chastely. Max heard the movie-perfect sound of your lips parting before you tugged him back down for a second kiss, deeper than the first.

"I love you," he whispered.

"And I love you," you said back. The two of you smiled at each other, sickeningly sweet, and Max wondered if the look on your face was the same one on hers whenever she was with Lucas.

Steve adjusted his sweater on your body one more time. "We should get back downstairs," he said. "Dustin might get suspicious."

You fell back into his arms for another hug. "Okay."

Steve took your hand and slowly lead you out of his bedroom, though he seemed just as reluctant as you to have to let go and pretend to just be friends. "Your sister thought it would be too much to give you my blanket during the movie, but I think I like having you in my clothes more."

You smiled. "If it's anything scary, I'll jump a lot and cling to you and we can blame it on the movie."

Steve grinned. "Let's hope Robin brings a good scary movie, and that Eddie wins the vote tonight, then."

Max shut the door before you could see it was open, making sure it closed quietly, quickly flushed the toilet, and turned on the sink and made a show of opening the door to see the two of you. She glanced pointedly at your hands.

"I thought we were still making Dustin guess," she said.

Steve sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He brought your joined hands to his mouth and kissed the back of your hand before letting you go. "Alright, I'm done now."

The three of you headed back downstairs, Max at the lead and you just behind. Max knew Steve had let you go down the stairs first just so he could watch you prance around in his clothes and run his gaze over you again, but she'd give him a pass, just this once. You did look rather at home in his clothes.

Max watched you while you made yourself at home in your usual spot, in the middle cushion on the Harringtons' couch. In fact, she realized, you looked more like yourself, the happiest you'd been, since Billy had died—maybe even since you'd left California.

Credit where credit was due, Max would have to thank Steve somehow (without it seeming like she was thanking him for bringing you back).

"You want anything?" Steve asked you, tossing you one of the blankets. He set his down on the cushion next to you, then the blanket Robin had claimed on your other side.

"I'm all set," you promised. "Anyone else here yet, Dusty?"

Dustin rolled over onto his back from the place on the floor he'd claimed as his several months back, which he said was the best place to watch the movie from, but Max knew was his spot because it was still close enough to Steve, too. The middle, which was hers, was definitely a better view than Dustin's righthand side.

"Not yet," he said. "Hi."

You smiled. "Hi. Find a good movie?"

"No," Dustin said. "Steve's taste sucks."

Steve narrowed his eyes, picking up a piece of popcorn and throwing it at him. "For the last time, it's my mom's rom-com collection!"

~❊~

Max lay in her spot between Lucas and Dustin, Erica on the other side of Lucas, only half-paying attention to the movie while she braided El's hair, Will and Mike snuggling on the opposite side of Dustin. Max was sure Dustin felt singled out, being boarded by two couples, plus Nancy and Jonathan sharing a blanket and a lounge chair just behind him. Eddie had curled himself up on the chair on Steve's opposite side, covering himself in his blanket to protect himself from the blow of the AC unit.

Robin had managed to snag a new release that had just arrived at Family Video—Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, a movie that had only been out for a few months in the theaters. The kids on the floor had propped themselves up on their elbows, drinks and half-eaten bowls of popcorn in front of them.

Every so often, Max faked a yawn to duck her head back to glance at her sister and Steve. Robin was stretched out across both your laps, and the two of you had leaned together to share both of your blankets after Steve had muttered something about the AC being too cold, only for the others to shout for him not to touch it.

And judging from the way you and Steve occasionally exchanged a look, Max guessed you were holding hands beneath the blanket.

Max turned her attention back to the movie, lifting a small handful of popcorn to her mouth. Not so subtly, Lucas fake-stretched and laid his arm over her shoulders. Giggling quietly, Max snuggled into his side. She heard your amused hum behind from behind her, followed by a small chuckle of Steve's.

As it had the entire movie, thunder crashed outside. While the rain had lightened up enough not to be distracting, the flash of lightning visible through the curtains and the boom of thunder had been frequent and often made the room's occupants jump in fear.

Another boom of thunder announced the power flickering.

Dustin looked back at Steve. "Uh, Steve?"

"We've got a generator," Steve said, but he had sat up straighter and had pulled away from you, his face uneasy.

With the next flicker of lightning and crash of thunder, the power went out.

The group of thirteen sat in the pitch-black room in silence. Lightning illuminated faces briefly, showing Max that Robin had sat up, and that you, Steve, and Eddie were all on your feet.

"There are candles in the study," Steve said, breaking the silence. His voice was wavering, and Max remembered you saying something about cutting a date short due to the storm earlier that week. Was Steve...afraid of storms?

"I'll get them," you said.

"Matches in the drawer next to the sink and lanterns in the sunroom storage cabinet," he continued. "Eds, come on, let's go see if we can get the power back to the fridge and a few lights, yeah?"

"After you," Eddie said and followed Steve out the front door. The pattering rain grew louder as the door opened, revealing a world in grey scale, but still lighter than the inside of the house.

Dustin sat up. "Candles? Why not just use flashlights?"

"Steve only has two flashlights," Robin said. "Working ones, at least. But candles? The Harringtons have plenty of those."

Max followed you around the house, lighting the lanterns as you found them and helping you carry the candles back to the living room.

With the room now illuminated by flickering flame, it was easy to see the worry on people's faces.

"Do you think the whole town's out?" Mike asked.

"No, it can't be," Nancy said, but she didn't sound sure.

Will wriggled out from under his blanket. The look he exchanged with Jonathan was concerned.

"Everybody keep calm," you said, setting a lantern down on the floor at the center of the group. "Steve and Eddie will get the generator running in no time."

Silence fell, still and eerie. You sat beside Max and Lucas, and Max laid her head in your lap, trying to smile up at you. It only took a look for her to know you were lost in your head, in memories of the night Billy went AWOL and had been controlled by the Mind Flayer.

Max took your hand in hers. "It's okay," she promised.

"Mmm," you hummed, but your gaze was fixed on the door; you wouldn't relax until you saw Steve walk back in, unscathed.

The AC kicked back on. A few lights flickered to life and the low hum of the refrigerator filled the room.

Relief filled the room with the sound of an audible sigh. Moments later, the door opened and a waterlogged Steve and Eddie stepped back in.

"Did it work?" Steve asked. Then he heard the AC. "Alright, good." He looked around. "Turn the lights back off—the candles will do until power really comes back."

"Steve, you're drenched," Nancy said, "you're going to catch—"

"A cold, I know," he sighed, glancing over at you. You fought a smile. "Sorry about movie night, guys."

Dustin shrugged. "It was only a matter of time before we lost power. The size of the storm—"

"Oh, shut up, nerd," Erica said, rolling her eyes.

Dustin leaned around Lucas. "Do I need to remind you of the vents?" he hissed.

Erica narrowed her eyes at him.

"Children, children," Eddie admonished with a shit-eating grin that said he knew his chiding was only going to rile them up more.

"Eds," Steve warned, opening the curtains to look outside.

Eleven craned her neck to peer outside. In a small voice, she asked, "Can...can we dance in the rain?"

Nancy hesitated, then said, "I'm not sure that's the best idea, the weather isn't exactly kind at the moment."

Steve looked back outside again. "It's not raining too heavily right now."

El wrung her hands. "Joyce says it's...fun and romantic to dance in the rain."

Robin leaned forward, gasping. "You've never danced in the rain before?"

El shook her head. "Only biked in it."

"We have to go dance in the rain!" Robin insisted, jumping to her feet and pulling Eleven up with her. "It's a...a...a cognitive milestone!"

"I don't think that's the right phrase, Robin," you laughed, but you were also getting up. "Still, I think it's a good idea. Good way to pass the time until the power comes back."

"Come on, Nancy," Jonathan said softly. "Let her have fun. Mom's right. It's fun in the rain."

You took one of Robin's hands and one of Steve's and dragged them into the rain. Robin created a chain by grabbing El, who grabbed Max, who grabbed Lucas. The small group raced out into the street, running through puddles and spinning through the falling rain.

Dustin appeared at Max's side, his hair matted to his face. "It's like the time they were drugged by the Russians," he said, staring at Steve and Robin, the latter of whom was trying to taste the rain.

Max did a doubletake. "When they were what?"

"Don't ask," Erica suggested.

Laughter filled the air as the group danced around each other, twirling each other and splashing through the current of water at the side of the road. Steve tripped through puddles with Robin; Jonathan convinced Nancy to dance in the driveway; Will and Mike splashed each other in the puddles.

"May I have this dance?" Lucas asked, holding his hand out to Max and trying his best to look gentlemanly, which was ruined by the water running into his eyes and making him squint.

"You dork," Max laughed, but she took his hand anyway and let him pull her close, guiding her in a slow dance through the rain. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched as you went over to Steve and Robin.

Steve stopped his fooling around, watching you approach with a dopey, lovesick smile. He held out his hands to you and you took them; he twirled you in the rain, catching you and pulling you close before you could fall in the wet road.

"Careful there," he laughed. Even with his hair plastered to his head, his clothes heavy and hanging off him, you were still looking at him like he was the most beautiful creature you'd ever seen.

Max watched the time slow around the pair of you. She knew you were both completely oblivious, cut off from the company around you, even from Robin's stare as she took in the way the two of you gazed at each other.

Steve swayed you, getting himself lost in your eyes. He cupped your face with one hand, running his thumb over your cheekbone.

Lost in your bubble, neither of you noticed that the others had all stopped to watch, unable to speak and break the spell—not even Dustin, whose mouth hung agape.

You were lost in Steve, Max could tell. Close enough to the pair of you now, she could see you drinking in every detail: the water droplets hanging off Steve's hair and eyelashes, the amazed curve of his open mouth, the gentle swipe of his thumb, the lovestruck look in his eyes, his rosy cheeks so stark against his otherwise pale, cold, and wet skin, the reassuring hold of his arm around your waist.

Max knew what Steve was going to do before it happened, before even you had caught up. He bent his head, slotting your lips together.

Like some magic, divine will, the rain fell a little faster, distant thunder boomed, and lightning splintered through the sky, lighting up the clouds above you and Steve, a dramatic backdrop to a kiss so similar to a first kiss.

Robin whooped first. You and Steve smiled into each other, but neither pulled away, and Max realized you had been aware of your audience the entire time; but keeping it a secret hadn't been worth skipping out on a spectacular rain-soaked kiss.

Mixed in with the cheering was Dustin's incredulous cries of "What?! Max, did you know?!" that she pointedly ignored.

Steve swayed you while the kiss continued, embarrassingly long but adorably sweet. When it finally broke, Steve pressed his forehead against yours.

"I love you," he said, loud enough to be heard over the storm. (Robin shrieked.)

"I love you, too," you giggled. (Robin shrieked louder.)

Steve pushed your wet hair behind your ear and kissed your forehead, then shoved his hand through his own hair to get it out of his face.

"Not what you were expecting, huh, Henderson?" he said with a cheeky grin.

Dustin looked flabbergasted. "How did you know I was— MAX!"

You and Steve burst into a fit of giggles. You snuggled into his chest.

"How is that comfortable? I'm soaked!" Steve asked you.

"Yeah, but it's you," you said. A soft, sweet smile pulled at his lips, barely distracting you from his quiet moan of relief. He squeezed you tight.

"You're going to need to borrow more of my clothes," he said.

You grinned up at him. "I'll happily live in your clothes, Stevie."

A few feet away, Mike sneezed violently.

"Alright, back inside," Steve decided. "That's enough rain for today. I don't need you all getting sick and still needing me to drive you everywhere."

Dustin rolled his eyes. "Are you actually gonna drive us again?"

"If you give my girl the front seat and behave when she's in the car with us," Steve said. "Inside, come on. Go, shoo."

He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, watching the others flee to the safety of his house, then following them in with you. You kissed his cheek as you walked. Max hung back with Lucas, wanting to know what you said about the sudden rain kiss.

"You are perfect, Steve Harrington," you whispered. His cheeks darkened.

"Says you," he said, nuzzling his nose into your hair. "Hey, um... You wanna stay the night?"

"Gotta take Max home," you said. "But...I can come back?"

"I...I'd like that," Steve said. Max wondered if he'd ever been this shy with a girl before.

"Me too," you whispered. Steve squeezed your hip.

Dustin rolled his eyes from the doorway. "Get a room," he groaned.

"Oh, shut up," Max teased. "You're just annoyed you couldn't figure it out!"

Dustin scowled. "You knew! You knew and you were hiding it from me!"

Max shrugged, fighting a giggle.

Steve passed out towels with a warning not to let them get close to an open flame. Halfway through his warning, the power flickered back on—and so did the movie.

The group cheered, but Max watched you and Steve sneak upstairs and come down a few minutes later in dry clothes, hand in hand. She smiled before shaking her head and turning back to the ending of the movie.

And if—no, when—Steve asked her for advice on how to propose to you, Max was going to tell him to do it in the rain.

☞ ❊ ☜

Stranger Things // Steve Harrington

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

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