#joe keery reader insert

[dearest-nell]

morning person

s. harrington x reader, 2.8k

summary: a snapshot into the morning routine of steve harrington, now that the two of you have moved in together includes: established steve x reader, domestic fluff, steve is a busybody. warnings: literally none except i am still incapable of proofreading properly

a/n: honestly if anyone has any requests i would love to hear them, or just want to chat about this show that has ruined my life, because i'm spiralling into obsession over here.

People who complain about mornings have obviously never spent one waking up beside Steve Harrington, this you’re sure of. Because if they had, then they would know there was nothing in the world so deliciously saccharine than that drowsy, softened look on his face as he blinks the sleep away from mingling eyelashes, his lips curving upwards into a dreamy sort of smile. This isn’t even the first time he has awoken this morning. 

Steve Harrington is a morning person – an early riser, a dawn greeter, a restless child on christmas day. His body clock is set as the sun begins to kiss the horizon, his eyes blinking open into a dark, cool bedroom. New. This bedroom is new. He is still getting used to it, this apartment, a dingy one bedroom located just a few blocks from the rougher side of town. It’s a far cry from the mansion he used to live in, small and outdated and a little worse for wear, if he were to say so himself, but it’s home. It’s home because it’s his, and it’s home because it’s yours. You rent it together, bills strung haphazardly from paychecks of jobs you’d both rather live without. Steve doesn’t mind that he still works at the video store, not when it lights up the lamp on his bedside, or cooks the pasta on your shitty gas top that flickers every so often. He needs to call the service guy, now that he thinks about it, but it’s too early to matter. 

He can feel the heat of your body pressed in beside him, curled in on yourself, face buried into the pillow now folding creases into your skin, shoulders rising and falling in a steady rhythm. You have never been a morning person, he learned rather early on. You’re delirious, and grumpy, and still so beautiful despite the glare in your eyes when he used to wake you, and now, he knows to let you sleep. His impatience to rouse you, to kiss you and touch you is an urge he’s learned to swallow, so he pauses for a moment simply to stare, to smile to himself at the way you mumble in your dreams. 

He has the time, he thinks, considering it’s still dark out, and his shift at the store is not due for half a morning away, so he lets himself linger, tucked into the warmth of bedsheets as he works up the courage to leave it. He knows he needs to, that he’ll feel better if he does, that the routine always pays off even if it means parting from you. The air will be chilly outside, but he needs the cold to clear his head. His morning run is his time, after all. It gives him the solitude to consider, to plan, to unwind. 

He slips from the bed, careful footsteps walking a still unfamiliar path through the bedroom, boxes stacked against a near wall still unpacked from the move. His sneakers are in the wardrobe, well placed for a quick pick up, though he hasn’t accounted for his discarded shirt rippled right in his path. He trips, stumbling slightly, cursing himself as the thud that resounds as heavy feet meet the floorboards. He turns with a cringe, hearing you stir, though you do not rise as you wriggle deeper into yellow linens, disappearing beneath the comforter. 

He’s quick to dress, not wanting to risk another incident and the wrath of your disturbed sleep, slipping out into the living room to tie his shoes, still half asleep and blinking blearily. Despite its flaws, he likes this apartment more than he thought possible. There’s a passthrough between the kitchen and the living room that lets him talk to you as he cooks, you hanging over the bench to smile at him, pressing kisses into his shoulder when he dares to come too close. There’s a strange nook that sits in the wall by the door, one that now holds your keys and bumble bee umbrella, though neither of you are too sure why it was built in the first place. There’s a flat expanse outside the bathroom window that you want to build a flower box into, though Steve is yet to determine how, since neither of you are particularly good at D.I.Y. He loves this second hand couch Eddie found on the curb, loves the strange, abstract art piece Will designed for you both as a housewarming, loves the ceramic clown that Robin stole from an overpriced giftshop to hide in one of your moving boxes, now settled in the bookshelf beside an array of half read novels between you. 

He’s building a life here with you, and Steve is trying his best to remind himself of it every chance he get. There will be Christmases spent in these walls, games night drinks spilled on this carpet, and so many I love you kisses pressed to smiling cheeks beside that front door – he hardly knows how to contain the excitement for it all, even as he ties his laces. 

The morning is colder than he expected, but Steve has never been one to check the weather even now, even after he caught a cold from a raining run one morning, taking himself straight to work rather than home to you to shower. He figure’s he’ll wing it, deal with the consequences as they come, and enjoy the way you dote on him as he whines and groans in his flu like delirium days later. Cold, but not raining, he knows he’ll be fine this time. 

He’s been planning out this new jogging route as he goes, still learning the maps and turns of each new lane. He’d never been to this part of town much before the move, but he’s starting to acclimate one run at a time. It’s not too far from Hawkins, after all. It still feels like a familiar place, but it’s closer to the community college to save you the travel time. Steve’s a visual learner, after all. It gives him the roadmap that he’ll need to plan out his week. He’s taking himself the long way just to jot down the layout; the farmers market, the hardware store, the cafe with the good coffee. He waves to the people he passes by, few and far between, trying to appear friendly. He doesn’t know yet the culture of this community, but he’s eager to make a good impression. He recognises the old man who runs the news agency, stops to chat as they talk about the community centre. Steve’s agreed to volunteer for the refurbishment, he’s hoping it’ll help you both settle in, and you’ve promised to bake up your best batch of pastries to feed the hungry husbands as they work. Steve’s not yet a husband, but he’s planning on changing that in due time. 

The sun mingling with the clouds by the time he departs again, his pace quickening through midtown suburbia to take him home. The paperboy is tossing rolls at the doors, barely breaking on his bike as he passes house after house. Steve moves onto the road to avoid any collisions, shaking his head as the teen wheels off past a corner. He hasn’t even thought about his week yet, he realises, and his pace drops in consideration. There’s a stocktake coming up at work that will take more energy than he has to give, his parents are due over for dinner later in the week (he’s hoping they’ll cancel), and Robin has booked him tickets to some kind of gig that he’s certain he’ll hate. He mentally notes the checklist – things to buy, things to do, things to clean – now able to see his lot clearly without the buzz of a busy world around him. His days run smoother this way, alone, soles beating against the pavement. It starts him on the right foot. 

He’s out of breath when he arrives back on your block, panting heavily without the grace of a water bottle. He knows he should have brought one, but there’s no point stewing on it now. His thighs ache as he climbs the staircase, three flights of stairs his least favourite part of coming home. He can’t imagine hauling groceries up this stairwell is going to be an enjoyable weekly endeavour, but for the price of rent, he’s willing to make the effort, even with a slightly busted knee. 

He’s a little louder than he wants to be as he eases open the lock, slipping into a slightly brighter apartment than when he left. He doesn’t think you’re awake, but he takes pause to slow himself down, turning into the kitchen instead of the bedroom. Steve clicks on the faucet, hanging his head below the tap to let the cool water run directly into his mouth. He lacks grace as he guzzles down half a litre, droplets trickling down his cheeks and chin into unclean dishes from the night before. There’s urgency, he decides, in this drink. No type for a cup, no time to pause. He pulls away gasping, wiping a cupful of water across his sweat slicken face, unable to suck enough breath into his lungs. He leans back against the benchtop, eyes pressed skyward to focus on slowing himself down, letting his heart rate drop back to a blissful pace. 

He knows he should shower, but more than anything, he’s aching to get back between the sheets with you. It’s funny how he still misses you when you’re not within reach, even for an hour, even when he knows you’re still wrapped up tight in the comforts of his bed. It feels wrong to love a person this much, like he shouldn’t be made to feel so much, so deeply, every passing minute of every passing day. But he does. He knows he’s not the first to feel such a love, but he thinks he might be the only one regardless, because no one else has you. He thinks it’s strange that everyone in the world isn’t aching to be by your side, that hearts all over the town aren’t skipping beats at the wideness of your smile, the curve of your shoulder, the tickle of your laugh. This love must be special, then, because how else can he be the only one so enamoured by you. 

He forces himself into the shower, the water not yet warm even as he sinks his head beneath the stuttering stream. The pipes are old, though a cold shower bothers him far less than it bothers you. He’ll be out quicker this way. He is less thorough in his cleaning than he thinks he ought to be, scrubbing furiously at his body with the loofah you bought him, scraping sweat and red streaks into a now fading tan. He’s seeing the sun less these days in the dead of autumn, but he’ll make it up later. Right now, all he is focused on is climbing back into his bed, his skin stained with a citrus scent embedded into the new soap you had bought. It’s not his usual brand, but he thinks he likes the change anyways. It reminds him of summer picnics with you, fingers digging into orange peels, juices dribbling down his fingers until he tears out slices one by one. The scent lingers, filled with your orange flavoured kisses and sun streaked highlights burning into his mind, and yes, he thinks, the change isn’t so bad. 

He shuts off the tap, yanking his towel from the rack to pat himself dry, hair shaking out like a puppy dog with rambunctious excitement to be on his way. He doesn’t bother to redress, dropping the towel to the floor without focus, padding back towards your bedroom. You’re exactly how he left you, though a little more illuminated in the morning light. You’ve wiggled out of the blanket again, one foot kicked out to the side to regulate your body temperature, one hand reaching out towards his side of the bed. You reach for him in your sleep sometimes, and he hates the idea of not being there for you when you do. 

He clambers into bed his eagerness betraying his stealth, expert hands lifting your arm up for him to slide under, hanging it securely over his waist as he settles into the warm dip of the mattress. Your body responds instinctively, rolling into him with a groan, still not quite awake, though he can tell you’re not so far off. He runs fingers through your hair, trying to stave off your inevitable waking for as long as he can manage. Your alarm isn’t due for another hour, and he wants every second before that  spent just like this.

He doesn’t mean to fall back asleep, but sleep takes him anyways, his eyes blinking shut under the hypnotic pattern of your breathing beside him. He’ll wake up again groggier now, but there is nothing to be done to change it. He tugs you in closer, rougher in his sleep, his neediness permeating his unconscious mind until you’re pressed square against him. The movement spurs you awake, slowly and unintentionally, though it takes you a moment to understand why. 

There he is, your man, your darling boy, mouth hanging open with quiet, rumbling snores, arms wrapped around you in a protective lock. He’s never looked more beautiful, even with your eyes out of focus, one closed and pressed into the fabric of your pillowcase. You can smell the soap, feel the softness of his now cleansed skin beneath your curious fingertips, and you know he’s already been out of bed. He tries his best not to fall back asleep, but your smile curves wider to be blessed to see it. There’s a jealousy in you, after all, that he gets to watch you sleep so often. Times like these are rare, when you awaken first, and you’re greedy in your enjoyment of them. You’d take a picture if you thought you could reach the camera, but the moment would spoil, you were sure. You commit it to memory instead, every dip and curve and freckle and hair burned into your head until it’s all you can see. You want his face to be a fading image that blinks to life behind every close of your eyes, an after image repeating itself well into the day when you’re far away from him. 

He is so lovely, and you are so in love. 

The alarm breaks the two of you out of your reverie, your body jolting at the surprise of it. Steve is slower to start this time, groaning a drunken sort of sound as you slam your hand down on the rattling clock. His arm tightens around you, dragging you until your body is half wedged under his own, your giggles drowning out into muffled chuckles as your face burrows into the crook of his neck. 

“I fell back asleep.” He mutters, closing his eyes with a sigh. 

“I know.” You coo back, adjusting the curve of your back to a more comfortable position, tangling legs between his own until you’re thoroughly wrapped. 

“You sound awake.” He mumbles back, squeezing at your waist with unmasked affection. “Were you up?” 

“Yeah.” It’s an airy sort of confession, made to match the tender strokes of fingers reaching to scrape lovingly at his scalp. “Just watchin’ you sleep.” 

“Perv.” He teases, kissing at your hair, mouth hungry and missing your skin entirely. He lights up as you giggle, his head lifting with heavy blinks to gaze down at you, hair pressed upwards into a lopsided mess. You do your best to pat it down for him. “You like what you see?” 

You crook your head to the side, focusing your gaze in a tender expression. “Something like that.” His brow arches curiously, leaving you to laugh again. “I love you, you moron.” 

His smile widens, head dropping to nuzzle his nose roughly into your cheek, lips catching on your jaw every so often with exaggerated noises of enthusiasm. “Love you too, baby.” 

There is silence for a minute, nothing but his lips dragging affection across the planes of your cheek, his hands wandering underneath the fold of your bedshirt to press fingertips into fading stretch marks across your hips. You’re worried he’ll fall asleep again, and you know you don’t have the heart today to wake him a second time. 

“You want breakfast? I can make jam on toast?” 

He hums a happy sound, though does nothing to release his grip on you. “Yeah, okay. Gonna have to escape me, though. Can’t make my arm move.” 

He pretends to try and shuffle his grip, putting on a little show with a pout when his hold does not dislodge. You roll your eyes, brushing the pad of your thumb against his brow bone. 

“Five more minutes, then.” 

Steve was back asleep within three.

[worth-the-chaos]

Adventures in Babysitting Masterlist (ongoing)

Series Summary: As Dustin’s babysitter, you encounter the perils of the Upside Down as you try desperately to rid Hawkins of the evil lurking just below the surface. However, you’re not alone; you have the gaggle of kids as well as the one and only Steve Harrington by your side as you risk your lives attempting to solve the mysteries of your once quiet rural town | steve harrington x fem!reader (message me to be added to the taglist!)

Chapter summaries and links below the cut!

SEASON 1

Part 1 - You haven’t been babysitting Dustin for very long. Underestimating his tendencies for rebellious behavior, you realize too late that he’s snuck out, with your dire search for the boy leading you to the last place you wanted to be: Steve Harrington’s house. | Word Count: 6.5k

SEASON 2

Part 2 - With the events of last fall in the past, you attempt to move on, still working on your academics and babysitting Dustin. You and Steve have drifted since your encounter with the otherworldly, but he begins to make more active efforts to talk to you, making sure you have an invite to Tina’s big Halloween party. | Word Count: 6.3k

Part 3 - Billy is still hitting on you, Steve’s still mad, and Dustin’s still a pain in the ass to babysit. When he tells you and Steve that there’s a massive problem of upside down proportions, the two of you have no choice but to drop everything to help the boy, reprising your roles as badasses who eradicate the supernatural in Hawkins. | Word Count: 7.0k

Part 4 - Looking for Dart isn’t easy, but it gives you and Steve a lot of time to have a heart to heart, as you slowly start to realize your feelings for one another. | Word Count: 6.5k

Part 5 - The situation with the demogorgons gets increasingly more dire, leading you to the Byers’ house to wrangle four kids that can’t listen to save their lives (literally) while everyone tries desperately to save Will and the world. | Word Count: 8.9k

SEASON 3

Part 6 - It’s summer, and you and Steve are working at Scoops Ahoy so that you can make money while Dustin is at summer camp. The lines between friends and something more continue to blur as your relationship with Steve gets more intimate, allowing doubt to creep in…and the Russians are invading Hawkins. | Word Count: 6.4k

Part 7 - You continue attempting to translate the code, commencing your operation to determine the nature of Russian involvement in Hawkins. Robin and Dustin continue their attempts to push the two of you together, tired of the mutual pining…oh and Erica has enough sass to probably take out an entire Russian army. | Word Count: 5.9k

Part 8 - Well, the five of you do get in that secret room, but the problem is you can’t quite find a way out. Tensions rise as you realize the gravity of the situation, the forced proximity revealing hard feelings between you and Steve. | Word Count: 7.2k

Part 9 - Held captive by the Russians, tensions rise and as you and Steve attempt to navigate communicating in a drugged up haze, your feelings for each other become even more apparent. | Word Count: 7.4k

Part 10 - The Russian invasion and the upside down begin to merge as you meet up with the rest of the crew. You are in the fight of your lives as you scramble to try to stop the monstrous creature from the upside down before it destroys you. | Word Count: 5.8k

SEASON 4

Part 11 - Steve and you are finally officially dating, the kids are finally in high school and no longer need any sort of official babysitting, and life is overall pretty damn good. You try to push aside the unease settling in your chest, but how long can you ignore it before it manifests into something much worse than you could possibly imagine? | Word Count: 6.7k

Part 12 - The evil that you thought you had gotten rid of is still very much lurking within Hawkins. You, your boyfriend, and your friends race against time to try and find Eddie before it’s too late. | Word Count: 6.5k

Part 13 - As you all attempt to connect the dots of the gruesome murders occurring around your small but sinister town, secrets start to spill when Steve realizes you’ve been keeping things from him. | Word Count: 7.2k

Part 14 - Nancy and Robin take a shot in the dark and Steve tries to protect you from the supernatural. When the darkness comes to get you, will his love be enough to protect you? | Word Count: 6.0k

Part 15 - Racing against the clock, you and your friends desperately attempt to connect the dots before it’s too late. Your efforts bring both progress and peril as you and your boyfriend dive headfirst into life-threatening scenarios in order to save each other. | Word Count: 8.8k

Part 16 - For all your encounters with the Upside Down you hadn’t had to deal with it directly. Now, in a fight in foreign territory, you and your friends must struggle to find your way back to the Hawkins that you are familiar with. | Word Count: 9.7k

Part 17 - After finding out more information about Vecna, you and your friends prepare for the worst, and tensions rise as you mentally prepare for the possibility of a future without you in it. | Word Count: 7.7k

Part 18 - You venture into the Upside Down once again in an attempt to find Vecna and stop him in his tracks before he can bring about the end of the world as you know it. With Steve and your friends by your side, you fight against time to get to Vecna before he can get to you. | Word Count: 7.2k

SEASON 5

Coming soon!

BLURBS

Steve takes care of your injuries | Word Count: 2.2k

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

pillow talk

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader

wc: 1K

warnings: this is post activities, so its safe. just sweet sweet fluff

summary: post sex discussions

A/N: used the prompt sweet after sex by @jasminesfury *not proofread, i’m confusing myself so badly looking at one specific sentence*

masterlist / steve harrington

the sun was setting. orange and yellow hues sparkled through the windows that the curtains let peek through. the room was quiet, the only noises coming from the shared breathing and the rustling of the bedding. the room felt hot with the door closed and the previous activity that had you and steve just laying in bed with the sheets up to your naked, sweaty chests.

steve rolled over and changed from laying on his back to his stomach, staring at his ceiling while adjusted his body so his head lay on your stomach. he had one leg in and the other out, your right leg in between. steve managed to wiggle an arm under your back as his free hand drew whatever came to mind onto your sticky belly.

a tilt to your head as it lay on the pillow, a lovesick smile tugging the seams of your lips. a hand fell on steve’s head and you began running the digits through his thick head of brown hair with a few lighter parts popping out from his time in the sun. nails scratching at his scalp to pull vibrating groans or fingers twirling strands of ruly hair around.

steve rubbed his open palm over your waist and down to your thighs before trailing up again. his wonderful lips plant wet, open-mouth kisses over your stomach and the imperfections scattered over your lower half. his nose would glide over your belly button before setting his chin just above it to peer at your with lidded eyes.

“yes, handsome?” you hummed as you pushed hair behind his ear.

“i love you.”

three words, eight letters.

the two of you have said them for years. at first just surface level meaning, friendly-familia meaning, something you say in passing to your parents as you leave the house in a hurry or friends when they do a favor for you. but eventually, the words held a different meaning for the two of you. it would be lingering touches and eye contact maintained longer that was acceptable. staring at steve’s side profile as he talked, letting your thoughts run away from you with imaginary scenarios before shaking them away and landing back to reality.

and now the words held all those meanings, silver bands wrapped around ring fingers showing the world.

“i love you too, stevie.” thumb straightening his left brow into place.

steve rubbed his thumb up and down at your hip bone. more kisses pressed to your stomach, some quick and open, some more lingering, and some with heat as he gave little bites at the skin. you would giggle or squirm, a moan pulled from your throat when the feel of his lips felt tantalizing. fingers would curl and pull steve’s hair in response, you would feel the smile as he continued his loving assault.

“you know,” lingering kisses to your lower stomach, “i can’t wait to have kids with you.”

“oh, yeah?” top teeth biting into your bottom lip to stop a smile.

steve stopped the kisses (much to your disappointment) to once again rest his chin on your stomach. it was slightly discomforting but you didn’t push him away.

“yeah. i know you don’t want many if we were to have our own. so i want an older girl so she can help keep her younger brother in line.”

you let your index finger run down the slope of steve’s nose bridge, “how long have you been thinking about this?”

the quick dart of steve’s eyes piqued your interest. he only did that when he was embarrassed by the information he was about to lay out. you didn't push him, just observed him as you waited.

you felt steve’s voice but didn’t hear it. he spoke his words into your skin and it took you a moment before you realized he said anything. you asked him to repeat it politely.

he cleared his throat. “since our third date.”

“why our third date? if this was a romance anything, you would’ve said our first date.” you weren’t criticizing, just curious. you just remember it as a fun roller rink date.

your simple question sparked a twinkle in steve’s pupils. “i know what you're thinking.” “what am i thinking?”

“that it was just a roller rink date. why is that so special to start thinking about kids? right?” a shrug was your answer. steve continued his version of the story.

“okay. well, i was getting us food and you stayed in our booth. after i placed our order i leaned against the wall so i could continue to watch you-“ “stalker.”

steve tickled at your sides, breaking you into fits of laughs and tears before you conceded. “anyway. i was staring at you, my mind just constantly saying, “you got your girl”. and then you stood up and walked to a claw game. i was gonna rush over so i could impress you, but stopped when i saw you crouch down and start talking to a little boy. then you started to play the game and after many, many, many-“ you shoved his shoulder and the both of you chuckled, “many tries. you got the boy a stuffed animal. and in his excitement, he hugged you. and just seeing the way you froze before holding him tightly with your eyes closed…”

steve trailed off and you could feel the tears wishing to fall. hands grabbing for steve’s cheeks and giving a slight tug to signal him to climb up your body. his hands sat by the sides of your chest as you planted kiss after kiss over his face. a kiss to the side of his lip and you move his head back.

“here’s a potential plan. we wait another year or two, getting more marriage on the plate and getting used to our grown-up jobs. and then from there, we could start having a bit more carefree sex and just… see what happens. what d’you think?”

steve’s eyes went side to side then to your lips and back to your eyes. “i say…” he leaned closer, lips ghosting each other as he whispered, “that’s a good plan, honey.” and he kissed you until you couldn’t remember your name, only steve’s.

-

[linawritesficsies]

s.h. | we need to warm up (one shot)

a/n: it's been a while since i posted a steve fic, so here it issssss. this is a combination of a friends episode and a scene from an old tv show i used to watch when i was a teenager.

warnings: being locked up in closed spaces, language, mentions of sex and injuries (freezing), english is not my first language. some stuff may not be accurate. MINORS DNI. credits to the gif owner!

summary: steve and you worked at scoops ahoy together and one day while you two were bickering about something silly, you got stuck in a walk-in refrigerator.

steve harrington x afab!oc!reader.

🚫do NOT copy, translate or put my work thru an AI.

Robin, your best friend, helped you get this job at Scoops Ahoy a couple of months ago. The work itself wasn’t ideal because you had to put up with a lot of annoying people (and cleaning toilets wasn’t very appealing either), but the pay was pretty good and it allowed you to combine it with your study schedule. The best parts were obviously the free ice cream and sharing shifts with your bestie.

You also had to share several shifts with Steve Harrington. You didn’t like him at first if you were being completely honest. You knew him from before because you had shared a few classes at Hawkins High, but you never actively talked to him. He was very handsome and charming, but his reputation of being a womanizer and a douchebag preceded him so for you that was enough to keep your distance.

However, everything changed when you took on this job. On the bright side, has had some personal growth over the last few months so this made spending time with him a lot easier. Of course, the King Steve persona sometimes came into the light and he could get insufferable, but you still enjoyed his company. You could say you had more of a ‘frenemies’ relationship. Definitely, one of the things that amused you the most was bickering with Steve, so when the work day was quiet, you’d pick a silly argument just for the sake of it. 

Thus, that’s what led the two of you to discuss the topic of sex in the middle of one casual Saturday afternoon in mid-September at Scoops Ahoy. The weather was chiller than the one from previous weeks, but there were some people that weren’t going to let the climate get in the way of getting ice cream. You couldn’t blame them though. Robin was at the register machine, getting the customers’ orders and Steve and you were organizing the stock at the back of the shop.

“Harrington, are you really saying that kissing and foreplay are not as important as the sex part!?”, you exclaimed a bit too loudly while you glared at your coworker with a questioning look. He just quirked his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders meaning ‘Yes, I said what I said. Deal with it.’

You didn’t feel any shame talking about these topics. In fact, you were pretty bold. Especially with Steve. He had that vibe that made everyone around him feel comfortable with discussing or doing anything. Of course. King Steve, ladies and gentlemen. 

“Why would I prefer the opening act when I know I’ll be seeing, I dunno, The Police soon?”

You let out a chuckle.

“You have been spending more time with Eddie, haven’t you?”, he gave you a mocking look. It was no secret that Steve wasn’t a fan of Eddie, especially because recently he had been stealing Dustin’s attention and that made Steve more jealous than he cared to admit. You couldn’t help but smile at the cuteness of Steve and Dustin’s relationship and his jealousy.

You grabbed one of the boxes with new ice cream flavours that were recently delivered to the shop because you had to carry them to the walk-in refrigerator, but since the two boxes were really heavy you asked Steve for help. At first he pretended to ignore you, but then he smiled teasingly and grabbed the other one to give you a hand. You had trouble deciding whether you hated that smile or you loved it… It was probably the latter. 

As soon as you entered the refrigerator, the chilly air hit your skin. You carefully placed the box you were carrying on the floor and put the door wedge so it wouldn’t close while you were in there. The door was pretty heavy because it needed to stay shut in order to keep the temperature low, but also, the door handle wasn’t working pretty well.

“Anyways, for us girls they’re really equally important”, you resumed your little argument while you two arranged the ice creams on the various shelves, categorizing them by their flavor. “We can get all the information we need about the other person from the first kiss. I can’t believe you don’t like it.”

You looked at him from the corner of your eye and noticed that he rolled his.

“No, honey”, he paused and sighed. You screamed internally at the pet name. He usually called you by your name or ‘Smarty Pants’ whenever you gave him witty comebacks. “It’s not that I don’t like it. I do, but I’d rather get down to the real business quicker.”

“Well, hun, friendly advice, if you keep thinking like that, you’ll have to settle with solo concerts.”

Steve wanted to give you the middle finger so badly but couldn’t do it because he had his hands full so he had to contempt himself by sticking out his tongue in a mocking tone. You gave him a playful nudge on the shoulder and then he gave you another one back but Steve was stronger than you so you tripped backwards and accidentally kicked the door wedge and the refrigerator door closed. 

“Fuck”, the two of you blurted out in unison; your heartbeats picking up rapidly. You exchanged looks and frowned your eyebrows at the same time. Under different circumstances, you would have laughed at the synchronicity.

“This is your fault.”

“How is this my fault, Harrington? You pushed me!”, you replied back while you got up from the floor and adjusted your uniform.

“You made me come in here!”

“I simply asked for your help!”

You decided it was useless to continue with this bickering so you kneeled down before the door handle to try to make it work. However, it was useless. The door refused to budge. You had repeatedly asked Keith, your boss, to call the repair guy to fix said handle but of course he never did. You cursed him under your breath while you got back up and started screaming and banging on the door.

“ROBIN! HELP! SOMEBODY”, Steve joined you but nobody seemed to hear. “HELLO, WE’RE INSIDE THE REFRIGERATOR!”, you both screamed over and over again.

“I hope Robin notices quickly we’re nowhere to be seen. If not, we’re going to freeze to death”, you lifted your hands to massage your scalp, trying to prevent yourself from spiraling. Extremely difficult task given the not so encouraging situation. You didn’t consider yourself a claustrophobic person but you weren’t a fan.

“Don’t exaggerate, Y/N. It’s just a little bit of cold”, he shrugged his shoulders and waved his hand dismissively, as if brushing off your very real concern. 

If looks could kill, he would be reduced to ashes right now. 

“Unlike you, I don’t have teenage-like hormones, Steve. I get cold easily.”

He was about to reply with another witty comment, but he noticed how anxious you were getting. He saw your right leg start bouncing rapidly and how you bit your fingernails—subtle things you did when you were nervous or distressed. He had noticed them before. He let out a defeated sigh.

“OK, I’m being serious right now: we’re going to get out of here in a heartbeat, don’t worry.” 

You went back to the screaming and banging, hoping that someone outside would hear you at that very moment and get you out of there. Unfortunately, you were alone with the echoes of your voice and movements. Meanwhile, Steve was pacing the small place, thinking of any other possible escape. 

After some minutes that felt like hours, the cold and the confinement were starting to take a toll on you. You sat on the floor with your back against the door to keep hitting it, more occasionally now. The Scoops Ahoy uniform was not enough to keep you warm; your body started trembling so you hugged yourself, keeping your knees close to your chest. Steve heard your shivering breaths. He scanned the ‘room’ one more time and saw the empty cardboard boxes stacked where you had been organizing the ice cream.

“We can use the empty ice cream boxes to keep us warm”, you gave him a questioning look. encouraging him to clarify. “We can break them down to sit on them and then put the other parts over our bodies”.

“God bless that big head of yours, Harrington.”, you smiled and tried to stand up but it wasn’t as easy as before. Your body was getting stiffer. Steve gave you a hand.

The two of you started tearing up the boxes and placing the flattened pieces on the floor next to the door and then cutting up bigger sections to use as makeshift blankets. 

“Well, it’s better than nothing”, Steve commented once you were all set and you agreed, keeping the cardboard boxes as close to your body as possible. 

It was far from being the perfect solution, but it worked… for a couple of minutes. Then, you started shivering again. You got up to the point where you could no longer feel your legs. You wanted to keep screaming and banging on the door but the little energy you had was starting to wear off. You decided to save it for later.

“Fuck, it’s so cold in here. I can’t stand it anymore”, you blurted out, more to yourself than anything and tried to rub your hands violently against your legs to get some warmth.

“Come here”, Steve whispered while opening his arms, motioning you to huddle closer to him so you could share whatever body heat you had left. It was true, Steve had a higher body temperature than any other person either of you knew but he wasn’t sure of how much that was going to last. He was feeling colder too.

You were hesitant to accept his embrace at first because you weren’t used to sharing physical contact with him but you quickly decided that it was worth trying it. Once you were beside him, he put his arms around your shaking frame and put two cardboard boxes over both your bodies. He rested his head on top of yours and you hugged him, wrapping your arms around his waist. Despite everything, this felt strangely nice and comfortable.

“We’re gonna get out of here, I promise”, he said after some silence and you could see the wisps of vapor that looked like smoke coming out of his mouth. 

You were too tired and weak to say or do anything. It seemed the temperature kept dropping every second. There was some frost on your hair and your eyelashes. Steve had it on his perfect hair too. At this moment, you actually believed you were going to die there. You snuggled closer into Steve’s embrace; not that it was really possible because you were practically glued to him.

You slowly started to drift off; your eyelids felt like two bricks of concrete. Steve went into alert mode when he felt you relax under his touch. “Hey, Y/N. Can you hear me?”

You let out a barely audible “Mh” and he started rubbing circles on your arm, close to your elbow.

“Stay awake, OK?”

He knew you couldn’t fall asleep if you had hypothermia. He didn’t know why but he remembered one of his biology teachers who explained that your body functions would slow down even more, which could be deadly. He didn’t even want to imagine that happening. 

At first, he didn’t want to admit he liked you because you were a pain in the neck, but then, as he spent more and more time with you, he learned you were funny, smart, and although you annoyed him to boredom sometimes, you were kind-hearted. Also, you had one of the most contagious laughs he has ever heard. And on top of that, you were insanely pretty. 

This drastic situation helped him realize he didn’t want to lose you, in any way. He couldn’t.

“I can’t.”, you whispered once again.

“Yes, you can”, his hands moved upwards to cup both your cheeks now; his desperate eyes fixed on your face. “Open your eyes, please, darling”. You wanted to laugh at the nickname but you didn’t even have the strength to do so. His voice was trembling now too. He didn’t know if out of the cold he was feeling or of the fear of something happening to you. He placed a kiss on your forehead. “Come on, I wanna see those pretty eyes.”

“I’m cold, Stevie. I’m sorry.”

You only used that nickname to tease him because he hated it. Now, it scratched his brain just right. He didn’t fail to notice you looked so small, so fragile. He didn’t know how, but he could feel you slip away from him.

“No, no, no, no”, he blurted out quickly. “Y/N, listen to me. Focus on my voice and my hands”, he rubbed circles on both of your cheeks. “Don’t fall asleep. Talk to me.”

His serious but also desperate tone made you realize the gravity of your state.

“About what?”, you whispered as you tried to get your whole attention to his gentle touches and his breathing. 

“About anything. Tell me a secret, a memory, an embarrassing story. Whatever comes to your mind, just talk to me.”

You gathered strength out of nowhere and opened your eyes. You saw Steve sigh with a little bit of relief. He also looked exhausted and cold, but there was something in his eyes that told you he was not giving up easily. You couldn’t say so for yourself, sadly.

“Your pretty eyes are the last pair I’m going to see”, you spoke slowly. Steve’s heart broke a little at your statement.

“No, don’t say things like that.. I need you to stay here with me. Please. I need you to stay alive so I can take you on a date when we’re out of here”, his voice and the movements on your skin were starting to slow down too. “I don’t want to leave this planet before kissing your beautiful lips.”

You gave him a weak smile.

“Do it now, Stevie.”

He lifted his eyebrows, thinking he heard you incorrectly. But then, you directed your eyes to his own lips, so he took it as an invitation and wasted no time. The kiss was slow and short but sweet nonetheless. None of you had much energy to keep going for longer, much to your dismay.

“That’s the way to warm up, right?”, he joked and you let out a choked laugh.

You went back to your tight embrace. You weren’t sure how much time you had left. You stopped trembling a couple of minutes ago and you knew that wasn’t a good sign. You thought about your family and your friends. One single tear fell from your left eye.

Just about when Steve was going to wipe it, you heard some noises on the other side of the door. You two looked at each other and Steve used the adrenaline rush to get back on his feet and helped you do the same.

“HELP, WE’RE STUCK IN THE REFRIGERATOR. PLEASE HELP”, Steve was the one yelling and you attempted to bang the door as loud as you could.

And then, the door finally opened. You squinted your eyes due to the sudden change of lightning and tried to make out the silhouette that was standing in front of you, but before you could see who it was or do anything else, your legs gave in and your vision went black, which resulted in you passing out on the ground.

Your eyelids fluttered open as the characteristic antiseptic hospital smell hit your nose. The sterile white walls were the first thing you saw. Your body still felt cold, even though you had several blankets wrapped around your frame. You turned your head to the side and saw Steve sitting on a chair, wrapped on a blanket as well. His eyes were closed and his head was slightly tilted to the side. He looked worn off but really adorable.

“Steve?”, you called his name but you didn’t recognize your own voice. It was really sore. The boy opened his eyes and gave you a sweet smile. There was a mixture of relief and concern in his look.

“Hey… You gave us quite the scare.” You apologized and he shrugged it off. “Your parents are already here. They’re filling out the paperwork.” He grabbed the chair and moved it forward to be closer to your bed. Then he grabbed your hand that was hidden under the blankets. “I should call the doctor to let her know you had woken up.”

You nodded but refused to let his hand go so he could stand up. His heart melted.

“We need to talk about our date”, you casually mentioned between giggles.

“You don’t waste a minute, don’t you?”, he chuckled, shaking his head. “I assure you, it’s going to be a date to die for.” Now it was your turn to laugh. 

aaaand the end... i hope you enjoyed it! and as always, i'd love to read some comments with your opinions :) and i'm also taking request, so there's your chance to leave a nice ask 💗

[blackcorvette]

Own My Mind

Summary: 1986. Hawkins, Indiana. It’s not your fault that you’re pulled into the messy secrets and hidden world of your small town. It’s not your fault that two of your new acquaintances seem to be fond of you, and not of each other.

Warnings: Language. Stranger Things central violence. Spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and rushed writing. Eventual smut… (buckle in, it’s a long ride.) MDNI

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: This is my attempt at writing a not so slow burn, self insert romance. I can’t stop thinking about Eddie or Steve and this is all done in fear of what Season Five will look like…Hopefully some people will find this little story entertaining. :’) Special thanks to my favorite editor, @djosfavewig.

The creaking is normal. There’s always odd sounds in here, dripping water and old wooden floorboards. The room is always dusty, making your throat itch if you stay too long. The smell of lake water and rust is faint in the air, overpowered by the scent of mothballs nested in old tarps.

It’s routine, every few weeks you’d come to the lake and check the lake house, one of the few properties your father had trusted you to keep up with. The tasks are simple, ask the tenant if repairs are needed, check the water heater that always seems to need replacing, and make sure no one’s broken into the boat house.

Rick hadn’t answered the door, but the tenant is known to disappear for weeks at a time- whether because he’s sleeping on someone’s couch or has been caught again. You brushed off his absence, then made your way to the boat house.

And yes the creaking is normal, it’s always been there, but the fresh footprints of wet mud on the floor have not been.

Holding your breath, you listen, eyes darting back and forth through the room in search of something else unusual. Thank fuck that your dad insisted on keeping the boathouse for himself, because that means his collection of tools are kept here awaiting use.

Slowly, you reach towards the wall, wrapping your hand around the worn wooden handle of a machete. The blade had been used to cut underbrush and thick weeds and shrubs when you dad bought the property- since then it’s been hun on the wall with the rest of the landscaping equipment. It used to make you nervous, how he would swing it so easily, how with one wrong move it could become fatal. And now, it’s the most comforting object you’ve ever held.

Holding your breath, you shift your weight, keeping light on your feet as you listen for odd noises, following the trail of footprints and mud. A few long minutes, your hair standing on end, but not a single disturbance.

The machete is perched on your shoulder, the blunt side against your shirt and the sharp edge away from you. You’ve just begun to lower it, to tell yourself that your mind is playing tricks after a long day- but then you hear it.

Shuffling, the sound of a paper bag-

A standing shelf crashes to the ground a few feet away- glass shattering and metal clattering across the floor. Some is sent into the water, splashing as you scream and jump back- another voice yelling even louder over yours.

“Fucking- shit bag!”

The machete arches through the air, you raise it above your head, eyes landing on the source of the chaos. A dark head of curls, messy and obscuring their face in the already dim light. But you’d recognize him anywhere.

“What the fuck?” You speak without thinking, hands tight around your weapon as he raises his hands and stares at you with wide eyes.

“Hold on- hold on!” He steps back, the light of the window now illuminating his face, Eddie Munson’s fase. “Give me a second, just don’t kill me.”

You keep the machete raised, swallowing down your surprise. “What are you doing here?!”

“Nothing!” He matches your tone, with hushed terror and fear in his voice as he repeats himself. “Nothing. Hiding? I don’t fucking know?”

A strangled laugh, your teeth clenched together. “You can’t be here- this is private property. I’m going call the-”

“No.” He steps closer, making you lean back and raise the weapon an inch higher. “Don’t call anyone-”

“So what? I’m supposed to let you squat in my garage?” You raise your voice and his eyes widen more, darting towards the window. “Get the hell out of here before-”

“Please!” He says in a shushed voice. “Look, I can’t explain but I can’t leave.”

“This is illegal- you’re trespassing-”

He says your name, still cursing in exasperation.

“-Oh, fucking come on. It’s not like you’re a law abiding citizen-” He gestures towards the machete- but you’ve already been frozen in place by his words.

“How…”

“What? You don’t remember buying weed from me? Four premade blunts-”

“That was my cousin, dipshit.”

“Look-”

“Stop.” You shake your head, pointing the weapon at him, earning a thin glare. “You just need to leave. You can’t stay here, I’m not your friend.”

“I can’t leave.” He stresses the words, pushing hair away from his face, exposing just how red his eyes actually are.

Not from drugs, you’d recognize that immediately after the summers you’ve spent with your risk loving cousin. These are the red eyes of tears, forced back even now. You notice the streaks down his face, as if he’d been crying for the duration of his time in the boat house.

It pricks at your sense of guilt, making your fingers loosen on the machete just enough to bring it down. You bite your tongue, thinking over your words before you demand an explanation from the man in front of you.

“Why?”

“Why?” He swallows, shoulders tense and his hands flexing in and out of fists by his sides, anxiety pouring off of him in waves. “I…can’t tell you.”

“Can’t or won’t?” You take the moment to evaluate yourself, trying to weigh whether or not he’s worth your time. “Because I’m not going to let you stay here without a reason. A good reason.”

“You won’t believe me.” His hands fly into his hair, tugging at the roots as tears begin to spring back into his eyes. “I can’t fucking leave, but you won’t…fuck. You’ll think I’m fucking crazy.”

“Just fucking tell-”

Yelling outside makes you jump, already unnerved before they start. Eddie curses, and when you look at him, he grabs your wrist and tugs the machete out of your hand, throwing it into the pile of junk on the floor.

“Hide.” He drags you to a corner, and your too shocked to fight him.

“What do you mean, hide?” You ask, snatching your arm away from him, eyes darting around for another weapon.

“Just hide.” He pushes you behind a shelf, then turns and climbs into the boat, pulling the tarp over him.

“Eddie-”

“Shut up.”

A beam of light, brighter than the moonlight in the sky, cuts through the room. And for some reason Eddie’s fear has seeped into your body, urging you to listen. It’s why you sink low to the ground, mouth shut tight and breathing as quietly as you can muster. More yelling, then the harsh banging of fists against a door. Then, it’s quiet.

Before you can move, the light becomes brighter, multiple beams from flashlights flooding into the boathouse and you’re biting your lips together in an attempt to disappear in the silence.

The door opens, and you catch the yellow of the porchlight you had failed to turn off.

“Hello?” A soft feminine voice, you strain to put a face to it, but come up empty. “…Is anyone home?”

Footsteps sound, multiple sets filing into the small space. The flashlights skirt over every wall, shining for prolonged moments over different corners and angles. Your heart is racing already, but it threatens to fail when one beam of light shines directly on your hiding spot, less than a foot above your head where the shelf ends. You press a hand to your mouth, squeezing your eyes tight and hoping that you won’t be heard.

Another flashlight across the room clicks off, and the one above you finally moves away

A voice you recognize covers the sound of your labored breathing once you’re sure the person near you has moved far enough away to remove your hand. “What a dump.”

Steve Harrington.

A graduate from your year, even a student in a few of your classes- now here, in your boathouse looking for…looking for Eddie.

Through the footsteps, you hear the sound of something being taken off the wall. Then the nerve wracking sound of something plastic being jabbed at. It clicks near immediately that it’s the tarp.

“What are you doing?” Another voice, younger this time, one you don’t recognize. They repeat themselves after more jabbing, more annoyed than the first time. “What are you doing?”

“He might be in there.” Steve confirms your suspicions, which only makes you clench your teeth and take deep breaths to combat sudden anxiety- as if Eddie had pulled you into his own spiral of insanity that led him here.

“So take the tarp off.” The younger voice says.

“If you’re so brave, you take the tarp off.” The jabbing becomes more aggressive, and you flinch with each hit- fearing the one that will reveal Eddie’s hiding spot.

“Hey, look over here.” The floor creaks on the other side of the room and a second younger voice calls out, another girl. “Someone was here.”

The first female voice replies, both seeming indifferent to Steve attacking the boat. “Maybe he heard us. Got spooked and ran.”

Part of you wishes that he did run, instead of keeping you trapped in here as if this was all your problem as well. Hiding like a criminal in your own space, not knowing the crimes committed.

“Don’t worry!” The young male voice says, sarcasm dripping with every word. “Steve will get him with his oar.”

“I know you think you're being funny,” More tarp assault even while he talks. “But considering everyone in this room has nearly died a hundred times. Personally, I don’t find it funny in the slightest-”

The loud crinkling of the tarp and jostle of the boat, followed by Steve’s startled yelling. He begins to plead, repeating the word wait- and you can no longer sit in your corner.

Just in time, you stand form your position and rush out from behind the shelf in time to see Eddie pin Steve to the wall- something pressed against his neck.

“Eddie! Eddie- Stop!” A boy, a few years younger than you yells. It catches the attention of Eddie, but he doesn’t release Steve- instead keeping his grip tight on what you’ve now identified as the broken neck of a beer bottle. “Eddie, it’s me. It’s Dustin. This is Steve- he’s not going to hurt you, right Steve?”

The boy, Dustin, gestures toward Steve, who attempts to nod but stops when the glass presses further into his throat, instead settling to answer verbally. “Right. Yeah.”

“Steve,” Dustin directs slowly. “Why don’t you drop the oar?”

Steve obliges, the wood clattering to the floor, which only leads to Eddie pushing the glass harder against his skin and causing Steve to wince and press himself further against the wall.

“He’s cool!” Dustin attempts to reason with the man. “He’s cool.”

Steve follows along, his hands still in the air in surrender. “I’m cool, man. I’m cool.”

Eddie’s eyes don’t leave Steve’s face, his voice taking a tone he hadn’t used with you when you’d found him minutes ago on your own. More dangerous, desperate to gain control of the situation. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re looking for you!” Dustin says, staying planted in his spot, no one dares to move more than they have to. No one has yet to see you. “We’re here to help. Eddie, these are my friends.”

He points behind him, to the older girl, your age and then the younger one. “You know Robin, from band. This is my friend Max. The one who never wants to play D&D.”

Max waves a hand in a tense manner.

“Eddie, we’re on your side.” He is trying to focus the attention on himself, on removing the danger. “I swear on my mother. Right guys?”

“Yes- Yes, we swear.” Max nods.

Robin follows. “On Dustin’s mother.”

A still very trapped and very rattled Steve nods as much as he can. “Yeah, on Dustin’s…Dustin’s mother.”

Everything is silent, except for the sound of your heart in your ears and the drip of water. Eddie glares at Steve all the while, and Steve keeps as still as possible- everyone else holding their breath until finally Eddie releases him.

Steve moves, holding his throat and trying to calm himself down after the threats. Robin and Max hang back with him, while Dustin keeps with Eddie, who’s now pressed against a wall and sinking to the ground defeatedly.

Slowly, you make your appearance known. Stepping away from the corner of the room, though you want to stay hidden for longer.

The first person to see you is Steve. His hand is still around his neck, rubbing the raw skin as his eyes catch your movement. He narrows his eyes, confused, but keeps quiet as Dustin speaks to Eddie, who’s still clutching the broken glass.

“We just want to talk.” Dustin’s voice is softer now, as he attempts to take Eddie’s makeshift weapon. Eddie flinches, keeping it away from Dustin when he tries to touch it. “Okay?”

Robin moves closer, kneeling to the ground beside them both, Max standing close behind her with a flashlight shining on them all. “We want to know what happened.”

“You won’t believe me.” Eddie echoes his earlier concerns, and it strikes you like fire. You had thought maybe he had said that in order to stay- but now it sounds like utter truth.

It’s just you and Steve, standing a few feet away from the four of them. And now you manage a better look, seeing the confusion in his eyes clearly, and the hesitation in his quiet- as if he’d betray your presence at any moment, but you’ve not yet given him a reason to.

And for the extra moments of secrecy, your grateful. It gives you time to think, to prepare. And once you hear Max speak two words- you know that you need those moments.

“Try us.”

====

Eddie’s story is something of a nightmare- sick and demented enough to sound fictional, but the terror and darkness in his eyes, the tears that threaten to spill tell you it’s nothing but the honesty of a tragedy.

“Her body just, like, lifted up into the air and..” Eddie sighs, eyes distant as he explains what had happened to Chrissy in the trailer the night before. “And she just hung there. In the air… And her bones…”

He closes his eyes, pain laced in the action, conveying everything he can’t say with a formed word. Everyone watches, listens to the trepidation, and Eddie sits there in silent agony.

“Her bones started to snap.” His expressions mirror his fear, born of anger. “Her eyes, man. It…it was like there was something inside her head, pulling. I-”

The cracking of his voice is what moves you forward, your hand settling on his back in an effort to comfort something that can not be soothed.

“I didn’t know what to do, so I…” Every word eats him up, tearing away any sense of ease and replacing it with what you know is nothing but grief and deep cemented unrest. “I ran away. I left her there.”

His eyes, having been unfocused and distant from the beginning of his story, now shake and focus on the people in front of him. He finally looks at them, seeing their own expressions before turning his head and scoffing to himself- a defeated sound.

“You all think I’m crazy, right?” He drops his head into a hand, rings glinting in the light.

“No. We don’t think you’re crazy.” Dustin says, almost begging him to believe.

“Don’t bullshit me, man!” Eddie’s voice raises, the pitch reciting his emotions. “I know how this sounds.”

He begins to cry again, and you press your hand firmer to his back, hoping the weight of it will help ground him, if not take away any pain.

“We’re not bullshitting you.” Max says, her voice stern and serious.

Robin agrees, leaning just a bit forward. “We believe you.”

Eddie takes a deep breath, forcing it out sharply, his ribs expanding and contracting against your touch with the motion. And though you don’t know, you can’t even form the words to explain, something in you can’t help but believe everything he tells you all.

“Look.” Dustin says. “What I’m about to tell you might be a little…difficult to take in.”

His eyes, the girls, and Steve’s all land on you, as if you were an afterthought now brought to the forefront of their minds. You hadn’t spoken once since they’d finally realized your presence- but they hadn’t protested when you sat with them to listen to Eddie- they don’t attempt to force you out now.

“You know how people say Hawkins is…”

You finally use your voice, finishing the theory you’ve heard from dozens of people, the stories all returning now. “Cursed?”

Dustin moves his head side to side, as if weighing his choices. “They’re not…way off.”

His eyes flick between you and Eddie, and a sudden feeling of dread turns your stomach to lead, sinking low and making you feel sick.

“There’s another world.”

It should be amusing, maybe annoying what he begins to say. Like a story over a campfire, a tall tale someone uses to scare you for their own fun, but it’s not funny or anything- it’s just sickening.

“A world hidden beneath Hawkins.”

Your hand slips off of Eddie’s back, falling to your lap as you clutch them both into fists.

“Sometimes it bleeds into ours.”

In search of familiarity, your eyes dart towards Steve. He’s watching you already, his eyes exposing what you had hoped you wouldn’t see- they are dark and somber, already knowing what Dustin is saying, eyes that tell you he had witnessed it himself.

Eddie’s voice is clearer than before, tears having stalled. “Like ghosts and shit?”

Max answers before Dustin, proving her place in all this mess. “There are some things worse than ghosts.”

“These monsters, from this other world, we thought they were gone.” Dustin continues, speaking carefully. “But they’ve come back before. That's why we needed to find you.”

Max nods, solem. “If they’re back again, we need to know.”

Running a hand over your face, you realize that you're trembling- a response you hadn’t even been aware of. It makes you shake harder, folding your hands together to attempt to hide it.

“That night,” Robin asks. “Did you see anything?”

Max speaks next. “Dark particles, maybe?”

Eddie’s head is shaking, not enough to deny their questions, but showing his uneasiness.

“It would almost look like dust, swirling dust.” Dustin urges, searching for an answer.

“No, man, there was nothing you could see or touch.” Eddie shakes his head with a purpose now, actively denying. “You know, I tried to wake her, man. She couldn’t move. It was like she was in a trance or something-”

“Or under a spell-” Dustin says, eyes widened a bit, and finally Eddie reacts.

“A curse.” His dark gaze holds something of substance, of understanding.

It catches Dustin as well, his back straight if just enough to show. “Vecna’s Curse.”

Frowning, you look to see if any of the others understand what you don’t, but Robin and Max have similar confusion in your eyes and Steve, he asks for you all. “Who’s Vecna?”

Dustin doesn’t turn, his eyes still locked on Eddie’s, sharing unspoken thoughts and harboring immense fear. “An undead creature of great power.”

“A spell caster.” Eddie says.

“A dark wizard.” Dustin finishes, his fear having laced into his voice.

And now, the fear has burrowed into your bones, infiltrating your every sense. Because now, you have no other escape.

Now, you can’t escape.

[megxplryxb]

Masterlist <3

Steve Harrington fics

Roommate Romance

Romance is Dead, Isn't It?

More Than This Part 1

More Than This Part 2

Let Me Show You

Serving More Than Ice Cream

Our Little Secret

Tainted Love

Date Night

Fighting The Fireworks

Green With Envy Pt.1

Green With Envy Pt.2

Things We Didn't Say

Bite Me

Truth or Dare

Unfaithful

Steve Harrington Imagines

Steve Imagine #1

Steve Imagine #2

Steve Imagine #3

Steve Imagine #4

Dating Steve Harrington Would Include

Colby Brock

Lockdown Lovers

As Bad As You Are

How Can it be Over When it Never Really Started?

Daryl Dixon

Addixon

Pete Dunne

Twisted Temptations

Secret Passion

Till The Bitter End

Currently Working On.....

Steve being totally in love with his friend Eddie’s girlfriend. ❤️ (Not a Steddie fic)

[harringtonstilinski]

requests; open (s.h. & e.m.) / new guidelines

so, i literally just got done with writing always the babysitter. it's bittersweet that my second series is done being written.

my requests are now open until about the beginning of november, where i'll start the proofreading, doing edits and posting of always the babysitter.

the characters that i write for are ;

steve harrington (henderson!reader)

eddie munson (newest addition) [henderson!reader]

stiles stilinski

dave hodgman

stuart twombly

thomas (tmr)

mitch rapp

richie boyle

joel dawson

sam taylor

stuff i won't write ;

unaliving one-self

kidnapping / trafficking

stranger things kids (el, max, lucas, mike, will, and dustin. they will be included in the story if the request is for steve.)

stuff i write if asked ;

a certain character (oc's [emma, and olivia{more background; pre atb}], sibling!reader, smut, fluff, angst, etc)

aged up characters (ex: college!steve & reader, dad!stiles)

au's (soulmate, modern, best friends to lovers, fake dating, break up;back together, secretly dating, enemies to lovers [will try my best for any other au's y'all request])

i do also write stilinski!twins, but those take more time to think about.

rules;

please stay within these newly found guidelines

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reblog, reblog, reblog. i know you've seen this from every other content creator here on tumblr, but it really helps us out. this isn't tiktok where you like something and it shows up in the algorithm.

likes and comments are welcome! i love it when y'all like and comment on a fic i've written.

i am a mama to a 7 & 2 year old, as well as a wife of almost 10 years. please be patient with me. we're also in minor softball season as well.

please have fun!

REQUESTS ARE OPEN AS I AM POSTING ALWAYS THE BABYSITTER. if you still send one in, i will still write and post it for you within 2-3 days after a new chapter has been posted!!

edited to add: anything with an asterisk is just the working title, and is subject to change at any point during the writing process before or even after posting.

[theshortstack]

Fake friends

The only thing I learned that summer was … I was never first choice I was a the short reply, the desperate times call for desperate measures “friend” if you can even call it that , when you said “ we’re not friends “ you said it a little to serious to be joking yet I always got that text that said “ we should hang“ , I’ve seen how you act with your actual friends and it’s a far cry from you actions with me. you don’t care about me you only care about the fact that your have literally nothing else to do .

By me 😊

[secondsineternity]

Lost & Found

Prologue

You and Steve have been dating for two years. Everything was perfect, you had moved in with him not long after the six month period and Steve had recent started looking at engagement rings. That is, until you mysteriously went missing one dark and cold night without a trace left behind.

Exactly one year later, you show up in Hawkins again. Dazed and confused, you claim to not recognize any of your family and friends and that the year is 2023. Determined to find answers, Steve has to start from the beginning, asking your favorite color when he knows your deepest fears. Will he be able to find the truth, or will all hope for your relationship be lost?

A new one from me! Enjoy!

[scottsumrners]

Joe Keery is in fargo season 5 as a literal white supremacist misogynist and people are on here writing self insert fan fiction with his character I hate it here

lol one of the first episodes of the jodie whittaker season of doctor who had them going back in time to the beginning of the montgomery bus boycott because there is a guy that is EXPLICITLY, OPENLY racist, to the point where he verbally assaults the black companion, and straight up says he wants to stop rosa from getting on the bus because black people have it too good in the future...and when you look into the tags, people are shipping him with the doctor and making gifs/fan edits/fanfics of him (x reader) :) anyway death to fandom

[piastrinorris]

can we tag you in gifs and edits? what would you like to be tagged in?

hi!! you absolutely can!!!

anyone who follows me can tag gifs, edits, fics (reader insert or ships, i am a multishipper at heart), art, or any other type of original content with #userridge!! that way, i can see it easily + hype it up. if you have a tag you'd like me to use, please let me know so i can add it to my taglist! i get it, i get super worried about adding people to my taglist, so even if you want to clarify that it's ok, or ask to be added to mine and tell me what you want to be tagged in, feel free to hmu anytime!

my about page (desktop | mobile) has an extensive list of things that i would potentially like to be tagged in, but a tl;dr of the main stuff:

joseph quinn + any of his characters (with the exception of rpf)

joe keery + any of his characters (with the exception of rpf)

pedro pascal + any of his characters (with the exception of rpf)

tbh any of the stranger things cast + any of their characters (with the exception of rpf)

anyone from the dropout franchise (dimension 20, game changer, etc)

anything stranger things (with the exception of billy hargrove content)

ted lasso

the fremulon extended universe (parks + rec/brooklyn nine-nine/the good place etc)

i may add to this in the future, but that's all the stuff i can think of rn!! ty for asking!! :D

[spiderking-of-queens]

Chapter Twenty: The Lonely Hearts Club

Summary: You and Steve hang out alone for the first time in a while, and your friendship becomes a little more… complicated. (Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, 7.7k words)

Warnings: Things get kinda ~spicy~ towards the end but nothing too crazy lol. Bit of angst also.

A/N: This is the last chapter for ST3! Onto season 4 next - which means a lot more of Eddie, and a lot more angst 😈 also, here’s the link to the Tears for Fears album they listen to in this chapter, in case you wanna play it while you read!

Tags: @dessxoxsworld @blackbirddaredevil23

Masterlist

August 23rd, 1985

“Oh my god, Steve. How many times are you going to play this stupid record?!” Robin whined from the passenger seat of Steve’s car. 

For the thousandth time that summer, Steve had snuck his Tears for Fears cassette into the stereo and pressed play. It came out months ago, but he was still obsessed with it. Plus he enjoyed pissing you and Robin off. 

“Hey, if you don’t like my music selections, then you can find your own ride, okay?!” He yelled back defensively, cranking the music up louder as an act of protest. 

You were sitting in the back, shaking your head at them with a smirk as you took a sip of the soda you had just gotten from the drive-thru. The three of you were bored that night, and couldn’t think of anything better to do besides getting fast food for dinner and going for a nighttime drive. 

“Thank god I’m almost home,” Robin groaned with an eye roll.

“Yeah, you’re welcome by the way. You know, for driving you literally everywhere,” He grumbled.

“Oh, come on. We all know you love it,” She said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “What would you even do without us?” 

He didn’t respond to this because he knew she was right and he hated it. She smirked at him knowingly and got out after he put the car in park, slamming the door behind her. 

“Hey! Take it easy!” He rolled down the window and yelled at her. She waved her hand back at him dismissively.

“Yeah, yeah. Bye, Stevie! Bye, Y/N! See you tomorrow!”

“Bye, Robin!” You called back as she skipped up to her house. Then Steve raised his head to look at you in his rearview.

“You coming up?” He asked, patting the passenger seat. You nodded after taking another sip of your drink, then climbed up and ungracefully wriggled your way into the seat beside him instead of opting to get out of the car and back in. You accidentally bumped his elbow and apologized as he rubbed it.

“Ow! Geez, watch it. You spill that in here, you’re paying to clean my car.”

“God, you’re obsessed,” You complained, taking the lid off to show him that you had finished the rest of it so he wouldn’t have to worry anymore.

“How many times do I have to remind you two that without this car we’d all be stranded with no transportation? It’s a miracle my parents even let me drive it still.”

“Okay, I’m sorry! I’ll be careful.”

“Thank you. That’s all I ask.”

He put the car in drive and pulled back out onto the road towards your house. The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a while before Everybody Wants to Rule the World started playing, and you closed your eyes with a contented hum.

“Don’t tell Robin, but no matter how many times you play this song, I’m never gonna get sick of it,” You admitted. 

“I knew it,” He chuckled at you. “How can anybody not love it?”

“In all fairness to her, I think she did like it before you played it about a billion times.”

He scoffed at this, shaking his head dismissively before reluctantly agreeing that you were right. 

“Okay, fine. But you don’t mind?”

“No,” You said, your eyes still closed happily. “I don’t mind.”

It was the perfect song for a perfect summer night spent with friends. You wished that autumn would never have to come. You could ride around town with Steve and Robin doing absolutely nothing for the rest of your life.

You rolled down the window and stuck your head out, letting the wind blow your hair around your face. Then you twisted in your seat so that your face was pointed towards the sky, and you looked up at the stars. They were remarkably still as the rest of the world sped around you. It made you dizzy, but you couldn’t help yourself. It was too pretty. 

You thought you heard Steve’s voice but couldn’t make it out over the wind in your ears, so you pulled yourself back in and tried to smooth out your unruly hair.

“Did you say something?” You asked him. He smiled at you, shaking his head in amusement. 

“I said, if you keep sticking your head out the window like that, it’s probably gonna get sliced off by a tree branch or something.”

“Wow, very nice,” You chuckled. “Thanks for that. I was just trying to see the sky.”

“Predictable is preventable. The stars are really pretty tonight, though. I know a good stargazing spot. We should go sometime.”

You paused for a second, unsure of what to say. 

That sounded… romantic.

“Uh, you know, with Robin, too,” He quickly added. 

Was Steve Harrington suddenly bashful? You couldn’t contain the smile that began to spread on your face. It sounded kind of nice, actually. Peaceful. 

“We could go now, if you want to. I wouldn’t mind a little stargazing tonight.”

He hesitated to respond, suddenly seeming reluctant to go. 

“Actually… I don’t know. We probably shouldn’t. It’s private property. We could get caught.”

“That’s okay,” You shrugged. “Sounds like a fun adventure to me.”

He looked slightly surprised to hear this, but also pleased. He hadn’t expected you to be okay with breaking the law. It did make you nervous, but you also really wanted a chance to catch up with him, just the two of you. You thought it might be nice to get some one-on-one time to get him to talk about how he was doing with everything that had happened. 

“Well, alright then,” He agreed. “But before I turn around I feel like I should warn you, the place I’m thinking of is Sattler’s Quarry.”

You scrunched up your face at him.

“Sattler’s Quarry? Like, where they pulled Will’s fake body out of the lake? You think it’s pretty there?”

“Uh, yup,” He laughed. “That’s the place. I started hanging out there way before all the government cover-up shit happened. Still wanna go?”

You paused to think about it, then nodded. You couldn’t help your curiosity. 

“Alright then,” He sighed, then put on his turn signal to turn around. “Let’s go.”

When you pulled up about ten minutes later and Steve turned off his headlights, you understood immediately why he liked to go there. It was insanely scenic.

“You wanna get out and look?” He asked you. You shook your head and leaned back into your seat. 

“Nah. I… I wanna listen to the music,” You admitted reluctantly, knowing full well how pleased with himself he would be after hearing it. You snuck a peek at him out of the corner of your eyes and he had a smirk on his face, just as you had expected. 

“Don’t say it,” You warned him.

He put his hands up defensively. 

“Wasn’t gonna.”

You both got comfortable, and you let out a satisfied sigh. 

“You were right. This view is insane.”

“Told you,” He chuckled. “Pretty enough to paint. Or draw.”

“Hm. Yeah. Don’t remind me. I’ve been a terrible artist lately. Just haven’t been inspired.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find something soon.”

You nodded, but you weren’t so sure. The truth was that what you had experienced in July had left you blocked off. You needed to be able to daydream to make art, and with a reality as insane and terrifying as yours, you were finding it hard to escape it.

“Speaking of which…” Steve said, interrupting your thoughts. “I really wish I could have seen your stuff at the senior art exhibition.”

You snapped your head towards him in shock. You weren’t expecting that. 

“I… didn’t know you knew about that,” You said quietly. 

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” He teased. “Why didn’t you invite me?”

“I don’t know… I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

He furrowed his eyebrows at you.

“Why would you think that?”

“I wasn’t sure how close we were. I didn’t wanna be weird.”

“Inviting me to see your art, which you’re planning on making a living off of someday, would have been weird?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s…” You trailed off, rubbing your eyebrow anxiously. You didn’t want to tell him the truth, but there was no better explanation you could give him. You inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly as you prepared yourself to be vulnerable with him. 

“Steve, if you had said you were busy, it would have absolutely crushed me. That’s why. You were my only friend at the time. At least, my only friend my age. It was a lot of pressure.”

He lowered his eyes, trying to comprehend this. 

“Oh… I didn’t realize. But, for the record… even if I did have plans… I would have cancelled them to be there.”

You lowered your head in shame. You felt like a jerk.

“I’m sorry. I should have invited you. I was just a coward.”

He could sense that you felt guilty, and immediately changed his demeanor to make you feel better about it, giving you a smile. 

“It’s okay. I’ll get another chance someday, when you become a big shot artist in New York.”

“Yeah. Right,” You scoffed, shaking your head. “I don’t think I’m ever getting out of this town now.”

“Why?” He asked, shocked by this admission. The last time you talked about it, you were still feeling confident about getting out of Hawkins. But that was before the gate reopened. 

“Steve, how can I leave after everything we’ve been through? What if it happens again?”

He hesitated, then shook his head at you.

“Maybe that’s exactly why you should leave,” He murmured. 

“If it was just me, I would. But I can’t leave you guys.”

A strange look came over his face when you said this. You were having trouble figuring out what it meant. Maybe he was feeling the same way, but didn’t want to admit it to you. 

“Well… that’s really selfless of you. But we’d be okay. You don’t have to worry about us. You should do what you need to do.”

You let your head fall back against the headrest of your seat in frustration. As you stared at the night sky reflecting in the water, you felt every emotion you had been holding in all summer bubbling up to the surface. Maybe now was a good time to confess, while it was just you, Steve, and the stars. 

“Can I tell you something?” You whispered. 

“Of course.”

You heard the squeak of his leather seat as he turned his body to face you. 

“On the Fourth of July, when I ran into you guys at the theater…” You trailed off, then willed yourself to look over at him. He laid his head against his headrest, too, watching you patiently as you gained the courage to continue. “I… I was trying to get away. I watched that disgusting monster almost eat Nancy at the hospital the night before, and it scared the shit out of me. I used work as an excuse to try to get out of fighting it. I don’t ever wanna be that person again. If I go to New York, I’m worried it’ll just be the same thing. That I’ll be running from my parents and this town and my stupid problems. And I don’t want to run away anymore. From anything.”

He let out a deep sigh when you finished speaking, as if he felt every word with his whole chest. 

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” He murmured. “You stayed and fought when we needed you. That’s what matters.”

You studied his expression. You could tell that he really did understand the way you were feeling by the way he was looking at you, and you wanted to know more. 

“Do you… do you ever have nightmares? About the monsters?” You asked him. He snorted and turned his body back to face the windshield again, staring out at the quarry as he spoke to you. 

“Oh yeah. Are you kidding? All the time. Demogorgons, mind flayers, evil Russian soldiers. You name it… I’ve woken up in a cold sweat over it.”

He said this lightheartedly, but you knew the weight of it was heavier than he was letting on.

“I can’t believe you were drugged and tortured by Russians.”

“Believe it. I still get headaches from the shiner those bastards gave me.”

“I’m sorry,” You said with a wince. 

“It’s okay. Dustin told you I got a good shot in first though, right? That I knocked one of them out? Because I need that to be on record.”

“Yes, don’t worry. He was very proud.”

“Good.”

Dustin had excitedly gone over the entire ordeal of how Steve knocked out a Russian guard and won a fight for the first time in his life, but you remembered seeing Steve’s face from across the room. He had a look of pure exhaustion that you had never seen before. It still haunted you. No matter how much he tried to play it off like it was a fun adventure, what he had been through took a heavy toll on him. Physically and emotionally. 

“Seriously though. I’m sorry you had to go through that, Steve,” You said quietly, knowing instantly that he wouldn’t accept it. 

“Eh,” He brushed it off, as predicted. “Guess I should have listened to you, right? Shouldn’t have meddled in their business.”

You sat up in your chair, shaking your head profusely. 

“No way. If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t have beaten the Mind Flayer.”

He smirked at you. 

“So you’re saying that I should never listen to you ever again?”

You rolled your eyes and fell back against your seat, crossing your arms indignantly. 

“Okay, don’t push it, Harrington.”

You both smiled at each other, and then his fell when something new seemed to cross his mind. You braced yourself. 

“How have you been doing with everything though? With Hopper and…Billy?”

Ah. The inevitable question. You clenched your teeth as you tried to think of the least concerning way to answer it. 

“It’s been hard,” You admitted. “I mean, the worst part is watching Joyce go through that pain again. I could tell how much they cared about each other, every time he visited her at the general store. She’s been through so much shit. I think she wants to move away, which I completely understand, but I worry about what that will do to Will. And El, too, Jesus. That poor girl. It’s just so unfair. Hopper was a really good man.”

“He was,” Steve chimed in with a sigh, nodding patiently as he waited for you to continue your rant.  

“And Billy… I mean, you know how I felt about him. And I know how you feel about him, too. But I never wanted him die. Especially like that. Especially in front of Max. I know she hated him, too, but… she grew up with him. And seeing that at her age… she’s been really brave but I know it’s messing her up inside.”

“Yeah,” He agreed. “I mean, I wanted to kill him myself for what he did to us last year. But that was just…brutal.”

“I know. I just wanna be there for Max the best I can. I haven’t been able to get her to talk about it, but maybe that’s what she needs. I don’t know.”

Steve stayed quiet as you finally trailed off, watching you, and you turned your head to try to see what he was thinking. 

“What?” You asked him when you couldn’t figure him out. 

“It’s really kind of you to be so worried about everybody else right now. Not that I’m surprised.”

“Well… of, of course.” You stammered. “I mean, I’m sure it’s much harder on them than it is on me.”

“But I asked how you were doing. I know you had a hard time when we first found out about the Russians. I just wanna make sure you’re okay now. You said it messed Max up seeing Billy die, but what about you? It couldn’t have been easy for you either, seeing that up close.”

You blinked at him. He was figuring you out, and you didn’t like it. The original plan was to get him to open up to you, and there you were, pouring your guts out to him. You had said far too much. 

“I’m… okay. And you?” 

“Okay,” He echoed with a nod. It was clear from your deflection back onto him that you didn’t want to talk about yourself anymore, so he changed the subject instead of fighting you further on it. “You know, I probably wouldn’t have befriended Robin if we hadn’t been subjected to torture together,” He said. 

You snorted, unable to stop yourself. 

“Wow, did you just turn something negative into a positive? Are you ill?”

“Ha ha,” He said dryly. 

“I’m sorry. You’re right. That’s a good way to look at it.”

“That’s the way I feel about you, too, you know,” He added, looking you in the eye. It made your cheeks flush. “I’m glad you stumbled into the junkyard that night and almost got eaten by demodogs with all of us, even though I’m sure you regret it by now.”

“I don’t,” You said quickly. “How could I? We wouldn’t be sitting here right now if I hadn’t shown up that night. I wouldn’t have gotten to know all of you. And what a shitty life that would be.”

You smiled at each other, and then he let out a chuckle. 

“Wow. You’re insane.”

“I know,” You nodded, a pleased smile on your face. “But so are you.”

There was a quiet moment where the two of you stared at each other, then Steve’s attention was captured by the next song starting up on his car stereo. He let out a little gasp of excitement and his hand reached for the volume knob.

“Fuck, this is a good one,” He mumbled, and you laughed at him. He started bobbing his head, and then suddenly began belting out the lyrics to Head Over Heels so loudly that it made you jump. Your eyes widened as you watched him, his face all scrunched up as he sang passionately, but very, very badly.

“See, insane! Told you!” You shouted at him and pushed on his shoulder, trying to get him to quiet down. He took the hint and stopped singing, grinning at you. 

“I can’t help it. It’s too perfect. This song is like… my life story,” He chuckled self-deprecatingly. 

“Yeah, rejected twice in one year? That is pretty harsh,” You teased him with a laugh, then immediately squeezed your lips shut, eyes wide as you realized that you weren’t supposed to know about the second time with Robin. He eyed you and you knew that the jig was already up, but you avoided eye contact with him anyways.

“Y/N?”

“Hm?” You said, feigning innocence. 

“Did Robin tell you about our conversation in the bathroom?” He asked, an eyebrow raised. You scratched the back of your neck uncomfortably. 

“Uh…yeah. She may have mentioned something about that,” You admitted sheepishly. 

“I knew it. She told you I confessed my love for her, like an idiot? That I actually thought she was into me?”

“Maybe…” You tried to hold back a laugh, and he folded his arms on top of the steering wheel and let his head fall into them in embarrassment. “I’m sorry! I’m not laughing at you, I just feel bad.”

“Please. I bet you guys had a real good laugh about it. Typical Harrington, right? Completely oblivious,” He mumbled into his arms.

“No, Steve, it wasn’t like that! I swear. She only told me because I was asking her if there was anything going on between the two of you.”

“Well, obviously there’s not,” He grumbled. 

“Obviously,” You repeated with a snort.

He raised his head and squinted skeptically at this response. 

“Did she mention… anything else? Any, uh… reasons why we don’t have anything romantic between us?”

“You mean because she’s gay?”

His eyes widened at you before your mouth turned up in a smile. Then he let out a breath of relief and relaxed back into his seat. This was one secret he was overjoyed that you now knew about, and that you were as accepting of as he was. 

“She told you.”

You nodded with the smile still on your face, sharing in his happiness.

“Good. I’m glad.”

“Me too. I’m happy she had you to confide in, though, before I knew. You’re a really good friend, Steve. To both of us.”

He hadn’t been expecting you to say that. He scratched his head and turned away from you bashfully. 

“Eh. Well… I try my best.”

You grinned at his embarrassment, then it faded when you thought about how he might actually be feeling behind the humor. 

“Are you…do you actually want to be with her though? I mean, those feelings don’t just go away when you find out you don’t have a chance.”

You hoped it wasn’t obvious to him that you were speaking from experience. It didn’t take him very long to decide on an answer.

“No. I think I was just hearing Dustin’s stupid voice in the back of my head telling me we were perfect for each other.”

“Ha!” You chortled. “He said that? Guess I’m not surprised. He is kind of obsessed with her.”

“Yeah. You know… he said the same thing about you when we first started hanging out again.”

Your eyebrows raised. No matter how many times people talked about you and Steve like this, it never failed to surprise you.

“Really?”

“Yeah. The night we all watched Star Wars together and you got up to get popcorn from the kitchen, he leaned over to me and whispered, ‘Now’s your chance. Make a move. Just pretend we’re not here.’”

“What?!” You snorted loudly.

“It’s true, I swear.”

“Well, what did you say?”

“What do you think I said? I said, ‘Absolutely not, weirdo.’ Like I would ever try to make a move on someone while hanging out with a bunch of thirteen-year-olds.” 

“Oh my god, that kid is nuts,” You snickered. 

“I know. He brought it up again another time and I just told him that you had a thing for someone else to shut him up for good. Don’t worry, though, I refused to go into the specifics.”

You processed this, then took a second to contemplate whether or not you should share what Robin had said about the two of you as well. You eventually decided that it was safe. 

“Robin actually said something to me, too, when I was asking her about you two. While you guys were in the restroom and you were trying to confess your feelings for her, she thought you were talking about me instead of her at first.”

His eyes widened, confirming your suspicions that Robin had failed to share that with him.

“Really? That’s… weird. What did you say to that?”

“That it was ridiculous,” You shrugged. He nodded back at you, suspiciously quiet. He was probably trying to remember what he said that would make her think that. 

“Interesting.”

You cleared your throat, interrupting the uncomfortable silence.

“Come to think of it, Max and Nancy also assumed we were dating,” You giggled. 

“Jesus,” He said, throwing his hands up in the air melodramatically. “Can’t a guy and girl just be friends?”

“Apparently not,” You laughed. “But, I mean, everybody at school thought we were a couple, too. It’s nothing new.”

“Yeah, but, none of those other people actually knew us, so their opinions don’t matter.”

You tilted your head at him.

“So you think we should be listening to our friends? Is that what you’re saying?” You teased.

“I, I mean… theoretically,” He stammered nervously.

“Theoretically?”

“Yeah. Theoretically, their opinions are the only ones we should focus on. For any number of…things.”

“Uh huh. Right,” You chuckled, amused by how flustered he was. 

He had a strange look on his face again, and you almost prodded him to speak before he beat you to it. 

“Did Nancy… did she seem jealous?” He asked tentatively. 

You blinked at him in surprise. You weren’t expecting that question.

“Uh… I don’t think so. She said she would be okay with it if we were together. Why? Do you want her to be jealous?”

“I don’t know… maybe,” He confessed quietly.

“I think she was mostly just worried that you hated her.”

His eyes widened in shock.

“What? That’s crazy.”

“I know. Don’t worry, I set her straight.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

He went quiet again after a small sigh, once again thinking about something that you were dying to know about. You figured you may as well jump right to the chase with the tough questions.

“Do you… think you still love her? I know it was really hard for you, getting over her.”

His face scrunched up as he stared out his windshield, agitated that you were making him think about her again. 

“…No. I don’t think I do anymore. What about Eddie? You still in love with him?”

You narrowed your eyes at him. This was an expert deflection on his part. 

“Oh, great. You remembered that, huh?” You groaned, avoiding answering the question. If he could dance around the truth, you could, too. 

“Of course I remember,” He scoffed. “I actually forgot to tell you, I saw him at the mall back in July. So if you still want my help getting that date with him, I’m available. God knows I don’t have anything else going on.”

You sighed with exasperation, closing your eyes and letting your head fall back against the seat again. 

“About that… I didn’t wanna tell you because I was kind of embarrassed, but he showed up with a date while I was working at the theater, and it was incredibly awkward. So that’s a no go.”

“Shit,” He said with a pitying grimace. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t meant to be, I guess,” You shrugged.

“God, we’re hopeless, aren’t we?”

“The Lonely Hearts Club,” You muttered without thinking, remembering how Robin had described the three of you when she spent the night earlier that month. 

“The what?” He asked you, an eyebrow raised curiously. With all the time the three of you spent together, you had forgotten that he wasn’t actually there for that conversation. 

“Uh… it’s just something Robin said a while ago. That we’re like The Lonely Hearts Club. Just three lost causes keeping each other company.”

“Huh,” He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess she’s right.”

You both fell quiet, and then he interrupted it with another laugh as he rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb, as if he had come to some kind of ridiculous realization.

“What?” You asked him.

“Nothing. Just… honestly, it’d probably be easier if we really did just date like everybody expects us to.”

You stared at him as he continued to laugh at the idea of this. 

“Don’t worry, I’m just joking. I know you’d never be into me,” He added dismissively.

You kept staring at him, and your cheeks began to burn red as you remembered a past version of yourself that was, in fact, very into him. Now it was his turn to try to figure out what was on your mind.

“What?” 

You thought about changing the subject, but apparently this was already a night of confessions, so you rolled with it. What was one more deep, dark secret anyways?

“Do you remember when you asked why Carol would think I wanted you to ask me out in the eighth grade?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s because I had a massive crush on you the entire time we were friends and she knew it.”

He didn’t react. He just looked like a deer in headlights. You squirmed in your seat anxiously at his unwavering gaze.

“You’re joking,” He finally said with a completely straight face.

“No. I swear, I thought you knew until you asked me that. It was so obvious. Plus, I assumed Carol would have told you.”

“I, I mean… she did,” He stuttered, “The summer after seventh grade. But I just assumed she was being an asshole. Making fun of me.”

“Well, she was. But it was also true.”

“Holy shit.”

He straightened up against the back of his seat, staring into space with his mouth agape. You hadn’t expected this reaction. You assumed he would just tease you. Then you realized that he had said he thought that Carol was making fun of him, not you.

“Wait, why would Carol be making fun of you?”

He closed his eyes and swallowed nervously, then turned his head towards you. 

“Uh… because… I sort of had a massive crush on you, too. I didn’t tell anybody, but I just assumed she figured it out. I actually kind of thought that was why you stopped wanting to hang out with me. Because you found out, too, and got freaked out.”

Now your mouth was hanging open, absolutely stupefied. 

“Okay, now you’re joking,” You protested, convinced that he was truly messing with you.

“I’m not. I swear to god,” He said with a stunned laugh.

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah. Holy shit.”

You stared at each other again, and then you turned away to lean back against your seat, looking up at the stars as you contemplated this. You wondered how different life would have been if you had both been honest with each other about your feelings. 

“I wonder what would have happened if we found out sooner,” Steve said, as if he read your mind. 

You snapped your head back towards him, slightly taken aback that he had the courage to say this aloud. His eyes were studying your face, and you swore he was looking right at your lips. You realized suddenly that with all your talk about your friends trying to push the two of you together, he never made it clear that he disagreed with them. You didn’t know how to feel anymore. 

“Me too,” You said quietly, unable to resist eyeing his mouth as well. The wounds he had sustained from the Russian soldiers left a little scar across his bottom lip, and you had the sudden urge to reach out and stroke it. To comfort him in a way you hadn’t thought to before. 

“You know…” He said, interrupting your thoughts and bringing your attention back to reality. “When we were at that graduation party and I offered to kiss you…I wasn’t really joking. I actually always imagined I’d be your first kiss.”

At first, you were too stunned to even react to this. If it wasn’t clear before, it certainly was now: he wanted to kiss you. The cassette began to play its outro - a slow, hauntingly beautiful tune - and in that moment of pure insanity, you felt like you owed it to your younger self to see it through. 

Honestly, it just felt really good to be wanted. And Steve really wanted you. That was pretty clear when you lurched forward quickly and pecked him awkwardly on the lips, eyes wide as you pulled away and realized what you’d done, and he pulled you back in to keep it going. 

All of your anxious thoughts melted away the longer his lips were against yours. He was safe, and familiar, and a really, really good kisser. It felt like you were thirteen again, getting a fresh start. All of your insecurities from the past five years didn’t seem to matter suddenly. Nothing did. Not the Upside Down, not the fact that your friendship would be forever changed, not even Eddie. You were completely swept away. 

It surprised both of you how quickly you attempted to take control. You struggled to position yourself in his lap in the driver’s seat, banging your knee on the steering wheel and muttering an agitated, “Ow.” 

“Careful, Bruiser,” He teased, laughing at you before moving his seat back in a swift motion that made you gasp and fall into him. “Better?” He helped you to steady yourself, swiping a strand of your hair behind your ear. 

He was looking into your eyes as if the question he really wanted to ask was, ‘is this okay?’ You responded by leaning down to kiss him again. Your brain was screaming at you to stop, but every single glance and touch from him made you want to keep going. 

You were fully straddling his waist now, your thighs wrapped tightly around him. His hands traveled from your hips to your back, ghosting the hem of your top respectfully, and you reached to push them up the back of it. His fingertips brushing over your bare skin gave you goosebumps. 

You couldn’t believe that you had waited this long to kiss someone like this. It felt so good that you never wanted it to stop. 

You arched your back more, pressing harder into him and making him let out a noise that sent a tingle up your spine. His hands slid down your backside to your thighs and up to your waist again, then he rested his forehead against yours before pulling away again to look up at you, his fingertips fidgeting with the button of your shorts. You could tell that he was looking for permission to take things a step further. You pondered it for a minute as you looked down at him. His pupils were huge with lust, but the expression on his face was surprisingly tender. Trying to resist wasn’t an option. You could practically feel yourself melting into him already. You wanted to feel more. Needed to after all the time you’d spent waiting for something exactly like this to happen. You nodded to let him know that it was okay, putting your hand over his as he worked to undo your button. Then at the same moment you bent down for another soft kiss, you heard a loud clacking noise against the window. You both jumped and shouted in fear, then pulled away from each other in shock to see a bright light shining through the glass. You tried to block it from blinding you with your hand, and Steve moved his body in front of yours to shield you as you separated yourself from him. 

You could only make out the reflection off of the rims of a pair of glasses. It was officer Callahan. 

“Fuck,” Steve muttered under his breath. “Alright, let’s go kids! Out of the car,” Callahan yelled, tapping the window again. 

You looked at Steve with a panicked expression as you made yourself decent.

“It’s okay, just let me handle it,” He reassured you.

He opened the car door and helped you out. Callahan rolled his eyes when he saw Steve.

“Harrington? You again? Really? How many times have I told you to stay away from here? It’s private property and it’s dangerous.”

“I’m sorry, sir. We just came here for the view, honest.”

“Right. Is that what you and the other girls I’ve caught you in your car with were doing, too? Enjoying the view?”

You raised your eyebrows. He had brought other girls here?

You glared at Steve as he looked back at you with shame. He opened his mouth to speak, but you interrupted him.

“It was my idea, officer. He warned me we could get in trouble but I convinced him to come anyways.”

“You really expect me to believe that?” He scoffed.

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s an idiot. But it really was my idea this time. I swear.” 

Callahan hesitated, putting his hands on his hips.

“Alright, fine. But this is the final warning. I mean it this time, Harrington. You too…” He trailed off when he realized he had no idea who you were. 

“Y/N Y/L/N.”

“Right. Whatever. I catch you here again and you’re spending a night in lock-up. Now get out of here.”

Callahan got back into his car and Steve turned to you to try to talk again. You held up your hand to silence him.

“Save it,” You snapped, and walked to the passenger side of the car. “Take me home. Now.”

You were both quiet for a long time on the way to your house. You felt Steve looking at you, but you kept your eyes on the trees passing by. 

You couldn’t stop thinking about his lips on yours, his hands on your bare skin under your shirt, and what would have happened if you hadn’t been interrupted. You closed your eyes to try to silence your brain. “You didn’t have to tell him it was your idea,” Steve finally said. “But thanks.”

You didn’t reply.

“Y/N… I think we need to talk about what happened.”

You rolled your eyes and turned towards him.

“Okay. Let’s talk. When was the last time you brought a girl there?”

“Y/N…”

“Steve.”

He sighed, gripping the steering wheel tightly to brace himself for an argument.

“After prom,” He admitted through clenched teeth.

You remembered how you sat home alone on your prom night. You were suddenly filled with rage at the thought of him in the back of his car with another girl while you cried yourself to sleep that night. And so, so stupid that you didn’t think anything of the spot in the first place. Of course he brought girls there. Was he planning this as soon as he suggested going there? Did he even really care about you, or was he just using you? Was that story about him having a crush on you even true? You felt like you couldn’t trust him anymore. 

“I can’t believe I fell for that shit,” You muttered angrily.

“What shit?” He asked defensively. 

“‘Oh, you know, Robin and Dustin think we would be soooo good together. Isn’t that so stupid? How wrong are they?’ You used reverse psychology on me so I would want to make out with you, just because you’re… you’re… horny!”

“Oh my god, please. Thats not even true!”

“So you weren’t just horny?”

“Please stop saying horny! And no! That’s not what happened. I mean, I don’t really know what happened. But I certainly didn’t have some, some master plan to get in your pants.”

“Ugh, gross, don’t say it like that…” You mumbled, hiding your face in your hands. He literally had tried to get in your pants. 

“Well, that’s what you were thinking, right?”

You turned and rested your forehead against the cool window. 

“God, I’m so stupid,” You whispered.

“You’re not stupid,” He said quickly, trying to keep your from spiraling inward. “I’m stupid, remember? This was my fault.”

You turned to him and shook your head at his attempt to be the martyr. 

“That was my first kiss, Steve. My first…everything.”

“Not… everything…” He tried to joke. You glared at him to let him know that none of this was a laughing matter. 

“You know what I mean,” You snapped. 

“I know. I’m sorry, okay?”

You pressed your fingertips into the bridge of your nose as if you were silently praying, begging for god to beam you up and out of that car as soon as possible. 

“Can we just…pretend it didn’t happen?” You squeaked, your voice cracking. 

He stiffened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed and set his jaw. 

“If that’s what you want.”

You rolled your eyes at him impatiently.

“Well, what do you want?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Exactly. You don’t know,” You huffed, throwing your hands up. “You need to figure out your shit, Harrington.”

“Well, obviously, I’m trying to…”

“You wanna know what I think?”

“I think you’ve been making it perfectly clear what you think already…”

“I think you can’t tell the difference between platonic love and romantic love,” You interrupted his grumbling. "Just because I’m a girl and you care about me, that doesn’t mean you’re attracted to me.”

He narrowed his eyes at the road, refusing to look directly at you. 

“I think I know when I’m attracted to somebody. That’s never been a problem for me. Attraction is not the issue here.”

“Oh, really? Because a month ago you thought you were falling in love with Robin. Robin!”

“Okay, well that was just a fluke.”

“So, what? Are you attracted to me then? Or was this a fluke, too?”

He paused from this rapid fire back and forth to run a hand through his hair as he thought about it, then propped his elbow up against his window and rested his hand against his cheek while he steered with one hand. It was clear that he was exhausted, but you weren’t ready to let up yet. 

“I don’t know…” He admitted exasperatedly. “I mean, yeah. Obviously. I guess. I must be. I kissed you back, didn’t I?”

“Goddammit, Steve,” You hissed through clenched teeth. 

“I’m sorry, I’m trying my best to be honest!” He raised his voice at you, lifting his head out of his hand so he could gesture with it in frustration. 

“Well can you try a little harder, please? Because I’m seriously confused here and you’re really pissing me off.”

He snapped his head around to look at you for the first time since you’d started your argument, his expression hardening with aggravation that he couldn’t hold back anymore. 

“You’re confused?! You’re the one that kissed me first!” He yelled. 

“Oh, spare me!” You spat back. “As if your eyes weren’t begging me to, and you didn’t just try to shove your hands down my-”

“You know what, fine,” He interrupted you loudly, waving a hand in the air to silence you. “I told you it was my fault. I’m a douchebag! I’m sorry. I don’t wanna talk about this anymore.”

After a long pause, when you began to feel your anger simmer down, you took a deep breath and made sure your voice was at a lower, less ferocious volume when you spoke again. 

“Steve.”

He rolled his eyes, but couldn’t resist responding in an equally quieter but more frazzled tone. 

“What?”

“I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”

“Well, it’s not your fault, either,” He shrugged, his eyes glued to the road. 

“I know. Look, we’re not thirteen anymore. You don’t actually like me, Steve. Maybe you did when we were kids, but we’re different people now. We’re friends. You’re just lonely, and trying to cope with what happened.”

He scoffed at this explanation of his side of things, then tried to play it off like he didn’t. 

“Okay, well, what about you? Why did you kiss me then?”

“For the same reasons. It was a good distraction, and you made me feel safe for a minute. And also because… I can’t have who I really want.”

He fell silent, the only sound in the car the soft hum of the engine and his fingers tapping anxiously against his steering wheel. Then he sighed deeply. 

“You really want to just forget about this then?”

He looked over at you, and you nodded slowly. 

“Yeah. I think I do. Don’t you?”

He gave you a small half smile, then returned his gaze to the road. 

“Sure I do.”

“Good.”

You crossed your arms over your torso and relaxed back into your seat, watching out the window for the rest of the ride. The stars really were pretty. Too bad the two of you didn’t really do any actual stargazing. 

When he pulled up to your house and put the car in park, you hesitated before unbuckling your seatbelt, waiting for him to speak. But he stayed quiet, eyes lowered as you gathered your things. You sighed as you opened the car door and got out, making sure to pay close attention to how gently you closed the door so he wouldn’t have another reason to be angry with you. You began to walk away when you heard him roll down the window. 

“Hey!” He called, and you spun around to face him. 

“Yeah?”

“I’ll… see you tomorrow?”

He was straining to meet your eye line as you stood over him in front of the window, his brown eyes big like a sad puppy. 

“Yeah, Steve. I’ll see you tomorrow,” You assured him with a forced smile, then gave him a little wave before leaving him to walk up to your house. 

You snuck a peek at him through the crack in your door before you closed it behind you. His head was hung low as he clutched the steering wheel with both of his hands tightly, then when he composed himself he started his car up again and drove off. You shut the door and let your forehead fall against it. 

‘See you tomorrow.’

You both knew the words were a lie as soon as they left your lips, but it felt better to pretend. As much as you may try to forget, you knew it wouldn’t work. 

You had just had your first kiss (and then some) with Steve Harrington. Not Eddie, like you’d been planning since you were fourteen. Steve. Your best friend, Steve. How were you supposed to forget that? How were you supposed to hang out with him again like nothing had happened? You couldn’t. Even if you kept it between the two of you… and Officer Callahan. 

Jesus Christ. 

Your summer escapades with Steve and Robin may have already been coming to an end, but the events that transpired that night were the final nail in the coffin. The summertime bliss was officially gone.

You banged your forehead against the door a little too hard, then muttered, “Ouch,” as you rubbed it with your hand and trudged up the stairs to your bedroom. Maybe it wasn’t possible in the long run, but for the night, you would have to do your best to pretend that nothing happened so you could try to get some sleep for once. 

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

hey!! happy celebration time bestie :) sorry this took forever, i got sick but i'm here now!

i was thinking it would be cute to do a blurb for steve based off these grumpy x sunshine prompts: (i love sassy steve, he's my fav)

having the habit of hugging them randomly

^ and when u forget to hug then, they just stand there like an npc, too cool to ask for that hug.

or they pull you into a hug without any words and wouldn't show u their face after

i feel like steve would get this attitude probably bc you're in front of the kids or something and he doesn't wanna beg for your hello hug but he also doesn't want to go without it. you can decide if they're in an established relationship or not <3 congrats again on 500!!

riley i hope you enjoy this cause i wrote this in two days. both times while at work. completely forgot the grumpy x sunshine part, but i feel you could see hints (let me know if you want a rewrite)

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader wc: 969😏

masterlist / steve harrington

you and steve are friends who’ve kissed a few times. twice while drunk, one at a house party and another while at a surprisingly packed hideout where eddie’s band played. there were three other times where you kissed but both of you were sober and it was broad daylight hours. however, the two of you weren’t a couple. haven’t really chosen when to have a proper discussion or just blatantly ignoring how both of you are just waiting for the next time a kiss could happen.

yet, when it comes to hugging, you and steve are a gross couple in love. always holding onto each other for a time that isn’t considered a friendly passing hug. sometimes you’ll hug steve from behind as a ‘sneak attack’, other times it’ll be a side hug with your arms around his waist and one of his thrown over your shoulder while waiting in a long line. or it’s where you crash into steve chest seeking his warmth as a safety blanket, even could be where the two of you are full on cuddling while taking a nap on his king bed.

hugs are something steve fully expects to receive whenever the two of you are in the same room, within reach or quick steps. so when steve sees you walk into his backyard for this pool party the kids forced him to have, he’s completely frozen when you walk past him and throw your open arms around dustin first. dustin doesn’t deserve to be in your arms first, that’s a steve harrington only privilege. but he allows it since it’s the twerps birthday.

steve just stands back by the loungers, watching as you sway the boy side to side, almost throwing the both of you to the ground. the two of you laugh and steve swears he gets a bit tipsy from the high pitched lilt.

you pull away from dustin and turn on a 180 to then pull bright cheeked max into a sisterly embrace.

“what the fuck?” steve grumbled to himself. his eyes never leaving as you pull each kid, one by one into a firm hug. and when you’ve given will the last one of the group, steve expects you to come find him next, but no. you see nancy and bounce over to her.

“mad your girlfriend ignoring you?” steve startles at the voice of robin appearing beside him. she was unbothered while picking chips off her paper plate. “jesus, gotta put a bell on you.” hand over his heart while side eyeing her.

“i’m not a fucking cat, drill bit. you're just lost in that smooth brain of yours while creepily staring at y/n. might finally put that restraining order on you.” sentence punctuated with her loud chewing.

steve rolled his eyes, “she wouldn’t do that. and she’s not my girlfriend. she’s a girl who’s a friend.” his quiet tone showing his real emotions on that claim.

robin hummed, “yeah. a girl who’s a friend that you’ve kissed five times and been to chicken to do shit about.” he glared at the accusation. she then pointed a salty finger across the pool, “who’s also giving eddie a nice hug and you're over here standing like a tree waiting for her to take the initiative.”

steve whipped his head at robin’s pointed location to see eddie with his right arm casually holding your waist as your left is over his shoulder. steve could only see the mesmerized grin of eddie and it’s making his head fuzzy.

there was a slight shove at his shoulder and it forced him to once again glare at robin. “dude!” she rolled her eyes, “stop being wuss and get your girl. it’s not that hard, you both like each other already. act grossly coupley in public, that’s why you’re always ‘oh, not dating’ bullshitting to strangers.”

“robs, it’s just… i’m- im scared…” steve trailed off while turning his eyes to the ground. robin’s hand touched his shoulder and she asked, “of what? there just needs to be proper communication and everything will come together.” robin squeezed his shoulder before boldly stating, “she loves you. and you love her. be in love together.” and she walks away leaving steve by his porch door.

that is until there’s two arms sliding around his waist from behind and something laying along his spine. he automatically raises his hands to fold over yours, ruffling your arm hair from his back and forth motions.

“was wondering where you were?” your voice is muffled by the way you're pushing your left cheek into steve’s skin.

he turns his chin over his shoulder, “i’ve been here the whole time. thought you were ignoring me.” trying to play the last part off as a joke, but he really did think you were ignoring him.

you gasped and moved to stand in front of him, “never. just wanted to save the best for last. and also i wouldn’t have to let you go after i got to everyone else first.” making your point while rewrapping yourself into steve. his own arms resting over your shoulders with his cheek laying on your head.

“i love you.” he blurted with such an ease that steve was a bit shocked that it was such an easy and true statement.

a dreamy smile on your lips as you replied, “i love you too, stevie.”

and his heart jumped a little faster, both from your silky voice and you possibly saying it in a different meaning, “no, not as a friend.”

“i know, stevie. i love you both as a friend and more.”

steve lifted his head away from your skull and you tilted your head up. the two of you stay held together as infectious smiles grasped at your lips and childish giggles spilled free.

-

[blackcorvette]

Own My Mind

Summary: 1986. Hawkins, Indiana. It’s not your fault that you’re pulled into the messy secrets and hidden world of your small town. It’s not your fault that two of your new acquaintances seem to be fond of you, and not of each other.

Warnings: Language. Stranger Things central violence. Spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and rushed writing. Eventual smut… (buckle in, it’s a long ride.) MDNI

Word Count: 3.9k

A/N: We had the clock app banned for a few hours and I was momentarily frightened over how we’d get season 5 edits :,) Now, if you haven’t already realized, this fic follows through the episodes of season four. Let’s see if there’s any changes…

Currently Reading: Part Two

Masterlist

At nine in the morning, it's been twelve hours since you’ve discovered the intruders. Twelve hours since you had heard Eddie’s story, and pieces of the stories Dustin, Robin, Max and Steve had spared over the few years of curses that they’ve endured.

Sleep came sparingly, and you had been dressed and ready to…you’re not sure exactly, but you couldn’t sit still any longer.

Most days, you walk to the house when making your checks, but this morning you take your car- not caring about how the gravel might scuff the rims or how the dust will dirty the paint. The engine cuts when you pull the key out of the ignition, quickly climbing out and loading your arms with a few bags of snacks and water bottles before shutting the car door.

You haven’t made it halfway to the boathouse when a second car pulls into the drive, the familiar faces from the night before following you to the building, carrying bags of their own.

Robin nods a hello, handing off an extra bag to Dustin and follows him and Max ahead of you to the boathouse. Steve, on the other hand, lingers back, sticking by you.

“Here.” He reaches out, taking the heavier bags from your hands.

“Thanks.” You offer him a small smile, but it’s little more than a nicety, still unnerved by the information fed to you the night before.

He gives you his own polite smile, falling as quickly as your own did, just as exhausted. Quietly, you walk together, following the group to the door.

The quiet, however, is broken when the door opens and a disgruntled, nervous Eddie is posed with a weapon and a few choice words for scaring him so badly.

Dustin grins, raising the bags, while Steve reaches over your head to wave his fingers, an action so petty you nearly laugh. “Delivery service!”

Muttering a few insulting phrases, Eddie takes one of the bags, pulling out the first thing he can reach. A box of cereal. He stalks away, towards the boat he has deemed his favorite spot in the building, opening the box as he walks.

Steve drops the bags on the floor, the others following suit. Groceries spill onto the floor, and you crouch to gather them before they fall into the water to be wasted.

A shadow casts over you, and when you glance up, you see Steve lowering to help you, wordlessly placing them back into the bags.

When you stand, he gestures for you to stand beside him, opening a small bag of trail mix he hadn’t replaced, offering it to you- as if he had known you hadn’t eaten since the afternoon before.

Standing beside Steve against the wall, the two of you share the food. Every time you finish a portion, he’ll pour more into your outstretched hand- an action so natural you could imagine you’ve been close friends for years, rather than acquainted for less than a day.

“So we got, uh…” Dustin begins to talk while Eddie feasts on dry cereal. “Some good news and some bad news. How do you prefer it?”

Eddie pretends to consider his options, a handful of cereal being dropped back into the yellow box before lifting an equally bright colored bottle of Yoohoo. “Bad news first, always.”

“Alright, bad news.” Dustin continues. “We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they're definitely looking for you.”

The news is new to you, making you wince, half wondering if you’ve become an accomplice to this entire thing.

“Also, they’re pretty convinced you killed Chrissy.” He adds as if it were the morning weather depicting sunny skies.

“Like, one hundred percent kind of convinced.” Max says, with a bit more sensitivity than Dustin is using with the recently criminalized man sulking in a boat.

You sigh, dropping the side of your head to the support beam you’re leaning against, only to feel Steve’s hand wrap around your wrist and tug it close enough to pour more trail mix into your palm, either as a distraction or apology, you welcome it either way.

“And the good news?” Eddie asks with a tired breath.

Robin is the one to answer. “Your name hasn’t gone public yet. But, if we found out about you, it’s only a matter of time before others do too, and once that gets out. Everyone and their shallow minded mother is gonna be gunning for you.”

Eddie’s eyes turn away. “Hunt the freak, right?”

“Exactly.” Robin says with no hesitation, though you can sense the regret in her voice.

Eddie curses, but Dustin attempts to make a futile attempt at a plan. “So before that happens, we find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence.”

Steve nods beside you, as if the plan is fullprof, but doesn’t attempt to appear at all convinced when he catches your gaze.

“That’s all, Dustin? That’s all?” Eddie’s smile is forced and bitter.

“Yeah, no, that’s pretty much it.”

“Listen, Eddie.” Robin spares him. “I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we’ve actually been through this kinda thing before.”

You flick your eyes to Steve who offers an unenthusiastic nod, confirming her claims.

Robin rephrases. “I mean, they have. A few times. And I have once. Mine was more human-flesh-based. Theirs was more smoke related. But- bottom line is, collectively, I really feel like we’ve got this.”

Steve nods again, this time for more than just you. “Yeah, see, we’ve usually got this girl who has super powers. But, those went bye-bye, so…”

The look on your face but be incredulous, because he shrugs when he sees it, as if trying to weakly convince you it’s true.

“So, we’re technically in more of the…”

“In the brainstorming phase?” Max answers, sounding unsure herself.

“Brainstorming!” Steve smiles and snaps, agreeing.

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Dustin says, causing Steve to huff a laugh to brush it all off- only making you less confident of the situation than you were before.

Before the awkward conversation and failed reassurance can continue, sirens begin to go off outside, making everyone turn. In seconds, Eddie is hidden beneath the tarp again and the rest of you are posed by the windows.

A set of emergency vehicles drive past quickly, their lights and sirens on.

“What do you think they're going to?” You ask out loud, not sure if you’d even earn an answer to the question.

“Robbery?” Robin asks hopefully, though her voice is tense enough to suggest she knows better.

Dustin speaks what everyone’s thinking, even you. “Another victim.”

Listening to the sirens as they fade, you glance at each one of them, trying to figure out if you really do believe there stories- if you trust them enough to stay, or if you should run now.

“There’s only one way to find out.” Steve pushes away from the window, pulling his keys from his pocket and hurrying through the door.

Robin, Max, and Dustin follow quickly. For several seconds, you remain motionless, watching them retreat, listening to the car door open. You don’t have enough time to make your decision, to even catch your breath from the last hours of your life- and yet you willingly follow them.

Quickly, you rush to the door, Steve has just closed the driver side when you appear. When he sees you, he waves a hand to tell you to hurry. Robin, who had taken the passenger seat, tells the kids to move before she climbs into the back without getting out.

You get into the passenger seat as fast as you can, barely closing the door before Steve has reversed out of the driveway and begins to speed down the road to chase the cop cars and ambulance, but they’re too far ahead.

The road is a straight shot for a minute, but you soon pull up to a fork in the road, the emergency vehicles nowhere in sight, and the sirens echoing in every direction. Steve slows the car to a stop, cursing while Dustin’s voice cuts in with a mild complaint. You pay little attention to the argument starting between the four- instead reaching down to lower your window.

The sirens are fainter now, and you squint into the forest in either direction. On the right, you can make out the distant reflection of the lake, more trees past that, and on the left… You have to climb halfway out of the window, your arms against the rooftop of the car.

Steve notices first, his voice snapping from the argument and turning to you. “Hey, what are you-”

The red and blue flashing confirms what you had thought you’d seen. “There.” You point towards the left when you come to a fork in the road. “I can see the lights through the trees.”

“Got it, now get down!” Steve urges, a hand grasping your coat and holding onto you while you ease back into the car, trying not to slip.

Once you’re secured back into your seat, he sets off again, turning left and driving until you finally catch sight of the lights ahead.

“Shit.” Dustin groans as you get closer to the cars, a blockade and several people already on scene. “We’re late- they’ve already secured the scene. And now-”

Max hushes him, then opens her car door to be the first one out. Dustin and Robin follow. You climb out as Steve shuts off the car before stepping out himself. In the distance, you see another familiar face- one you hadn’t thought of since Highschool.

Nancy Wheeler is standing with a pair of officers, who seem to be questioning her. Her eyes land on the group, lingering on you for a few moments too long, and you wonder if she’s having the same thoughts as you. Why is she here?

“Is she…” You turn to Dustin who stands behind you, the car door held open. “Is she part of everything?”

He nods. “It started with Barb.”

“Barb?” You gasp, stomach dropping. “You mean, Barb was in on everything? They said she went missing?”

“She did…sort of?” He shakes his head, not elaborating.

Mind now muddied with the new information, that your friend had been involved is more troubling than anything else that they’ve told you so far. The girl you had spent days searching for, crying for- had not just gone missing but had been entangled in this.

You focus your eyes on the scene in front of you, attempting to make sense of it- to take your mind off of anything else, but it’s anything but comforting.

“A body.” You huff out, seeing the tarp being pulled over a mangled shape in the center of the road. “That’s fucking great.”

“Yeah, well.” Steve shrugs, shutting the car door. “Welcome to the shitstorm.”

The officers let Nancy go, and she immediately begins to walk in your direction. Her arms are crossed, eyes reddened. The group of you meet her halfway, you linger on the edge, unsure of your place in it all.

“What happened?” Dustin is the first to speak, but Nancy shakes her head and her eyes meet yours.

“Who’s this?”

The question makes you raise your brow, the calm accusation in her voice much too passive of the crime still standing in the street behind her. You give her your name, but she does nothing more than stare, scrutinizing your presence.

“She found Eddie.” Steve offers, which causes her eyes to snap to his, attention caught by Eddie’s mention.

“She found him-” Her eyes flick to you, then move back to Steve. “Forest Hills. There’s too many people here, we’ll talk there. Don’t let her go.”

It’s been years since you’ve seen Nancy, and you’ve never spoken to her before- but suddenly you understand the rumors or her too sweet personality being foraged. The entirety of Highschool you managed to never cross paths, and you believed the rumors to be made up by bored students. At least you had until the story about the Halloween party.

Now, you’re sure that they were onto something. She doesn’t even say goodbye, just turns and stalks towards her car across the street. Steve sighs, and gestures back towards his car, everyone else piling in already.

Biting your tongue, you climb back into your seat, closing the car door and letting the mild irritation dissipate.

The drive feels longer than it truly is, Nancy drives ahead, being the first one to pull into the trailer park. She parts a few yards from a set of picnic tables. When Steve parks, you sit for a moment in the car, hesitant to listen to more unpleasant occurrences happening in Hawkins.

You’re the last one to get out of the car, walking towards the picnic table and taking the only free seat, between Steve and Dustin. And directly across from Nancy. You try not to let the fact that she watches every move bother you.

The entire time that Nancy and the rest exchange stories, you remain silent. Soon, they let you speak, telling them how you had found Eddie and helping them explain Eddie’s experience.

“So you’re saying that, this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it’s from the Upside Down?” Nancy asks, processing what she’s been given.

“If the shoe fits.” Steve responds, and you hold back a snort.

“Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse.” Dustin begins to say, diving into what he and Eddie had concluded in the boathouse the prior night. “Now, wherever or not he’s doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don’t know.”

Before you can ask what a Mind Flayer is, Max speaks. “All we know is this is something different. Something new.”

Nancy shakes her head, her face pinched in frustration. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s only a theory.” Dustin is cut off.

“No, Fred and Chrissy don’t make sense.” She looks up. “I mean… why them?”

“Maybe they were just in the wrong place? They were both at the game.” Even to you, Dustin’s idea seems weak.

“And near the trailer park.” Max says.

You look up, unsettled and meeting Steve’s eyes right before he speaks your mind. “We’re at the trailer park.”

“Should we maybe…” You look around, the entire place seemingly stilled. “Not be here?”

“There is something about this place.” Nancy speaks over you, and you manage not to roll your eyes. “Fred started acting weird the second we got here.”

Robin leans forward. “Acting weird as in…?”

“Scared.” Nancy continues. “On edge. Upset.”

The wind picks up, and you wrap your coat tighter around you, listening to her words and letting them settle.

“Max said Chrissy was upset too.” Dustin remembers, the dots connecting and revealing a little more at a time.

“Yeah, but not here.” She reverses the statement. “She was crying in the bathroom at school.”

Slowly, it clicks into place, your mind adapting to follow the clues and search for leads, eventually leading to one regulation. You have to shake the hesitation before you speak, push away the fear that you’ll be looked down upon if you’re wrong.

“Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right?” You say, looking at Steve for support before going on. “So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this…Vecman-”

“Vecna.” Dustin corrects.

Steve ignores him,scratching at his jaw with a sort of leisure, which eases the sting of your embarrassment. “I don’t know about you guys, but if I say some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone.”

“Maybe they did.” Max nods. “I saw Chrissy leaving Ms, Kelley’s office. If you saw a monster, you…you wouldn’t go to the police. They’d never believe you. But you might go to your-”

“Your shrink.” Robin finishes.

As if sharing one mind, everyone jumps into action. You stand from the table, heading towards the car, ready to follow your leads. Halfway to the car, you hear Steve’s voice calling after Nancy.

“Whoa, whoa. Nance. Nance!” He attempts to stop her before she can get further. “Nance, where are you going?”

She turns, a look on her face that tells you she’d rather not tell him- let alone anyone else standing here. “Oh, there’s just something I wanna check on first.” She keeps walking, trying to ignore his pressing.

“Something you wanna share with the rest of us?” You ask without thinking, earning a narrowed look from her and a nod of agreement from Dustin.

“I don’t wanna waste your time.” She says to Steve. “It’s a real shot in the dark.”

“Yeah, okay, are you out of your mind?” He asks, his voice taking an edge. “Flying solo with this Vecna creep on the loose?”

You lean towards Robin, keeping your voice low. “Isn’t she dating the Byers boy?” Robin snorts, and you fight a smile while Steve keeps talking.

“No. It’s too dangerous. You need someone to…” He taps his fingers against his leg, then turns and tosses his car keys to Robin. “Here you go. I’ll stick with Nance, Alright? You guys take the car, check out the shrink.”

Robin scoffs softly and gestures to his car with the keys. “I don’t think you want me driving your car.”

He frowns. “Why?”

“I don’t have a license.” She says as if it were obvious, the keys jingling in her hands as she moves her arms.

“Why don’t you have a license?” He asks, almost offended by her admission.

“I’m poor.” The answer is simple enough.

Max chimes in all too eagerly. “I can drive-”

“No!” Steve’s reaction is immediate, complete with horror and an accusatory finger. “Never again- Please, anybody but you. No.”

Dustin makes a face, as if suggesting he could drive and Steve quickly denies him as well. You don’t even make an attempt, though you’re likely the only other capable driver here.

“Alright, okay. This is stupid.” Robin reaches into Dustin’s backpack, pulling the second Walkie-Talkie from the pocket before stalking towards Nancy. “Us ladies will stick together. Unless, you think we need you to protect us?”

Steve answers with a tight lipped and fake smile, obviously upset by the way she’d handled the situation. Nancy shrugs and turns her back, following Robin to her car.

“Be careful.” Steve raises his voice towards them, Robin raising a peace sign aim response.

“Just gonna stand there and gawk?” Dustin asks, pulling Steve’s attention away from the retreating pair of girls.

“Shut up.” He turns back to the car, walking towards the driver side.

Dustin presses more, for his own amusement. “Why don’t we go? Okay?”

“Shut up and get in the car.” Steve tells him again, walking past Max as she climbs into the backseat. “And wipe your feet.”

Dustin stares straight at him, sticking his leg into the car and wiping his dirty shoes on the floorboard, pissing Steve off further.

“Are they always like this?” You ask Max, sitting in the back with her while Steve yells at Dustin in the front.

She nods. “All the time.”

Steve begins to drive, and not then minutes down the road, the crackling sound of the radio brings to echo through the car- a voice filtering through desperately.

“Lucas?” Dustin scrambles for the radio, answering as fast as he can. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Just listen.” The boy on the other end pleads, sounding no less anxious. “Are you guys looking for Eddie?”

Dustin clicks the button. “We found him, no thanks to you.”

“You found him?” The static becomes thicker and thinner between words.

“A boathouse on Lipton Road.”

“My boathouse.” You say to no one in particular, not earning an answer.

“Don’t worry, he’s safe.” Dustin continues.

“You guys know he killed Chrissy, right?” The tone he takes is more aggressive, betrayal laced.

“That’s bullshit.” Dustin argues. “Eddie tried to save Chrissy.”

Lucas is quick to answer. “Then why do all the cops say he did it?”

Before Dustin can reply, Max reaches across the seat and takes the radio from his hands, raising it to speak. “Lucas, you’re so behind it’s ridiculous, okay? Just meet us at the school- we’ll explain later.”

“I can’t.” He sighs. “I think some real bad shits about to go down.”

She frowns. “What are you talking about? What bad shit?”

Static. He doesn’t answer, not even when Max calls his name a few times in hopes of a response. She continues to try, until eventually giving up, and in less than twenty minutes, you’re in the middle of a neighborhood.

The therapist's house is just like any other, placed on a suburban lawn with equally as quaint neighbors. You’d never suspect that a Highschool student was about to steal the key to confidential information from a school official for the sake of ending the terror of some Vecna monster.

From the car, you watch as Max rings the doorbell and Ms. Kelley answers. They speak for a miner before she allows Max inside, closing the door behind them.

“Okay, she’s in.” Steve says.

Dustin, still not over their spat at the trailer park, spits back with annoyance. “I’m missing collarbones, not eyes.”

“Excuse me?” You ask, bewildered.

“So,” His voice takes a more serious tone, forgoing the question you ask. “Are we gonna talk about it?”

Steve looks away from the house to finally glance at him. “Sorry, talk about what?”

Dustin’s eyes widen, he raises his brows as he speaks. “You’re temporary insanity earlier today when you basically threw yourself at Nance?”

You huff out a laugh, settling in to hear the conversation, giving it your full attention.

“First of all, that’s not what happened.” Steve narrows his eyes at Dustin, not expecting it when you are the one to answer.

“Pretty sure that’s what happened.” You offer a sheepish smile when he gives you a look.

Dustin readily agrees with you. “It was public, there were a lot of witnesses.”

“Are you implying I still have a thing for Nance?” Steve acts offended with the slight suggestion.

“No, he’s not implying.” You can’t hide the smile that spreads on your face, though it’s born of the enjoyment you take in the drama.

“I’m stating.” Dustin adds. “And, as it relates to your steadfast refusal to date Robin, it’s pretty much the only logical explanation.”

“That’s not the only one.” Steve doesn’t hesitate, and it results in a barked laugh you can’t stifle, realizing that Dustin doesn’t have a clue. “And as for Nance- I was just trying to protect a friend. A friend, Henderson. Okay?”

“Okay.” He relents, but the disbelief is evident in his tone and demeanor.

“I don’t wanna find her in the morning with her eyes sucked out of the front of her skull by this Vecna creep-“

Dustin speaks through a short burst of laughter. “You’re like, bright red in the face right now-”

“No I’m not- I don’t wanna talk about it. I’ll punch you so hard in your face that your teeth will fall back out-”

“Whoa.” You cringe.

“Too far.” Dustin frowns at Steve, and your gaze moves between them, watching the guilt settle into Steve’s eyes.

“Not cool. Sorry.” Steve apologizes.

Dustin accepts it immediately, the tension easing just slightly. “Not cool. It’s okay.”

And as most men do, they settle it over a fist bump, which only makes you laugh again to yourself in slight disbelief. But before you can fall back into conversation, Steve looks out the window just as Max begins to walk out and rushes to the car. “Here she comes, here she comes.”

She climbs in quickly, ordering Steve to drive, yelling at him when he doesn’t quickly enough. He starts the car and speeds off, the movement pressing you into the back of your seat and squealing coming from the tires.

[evescole]

eyes on me, babe || s.harrington

summary: steve harrington knew you like the back of his hand - except for one thing: your biggest fear. when he's kidnapped by the russians along with you and robin, he realizes he never wants to see you that afraid ever again.

aka the season 3 russians scene because i love angst warnings: detailed descriptions of injuries, panic attacks, cursing, physical violence/torture, angst she/her pronouns used, enjoy :)

Fear was such a complex emotion that often caused a train of reaction. You could probably list on one hand the amount of times you’ve felt true, heart-wrenching fear in your life. The situation in front of you threatened to move that amount up further and the dread in your stomach was building each second.

It took one glance for Steve to recognize the expression on your face. That was all it ever took for him. One glance and he could read you like his favorite novel. You and Steve were an open book with each other and had been since 7th grade. Then, you almost lost him to his King Steve era before Nancy Wheeler snapped him out of it. Despite all the drama and the arguments, you and Steve prevailed. You knew everything about each other down to the dark details but there’s one thing you’ve never told him.

“Come on, come on. I need a good one. Give me something juicy,” 17 year old Steve Harrington laughed as he leaned against the headboard behind him. “You can’t just say you aren’t afraid of anything. I know that’s a lie.”

It was movie night, a Friday tradition for the two of you when you weren’t chasing after his intoxicated form or struggling with work. More than often he ended up staying over so he didn’t have to return to his more-than-likely empty home. The movie had ended not long ago and faded into a game of random questions that you two played often. Most answers you already knew but you loved to watch him dig himself out of holes and light up at mentions of the kids, especially Dustin.

You shrugged your shoulders slightly from your place resting against his chest. “I mean yeah I’m scared of something but I’m not gonna tell you.”

“Why not! I tell you everything and you’re not gonna tell me your biggest fear?”

You grabbed his hand in yours. “Steve, it’s not that big of a deal.”

He shook his head aggressively from behind you as he closed the gaps and laced his fingers between yours. “But I wanna know! What kind of best friend am I if I don’t protect you from your biggest fear?”

Ever since then, he constantly spewed random guesses to what exactly could be so important you refused to share it. He swore up and down that he would never use it against you for fun but you still wouldn’t give him a slight hint and it drove him mad.

Staring at the large machine the Russians made that was spinning with energy, you tried to not think about the consequences if it worked. The Demogorgons, the Mind Flayer, the Upside Down. It wasn’t something fun to face and the idea of someone trying to reopen the gate was unnerving. 

“I don’t get it, you guys have seen something like this before?” Robin asked as she walked in front of you down the stairs away from the Russian infiltrated room. The two of you had clicked easily, both pointing at Steve as a target of fun. You were thankful for her presence to keep your mind from going dark in the midst of the chaos.

“Not exactly,” Steve mumbled quietly as he glanced over his shoulder to the emerging blue light. He wasn’t up for fighting other worldly monsters and really just wanted to be in your room, in bed, cuddling and watching movies.

“Then what, exactly?” Robin countered. She was easily terrified and her confidence was shaken so this situation had her spiraling easily. Usually she could feel some sense of control but she felt helpless down here. 

Your feet slipped on the stairs as you ran off the last one while Dustin and Steve attempted to convince Robin that the machine’s success would guarantee world destruction. Steve’s hand instantly caught your hip to keep you from falling as he answered Robin’s questions, unphased by your misstep. Glancing around the room, everything suddenly felt alarming and you took a step back in caution further into his hand. 

“Um, Steve?” Erica seemed to pick up on it too as she looked to the boy behind you. “Where’s your Russian friend?” In a true group fashion, everyone’s eyes searched the room for the said missing soldier only to come up empty handed. 

You reached over to grab Dustin’s arm just as a bright red light filled the room and an alarm followed. Steve scrambled to the nearest door where you could all see the previously knocked out man was gaining attention from his injury before guards rushed towards you.

“Shit. Shit,” Steve mumbled as he slammed the door shut before turning and pushing you all back up the stairs. “Go, go, go, go, go!!” His fingers grasped at your shirt as he nearly ripped it with the force of his grip.

“Fucking hell, Steve. This is not what I meant by a chill weekend!” You shouted backwards as Dustin guided you through a door. With your luck, it was straight into another room filled with soldiers. You stood frozen for a second before sprinting to the left with a shout.

“Come on!” You held onto Dustin’s arm as he continuously cursed in distress. The stairs in front of you led down to the side of the machine as the room vibrated with energy.  Dustin randomly shrieked and pushed the soldier to your left before he continued to run ahead of you.

Stopping just alongside the laser drilling into the wall, Dustin began screaming louder, “Holy shit! Holy shit! Shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!” He shouted one final time, holding the word out for longer as you stared at him incredulously. 

“Guards!” Erica yelled, snapping you all out of your staring trance before Steve began to run further down the steps. He didn’t hesitate to shove a man over the railing of the stairs before tossing some empty barrels into more oncoming attackers.

“Steve!” You grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged him with you as you followed Robin’s lead into a hopefully empty room. After a brief headcount, Steve slammed it shut, using his body weight to keep it that way as guards started hitting it from the other side. 

Dustin and Erica scrambled behind you to find some other form of exit as Robin pushed herself next to Steve in an attempt to keep the door from opening. Your eyes scanned the room for something, anything that could help. The heavy feeling was creeping in again and you jerked your head around to look at Steve in hopes of reassurance. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” You whispered to yourself as you saw the door start to pry open. Without a second thought, you were on Robin’s right side and pushed yourself in between the door and the wall for some sort of resistance. 

“Here, come on! Let’s go!” Erica lifted up the grate of an air shaft before climbing in with Dustin hovering behind her. You hesitated at her call, knowing there wouldn’t be enough time for all of you to get over and in before a gunshot went off.

“Go! Just get out of here!” You shouted in return as your feet started to slide beneath you. Your breathing was beginning to pick up and you were quick to try and talk yourself out of the panic attack incoming but it was useless.

Dustin stepped down into the drop of the vent and looked up at the three of you. “Go! Come on, now!”

“No! Just go get some help, okay?” Steve responded. His hands were sweaty with adrenaline and he suddenly doubted his ability as a so-called leader to keep everyone safe. Removing the kids was always the first step in a dangerous situation but knowing you were here and he couldn’t guarantee your safety was enough to send his heart into his throat.

“I won’t forget you!” Dustin screamed before the three of you told him once more to go. The second the air vent cover clanged shut, the door behind your back threw you forward and into the wall on your right sending your head into the concrete wall. A scream almost left your throat at the pain radiating through your skull before you crumbled to the ground next to Robin and Steve.

Guns were suddenly in your face, the sinking feeling of dread now overwhelming as you tried to breathe. Your hands shook as you raised them in the air, mimicking Steve and Robin’s actions as the guards surrounding your small trio. 

Sparing a quick glance towards Steve, you tried to convince yourself you would find a way out of this. The uncertainty in his expression didn’t help in the slightest but it only got worse when rough hands latched onto your skin and pulled you from the ground. Your vision blurred with the movement as you tumbled forward.

“No!” You couldn’t tell if you or Steve screamed louder as the guards yanked your arms behind your back to secure your wrists with a belt. “Let me go!” Writhing in their grip, you couldn’t even begin to think of any defense other than biting the hand of whoever was holding your left arm. A sharp sting spread across your face before a gasp escaped your mouth at the sensation. You guys were screwed.

“Don’t touch her! Let her go, she didn’t do anything!” Steve shifted on the floor towards you before a gun pressed harshly against his forehead forcing him back against the wall with a harsh swallow. 

The guard holding your arm chuckled at the action, evidently amused. “Weak. Cares what happens to her.” You could understand bits and pieces of his sentence as you silently thanked Dustin for his books on Russian translation. “Take her.”

An ear piercing scream left your throat as they tugged you backwards towards a long hallway. Robin and Steve shouted in panic, both of them too scared to try anything but fearing for your safety. Your cries continued as they pulled you out of view, Steve wincing at the sound like it physically pained him. He never liked when you were upset. He could count the times you’ve cried in front of him on two hands and he swore it hurt him more each time he sat through it and comforted you. 

Now, sitting here, with a gun to his head, Steve could only watch as you were ripped from his view with a clear expression on your face that made him sick to his stomach. You were terrified, and there was nothing he could do to help.

--

The room they held you in was freezing. A shiver ran up your spine every so often as you curled up as best as possible. Every so often you could hear a shout from Steve down the hall causing you to wince at the sound. Your shoulders were tense with the awkward position of your hands being behind your back. All you could do was sit there and wait with hopes that Dustin and Erica would come back soon with some help.

The lock on the door clicked as it shoved open to reveal three Russian guards. Your heart clenched at the sight of blood on their knuckles and you prayed it wasn’t Steve’s or Robin’s. Harsh fingers pressed into your jaw, forcing you to look up into the commander’s eyes.

“He cries for you,” He spoke as he leaned down to your face. “Lies to us to protect you. Shame, isn’t it?”

You twisted your face out of his grip as you glared up at him. “Don’t fucking touch him. I swear to God you’ll regret it.” The notion of Steve being hurt enraged you and terrified you at the same time. You were always so used to his strong exterior that the idea of him being in pain made you want to throw up.

The commander laughed at your attempt to suede him before pain suddenly radiated into the side of your already concussed head. Thrown off balance, you fell back against the bench with a harsh groan as you realized the other guard punched you.

“Oh great, you guys aren’t above hitting females, that’s awesome.” You hissed as your vision blurred again and your ears rung. The metal was cool beneath your back but it didn’t bring any comfort. “Fuck that hurts.”

“Who do you work for?” 

Cruel fingers dug into your shoulders and forced you to sit up. You groaned at the movement of your head. “I’m a babysitter. I watch kids. Steve and Robin work at the ice cream place, Scoops Ahoy.” Apparently your answer wasn’t good enough as another aggressive punch had you tumbling to the floor. The copper taste in your mouth told you that one broke skin as you attempted to roll onto your back. “Fucking hell you people are so aggressive.”

“How did you get down here?” 

Pushing yourself against the wall behind you, the thought of just screaming at them crossed your mind but you had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well. “There was an elevator at the loading dock and you morons turned it on while we were in it,” You explained as you closed your eyes, wishing this would all disappear. “We didn’t mean to, okay? And if you let us go, we’ll act like nothing ever happened and you’ll never see us again.”

The thing about hiding from reality is things caught you off guard. You always relied on Steve to keep you safe when you wanted to relax and shelter yourself from the darkness of life. He was always there too, until suddenly he wasn’t and you didn’t have time to clock the aggressive kick coming towards you. The sound of your shoulder popping out of its socket was sickening but the scream that followed was even louder.

“Holy shit!” You hissed as tears escaped your eyes at the force of the injury. If this was their reaction to honest answers, you feared what would come if they didn’t believe you. Evidently, you were on the path to finding out as two guards pulled you up off the ground and began leading you out of the room.

Digging your heels into the ground, you tried to stop their movements but it was fruitless. The pressure in your shoulder was suffocating and your head rattled with each aggressive movement. “Let me go!” You begged repeatedly, trying to kick out or twist from their grip. Another door was open and in a blur, you were tossed to the floor again with a loud groan. “Ow, oh my God.”

“Y/N!” The concern in Steve’s voice couldn’t be missed as you attempt to keep yourself from passing out. The ceiling blurred above you as you tried to blink it back into focus. “Holy shit, are you okay?”

A loud groan replaced your words as you pushed yourself onto your knees as best as possible. The light burned as you flopped onto your ass before finally looking up at him. The blood on his face was bright against his usually clear skin and you could see bruising already forming on his cheek. Other than that, he didn’t look too torn up as he sat on the metal bench in front of you. 

“Stevie…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” He attempted to reassure you but it failed as you recognized a flitter of pain in his eyes. “It’ll be fine, it’s worse than it looks. Wh-What did they do to you?”

You let out a bitter laugh as you forced yourself to stand on shaky legs before sitting next to him. He didn’t hesitate to turn towards you and pull his feet up on the bench like you so both of you were sitting across from each other. The bare skin of his shin and calf muscle rested against yours, a small sense of comfort from the horrendous situation. 

“Your cheek is bruised,” He states abruptly as you continued to look at him. He was nervous, you could tell, but he wasn’t as tense as before you were thrown into the room. The exhaustion was clear on his face and you felt the same, you were just glad to be near him again. 

“Concussion and my shoulder’s gonna need to be popped back into the socket, no biggie.”

His eyes widened in shock before returning to their comforting gaze as he moved closer to you. The fear in his throat was suffocating and he hated knowing you had to see him like this, that you were even going through any of it. “We’re gonna get out of here.”

You laughed, letting your head rest against the wall behind you. “I wanna believe you, Stevie, but this one’s a bit harder than usual.” You were trying not to let the overwhelming sense of dread and hopelessness consume you but it was hard. Tears burned your eyes as you took a deep breath to calm yourself down. “I just wanted to watch Breakfast Club with you and eat chicken wings and sleep.”

“I know, I know, bubs. And we will, as soon as we find Robin and get out of here. I promise. Gonna make you the best damn popcorn you’ve ever had, m’kay?” You nodded to his soft statement even though you wanted to make a comment about making promises you couldn’t keep. 

Your peaceful silence was destroyed when the guards reentered the room. Steve’s body tensed next to you, both of you sitting up straighter. You wished they would just get whatever they wanted over with and leave you alone. At least then you and Steve could come up with some sort of plan in hopes of getting out. 

“I ask you one more time, who do you work for?” The commander was done playing around evidently and without giving Steve time to answer, a silver gleaming knife was being pressed against your arm.

“Whoa whoa whoa!”

“Scoops Ahoy!” Steve screamed the answer at the same time as you yelled in shock. “I’m not lying, it’s in Starcourt Mall!”

A harsh punch landed on his stomach as the blade began to cut through your skin. Gritting your teeth in pain, you refused to let out any noise of discomfort. Steve was already blaming himself, you didn’t doubt that, but you wouldn’t let him feel any worse. 

“How did you get in?”

Steve gasped for air to answer the question, “I already told you. I told you before. My delivery didn’t come, and my friends and I, we thought that it was left at the loading dock. We went in the room and then it turned into an elevator and then… and then we dropped and next thing I know I open my eyes and we’re in this… wonderful facility.”

The knife dragged through your skin slowly as you twitched in reaction, letting out a small groan that had Steve turning towards you so fast you swore he got whiplash. “No, no, no leave her alone! I’m telling the truth, I swear to God! Nobody knows about us, nobody saw us. You can just let us go alright, and-and we’re not gonna tell anybody about this, okay? Shit happens, life goes on-” 

He continued to ramble long enough before you kicked the Russian in front of you in the stomach so the knife clanged to the floor. Blood pooled on your skin before you looked away from the wound with a wince. “Fucking hell! We’re telling the truth! Just let us go!”

The soldiers laughed at your desperation for freedom as you and Steve shared a glance of confusion. There was no chance to figure it out before a guard hit Steve across the face, sending him unconscious as you yelled in protest before darkness spread across your vision and you let the welcoming sleep win.

--

“Y/N. Y/N, Steve, wake up!”

Robin’s voice echoed in your ears as you let your head fall back with a groan. Someone else was behind you as your skull connected with theirs lightly. 

“Y/N! Hi, hi. Are you okay?” Robin’s voice was clear now as you winced away from the light.

“Robs, shhh. Holy shit, I have a bad concussion,” You mumbled as you took a deep breath, ears ringing with her yelling. “Where’s Stevie?”

You tried to feel everything out: the ache in your shoulder and new cut on your arm, you were stuck with your wrists, chest, and thighs restrained against the chair behind you. Headache building each second, you turned to see Robin to your right and Steve to your left, the three of you in a triangle tied together. 

“Steve?” You whispered as you tried to nudge him awake. Him being unconscious was the last thing you needed right now, the heavy pit in your stomach finally bursting when he didn’t answer. “Steve, c’mon wake up.”

“He’s been out since they threw you both in here. They haven’t been back since. Said something about bringing a doctor,” Robin explained softly, understanding the light and sounds bothered you without you having to say it. 

You almost whined at her words, scared that maybe Steve wasn’t waking back up from the attack they landed on him. “Stevie, wake up. Wake up! You promised me we would get out of here. Wake up. You can’t leave me!” Vision tunneling and chest suddenly feeling like it couldn’t move, you feared the worst. A wave of dizziness washed over you as you tried to breathe through the tension in your throat that threatened to suffocate you. You shook your head to yourself. “No, no, no. C’mon. Not now.” 

“Y/N, are you having a panic attack?” Robin asked the obvious question as she tried to look at you. “Whoa, hey, you gotta breathe okay? He’s gonna be fine.”

“Robin, I can’t,” You sobbed as you choked for air in your lungs, feet kicking the ground harshly as you tried to wiggle out. “I can’t lose him. He’s all I have, okay? I can’t, I won’t-”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” She tried to reassure you but without being able to move, she had to rely on her words to do the best she could. “He’s probably just unconscious and worn out. He’ll be fine. If they wanted to kill him, they would’ve already.”

You knew she was doing her best but it wasn’t helpful enough to calm the racing in your heart. There was a point to her statement; if they wanted to get rid of you guys, they would’ve. Regardless, neither you or Steve did well seeing the other in pain. 

“Hey, would you stop yelling?”

“Steve! Oh, my God!” Robin’s voice was full of worry as she leaned directly back against his left shoulder to try and see him better. “Are-Are you okay?”

He took a choppy deep breath, “My ears are ringing and I can’t really breathe, and my eye feels like it’s about to pop out of my skull, but you know, apart from that I’m doing pretty good.”

“Good, good, yeah, because Y/N over here is having a panic attack thinking you weren’t gonna wake up.”

“Robin!” You whined in embarrassment at her comment, letting your head drop to your chest. Small drops of blood smeared up and down from the deep slice on your left arm. You wanted nothing more than to just go home with the kids, shower, and cuddle up for movie night. A slight sense of relief came back when you heard Steve speak. 

“Bubs,” Steve’s voice cracked as he tried to get your attention, eyes moving to look at you as best as possible. “You okay?”

Tears slipped down your cheeks at his voice and you were grateful he couldn’t see you fully. “Mhmm fine. Good.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Well sorry I’m not feeling very positive,” You mumbled back. Your injuries were starting to get the best of you and the tired feeling was hard to hold back. “Just wanna go to sleep.”

Steve’s leg kicked yours as gently as possible, his hip at an odd angle to reach you. “Nonono, hey, you have a concussion. Stay awake. You better stay awake.” You softly groaned at his word, letting your head rest gently on his shoulder even though it pulled your muscles uncomfortably. 

“I can’t believe I’m gonna die in a secret Russian base with Steve “The Hair” Harrington and Y/N Y/L/N-Harrington.”

A beat of silence followed her statement before you spoke up. “Did you just hyphenate my last name with his?”

“Mhmm,” She hummed in agreement. “Because you two are rarely separated and you love each other so deal with it. It’s just too trippy, man.”

“We’re not gonna die,” Steve responded to the first part of her initial statement, ignoring the little nudge at your relationship. “We’re gonna get out of here, okay? You gotta let me just think for a second.”

Robin ignored his request for silence and kept mumbling, “Do you remember, um, Mrs. Click’s sophomore history class? Mrs. Clickity-Clackity. That’s what us band dweebs called her.”

“God, that woman hated me,” You added. Your headache was getting stronger by the minute and you prayed Steve had some kind of pain relief in his car.

“It was the first period, Tuesdays and Thursdays and Steve was always late. Always had the same breakfast: bacon, egg, and cheese on a sesame bagel. I sat behind you two days a week for a year. Mister Funny. Mister Cool. The King of Hawkins High himself. Do you even remember me from that class?” Steve’s silence was enough of an answer for Robin before she scoffed. “Of course you don’t. You were a real asshole, you know that?”

Steve let out a small sigh before agreeing, “Yeah, I know.”

“But it didn’t even matter. It didn’t matter that you were an ass. I was still… obsessed with you. Even though all of us losers pretend to be above it all, we still just wanna be popular, accepted.”

“If it makes you feel any better, having those things isn’t all that great,” Steve admitted as he let his head drop to rest against yours gently. “Seriously. It just baffles me. Everything that people tell you is important, everything people say you should care about, it’s all just… bullshit. But I guess you gotta mess up to figure things out, right?”

“I hope so. I feel like my whole life has been… one big error.” Robin’s response pulled a chuckle from you and Steve both. Somehow in the midst of the worst moments, Robin always brought that feeling out in you. “At least it can’t get any more messed up than this.”

You let out a small noise of protest. “Don’t jinx us, please.”

“I wish I’d known you in Click’s class,” Steve continued their hushed conversation. “Really, I do. Maybe you could’ve helped me pass the class. Y/N can only help me so much before it’s impossible.”

“Hey!” You grumbled, “Listen Harrington, sometimes the student is unteachable for the teacher, okay?”

He laughed at your defense, twisting just enough to press a kiss to your temple. “I’m kidding, bubs. You did great. You always do.”

The buzzer of the door ruined the moment as the commander and his guards entered the room again. This time though, a bald man in a white shirt with dark pants came with them and you could only guess this was the doctor Robin was referring to. 

The commander leaned down in front of Steve. “Try telling the truth this time, yes? It will make your visit with Dr. Zharkov less painful.” His grimy hand ran down Steve’s neck in faux comfort as your best friend tried to lean away, wincing as the Russian’s thumb dug too hard into his bruises.

Your eyes followed the so-called “doctor” who held a large needle full of blue liquid. “Wait, whoa, what is that?” Your question was left unanswered for a moment as he continued to approach Steve. “Stop stop, leave him alone!”

“It will help you talk.”

“No, no, no!” Steve protested as the doctor pushed his head towards you before injecting the needle into his neck without a second of hesitation. 

You turned your head as best as possible as he groaned next to you. “Steve, Stevie. Are you okay?” For all you knew, it could’ve been poison and he was gonna drop dead any second. 

Shifting his jaw back and forth, he nodded to you. “Yeah, fine. For now.” 

Your attention was drawn back to the doctor who grabbed another needle from his tray, turning to you. “Oh, fucking hell.” You tried to kick at his legs to keep him away before someone’s fingers dug into the raw skin on your arm. A scream left your lips, feet dropping back to the floor as fresh blood poured from the wound the same second the needle entered your neck. 

“Let go! Get your hands off her!” Steve shouted from next to you as the doctor moved on to Robin before they left the three of you alone in the room again. 

“Holy shit,” You gasped in shock as you watched the drops of blood fall down your arm. Thankfully none of you had stopped breathing yet, so maybe whatever they gave you wouldn’t be so bad.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Robin asked since she couldn’t see what you and Steve could.

“Asshole stuck his finger in my arm.” A sharp hiss left your teeth. This day definitely was not turning out the way you thought it would. 

A few moments of silence passed between your trio. Nobody knew what to say. Emotions were tense and it had been over 24 hours since you had seen the normal sky and fresh air. You were exhausted, head leaning against Steve’s. You craved the peace and quiet of your room, his soft snores filling the air. Despite the coolness of your room, Steve’s skin was always warm and no matter how much you whined about being hot, he refused to not be holding you while you slept. 

“Honestly, I don’t really feel anything. Do you?” Steve broke the quiet with a light attempt at humor. 

“No,” You whispered quietly, voice threatening to give out from all the screaming.

“I mean, I… I feel fine,” Robin added, “I feel kinda good.”

Light laughter followed her statement from you and Steve. She wasn’t wrong, you kinda felt like you were floating on clouds. The pain faded slightly and everything just felt easy. 

“Morons,” You snorted in laughter, “They messed up the drug.”

“They messed it up,” Robin couldn’t stop her giggles.

“Morons,” Steve called out, “Hey, morons!”

“Oh man,” You sighed with a smile once the laughter died down. “There’s definitely something wrong with us.”

The door buzzer sent a ringing through your ears as you complained loudly in annoyance. You could see the familiar guards and even the doctor had come to greet you again. The clinging of his metal tools as he unpacked his bag caught your attention easily. The twinge of terror in your chest didn’t last very long, blown away by whatever they injected into your body.

“Would now be a good time to tell you that I don’t like doctors?” 

Robin’s joke was left without reaction this time as you stared at the shining tools. Now even more defenseless, you wondered if Dustin and Erica were somewhere safe. Maybe it was a good thing they never returned to help. At least you knew they wouldn’t have to see whatever happened next. 

“Let’s try this again. Who do you work for?”

“Scoops,” Steve answered bluntly causing you and Robin to giggle, “Scoops Ahoy.”

“How did you find us?”

“Totally by accident,” You answered this time, not hesitating to give them a response. It was like your brain just wanted to talk and it wanted to say anything and everything that came to it.

Some Russian was spoken, something you weren’t sure of. The doctor picked up a pair of pliers from his tool set and stepped towards your best friend. “What is that shiny little toy?” The target of the command was oblivious to the danger heading his way. 

“Stevie, maybe he’s gonna cut your hair,” You cackled at the idea of Steve losing his biggest trait. “Ha, you’re gonna be bald.”

Robin practically screamed with laughter seconds before Steve was screaming in terror as the doctor put the pliers beneath one of his nails. “Whoa, whoa, hey, hey. Wait! No! Wait! Wait!”

“There was a code!” Robin blurted, “We heard a code!

The commander seemed somewhat pleased with the information. “What code?” He pushed further. 

“The week is long. The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west. Blah, blah, blah. You broadcast that stupid spy shit all over town, and we picked it up on our Cerebro, and we cracked it in a day. A day!” Robin was particularly gleeful as she explained how you ended up here. “You think you’re so smart, but a couple of kids who scoop ice cream and watch kids for a living cracked your code in a day, and now, people know you’re here.”

“Who knows we are here, suka?”

“Uh, well, Dustin knows.”

In a flip of panic you turned towards him. “Hey, Steve.”

“Yeah, Dustin Henderson, he knows.”

“Stevie!” You yelled this time, hoping the force in your voice would make him shut up. No way, no way, was he going to sit here and rat out the little boy you considered your brother. 

You hated the way Dustin’s name rolled off the commander’s mouth. “Is this your small, curly-haired friend?”

“Ah, curly-haired. Gread hair. Small. Kind of like a ‘fro. Yeah.”

“Where is he?”

Steve couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. “He’s long gone, you big asshole. He’s probably calling Hopper and Hopper’s calling the US calvary. They’re gonna come in here, commando-style, guns a-blazin and kick your sorry asses back to Russia. You’re gonna be two pieces of toast.”

Laughter burst through your lips as your head fell forward. The ups and downs of your emotions were making you dizzy but this was so fun and dangerous and sickening.

“Is that so?” The commander bent down in front of Steve’s face to mock him. You all burst into another fit of giggles that only escalated when an alarm began blaring through the base. The commander and his two guards rushed from the room to diagnose the issue.

The door slammed open as you recognized Dustin’s high pitched yell before there was a zapping noise. The doctor’s figure crumbled to the ground from whatever the younger boy did before his curly hair was popping up in your peripheral vision. 

“Hey, Henderson!” Steve was giddy at the boy’s presence in front of him. “That’s crazy, I was just talking about you.”

“Get ready to run!” Dustin’s command wasn’t left up for discussion as he yanked the belts holding the three of you together off. Erica quickly moved to untie Robin individually before Dustin’s hands were suddenly on your knees. “Y/N, holy shit. Are you okay?”

“Dusty!” Your voice was way too excited in his opinion as he tried to pull his eyes from the dried blood on your skin. His hands moved fast to free your ankles and wrists before he tucked an arm under your shoulder and helped you up. Unlucky for you, it was the one the Russians popped out of socket causing you to yelp and jump away from him. “Ow, that hurt!” Your pain was disguised in a fit of laughter as Dustin stared at you in concern. 

“We gotta go. Come on.” Grabbing your wrist gently, he pulled you out of the monotone room that had consumed your thoughts for the past few hours. Handling you carefully, he helped you climb into the back of whatever transport they had found, Steve and Robin clambering in after. The door slammed shut, the ringing in your ears making you press your hands harshly against your head. Curling into yourself, you laughed as the cart began to move making you roll around like a ball.

“Jesus, slow down,” Steve’s words were slurring together as he tumbled into your side. His hands were as careful as possible as he tried to get off of you.

“Yeah, what is this, the Indy 500?”

“It’s the Indy 300,” Steve attempted to correct Robin’s statement but failed. 

“No, dingus, it’s 500!”

“300!”

They two kept going before bursting into laughter again. Your senses were suddenly overwhelmed, the medicine they gave you blurring together as you dropped into a fit of panic. Head aching, chest tight, you clenched your fingers around your arms tightly as you tried to protect yourself as much as possible. Erica let out a shout before you were slammed against the metal walls of the cart, a cry leaving your lips as you hit your already bruised head. Dustin asked if you were alright but you were too busy trying to choke in air to answer. 

More yelling followed before hands were pulling on you, yanking you from your comforting position. Whining as you moved, you let Steve and Dustin practically carry you along slowly into the elevator you came here in. 

The chaotic elevator ride went in a blur, Steve and Robin giggling a little too loud for your enjoyment. Dustin was trying to check your best friend’s stability before his finger was poking into his neck where they had injected the drugs earlier. The ride back up to ground level didn't take too long and eventually, Dustin held your hand tightly as he led you from the elevator back out into the fresh air of the night. You thought you were in the clear and could finally go home, take a shower, and go to sleep. That idea slipped away quickly as Dustin started yelling and pulled you back through the side doors of the mall while Erica attempted to corral Steve and Robin. You caught a quick glimpse of the two Russians undercover that were running towards you.

“Whoa!” Steve shouted excitedly as your group turned a corner sharply in the back halls of the mall.

“Where are we going?” Erica asked Dustin, who didn’t give her a clear answer. Soon enough, he was pulling you through the door that led to the movie theater hallway and into an ongoing showing of Back to the Future. 

Your feet couldn’t keep up as he ran towards the bottom row, demanding you, Steve, and Robin take a seat. Steve broke out into complaints about the shitty view while shoving someone’s discarded popcorn into his mouth. 

“Whatever you do, don’t go anywhere,” The younger boy directed.

“Fine, Dad,” Steve scoffed, earning giggles from Robin. You watched Dustin and Erica shift down the aisle to two other open seats. Steve slumped down aggressively, throwing more popcorn than he could chew into his mouth, mumbling that he had no idea what was happening.

Three minutes went by of your trio staring dumbly at the movie screen before Robin spoke up, “Guys. I’m bored.”

“Me too,” Steve blurted a little too excitedly. You looked over at both of them to see their expectant eyes staring right at you. Dustin’s words be damned, you were bored and hungrier than shit.

Moving quickly to the left, you snuck back out the same hall you had walked through. Food forgotten, the water fountains you found looked much more appetizing as you crumbled against it and chugged down water like you’d never seen it before. 

Plopping on the floor, you let Robin take over the water fountain you previously occupied. Steve started conversing with her again but their words faded to whispers as you stared forward. Whatever they gave you down in the lab was causing panic after panic. Slumping forward, you wrapped your arms tightly around your legs as you tried to slow your breathing. You thought once you left that elevator you’d be free, but realizing that the guards lurked around every corner was enough to freak you out, especially when you figured out how vulnerable your group was.

“Steve!” 

Your cry had his attention instantly, laughter disappearing immediately as he turned to you. He felt bad, but whatever the guards gave him made him want to giggle again. He clumsily clattered to the floor next to you. “Y/N, hey, hey. What’s wrong?” Hands were on your arms, your bare skin touching his. “Okay, okay. That’s okay, just breathe for me.” He was trying to walk himself through the normal steps. Helping you through a panic attack wasn’t abnormal to him, and he was always willing to keep you from suffering alone. 

“I-I don’t know, it’s too much,” You admitted as you crawled into his lap, letting him hold you like a child. Tingling ran through your limbs, numb to the point where you could barely feel the warmth of Steve’s hold on you. “I can’t, it hurts, everywhere. We can’t get out of here, a-and and you, you weren’t waking up and-”

“Y/N, hey. Eyes on me, babe. I’ve got you.” His fingers were soft as they moved your chin to look up at him. He had never seen your body so tense, so rigid. He knew ever since the demogorgon attack that the nightmares were getting worse but you always, always insisted that you were fine.

You cried into his bloody uniform, hands refusing to let go of his wrists. “I was so scared, I didn't think you were gonna come back to me and I’m sorry! I’m sorry I never told you but I didn’t want anything to happen if I did and I’m just so so scared of losing you, Stevie. Can’t even imagine a world without you and I thought you left me alone and… and…”

So, here you were, a bloody mess in Starcourt Mall when the secret broke free that you had hidden from Steve Harrington for so long. Your biggest and greatest fear had always been so close under his nose and he had no idea. Maybe it was obliviousness or just denial but he had never realized how important he was to you.

You were scared, terrified, of losing him to the point where you didn’t want to risk speaking it into existence. Now, it all made sense though. The moments of hesitation when a plan involved him in the front lines, the over worry when he got into a fight, or the simple things like making him dinner and staying in his usually empty house so he didn’t feel alone. 

You couldn’t live in a world where Steve Harrington wasn’t yours.

He felt stupid that he didn’t see it sooner, but you were so good at hiding things when you wanted to. He had slowly been figuring your patterns out but this one was just right out of his reach.

“Shh, it’s okay. C’mere.” His arms held you close, chin resting on your head, tucking you into his neck as he tried to bring you any sense of comfort, to let you know he was here and he was okay. You curled closer into his body, trying not to disturb the wounds on his face. “M’not gonna go anywhere, bubs. Promise. Could never leave you.”

Robin couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized at the way the two of you fit together like missing puzzle pieces. She admired it, yet despised it because she never would get to experience it. You were like soulmates, destined to be entwined infinitely in the universe. She begged, hoped, dreamed that someone would show up and love her for her the way Steve loved you. There was a lot of room for her to grow, to open up to the two of you about who she really was and she would, soon. 

“Hey,” She cursed herself as she interrupted your small moment, her eyes drifting upwards as she let her head fall back. “Is the ceiling spinning for you guys too?”

You sniffled as you pulled your head away from Steve’s neck to look up at the indeed bright, moving lights. It was gorgeous, a blend of soft yet bright and elegant color. 

Your stomach shifted uncomfortably before all three of you were scrambling to the nearest bathroom to rid your bodies of the toxins that had been plaguing you. You tried not to be too grossed out on the bathroom floor and the cold porcelain toilet you were resting your head on. Letting out a small groan, you tucked yourself against the corner of the stall between the wall and the toilet, letting yourself slump in exhaustion. 

“The ceiling stopped spinning for me,” Robin said as she broke the silence. You could see the backs of her thighs as she let her legs rest upwards against the stall. “Is it still spinning for you?” Taking a second, you looked up and shook your head no, forgetting that she couldn’t see you. 

“Holy shit. No. You think we puked it all up?” Steve asked from the stall next to you. You could barely see his blue shoes and knee high socks against the multicolored floor. 

“Maybe, ask me something,” Robin suggested before changing to a Russian accent, “Interrogate me.”

Steve let out a small chuckle, “Okay, interrogate you. Sure. Um, when was the last time you peed your pants?”

“Today,” Robin answered without hesitation, “When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw.”

A short laugh left your mouth as Steve mumbled something about the drug still being in Robin’s system. You felt fine now - not back to normal but you didn’t feel as floaty and instead, your body was riddled with pain and exhaustion but you were just glad to be out. 

“Alright, my turn. Have you… ever been in love?”

“Yep. Nancy Wheeler, first semester, senior year,” He made a noise with his mouth to imitate a gunshot to his heart. 

Despite Steve being devastated over the situation, you were so grateful Nancy snapped him out of his King Steve persona that became so overwhelming. You had been watching your best friend disappear piece by piece, his new friends becoming your enemies with their snide rude comments that Steve didn’t really attempt to stop. So, despite Nancy Wheeler breaking Steve’s heart, you got him back and you were more than grateful for it. 

“Y/N, did you just OD in there?”

By the time you realized you were missing the conversation, Steve’s body was sliding under the metal door into your stall and shaking you back to reality. You gave him a small smile, chin resting on your crossed arms as you tucked your knees into your chest. Neither of you talked about what had happened not too long ago and you were suddenly ashamed of your reaction. 

“That floor’s disgusting,” You muttered as he settled closer to you. His hands were gentle as they grabbed your ankles and released your legs from their cramped position to rest over his lap, fingertips ghosting lightly over your shins. He needed to hold you, to comfort you the best way he knew how.

“Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt, so…” He waved his hand lazily towards his destroyed uniform. “Do you wanna talk about it? Robin went to get some more water for us.”

You shrugged lightly, leg twitching as you threatened to curl back into a ball. You felt exposed, more exposed than you ever did to him and usually you didn’t mind it but it just felt weird. Steve noticed, just like he always did, and shifted to sit facing you with his legs slotted beneath yours, his feet resting on the sides of your hips. Tugging you forward gently until your thighs rested on top of his and his hands sat on your waist, Steve Harrington finally looked at you the way he had wanted to for so long.

“I love you.”

Your response was automatic, “I love you, too.”

Steve smiled but shook his head slightly as he messed with you. “Nah, c’mon, babes. You know that’s not what I mean.”

You gave him a half smile, your skin bubbling with excitement. “Stevie, I think we both know exactly what we mean.” You could feel the dynamic shift, both of you could. It was obvious enough but it didn’t feel heavy or overbearing - it just felt right.

“Oh, do we now?” The smirk on his face was smug but it disappeared into the tiniest smile when you rolled your eyes at him and finally leaned forward to close the distance, your lips settling perfectly onto his. Steve Harrington was in heaven, and he was in love. He didn’t know why it had taken this long for either of you to react and make the emotions between you known after so long but he was so glad.

His hands slipped to your lower back to pull you closer into his lap as your fingers sorted through his slightly matted hair. Taking a second to breathe, you leaned back with one hand still lingering around his neck, the other gently brushing the bruises on his face. He was just so real, so close, and somehow still always yours. 

The bathroom door slamming open had you shifting your gaze to see Dustin, Erica, and Robin crowding the doorway, the biggest smile on the latter's face as she held water bottles in her hands. Steve moved slightly to see them, his hand never leaving your waist as he turned to see your friends had returned. “Oh, hey guys.”

“Okay. What the hell!”

--

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[imaginedisish]

Someone Great (Steve Harrington x Reader)

A/N: Hey guys! Here is my first Steve Harrington fic! I hope y'all like it. This is based on all of the “Steve talking about having kids with the reader” requests! It’s a bit angsty, and I’m just gonna say it now...SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEASON 4 VOL 2!!! Please be careful LOL. So this one is based on Someone Great by LCD Soundsystem, but I also listened a lot to This is Me Trying by Taylor Swift while writing this. Anyway, here is some angst to fluff, enjoy y'all.

Summary: (SPOILERS AHEAD) As Steve’s best friend, you think you know everything about him. But you don’t know about his dream to have a Winnebago filled with Harringtons, and that you’re in it. 

Warnings: SPOILERS INCOMING FOR SEASON 4 VOLUME 2!!!!!!! Canon divergence! I literally ignore Nancy and completely replace her in the Winnebago scene LOL. Cursing, character deaths from season 4 volume 2 mentioned below the cut so beware! Canon mentions/depictions of violence and death in general, friends to lovers. Also, probably tons of grammatical errors. Takes place the day before that “two days later”...

Word Count: 2,048...kinda short for me.

The past week, or the past few years, rather, had been far from normal. Battling inter-dimensional monsters had become somehow…commonplace. But it never got easier, and neither did losing those around you. 

It was a day after you, Steve, Robin, and Nancy had narrowly escaped Vecna and the Upside Down. You knew things weren’t over yet, far from it. You knew this was just the beginning. The destruction of practically all of Hawkins, despite your attempts to destroy Vecna, was enough proof of that. 

Your ears were still ringing, your heart was still pounding against the walls of your chest, and your head was still spinning. Your mind went back and forth between Eddie and Max, refusing to quit, engraving fictional images of their limp bodies in the very foremost part of your memory. It had been impossible to shake. 

And you knew it always would be. 

All of this would be eternally impossible to simply shake off. This was the type of shit that would continue plaguing you with nightmares thirty years down the line once you’ve settled down with a family of your own. 

 In search of some semblance of peace, some inkling of hope that maybe this could all get better one day, you take your bike down to Lover’s Lake. 

 You find your way down to the dirty dunes of the beach, and you sit down on the cool damp sand. Your eyes focus on the water in front of you, reflecting the bright blue sky and the glimmering sun above. It feels unfair, how beautiful of a day it is. You wanted the world to stop, to comprehend what the fuck had just happened. You wanted to force the universe to grieve with you, even if it was just for a brief second. Eddie and Max deserved that. You knew they deserved more than just that, but it would suffice for now. 

 Instead, you sat alone on the beach of the lake. You remember summer days when your parents would take you and Steve down to the lake. Your parents had met Steve’s parents when they first moved to Hawkins, and the couples clicked instantly. Still, your parents noticed how absent Steve’s parents were, and they quickly began taking Steve on your family day trips. It was here, on the beach of Lover’s Lake, that you and Steve developed your life-long friendship. It was over a stupid little sandcastle that you and Steve had pinky-sworn to always help each other, no matter what. 

 After demo-dogs, evil time bending wizards, and a massive Mind Flayer, it was safe to say you had each held up your ends of the bargain.

 You would never admit it out loud, but you desperately wished he was here with you now. It felt selfish to need him. He was probably just as traumatized as you, after all. It doesn’t help that you’ve been pining over him for the past few years. You’ve watched him hop from girl to girl, to Nancy, and back to girl to girl again. But now, that seemed like the smallest of your problems. 

 You try to push your thoughts of Steve out of your head. You squeeze your eyes shut, as if you were hard resetting yourself. But all you can see is Steve in that stolen Winnebago, staring deeply into your eyes from the driver’s seat. 

 “You? A big family?” You questioned, dumbfounded at Steve’s confession. 

 “Oh yeah,” He smirks softly, briefly musing over his response before continuing. “I’m talking like a full brood of Harringtons…like five, six kids…”

 You cut him off, eyes wide with shock. “Six kids?” A smile tugs softly at your lips as he glances over at you. 

 “Yeah, six little nuggets. Three girls, three boys…” He trails off, eyes on the road again, the corners of his mouth turned up. 

 The thing was, you could see it. You could see each part of Steve’s dream as he explained it. You could see him, surrounded by six children tackling him down on the sands of some beach town in California. You could see him propping up one of his daughters onto his shoulders to get the perfect view of the Grand Canyon. You could see him pitching up a tent at Yellowstone all because the kids begged to sleep outside, to actually feel like they were camping. 

 But most of all, and possibly worst of all, you could see yourself there with him. And God, you desperately wanted to be there with him. 

 You turn towards Steve. His gaze was already set on you, as if he had asked you a question and was awaiting your answer. You search his eyes as your smile widens. 

 “That’s beautiful, Steve,” Your voice is barely above a whisper, as if your words had gotten stuck in your throat. “Really, it sounds like a dream,” You force the words out this time, loud enough so that he knows you really mean it.

 Because you did. 

 And you still do. 

 You could feel the tears welling in your eyes. All of this was becoming unbearable. You could feel yourself waking up from the shock of losing Eddie and practically losing Max. What are you even supposed to do in a situation like this? How are you supposed to go back to college in the fall? How are you even supposed to go home now? Nothing felt like home anymore, not after all this. 

 The only thing that felt like home was him. 

 Steve. 

 But that didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. He was still in love with Nancy, and if your friends weren’t dead yet, they were certainly still in danger. 

 A chill runs down your spine as the wind whips off the lake and across the sand. You shudder under the touch of the breeze. You shut your eyes, tears freeing themselves as they fall down your cheeks. You bring your legs tightly into your chest, your arms reaching around them to hold yourself in place. Your head falls against your knees, the tears becoming uncontrollable. Your sobs grow louder, the heaving of your chest growing quicker. 

 In the near distance, you can hear tires screeching against pavement, and a car engine suddenly turning off. You sniffle softly, ignoring the car. You didn’t care if someone saw you like this. You deserved to cry, to break down. What else were you supposed to do?

 What are the options?

When someone great is gone

When someone great is gone.

 You could hear someone calling out a name, and as the voice becomes closer, the name the person is calling sounds a lot like yours. Suddenly, there’s a hand on your shoulder. The touch is familiar, warm, welcoming.

 Steve.

 You glance up, your face wet, your eyes bloodshot. The sight of you makes his heart stutter and clench painfully. He immediately falls to your side, wrapping you in his arms. 

 “Hey,” He whispers into your ear. “It’s me, I’ve got you now, it’s okay.” 

 You heave into his chest, your sobs echoing across the lake. 

 “It j-just keeps coming,” You stutter. “A-all of this, it’s n-never gonna stop, it’s never gonna…” You trail off, pressing your face farther into Steve’s chest. 

 And it keeps coming

And it keeps coming

And it keeps coming

Till the day it stops

 You’re in Steve’s lap now. His hands rub softly against your back, his fingers drawing shapes against any exposed bits of skin. He shushes you, cradling you in his arms. 

 “We’re gonna be okay,” He reassures as one of his hands travels up to the nape of your neck, gently combing through your hair. “We’re gonna get out of this, I promise.”

 “But what if-,”

 Steve immediately cuts you off. “No what if’s,” His voice is firmer now. He pulls you away from him for just a second, as if to solidify his point. His eyes stare into yours. “You’re getting out of this, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure that happens.” 

 You swallow harshly, his words burning into your skin. You shake your head. “But you have to get out of here, too,” You insist. “You gotta get a nice girl and your six kids and that Winnebago,” You say, your voice shaking with every syllable. Even as kids, you always put Steve’s happiness before your own. If he had a shot at leaving all of this behind, you wanted him to take it. 

 Steve scoffs, looking off into the distance. “A nice girl?” He questions, his hands still firmly pressed against you, caressing you. 

 You nod as you struggle to keep yourself together, images of Steve starting a life with Nancy flashing through your mind. “Yeah,” You say, taking a deep breath. “Someone great, like Nancy.”

 Steve looks at you incredulously, and then looks back out to the lake, searching for the right thing to say. 

 “That thing, about the Winnebago and the kids,” He whispers, his eyes frantically taking in all your features. “I wasn’t imagining Nancy when I told you all that. I never have…” He trails off, his Adam’s Apple bobbing in his throat. 

 “I imagined you.” 

 Those were the words that you had always wanted to hear, the words that made the sky open up, the words that made the world melt away. 

 Steve’s grip moves down to your waist, his fingers pressing into the exposed skin between your t-shirt and your jeans. One hand remains in your hair, pulling your face closer to his. He’s just inches away from you now. You can feel his breath tickle your nose as he parts his lips. 

 “I’ve imagined being with you for as long as I could possibly remember,” He confesses, his forehead pressing against your own. “The kids, the Winnebago, the vacations, it all means nothing if I’m not doing it with you.” 

 His lips ghost over yours. You breathe softly against him. “Steve I-,”

 He cuts you off. “And I get it if you don’t feel the same. I get it if the six kids thing sounds crazy. I don’t want to ruin our friendship and I don’t want to scare you away. It’s just that-,”

 “Steve,” You cut him off this time, a smile making its way across your face. “I want that. I want you, and your brood of Harringtons,” You giggle at the last bit of your confession, your face lighting up for the first time in what feels like an eternity. 

 “Oh thank fucking God,” Steve mutters, somehow pulling you closer to him. 

 His lips press firmly against yours, capturing you, securing you, and simultaneously freeing you all at once. It feels like for just one second, not all is lost. It feels like there’s a future out there where you and Steve and the kids save Hawkins. It feels like there’s a future out there where all of these deaths and battles aren’t in vain, that they mean something. It feels like there’s a future where you and Steve make it, like there’s a future out there where your little Harringtons are fighting each other to be Steve’s first mate in the front seat of a Winnebago. 

 The kiss is languid and smooth. His body moves carefully against yours, as if he’s afraid you’ll turn to dust in front of him, as if you’ll crumble and he’ll have no way to put you back together. It’s clear, even in just this kiss, that he’s afraid that he’s going to lose you just as soon as he’s finally gotten you. 

 And you can’t help but feel the same. 

 When his lips finally part from your own, you can’t help but want more. It wasn’t enough. The cool breeze that comes off the lake whisks between the two of you, causing Steve to grip tighter onto you. 

 “We’re gonna get that future, I promise,” He whispers. 

 “Good,” You whisper back. “Because I’ve got some names in mind.” You grin widely. 

 “Oh yeah?” Steve grins even wider than you. “You gotta tell me then. Spill.”

 You knew it wouldn’t be like this forever. But for a moment, just a moment, things seemed perfect, safe.

 We're safe, for the moment

Saved for the moment…